"So, tell me about this place we're headin'?" Marie asked as the group paced down the trail "It's called Klonoa Town? Maybe my brother was named after it? Maybe he was born there?"

"Wouldn't ya know whether or not he lived there?" OPowaga replied, closely eyeing her shawl. He hoped that by some stroke of luck the egg would fall from her pocket, leaving a moment of opportunity to snatch it. Marie pondered a moment, rubbing her chin in semi-deep thought, "Actually, I don't really know where we were born……"

"Hmmm?" OPowaga asked suspiciously "Ya don't know where ya grew up?"

"Nope" Marie simply stated "We've been travelers ever since….."

"Since what?"

"Oh, it's nothin' too important." She shrugged, taking the mysterious artifact out once again. It seemed to emit a warm glow, entrancing her. Staring deeply, she seemed to be lost in thought, when a sudden bright flash blinded the two. In a brief moment everything before her faded away; darkness enveloped the world, embracing the eerie silence.

"Wha?" she gasped, staring all around "What's happening? Where did everything go?"

Shadows replaced the gravel, the forest, the sky; darkness cursed the land, except for a patch, shrouded in mist. She started off towards the one place she could see, unsure if the ground would hold. The fowl substance took solid form beneath her, but rippled every time she stepped, like a tainted sea of evil. Running, she suddenly stumbled, landing on the island of light. The cool fog clouded all vision, allowing a lurking beast to conceal itself, its very presence sent shivers down her spine.

"The deity….. she may be useful…" it said in a low moan.

"Hey!" she gasped, turning around quickly, only to find an empty spot, and then turned back "Nya……. I must be loosing it…."

"Great child…….. collect all five artifacts..."

"?" she gasped "Who's there?"

"Collect the artifacts…. And I shall grant your one desire…."

"What? Who's there?" she yelled "I want ta go home!"

"If that is what you desire….. then collect the artifacts…." the ground below her finally lost form as the shadows slowly enveloped her. Struggling to keep above, choking as she drowned in the darkness, the world changed once again.

Everything came back into view, and she found herself lying on the ground, staring up at the silver moon. Groaning, she forced herself up, seeing the egg beside her on the ground that emitted a dull glow. Taking it back, she slipped it in her pocket, rubbing her sore head. It seemed that OPowaga too, passed out from that strange phenomenon, but soon woke, groggily staring at Marie.

"Ughh…." He moaned "My head…."

"Hmmmm….." she paused, taking in a deep breath "How long have we been out?"

"Coulda been a few hours…." He answered "I had the strangest dream…."

"About darkness?" Marie asked "Maybe a vision..."

"Kinda, somethin' in my dream said ta stick with you, that'd ya be the ticket ta winning the tournament…." He summarized "Why would ya know ov that dream?"

"Hmmmm... I had something similar, but it was more like a nightmare ta me. It mentioned that these artifacts…." She paused "It said they're what I need ta get home….. maybe that's where Klonoa might be…"

"Ah, just crazy dreams if ya ask me!" he stated proudly "But if we're lookin' fer the same thing, then I guess ya can tag-along with me!"

"……." Marie thought for a moment "Of course, you're the only person here I can trust…Hmmmm by the way, where did the Moos go?"

"…?" OPowaga gasped "Ack! The Popul Purels! Someone kidnapped my loyal subjects!"

Marie looked around, as OPowaga yelled out "Moos! Where'd you all go? Moos!" Somehow concentrating over his yells, she twitched her ears slightly, absorbing sounds from the area, until she determined "Someone else is here…."

"Where?" OPowaga asked frantically "Where'd the kidnapper go?"

"Ummmm…." Marie paused, listening again "Over in that direction!"

She pointed towards a trail of fallen trees, fresh with tire tracks of a giant machine, and walked over. Crouching down next to the marks in the ground, she determined "These tracks aren't natural...they look like treads, some sort of tank, maybe?"

"No!" OPowaga yelled, dashing down the path "Don't worry! Yer king's comin'!"

"Wait!" Marie called, setting out after him "We don't know what we're dealin' with!"

"I think I see something up ahead!" he replied, taking no notice to her advice. She too saw a strange mechanical beast in the distance, massive in size and taller than all the trees. Ducking into the foliage, she instinctually knew a surprise attack would be far better than a head-on assault, but there was still a problem, OPowaga would give away her position.

"Git over here!" she yelled, dragging him into the brush "Can't ya see the size ov that thing?"

"Ummmmmmmm….." he paused.

"A head-on attack wouldn't end well" she said, reviewing the scenarios "It looks like a sturdy machine, so we'll hafta think ov a different way to stop it."

"How else?" he asked.

"Well, maybe there's a way ta get inside it?" she thought "Fry its circuitry maybe? Take a look!"

She pointed at a sheet of glass, glinting dully in the moonlight towards the top of the robot, and said "I betcha there's some control center there….."

"But it's so high up!" he said "How would we get there?"

"Who said we?" she asked "You'll be a distraction as I fly towards the top!"

"Are ya crazy?" he said "That thing will crush meh!"

"Quiet!" she scolded "Just take these!"

Hands held out parallel from each other, she concentrated her magic into little marble-sized orbs that pulsed a shining blue color, and handed them over to him.

"What are these for?" he asked, taking a closer look.

"They create big bursts ov energy" she said "In other words, they explode."

"Oh, okay" he said "I still don't like this plan ov yours…"

"Your plan-"she paused

"What about my plan?" he accused

"Never mind!" she said "Just run out there and chuck those things at the robot."

"Fine" he said "Just this one time…."

OPowaga leapt out from the bushes, running towards the giant machine as Marie crept closer to the scene, using night's darkness for her stealth. OPowaga madly chucked an orb at the beast, triggering a massive explosion, but it didn't even dent the exterior armor. It did, however attract the beast's attention as Marie levitated silently from behind. Higher and higher, she approached the glass top as OPowaga threw more orbs at the machine. Materializing her beam sword, she slashed the glass, but it didn't shatter. Then she rammed it with her shoulder, but the glass wouldn't shatter still.

"Man, this thing's almost indestructible……. I wonder." She thought, drifting slowly towards a different section of the machine, trying to tear a scrap of metal off the robot. She yanked her hardest, slowly breaking a bar off from its bolts, and heading back, thinking "If this is as sturdy as the glass…"

She swung it at the panel, causing it to shatter on impact as she zipped inside. She saw many control panels and levers, seeming to move on their own.

"It's remote-controlled?" she thought "Well, not anymore."

Marie slashed every bit of machinery, sparks and wires flying all over the place, until silence came about. Wiping her forehead in a sigh of relief, she said "Finally…" and leapt out the window.

"Do ya see the Moos anywhere?" she called out to OPowaga.

"No, not yet…" he called back "Where could they have gone?"

"Don't tell me we destroyed that machine fer nothin'!" she sighed "Where could they be?"

"……" OPowaga paused "Wait, do ya hear something?"

Leaping down, she landed beside OPowaga, and stared down the path. Letting her ears twitch slightly.

"I do…" she said "Let's go!"

They both dashed off to the source. In the distance, they both saw the Moos wandering around, searching for their leader. One of them spotted OPowaga, and yelled "Moo!" They all ran over and eagerly surrounded him.

"Oh, they must ov wandered off!" OPowaga concluded "I was worried for a moment…"

Marie fell back, wiping some sweat off her forehead "What am I goin' ta do with you?"

She sat back up, and stared up at him, asking "So, can we go to Klonoa Town once an' fer all?"

"Sure!" he said "It's right outside this forest, and it looks like we're at the edge, only a few minutes away from here."

"Finally!" she moaned "It's been a long day."

"Get up!" he said "You can rest later! We mustn't waste time!"

"Sheesh!" she said, doing so "In a rush, aren't we?"

"Why ov course!" he said "If we slack off then I'll never win the tournament, so enough idle chat, let's go!"

Walking down the path, they soon made it out of the forest and into a grassy plain. A windmill could be made out in the distance, as well as a giant figure.

"Is that a statue?" she asked, squinting her eyes "Let's get a closer look!"

"But what about the Moos?" OPowaga asked "The villagers don't really like 'em"

"Hmmmm….. I'll go into town and look around, you can stay here, and I'll come back in an hour or so?" she suggested.

"That's fine with me, but I'll track ya down if ya run off!" he said.

"Don't worry" she said "I doubt you could ever catch meh..."

"What?" he asked.

"Ummm nothin'!" she said "I'll see ya in a bit!"

She zipped over to the town; many of the people were awaken by the ruckus caused in the forest. Looking down at the grass, she saw Pac-man symbols cut into the grass, and a statue that resembled Klonoa.

"Okay, this is weird…" she thought, running up to one of the citizens "hey, do ya know where I can find my brother? His name's Klonoa and he looks a bit like-"

"Did ya say Klonoa?" the villager asked excitedly. Marie gave him a strange look "Of course I said Klonoa! He's my big brother!"

"Awww, ya think he's your brother? Well, he is a great role model for the kids…. But ya resemble him slightly…." He rambled on 'I remember when he saved Lunatea from being plunged into darkness long ago, I was there ta see the whole battle."

"Wait, wait, wait!" she asked "What battle?"

"How can you know of the great Dream Traveler, and not know of his most recent battle only a few years ago? Anyway, I remember it vividly blah blah blah and Joiliante was restored from being plunged in the dark-"

"Wait!" she said "That happened the other day when Klonoa and I visited Popka an' Lolo!"

"Ah, they were good friends of Klonoa too! Rumor also has it that he had a little sister….. Maria, Mary… what was it?" he asked himself.

"Marie!" she said "Now can ya please stop talking?"

"Wait……. Floppy ears, smaller size, longer tail…." He gasped "You're Marie! Hey people, she's Klonoa's sister!"

The other villagers flocked over, surrounding her. Asking her many questions.

"What's it like ta be his little sister?"

"Do you have special powers too?"

"Do you know where Klonoa is now?"

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Wait, wait!" she yelled, trying to get away. They only surrounded her more, asking more questions. She leapt up and flitted her wings rapidly, perching on a roof-top.

"Nya" she said "these people are psychotic!"

She crouched down, flicking her tail curiously, wondering how a town could be so obsessed about Klonoa.

"I better leave" she thought "These people are way too crazy…."

Jumping off the roof, she made a frantic dash out of town, leaping around villagers and around houses until she made it to the open grasslands once again, kicking up some dust on the way. The dust and darkness shrouded her enough to disappear without a trace, as she headed back to where OPowaga was.

"That was fast" he said, looking up "Find out anything?"

"Well, for one thing, I'm famous" she sighed "Those people are crazy about Klonoa….. one villager who wouldn't stop rambling mentioned how he saved the world in a quest we both went on a few years ago……. But that doesn't make sense…how long was I in that cell?"

She frowned, thinking "I wonder what ta do now? I guess I don't have ta help Klonoa now, so maybe I should just collect these egg things……"

"Ov course!" he said "We'll just stick together since we're both lookin' for the same thing!"

"Sure….." she yawned "But fer now, it's kinda late, maybe we should delay our journey a night?"

"Ov course!" he said "I'll keep watch!"

"Thanks…" she said, lying down "I need the rest…."

She slowly drifted off to sleep, closing her eyes.

(Unfortunately, this is where the fic dies. OPowaga, the one who wanted to collab with me, disappeared because of college. Since he couldn't support much, I was struggling to try and get new chapters. Now why do you ask I show you a dead fic? It's a sample to show my talent before it fell into decline. Thanks to those who took the time to read this piece.)