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On and on, the tunnel wound. Snaking ever back and forth,
left and right, left and right. Was I going in circles? I just kept following
that red light.
At last, I emerged in a room. A room of horrors.
The first thing I saw was the terrible Grarrl,
Seated in the center of the circular cavern. He was looking around the room,
seeming to be bored with everything. Seeming to rule this place like a terrible
king. In the meantime, his Korbat minions oversaw their petpet workers.
And so many petpet workers to watch! Hundreds
of them! Thousands of them! So many you couldn't see the ground beneath them!
They used tiny pickaxes and chisels and hammers To pry rubies out of the gray
stone walls. They loaded the rubies onto mine carts to be shipped out. They
served the Grarrl roast beef and cheese. And when they wouldn't work, or worked
too slowly, the Korbats… I can't say it, it's so cruel.
I scan for Barbhead in this teeming mass of
petpets. So many, so much pain and sorrow, and memories, so many memories Of
battles won and lost, of scraped knees and bent-up bikes, of joy and sorrow
and timeless friendships, of the bond that can never be broken. The bond between
a Neopet and petpet.
But to business; I leaped into the crowd, Searching,
ever searching. I blend in perfectly in the swirling mass of color. "Barbhead!"
I call, "Barbhead!"
I begin to lose hope. You can search for days
in a place like this Without finding the one petpet you were looking for. I
came here on a fool's errand, I thought. But just as I was beginning to lose
hope…
I found him. He was lifting heavy stones, Maybe
twice his weight, Lifting them into the mine carts. I saw the exhaustion on
his face, But when he stopped to take a breather, A Korbat came and hit him,
hard. Like he wasn't a living creature. Like he didn't have feelings.
He let out a thin wail, But he was too tired
to scream. Too tired to speak. Too tired to lift another ruby. Yet somehow he
did, and he continued to work.
I moved through the petpets, and approached
my Barbat. "Barbhead!" I whispered. "It's me! It's Ruby!" Barbhead was too tired
to answer me, he just leaned against me, and I held him in my arms. We were
together again.
Then, I began searching for exits. A Korbat
guard had blocked the entrance I came in. I saw one other entrance, the one
used by the petpet rescuers. Torrents of fire leaped out from the walls, and
I was afraid.
Then, two words made my fear disappear, replaced
it with panic, "Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!" yelled the Korbat guarding
my entrance. "Someone has found the Emergency Escape Route!"
Korbats swarmed, looking for a trespasser. Surely,
I would be found. A rainbow Uni in a crowd of petpets.
"There she is!" I heard a Korbat yell. Desperately,
I raced towards the exit. My hooves pounded on the gray stone, rough, hard to
gallop on. I approached the flaming exit, and dove into the fire, It was my
only hope.
***
Escaping from the horrors, Ahead of me, flames. Behind me, a mob of Korbats.
Beside me, my beloved Barbat.
I dove into the hallway, dodging torrents of
fire, swift as a falcon, with the terror of a mouse.
Behind me, Korbats hesitated. Should they go
into the fire or not? "Get the Uni!" the Skieth ordered. Fearfully, they obeyed.
Flames, fire everywhere. Scorching my fur, Blinding
me with smoke. Its stench filled the air, I ran on, Knowing it had to end sometime.
Then, abruptly, it did. The fire was gone, but
the Korbats were still there. "Get the Uni! Get the Barbat!"
Ahead of me lay a river of lava. Liquid rock
melted Deep in the core of the Earth. I felt the unbelievable heat, Hotter than
the fire ever was. Hotter than that fire ever would be.
Stone boats, Floating stone? I wouldn't trust
them. But stalactites hung from the ceiling, Preventing me from flying. I had
to take the chance.
A spear buried itself in the lava and burned.
"Get the Uni! Get the Barbat!" Had a Korbat flung the spear? I had no time to
wonder. I leaped in the boat and hoped it wouldn't sink.
Amazingly, it held my weight. There was only
one boat, So I left the Korbats far behind. And laughed and laughed. I was with
my Barbhead again.
Then, an unexpected surprise! The ceiling rumbled
and shook. The stalactites rumbled and shook. The Earth rumbled and shook. Then,
a stalactite fell with an almighty SPLASH! Sending beads of red-hot lava into
my boat.
The Korbats stood on the other side of the lake,
Jumping, pounding the earth with their combined weight, Creating a massive earthquake.
Another spear flew, missing me by a few feet. Barbhead and I would never make
it home! We would be hurt by a stalactite or spear, Or thrown in the churning
red lava, or captured by the Korbats. Panic set in again.
Then, an idea! I reached into my backpack And
pulled out my coil of rope. Quickly, I tied a lasso, like I learned to do when
I pretended to rope cattle as a foal. On the other side of the lake, an oddly
shaped stalactite Like a pear hanging from a gray stone ceiling. I threw my
lasso, and missed.
If at first you don't succeed, you have to try
again. And so I did, and I got it this time.
I held on to Barbhead, and swung. Swung out
of danger, swung away from the that had so nearly engulfed my Barbhead.
My precious Barbhead and I were together at
last.
It was time to go home.
The End
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