Neopia Central...
The twentieth morning of Hiding was surely a
peaceful one. Birds were chirping, flowers were opening, and Turdles came out
from their shells to greet the morning sun. Most importantly, today was the
second annual Usuki Convention and fans and collectors of Usuki merchandise
flocked to the Bazaar to celebrate this day.
Among that group of fans was Natalie the blue
Aisha, her brother Taro, a yellow Chia (who had been forced into attending the
convention,) Tiira_Misu the red Usul, Sys-op the Kadoatie, and, of course, Agent_Magnolia
the red Aisha.
"How on Neopia did you talk me into this, Natalie?"
Taro moaned.
"I thought you'd be interested!" Natalie replied
facetiously. "Anyway, I'm sure you'll like it--really."
Twelve Years Ago...
"Anyway, I'm sure you'll like it--really," said
Natalie, passing her brother a pink saucer full of tea.
Back at the UsukiCon...
"Well, that was then," Natalie explained. "Who
was I to know that you didn't like tea parties?"
"Don't worry," said Magnolia. "I'm only a collector
of these things. I'm looking for two dolls, and then I leave, okay?"
"That sounds good enough," said Tiira_Misu.
"I need to get back to my studies anyway."
"I have a feeling that most of the people here
aren't just looking for two dolls," Sys-op observed, watching as a blue Kau
walked by with a colossal pile of Usuki merchandise. "You ought to consider
yourself lucky, Taro."
"Okay--forget I said anything," Taro murmured
as Magnolia swooped up a Cheerleader Usuki.
"You mean you have a collection but not one
of those?" Natalie asked.
"It was stolen," Magnolia explained. Suddenly,
two Draik police officers approached the group. One was white, and one was blue.
"Um...excuse me, miss," said the white Draik.
"Oh, is something the matter, officer?" Magnolia
asked in surprise.
"Actually, yes," replied the blue Draik. "Would
you happen to go by the names of Agent_Magnolia and Sys-op?"
Magnolia was feeling a bit uneasy now. "Y-yes...why
do you ask?"
"We'll ask if you would come with us to the Police Station, please," answered
the white Draik. "You, too."
"What?" Sys-op asked. "Uh...what did we do?
It's not the Terms and Conditions, right? I mean, if this is about that 'playing-Meerca-Chase-six-times-a-day'
thing, I tell you, it's not us."
"No, it's nothing like that. Yesterday, the
National Neopian was robbed out of 70,000,000 NP, and we understand that a red
Aisha and a Kadoatie are the culprits."
County Neopian Prison...
"Now, Mag," said Sys-op as Magnolia, in a striped
bodysuit, polished a license plate. "Why did you have to go and get yourself
into trouble? And on USUKICON, too!"
"Look, Sys," Magnolia demanded. "I don't know
what on Neopia those two officers were talking about. I was nowhere near the
bank yesterday--in fact, I didn't get my interest that day, either."
"Well, then, I wonder who did it."
"Ohh, once I get out of here, I am GOING to
find out who did this and once I can get my paws around her NECK--"
"Mag, it's not that bad. At least you'll only
be here for...uh...Look on the bright side--you won't have to go to work tomorrow--"
Sys-op was cut off.
"MOOKING-SCHNOOKING!" Magnolia cried. "Sys-op,
what about Chief?! I'll get fired once those police get to him!"
"Good point! Although I have no idea if Mooking-Schnooking
is an actual word, Magnolia, we need to get out of here!" Sys-op exclaimed.
"Join the club," said an inmate. Magnolia and
Sys-op heaved a sigh.
Later That Night...
"Okay, Sys," Magnolia said. "I'm really feeling
out of place by sneaking out of jail, so let's make this quick."
"All right, then," Sys-op replied. "Are you
sure this plan will work?"
"Positive. You just take that pole," she pointed
to a pole outside the cell, "and use it to reach the keys--over there." Magnolia
pointed to the keys high on the wall.
"I don't know if I can reach that, but I'll
try," said Sys-op, reaching for the pole in question. Once having a hold on
it, she poked it through the bars and to the hook on which the key ring rest.
After several tries, (once actually knocking the keys off of the hook,) she
was able to pull them into the cell. Magnolia opened the door quietly and led
Sys-op out of the prison building.
Sys-op, once outside, threw the pole into a
bush. "I don't want anyone else getting out of here so easily," she explained.
"Okay, well, I suppose we can't climb the electric
fence, so..." Magnolia's voice trailed off as she looked for another exit. Finally,
she spotted the main exit which was currently being overseen by a watch tower.
"There's a problem."
"I have an idea," Sys-op said, reaching for
a large rock.
"You're not going to throw that at the security
guard...?"
"No!" Sys-op tossed the rock across the road
and then hid behind a bush, signaling for Magnolia to follow. Finally, two Chias
went to investigate the noise, leaving Magnolia and Sys-op to only open the
gate and leave.
"How do we open this thing?" Magnolia asked,
trying desperately to pry the gate open.
"There's probably a switch in the tower," Sys-op
said. "We should hurry--come on."
Sure enough, there was a switch in the tower
that opened the gate, and Magnolia and Sys-op left the prison. "Well, that was
easy," said Magnolia.
"Uh...we're not home free yet, Mag." Sys-op
pointed to a pack of attack Doglefoxes.
"AAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Magnolia's House...
Magnolia, in her torn striped prison outfit,
stumbled to her front door. Her scratched paw reached for the key under the
mat and went to unlock the door. Sys-op, even more torn up than she, pushed
the door open and went inside.
Much to their surprise, a red Aisha and Kadoatie
were already in their room. "Somebody's been sleeping in my bed, and here she
is!" Magnolia joked.
The Aisha looked up. Surprisingly, she looked
exactly like Magnolia. "EEK! What are you doing in my house?" she asked.
"YOUR house?!" Magnolia cried. "EXCUSE ME? Don't
you KNOW what TROUBLE you've caused? Don't you KNOW that you almost got me a
LIFE SENTENCE for stealing NP from the bank? Don't you KNOW that I've been MAULED
by a pack of rabid Doglefoxes trying to get OUT of that life sentence? I think
I've got a big, fat IDENTITY THIEF in MY house!" Magnolia stepped back, panting.
"Whoa, calm down, there!" said the Aisha. "It's
no big thing, is it?"
"NO BIG THING?!" Magnolia screamed.
"Well, whoever you are, I'd like for you to
leave, really," continued the Aisha. "It's very obvious that you're an impostor."
"I wouldn't say that," said Magnolia, opening
the closet door. Piles upon piles of bags containing NP fell out into the room.
"Th-that's...my life savings..." stammered the
Aisha.
"Oh, really? Why is it in the closet?" asked
Magnolia. "It would be much, much safer in the bank, right?"
"W-well..."
"Well?" Magnolia queried.
"...OKAY! Okay, I stole it! I did!" she admitted.
I already have a bad record with the police, so I thought I'd need to pose as
someone with a clean record to rob the bank, so I picked you. Once I found out
you were a secret agent, I knew you were perfect for the job, so Fuzzykins here,"
she pointed to the Kadoatie, "dressed up as your Kadoatie and I dressed as you.
When we used your names, I knew that they'd go looking for you instead of me.
I thought that no one would come back to the house, but just in case, I came
here if anyone did come over. But you caught me!"
"That's right. Now come on," said Magnolia.
"Never! They won't believe you, Magnolia. They'll
just think that I'm innocent little you and you're conniving, thieving me!"
"And...cut!" Sys-op cried, turning off a video
camera. "Would you like to prove that, miss?"
N.P.I.A. Heaquarters, an Undiscl--oh, forget it...The Next Day...
"So," said the white Draik policeman to Chief.
"We thought it would only be right to tell you that the burglar who robbed the
bank two nights ago is--"
"--RIGHT HERE!" Magnolia threw the door open
and dragged the impostor into the office. "--Officer, you arrested the wrong
person last night--really."
"I have proof," Sys-op said, holding up the
tape. After the two policemen viewed it, they were shocked.
"All right, then, miss--you'll be coming with
us," said the blue Draik.
"No! Wait! It wasn't me, honest!" she cried.
"Ooohhh! I'll get you for this, Magnolia! I'll get you...!"
"I hate it when people say that," said Magnolia
as the impostor was carried into a police car. "Well...all's well that ends
well, right?"
"What exactly DID you get arrested for, Magnolia?"
Chief asked.
"The robbery that SHE committed."
"Well, okay, then. You should really be more
careful with your identity, Magnolia."
"Uh-huh!" Sys-op agreed.
"Be quiet, Sys-op; I didn't ask for your input,"
Magnolia grumbled.
"Oh well. Like you said; all's well that ends
well," Sys-op said.
"And this certainly does NOT end well!"
Magnolia replied.
"Why's that?"
"I didn't buy that Cheerleader Usuki!"
The End |