Morgan circled a strange device, occasionally writing something on her clipboard. The device was rather tall and appeared to be nothing more than just a large, metal cylinder. This was just a routine check-up, making sure the metal was unmarked. Even though Morgan had been doing this job for at least four years now, she still didn't know what it was for. All she knew was that she had to do it every day.

It was a lonely life, out here in the middle of nowhere. Even in the town, people occasionally visited for a night but nobody ever stayed. The girl sighed; taking on this job at fourteen probably wasn't the best idea. No matter how good the pay, she was trapped.

After writing down one last, little comment she started walking back toward her home. She liked to think of it as a town, Talisville, but it was really nothing more than her house and a couple other buildings for people to use if they happened to stop by. About halfway there, Morgan was startled by the rather sudden appearance of a girl, probably only a little younger than her, waving around a… was that a spoon?

The girl ran up to Morgan, smiling brightly. "Guess what! I HAVE A LUCKY SPOON! Now I can ward off the crazies!"

Morgan took a step back nervously, "Um… I'm sorry, what? Who are you, anyway?"

The girl gasped dramatically, her eyes wide. "You don't know me!?" Quickly she dipped into a low bow, sweeping her arms out. It really was a miracle she didn't just fall over. "I am Paklin Elniora!" She grinned and straightened back up. "Though most people just call me Rainbow!"

"Right…" Morgan muttered, backing up another step. This girl is crazy… Either that or I have gone crazy and I am hallucinating…

Rainbow giggled and started dancing around in an odd dance that was little more than just spinning in circles. After a moment she stopped, exclaiming, "Wait! I almost forgot! Do you have a Lucky Spoon yet?"

Morgan shook her head, "No… I don't have a spoon on me."

"Not just any spoon!" Rainbow corrected her quickly, "A Lucky Spoon!"

"You are completely insane." Morgan deadpanned.

"I'm the crazy one?!" Rainbow asked, "No, no, no. You are! Going around without a Lucky Spoon when we have the Smiling Marshmallows to worry about!"

Morgan blinked, "The smiling what?"

"MARSHMALLOWS! I used to like them because they were all white, but something happened and they started smiling and flipping switches! They even blew up my ship!" Rainbow whined.

Morgan groaned and put a hand to her head; she was sure she could feel a headache coming on.

Rainbow frowned slightly. "They just… destroyed it. I hardly had time to escape. Bubbles, Flicker, Sparkles, and all the others didn't make it."

Morgan quickly looked back up at Rainbow, seeing her slightly differently. She was talking about these… characters as though they were dead. If that was the case, if she had watched them die… It might explain her behavior.

Rainbow sighed, "Um… Miss? I have another Lucky Spoon if you want it."

Morgan almost refused, except Rainbow seemed so… lost. Mentally berating herself, she nodded. "I would be happy to accept your… Lucky Spoon."

Rainbow cheered and her face lit up again in a brilliant smile. "YAY! Lucky Spoons will ward off the evil!" Quickly she threw a plastic spoon that somebody had used as an art project at Morgan. It was a lime green color for the most part, a few spots of white where it hadn't been fully colored. Along the handle the words 'LUCKY SPOON' could be seen in a bright violet color.

Rainbow giggled again and ran off before Morgan could stop her, singing a song loudly, "In the dark of in the hole were jellyfish! They swam awaaaaay! They swam awaaaay! They swam awaaaaay! In the dark of in the hole were jellyfish!" It didn't take long before Rainbow vanished from sight, even though this land was flat and mostly desert.

Morgan frowned and continued toward her home. Whatever had happened with that girl it probably wasn't good. In fact, it made her very uneasy. Though it mostly just seemed to be the ramblings of a crazy person, there must be some hint of truth in her words…

A short walk later, Morgan entered her home. Though she didn't expect anything to actually happen, she tried switching on the light. When the house didn't change, apart from growing slightly darker thanks to the setting sun outside, Morgan just sighed and began her regular routine of getting ready for the night. The temperature would drop significantly and it would be pitch black once the sun fully set. She managed to light a few candles throughout the house, sending a longing glance at the fireplace. She wasn't allowed to set a full fire though… Not since the incident two years ago that almost burned both her home and the town's hotel to the ground.

The girl sat down at her small kitchen table, turning over the lucky spoon thoughtfully. This day had been rather exciting, but she still hoped that there was nothing too extreme to worry about. However much she might complain about her work, she knew that it was the best way to raise enough money so she could eventually leave this place. Go on an adventure through the stars… Morgan smiled softly, imagining what it would be like to have her own ship, to be able to just travel through space.

Her peace was short-lived though, interrupted by what is best described as a monster screeching outside. She quickly jumped up, managing to send her chair tumbling over backwards with a loud clatter. Silently cursing herself, she held completely still, hoping that whatever had made the sound would just leave the area. The wild beasts around here were dangerous to say the least. If it decided to investigate Morgan or anything in the town it probably wouldn't leave until it caused a significant amount of damage.

Morgan had only dealt with one of these beasts before, just a year ago. Her experience almost ended tragically; she only survived because somebody happened to be close enough to help. This time however… Chances were she wouldn't be able to make it out if she had to fight the creature off.

The beast screeched again, a sound that was like a cross between fingernails being scratched down a whiteboard, a large bird calling out, and a lion roaring angrily. The noise made Morgan cringe; her heart was racing now. It might have just been her imagination, but the creature sounded even closer the second time. As silently as possible, she began to go around her house, putting out all the candles until she had only one left. Even that one she covered with her hand a little, trying to give off as little light as possible. She needed to become invisible in the dark night, but it would be worse if she couldn't see anything at all.

Silently, she waited to hear if the creature prowling in the dark would call out again. What she did hear was rather surprising; it did call out, but this time it sounded like it was in pain. Confused, she listened attentively. It almost sounded like a battle with all the shrieks and snarls. Except it seemed almost one-sided…

After several tense minutes the sound of the fight just stopped. Her breathing stopped as she waited in complete silence. The last thing she ever expected happened next: the sound of somebody knocking on the door pierced through the silence. Morgan screamed and ran deeper into her small home to sit down behind her bed, shivering silently, her final candle flickering on where she left it.

Todd frowned slightly. He didn't think that would be the reaction to his knocking at this door. Sure, it had been several years since the last time he had come to this place, but he had just chased off the Konhsard, hadn't he?

He glanced around and shivered, pulling his large coat tighter around him. If it weren't this cold he might have just left to try again later, but… Sighing softly he knocked again, a little louder. "Hello? Anybody home?"

Morgan winced. That was definitely the voice of a human… Slowly she gathered her courage and stumbled to the door, opening it only slightly, just to slam it closed again in the boy's face. He had a flashlight - a powerful one, too. Rubbing her eyes to try to get them adjusted to just the faint light from the candle, she stepped away from the door.

Todd jumped, startled by how suddenly she had closed the door again. Hesitantly he called out, "Hey, Morgan! I know that's you! Can I please come in? It's cold out here!" Okay, maybe not so hesitantly, but he had intended to speak a little less sharply.

Morgan muttered to herself, something about lights and blinding her as well as something to do with monsters and not wanting to deal with unicorns just then. After a moment she opened the door again, clearly not happy to be seeing Todd again, despite the fact that he was smiling brightly at her. "May I come in, then?"

Morgan rolled her eyes and stepped back, holding the door open, allowing him to cross into her house.

Todd looked around the small building, taking notice of the candle. "Still using those old things? Morgan, you should try to get your power fixed. Or at least get a flashlight!"

Morgan glanced at him as though she thought he was completely insane, "You should know that I don't like those things! . They are far too bright!"

Todd grinned, laughing a little. "Fine, fine, I won't make you do anything you don't want to. Even if it would obviously make your life a little better."

Morgan scowled at him. "What do you want, anyway?"

Todd pouted, folding his arms childishly. "I don't even get a thanks for chasing off that Konhsard?"

Morgan blinked and looked down. "Well, I didn't exactly know that you were the one who made it leave. I thought that another one had come along and they both just left."

Todd chuckled quietly. "Still don't think I am awesome enough to take care of just a little Konhsard?"

Morgan glared at him. "That was years ago, before you left to go on your little adventure."

Todd grinned at her. "What can I say, sis? I just…" He winced, finally realizing that he hadn't come away from his fight without some form of injury. "I just wanted adventure…"

Morgan frowned slightly, concerned for him. "Todd… are you injured?"

Todd shook his head a little too quickly. "I'm fine. Just a scrape, really!"

Morgan narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before shaking her head, "If you say so. Where have you been, anyway?"

Todd's eyes lit up. "I discovered this lonely little patch of space. There is a nebula in it with these fascinating little creatures that can survive within the nebula! Can you imagine what an incredible advancement this will be for the human race? Creatures that can survive in space!"

Morgan rolled her eyes slightly. "You and I both know that is impossible. Now tell me what you really have been up to."

"But that is what I have been up to!" Todd retorted, "At first I didn't believe it and the cow with a bazooka really threw me off…"

Morgan shook her head as though she were trying to get something off of it. "What? Cow with a bazooka?"

"Yeah, turns out there is a gas in the nebula that causes hallucinations, but that isn't the point. I studied these little creatures for months and they really can survive in the vacuum of space. That is their natural environment!"

Morgan sighed. "Did you collect any of them?"

"Of course I did!" Todd exclaimed, pulling out a small test tube that appeared to be filled with nothing. "See? Right here!"

Morgan stared at the test tube and slowly decided to just play along. Unfortunately, she never really got to him again. A loud snap pierced the air, somewhat like a gunshot. Morgan winced, but Todd got the short end of the stick, dropping the small vial as he screamed in pure agony.

"Todd!" Morgan cried as she moved closer to her brother, "What is wrong?"

He only groaned and fell to the floor, smiling weakly at her. "I'm afraid that I only came home to say goodbye."

Morgan was startled, reeling back slightly. "Goodbye? You… you aren't going anywhere!"

Todd closed his eyes painfully. "Sister… I am sorry, but I have to leave you alone again. These creatures can't just survive in space. They are extraordinarily fragile; their one protection is their poison. They are microscopic, but if the slightest hint of the venom gets into your blood stream…"

Morgan frowned; this day was moving too quickly. Too many things were happening in too short a time. "Todd, you aren't leaving me, understand?"

Todd shook his head slightly, "No, you are going to send me away. I am dangerous, if I lose control now… The venom causes insanity and an increase in strength. I don't want to k-kill anybody…"

Morgan gasped. Todd kill somebody? Not possible… "I can't."

"Just send me to the Night Terrors!" Todd snapped.

Morgan flinched. "Todd, I can't! You are my brother! My own twin! I can't just send you to your death!"

"Then you have doomed hundreds of lives," Todd stated quietly.

Morgan was silent. She knew he wouldn't just lie about something like this. She didn't want to have her brother die, but she also didn't want to risk the lives of others…

With a small sigh she reached out to him, her decision made.