|
Untitled Document
"Digger!" Jubby cried as he bolted towards the doorway.
"I'm coming buddy!"
Heedless of all danger, Jubby plunged into the
darkness beyond. The Spoon had vanished from his mind. All he could think about
was his best friend and sidekick, at the mercy of Dr. Sloth or maybe something
worse. In the distance, he saw a glimmer of green light, and suddenly heard
another terrified yelp. It seemed like forever to our harried hero, but it was
only moments before he charged from the darkness into the blinding light.
He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted.
When they did, he wished they hadn't. Jubby saw Dr. Sloth, black nightie and
all, holding the Wooden Spoon in one hand, and his squirming sidekick in the
other. As if that wasn't bad enough, Digger was dangling mere inches above a
vat of what could only be Doglefox Transmogrification Potion!
"Herr Jub!" Dr. Sloth said with an evil sneer.
"Zo glad you could join zee party. I have a proposition for you."
"Whatever it is, the answer's no!" Jubby replied.
"Vat a pity…" Dr. Sloth cackled. Digger slipped
from his grasp suddenly, and went plunging towards the vat.
Jubby leapt forward with a mighty "Noooo!" and
tried to snatch Digger from the jaws of eminent mutation. But just as Digger's
nose was about to touch the seething liquid, Sloth's ugly fingers gripped around
one of his legs, and jerked him back to safety.
With a squeak, Digger passed out cold. Even
with his eyes squeezed shut, the smell of the potion and the swift fall to a
dread fate had been too much for the diligent Doglefox's already frazzled nerves.
"You fiend!" Jubby exclaimed. Sloth jiggled
the unconscious Digger a little, and Jubby slumped to the floor, defeated. "All
right. I'm listening. What do you want?"
"I vant you to tell me how to vork zis thing!"
Dr. Sloth replied with a scowl, brandishing the Spoon.
"Have you tried stirring something with it?"
Jubby asked.
"Yes. Nothing happened!"
"Have you tried using magic words?"
"Yes! Nothing happened!"
"Have you tried…" Jubby paused in thought. "Waving
it around in a complicated fashion?"
"Y- wait a minute…No! I haven't tried that!"
With a look of utmost concentration, Dr. Sloth
began waving the Spoon around. He waved it left, right, in circles, up, and
down, and finally tried twirling it like a baton. Unfortunately, Dr. Sloth's
hideous fingers were not made for baton twirling…and the Spoon flew from his
hand!
"Aha!" Jubby cried as the Spoon made an arc
of sparkling silver light through the air. He leapt up, and with one mighty
foot snatched the Spoon. He gestured with the Spoon at Dr. Sloth, who stood
frozen in shock and fear. Jubby waved the Spoon, tried muttering magic words,
and even banged it on the ground…all with no effect.
Dr. Sloth laughed cruelly. "It vould seem zat
the Shpoon is no use to you, Herr Jub!" he said. "And… zis plain old Doglefox
is of no use to me. Zo… give me back the Shpoon, or I'll turn your little friend
into something more useful!" He dangled Digger, who had just regained consciousness,
over the vat of Transmogrification potion.
"Don't do it, Jubby!" Digger cried bravely.
"I… I won't mind being a mutant! Maybe Jesenka needs a petpet!"
Jubby looked from Dr. Sloth, to Digger, to the
Spoon in his hand. His emotions warred across his furry face, and tears welled
up in his eyes. Finally, with a mighty sigh, he said, "I can't do it, Digger.
I can't let anything happen to you. You can have the stupid Spoon, Sloth. Just
let Digger go."
With a sinister laugh, Dr. Sloth tossed Digger
into the air, knowing that Jubby would HAVE to let go of the Spoon in order
to catch his airborne sidekick. As Digger came flying towards him, Jubby tossed
the Spoon towards Dr. Sloth. With both feet free, Jubby leapt into the air,
caught Digger with one foot, tucked him under his Kaudora, and in an instant
was heading out of the Warehouse and to the nearest shuttle port.
"Vell…" Jubby heard Dr. Sloth mutter as he fled,
"zis can't be any harder to work than my VCR clock…"
As their shuttle flew from Virtupets Space Station
back to Neopia Central, Digger snuggled against his hero.
"You know," he said, "the world is in big trouble
if Sloth ever figures out how to work that spoon."
Jubby only grinned.
"You also know that we won't get paid… and you've
maxed out your Faerieland Express Card."
Jubby chuckled. "Oh… we'll get paid little buddy.
Don't worry."
"But… how? Sloth has the Spoon!"
"He thinks he has the Spoon."
Suddenly, a light bulb went on over Digger's
head. "THAT'S why you had Edna make the fake Spoon!"
Jubby grinned again. "I knew that somehow or
other I would get my hands on the Spoon. I also knew that, just like most villains,
he'd try to use my sidekick, that being you, against me. He'd offer me you,
in exchange for the Spoon. So…"
"You'd give him the fake Spoon, and I'd come
out unhurt." Digger finished for him. "But…what if he had dropped me?? What
if… what if he hadn't fallen for the fake Spoon bit?"
"I would've found a way to save you anyway,"
Jubby assured Digger.
"I know,." Digger said with a little smile.
"It's just nice to hear you say it."
After a long shuttle flight and a short Redline
jaunt, the daring duo found themselves back at Fyora's castle. The Faerie Queen
was waiting for them, looking as lovely as always. Digger wagged his tail and
was nearly jumping out of his skin. Jubby took the real Wooden Spoon from the
depths of his fur, and handed it to Fyora. As the Spoon touched her hands, both
the Spoon and the Faerie Queen glowed with a pure white light, and sweet, triumphant
music played in the background. After a moment's thought, Fyora spoke.
"Indiana Jub and Digger Doglefox, once again
you have saved Neopia from disaster." She said with a smile. "As your reward,
Jubby, I give to you this Everlasting Apple… and will pay the entire balance
of your Faerieland Express card."
She handed Jubby the most perfect apple he had
ever seen. It even seemed to sparkle with its' own magical light. He took a
small bite, and watched in wonder as the flesh of the apple grew back, leaving
no trace of the bite he had taken.
"As Pango Pango is my witness," he said, his
eyes closed in bliss, "I shall never go hungry again!"
"And for you, faithful Digger," Fyora continued,
looking down on her biggest fan with a warm smile, "I have this."
"Oh my holy juppies!" Digger exclaimed as he
cradled the precious gift in his paws. "It looks just like you!!"
Jubby looked over, and saw his smitten sidekick
snuggling a rare and valuable Faerie Queen doll. The wheels in his strawberry
head began turning, and the perceptive Faerie Queen knew exactly what he was
thinking.
"Whatever you do," Fyora whispered to Digger
with a sidewards glance at our financially savvy hero, "don't tell him how much
it's really worth!"
The End
| 
