The World of the Wealthy

      Apoc the Christmas Bori looked up. His teenage owner MI was standing over him.

      "MI, I can't. I have to complete this laser. How else will I terrify the general public when I stage my attack on Neopia?"

      "With large smelly bags of dinner scraps!" MI threw three large bags at Apoc's feet. Apoc glared at his owner and hurried off.

      Apoc stopped at a door and promptly knocked. A yellow Tonu opened it.

      "Come on, Min!" cried Apoc. "We get to take out the garbage!"

      Min sighed.

      "Alright, Apoc, how do we want to divide up the work?"

      "Well," Apoc began, "I'm thinking you'll carry the bags and I'll watch for little pieces that fall out!"

      "So you'll put them back in the bags?"

      "Get my paws dirty, no thanks! I prefer to spend my time doing more constructive things!"

      "You spent the last six hours building a giant laser!"

      "That's very constructive!"

      Min sighed. This argument was getting nowhere, so he figured he might as well get the job over with. So he picked up the bags and headed outside.

      Now one might think that Apoc and Min were making a big deal over nothing. However, they lived in Neopia Central, and the Rubbish Dump was a good two hour walk from their home. It took even longer when Apoc insisted that Min give him a Snorkle-back ride.

      Finally Min dumped the bags in a large smelly pile.

      "There!" he said. "Left until some cheapskate who has nothing better to do digs it up in a pathetic attempt to get free stuff!"

      "Just a minute!" said Apoc. "This person threw away some perfectly good Sandals! I could get 2 NP for this!"

      As the two pets headed home, Min felt his stomach growl.

      "Do you have any money?" he asked. "I'm a little hungry!"

      "Here!" Apoc handed him a bag. "It has gravy on it!"

      Min dropped the bag.

      "Something's wrong with you!" he cried.

      "Hey, relax!" Apoc bent down and picked up a strange sack. "What's this?"

      "It's a bag of Neopoints!" said Min. "Like the stuff from the Money Tree!"

      "Let's see how much is inside!" Apoc opened it up. He gasped. Inside was six million Neopoints.

      "Oh my gosh, there's five million Neopoints in here!" Apoc cried. Unfortunately three large Grarrls overheard him and headed towards him. Apoc screamed and started running.

      Apoc and Min later crawled home.

      "Thanks a lot, Apoc!" cried Min.

      "What did I do?"

      "You shoved me into them and ran!"

      "Yes, but I had the Neopoints! You made a bold sacrifice so I could run away and hide them!"

      "I've been thinking about that," Min began. "I think we should give the Neopoints to Judge Hog. He'll know what to do!"

      "Min, Min, Min!" Apoc laughed. "I want to return them just as much as you. But you and I both know that Judge Hog has still issued a 500 000 NP reward for my capture!"

      "Then let's show MI. He always has the answer!"

      "Min," Apoc began. "Sometimes you are a really bad sidekick. Now come on!"

      Apoc and Min headed off on a long hike to Maraqua. There they ventured past the ruins and into the beautiful world of New Maraqua.

      "Come on!" cried Apoc. "We're going to Kelp!"

      Apoc and Min entered Kelp.

      "Table for two, please!" Apoc stuffed some Neopoints into the Scorchio's jacket.

      "Very good, sir. Are you aware that you just stuffed two million Neopoints into my jacket?"

      "Aaaah! Give me that!" Apoc grabbed the Neopoints from the jacket's pocket, ripping the jacket in the process.

      "That was a fifty thousand Neopoint jacket!" The Scorchio glared at Apoc. Apoc sighed and gave him some money.

      "Well, this is a fun way to spend our money!" whispered Min. "We've had it for an hour and you lose fifty thousand!"

      "Our money?" Apoc stood up. "I found the bag!"

      "Because I threw the garbage on the ground!" Min also stood up.

      Their argument was interrupted by a Maraquan Uni who had swam up to them.

      "Greetings, sirs. May I take your order?"

      "I would like to see the beverage list, please!" Apoc snapped his fingers and the Uni handed him a list.

      "No, no, this won't do at all! What are you doing, trying to poison me?" Apoc threw the menu at her.

      The Uni was about to respond when Min decided that it had been a very long time since MI took him to the Roo Island Merry Go Round and he greatly missed it. Therefore he decided to jump up onto the Uni and attempt to ride her. Apoc thought this looked like fun and jumped on too.

      The Uni screamed and threw them both off, slamming them into a table. As Min turned around, he saw to his horror the person dining at this table was none other then Fyora.

      Fyora whispered some words and blasted them with a strong beam of light. The two pets flew out of Kelp and into the cold streets of Maraqua.

      "Well, I think we learned something!" said Apoc.

      "What's that?" asked Min.

      "We let wealth change us! Would the old Apoc and Min eat dinner at Kelp? No, they'd try to kidnap that snobby Scorchio and hold him captive! Come on, I've got an idea!"

      Soon Apoc and Min were sitting out by the Rainbow Pool.

      "Gosh, Min, I just love my Christmas coat!" Apoc said this very loudly.

      "Why, it's absolutely wonderful!" Min stroked it. "So silky too!"

      "I know, Min, I'd just die if anything were to HAPPEN to this coat!" Apoc was practically screaming now.

      Right on cue Boochi ran out, his ray gun pointed at the two.

      "We got him!" cried Apoc. "I knew that act would lure him to us! Okay Boochi, we want to buy your ray gun from you. How much for it?"

      "No deal!" squeaked Boochi and zapped them both.

      "Apoc? Apoc??"

      Apoc woke up. Min was standing over him with two paint brushes, a Christmas and a yellow one.

      "Okay Apoc, here you go!" Min threw the Christmas paint brush at him.

      Soon Apoc was back to his normal size and brain capacity.

      "Why did you do that? I'm not lavender anymore!" Apoc glared at Min. "Thanks a lot!"

      "I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear that!" Min stared at Apoc and shook his head.

      "Whatever," Apoc jumped up. "I have a plan!"

      "Oh boy!" groaned Min, but he got up and followed his brother.

      Soon Apoc and Min were at a table in Apoc's lab. Apoc had a strange liquid brewing inside his Kookith's Green Starry Food Bowl.

      "So what is that?" Min took a sniff. "It smells bad!"

      "That Min, is an ancient potion Kauvara created many years ago. It was too powerful, and she had to destroy it. I managed to gather all the ingredients to recreate it, something I needed two million Neopoints to achieve!" Apoc grinned. "So what do you think? With it we can make Neopia tremble!"

      "I think you shouldn't hold it so close to yourself like that!"

      "Why what's the- OWWWW!!!" Apoc fell to the ground screaming.

      Apoc woke up from the effects of a magical item for the second time that day. This time he felt much worse. He was bandaged and Min was standing over him, doodling on his cast to pass the time. Then the doctor came in.

      "Well, he's awake!" The doctor turned to Min. "Have you told him yet?"

      "Tell me what?" Apoc suddenly became much more alert.

      "Well that potion is really dangerous. Your arm was fully covered with it. You'll be in a cast for six weeks!"

      "That stinks!" cried Apoc. "I suppose my stay here cost me the rest of my Neopoints!"

      "Yes, it did," replied the doctor.

      "Well, tough luck!" cried Apoc. "I will never give you the Neopoints! I'll hide them and never tell you where they are! Ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha ha!! Ow, my arm hurts!"

      The doctor whispered something to Min.

      "No, he's always like that. Come on, Apoc, let's go home! You can relax by the way; I already paid him!" Min helped Apoc out of the bed and carried him home.

      When the two pets got home they found their owner MI at the kitchen table with his head buried in his hands.

      "MI, what's wrong?" asked Min.

      "Oh Min, I'm so sorry!" MI hugged Min.

      "What do you mean?"

      "Well," MI began. "I feel like I've been neglecting you lately. So I saved up six million Neopoints, and was going to use it to paint you a nice colour and buy you that set of faerie dolls you wanted so much, but on the way to the trading post the wind blew the bag of Neopoints out of my hands! I haven't seen it since. I'm so sorry!"

      Min looked at Apoc.

      Apoc looked back at Min.

      By the end of the day Apoc's arm wasn't the only part of his body that hurt.

The End