I never had doubts that someone may come unexpectedly to one's life. Whether it would be friend, relative, or one's destiny. Unexpected encounters are what keeps life from becoming boring. And given promises keep the people moving forward. I have promised a girl who appeared from the very book that I write in to help her find her Ideya, as she agreed to help me find mine. I hope we meet again so I can fulfill my promise. But until then, I must look to my own frontier and face my own problems. I will just have to last until then. My story is far from finished. I will not stop until this accursed writter's block is extinguished! Now to progress through the stars to obtain what is rightfully both mine, and the world's.
{Among Luminous Stars: Cosmic Plain} ~The Desire~
NiGHTS returns from Maddie's dream world and we are about to dualize until...
Johnathan: Oh, NiGHTS! You got some 'splainin to do!
NiGHTS: Very funny. Okay, I'll give you the full rundown. But can we talk after we dualize?
Johnathan: Very well. Let's go then. I don't want to keep the other dreamer waiting too long for her hero to return to her side.
NiGHTS: Eheh... Right.
READY GO!
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We dualize and take flight through the beautiful outerspace-like world that is the Cosmic Plain! All the while, we break through asteroids to find Starchips, Blue Chips, and Ideya Cores within them and enemies. And while we casually, yet quickly take care of that, NiGHTS tells me more about herself to clear a few things up. Imagine it as you will.
Johnathan: I see, so I was right. You've been at this for many years. Long before I was born, let alone before I became an artist. You have my admiration, NiGHTS.
NiGHTS: Oh, thank you! Though, Wizeman has lost his patience with the Night Dimension. He has been resorting to using more methods involving Persona against Maddie. Poor girl. Where you seem to not be having trouble with Wizeman here.
Johnathan: I don't know. What about that giant puppet that attacked us in that Silo?
NiGHTS: It had the faintest scent of Wizeman on it. Almost as faint as my own. Almost as if Wizeman had nothing to do with that puppet. Which is indeed strange. Though, it is even stranger how the Persona and Wizeman keep showing their ugly mugs in one dreamer but not the other. As a matter of fact, these enemies don't seem very lively. Most Nightmarens I've run into are more free moving. These just look like they've been dangling from stings.
Johnathan: Even in space. Well, best we can do is hurry and get our Ideya cores! But it's not just the Ideya I'm after.
NiGHTS: Oh? Then what is?
Johnathan: (Points to a big bright ball) That! The Sun! I want to take that radiance and shine it into the Dream Gate! And the Moon aswell! But one at a time. Thank you for your explanation. Now I know where we both stand. Time to keep the story going!
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We continue until we obtain the last of the Ideya Cores for the White Ideya Cores. Except, of course, for one. And that is where something similar to what happened last chapter happens again. We return to the Ideya Palace again with all the cores to the White Ideya of Purity and are teleported to the next challenge.
{Stellar Road}
We appear on what seems to be a race track made of starlight and rainbow colors. It has many twists and turns what is next to us is a.... collection of Stardust that forms together into a humanoid figure carrying a large gun.
[Memory Manifest: Stardust Harrier]
NiGHTS: Wait a minute! This is the boss of this chapter? Really? He looks somewhat familiar...
Johnathan: He is a reflection of a couple other parts of my mind. Space Harrier was the first Arcade game I ever played. This is a representation of my memory. And the stardust is what makes his form from my memories of when I was a kid.
NiGHTS: Then how are you able to bend it to your will and give him this form?
Johnathan: I'm the author of this side of the story, remember?
NiGHTS: Oh..... you're right. Okay, so how do we go about facing this one?
Johnathan: We race him of course! And while we're at it, we'll be dodging his gun blasts. So we better move fast! Also, don't get too far ahead.
NiGHTS: Why not?
Johnathan: Because he has rubberband AI. He can catch up rather quickly, shoot us from any range, and be real cheap. Just like any racing game. Also, something at the start of this road may drive us both mad.
NiGHTS: I wonder what that could be.
Johnathan: In this race, we have to immobilize him with Drill Dashing or throwing those Shooting Stars at him. Then we gotta Paraloop him a couple times to make him call it a night and drop the Ideya Core! But we're on a time limit. If we don't beat him quickly, we're sunk! Whatever is at the end of this track, you don't wanna know.
NiGHTS: Okay then. Let's take him down fast!
Stardust Harrier: WELCOME TO THE FANTASY ZONE! GET READY!
Johnathan: This is gonna be fun to write!
READY FIGHT! (LUDICROUS SPEED! GOOOO!!!!!!!!)
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We take off literally faster than 299,792,458 m/s. Yes. We have successfully reached ludicrous speed! And it just seems like we are moving as fast as a car in comparison to how far this road extends. We begin the race at an incrdibly fast start! And we show no signs of slowing down or stopping. However, the Harrier starts gaining even more speed and gets infront of us. He turns around to proceed to firing at us to slow us down. We get hit a couple times from either the direct shot or the explosion that shoots upward when he hits the road. This isn't good. We need to pick up the pace soon!
NiGHTS: Aaaah! Watch it! Okay, my turn now!
Johnathan: NiGHTS! Aim for the shooting stars! They can move fast enough to hit him! Let's get him!
NiGHTS: Got it!
NiGHTS and I quickly fly up to the shooting stars above us and fire them at the Harrier. He tries to shoot all of them, but we quickly launch them relentlessly. He has a hard time responding to all of them at once. He is stunned from the hit. We take that oppurtunity to quickly Paraloop him, doing serious damage and knocking him back. Though it doesn't take long for him to catch back up.
Stardust Harrier: AAAAAAAGH! GET READY!
Johnathan: Good work! But here he comes again!
NiGHTS: A couple more times should do the trick!
Stardust Harrier: YOU'RE DOING GREAT! BUT IT'S JUST GETTING STARTED. SO JUST TRY TO KEEP UP!
Johnathan & NiGHTS: BRING IT ON!
The Harrier starts firing again, but this time, we dodge the shots much faster and take the opportunity given to bounce off the road with a Drill Dash and shoot right up to him, stunning him once again! However, he manages to shoot us back from point-blank range before we can successfully Paraloop him again. The intensity and speed picks up as the race continues on!
Stardust Harrier: YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT!
NiGHTS: Don't have to tell us twice!
Johnathan: We're not done yet!
NiGHTS: I'm getting us ahead this time! Johnathan, look! More shooting stars!
Johnathan: Excellent! Let's not let them go to waste! I've got a wish for them!
NiGHTS and I fly up to the ones infront of the Harrier.
NiGHTS: So what's you're wish?
Johnathan: For us to WIN! (We launch the star at the Harrier and it launches him back far enough for us to get a far ahead lead.) Oh! I forgot! We need to Paraloop him first! (We turn around to proceed to doing so, but only to get hit again by another gun blast.) AGH!
NiGHTS: Not one of our better plans.
Johnathan: Oh, it was a good plan, I just forgot about the Paralooping part.
NiGHTS: Right, well, let's not forget this time.
Stardust Harrier: NOW YOU'RE TOAST! EAT PLASMA!
Johnathan: Oh shoot!
NiGHTS: AAAAAH!!!
The Harrier fires with deadly accuracy, but I decide enough is enough! Fortunately, a shooting star spawns right infront of us to shield us from that heavy shot! The star breaks to pieces and allows us to shoot back with each Star Piece!
Johnathan: How'bout you EAT STAR PIECES! TAKE THAT!
BOOM! IN THE FACE!
Stardust Harrier: OAAGH!!! WHAT?!
Johnathan: NiGHTS! NOW!
NiGHTS: 'Bout time! (Paraloops)
Stardust Harrier: AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!! HEH! GOOD MOVE! BUT IT'S NOT OVER YET! AND YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!
Johnathan: (Looks ahead) Oh shoot!
The awesome music stops and the camera zooms in to show..... it.... The source of the Stellar Road is.... a flying cat with a poptart body and an incredibly repetitive and annoying (Yet admittedly somewhat catchy) theme.
NiGHTS: Uh... what is that?!
Johnathan: Something that I hope wouldn't show up. It's the Nyan Cat....
NiGHTS: Well, it doesn't seem that bad.
Johnathan: Stick around for awhile, you'll lose it eventually.
NiGHTS: I think I'll want to not.
Johnathan: Good call. Oh hey! It's the Harrier!
Stardust Harrier: YEAH! IT'S ME! WHAT, YOU FORGOT?
Johnathan: Almost.
Stardust Harrier: YOU FORGOT ABOUT THE GUY WHO'S SHOOTING AT YOU?! ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID?!
Johnathan: Hey! No need to talk down to me like that! I'm the author here and I'm still a big fan of the game you're in!
Stardust Harrier: OH.... WELL. SORRY, I GUESS I JUST GOT CARRIED AWAY FOR A SEC AND- HEY WAIT A SEC!
NiGHTS and I hit him one last time and Paraloop him! Sending him flying into the sun that we just conveniently pass by right then and there. He crashes into it with a suprisingly huge impact!
K.O.!
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We managed to get off the Stellar Road before it went too far. Good thing, too. 'Cause the Nyan Cat was headed straight into a Worm Hole. It goes into the portal and disappears.
Johnathan: Whew. Good. It's gone. Heh... My friend, Chris is gonna hate me for that one. HA!
NiGHTS: Chris?
Johnathan: Just someone I know. Nevermind that for now. So where's our next Core?
The Stardust Harrier returns from the Sun holding it. He fires it at us from his gun and salutes us.
Johnathan: Oh! You... You're giving it back?
Stardust Harrier: YOU WON. IT WOULD ONLY MAKE SENSE FOR YOU TO HAVE IT BACK. YOU EARNED IT. HEY, BY THE WAY. IT WAS JUST IN THE SUN. SO IT MIGHT BE A BIT HOT.
Johnathan: AAAAAHA!!!! Yeah... it is.
NiGHTS: Oh. Well, thank you. Harrier.
Stardust Harrier: CONGRADULATIONS. YOU'RE MISSION WAS A COMPLETE SUCCESS! GO BACK AND GET SOME R AND R. YOU CERTAINLY DESERVE IT! (Salutes one more time and explodes in a huge burst of light!)
We salute back. And in a flash of light, we return through the book back to the Dream Gate. And like he said, we get some rest. In the next Interlude.