Being Invisible gave many benefits to Marty, his life was going just the way he wanted it to. He could get into any concert for free at the Tyrannia Concert Hall. The Pant Devil never saw him so, he never had any of his items stolen. Marty could even sneak into King Skarl's castle if he was ever hungry and wanted a free meal.

The Ixi would always brag to his friends how easy it was to go through life, as an Invisible pet. His friends usually rolled their eyes at his bragging but, Marty figured they were just jealous of him.

Deep down, Marty wasn't completely happy with being Invisible (but he wasn't going to let others know it.) At times he wished he could look into a mirror and see himself. Also Neopians always looked at him funny when he wore his outfits. Since they could only see his clothing and not him.

Despite this the Ixi still figured he had a good life, and he wanted to stay Invisible.

Until one day when he went fishing and his hook had caught a strange looking bottle. It appeared to have something inside of it that was green and moving...

The trouble was with determining which potion it was. Marty was familiar with the most basic of the morphers, blue and green and the like, but never before had he seen so bright a brew. Neon, he would have said, if he had to put a name to the greenish liquid.

So there was that, at least. Neon was a color, good and fine, but what of the inky whorls streaking it through? That could only be said of Darigan morphers, and those at least had wings and scales to better distinguish their effect. This bottle, however, seemed a part of both, swirling and bubbling most fiercely

And then he saw, creeping up from the depths of the potion in fluid stripes, the first hint of a rainbow...

Anyway, it couldn't hurt to try, could it?

Marty threw back his head and tipped the potion down his throat: it felt strangely cold in his mouth. Nothing happened, so he waited. He stood there for a good ten minutes before shrugging and deciding to head back home. The potion was useless.

But just as he turned around, a thrill went through his body, like electricity. All of a sudden he felt dizzy and he tripped on something and hit the ground hard.

'Excuse me!' someone called; their voice sounded high-pitched and feminine. 'Sir, are you all right?'

They can see me, he realised.

Marty groaned and rolled over to face the speaker. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at a faerie Shoyru, who stood over him with concern on her face.

'I'm good,' said Marty. He sat up abruptly and scanned the area, looking for anything that might show him his reflection.

The Shoyru tilted her head to one side. 'Hey, you looking for someone?'

Marty stared at her. 'Do you know where I could find a mirror?'

She sighed and dug around in her handbag, eventually pulling out a small hand mirror. 'Here-' Marty snatched the mirror off her and she growled at him, but he was too absorbed by his reflection to pay attention.

He touched his face. He certainly wasn't invisible any more. Nor, indeed, was he an Ixi - he was now a Darigan Scorchio.

Putting her hands on her hips, the Shoyru said, 'What happened here, anyway? You look kinda... I don't know what you look like, but it doesn't look like everything's OK here.'

Marty looked at her. 'Well, I found this-' he shivered. Again, his head span and he collapsed. He heard the Shoyru call out for help but no-one came - as far as he could tell. The world seemed distant to him so there was no way he could be sure.

When his head cleared, the Shoyru gaped at him - in bafflement, shock, horror... he couldn't tell.

'You-y-y-you... good Queen Fyora.' The Shoyru shook her head slowly, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Marty glanced at the mirror and nearly dropped it.

He was a Mynci now. A blue Mynci.

Just what was that potion doing to him?

He struggled to his feet and stumbled a few steps before he turned back to the Shoyru uncertainly.

"Could I... borrow your mirror actually?"

The Shoyru nodded and held it out to him. "I think perhaps you need it more than I at the moment. I wish you the best of luck with your...situation?"

"Thank you for all your help," Marty said sincerely before hurrying off. He knew he had to go quickly, who knew when the dizziness would hit him again with a new transformation?

"It's a good thing Faerieland is firmly on the ground now," Marty thought to himself. "Trying to get thousands of feet up in the air with the knowledge that at any second he might pass out would be truly terrifying."

A hint of purple fog was just coming into view when he felt that tingling that he was coming to realize was the forerunner of the transformations. Quickly he found a large rock by the side of the road and sat with his back firmly against it. No need to lose any extra brain cells.

The feeling of an electric shock jolted through him and his vision darkened. A second later, he opened his eyes and reached for the mirror he had borrowed. What would he see this time?

He'd become a Speckled Skeith! Marty looked at the purple fog that now surrounded him and felt a sense of danger. He recognized the area as Jhudora's Bluff.

"I'd best be on my way. I wouldn't want to run into any --!"

"Trouble?" A slimy voice said from beyond the fog. "But, my dear, it seems you've already found yourself there." A tall, faerie-like figure emerged from the fog and looked on at Marty. Her long purple hair flowed behind her, and she donned a green and purple dress that seemed to ooze with the fog that surrounded the bluff.

"You seem to have caught yourself in quite a pickle, there, little Skeith," she said as a most disconcerting smile snaked its was across her green lips. "I could help you... in exchange for a little help FROM you."

Marty was nervous, and incredibly wary of this dark faerie. He'd heard nothing but trouble ever came from "helping" her, and the last thing he needed was to be in deeper trouble than he is now. "Miss, please, I don't have the time. I need to make my way to Faerie City... or the Healing Springs... Or anywhere but here!"

"You don't have the option!" The faerie nearly yelled. Marty cowered and looked for a way to get out of this situation. Just then, a voice called from beyond the fog.

"Jhudora! Leave this poor Neopet alone."

A light began to shine within the thick purple fog, and another faerie made her way to the clearing where Marty stood. As the light around them faded, Marty felt a sense of calmness and looked up to see...

“Illusen!” Marty sighed in relief. Illusen would be much more helpful to him.

“Not so fast,” Jhudora said through gritted teeth. “This isn’t your territory, Illusen. This Neopet owes me a quest.”

Illusen planted her hands on her hips. “He said he’s just passing through on his way to Faerie City. You’ve been forcing a lot of Neopets to do your bidding lately and I’ve come to tell you to tone it down.”

“Go back to the Glade,” Jhudora said. “He’s doing a quest for me.”

Illusen frowned. “No, he’s not.”

“Oh yes he is!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

Marty glanced back and forth between the two, but the movements started to make him feel dizzy. He blacked out before he had a chance to sit down.

He came to laying on the grass with Jhudora and Illusen staring over him. Illusen was frowning in astonishment but Jhudora had an eager, excited look about her.

“I need your help,” Marty said, turning his attention towards Illusen.

Yet the earth faerie shook her head. “Actually, you need her help...”

"What do you mean?" Marty asked. His confusion only grew at the faeries' sudden changes in attitude. Only minutes before, Illusen had been determined to help him, and now...

"What's going on?" he demanded, scrambling up to his feet. Except... he didn't have feet. They had been replaced by one long tail.

Marty stifled a groan and searched around for the mirror. In his daze, he had let it fall to the ground; Illusen now handed it to him with an apologetic expression. Marty raised the mirror to his face and saw a Chocolate Peophin.

"It looks like you've swallowed one of Jhudora's inventions," Illusen informed him grimly. "Apparently she thought this would be a funny joke..."

"It is funny," snapped the dark faerie. "You just need a very special talent to see it. It's called a sense of humour, have you heard of it-?"

"Enough," Illusen said firmly. She looked at Marty once more. "I'm afraid she's the only one who can help. Only she knows how."

Marty was beginning to feel the impending terror at the prospect of striking a deal with Jhudora. Nevertheless, he turned to her. "Fine. I'll do whatever you want, if you turn me Invisible again."

A smile twisted the faerie's green lips as she laid an arm across Marty's shoulders. He shivered. "Wonderful."

"What do I have to do?"

"Well..." Jhudora started leading him towards her Bluff. "I think I've found a way to make this... situation work for both of us."

"Really?"

"Oh yes," Jhudora said earnestly. "I will turn you Invisible again... If you help me make another bottle of this potion..."

Seeing no other solution, and with Illusen's stare burning holes through his new tail, Marty stretched a slightly melted hoof toward the dark faerie. "If I collect these ingredients, you'll fix... whatever this is. Do we have a deal?"

Jhudora took his hoof and shook it. "We have a deal."

"So... what do I have to get?"

A grin crept slowly across Jhudora's face. "Oh, nothing too difficult to find--a sample of rainbow fountain water, an empty Neocola bottle..."

"Okay, sounds easy enough--"

She cut him off with a laugh. "And a sample of Meuka's snot."

And he had a pretty good idea of where.

After sneaking around in several trash cans, he found a good Neocola bottle to contain the snot he was going to collect. He took enough time to let him transform so he could have a clear head. This time as a Starry Hissi.

He slithered, old Neocola bottle in hand, to the Healing Springs. There would be plenty of Sneezles inflicted Neopets waiting to be fully healed by the kind water faerie who works the springs and it didn't take long for one to show up.

A Baby Tonu with a sniffling nose shivered up to the springs, begging the water faerie to help him. "Here's my chance," thought Marty.

But no Meuka. The Tonu was healed and off on his marry way.

"What! No! But! Meuka??" Marty stood there looking around, stammering.

"Meuka? That horrible infectious green slime? EW, what do you want with him?" The water faerie's face wrinkled up like a wadded sheet.

"I... Need his snot." Marty said plainly, hoping it would calm the faerie some.

"EEW! EEW! Oh that is GROSS!" The water faerie turned away hiding her face. "Why would you need THAT?"

Marty, quickly thinking of Jhudora and her, reputation, continued to act calm and say, "I. Just. Need. It."

The water faerie shrugged, "Well we all have reasons, I won't pry. But you do know that only when you're first infected with Sneezles does Meuka appear right?"

"I'm going to have to get sick aren't I." Marty shuddered at the thought of purposely getting sick.

"Yes. And you know what, I will be right here for you the whole time. Over here, watching. Just to cure you when you're done with your, collecting."

Marty already started to feel sick, maybe it was Jhudora's curse or maybe it was nerves, but no time to feel anxious, another sniveling Neopet was walking up to the spring.

A Purple Kougra, droopy eyed and tired came shambling to the healing spring's waters. Before she was going to set one paw into the spring, Marty jumped out, "I am so sorry about this," and then rubbed his hand all over the Kougra and then his own face. Then Marty, suddenly feeling weak, began to sneeze.

"EHEHEHEHE!" A gurgling giggle came from the sky, crashing before them was Meuka, "Snot your day is it? EHEHEHEHE! Come challenge me in the batt-"

"No time, need mucous." Marty awkwardly swung his bottle, open neck first at Meuka, catching some of his slimy essence in it. Marty exclaimed, "I did it!" and collapsed.

Meuka stood there confused, "You know we usually settle this sort of stuff civilly, in the battledome. Which I'm just going to head back to, come by maybe, strange... Faerie Ruki that I swore was a Starry Hissi a moment ago."

Marty woke up to the water faerie staring directly at his face. "Are you ok? That was very brave of you."

"Thanks, I feel more gross than brave right now, honestly." Marty chuckled.

"If there is anything else I can do for you, just ask." The water faerie said, helping Marty back up.

"Actually, there is one thing..."

The water faerie tapped her chin thoughtfully with her index finger and gazed thoughtfully at the Faerie Ruki. "Yes," she said finally, "I think I CAN help you with that, as long as you promise you aren't up to anything that will cause anyone any trouble. She paused. "You aren't, are you?"

"No, no," Marty said hurriedly. "I just need them for a potion so I can return to my original color and species, an Invisible Ixi."

"Alright then, sounds reasonable," said the water faerie. She hastily scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to the Ruki. "I've written a little note to the Rainbow Fountain faerie so things should go smoothly for you, but you better hurry! She can be very difficult to track down." The water faerie smiled kindly and waved Marty on his way.

Marty hurried to the Rainbow Fountain and showed his scrap of paper to the Rainbow Fountain faerie, who graciously allowed him a sample of Rainbow Fountain water, and rushed back to Jhudora's Bluff, where he proudly presented the dark faerie with his findings.

Jhudora eyed Marty coolly, seemingly not the least bit impressed. "Took you long enough," she griped as she snatched the items from Marty's outstretched hands.

Illusen, who was sitting on a nearby tree stump, rolled her eyes at Jhudora's rudeness but remained silent as she watched the dark faerie closely. Marty was really glad she was still there; truth be told, he didn't want to spend any time alone with the dark faerie if he could help it.

Jhudora placed her newly acquired items on her workbench and set to work, deftly mixing together a potion using the items Marty had brought her, plus a few dashes of other random things from various vials and jars that sat on a nearby shelf. She mixed two potions; one for Marty as payment, and one to replace the original potion Marty found and drank while fishing. Once finished, she whirled around dramatically, purple skirt whirling around her ankles, and presented the concoction to Marty.

"Drink up!" she said cheerily. TOO cheerily, Marty thought. He reached hesitantly for the potion.

"Wait!" Illusen cried. "Do you swear, on your powers as a dark faerie, this potion will return Marty to his true form?"

Jhudora sighed in exasperation and raised her right hand mockingly, as if taking an oath. "I swear I will meet the terms Marty and I agreed to," Jhudora said, but she didn't quite meet Illusen's steady gaze, which gave the earth faerie pause, but she couldn't see any way for Jhudora to sneak in any tricks, so she waved a hand at Marty, indicating he should proceed.

Without hesitation, Marty gulped down the potion and immediately felt a tingly sensation sweep from head to toe. When it was finished, he turned to the two faeries. "Well?" he asked, "can you see me?"

Illusen, looking mildly surprised, replied first. "No, we can't. How do you feel?"

"Fine, I guess," Marty said uncertainly. He took a couple unsteady steps forward, stumbling a bit as he went. Marty frowned, perplexed. That's weird, he thought; it's as if...

"Hey!" Marty cried out in surprise. "I have two arms and two legs instead of four legs! But Ixis have four legs! What gives?" He glared at the dark faerie even though she couldn't see him.

Jhudora smiled a wide, triumphant smile. "I made you Invisible again, as you asked, but you never specified a species, so I tried a new potion, just for you, that will turn you into different Invisible Neopets!" She clapped her hands gleefully at the thought.

Illusen gaped at the dark faerie, open-mouthed in shock, but recovered her senses quickly. "That's not fair!" she cried. "You swore to return him to his true form!"

"I said I'd make him Invisible again, and I did," Jhudora said smugly. "I met the terms of our agreement, as I said I would."

Marty had remained silent up to this point, mulling over the situation. He had been appalled at first, but, after some thought, he'd made a decision.

"It's fine," Marty told Illusen. "She's right; I didn't name a species, and besides, I DID want a change, and now I'll have the best of both worlds! I'll be invisible, but I will also experience life as a wide variety of Neopets." He sighed. "Anyway," he admitted reluctantly, "it serves me right for not being happy with myself in the first place. I learned two valuable lessons today. The first is to not make bargains with Jhudora, and the second is to be happy with who you are!"

Illusen smiled despite herself. "You better get going," she told Marty. "Jhudora and I need to have a little chat, and it would be best if you weren't here for that."

Jhudora rolled her eyes at this, but remained quiet, as Marty turned and headed for home.

I guess I actually learned THREE lessons today, he thought to himself. The third lesson is to not drink weird, unrecognizable potions you find while fishing. He shook his head at his own foolishness and trudged toward home.

The End.