The Price of Ambition

     “So, headed to Maraqua, are ya?” Una, one of the twins asked. “You know, it’s pretty dangerous down there.”

     “No it isn’t! You’re full of it!” No. 1 said. Annie thought that was a very silly name for a pet, but then again, she’d heard weirder. “I’m sure you’ll be safe, as long as you wear your special helmet there if you dive in too deep.” He gestured to the helmet at Annie’s side. Apparently, she didn’t need it to explore the greater Maraquan area, but if they dove further in, she’d have to wear a helmet.

     “You’re lucky you don’t need one at all,” Annie said to SB. “These things are clunky.”

     “I heard a tall tale that says all water Neopets are descended from the original Maraquans. That’s part of why there are Maraquan variations of pets,” SB said, giving her sister a playful nudge. It was hard to tell from her tone whether she believed it or not. They had touched on the topic in history class, but never delved further.

     “We’re gonna be hitting the drop spot soon, you guys better get yourselves together,” Una said, keeping her eye on the seas and her paws on the wheel. “Make sure you don’t have anything that’ll get soggy.”

     “Yeah, I know, I know…” Annie grumbled. Her backpack only had the bare essentials for their Maraquan journey. She had some neopoints like before, but she didn’t bring any snacks since SB promised she could get them a table at Kelp.

     After fifteen more minutes, the boat pulled up to what looked like a vortex. The boat was in no danger of getting sucked in, but if someone swam into it, they would surely be taken down by it. Annie peered over the side, her teeth chattering. “How do we get in there? How do you not drown?”

     SB sat on the edge of the boat, her fin dangling in the water. “It’s actually not dangerous at all. It’s a little more like a water slide. Water slides are fun, right?”

     “I never thought I’d drown in a water slide…” Annie mumbled.

     “C’mon, c’mon, now or never!” No.1 said, gently sweeping Annie towards the edge of the boat. “SB is right, it’s fun! You won’t get hurt. I swear that on my honor.”

     Annoyed, Annie sat down on the edge of the boat and let her feet dangle in. The water was surprisingly warm, unlike when she’d dipped her paws into a pool and would have to adjust to the temperature. But that was also back when she had paws instead of disgusting, claw-like hooves. “Alright, fine. But I still don’t like this.”

     “Do you want me to hold your hoof?” SB asked, extending one of her hooves out.

     “Um, sure. Thank you.” Annie reached out and took her sister’s hoof, her arm shaking a bit. Before she could say anything else, her sister dove into the water, pulling her in with her. It took a few seconds of swimming forward, but the two were quickly sucked into the vortex.

     For a moment, Annie could feel all the breath getting sucked out of her. Her head was spinning, and the only thought she had was ‘this is it, I’m going to die.’ But as soon as it began, it was over. The fear had passed, and what SB had said became true; it did feel like going down a water slide. She slid down at a pace that was a little more than leisurely, but not so fast that she didn’t have control of her body. She looked over at SB and shot her a smile since she wasn’t feeling like she was in danger anymore. But by the time her sister sent a smile back, the two began a slow freefall towards the ground. It was more like floating than a drop, not scary at all, and they finally landed safely just outside of Maraqua.

     “See? It wasn’t so bad, was it?” SB asked, giving her sister a knowing smile. It always frustrated Annie when SB or Poppy said something was safe or unsafe and then turned out to be right. But the saying that with age comes wisdom proved true more often than not.

     “Yeah…” Annie said reluctantly. To avoid looking at her sister, she looked out at Maraqua. It was only a ten-minute walk ahead of them, but she needed to get accustomed to walking underwater.

     They trudged forward, with SB swimming easily, but Annie moving slower as she adjusted. She had learned to swim in shallow water as a kid, including in the pool SB had in her room. But deep underwater was a different story. She could only imagine that the Ruins would be even harder.

     When they finally entered the city, Annie was impressed. She had learned in history class about how the Old Maraqua was destroyed by a whirlpool, and what was left of the kingdom was now the Ruins. Over the years, they had rebuilt Maraqua, and the kingdom was stronger than ever. Although King Kelpbeard worked hard to keep the city well-maintained, she got the impression that he wouldn’t be as kind as King Altador. One of his most famous quotes was him saying not to trust land-dwellers. Annie hoped that she wouldn’t have to deal with him.

     “You said you’d get us a table at Kelp, right? Isn’t it expensive and hard to get into?” Annie asked. Even though it hadn’t been long, she was already hungry. But maybe she was also trying to put off diving into the Ruins.

     “Expensive, yes. But I called ahead the second you got the list from Edna and managed to get us a table. I was lucky to even get one then. Somebody probably dropped at the last minute,” SB said, looking around to spot the restaurant. “We’ll still have to wait about an hour to get in, though. “In the meantime, there is a Battledome supplies shop…”

     Annie’s face lit up. “You don’t have to tell me twice! Let’s go!”

     The two visited the Battledome shop and killed a little time with Annie wandering around and trying out everything she could get her hands on. SB watched with an amused expression, but didn’t cave to Annie’s pleas to buy her something.

     “I’m already spending enough at Kelp. If you have NP, you can buy something for yourself. But I already got you something at the Space Station,” SB said, gently patting her sister on the shoulder.

     Annie whined, but she knew that she was right. Eventually, she decided to buy a maractite throwing net. Although she was tempted to have it sent to their house so she wouldn’t have to lug it around, she decided to hang onto it just in case. Supposedly, it could tangle anyone up and make it nearly impossible for them to get out. She liked the sound of that.

     When they arrived at Kelp, the Scorchio waiter looked at them funny. “Er, you aren’t supposed to bring weapons inside…”

     “Well, where else am I supposed to keep this?” Annie asked, holding the net out and grinning.

     His eyes widened, even if his life wasn’t actually in any danger. He gave a quick nod and looked away from them. “Very well, right this way,” he said nervously. The three of them walked to a table at the back of the restaurant and the Scorchio gestured for them to sit. “I’ll bring you something to drink shortly.” And with that he was off quicker than Annie had ever seen someone swim away.

     “You really threatened the waiter, huh?” SB said, idly playing with one of the sugar packets on the table.

     Annie ignored the question with a roll of her eyes. “How do you drink anything down here? How does it work?”

     “Don’t ask questions. Just take the free water.”

     “Isn’t the water around us free? I don’t get it! How is it different!”

     “Shhhhhhh.”

     When the waiter brought water to the table, SB put in an order for the Seaweed Surprise, Mixed Green Salad, and Filet of Beef. She looked over at Annie expectantly. “What are you getting? Try not to go crazy, it’s on my tab.”

     Annie looked at the menu, a little confused. Everything listed was a fancy food she’d never even heard of. Poppy had made them cheaper versions of nice food before, but looking at a real Pate A La Kelp made her head spin. “Um… can I just get the Fish Special?”

     SB raised an eyebrow. “Fish? Really? You don’t like fish.”

     “It’s fancy fish. It has to be good, right?”

     “Whatever. Saorsie will eat the leftovers if you don’t like it.”

     As SB predicted, Annie didn’t like the fish, and she grumbled until SB shared some of her beef with her. When they were done eating, they packed up their leftover boxes and left. Annie eyed the waiter one more time before heading out the door, and he visibly gulped at the sight of her net again.

     “So now that you’ve successfully intimidated everyone at Kelp, are you ready to head to the Ruins?” SB asked, gesturing towards the path towards the depths of Maraqua.

     Annie sighed and pulled the helmet out of her bag. “Yeah, now or never, I guess.” She put it on and made sure it was tight enough that she could breathe. Her jealousy of SB’s ability to breathe even deep down in the Ruins grew even more.

     They dove down towards the Ruins, past the Fishing Vortex and around what seemed to be a decrepit arts centre. Their intended path was towards a bubbling pit, which was mostly uncharted territory. The outer rim had been explored often, and Annie didn’t intend to go any further than that. She had heard rumors of native, hostile Maraquan tribes that lived at the bottom, and she didn’t want to meet them, even if she was armoured with a net. The net could ensnare anyone that came at them, but wouldn’t be able to do much damage past that.

     “This is where you have to be careful,” SB said. “Once we touch down, you have to watch your footing. I don’t need you falling in. Grab my hoof or tail if you need to.”

     After swimming into the pit, the two landed on one of the cliffs on the outer rim. Annie looked around, gazing over the sea grass and stone along the floor. “What are we supposed to be looking for?”

     “We’re going to become pet metal detectors. Scan the floor and see if you can see anything wedged in the ground or hiding within the kelp. If you find something, call my name.” With that, SB swam off, looking at the ground.

     Annie tried to look for a while, but after what felt like forever, she stopped and sat down. Her watch wasn’t on Maraqua time, but when she looked down at it, she saw that only ten minutes had passed. She groaned, wanting to just lie down and give up. But while she was sitting amongst the sea grass, she noticed something shiny just a few feet away, by the edge of the cliff. She looked around to see if SB was close, but she couldn’t spot the Peophin anywhere nearby.

     With how close the shiny object seemed to the edge, and how the water seemed to be pulling towards the depths of the pit, Annie knew that getting too close would be dangerous and stupid. Before she had drunk the potion, she probably would have just gone for it. But after all she had done so far, and all she would have to do, she knew better. Instead of trying to swim out and grab it, Annie pulled out her net and let it billow out so that it expanded to its full size. Once it was out and ready, she did a few practice throws forward, without fully letting the length go, to make sure it could reach out to where the shiny object was. On her fifth throw, she tossed the majority of the net out, hoping that it would hook onto whatever that object was.

     To her relief, it did. Because the net was so strong, pulling it back hard was enough to dislodge it from the ground and get it towards her. Her heart was pounding as she reeled it in, knowing that it was either exactly what she was looking for, or all for nothing. And when the net was close enough for her to see what was inside, she found a blue, shiny Maractite coin in the shape of a triangle. “SB! SB! I found it!”

     As quickly as Annie had shouted her name, SB swam over, a trail of bubbles following her. “You got it?”

     Annie held the coin out for her sister to see. “Yeah! It was right at the edge of the cliff!”

     SB’s eyes widened. “You didn’t swim out there, did you?”

     “No, I used my net!” Annie held the net up and waved it around like it was a flag at the Altador Cup.

     SB breathed a sigh of relief, then wrapped her arms around Annie. “Thank goodness. I’m so proud of you. You’ve grown so much.”

     Annie hugged her back and her eyes began to water. “We did it,” she said, as if in disbelief.

     “You don’t have to say we. You were the one that found the coin, you were the one who reeled it in,” SB said, pulling back and smiling. “You’re capable of doing things by yourself, Annie. I hope you realize that.”

     It took Annie a moment for the words to sink in, but once the weight of it settled, she nodded. “Y-yeah, I guess you’re right, heh.” For the first time in her life, she felt like she could be independent and not have to rely on everyone else for once. And it was the best thing she had felt in a long time.

     ~

     Annie wanted a few days to recover after going to Altador and Maraqua right in a row. While she would have normally been itching to go out and do something, she found that for those few days, she wanted to relax and spend time in with her family. She played with Brynettia, read books with SB, baked with Poppy, and listened to Saorsie talk about the latest fashion trends. She could especially relate more to her older sister now that she had seen what the industry was like firsthand. And knowing that Limbre was nice made her experience of listening to Saorsie gush about her a little more enjoyable.

     With some of that free time, she also worked on training in the backyard. Although she was worried that people would see her, she had been itching to try out her new abilities. Being able to fly and swim better than she expected was nice, but not the same as being able to hit harder. After setting up a punching bag, she found that she was able to give it a much more thorough beating than she ever had before. Brynettia even came out and sat on the back stoop to watch her.

     “Man, I guess I really shouldn’t ever make you mad again, huh?” She said, peeking over her copy of Nerkmid Values.

     “I promise to use my powers for good and not evil,” Annie said proudly. There was still a twinge of sadness in her heart when she thought about it possibly all going away once she was physically back to normal. She gave the punching bag a few kicks for good measure, then decided to give it up for the day.

     After her short break, Annie’s next trip was to Faerieland. Her scheduled appointment with Fyora came up quickly, thanks to Dr. Fueggo’s connection. She also needed to figure out how to get the attention of both Jhudora and Illusen. Poppy was taking Bryn down to Meridell to speak to Illusen, and Tuskgus would be accompanying Annie with the other faeries.

     It didn’t take nearly as long to get to Faerieland as it used to before it fell. Gus had to start his journey early, since it would take longer to get down there, but he did have some magical assistance from his faerie friends. Annie was able to fly there quickly, so she arrived at the same time as Gus.

     “Do you like Faerieland more like this?” Annie after she had touched down outside of the Cavern.

     Gus shrugged. “Old Faerieland nice, hard to get back to when visit other places. New Faerieland easy to get to, but not the same.”

     They walked towards the city, and Annie marvelled at how different everything looked. Although she had heard of friends who did faerie quests for training, she hadn’t ever done any herself. Maybe it was just because she was never asked. There were faeries zipping around the air, as well as faerie Neopets, or pets that naturally had wings. Annie wanted to join them, but she didn’t want to leave Gus out.

     “So, we have two goals. Check out the expensive Sloth books from the library, and meet with Fyora. Our meeting isn’t for a little bit, so I guess the library is first?” Annie said, looking around to try and find it.

     Gus pointed a flipper out. “There, attached to bookstore. Nice place.”

     The two walked towards the building and entered through the door on the left. As soon as Annie walked in, she could feel something magical in the air. Everywhere in Faerieland was touched by magic, but the library felt special for some reason. A faerie Lenny sat at the front desk, reading a thick book that Annie couldn’t see the name of.

     “Um, hi,” Annie said as she approached. “I’m looking for a specific book, do you think you could help me find it?”

     The Lenny slid her glasses off her beak, letting them rest around her neck on the chain they were attached to. “Yes, of course! It’s what I’m here for, after all. Which book are you looking for?”

     “It’s called Beating Dr. Sloth,” Annie replied.

     The Lenny took out a pamphlet and ran one of her feathers along it. Although Annie couldn’t see much from where she was standing, she could at least tell that it seemed to be some sort of book-organizing key. “That book will be in… B-11. Since the book is a bit pricey, we do ask that you remain in the library while you read it. Is that alright?” Annie and Gus both nodded, so she came out from behind the desk. “Follow me.”

     She guided them through what seemed to be a maze of bookshelves. “So what do you need this book for? Are you just curious, or are you intending to beat Sloth?” She giggled a bit at the end of her sentence, as if she was confident that that wasn’t what they were there for.

     “Um, it’s complicated. Long story,” Annie said shyly, trying to keep up with the librarian’s brisk place.

     “If you couldn’t guess by my occupation, I like stories. I’m happy to listen if you’d like to tell me.”

     Annie looked over at Gus, wondering if it was a good idea. Gus just shrugged, so Annie let out a sigh. “Yeah uh, let’s find the book first. Then we can sit and I’ll tell you.”

     The Lenny led them to a long row labelled B-11, and she flew about a foot into the air to get to the shelf it was on. She plucked it from its spot, then came back down and showed the pair the book. “Here it is. Where do you want to sit?”

     “Um, anywhere comfortable is fine,” Annie replied. After being gestured to follow again, she walked toward the back of the library. After navigating through all the other rows and shelves, a large common area opened up before them. There was a roaring fireplace in the back, along with plush chairs and cushy couches. The entire room was dimly lit, enough to create an ambience but not so dark that people couldn’t read. A few Neopians were sitting in some of the chairs or couches, leisurely reading or drinking a cup of tea. The three-headed towards a small table and pulled up a chair each.

     “First off, what are your names? Mine is Librare,” the Lenny said, gesturing to herself in the most elegant way possible.

     “Anerada. Call me Annie,” Annie said. She wasn’t sure how much grace she could have as a mutant.

     “Tuskgus.” Somehow, Gus did have grace. He gave a deep bow of his head, and Librare seemed to be tickled by it.

     “Charmed! Now then, you had a story for me, yes?”

     With a sigh, Annie went into her story from beginning to end. She was starting to get tired of repeating it, but Librare was listening with rapt attention. Her elbows rested on the table, and she looked at Annie with a strong, attentive gaze that somehow wasn’t too discomforting. Despite the staring, Annie felt heard, like Librare really cared about what she had to say. Not that no one else did, but it was comforting all the same.

     When she finished, Librare pondered what she had heard for a moment. Her wings stroked her beak and she made a small hum of contemplation. “I see why you wanted to check out the book about Sloth, then. You truly do have to find a way to beat him. Or, you have to at least find something that can.”

     “Right. I’ve read some other books, but this one is specifically about how to take him down.” Annie rested her hoof on the book, praying that it would give her the answers she needed.

     “Hold on one moment.” Librare stood up and quickly went over to a room with a ‘staff only’ sign on it. No more than a minute later, she brought back a notebook and pencil. “Here. We can all look through the book together and take notes on anything that seems important.”

     “I do have an appointment with Fyora later today, and I have to figure out how to get to Jhudora,” Annie said, opening to the first page of the book.

     “Keep an eye on the clock and let me know when you have to leave. I can take this book with me to the front desk and take a few more notes for you while you and Tuskgus go to the Hidden Tower.”

     “Are you sure that’s not asking too much?” It was nice to have someone who wanted to help, but Annie didn’t want to feel like a charity case.

     But Librare gave a genuine smile. “Of course not. As you could probably guess, I enjoy reading. I have read this one before, but not from the perspective of someone who needed real advice. If I find any other books with similar topics that would help, I’ll look at those too.”

     “You’re a lifesaver. Thank you so much, Librare,” Annie said, trying not to grin too much.

     The three gathered together on one side so they were able to all see the book. Each of them scanned the pages, noting out loud when they read something that was worth writing down. Librare’s looping handwriting filled the previously empty pages of the notebook with interesting tidbits about Sloth’s past and the Grundos that had to take him down. Although the story in the book was more of a collective tale, there were some elements that Annie thought could potentially apply to her situation.

     Gus had to be the one to nudge her after a while. “Annie have to go now. Meet Fyora.”

     “Oh, no worries! Go on, then! Do you know where the Hidden Tower is?” Librare asked, sliding a small paper bookmark into the book.

     “Gus know. Gus gone before.” Annie shot him a surprised look, and he responded with his usual, dopey smile.

     “Alright then, good luck! I’ll be back here whenever you’re done!”

     The three stood up, and Librare guided them back to the front of the library. With a wave, she sent them off on their way, back into the Faerie City.

     “So you’ve been to the Hidden Tower before, huh?” Annie asked.

     “Gus run errand for Fyora once. Nice faerie,” he said, guiding her deeper into the city. “Tower hidden very well. Need to know what you’re looking for to get in.”

     “So what are we looking for, then?” Annie didn’t expect there to be a big, flashing sign to guide them, but she hoped that there would at least be something to show them the way.

     “Walk into area that look like nothing there. If you think you walking in the wrong direction, it right.” Gus’ statement made no sense, and Annie had to repeat it a few times in her head. She was used to the odd way he spoke, but even so, his sentences seemed nonsensical.

     “Whatever. I’ll just walk behind you.”

     Gus led them towards one of the big buildings in Faerieland, and Annie tilted her head in curiosity. Despite the fact that there was a big wall ahead of them. He didn’t seem to stop walking.

     “Um, aren’t we going to walk right into that building? How are we not going to smack our heads against it?”

     Gus paid it no mind. “Keep walking. Trust Gus.”

     Against her better judgment, she continued to walk with him towards the purple brick wall. And just when she thought she was going to slam into it, the two walked right through it like it was nothing. They entered what seemed to be a lobby with a faerie Aisha sitting at a desk, looking through a set of papers. When the two entered, she looked up. “Hi! Are you here to purchase from the Tower?”

     “No, I have an appointment. It should be under Anerada Golden?” Annie said politely.

     The Aisha looked at the paper in front of her and nodded. “Perfect. Let me take you up the stairs and I’ll let Fyora know that you’re here.” She stepped out from behind the desk and immediately flew up the stairs. When she realized that Gus wouldn’t be able to follow as quickly, she gave an awkward smile. “Heh, sorry. I’ll wait for you up here.”

     Although Annie could fly too, she walked with Gus up the stairs so he wouldn’t feel left out. Despite him being so big, he could move at a decent pace. It only took a little bit longer than the average Neopet for them to get to the top. They walked up to a large, pink door, and the Aisha knocked on it. “Fyora? Your three o’clock is here.”

     Within a minute, the door swung open, and Fyora stepped out from behind it. Although Annie had seen plenty of pictures of her, she was more beautiful than she looked in those pictures. Her wings were large and beat slowly behind her, despite the fact that she wasn’t flying. Her crown shone and sparkled on her head in a way that was almost hypnotizing. But Annie’s favourite thing about her was the pink eye shadow that sat on her lidded eyes. “Hello, Anerada. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She extended her hand, and Annie shook it.

     “Nice to meet you too. This is my friend-” Annie went to gesture to Gus, but Fyora’s face lit up before she could say anything.

     “Gus! It’s so good to see you again! How long has it been?” Fyora reached out and gently patted his head.

     Gus smiled his usual dopey smile. “Too long. Good see you too, Fyora.”

     Fyora turned to the Aisha. “Thank you, Lovrbug. I’ll close up the shop until the meeting is over.” She beckoned the other two to come into the main room, and they followed in.

     After the door closed, Annie took a good look around. She had never been to the Hidden Tower before, and it was beautiful. The room that they were in was where Fyora ran her shop. The walls were lined with paint brushes, books, and most importantly, plenty of Battledome items. Annie had heard of the Sword of Skardsen, but she’d never seen one in person. All of the weapons were very fancy and beautiful, but also extremely expensive judging by the tags on them.

     “What have you been doing since the last time I saw you, Gus? You moved out of Faerieland, right?” Fyora asked, sitting down on a plush chair behind her desk.

     “Gus move to Neopia Central. Gus neighbours with Annie! Gus very happy.” He replied.

     “Ah, that’s good!” Fyora said. “But I’m assuming this meeting isn’t for you since it was under the name Anerada. What do you need help with today?”

     For the second time that day, Annie went through her story. She explained that she had already found a few things, but what she was most interested in was having an item created by Jhudora and Illusen, as well as an item worthy of beating Dr. Sloth. The snow from Terror Mountain would be easy compared to the others, so she didn’t emphasize it as much.

     Fyora tapped her chin in thought as she listened to the story. When she heard the parts about Jhudora, Illusen, and Dr. Sloth, her eyebrows furrowed a bit, and it made Annie nervous. The Faerie Queen was gently chewing on her lower lip by the time Annie finished, and it made something churn in her stomach. “Well, that sounds like quite the quest, but I wouldn’t expect any less from Edna. I’m not sure if my magic would be able to undo your predicament on its own, but I may be able to help you with Jhudora and Illusen.”

     Annie noticed that she left out something worthy of beating Sloth, but she decided to let it go for now. She was already asking for a lot. “My owner and sister went to Meridell, they were going to see what they could do about Illusen.”

     “Well, I’m sure you know that the two are sworn enemies. They’ll have nothing to do with each other. Even Illusen, in all her kindness, would not go anywhere if Jhudora was also going,” Fyora said with a sigh. “I could never get the two to be friends, try as I might. But I do keep a close eye on Jhudora, and Illusen works with me regularly. We may have to do some trickery.”

     “Trickery? How?” Gus asked.

     Fyora took some pink paper from her desk and wrote something down on it. When she was done, she stuck the paper into an envelope. “What’s your owner’s name?”

     “Poppy Golden,” Annie replied. With a quick twist of Fyora’s fingers, the envelope vanished into a puff of pink smoke, and the Eyrie gasped. “Wait, but they’re in Meridell, they won’t get the letter!”

     Fyora shook her head. “No, this will go straight to her. Faerie magic.”

     “What did you write?”

     “I gave her specific instructions for how to get Illusen to come to the Hidden Tower. It won’t be very difficult,” Fyora said with a small smirk. Annie didn’t understand why she seemed so amused. “Jhudora, on the other hand, doesn’t like to play by the rules. If I ask her to come, she won’t. So I think I have another idea.”

     “Can you let us in on any of these ideas? Or are you just gonna play coy this whole time?” Annie had a feeling that talking back to the Queen of the Faeries was probably not a good idea, but she was a little frustrated.

     Fyora giggled. Her laughter sounded like music, flowing through the air. “Alright, I suppose I can let you in. I’m simply telling Illusen that I need her help with a Neopian in trouble. That’s not a lie, the Neopian is you. But Jhudora, on the other hand, I’ll be telling that I am holding one of her cohorts here in the Tower until she comes.” While she spoke, she pulled a bag of magic dust from a cupboard.

     “Faerie dust?” Gus asked.

     “Sort of. More like anti-faerie dust. If I sprinkle this in a circle around them, they won’t be able to use any magic or exit the circle. That’ll be to keep them from instantly leaving when they see each other.” After putting the bag of dust on her desk, she took her pink paper again and wrote another letter. With another twist of her hand, the letter disappeared. “Now all we have to do is see who gets here first.”

     It took about a minute of waiting, but in the blink of an eye, Illusen appeared in the Tower, appearing in a puff of green smoke. Behind her was Poppy and Bryn. “Greetings, Illusen. Thank you for coming. And I see you brought some friends with you.”

     Bryn seemed to be coughing from the smoke. “H-ack, ack! I didn’t know you were gonna poof us too! But uh, hi Annie.”

     “Where is the Neopian that needs help?” Illusen asked, looking over at Annie and Gus.

     Fyora gestured to Annie with a calm smile. Behind her back, she handed the bag of dust to Gus, who discretely waddled over and sprinkled some dust around Illusen’s feet. “Right here. This is Anerada. I just need to wait for one more guest to arrive.”

     “Oh, who else is coming?” Illusen didn’t seem suspicious when she asked, just curious. She also didn’t notice the dust at her feet. Annie was sure she would come to regret that very soon.

     As if on cue, Jhudora appeared in a puff of purple smoke. Fyora had to move fast this time, and before Illusen could get a good look at the dark faerie, she had sprinkled the dust around Jhudora’s feet. When the smoke and dust cleared, the two rival faeries locked eyes, and Annie felt the tension in the room turn up to eleven.

     “I’m not staying,” Jhudora said, her voice monotone but still full of malice. But when she tried to whisk herself away, she found that she couldn’t move. “What in Neopia - what is this?”

     Fyora crossed her arms. “Special anti-magic dust. The two of you can’t use magic or physically leave the circle until I break it.”

     “And why did you do that?” Illusen asked, tapping her foot impatiently. “You know I don’t want to spend any amount of time with her.”

     “Yeah? Well, I don’t want to spend any amount of time with you!” Jhudora sneered in response. But before the two could get into a fight, Poppy stepped in between them.

     “Um, hi. Poppy Golden. Big fan. Of both of you. I just wanted to say that you two are really cool,” she said, her cheeks slightly pink.

     “How can you be a fan of both of us?” Jhudora asked. Her stare could trip up a pet from a mile away. “We’re the antithesis of each other.”

     “I don’t know! I just think you’re cool! And I wish you could be friends.” Poppy wrung her hands together anxiously as she looked between them. “Um, that’s all. Carry on.”

     “See?” Fyora said, gesturing to Poppy. “There are people who think that the two of you should settle your differences.”

     “Absolutely not. I know what she does,” Illusen snapped.

     “Can we please just get to why they’re here?” Annie cut in, growing tired of their fighting.

     Fyora nodded. “Right, yes. So, my friend Annie here needs help. She was changed into a mutant by Dr. Sloth, and her condition is resistant to paint brushes or morphing potions. Edna sent her to collect ingredients for a spell that could turn her back to normal. And one of the items is something created by both Jhudora and Illusen.”

     “Any spell worth performing wouldn’t require me to work with her.” Jhudora pointed her finger at Illusen, stabbing her long fingernail in the Earth Faerie’s direction.

     Annie’s head hung low. How could she think that undoing her condition was worth ending a famous rivalry? She looked over at Gus, who looked just as concerned as she was. If the happy-go-lucky mutant was worried, then that wasn’t a good sign. “I mean, we tried,” she said softly, mostly to Gus, but just loud enough that the others in the room could hear.

     Jhudora put her hands on her hips. “Are we done now? I have things to do. A single second looking at Miss Goody-Two-Shoes is agony.”

     “But like, why?” Poppy asked. “I get that you have some long-running thing or something, but what’s the point of it anymore? Why not bury the hatchet?”

     “She does evil deeds. I can’t endorse anything like that,” Illusen said, looking away.

     “You’re the one who got kicked out of Faerieland. You had to run all the way to Meridell with your tail between your legs,” Jhudora reminded her. Despite the fact that Illusen was looking at something else, the Dark Faerie was glaring at the other faerie, as if she could light her on fire with her gaze.

     Fyora sighed in frustration. “You know, contributing to a cause that helps one Neopian doesn’t mean you have to be best friends, right? You can do this and then go your separate ways.”

     “Why didn’t we just do it in secret, anyway? Have Jhudora do some magical thing and then take it over to Illusen,” Annie asked. It seemed like such a simple solution.

     “I can tell when her magical stench is on something,” Jhudora replied.

     “Does it even have to be magical? Can they just do an art project and call it a day?” Bryn asked, looking straight at Fyora.

     Fyora raised an eyebrow curiously. “Hm, that’s actually a good question. What was the specific wording used by Edna?”

     Annie dug the paper out of her bag. It was a little worn from being carried around everywhere, but Edna’s handwriting was still legible. “Something created by Jhudora and Illusen. That is kinda vague, right?”

     “But it’s the spirit of it that I object to. Even if we put something together with tape, that would mean I worked with her,” Illusen said.

     Fyora grimaced, as if she knew that she was about to say something controversial. “You know, there was a time when the two of you-”

     “Silence,” Jhudora said with a wave of her arm. Annie wondered if she wished she could use magic right then. She also looked over at Poppy, who was patting down her pockets to see if her notepad and pencil were there. Her face fell when they weren’t.

     Bryn stepped in between the two, growling. “You two need to suck it up! You’ve been enemies for a long time! You don’t have to be best friends, but can’t you swallow your pride for five minutes to help a Neopian in need? Illusen, I know you’d do just about anything to help someone, right?”

     Illusen sighed, knowing that Bryn was right. “Well, yes, but working with her is where I draw the line.” She looked over at Jhudora, but the expression in her eyes wasn’t one of anger. It was one of hurt.

     “And what would be in it for me if I help?” Jhudora asked with a smirk. Annie thought it only made sense that Jhudora would be out for herself.

     Fyora chewed on her lower lip and drummed her fingernails against her desk. She seemed to actually be considering the possibility that she would offer the Dark Faerie something in return. “Well, what do you want?”

     Jhudora’s eyes widened, as if she didn’t think she would get that far. “Um. Well…” She looked around the room, as if thinking of what to ask for. After scanning the shelves for a moment, her eyes widened. “My crystal ball?! I’ve been looking for that! How did you get a hold of it?”

     “Hmph, of course you’d ask about that. The last time you picked a bone with one of my faeries and lost, you left it behind.” Fyora sniffed and looked away. “No can do. It wouldn’t be fair.”

     Jhudora tapped her chin in thought. “Fine. I did make a new one anyway. I’ll just have to make sure to… nevermind.”

     While she was muttering to herself, Illusen looked around the room as well. “Huh, you sell a doll of her? That’s weird. Why do you sell it here? Mine only restocks at the toy shop for special occasions.”

     “Well, I was a little worried about putting it here, but this is the most trustworthy place to keep it. We don’t need her supporters coming to get it and then hexing it,” Fyora said, shooting a glare at Jhudora.

     “She’s already hexed dolls before, remember that one year that she got some of Illusen’s dolls through the Advent Calendar?” Poppy reminded them, pointing a pencil. At some point, she had snuck over to Fyora’s desk and grabbed some paper and a pencil and started to write things down.

     “Yes, and it took a while to fix those brainwashed Neopians behind the scenes.” Fyora said before noticing the pencil and paper. “You know I’m just going to burn that paper before you leave, right? I don’t need this in the Times.”

     Illusen cut in, looking at Fyora with steel-eyed determination. “I know what I want as a reward. I want her doll.”

     “Wh - that’s not fair! Fyora doesn’t stock your dolls here, why do you get one of mine?” Jhudora exclaimed. Annie wasn’t sure why she wasn’t more worried that Illusen wanted to take a doll of her.

     “Done.” With a flourish of her hand, Fyora lifted the doll off the shelf and placed it just outside of her circle. “You may take that when the deal is complete.”

     “It’s not fair!” Jhudora repeated. “I bet you wouldn’t even give me one of her dolls anyway, since you’d think I’d just use it for evil!”

     “What would you do with it, then?” Fyora asked with a smirk.

     For some reason, that was the question that tripped up Jhudora. She sputtered for a few seconds, then looked away. “S-stick pins in it.” She didn’t sound confident in that answer.

     “It’s kinda hard for Jhudora to ask for anything that you won’t think she’ll use for evil. She could ask you for a Chokato and you’d think she was gonna find some way to maim King Skarl with it,” Poppy said to Fyora.

     Fyora let out a small breath. “You have a good point. I just don’t want to regret this later…”

     “What harm could she do with a doll? You already gave Illusen hers,” Annie said. She was starting to get desperate.

     “We’ve already seen what harm she could do with a doll!” Fyora replied, seeming a bit exasperated.

     Annie looked down at the ground. “Sorry, I just… I don’t know what else to offer at this point.”

     “What do you even want a Jhudora doll for anyway?” Poppy asked, turning to Illusen. Annie wasn’t surprised that she was interrogating everyone in the room. “You wouldn’t be using it as a voodoo doll or anything, right?”

     Illusen’s eyes widened, and she took a very small step back while still staying in the circle. “Can’t you like… sense things with the expensive dolls? Like… if she’s doing evil or something?” She seemed to be stuttering as much as Jhudora did when asked the same question.

     “So if Illusen isn’t giving a very good reason for why she wants the doll so badly, and Jhudora can’t give one either, why not just let them have at it?” Poppy said with a shrug. “What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

     “I could probably think of a few things…” Fyora crossed over to her desk and took a key from one of the drawers. “I don’t stock Illusen dolls, but you’re very lucky that I happen to have one in the other room. Let me go get it.”

     As Fyora walked over to the other room, both Jhudora and Illusen looked surprised, as if they hadn’t actually expected that to happen. Illusen was idly playing with the green streak in her hair, and Jhudora was picking at invisible lint on her dress. She came back moments later with the Illusen doll and placed it outside of Jhudora’s circle. “If I find out you’re up to any mischief in the slightest, I’ll be sending my faeries after you.”

     “Fine. Whatever,” Jhudora said, turning away from Fyora and the doll.

     “But now, this means that the two of you have to hold up your end of the bargain. I’m not going to let you take the dolls and go. Even if it’s just the two of you making a Valentine’s Day card together.” Fyora snatched some of the spare paper and the pencil from Poppy, who let out a small noise of protest. She then crossed over to Illusen and handed them to her. “Here. Draw or write something. Anything.”

     “Draw something pretty!” Gus chimed in, prompting a laugh from everyone in the room but Jhudora and Illusen.

     Illusen took the pencil and tapped it against her lower lip. She took a lot longer than Annie thought was necessary for writing something on a paper. She wouldn’t have complained if the Earth Faerie had just drawn a circle. After about a minute, Jhudora spoke up.

     “Come on, I don’t have all day! My questers have moved faster than you!” She said.

     “She said a Valentine’s Day card!” Illusen protested. “I’m taking this seriously and writing what I would write to someone I cared about.”

     Tuskgus waddled over and took a quick peek over her shoulder. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he smiled. “Gus like pretty things. Gus help.” He watched her write, looking back and forth between her and the paper.

     Finally, Illusen held the paper out to him. “Alright, what do you think?”

     Gus’ eyes scanned the paper, and he nodded. “Illusen good with words. Very lovely.”

     She sighed and handed the paper to the Tuskaninny, who waddled over to Jhudora’s circle. When she took the paper from him, she scoffed and rolled her eyes. “This is gonna be good,” she said sarcastically. But as she read over the paper, her eyes began to widen. When she got to the end, she held it up. “Is this a joke?”

     Illusen placed a hand over her chest and gasped. “No! It’s not like it was for anyone or anything! Just inspired by Valentine’s Day…” She trailed off and looked at the wall.

     Jhudora huffed. “Fine. Whatever. It’s nice. Give me that pencil.” She snatched the pencil from Gus and began to write on it as well. After a few moments of writing, she looked up at Fyora and Annie. “Nobody’s gonna see this, right?”

     “Edna might, when I give it to her. But other than that, it’s going straight into the pot as far as I’m aware,” Annie answered. As long as it fixed her mutant problem, she would protect the note with her life.

     Jhudora looked at Annie suspiciously for a moment, then went back to her writing. Her face relaxed a bit as her pencil moved across the paper, and when she was done, she handed it back to Gus. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.”

     “Wait, I wanna see what she wrote!” Illusen protested. “She got to see what I wrote, why don’t I get to see what she wrote?”

     “Any arguments?” Fyora asked, looking over at Jhudora.

     The Dark Faerie crossed her arms. “I’m sure you’re not gonna let me out unless I do so… whatever.”

     Gus went back over to Illusen and handed the paper to her. She took it and read through it quickly. When she was done, her cheeks flushed pink. “Yeah. Alright. Just let us out now.”

     Fyora took the paper and pencil back, shooting a quick look at Poppy. She took a look at it, then laughed. “Hm, well, this was written with a lot of passion. You two could’ve just drawn circles on the paper and it would have sufficed, but well… anyway, it doesn’t matter.” She handed the paper to Annie, who carefully folded it and put it into her pocket.

     “Can you please lift this stupid magic dust now?” Jhudora asked.

     With a nod, Fyora lifted her hand and all of the dust disappeared. Both of the faeries let out a long sigh of relief and quickly snatched up their respective dolls. Annie was expecting them to disappear right away, but instead, the two eyed each other up and down for a moment.

     “I’ll see you next time we…” Illusen paused, but found her words quickly. “Quarrel.”

     “Looking forward to it,” Jhudora said with a sneer, although there did seem to be a small, genuine tone in her voice.

     And with that, just as quickly as they had come, the two faeries vanished into green and purple smoke, respectively. The room quickly fell into total silence, with the five remaining occupants awkwardly looking at each other.

     “So uh, are we done here? I want food,” Bryn said, finally breaking that silence.

     Fyora let out a light giggle. “Yes, all of our business is done here, unless you need anything else.”

     “Can you like, woosh us back home or something?” Poppy asked. She was still looking around, as if she could nab the pen and paper again.

     “Of course. It might feel a bit strange, but you’ll be back in no time.” Right after saying that, Fyora waved her hand, and Faerieland was a blur.

     A second later, the four popped into the Golden’s family living room. Annie looked around and was surprised that she didn’t feel confused or sick. Everyone in the room seemed unphased.

     “Gus go home now. Good luck Annie!” Gus said with a cheerful wave before heading out the front door.

     Bryn headed straight toward the kitchen. “C’mon Poppy, I want some dinner!”

     When Poppy followed Bryn out, Annie was left alone in the living room. She sat down on the couch and decided to read through the note for the first time. As she read it, she couldn’t help but smile. Maybe it was about more than animosity. Even if it didn’t make a difference, she was glad that what she would be throwing into the pot was made with a lot of care.

To be continued…