Terror-Misu Mountain

     The parade had a planned start of 10:00 AM NST, and consisted of numerous floats glamoured up with chocolate, ribbons and balloons. The suspense of the day had Neopians lining up in the early hours of the morning to pick their favourite spots. But what Neopians were most excited about was the final float, designed as a mini Chocolate Factory. Hanging out of the window would be the very Kiko who managed the Chocolate Factory, dressed smartly in his top hat and cane, ready to unveil the newly released chocolates that his secret chocolate engineers had spent the past year developing for this special day.

     Soon the countdown began, counting down the final seconds to the start of the parade. The crowd grew louder as the seconds reached closer to zero, but just as that happened, a large explosion in the far distance erupted the scene, quieting the crowd instantly. At first everyone looked around for the source, murmuring to each other, then a young Aisha raised her voice:

     "Look at Terror Mountain!" She cried excitedly. The white clouds that often surrounded the mountain had turned brown and its signature snow-covered peaks were slowly transitioning to the same colour. As though it was snowing.. chocolate?

     Although there had yet to be an explanation, the crowd cheered at the impressive sight. The clouds started off a fantastic milk-chocolate brown and slowly started darkening. But by the time the white of the peaks had completely changed to brown, the clouds had darkened to a near black.

     Soon the cheers quieted down as the attending Neopians began to puzzle together this mysterious event, many bringing up concerns about the Neopians residing in that region.

     "Uh-oh," came a voice from atop the nearby Toy Shop. Dr. Landelbrot stood there with a finger still on the button of a contraption he was holding. He released it quickly with a nervous laugh. "I may have held onto that button a little too long."

     "Are you the one who interupted my parade?" A Kiko called up. Namely, the manager of the Chocolate Factory, who looked more concerned than upset.

     "I got caught up in the moment and forgot to release my finger from the button that controls my dabble ray," the old Green Lutari answered back. "I fear I may have made the storm more intense than intended."

     "What's a dabble ray?" The Kiko called up.

     "It's the sister project of the confusionator back aboard the Coincidence. Except it's much more compact and reliable," he explained. "Well, usually."

     "But why create a storm?" The Kiko asked. Dr. Landelbrot looked around at the annoyed and angry faces on pretty well every Neopian in Neopia Central.

     "It wasn't supposed to be a storm," he started, trying to calm down the crowd. "I learned how to make it precipitate chocolate and thought this would be a good time to show off my work while honouring your event. I didn't want it to rain chocolate because it would be too messy, but to come down as chocolate snow flakes in a wintery climate would make quite the scene."

     "You weren't wrong there!" An angry Grarrl shouted up from the crowd. Before the crowd could get rowdier, Iridesia, a member of the Faerie Council, landed beside the flustered Lutari, and put a hand on his shoulder.

     "Can you stop this?" They asked calmly.

     "Y- Yes, most definitely," he stammered, both from the nerves and from being in front of the Faerie's radiant presence. "I just need to get up there."

     "I don't mind giving you a lift," Iridesia answered before explaining to the concerned crowd that everything would be resolved quickly. With a bit of help from magic, they lifted Dr. Landelbrot with them and took him as high up the mountain as they could muster.

     "The winds are too strong," Iridesia said after losing more ground than they could gain by flying. "I can take you to see Taelia, who will be a better resource at finding a way to get up there."

     Taelia was already deep in conversation about the whole situation with Mika and Carassa, who had to close up their Igloo Garage Sale for the day because of the storm, when Iridesia knocked on her door.

     "Iridesia! What a pleasant surprise!" She said with a smile. "Though I should have expected a visit from someone on council about the mess outside. And I see you brought help." Dr. Landelbrot entered the igloo with Iridesia, brushing the chocolate flakes off them as they entered.

     "Not just help, but the individual who created the storm," Iridesia said. The Lutari quickly piped up to explain the well-meant intent and that it was not permanent.

     "I'm somewhat impressed," Taelia admitted after turning a cold stare away from Dr. Landelbrot. "I had assumed it was a powerful enchantment. But anything's possible with you I guess. Congrats on turning our mountain into a giant dessert." Her cold stare returned in his direction.

     He wasn't sure if there was a compliment in there, but her dismissive tone and glare suggested otherwise. "I can reverse it. I just need to get to the top of the mountain where I set up my dabble ray."

     "Why didn't you reverse it while you were there?" Taelia asked. A fair question.

     "I was in Neopia Central at the Chocolate Ball parade when I triggered the storm using this controller," he said, showing her the controller with a single button on it.

     "And you didn't build an option to reverse the storm on your controller?" She asked sternly. Iridesia and the Chias kept a distance back from the conversation. The Lutari deserved this tense moment from the Snow Faerie.

     "Trial and error I guess?" He said awkwardly. "But yes, I should have." He didn't know what else to say. Taelia calmed down. She had made her point. Besides, he was sweating so much that the remnant chocolate flakes in his fur were starting to melt.

     "You won't get there walking through this storm. The visibility is horrid as I'm sure you already know," she said. "There is a network of caves throughout Terror Mountain. My suggestion is to use them to stay out of the storm. Unfortunately, though, the Snowager guards the entrance." Dr. Landelbrot pondered the conundrum over as he was usually good at solving problems. In his line of research you had to be, especially when it comes to trial and error.

     "We know those caves well! We frequent the Snowager's den often!" Mika interrupted, followed by a jab and shushing face from Carassa.

     "He means we walk by a lot. And we like to explore the caverns within the mountain," the Yellow Chia added.

     "Yes, not that we take from that giant heap of prizes he protects to sell at our garage sale," Mika clarified weakly and was again greeted with a jab.

     "That would be useful. Care to join?" The Lutari asked.

     "Love to!" They both said in unison.

     "Make haste then! The Snowager is currently asleep, but not for much longer," Taelia said, waving them off. Iridesia had a bit of business still to discuss with Taelia and decided not to join, but promised to still be there when they got back.

     Dr. Landelbrot, Mika, and Carassa headed out at once. The two Chias in front and the Lutari maintaining a close distance behind. Periodically a gust would blow chocolate powder into his mouth, which was not completely unpleasant. Semi-sweet! His preferred chocolate.

     They reached the entrance to the cave where by luck the Snowager still lay fast asleep. They dusted themselves off a bit, but by quick glance all three of them looked like chocolate versions of themselves. After some quick laughs and teasing they continued on.

     Dr. Landelbrot had never ventured so close to the sleeping beast before as time had never before permitted it, but was well aware that if you timed it right, you could sneak away with a prize without it noticing you there. He just hoped it didn't wake up until they were long gone. He felt a bit comforted by the Chias ability to approach without the slightest appearance of reluctance, though Mika's focus being on the treasure more than on the sleeping beast made him feel a bit uneasy.

     "I wish I brought a cart," Mika said to Carassa.

     "Hardly the time for that," she answered shortly, hardly taking her own eyes away from the mountain of treasure the Snowager was guarding. Dr. Landelbrot, on the other hand, could not keep his eyes off of the sleeping beast, especially its large mouth. They were now creeping awfully close to the foul thing that one quick jerk forward from the ice creature and they would easily be worm food.

     Then it happened. He wished it was his imagination when he noticed one eye open slightly, but it wasn't. The Chias had remained quiet, but Dr. Landelbrot could see that they were unaware of the danger in front of them.

     "Freeze," he hushed at them, ironic as that was in this frozen chamber they were standing in. The two Chias stopped instantly in their tracks as the Snowager slowly lifted its head and stared at them.

     Dr. Landelbrot remained frozen, mostly out of fear and he braced himself for the worst: A shrill scream, an icy blast, or the entrance of a new icy cave that he would surely never escape from. But instead of any of this, the Snowager leaned forward, sniffed at them momentarily, then rested its head again. Suddenly its large tail wrapped around them and dragged them to its pile of treasure.

     "I think it thinks we are its treasure. Chocolate treats to be more exact," the Lutari whispered quietly.

     "Ooo, an Icy Negg!" Mika whispered excitedly at the prize pressed against his leg before acknowledging that he agreed.

     "How do you suppose we escape?" Carassa asked. The Lutari shrugged. They were literally in a bind. Seemingly less concerned about the predicament was Mika who threw the Negg next to him across the room. Dr. Landelbrot's heart dropped and eyes bulged nearly out of his head. He wanted to lash out at the Blue Chia, but was too petrified to move a muscle.

     The Snowager's head popped back up and surveyed the chamber. Once it confirmed there were no intruders present, it rested its head again. Suddenly its tail released its hold of the three adventurers and wrapped itself around the Negg, bringing it back to the pile. It seemed like a brilliant move at first, but soon they were back in the same situation as before.

     "Nice work, but-" The Lutari started to say, but was interrupted when Mika threw the Negg across the room again. The Snowager lifted its head again and repeated the same series of events. The third time Mika threw the Negg the Snowager grew impatient and let out a shrill cry. It got up and slithered down the main corridor of its chamber to check for any trespassers by the entrance to its cave.

     "Now!" Carassa said, pulling on Dr. Landelbrot's arm to gain his attention and nodding her head towards a corridor leading deeper into the mountain. Without hesitating, he got to his feet and ran with the two Chias away from the raging beast. They were free.

     "Wow, it's almost like you've done that before," the Lutari laughed after catching his breath. The Chias looked at each other and laughed.

     "Seems that way," Mika said, waving for Dr. Landelbrot to keep pace with them.

     They spent the next while meandering through the networks of caverns, turning and climbing and climbing and turning until finally they came across the exit, which put them flat on top of the tip of Terror Mountain.

     Dr. Landelbrot took a lengthy look around. They were standing on powdered chocolate, but the clouds had dropped lower on the mountain, likely due to the density and weight of the system. Even though he couldn't see land, the sight was still very impressive. Deep chocolate-coloured clouds stretched as far as the eyes could see.

     He knelt down and picked up a handful of chocolate flakes, and observed the intricacies of their shapes.

     "That's amazing! They're actual snowflakes, just made of chocolate!" He cheered a bit louder than intended. He looked at the flakes a bit closer still. "And no two are alike!"

     "Maybe we should stay on task?" Carassa suggested. Mika didn't seem to mind. He was happy making a snack out of the flakes.

     "Eh-hem, yes, of course!" He said. The problem was he wasn't sure which side of the mountain to investigate. He was feeling completely turned around from the labyrinth of tunnels that he wasn't sure which direction he was facing. "Small problem. Where is Neopia Central down there?"

     "Easy," said Mika, pointing straight in front of them. "I know exactly where it is. We come up here a lot to admire the view!" He walked over and placed an arm warmingly around his wife's shoulders.

     "Perfect! That's where I put the ray!" He cheered.

     "Wouldn't it have been wiser to put a tracker on it so you could locate it in this storm?" Carassa asked. "What if we weren't here?"

     "I guess it's trial and error again. I'll have tonadd that to the plans," the Lutari said then started down the hill into the darkened clouds. "Come, follow me!"

     The sky grew dark quickly and the wind blew fiercer than he ever imagined was possible. He began to have doubts about whether it was going to be possible to find his dabble ray since there was a good chance it was buried deep below the chocolate snow. If it wasn't for his sheer determination, he would have turned back instantly. But here he was, leading the group for once, with chocolate pellets peppering his face.

     Then he saw it. Faintly at first and completely buried under a mound of chocolate flakes. For a moment it looked like an abominable Sludgy if there ever was such a thing. Dr. Landelbrot trudged slowly, but as quickly as he could, through the waist-deep snow and chocolate flakes and didn't hesitate a moment to start pawing his way through the powdery mixture. The two Chia's eagerly helped.

     "Ok, there's a dial on the side here that I need to turn," he said to himself, reaching down while trying to shield his face from the blowing precipitation. "There!"

     With a few clicks of the dial the dabble ray fired out a large, green beam into the storm. The sky changed instantly from a dark chocolate brown to an electric lime-green. The storm pulsed in response and the wind roared as though engaged in intense battle. Finally, the entire cloud system around them dissolved into nothing but thin air.

     The crouched Lutari stood up and looked around. The wind died down to barely a breeze and the sun shone brightly without a cloud in sight, revealing a mountainous landscape entirely of chocolate.

     "We did it!" Mika cheered, followed by Carassa.

     "The battle for us was getting here. The ray did all the work after that. I really appreciate your help," Dr. Landelbrot smiled, breathing in a deep sense of relief until he realized that they would still have to encounter the Snowager on their way back to Taelia's home. "Is there any way we can avoid going through those caves?"

     "It is possible to climb down," Carassa said. "The trail is buried, but it's wide and if you stick by us we can get you down safely in no time."

     The Lutari quickly agreed and together they began their descent down Terror Mountain, leaving the dabble ray behind. He would have to bring up a proper retrieval team to get it down the mountain safely.

     He looked back a few times to admire his work. The whole mountainside was brown with chocolate, apart from the milky-white trail they left behind as they cut through the top chocolate layer, exposing the snow beneath like a freshly cut slice of tiramisu. A pun came to his head to describe the scene, but he kept it to himself. No one would probably find it funny anyway.

     When they reached Taelia's igloo, Iridesia and the Snow Faerie were beyond delighted to see them back safely and that the storm was finally over.

     "I think we should get going," Iridesia said after everyone was caught up. "They delayed the parade due to the storm, but now that it's over it should be starting soon and I'd like to watch it."

     "I think I will skip it this year. I'm not sure anyone will want to see me there after what I did," he answered.

     "If my memory serves me correctly, I seem to remember everyone cheering when they saw your work. It's very impressive," Iridesia assured him. "It just got a bit carried away. A simple accident that you fixed." Dr. Landelbrot nodded.

     "The manager of the Chocolate Factory deserves an apology too. Would you mind taking me there?" He asked Nobly. It was the right thing to do and it'd be best to get it out of the way.

     "Of course!" Iridesia smiled.

     Down in Neopia Central, Neopians far and wide had gathered again on the streets. The crowd appeared much larger than before, the hype of the day drawing in more attention. Iridesia took the Lutari to the Chocolate Factory float where the manager was busy giving instructions to a few volunteers. He waved them off as soon as he saw Iridesia and Dr. Landelbrot.

     "Welcome back! Your timing is excellent! We are about to start the parade!" The manager said cheerfully.

     "I'm relieved we made it in time," Iridesia said. "I'm going to meet up with the rest of the Faerie Council to enjoy the show." They gave Dr. Landelbrot a slight nod and a kind smile before flying off. The Lutari had never felt so nervous before. It was like his first summer-time job interview when he was a kid. He just wanted to make a good impression.

     He cleared his throat and tried to collect his thoughts. He wished Iridesia hadn't left so soon. He felt much more confident with them present, filling in any potential blanks in case he couldn't think of the right words to say. Nevertheless, he knew what he had to do.

     "I'm really sorry about everything this morning. I was certain I had everything under control," he said as though he was in trouble by his neighbour after hitting a baseball through their window.

     "I admit I felt very concerned this morning and decided to delay the parade out of respect to the residents of Terror Mountain," the Kiko said. "But no one got hurt and it did work out in the end. I think you could be forgiven." Dr. Landelbrot raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

     "I'm sorry? You must be a little upset with me," he said. The guilt that filled his chest had him wishing that there was some sort of discipline.

     "The Chocolate Ball is a day to celebrate the joys in life. There are too many negative things in the world that stick in our heads. Sometimes we just need to focus less on that and more on the joy in the world. Like the joy of eating chocolate," the Kiko said with a wink of his eye. "Or the joy of turning a mountain into a chocolate. Very impressive I must add."

     "I should have planned it better with everyone. I wanted it to be a surprise," Dr. Landelbrot said earnestly. "Is there anything I can do to help make up for the delay of your parade?"

     "Believe it or not, you already did. I really should be thanking you. Have you seen the crowd? I don't think this parade has ever been so well attended. Word spread quick to those who didn't already notice the mountain. It's pretty magnificent!" The Kiko said. "You know, I was even thinking about asking you to join me on my float. Maybe even having the first sneak peek at this year's newest chocolates at the Chocolate Ball. That is if I saw you of course!"

     "Really?" Dr. Landelbrot didn't know how to respond. This was a dream since he was a kid to be able to attend the Chocolate Ball.

     "Well, in my opinion you'd have to be a true chocolate lover to be able to pull off a stunt like that. I'm sorry, but that can't go unnoticed," the Kiko explained, pointing excitedly at the mountain in the distance. "And you saved the day! That makes you a hero!"

     "But I created the issue," Dr. Landelbrot tried to remind him.

     "A simple mistake. An accident! What's important is that you stood up to the task of fixing it. And I'm sure that was no easy feat!" The Chocolate Factory manager said. The Lutari recalled the events of the day. The strong winds, the endless climbing, the Snowager. It was tough, especially for someone who wasn't an overly adventurous Neopian outside of a laboratory.

     "No, not really," he agreed.

     "That settles it then! Lets get this parade rolling!" The manager said, tapping the Lutari on the chest lightly with his cane and leading him to their float. "I just have one small question. How are you planning on cleaning all of that chocolate up from the mountain?" Dr. Landelbrot froze still like he did during his close encounter with the Snowager.

     "Ah, is trial and error an appropriate answer?" Dr. Landelbrot answered awkwardly. The Kiko laughed heartily in response.

     "No worries. I'm known to have a few tricks up my sleeves, especially when it comes to chocolate. Terror mountain should be back to normal by sunrise," he said with a wink and a nod of his hat. "Now enough of all that. Come, let's enjoy the festivities!"

     The End.