Note from the editor: Chapter 2 of 'The Next Guardians' is included in the
beginning of Part 2 since it was left out in the last issue.
Chapter 2: The History
Meanwhile, nearing Neopia Central once
again, walked a brave warrior. He had heard terrible news... But had also heard
of hope. He had to find the last hope for Neopia... and for the Real World.
He was the only Neopet who the Faeries had trusted to divulge the information
to; for even the Faeries didn't know how to approach them.
The brave warrior received directions
from a passing Lupe who knew the family he was looking for. The punk-Lupe seemed
curious why such a serious Neopet like this brown Zafara was seeking out such
an insane family. He shrugged his shoulders, however, and decided not to ask.
Lacey heard the doorbell. She knew she had around
twenty minutes before the pets' school time would be up. Lacey walked over to
the door, and prepared to open it - expecting a Neofriend or maybe someone who
wanted to meet her. People in Neopia were far nicer than the ones in the Real
World... Of course, both places had their evil.
Neopia was a parallel world to our own. In it
lived creatures with thinking, feeling minds called Neopets. Neopets and humans
always lived together in peace - well, the humans that managed to find their
way to Neopia. In the Ancient Days, before the NeoQuest era, sat six different
Spell Stones. They sat at each corner of Neopia - holding the gateway to the
Real World open. Each spell stone was guarded by a different Faerie - the Uber
Faeries. Fuhnah the Fire Faerie; Maelstra the Dark Faerie; Nereid the Water
Faerie; Iyana the Earth Faerie; Psellia the Air Faerie; and the unnamed Light
Faerie. These were the Uber Faeries, the protectors of Neopia.
Faeries were very special creatures that lived
in Neopia. They helped balance the world, and helped to rule it. There were
six different types of Faeries - Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Light, and Dark. There
were thousands of little minute Faeries that were very common. These are the
ones Balthazar bottled and were sold in shops. But the Uber Faeries were the
true protectors of the elements. Each Faerie controlled and helped to balance
a different Element. The Faeries were more intelligent and magical - and stronger
- than any of the pets in Neopia. It was because of this reason that they ruled
the world.
It was Fyora, the Faerie Queen and the wisest
and most powerful of Faeries, who discovered the problem. The gateway was always
held open by the spell stones. Humans who wandered in could harm the Neopets
if the humans were not good. To the Neopets' horrors, the Faeries were sent
to destroy the spell stones. The fragments of the stones were held in the Hidden
Tower of Faerieland - for even these stones that had been around since the formation
of Neopia could not be completely destroyed by the Faeries. And all the humans
were sent out of Neopia.
Time passed, and more of the balance came into
being. Besides the Faeries emerged the Guardians of Magic. They were the other
beings that helped balance the world. There was Fire, Shock, Ice, Spectral,
and Life. The Guardians of Magic had two forms - a physical form, and the elemental
form. The elemental form was the strongest - the true - form of the Guardians
of Magic. The physical form was what they normally stayed in - not without powers,
of course. But in their physical form, there was hardly any power to them compared
to their elemental forms.
But one horrifying day, Jahbal, a sorceror who
wanted power, sought out the Guardians. He battled them and killed them, but
to his anger, never received their magic. Instead, the Powers flew away, and
would forever reside someplace else. Only Fyora knew where they were. After
the moment the Guardians were destroyed, Neopia was thrown off balance. The
Faeries had enough power to keep Neopia from tumbling into chaos right away,
but they could only slow down Neopia's fate. Slowly, ever slowly, Neopia was
being thrown off balance and traveling closer to destruction.
"And so, Neopia awaits the return of the Guardians
of Magic; Fyora promised that the heirs to the power would emerge someday when
Neopia was at it's greatest peril. It's unknown who the Guardians will be; or
even if they'll be able to handle the magic."
Arrowtak raised his hand. "Ms. Margoreth?" he
asked.
The yellow Lenny who was the pets' teacher looked
at the ambitious fire Lupe. She smiled, and called on him.
Arrowtak, grinning, leaned back in his seat.
"If the Guardians of Magic are supposed to come back, but no one knows who they
are - and they'll only come when Neopia is at it's 'greatest peril,' then how
will they be able to save us? I mean... That's like giving a Tiki Bomb Bag to
an average-statted newbie pet who's never seen the Battledome!"
The class burst out laughing. Airiea looked
at her brother from her desk, and shook her head. Arrowtak just had to be the
class cutup. Lilly Fluff buried her face in her hands - both of them were embarrassed
to be seen with such a rulebreaker. After all, Airiea and Lilly were trying
to be the top students in class; just like their owner. But, Arrowtak thought,
how cheesy was that?
Ms. Margoreth glanced at Arrowtak with a look
of disappointment. "Surely you don't think the Guardians' power would go to
just any pets? Wouldn't they have to fit the powers? Wouldn't the Guardian of
Fire Magic have to have the same burning in his heart like the first Guardian?
Wouldn't the Guardian of Ice Magic-"
But Arrowtak wasn't listening. Tylali looked
at her older brother. She loved to hear about the Guardians - and now that Ms.
Margoreth was telling them the entire story about them...
Arrowtak laughed and high-fived another pet
in the class. KitaiMyou, the little cloud Krawk sister with the notebook, glared
at him - she had to admit, she hadn't been listening, either. But she couldn't
think of the next line of the poem she was writing with Arrowtak making a racket
again!
"STOP IT!" shouted Kita, before Ms. Margoreth
could say anything. Her eyes were fierce and angry, and her fists were clenched.
"STOP IT!"
Suddenly, the lights in the classroom grew and
shattered. Glass rained from the ceiling, and the screams of pets echoed in
the room. Tylali dove underneath her desk, covering her head.
"Class is dismissed!" shouted Ms. Margoreth,
acting as if she had seen a ghost.
Part 2
Chapter 3: The Messenger
Lacey opened the door. It wasn't who she was expecting.
It was a tired Brown Zafara - his hands and wrists were bandaged, and he was
clutching a Staff of Dark Nova. He seemed extremely wearied.
"Oh!" said Lacey, surprised. "Do you need help?
Are you hungry? Who's your owner?"
The Brown Zafara looked at the worried owner
and smiled. "Am I at the NeoHome of 121530 Rainbow Lane, Neopia?"
"Yes, you are!" said Lacey. She took his arm,
and lead him into her NeoHome She helped him sit on the Kau Print Sofa, and
sat down across from him.
"Who are you? And why have you come here?" she
asked.
"My name is WraithX," said the Zafara, looking
at her. "I've been sent here to help you."
"Help me?" said Lacey, taken aback. "We don't
need any help... Help for what? Who sent you?"
WraithX smiled. "Who sent me? You'll find out
when you're supposed to. And... as to why you've been sent my help... You'll
find that out, too - when the time is right."
"Are you hungry?" asked Lacey. She was still
very curious about this stranger, but she couldn't help but trust him.
"I do not want to be a bother, but in truth
- yes, I am a little hungry."
Lacey smiled. "Well, I can help you with that."
She walked into the kitchen, and a few moments later, brought out a platter
with a Cheeseburger, a cup of Golden Juppie Delight, and a chocopie Slice.
She handed the food to Wraith, who looked at
her.
"I wasn't that hungry..."
Lacey laughed. "Well, our Safety Deposit Box
is always full, so help yourself!"
Hearing arguing outside, Lacey knew her pets
were returning home. She opened the door to see a strange sight... Her pets
were arguing, yes - but their faces looked different, they looked scared.
"What happened?!" asked Lacey, a dread feeling
in the pit of her stomach.
"Well, we were talking about the Guardians of
Magic..." Tylali started.
"And Arrowtak wouldn't shut up!" said Kita.
"And he just kept making a mess of things..."
added Airiea.
"And he wouldn't stop making fun of the class..."
huffed Lilly.
"It wasn't that bad!" argued Arrowtak.
"And Kita got mad!"
"And suddenly, the lights exploded!"
"And there was glass everywhere!"
"It was Arrowtak's fault!"
"Ms. Margoreth said it was the Nakron power
company that was working on the lights..."
"Guys!" said Lacey, looking at them. "As fascinating
as this is, we have a lot to do..."
All five of the pets looked around, bewildered.
It wasn't often that Lacey changed the subject like that. They expected her
to be more interested, even curious.
"First of all, we have a guest that says he's
going to help us with... something... And we have that meeting to go to tonight..."
Lacey said quickly. It wasn't often so much was going on - especially so many
strange things.
"Guild meeting?" asked Tylali.
"No. Fyora called an emergency meeting for the
dedicated owners of Neopia to attend. She specifically called us, too," replied
Lacey.
"What's Fyora want with us?" asked Lilly.
"Everyone is going to be there - from Newbies
to even the Staff!" said Lacey.
"It has to be important if the Staff is going,"
said Airiea.
"Very important," said a voice. The pets saw
Wraith standing behind Lacey, leaning on his Staff of Dark Nova like the tired
traveler he was.
"It's about the Gateways..." said Wraith. "And
I'd advise you all to leave now, considering it's starting in an hour..."
"Oh, is it that soon?" asked Lacey, glancing
back at the clock. Instead of going inside, all of them exited the NeoHome WraithX
shut the door, and it looked like he was going to follow them.
"Are you coming?" asked Tylali.
"No," said Wraith. "I have to talk to someone.
But I'll be there, don't worry."
Everyone looked at Wraith, but they all left
towards the Battledome - the only building in Neopia that was big enough for
everyone.
Chapter 4: The Meeting
All six of them entered the place. Standing guard at the door to where the
meeting was going to be held was a trio of Faerie pets - each wearing the symbol
that was Fyora's. Tylali gasped - it was well known that the Elite Faerie pets
that live in Faerieland only come to meetings of the most high importance.
"Halt!" said a Faerie Acara, looking at the
pets and their owner. "You are not permitted to enter."
"We were asked to attend!" said Lilly Fluff,
glaring at them. "Fyora sent us the Neomail herself!"
"Fyora doesn't Neomail commoners!" said the
Faerie Grundo.
The six of them looked at each other. They had
been specifically asked, and told everyone was invited. What the heck was going
on?
"Hey..." said the Faerie Lupe. He leaned over
to the Grundo and whispered something to him. The Grundo's face changed, and
he looked at the five pets.
"We're sorry - you are right. I apologise...
Please enter!" said the Grundo, moving aside.
"What was that about?" asked Airiea, looking
at her siblings.
Fyora was sitting on the central throne on the
stage. Beside her - three different thrones on each side - sat the Uber Faeries.
To her left was the Light, the Water, and the Earth; and to her right was the
Dark, the Fire, and the Air. Fyora's seat was regal; and the other six were
made to represent the elements the Faeries controlled.
Fyora stood up as Lacey and her pets entered
the enormous dome. The crowd was overwhelming, and it was hard enough to get
through it.
"All of you have been called here tonight to
discuss a very important issue!" said Fyora over the microphone.
The hall fell silent. Lacey looked at Fyora,
and so did her pets. Tylali had to stand on Lacey's shoulders to see, and even
the hovering Lilly Fluff had a hard time seeing the Queen.
"As you all should know, the Faeries and Staff
do not usually talk matters of importance to the population of Neopia. But this
time is different - there is more at work here than ever before."
The entire of the hall was staring at Fyora.
Most of them sensed danger - not even when Tyrannia was invaded was a public
meeting called like this. Tylali managed to glance back through the doorway
they just entered through at that particular moment. The Faerie pets were gone...
Strangely enough, something that looked like a Mutant Grundo stood in it's place,
grunting mischievously like it had played the best prank. But in the blink of
Tylali's eyes, it was gone. Tylali wondered if she was seeing things again.
She looked back towards the congregation.
"And now, for a little background..." said Fyora,
stepping away from the podium as Iyana the Earth Faerie took her place.
"If you know your Neo-history," began Iyana,
looking around. "Then most of you would know that a long time ago, the Spell
Stones kept the gateways open to Neopia and the Real World. But because people
were entering that shouldn't be, each Faerie... each one of us..." Iyana looked
at the other Faeries, remembering the horrors of the old days, and the peace
of later eras. "We each shattered the Stones and the fragments were placed under
high security in the Hidden Tower. Well, Neopets grew sad. They wanted human
friends again. Friendship with humans is in a Neopet's blood. So many ages later
- a long time after the NeoQuest Era and we lost the Guardians of Magic... -
Fyora came up with a plan. We would insert the fragments of spell stones into
magic keys - keys that would be given to worthy humans so they could open a
gateway to Neopia."
Lacey pulled a golden chain that she was wearing
like a necklace, and looked at the magic key that was attached to it. This necklace
was more important to her than anything else. This key was what let her see
her pets every day. She tucked it back into her shirt, and continued listening.
"After the moment the keys were given to humans,
Neopia prospered again. But as you all know - and some of you had experienced
- the gateways you open only allow humans to pass through. Most of you have
tried to take your Neopets back to the Real World - to show them your beloved
place. But you cannot."
Some owners in the dome looked down - most of
them had attempted it. Although it was considered illegal by most, it truly
wasn't. But it was unwise... Very unwise.
"It's extremely dangerous to let them into the
Real World. There are evil humans there who would capture them... perform experiments...
sell tickets to watch a Neopet talk."
The crowd murmured in silent knowledge. How many
authors and storytellers of the Real World had talked about the evilness of
the human race? Sometimes it was downright depressing. Lacey had to admit something;
the Neopets and Neopia wasn't as polluted by evil as the Real World. There was
lying and deceit far more in the Real World than in Neopia. And sometimes, the
truth was ignored - even not known to be true. Although truth was just as shadowed
in Neopia than in the Real World, there was still the air of goodness that could
always point the right way. Somewhere along the lines, the human race had lost
that.
"But tonight," said Fyora, standing up, "the
thought is being reconsidered. Should we allow Universal Gateways? Gateways
that would, say, let a Neopet through?"
A bunch of people smiled. Could it be true? Could
the Universal Gateways be allowed? A wave of excitement rippled through the
crowd.
Arguments followed for at least an hour. The
pros and the cons of allowing a Gateway where anything could pass through...
By allowing this, it wouldn't be just humans that could go through the Gateway,
but other animals from the Real World, and diseases and pollution. And the magic
keys that were so personalized to their owners would be able to be used by anyone.
Security would be almost impossible, and could bring about the ultimate chaos
of the Neopet world. But it seemed to be Fyora was throwing out every con of
allowing a Universal Gateway, no matter how many pros for it the owners tossed
her way. Lacey crossed her fingers that Fyora would allow it. She wanted to
show her pets the things she took for granted in the Real World. Even riding
in a car - because in Neopia, there were no automobiles - would be an amazing
thing to the pets. Mostly, owners and pets got around by skateboards, bicycles,
and scooters. And for the people who had large pets, they would ride them -
the pets allowing, of course.
"But I'm afraid, even with all these good points,"
said Fyora, quietly. "I must once again decline the approval of the Universal
Gate. Neopia is too unbalanced, and a Universal Gate would make it more so."
Lacey raised her hand, and Arrowtak, Lilly, Kita,
Tylali, and Airiea stood around her.
Fyora saw them, and her eyes sparkled. She pointed
at them, and indicated them to speak.
"What happened to make Neopia unbalanced?" she
said.
"The Faeries haven't lost their power?" asked
Tylali.
"Whatever it is, we'll help," said Arrowtak
in a growl.
"We can't let anything happen!" said Airiea.
"We'll fight them!" said Lilly, taking their
speeches to a ridiculous level from her tone of voice. Everyone in the congregation
who knew her understood the Aisha was quite... odd... sometimes.
Fyora raised her hand. "All of you... no need
to be so worried!" she said. She smiled at the five pets. "There's nothing to
fight now. What happened is basic Neopian history. The Guardians of Magic were
killed - that's the event. There is nothing any of you can do to help."
"I know we can find a way!" said Airiea, looking
at Fyora fiercely. "I want to see my owner's world."
The meeting was adjourned - the Universal Gateway
had been turned down. Fyora held the small, blue fragment of a magically-altered
Spell Stone in her hand. Maybe not now, but perhaps someday...
Fyora looked up in time to see something shadowy
and stealthy land in front of her.
"Ah... You have returned, I see?"
"Yes," said the stranger, bowing in front of
Fyora.
"What have you found out?" the Queen asked.
"I do not know for sure," said the stranger.
"Off the subject, why was it so important that owner had to be here at the meeting?
That one with the five pets? The Lupe, Eyrie, Shoyru, Krawk, and Aisha?
Fyora smiled wryly. "You think I know?"
Suddenly, the roof of the Battledome was ripped
off completely. Fyora looked up to see something huge and monstrous hovering
above the now-open building. Dropping from the machine was thousands of Mutant
pets... Grundos, Lupes, Kacheeks... All loyal to only one person.
Before Fyora or the stranger could do anything,
the Mutants' guns were pointed at them. A familiar voice echoed in the stadium.
"Well, Queen Fyora!" taunted the booming voice.
"This is your downfall. Neopia is mine! And I want that Spell Stone!!!"
A pair of Mutant Grundos attacked. Before Fyora
could perform her magic, or the stranger could attack, the bluish Spell Stone
was ripped from Fyora's hand, and both of the good Neopians were thrown to the
ground.
"You haven't seen the last of me!" hollered
the voice. And in a wave of smoke and stomping, all the mutants were gone, and
so was the hovering machine.
Fyora managed to stand and looked up through
the hole that was etched in the Battledome roof.
"He has returned..." she whispered quietly. "And
he's not alone this time."
To be continued...
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