"COME ON, SYS-OP! You're going to keep us late!" Agent_Magnolia the red Aisha
screamed as she ran through the streets of Faerie City. The time was currently
11:55 A.M. NST, and Magnolia had a due library book to the Faerieland National
Library in five minutes.
"You REALLY ought to keep track of the date,
Mag!" Sys-op called, yards behind. "I mean, what would you do if I weren't here
to tell you what time it was?" Magnolia looked down; it was right. Earlier that
day, Sys-op's warning was the only thing that got her to Faerieland on time.
Magnolia looked up. The library was straight
ahead. Sys-op flew ahead of her and pulled the door open as Magnolia ran through
into the building and to the front desk. Magnolia pulled the book from her purse
and set it on the counter in front of the startled librarian, a spotted Blumaroo.
"I... came..." she started, panting. "Here to... return... book..."
"And it's just in time." The librarian smiled.
"11:59."
"Um... thanks... err..."
"Funame, (Foo-nah-may,)" the librarian replied,
pointing to her nametag as she put the book under the counter. The clock's bell
sounded.
"Mag," Sys-op whispered. "It's noon."
"Oh NO! Funame, I have to go!" Magnolia grasped
Sys-op's tail and dragged her out of the library frantically. Upon leaving Faerie
City, she headed straight for Neopia Central. "I'm going to be late," she said
to herself.
N.P.I.A. Headquarters
Magnolia silently walked down the hallway
to her office, trying to attract as little attention as possible. Reaching the
fifth room on the hallway, she cracked the door ajar, slid in and shut it quickly.
Facing the door, she sighed.
"What a pleasant surprise."
Magnolia whirled around to face a very irritated
looking Chief and a very angry looking Natalie. "Oh, it's only thirty minutes!"
Magnolia cried, throwing her paws into the air. "Give me a break!"
"What were you doing?" Natalie asked.
"We had to return a near-late library book to
Faerieland," Sys-op explained. "Why, do we have a case?"
"Actually, yes, you do," replied Chief. "The
client this time isn't exactly a client. You see, last night, two individuals
broke into the Faerie Castle. The Faerie Queen is in Sakhmet meeting with government
officials, so she wasn't present. The other Faeries, however, were imprisoned
in the Castle's dungeon, and presently, no one in the city is allowed inside."
"How will we get in, then?" Magnolia asked.
"I'm glad you asked. The two culprits are currently
remodeling the castle, bringing in their new furniture and art to put inside.
I think that it would be best for you three to dress up as statues to be brought
into the castle."
"Wouldn't they know if we were statues that
they wanted in the castle or not?" Natalie inquired.
"I don't know," was Chief's reply. "Just try
to act inconspicuous, okay?"
Magnolia sighed. "You don't pay me enough for
this job, Chief."
Faerie City
"Magnolia! Stand still, will you?"
"I'm trying!" Magnolia cried as Natalie dipped
a small brush in a bucket of gray paint. "If you used a bigger brush, maybe
you'd get the job done faster!"
"Bigger? I'd miss details that way!" Natalie
had already been painted a marble-like gray by Magnolia, and was now wearing
a long, gray dress to match. This job had been completed in a mere half-hour,
but painting a squirming Magnolia was a much more difficult task. "Why won't
you just stand still?" Natalie inquired, turning around to paint Magnolia's
ear.
"I don't quite know," Magnolia answered, wincing
at the touch of cold paint.
"No more visits to the Coffee Shop for you,
Magnolia. There-done!" Magnolia sighed as she stood in the mirror. She looked
like a NeoHome garden statue, wearing solid, stone-like wings and a long dress
and bearing a cracked vase. Sys-op sat on her head.
"Well, that looks convincing. Come on, let's
wait outside the castle, and they'll probably take us inside," Natalie suggested.
"I don't know..." Magnolia started.
"You'll be fine. No one will notice," Natalie
interrupted.
Magnolia and Natalie went outside the gates
of the Faerie castle and held a statuesque pose similar to those of the other
statues. Not long after, they were carried into the castle by two yellow Skeiths
and set down in a large circular room. The room was nicely furnished with flowerpots,
paintings, and an array of bookshelves. Magnolia sighed and sat down as the
Skeiths left.
"Great! Just great!" Magnolia fumed.
"What, Mag?" Sys-op asked.
"I forgot my pose!" The Aisha cried. "Was it
this?" she asked herself, striking a dramatic pose. "No--this... that's not
right... no--"
"Mag, someone's coming!" Magnolia bolted upright
and struck a random pose.
Suddenly, the door flew open. A yellow Eyrie
with red, curled hair, standing upright, walked into the room. She wore a long,
red dress, and bore a fan. 'How strange,' Magnolia thought to herself. 'I've
never seen an Eyrie like that before. This must be one of the culprits, but
whom else?'
"Well, this isn't right," the Eyrie said to
herself. "That statue should be over... oh... EN GUARDE! GET IN HERE!"
There was the loud sound of porcelain breaking,
and suddenly, a fully-grown green Krawk raced in the room. "What?" he asked,
panting. "And don't yell like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Quit complaining, En Guarde. Now, look at this
statue." The Eyrie pointed straight at Magnolia, who gulped.
"What about it?" En Guarde asked.
"It's in the wrong spot-this one, too." The
Eyrie pointed at Natalie. "Move this one to the right a little."
En Guarde pushed Magnolia to the Eyrie's right,
and Magnolia was forced to move her feet. Surprised by this sudden movement,
En Guarde looked down. Magnolia held her pose.
"This statue is acting strangely, Camella,"
En Guarde concluded.
"What? You idiot; statues can't move!" cried
the Eyrie, now identified as Camella.
"Okay, if you say so. Here?"
"Much better! Okay, let's go get the next ones."
"No thanks," En Guarde started. "I'll stay here
and watch these two." Magnolia swallowed hard.
'He's on to me,' Magnolia thought. 'Oh, Mag,
you've gone and done it--how will you get out of this one?'
"Okay, if you want." Camella left the room,
leaving En Guarde behind. The next five minutes for Magnolia were of silence
and anxiety. En Guarde wasn't exactly finding out what he wanted to. He stood
up and left the room.
Magnolia sighed and her pose fell. En Guarde
came back and Magnolia struck another random one, different from before.
"That wasn't the last pose you had," he observed.
"Oh," Magnolia replied, knowing that pretending
to be a statue wouldn't work anymore. Magnolia ran past En Guarde, through the
door and down the hallway.
Camella sauntered down the hallway of the castle,
carrying a tall pile of glass pots. Dropping them all in shock with a loud crash,
she cried out, "HEY! That's that statue!" Camella turned to two Skeith guards
behind her.
A long silence followed.
"Don't just STAND there! FOLLOW HER!" She cried,
throwing her hands up in rage. "And get me a broom!"
Natalie followed close behind Magnolia and Sys-op,
panting as she ran. "MAGNOLIA!" she cried. "You just left me back there!"
"Sorry! I had to! I couldn't tell you that I
was leaving!" Magnolia replied, turning around a corner. "Excuse me!" Magnolia
ran underneath two Kyrii carrying a large statue. Needless to say, they dropped
it.
Turning another corner, Magnolia didn't notice
that a rug had been pulled up. Needless to say, she tripped on it.
A minute later...
"Well, Magnolia... any other plans?"
Magnolia was tied to a wall in the throne room
along with Natalie and Sys-op. "I'll take that as a 'no,'" Sys-op told Magnolia.
"Be quiet."
"So, that was all it took," Camella sighed.
"I should have thought of this plan AGES ago."
"You were probably dissuaded by your past failures,"
En Guarde replied.
"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Camella looked
away. "Oh, well. The furnishings should be just about in now. Come on, En--"
Suddenly, the sound of an airplane could be
heard. "Oh, that must be the Faerie Queen. Back from Sakhmet, no doubt." Camella
said to herself. "No matter. En Guarde, bring me plan B."
"What plan B?"
"The one that tells me what to do when the Faerie
Queen comes back."
"Um... hold on a second." En Guarde looked through
a file cabinet. "Hmm.... there isn't any."
"Come again?" Camella asked in disbelief.
"There is no plan B."
"You mean I didn't prepare for this?" Camella
shrieked. "But--there HAS to be a plan!" The door swung open, and the Faerie
Queen Fyora, in all her regal beauty, stepped in.
Beauty was quickly spoiled.
"What on Neopia--who are all these people?"
she asked. The Queen sighed. "How many times do I have to explain that there
are no tours while I'm away on buisine--EEK!"
The Queen stared blankly at the room. All of
the furnishings she had carefully placed in it were missing and replaced. "Who
DID all of this? Where did everything GO?" she fumed, crossing her arms. Her
stare was finally placed on Camella.
"Um... I didn't do it," Camella tried to explain.
"I never invited you into my castle!"
"Uh...but..."
"Ha!" Magnolia cried. "Look's like you're in
a pickle!"
"What are YOU laughing at?" The Faerie Queen
inquired. "I never invited YOU into my castle either!"
Magnolia paused. "Oh. Sys-op," Magnolia said,
looking down at her Kadoatie.
"What?"
"Say good night."
N.P.I.A. Headquarters, Weeks Later
"Investigators report that the two culprits
went by the names of Camella and En Guarde. When Queen Fyora returned, things
got out of hand. All five of the intruders were sent straight to NeoIntensive
Care after Her Highness allegedly went into a rage. Two Aishas and a Kadoatie
emerged from the NeoHospital and are now continuing their lives normally. As
for the other two... well... they're still in the NeoHospital. This is Akiko
Hashimara for NTV news, back to you in the newsroom--"
Magnolia turned the television off abruptly,
turning her attention to Chief.
"You REALLY don't pay me enough for this job,
Chief."
The End | 
