Triccity's Travels: Terror Mountain

     This included the Ice Caves. This was one of the main reasons I had come to Terror Mountain. The Caves were listed as a Wonder of Neopia and I wanted to check them off of the list I had to visit each one.

      It was immediately apparent why. I entered and the sight took my breath away. As a native Moltaran, I was familiar with caves but they were made of rock and mostly dark with only faint illumination from flowing magma. These were nothing like that. The Caves were made of clear ice, light and beautiful.

      I made my way carefully through, thankful for the ice cleats I had purchased back in Neopia Central for just this purpose. I had heard that ice was slippery and the ice within the Caves was especially smooth, untouched by snow or wind. Though I could see that not everyone was as cautious as I; other visitors to the Caves slipped and slid at speed with joy. I took pictures of everything, quietly marveling at the beauty to be found here. I didn’t enjoy the cold but this alone made it worth it.

      Another day, I made a more thorough exploration of the summit along with my new friends. It was quite nice to have their company and guidance, giving me an inside look at the place they called home.

     The view was clear and breathtaking. I could actually enjoy it now as I hadn’t been able to before while flying. For once, the view from the ground was superior to the aerial perspective. The snowcapped peaks faded into the distance as far as the eye could see. I may have stayed there a while longer had a call not diverted my attention.

      “Garage sale! Garage sale! Get your goods while they last!”

      “A garage sale?” I looked curiously at my friends.

      “That would be Mika and Carassa. They claim they’re having a moving sale,” Carl, an orange Gnorbu, explained.

      “Except they’ve been moving for the past decade,” Jesse said with a roll of his eyes.

      “Well, I’d still like to see what they have. You never know what may prove useful,” I said, heading towards the igloo where a couple of Chias had items laid out on tables.

      “Hello there! Care to buy?” a Blue Chia asked me.

      “Mika and I have called it quits with this weather and are moving to Mystery Island,” a yellow Chia explained and Jesse snorted. “So, any little bit helps.”

      “Oh, I’ve been to Mystery Island. It’s a beautiful place!” I told them, ignoring my friend. “I’m Moltaran myself so I can relate to not enjoying all of this.” I waved a hand at the windswept, snowy landscape.

      “Yes, that’s exactly what Mika and I want! As soon as we sell off all our stuff, we’re outta here!”

      “You don’t seem to have too much,” I observed, taking in all of the items scattered around us.

      “Oh, this isn’t all of it,” Mika, the Blue Chia, said.

      “Not even close,” Carassa, the yellow Chia, put in.

      “But we can only sell so much at once, you know?”

      “I see,” I answered.

      I perused the wares they had out but saw nothing that truly caught my eye, at least nothing I wanted or needed for my airship, let alone to lug back through the snow, even with my friends to help me. Through browsing, I took my leave of the friendly Chia siblings. We continued across the summit.

      “You know, for being such a forbidding place, I’m surprised by just how much life can be found here,” I commented.

     Rather than being stark and empty, there were several buildings scattered across the summit.

     “For those of us that choose to live here, the hardships are well worth what we love most about the mountain,” Carl said.

     I nodded, my gaze scanning the area until simple yellow flag bearing a large red question mark caught my eye.

     “What’s that?” I asked, pointing towards the landmark.

     “Tarla’s Shop of Mystery,” Ally answered.

      I raised my eyebrows at this. “Shop of mystery? What’s so mysterious about it?”

     “Nothing really. Tarla is a Red Ixi that wraps up items in blue velvet bags with yellow question marks on it. You pay a few coins for a bag to find out what’s inside,” Jesse explained with a shrug of his shoulders. “But it’s all just cheap junk.”

      “Oh,” I said, feeling perhaps unreasonably disappointed by this explanation.

     My eyes continued their sweep of the area. The next nearest shop bore a rather happy snow Bruce in a green and black striped knit cap and a red scarf on the roof.

     “What’s that shop next to it?” I asked.

     “Donny’s Toy Repair Shop,” Daphne explained.

     “A toy repair shop? Here?” I asked, pointing a finger down at the ground for emphasis.

     “Yes,” Ally answered. “Though, for someone that repairs toys, Donny isn’t the most…pleasant ‘pet to be around.”

     “Maybe not, but I always like visiting a fellow tinker,” I said.

     “Fine. We’ll wait for you here,” Carl said.

     “You don’t have to do that. I’ll catch up with you later,” I offered.

     My friends exchanged a look.

     “If you’re sure,” Daphne said slowly.

     “I am,” I confirmed with a nod.

     “Then we’ll see you later, Tris,” Farrel said with a little finger wave.

     “Just don’t say we didn’t warn ya!” Jesse called over his shoulder as my friends began to head back to the airport.

     Curious despite my friends’ warnings, I entered the repair shop. I immediately felt at home as I found myself in the familiar surroundings of a workshop. Looking around, I saw at once that this shop specialized in toys.

      Mindful of the Blumaroos of Roo Island, I half expected one to come bouncing towards me or perhaps a Bruce, like the figure on the roof. Who I saw instead was a grumpy old Bori, holding a mallet in one clawed hand as he glowered at me.

      “Do you have a toy in need a fixin’?” he asked me.

      “Toy? No,” I answered.

      “Then what’er ya want?”

      “So, you don’t just repair toys, you make them, too?” My curiosity was rising by the second.

      The Red Bori crossed his arms and harrumphed, which I took in the affirmative.

      “That’s amazing! My grandfather and I ran a repair shop back in Moltara, but we didn’t’ work on too many toys.”

      The Bori arced a bushy brow at me. “Long way from home now ain’t ya?”

      “That I am,” I conceded with a nod.

      “We don’t get many warm-weather folks in these here parts.”

      “I imagine not. Terror Mountain’s reputation precedes it.”

      “Then what are you doin’ here?”

      “I am an aeronaut on a tour of Neopia and that tour would not be complete if I didn’t visit all of the regions, now, would it? I will not be deterred by a little ice and snow.”

      The Bori harrumphed. “Well, if ye’ve no toys in need a fixin’, then I’ve work to do.” He gestured meaningfully to his workbench which held what appeared to be a Lady Frostbite Action Figure in multiple pieces.

      “Oh, I understand.” I hesitated, uncertain how the grumpy old Bori would take what I wanted to say next. “It’s just that, I would love to assist you or even observe if you’re agreeable to that."

      The Bori gave me a dark look from under furrowed brows. “I don’t need no help, and I hardly want some slip of a girl underfoot while I work.”

      I had expected this response, but I still felt myself deflate at the refusal. Having returned to such a familiar scene reminded me of how much I missed it. I had hoped to stay in surroundings that stirred such pleasant memories for me awhile longer but it was not to be. “Then I thank you for your time and I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”

      The Bori returned to his work, and I left the Toy Repair Shop, making my way back to the airport and the tremendous of work that awaited me there.

     My days took on a routine. When my supplies came in, I worked hard to make the repairs Fancy needed. I ended up staying four months in Terror Mountain. While it was certainly longer than I ever wished to spend in such a cold region and while I never wished to experience another devastating crash like the one that had stranded me here, I was almost grateful that it had happened. For it had allowed me a chance to really see everything the mountain had to offer and introduced me to ‘pets that I may have never met otherwise; those 'pets had become good friends that I would cherish for the rest of my life.

     But now, Flight of Fancy was ready to go. After four long months full of setbacks and hard work, I could finally resume my journey through Neopia. I was more than ready to see where the winds would take me next.

     The End.