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The Witch and the Mortog: Part One


by secant

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Every Neopet has heard the lovely story of the Witch and the Mortog. It is a classic tale, almost as cherished as The Magic Paw. Children learn it in neoschool, librarians discuss its literary merits, and critics critique the quintessential way Mortogs are portrayed in the tale.

     Wait, you say you have never heard the story? Surely you remember the story about Edna's curse, and the bewitched Mortog, and the way Vira became unfortunately notorious after... Really? You haven't? What are they teaching you in neoschool these days?!

     Okay. Fine. Sit back and let me tell you the story...

     It was a typical day in the Haunted Woods. The skies over there were grey as always. Ghouls flicked through the dark branches, merchants yelled the merits of their rigged goods, and Little Vira the beautiful (but vain) Acara was leaving her cottage to attend the Fairground.

     Now, this was the period before Lord Kass's takeover, and the Battle of Meridell. This was long before the Faeries' Ruin. This was... how should I describe it? Basically, this was a long, long time ago. The Deserted Fairground was not yet "deserted." It was, in fact, a lively place, full of carnival rides, toys, plushies, and delicious funnel cakes. How did it grow to be deserted, you ask? Hold your Peophins, I'm getting there!

     Vira was not rich. Her family was lucky to earn three hundred neopoints a day from selling homemade Haunted Woods trinkets to tourists. So the Acara did not have much to spend at the Fairgrounds, but she liked going there nonetheless. There was a reason: the Tent of Mirrors—because, like I said, she was very pretty but very vain.

     The Tent of Mirrors was basically a large tent full of mirrors of every shape and size. Contorted mirrors, mirrors that made you look taller, mirrors that distorted your face, et cetera. Vira particularly liked one mirror: a flat, perfectly square one at the end of the tent. There was something about it that made Vira feel warm and extremely pleased, almost as if she were hypnotized by its smooth reflection. She would stand in front of it for whole periods of time, sometimes even hours. Soon passersby became familiar with seeing her in front of the mirror, and she was known across the Fairgrounds as the Acara Who Loves Her Reflection.

     Yes, I know what you are thinking. Is this the same Vira from the Gallery of Evil? You are on the right track. We'll get there. Let me backtrack a bit.

     Not far from the same Fairgrounds lives a young green Zafara named Edna who had a knack for chemistry and magic. Instead of playing with her schoolmates like normal children do, Edna preferred brewing weird concoctions in her large toy cauldron. "This is an Invisibility Potion," the young Zafara would always claim. "Drink it and you'll be headless!" Nobody ever tried her potions, and needless to say, the other Neopets stayed far, far away from her whenever they could.

     The fact that Edna was not very pretty did not help her in the friendship department. Face it, what young Neopet would be brave enough to befriend a crazy-haired Zafara who brews potions that make heads disappear?

     So poor eccentric Edna had no friends except for her toy cauldron. She usually sat with her cauldron alone in a secluded area in the Woods, reciting spells and making up ingredients. Her greatest wish was to become supermodel gorgeous so that maybe her classmates would like her more.

     Okay, so I've introduced two main characters by now. You are wondering, what about the Mortog? I ask you, why are you so eager? All stories have background, and this one has an especially intricate one.

     Remember how I said this was the time before yesterday? This was the time before yesterday's last year. This was, basically, the time when Balthazar was still a kid. Yes, Balthazar is the next main character in The Witch and the Mortog. (I still can't believe you have never heard this story before!)

     Balthazar, as I'm sure you know, is the notorious faerie bounty hunter. He is the one who captures all the faeries into bottles and sells them at high prices. Well, when he was young, he was an innocent Lupe abandoned by the edge of the Haunted Woods. He tried to ask some faeries for help, but they—being Dark Faeries—just cackled at him and chased him away. So he went into hiding until he made his famous revenge as the faeries' number one feared enemy. Just look up his Neopedia entry.

     But in the story of The Witch and the Mortog, Balthazar is still a Lupe pup. He has already met the dastardly, rude Dark Faeries who refused to help him, so he lives on his own, learning to hunt for food with his sharp nose and young paws. And here is where the action of the background story begins.

     Balthazar was hungrily skirting an empty clearing in the Woods one evening when he spotted none other than our Edna beside a small creek.

     "Food!" was Balthazar's first reaction when he saw the large cauldron beside the green Zafara. The last food he had eaten was a Chebu Chebu Grub he found on the ground, and that had sickened him enough to lose his appetite for two days. He raced over, not noticing Edna's shriek, and peered inside the cauldron. It was full of boiling water and some mysterious lavender swirls.

     "Is this food?" the young Lupe panted with a hopeful gleam in his wide eyes.

     Edna recovered from the scare and shook her head. "It's an invisibility potion!" she said. "Drink it and you'll be headless!"

     Balthazar glanced at the green Zafara skeptically. "Does it fill up the stomach?" he asked in reply.

     "No, you loopy Lupe, it makes the stomach disappear! I just said it's an invisibility potion, did you not hear me?" retorted Edna, her ears twitching with mockery. She hoped she was being funny—the Lupe was the first Neopet she had talked to in a while, and she thought about how great it would be if they became friends. My first friend! she was thinking in excitement. Wait till I show him my magic root collection!

     "You're just like those faeries," grumbled Balthazar as he began to slink away, offended by Edna's tone and completely unaware that the poor Zafara was only trying to be friends.

     "Wait! What faeries?"

     "These purple faeries mocked me a few nights ago. I was hungry and lost, and they threw stones and twigs at me."

     The green Zafara felt sorry for the scrawny-looking Lupe. In particular, she hated faeries herself, since they only reminded her of how much prettier they were. "My parents are making dinner right now. You can join us if you want," Edna offered.

     "Really?"

     "As long as you don't touch any of my stuff, and save me the Magic Ghost Marshmallows at dessert."

     "Deal."

     It turned out Edna's parents were delighted that Edna finally had a potential friend. They adopted the poor Lupe pup and treated him like family. Over the next few months, Edna and Balthazar became as close as sister and brother. Balthazar was not freaked out about Edna's eccentric hobby, and Edna found that Balthazar was a great hunter. He would help find herbs, odd objects, and anything else Edna needed for her potions.

     By this time, Edna had become increasingly more skilled in her magic. She had successfully concocted potions that made the user sleepy, potions that made the user grow a temporary Snorkle snout, and potions that produced twenty hours of unstoppable laughter.

     "We should rule the world one day," Balthazar said one day as Edna perfected a smoky potion that set fiery sparks on the grass. "You have magic and I have my hunting talent."

     "Of course," Edna replied, even though she still secretly wished to be a supermodel. She still hadn't figured out the formula to making a potion that granted beauty. She needed inspiration. "Hey, Balthy, let's go to the Fairgrounds tomorrow," she suggested. The Zafara knew that a lot of tourists from other lands visited the Fairgrounds, and she thought maybe she could meet some beautiful aristocrats from faraway lands like Altador to mimic.

     "Okay," agreed Balthazar.

     So now you know the background for the story. Now we can return to the beginning, where the actual plot of The Witch and the Mortog starts. Back to vain Vira and the Tent of Mirrors.

     It was a typical day in the Haunted Woods. The skies over there were grey as always. Ghouls flicked through the dark branches, merchants yelled the merits of their rigged goods, and Little Vira the beautiful (but vain) Acara was leaving her cottage to attend the Fairground so she could stand in front of her favorite mirror in the Tent of Mirrors.

     The Fairgrounds were bustling with liveliness. Scents of cotton candy, popcorn, chocolate truffles, pumpkin pies, and spooky doughnuts filled the air. Vira ignored it all. She passed the Apple Bobbing tub in disgust; she could never imagine dunking her beautiful fur into the tub of dirty stale water. Peasants! she thought in arrogance as she raised her nose.

     The Tent of Mirrors finally came into view from the bustling crowds of Neopets. The tent was striped black-and-white on the outside and a shade of beige on the inside. Beautifully crafted chandeliers lighted the inside. Vira loved the light—it made her feel as if she were onstage, standing in front of a large audience.

     "Isn't she pretty?" she'd imagine someone in the audience say.

     "What a superstar, this Acara!" someone else would reply.

     "Vira! Vira! Let us have your autograph!" the imaginary crowd would shout together.

     Vira would dreamily close her eyes and respond, "Of course, but only if you have pretty paper. I do not sign ordinary stationary."

     Vira proceeded to the end of the tent where her favorite square mirror was. But to her frustration, two Neopets else were already in front of it: a raggedy looking Lupe and a wild-haired green Zafara.

To be continued...

 
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