The cobbled path that slowly lost itself on the way to her glade was banked by Snapdraiks, giving a lively, welcoming impression to any viewer. From the months of Running to Hiding, azalea bushes bloomed beneath the windows. She saw to it that they were trimmed nicely—enough to suggest the upkeep of her abode, but not so much that she came across as snooty.

The cottage itself boasted a surprising amount of cleanliness despite its owner's penchant for gardening. Not a book on her bookshelf was out of place, there was always enough wood for the fire during the chilly months, and even the wood grain on her furniture (quarter-sawn, of course—it didn't hurt to be uppity about some things!) was arrayed in static dance.

She ran a hand across the grain, fingering the small sparkles revealed by quarter-sawing, that had once been part of a living tree. The faerie was good at creating the illusion of contentment, when in reality, she felt anything but.

Within the earth faerie's mind, a storm of panic raged, threatening the rowboat of her sanity with each passing day.

Said days passing did not help in the slightest.

Because, no matter what, nothing would change the fact that Every Holiday At Once had struck.

Which meant that Illusen Day was here, once again.

If the faerie was perfectly honest with herself, she was relieved that her day in the Month of Running had come and gone for the year. Perhaps Illusen should have been content to receive a day with her name in the first place, let alone two... After all, Taelia didn't have a special day. Neither did Mira, or Kari -- well, there was the Festival of Neggs. But there was just so much... HAPPENING. All at once. All the time. She had to keep her cottage clean. Why? Because she was Illusen -- she had not only a reputation to uphold, but a stereotype to combat (not ALL earth faeries were dirty creatures, after all!).

As one of Fyora's closest associates abroad, she had to stay current not just with Meridell's latest news, but also that of her homeland. Although Fyora's magic messages were infrequent, Illusen could be summoned (generally against her will) to council with the Queen at any time.

Also, what was this about her adopted land being the centre of Neopian Times attention this summer? She hoped it wouldn't disturb the quiet peace of her Glade.

And the questers! Lines of Neopets looking for her powerful artefacts (or just a taste of her scrumptious cookies). They were especially tiring on her special day, when so many would come in hopes of a special avatar.

And all of that would happen soon. Again.

The faerie slouched back in her green chair. But, with a start, she jumped up and snapped her fingers. She was burnt out, wasn't she? Trying too hard, helping others, not practising enough self-care.

Something had to be done.

A sharp rap at the door snapped Illusen out of her reverie.

The earth faerie harrumphed. How dare someone come and upset her dour mood? It was probably some silly quester; she shook her head, silently cursing the popularity she had such that Neopets came to her to fetch her goods -- quite the opposite of many of her sisters.

Illusen took a deep breath, fixed her hair, put on a sweet smile, and opened the door. "May I help you--" she started, and then she gasped.

Standing in the frame was...

"Aethia?" Illusen said. "What on Neopia are you doing here?"

"Queen Fyora has summoned the Council of Faeries," Aethia told her. "We must make haste."

"Now?" Illusen turned to look at her home. Was it tidy enough? Would she be able to come back and prepare properly for when Neopets arrived? Did Aethia not realise that it was Every Holiday At Once? She did not have time for a council meeting, not when --

"Illusen!" Aethia waved a hand in front of her face. "Snap out of it! This isn't a drill. Fyora said something serious has happened. She's requested everyone attend, even Mira."

This brought Illusen back to reality. Mira had been requested to attend? Even in other serious situations, Queen Fyora rarely bothered the Space Faerie, for she was often exploring various galaxies and making sure the world of Neopia was safe from threats of an extra-terrestrial nature. For Mira to be requested to attend the council meeting...that meant this truly was something of great importance.

"Let's go," Illusen said. "We can't waste another moment."

But still, she couldn't help but worry at all the mess she was leaving behind. And how disappointed all those Neopets would be coming for her avatar and finding her absent. If only she could make two of herself! Or three. Or four. That would solve everything.

No matter. She had to find out why Queen Fyora had summoned her and the others...

Aethia glanced at her, perplexed. "What do you think this means? During our entire history of Council of Faerie meetings, there's never been one so hastily announced!" They were both at a loss for words.

Once they arrived at Queen Fyora's castle, the scene was tenebrous. Papers were haphazardly strewn on the ground, a candle still burning from the night before. This wasn't like Queen Fyora at all.

Soon, others began to arrive. As Mira made her way in, her expression was full of tension. "I suppose I never thought that something like this would happen. I had been fearful, but thus far there's been nothing to justify that feeling."

Illusen turned to her, apprehensive. "What do you mean? Do you know why we are here?"

Suddenly, her cleaning problems seemed very far away. Spring was often idle, the season served as an excuse for the slow days. Sitting at home, the warm infusion of tea - this is what Illusen wanted. Not another Illusen Day, not this surprise meeting, and certainly not whatever was happening now.

Aethia pointed downwards. On the ground, was a note in a hasty scrawl...

Mira clasped her hands together, concerned. "I found it during one of my galaxy explorations on the way home. The note was hovering in the atmosphere mere miles from the Virtupets Space Station. I rushed to Faerieland to report my findings to Fyora at once. I even interrupted the Hidden Tower's hours of operation as a note of this nature could not wait. She closed early and immediately summoned The Council of Faeries and now here we are."

The note remained crumpled on the ground, appearing like a harmless forgotten piece of litter as opposed to the grave threat it truly was.

Illusen gasped softly and met Aethia and Mira's troubled frowns with a grim look of her own. "It was written by no other than Commander Garoo, the reference to being defeated by the Resistance makes that very clear. I fear we may be in grave danger."

Just then, Fyora swept into the council room, her long dress billowing behind her in her wake. Even when worried, she was still so graceful.

"Thank you all for making haste." She picked up the note and held it up for all to see. "By now, you all may have realized great trouble lurks around the corner. Commander Garoo has declared he is on the rise once more. This note suggests he is looking to take over multiple Neopian lands. It is imperative we get ahead of this serious threat. Here is what I propose..."

Illusen winced. The only good thing that had come out of this new development was being able to briefly forget the long lines of questers brought about by Illusen Day having a repeat performance. But if Fyora was bringing it up now...

"Does it have anything to do with Commander Garoo's threat?" the earth faerie asked.

Mira cleared her throat. "Allow me, please, your Majesty." After Fyora inclined her head, the Space Faerie continued. "Dr. Sloth may have been defeated, but much of his technology remains. No doubt as Sloth's most loyal commander, Garoo has access to most, if not all of it. Before I found the note, I found the remains of one of Sloth's secret laboratories."

"Well, it's not a secret anymore," Illusen commented before she could stop herself. Though she was mildly embarrassed, Mira went on as though the earth faerie had not spoken.

"Based on the plans that I found, one of Sloth's inventions was a device that could tamper with time. It could rewind time to any select day, but it had a design flaw that allowed you to rewind to different days at once..."

"Or rather, different holidays at once," Fyora finished. "It's why I kept getting so many 'happy Fyora Day' greetings."

Mira nodded. "The Time Scrambler is a dangerous device to be allowed in Commander Garoo's hands for too long. We need to find it, and destroy it, fast."

"But how?" said Aethia. "We don't even know what it looks like, let alone how to find it!"

"Based on what we found in the laboratory, we can track down the Time Scrambler based on where the concept of time is most distorted. So, if we find a place that has been particularly affected by every holiday happening at once..."

"We can find both the Time Scrambler and hopefully, Commander Garoo," said Fyora. "And put a stop to his plans."

At first, Aethia seemed to be convinced, but then she asked, "How will we find the Time Scrambler? We don't know how it looks like!"

"We should find it in a place where the distortion of time is particularly strong," Mira replied.

"Where the distortion of time is particularly strong..." The Battle Faerie snapped her fingers and glanced purposefully at Illusen, who could only stare at her.

"Wait. Are you saying..."

"Yes," said the Faerie Queen. "In order to stop Commander Garoo, we must first go to your Glade, Illusen..."

“Hi Nanci,” She called to the blue Ixi that ran Ye Olde Petpets. The shopkeeper scowled at Illusen and continued taking down her sale sign, ‘3% Off Turtums!”

“What’s going on?” Illusen asked.

“The sale is cancelled,” she grumbled. “I’m lacking interest today.” And she slammed the shop door, flicking the Closed sign to the window.

“Her behavior seems odd,” Mira said.

“Indeed,” Queen Fyora agreed, quickening her stride. “Let’s continue on to the Glade. Make it known if you see anything else peculiar.”

“Like that?” Aethia said, pointing. The cluster of faeries halted on the dirt path, peering towards the hulking form of Turmaculus who was… decorated for Day of Giving? The slumbering beast was bedecked with a fluffy green and red hat, garlands of popcorn, and sprigs of mistletoe. Dozens of Symols sporting wreaths and berries were jumping around the snoozing giant, hanging colourful ornaments off his back.

“Happy Valenristmaween!” A passing Grey Grarrl shouted, making the group of faeries jump in surprise.

“You seem uncharacteristically chipper,” Mira noted.

“Well we only celebrate this holiday twice a year,” the Grarrl replied, as if he found their solemn moods to be a personal affront. “Well, I’m off to the Rubbish Dump. I heard a rumour there’s a twenty-four-leaf clover in there.”

“The closer we get to the Glade, the more ridiculous the activity. We must be getting close to the Time Scrambler,” Mira said, leading them up the path towards Illusen’s home.

The Earth Faerie felt a sense of dread as the roof of her cottage appeared over the treetops. The Council rounded the bend to find…

From behind a pile of Genius Neggs appeared Topsi, the flamboyantly coloured cyborg Cybunny, even more deranged and unhinged than usual. She hopped through her nest of Neggs as she seemed to ignore the council, her joints rotating in a way that appeared glitched.

“There’s something very wrong here…” Mira said, trailing off in disbelief.

“Yeah, even I feel weirded out by this,” Jhudora admitted with a grimace.

The council made their way to the door of the Glade where questers were lined up in a daze. The Neopets awaiting their quests and Illusen Day avatars appeared to be frozen in time, unblinking and unmoving.

The Council of Faeries scooted past them and through the door. There seemed to be something pulling them into the den, like an invisible vortex or energy portal.

Fyora paused. “Wait.” She held out her hand. “Do you hear that?” she whispered…

Then she heard it.

"It sounds like...whirring?" Her frown deepened. Her Glade was surrounded by nature and magic; this whirring sound reminded her of strange gadgets created from the Virtupets Space Station or Kreludor, or even Neopia Central's evolving technology. And judging from the look on Mira's face, the Space Faerie was thinking the same thing.

"We have to find out where it's coming from," Mira whispered urgently.

"Just...just be careful with my things," said Illusen as the Council of Faeries began searching throughout her Glade. While Aethia did her best to move the bookshelves as gently as possible, Jhudora had no qualms overturning a chair in their search. Illusen sighed as she tried to follow the mechanical hum.

It led her to her stack of firewood. But when she touched it, it did not feel like wood at all. And she of all the faeries present would know real, top-notch wood.

Immediately the earth faerie waved her companions over to her fireplace, and knocked on the firewood within their hearing. It responded with a metallic, hollow sound, and the whirring grew louder.

"This must be the Time Scrambler," she said. "But how do we turn it off?"

"Step aside," Jhudora answered, her palms already aglow with poisonous green flames. "Don't worry, I'll try not to burn down your home. Can't have you going out of business and all."

Fyora gasped. "Jhudora, wait - "

The dark faerie did not wait, and shot a bolt of energy toward the fake firewood, melting away its facade to reveal a strange cylindrical device with several buttons, a number display down its length, and not a few small switches. Somehow, despite a few scorch marks from Jhudora's spell, it was still whirring, various numbers flickering across its display.

The whirring was drowned out by the sounds of several footsteps milling about, grass crushed underfoot, and a barrage of voices.

"Huh? What are we doing here?"

"We were supposed to get quests from Illusen today, you idiot! It's Illusen Day, our one shot at the yearly avatar!"

"Yeah, but where's Illusen?"

"She's inside," a cold, clear, sinister voice boomed out over the din. "With other nasty faeries trying to end Illusen Day so none of you can get her avatar, and trying to end all these glorious holidays."

"Oh no! I haven't even started my Half Price Day shopping! What do we do, Commander Garoo?"

There was a short pause before the voice that was presumably Commander Garoo answered, "Make sure they do not take the Time Scrambler, or you will never have holidays like these again..."

"You got it, boss!"

"Think of all the half-price hot dogs!"

"Free training for everyone!"

"Weewoo!"

And then someone with a more strategic mind shouted, "Oi Grunt! Get over 'ere an' break down this wee door ay?"

The leaves that clustered around the rim of her door began to quiver as someone large threw their weight against it. Illusen winced, thinking about her expensive enchanted door hinges, which never squeaked or rusted. "For Fyora's sake! The door's unlocked, you mischievous miscreants!" she called out.

Jhudora shot Illusen a look of superior disbelief. "I suppose privacy really is dead," she scoffed. "But then what did I expect of primitive glade security?"

While Jhudora amused herself with her astute, yet petty, jabs, a riot of rabid questers jostled themselves into the crowded cottage. A mutant Grundo in a straw hat, who Illusen assumed to be the one called 'Grunt', knocked into a shelf with her precious teacup collection and a few fell to the ground and shattered.

"Be careful!" Illusen shouted, pulling at the lustrous tendrils of her auburn locks in anxiety.

"Haha, you'll never get that avatar now," a bucktoothed Meerca joked at Grunt. "Hey does anyone know what this Time thing looks like?

"I bet they have it," a slovenly Kacheek rumbled from Illusen's comfy chair, his dirty feet propped up on the matching footstool. "You know, you'd better hand it over, ladies! You're outnumbered!"

It seemed the spoils of every holiday at once was starting to affect the manners of her followers, Illusen reflected. Or was it Garoo's influence?

The intimidatingly smooth and stately dressed Blumaroo was pushing his way into the room, displacing several rioters as they strove to move out of his path.

Illusen and Jhudora, in sync for once, both instinctively moved in front of the Time Scrambler, still whirring away in the fireplace. Unfortunately, the Commander's keen eye was on them, and this gave them away.

"It's in the firepit!" Garoo cried. "Seize it!"

A wicked-fast Mynci swung herself across the ceiling using Illusen's delicate wisteria and ivy décor, darting between Jhudora and Fyora's zaps. When Garoo had the device, he quickly began programming it. Neggs began to pop into being around them - void Neggs, wild Neggs, chalkboard Neggs --

"He's bringing back Festival of Neggs Y23!" Mira gasped. "Fyora bless us!"

"I'm right here, Mira." Fyora said. "And I'm not sure if even one of my blessings will be enough."

But just then, the Space Faerie ... evaporated? There was a whoosh of cosmic dust, and she was gone.

Jhudora worked it out first. "Of course. Mira wasn't here during Negg Festival last year. I guess she's gone back to wherever she was then."

As more and more Neggs had started to make the cottage even more claustrophobic, the questers had started vacating the mayhem that was Illusen's house.

But Illusen was distracted, puzzling something out. "But if Mira's gone... does that mean...?"

CRACK! Topsi's large metallic cyborg foot smashed onto the hardwood floors as he appeared out of nowhere. "BZZZbRT. Weapons systems locked on! You found me! I guess I'll have to find a better hiding spot!"

Garoo laughed wickedly. "Looks like you'll be too busy to stop me now. I'll be on my way. Topsi's been programmed to keep you all here while I go take over Neopia. Good day, faeries." He pocketed the Time Scrambler and turned to leave, his cruel thin lips almost smiling.

But just as he walked out, Fyora sent a glimmer of white light from her staff. Garoo hardly seemed to notice, and walked out the door.

The faeries looked at their queen in dismay. Topsi continued to wave his blasters at them and chatter nonsensically. Fyora ignored him, picking up a teapot from the table, tipping it over, and out tumbled... the Time Scrambler! "I have a few tricks up my sleeves, you know," she winked. "I've swapped the Scrambler with one of your teacups, Illusen. We don't have a lot of time before Garoo notices the cup in his pocket. What should we do? I don't know how to work this device. I'm more magical than technical."

Illusen sighed about her teacup. But she had an idea. "If Topsi's here and Mira's gone... then won't Doctor Neggistential be here too? He could help, I'm sure."

Jhudora's jaw dropped. "Hey Illusen, that's ... not a bad idea."

"Oh. It is? Well, thanks J." Illusen blushed.

And with that, the rest of the faeries began to toss a tirade of spells at Dr. Sloth's Topsi cyborg, keeping him distracted while Illusen slipped away. Sure enough, she found the doctor wandering around the glade in a befuddled state.

"Oh good day Illusen, I seem to be in your glade. How curious. I feel there is a Cybunny I need to help, but I can't remember why. And I also believe it might be my birthday. A kind elderly Draik gave me a marvellous slice of lemon cake earlier and sang to me. There seems to be some anomaly in the fabric of time, but I don't know what it could..."

Illusen pushed the Scrambler into the doctor's hands. "It's this!" she cried. "I don't have time to explain it all, but this is making every holiday happen at once. Can you shut it down?"

The doctor sat on a nearby rock and began to study it. "Ahh, what a beautifully constructed artefact..." He pulled down one of his magnifiers on his headpiece and was lost to his tinkering.

While he worked, Illusen thought through possible hiding spots so the device would never be found again, after it was shut down. She thought of Topsi - the real Topsi they had seen earlier and his piles of Neggs - and realised it was a perfect plan. She would place the device inside an armoured Negg and give it to Topsi to keep hidden in his massive Negg collection. Garoo would never think to look there: after all, in his mind, Topsi was the problem, and not the solution, right?

Certain of her next steps, she felt relief tumble through her. The vine of anxiety that had clutched at her throat all day loosened. Things were always always happening, she realized. Anything could happen anytime. But there was possibility in it. She thought smugly of Jhudora's face when she had come up with the idea to save the day. Like the wild beings of her precious glade, she too had proven she could grow and change with the seasons. Even, she chuckled to herself, every season at once.