The Origin of The Discarded Magical Blue Grundo Plushie

      The mother sighed, tucking a stray piece of fur behind her young daughter’s ear. “Yes, sweetheart, of course. Which story would you like to hear tonight?”

      The young girl sat upon her bed and thought of which story. GoldiUni And The Three Grarrls was one she’d heard many times, and she’d become very sick of CinderRuki. “Mommy, what about a story from that book?” she asked, pointing to the bookshelf, on which lay a rather dusty old book. It looked forlorn, and as far as the young girl was concerned, it was begging to be read aloud.

      “Oh, that story,” the mother sighed, pulling the heavy book from its shelf. A thin smile curled her lips as she remembered the first time she had been told the story. “I’d love to.” She cracked open the book and, waving away some of the dust that flew out of its pages, began to read.

***

      Once upon a time, there was a young pet named Celeste. She was a starry Ogrin, and she was a very rich little pet. Her owner spoiled her dreadfully, and because of it, she put on airs and acted like she was better than everyone else.

      One day, Celeste asked her owner for a plushie that no one else had yet. “One that needs to be invented before I can have it!” she demanded.

      “Oh dear,” her owner said, wringing her hands. “Celeste, I’m not sure I have enough neopoints to get you such a toy! Why don’t I get you another plushie, instead? Maybe a a blue gelert to go with your yellow one?”

      Celeste stamped her foot at her owner and shouted, “I want a brand-new plushie! I want it now!” Then she began to throw a dreadful tantrum, one that shook the very grounds of Neopia Central. “If you can’t get me a plushie like that, I’ll... I’ll... I’ll run away!” Then she cried and ran up to her room, banging the door shut with such a loud bang! that her owner would forever remember it.

      “Oh dear, oh dear, whatever shall I do?” her owner lamented. “My precious Celeste will run away unless I can get such a plushie!” Then she happened upon such an evil idea that I am positive that there were Meepits loose in her home when she hatched this plan. “Is her running away really such a bad thing?” the owner mused, a relaxed grin spreading across her face. “Let’s see if she actually will, then.” And with that evil statement, the owner knew there was no turning back.

      Meanwhile, up in her bedroom, Celeste sat upon her billowing pink Uni sheets and thought of how best to get a brand-new plushie. Maybe, she thought hopefully, I can just go out for a bit and look around to see the new toys. My owner will think I ran away, and she’ll be so worried she’ll have to get me a new plushie! With a smug but happy grin on her face, Celeste grabbed a bag of five thousand neopoints and quietly left the house.

      After having browsed all the shops in Neopia Central for any new toys, Celeste was displeased. She had not found anything that was new, or even correctly priced! So Celeste decided to head back home, fully expecting her owner to have gotten her this unattainable toy.

      However, a strange thing happened when she tried to open the front door to her expensively-designed neohome. It wouldn’t open. “Hey!” Celeste called out, using her best pouty voice. “Hey!”

      The young blue Ruki they had as their maid opened the door and glanced around huffily. Her eyes lit upon Celeste. “Stop banging on our doors, vagabond! Miss is busy with her pet!”

      “But I live here,” Celeste protested, stomping her foot. “You can't turn me away from my own home!”

      “Miss hates Ogrins,” the Ruki muttered. “She has a darling pet, a pretty pink Uni. They’re less temperamental.” With that, she slammed the door in Celeste’s face.

      Celeste stood there, shocked. How could her owner turn her out like that? How long had she been gone? Did her owner really think she had run away? The starry Ogrin sniffed and turned away dejectedly, trudging down the steep hill and heading towards Neopia Central again.

      When she reached the plaza, she saw a faerie Xweetok standing by the road. “Miss!” the Xweetok called out, fluttering her wings slightly. “Would you like to visit Faerieland?”

      Faerieland! Maybe she could find a faerie there to help her get back home! “Yes, I would,” Celeste answered. “How much does it cost?”

      “One thousand neopoints, miss,” the Xwee answered politely. Celeste paid it quickly and climbed onto the other pet’s back. “Hold on tight, Celeste,” she said, and she began to fly off to Faerieland.

      The ride was quick but boring, as all Celeste could see were clouds upon clouds. She wondered how Carey, the Xweetok she was riding on, knew where she was going!

      “Miss Celeste, we’re here now,” Carey said as she touched down lightly upon fluffy white clouds.

      Celeste clambered off Carey and looked around her in wonder at this strange new world. The clouds were both white and pink, and they looked as soft and delicious as spun cotton candy. “Thank you, Carey!” she exclaimed, turning around to thank the kind Xweetok--but she was gone. “Well, she must have been part Faerie!” Celeste said, smiling wide. There was something about this place that made her so happy... even those green and purple clouds that were far-off in the distance, that looked vaguely menacing, could not bring her down. Celeste set off for the strange clouds, and suddenly found herself right outside the entrance to a magnificent purple castle with green turrets. She opened the heavy door and went inside.

      “Who dares to enter my domain?” a thunderous voice called from the deeper chambers of the castle.

      Celeste had enough good sense to keep quiet, but she followed the voice anyway. She finally entered a room full of green smoke and she could see right through the smoke to a huge purple and golden throne. On this throne sat a faerie! A very big faerie, too! She had light purple skin and dark purple hair with a green streak running through it. Her wings were very large and black, edged with dark purple.

      “Welcome to my home, Celeste,” the faerie said in a silken voice. “I can give you what you desire.”

      “H-How do you know my name?” Celeste asked, her voice returning to her.

      The dark faerie laughed. “Dear little Ogrin, I am a faerie! I am Jhudora! I know everyone’s name!” She leaned forward in her throne, her eyes purple and pupil-less. “What do you desire, Celeste?”

      Celeste’s brain swarmed with thoughts of home, of her kind owner. “I want to go home!” she announced. “I want my owner to remember me!”

      Jhudora laughed again. “Dear, are you sure that’s what you want? You do not desire anything else?” She flicked her green fingernails towards Celeste, and the ogrin had thoughts of that unattainable plushie. After all, she thought, who needs an owner who forgets you?

      “Well, I would like a toy. One that no one else has, that costs lots of neopoints!” Celeste demanded, stamping her foot. This was a mistake she made here, stamping her foot at Jhudora.

      Jhudora leered at her and snapped her fingers. Immediately, Celeste felt her whole body tingling. “Wait! No! I want to go home!” The spell Jhudora had cast on Celeste changed slightly as Celeste uttered these unselfish words.

      If you visit Faerieland today, and if you travel into the faerie city as Celeste had, you can see a small dot on a far-off cloud. If you travel to this far-off speck, you will find that it’s not a speck at all, but a blue grundo plushie that looks quite forlorn as it stares at you while you pass it. Some Neopians stop and talk to the poor little toy, and as they leave, they find neopoints lying on the ground not too far off.

      So Celeste got her wish--well, the first part. She got a plushie that no one else had--a sad blue grundo plushie. And it did cost her a lot of neopoints. Those neopoints you find on the ground after you visit are hers.

***

      The mother finished the story and closed the book with a snap, waking up the dozing Zafara. “Did you like the story, sweetie?” the mother asked as she stood up and placed the book back.

      “Yeah, it was really good! Mommy, can we go to Faerieland tomorrow? I wanna find that plushie and talk to it!”

      The mother laughed. “Oh, dear, you know there’s no such thing as that blue grundo plushie. It’s just a story. Now good-night,” she said, closing the door behind her.

The End

A/N: If you're reading this, it's my first time in the NT! Yaaay! :3