Reality Flux

      “An artist is never appreciated in his time,” retorted Natu the Christmas Pteri.

      “Since when does anybody consider jokes a form of art?”

      “Stop fighting,” ordered their owner, Ashflash. “What do you want to do now?”

      “How about Extreme Potato Counter,” offered Vicki the shadow Zafara.

      “Great idea!” chimed Shelly the cloud Bori.

      “Sounds like a plan,” agreed Ashflash. “Let’s go!”

      “Can I join in later?” asked Kira. “I want to do an Illusen’s Quest while we are here.”

      “Okay, and here are some neopoints,” said Ashflash. “Don’t take too long.”

      “I won’t,” assured Kira. Soon the Kougra was walking along the path to Illusen’s Glade only to find a sign at her door. Closed for Lunch. Disappointed, Kira turned back to catch up with her family. Suddenly dark purple clouds were approaching Meridell at an alarming rate. This can’t be good, she thought to herself.

      “No!” screamed Illusen from inside her home, “she can’t be finished already!” Illusen ran outside her house and looked around frantically. “Come here, Kougra, quickly!”

      The panic in the faerie’s voice was enough to convince Kira. She followed Illusen inside her house. In the center sat a large cauldron with a green bubbling liquid inside of it. Illusen touched the liquid and chanted a few mysterious words and the liquid turned into green clouds which protected them from the purple clouds that soon covered all of Meridell as well as the rest of Neopia. In a matter of minutes both the purple clouds and the green clouds had receded.

      “What just happened?” asked Kira as she looked around to discover that the house was gone even though they hadn’t moved.

      “Young Kougra, that was the spell that Jhudora has been working on since before you were born,” replied Illusen.

     “My name is Kira. What does the spell do?”

      “It is a reality flux, which allows her to change reality. I couldn’t finish getting the ingredients for the counter spell. It was only strong enough to protect me and you. The reason my house is gone is that Jhudora would not include me in her new reality.”

     “This doesn’t look so bad,” commented Kira.

     Suddenly two purple pets, a Scorchio and a Uni, landed in front of them. “Why aren’t you working for your queen at this time of day?” demanded the Scorchio.

     “Let me guess,” whispered Kira, “Jhudora made herself Queen of Faerieland.”

     “Queen of Neopia,” corrected Illusen, “and she is probably now the only faerie in Neopia. Being the only faerie, she is the creator of paint brushes. Jhudora is so vain that she has only invented a paint brush of her favorite color, purple. However, my potion helped you to keep your color.”

     “Enough talk,” grunted the Uni as it launched a blast from a frost cannon.

      Illusen quickly caused a large root to come out of the ground and block the blast. “Run!” she shouted. Kougra and faerie ran for their lives; however, more pets joined the hunt and soon they were surrounded by Jhudora’s minions. “I can’t fight them all,” said Illusen.

     Suddenly smoke filled the air. “Follow me,” instructed a new voice. Without hesitation Kira and Illusen ran from the distracted minions and followed a mysterious figure through the smoke. As the smoke cleared they found their savior was a blue Zafara. She led them in silence for several hours until they reached a secluded cave. “In here.”

     Inside the cave was a large group of neopets, all in basic colors. “Vicki!” shouted a yellow Shoyru. “It is too risky to bring newcomers. They could be spies! The Kougra is purple, she has to be working for Jhudora! And the wings must be some sort of enchantment.”

     Kira looked hard at the Zafara, Vicki! My sister! She was born blue. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize her voice. “We are not spies. My name is Kira and this is Illusen. We are from another dimension and Illusen is a long time enemy of Jhudora.”

     “Razar is very cautious,” explained Vicki. “My name is Vicki. Razar, I don’t think these two would have been attacked if they were Jhudora’s allies.”

     “Very well,” agreed Razar reluctantly. “We need to figure out a way to stop Jhudora.”

     “I have an idea,” said Illusen. “The reality flux exists only as long as it the potion is in her cauldron. All we have to do is sneak into Faerieland and into her castle. Then we spill the potion.”

     “I don’t think Jhudora is exactly going to open the door and give us cookies,” remarked Kira. “This is not going to be easy.”

     “If it will end Jhudora’s reign, then I believe it is worth the risk,” said Vicki. “It is time that we make a final stand.”

     “Today’s the day,” agreed a yellow Bori who Kira recognized as her other sister, Shelly.

     “First, we should come up with a plan,” suggested Razar. “I think we should sneak in through the back of Faerieland, while a small group of winged pets will create a distraction at the front of the city.”

     “I will lead the distraction,” offered Natu the green Pteri. Natu then picked out a dozen pets to join him.

     “Anybody else who can fly is with me,” said Razar.

     “I am coming too!” declared Vicki.

     “And me,” added Shelly.

     “Vicki, it is too dangerous,” argued Razar.

     “It is my fight too!” she retorted.

     “I’ll carry her,” offered Kira. “We will need all the help we can get.”

     “Okay,” he consented. “Any winged neopet that is not part of the distraction should carry another neopet up to Faerieland.”

     Soon the group of rebels flew off to Faerieland. When they got there, Natu and his troops attempted to attack the front of Faerie City, which quickly drew most of Jhudora’s army away from her castle. In no time, the others had sneaked into the castle and were searching the rooms.

     Finally, they entered the throne room to find the cauldron in the middle with Jhudora standing nearby. “It took you long enough,” she said with a malicious smile. She snapped her fingers and two large gruslens, one green and one purple, entered the room. A second snap and a few dozen of her minions entered through another door. “Today I squash the rebellion for good,” she declared.

     Soon Jhudora’s army and the rebels were locked into a fierce fight for the future of Neopia. Both groups fought relentlessly. Even though Jhudora’s army had better weapons, the determination of the rebels kept the fight going. We are not going to win like this, thought Kira. There has to be a way. Suddenly she spotted the cauldron. It is now or never. Kira sprang into the air and flew toward the cauldron. Then gathering her strength, she slammed into it.

     “My spell!” screamed Jhudora as the purple liquid spilled onto the floor. A purple cloud covered Neopia once more and when it receded, the only ones in the room were Kira and the two faeries.

     “Neopia is back to normal, which means the fight here didn’t happen,” explained Illusen.

     “You will pay for that, Kougra,” shouted Jhudora as she advanced toward Kira and raised her staff.

     “I don’t think so,” replied Illusen as she stepped in front of her nemesis and prepared her trusty whip.

     “What is the meaning of this!” screamed Fyora as she entered the throne room. “Get out!”

     Jhudora, Illusen, and Kira quickly complied. Jhudora ran back to her cloud while muttering savagely, and Illusen teleported herself and Kira back toward Meridell. “Will Jhudora recreate the spell?” asked Kira.

     “No, it would not be dramatic to use the same spell twice. She will think up another way to conquer Neopia, and I will have to think of another way to stop her.”

     “If you ever need help, let me know. Until then I better find my family. They must be worried.”

     “Relax, no time has passed.”

     “See you soon, Illusen,” said Kira as she headed over to Extreme Potato Counter.

     “Bye, Kira.”

     A couple of minute later, Kira found her family. “I’m ready to play,” said Kira eagerly.

     “That didn’t take long,” remarked Ashflash. “Did you have fun?”

     “I guess so, but quests can be exhausting.”

     “Do you want to do a Jhudora’s quest tomorrow?”

     “No!”

The End