Once upon a time, in the peaceful and sunny lands of Meridell, there lived a handsome young Lupe ruler, named Prince Cleshay. His father had gone off to war in distant lands, and left his son in charge. The citizens of the land adored the young prince, for he was a fair and just ruler.

Also in this land lived the young and beautiful daughter of a peasant, Ella Ghent. She was the most beautiful Aisha Prince Cleshay had ever seen. Every morning during his ride through the countryside, he would smile and wave at the young Aisha as his steed passed the small farm her family owned.

One day, during his daily ride, the prince heard some disturbance in the forest. Dismounting his steed, he wandered into the woods to see what was the matter. A flock of Crokabeks zoomed past him, letting out startled and angry cries. The Lupe peered into the clearing, curious as to what had alarmed the forest creatures. There, before him, stood an awful sight. Edna, the feared witch of the Haunted Woods, was throwing a fit in the forest.

"AGH, my spell is ruined! Come back here, you brainless feathered beasts! I need you for my spell!" she screamed, stamping her feet on the ground.

Irritated at finding such a foul person harassing the forest animals, the brave prince stepped into the glade. Now, see here! These lands are peaceful; we do not need any of your dark magic here. Go back from whence you came!"

Edna turned and glared nastily at the young prince. "Fool! No one tells me where I may or may not venture. You shall pay for your foolishness!" With that, the witch drew a dark pouch from her cloak, and flung it at the prince, before disappearing in a flash of smoke herself.

Dazed, the prince lifted his arms to rub the musty smoke out of his eyes, but found they would not reach! He looked down at his body and saw that he was entirely green. The witch had turned him into a Mortog! Panicked, he hopped about, unsure of what to do. He noticed the branches above were slowly gathering with Vullards and Cyodrakes, so he hopped out of the forest as quickly as possible.

He rushed in a blind panic all the way out of the woods, until "SPLASH!" He had landed in a pond...

"Hey," said one of the Mortogs, "It's a new one."

The prince gaped as he heard the Mortog's friend add, "Welcome to our humble a-toad."

The other Mortogs crowed with laughter at the joke. "A-toad, abode... get it?"

"That's a good one, Lance!"

The Mortog who had spoken first hopped forward.

"So pal, you're a prince just like us, then?"

Prince Cleshay simply nodded and gulped froggily.

"I was Prince Ivan. I was promised to the Snow Faerie - can you believe that, a Wocky married to the Snow Faerie?!? But on my own, away from home for the first time, I chanced upon the forest and saw a witch in a dark cape and..."

"You interrupted her spell and she turned you into a Mortog, right?" said Prince Cleshay.

"Yep," said Prince Ivan's friend. "I was Prince Lancelot, going on a quest for the Earth Faerie Illusen. She wanted - what was it? - oh, right... the holey Faerie mug or something stupid like that. What they heck does she want a mug with holes in it for anyways? So yeah, we're all princes here."

"Hey, that's not true!" yapped a voice from the back.

"Don't mind her," said one of the other princes. "Pain, really."

"I am so NOT a pain!" shrieked the Mortog. "I'm the cousin of Princess Lilac! I'm a GIRL, thank you!"

The other princes acted as though they hadn't heard her.

"Wants her tea, needs her glass slippers, can't sleep on anything but a stack of mattresses..." continued Prince Ivan.

But Prince Cleshay had his eyes riveted on the beautiful Mortog lass. He could see her as a young Lupe--white, glistening, smiling her pearly teeth at him... all thoughts of the Aisha maiden flew from his head. He was in love... with a Mortog...

...unfortunately, impetuous adolescent that he was, Cleshay had picked the worst possible target for his ardor. Lady Clio (for that was her name) was selfish, rude, and completely incapable of taking care of herself. The other princes explained to Cleshay that the very first day she appeared in the pond, she'd sat haughtily on a lily pad ordering the flies to fetch her tender young elderberries and other such nonsense. When Ivan had politely pointed out that flies were for eating, she ordered him to the dungeons.

"Give it up, Cleshay," Lance told him. "She's completely disillusioned. Beauty isn't everything, you know."

But this only made Cleshay love her more. "She's a born ruler," he sighed dreamily. "I will have her by my side as my queen..."

The other Mortogs croaked in disgust and hopped away, leaving Cleshay to ponder his warty love in peace.

Meanwhile, only a few toadhops away, one of Edna's fugitive Crokabeks was watching the Mortog pond intently. One of the Petpets was sitting tantalizingly close to the edge of the pond--a plump, juicy female. Cleshay, glancing over for another glimpse of his lady-love, was horrified to see the Crokabek hop closer, then suddenly lunge and grab Clio. As he watched the dark bird flap clumsily toward the forest, his squawking prey dangling by one leg from his beak, Cleshay knew what he had to do. He hopped soggily through the reeds, following the shadow of the Crokabek...

"Where does he think he's going?" Lance questioned the other Mortogs. "Trying to rescue Clio, is he?"

"I say good riddance to her! A royal pain she was!" Ivan croaked with a laugh.

"Well, we'd better go look for the lad." said another Mortog. "Make sure that he doesn't get himself into trouble."

All the others agreed, so they all hopped out of the pond after Prince Cleshay.

Meanwhile, Ella decided to take a stroll and go wildflower picking. She knew that the prettiest and most fragrant flowers grew under the shade of trees, so she took the path leading to the forest with a small basket tucked under her arm. Upon entering the forest, she heard something squawking overhead. A Crokabek came crashing through the trees and swooped down, just missing Ella's head.

"That mad bird nearly slammed right into me!" she said quite angrily, watching the Crokabek zigzag its way deeper into the forest, until it was out of sight. Ella noticed that it was holding something green in its beak, but she didn't know what it was.

After walking on for a bit, Ella stooped down by a tree to pick some flowers growing near its trunk. That's when something hopped out from amid the patch of flowers.

"Eeeek!!!" she screeched, taking several steps back. However, upon taking a step closer, she saw that it was only a Mortog.

"Oh, poor thing..." she said, walking up to it and carefully picking it up. "I say, you are the most handsome Mortog I've ever seen!" she declared. "How about I take you home with me?"

She placed it in her basket and got up, going back the way she came.

"Clio..." the Mortog croaked sadly as Ella took the path out of the forest...

...Cleshay's heart was filled with sadness as Ella carried him farther and farther away from the soon-to-be-eaten Clio.

Desperate to save the new love of his live, Cleshay jumped with all of his might, attempting to hop out of the basket. When he finally reached high enough to see over the basket, he saw Ivan, Lance, and the rest of the Mortog gang hopping after them. Cleshay fell to the bottom of the basket, winding up nestled between some flowers. He looked up at the sky and jumped with all of his might. When he looked down again he was crashing into the ground. When he landed with a loud 'THUD', every bone in his body ached. He quickly recovered, however, and hopped back to the forest.

Ella didn't notice, and kept walking on home.

When Cleshay reached the other Mortogs, they quickly retreated to a safe spot in the forest and worked out a plan, which greatly upset Ivan, who was very pleased to be rid of the whiny princess.

When the plan was finally worked out, they set off into the forest to find Clio. The search seemed to take for hours, until finally she was spotted, right beneath the Crokabeks beak, which was poking her in the stomach.

When everyone was in place, Cleshay began croaking madly. The Crokabek, thrilled at the idea of having two Mortogs for dinner instead of one, took off after the prince, leaving Clio to be dragged into the forest by Lance.

Cleshay hopped along as quickly as possible, trying to avoid the Crokabek. Finally, when Cleshay was very tired, he darted into a bush and began running back the way he came. The Crokabek had definitely been fooled, and couldn't find Cleshay after that.

Once Cleshay was back with the rest of the Mortogs, they hurried back to their pond, not saying a word.

Cleshay jumped into the pond with a splash, filled with joy at the success of rescuing Clio.

"Well Clio, here is the one who saved you," Ivan said, beckoning to Cleshay.

The prince smiled broadly, expecting Clio to be greatly pleased with him...

"PAH! You call THAT a rescue?!?" she hissed. "FIRST off, you're SUPPOSED to be in shining armor, then you're supposed to fight a ferocious Draik!" She continued her Faerie-tale type rescue, each word depressing Cleshay more and more, his poor slimy Mortog heart cracking and breaking.

Far from the Mortog pond, however, the young Ella was arriving home and, to her dismay, finding that her Mortog friend had disappeared. "Oh, my poor Mortog dear!" she cried aloud. Ella's father soon heard her distress and came rushing to her side.

"You must have heard the news then, dear Ella!" the Aisha's father said. Ella looked at her father and frowned in confusion.

"Father, I don't know what you mean--"

"Prince Cleshay has gone missing! He was last seen riding into the forest, and now he has disappeared! Ohhh, poor Prince Cleshay..." the father sighed, walking outside to tend to the magical stalk. Suddenly, an idea clicked in Ella's head.

"The Mortog!" she yelled. It was common knowledge that a witch often visited the forest, always turning people into Mortogs. Could it be that her dear Cleshay was the handsome Mortog she had found?

Ella quickly ran outside, running down the familiar forest path to the Mortog pond. Maybe that special Mortog was still around there? Maybe it was Prince Cleshay?!?

Shortly, she came closer to the spot where she happened upon the darling Mortog. A distant sound of water and Mortogs came to her ears...

...following the sound, Ella found herself in front of the Mortog pond. Several different Mortogs were leaping about, and she became confused trying to figure out the one that might be Prince Cleshay. As she walked around the pond searching for her love, the real Cleshay was hiding under a lily pad.

"Oh no... Ella has come looking for me again," he muttered. He looked at the place where he'd last seen Clio, only to find that she was already gone. Suddenly, a hand reached up to grab him. It was, of course, Ella. She was scooping up all the other Mortogs, and tossing them carelessly into her basket.

"I'm bound to find Cleshay somewhere in there," she said to herself. Striding happily back to the farm, Ella retained a tight grip on the lid of the basket.

"This is all your fault, Cleshay," said one of the several Mortogs, who was being squashed by several others. "It's all because of that Aish-"

"Actually, I find her quite charming," interrupted Lance. Some of the other Mortogs nodded in agreement, saying that Ella would be a much finer choice than Clio.

"Don't think I didn't hear that," said Clio, who was on the very top of the stack. After a long, bumpy ride the Mortogs arrived at the farm. Ella quickly leapt into her room, then began releasing the Petpets. Unfortunately, this was a rather bad idea. The princes (and princess) began darting everywhere, trying to escape. Some of them even jumped over Ella.

"There you are!" exclaimed Ella when she spotted Cleshay. The young prince tried to run for it, but to no avail. Ella picked him up and kissed him on the lips. The room fell silent for a moment, then Cleshay began to morph... he morphed back iinto his state of a Lupe. A few Mortogs cheered, but then stopped upon realizing something. Cleshay's transformation was not complete! He was croaking like a Mortog, and still was partly green.

"So... she was not Cleshay's true love after all," said Lance sadly, looking at the disfigured Lupe-Mortog...

The door flew open. "Ella? I heard you scream..." Ella's father said with great concern. His eyes fell upon the poor mutated Prince. "Aagh! What? Ella, stay back! It might be dangerous!" He drew a small hatchet from his belt, swinging it 'round inexpertly. Cleshay just stood and croaked a little, sadly.

Ella raised a hand to stop her father. "Relax, Daddy," she murmured soothingly, though it was obvious from her trembling figure that she was anything but relaxed. "It's Prince Cleshay... or what used to be him, anyway." She herded her father gently out of the room, bolting the door behind her, turning to face the disfigured Mortog/Lupe. She looked anxious, disgusted and hurt.

The other Mortogs began to hop around again, a few lucky(?) ones flying out the window. The Aisha let them leave, watching as they bounced away. "Cleshay," she began, her sweet voice steely, "I don't understand. You've pledged your love to me several times. Why this, then?" She gestured to the Lupe's warty face and long tongue, which hung out of his mouth. You're supposed to return to normal if your love kisses you, aren't you?"

Cleshay looked abashedly at her floor. "Ella..." he started, in a croaking voice, then paused. "Ella, I don't want to hurt you, but I have fallen in love with another maiden," he mumbled, nodding towards Clio.

Looking up, he saw that Ella did not look overly hurt, but rather stern. "That's fine," she answered. "I don't want you anyways. Why would I pledge myself to such a fickle man? My true love must be someone else." Without any more words, she picked up a disgusted Clio, plopped her into his paws, then politely showed him the door. As the Prince turned back to see her one last time, feeling more than a little guilty, he saw her pick up Lance and kiss him right on his slimy lips...

...and Lance slowly morphed into his normal self. "Thank you, my love! I shall make you queen of my kingdom!" Lance grabbed a confused Ella's paws and raced out of the house.

"What now, freak?" Clio asked, glaring at Cleshay.

Cleshay sighed and dragged himself out of Ella's house. As he stepped outside, what seemed like infinite faces stared at him. Even some Turtums looked in shock and horror.

"This is why I don't date losers..." Clio said, hopping from Cleshay's paws, back to the pond, where she'd be free of Lupe-togs named Cleshay.

"I shall go to the woods again, and wait for the witch, Edna. Then I will become a Mortog again, and I will be able to win Clio's heart." Cleshay nodded, and realized that he felt like an idiot, for tears were forming in his eyes.

He ran off to the woods, where he found Edna, working on some brew. Without hesitating he leapt into the cauldron, making green gunk splatter in all directions. Edna, used to her usual routine, turned Cleshay into what he had been wanting to be for the past... what, seven minutes? A Mortog. A slimy, PINK Mortog. Cleshay, not considering the consequences of being pink (a color usually associated with girls), hopped back towards the pond.

There he saw Clio's back. Cleshay, smitten with love, approached the beautiful, ill-tempered champion of being rude in form of a Mortog. His splashing in the water made her turn.

"Wow, pink!" Clio giggled out. "That is SOOO my favorite color!" Hearts formed in her eyes.

"Well then, we'll kiss and become our true selves!" Cleshay said, edging closer to his lady.

"I must warn y..." Clio began, but decided again finishing what she was going to say. She was curious about what Cleshay looked like in normal form, up close.

Cleshay paid no attention to the word "warn", and his Mortoggy lips touched Clio's. Cleshay's eyes bulged when he saw Clio...

"Y-you're a Grarrl. A pl - I mean, pretty Grarrl," Cleshay stuttered, staring at his beloved with something like a mix between fear and horror.

"Mm-huh! And now that I have a prince, we can live happily ever after!" she cried, squeezing Cleshay's paw. The poor Lupe tried desperately to break free of his doom's paw; he felt like it was going to burst. Tired from all his attempts, Cleshay let Clio drag him into the woods, singing happily.

"Y-you... don't?" Lance stuttered, staring blankly at Ella.

"I'm sorry, Lance," Ella said quietly, folding her hands. "I must have felt so enraged at Cleshay when I kissed you... we're just not meant to be!" Lance bit his lip. "Oh, don't cry, I'm sure you'll be -"

"Please, please Clio, just put me down!" Cleshay whimpered, as the most beautiful Grarrl Lance had ever seen bounded through the forest towards them, pink gown trailing in her wake. Clio stopped in front of Lance and Ella, oblivious to Cleshay... until she saw Lance.

"Lance! I never knew you were a... were a..." Lance blinked, and when he opened his eyes hearts where swimming in them.

"Clio! I never knew you were--" Clio let go of Cleshay, who dropped with a scared whimper to the ground. Clio, forgetting all about Cleshay, watched as her Grarrl prince fetched a PINK wagon with white Whinnies dragging it. Cleshay and Ella sat in shock as the wagon rode away, with loud roars of, "Will you be mine, fair Clio?" and, "Yes, my Lance!"

Ella didn't want to know what happened next. Cleshay looked like he was about to mumble an apology when Ella pounced on him. "Isn't this wonderful? We can get married now, and live happily ever after!" she cried. Cleshay merely nodded; it seemed like he had been heavily abused by women today. The next day, when Cleshay fully had his senses back, they were married. The couple went to live in Cleshay's grand palace, where he and Ella ruled fairly and wisely over the land for the rest of their days, HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

The End