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The Burning Book of Moltara: Part One


by mapthesoul

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      Around Neopia, the Month of Relaxing is a glorious time to be out and about. Shopkeepers lazily wave from their storefronts as they sip on iced borovan, and all of Faerieland spends the first week cleaning up after another joyous Fyora Day celebration. All of the lands buzz with anticipation for the annual Altador Cup and come out banging for the festivities as they make some noise for their home teams.

       Yet, while nearly everyone in Neopia screams about Yooyuball and discusses their favorite flavor of slushie, a little pair of neopets find their way into a mostly deserted Faerieland Library.

       "Come on, HS! Everyone's down at the arena. This is our chance to explore the top floor!" Vivi peeks out from behind the corner of the library before letting HS know the coast is clear.

       Vivi, a Faerie Xweetok with a soft brown coat and deep turquoise streaks running through her mane, grew up in Faerieland and had always loved the library. There was something about the seemingly endless shelves of worn books that was comforting to her. Everything smelled of history and stories left with books by all those who read them. She used to visit everyday, until she accidentally went up to the top floor without permission and the Library Faerie shooed her out, becoming increasingly unwelcoming with every visit.

       Vivi never stopped going, but eventually learned that the best way to explore the winding aisles of books would be to sneak in and do so as quietly as possible. Whenever she found a book that piqued her interest, she would tuck it under her arm and fly out of an unlocked window on the ninth floor, right beneath the Hidden Tower.

       Along the way, she met HS, a Royal Uni with wings of shining stars. They bonded over their love of books and, eventually, HS helped Vivi get in and out of the library every day and sneak out any books that she wanted.

       On this particular day, Vivi had managed to persuade HS to skip out on the Altador Cup merriment and join her in her quest to explore the top floor of the library again. It was rumored that the Library Faerie kept ancient books up there, ones with old curses that would turn you into a mutant if you touched it or spells that would magic your face into a Quiggle's for a day. Nobody was allowed up there without permission and clearance by Fyora herself.

       Security measures were lax, because nobody dared cross Fyora — if something was restricted, then most Neopians knew their curiosity was not worth being banished from Faerieland and whatever else Fyora might leave them with. That, and typically, the Library Faerie knew when someone was entering the restricted section. And on this splendid day, she was with the other faeries down at the arena.

       With nobody in sight and a free ticket to the top floor, Vivi and HS flew up to the unlocked window and let themselves in. They padded carefully up the stairs, careful to check the hallways on each floor to make sure they were alone. Every floor they passed brought along a new rush of adrenaline as they got closer and closer to the top, especially for HS who had never been this far up before.

       At long last, they reached an open floor with a large, wooden arch framing the entryway. Sunlight glittered through the windows in golden streams of warmth. The walls were lined with dusty books of all different colors and sizes. Some seemed to be alive, writhing between unyielding books of unbroken spines. A single, grand mahogany table stood proudly in the center of the room. Off to the left were a set of plush armchairs, deep red cushions set against the same dark wood as the table.

       "Vivi..this is incredible," HS whispered. Her voice seemed to echo across the quiet room, bouncing against books to let them know they had company. The books began to welcome them all at once, trembling and bouncing on the shelves around the room, begging to be read first.

       Vivi stepped forward first, flitting flashbacks to her first trip up to top floor stopping her momentarily. She pushed the images out of her head, wanting to etch this new adventure with HS into her memory instead. HS followed closely behind, bowing her head almost reverently as they reached the table.

       "Where do we even begin?" HS breathed as half a question, half a sigh of awe. Vivi looked around, wondering the same — there were so many books, but where would they start? She turned to look at HS when she noticed something glowing in the corner of her eye. Vivi looked over and couldn't believe what he saw.

       Amongst the quivering books was one that seemed to be on fire.

       Eyes wide in disbelief, she went over and reached out for the book unthinkingly. HS yelped as Vivi grabbed the spine, flames engulfing her paw.

       "Vivi! What are you doing? Are you o—" As the words left her mouth, the book's flames went out and it began to glow, much like the embers of a dying fire. Vivi stared at the book in her paw, humming and warm. She was fine — the fire hadn't hurt her at all. If anything, it seemed to envelop her in a blanket of wonderful warmth, inviting her to open the book.

       She carried the book back to the table where HS had pulled up the two armchairs. She placed it down and jumped up next to HS, newly instilled interest burning within her.

       Vivi looked at HS, who seemed to be just as excited and curious as she was. With a slight nod, Vivi pushed open the cover and gasped. The pages, while having seemed fine a moment ago, were now blackened and burnt. They seemed to crumble at the touch and where there was once a beautiful, live book, laid the ashes of their curiosity.

       Everything else seemed to happen in slow motion. They felt hands at the back of their necks as the Library Faerie appeared out of nowhere and dragged them back down to the first floor. She held on tightly, grumbling about how she needed to report this incident to Fyora and she would need to install new security to protect the top floor.

       When they finally reached the front door, the Library Faerie pushed them out and looked at the two of them angrily. Before turning to shut the library door, she sighed, "That was our only book on Moltara! We'll have to see if the Arcanium can send us another..there's no way I'm going back into the Caves!"

       Vivi looked at HS with wide eyes — Moltara.

       She had only heard of Moltara when discussing their Altador Cup team. Otherwise, she knew very little. But something about that book wouldn't let her go, and Vivi spent the next week coaxing HS to go with her on a quest to find the Arcanium and discover what that book was about.

- - -

       "But Vivi, we don't know anything about Moltara. What if we get lost? What if it's scary?" HS tried to be a voice of reason while the two of them moved together to pack their bags for the journey. Vivi had suggested it would be best if they didn't take much, given that they would be flying for the majority of the trip and would not want to be weighed down. HS seemed to think packing light included as many her personal belongings as she could possibly carry on her starry wings.

       "HS, I promise it's going to be okay! We know that book came from Moltara, right? And the Library Faerie's been there, she said so herself!" Vivi slipped her bag over her neck, making sure that the strap didn't confine her wings. "We don't need to worry."

       The Uni groaned and, with much difficulty, got her pack on her back. "I don't know how I let you talk me into this." Vivi grinned at her friend and bumped her shoulder lightly. With that, the two of them set off, soaring into the sky.

       "From what I found out, I think Moltara is near Altador," Vivi called over to HS as they passed Meridell. Even though they were high up in the sky, flying between big, fluffy clouds, they could make out the giant Turmaculus snoozing at the end of a large hill with small dots rolling down it. Further in, they noticed a gigantic marrow sitting heavily next to what appeared to be a very satisfied Wocky. Vivi thought it interesting that things in Meridell seemed to be so large! She made a mental note to visit the land someday with HS and explore a place close to home.

       They journeyed forward, stopping by Mystery Island momentarily for a quick rest and a bite to eat. They enjoyed bites of a fruity fruit souffle, mango crab salad, a coconut fruit cup, and honeyplume pie. Vivi tried to convince HS that they needed another slice of pie, but HS dragged her away from the marketplace and back towards the beach.

       "It's not very far from here, is it? I asked the Tombola Man and he said that we could find the entrance to Moltara just over there, where those islands are," HS pointed out ahead of them. She squinted her eyes towards the horizon. "Not really sure which island it is though."

       Vivi closed her eyes and curled up on the sand. It felt warm beneath her paws, gently bringing her closer to sleep. They traveled far that day, flying further and harder than either of them had ever before. For her, this was the first time she had ever been so far from Faerieland. HS was from Altador, even if she left when she was just a pony. The sea still smelled familiar to her, reminding her of playing on the docks with her friends.

       For Vivi, she grew up with the other Xweetoks in the forests right outside of Faerieland. While her friends decided at different points to go off to other places and paint themselves Island, Desert, Maraquan -- she decided to stay in Faerieland. Naia had poured the cool rainbow pool water over Vivi's head herself, welcoming her to her new home.

       Yet, now, she had never felt so out of her element before in her life. She knew that going on a quest to find Moltara, to find this book satiate her curiosity, would take her places she had never been before. But Vivi hadn't expected to feel a sense of painful longing for her home and her old friends. She was reminded of how lonely she had been before HS, and how books became everything to her.

       HS nudged Vivi gently behind the ear, forcing her to open her eyes.They knew they would have to rest for the night, unwilling to fly any further with the sun setting quickly and the territory before them unknown. The two friends found an empty hammock, swaying between two beachside palm trees.

       With a heavy heart, Vivi closed her eyes and dreamed of playing hide and seek with her friends, and a book that burned.

       The morning brought with it a cool breeze and a renewed determination to get to Moltara. After a quick meal of tigersquash crepes and thistleberries, Vivi and HS made their way back up into the sky and towards the cluster of islands ahead of them. The morning fog had not yet cleared, leaving their view of the islands below somewhat useless.

       "I think we should head down -- there's not much we can see from here," Vivi called out as she began to descend towards a spot where fog had lifted. HS quickly followed as they landed on a beach surrounded by thickets of trees. The area was so dense that it appeared to be a sheer wall of leaves and branches, shooing away any intruders and protecting whatever lay inside the forest. They walked along the beach to get to the other side of the island, hoping to get a view of the other islets to the east.

       Once there, they found they could see nothing. The water glimmered in the sun as it slowly broke through the remaining hints of morning clinging to the sea. They could barely make out the other islands, but nothing seemed to indicate that it might hold the entrance to Moltara. Across the water, the forests seemed to be as thick as the one they encountered.

       "I'm..I don't know where we should try first," Vivi admitted. She looked over at HS nervously, realizing that they were both beginning to doubt this mission. Perhaps it would be better to go back to Faerieland and forget about the book, or maybe they should ask the Library Faerie if she could tell them about it.

       As they hesitated on the shore, Vivi noticed something coming towards them in the water. A blue shadow raced forward, gliding through the ocean as if it were nothing but air. When it finally stopped, a beautiful, blue Peophin emerged from the water. It had pearls weaved through its mane and skin that glittered with tiny jewels. Sprouting from its back were wings make of actual waves, looking as if they were cresting and crashing at the same time. It looked at them curiously, as if it hadn't expected to see the two of them standing in the sand before it.

       "What are you two doing here?" the Peophin inquired. It moved a little bit closer to them, rocking every so slightly with the water.

       "Oh, we -- we got lost," said HS. She pointed over to the islands behind the Peophin. "We were trying to find something but couldn't see, so we came down to look."

       The Peophin turned its head to look behind it, then back at Vivi and HS. As if realization dawned on it at once, it gave a knowing smile and laughed. "Are you looking for Moltara?"

       Vivi and HS looked at each other nervously. "Yes..we were! How did you know?"

       "There's nothing else out here on these isles. You guys don't look like you'd be on your way to Lutari Island...so either you were trying to make your way across the sea to Altador, or you were looking for Moltara. I'm guessing the latter." The Peophin smiled as its wings crested and let out a mighty sound.

       "Do you know where we can find it?" Vivi asked. She oddly felt like she could trust this Peophin, despite having just met.

       "Sure thing -- follow me!" With that the Peophin dove back into the water, though not very deeply. It remained near the surface so that Vivi and HS could still see it, a bright blue shape swimming just beneath the waves. They jumped into the air and flew fairly close to the water so that they could keep and eye on the Peophin and keep up.

      To be continued…

 
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