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The Spectre of Lord Darigan gazes wrathfully at his challengers;
a motley assortment of NeoPets fighting for justice. The oppressive heat in the
Battledome creates sweat on the brow of every warrior. "Return what you have stolen!"
yells a Shoyru. "And make Neopia a safe place again!"
"Never!" the Spectre roars. "Ultimate power
shall be mine! No one have ever defeated one with this in their hands!" He holds
up the Orb, a glittering golden treasure, a deadly beauty. For this tiny Orb,
war has been waged and lost and Neopia was almost destroyed. And it is not for
the Orb, but for its destruction that the warriors currently fight. It has caused
prosperity, but the prosperity is not worth the anguish and devastation.
"The key words there are 'no one'," says a green
Gelert. This Gelert had the look of a seasoned fighter about her. She wore full
Gelert body armor and carried a Wand of the Light Faerie. An assortment of other
powerful Battledome weapons was tucked in her leather belt. But greater than
her weaponry was her aura of power. She had seen many a battle be won and lost.
Her jaw was set determinedly and the corners of her mouth were turned down in
a no-nonsense scowl. But behind her fearsome appearance was wisdom, not only
of battle but also of life. "For we are not one, but many. We are more than
Neopia's bravest fighters. We are Neopia itself."
A shiver passed down the Spectre's spine. All
he had to do was look into the Gelert's pale green eyes to know that she spoke
the truth. Neopia itself revolved in this Gelert's eyes and in the eyes of all
of the warriors present. Even those inexperienced 2-month-old NeoPets with a
few snowballs and a rainbow gun held that same vision. The Stonehenge of Tyrannia,
the palm trees and sandy beaches of Mystery Island, the bustling shops of Neopia
Central, the twisted forests of the Haunted Woods and the grand, stately palaces
of Meridell. They held a horrific vision of a power-maddened Darigan blowing
up the targets of the Ultimate Bullseye game and sending beams of magic to destroy
the rest of Meridell too. Innocent Meridell. And they held the will to stop
Lord Darigan from spreading his evil virus of despair throughout these worlds
of Neopia.
The Spectre snapped out of his trance. "You
think you fools can defeat me! Rethink that!" A brilliant golden blast from
the Orb flew into the crowd. NeoPets fled, but some weren't fast enough.
"That does it!" the green Gelert yelled. "This
battle has begun!"
For hours, explosions rocked the Battledome.
The inexperienced were knocked out almost instantly. Immediately, the battle-hardened
warriors were separated from the newbies. But all the newbies wanted was to
do the right thing, even if it meant that they wouldn't make it through the
battle. In an odd way, they were even more heroic than the experienced fighters.
The Gelert Isabelle Whippaw was fighting like
she was maddened herself. And in truth she was. The oppression, the despair,
and the destruction of Meridell; it all made her seethe with rage. And her rage
was fuel for her battling fire; the fire that she swore would stop the Spectre
in its tracks.
Unaware of her surroundings in her rage, Izzy
charged right to the front of the disorganized Neopian army and was suddenly
struck back by a beam of golden light. She was flying… flying… and crashed into
a wall. Blinded with pain and anger, Izzy didn't see the second golden beam
heading for her, and suddenly turning into a black sword. Ruthlessly, this dark
sword beat her right flank, creating scars that she would have for the rest
of her life. Izzy roared, a roar that one would expect from a Kougra, not a
Gelert. Then, she used her Wand of the Light Faerie to strike back at the sword,
breaking it up for despite its solid feel and appearance it was still only made
of light. "For Neopia!" Izzy yells, sending a few golden beams of her own to
the Spectre from her wand.
And still the battle raged, golden light illuminating
the determined faces of every warrior. It reflected off of Battledome weapons
and Izzy's maddened eyes, once pale green and now red with fury. The Neopian
army was driving the Spectre back, weakening it. And finally, the Spectre dropped
to its knees. It kneeled there for a brief, agonizing moment, crumpled in defeat.
Then, a Pteri opened a window to let some fresh air in, and the Spectre was
broken up with the breeze. It lingered as a few noxious-looking dark clouds
and then… it was gone.
Neopia was free again. The sunlight and cool
air poured in through the open window, caressing Izzy's over-heated face. The
doors to the Battledome were opened, and the valiant heroes walked into the
open sunlight. Flashbulbs of cameras flashed, so different and yet so similar
to the flashes of light from the Orb. Neopian Times reporters stuck their microphones
in the warriors' faces. Tickertape rained from the sky, being dropped by a flock
of Pteris. It was a regular welcome-home parade with a herd of Kaus, Unis and
Chombies serving as floats.
"Isabelle Whippaw, you just helped to defeat
the last evil Spectre of Lord Darigan! What are you going to do next?" asked
a Grarrl reporter.
Izzy just grinned. "If NeoPets theme parks were
still around, I'd go to one of those. As it is, I'm going to Meridell!"
Then, the sunlight caught something around Izzy's
paw. It glittered. "What's that around your paw?" asked the Pteri who had opened
the window.
"Oh, this? It's um…" Izzy held it up high for
all to see. It was the Orb on a chain. The one that the Spectre had worn around
its neck.
Lisha and Jeran strode to the front of the crowd.
Lisha's face was pale and frightened. "Don't mess with that! Magical items are
dangerous. Anything you do could set off a spell."
"Relax, sis," Jeran said. He took it off of
Izzy's paw. "It's okay. We have the Orb now."
Lisha dissolved into tears in front of the crowd.
"After all we've been through, after the past year or so of struggle and torment.
We finally have the Orb."
Jeran hugged his sister tightly. "It's okay.
It's alright."
"No!" Lisha shrieked. "It's not alright! What
we have here is a powerful weapon!" She gestured towards the medics loading
fainted NeoPets onto stretchers and into ambulances. She gestured towards the
panicked crowd surrounding the medics, waiting to see if their pets were among
the defeated. Screams and wails occasionally sounded from the crowd as a familiar
face was lifted onto a stretcher, still clutching its battlecard.
"It has caused so much pain and suffering. And
as long as it exists, it will never be 'alright'."
"You know now what you have to do, young Aisha
warrior," said the grizzled old Kyrii seer. "You must find a way to destroy
the Orb. Although one can hardly call you 'young' anymore. After all you've
seen and been through…"
"Let me take care of this, Seer," said King
Skrarl. "Lady Lisha, step forth." Lisha obliged, a puzzled look on her face.
"Kneel," the King commanded. Again, Lisha obeyed.
"With the power invested in me by my forefathers,
kings and noblemen all, I knight Lady Lisha the Aisha a Knight of King Skrarl's
Court. Rise now, Sir Lisha, and receive your sword and shield."
Tears were freely flowing down the Aisha's face
as she was presented with a sword so sharp it could slice a hair and a sturdy
metal shield with the crest of King Skrarl on it.
Then, Skrarl turned to Jeran, who kneeled before
his king. "Jeran, you too deserve a reward. As you all know, I am not married
and have no sons of my own. This lad stepped into my life from a faraway place
and time. He became the leader of my knights and I grew fond of him. He became
like a son to me. Now, I adopt him as my son. Rise, Prince Jeran, and I shall
begin your training to become king when I am gone."
Wild cheers rang in their joy.
Thus ends a dramatic chapter in the history
of Neopia. Good has triumphed over evil and light over darkness. And even when
it seemed so dark that you couldn't find a reason to hope, still light came
back in an explosion of brilliance.
Congratulations, Neopians. We have won.
The End
Author's Note: I'd like to dedicate this article to all who have fought
for good in the Meridell-Darigan War. Congratulations go out to all those who
helped defeat the Spectres.
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