“Wake up” someone shouted, punctuated by a low, echoing thunder. The voice was much closer now, and I was jolted awake by its abrupt presence.

A second voice called out, “Wake up now!”

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust when I finally opened them. To my surprise, I wasn’t in bed, surrounded by all my most treasured belongings. I was lying on the front porch of the General Store in the middle of Neopia Central.

“Stand up, Cybunny!” the voices shouted at me again. “But do so slowly, and then step off of the porch.”

My head was clouded. It knew what it wanted my body to do, but my body seemed loath to comply. Eventually I managed to wrench my body off of the wooden deck. My body had never felt so heavy before. I stuck my paw over my eyes and stepped out into the torrential downpour, unable to deny the mysterious voices calling to me. As I stepped out into the rain, figures that had been distorted from a distance became much clearer. I stood in front of Lightning Lenny and Aisheena; the Defenders of Neopia.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Your name is Rory, correct?” Lightning Lenny asked.

I slowly nodded, still confused. I was annoyed that the pair refused to answer my question.

Wasting no time, the Lenny continued his interrogation, “Where were you three hours ago?”

My head seared with pain as I tried to recall where I had been. I couldn’t remember. I shrugged and shook my head. I reached for my forehead to try to comfort it in my paws.

Both Aisheena and Lightning stepped back into defensive stances, as if readying themselves to strike out. It startled me.

“Please, what’s going on?” I pleaded. “I’m really confused and don’t know how I even got out here.”

Aisheena slowly took a step forward, with her paws still in the air in front of her. She spoke slowly, but with an air of authority. “About three hours ago we received reports that the National Neopian was robbed. Witnesses on the scene described the robber as a Striped Cybunny.”

“One of them even identified you by name.” Lightning Lenny added. “So I’ll ask you again, where were you three hours ago?”

"There you are, Rory!" said a cheerful Blue Usul who suddenly appeared from inside the General Store. She sashayed to my side and looped her arm through mine, helping steady me. "Thought I'd lost you for a second!" she tittered. "Thank you for finding him, Heroes! We've been doing chores for our owner all morning and he's such a silly dawdler that he keeps wandering off."

I stared at her. I had never seen this Usul before in my life.

Aisheena frowned slightly. "If your story is true, where are your receipts?" she asked. In one smooth movement, the Usul produced a whole fistful of receipts. They were from various shops across Neopia--and all timestamped within the past five hours.

The Defenders of Neopia exchanged glances. "Give us a moment," Lightning Lenny said, perturbed. "Don't go anywhere, Rory. You stay right here."

The Usul flashed a brilliant smile before I could respond. "I'll take good care of him, Sir!" For emphasis, she gave my arm a companionable squeeze.

"Who are you?" I asked her in confusion as the Lenny and Aisha walked beneath a nearby tree to confer quietly.

"You don't remember?" the Usul asked, fixing her navy blue eyes on me. "I'm..."

"I don't," I admitted in a hushed whisper, glancing over at Aisheena and Lightning Lenny bickering under the leafy green tree. I wondered which one of them believed me; one of them had to if they were having a disagreement. "You have to fill me in and quickly! I don't think I have much time before they...arrest me." The idea was so ridiculous, the words sounded foreign.

The Blue Usul shrugged apologetically. "I'm not sure if there's much to say. My shift ended about an hour before the robbery. You were my last customer actually. I was nowhere near the scene. But the thing is, neither were you! We left the bank and together and headed towards the Neopian Bazaar to pick up those cards. I ended up swinging by the General Store afterwards because I was out of Kau Kau Farm Milk. That's where I ran into you again being questioned by the Defenders of Neopia. I just figured I'd step in and help is all. You're obviously not a bank robber."

I listened to her with intense concentration, memories of the morning slowly coming back to me. I do remember her now! The only remaining questions were - 1. How did I end up collapsing in front of the General Store? And 2. How on earth, had I all of Cybunnies, been implicated in a bank robbery of all things?

"I remember now, we almost have the same name...Aurora," I said sadly, recalling the Blue Usul's name. "I still don't know what's happening. They said there's a witness who identified me by name and paint colour."

She bit her lip, helpless, gaze fixed on the Defenders now walking back to us. "Maybe you were framed?" She suggested. "Odd question but, do you have any enemies? Anyone that would wish you harm?"

Aurora's question sparked a lightbulb moment within my mind just as the Defenders marched over and announced...

Aisheena added, her eyes narrowing as she pieced together the puzzle, "It seems like you have a doppelganger, Rory. Someone who shares your exact appearance, down to the last stripe. This individual is the one our witness must have seen. The question now is, who would go to such lengths to impersonate you?"

The revelation sent a shiver down my spine. A doppelganger? Or someone trying to frame me? Aurora's question echoed in my mind, mingling with the Defenders' findings.

"I... I think I might know someone who would do this," I stammered. A memory surfaced—of a heated argument at the Auction House over a Valentine Paintbrush. Could that have sparked a vendetta?

Aurora squeezed my arm reassuringly. "We need to clear your name fully. And find out who's behind this." Her determination was palpable, even as the rain began to ease, casting a soft glow over Neopia Central.

Lightning Lenny nodded in agreement. "We're going to need your help, Rory. And yours, Aurora. It's time to dive deeper into this mystery. We'll start with the Auction House. There might be clues there about who your imitator could be."

The Auction House was bustling with activity. My instinct was to check the items being auctioned off, but with the help of Aurora, I resisted temptation.

Lightning and Aisheena approached the Auctioneer, a stout Scorchio exuding more energy in a moment than I could muster in a day, while I decided to survey my surroundings. The Auctioneer dealt with thousands of items and Neopians on a daily basis. I had my doubts that he would provide anything of good use.

If the Pet in question was a regular, I thought there was a small chance that I would bump into him again. I frequented the Auction House, but cared very little to observe new faces. I also seldomly had a bad encounter with anyone, which lead me to believe I would recognize his face instantly, though no one stood out. I looked over at the Auctioneer who was leafing through some recent records. Maybe I was wrong.

I perused the crowd for a few minutes when I suddenly felt a light tap on my shoulder. The Defenders learned some potentially vital information.

"We are looking for a Pet who goes by Felix Calico. We believe he was the one you were fighting with," Lightning Lenny said in a low voice, directing me to a quiet corner of the building. Aurora followed, keen on learning more about the progress of this mystery slowing unfolding before us.

"Felix is a large, Orange Wocky with a limp as bad as his attitude. Is that an accurate description?" Lightning asked frankly. I was taken aback that they could learn so much by looking at old Auction House records.

"Yes. I was a bit intimidated by him I regret to say," I said. To avoid an altercation, I ran away with the Paintbrush. He had no chance catching up to me.

"Felix may easily be responsible for the bank robbery, or at the very least, an accomplice. He's already on our watch list for close ties with Uzarro herself. We've been after her for years," Aisheena added.

"But that's not making any sense," Aurora interupted. "The culprit was a Striped Cybunny like Rory. Neither Felix or Uzarro are Cybunnies."

"That's only adding to the mystery. Whatever happened, it was very well planned out," Lightning said. I couldn't help but agree. The case was growing more confusing by the minute and although most of my memories of the previous few hours had come back, I was still unsure of why I was laying unconscious outside the General Store.

I was going to suggest checking out the General Store balcony for more evidence when in walked..

"Are you all right?" She asked and I shook my head in affirmation.

When we looked down, we noticed that it was an empty Striped Cybunny Morphing Potion. We looked at each other and instantly understood what it meant.

"Felix turned himself into a Striped Cybunny to impersonate me!" I said, picking up the empty bottle. Lightning and Aisheena put the bottle in a plastic bag as evidence, while the Lenny said:

"We have no way of knowing if this bottle was used by Felix Calico, but it's certainly a very relevant hypothesis."

My stomach churned at the thought of someone in Neopia looking like me and trying to impersonate me. "Which could make things more difficult..." commented Aisheena. "After all, he could look like any Pet now..."

"Exactly." Lightning agreed as he scratched his chin thoughtfully.

At that moment, I noticed a lot of movement in one of the auctions for an Ice Draik Egg and that's when my attention was completely taken by the sight in front of me. A Striped Cybunny was in fierce competition with a Starry Gelert for that Draik Egg, and the Cybunny looked like he was being very rude to him.

"Hey, look!" I shouted, pointing in his direction, who, on hearing me, drew his attention to us. His eyes widened instantly and he took off running.

"That must be him, that must be Felix!" Aurora said and we all took off running after him.

I must say I should go to the Training School more often, because at that moment I realized that I was a bit out of shape, I couldn't keep up with Felix, who was running very fast. Apart from anything else, Felix also seemed clever, running around knocking things over in the middle of the road to put obstacles in the way, running over other Pets without apologizing or asking to be excused, causing the biggest mess wherever he went. He seemed to be on his way to the Neopian Bazaar.

Fortunately, Lighting Lenny was by our side and there was no faster Pet in Neopia than him, who managed to catch up with Felix and cornered him before he could cross the street.

"Hold it right there, Felix Calico!" the Lenny said. Felix stopped with his paws up, his back to us, showing surrender, and I stopped almost out of breath just behind Lenny and Aisheena, who caught up with him straight away, Aurora was by my side.

"Turn around, we have some questions to ask you!" Aisheena demanded and my imitator slowly began to turn around, and when my eyes met his, a chill ran down my spine. It was like looking into a mirror! "You'll have to accompany us to the headquarters of the Defenders of Neopia!" Aisheena continued, but Felix didn't say anything, just smiled mischievously.

That's when an explosion happened right next to us, raising a huge puff of smoke...

"Uzarro!" Aisheena shouted, turning her full attention to the Usul, "Stop right there!"

But that accursed Uzarro, unfazed by Aisheena's words, silently threw another smoke bomb at all of us. Smog and coughs filled the air, everyone's eyes stinging and ears ringing, and when all was settled, the Auction House was a mess of destroyed booths and broken support beams.

I stood there uselessly, frozen in place by a realization.

Both Uzarro and Felix Calico were gone.

They weren't the only ones missing, though...

"Drat!" cursed Lightning Lenny, grasp now empty of the perpetrator. "We have no idea where they've gone now! Rory, Aurora, you two get to safety, The Defenders of Neopia will handle this!"

"It, um, might be a bit late for that..." I sheepishly stated. "Aurora's... well, it looks like she's gone."

Lightning Lenny and Aisheena looked right at me, their eyes wide and mouths open in shock.

"What?!" Aisheena exclaimed. "How could this happen?!"

"They must have taken her... and we just let them slip through our grasp! They won't get way with this!" Lightning Lenny growled, his feathers curling into a sort of fist.

"Never mind that for now- look!"

The other Pets were scrambling to escape the still-smoldering building. The Defenders looked at each other, sharing a nod before springing into action. Despite Lightning Lenny and Aisheena's best attempts to guide everyone out in an orderly manner, it was pure, panicked chaos.

Everything felt so much more dire, now. The only friend I had in this situation was gone, along with the Pet imitating me, and a criminal mastermind. What's worse, it seems like not even The Defenders were a match for them... so what am I to do? I'm no hero- I'm not brave, strong, or even all that clever- I just found myself here after losing that silly auction. If I could go back in time and just give up that Valentine Paintbrush...

Wait...That's it!

"I have an idea!..."

***

I didn't have all the pieces of the plan. But, according to the Defenders, I was to go the Bank, head to the Safety Deposit Box section, and retrieve my Paintbrush -- and I would likely be followed by the criminals. The Defenders stated that this was likely Felix and Uzarro's original plan, but they quickly modified their aims when it became clear that I was just making a withdrawal.

"Felix and presumably Uzarro needed to see you visit your SDB before they made their targeted heist," Lightning opined. "There are so many Neopets in Neopia, not even the bank staff entirely know which SDB belongs to whom."

While it's true that the criminals would most certainly take off with my Paintbrush -- if not also me -- the Defenders would be around, ready to leap into action. It was a trap for Felix and the cunning Uzarro... and though no one realistically presumed we would be able to catch the Usul, the Defenders thought they may be able to bring Felix into custody, and from there information about Aurora could be obtained. Or a full-on prisoner exchange would happen. Again, the specific details were murky...

My heart was pounding as I walked into the National Neopian and waited in line to access the SDB section.

It was quickly my turn. I went in and was greeted by the rows upon rows of boxes in the very large room. I slowly, hesitantly, walked to my SDB, and gingerly opened it... and then I felt a sonic blast that nearly knocked me over.

Had I not been wearing an anti-psionic helmet given to me by Aisheena, my head would have been seriously fogged up by the incident.

I glared at them. I knew I was to pretend that I couldn't focus, that I had been impacted, incapacitated by their blast... but I just couldn't help myself. I had to... look at them. Try to more clearly understand their motives.

I saw a flash of Striped Cybunny, but he was moving too quick, rifling through my things. And I saw Uzarro's characteristic green cloak and my gaze followed to her piercing navy blue eyes.

Wait... navy blue. Just like--

"Aurora!" I called out before I could stop myself.

Though it seemed like mere seconds had elapsed, the two had already started making their escape. But at hearing the name of Aurora, Uzarro stiffened.

I knew it. It HAD to be her.

"Aurora..." I trailed as she came over to me, her navy eyes enraged, and pointed her psionic blaster at me once more. "Why?..."

How will this story end?

"No, but-" I started before a thought occurred. "Wait, you followed me. Those weren't your receipts. They were mine!" Uzzaro continued to point the psionic blaster in my direction as she did outside the General Store only a short time ago.

"I had to make sure you didn't talk. When you entered the National Neopian, I called you over to discuss Valentine's Day to fish out where you put that Paintbrush. I was delighted to find out it was in your Safety Deposit Box," Uzzaro said

"And you had Felix Calico impersonate me to steal it!" I spoke sternly, I could feel the tension building up in my neck.

"I may be a master at escaping, but Felix is a master of disguise. I help him, and he returns the favour," she preened. "Though he failed to find your Safety Deposit Box."

"We need to go!" Felix shouted, waving the Valentine Paintbrush. Uzzaro ignored him, ripping the anti-psionic helmet off my head.

"Freeze!" Lightning Lenny and Aisheena shouted out. They had heard enough, and feared my life was in danger. Before they could utter another word, a black puff of smoke filled the room momentarily and Uzzaro was gone, leaving Felix and I standing side-by-side. Lightning and Aisheena exchanged glances. Who was who?

"Give it up, Felix! Uzarro left you behind! If you come with us and help us find her, you're free," Lightning said, looking straight at me.

"You mean him," I said, my paws began to sweat, especially after Felix also denied being the culprit.

"Don't pull that old trick, Felix! I know this one's Felix!" Aisheena said, still looking at me. My heart sank. How was I going to get out of this? Next to me, Felix remained quiet. But then the gears suddenly shifted.

"Wait! What's that in your pocket?" Lightning said, walking up to the other Striped Cybunny. He pulled out a Valentine Paintbrush.

"That was planted!" The Cybunny said. Was there even time to do that? I had hoped it was proof enough.

"Rory was nowhere near you, Felix Calico! Not another word!" Lightning said grabbing the Cybunny's arms behind him and tying them together.

"You got it wrong! Let me go!" He insisted.

"Save it for the trial!" Aisheena said, taking him away.

"Thanks for the help today," Lightning Lenny said to me, handing me back my Valentine Paintbrush. I couldn't help but smile seeing it returned to my hands. I put it in my pocket.

"What about Uzzaro?" I inquired.

"Don't worry about her. We have Felix. We'll get what we need out of him to find her. After all, that was part of the plan."

"Yes, good luck with that," I said, turning away.

"Hey," Lightning called, startling me slightly that maybe there was more to the story. I looked back. "Thanks." There wasn't.

"No, Thank you." I said with a subtle nod, then turned back around. Lightning took a second look at me, and then shook his head as I walked away with an undeniable limp...

The End.