Buffy dragged her big Cybunny feet along the dusty ground,
scowling angrily at her owner, Tracy. It was her fault she was even in the Haunted
woods. One minute, Buffy was reading about Krawks and their history, and the
next, she found herself being dragged out of her room, out of Neopia, and all
the way to the Brain Tree. Once Tracy had asked him for a quest, they had then
gone to the Esophagor and gotten another quest. Buffy guessed they weren't getting
fed this month. And now they were walking through the endless forest, in search
for intestines and marina.
"Buffy, keep up, we're never gonna complete the
Brain Tree's quest at this rate!" Tracy shouted. Buffy glared daggers at her
optimistic owner, before hopping half-heartedly up to Tracy. Buffy's Kacheek
sisters Monica and Lucy were chattering noisily, and her Chia brother, or bother
as she liked to call him, was perched on Tracy's head, drooling onto her bandana.
She didn't seem to notice. Buffy chuckled quietly.
"There you are!" Tracy said, ruffling the hair
on Buffy's head. "How's my favourite mutant."
"Bored," Buffy retorted, "and hungry. Can we
go home?"
"Aww, c'mon spoilsport," Lucy grinned, "you need
to get out of the NeoHome more. Besides, going to other worlds helps develop
your cultural understanding." Buffy frowned at her. Lucy was her favorite in
the family, but even she could be way too enthusiastic.
"And why the brain tree? He's just a big ugly
mutant who wants to know everything," Buffy whined.
"Kinda like you then," Monica giggled. Lucy joined
in. Buffy pouted. Was she the only one in her family with a brain? Tracy turned
round.
"Listen, I know you don't like being social,"
Tracy said, taking a handful of Neopoints from her bag. "Go spend these on something
you'd like. We'll meet back at the brain tree in an hour." Chandler gurgled.
"Flubby," he shouted. Buffy cringed. It seemed
saying her name was beyond him, so he called her 'Flubby' most of the time.
Buffy didn't approve. She hopped off without a reply, the Neopoints in her paw.
There was only one thing on her mind. Food.
Buffy looked into a pot of scary soup with distaste.
The whole shop was filled with disgusting foods Buffy didn't even want to touch.
She waited inside the shop, in hope of an almost gummy rat, or something even
half edible. After standing around for half an hour, she left, disappointed
and hungry. The sky was getting dark. Well, darker than usual. Buffy began to
walk back to the brain tree. Maybe Tracy would let her keep the Neopoints.
"Would you like a ssscratchcard?" a voice hissed
from behind her. Buffy screamed loudly, piercing the deathly silence. She turned
to see a strange figure, dressed in an old top hat and suit, brandishing scratchcards.
His face was twisted in a crooked grin.
"Would you like a ssscratchcard?" he repeated.
Buffy wiped her head. It was the scratchcard salesman, Sidney. She couldn't
believe she had screamed like that. All she could hope was that her brothers
and sisters hadn't heard it, or they would tease her forever.
"Err... sure, I-i'll take one," she stuttered,
handing him Neopoints from her bag. She just had enough to pay for it. Sidney's
eyes glimmered wickedly. Buffy shuddered. She didn't like him. She didn't like
him one bit. He handed her a card. It was a Festering Fortune Scratchcard. She
slowly scratched a panel away with her claw. A blank. Scratching away another
panel, then another then another. Sidney turned round, and pulled 3 snowballs
out of his bag.
"Congratulationsss," he hissed. Buffy looked
at the three snowballs. There was a brown one, an ugly one, and a Jhudora one.
Buffy carried the snowballs, smiling to herself. She looked up at the sky again.
It was getting late, and she realised she had to head back to the brain tree.
"Eww," Monica said with distaste at the new snowball
Buffy had given her. Needless to say, it was the brown one. She pointed her
Kacheek nose in the air, before handing it to Tracy. Buffy smirked. She handed
Lucy her ugly snowball.
"Thanks Buffy, I'll use it in the Battledome
against Meuka," she said happily.
"Think fast Tracy!" the robot Kacheek shouted,
tossing the ugly snowball at Tracy. She caught it and put it in the inventory.
"Do you want me to look after yours, Buffy?"
she said, eyeing up Jhudora's snowball. Buffy shook her head. In the whole ten
minutes she'd owned it, she'd become rather attached to it. She traced her claw
across the green and purple markings. It's so beautiful, she thought
to herself.
As soon as she got home, she ran up the stairs
and into her room. The room itself was painted a deep shade of black, the wall
littered with skulls, similar to those on Buffy's fur. The only light came from
a reading light in the corner. Buffy liked it this way. It felt... cozy. She
placed the snowball on top of her chest of drawers (which were black, of course)
and collapsed into her grey bean bag chair. She looked at the snowball. Its
sticky surface shone in the dim light.
"Now to get back into my book," Buffy said, picking
up her William Draikspeare novel. She was just getting to the interesting part,
when a bright light shone in front of her. She put down the book irritably,
and looked up. The snowball had begun to glow.
"I didn't think it was Jhudora's nightlight too",
she muttered. She was just about to cover the snowball up, when suddenly, the
snowball began to move. Its green and purple stripes began to spin in circles
across its surface. Buffy gaped at in it awe. The stripes began to move faster.
Buffy could not take her eyes off the strange item. She felt the room begin
to grow dark, everything around her a blur. She felt her body move towards the
snowball. An urge raced through her body, a longing screamed in every vein in
her body. Suddenly, everything went black.
"Buffy?" Tracy shook her roughly about the shoulders,
"Buffy? Wake up!" She could hear how worried her owner sounded. She tried to
sit up, but she felt like she had eaten a rock. She looked at her green and
purple sticky paws. Or a snowball, she thought to herself miserably.
"Ohh, thank goodness you're OK!" she said happily.
She looked at Buffy curiously. "One thing though, why did you eat your snowball?"
Buffy winced. She realised how stupid this was going to sound.
"Erm, I think it tricked me into eating it, I
didn't really want to," she said quietly, rubbing her stomach. Tracy propped
her up, and gave her a funny look. Sometimes she could do the weirdest things,
Tracy thought to herself.
"Would you like to come play a board game downstairs
with us?" Tracy said, changing the subject. Buffy knew this, but decided to
go along with it. She didn't particularly want to be in room alone any more
today.
"If you insist," she said, trying to hide her
relief. After all, what could a measly little snowball possibly do to her?
It was midnight, and Buffy couldn't sleep. She
had a sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach. She wasn't sure if the snowball
was causing it, or whether she was just apprehensive. Groaning loudly, she got
out of bed to fetch a glass of water. She tiptoed down the hallway, and into
the bathroom. It was pitch black. Fumbling around, she flipped the light switch,
and filled a glass up from the tap. Buffy drank the water, and put the glass
back on the side. Her reflection in the mirror caught her eye. She gasped. Her
grey fur was covered with purple blotches, and a pain of demonic wings had sprouted
from her back. Her claws had turned a hideous shade of lime, and her eyes were
a deep purple. The room started to spin. Here we go again, Buffy thought as
she plunged back into darkness.
"T... Tracy" Monica screamed. "Jhudora's in our
bathroom!" Buffy groaned loudly, rubbing her aching head. Tracy burst through
the door, a broom in hand.
"Stay back," she warned, making stabbing motions
with the broom. Lucy, Monica and Chandler hid behind Tracy's legs. Buffy began
to get up.
"If this is a joke..." Buffy began. Tracy batted
her with the broom, sending her back to the floor. Monica cheered quietly.
"What was that for?" Buffy yelled. Tracy cowered.
Buffy picked herself up off the floor, and looked in the mirror. But instead
of seeing herself, she saw a tall dark Faerie, giant wings protruding from her
back. She was Jhudora. Tracy regained her courage, and attempted to hit Buffy
with the broom again. Buffy grasped the broom end, and snapped it in half.
"Look, will you stop hitting me with that thing!
It's me, Buffy!" she said, tossing the broom remnants on the floor. Tracy looked
at her confusedly. Buffy sighed.
"I think it was the snowball," she continued.
"I'm not sure how, but I think it transmogrified me." Tracy raised an eyebrow.
"How do we know you're really Buffy?" she said.
"What? Of course I'm Buffy! Why would Jhudora
be in our house in the first place?" Chandler tottered round Tracy's legs, and
up to the dark Faerie.
"Flubby!" he gurgled.
"Ahh, get him away, he's drooling all over my
shoes!"
Lucy and Monica looked at each other and nodded.
It was definitely Buffy. ***
"So, what are we going to do?" Tracy said, flopping
onto the sofa. Buffy opened the fridge, and took out a Neocola.
"Wow, opposable thumbs!" she cried excitedly,
opening her Neocola. She drank the contents of the can all in one. She pointed
at Monica. "Where is my organic red apple!" She chuckled to herself.
"Get your own apple," she spat. Buffy frowned.
"You have displeased Jhudora," she said, picking
Monica up by the tail, and swinging her back and forth.
"Put me down you freak!" she screamed, "do you
know how long I spent combing that tail?" Buffy laughed louder.
"Your quest points have been set back to zero!"
she boomed.
"Buffy, put your sister down now!" Tracy sighed.
Buffy mumbled something under her breath, before putting the flustered disco
Kacheek back down.
"Sorry!" she said sarcastically, slumping onto
the sofa. Tracy repeated the question.
"What am I going to do? I dunno, I actually quite
like being Jhudora," Buffy chirped, putting her hands behind her head. Tracy
stood up.
"Oh no! You are not staying like that young lady!"
Buffy stood up too. She towered a whole two feet above Tracy.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Buffy
sneered, looking down at Tracy. Tracy gulped. The real Jhudora was much less
intimidating. In fact, this wasn't like Buffy at all.
"Buffy, are you OK?" Tracy said. Buffy just sneered.
It was obvious that the snowball wasn't just affecting her appearance. "We have
to go out and find a cure, before this gets out of hand!"
"No, Tracy, I think you're wrong," Buffy said,
pushing Tracy down onto the sofa, "I think it already did"
***
Tracy opened her eyes slowly. Her head was throbbing. She found herself in
the dark NeoHome cellar. Looking down, she saw her arms and feet were bound
with rope, and a piece of cloth had been stuffed in her mouth. Next to her,
Monica, Lucy and Chandler had also been tied up in a similar fashion. Tracy
managed to spit the piece of cloth from her mouth.
"Yuck! That was one of my old socks!" Tracy cried,
spitting frantically. Chandler started crying loudly.
"Calm down, I'll get us outta here!" Tracy said
frantically, pulling at the ropes.
"You won't be able to escape," a voice said.
Tracy turned to see Buffy, a smirk across her face. "Anyway, I'm afraid I must
leave you now. I have to put evil plan in action."
"Cliché," Monica muttered. Buffy kicked her roughly
with her platform boot.
"I heard that," she spat. Monica cowered.
"Please don't do this Buffy!" Tracy cried. Buffy
snorted.
"My name is Jhudora, and nothing you can say
will stop me, muahah!" Buffy climbed the stairs, and left the NeoHome. Tracy
sighed.
"So what do we do now?" she said, tugging at
the ropes. Monica smiled.
"I have a plan," she smiled.
Upstairs
Wardy the Spardel ate his petpet food quickly.
He hadn't noticed a dark Faerie walk past him, take the weapons from the kitchen
table, and exit through the door. In fact he didn't really care. And when he
heard him owner, Monica calling him, he trotted down the stairs and into the
basement.
"Oh thank goodness you came!" Monica said, "now
chew through the ropes!" Wardy tilted his head. He'd much rather be back upstairs,
eating. He turned to leave.
"You rotten petpet!" Monica screamed. "Get back
here now!" Wardy trotted up the stairs.
"I'll trade you in for a Puppyblew, you dim witted
dog!" she shouted. Wardy stopped. Being traded in wasn't his idea of a good
time. He slowly walked back to Monica, and began to eat at the ropes.
"Good puppy," she said, freeing her arms.
"Kroeger could have done that in half time!"
Lucy shouted. Monica scowled.
"Could not!"
"Could too!"
"Ah huh!"
"BE QUIET!" Tracy screamed. The two Kacheeks
were silent. "Good, now untie me!" Lucy and Monica looked at each other, before
sending their two petpets to gnaw the ropes.
Neopia Central
Tracy ran down the street, her pets close behind.
Buffy was nowhere to be seen. She skidded to a halt when she saw her friend,
Lapin, fixing her mailbox.
"Lapin, have you seen Buff.. I mean Jhudora anywhere
around?" Tracy said, trying to regain her breath
"Last I saw she headed up into the clouds," Lapin
said, "I wonder what she was doing here?" She turned to Tracy, but she had already
sped down the road.
"Thanks Lapin," she called out. Lapin just laughed,
and returned to her broken mailbox.
Meanwhile...
"Surrender now, Jhudora!" Buffy screamed as she
tied up the dark Faerie. Jhudora shook her head. "Soon, you will be gone, and
I will be the new Jhudora!" Buffy cackled.
"What is the point in that?" Jhudora said, "why
can't I just be the regular Jhudora?"
"Silence, foolish mortal!" Buffy boomed.
"But I'm not a morta..." Jhudora's sentence was
cut off, as Buffy secured a large piece of duct tape over her mouth.
Faerieland
"I need a break, Tracy!" Monica whined, lagging
behind the group, who were hastily making their through Faerieland. Tracy ignored
her, and continued to race ahead, with Lucy by her side.
"And where are we supposed to start?" Monica
shouted breathlessly. "She could be anywhere!" Tracy stopped suddenly.
"You're right," she said slowly, slumping onto
the cloud floor below her, "what do we do now?" Lucy gave Tracy a grin.
"I need a break, Tracy!" Monica whined, lagging
behind the group, who were hastily making their through Faerieland. Tracy ignored
her, and continued to race ahead, with Lucy by her side.
"And where are we supposed to start?" Monica
shouted breathlessly. "She could be anywhere!" Tracy stopped suddenly.
"You're right," she said slowly, slumping onto
the cloud floor below her, "what do we do now?" Lucy gave Tracy a grin.
"To find our target, we have to think like them,"
she hinted. "Now, where would 'Jhudora' be?" Tracy thought to her self.
"In... the... bookshop?" she said hopefully.
Lucy slapped her head.
"No, you fool! Jhudora's cloud!"
"I see no link..." Tracy began.
"Oh, just come on!"
The four of them sped towards the hovering purple
cloud, ready to face Buffy.
Jhudora's Cloud
"Bring me a Wand of Supernova!" Buffy boomed
at a little green Chia.
"B.. but this is my first quest!" he stammered.
"I... I can't afford that!" Buffy frowned.
"You deny my wishes?" she growled. The Chia started
crying. "Fear my wrath!" Buffy pointed her long purple finger at the sobbing
neopet. A bolt of light shot at the Chia and he disappeared in a puff of lime
green smoke. Once the smoke had cleared, all that could be seen was a little
green Slorg, slithering away dejectedly.
"Muahaha!" she cackled loudly, her voice echoing
across Faerieland.
"Stop right there, Jhu... I mean Buffy... erm..."
Tracy began breathlessly, clutching the stitch in her side.
"Never!" Tracy yelled. Buffy pointed her finger
at Tracy, who leapt away quickly. The light deflected off the cloud, and sailed
off into the air. Buffy screamed.
"Curses!" Buffy launched another beam of light,
which struck Lucy. She flew backwards, engulfed in a thick lilac fog. An Anubis
emerged, looking dazed. Tracy screamed.
"NOOO!" she yelled, charging at Buffy, and knocking
her to the ground. Buffy cried out furiously, and pointing her finger at Chandler.
The blast sent him flying across the cloud.
Tracy scrabbled around. She didn't have much
time, before she became the next on Buffy's hitlist.
"Don't bother trying, foolish mortal. Your end
is nigh!" she shouted, raising her hand. Tracy searched her pocket. All she
found was Chandler's half eaten Illusen cookie. Illusen cookie!
Tracy grabbed the cookie, and tossed it at Buffy.
The half chewed confectionery hit the side of her face with a sickening squelch.
Buffy ripped the cookie from her face in rage.
"How dare you...?!" her sentence was cut short,
as she realised what was happening. Dark grey hair was sprouting from the side
of her face. Her body began to transfigure back into the physique of a Cybunny.
Finally, her ears grew back, long and dark behind her. She looked around at
the Slorgs, dazed.
"Wha... happened?" she said slowly. Tracy ran
up and hugged her.
"Buffy, just promise me you'll never eat scratchcard
kiosk prizes again."
"Did I miss something?"
One Month Later
"Aww, Tracy, don't make me go!" Buffy pleaded,
digging her nails into the door frame. Tracy tugged hard.
"Look... you... have... to... go!" Tracy shouted,
pulling at the Cybunny. "You still have another week of service for Jhudora
to pay for the damage!"
"I don't even remember!" Buffy yelled, digging
her nails deeper, "why can't you go?"
"Because... well because," Tracy shouted. Finally,
Buffy gave in, sending the two hurtling across the front lawn. "You should be
grateful she turned Lucy and Chandler back, Jhudora isn't renowned for her kindness".
"You can say that again," Buffy murmured, trundling
down the path. It was going to be a long week.
The End
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