The Minions
With the Ixi's help, Illusen had managed to
publicise Illusen's Glade. She now had a group of followers, as Illusen called
them, because she didn't like the idea of 'minions'. The Ixi was the leader
of the followers, and he was by Illusen's side almost all the time. Illusen
had taken the Ixi under her wing, and a close friendship had formed between
the two.
One day, as Illusen and the Ixi were setting
up in the Glade for business as usual, they heard a rustling sound in the trees.
This was explained a moment later, when a bunch of angry pets brandishing Attack
Forks leapt out. "Jhudora's Warrior Minions," muttered the Ixi to Illusen.
Illusen didn't reply. A whole lot of the followers had charged out and now the
minions and the followers were staring at each other, each group waiting for
the other to move.
Suddenly the minions parted ranks, and Jhudora
stepped out, a sly grin on her face. The Ixi clutched at Illusen's skirts, and
she put her hand on his head.
"So this is where you've been hiding, little
sister." Jhudora stepped closer as she spoke.
"We already 'checked' your dome." Startled, Illusen
whirled around to face the dome, or what was left of it. The sound barriers
a few miles around the dome meant that the glade was too far away for Illusen
to hear what was happening, but now Jhudora pressed a button on her laser gun
and the sound barrier shattered. It was like a television had been muted and
then had the sound turned up to full. Illusen's ears were filled with the war
cries of the ransacking minions and the sounds of breaking glass. Slowly, she
turned back to face Jhudora. The satisfied smile on her sister's face was too
much for Illusen to bear.
"You monster," Illusen whispered.
"No. I'm not a monster. But," Jhudora spoke quietly,
seeming to enjoy this.
"I can't say the same for these guys."
As Illusen watched in terror, the minions stepped
forward, pure evil in their eyes. At first glance she had thought they were
pets, but no Neopets looked like this. These really were monsters. She couldn't
shake the feeling that each individual one was more powerful than her and all
her followers put together. So Illusen and the followers ran. They ran until
they were out of breath. Only then did she turn, and see that one of her followers
had not, so to speak, followed. The Ixi stood there as Jhudora's army advanced.
"Run!" screamed Illusen. The Ixi ignored her,
prepared to die rather than take the coward's option.
"Run!" Illusen called again. Jhudora had stopped.
The self-satisfied smirk on her face was gone, and instead her face seemed frozen.
Then Illusen noticed dark winds blowing. The tree they were cowering under seemed
spookier somehow. Jhudora and her minions fought the winds, and Illusen could
still see the Ixi, chanting. Dark words spilled out of his mouth like Demon
Breath.
"He's fighting them," she said to herself.
Illusen knew then that she would have to be brave and help the Ixi, her best
friend. She could see that the Ixi was weak, and in pain. But still he kept
chanting. Illusen summoned all her courage and all her power, pointing her Greater
Staff of the Earth Faerie at the ground on which the minions stood. As though
it were a piece of cake being sliced and lifted from the plate, the ground they
stood on rose, with them still on it, like little sprinkles. The piece of ground
floated into the sky, leaving only Jhudora, who suddenly looked frightened by
Illusen's advancing followers. Abandoning her pride, the dark faerie ran.
Illusen took the Ixi and they went off to investigate
the ruins of the dome. The basement was unharmed, probably because it was hidden.
Illusen stepped down into it, closely followed by the Ixi. With a flick of her
staff Illusen lit the room. She crossed the dimly lit basement and stood by
her shelves of bottled Dark Faeries.
"Sometimes," she said to the Ixi, who still lingered
on the basement steps, "you have to fight fire with fire."
The Ixi understood. He crept over to her and
stood ready. She swept all the Dark Faerie bottles off the shelves. They broke
on the stone floor and a purple smoke filled the room. Dark Faerie after Dark
Faerie blessed the Ixi with Dark abilities.
The Visit to Good Ol' Aunty Fyora
After that incident, Illusen knew she needed stronger
defence. She went to Fyora's Hidden Tower for weapons. As she approached the
tower's golden gate, she laughed to herself as she saw that some Neopian had
crossed out 'Tower' on the sign and written 'Toy Store' above it. She knocked
on the door. A robotic voice said "We are currently closed for stock taking".
Illusen groaned, but then the little peephole in the door clicked open and Fyora
peered out.
"Oh, it's you," said Fyora, and the door swung
open. Illusen stepped in. The hidden tower was filled with stacks of boxes.
"I'm not going to waste your time. I'm here on
the scrounge."
"Oh?" Fyora raised an eyebrow.
"I need something I can use to fight Jhudora."
Fyora sighed and sat on a box. She indicated
that Illusen should sit next to her. Illusen sat on a box containing a Monoceraptors
Claw. She thought wistfully of how it would feel to wield such a weapon in battle
against Jhudora.
"You see, Illy," Fyora began. Illusen winced
at the nickname only Fyora could get away with using.
"I'm not too happy with all this fighting between
you and Jhudy." Illusen stood still. "Not happy with it? She's evil!" she shrieked.
"Sit down, Illy." Reluctantly, Illusen sat down.
"You two are so alike." Illusen started to stand
up again, but Fyora stopped her with a look.
"Alike?" Illusen whispered.
"Both of you, so stubborn and headstrong, and
you both like power so much. I mean, isn't this what it's all about? You want
the power it looks like Jhudora might get."
"I'm on the side of peace, Aunty Fyora."
"And you intend to achieve that by creating war
with your sister? No, Illy. Jhudora may not be Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, and maybe
she makes bad judgements in her quest for power, but she's not all bad."
"What about kidnapping the pet? That was a 'bad
judgement'?"
"Illy, you can't always trust your friends."
"You're saying the pet lied?" Illusen asked in
disbelief.
"I don't know, Illy. Maybe the pet lied, maybe
he was telling the truth. But it could, as you say, have been a bad judgement
on Jhudy's part."
"I don't believe this. You're defending her!"
"Neopia needs a Jhudora, Illy. It gives it character."
Illusen stood her ground. This time Fyora didn't try to stop her.
"You're right, as always, Aunty Fyora. You can't
always trust your friends." Illusen looked at Fyora with contempt, then turned
on her heel and flounced out of the room.
The Reunion
Illusen stopped in the Auction House, and
bid on a Faerie Paint Brush. She won, and carried the brush home, where she
found the Ixi, deeply immersed in All About Dark Faeries.
"Oh, hi!" said the Ixi. "I'm hoping knowledge
will be our best weapon." Illusen smiled. "Ixi, my friend, I wish to release
you from this."
"Pardon?"
"This!" Illusen indicated the broken glass bottles,
the ash on the floor, the notebooks full of plots to get Jhudora. "You don't
have to do it anymore. It's over."
The Ixi looked sad. "But what will become of
me?"
Illusen handed him the paint brush. "With this,
I give you wings. You can be free, and fly to find your family again."
"But Ixis can't be painted Faerie."
"I spoke to some old friends, they arranged it.
And Jacko the Phantom Painter owes me a favour.
The Ixi smiled. "You'll always be my friend,
right?"
Illusen too smiled. "Right."
She painted the Ixi, and as he was about to fly
off he turned and said
"Thanks."
"There really are better ways of undoing Jhudora's
wrongs, aren't there?"
The Ixi hugged Illusen and then opened his new
wings.
"Goodbye, Illusen," called the Ixi as he
flew off.
"Goodbye, pet," whispered Illusen as she
blew the Ixi a kiss.
Illusen saw the Ixi again. He was at the marketplace
with his sister. Both were very happy, and were sharing an apple pie. She was
so entranced by the scene that she didn't even notice Fyora standing next to
her until she said, "Would that have happened if you had continued the war,
Illy?" Illusen turned to face her. "I still want peace. But peace should heal
pain, not cause it."
"I'm glad to hear you say that." Fyora smiled
at her niece.
The End | 
