Change Needs Growth:Part Five

     "Wh-wh-who are you?!" The Chumablah stuttered. The Disguise of the Wain rested on the floor as the Dragoyle drew a blade.

      "My name is Mordecai, and I am a defender of Unishire." The Dragoyle soothed. "And now you seekers of destruction are locked in an area without the ability to cast magic." The Chumablah growled as he withdrew two short blades and clashed with the Dragoyle. The Chumablah slashed furiously at Mordecai who casually blocked the attacks, but was unable to counter-attack. As the Werhonds were caught off-guard, Patrick produced his sword that was inside his bag. He jumped onto one Werhond and bashed it in the head as the body slumped to the floor. The other five Werhonds turned at the noise and realized that there were still prisoners they needed to take care of. Growling they charged at Patrick and Gumdrop.

      "What have you done?" Gumdrop cried. "Now we are going to perish!" the Jinjah turned and ran down the hall as two Werhonds chased after him. Gumdrop sprinted and ran to one side of the corridor and continued his sprint sideways as he ran up the wall. He reached the end of the corridor as his footwork stepped on the wall at the end of the hallway and turned around running towards the Werhonds. The two enemies tried following on the wall but slipped and crashed head first into the wall at the end of the corridor.

      Patrick stood his ground as three came at him fast. One came slashing with a claw as Patrick stepped sideways, dodging the attack. Patrick took a wide step as he ducked under one trying to tackle him. As he put his weight on his left foot, he spun to the left, narrowly missing the third Werhond. The three enemies whirled around and prepared to engage Patrick. Dancing around the attacks, Patrick took no chances as they tried biting him and clawing him. As the Werhonds grew in frustration, Patrick grew worried because of the increased ferociousness of the attacks. Leaping into the air and landing behind the Werhonds, he realized the need for counter-attacking. His moves became more precise as he made the attack seem a part of his dance around the Werhonds. Patrick became more cautious as he blocked a claw at his right and ducked under a Werhond, letting the blade slash the underside of the Wehond. In pain the Werhond wobbled and fell to the ground clutching the wound on his stomach. The other two growled. Unleashing a series of swipes and attacks that Patrick was not ready for, he stumbled and lost his sword. Laying on his back, he looked up to see a Werhond holding a claw above him. A moment later the Werhond was gone, tackled to the ground by Mordecai.

      Looking around, Patrick noticed Gumdrop laying down injured. The Chumablah was still attacking Mordecai, but he also was able to distract the other Werhonds. Four surrounded him and the Chumablah was relentless with his attacks. "Open the door and get help!" The Chumablah commanded. A Werhond made a dash for the door. In a blur, Mordecai flew up and over his enemies, putting himself between the door and the Werhond. With two stirkes the Werhond went cart-wheeling through the air, knocked out. The others pounced on him, but never touched Mortdecai. His sword cut through the air as the three Werhonds were dropped to the ground. The Chumablah grumbled. "I'll finish this."

      "No." Mordecai was out of breath. "You sent that Werhond because you knew you were going to lose." Growling the Chumablah made a path directly for the Dragoyle. The blades made contact down low. The Chumablah was going for a cheap shot at the ankles, but Mordecai read the feint and blocked both down low. In a swing of the blades, the Chumblah swung for Mordecai's mid-section. Bending his body to be below the sword, he came up and stopped the second blade from a similar attack. The Chumablah was getting angrier by the second. Unleashing a series of vicious attacks, the Chumablah hoped to stop the Dragoyle by sheer force. Mordecai was still on the defensive stepping backwards, parrying and dodging with a seemingly easy grace. As the Chumablah came with a cross attack, a sword slashing from both directions, Mordecai blocked both in one motion and parried the swords upward. In a moment of defenselessness, Mordecai hit the Chumablah in the head with the pommel of the sword, knocking him backwards.

      "I am tired of this incompetence!" The Chumablah shrieked. Flying into the air, the Lieutenant produced two more swords in each set of talons. Hovering above the ground, the Chumablah seemed to be striking faster than he had before. The swords clashed in a fast rhythmic song, never seeming to slow down. Patrick panicked seeing the intensity of the attacks, but Mordecai seemed focused. Sweat beaded down his neck. Attacks would come at him from all angles, from above and below. He would block down low and change his stance to absorb the blows of the other swords, stepping quickly around to avoid the attacks. As they came faster, Mordecai leaped into the air, twirling sideways between four swords. One cut him in the shoulder, but again the Chumablah was left defenseless. With a single swipe, the Chumablah lost two swords from his talons. Continuing the aerial progress, the Chumablah flew up and swooped down. Mordecai was forced to roll out of the way, as he grazed the Chumablah. Clambering to the ground, the Lieutenant rolled onto his back to look up to Mordecai standing over him, sword against the Chumablah's throat.

      "Into the cell." Mordecai ordered. Patrick helped moving the unconscious Werhonds into the cell with the Chumablah as Mordecai made sure they were locked securely in the cell.

      "You are pretty talented with a sword!" Gumdrop commented, admiring Mordecai's blade.

      "In here. Out there we wouldn't have lasted long at all. Lucky for us those Werhonds were not able to cast magic. They are some of the fiercest Burvju Deju fighters the world has ever seen- minus the hooded Gelert of course.

      "Out there, I would have been able to take care of them easy." Gumdrop shrugged.

      "Who are you exactly?" The Dragoyle sheathed his sword as he looked the Jinjah up and down. Patrick explained that Gumdrop was the creature from the end of the rainbow and that he was supposed to guide him, but he didn't know the way to the end of the rainbow. Patrick explained their misadventures and that luckily, Gumdrop knew of the Petpet on Terror Mountain that had the tool they needed to find the end of the rainbow. With the Shamrock, they found a way that led them towards the end of the rainbow, but it was destroyed by villain. Patrick was vague about who Nash was because he did not want to get into the history of his life like he had done with Gumdrop.

      "That makes sense. So a Red Psimouse destroyed your Shamrock? Well we must find another way in. I believe there are shamrocks in here, but I think we are close to the end of the rainbow. They have been getting a massive amount of power from somewhere. We have to stop them! Let's hurry!"

      "Good-luck, guys." Patrick muttered. Gumdrop turned to him confused.

      "What do you mean?"

      "I'm not going." Patrick said.

      "Why?" Mordecai stepped closer to the Psimouse.

      "I am not needed. Nash was right. You are saving Unishire. I was sent away so that I would not be a problem in Unishire." Patrick admitted. Mordecai was shocked.

      "You think I can save Unishire? You are the only one who is able to from Unishire!"

      "Don't lie to me. I know the truth."

      "Patrick! You got this far without me! You can make it to the end! Now is not the time to argue!"

      "Come on, Patrick. He is here to help, so let's go finish this and stop this organization from destroying the world." Gumdrop urged.

      "Do it by yourself." Patrick said as he picked up his things and made a way for the exit.

      "Where are you going?" Mordecai asked.

      "Home."

      "There will be no home left if you go now. We need you!"

      "Do it by yourself. You always have been the hero of Unishire. When I thought I had my chance, you stole it away."

      "Is that what this is about? No one knows I am out here! They all think you are saving them! Once Shane told them that you were willing to save them, they rejoiced because they knew you were capable of this. We are all cheering for you. I came after you because I wanted to be sure you were safe. Good thing I did. Now you can finish your quest."

      "It's yours now." Patrick grumbled.

      "Ok fine," Gumdrop made a look to Mordecai to say that he would be able to help. "If you won't do it for your home, do it for yourself so you have a place to live."

      "I am not selfish!" Patrick blurted out.

      "Then prove it," Mordecai stated. "Everyone, including me, believes that you are not selfish. That you are a hero worthy of living in Unishire. Now you just have to make yourself believe it too."

      Patrick was stunned. "You don't think I am selfish?"

      Mordecai smiled. "Of course not. Now let's go save Unishire!"

      Patrick was not entirely thrilled, but Mordecai was right. If he was selfless, he had to believe it. Like Gumdrop had said. He needed to show integrity and prove to himself as well that he was a hero. For him to believe it, he needed to finish this mission. "Ok, let's do it!"

     The trio ran into the hallway where a group of passing Petpets immediately saw them and quickly called security. Gumdrop let loose a mote that exploded in the hallway, separating them from the Petpets. The group ran the opposite way as they made their way to the main room.

      "How did you do that?" Patrick asked Gumdrop. The Jinjah turned and winked at Patrick. The trio retraced their steps to the main hallway. They came to the entrance leading to the center of the enormous dome structure and Mordecai kicked the door down as they charged in.

     "Stop this now!" Mordecai shouted. The Meepit turned to see the trio in surprise.

     "Who- no matter. It will be finished soon." Mordecai charged and swung at the Meepit. With a wave of her hand, Mordecai was laying on the floor, sword spinning away as it slid across the floor. Gumdrop launched several motes, exploding on the Meepit. Smoke hung in the air as they held their breath. Was it over? The smoke started to clear revealing a small blue shield. As soon as Gumdrop realized his attack didn't work, it was too late. A flick of her hand and Gumdrop crumpled to the ground, an invisible force seemed to be sitting on top of Gumdrop.

     Patrick stared at his foe. "This ends here!"

     "You are right, young one." The Meepit cackled. "It will be over soon." Patrick saw that she was clenching both fists into balls, possibly using some other form of magic to control Mordecai and Gumdrop. Producing a smoke mote, Patrick sent it flying towards the Meepit. Releasing her grip on Mordecai, she sent the mote flying back at Patrick, hitting him in the gut, and sending him into a wall near the entrance of the door. She clenched her fists again as Mordecai slumped into the ground. "It is too late, deary. We were nearly charged when we lost the entrance to the end of the rainbow. We just needed a little more power. Agent Splyke should be powered up shortly" Patrick looked up, horrified. A bell chimed like a timer on an oven. Captain Meepit smirked. "It is finished." With that, an explosion erupted below them and the whole building shook. A moment later the floor caved in and the Meepit spun around to see a Splyke standing in the room. "How did you escape?!" She demanded, startled.

     A voice came to Patrick's ears as though he were hearing with his ears and his mind as the voice echoed inside his head. A voice clearer than he has ever heard as if the words were written into his brain. "Did you think you could contain me? You bested me once and I learn. All that time I was planning on how to bring you destruction. Little did I know that your friends would tell me exactly how you would try to trap me. I planned how I would overcome the traps and bring you a worse fate than you have already suffered. I decided that seeing your dream of my suffering will never be completed. You will agonize that your long existence was nothing more than starting a spark that will set all of Neopia ablaze. The world will become my eternal inferno and I will make sure that no one can ever best me again. Your pathetic life ends now."

     In a panic, the Meepit threw a flurry of strange motes at the Splyke. As the Petpet sauntered forward, he made no effort to stop the barrage. Nothing slowed him down as he closed the distance between him and the Meepit. The motes hit the Splyke and burst on his skin, but they seemed to be as if the Meepit were throwing snowballs at a moving statue. The organization leader scrambled away, but she fell and was unable to move. The Splyke stared intently at the Meepit as she seemed forced onto her hands and knees. The Splyke touched her head and in a blazing flash, her scream started and ended at the same time. The Meepit disappeared from the room, only clothes remained.

      "Her long life is finally over." The voice seemed to come from the Splyke, but his mouth never moved. Just as Patrick was wondering who this Petpet was, the Splyke seemed to answer him. "I am agent Splyke. I was a secret weapon for an organization that has been buried along with your history. I was programmed with the knowledge of Burvju Deju by one of the wizards themselves. The Meepit adopted the policies of my organization as her own to cover her tracks and to make my demise that much worse- created and destroyed by the same folks. Yet I saw through the façade and now I will destroy all that she worked to accumulate in this world." Patrick didn't even say a word.

      "Pathetic." The Splyke's words seemed to come into Patrick's brain louder, creating a new sense of pain. "You think you can stop me? I was released as a last resort to save the organization that created me. The only thing they did not know was that I have one motive. Destroy. Once I accomplish this, I can be at peace in the hopes that I too will destroy myself and end my miserable existence." Mordecai wobbled to Patrick's side. Gumdrop was already on his feet.

      "Go. I can take care of this clown." Gumdrop said, the most serious he had ever been. Mordecai took Patrick by the hand and dragged him out of the room.

      "A worthy opponent. The voice of the Splyke entered Patrick's head even outside the room. "I sense more magic in you than that Meepit. I cannot enter your mind. You must guard yourself. I hope you are ready to die." The words ceased and explosions ensued.

      "What went on in there?" Mordecai questioned once they were outside the room and a good ways down a hall.

      "You didn't hear him?" Patrick asked, wanting to go back and help Gumdrop.

      "You did?" Patrick informed Mordecai of what had happened and the need to be hasty. "Luckily I know where the valuables are. Hopefully a shamrock made its way there." Mordecai dragged Patrick down a hallway to the left and they went a long ways before a locked door blocked their path. Producing a key, Mordecai winked. "It's nice to come prepared." They entered the room. Boxes stacked to the ceiling lined every wall.

      "They could be anywhere…" Patrick moaned.

      "Or not." Mordecai walked over to a box sitting near the stacks, but was not placed on top. "These crooks are lazy." Digging through the box, he surfaced with a green shamrock, its glossy surface reflecting the small portion of light from outside. Wrapping it in a cloth Mordecai handed the object to Patrick. "If we restore magic to the rainbow, it might help Gumdrop take out Splyke. If he can't we are all doomed."

      "Then that's all we can do. Let's go!" Patrick said as he followed the Dragoyle out of the room. They retraced their steps outside to the hallway and found the base deserted as they exited the building except for a few Petpets lying around unconscious. Everyone else seemed to have run away because of the explosions. As they made their exit, a metallic groan boomed throughout the base. The entire structure seemed to be collapsing in on itself as the destruction the Splyke had caused was irreversible.

     Once out of the building, they ran a good distance away. The building erupted as pieces of building exploded into the sky, shrapnel landing nearby. Finally, they were far enough away from the immediate danger for the time being. Mordecai extended his hand out towards Patrick. "I'll take the Shamrock."

     "Why? So you can be the hero?" Patrick still had his doubts.

     "You're not still on that, are you?" Mordecai was baffled.

     "I know what you want. I know what you are like." Patrick said unchanging.

     "I don't think you do. Let me take you somewhere." Mordecai soothed, asking for the shamrock again with his hand.

     "So you can take the shamrock and run off? I don't think so."

     "Do you trust me at all?"

     Patrick thought for a moment. "Well… maybe a little."

     "Then give me the chance to prove that little possibility that I am not here to make things harder on you, but I am here to help you."

     "How can you prove that?" Patrick stood poised to run if he suspected any foul intentions.

     "Let me touch the shamrock and take you somewhere." Patrick stared at the Dragoyle intently. Was he possibly a bad guy? Was this even the real Mordecai? Was he being tricked? Patrick hated not knowing, but he was curious. Revealing the shamrock, Mordecai placed a hand on the glassy, green figure. In a blur, the two were whisked away flying towards an unknown destination. Surroundings seemed familiar, but Patrick was confused. All of a sudden, he spotted the area where Unishire was hidden. The two flew inside and down the streets and into a house. Inside, they found a female Dragoyle and three little Dragoyles.

     "Where is daddy?" A small Dragoyle child asked.

      "Yeah… I miss him." Chimed another.

      "He's coming back soon. He said he was getting food." The mother seemed uncertain. An awkward pause separated the conversation, letting tension grow.

      "Is Mr. Patrick going to save us?" a third child asked.

      "Of course!" The mother seemed to be sure about one thing.

      "Is daddy helping him?" The mother's worry dissolved into loving hope.

      "Knowing Mordecai, I am sure your daddy wanted to help Mr. Patrick. You know how much he has been trying to help him. Your father sees so much potential in that Psimouse and he wants to be sure that Mr. Patrick knows for certain that we all believe in him and consider him part of the Unishire family." The family faded from view as Mordecai released his grip on the shamrock.

      Patrick stood there stunned and finally managed to speak. "You never mentioned you had kids."

      "You never asked." Mordecai smiled down at Patrick. "They believe in you. Do you believe in yourself?" Patrick thought a moment.

      "Of course. Let's go help Gumdrop!" Patrick grabbed ahold of the Shamrock and saw the path to the end of the rainbow; the entrance was on the other side of the base! He handed the rock to Mordecai who was informed of where to go and followed Patrick as they started running around the outskirts of the base, the two saw the disintegrating base as it was being blown apart from the fight between the Splyke and Gumdrop. The Jinjah needed to hold off the enemy for a moment longer so they could restore magic and hopefully somehow give Gumdrop more powers to overcome his foe. Patrick hoped that Mordecai was right that the Jinjah was linked to the end of the rainbow.

      A sudden blast from the base sent a large piece of metal flying through the air. It landed beside Patrick knocking him over and sending Mordecai through the air onto the ground. Standing up, Patrick realized that Gumdrop was on the chunk of metal and he had landed right next to him. A series of words entered Patrick's head similar to the voice of Splyke, but much kinder and smoother, as if his brain was basking in honey. "He is coming! I just stopped an attack!" Patrick whirled around to face the base and tried to defend himself, but was unable as the Splyke's projectile came at him too fast. Gumdrop dove in and stopped the attack.

      "Fool! I have already won!" The Splyke came through Patrick's head. "I will finish this last effort of yours to stop me! You will not save that rainbow!" The Splyke made a huge fiery ball and launched a beam of energy at Patrick. For some reason, his feet were unable to move, as if he was forced to stand in the direct line of the fire. Gumdrop stood up and slowly flew up in front of the line of the beam. Hovering, the inferno swallowed the Jinjah. In his dismay, Patrick watched as the fire swirled and burned.

     "Gumdrop?" Patrick whispered. Was the Jinjah gone? Suddenly the flames evaporated into thin air in a small burst as Gumdrop floated mid-air unaffected.

      "Do not harm my friend!" Gumdrop shouted. "Deal with me first!"

      "Although I cannot read your mind," the Splyke said. "I can predict your plan. This one you are not even trying to keep a secret with how poor you are protecting your last hope. Saving the rainbow! I can feel its powers and it is beyond the point of reparability."

      "Then I should be no match!" Patrick could hear the conversation clearly, but he knew Mordecai wouldn't understand. Turning around to see where the Dragoyle landed, he realized that the Petpet was limping towards him. As Patrick ran to help his friend, the first audible noises emitted from the Splyke. A noise similar to a metallic scream and deep groan, as if a hundred Splykes were crying out, radiated from the Petpet like a war scream. Gumdrop returned a loud war cry himself as the two exchanged motes the sizes of giant Tyrannian omelets.

      The motes exploded in the air, shaking the ground beneath Patrick. Agent Splyke took his time concentrating and suddenly launched a beam of black energy at Gumdrop. The Jinjah swerved upward, narrowly dodging the attack and made a beam of his own, its golden beam surging towards the Splyke. The Splyke changed the direction of his ray to meet Gumdrop's one in the middle of the two fighters.

      Rushing over to Mordecai, Patrick made sure he was okay. Clenching a side, Mordecai assured him he was as he limped towards the battle. The two sources of energy met in the sky, creating luminous colors of crimson, gold, sapphire, and emerald. The Dragoyle flew up into the air slowly, unable to keep his movements straight. He came upon the backside of the Splyke and took a painful swing, wincing in pain as the sword came down.

      In a split second, the Splyke dodged out of the way of the sword and Gumdrop's beam as he knocked Mordecai from the sky. With a powerful back hand blow. The Dragoyle clunked against a tree and landed harshly on the ground, unconscious. "Your efforts to stop me would entail everything? Including dishonorably striking me in the back? I am ashamed for you." The Splyke spoke without moving his mouth, his voice echoing inside Patrick's head painfully. The Splyke whirled around and launched a ginormous beam at Gumdrop, larger than Patrick had seen yet. As the beam came closer to Gumdrop, the Jinjah did nothing to stop it.

      "Gumdrop, no!!" Patrick yelled. The beam surprised the Jinjah as it enveloped him in its black energy. The ray seared and sizzled as it started vanishing. The ray contorted the skies as it shot out and suddenly shot back into the Jinjah like fish swimming in and out of their home. The beam had vanished and Gumdrop opened his eyes, seemingly unaffected. Patrick was confused, but it looked as though Gumdrop had absorbed the attack! He paused a moment, black energy rippling through his body like electricity.

      "Pathetic. You can't hold onto pure Darigan energy!" the Splyke's words revealed his confidence in near victory.

      "I know. You can have it." With an iconic pose, a sudden beam five times larger than the Splyke's, scorched the sky and brightened the whole world of Neopia as the massive form of concentrated energy landed on the Splyke and encased him. Surrounding the enemy, the Splyke looked as though he was screaming, but nothing came out. The robotic Splyke turned to ash and the ash was burnt to a crisp.

     "You wanted to end your miserable existence. You're welcome." Gumdrop spat. Patrick was ready to celebrate when Gumdrop crumpled in the sky and fell head first into the dirt.

      "GUMDROP!!" Patrick rushed to his side.

      "Gumdrop?" Patrick whispered. Patrick leaned down next to his injured friend. "Gumdrop?" he whispered again. "What happened?" The Petpet coughed as he stared into the sky and blinked a few times. "Gumdrop? Talk to me!" Patrick choked on his words, restraining water from flooding down his face. The Jinjah rolled his head over to peer into Patrick. Worried, Patrick scooted over to Gumdrop and picked up his head, placing it in his lap. "G-g-gum-" Patrick couldn't finish his words as the tears broke free from their imprisonment. Patrick sobbed as he remembered their adventure. How could he let this happen to his only friend? He had never felt this way before. A pain deep in him. Was he hurt? No, there was no physical pain. Gumdrop is the only friend Patrick has now. The thought of losing his only friend scared him; it hurt him. Patrick couldn't hold back his sobs as he gasped for air.

     "Patrick." Came a weak voice. The Psimouse looked up, surprised and hopeful.

     "Gumdrop?!" Came the excited response.

     "You cry…" Gumdrop coughed excessively, "because you are selfless." At this, Patrick lost all self-control. Even in his injured state, Gumdrop is able to help Patrick with his knowledge and words. Patrick thought to himself about what Gumdrop had said as he blubbered uncontrollably. Selfless. Patrick knew now that he was not selfish and he believed that with all of his heart. That was the problem. His heart was in pain. Someone who had come into his life might be leaving. Patrick thought back to previous pains. Losing his Petpetpet Mr. Green. Being hated by the people of Unishire. Being alone. His thoughts went to his family. No- he couldn't think about his family. Yet out of all these thoughts, none compared to the pain of holding Gumdrop in his arms, his fragile life fading away.

     "I HATE CHANGE!!" Patrick screamed as he wiped the tears away and continued his frenzy of tears. A soft touch held Patrick's shoulder. The Psimouse looked up to see the Jinjah smiling again.

     "Change is something we don't want. Change is something that we can't prepare for, but change is something we need. You see, without change, the world wouldn't have the flower. It changes from a seed to a bud, to a beautiful flower. There are challenges along the way, but these challenges will refine you for greater things." Gumdrop started coughing again as he whimpered in pain.

     "Thank you." Patrick smiled as he ran dry on tears. "Change helps the flower bloom." Pondering the thought, Patrick couldn't help but let his smile grow. Gumdrop coughed and let out audible pain. Noticing this, Patrick leaned in. "What can I do to help?"

     "I am putting all my magic inside my gumdrop button, and I want you to use it to restore the magic. I was planning on sacrificing myself as that would restore the magic, but hopefully this will do the trick.

     "Not the gumdrop button?!"

     "The gumdrop button." Gumdrop assured. He removed a small gumdrop button and handed it to Patrick. "I am at peace with my life. Know that I l-l-love…" Gumdrop's pained words were unstable.

     "I know. If I see your family in there, I'll tell them of your heroics and that you love them. They'll be proud of you." Patrick smiled.

     Gumdrop shook his head. Lifting a finger he pointed to Patrick. "Love." With one final breath, Gumdrop fell back, out of the world of Neopia. His laugh, never to be heard again. His jokes to remain a mystery along with his past. His wisdom gone. His hopes and dreams never finished. His life had ended abruptly.

     "You loved me?" Patrick bawled uncontrollably, hot tears pouring down his cheeks as he gasped for breath in between loud sobs. He felt the love of the friendship between them and the loss of it was all too sudden. His tears fell like the rain as a comforting hand warmed his shoulder. Patrick looked up to see Mordecai. Maybe he wasn't as alone as he thought.

     "He was brave and saved the world. They may never know, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't a hero." Patrick thanked Mordecai for his words and stood up and embraced the Dragoyle.

     "Thank you for being there for me, even when I wasn't wanting your help. You truly are a friend." The Dragoyle smiled and squeezed Patrick.

     "Well let me bury our friend. You go and take his gumdrop and restore the magic to the end of the rainbow."

      Releasing his grip from Mordecai, Patrick looked at the empty body of the Jinjah. Gumdrop had seen the good in him. Was his death worth all this? A breeze picked up, rustling through the Petpets and the memories. The night by the fire, when all hope was lost, Gumdrop never gave up. He would never give up on him, too. How was Gumdrop at peace with his life? Was he satisfied seeing the progress in Patrick? Maybe change was good because now Patrick was opened to a life outside of his refusal of growth.

     Patrick had bloomed.

     "Gumdrop never gave up and neither can I give up!" Patrick vowed. "I am going to restore the magic. I'll be back soon."

     "Good-luck. We are all supporting you." Mordecai said. Patrick marched away. He turned back to see Mordecai gingerly picking up the body of Gumdrop as he walked slowly to a line of trees. The irony of the scene was peculiar. The burning structure of an old base, burning scraps of the organization lay in ruin, scattered across the field. Yet, amiss all the destruction, Mordecai was carrying his best friend to be buried.

     "Mordecai?!" Patrick shouted. The Dragoyle turned to look. "Let's wait to bury him. Let's tell his parents once I fix the rainbow!" The Dragoyle smiled and nodded. He started walking towards the trees. Patrick would enter first, save the rainbow and Unishire and restore magic to the world of Neopia. The Psimouse smiled back at Mordecai as he turned and approached the pair of trees marking the entrance to the end of the rainbow. The base burned behind him; it was nearly destroyed. Yet the beauty of the end of the rainbow lay before him. He knew that once he passed through the trees, he would find the end of the rainbow and he would have to restore it. His journey would come to a close.

     How would he get home? He would go back the way he came. Hopefully Mordecai knew the way home. He hadn't thought of returning home. Patrick fingered his green hat. Would the folks at Unishire welcome him? Would they be happy? He was preoccupied with his mission that he hadn't seen past the end of it. He thought this might have been his farewell journey, but he was realizing that he would like to return home and start his life anew. Prove to the residents of Unishire that he was a changed Psimouse and that he wanted a second chance to prove it to them. No matter. He had gotten this far. He would take the future as it came, one step at a time. He approached the tall pine plants. The treetops swayed as they brushed by nearby clouds. This was it.

     Patrick entered. The scene was how he remembered, but better and worse. The plants were colored a more vividly, the grass was defined by depth and shadow. The foliage seemed to be maintained as they were not overtaking the central lake or the trees. The grass was at a perfect length. Patrick hadn't realized that the flowers flooded into the nearby field. The magic gateway seemed to open into a new world of color and beauty. The sky was even different as it was a deep blue color that gave the illusion that the clouds were swimming in the ocean.

     Patrick was not thrilled to see that the lake was a black color and the rainbow he had first seen when he used the Shamrock was now pale and faded. The contrast of the beauty surrounding the lake made the waters and rainbow all the more ugly. First thing was first. He wanted to find Gumdrop's parents.

     "Hello?!" He shouted. "Jinjah family?!" Patrick looked around. "I have news of your son, Gumdrop that I would like to tell you about!" No response. Patrick was about to start walking to the lake as he was giving up that anyone lived here when a Candychan appeared in the sky.

     "Hey, kid." The strange Petpet called.

     "Hello? There are Petpets here! Do you know where I can find the parents of Gumdrop, the Jinjah?" Patrick was excited.

     "Sorry, kid." The Candychan fluttered onto the ground nearby. "The Jinjahs left in search of Gumdrop ages ago. They haven't returned. Sorry." The Candychan looked defeated.

     "Oh. Well… Gumdrop was brave. He saved Neopia today by defeating agent Splyke. Thought someone would need to know."

     "He defeated agent splyke?!" the Candychan was more surprised than Patrick was expecting. "You mean dufus actually defeated the worse villain the world has ever seen?"

     "Yeah!" Patrick was excited to share this moment with someone that Gumdrop had formerly knew. "He had absorbed pure Darigan energy and shot it back at Splyke and the agent puffed into ash and was completely disintegrated!"

     "I am warning you," The Candychan muttered, "The power contained inside agent Splyke will have gone somewhere. Be careful as he was very powerful. I would not be surprised if someone rose to power soon." Patrick nodded in understanding.

     "I hope his parents are proud of him."

     "I am sure they are. In fact, they are looking down on him and smiling right now!"

     "Are they gone?" Patrick wondered.

     "Unfortunately, we think because they were gone from the rainbow pool for so long, that their old bodies were unable to handle the world. We creatures drink from this pool to sustain our long lives." The Candychan explained.

     "There are more of you?"

     "Yes. They are hiding right now because they are scared of you. I am the head guard, Tom Bathel. I officially welcome you to our home." The Candychan bowed. Cheers all around Patrick greeted him. Patrick introduced himself.

     "Why thank you! I am Patrick, nice to meet you, Tom. I do have one more thing to say before I restore the magic to the end of the rainbow. Gumdrop perished in his fight against agent Splyke. That is why he is not here with me now. I have his gumdrop that will restore magic to all of Neopia though!"

     Tom merely nodded. Then Gumdrop is the one looking up to his parents, who have finally been reunited. Gumdrop was a troublemaker and was expelled from our home to the regret of many. His parents wanted him back, but he felt as though he needed to prove something and so he refused to come home. At last I think he has found where he belongs- with his family."

     Patrick smiled and held back a tear of pride. "That's my boy, Gumdrop."

     "Come. If you said you were here to help, you may try. We have done everything. We are prepared for the worst, but if you think you can help, by all means. The pool has lost most of its magic and so the magic of Neopia is slowly dying. In order to restore it, just throw that magical gumdrop into the pool of water and it will be absorbed by the rainbow. The magic will course through the rainbow as the arch that holds up the skies will bring magic from one end to the other end. That's the nice things about rainbows: there are always two sides. Come now."

     The Candychan led Patrick to the pool. At the pool, there was a rocky surface leading down to the water level of the pool, like a vertical cave. The Candychan said it's farewells as Patrick descended down the rocky face surrounding the pool entrenched deep in the earth's terrain. Before Patrick had started his climb down, the Candychan had explained that the walls that he would scale were the walls that contained the lake as its level was once as high as the ground above. The level of the water showed how much magic was left. Judging by how low it was, there was not much. Patrick scaled nearly one hundred feet of sheer rock to land at the bottom of the lake. He was shocked. There was grass and a wide expanse, like a second room. He thought he had seen the black waters above, but they were a reflection. These black waters were darker than the emptiness of space. Yet these facotrs were not what had bothered Patrick. The Psimouse looked over next to the pond to see a red Psimouse, sitting down on a rock, waiting.

     "Hello and Welcome! How ugly is that pond?" Nash stood up and walked over to Patrick.

     "Why are you here, Nash?"

     "Cut right to the chase, why don't you? I see you found a new way to the end of the rainbow. Too bad Gumdrop had to perish for a pointless adventure."

     "It wasn't pointless! I will save Unishire!"

     "Fine, fine." Nash rolled his eyes. "But first, I want something. I wasn't to deal with our past, Patrick."

     "No!" Patrick was caught off-guard. He hated thinking of his past.

     "You want to move on, and I think it is time that we do. Before you save Unishire, you need to listen to me. In order to save Unishire, we have to get all the weight from your past off of your shoulders."

     "I am ready for future change as that is what helped me grow to who I am today. I am not ready to discuss my history."

     "What is your name?" Nash seemed annoyed.

     "My name?" Patrick was astonished by the simple question. "Easy. Patrick."

     Nash laughed. "Have you really deceived yourself that much? What is your real name?"

     Patrick was taken aback. Suddenly, pain resurfaced in his mind. Memories. In his agony, Patrick fell to the ground as he remembered his name. "My name?"

     "I know you know it. What is your name?!" Nash was impatient.

     "My name…" Patrick clawed his head in agony. He rolled on the floor of the grassy cave as his memories seemed to be opening up, like locked doors. Patrick stopped from his writhing and slowly stood up. He looked Nash in the eyes and glared at him. He was furious that Nash had made him remember what he was trying to lock away. All the pain of his life before Unishire. "My name is Leprechaun." a desensitized look had overcome him.

     "That's right. Leprechaun. Your name means trickster. That's what you are. You play tricks, jokes. You are greedy and look how you wound up at the end of the rainbow with nothing but that treasure you call a hat." Nash pointed at the green hat. "Now say it again."

     "My name is Leprechaun."

     Nash smirked. "Finally."

     To be continued…