Alma, a Spotted Blumaroo, was out in her garden pulling some weeds. The month of Hunting had just begun and that meant that the big annual Neopian Garden Showcase was just around the corner. Last year, her score was just shy of a 3rd place ranking. This year, her goal was to win first place.

“Hmmm…” she mumbled as she gently brushed the petals of her Aurora Lily. One of them had a browning mark, indicating some sort of damage or disease. “Let me get my Gardens of Neopia book to try to identify this,” Alma said to herself, rising from her knees.

“Howdy, neighbour!” boomed a chipper voice from the sidewalk. Alma was so focused on her gardening goals that she was startled by this interruption, gasping and grasping at her collarbone. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” the friendly voice chortled.

“Hi, Sam! I’m sorry. I’m just really in the zone over here. Just trying to get ready for the garden showcase.” The Blumaroo smiled meekly, slightly embarrassed.

Sam was a Purple Grarrl well-known for his gregarious personality. He was always willing to help a neighbour or even a stranger in need.

“No worries! It looks beautiful,” he said, motioning to the array of colour-coordinated flowers and well-trimmed bushes.

“Oh, thank you so much! Lots of planning and hard work went into it, for sure,” Alma blushed.

“That’s actually why I wanted to chat with you, Alma. I saw someone who was a tad suspicious lurking in your flowerbeds last night…”

"Lurking? In this area? Who might that be?" she asked.

"Well, I couldn't easily tell who it was, but the figure appeared blueish and was in a familiar trench coat. However, I forgot where else I had seen that outfit."

Alma rubbed her paw against her chin as she pondered who the stranger could be.

"What did you see them do?"

Sam shrugged. "They seemed to have been using the flowerbed as a hiding spot of sorts, but they sprinted off before I got a good look. I'm sorry to trouble you with such vague descriptions, but I just wanted to warn you.

Unnerved by such a revelation, set her tools down. She went into her home and brought out a small Petpet, a cute little Warf.

"Howdy, Winfrey. Who's a good boy?" Sam knelt down to pet the Warf.

The Warf gently licked Sam's hand before he turned to the flowerbed and began sniffing. A few minutes later, the Warf began barking.

"What is it, Winfrey? Let's have a look."

The two peered into the patch of ground that the Warf was barking and noticed that...

Winfrey sniffed deeper, his tail perking stiffly before he let out a sharp bark and darted toward the edge of the garden.

“He’s got something,” Alma said, brushing dirt from her paws and rushing after him. “Come on!”

“I suppose I could use a good adventure,” Sam mumbled, lumbering behind her.

His large Grarrl feet thudded along the cobblestone path as Winfrey led them past Alma’s fence, weaving through side alleys and over puddles. It wasn’t long before they reached the bustling heart of Neopia Central. Shoppers weaved around them, arms full of books, Battledome gear, and hot dogs.

“Someone tampered with my Aurora Lily,” Alma explained to a panting Sam as they jogged after the Warf. Sam looked the perfect amount of offended.

“Slower Winfrey,” Alma pleaded, but the Petpet was on a mission, his nose twitching furiously.

Winfey bolted past the Smoothie Shop, past the crowds near the Money Tree, and past the noisy wishes of the stoned well. Alma and Sam barely kept up as they neared the corner of the marketplace, where the air was thick with the scent of blossoms.

Finally, Winfrey skidded to a halt in front of a wooden door.

The duo of Neopets came to a breathless stop and saw…

Alma’s heart pounded harder than her footsteps had. She did not know whose floral shop this was, nor what they wanted to do with her. Even more surprising was that she had lived in Neopia Central her entire life and had never seen this garden store tucked away in the shadowy edge of the marketplace. This place was… unique. It looked like somebody had just been here but also like it had been abandoned for years at the same time. The air suddenly grew cold and a chill swept past the two friends. Sam leaned in close and whispered “This place is giving me the heebie-JubJubs…”

Alma walked over to the window and peered into the dusty glass. Inside, she could see tall glass vials filled with murky liquids and strange potions that seemed to shift colour - or maybe that was just her imagination. On the same desk she noticed various scattered gardening tools. And right there - on a rusty pedestal by a flickering lightbulb, was an Aurora lily.

Wait - that was HER Aurora lily!

With rage, she ran back to the front and grabbed the door handle - it wasn’t locked and with one quick click, she found herself inside the store. The air was thick, humid and the smell of floral rot tickled her nose. She held on tight to Winfrey as she took another cautious step into the shop. That’s when she heard the door slam behind her...

"How'd you track me down?!" The hooded figured demanded. He looked briefly at the Warf Alma has holding and squinted his eyes as the answer became obvious. "You shouldn't be here!"

"I thought I recognised that trench coat," Sam spoke up, holding his right arm in front of Alma as though protecting her from the potential threat. "You're Kanrik! The thief!"

"You say that as though it's a bad thing," Kanrik sneered. "And you must be that klod-hopping Grarrl I saw clopping around the neighbourhood last night." This time Alma held her arm out in front of Sam as he gritted his teeth.

"We're here for my lily. You stole it," Alma explained, pointing at the Aurora Lily on the pedestal.

"I needed a fresh specimen," Kanrik said. "I meant no disrespect and didn't think you'd even notice it missing."

"For your flower shop?!" Sam asked, still feeling a bit disgruntled.

"This isn't a flower shop," Kanrik said. "It used to be before the Gardening Centre opened up, but now it's an apothecary."

"You own a medicine shop?" Alma asked, uncertain about trusting the Gelert in front of her.

"Not me, she does," Kanrik said. Winfrey began to growl as someone else entered the room...

“Princess Roberta?” Alma asked, incredulous. She recognised the Brightvale royalty almost immediately. What could the princess be doing here?

“I’m more of a sorceress these days,” the Acara grumbled in response. “But yes. It’s me. Kanrik has been doing some… erm, reconnaissance and retrieval for my business here recently.”

“So, he stole from my garden for you?” the Blumaroo asked, obviously disappointed. “I’m sure you know the Neopian Garden Showcase is just around the corner, Roberta… can’t this wait?”

“That’s just it,” the sorceress said, approaching the Aurora Lily. “The disease that’s beginning to overtake your garden? It’s spread to my supply as well. I’ve had Kanrik here retrieve your plants to help with my studies.”

“Have you found anything out?” Sam asked.

“I have,” Roberta began gravely…

Alma didn’t mean to laugh but she did before apologising quickly. Of course, Neopians could get depressed, though it seemed silly to say the same thing about plants.

"It's like the Grey curse that has spread throughout the lands. It's now targeting plants, and if we don’t stop it somehow Neopia won’t survive."

Alma and Sam both looked at each other with the same confused face after hearing this.

"But why would that mean the end of Neop... Oh." As Alma spoke she realised if plants stopped growing, that would affect Neopia's food supply, as well as the very air they breathed.

Sam paced around the room before asking, "Well, there must be something we can do! We can’t just sit around waiting for the end!"

Roberta looked at Kanrik before addressing the others.

"Well, Kanrik and I were speaking and..."

"You already have an anti - " Alma stopped herself. Of course Roberta, one of Brightvale's brightest minds, would have come up with something already.

"It just needed testing before I could go public with my findings," the Blue Acara went on, waving a hand at the glass vials and several flowers in dioramas. "Now, the plants can help each other."

"How?" Sam wondered. Winfrey barked as though wondering the same thing.

Roberta smiled and offered a hand for the Warf to sniff. "By pollination. A flowering plant that has been given the antidote can now spread its pollen to others. But for best results, we need many different plants..."

While the Acara had been speaking, Alma had grown silent, her brow furrowed in deep thought. Then revelation dawned upon her face so suddenly that even Kanrik was a bit surprised.

"Looks like she has an idea already," he pointed out.

The Spotted Blumaroo nodded. "Yes. I know a place - no, an event - where we can reach as many plants as possible..."

How will this story end?

“More antidote too, if you can spare it!” Sam chimed in excitedly.

Roberta raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t realise this was such a big event when I saw the posters,” she said.

Kanrik snorted. “I bet all you saw was the title as you were trying to gather ingredients. You may not have come from old Faerieland or Darigan Citadel, but when you’re working on a project, your head is way up in the clouds.”

“I notice you didn’t suggest this either,” Roberta retorted, though she was smiling slightly.

“Hey, I’m a thief. Being bright is your department,” Kanrik said. “And I, too, was a little…preoccupied with other matters.” Alma giggled, and Sam laughed in surprise.

“Yes, well, here I was trying to work out a rain spell to try and disperse the antidote, or figure out how to get an army of Springabees to do my bidding,” Roberta admitted, a little embarrassed. “Sometimes I over-complicate things. I have already created a fair amount of antidote, and I can easily distribute the recipe so others can make more.”

“I know someone who keeps Springabees!” Sam said. “I’m sure she’d love to help out.”

“Well, that’s one of your ideas coming to fruition, at least,” Alma said, grinning.

“In a manner of speaking, yes. Well, I’m glad you came here,” said Roberta.

“You’re welcome,” Kanrik added.

Alma glared at him briefly, then rolled her eyes and said, “I’d like my Aurora Lily back eventually, by the way.”

“Naturally, naturally. After it’s had the antidote, of course,” Roberta said absently, already starting to scribble notes on a pad. Kanrik, looking mildly amused, waved Sam and Alma over to the corner.

“There she goes, up into the clouds again. I’ll send someone to the organisers with a message from Roberta explaining everything.” Kanrik turned to Sam. “You, er…”

“Sam, the clod-hopping Grarrl,” Sam filled in, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes, er, sorry about that. Can you bring your friend who keeps Springabees here?” Kanrik asked. Sam nodded. Sam, Alma, and Kanrik all leaned in and continued to plan.

***

“In first place…” the announcer paused dramatically, looking at his notes with a smile.

Alma bit her lip, hoping against hope. It had been a busy few days, and no matter what happened, she had helped to save the competition. Not to mention helping to save the whole world. That was reward enough, but still…

“Alma!” The audience burst into applause. Alma beamed and bounced up onto the stage. The announcer waved his paws for silence after several moments.

“Now, Alma here has done so much more than grow a beautiful Aurora Lily. Without her and her friends, and Kanrik and Roberta of course, we might not even expect to see another Garden Showcase next year! And thank you all for being willing to contribute however you can to keep our plants thriving with Roberta’s antidote.” The applause redoubled and Alma blushed to the tips of her ears. Alma accepted the trophy with paws that were only slightly trembling.

Sam hooted from the audience and Winfrey barked happily as she bounced back over to them.

“Well done, well done!” Sam said, grinning broadly.

Alma laughed. “I guess even if I win next year, it won’t be nearly as memorable as this year’s competition, will it?”

The End.