NiGHTS was silent for a long time,
his mouth working as his brain tried desperately to process what he
had just been told. "W. . . what kind of 'Maren I am?"
The purple Nightmaren turned worriedly to his brother, eyes pleading
with Reala to say that he had made this up.
Reala saw the
look in his brother's eyes, and knew what NiGHTS wanted so
desperately to hear. He sighed, frustrated with his inability
to reassure NiGHTS. Reala shook his head and turned to study
the underside of the castle base.
NiGHTS' face fell and he gave his own head a gentle shake, not
believing what he was hearing. "B. . . but I haven't done
anything . . . have I?" NiGHTS frowned, trying to think of
what he could have said or done to make anyone, especially the two
entities who knew him better than anyone, think that he was a
traitor. Reala might leap to conclusions, but Wizeman had
created NiGHTS. The omnipotent being surely knew NiGHTS inside
and out. Could he see something about NiGHTS that even NiGHTS
himself was unaware of? It was a frightening thought.
"Tell
me what Wizeman said. . ." NiGHTS requested in a soft,
scared tone.
Despite himself, Reala
found himself feeling sorry for NiGHTS. After all, this wasn't
his fault. Reala would have done anything at that moment to
take back everything that he had said. He had known that this
accusation would crush NiGHTS, and he had still gone and said.
Some brother he was! "NiGHTS. . ." Reala
reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder, then hesitated and jerked
his hand back. Reala sighed in frustration, suddenly furious
with NiGHTS for being the cause of his own unhappiness. It
didn't matter that NiGHTS was trying his best and hadn't actually
done anything wrong, this was still happening!
Reala
snarled and stamped a foot, turning to snarl his frustration at
NiGHTS. He stopped at the pitiful figure in front of him.
All of the fight had gone out of NiGHTS, and even his eyes seemed to
have taken on a dull, lifeless shade. Reala felt the anger
draining out of him despite his desperate attempts to hold onto it.
He needed that anger in order to confront NiGHTS. Without it,
Reala feared that he wouldn't be strong enough to say what had to be
said.
NiGHTS watched a series of emotions
flash through Reala's eyes. Pity, sorrow. fear, pain, anger,
and finally guilt. It hurt NiGHTS to know that he was the cause
of those unpleasant emotions:
Reala let his breath out in a long
sigh, deciding to just spit his words out before he lost the nerve
completely. What was it about NiGHTS that disarmed him so
easily? "Master Wizeman said that you were different."
Reala admitted. "Different in a way that might lead to . .
. to you. . . " He winced as his voice cracked, trying
desperately to become angry again.
NiGHTS bowed his head. He knew what Reala was going to say, and
it hurt him to think it. Reala's words were still sinking in,
causing pain and anger the more NiGHTS thought about it. "No
way. . ." NiGHTS spoke in a soft tone. He looked at
Reala, and the red, pale blue, and black Nightmaren backed away at
the sudden fury in NiGHTS' eyes. NiGHTS was suddenly the
heartless drill instructor that he had been just a short while ago.
"Well, it's not true! I love Master Wizeman as much as
you, Reala. As much as any of us! Nothing will ever
change that!"
NiGHTS bared his fangs
in a sinister grin. "Wait, I get it now . . . you're out
for rank! You're trying to eliminate me so that you can be
Master Wizeman's favorite!"
Reala winced at the
crazed, desperate laughter issuing from NiGHTS. "NiGHTS,
stop that!"
NiGHTS stopped, and smiled more like his
usual self, patting Reala on the shoulder. "You had me
going there, too. Nice try, Ree." NiGHTS beamed and
took flight. "I have to get back to those trainees.
Why don't you try that on Jackle? He's usually pretty
gullible."
Reala watched as NiGHTS flew off, clenching his
yellow claws into fists. "You idiot, NiGHTS . . . if you
keep this up, you'll only cause more trouble for all of us."
Reluctantly, Reala left as well. He had to get out and fly
in order to sort his thoughts out.
A pair
of deceptively innocent blue eyes watched as the brothers went their
separate ways. A small grin materialized and grew until it
threatened to engulf what there was of the Nightmaren's face.
Jackle chuckled. "So that's it . . . Wait'll
the others hear about this! A defective Nightmaren! Oh,
that's priceless!" The cloaked Nightmaren dislodged
himself from the craggy castle bottom where he'd been spying and flew
to find Puffy. This news was too big to keep to himself!
besides, Jack and Jill were being huffy and not talking to him.
NiGHTS decided not to retrieve his students, but flew instead toward
an expanse of green that had appeared on the horizon some time ago.
It hadn't seemed important enough to warrant investigation, and over
time the Nightmaren had simply accepted it as a tacky eyesore on the
horizon.
Now seemed as good a time as any to check it out, and
NiGHTS could use the distraction. Besides, he had always been
naturally curious beneath his sinister exterior.
The grassy plain burst into bloom beneath NiGHTS as he entered the
dream. He recognized it now as a creation of the strange beings
known only as Dreamers.
NiGHTS landed and looked around,
failing to notice the small sapling that was crushed under his heel.
He did however notice the other young trees sprouting and being
carefully nurtured by the fairy-like natives of Nightopia.
Nightopians, NiGHTS mused. He walked over to a pair that were
happily raking and watering around a young tree.
The Nightopians looked up with a startled squeak, then seemed to
forget that NiGHTS had not been there a moment ago, and resumed their
work.
NiGHTS frowned at the stupid creatures. "That's
pointless, you worthless litte things. This dream will only
fall to ruin like all the others. Why bother taking care of
something that won't last?" NiGHTS smiled, drawing himself
up. "Now Nightmaren, we are forever. We don't
age, we don't sicken, we don't die. Wizeman made us that
way."
NiGHTS blinked, suddenly
realizing that he was talking to two animals that weren't paying any
attention to him anyway. Disgusted, the purple Nightmaren
turned away. "It'll all fall apart eventually. And
you little idiots will never even remember that it wasn't always that
way."
NiGHTS closed his eyes, imagining the empty
wasteland that this dream might become. He thought of another
as yet nameless dream, a desert of sand and metal spires. A
canyon of sorts. It had once been a roaring river flowing past
green banks lined with ferns and tall, stately fir trees.
Time had
changed all of that, of course. Dreamers faded and their dreams
did likewise. Nothing ever lasted. Like NiGHTS.
Even his existance was beginning to change and fall apart. If
he lost Wizeman's praise, would he also fade? When all was said
and done, what was the real difference between a Nightmaren and the
Dreamers? or even NiGHTS and the Nightopians?
NiGHTS was shocked to feel a pain deep inside at the thought of this
new dream falling to ruin. He looked around in alarm, seeing
only trees and Nightopians. Pain quickly turned to anger.
Glaring at himself for being so sentimental, NiGHTS turned to
go. "Enjoy your stupid little twigs while they last, you
ridiculous animals." He took flight, heading home.
NiGHTS headed straight for his lair and
sealed himself inside; he needed to think.
Flopping
bonelessly into his seat, the purple Nightmaren lifted a finely
formed hand for inspection. His hands were clean, with fine,
shapely fingers and not a blemish in sight. The hands of
someone who had had an easy life, sending others to work for him and
enjoying all the luxuries that his lifestyle had to offer.
NiGHTS and Reala were Wizeman's prize creations, even if it was only
their physical bodies that had actually been created. Fancy
shells made to house sparks of nightmarish energy. NiGHTS owed
Wizeman so much. If not his existance, then at least his
comfort and power. "I could never betray Wizeman . . .
could I?"
The concept troubled NiGHTS. He sat in
silence for the rest of the night and much of the morning before
finally drifting into a troubled sleep.
In his
own lair, Reala was also awake. He lifted a flame from its
torchstand, observing as it glowed an eerie green. "NiGHTS
. . . don't disappoint me." His claws tightened,
smothering the flame as Reala closed his eyes, trying to trust that
NiGHTS would do the right thing.
". . . And then NiGHTS just flipped out, I mean the guy
completely went insane!" Jackle laughed. Puffy
sighed, wondering if this was what humans called 'the pot calling the
kettle black.' She was sitting restlessly amidst several satin
cushions while Jackle sat at a banquet table, happily reciting all
that he'd heard. "Oh, it was great! You should have
seen it!"
Puffy folded her arms. "That does
not sound like NiGHTS. . ." Jackle held his floating hands
out in a shrugging gesture. "Like I said, he went nutty!
But I always figured NiGHTS had something wrong with him, I mean
think about it!"
Puffy thought about it. She
decided to keep her thoughts on who was crazy and who wasn't to
herself.
Jackle clapped. "I bet NiGHTS is
going to get in trouble, I sure hope I see it!" Puffy
sighed. "Jackle, surely you must have better things to DO
with your time . . . what about talking to those toys in your
lair, Jaque and Bill?" Jackle twitched. "It's
Jack and Jill and don't you forget it!" Puffy's eyes
widened in surprise as Jackle tensed, practically frothing at the
mouth. She decided to change the subject before he could work
himself into a state and mess up her lair. "So what of
Reala then?"
Jackle quickly resumed his calm, happy
chatter. "Oh, him? I dunno, I guess he went
somewhere to sulk. Reala's okay though aside from spending too
much time with NiGHTS. . ."
Puffy
leaned back on her cushions, this was becoming tiresome.
"And did NiGHTS fly off?" Jackle shrugged.
"Dunno, maybe." He jumped into the air, suddenly
excited. "OOH! Maybe he ran away from home!
Won't THAT get him busted!" Puffy sighed, trying to
think of a good way to get Jackle out of her lair without beating the
glitter out of him. Jackle chattered on about betrayals and
lunacy, happily oblivious.
It was at
that moment that Reala entered. "Puffy. I need. .
." He stopped at the sight of Jackle's grinning face.
"Jackle. . ." Jackle waved cheerfully at his name.
Eager to stop any brawling before it happened in her lair, Puffy
bounced forward. "Reala! Jackle and I were just er .
. . discussing poliTIcs!" That was kind of true, even
though Nightmaren didn't really believe in the concept. Wizeman
ruled and everyone else just kind of was.
Reala frowned at Jackle. "I see . . . in any case, I need
to speak to you." Reala sighed as he found Jackle looming
anxiously over him. "To Puffy only." Jackle
wilted, disappointed.
Reala turned to Puffy, then paused.
"Jackle. . ." Jackle grumbled, floating for the
door. He casually reached to tug at his left glove as he went.
Reala glared. "If you even consider spying on me, I will
personally confiscate your mantle and give it to Clawz for a
scratching post cover!"
Jackle's eyes opened and he
quickly hugged the garment close, hurrying out.
The night eventually gave way to a rosy dawn. A figure perched
on the castle roof recoiled. NiGHTS hissed dramatically,
pretending to raise a cape over his face. "Foul bringer of
wakeness!"
The purple Nightmaren rose to his feet,
growling as if he could argue against the coming of a new day.
"That was So not a full night, not fair! It's no-augh!"
A beam of sunlight temporarily blinded NiGHTS, forcing him to cover
his face. He tumbled off of his spire onto a lower section of
roof. "Augh, that was a cheap trick!"
NiGHTS shielded his eyes as he rose again. "Okay sun, you
caught me in a bad mood!" The sunlight played gently
across the castle, heedless of the Nightmaren's words. Annoyed,
NiGHTS hissed again. "I defy you, sun!" He
sighed as he recieved no response. "Look at me, arguing
with a ball of fire. . ."
NiGHTS took flight as the
area begin to brighten. "Ha! I won't be chased
indoors that easily, I am the great NiGHTS!" He turned to
Drilldash toward the sun, wincing and falling a few feet before
shooting into the shade of a spire. "Darn bright sun and
hurting eyes. . ."
NiGHTS
stood again, grumbling. "I WILL beat the sun!"
He clenched his fists. "I haven't melted or turned to
stone or dust, that's good. I guess sunlight just hurts. . ."
NiGHTS blinked, squinting at the hazy shapes around him.
Nightmaren eyes were designed for the blackness of night and rarely
were Nightmaren exposed to bright lights. NiGHTS squinted
harder as his pupils strained to contract, becoming tight slits.
He blinked as things became slightly easier to make out, aside from
the pain part.
NiGHTS blinked again.
"Huh?" He looked around, noting the roof's grey and
silver slate and metal. It wasn't black at all then. How
had he never noticed? NiGHTS lifted his head to scan his
surroundings, closing his eyes almost instantly at the brilliance and
searing pain in his eyes. He fell to his knees with a shout.
NiGHTS covered his eyes with a hand, crawling to the edge of the
roof by touch. He dangled his legs over the edge then dropped,
squeezing his eyes shut and spreading his arms to slow his descent.
Even so, it was a hard landing.
Dazed and blinded, NiGHTS
staggered along the castle wall until he'd found the entrance, then
hurried inside. He flattened himself against the inside of the
door. "You may have won this battle, cursed sun . . . but
not the war!" That said, NiGHTS fell over, rubbing at his
aching eyes.
Day passed and night
returned. NiGHTS hid in his lair, waiting patiently. No
ball of fire was going to defeat him.
Reala stopped by at
one point. "NiGHTS, don't hide in your lair. What
will Master Wizeman think? Come out." NiGHTS whirled
and snarled. "No! I have to wait to beat the
sun!"
Reala blinked several times in surprise before moving
on, apparently eager to get away from this insanity.
NiGHTS
waited, curled in his seat. He had actually been able to see
the morning before. In daylight, something that no Nightmaren
had ever claimed to be able to do. The thought that he could
move about during the day as well as during the night was
irresistable to NiGHTS.
Besides, that cocky sun had to be taught
a lesson and NiGHTS was the only 'Maren capable of doing it.
Reala sighed as he returned to his lair, just as the horizon began to
change from black to deep blue. Now was the time for all good
Nightmaren to go to sleep. . .
"COCK A DOODLE
DOOOOOOOOO!"
Reala stumbled at the shrill cry.
"NiGHTS!" He covered his face. "Not again.
. ."
NiGHTS stood tall,
his blue violet eyes flashing with dedication as he watched the
horizon change. "So, my worthy adversary. We meet
again. . ." He grinned, revealing a gleaming fang.
The first amethyst glow of morning began to show itself, and
NiGHTS blinked. "Trying to butter me up with a tribute,
eh? That's my color, but I will not go easy on you!"
A pink light rose, spilling golden orange sunrays across the
land. NiGHTS hissed, puffing his chest out. "Do your
worst, vile sunlight!"
NiGHTS watched the colors
change. The purple, pink, and orange soon gave way to brilliant
white and yellow. NiGHTS' pupils contracted painfully, forcing
him to blink.
He resisted the urge to rub at his offended
orbs. "T . . . that won't . . .. work. . ..!"
He winced.
As the area brightened,
NiGHTS squinted, finding it hard to see. His violet eyes
darkened somewhat against the glare, relieving some of the pain.
NiGHTS shielded his eyes with a hand, choosing to look across the
landscape rather than straight at the sun. "I won't go
down so easily this time. . ."
Dead, twisted shapes seemed to
rise into view. They might once have been trees but
looked burnt and tortured now. NiGHTS blinked, was this what
Nightmare really looked like? Wizeman must have designed it to
be intimidating for Dreamers. But NiGHTS was no Dreamer.
He cocked his head, taking an interest in this latest discovery.
Could a Nightmaren fly in the light? He felt an urge to go
explore those trees.
NiGHTS
smirked. "What an adventure this could be, and no one'll
ever believe me!" Forgetting the battle against the sun
completely, NiGHTS threw himself off the roof and swooped toward
those blackened trunks. "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Something out of the corner of his eye made NiGHTS pull up in shock.
Something was following him, something sparkly and blue! No,
wait. NiGHTS lifted a hand, admiring the tiny blue sparkles
that fell from his fingertips. It was only his startrail, the
shimmering energy that he left in his wake when he flew. It was
pale blue then. NiGHTS hadn't expected to discover anything
about himself.
NiGHTS grinned.
"Oooh!" He flew a few tight circles in order to
admire his startrail, playing. Heedless of the purple lunatic
chasing his own tail, the sun rose higher, illuminating the full
area. NiGHTS halted as his eyes began to ache again, landing
quickly. "Ow! I wonder if I can build up an immunity
to this . . . it's a pain when I want to investigate stuff!"
NiGHTS squinted, watching the landscape change
subtly. "How many surprises are out here? What kind
of stuff can only be seen during daylight? I bet if I could fly
by day, Wizeman'd see that I'm as good as the others . . . no, BETTER
than the others!" NiGHTS laughed at the thought.
"I'll show them!"
NiGHTS was so involved in his own ego and plotting that he failed to
notice when his purple costume paled to a pale fuschia. It
wasn't until a little later that an unpleasant sensation came over
him. NiGHTS' eyes widened in dismay as he began to ache and
itch all over, every movement became irritating. "Gah!"
NiGHTS froze, trying to hold perfectly still. Were Nightmaren
allergic to the sun! He felt like his body was shrinking
around him, what was happening?
NiGHTS groaned, feeling
sick. He scrambled toward the nearest tree, seeking any form of
darkness. The tree offered only a faint shadow, but it was all
he had. Every movement, every breath brought more discomfort
and pain. NiGHTS collapsed, which made it all worse for several
moments. So this was it, this was why Nightmaren only flew by
night. The sun was some kind of horrible poison to Nightmaren,
and NiGHTS was its victim.
NiGHTS had never experienced
extreme pain or itching before, he was convinced that it was a sign
that he was dying. "But . . . Nightmaren don't die. . ."
He winced. Was that true? Maybe only the sun could kill a
'Maren. NiGHTS closed his eyes, waiting to find out what would
happen next.
The darkness finally came
to rescue NiGHTS, in the form of unconsciousness.
To Be Continued. . .
