WARNING: SPOILERS!!! ~A Watty's 2019 Submission!

Saved for Ni No Who

"Aaliyah must be so nervous!" Oliver said excitedly as they approached the palace in Al Mamoon.

Today was Aaliyah's coronation, and the whole gang had gathered for the celebration. The Doctor pulled out a new tie and put his coat away, wearing his suit for the evening. Martha had borrowed a lovely purple dress borrowed from Harmony with a pair of black flats. Oliver and Swaine each wore suits from Swaine and Marcassin's shared collection, and Nichole had borrowed a red dress from Esther, who also wore a purple dress, though paler than Martha's and added a gold belt around her middle.

"I hope that the others can make it on time!" Esther told them, wringing her hands nervously. Marcassin and Harmony were getting ready. As royals, they, King Tom, and even Drippy as a representative for the fairies, were a part of the grandeur, and they had to be well prepared with a grand entrance.

"I'm sure they will." Swaine told her, kicking some of the dust, hating how stiff the pants were. "They're a lot of things, but late isn't really in the dictionary for them." They all let out a good laugh about it. Today was a day of celebration, and nothing was going to deter them.

Skipping aheadd...

"And now, I am most pleased to announce! Her most prestigious, most glorious, and perhaps most anticipated..." Abull's eyes nearly glowed with tears of pride. "Princess Aaliyah Lowlah Kaura of the House of Cowra." He stepped aside, and the curtains were pulled aside to reveal Aaliyah. But rather than the sight of her standing there in her beautiful gown, with her long hair glittering as she walked down the aisle, her face aglow as she moved towards her destiny.

That was not the case.

She was keeled over, clutching her head, a cloud hanging over head, a cloud of what looked like snow. But she was crying out painfully. "Your Moojesty?" Abull ran to her side, her suddenly screaming in pain.

"It burns!" She cried out. "It burns! Please help me!" She begged, and Esther began attacking Oliver's arm.

"Oliver! It's the manna!" Oliver's ears perked at that, and jumped from his seat.

"Come on! We have to get down there and help her! Before she becomes one of those creatures!" They hurried down, the Doctor and Martha right behind them. They of course didn't understand what the manna was, but they knew it wasn't a good thing.

"Aaliyah, darling!" The Cowlipha stood from her seat, the whole building rumbling. "Our dearest!" Aaliyah just kept screaming from the pain as her friends came running down.

"Aaliyah! It's okay! It's okay!" Oliver dove to his knees and put his arm around her, trying to be comforting. "Just take it easy!"

"Get OFF!" She screamed, pushing Oliver off, sending him flying back. "Get away from me! You don't need me! And I don't need you!" Oliver looked up at her, confused. "I DON"T NEED ANYONE!" She screamed again, grabbing her head in pain as the manna continued to fall, then she threw her head back, her eyes glowing a a bright red, her staff flying out of nowhere and colliding with her hand, her hair lifting as she glared at them, a dark red glow of magic veiling her. She looked dark, and twisted, and positively like she hated them all.

"Aaliyah!"

"What's going on? What's happened to her?" Martha asked, sending out Jabber.

"She's become a monster of manna!"

Skipping battles because I hate writing battle scenes...

"Aaliyah!" They ran to her as she lay on the ground, groaning and clutching her head in pain. The Doctor slid to his knees, checking her pulse.

"She's alive!" He told them, checking her forehead and scanning her with the screwdriver. "She's going to be okay. A little nap oughta do her some good." He told them.

"Get the royal doctor!" Abull told a servant. "Get a stretcher! Take her to her chambers!" The guards surrounded her as others began to guide the people out of the palace. The Cowlipha was trying to run to her daughter, but Abull's attention had turned to her and trying to get her to retire to her own chambers to calm her down. Everyone was in a panic.

Skipping more in a fashion the game has done!!

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Aaliyah!" Oliver told her, and she nodded, pushing her hair back.

"I feel terrible though." She admitted, wiping her eyes. "I ruined the event for everyone. I don't even know what happened."

"What was that, Oliver?" The Doctor asked, crossing his arms.

"Manna." Oliver told them, looking down. "The White Witch used it to turn everyone in Ni No Kuni into terrible monsters. But we destroyed the crystals!"

"Crystals?" Martha asked.

"They created the manna." Esther told her. "They were what made it fall. But I ddn't see a crystal when Aaliyah turned."

"I found this though." Swaine stepped forward, and dropped a shard of glass onto the end table. "This was around where the cloud had been formed." he murmured. "I'd reckon this crystal are different from the ones before."

"You mean they're smaller?" Nichole asked.

"You said that they turned the whole town last time, didn't you?" The Doctor asked, earning a nod from the three. "Maybe this crystal wasn't meant to turn the whole town. It only went after one target."

"Me?" Aaliyah stared at the shard in shock, almost as if she were afraid it'd turn her again.

"The most powerful in Al Mamoon at the moment." The Doctor commented. "Someone didn't care about the people, it only wanted you."

"You don't think that there are more around, do you?" Martha asked, concerned.

"Hard to say." The Doctor admitted. "I'd reckon Oliver would have one if it were to go after the most powerful person. Or Nichole."

"Maybe it doesn't go after the most powerful person." Nichole realized. "At least not magic wise. Maybe it goes after the most powerful head."

"You mean the monarchs?" Esther asked, slowly realizing what she was saying.

"Aye. Why would someone try to do what was failed many years ago all over again?"

"But last time, it took the Cowlipha, King Tom, and one of Marcassin's army machines." Oliver explained. "Why wouldn't it go after the Cowlipha this time?"

"Because the Cowlipha isn't the queen anymore." The Doctor said, his eyebrows up in the air. "Aaliyah was to be queen, so it went after her. It knows that you can defeat the old monarchs, why would it try again?" Swaine jumped at that.

"If its going after the new monarchy, what if it goes after Harmony and Marcassin?" Oliver felt his heart drop. Marcassin hadn't been affected last time, because he had been with them. Now if the manna was going after both him and Harmony... this was going to be a tough battle.

"Oliver! What about Pearlina and the baby?" Oliver felt the blood drain from his face.

"We have to go!" Then they hurried out of the room to save their friends.