Haunted Woods Hero: Part Six

      "Wait a second," Varicose said, sticking his arm out in front of Hugo, "did you just hear that?"

      Hugo paused and raised his pointed ears, listening to the clanks, hums, and grinding parts that grew closer from the distant Carnival of Terror. "Yeah," Hugo said, "I hear it. What is that?"

      A fresh cream pie splatted against a Haunted Tree behind them, just missing their heads as they ducked into the gnarled wooden roots sitting above the ground. Varicose said, licking a drop of cream from his trembling lips, "I know what that is! Dr. Sloth's ROBOT CHIA CLOWNS!!" They ducked again, letting the tree brace the impact of oncoming flying pies.

      "Run, Hugo!" Varicose said, taking off in the opposite direction. He screeched to a halt, when he noticed Hugo wasn't behind him, and watched as the Swaying mechanical Robot Chias ascended from the old striped tent, three by three by three. Their bright maniacal smiles fell on Hugo, who cowered and quivered beneath the raised and twisted bulbous tree roots.

      "HUGO?!" Varicose called. It was to no avail. They banded together in a uniform march, coming straight for Hugo with pies in their metal claws.

      One of the Robot Chia's spotted Varicose, and he made an unnerving robotic giggle. He lifted up a pie and tossed it headstong towards Varicose's face, but Varicose caught it!

      He pounced the pie up and down in his paws, smiling wide with satisfaction, and threw it back at the Chia Clown. The robot fell over, popping and smoking beyond his comrade's notice. One down, so many to go...

      Pie after pie squished and slid against the still and thick Haunted Tree. Varicose ran ahead of robotic Chias and faced the troupe head on, catching pies with both paws, and sometimes his mouth, and throwing them back at the Chia Clowns with perfect aim. They fell and they fell, until none remained standing and no more pies flew into the air.

      Varicose leaned against the tree, covered in cream as he slid down against the trunk and caught his breath. "It's...safe now," he said, "They're...d-down."

      Hugo shimmied out of the small space beneath the wide arched root and looked up at Varicose, his valiant Malevolent Sentient Poogle Plushie hero. "You saved me," Hugo said, making an exasperated sigh.

      "Twice," Varicose corrected with a grin, causing them both to burst into dry laugher.

      "Do you.." He said, still managing to breath, "still think this place isn't so bad?" He gave Hugo a knowing smile, raised his eyebrows, and then crossed his arms. He still didn't mind the Haunted Woods, but he couldn’t resist giving Hugo a gentle tease now and then.

      "Okay, okay. It's not ALL bad," Hugo said, laughing as he looked on the steaming sea of busted Robot Chias scattered ahead of them, "but I suppose there are a few exceptions."

      "So! We can go home now?" Varicose said, looking up at the bright twinkling stars behind the fogging clouds, "I mean, I could really go for a hot cup of Borovan. Can't you?"

      "Okay," Hugo said, nudging his head in the direction of the shortcut, "Home's right this way. You know, down the shortcut we were 'supposed' to take."

      Varicose climbed down from the Haunted Tree, who gave him little notice in his deep slumber, and scurried to Hugo's side. It was about time this moment came, where he could walk home side by side with his best friend. To him, it was all worth it and he would do it all over if he had to...let's hope he won't have to.

      Varicose grinned, then paused. He frowned as he stood up and patted himself. "Wait a second," he said, fretting, "Hugo! My mootix is gone!" He immediately thought of the Bagatelle host, and the fate of his small friend if he got caught.

      Hugo pulled his paw out from behind his back and revealed the quivering mootix ball, who was safe and sound. "Here," he said, "He jumped on me right after you ran."

      "Yeah," Varicose said, rubbing his neck, "I'm sorry about that. I thought..I thought you were right behind me and-"

      "Don't worry," Hugo said, looking back at the pile of clown-painted metal and bolts, "It's not a big deal."

      The mootix pounced from Hugo's hand and onto Varicose's shoulder, before tucking into the familiar crook of his arm. He buzzed and chittered, then rolled into a ball, making Varicose bear a warm smile as it lightly tickled him.

      Slow clapping followed from behind the trio, then a few more joined in. As they looked around, they saw a few familiar faces appear and circle them from the darkness. The host of the Bagetelle, The Aisha from the Cork Gun Gallery, and Eliv Thade himself slowly clapped together as they further surrounded them. Behind them were other residents of the Haunted Woods, making louder applause: The Esophagor, with a mouth full of sticky Ghost Marshmallows, Sssidney with his Glowing Wagon of capsules, and that odd fellow from Coconut shy who Varicose didn't really know.

      "You saved us," the Aisha said, "Sloth has had those Chias bothering us for as long as we can remember! You both come back anytime, and play for free."

      "Free?" Varicose said, lighting his face up.

      The Bagatelle host shook his head and grimaced. He said, "But I still thank you, young Neopets. You've performed a great service for all of us here in the Haunted Woods. We won't forget it." A few mootix balls uncurled on his shoulder, then clapped vigorously.

      Hugo nudged Varicose shoulder. He said, "If they got any nicer, I'd think we were in at Kiko Lake."

      Varicose looked around and chortled. He said, shaking his head, "Yeah, I don't think anyone will confuse this place with Kiko Lake."

      "You know what I meant," Hugo said.

      "Is there anything we can do for you?" Edna, who appeared in her small cloaked stature from behind the towering Esophagor, asked.

      Hugo and Varicose looked at each other. "We'd like to go home," Varicose said, "Please."

      Edna whipped out her broomstick and cackled. She said, scratching her voice, "I have just enough room for you both, then. Hop on!"

      Varicose and Hugo leapt in the air, then climbed on the broomstick behind her. Varicose's stomach turned a little as they ascended vertically into the cool night sky. He looked down on the few, but great, crowd they were leaving behind and something occurred to him. Perhaps he should have thanked Sssidney, after all. If he hadn't tried to save Hugo, he would still be afraid of the Haunted Woods and could still claim Hugo was his only friend, and no one else. He had many pals now who all accepted him as just another neopet, and didn't judge him for being a Malevolent, and Sentient, color. Oh, and as a bonus, no one had to carry a bunch of capsules home this time.

      "I can almost see our Neohome from here!" Hugo said, pointing ahead of them, "Wow! I never knew it could look so small."

      "Yeah," Varicose said, looking down as they flew above Neopia, "Neopia is a smaller world than we thought."

      Edna descended the fresh green front lawn of their Neohome, and outside of the Haunted Woods, Varicose finally saw the sun behind fresh white fluffy clouds. If he looked closer, he could see some faeries peeking out behind them, waiting to give the next lucky Neopian a great quest. If they had asked him, he'd tell him that he had his fill for one night.

      "You know," Hugo said, "If you keep staring up there, you'll-"

      A Spardel busted through the Neohome doors and pounced on Hugo, then began nudging his face. Hugo said, laughing infectiously, "Hey boy! Wow! I missed you!"

      The mootix immediately jumped from Varicose's shoulder, where he had been resting and he landed in the Spardle's thin and soft blue fur. "Something has happened!" Hugo said, giggling, "My Spardle just got a new petpetpet."

      Varicose laughed, then clapped his hands. "Now THAT'S a home," he said.

      "Huh?" Hugo said, looking up from his back.

      Varicose giggled and crossed his arms. He said, "Nothing. He knows what I mean."

      "Ahem," Edna said, putting her stout little hands on her hips. They almost forgot she was still standing there. She reached out her her paw and grimaced, "Do you have something for me in return for my services?"

      Hugo and Varicose looked at each other, then collectively stammered.

      Edna bent over her knees, then cackled. She said, "Don't worry! I'm only joking. Your debt to me was paid when you took care of those Chias. They've been scaring away all my customers and I've had no one to get me the supplies I've needed. Once people know they are gone, they'll be back for sure!"

      "Wait," Varicose said, "Is that why everyone has been so lonely and bored back there? The Chia Clowns have been chasing everyone away?"

      "Yep," she said, scratching her voice again and she ascended her broom, "And now I am off. If they come back now, we know who to call."

      Varicose gulped and looked back at the stoic Hugo, and Edna cackled at the top of her lungs again. He watched as she became a black dot amongst the bouncing white clouds, and he couldn't figure out whether or not that was a joke.

      The End.