Nights Twilight Dreaming
Chapter Thirty-Two
Crystal and Nights have just landed beside a tired-out Octopaw as Sunburst joined them, in what appeared to be a cave surrounded by Chronos Lilies and quartz crystals. The duo separated once they did, allowing the former to walk up to the Octopaw while placing her hand on it. She held out one of her elixir cubes imploring it to take it, which it took graciously. Nights snickered a little upon seeing it stash it away in its pouch.
"I keep forgetting he stashes his treats like that," he piped up. Octopaw flew up to Nights and nuzzled him in response to this before flying up to Crystal and giving a bow to her.
"Thank you for the Ring Challenge, Octopaw," she told him. The Octopaw giggled in response as a way of saying 'You're welcome.' It then flew to its jar and entered it before it sank into a hole to another dream world. Crystal beamed a little at this while Nights and Sunburst waved at their eight-tentacled friend. She then took a look around and recognized the area right away.
"Well I'll be Lady Palutena," she piped up. "We're right where we're supposed to be." Nights and Sunburst looked around as well and noted the number of Chronos Lilies in the area while Crystal's pets bounced around marveling at the scenery before them.
"So this is the cave you were talking about," said Sunburst as she gazed at the lilies with admiration. Nights flew up to one of the lilies and placed his hand over the petals activating it. A bright light covered the cave as the scenery changed dramatically. Gone was the cave they were standing in, and in its' place was a vision of a landscape that was similar to Crystal's dreamworld yet with noticeable differences. No gems were to be found here, and in their place were giant dandelions, a series of floating islands and grass balls infested with dandelion fluff, and a large windmill in the distance. Crystal was impressed by the scene as were her pets.
"Looks like we've got ourselves the highlands," she noted.
"This is Pure Valley," Nights stated. "It's one of the older areas of Nightopia, though it looks rather plain compared to yours." Crystal gave a playful smirk to Nights with her eyes half-shut.
"You call floating islands and moss balls plain?" she remarked playfully. Nights snickered a little upon hearing her response. Sunburst looked around to see a past version of Nights playing his flute while the past image of Owl can be seen flapping alongside a familiar face. Crystal recognized the lad beside Owl right away.
"Hey, that's Will Taylor from the Lost Park!" she said with her eyes widened slightly in amazement. Nights was slightly confused at this and asked, "You've met him before?"
"Yesterday to be exact," she told him. "What year was this memory?"
"It's from two years ago," he responded.
"Ah. That explains past you playing the invisible flute." The trio and pets looked over at past Nights as he continued his flute music while surrounded by Nightopians. Will was looking around his environment as he noted the location of his dreamworld.
"Wow," he spoke enamored by the landscape before him. "This is Nightopia." As he looked around at his paradise, the past image of Nights stopped playing the flute and spotted the lad.
"Hey Will!" he called out to him while his arm was in the air. "Over here!" This caught the boy's attention. He was about to run over to him but was stopped by Owl amid his sprint. He pointed his wing at the Nightopians surrounding Nights.
"Allow me to introduce the Nightopians," he spoke as the group of Nightopians gathered around the lad. He added as the group babbled to him in their language with past Nights looking at them fondly, "They are the residents of this world. They are kind and gentlefolk who love to sing and play." Will managed to pet one of the Nightopians causing the little guy to blush. Crystal let out an "Awe." She couldn't help but be entranced by the little creatures and their nature.
Sadly, this happiness was cut short as the Nightopians looked behind Will and Owl and began to clamor in fear. Whatever startled them had caused them to scatter. Crystal took note of this and began to look around, as did her pets and Sunburst. The real Nights put his hand on Crystal's shoulder as reassurance while she looked around searching for the cause of their fright. Will was confused at the state before him. Past Owl wasn't too far off on noticing their behavior either as he too began to worry about them.
"Hmm? What's the matter?" he asked them as the group of Nightopians scattered before them. Crystal looked up to see a familiar quartet of enemies right behind Will and Owl. The past images of Reala and the Goodle trio were floating in the air as they stared at Nights. Crystal gasped slightly as Will looked behind him to see the quartet together.
"I've been looking for you, Nights," he spoke to pass Nights with a sly smile and his arms crossed. Just as before, he took no notice of Crystal or her allies due to being a past image.
"Where's your persona?" he asked with a perplexed look. He shook his head slightly while adding in a slightly playful yet patronizing tone, "Took it off again, did you?" Crystal gave past Reala a blank look as he said this knowing that her friend does not need the mask due to being a rebel against their creator. She looked back at past Nights just in time to see him smirk.
"Hmph. Reala," he spoke with a bit of sass in his tone while turning around with his clenched fists on his hips. "Did you come all the way here just to nag me?" This caused a look of surprise to cross Reala's face as he said this. Crystal couldn't help but snicker upon hearing him sass his sibling. Nights, who was beaming at his younger self, turned his head to her as she did this while giving her a look that said he saw her response as well. Reala began to chuckle at his sibling while closing his eyes in amusement and unfolding his arms.
"I go out of my way," he began before his face changed to anger and adding, "and this is how you treat me?!" Crystal was slightly surprised at the sudden mood swing. Reala angrily raised his right arm to his men and ordered, "Seize the traitor!" Crystal buried her face into her hand while sighing annoyance just as the Goodle trio flew right past their superior. Nights, who was right beside her rolled his eyes in annoyance as well. They knew the outcome before they even saw the end of the memory. The Goodle trio surrounded Nights while Will and Owl watched in terror. They captured the playful jester as he struggled to free himself from the talons of their respective Buzzares.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Let me go!" Reala smirked upon seeing his sibling captured. Crystal looked up just in time to see Will about to rescue the past image of Nights.
"Nights!" he shouted as he was about to sprint. Crystal blurted a bit of gibberish while Owl flew right in front of Will stopping the lad in his tracks. Reala was slightly surprised at Will springing to action while Nights tried to calm Crystal down as she flapped her arms frantically.
"Stay back, lad!" Owl ordered Will. "You're no match for that one!" Nights was speaking to Crystal while telling her, "Calm down, calm down." This happened while Owl blocked Will from running after the Goodle trio. Crystal realized the past image's intent and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haha. Listen to the old bird, boy," Reala chastised while grinning at the lad as the two looked back at him. Nights looked back at his sibling's past image with a glare as he said this. Reala raised his right arm once more before giving the command.
"Now, go you three," he ordered. "Go and lock up the prisoner." He smiled at the trio while adding and placing his arm down, "I will return shortly." He ended his sentence with a grin as the main Goodle nodded while his Buzzare companion cawed in response. The trio took off while Reala took to the sky leaving Will and Owl behind. The vision ends soon after, and Crystal, as well as her allies, are now back in the cave of the Chronos Lilies once more. Crystal looked up at her friends with slight embarrassment.
"Ha, sorry for the freakout," she told them. "But Will almost shot himself in the foot right there. A kid versus a Level One Nightmaren and his entourage would have ended in disaster."
"No kidding," said Sunburst agreeing with her statement. "Luckily Owl stopped him before his Ideya got stolen. How many did he have anyhow?"
"Just one at the time of this memory," Nights responded while scratching one of his tassels. "But, he retrieved the others throughout the night so he's doing fine now." Crystal breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's awesome to hear," said Sunburst beaming. Cumula nudged Crystal to get her attention while she searched for another Chronos Lily to activate. She looked over to her Shleep friend and asked, "What's up girl?" Cumula bleated a bit before turning to the Chronos Lily and flying to it, Crystal and the other pets following suit. She bounced a little in excitement as Nights took notice and floated right over to Crystal as she reached her.
"This one?" she asked her. Cumula bleated a reply confirming her question. The young princess then placed her hand on the petals activating the vision. The scene changed once more to the Dream Gate. Crystal recognized the event right away.
"I recognize this memory," she said. "This is the day I came to the Dream Gate for the first time. It also marks my first time meeting Nights and Owl I believe."
"That's right," Nights confirmed. "You were under a lot of stress at the time, what with being a Magician of Light and all." Crystal snickered a bit at his response.
"Given my wrongful banishment from Egypt the year prior," she told him, "as well as living in an orphanage for a month, I felt like a foreigner in another country." She buried her face in her hand again in annoyance while saying, "It doesn't help that I was picked on for my powers." Nights put his hand on her shoulder as he looked to her in sympathy. She looked over at him before nuzzling his head a bit. Sunburst giggled a bit upon seeing this. She knew that it was like watching an older brother showing affection and support to a younger sister.
Crystal and her allies then see her younger self floating down to the Dream Gate as she landed right next to the fountain. She was wearing a different outfit at the time, which was a pink shirt under a navy blue jumper, a pair of white tights, and a pair of black Mary Jane shoes. She was looking around as she was a bit nervous while at the same time intrigued by her new scenery. She was amazed at the rainbow water flowing in the fountain. She looked over at the sky to see it was filled with stars and calm. She then noticed a familiar face. Owl, who had been perched on a large branch was reading a book under the starry night sky with a light above him lighting the pages. Younger Crystal was amazed at this and ran up to him. She called out to him with "Hoo, hoo! Hoo, hoo!" Owl took notice and was surprised to see her standing there with her hands cupped to her mouth.
"Ooo hoo!" he exclaimed. "We have a guest!" He put his book away before flying down to her and adding, "You must be Queen Lorelei's firstborn daughter! Is this your first time in the Dream Gate, young lady?" Crystal was amazed that the old bird can talk.
"Sort of," she told him. "I've heard of legends of the Night Dimension, but this is the first time I've managed to come here." Owl nodded in response to her statement.
"Well, allow me to explain, my dear," he spoke. "This world that you've entered is what most would call the World of Dreams. But do not be deceived. What you call the World of Dreams, we residents call the Night Dimension. If you've ever felt that your dreams are more real than fiction, then you would know what you dream is this world. The only way you would enter this world is when you have fallen fast asleep." Young Crystal was fascinated by his explanation, and oddly enough, for one who was merely five years old, she had understood every word.
"So what you mean is that all dreams, good or bad, are played out here?" she responded as a sort of translation. Owl nodded while adding, "Precisely. And those who come to this world while they sleep are known to us as visitors. However, this area which you are standing on is only the beginning of your dream known as the Dream Gate. Fortunately, there lies a set of doors that lead to a paradise known as Nightopia, which changes form by reflecting the heart of the visitor. To gain access to Nightopia, however, you must have an Ideya on hand."
"Ideya?" Crystal asked before coming to the realization. "Oh, you mean those dream orbs! What can they do?"
"Ideya is essentially dream energy as you just described," Owl explained further, "They are sparks of light which dwell within the hearts of visitors such as yourself. They are responsible for creating Nightopia and five different types linger within the visitor's heart. The common four Ideya are known as the Ideya of Purity, Intelligence, Growth, and Hope. They are white, blue, green, and yellow respectively. But the rarest of all five Ideya is known as the Ideya of Courage, which is red and can be quite tricky to find." Crystal spotted a door not too far from the duo as she listened to Owl's explanation.
"Oh, there's a door over there," she told him. Owl looked behind him to see that same door before them. Elder Crystal recognized the door right away.
"That's the Quartz Palace," she told her allies. "I remember now. This was my first door to go through." Younger Crystal noticed her hands glowing a crimson red light and was a bit startled at the sight.
"Hey, my hands are glowing red!" she told him. Owl looked at the light in the girl's hand and recognized the light right away.
"Oh ho! That crimson light!" he shouted excitedly. "You do possess the Ideya of Courage! That's what called this door into being!" Younger Crystal looked over at the door and walked up to it, her mind filled with curiosity. She also felt a bit uneasy as there was something that Owl had nearly forgotten to mention; the one important thing before entering.
"Can we go through here?" she asked as she reached for the handle to the door. Owl placed his wing on the handle before she opened it.
"Of course you can," he explained. "But I do sense a bit of hesitation about entering Nightopia. Is there something wrong, visitor?" Younger Crystal was hesitant at first but realized that there was no point in hiding the truth.
"I'm worried about these monsters mom told me about," she told Owl. "The ones that sneak up on you without warning and make you wake up after they scare you. Nightmarth, Dark Dreams, boogeymen."
"Those beings are known as Nightmarens," Owl replied understanding the girl's description.
"Nightmarens! Exactly!" she replied. "Mom always told me every night "Don't let the Nightmarens get you!' as a bit of a joke. What are they?"
"Nightmarens are malevolent beings of darkness from the Dark Realm of Nightmare," Owl explained. "They were created by a being known as Wizeman the Wicked, who is known as the god of nightmares. They aim to take the Ideya from visitors to destroy Nightopia. Once they gather enough Ideya, they will gain enough leverage to invade your world known to us as the Waking World." Younger Crystal shivered a bit in response to this. Then she remembered another thing her mother told her before bed.
"When in doubt, seek the first to diverge from Wizeman," she recited. "That's another quote mom told me every night." Owl beamed knowing what the girl meant. He then motioned to her to open the door.
"Shall we enter Nightopia together?" he asked her politely. Crystal nodded in response.
"Very well then, after you, Miss," he began before being politely interrupted.
"Crystal. Princess Crystal," said Crystal while smiling.
"Well, now, your highness," he responded. "Off you go." Crystal did as he told her and entered the door while engulfed in bright light. The scene changed again, this time to another part of the Quartz Palace, specifically the entrance to the dream world. Younger Crystal was enamored by the landscape which seemed to be made entirely out of precious stones.
"Wow!" she said entranced by the surrounding area. "It's so pretty!"
"And rather sturdy," Owl added. He brushed his wing against red quartz dusting some of the dirt off the gem. This action caused it to grow slightly which in turn caused him to hoot while beaming. She giggled upon seeing this sight. She looked around the area some more while naming some gemstones along the way.
"Is Nightopia truly a reflection of my heart?" she asked Owl.
"Indeed," he replied. "Nightopia doesn't always remain the same landscape forever. As long as there are visitors, there is always a new area to be formed in this world. It would appear that this is a reflection of your vision of Ophelia. A yearning for a more stable country to call your own."
"Well, Ophelia was destroyed a long time ago," Crystal explained, "so this is rather accurate." Owl nodded in response to this. Crystal looked around some more and noticed the residents all playing around with the gems.
"Awe!" she told Owl as she walked up to them. "Those tiny angels are so cute!" The Nightopians all greeted her as she complimented them.
"Those are Nightopians," Owl explained. "They are kind and gentle people who are known to keep visitors company while they sleep. They sing and play, and they are known to be most active when Nightopia is formed."
"Wow!" Crystal spoke as one approached her and she picked it up. "That's amazing!" The Nightopian giggled a little as she nuzzled it like a stuffed teddy bear. Elder Crystal couldn't help but smile at this moment. She then remembered something important about this memory before slamming her fist against her open palm. She turned to her allies.
"You might want to cover your no ears for this one," she told them.
"Our no ears?" Sunburst inquired snickering. Nights snickered as well knowing what Crystal was talking about.
"Trust me, she knows the next part all too well," he told her. The two covered where their ears should be if they had any, and waited. Crystal did the same alongside her Nightmaren pets. While younger Crystal was nuzzling the Nightopian, she heard a sound as if someone was flying overhead. She looked up to see a purple streak fly above the area she and her friends were standing on and immediately recognized the color right away. The young girl shrieked in excitement causing the Nightopians to scatter playfully and hide while smiling and giggling. It was typical of a child to scream while in glee over something exciting. The only difference is that her voice was as loud as a young banshee as if she could destroy the eardrums of anyone close by. Owl realized this and quickly flew to the young girl placing his wing over her mouth.
"Be careful screaming like that!" he told her. "The Nightmarens will mistake that for fear!" Elder Crystal laughed while she and the others all removed their hands from their ears, non-existent or not.
"Even as a kid, I scream like a banshee," she noted. Younger Crystal quickly took her mentor's wings off her mouth before speaking.
"But it's the dream jester!" she exclaimed her eyes glistening with joy.
"Dream jester?" Owl asked rather skeptical of her claim.
"The first-ever Nightmaren to go rogue!" she explained. "We've gotta talk to him!" Owl realized what she meant straight away when she took off toward the streak of violet. Thankfully, she didn't have to go very far to reach her target as the owner flew right down to her while rubbing their ears. It was the younger version of Nights that she saw earlier.
"Jeez, that was enough to make my ears ring," he said with a rather embarrassed smile. He opened his eyes to see a young and excited Crystal staring up at him with stars in her eyes.
"Hey there," he greeted her. "I thought I heard someone shrieking like that." He looked over at Owl and playfully added, "You didn't bore this toddler to death, did you?" Owl was a bit angry at the remark causing the young girl to giggle a bit.
"Now see here!" he scolded the playful jester. "I was educating the girl about our world! I may tend to rattle on, but I shouldn't be toyed with in such a manner!" Nights giggled at the old bird as Crystal approached him without reaching her hand out.
"Say, what's her name anyhow?" he asked while looking at Crystal curiously. Owl placed his wing on her shoulder.
"This is Princess Crystal," he explained. "She is Queen Lorelei's eldest daughter."
"Crystal?" he repeated. "Oh! So you're Jessica's big sister! She's told me all about you." Crystal was amazed that her younger sister had been speaking about her while she was sleeping.
"We keep track of visitors who come and go in the Dream Gate," Owl explained. "Magicians of Light and Sorcerers of Darkness are included in this process as they are equally as stressed as their mortal counterparts."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Crystal replied to Owl in agreement. As she looked back to Nights, he began to fly in figure eights with his eyes closed and Crystal was amazed at the tricks he was performing.
"Say, Crystal," he spoke to her, "can't you fly?" Crystal shook her head in response to this while adding, "Not yet. I'm only five. I don't get my wings until I'm thirteen."
"She's far too young to fly on her own, I'm afraid," Owl clarified. Nights flew right down to her and held out his hand.
"In that case," he replied, "dualizing with me will help you get a head start. Want to give it a shot?" Crystal was confused when he said this as she tried to repeat the word he had spoken.
"Due," she spoke. "Duel…"
"Dual-lize!" Nights enunciated playfully while writing on her face causing her to giggle. Owl placed his wing on the girl's back as she was backing away a bit too far amid her giggling.
"Dualizing is a process where you and Nights would become one with each other," he explained. "Such a feat can only be achieved through the Ideya you hold. Go over and take his hand. You'll see what I mean." Younger Crystal nodded in agreement. She approached the playful jester before he poked her on the nose.
"You do trust me despite being a Nightmaren, right?" he asked slightly unsure of her reaction. Having looked into his heart before meeting him, Crystal nodded before saying, "I trust you whether you're a Nightmaren or not."
"That's the spirit!" Nights responded. Owl beamed upon hearing this as the playful jester held out his hand. Young Crystal took his hand graciously and as she did, a bright light began to engulf the two as they merged. Seeing their accomplishment, young Crystal was amazed that she had become one with Nights, while the past image of Nights winked at her hinting at their new power. The duo took off into the air with the little girl hollering with laughter.
"Still makes me smile to this very day," the real Nights spoke.
"Hard to believe," Crystal replied, "twelve years and this event is still ingrained in your mind. You've got the memory build of an elephant, Nights."
"Nightmarens never forget even the oldest memories," Nights stated while winking at Crystal. Her pets nudged her as he said this while Sunburst giggled slightly.
"Thanks for the heads up on that scream, by the way," she told Crystal. "That shriek your kid self did was LOOOOUUUD!" She did this while performing a cheering motion with both arms making Nights and Crystal's pets laugh.
"You say that now, but folks made a joke about that in Drama Club," Crystal replied with a playful smile with her eyes half shut. She walked a little to the left toward the forest of jasper trees while posing and added as her friends floated beside her, "Eardrums beware. Her voice will pierce the air." Nights snickered upon hearing this phrase.
"Pierce the ai-," he was interrupted when he and the others came across Crystal's mysterious kidnapper lying on the ground dazed and unconscious. Crystal began to laugh along with the others as soon as she saw the sight before her. She had realized right away what had happened.
"The kidnapper was right there!" she stated while still laughing at her kidnapper's unfortunate outcome.
"He must have been floating too close when you screamed like that," Nights deduced while snickering. Sunburst was laughing as well even while the mysterious 1st Level Nightmaren began to shake with anger and pick himself up. He stared angrily at no one, as he didn't acknowledge the group's presence due to being a past image. A fellow 1st Level Nightmaren came flying down to him as he rubbed his non-existent ears in frustration.
"Wow," she told him. "That kid did not sound like they were scared."
"You're right!" the mystery Nightmaren snapped his head in her direction. "That wasn't fear! That was joy!" He looked in the direction of where Crystal and Nights were and added with an angry gruff tone, "Little brat!" Crystal laughed at her aggressor with a grin on her face.
"I hope that hurt, shadow boy!" she called to him even though he was a mere past image. The memory ends after the initial laughter between the group showing them in the cave of Chronos Lilies once again. Crystal calmed herself down as she realized where they were and breathed a little as she spoke once more.
"Okay," she told them. "On one hand, it's a little spooky knowing that he was following me since day one, but on the other hand, he was a dingbat for standing slash floating too close when I screamed in excitement like that." Sunburst snickered upon hearing this.
"Whoops!" Nights remarked playfully.
"Oops!" said Crystal while smiling playfully right back. "If I can think of one more good thing about this memory, besides our first meeting, it's that he did not know about me yet." The others nodded in agreement to her statement. As they were about to go to another part of the cave, Crystal spotted Prisma's spiritual orb in the distance of another opening besides the one Nights and Sunburst were about to enter. She beckoned to her to follow as the orb glowed brightly in the darkened opening before her. Crystal nodded having deduced who the orb was.
"You guys go on ahead," she called to Nights and Sunburst. "I'll catch up."
"Okay," Nights called back as they were about to enter the other opening. He and Sunburst both entered the large cave-like tunnel together one by one. Crystal's pets stayed behind to be with her in case she needed company. Thus began her pursuit of the orb of light that was once the very much alive Prisma.
To be continued…