Disclaimer:
The NiGHTS into Dreams characters belong to Sonic Team and are used without permission.
This is a joint effort between myself and my friend Aaron.

"Have you ever looked around in a dream, have you realized where you are, see the dream? A world where forces will collide, powers gleam. A world where a new way will arise, be the dream. . ."
Molly sang happily as she helped to support Tier. The young Nightmaren had had a very rough time tonight and was now being escorted out of Nightmare, where it and Aaron had been held temporarily. Tier was making a show of clenching its teeth at the singing. "Make . . . it . . . stop. . .!"
Aaron walked along happily beside Tier, also helping to support it, and making a show of smiling and ignoring Tier's groaning. He was enjoying the music. He wasn't much of a singer, at least, not in front of anyone. But he found himself humming along with Molly once he caught on to the tune.
Molly was quickly caught up in her song as she got to the main part. "Flying higher and true through a sky sparkling blue, prepare to fly share the dream with me! Over mountains and sea through ice and forest with me. Prepare to fly, share the dream with me!" NiGHTS was surprised to find himself humming with the Dreamers.
Jesse had tried to hum along at one point, but its voice was a little squeaky and didn't seem to quite have the right range to sing the notes they were humming, so it trailed off, hoping that no one had heard it try. It was looking a darker shade of gray in the face, almost like it were blushing.

Molly fell silent, thoughtful. After a few moments, she tried again, testing out the next verse as she sang it. "As you travel you will see in this dream, all that you are yet to be, in this dream. . ." She slowed, trying to put more words together. Aaron wiped his forehead. There wasn't any sweat, but he felt that there should have been. "Are we there yet? Tier, you're heavy for something that's supposed to fly..."
Tier whimpered. "I'm sorry. . ."
Molly ignored them as she considered. "Standing strong and proud with me, in my dreams. Still so much for us to do, for us to see, in this dream!" She made a face. "No . . . no good. . . "
Jesse flitted up beside Molly. "I liked it. . ." Molly smiled at her new friend. "Thanks, Jesse. . ."
Tier mades a face, mimicking Molly in a mocking tone. "Meh mehmee. . . "
Aaron prodded Tier with his elbow. "Someone's jealous." Molly grinned, winking at Jesse. Tier grimaced. "Am not!" It sulked, trying its best to speed up. Molly grinned, winking at Jesse.
Aaron pretended to be shocked. "Why, I never said it was you, Tier! Someone has a guilty conscience. . ." Jesse blinked, trying to wink back. It couldn't quite seem to close one eye all the way without closing the other too.
Tier sputtered, blinking in surprise. "I . . . er . . . that is, I . . . . augh!" Tier shot a dirty look at Jesse, clearly feeling that its position as Aaron's and Molly's favorite Nightmaren was being threatened.
Molly smiled at Jesse before glancing at Aaron. "Aaron, don't tease poor Tier like that, it's not feeling good!" She was grinning despite her words.
Aaron hid his smile with his free hand. "Sorry. . ." He looked up at Tier. "Sorry, Tier. I was only joking." Jesse flew away and hid behind NiGHTS.
NiGHTS blinked in surprise at Jesse's clinginess. Molly blinked as well. "Jesse, Tier doesn't mean it. . ." Tier made a face. "Yes I do. . ." It grumbled. Jesse peeked out and gave Molly a little smile. "It's okay. . ." NiGHTS smiled. "Shara and the Dreamers might need help supporting Tier, they look tired." Under Tier, Shara was slightly transparent with strain. Jesse nodded and flew back to Tier, lending its strength to help support it again.

The little Nightmaren looked up at Tier. "I won't steal your dreamers... I promise." It looked down again, unwilling to look Tier in the eyes. Tier blinked and fell silent, mollified. Molly sighed at Tier. "Bully. . ." She smiled to take the sting away. Aaron smiled a little. He felt a little sorry for the smaller Nightmaren, but he could understand how Tier might have felt threatened by its undeniable cute factor. Molly certainly seemed to have fallen victim to Jesse's appeal.
Jesse did its best to keep Tier supported, hoping that it would not dislike it. It had had enough of Nightmaren treating it like a punching bag, and it had no desire to alienate itself from its new friends as well.
Tier glanced at Aaron, looking unhappy. It didn't like the sense of guilt that its human friends tended to inspire. Tier had first felt guilt after refusing to help Aaron rescue Molly and NiGHTS from Nightmare. Since then, it had become a common if unpleasant sensation. Molly's protectiveness over Jesse was causing Tier to feel guilty now, and Tier hated it.
Aaron sent a smile back to Tier, hoping to reassure it. He didn't like it when Tier got that guilty look on its face.

NiGHTS glanced back, checking on the younger Nightmaren and their Dreamer friends. Aaron and Molly seemed unusually quiet, probably reflecting Tier's obviously sour mood. The Dreamers seemed to share more than their energy with the Sixth Generation at times.
Aaron found himself, after a while, humming the tune that Molly had been singing. He hated silence. When he was younger, he was almost even afraid of silence. As if it made it easier for monsters in waiting to hear you coming.
After a couple of minutes, Molly joined in on Aaron's humming, harmonizing. A higher warbling came from Drem, who was fluttering along nearby. Aaron smiled when he heard others humming along with him, but he didn't stop. Even Jesse tried to sing along, but it still found that its voice didn't quite have all of the notes that it needed.
Not to be outdone by some younger upstart, Tier tried to join in as well, though its heart was clearly not in the music. Sixth Generations simply were not musically inclined and Tier sounded more like a sick toad than a singer.
Aaron almost laughed at Tier, but he didn't want to hurt his feelings, so he just kept humming, trying not to let a smile interrupt his melody. Jesse seemed to be made even more self conscious by Tier's attempt to join in, and it stopped altogether.
Molly blinked as she noticed a voice missing and glanced at Jesse, winking playfully in an attempt to be encouraging. Drem sang louder as if attempting to make up for the tone deaf Nightmaren.
Jesse smiled a little, joining in once more, but much more softly this time. Tier became aware of being the loudest Nightmaren voice and softened its town to match Jesse's, feeling too conspicuous. Molly grinned at Aaron as she sang, highly amused by their friends. Aaron smiled back to her, amused as well, but he kept up his humming, gradually letting himself sing the words, or at least the ones that he remembered.
Molly smiled more, pleased that Aaron liked her song enough to hum it, let alone sing some of the lyrics. She sang a bit louder, stifling a giggle as Drem warbled, trying to harmonize.
Aaron couldn't hold back his mirth any longer, and he finally let his song collapse into laughter. There was no spite or injurious tone to his laugh, rather it was joyful. Molly strained to continue singing, but the laughter was infectious and she had to join in. Tier blinked, grinning. "Wh . . . what are we laughing at?" Even Shara's eyes had reshaped into a happier expression, like little red upside-down U's. Aaron shrugged and kept laughing. "I'm not really sure," he admitted. It didn't stop him from laughing all the same.
NiGHTS chuckled. "I think we all needed a good laugh. . ." Aaron nodded. "After all that..." he trailed off, realizing that it was best left understood and unsaid.

Molly quieted, thoughtful. A lot had happened back in Nightmare, bringing back memories that she had considered nothing but an overactive imagination. There were also many new questions to be answered. Like just who and what that Nightingale imitation was. . . Molly sighed, losing herself in her thoughts as she helped to carry Tier.
Aaron's thoughts had not returned to Nightingale for he had encountered her before, though their relationship had changed quite a bit since their last encounter. Rather, he was pondering just what Wizeman was planning to do with the negativity he had stolen from him. He knew that it would most likely become like Nightingale, but just how would it be represented? He could only assume it would take on some shape similar to his own, only more Nightmaren, like Nightingale had been to Molly. He wondered if he would be as much like himself as Nightingale had been to Molly. He doubted that even if he were like him that he would be able to admit it. Neither Nightingale nor Molly seemed eager to admit their similarities.

Tier blinked as the Dreamers fell silent, glancing toward NiGHTS who didn't seem to have noticed. Tier glanced at Jesse, eager for someone to share some unspoken thought with. It was wondering if Aaron and Molly had been hurt back in Nightmare and were choosing not to make it known.
Jesse glanced up at Tier, almost like a scolded puppy, as one who was afraid of the reason why it was being glanced upon. Tier blinked, surprised. No one had ever been afraid of Tier before! Except for some Nightopians and Tier still claimed no involvement in their being suspended by their feet from a nice sturdy tree. Tier tried to think, how would Aaron or Molly reassure someone? Smile, that was it! Tier bared its fangs slightly, attempting to smile at Jesse. Jesse almost dropped its portion of Tier's weight, flinching and pulling as far away from Tier as it could without releasing its support.
Tier squeaked, blinking. Well, that certainly hadn't worked! Molly blinked, snapping back to the present at her friends' distress. "Tier? Jesse? Are you two okay?" She glanced at Aaron to be sure that he was aware of her concern. Aaron seemed to be pulled away from his thoughts as well. "Hm?" he mumbled. Jesse quickly nodded, hoping to avoid stirring Tier's most certainly terrible wrath. "O-of course! Everything is fine." It tried to smile.
Molly blinked, glancing at Tier's flushed expression, then back at Jesse's flustered look. "Hm?" She decided that something wasn't being said, and she disliked secrets being kept among friends.
Jesse made its smile look as genuine as it could, honestly not wanting Molly to worry. Aaron was a little baffled, not really aware of the whole underlying sentiment.
Molly blinked. "Hey, don't be afraid to share any concerns. Nobody's going to hold it against you. We're all worried. . ." She glanced at Aaron, hoping that was true. She didn't like admitting her own fears if no one else felt similarly.
Aaron nodded. He wouldn't deny that he was very worried, about Doren and Taiel, about their own situation, about the world of dreams as a whole.
Jesse kept smiling but said, "We are all worried . . . we can't be at rest until we save all of your . . . of our friends. Right?"
Molly nodded distractedly, thinking of Nightingale again. She wasn't sure if she should feel offended that there was what seemed like a Nightmaren mockery of her or not.
Jesse sighed with relief, glad that Molly was satisfied with that answer. It could only imagine what Tier might do to it if it perceived that it was trying to turn Molly against it. Tier had forgotten Jesse, frowning worriedly. "Okay, so we're worried. . ." Its own thoughts had turned to Terrace and Taiel. Tier whimpered at the pain of leaving family behind. "But . . . but we should . . . talk maybe? I don't. . ." It quieted, embarrassed to seem so shy in front of Jesse. Tier sighed. "I don't like the quiet. . ."
Aaron agreed. "What would you like to talk about? I think it might be best to try to keep our minds off of unpleasant things unless we can think of ways to solve our problems." Tier blinked, half closing its eyes. "I dunno. . ." Tier blinked as Molly failed to offer any insights. "Molls?" Molly jumped, startled out of her thoughts. "hm?" She couldn't get Nightingale out of her mind. Aaron's thoughts had strayed already from the thought of what Wizeman had done to him. It seemed that, since it had not produced any immediate, obvious consequences, it was not of high priority to his mind.
Tier blinked at Molly's distractedness. "Something's bothering you?" It observed. Molly blushed. "Not really . . . not bothering exactly. . . " She reconsidered. "Well, maybe . . . but it's not important."

Aaron clicked his tongue. "Nonsense. There's no such thing as you not being important. Come on, tell us what's on your mind." He smiled, hoping to reassure her and remind her that everything was okay.
Molly blushed. "I'm just thinking of that fake Nightingale, that's all. . ." Tier blinked at Aaron, mouthing the word, "Fake?"
Aaron shrugged an "I don't know" to Tier. He replied to Molly, "How do you... feel about her?"
Molly made a face before catching herself. She sighed. "I don't know . . . but there's no such being as Nightingale. That was just a name that Reala made up to control me. . ." She fell silent, not at all happy with the reminder.
Aaron nodded, understanding somewhat. "Wizeman did something to me while I was in Nightmare." He choked on his words just a little, but he had to tell her. So she would understand. "He took something from me . . . I guess I would describe it as my darkness." He scratched his head, unsure of how to continue. "She . . . Nightingale was made from something similar that was taken from you." Molly blinked, looking upset. "Those shadows in the woods. . .?" She recalled the shapes that had attacked her just outside the camp, right before she and Aaron had worked to save Tier.
Aaron didn't quite know what she meant, but he did recall the shadows in Wizeman's throne room. "The shadows in Wizeman's chamber... It was like they reached inside me and ripped something free. I didn't know exactly what they had done until Nightingale explained it to me." "That is NOT Nightingale!" Molly snapped, then gasped, surprised at herself. She flushed in embarrassment, dropping her gaze.
Aaron winced. "I don't mean to upset you . . . I know only that name to call her by." Molly nodded to show that she knew, not fully trusting her voice. Tier looked sad. "Whatever she is, she's not so bad. . ." Tier winced as Molly twitched. Feeling a need to defend itself, Tier added, "Well she kind of helped me. . ."

Aaron nodded. "She saved Tier's life. . . more than once, at that."
He didn't know if defending her was the best position he could be taking at this moment, but he couldn't help but feel at least some positive emotions in regard to Nightingale after what she had done to help them while they were in Nightmare. Even if she never could directly betray Wizeman.
Molly frowned. She knew that she was being petty, but she really felt as if someone was imitating her and being given credit that wasn't deserved. "Maybe she's not all bad, but she's still not anything like me. . ." Tier blinked, opening its mouth as if to argue. Aaron shook his head to silence Tier before it spoke. He knew that now was not a good time to argue just how similar they were. And at that moment more than ever, he wondered how he would feel in her situation, and he wondered if he would find out sooner than he expected.

Meanwhile in Nightmare, a figure hung suspended, slowly preparing to awaken for the first time. . .

To Be Continued. . .