"Assistant!" he yelled.

The subordinate inquired, trembling with fear, "Yes, master?" Dr. Sloth had taken care of his previous assistant for failing to appropriately follow his orders, thus clarifying why this minion was a Mutant Gelert, and not a Shadow Grundo like the last one, who was never seen again.

"Bring in the prisoners" Dr. Sloth exclaimed.

His assistant rushed off, and returned soon afterwards with the inmates, a Darigan Kougra and a Faerie Uni. The two had been captured soon after Sloth started taking over all of Neopia. Even though the annual mind control lab event was the event with the highest attendance ever, some Neopets still refused to participate. Although most of them were faeries, Lord Darigan still had hatred against Dr. Sloth and would not surrender to his reign.

Dr. Sloth asked them with an evil grin, "Do you know why you’re here?"

"Y-yes, mister Sloth sir. We were brought here since we wouldn’t let our minds be controll-"

"SILENCE!"

The minions expressed concerns. They had heard the previous prisoners’ screams. Soon afterwards, they witnessed multiple ghost pets leaving the room.

"You are here… because I have chosen to give you a chance to escape. Or… one of you to escape."

The two inmates exchanged intense looks. They were unaware that there was a possibility to redeem themselves in the holding cells…

After a moment, his trademark malicious grin spread. “The two of you are going into a new project I’ve been working on. I know how much young Neopians love to play games like Neoquest and advert attack so I’ve devised my own… version.” He let out a low chuckle and continued. “You will both go in, but only one of you will come out. The one who wins the game gains their freedom.”

Neither Twilight nor Trestin dared to ask what would happen to whoever didn’t win the game. The Gelert guard motioned the two young ‘pets to follow him to what looked like a portal behind a curtain.

“Oh,” said Sloth, gesturing as though he needed to add an important point that had slipped his mind, “don’t bother trying to work together and beat the system; there is a fail-safe built in for that. Good luck!” he added in a falsely cheerful voice.

Trestin and Twilight hesitated a moment before the portal; they looked at one another, nodded, and stepped through…

...and the ground ending in a sharp drop off a cliff.

When Twilight struggled to their feet, they realised that Trestin was no longer with them and that the portal they had entered through was gone. They stuck out a hoof in the space where it had been and found only air.

Gently - despite being a Faerie Uni and therefore blessed with the gift of flight - Twilight ventured toward the edge to peer at the landscape below. As a cool breeze lifted their mane, they saw more of the idyllic scenery, with bushes in clumps below alternating with more patches of flowers. A path wended from there to verdant plains and rolling hills.

For a moment, Twilight could kid themselves that they were not part of Dr. Sloth's newest nefarious plan. But this was supposed to be a game - where only one prisoner could win and walk free. The Uni looked around, fully expecting Sloth's minions to be lurking somewhere, blasters at the ready.

Flapping their wings, they took to the air experimentally. Still nothing.

But when Twilight decided to dive down to the foot of the cliff, an arrow whizzed past their ear. Veering off course, the Uni caught a glimpse of the archer who had taken aim at them.

The flash of purple fur was unmistakable. It was Trestin.

* * *

Trestin's parents had told him he was named for a northern village in Meridell said to be the birthplace of heroes. Right now, he did not feel like a hero; instead, he felt more like an outcast.

Sloth's portal had taken him to a village that was probably like the Trestin he imagined from the stories he had heard. There were several cosy houses with wooden or even straw roofs, a number of Neopians going about their daily business, though not without glancing every now and again at the Kougra, and even Babaas, Snorkles, and Wibreths running around.

Trestin shook his head; all of this had to be fake. Surely this was still part of Sloth's evil plan. He scowled; he wouldn't be fooled. He avoided everyone's gazes and followed the cobbled path through the village, looking for anything that would remind him that this was only a sick game that he had to win.

No, he and Twilight had to win. Whatever the fail-safe was, surely he and the Uni could -

"Bandit! He's here to rob your houses! Get him!"

Trestin whipped around to find several villagers already picking up rakes and shovels. Others pointed at him and shouted angrily.

Cold with dread, he noticed that one of the villagers already lighting a torch was Twilight...

Dr. Sloth laughed maniacally as the split screen before him lit up his toothy grin. There were undetectable drones above both participants, filming their journeys in real time.

“Look at them both… Just astonished! How incredibly entertaining,” he giggled with a squeeze of his hands.

“Yes, master. They’re both so terrified and betrayed! Well done, well done,” an Orange Grundo minion said with a clap of his hands as a crew joined in behind him.

Ignoring his mind-controlled staff, Dr. Sloth continued, “Hmmm, but it could be even more entertaining. Let me try to… Shake things up a bit.”

The towering, green overlord turned a knob on his control panel slowly, as if for dramatic effect.

* * *

“Trestin, it’s me!” Twilight shouted. “It’s me, put the bow down!” They hovered towards their Darigan Kougra counterpart.

Without a word, another arrow shot towards them, just barely missing the Faerie Uni’s horn. They were sure that Trestin heard them, so it was clear the arrows were aimed on purpose and with malice.

Twilight knew they couldn’t fly for fear of an arrow striking their wings. Wings in flight would be too much of a risk, too hard to control…

“How could Trestin turn on me like that? And so quickly, no less,” Twilight thought to themselves. “No matter the answer, I’ve got to find cover.”

They spotted a tree line in the distance to the Southwest. Once touching ground, Twilight darted towards it on foot.

* * *

Unsure of how Twilight joined the crowd of villagers, Trestin took off. He ran through the groupings of shoddy houses, dodging the villagers who thrust their hands out, trying to grab him. After a few minutes, he outran the angry mob and found refuge hiding in an alleyway behind a wheelbarrow full of rocks.

“Think… Think! I have to find something to disguise myself, but what? Where?” the Darigan Kougra asked himself aloud, barely audibly.

In the backyard of one of the nearby houses, he saw a clothesline just a few yards away…

***

Having never worn non-Kougra clothes before, Trestin was dreadfully inexperienced. A brown hat on his feet, a baby bonnet tied around his bottom, and a poncho over a pink, prissy swimming costume, he looked like...well, he didn't look like anything at all. The villagers, however dumb they were, noticed Trestin "sneakily" edging towards the bridge over the river bank.

"There's the bandit!" Someone yelled. With a thunderous roar, the villagers charged straight at the Darigan Kougra.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Trestin shouted. He gulped. There were two options. The bridge was too far away. He either stayed and get beaten, presumably to death, or jump. It was obvious which was the more attractive choice.

Trestin jumped into the rushing water. "Oh drat!" The villagers screamed in frustration.

***

"OH DRAT!" Dr. Sloth screamed in anger. His minions tried to calm him down. A Mutant Gelert tentatively questioned his master, "Master, b-but-"

"GET ON WITH IT!" Dr. Sloth interrupted, looking like an active volcano ready to erupt.

"T-the Trestin boy, sir, may have 'accidentally' got washed into-into t-the-" The minion stopped short, looking terrified and gulped.

"T-the Cave Of Doom, m-my l-lord..." The Mutant Gelert stammered.

Dr. Sloth pondered this for a while, nodding his head. "Oh, yes, yes, haha, the boy won't know what hit him!" Dr Sloth began twiddling knobs and dials on his master control pane.

"AND GET ME SOME ICE CREAM!" He yelled to his minions.

"Yes, My Lord, sir!" The minions recited in unison as they scattered everywhere.

Startled and confused, Twilight continued their path. While walking, they wondered about the fate of Trestin. It was difficult for them to continue this alone as they used to have plenty of helpful friends before Sloth started to take over Neopia and-

That's when they realized and stopped. That noise... Since they jumped into the portal, an annoying, although distant buzz settled in the back of their head. And just now, they began to notice it. It reminded them of those sounds Moquots make moments before they sting. Yuck!

Paying attention to their surroundings, Twilight localized the buzz. It was... above them? But there was nothing, only the blue sky! Confused, they unfolded their delicate wings and started to fly. The sound diverted, but it was still present. They continued rising, and the buzz faithfully followed them, now from below.

Putting all of their attention on their ears, they localized the source of the buzz, and... bingo! Twilight kicked with their hooves at the invisible object. It fell to the ground, making a metallic sound. Quickly, they jumped over and held it with their hooves.

***

Ice cream in hand, Sloth roared with laughter as he watched the helpless Kougra being carried down into the gloomy cave. But the evil genius was already getting bored and decided that it was time to “pay a visit” to his other victim. He placed a spoonful of Neocola ice cream into his mouth and pressed a button. The image on the screen changed to... a blue sky.

“IT CAN'T BE! Where’s that miserable Uni?” shouted Dr. sloth. And as soon as he said this, he felt the ice cream giving him a brain freeze.

But the instant he recovered; he saw the image starting to change. Now the blue sky had big eyes and a horn! It was Twilight looking directly at the camera.

"That’s impossible! The drones are completely invisible."

Dr. Sloth shot a glance at his staff, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Make the drone use its trap mechanism. I want the fate of this Neopet to be the same as the other one!"...

***

“Ouch!” Twilight exclaimed as they dropped the drone. The drone had emitted a rather painful shock and left Twilight’s front hoof numb. “This can’t be happening,” they thought. “I was so close to getting a clue, and now I don’t know where the drone went off to.”

They were right. The buzzing of the drone had died down completely. As Twilight started looking around for any other clue, their throat started to feel dry, and all they could think about was getting something to drink.

“I need to find any sort of stream,” they said aloud to themself. “I won’t be able to think clearly or make it much longer.” So they continued to fly ahead until they noticed a rather ominous cave. They then started to hear the rushing of a stream.

***

As Trestin was being rushed down the water’s path, he couldn’t help but think back to the angry mob. It was still so raw yet shocking seeing Twilight with the group.

“How could they,” Trestin thought. “I know only one of us can win this game, but surely there is a loophole.”

***

“How much longer until he reaches the Cave of Doom?!” Sloth angrily asked the Mutant Gelert.

The Gelert shrugged. “It looks like the Tristin boy is still far away but…”

“Enough!” Sloth exclaimed. “I need to go for a walk. He better be there when I get back…”

“B-but my lord, the Uni,” the Gelert started to say as he noticed Twilight coming close to the entrance of the Cave of Doom. “They are about to…”

“Didn’t I say enough?! I thought I told you to stop?! There is no possible way they are going to find it!” Sloth exclaimed as he turned away.

***

As Twilight approached the entrance of the cave, they noticed a trickling stream. They were ecstatic. Finally, they could take a refreshing drink! As they put their mouth towards the water and began to drink, they noticed something sparkling under the water.

“Could this be?!” the Uni exclaimed…

How will this story end?

Looming up ahead was a frighteningly large and endlessly dark cave. Trestin attempted to grab onto the river bank, but even his long Darigan claws were no match for the river's mighty current, and he was left holding clumps of grass and mud. He realized his only option was to hold his breath and wait for the river to drag him along with its stream.

Once the waters were calm enough for Trestin to resurface, he blinked a few times to try and adjust his vision, but the cave was pitch black. After a moment of wading, Trestin found the edge of the pool of water that the river fed into and gently climbed out onto the cave floor. He could hear the sound of flapping wings and the squeaks of Barbats that seemed like they were miles away.

Trestin held out his arms to feel around for the cave wall. He shuffled quietly forward and...

"OW!"

Trestin leapt back in surprise, his heart pounding. What was that? WHO was that? He heard the sound of someone fumbling, and after a moment, a match was lit. In the small flickering light, Trestin could just barely make out the Neopet in front of him. A Shadow Grundo?

The Grundo looked just as startled as Trestin as they both took each other in.

"Oh my Fyora," he muttered under his breath. "Sloth's sending the prisoners in here now?"

***

With Sloth out of the room, his minions crowded around the screen, quietly murmuring.

"Do you think they're gonna..."

"I mean, they have to see it, right..."

"Should we do something?"

Before any of them had a chance to react, they heard the sound of a very large machine powering down. The lights in Sloth's control room momentarily dimmed as the electricity struggled to power the entire Virtupets station. Sloth's staff grew silent.

It was too late.

***

Twilight reached down, their mane just barely dipping into the water. Their hoof landed on the sparkling object: a key! Holding onto the muddy river's edge, they grasped the key. It turned slowly before clicking into place. Suddenly, there was the sound of electronics shutting down as the entire world seemed to be shuddering around them. The water, the sky, and the grass all began to flicker out of life.

Twilight was now sitting on the tiled floor of a lab, surrounded by a huge dome. The walls were dark, but they could see the outline of a faint grid. About 20 feet away stood Trestin and a Shadow Grundo holding a match looking at each other.

Trestin and Twilight gradually laid eyes on each other. Immediately hot with rage, they stormed toward one another.

"Why did you start shooting arrows at me?! Where did you even find those?!"

"What are you talking about? And you were the one coming after me in that village mob!"

"Huh? Stop lying, I can't believe you--"

The Shadow Grundo shoved himself between the two fighting friends.

"No, both of you, you don't understand. None of this was real. Sloth can recreate anyone inside this machine and make them do what he wants. He was trying to turn you against each other."

Twilight looked down at the Grundo in anger before his words hit them. They did think it was strange how quickly Trestin had betrayed them, especially when they walked in at the same time. Trestin, too, had been shocked and confused seeing Twilight in a mob of strangers.

"Wait...So where are we? What is this?"

A brief look of pride flashed on the Grundo's face before explaining.

"It's a virtual reality room. I helped build it. You can do anything in here! You can go anywhere! You can--"

"Okay, okay, that's great and all, but if you built this thing...does that mean you know a way out?"

The Grundo's face turned from pride to mischief as he began looking around the dome.

"Why...I believe I do remember that."

***

Sloth's staff stood frozen in fear waiting for him to walk back into the room. Sure enough, they soon heard frantic stomping, and the door whipped open, causing papers to go flying in every direction.

"WHAT WAS THAT SOUND?"

The Gelert's voice wavered as he opened his dry mouth to answer his boss.

"They're gone, sir. They all got out."

The End