
The Healing Springs that Almost Wasn't
by shadih_temporary
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The Healing Springs is and probably always will be a favorite
among the millions of pets in Neopia. When pets become injured in the Battledome,
or come down with a bad case of the Sneezles, the Healing Springs was always where
they would turn to first. There was no need to spend all their Neopoints on Magic
Cookies, Healing Potions, and the entire sort.
And, we can't forget the wonderful Faerie who
puts all her hard work into running the Healing Springs 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week. She is prepared to use all her magic on a sick or injured pet, who has
nowhere else to turn to. And she does every half hour, for free! How good can
it get?!
The Healing Springs has always been so reliable.
But, can something so good last forever?
***
The sun shined, the Beakadoodles sang, and the
water of the Healing Springs glistened as the Water Faerie pulled herself onto
the rock she had been sitting on since she first opened the Healing Springs
way back when.
She pushed a strand of her hair back behind
her ear as she waited for the sick and hurt Neopets to arrive. It wouldn't be
too long. Pets these days were always getting themselves into some kind
of trouble.
Soon after she had first sat down, a Green Gelert
arrived to bathe in the Healing Spring's waters, followed by a Yellow Yurble,
who unfortunately received a mere Wet Snowball.
"Can you please cure me instead?" asked the
Yurble, "I'm sick with the Sneezles, and I have no use for this Wet Snowball."
"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," the Water Faerie replied,
"but my magic is not fully restored yet. You can always come back in a half
an hour."
The Yurble sighed as it left the Healing Springs,
head hanging low.
The Water Faerie hated to see depressed pets.
But, she had to deal with it everyday. What pets got from the Healing Springs
was totally random. She merely ran the springs.
The Water Faerie took deep breaths as she overcame
what just happened. The Yurble would come back, and hopefully, it would be healed.
Trying to think of other things, the Water Faerie
examined her fingernails, trying to keep them clean as ever. That was when,
she heard a few footsteps, and a tall shadow was cast before her. The Water
Faerie looked up to see Jhudora standing before her.
"Oh!" shouted the Water Faerie.
"I don't have time for it, lady," said Jhudora,
scornfully, "I need a quick jump in the Healing Springs. You dig?"
The Water Faerie sat, dumbfounded, "Uh…erm…
I mean, sure! Of course! Go ahead!"
"Thanks," Jhudora said, chewing gum, "I was
lifting some furniture up the stairs when I think I pulled a muscle or something.
It hurts like crazy. And you had better not give me any Wet Snowballs, or you
will pay dearly…"
"Um… sure," said the Water Faerie.
Jhudora started towards the Healing Springs,
but tripped over a small pebble and toppled into the springs, head first.
"Aaaaah!" she screamed as she splashed in the
water.
The Water Faerie couldn't help but giggle a
bit.
Jhudora arose from the water, standing on all
fours. Her head hung low as she threw her head upwards, sending her drenched
hair behind her. She turned around quickly to find that the Water Faerie was
laughing at her.
"You think this funny?" Jhudora demanded.
The Water Faerie held back the laughs as she
replied, "No, of course not, Ms. Jhudora, ma'am."
"Mm hmm…" Jhudora said in disbelief, "well,
let's see how funny you think this is!"
At this point, Jhudora reached behind her, and
pulled out something that the Water Faerie could not see very clearly. Something
small. Something that was glowing pink.
Jhudora dropped the glowing object into the
water of the Healing Springs, causing the waters of the springs to turn a ghastly
darkish purple.
The Water Faerie gaped as she stared at her
once beautiful Healing Springs…
Pink fog erupted and was spread around the area.
Jhudora grinned as she winked at the Water Faerie. The fog arose and covered
Jhudora completely. The Water Faerie waved all the fog away from the rock on
which she sat, until she could see clearly enough.
Jhudora was gone. The fog was gone. And, surprisingly
enough, the water was no longer purple. It went back to its glistening blue
colour.
"Hmmm…." The Water Faerie pondered what had
just happened.
Had Jhudora done something to the Healing Springs?
A yellow Wocky with a sickly look on its face was approaching. The Water Faerie
would soon find out.
The Wocky had red, drowsy eyes, unruly fur,
and snot exiting its nostril. It could have been counted as a Grey Wocky!
The Wocky sniffed, "Hullo… mind if I use the
Springs?"
It sneezed.
"Oh! Not at all! Be my guest," the Water Faerie
replied, kindly.
The Wocky stuck its front paw in the water to
see if it was cold or not. It then let itself fall into the water, without any
regrets. The water was so relaxing; it would do that to anyone.
The Water Faerie arose from her place on the
rock to see if the Healing Springs worked on the Wocky.
The Wocky exited the water headfirst. It's eyes
returned to its beautiful hazel colour. It fur was neatly brushed, not one split-end.
It was no longer sick.
"Thank you so much, Water Faerie!" the Wocky
exclaimed.
The Water Faerie was flabbergasted, but soon
shook her head until she was able to concentrate again.
"You're very much welcome, young one," she replied.
"My name is Nira, by the way, in case you ever
want to send a 'Hug and a Hi' to me!" exclaimed the Wocky.
The Water Faerie nodded.
Nira happily skipped away from the Healing Springs,
humming the tune of the Usukiland Advert. Nothing was wrong with her.
The Water Faerie was a bit confused. What had
Jhudora done to the Healing Springs, if anything at all? Had she simply scared
the Water Faerie into thinking that she had stopped the Healing Springs from
working, or something relatively bad? Could something more maybe have happened
to the Wocky? So many questions filled the young Faerie's mind.
After a while, she shook it all off.
"I am sure that was another one of Jhudora's
sick jokes," the Water Faerie decided, "and she hasn't scared me at all. Nice
try, though, Jhudora! I know you can hear me!"
***
The next day was just as beautiful as the one
before. But, something wasn't right. The Water Faerie had a feeling something
was wrong. She just didn't know what.
While she was heading for the Healing Springs,
where she would do her daily job, a 'Wanted' poster to the right caught her
attention.
She slowly approached the bulletin board that
held the poster, and soon, she was able to read what it said.
***WANTED***
Nira the Yellow Wocky
For terrorizing the town. Stealing from the Toy Shop in Neopia Central.
And attempting to chop down the Money Tree.
The Water Faerie couldn't believe what she saw.
'My name is Nira, by the way, in case you
ever want to send a 'Hug and a Hi' to me!'
The young Wocky she had met yesterday was named
Nira. Her voice rang in the Faerie's ears. What happened? Nira seemed so kind
and sweet. She didn't seem as if she was criminal material.
The Water Faerie rushed to the Healing Springs.
When she arrived, the Water Faerie stuck her finger in the springs. The water
was warm at first. But soon, it became freezing cold, giving the Faerie goosebumps.
An injured Kacheek approached the springs.
"Good day!" he said to the Water Faerie, getting
ready to hop into the Springs.
"Wait!" the Water Faerie exclaimed.
"What?" the Kacheek said, confused.
"Don't get in that spring!"
"What? Why not?"
"I…. I'm not sure…"
"What? Look, would you just let me get in the
Springs? The Snowager kind of got to me and I'm late for a Guild meeting."
"No, I can't let you use the Healing Springs
until I figure out what's wrong with it."
"What? Nothing's wrong with the Healing Springs!"
"Oh… you wouldn't know. I… I'm going to have
to temporarily close the Healing Springs."
"What?!"
The Water Faerie got on top of the rock she
sat on everyday and cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "That's it! The Healing
Springs are temporarily closed!"
The Kacheek gaped as he stared at the Water
Faerie. Various Neopets and their owners who were within the vicinity of the
Healing Springs heard the young Faerie, and stopped to listen.
"Something has come up!" The Water Faerie continued,
"The Healing Springs has harmed a Neopet! For the first time ever, the Healing
Springs has caused harm to a Neopet."
The crowd gasped as one.
"I am sorry, but this is a must," said the Water
Faerie.
The Water Faerie looked down upon the Healing
Springs from her standing position on the rock. She waved her arms. While a
tear rolled down her cheek, the water of the Healing Springs disappeared, revealing
a mere patch of soil.
Various mumbles from the crowd included:
"What's going on?"
"Is she crazy?!"
"Why is she doing this?!"
"My Neopet is sick! I need the Healing Springs!"
"The Healing Springs used to be so reliable!"
"What does she mean by 'harmed a pet'?"
The Water Faerie could not answer these questions,
because she didn't know the answer to any of them. The whole 'Nira turning evil'
thing may be a coincidence. It may be another Yellow Wocky named Nira who is
the criminal. Or maybe Nira has always been that way. The Water Faerie could
be imagining the whole thing. Maybe she was crazy…
…or maybe…. maybe she wasn't crazy. Jhudora
dropped some kind of glowing substance into the Healing Springs the moment before
Nira bathed in the Spring's waters. Maybe Jhudora had something to do with what
happened.
The Water Faerie looked to her left. Way in
the distance, she spotted a dark purple cloud, hovering only a few feet above
the ground. It wasn't just any cloud, however. It was Jhudora's Cloud. And it
wasn't that far away from the Healing Springs. Jhudora could have made and quick
and easy trip to the Healing Springs and back to her Cloud without breaking
a sweat. Jhudora has most likely planned out what she was going to do to the
Healing Springs. The only question left… is 'Why?'.
The Water Faerie quickly turned around to face
the crowd of worried and angry Neopets and owners, who were continuing to shout
and bicker.
"People! People, please!" the Water Faerie shouted,
waving her arms.
Everyone continued to yell, argue, and chatter.
"Oooh…." The Water Faerie started, "I said QUIET!!"
The crowd fell silent. p> "I have a plan," said
the Water Faerie.
The crowd all nodded, showing that they were
listening.
"Oh, um, but I really don't feel like explaining
it you guys because you really wouldn't understand," the Water Faerie said,
abruptly.
The crowed was wide-eyed.
The Water Faerie hopped off the rock she sat
upon and headed for Jhudora's Cloud. She managed to make her way off the cloud
that held the Healing Springs and over to Jhudora's cloud. Don't ask me how.
She's a Faerie! She does these things.
The Water Faerie stepped into the purple cloud,
and found herself in a castle-like place. In the distance, Jhudora sat in a
large, golden-rimmed chair with a dark green cushion. She wasn't facing the
Water Faerie, Jhudora had her back to her.
"I have what you really need…" Jhudora
started.
The Water Faerie rolled her eyes.
"Magical artifacts of ultimate power!" Jhudora
bellowed.
Jhudora jumped up from the chair she sat on
and turned to face her guest. She gasped.
"Magical artifacts?" the Water Faerie scoffed.
"Like a Poisonous Lollypop and a hairbrush? Yeah… real magical, let me tell
you!"
"Cut the sarcasm," Jhudora snapped. "What do
you want?" "I know what you did to my Healing Springs, Jhudora," the
Water Faerie stated, "I want to know why you did that. And I want my Healing
Springs back. I want you to return it to normal."
"Don't push your luck," Jhudora said, toying
with her hair, "you know why I did that. Everyone scurries over to your Healing
Springs whenever they get a tiny little boo-boo. And since you do it for free,
your Healing Springs are probably the main attraction of Faerieland!"
"So?" the Water Faerie plainly said.
" 'So?' What do you mean 'so?' you wicked old
witch!!" Jhudora shouted. "I run a business here! I have Neopets retrieve requested
items for me! And in return, they get some of the flotsam and jetsam my Bartamus
throws together! But 'no'! All the Neopets stop by Faerieland, dive into the
Healing Springs, leave, and don't even pay any attention to my Cloud! My Cloud,
which is only a couple feet away from your Springs!!"
"I can't do anything about that," the Water
Faerie said, scowling.
"Oh… but you can," Jhudora smiled. "You claim
that you have "temporarily" closed the Healing Springs. Hehehe… it will never
be open again! And with nothing better to do here, they will have to come to
my Cloud! Because it is the closest attraction to your Healing Springs! Haha!"
"Your plan isn't foolproof, Jhudora," the Water
Faerie replied, angry and annoyed. "Just because the Healing Springs is closed
forever doesn't mean that they will come straight here!"
"Hmm… you're right…" Jhudora ponders, "but I
will still have the joy of knowing you'll be put out of business! Ha!"
"What good will that do, Jhudora?" the Water
Faerie eyed her, "I may be put out of business. But if no pets come here,
then pretty soon, you will be put out of business, too!"
Jhudora gasped. She realized she was cornered;
there was nothing more she could do.
"But… I am willing to make a deal with you…"
the Water Faerie grinned.
"I'm listening," Jhudora said.
"If I do one of your quests, anyone who sees
me doing it will consider it," the Water Faerie started. "I am well known throughout
Neopia. I see no reason why people and Neopets wouldn't take it into consideration.
Plus, after having one of your quests done, you will make your first set of
NP in… how long?"
"Who cares?" Jhudora scolded. "I accept this.
You do one of my quests. And then, I'll give back your Healing Springs."
The Water Faerie placed her hands behind her
back and said, "Ask away."
Jhudora crossed her arms and scowled, "You have
15 minutes to get me a Super Sub."
As soon as the Water Faerie heard the words
of Jhudora, she rushed out of the Cloud and out to the Shops.
"She better not take too long, or else I'll---"
Jhudora started, but was cut off when the Water Faerie rushed back into the
room.
She was panting very hard. The Water Faerie
took one deep breath, and handed Jhudora her Super Sub.
"Sorry, one of the tomatoes fell out in Neopia
Central," the Water Faerie blinked. "Wow! That was fast!" Jhudora exclaimed.
She snatched the sub out of the Water Faerie's
hand placed on a table nearby. Her Bartamus began to sniff it.
"Now, LEAVE," Jhudora bellowed.
"What about my Healing Springs?" the Water Faerie
was shocked.
"We didn't shake hands…" Jhudora cackled.
The Water Faerie did not take too kindly of
this. She snatched up Jhudora's Bartamus and held it tightly.
"You saw how fast I got that sub," the Water
Faerie said, angry, "I'll sell your Bartamus at the Shop Wizard just as quickly."
Jhudora was wide-eyed, "Fine! Fine! Okay! You
can have your Healing Springs back! Just… don't harm Bart!!"
"Tell me what I have to do," the Water Faerie
demanded.
"The green pebbles, on the table, over there,"
Jhudora motioned to a small table in the corner of the room where five glowing
green pebbles lay.
"What do I do with them?" the Water Faerie asked,
squeezing the Bartamus.
"Oh, isn't it obvious, you baboon?" Jhudora
said, scornfully. "Drop the pebbles into the patch of soil where the Healing
Springs once were."
"You're not tricking me again, are you?" the
Water Faerie said, just to make sure.
"I swear I am telling the truth," Jhudora said,
sounding serious.
The Water Faerie made one quick decision. She
threw the Bartamus at Jhudora, flew back, grabbed the pebbles, and rushed out
the door.
She caught one last image of Jhudora hugging
her Bartamus tightly before she out of the Cloud.
Pretty soon, the Water Faerie was back at the
Healing Springs.
"If this doesn't work… I shall scream…" the
Water Faerie said aloud.
A crowd gathered around the Water Faerie. Soon,
almost the whole of Faerieland was gathered around the Healing Springs and the
Water Faerie.
"Here goes nothing," the Water Faerie said,
eyes shut tightly.
She held the hand grasping the pebbles above
the patch of soil, which was originally the Healing Springs. After awhile, she
let go of the pebbles. The rolled off her hand and headed downward towards the
patch of soil.
Down, and down, and down the pebbles fell, until
they hit the cold soil that lay before the Faerie and the crowd.
The pebbles just sat there for a minute. Nothing
happened.
"No…" the Water Faerie whispered.
That was when the pebbles began shaking. They
bounced across the patch of soil. And soon, they cracked. They cracked open,
revealing a bright flash of white light. Everyone shielded his or her eyes,
except for the Water Faerie, who couldn't stand to not see her Healing Springs
be revived.
Water poured out of the fountain in the middle
of the springs. The dry patch of soil was filled with the relaxing water of
the Healing Springs again. The Water Faerie shouted with joy at the sight of
this. She hopped into the springs, followed by random audience members.
The Water Faerie rose to the top of the springs
and splashed the warm water across her face. She breathed a sigh of relief,
and smiled. The faces of the now happy Neopets kept her joyful. And now, because
she knew the Healing Springs would always be, and the happy Neopets would always
be, the Water Faerie knew her joy was there to stay.
The End
Author's note: Hullo! Char here. Thank you so much for reading my story!
I wrote it at 1 in the morning, so there's bound to be a lot of typos. I would
like to thank everyone at the HC who helped me realize the Water Faerie at the
Healing Springs had no name. You know who you are! Feel free to Neomail me comments,
good or bad. =)