Faerie Flying 101: DON'T DO IT!!!

      I run approximately 70 mph, but when my owner adopted me, I was going to have lightning speed. Unfortunately, there was a glitch in my adoption and I got Cheetah speed instead. Oh, well!

      Anyway, you can imagine how fast I was going. Trees, grass--everything was a blur, a mix of colors, that I barely noticed. The air was blasting past me, and I sliced through whatever obstacles blocked my path.

      Where was I going, you wonder? To a human, my destination may not mean too much, but if you're a Neopet, you obviously understand the great importance of getting painted. I mean, come on, this is your whole LOOK you're changing here!!! Plus that, I am not getting any old transformation, like, oh, I don't know, getting your tail turned yellow or something... oh, no, I was getting a FAERIE TRANSFORMATION!!!

      My owner got the faerie paintbrush at an auction (shhh, don't tell!), and she kept it as a surprise from me till this morning!!! And now we're going to the Rainbow Pool to paint me!!! YIPPIE!!!

      Soon, I was nearing the Pool. But I couldn't stop. That's one of my problems. Once I start running, I can't stop. What followed next nearly got me grounded for the rest of the week. I bumped into a Skeith, who growled at me. Frightened, I veered away from it, only to bump into a Kacheek holding a bunch of groceries from the Food Shop. All of them spilled on the floor, including an omelette, presumably from Tyrannia. The Kacheek flushed, her face crestfallen. I don't know what would have happened if my owner hadn't come along. I tucked my tail in between my legs and backed away as my owner repeatedly apologized to the flustered Skeith and the teary–eyed Kacheek.

      When the two Neopets were a safe distance away, I looked up at my owner through huge, apologetic eyes.

      She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at me. "I should march you right home and ground you for the rest of the week," she said in a deadly tone, "But I am in a good mood today, so you can still get your painting."

      I breathed an unconscious sigh of relief.

      She rolled her eyes, but I swear I saw a flicker of a smile play on her lips. "Okay, come on," she said, and we walked up to the Neopet in charge of the Pool. We showed him our brush. He examined it, smiled, then handed it back to my owner. She smiled and bent down, then splashed me gently with the brush.

      What followed next was perhaps the most wonderful sensation I ever experienced. There was a tingling running up my back, subtle at first, then gradually growing stronger. I giggled softly as the paint wrapped around me in a warm embrace. I felt a tug at my back, and my forehead. I knew that my wings were growing, and it didn't hurt the least bit. Unfortunately, my experience was quickly over.

      I looked up at my owner. She had her hand over her mouth, the other on her chest, and she was gazing at me adoringly. "You look... beautiful," she whispered. I beamed, then looked in the pool to see how I looked. My smile got wider.

      My dark brown fur had turned a light tan. The tips of my fur turned a beautiful blue green, with two beautiful wings forming a halo around my head. The tugging at my forehead turned out to be two short antennae, which made my face look appealing. My eyes, which had been a bland blue, were now a captivating blue-green. In short, I looked beautiful.

      A Shoyru nearby, who was being painted rainbow, grinned at me and gestured with a colorful wing. "Hey, why don't ya try your new wings?" he asked.

      I nodded excitedly. While my owner was distracted with a Chia who asked her if she wanted to buy some wares, I flapped my wings tentatively. As soon as I did, wind gathered underneath them, lifting me up. I yelped at first, then when I realized what had happened, I laughed with glee. I looked down at my owner, who'd by then turned around. Her face stretched in shock. Then, it contorted into a look of horror. "Oh, my..." Her voice was lost on the wind as I climbed higher. The Shoyru who'd talked to me pointed at me and tugged on the sleeve of his owner, and they both looked up at me with awe. Soon, everyone around the Pool knew I was up there. I turned my attention to the sky.

      Blues and whites, mixed together so beautifully... I swirled around and gasped as I saw shapes in the huge fluffy clouds... ooh, an Aisha... or is that an Acara? Just as I was becoming lost in the beauty of the sky, I looked up. There was a thin sphere, barely visible to someone on land. Beyond it, was a line of black dotted with stars. Oh, my gosh... was I seeing space!? Was that Kreludor!? Was I really that high up!? I looked down, and to my horror, there was no sign of land, only a sheet of thick, fluffy clouds. This realization hit me with so much force that my wings stopped flapping. I stayed suspended in the air for a moment, then suddenly I plummeted downward. All of my internal organs flew upward into my throat as I tried desperately to fly. But it was no use. I had used up all my Faerie Energy. Tears welled up in my eyes and flew upward as I fell downward.

      Meanwhile, my owner stared at the sky, her heart pounding like a Blumaroo's tail against the earth. The shopkeeper rubbed his chin as he looked on at my tragedy. "At the rate she's falling," said the Techo, "no one will be able to catch her fast enough. The impact from the ground will cause her to SPLAT on the ground, like a cracked egg." My owner stared at him, then swooned precariously.

      I waved my paws all around in the air, searching for something to grab on. My paw unexpectedly grabbed hold of a cloud. Now, had any other Neopet been in my position, the cloud would have slipped through their paws, since clouds are basically fermented water. But I wasn't an ordinary Neopet. Not anymore. I climbed unto the cloud, then collapsed in its softness. The cloud swayed, but I knew I was safe as long as I was a faerie. My eyes took on a film. I felt myself getting sleepy... but no! I have to get back to ground! I willed the cloud to move. "Carry me, cloud, please..." I felt a drawing at my heart. The cloud wiggled again. Then I felt it––the unmistakable feel of motion. I looked over the side of my cloud... and saw it lowering me down!!!! I was riding on the cloud!!! "Thank you, thank you!!!" I shrieked, beside myself.

      In no time at all, I was near the ground. I jumped off, and the cloud, relieved of my weight, shot back up where it belonged, its duty done. My wings fluttered, and I fell/flew into my owner's limp arms just as she was going to faint. She stared at me in a daze, apparently wondering why a Faerie Xweetok was in her arms... "WILLA!!!" she shrieked, nearly choking me. We hugged for exactly two minutes (I couldn't help counting), then she shrieked into my ear, "YOU ARE SO GROUNDED!!!"

      I smiled, laughed, and gave my surprised owner a big fat kiss on the cheek. “Just make sure I stay grounded...”

The End