(Please read this)
Hello, everyone! I'm back!
Sorry I was gone for so long! For those of you who don't know, I took some time off to really focus on college work because I promised myself I would make it to the State Marching Band Competitions to watch my brother and the band perform.
And perform they did! They won sixth place with a rating of Superior! So proud of all of them!
Thanks again guys for being so patient with me! Enjoy!
The group was surrounded by light. They continued walking, and the light slowly dissipated. The four found themselves on another beach, with sand white as the clouds and ocean blue as the sky.
"Destiny Islands," Riku breathed with a smile as he looked around his home world.
"Just like before," Mickey nodded in satisfaction.
Aqua took in the sight of the familiar world. Her eyes caught the bright yellow Paopu fruit suspended in the trees like stars on a clear night. She sighed, "It's so good to be back."
"You alright, kiddo?" Chirithy asked, glancing up at Nightly, who stared at the ocean with far-off eyes and a content look on her face, a small smile gracing her lips.
"Yeah," she replied. "Never better."
Aqua placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's get you back to your friends."
Nightly nodded in response, her brow creasing in nervousness. "How are we getting to your friend?"
"We're gonna take our Gummi Ship," Mickey replied, voice full of cheer.
"Oh, like the one you used when you visited my town?" Nightly asked.
"Huh?" was the collective reply. All three companions looked to Nightly with varying levels of confusion.
"Nightly, what are you talking about?" Riku asked.
Nightly looked at the three of them in as much confusion as they showed her. Chirithy lightly touched her arm, and Nightly blinked, sucking in a breath. "Nevermind," she stated, her eyes glossing over before returning to normal. "It was just a dream."
"Anyway," Mickey continued awkwardly. He pulled out a small orange remote with a red center. He pushed it, pointing it to the sky. "This'll send a signal to the ship and tell it where we are. It should be here in a few minutes."
"Oh, man," Riku said, "I just remembered: there's only room for three."
Mickey replied, "Gosh, you're right." He smiled sheepishly at Nightly. "Sorry, Nightly, Chirithy. We were only expecting to find Aqua in the Realm of Darkness."
"It's alright," Chirithy responded, hopping out of Nightly's arms. "Show 'em, kiddo!"
Now it was Nightly's turn to smile sheepishly, almost like she was embarrassed. She grasped her left shoulder with her right hand, lowering her head and closing her eyes. A soft glow welled around her. After a couple seconds, the light fell of her body in a large collective starburst, revealing Nightly's transformation.
(AN: Randomly, Sora's Theme popped into my head while I was writing this part. LOL!)
She now wore what appeared to be a set of armor, but created from gummi material. A black body suit was accented by blue lines, boots, and gauntlets. A blue helmet sat snug on her head, black glass blocking her face from view. Two rocket-powered wings stuck out from her back, ready to propel her into the air.
Shocked and curious, Aqua asked, "What is that?"
Chirithy hopped excitedly. "It's called Blue Gummi Aviator. Nightly hasn't really worn it before, we usually travel with Corridors. But since neither of us know where we're going, it'd be best to use the suit. Now she can just follow you while you show us where to go."
"And Chirithy is small enough to sit on someone's lap," Nightly said, pulling up the glass on her helmet to reveal her face.
"Nightly," Mickey asked, noticing something missing, "where are your glasses?"
Chirithy answered for her. "Oh, she doesn't need them, she just likes to wear them. But with this armor, they would just get in the way, so she's keeping them off."
Nightly put down the glass, and Chirithy looked up at her. "You might want to practice for a little bit. You haven't exactly flown with that before, have you?" Nightly shook her head in agreement.
Two flames appeared at the bottom of either engine. The sand began to swirl around Nightly's feet, and she rose an inch off the ground. Two. Three.
An explosion sent the other four companions to the ground. They looked up in time to see Nightly thrown backwards, her back hitting the sand before flipping upside-down and sliding in the sand on her stomach. Chirithy began running to Nightly, who was already picking herself up off the ground, shaking her head to clear it. She pushed her face mask up, and her companions heard her laughing as she did so.
"You alright, kiddo?" Chirithy called. Nightly nodded in answer, a dizzy grin on her face.
Her smile was slapped from her mouth when the engines suddenly kicked in again without warning. Nightly barely had time to throw down her mask again before she was barreling across the sand, engines on full blast. Her arms flailed, trying to stop herself but only succeeding in launching her upward.
"Woah!" Mickey cried in surprise. Nightly soared onward and upward, frantically looking for how to cut her engines off. Now tiny in the sky, the engines finally cut off, Nightly stil being propelled into the sky before slowly stopping. Then she started falling.
"Oh, no," Aqua said, beginning to run down the beach to where she thought Nightly would land.
"Nightly!" Riku shouted, joining Aqua in her chase.
"I'm coming, kiddo!" Chirithy yelled, backflipping in the air by the remaining Mickey, who was staring in fear then sudden curiosity when he saw Chirithy suddenly appear on Nightly's chest.
High in the air, Chirithy grabbed Nightly's helmet, looking into her frightened eyes. "Turn your engines back on, kiddo!" Chirithy shouted over the rushing wind. "Control them with your mind! You can do it, kiddo, I know you can!"
Chirithy watched as Nightly's eyes hardened, a determined light filling them. Nightly wrapped her arms around Chirithy, her hand cradling the Spirit's head. She twisted in the air, angling herself towards the ground. Her engines flashed back to life.
Chirithy held on tightly to Nightly, having no choice but to trust his best friend. Riku, Aqua, and Mickey watched as they got closer and closer to the ground at the breakneck speed they were going.
When Nightly reached the tops of the first trees, she cut her engines. She somersaulted, turning herself right side-up before blasting her engines again, almost stopping herself immediately. She slowly lowered herself and Chirithy to the ground. Aqua, Riku, and Mickey met her as she landed. Her feet reaching the sand, she didn't realize she had lost feeling in her legs until she fell on her bottom, letting put another laugh.
Chirithy swayed, stumbling out of her lap and landing on his back in the sand. He raised a paw, looking very dazed. "Don't ever do that again," he said weakly. A peel of laughter passed through the group. Riku helped Nightly and Aqua scooped up Chirithy as the Gummi Ship entered the Destiny Island's atmosphere.
The group shielded their eyes, sand flying around them from the force of the engines as the Gummi Ship landed. The ship now secure on the beach, the engines cut, and the blocky Gummi Ship sat in front of the five, waiting for them to board.
"Just stay beside us the whole way, okay?" Riku said to Nightly as the others boarded the Gummi Ship. She nodded, looking over Riku's shoulder and gave a small wave to whoever was behind him. He looked, seeing Chirithy waving back from Aqua's arms as she stepped inside the ship.
Riku gave Nightly an encouraging smile before boarding. Inside, Riku took the pilot's seat, Mickey and Aqua sitting in the wo seats behind him, Chirithy perched on Aqua's lap.
Flipping a switch, Riku turned on the engines. They roared to life and the ship began to rise. Nightly powered her engines, rising with the ship. She flanked the ship's left as both took to the sky.
Soon the bright blue was replaced with dark shades of mixing purples and greens and blues as the group left the atmosphere of Destiny Islands and entered the Lanes Between.
Nightly gazed around at all the colors, marveling at the swirls within the stunning darkness. Having never seen the Lanes Between before, she wondered if she could travel like this all the time instead of using the Corridors. I'll ask Chirithy about it later, she decided.
A movement from the Gummi Ship caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She looked, seeing Aqua waving at her with a concerned look on her face. Nightly waved back, and Aqua made a gesture with her thumb and forefinger, as if she were talking on the phone.
Nightly pointed to herself, then mirrored the gesture, asking a question. Aqua nodded, and Nightly shook her head.
"She can't hear us," Aqua said to Riku from inside the ship.
"Okay," he replied. "Keep an eye on her. We can go to Radiant Garden later and have Cid hook up a communicator to her helmet."
"Whew, good," Chirithy sighed. "I was worried there for a second."
Mickey piped up, "We're here."
Up ahead, the group saw the small world they were approaching. It consisted of only a twisted tower winding into the sky. Riku lowered the Gummi Ship onto a small path, as did Nightly with her suit.
Upon landing, Nightly placed her hand on her shoulder. A small glow of light later, and she was back in her usual clothes. Aqua, carrying Chirithy, exited the Gummi Ship, followed by Mickey and Riku. Chirithy hopped out of Aqua's arms and into Nightly's.
"Let's head inside," Mickey said cheerfully. "Yen Sid's at the top. He'll definitely want to meet'cha, Nightly."
At the top of the Tower, Yen Sid patiently waited for the returning wielders behind his desk, smiling to himself when he heard the Gummi Ship's engines approaching.
"That's them," Lea said, staring out of the window. Kairi hopped up from her chair, joining Lea at the window.
"Who's that with them?" Kairi asked.
"That must be Aqua," Lea replied.
"No, the other girl with them," Kairi replied.
Yen Sid's eyes opened in concern, looking to the two at the window, who were staring curiously at the approaching group. His gaze softened. "Patience, you two. We will receive an answer when they come up."
The two backed away from the window as the group of four walked into the tower, disappearing into the doorway. Lea and Kairi stood side-by-side and waited for them to enter.
Master Yen Sid looked up as the door opened, nodding to Riku, who entered first, holding the door for Mickey, Aqua, and lastly, this "other girl" Kairi had mentioned. She paused, looking timidly at the retired master. A cat-like creature resting in her arms touched her hand, and she broke her stare, glancing at Yen Sid to smile at him before joining Aqua at her side.
"It's good to see you all back well from the Realm of Darkness," Yen Side began.
"It's good to be back, Master," Riku replied, stopping beside Kairi and giving her a smile-filled nod. She grinned up at her good friend, returning the nod.
Yen Sid turned his attention to Aqua. "Welcome back, Master Aqua. I'm glad to see you made it safely back as well."
"Thank you, Master," she replied. She put a hand on the new arrival's shoulder. "But I'm not the only one who was stuck in the Realm of Darkness."
She gently nudged Nightly forward, who was shyly looking to the ground, her chin nestled into the fur of the creature held in her arms. "This is Nightly. I found her in the Realm of Darkness before Riku and Mickey found me." She gestured to the creature. "And this is Chirithy, her Dream Eater." In response, Chirithy waved.
"It is very nice to meet you, Nightly," Yen Sid greeted. The young girl couldn't have been older than Sora or Kairi, and even the latter stood taller than she. Nightly lifted her gaze to meet Yen Sid's and waved.
Yen Sid gave a smile and slow nod, his countenance growing serious as he turned back to Aqua. "You mentioned Chirithy as being a Dream Eater?" he inquired.
"Yes, Master," Riku replied. "That's actually something we wanted to talk to you about. Being a Dream Eater, Chirithy should only be able to stay in the Realm of Sleep. But here they are, outside of it. How is that possible, Master?"
Master Yen Sid stroked his beard, taking a moment to collect his countless troves of knowledge before coming up with an answer.
"There are tales of special Dream Eaters from the time of Fairytales. These Dream Eaters were created to guide their wielders trough the worlds as they mastered the light within their heart."
"That would be us, Master," replied the creature, startling Yen Sid, Lea, and Kairi.
"Hold on a second, you can talk?" Lea asked, still reeling from shock.
"Yes," Chirithy replied, their brow furrowing. "Is that not normal?"
"Well," Mickey began, "normally, Dream Eaters are able to lend their assistance, but as for conversation…"
"No, it's not normal for Dream Eaters to talk," Riku stated bluntly.
"What is a Dream Eater?" Aqua and Nightly asked at the same time.
"Apparently, it's what I am," Chirithy replied with humor in his voice tinged with slight confusion.
"What did you think you were, if you don't mind my asking?" Lea asked cautiously.
"I knew myself and other fellow Chirithys as Spirits. We…well…ward off the Nightmares of our wielders to protect their hearts while they sleep. But that's by night. By day-like Master Yen Sid said-we guide our wielders through the worlds to strengthen their hearts."
"A Dream Eater," Master Yen Sid said loudly, quieting any other voices who tried to speak, "is a creature that traverses the Realm of Sleep, and are categorized as either a Spirit, as Chirithy is here, or a Nightmare, who in their malicious intent are much like the Heartless. Spirits, however, are able to combat the Nightmares and help those who wish to fight them as well.
"That being said," he continued, "the only ones who have been told to have the ability to talk like Chirithy here are said to come from Daybreak Town."
Nightly perked up the mention of her home. "Yes, Master," she replied. "That's where we're from. Is there any way we can get back?" Her face adopted a forlorn expression. "I have some friends I need to talk to. We didn't exactly leave each other on good terms."
Master Yen Sid sighed heavily. "My child, I'm afraid no one has seen hide nor hair of Daybreak Town since the Keyblade War."
A thick silence settled on the crowd. No one could bring themselves to look at Nightly, unable to face what they were sure would be a distraught young girl. And yet, a few realizations began to sink in as well.
"But, Master," Nightly spoke up. All eyes looked to her, not finding a single trace of worry or sadness on her face. Instead, she appeared to be blank, her eyes staring straight ahead but not really seeing, her mouth moving almost robotically as she said the next five words.
"The Keyblade War never happened."
And cliffhanger!
That's the chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed! Sorry again that it's been so long. The next chapter will DEFINITELY come out sooner.
Alright, has anyone noticed Nightly's strange behavior throughout the story so far? It has something to do with what has happened in-game so far. Tell me what your theories are! Can you guess what the "few realizations" are?
Along those lines, what do y'all think of using outfit changes in the story? There won't be too many, mostly the one you saw in this chapter and a few more to fit the world order of various worlds. Oh, and they may be used to totally troll the Organization in later chapters...*snickers*.
So, fun fact about writing this chapter: I confused myself in the middle of the "What is a Dream Eater?" debate, so I decided to look it up to make sure my facts were straight. I literally typed in "what is a dream eater," just like that…and I learned something new.
Apparently our lovable, cuddly Dream Eater pals our based off an old Chinese and Japanese legend that sneaks around at night eating both the dreams and nightmares of children. Yeah…look them up, they're not nearly as cute and cuddly. Also, they're called "Baku," not "Dream Eater."
Although, now some things make sense. According to Wikipedia, "they were created by the spare pieces that were left over when the gods finished created all other animals." When I read that, I don't know about you guys, but I immediately thought about what we use to make Dream Eaters in-game. Weird, right?
Anyway, I'll see y'all in the next chapter! Bye!