How I Met Liberty_Capulet, My Time-Travelling Pteri

Gasping, Liberty_Capulet threw herself behind a statue in the deserted courtyard. It was coming for her, and if she didn't manage to slay it, well, she just wasn't going to think about that. She heard a heavy thud, and then a slithering noise. She realized it was do or die. Literally.

      Liberty swung around and thrust her glittering sword into the beast's soft underbelly. It hissed in anger and disbelief. Finally, it dissolved in a puff of grey smoke. She carefully cleaned her starry weapon on a rag and resheathed it. Then she walked to the middle of the courtyard, closed her eyes, and everything changed.

      The faeries chattered happily, swapping pies and jokes during the festival, bestowing quests to eager Neopians, and simply having a wonderful time. No one noticed the beleaguered Pteri, her young visage marred by too much too early. No one, that is, except Fyora. The faerie queen noticed the little Pteri's hungry looks at the pie stand, but she saw the wistful glances she shot pets and their adoring owners with much more clarity.

      Liberty looked up as a tall faerie approached. Her mouth fell open when she saw the floor length Spyder-Silk dress and matching maractite and amethyst staff. She started to scramble to her feet, but Fyora motioned her back down. She handed Liberty a pie.

      "It looks like you could use this, sweetie," she said, "I'm guessing you haven't eaten well in a while."

      "Thank you ma'am," Liberty murmured, "I really appreciate it."

      "So why don't you tell me what you've been doing so as to need such a special sword and shield as that." Fyora looked at Liberty with her wise, old eyes, and Liberty knew she could trust her.

      "Well, as for the sword, It was found with me." She handed it over. It was beautiful, sharp as Eliv Thade's intellect, and hard as diamond with a radiance brighter than diamonds. "The shield... the shield was given to me by my employer." She slung it off her back and deposited in the faerie queen's outstretched hands. It had perfect balance, both aesthetic and physical. The patterns were geometrically perfect and the colouring the offspring of a true artist's genius. It had razor-sharp spikes out to each side to be used when ramming an opponent.

      "And who might your employer be?" inquired the faerie.

      "Well ma'am, it's sort of... Doctor Sloth."

      "What? Tell me the whole story, beginning to end, leave nothing out."

      "Doctor Sloth found me as an abandoned egg and hid me in the space station nursery until I hatched. It was several years after that he noticed my ability to manipulate time. I can travel through time and change things, fix things, repair broken time streams. For instance, Xandra was defeated, yes?"

      "Of course, Hanso and Brynn defeated her," Fyora answered with surety.

      "Well, yes, that's what happened. Because of me and Doctor Sloth. Because I travel through time, defeating the wraiths that Doctor Sloth knows are going to try and destroy everything."

      "But surely Sloth would want destruction?" Fyora hesitated.

      "NO! Doctor Sloth is actually not evil. Do you remember what happened to Lord Darigan? Well, the same thing happened to Doctor Sloth, but he was being controlled by a wraith. While in prison he managed to shake off the control, and he constantly repents for "his" actions. He knew that if the Neopian public thought their very existence was in danger there would be mad panic in the streets. So he trained me in the art of combat. There isn't a type of wraith I haven't slain. You see, Doctor Sloth can detect areas and times when the wraiths are particularly dense, and I protect Neopia by going there and slaying them. Unfortunately, there is a consequence. The wraiths regenerate in a sort of never-verse. It is a place where everything bad that we prevent is memorialized. The wraiths wander there, waiting for enough of them to regenerate so they can burst through the prison Doctor Sloth inadvertently created."

      Fyora just stared at the little Pteri.

     Liberty looked awkwardly at her and then hurriedly finished her tale.

      "Anyway, because if there are too many of them there, I have to go there every once in a bit and re-slay them. I don't know how I do it, but I travel through time. And I'm the only one who can, so I'm bound to the wraiths."

     Liberty nibbled embarrassedly on her pie, trying not to drop crumbs, cry, or fall asleep in the presence of the faerie queen.

      Fyora stared into the distance for a while. After Liberty had finished her pie, Fyora stood up, motioning for Liberty to follow her. She hastily scrambled to her claws, slinging her shield onto her back with the ease born of countless repetitions. Fyora said, "Take me to this prison and perhaps I can reinforce it."

      "But, your majesty, you could be hurt!" Liberty looked quite concerned, and Fyora chuckled.

      "I may not be a warrior, but I can protect myself if I see the enemy coming. Come, let us go."

      Liberty still looked worried, but she took the faerie's hand, closed her eyes, and opened them. They were standing in a dark, gloomy courtyard, surrounded by statues of faeries. Fyora's eyes widened. "It's just as you say!"

      "GET DOWN!" shouted Liberty. The queen knew she was in safe wings, and dropped to the dusty ground. Liberty thrust at where the queen had been moments before and felt her sword slide into wraith-flesh. She yanked it out and shuddered. "Cast your spell hastily, we must away!"

     The queen focused, and then an enormous blast of purple energy flew from her staff. "It is done."

     Liberty sighed with relief, grabbed the faerie's wrist and closed her eyes.

      They were standing back in the middle of the festival, not a moment having passed.

      "Thank you, your majesty." Liberty said gratefully. "But please mention this to no one; Doctor Sloth prizes his anonymity."

      "Of course, I will refrain from breathing a word to anyone. But where are you going to go? Back to the Space Station?"

      "No," Liberty answered, "I can't. Doctor Sloth barely sneaked me out of prison once. I can't go back there even though I really miss him. If I go to the Space Station they'll catch me. I'll just wander until I get another signal that there are wraiths gathering."

     "You do not have an owner?"

      "No. The Money Tree is kind to me, though, and Sabre-X will occasionally sneak me an extra slice of omelette, though don't tell anyone."

      "My lips are sealed. Would you like somewhere to stay? I have a good friend, an owner with only three pets who has told me she would rather take in a pet of special circumstances and special need than a pound pet whom will eventually get adopted."

      "Is she kind?"

      "Very much so."

      "I would love that. But I would not want to be a burden."

      "I doubt you would. She recently ran into some good luck and loves spoiling her pets, one more will just make her all the more happier."

      "What's her name?"

      "Well, she goes by Qwerty. Why don't I introduce you two?"

      "I'd really like that."

      And that's how I met my Pteri. She's a darling, but she still has to go fight wraiths occasionally. When she does, I pack her a nice lunch and worry my head off until she gets home. So next time Zylphia spoils you with "time travel" just remember what hardcore time travel is. ;P

The End

Thanks much for reading!