Harmless Wishes: Part Nine

     The four Neopets were once again standing side by side. They faced Xenia and Zeirn.

     Yannagiba raised an eyebrow. "That was your voice?"

     Nadashikoh shrugged. "No biggie. You know we Aishas are telepathic creatures."

     "You knew it would work?"

     "Nah," she said. "Lucky guess."

     "Oh, thank goodness, we're alive!" Chi said with relief.

     "Not for long," Xenia said nastily. She narrowed her eyes. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." She conjured a glowing golden orb in between her paws and threw it at them.

     "So, that's it!" Yannagiba said with a sudden realization. He ducked to avoid the orb.

     "What's it?" Nadashikoh asked curiously.

     "She's a witch, alright," Yannagiba said with a knowing nod. "She didn't really wish for a strawberry Chia pop when we first met. She summoned it herself, with her own magic!"

     "And, you figured that out only now?" Xenia said with a cackle. "I thought you were dumb. I just didn't know how much!" She threw another orb.

     Yannagiba and Nadashikoh both ducked. "Boy, she reminds me of you a lot, Nadashikoh," the Gelert said.

     "Hey, I'm not a hag!" she protested.

     "Who are you calling a hag?" Xenia screamed. "Zeirn, a little help here?" She threw a humongous orb.

     "Uh, yeah," the Kougra said. He flew again and flung a couple of whirlwinds. They surrounded the orb and added to its already considerable powers.

     "RUN!" Yuki yelled.

     The four of them scurried out of the room as fast as their paws could carry them.

     "Shouldn't we just wish for the thingy to disappear?" Chi asked his brother.

     "Yeah," Yuki said, "but this is much more fun, don't you think?"

     "I hate to admit it," Nadashikoh said grudgingly, "but, sure, I'm having fun."

     "Race you all to the top of the tower!" Yannagiba said happily. He galloped towards the stairs.

     "No fair!" Chi complained. "You're faster than all of us!"

     The bright orb of energy smashed harmlessly onto a wall.

     "Argh!" Xenia said in a disgruntled way. "Come on, Zeirn! We have to get the wishdust back."

     Zeirn did a somersault in midair. "Uh huh. And, why should I help you?"

     "I'm your sister, for goodness' sake!" Xenia looked at Zeirn and sighed exasperatedly. "We're family."

     "Since when did that matter to you?" the Kougra replied with a smirk. "Good luck." With a jovial wave, Zeirn zipped out a nearby window.

     "Come back here, Zeirn!" Xenia exclaimed. "I can't do all of this without you!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Calm down, Xenia, calm down." She opened her eyes. "It's the fault of those nosy Neopets…I'm going to get them…I'm going to get them good…" Her eyes glowed bright red.

**********

     "I won!" Yannagiba said with a wave of his paws in the air.

     They were at the top of the tower. Yannagiba stared down at Neopia Central. All he could see was a bunch of debris. He couldn't even spot a single Neopet.

     "You got a head start," Chi said. He bent down and tried to catch his breath.

     "And, you've got extremely long paws," Yuki added.

     "Nadashikoh has wings," Yannagiba said innocently, "so why didn't she use them?"

     "Because I didn't think it would be fair," Nadashikoh replied through gritted teeth.

     "The good news is…we lost them," Yuki said.

     "We're doing well for a bunch of Neopets running from a mad witch who wants to take over Neopia, eh?" Yannagiba said, wiggling his eyebrows.

     "Don't you mean 'wants to take over Neopia again'?" Chi corrected with a frown.

     "Whatever," Yannagiba replied with a smile.

     "Okay, so what do we do next?" Nadashikoh asked.

     "Figure out what to wish for so that none of this could have happened," Yannagiba said with a scratch of his chin. "We have to word it correctly so we won't have anymore mishaps."

     "Which is really hard," Yuki put in. He paused. "Aren't you guys wondering why the wishdust granted Yannagiba's wish?"

     "Not really," Chi said with a shrug. "If I remember correctly, the Zafara said, 'Whoever holds the bottle of wishdust after the thirteenth wish will become its master, allowing him or her to make as many wishes as he or she wants.'" He raised his voice a bit to imitate the Zafara.

     "You've got an exceptionally good memory, Chi," Yannagiba complimented him.

     The Chia shrugged modestly.

     "And, that would mean?" Nadashikoh asked.

     "That he's got an exceptionally good memory," Yannagiba said, giving Nadashikoh a perplexed look.

     She rolled her eyes. "Not you, Yannagiba."

     "Well, it said 'whoever holds the bottle of wishdust' so that means, after the thirteen wishes…anyone can use the wishdust," Chi explained.

     "Why would the Neopet shaman make a rule that's as foolish as that?" Yuki asked, sounding bewildered.

     "Yeah," Nadashikoh agreed. "If I were him, I would've made it so that no villain could ever use the wishdust…"

     "What do we know?" Yannagiba said. "We're not Neopet shamans…"

     "GIVE ME BACK MY WISHDUST!!!!!" Xenia shrieked. She was riding what appeared to be a brand new broom. In her left paw, another bright golden orb hovered in the air. She pitched it at Yannagiba.

     The Gelert leaped away nimbly. The orb hit part of the tower wall and made a hole. "That was close…"

     "It's going to get a lot closer now," Xenia said precariously. She made her broom zoom on the way to Yannagiba.

     "Look out!" Yuki warned him.

     Xenia reached Yannagiba and grabbed his neck. She made the broom rise higher until the Gelert's paws dangled in midair.

     "You're…choking me," Yannagiba griped.

     "My plan exactly," Xenia replied. She tightened her grip on him. Then, with her other paw, she grasped for the bottle of wishdust.

     Yannagiba swung himself backward to avoid Xenia's paw. She snarled. "Why are you making this hard for me?"

     "Yannagiba, make a wish already!" Nadashikoh exclaimed. She wondered if he heard the worry in her voice.

     "I'm…trying," Yannagiba said. He coughed and dabbed his paw into the bottle. "I wish I were…down with my siblings." He blew.

     And, in a flash, he was with them. "Whew."

     "We've got to think fast," Yuki said. "What are we going to wish for to end this?"

     Xenia made for Yannagiba again. "YAAAAAAAAH!!!"

     "I wish Xenia was powerless and that she was far, far away from here," Yannagiba said in a rush. He blew again.

     POP!

     Xenia was gone.

     Nadashikoh, Chi, and Yuki all looked at Yannagiba.

     He shrugged. "She was going to attack me so I said the first thing that came into my head." Yannagiba gave them a sheepish grin.

     "At least, she's gone," Chi said.

     "Yup," Yannagiba said cheerily. "And, if she ever returns, she won't be able to do anything against us!"

     "Okay by me," Nadashikoh said. "Next step. Let's fix up Neopia, shall we?"

     Yannagiba nodded and took a pinch of wishdust. "I wish all the wishes that Xenia made using this wishdust would be undone." He blew.

     Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

     "Yannagiba," Nadashikoh whined. "That was a stupid wish!"

     "Hey!"

     As it turned out, the Neolodge was only returning to its normal form. Since it didn't have any towers anymore, the Neopets found themselves on top of the familiar white building. They all gazed down at their much-loved Neopia Central. The shops were back. Even all the lovely trees and foliage that they used to hate (well, Nadashikoh, anyway) were there.

     "Let's go home," Yannagiba said. He was feeling kind of homesick, all of a sudden. He made a wish.

**********

     "Finger crisps, anyone?" Yannagiba offered. He popped two crisps into his mouth.

     Nadashikoh shuddered. "Eww…get that gross food away from me…" She flipped through the latest issue of the Neopia Times and sighed. "You're a hopeless case, Yannagiba."

     Yuki lay down on the grass, sleeping. Liluki, his Halloween Doglefox, slept peacefully beside him.

      Chi was watering his plants. "I'd like some."

     Yannagiba threw a whole bag at him. "Here…"

     "Thanks."

     It had been a day since their big adventure. They were spending it in their backyard. When they appeared at their Neohome yesterday, Belle asked them where they had been and got all worried about them. So, Yannagiba made a wish that made their owner forget that they had been away. He also made it so that she forgot her suspicions about what they'd been doing these past few days.

     "You guys?" Chi said timidly.

     Yannagiba stopped eating. Nadashikoh raised an eyebrow. Yuki opened one eye.

     "I've been thinking," the Chia said seriously, "and I thought, maybe we shouldn't keep the wishdust anymore."

     Yannagiba nodded slowly. "I think you're right."

     "But, we haven't wished for all the luxuries in Neopia yet," Nadashikoh complained lackadaisically.

     "We're already happy," Yuki said. "Why bother?"

     "I knew you were going to say that," Nadashikoh said with a sigh, "but I had to try."

     "All in favor of getting rid of the wishdust?" Yannagiba asked.

     "Aye," the rest replied solemnly.

     "So, should we bury it so that someone else can find it?" Yannagiba suggested, his eyes shining as he did so.

      "I don't think so," Yuki said. "What if some other bad guy picks it up? Now that anyone can use it…" His voice trailed off.

     Yannagiba nodded. "Okay. I know what to wish for, then." He took a pinch of wishdust and closed his eyes. "I wish the wishdust would become a bottle of golden sand and never work for anybody again…"

     The bottle of wishdust glowed golden for a second. They all got a whiff of something sweet. There was a teeny POOF! and then, they knew that the bottle they were looking at was full of golden sand. Just golden sand.

     "Can we keep it as a souvenir?" Chi asked.

**********

     "After you clean my room, cook lunch, will you?" Zeirn ordered. He finished answering a puzzle in his Big Book of Puzzles and turned to the next page.

     "But-" Xenia whined. Her paws were dirty from all the dusting and sweeping she'd been doing all morning. Her face was grimy.

     "Uh uh uh, Xenia," Zeirn said with a shake of his head. "No buts or I'll throw you out. You don't want that, do you?" He went back to his puzzles.

     "Oh, alright," Xenia said resignedly. "I'll do it." She marched towards Zeirn's room on aching paws. She opened the door, bent down, and started picking up his trash. "You're going to pay for this, Yannagiba. One day, you'll pay…"

     "And, don't forget to polish my favourite lamp!" Zeirn hollered from the living room.

     "I won't," Xenia said with a sigh. She polished the bedside lamp until it shone.

The End

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading 'Harmless Wishes', my first ever lengthy series. Ehm. :P Anyway, if you've got comments/suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them. So, do Neomail me. ^^