Aiyana was surprised to discover that the girls she had previously met were suddenly transforming into sailor senshi. Had she become to entwined with her own senshi identity that she was starting to dream of other senshi? Shaking her head at herself, Aiyana pulled her transformation pen from her pocket and shouted her transformation phrase, transforming into Sailor Terra. She guessed her identity as a senshi wouldn't matter in a dream like this where even her companions were senshi. 

Wanting to waste no further time in getting to the endangered princess, Terra began to run, following the trail of breadcrumbs seemingly left by Hansel and Gretel. It was odd that they would choose breadcrumbs - wouldn't the birds eat them? - but this was a dream, so Terra didn't question it.

"I guess we'd better get going!" she said to the others.

It was nice being able to run without getting tired as easily, and with the boosted speed Terra felt like she arrived at the castle in no time at all. Strangely enough, there were no guards at the castle's front gates. In fact, there didn't seem to be anyone around here. The villages were empty, the air was silent...so where was everybody?

This was all too strange, and if someone was in trouble, Terra had a feeling there wasn't much time remaining to save them. "The coast is clear, let's move!" she called, passing through the open gates and running into the palace. 

Once entering the grand palace, Sailor Terra could suddenly hear multiple a sinister-sounding voice traveling down the hallway.

"Time is up! Hand it over!"

Terra felt chills run down her spine after hearing the voice, knowing that it had to be someone with evil intentions. She didn't run this time, but crept slowly along the halls, getting closer and closer to the source of the voice. But as she got closer, Terra couldn't help the slight trepidation creep up her spine. She was still inexperienced, and even if this was a dream, she felt that maybe it would not be best for her to enter the room where the voice was coming from first. The grand double doors were shut, and she had a gut feeling that she would not be able to handle whatever was on the other side.

So she looked back at the rest of her group, hoping one of them would step forward.

Sailor Natura followed the others and went into the palace with the other senshi. She stopped when she heard the voices and was a bit nervous as they went closer. They got to the grand double doors and looked at the senshi who looked like Aiyana..she would ask for names later..Natura motioned to the other and whispered "you want me to go first" and by her friends look alone it told her the answer. Sailor Natura went to the doors and opened them. There was no time to waste, even in a dream..

Kana followed along with the girls, never formally introducing herself. Her eyes caught glimpse of the breadcrums the children left. "What a strange Dream." She thought to herself. 

When she arrived at the castle, she still wasn't tranformed. The run was easy for her. However, she complated the idea when she noticed the other girls....Senshi. 

Once the girls arrived at the castle, she heard someone from afar, this startled her. She no longer felt safe. A brave Senshi offered to go first, but Kana stretched out her hand at this point, calling the spirit of Asuka. One her transformation was complete, she spoke.

"I can go first, or we both can together, if it is ok with the rest of you." She said to the girl who offered to go first, and turned her head now addressing the others. While she spoke she reached her hand out for a handshake. "Call me Asuka....Sailor Asuka, but Asuka for short."

Many of her dream companions had changed becoming some variety of sailor soldier and she found that odd. Why would she dream of other sailor scouts when she had not yet even had the opportunity to transform in her explorations off world. She shrugged it off. One never knew the workings of a dream. Instead she enjoyed the sunlight on her face as she ran with the others.

Sailor Nalu looked with open awe and curiosity as they entered the castle. She had read of such structures from Earth history books but to walk inside of one made one feel very small indeed. "It is so quiet here..." she mused aloud to herself, feeling at first a sense of awe and serenity that was slowly transforming into unease. There were no obvious signs of struggle but the lack of habitation made it feel off somehow.

If the silence had made her uneasy, the urgent and sinister voice that echoed down the hallway gave her a chill. Time was up for what exactly? It seemed everyone felt the same need to be wary and proceed with caution as they crept the remaining length of the hall arriving at the doors from where the voice originated. Content not taking center stage she stepped to the other side of the door as her new acquaintance Kassie opened the doors. She held her staff raised defensively, aimed over Kassie's shoulder in case something should emerge.

Before anything was revealed, another of their traveling companions went through a transformation. Are we all senshi? she wondered briefly. Anuhea did not want to speak because it would alert their target as to the numbers in their party. Let them think we are only two she reasoned. It might come in handy. So she simply nodded to Sailor Asuka once, taking up defense in the rear, tucked partially behind the door, staff at the ready.

Terra nodded and smiled at Kassie, who seemed to also be a senshi based around nature. She was glad to let someone else take the wheel on this mission, and even more so when Asuka volunteered to go first as well. The doors opened, and the sinister voice became much louder and much more clear.

The room beyond the doors seemed to be a throne room, and it was filled with people. So this was where all of the villagers were! Everyone looked scared, with children burying their faces in their mothers' skirts, women with fearful tears on their faces, and men with grim expressions watching what went on at the front of the room.

At room's front, a regal-looking man and a beautiful woman dressed in what had to be the land's finest clothing were standing, him in front of her, as if protecting her. Both of them looked terrified.

And by the looks of it, they had every reason to be.

An extremely short man, standing at what was probably only three feet tall, was pacing back and forth, shouting words of profanity and cruelty at the couple. His hair was bright red and extremely unkempt, flying out in all directions as if he hadn't brushed it in years. His face, though covered with red facial hair, was scrunched and dirty, suggesting a large lack in personal hygiene, and his nose was taking up most of his face's surface area. As he spoke, his rotten teeth could be seen from all the way on the other side of the room, his thin lips not leaving much to the imagination. The clothes on his body were the only admirable thing about him, for the fabric seemed to be woven of pure gold.

"I gave you three days to come up with the correct answer, and you failed. We had a deal, and you know I will only get what I want in the end. So stop. Wasting. My time," the little man shouted, arms on his wide hips. The man drew his sword from the sheath on his waist, pointing it at the little villain.

"I will not allow you to enter my palace and threaten my family. Leave now; this is your last warning," he bellowed, his deep voice bouncing off of the room's walls. The little man laughed, the sound horrible enough to shatter the room's windows if it had gotten any louder.

"You know that will not work on me, your highness," the little man said. With a wave of his hand, the sword was flung out of the prince's hand and onto the floor several feet away. The prince's face paled now that he didn't have a weapon. He was out of cards to hold. "Now that that's over with...give. Me. The child. I would hate for this to turn ugly."

Sobs from the women in the room filled the air as the princess stepped out from behind her husband, revealing the beautiful baby girl she was cradling in her arms. "Please, just one more day. That's all we need, please," she begged, tears falling down her face. The little man 'tsked' and shook his head, denying her plea.

It was then that the presence of the senshi was acknowledged by people in the room, and whispers of, 'Who are they?' and 'Are they here to save us?' started to travel from villager to villager. The change in atmosphere caught the attention of the little man, and he turned, meeting the eyes of Sailor Asuka.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Are these heroes you recruited to try and save you, princess? You should know that won't work," the little man said, as if scolding a child. "Very well then. Greetings, ladies. My apologies, but you seem to have caught me at an awful time. I would be more than happy to help you after I do my business here."

The princess looked at each senshi in turn, hope filling her eyes. "Oh please, have you found it?" she called. "Did you find his name?"

The little man's eyes flickered with worry, but soon returned to normal. "Ah, so you thought you could figure out my name, hm? Tell me, girls - what is it? If you can guess my name, I will leave here without another word. But if not..." he paused, digging dirt out of one of his long fingernails. "I'll have to dispose of you."

Note:

Some of the others had transformed as well, and Nix wondered if they were all fellow senshi. It seemed like a big coincidence to end up in a dream with a bunch of strange girls who all turned out to be warriors as well…

In her new state, it was easy to reach the palace, which appeared deserted. There were no guards, and beside the pair of siblings, they hadn’t seen anyone else either. When they found no resistance and proceeded into the palace, she heard a voice that sent a chill down her spine. She slowed down with the others, moving cautiously as they tried to ascertain what was going on.

The double doors were opened, and the scene unfolded before them. It became clear where all the citizens of this kingdom were; inside the throne room. They seemed to be facing a dire situation. The villain was clear, as well. The owner of the voice and the man whom everyone was staring at with such terror. From his words, Nix could figure out what was going on; there had been some kind of deal, a riddle to solve within an amount of time. The man had magical powers too, it seemed, if the way he got rid of the prince’s sword was any indication. And the payment for his supposed deal was… the royal couple’s child? What kind of deal offered handing over someone’s baby? Nix was horrified to think that a child would be snatched from their parents’ arms just because of some riddle.

The princess—this must be the one Hansel and Gretel spoke of—was crying, and Nix knew she couldn’t just stand idly by and let this awful man steal someone’s child.

The strange man noticed their presence and spoke to them, and then the princess pleaded with them to help. His name? How were they supposed to know a total stranger’s name?

She wasn’t afraid of him, but something told her they would be better off beating him at his own game. If it came to a fight, then they would fight, but for now, she was more inclined to play by the rules.

“Do you have any clues?” she asked of the princess. “There are thousands of names in this world; it seems this isn’t a riddle at all, but rather an impossible task, unless you can offer us some clues,” she turned to the man. “Or perhaps we might ask you to make another deal; give us another riddle, a solvable puzzle, and if we can provide you with the correct answer, you will not take this child.”

Sailor Natura went in with the others and watched the scene unfold. 'guess my name? first child? what is he talking about..' She thought and then was going to speak when one of her new friends spoke up as did the princess and the strange man. "Yeah good plan there..I agree with you 100%" she said directed towards Sailor Nix.

Litae had followed the others down the lane, through the barren castle, and towards the sinister voice echoing towards them.  The very sound of the man's voice was cringe-worthy.  She hung back as a few of their group offered to go into the room first.  As they opened the doors, the situation unfolded itself before them and they know knew enough to hopefully move forward with the situation.  They would get nowhere just blindly guessing the man of small stature's name.  If they wanted to keep the situation from escalating to violence, then solving the riddle may be there only chance.

Sailor Nalu 'Aiō was impressed by the challenge issued by one of their company, who she surmised was a senshi with ice powers, and clearly also intelligent. While it was doubtful the strange little magical man would give them any advantage when he thought he had the upper hand, it was worth a try. She met his eyes.

"Yes, this is an unfair game if we don't get to know anything about you first. You don't want to get a reputation of being unfair in your "business" dealings do you? Surely you must be reasonable." Anuhea almost spat out the word business, for this was no righteous transaction to demand the life of an infant for something so ridiculous. She wondered at what would drive a woman to make such a dangerous agreement with someone as shady and dangerous as this. Surely a queen would not have need of anything so desperately? For she surmised if this little one was the princess, she must be the queen.

Although she had not transformed in the forest, the foreboding sense of unrest when they entered the castle made it clear that Miyu would be better off as Sailor Lir. She hung back from the others just enough to transform, the feathers of her transformation fading to reveal her elaborate white costume. She elegantly shuffled into the room, just in time to observe the ranting and fear.

Sailor Lir tilted her head slightly, eyeing the short red-haired man with the massive beard and giant nose. His demand made her eyes widen slightly and she let out a short laugh. This dream was more and more interesting every moment!

"Ohhh, is he Rumpelstiltskin?" she asked one of the other sailor soldiers standing near her.

Miyu wasn't much of a reader, to be honest, but she had always loved fairy tales as a child. Plus, if there was a ballet attached to it she was generally aware of the story--and in fact there was a children's performance based on this tale. They had walked in at the very end, or so it seemed to Sailor Lir.

When Miyu shared the supposed name, everything clicked in Terra's mind. She had heard of this fairytale as a child, when her grandmother would read them to her, but it hadn't even crossed her mind for this dream. So...was she dreaming a fairytale? She guessed that would make sense, since she fell asleep reading what appeared to be a book of fairytales. 

"Oh, that's right!" she agreed with Miyu, smiling with triumph. 

"No, that's wrong," the little man said, a sinister grin on his face. "That was my father. He failed in his attempts, unlike me. Our lives are...opposite, if I do say so myself. Now, I have other things to attend to, so I'm being generous and giving you all one more guess. Don't make me wait any longer."

Terra felt chills run down her spine. Since when did Rumpelstiltskin have a child? Who would be dumb enough to marry that? She was at a loss for ideas. If the name 'Rumpelstiltskin' wasn't hard enough, who knew what kind of backwards name his child would have?

She looked to her group members, hoping against hope that someone had an idea.

Kassie smiled when her friend said the name, she did remember it now. She was about walk up to him but then stopped cold when he said that it was his fathers name. "Seriously?? You have to be kidding right? One more guess..hmm" 'jerk..dork...madman..no that can't be them' She thought. She quickly tried to think of something.."Girls I'm not sure what to say...somebody got a good guess then just say it.." 'I'm too scared to say anything wrong..even if this is not real'

Although Litae had never heard of the name before, she had hoped that their excitement at the name would mean it was correct.  Unfortunately they had the luck of him being the son they never heard of. Their hopes dashed as soon as they had risen.  Something he said though stuck out. He and his father were opposites, he had emphasized the word in his speech.  Is it possible that their names were also opposite? Maybe, but what would be the opposite of Rumpelstiltskin? Maybe the others would know, since they had known the father's name. Good point, I'll ask. "Is it possible, the his name is the opposite of Rumpelstiltskin?" She spoke just loud enough for the senshi around her to hear.

Asuka kept her attention focused on the large doors. She winked at Miyu, noticing her expression when she stated she would assist in taking the lead. 

Suddenly, out of caution and reaction, Asuka balled her fists once the doors opened, tightening them when the little man decided to show off his sword. However, Asuka knew better than to run in and attack. There where innocent bystanders, villagers, in this room. Asuka tried to make sense of the situation and came to the conclusion that there would be trouble if the little mans name was not guessed. 

They could fight, or guess. Guessing the silly riddle of his name would be less violent, but more tasky. Ultimately this could lead to more violence in the end of the little man became angry with their guesses, whiched seemed to happen when the wrong name was guessed.

"Youre his son?" She thought to herself, then she had an idea. She turned so he couldnt see her lips and whispered a guess, hoping for the others to agree or disagree with her. "Rumplestilskin Jr?"

Anuhea looked from face to face, her own showing increasing levels of confusion. First the beautiful dancer came out with a name so strange out of the blue that she knew there was no way it was a guess. Just as it seemed that the name had been found, their nemesis denied it, opening up and discussing the relationship with his father as if they were friends at tea. She shook her head, the entire scene completely unread.

Everyone started guessing and one mentioned the word opposite. Was that a clue? It certainly was better then anything she had. Her brain had called this situation completely illogical and shut down promptly.

Leaning into the whispering group she shared her own thoughts. "Maybe your opposite idea has merit, but what would be opposite of Rumplestiltskin?" It was quite the mouthful to get out. "Perhaps if we can get his name backwards? Perhaps something like Nikstlitslepmur?"

That was a worse mouthful than the first and she spoke slowly as she figured the reverse syllables. "Of course it could be Rumplestiltskin Jr. as well. To be honest, I think our chances of guessing right are low. This might end up being a fight after all."

As a strange name was uttered by one of them, Nix wondered how Miyu came to know that name. Was she familiar with this man? Was he famous? The name sounded unfamiliar to her, but clearly not to the man. It turned out it was the name of his father.

She had zeroed in on the way he said opposite. The answer, then, seemed obvious to her. “I think it’s definitely Nikstlitslepmur,” she declared.

It was disappointing that her guess wasn't right, but this was a dream after all. She wasn't really surprised to have things make little sense. She did sort of wish that her imagination had been a little bit more inventive. It seemed weird that Rumplestiltskin would have a son if he tore himself to pieces in rage after having his named guessed correctly, and even more odd that the son would also take up his father's desire to barter babies away from their parents. What did either of them need babies for, anyway?

As for an opposite... well, the other sailor soldiers' suggestions seemed about as fair as she could expect. She knew that the father's name meant something in German, but couldn't recall what—and definitely not quickly enough to determine the antonym, if such a thing could even be derived.

She nodded at the blonde-haired one in the pale blue and white uniform, who confirmed the backwards name the others had suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Sailor Lir confirmed.

Maybe they'd have to fight this guy after all. Would her powers be any different in a dream?

Terra listened to the opinions of the members in her group, feeling silly for not thinking of Nikstlitslepmur herself. It made sense with what the little man said...right? 

She hoped so.

Finding that her group had reached a general consensus, Terra took a deeo gulp of air and faced the little man. "Nikstlitslepmur!" she declared. 

The little man clapped his hands with glee, bouncing up and down as he cackled evilly. "Nope, that's not it! You lose! Hand over the-"

The man froze. "What?! No! How could you have figured it out so quickly! No! This cannot be!"

He placed both hands on his plump stomach, which seemed to be bubbling from beneath his clothing. "This is not the last of meeeeeeeeee!" With his final cry, the little man exploded in a flurry of golden sparkles. 

The room was silent, everyone in complete shock over what had just happened. And suddenly, everyone was cheering, rushing towards the group of girls and shaking their hands, bowing at their feet, hugging them, asking for their signatures, etc. Terra felt overwhelmed, but so happy that her and her friends were able to save the day. 

The crowd of people began to part, making way for the prince and princess to approach them. The beautiful princess was holding an equally beautiful baby girl in her arms. "Thank you all for your help," she said. "You saved my child, and for that, this kingdom thanks you."

Both prince and princess bowed to the group, followed by the rest of the villagers in the room. Terra looked back at her friends and smiled, proud that they were all able to work together. The prince stood, opening his arms wide. 

"This calls for a celebration!" he bellowed. The villagers cheered, and everyone was suddenly bustling about, doing who-knew-what to prepare for this celebration. Terra was confused as several servants grabbed her and pulled her and the rest of her group away from the hustle and bustle, leading them down several grand hallways and into one large dressing room. Terra's mouth dropped open at the myriad of vanities, lights, benches, and bins around the room. She was never one to care much about beauty, but this place was perfect for any prima donna. 

Before she could really comment, servants were bringing her and her friends different gowns and shoes, asking them which one they preferred and getting out all sorts of hair supplies to make them over like princesses. 

Practically detransformed now, Aiyana picked a simple green dress and asked for her hair to be put into a braid. As her hair was being done, Aiyana decided to start a conversation. 

"This is crazy. Never in my life did I think I would be in this position, being pampered like a princess. You're probably used to it, right Talia?"

Note:

Sailor Natura watched as they tried to guess his name..and were correct. After he blew up she smiled and cheered a little with her new friends and the queen and king. "No problem Princess..we would have done most anything to help you out." Then they were pulled away to another room with lots of different outfits and things. on the way she turned back to Kassie as the brought out dresses and shoes for them to wear. "I am kinda partial to pink if you have a pink dress... and maybe a braid as well like Terra's I think its pretty..you don't mind do you Terra??"

She felt relieved when they found out their answer was right, though she was also concerned about the fact that the little man said this wouldn’t be the last they saw of him. However, he did explode, so maybe there was nothing to worry about. She just hoped the royal family would know better than to make deals with shady figures like that from now on.

Before she knew it, she was quickly swept up into the flurry of activities around her. First everyone wanted to thank them and shower them with gratitude, including the royal couple. Then suddenly the entire room was bowing to them, which made her feel somewhat self-conscious. She had just arrived in this place, after all, and she had just made a lucky guess. Though she was a princess, she was not used to being treated like one outside her kingdom.

And then the ‘celebration’ began. Talia didn’t quite know how she ended up there, but she found herself ushered by seemingly invisible hands into a magnificent dressing room. Now back in her own dress, Talia didn’t feel the need for a new one, but since the servants insisted, she finally picked out an ice blue gown that resembled her own and asked for her hair to be let loose the way she had always had it.

While she was still pondering what was going on in this bizarre dream, suddenly Aiyana spoke to her. At first, Talia was alarmed and confused. “How did you—?” She hadn’t mentioned the fact that she was a princess, had she?

Then she remembered her first appearance and blushed. “Oh. The dress probably gave it away, huh?”

She clasped her hands together as Terra delivered their answer. her heart dropped as he started off reveling in their mistake only to find that he had been wrong and he was suddenly gone, in a cloud of golden sparkles.  Litae found this strange, shouldn't he have known his own name?  However there was no time to think as the crowd rushed forward, touching them, talking to them, thanking them.  Although this was sometimes the behavior she was met with now that she used her powers to help her people, it was still a little awkward to respond to.  The Prince and Princess had barely given them their own thanks before they were whisked away to their own area to be prepared for the celebration.  

In the process of changing, Litae had changed back to Daeka.  Though she would have preferred to keep on her own clothes, she resigned to picking a dress that was similar to her own in style.  The white dress was made of a chiffon material which she found to be very breathable.  The way the servants fluttered around working on everyone's appearance reminded her of the preparation she faced when making very public appearances.  She wasn't a fan, but she preferred someone else worrying about her appearance than having to herself.  Daeka preferred to have her hair up and out of her face, so she asked for a crown braid, a simple dutch braid wrapped around the crown of her head. She sat patiently in her chair, her thoughts wondering as the voices of the others faded into the background.  Why was the little man demanding the child as payment?  What action had he performed to make some deal with the Prince and Princess? Where was this dreaming taking her?

Aiyana smiled at Kassie and shook her head. "I wouldn't mind at all!" she said. She then turned her attention back to Talia and laughed. "Yeah, sorta," she teased. "That dress is really pretty. I wish I had the confidence to pull of that color...but green seems to be about all the suits me." Shrugging, Aiyana began to play with her braid, lifting it and letting it drop heavily onto her shoulder. Looking around, Aiyana was taken aback by how beautiful all of the girls in their group looked. They were all princess material, in her opinion - well, maybe not herself, but the others were most definitely. 

After everyone finished getting ready, the group was lead to a grand ballroom which had been decorated miraculously quick. There were glittering lights trimming the windows and furniture, priceless chandeliers casting beams of light all over the room, a sophisticated orchestra playing whimsical tunes, and lords and ladies of all shapes and sizes wandering about the room, dancing and talking. Aiyana's mouth dropped open at the beauty of it all. How could she dream up something like this?

The princess whom they had saved earlier approached, with several men following behind her. "Ladies, welcome! This celebration is completely in your honor, so please, don't be shy! If you should need anything, my husband and I will be wandering about. Again, thank you so much for your help. That man, he...he tricked me into dealing away my firstborn child. But thanks to you, my baby is safe and the kingdom is back to normal. Enjoy the ball!" The beautiful woman walked away, leaving the girls to decide what to do. 

"Well..." Aiyana said, looking at the group. "Do any of you dance?"

A ball certainly seemed like something Talia was more familiar with, so she relaxed a little as the group was ushered in. She knew how to be a princess, and she knew how to dance. She wasn’t quite sure what kingdom this was exactly, but forming a new diplomatic relationship with another could never hurt, especially if this kingdom felt like they owed her a favor.

She wished she had the chance to talk to the royal couple, but the princess left as soon as she welcomed them. Perhaps there would be time later. Hearing Aiyana’s question, Talia smiled. “Well… fortunately, dancing lessons are part of a royal upbringing.”

She was thankful that the guess had been correct, but also concerned that the little man exploded in a shower of sparkles. That seemed rather sinister. She typically liked glitter, but the thought that it might come from the corpses of weird gnome-dwarf-guys made it less appealing. Still, it was wonderful to have been able to defeat him with their smarts. (Miyu knew they owed it to the woman in the deep-blue gown, as she had been the first to decode the riddle. At some point she wanted to thank her.)

The whirlwind of activity to celebrate caught Sailor Lir by surprise. She had hardly had a chance to detransform back into Miyu before there were excited hands and chattering women encircling her, arranging her hair and suggesting different clothes. Miyu would have felt more at ease taking care of this herself. Ballet dancers didn't have the luxury of makeup artists and stylists. She knew that she'd be expected to prepare herself for performances without assistance. All of these people, rushing to decorate and adorn her... she felt so out of place!

By the time she stood in the entrance to the ballroom with everyone else, she could only smile and nod at the princess's thanks and welcome. The ivory dress she wore seemed almost bridal. It was clear that her costume as Sailor Lir had served as some inspiration for the choice of this dress. Her hair was curled in loose ringlets around her shoulders and back. She wasn't used to having it down; the sensation of it touching her neck felt odd.

She chuckled awkwardly at the comment from Kassie.

"I don't know... This dancing is different than ballet. If they would have let me perform, instead of attending like this, maybe I'd feel less uncomfortable."

Their appearances were changed so quickly, it felt she had barely sat down before they were being ushered into the celebration.  The Princess had offered her thanks quickly, vaguely mentioning the whole baby trade topic, before leaving the group of girls to their own celebrations.  Dancing came up but Daeka had to shake her head no to the topic.  "In my culture," she chose the words carefully, even if just a dream, better to keep the whole planet thing quiet, "Dancing is about community, we dance in choreographed groups, dancing by ourselves, not really a thing."

Aiyana smiled at her group. "Well, I'm not that practiced, so why don't we all just dance together? To celebrate our victory!" she said, extending her hands towards her friends.

As the ball continued, the clock ticked and ticked, hour after hour, until midnight was just a moment away. Aiyana was exhausted, and ready to get out of this dream and be back in her own land. She was so happy to have met all of these wonderful people, and even though they were only parts of her subconscious, she couldn't help but wish they weren't. She didn't really have many friends back home, and these girls were just so easy to get along with.

Maybe she would dream them up another time, she told herself.

The clock struck midnight, the twelve chimes echoing all throughout the palace. The group of girls who were foreign to the land would notice white light forming around their feet, lifting them higher into the air. The surrounding people would not notice them, for they did not even belong in this world, and their presence there was being wiped from their memory. 

The fairytale had been fixed, and it was time for them to go home.