Some cookies are necessary to make this site and our content available to you. Other Cookies enable us to analyse and measure audience and traffic to the site. Cookies are also used by us, advertisers, ad-tech providers and others to develop and serve ads that are more relevant to your interests. To consent to the use of Cookies and proceed to the site, click Accept below. If you wish to withdraw consent later you will find a link in the footer Cookie Choices. For more information: Privacy Policy.
Storytelling Competition - (click for the map) | (printer friendly version)

If you have any questions about the competition then read our awesome FAQ!


Week 366
You are on Week 367
Week 368

Every week we will be starting a new Story Telling competition - with great prizes! The current prize is 2000 NP, plus a rare item!!! This is how it works...

We start a story and you have to write the next few paragraphs. We will select the best submissions every day and put it on the site, and then you have to write the next one, all the way until the story finishes. Got it? Well, submit your paragraphs below!

Story Three Hundred Sixty Seven Ends Friday, May 2

Cylette carefully wrapped the ribbons of her ballet slippers around her ankles and tied them in a perfect bow. The pink silk of the slippers looked pretty against her soft white fur, she thought. Even if she only had a bit part in this year's recital, it was still a solo, so she wanted to look her best.

As the Cybunny was lacing up her other slipper, the door to the dressing room opened and Arisu, an elegant Aisha, and Chay, a nimble Xweetok, (both of whom were in the advanced ballet class) walked in. Cylette smiled and was about to say hello to them, even though the pair had a bad reputation for bullying the younger dancers, when the two ballerinas eyed her up and down and pointedly turned away to continue their conversation.

"I wish we didn't have to perform with the lower-level dancers," Arisu drawled, rolling her eyes. "I mean, I guess we'll look better by comparison, but it's really just lowering the quality of the whole performance to have them clomping around the stage."

The Xweetok nodded. "And what was Madame Snedra thinking when she gave that Cybunny a solo?" she asked in a voice loud enough for Cylette to overhear.

Cylette's shoulders slumped sadly. She had been so excited for the recital and her solo part as a Lazydel. Though she may not have been as good as Arisu and Chay yet, she was just a beginner.

Arisu laughed in a sharp, disdainful way. "I know! She's going to look like an explorer climbing up Terror Mountain in snowshoes instead of a flower!"

How can they be so mean? Cylette thought, anger heating her cheeks. They may be good dancers now, but I'll catch up to them someday, especially if they spend all their time bullying the beginners. They need someone to prove that they're not as great as they think they are. Her paws tightened on the ribbons of her slipper. She then tied the last one and gathered her things.

"Good luck at the recital!" Cylette said cheerily to the Aisha and the Xweetok as she passed them. It'll be the last one you ever star in, she finished to herself...

Author: *Twinkle Toes*
Date: Apr 28th
...little did she know, that wish was about to be granted.

Cylette's heart started to pound as she wove her way through the crowd. Colourful costume-clad Neopets were everywhere, their eyes bright with excitement and their hands shaking with apprehension. Cylette knew she must look exactly like them, only perhaps a little more nervous. After all, it wasn't every day you danced the solo.

The white Cybunny drew in a shaky breath. For as long as she could remember, she had always loved dancing. The ballerinas always looked so graceful and perfect up onstage, their movements serene, their dances beautiful. Cylette had always wanted to be just like them.

And now she was finally getting her chance.

Cylette tried to make her breathing normal. Thoughts of doubt flooded through her mind. What if she messed up? Missed a step? Went too fast?

No. She closed her eyes. She would make it through. She had to. After all, she had promised...

A voice called out. Cylette was so nervous that she could barely register the words it spoke. But somehow, she knew what was said.

It was time.

A Kougra was ushering dancers through a narrow door that led to the stage. He flashed her an encouraging smile as she passed. Cylette tried to return the smile, but she knew it faltered, somehow. She had never been so nervous in her life.

Backstage, all was quiet, save for the hushed, almost rhythmic whispering of the stagehands and teachers, making sure everyone was in place. Ahead, Cylette could see the glossy red curtain, the only thing that kept her separate from her audience. She gulped. Soon, that curtain would rise, and then...

"Cylette, hurry up and get on!" someone hissed, and Cylette nodded dumbly, scrambling as silently as she could to the centre of the stage, her starting point for the dance.

She raised her arms into position and carefully placed her foot behind her, staring straight ahead into the fiery depths of the crimson curtain. Cylette found it so ironic she was supposed to start onstage, all alone. When the curtains rose, she would be the first and only thing that anyone would see.

Anxiety clawed at her savagely, but Cylette refused to let it get to her. She had to make it through. She had to do well. She had to...

She heard the soft sound of muffled giggling and glanced to the side. The shadowy figures of Chay and Arisu appeared to be shaking as they stood among the drapes, waiting for their moment to step into the spotlight.

Cylette felt a hot wave of rage. She knew they were laughing at her.

"Just you wait," she mumbled to herself. "I'll show you. I'll be greater than you, much greater. Greater than you'll ever be." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Compared to me, you... you will be nothing."

Everything grew silent then, and Cylette knew that it was almost time. Her pounding heart seemed to muffle every other sound, but she swore that she heard a voice, whispering in her ear.

"As you wish..."

But she had no time to investigate, to even look around, for the scarlet curtains trembled once, then started to rise...

Author: reveirie
Date: Apr 28th
She too trembled -- but only once, and then, like the silky fabric of the curtain, she rose into the air, all muscles in her legs tight and her toes flexing, until she stood on pointe, balancing like the flower that Cylette knew that she must embody with mind and soul.

She held the position. A moment of intense silence pressed down upon her, but the Cybunny stayed firm. She would be incredible. This was her time to shine.

The music began.

It filled her body, and like the first note that rang out through the auditorium, Cylette began to move, first slowly, lifting one leg, foot pointed, and then faster, stronger, stretching out her leg as the note stretched through the air; she perched upon what felt like one silky-slippered toe.

And then the true music began, and Cylette danced.

Her legs flew as if guided by the sound itself, leaping and twirling and spinning like a flower caught in a spring breeze. She was graceful, bowing, raising her arms and reaching for the spotlight that shone down on her as if reaching for the sun and moon. She was powerful, every muscle flexed and controlled, bounding across the dance floor and yet gliding through turns and pivots. She spun and kicked and posed and dove, and everything around her seemed to vanish as Cylette performed.

It was like she was not even herself, like she had changed as soon as the curtain had lifted. In fact, the Cybunny was so filled with the energy and spirit of her dance that it seemed like no time at all before the music reached a crescendo, and she was spinning and twirling, arms up in the air, one leg out, her costume twisting in what was surely more turns than had been choreographed. But it didn't matter. Cylette was giving the performance of a lifetime, and when she finished, arms out, feet pointed, chest heaving -- the auditorium erupted.

Even though the show was far from over, the audience was on its feet, cheering and clapping wildly as Cylette stood there, beaming with a newfound joy brought upon by the knowledge that she had been perfection in every way.

Even as the Cybunny turned to look offstage, where Chay and Arisu were gaping at her, looking ridiculous with their floral costumes hanging limp in shock, the audience still did not cease their applause. It was not until several of the other beginners filed onstage that they finally quieted down and waited for the next performance to begin.

Cylette flounced offstage and flashed a grin at the Aisha and Xweetok. "Good luck," she said, and they were too amazed to reply.

Backstage, as she was unlacing her shoes, many of the other dancers were congratulating Cylette vigorously. But among the praise, the Cybunny was certain that she could hear a voice, whether from far away or from inside her own head, she could not discern.

"You owe me..."

Author: reggieman721
Date: Apr 29th
Cylette drew in a sharp breath. She should have seen this coming. Mysterious, seemingly invisible sources of help generally did not do so without a price.

She looked around quickly. There were too many Neopets in the dressing room, praising her vigorously as they got ready for their own dances.

She needed to get out of the room, somewhere quiet and empty, if she were to negotiate with somebody who didn't seem to be there.

"Thanks!" she said quickly to a reverent-looking white Kougra by the name of Daisy. "But I really need to go to the bathroom, so if you'll excuse me..."

Without waiting for a response, she turned away and threaded her way through the throng of dancers, finally making it to the door. Briskly, she walked down the miniature backstage hallway, ducking into the first room she saw.

Luckily for Cylette, it was completely empty. It appeared to be a storage room of some sort, so nobody else was probably headed here, either.

"All right," she panted to nobody, locking the door. "What do you need?"

She flinched slightly as the voice whispered in her ear, even though she'd been expecting it. The feeling of an invisible, insubstantial creature following her every step she took was quite disconcerting.

"First," her erstwhile helper began, "I wish to inform you of what would happen if you didn't do this little favour for me. You see, you also asked for the Aisha and the Xweetok to perform badly. I shall grant that also, whether you wish for that now or not. I'm afraid I'd have to reveal to the crowd that you cheated and spread a Slippery Floor Potion on their dance shoes. You'll find an empty potion bottle in your locker if you go look right now, actually. They'd ban you from ever performing with them again. And we wouldn't want that to happen, would we?"

Cylette's breath caught in her chest, her expression halfway between outrage and fear. If this mysterious voice needed to resort to blackmail, then they had to be asking her to do something she really didn't want to.

She finally forced out words. "What do you want me to do?"

There was a pause. And then...

"It's not much of a favour, really, barely anything," the voice assured her. "It'll be very quick, and then you can return to the dressing room and the reception and move on.

"There's a tiara," it continued. "Just a prop, nothing more, I assure you. Silver, with some fake rubies embedded in it. It's for Arisu's dance as a princess."

Cylette frowned. "What about it?"

"Nothing, really. If you look to your left, you'll see another tiara, one that looks exactly like it. I want you to go to the dressing room and replace the old one with the new."

This sounded very suspicious to the Cybunny. "And why do you want me to do that?"

"I'm quite afraid that's confidential. Or had you forgotten my terms?"...

Author: dianacat777
Date: Apr 29th
Cylette scowled. How could she forget? Now that she'd finally gotten to the top of the class, the threat of being sent crashing back down was a heavy one.

And Arisu... it would be what she deserved, if something bad happened to her. Perfectly justifiable to her conscience -- in about twenty years.

She bit her lip in indecision, torn between what was right and moral and honest, and her own hopes and dreams -- and fears.

"Why are you asking me?" Cylette mumbled, frowning as she weighed each option, carefully considering each aspect.

The voice laughed loftily. "That's confidential as well."

"No, I'm quite sure it's not," the Cybunny said carefully. "There are others much more desperate to dance well and get back at Arisu than me, and you know that. There's some special reason why you chose me, why only I can replace that tiara. I think, for that reason, you ought to tell me exactly why I'm doing this -- or, I think I'll risk the Slippery Floor Potion fiasco." Honestly, she was ready to do no such thing. But if she was going to have Arisu on her conscience, she may as well know why.

"Darling, you completely flatter yourself."

Cylette smiled. The edge of desperation was there -- well-hidden, but still there.

The voice instantly deflated. "Fine," it mumbled glumly. "I still can't tell you about the tiara -- still utterly confidential -- but I can see it's no good trying to convince you without first buying your trust."

"Get on with it."

"All right, keep your tutu on. What do you want to know the most right now? About this whole business. I'll answer it, fully, truthfully, and you have my word."

"Wow," Cylette said sarcastically. "Your word. I can really take that one to the bank." She fell silent, trying to choose one question, the right question, from the billions swimming dizzily around her mind. "Um, who are you?"

She could almost hear the frown in the voice. "I told you I'd answer fully and honestly. So I will -- and don't laugh." The voice sighed. "I have many names. The one you know me as is Arisu. And the one the rest of Neopia knows me as is the Court Dancer..."

Author: mithril_mithrandir
Date: Apr 30th
Cylette blinked and frowned back, or around, or generally wherever she was facing since she couldn't see who she was talking to. "Um."

"What, don't you believe me?" The voice actually sounded affronted.

"Er, well...." Arisu was a Darigan Aisha. And however nasty she might be about Madame Snedra's insistence on giving the lower-level dancers encouragement and a chance in the spotlight, she really was a very, very good dancer. Better than Cylette, certainly, but almost as far beyond Chay, even if she treated the Xweetok as an equal and looked down on Cylette. Her grace, elegance, and skill had gotten her a lot of status in the classes in spite of the fact that she was... well... not exactly traditionally pretty.

"I'm surprised you wouldn't disguise yourself with some other paintbrush or illusion like you did in Meridell," Cylette said at last, "but, um, isn't that... well... isn't Arisu awfully young to be you?"

"That's the disguise," the voice said crossly.

Cylette flicked one long ear. She could hear a lie there. "No, it isn't. And there's something awfully weird about it if you can sneak empty potion bottles into my locker, but you need me to move the tiara. Especially," she emphasised the word sternly, "since -- as I said -- there's got to be some reason you picked me."

"You made the wish," the voice said. "That's all."

"A lot of Neopians have probably wished that. If you're Arisu, frankly, you're really a jerk! If you're really the Court Dancer, you're...." Her stomach sank abruptly. "Worse than that."

Cylette swallowed hard. Worse than that, indeed. Maybe this was that Aisha sorceress. Maybe it was somebody else, somebody scarier. Maybe it was still playing with her somehow. But could she really help someone who even claimed to be able to... to enchant and control minds the way the Court Dancer had? All that destruction!

A decision settled into her mind, along with a cold lump in her stomach. "I think you're trapped," she said, very softly.

Sullen silence.

"I don't think I trust you at all. I didn't make a bargain with you--"

"You did. You've already had my help."

"Then I'll have to break it! And take--" She gulped. "Take the consequences. Me getting accused of cheating is better than you being able to enchant everybody into attacking those who ought to be their friends like you did in Meridell. And I don't even know if I believe you about that! Why would you promise to humiliate Arisu if she's you? And what is that tiara really going to do?"

"I told you, I can't tell you!" The voice definitely had an edge of desperation again. "I was cruel to you to try to get you to make the wish. It's--"

Dead stop.

"It's what?" Cylette asked suspiciously.

"It's a sacrifice. You're right, I'm being punished. You're like everyone else, you side with Meridell when they're the ones who destroyed our home and turned us into monsters!" A low hiss. "I'm not going to hurt anything. Well, maybe my own tail. Now don't ask anything else about the tiara."

Cylette shivered. "You can destroy me if you want to. I won't do it." She felt sick, she'd never thought doing the right thing would feel so awful.

There was no answer. The tiara winked and glimmered, beckoning her.

"I said no," Cylette snarled.

And the voice said, almost meekly, "Please...?"

Author: schefflera
Date: Apr 30th
Please? What kind of evil shadow fiend said please?

Cylette gazed around slowly -- it required some intense effort to wretch her eyes away from the alluring tiara -- searching the shadowed corners of the room with suspicion.

"Can't you just do it yourself? If you're Arisu, you have much more in the way of opportunity than I do..."

Something about the story didn't ring true. Perhaps this was a strange conclusion to draw when standing in a shadowy room talking to a mysterious presence that couldn't be seen, but the basic facts remained the same. The story didn't add up.

If the Court Dancer was Arisu, why did she not simply switch the tiaras herself? Cylette had seen the Aisha twirl and float around the rehearsal room thousands of times over the past few weeks, each time wearing that plastic tiara that all the other dancers secretly coveted. No one had better access to the thing than Arisu, yet supposedly here she was, invisible in the shadows and claiming to be the Court Dancer. No. Cylette was a beginner when it came to dance, but she was not as naïve as some would have thought.

Silence hung thick in the air like the draped crimson curtain that concealed the stage. Perhaps the mysterious voice was thinking of another excuse. Perhaps it was considering telling the truth. Cylette had begun to hopefully entertain the idea that it had vanished altogether when it again sounded softly from the shadows.

"I can't... touch it."

The Cybunny glanced over at the shimmering temptation, raising an eyebrow slowly.

"But Arisu would be able to. She takes solid form and it appears you do not."

There was an anguished groan from somewhere within the murky shroud of darkness. For a brief, fleeting moment Cylette forget that this... creature had blackmailed her, threatened her and tormented her. For a brief, fleeting moment she felt pity. Soft, sad eyes searched the room in vain.

"So you're not Arisu, are you?" She waited so long for a response that she had almost given up hope. Again, Cylette's gaze was drawn back to the glimmering lure of the tiara that nestled so snugly nearby. The voice softly murmured from the shadows as it confessed bitterly.

"No. Not anymore."

The reply sent sudden chills down Cylette's spine. Not anymore? What did that mean?

"I was once Arisu. Before you even joined the dance class, Cylette." That soft, enigmatic voice no longer seemed tinted with malice. It sounded tired and defeated. "I suppose I still am Arisu. But my form isn't my own anymore. The Aisha you see twirling and dancing as if in a dream is the one you know as the Court Dancer. So I suppose, in a way, I'm both."

The Cybunny felt as if her mind were going a million miles an hour. In class they had recently been rehearsing a very difficult step, which involved balancing upon one foot, lifting onto your toes and spinning so rapidly that your features were lost in a shimmering blur. The step was dramatically beautiful but left the dancer dizzy and disoriented afterward.

Cylette felt that way now.

"So the Court Dancer took your form, leaving you as what, exactly?" Cylette paused. She had a million questions and no guarantee this entity, Arisu, if that was who she really was, would reply to them. "How did it happen? How did you make me dance like that?"

Soft laughter echoed from the nothingness around the Cybunny.

"You always had it in you to dance like that, Cylette. But it was thinking that some magical wish allowed it that gave you the confidence. The only one who made a deal with the dancer was I. I suppose like every other young ballerina, I let ambition get the better of me. I agreed to wear the tiara offered to me, told that it would enchant my steps. Instead, it reduced me to this."

Cylette's eyes filled with tears of pity. She knew what it was to be consumed by ambition. Even now, pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. Of course, had she replaced the tiaras, Arisu would have been hoping that a switch back would have occurred. The Aisha would have regained her form, the Court Dancer would dwell in shadow again, and all would be set right. Could it be that simple? One nagging question gnawed at the back of her mind. Such an easily overlooked issue, one tiny little aspect of the tale that seemed unimportant right now but tied the entire thing together. If the dancer had originally been condemned to shadow as Arisu was now...

"Arisu? Who gave you the tiara to begin with?"

Author: anjie
Date: May 1st
The voice was silent. Cylette could almost feel it trembling, its disembodied fear and hate was palpable. When Arisu finally spoke again, her voice was a whisper, barely audible in her ear.

"Morguss," she sighed, her voice sorrowful and wretched. "You've heard of her, perhaps?"

Cylette nodded, a chill running down her spine. Of course she knew of the evil Moehog who had helped the once corrupted Darigan and then the power-hungry Lord Kass rise to power. The Court Dancer was her own daughter, but after the war, both Morguss and her offspring had disappeared.

"I was young and foolish," the voice said ruefully. "Morguss needed a host for her daughter, after the Court Dancer's real body was destroyed in a spell gone wrong. I was so easily fooled. I took the tiara and became like this."

"I'm so sorry," Cylette murmured regretfully, apologising for Arisu's situation, as well as her initial doubt. She instinctively reached out in the direction of the voice with one white paw. All she wanted to do was take the poor Aisha and hold her tight, but her paw met with nothingness. Arisu had no body to be hugged, no way to be comforted.

But Cylette could change that. She would change that.

They would only have one shot at this. The odds of a tiara, identical to the one that had torn Arisu from her body, being used as a prop for the very performance her body needed to perform... it was more likely she'd be struck by lightning. And the odds of lightning striking twice were beyond dismal. The plan had to work and work well, or Arisu would be stuck like this, separated from her true body forever.

Cylette would not let that happen.

"Don't worry, Arisu. I'll help you," she declared, her voice filled with newfound determination. She grabbed the tiara and jumped to her feet, glancing quickly at the clock in the room. Panic blossomed in her chest.

"We have to hurry!" she exclaimed, running for the door and bolting out of the room. "You -- I mean, your body -- is due onstage in less than five minutes. She's probably already-"

But she never got the chance to finish her sentence, because at that moment, she rounded the corner and crashed headlong into Arisu's body.

The Court Dancer yelped in surprise as she and Cylette collapsed to the ground, rolling together into a tangled heap of white and purple.

Cylette was barely conscious, her vision was blotchy and her head hurt. In the midst of her confusion, she couldn't even tell which way was up, not to mention where the tiara was. Wait... the tiara!

The burst of panic was enough to shock her back to her senses. She scrambled to her feet, disentangling herself from Arisu, or the Court Dancer.

"Watch it, you clumsy Slorg!" the Court Dancer protested as she too pulled herself up. Cylette didn't hear her. She was too busy panicking, searching for the tiara, Arisu's only hope.

"Where's the tiara!?" she cried out in despair, but her voice wasn't the only one that echoed down the hall. She whirled, meeting the eyes of the Court Dancer, who had cried out at the exact same moment. The Aisha's paws were snatching at the air above her head where the plastic tiara was conspicuously absent.

"I'll get you for this!" the Court Dancer screamed through Arisu's mouth. But instead of lunging for Cylette, she turned to search the floor behind her for the most precious piece of her costume.

Cylette, swallowing hard, clutching both her hopes and her fears to her heart, prayed the Court Dancer would turn up with nothing. She could only hope that the tiaras had fallen on her half of the hall. Holding her breath, she turned to glance at the floor.

At first, her hopes soared to the heavens. Then they crashed back to the earth.

On the floor at her feet, side by side, lay the two identical tiaras...

Author: dark_angel72792
Date: May 1st
...with no way of telling them apart.

In the instant that her eyes fell upon the two props, a million thoughts flashed through Cylette's mind.

One tiara was the one that the Court Dancer in Arisu's body had been wearing. It was the one that she had worn for weeks in rehearsal, silver-painted plastic with glittering fake rubies. The second one, the one that Arisu's voice had guided Cylette to, was the one that had stolen Arisu's mind from her body and replaced it with the dancing daughter of Morguss. That was the one that needed to be put back on the Aisha's head, the one that would change everything back and cast out the Court Dancer forever.

But which was which?

The seething Aisha had spotted the pair at the same time as Cylette, and her hesitation made it clear to the Cybunny that she couldn't tell the tiaras apart either. And, Cylette knew, she wouldn't dare put one of them on, lest it be the one that would reverse the spell.

Should Cylette take them both and try to make the Aisha put them on? Wouldn't she be able to get the right one by default, if she tried both? But somehow, the Cybunny knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"Arisu!"

Both the Cybunny and the Aisha turned to stare at Chay. The Xweetok had just run into the hallway, looking worried. "You're supposed to be onstage in two minutes," said Chay, glancing curiously from Arisu to Cylette. "What's going on?"

"I just have to put my costume on," said the Court Dancer in Arisu's voice. But she didn't take a step toward the tiaras, for fear -- as Cylette knew -- that she might grab the wrong one.

As the three Neopets stood in a brief moment of awkward silence, Cylette's mind was working furiously. So one tiara would switch out the Court Dancer and replace Arisu in her body. The other one was just a regular prop and would do nothing but complete the Court Dancer's costume.

So what did that mean?

Before the Cybunny could run over any more scenarios in her mind, Chay glanced at the two tiaras and said, "Oh, I didn't know we had an extra one of these!"

The Xweetok's eyes grew wide, and the sparkling tiaras seemed to grow even more alluring. Before Arisu or Cylette could even react, Chay stepped forward and reached for one of them.

The Xweetok picked up a tiara and placed it on her head, and immediately Cylette realised that things were going to get complicated...

Author: reggieman721
Date: May 2nd
"Stop!" Cylette cried, but it was too late. The Xweetok had already nestled the tiara between her two brown ears.

Cylette's heart thumped unevenly as a frozen moment passed, the three dancers staring tensely at one another.

Please, oh please, let it be the fake one, the Cybunny prayed.

But of course, it's never that easy.

Chay suddenly screamed, clutching at her head with her paws as a jolt of energy slashed through her, setting every hair on her pelt on end. The scream seemed to fade, as if Chay were getting farther and farther away...

...which she was, Cylette realised with a flash of horror. Arisu was free... into the wrong body. And now Chay was the tiara's prisoner.

The Xweetok's shriek abruptly ended, leaving her staring blankly across the hall.

After a handful of moments, the Neopet blinked.

"Cylette?" It was Chay's voice, certainly, but not Chay's tone. This was quieter, more mournful. "What's going on?"

Chay, who was not Chay, looked up, her expression freezing in place as she saw her tormentor.

The Court Dancer gave a cold smile. "Ah. If it isn't you, Arisu."

The Xweetok shot Arisu's body a look of pure hatred. "You tricked me!" she growled.

"No," the Court Dancer said sweetly. "My mother did. And I suppose I should thank you. Spellweaving is beautifully easy in this form. So if you'll please excuse me, I have a dance to perform."

With that, the Court Dancer whirled around and flounced away as if nothing remotely out of the ordinary had happened.

Arisu lunged for her, but Cylette stuck out a hand to bar her way.

"Let me at her!"

Cylette shook her head. "No. There's nothing we can do."

"You don't understand!" Arisu was frantic. "Now that I'm back, she'll do anything to keep this secret a secret. And you know what she's capable of!"

Cylette gasped. "She's going to enchant the audience?"

Arisu nodded grimly. "Just like she did with Meridell. She's been planning this for some time now, actually. What, did you think she was just going to settle into a normal dancer's life? She's the Court Dancer, for Fyora's sake."

"No," the Cybunny murmured, her eyes drifting to the tiara on formerly Chay's head. An idea began to form...

***

The Court Dancer smiled as the audience stared up at her, eagerly expecting another wonderful dance from their star dancer.

Well, they were certainly going to get one. One so beautiful, they'd be mesmerised for all eternity.

Her princess outfit was dazzling in the spotlight, the tiara -- fake, obviously -- glittered upon her head, sending silver sparkles cascading all around her. The dress fanned out around her, white with silver trim.

The music began to play, and her steps began to weave the dark spell.

***

In the darkness of the storage room, Arisu stared at the tiara apprehensively.

"Are you sure this is going to work? If it doesn't, I'll never get my real body back, and Chay will never have one again."

Cylette took in a deep breath, testing the metal rod she held in her hands. It was heavy and a bit unwieldy, but it should do.

"No," she sighed. "But it's all we've got."

With all her might, the Cybunny brought the pole down on the silver tiara.

For a second, nothing happened. Two. Three...

The tiara cracked open with a flash of purple light, releasing a stream of black tar that oozed out.

Beside her, Arisu gave a soft sigh and slumped to the ground.

"Arisu!" Cylette dropped the rod, scrambling to her newfound friend's side. "Arisu! Are you all right?"

"Arisu?" the Xweetok mumbled in the haughty tones Cylette was more familiar with. "Do I look like Arisu to you, you dimwit?"

Normally, the Cybunny would have been deeply offended, but now, all she could manage was a relieved sigh.

"What just happened?" The Xweetok was pushing herself to her feet, beginning to regain her bearings. "It got all dark for a few minutes there, and it was so cold..."

But Cylette was already gone, scrambling down the hallways toward the auditorium. Chay was back, but was Arisu?

***

Raptly, the audience watched as the Court Dancer danced.

Their glazed eyes drank in every pirouette, every step, every leap, every slide. The beauty was shocking, appalling, even, how one could master the grace of every element. The wind's agility, the water's flow, the leaping flames, the bending flowers, the cascading light, the veil of darkness, all unified in something beyond mortality.

"No longer," whispered a voice in her head.

The Court Dancer froze.

Why did she feel so cold suddenly?

Nothingness lanced through her with startling agility, crashing through her frame and ripping her apart, tearing her mind from the form she'd so unjustly claimed for her own...

Arisu gasped as she staggered forward, clutching at her head. She was herself again. It was so hard to believe, so hard to accept that it could happen so quickly after years of emptiness and imprisonment...

"I'll get you," a fading voice hissed, only caught by her ears, and then it was gone.

Cylette had been right. The Court Dancer had starred in her last performance.

The audience blinked. Awake again.

And then, they were quite confused as a small white Cybunny ran forth through the aisles and leapt onto the stage, hugging the Aisha tightly. If you were close enough, you'd have seen they were both crying. Tears of joy.

Arisu's performance wasn't over, though. And she wasn't going to have it end with the Court Dancer's sorcery.

She looked at Cylette, who nodded, a smile dawning on her face like the sun breaking over the horizon.

Together, they danced.

The End.

Author: dianacat777
Date: May 2nd



Quick Jump

Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6
Week 7Week 8Week 9Week 10Week 11Week 12
Week 13Week 14Week 15Week 16Week 17Week 18
Week 19Week 20Week 21Week 22Week 23Week 24
Week 25Week 26Week 27Week 28Week 29Week 30
Week 31Week 32Week 33Week 34Week 35Week 36
Week 37Week 38Week 39Week 40Week 41Week 42
Week 43Week 44Week 45Week 46Week 47Week 48
Week 49Week 50Week 51Week 52Week 53Week 54
Week 55Week 56Week 57Week 58Week 59Week 60
Week 61Week 62Week 63Week 64Week 65Week 66
Week 67Week 68Week 69Week 70Week 71Week 72
Week 73Week 74Week 75Week 76Week 77Week 78
Week 79Week 80Week 81Week 82Week 83Week 84
Week 85Week 86Week 87Week 88Week 89Week 90
Week 91Week 92Week 93Week 94Week 95Week 96
Week 97Week 98Week 99Week 100Week 101Week 102
Week 103Week 104Week 105Week 106Week 107Week 108
Week 109Week 110Week 111Week 112Week 113Week 114
Week 115Week 116Week 117Week 118Week 119Week 120
Week 121Week 122Week 123Week 124Week 125Week 126
Week 127Week 128Week 129Week 130Week 131Week 132
Week 133Week 134Week 135Week 136Week 137Week 138
Week 139Week 140Week 141Week 142Week 143Week 144
Week 145Week 146Week 147Week 148Week 149Week 150
Week 151Week 152Week 153Week 154Week 155Week 156
Week 157Week 158Week 159Week 160Week 161Week 162
Week 163Week 164Week 165Week 166Week 167Week 168
Week 169Week 170Week 171Week 172Week 173Week 174
Week 175Week 176Week 177Week 178Week 179Week 180
Week 181Week 182Week 183Week 184Week 185Week 186
Week 187Week 188Week 189Week 190Week 191Week 192
Week 193Week 194Week 195Week 196Week 197Week 198
Week 199Week 200Week 201Week 202Week 203Week 204
Week 205Week 206Week 207Week 208Week 209Week 210
Week 211Week 212Week 213Week 214Week 215Week 216
Week 217Week 218Week 219Week 220Week 221Week 222
Week 223Week 224Week 225Week 226Week 227Week 228
Week 229Week 230Week 231Week 232Week 233Week 234
Week 235Week 236Week 237Week 238Week 239Week 240
Week 241Week 242Week 243Week 244Week 245Week 246
Week 247Week 248Week 249Week 250Week 251Week 252
Week 253Week 254Week 255Week 256Week 257Week 258
Week 259Week 260Week 261Week 262Week 263Week 264
Week 265Week 266Week 267Week 268Week 269Week 270
Week 271Week 272Week 273Week 274Week 275Week 276
Week 277Week 278Week 279Week 280Week 281Week 282
Week 283Week 284Week 285Week 286Week 287Week 288
Week 289Week 290Week 291Week 292Week 293Week 294
Week 295Week 296Week 297Week 298Week 299Week 300
Week 301Week 302Week 303Week 304Week 305Week 306
Week 307Week 308Week 309Week 310Week 311Week 312
Week 313Week 314Week 315Week 316Week 317Week 318
Week 319Week 320Week 321Week 322Week 323Week 324
Week 325Week 326Week 327Week 328Week 329Week 330
Week 331Week 332Week 333Week 334Week 335Week 336
Week 337Week 338Week 339Week 340Week 341Week 342
Week 343Week 344Week 345Week 346Week 347Week 348
Week 349Week 350Week 351Week 352Week 353Week 354
Week 355Week 356Week 357Week 358Week 359Week 360
Week 361Week 362Week 363Week 364Week 365Week 366
Week 367Week 368Week 369Week 370Week 371Week 372
Week 373Week 374Week 375Week 376Week 377Week 378
Week 379Week 380Week 381Week 382Week 383Week 384
Week 385Week 386Week 387Week 388Week 389Week 390
Week 391Week 392Week 393Week 394Week 395Week 396
Week 397Week 398Week 399Week 400Week 401Week 402
Week 403Week 404Week 405Week 406Week 407Week 408
Week 409Week 410Week 411Week 412Week 413Week 414
Week 415Week 416Week 417Week 418Week 419Week 420
Week 421Week 422Week 423Week 424Week 425Week 426
Week 427Week 428Week 429Week 430Week 431Week 432
Week 433Week 434Week 435Week 436Week 437Week 438
Week 439Week 440Week 441Week 442Week 443Week 444
Week 445Week 446Week 447Week 448Week 449Week 450
Week 451Week 452Week 453Week 454Week 455Week 456
Week 457Week 458Week 459Week 460Week 461Week 462
Week 463Week 464Week 465Week 466Week 467Week 468
Week 469Week 470Week 471Week 472Week 473Week 474
Week 475Week 476Week 477Week 478Week 479Week 480
Week 481Week 482Week 483Week 484Week 485Week 486
Week 487Week 488Week 489Week 490Week 491Week 492
Week 493Week 494Week 495Week 496Week 497Week 498
Week 499Week 500Week 501Week 502Week 503Week 504
Week 505Week 506Week 507Week 508Week 509Week 510
Week 511Week 512Week 513Week 514Week 515Week 516
Week 517Week 518Week 519Week 520Week 521Week 522
Week 523Week 524Week 525Week 526Week 527Week 528
Week 529Week 530Week 531Week 532Week 533Week 534
Week 535Week 536Week 537Week 538Week 539Week 540
Week 541Week 542Week 543Week 544Week 545Week 546
Week 547Week 548Week 549Week 550Week 551Week 552
Week 553Week 554Week 555Week 556Week 557Week 558
Week 559Week 560Week 561Week 562Week 563Week 564
Week 565Week 566Week 567Week 568Week 569Week 570
Week 571Week 572Week 573Week 574Week 575Week 576
Week 577Week 578Week 579Week 580Week 581Week 582
Week 583Week 584Week 585Week 586Week 587Week 588
Week 589Week 590Week 591Week 592Week 593Week 594
Week 595Week 596Week 597Week 598Week 599Week 600
Week 601Week 602Week 603Week 604Week 605Week 606
Week 607Week 608Week 609Week 610Week 611Week 612
Week 613Week 614Week 615Week 616Week 617Week 618
Week 619Week 620Week 621Week 622Week 623Week 624
Week 625Week 626Week 627Week 628Week 629Week 630
Week 631Week 632Week 633Week 634Week 635Week 636
Week 637Week 638Week 639Week 640Week 641Week 642
Week 643Week 644Week 645Week 646Week 647Week 648
Week 649Week 650Week 651Week 652Week 653Week 654
Week 655Week 656Week 657Week 658Week 659Week 660
Week 661Week 662Week 663Week 664Week 665Week 666
Week 667Week 668Week 669Week 670Week 671Week 672
Week 673Week 674Week 675Week 676Week 677Week 678
Week 679Week 680Week 681Week 682Week 683Week 684
Week 685Week 686Week 687Week 688Week 689Week 690
Week 691Week 692Week 693Week 694Week 695Week 696
Week 697Week 698Week 699Week 700Week 701Week 702
Week 703Week 704Week 705Week 706Week 707Week 708
Week 709Week 710Week 711Week 712Week 713Week 714
Week 715Week 716Week 717Week 718Week 719Week 720
Week 721Week 722Week 723Week 724Week 725Week 726
Week 727Week 728Week 729Week 730Week 731Week 732
Week 733Week 734Week 735Week 736Week 737Week 738
Week 739Week 740Week 741Week 742Week 743Week 744
Week 745Week 746Week 747Week 748Week 749Week 750
Week 751Week 752Week 753Week 754Week 755Week 756
Week 757Week 758Week 759Week 760Week 761Week 762
Week 763Week 764Week 765Week 766Week 767Week 768
Week 769Week 770Week 771Week 772Week 773Week 774
Week 775Week 776Week 777Week 778Week 779Week 780
Week 781Week 782Week 783Week 784Week 785Week 786
Week 787Week 788Week 789Week 790Week 791Week 792
Week 793Week 794Week 795Week 796Week 797Week 798
Week 799Week 800Week 801Week 802Week 803Week 804
Week 805Week 806Week 807Week 808Week 809Week 810
Week 811Week 812Week 813Week 814Week 815Week 816
Week 817Week 818Week 819Week 820Week 821Week 822
Week 823Week 824Week 825Week 826Week 827Week 828
Week 829Week 830Week 831Week 832Week 833Week 834
Week 835Week 836Week 837Week 838Week 839Week 840
Week 841Week 842Week 843Week 844Week 845Week 846
Week 847Week 848Week 849Week 850Week 851Week 852
Week 853Week 854Week 855Week 856Week 857Week 858
Week 859Week 860Week 861Week 862Week 863Week 864
Week 865Week 866Week 867Week 868Week 869Week 870
Week 871Week 872Week 873Week 874Week 875Week 876
Week 877Week 878Week 879Week 880Week 881Week 882
Week 883Week 884Week 885Week 886Week 887Week 888
Week 889Week 890Week 891Week 892Week 893Week 894
Week 895Week 896Week 897Week 898Week 899Week 900
Week 901Week 902Week 903Week 904Week 905Week 906
Week 907Week 908Week 909Week 910Week 911Week 912
Week 913Week 914Week 915Week 916Week 917Week 918
Week 919Week 920Week 921Week 922Week 923Week 924
Week 925Week 926Week 927Week 928Week 929Week 930
Week 931Week 932Week 933Week 934Week 935Week 936
Week 937Week 938Week 939Week 940Week 941Week 942
Week 943Week 944Week 945Week 946Week 947Week 948
Week 949Week 950Week 951Week 952Week 953Week 954
Week 955Week 956Week 957Week 958Week 959Week 960
Week 961     


IMPORTANT - SUBMISSION POLICY! By uploading or otherwise submitting any materials to Neopets, you (and your parents) are automatically granting us permission to use those materials for free in any manner we can think of forever throughout the universe. These materials must be created ONLY by the person submitting them - you cannot submit someone else's work. Also, if you're under age 18, ALWAYS check with your parents before you submit anything to us!