Nights Twilight Dreaming
Chapter Twenty-Three
Crystal and the gang were making their way to the crystal quartz while Reala was a bit ahead of them hiding behind a large tanzanite pillar watching them. The group walked past it without noticing him despite the gem's clarity. Rose, who was slightly ahead of them as a guide alongside the Nightopian, took notice of some droplets from her earlier encounter with two of the quartz crystals she and her friends collected. She stopped the young princess while raising her hand with the Nightopian upfront looking at her in confusion.
"Did you go for a swim?" she asked a little curious about the situation while pointing at the wet spots. The Nightopian noticed and giggled. Crystal caught on the moment she mentioned the watermarks on her skirt and camisole and looked down on them.
"Oh, this?" she asked pulling down her camisole to inspect them. She scoffed slightly before looking back at Rose and saying with a smile, "This is what happens when you use telekinesis near a geyser. I will admit, I wasn't paying attention when it happened." Cumula and Pidge both snickered at their master for her mistake while she snickered slightly at her embarrassment.
"It's true, she wasn't," Silvermoon added confirming her story.
"That explains it," said Rose beaming.
"Geysers tend to be unpredictable here in the Quartz Palace," explained Owl. "Nights once used one of them as a trampoline at one point. Though the result was rather amusing it was a success." Nights nodded in agreement while beaming with a grin. Crystal looked back at the playful Nightmaren and snickered a bit upon hearing this.
"Just be thankful it was the ground that sneezed and not you," Nights told her through telepathy while playfully using his right pointer finger to make circles on her face as she shut her eyes tightly with a smile. She brushed his hand aside, and responded with slight amusement, "Believe me, Nights, if it was me, you would all be life-sized popsicles right now." Reala, having heard her comment, chuckled in amusement. He heard Nights laughing silently while hearing his telepathic message, "Good point."
"All right, let's move along," stated Crystal as the group followed the river to the next part of their journey. Reala, who by now had stopped laughing at her comment looked over at the young princess with a menacing grin. As she disappeared into the next part of the river, he emerged from his hiding spot and took the flight to their next destination.
Meanwhile, back in the resistance headquarters, Nightmaria was watching the group as they traversed past the plain through the crystal ball. She took notice of Reala following the group and frowned. Her stern expression caught the attention of Leo and Seraphinite. As they approached her, they too took notice of the situation.
"Uh, why is Reala following them?" asked Seraphinite perplexed.
"Oh no, he's already catching on to the situation," said Leo while burying his face in his hand.
"I was afraid of this," said Nightmaria sternly. "And just when they are close to completing the trial."
"Should we go in and give them a hand?" asked Seraphinite.
"No, that would raise too much suspicion from the Nightmaren Army," the commander responded. "We'll allow them to gather the final quartz crystal first. If things take a turn for the worst, we will call for reinforcements."
"Yes ma'am," responded Leo and Seraphinite in unison as they saluted their superior. They left the room just in case while she continued to watch the group. She is now certain that Reala is planning something for Crystal. Unfortunately, she was about to be proven right.
Crystal and the gang were all following the riverbank to the final quartz crystal with the Nightopian and Rose as their guides. As they made their way past some jasper pillars, they also did battle with some Nightmaren hoards. Owl was too frail to battle, and as such stayed out of sight while the others handled the situation. The Nightopian joined Owl as it was too frightened to fight. Crystal's elemental prowess combined with Rose and Silvermoon's floral magic and Nights' cosmos proved integral to the battle. Pidge and Cumula did their part as well with their respective abilities. After the hoards were dispatched, they carried on with their trek through the emerald green terrain. Little did they know that Reala has been following them throughout the whole journey to the final quartz crystal.
The gang had finally arrived at the clearing with what appeared to be an onyx-made monolith standing over the river. Behind it was what appeared to be a dam blocking the riverbank causing it to flood, and right next to it was a huge gate acting as the entrance to the next area. Right at the foot of a cliff behind the monolith was white, clear crystal quartz that seemed to have a milky texture within the base. Crystal was amazed by the size of the monolith as it seemed to tower over both the cliffside and the river. The Nightopian was pointing upwards at the quartz crystal, and the young princess made note of it.
"That monolith is huge," she noted. She then turned to both Nights and the Nightopian and asked, "Are you sure the final quartz crystal is up there?"
"You bet!" Nights spoke telepathically while nodded in excitement. "Wait right here while I get it for you." He then took off into the air like a rocket causing Silvermoon and Rose to laugh slightly. Owl shook his head in embarrassment.
"I do wish he would sit still at least once in a while," he remarked. "But at least he's mature enough to remember the task at hand."
"Yeah," said Crystal in agreement. "But to be fair, that's the child in him shining through. I've seen some folks embrace their childish nature in the real world." Owl beamed upon hearing this statement. She looked up at Nights, who by that point had turned into his jackhammer form to break the white quartz loose. After releasing it from its perch, he changed back into his true form and grabbed it from the middle before it could fall. He then flew to the top of the onyx monolith and presented it to Crystal who recognized it right away with an amused look.
"Ta-da! The final quartz crystal!" Nights' telepathic voice rang out in her mind. Crystal snickered upon seeing it with her own eyes.
"A milky quartz?" she asked laughing at his find in amusement. "Why would they want that? It has terrible charge!" Nights gave a blank look upon hearing this. With his eyes half-shut while smirking, he pushed the milky quartz into the open slot on the monolith and it began to light up with white shining markings. The gate behind it also began to light up, along with the sides of the canyon, much to Crystal's shock. Rose was excited to see the event, and Silvermoon was smiling while this occurred. Cumula and Pidge both bounced up and down along with the Nightopian next to them. The gate began to open upon lighting up like a Christmas tree. It slowly opened while emitting a loud rumble. It stopped the moment it opened fully to let the others pass. Crystal was in total shock over what had transpired. Nights flew right up to her, his eyes still half shut with a smirk on his face. Owl looked at her sympathetically while Cumula and Pidge were snickering at their master's reaction. The Nightopian was giggling at her reaction as well.
"You were saying?" Silvermoon asked with a playful smile. Rose giggled upon seeing Crystal's face which morphed from shock to an embarrassed beaming smile with a sweat-drop at the drop of a hat.
"I stand thoroughly corrected," she replied after a second of clarity. Nights stuck his tongue out playfully while Cumula and Pidge both nudged her as a way of forgiving her for the mishap.
Back at the base, Seraphinite, Hikaru, and Nightmaria were all watching the group and witness the whole event. The latter snickered at Crystal's reaction while Hikaru was giving a slightly embarrassed laugh. Nightmaria smiled despite herself. She knew that Crystal had more to learn about Nightopia and its' culture, and was willing to forgive her for the mishap.
"Bet you she was thinking about the Waking World when she mentioned the milky quartz," Seraphinite said while giggling slightly.
"At least she knows what you-know-who is planning to use those quartz crystals for," replied Hikaru. Nightmaria nodded in agreement with a calm, "Hmm." She looked back at Crystal with a smile. Not everything is at it seems, princess. I implore you to remember it well.
Back at the Quartz Palace, Crystal and the gang took notice of two Marlukes pulling the milky quartz out of the monolith. Nights, upon seeing them, quickly sprung into action to catch them. He was too late however as they saw him coming and purposely pushed the quartz straight into the amethyst river beside the group. They taunted him for a brief moment before disappearing into the cave next to the monolith, much to Nights' anger and annoyance.
Crystal, not willing to stand by and watch, ran off to keep up with the quartz itself while activating her super speed. Nights was returning to the group as she did this and was shocked to see her running after it. Pidge and Cumula both cawed and bleated in distress upon seeing their master take off while Owl hooted in fright, and Rose called out to her. The young princess was too focused on trying to retrieve the milky quartz to even listen to her.
Back at the resistance, Hikaru, Seraphinite, and Nightmaria all looked on with concern. Nightmaria remained the most stoic of the three while she watched Crystal run right past the milky quartz, which was flowing along with the raging river. She can see how determined she was, and was waiting for what the young princess had in mind to catch the milky quartz. With a stoic face remaining, she said, "Don't give up, your highness."
Crystal was further ahead of the milky quartz as Reala watched the whole scenario from thirty feet above the canyon. He watched her run as fast as an athlete on the race track with a vindictive smile. The young princess used her foresight to determine where the quartz was flowing to and made note of the waterfall straight ahead. As the milky quartz continued to flow with the river, Crystal hopped from one rock to another down to the area below, while Nights and the gang have already made their way over via the latter's vortex. Owl was frantically flapping his wings as he watched the event unfold.
"Get her out of there!" Rose told Silvermoon.
"No wait!" he retorted knowing what the young princess was doing. Crystal, having made it to the area down below, ran straight to a tanzanite rock that seemed to cut through the river. She saw the quartz coming and with all her power, she mustered her wind magic into her and jumped forward so high, that she felt as though she could fly. As the quartz fell over the waterfall, just as she planned it, she caught it mid-jump across the river, and with an aerial flip in the air, she landed right across the river on the other side. She was kneeling in exhaustion as she had the quartz close to her body as if she was carrying a wooden log.
Folks at the resistance cheered the moment she caught the quartz, Nightmarens, Nightopians, and visitors alike. Hikaru breathed a sigh of relief as Seraphinite yelled in excitement. Nightmaria smiled stoically, proud of what Crystal had accomplished. Meanwhile, Nights flew straight into the air with enthusiasm while Owl hooted in amazement. Rose clapped in excitement while Cumula and Pidge bleated and cawed in joy. The Nightopian cheered in glee.
Crystal, having caught the quartz in time, got up from her kneeling position, and wiped her brow as she panted in exhaustion. She looked over at her friends as she waved over to them to let them know that she was all right. She even pointed to the quartz crystal for good measure. Silvermoon nodded calmly with a smile acknowledging her accomplishment.
Reala was quite amazed at how courageous she was against the roaring rapids. Despite this, however, he knew she was going to achieve her goal in either direction. As he heard flapping behind him, he turned to see his three Goodles riding their respective Buzzares. He turned back to the group, his face morphing into half-shut eyes and a malicious grin. Upon giving the command, he and his men began to fly in her direction. His mission was not over yet.
Crystal brandished her Millennium Rod and raised it to the sky to activate the spell Cleansing Downpour above herself. It is a spell that cures all ailments, natural or otherwise, with relaxing raindrops. After five seconds, the healing was complete and the clouds dispersed soon after allowing her to put her weapon back on the holster. Nights and the rest of the entourage were heading in her direction as she was about to head toward them.
"Crystal!" Rose called out to her in excitement as Nights flew right into her with a bear hug, causing her to drop the quartz onto the grass. "Are you okay?" Owl landed right on the quartz as if guarding it while the others complemented and embarrassed Crystal. Once the compliments were finished, and Nights released the girl from his bear hug, Owl piped up.
"I must admit," he spoke, "you did give me a quite fright when you went after that quartz. But I knew that your courage would guide you all along." Nights looked at him with a playful smile as he said this as if to say, "Sure you did." Crystal giggled upon seeing Nights' face.
"Thank goodness for training in gym class," she said. "Not to mention gymnastics. Those are essential for both battling and cheer-leading." Silvermoon nodded in agreement while Rose winked at her. Owl got off the quartz when she came up to it allowing her to pick it up. They crossed the nearby bridge to the other side as Nights flew up ahead and created a vortex. Crystal walked up to it with the milky quartz in tow.
"The last one," she piped up. "And so completes the trial." As she put the quartz over the vortex, a large blue fireball came hurtling in their direction right into the vortex causing an explosion of blue and red flames, thus destroying it. Crystal was knocked back by the impact as the group was scattered, dropping the quartz in the process. Owl hooted in fright while Crystal looked up to find the source of the attack. She gasped as, to her horror, Reala and guards were flying straight toward them. Nights flew right to her to check on her when he noticed him too. Silvermoon and Rose made it to her side as well while Cumula, Pidge, the Nightopian, and Owl followed suit.
"Did you think I hadn't noticed?!" Reala called out to them as if he were taunting them. He stopped in front of the group within twenty feet away from them, his grin showing malevolence.
"Reala!" Rose shouted angrily. Crystal was struggling a bit to rise while turning to Owl, the Nightopian, and her two Nightmaren pets. She shouted to them, "Cumula, Pidge, Owl! Get help! Little guy, take cover!" The Nightopian got frightened and flew away as instructed, while Owl disappeared in terror, and Pidge and Cumula cawed and bleated in unison to acknowledge her order. They flew away to a nearby cave straight to the Dream Gate immediately after escaping the skirmish.
Crystal got up and went straight to the milky quartz, picking it back up as soon as she did. Before she could relay it to Nights, who was imploring her to give to him, it was pulled forcefully from her grasp. Reala taunted her by saying, "I'll be taking that if you don't mind." The milky quartz ended up above his hand as he added, "Since you've had the gall to take the others to begin with, it's only right that I have my share." Crystal at this point mustered up the courage and brandished her Millennium Rod while Reala created a vortex with his free hand, and threw the milky quartz straight into it. As she and Nights sprung into action, joined by Rose and Silvermoon, Reala sent his Goodle squad straight to them.
Nights was about to fly toward his sibling before Reala snapped his fingers causing a cage to form around him and trap him in the air. It was the same type of cage that trapped Nights earlier, but this time he wasn't forced to wear his mask. Crystal saw the whole thing as Silvermoon and Rose went to go after Reala. Crystal wasn't going to let this slide.
"Nights!" she shouted to him as she ran towards the cage. The Goodle trio quickly surrounded her as they jeered and taunted the girl. Crystal had no choice but to fight them as she summoned her Clashing Whip to attack the Goodle trio and their Buzzares. She lashed out at them as they taunted and ducked her every move.
Meanwhile, Silvermoon and Rose tried their best to defend her from Reala while he attacked them with a series of flame orbs. One of them was hurtling straight for Crystal who quickly blocked it while still dealing with the Goodle squad. Rose and Silvermoon both used their respective attacks with Venus flytrap and a rose petal storm. Reala in the meantime was taunting the duo with some shadow orbs thrown in as well as the aforementioned flame orbs. After a direct hit from Reala's attack, Silvermoon collapsed in pain. Rose flew right to his side as he held onto the side of his stomach in pain. Before she could heal him, two pairs of Lumiralans captured them and held them in place.
"Keep your hold on them until I deal with the girl," he ordered before flying past the duo. Rose gasped upon hearing this. Silvermoon struggled as he held his hand out to the young princess shouting, "Crystal!" She heard him but was preoccupied with the Goodles.
"Just a second!" she shouted back. She continued lashing out at the Goodle trio unaware of Reala's approach. Nights took notice while he was trying to break out and let out a silent gasp as he saw his sibling make a beeline for Crystal. To get her attention, he rammed into the side of his cage with his Drill Dash. She then felt a jolt of dread as her foresight kicked in. She noticed Silvermoon and Rose being held hostage, and Reala heading straight for her and fast. She looked up at Nights once the vision was done while using a barrier to protect herself from the dive-bombing Goodle trio. Nights pointed in Reala's direction while waving his hand frantically. He's coming! When one of the Buzzares plunged right through the barrier, she continued her frenzied lashing with Rime Whip this time. As she did this, Reala was coming fast and with a malicious grin on his face. As soon as they stopped attacking and backed away is when she stopped in her confusion. She looked up at her adversary as soon as his voice rang out to her.
"Ha ha ha, Princess, your time is up!" Reala taunted her while approaching a terrified Crystal who gasped as he said this while backing one step away. As she did, Reala flew around her in a circle thrice over, and realizing what he was doing, she tried to retreat to Nights' cage. Unfortunately, Reala was faster and activated his vortex with a snap of his fingers, causing the earth beneath her to collapse like a trapdoor. She nearly fell into the dipping portal before barely catching the edge of it while Reala laughed triumphantly. She struggled to pull herself up but managed to get her top half of the body over the edge before reaching out for the chain connecting the cage to the ground.
"Nights!" she called out to him her voice strained from the climb. As she tried to climb out, Reala seized the opportunity and swooped in grabbing her by the throat. As soon as they were in the air five feet above the vortex, he brought her close to his face as she struggled to breath from his grip.
"Next time, don't interfere!" he jeered as he threw her straight into the vortex at the last part of his sentence. Nights held his hand out to Crystal as his voice rang out in her mind, "No!" Tragically, it was too late. Crystal fell straight into the abyss of the vortex, her screams of terror filling the sky and penetrating the ears of those present. Reala, delighted to have finally captured the girl, laughed triumphantly voice echoing through the vortex of his design. Wherever the vortex is leading her to, it would be far worse than the last nightmare she endured.
To be continued…