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Neopia's Fill in the Blank News Source | 31st day of Collecting, Yr 26
The Neopian Times Week 39 > New Series > Midnight Sun, Canapy Dream: Part One

Midnight Sun, Canapy Dream: Part One

by slack_jawd_yokel

It's 7:00 in the morning, and I'm sitting at my orange and blue coffee table, doing my Aisha's make-up. Her name is KiwiBonk, and she's painted with a desert paintbrush. Underneath the table, Snuffs II, the abominable snowball, is having another one of his screeching fits.

"Can't you make that thing shut up?" ChinoGod the green Aisha, shouted over the din.

"Hey, you can't say much. Your pet is always making noise, too!" KiwiBonk said quietly.

It was true. Chino's Flightning Bug, Peanut, was always screaming at the slightest noise. Snuffs stopped, and went to screech in another room.

MinxJade, the white Aisha, entered the room, and seemed surprised to see KiwiBonk sitting there. "Oh, yeah. I forgot it's your first day of school."

KiwiBonk, who had suffered severe injuries when the Faerie of Darkness tried to consume her soul two months ago, was finally going back to school. Thanks to the Uber Faeries, KiwiBonk was now leading a normal life again.

"Only until recess," I reminded her. "Your sister isn't strong enough to last a whole day."

It was hard to believe that KiwiBonk was the oldest Aisha, and went to high school by looking at her. She was shrunk to a third of her old size, so she was by far the smallest Aisha I had ever seen. I was kinda scared someone would step on her.

"I'll look after her, Alison," MinxJade assured me.

"I can look after myself."

***

When my pets had left for school, I headed to Neopia Central (Our NeoHome was in the Lost Desert) to do some shopping. Rumples_Skin_Skin, my speckled Aisha and the third oldest, needed a new toothbrush, and MinxJade needed school supplies. On the way, I met my friend Gabby, who was on her way to the Tombola on Mystery Island. Her pet Shoyru, Qt_the_Adorable, floated behind her.

"Hey, Gab!" I said.

"Hey, Alison! How are you? Did you hear that the Tombola is being especially generous today?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I heard it in a chat room. Almost every time you pull out a number, it's a winning ticket!"

"Cool! I think I'll go over after I'm done my shopping."

"Okay! See you around!" Gab disappeared into the crowd of pets and owners.

First, I went to the bakery and bought some bread, jam pastries, and cinnamon buns. Then, I went to the back to school store, and looked at the pencil cases. I heard two Nimmos talking nearby, and I couldn't help but overhear what they saying.

"I think it's terrible," the younger, starry Nimmo said.

"The Chia Police should really do something," the other Nimmo, a green one, agreed.

"You mean they've done nothing so far?"

"Not that I've heard of. They've done a few interviews with Officer Pudge, the head of the Chia Police Department for Neopia Central in the paper, but that's it."

"I bet it has something to do with those things disappearing from the Hidden Tower."

The two Nimmos made their purchases, and I was left wondering what the strange conversation meant.

***

At 10:45 that morning, I left the Lost Desert, where my NeoHome was located, to go pick KiwiBonk up at her school. She was waiting for me by the front door of her school. When she saw me, she waved goodbye to the group of friends who stayed with her.

"KiwiBonk, have you heard anything about things disappearing from the Hidden Tower?" I asked.

"I was about to ask you the same question. Everyone's talking about it," she said. "And I've also heard of the Tombola being really easy to win today, too."

"Yeah, I know. Let's go check it out."

We went to the Tombola first. I was surprised to see that it was closed, and fat little Chias in uniforms were patrolling the perimeter. The grass hut was surrounded by yellow tape that said, "Chia Police line, Do not cross." Quite a crowd had gathered, some hoping to perhaps get in and win some items from the fraud game.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Someone rigged the Tombola so every ticket had a winning number on it," a striped Chia replied. "Anyone with information should go tell Officer Pudge, over there." He pointed to an orange Chia sitting behind a booth that said, "Information."

"What happens if somebody mistakes that for a tourist information outlet?" KiwiBonk said.

I was about to answer when I spotted something very unusual on the other side of the yellow tape. I reached my arm over and picked it up.

"What is it?" KiwiBonk said, craning her neck to see what I help in my hands. I knelt down so she could see. "It's a key..." I said. It was made of brass, curved, old fashioned, and slightly rusted.

"Wow, a mystery!" KiwiBonk exclaimed, a bit too loud, for Officer Pudge saw what I was holding and grabbed it.

"We'll have to confiscate that, miss," he said smartly. "It could be a clue."

"I don't think so. I think it's just an old key."

"Hey, aren't you that little pet with the golden tail?" asked the Chia, squinting his eyes at KiwiBonk, who nodded proudly.

"You made quite a splash there at the Rainbow Fountain a while back," Officer Pudge said. A few other police officers came over.

"I've always wanted to talk to you, being attacked by a Faerie and all," said another officer.

"She wasn't attacked by a Faerie, you idiot, she got taken over by one."

As the Chias relived all of KiwiBonk's adventures, I looked around for more peculiar things about the Tombola. I saw a group of officers interrogating the Tombola Man, a gaggle of Pteris cleaning up a puddle of purple liquid, a black door that no one seemed to have noticed....

I crept away from KiwiBonk and her fan club to get a closer look at the door. It was locked from the inside, but not the kind of lock like the key the police had taken from us. It led into the Tombola. I suspected it led behind the counter where the Tombola man stood, and where the prizes were displayed.

Wedged between the door and the door frame was a bit of paper. I took it by the edge, and yanked, but that was a mistake. The piece of paper ripped in half, and the other half was left on the other side of the locked door. But all was not lost. The paper had writing on it. I could read, in scrawling writing, "Midnight Sun, Canapy Dream."

I grabbed KiwiBonk and ran. "Here's your key, little miss!" Officer Pudge shouted, and threw the key in our direction. I caught it with one hand and darted home.

***

"Midnight Sun and Canapy Dream?" KiwiBonk said when we materialised in the living room of our NeoHome. "What are they?"

"I don't know. I came home to look them up in my NeoLog." I sat down at our small computer and hastily typed in the two names. MinxJade, Rumples, and Chino were still at school. The four PetPets, who stay at home most of the time, were playing tag and running around in circles.

"Ah, I found something," I said, for immediately two results showed up.

"Don't forget, you only got half the piece of paper," KiwiBonk said, "There could be more."

The first result was for Midnight Dream, a kind of magic multicolour pencil. "Uh... I don't think that's it. What's the next one?"

The second result was called 'The Blumaroo Enigma'. It showed a picture of two starry Blumaroos dressed in black and stealing a twisted fork from a golden pedestal, while a Light Faerie looked away. I quickly skimmed the article.

"It's about two Blumaroos who stole a lot of valuable stuff from the Hidden Tower," I told KiwiBonk, who was a much slower reader than I .

"I don't see why they stole the fork and not the pedestal made of gold," KiwiBonk said, studying the picture.

"It says their names are Midnight Sun and Canapy Dream! Hey, it's probably those two taking all that stuff from the Hidden Tower!"

"But it says here they were captured by the Faerie Queen and locked in a tower," KiwiBonk said.

"They probably escaped. They're on the loose again, and now they're robbing the Hidden Tower and rigging the Tombola!" I exclaimed.

"Why?" asked KiwiBonk.

"I don't know. Just to cause trouble. They left this piece of paper by accident, and this key... is probably just a piece of junk I found on the ground."

"I don't think so," said KiwiBonk. "Who would leave an old key like that on the ground? It's probably..." She dropped her voice to a whisper, ". . The key to the Faerie Queen's Hidden Tower!"

"I doubt it," I said. I typed in 'Hidden Tower' in the Search Box, but all it said was that a Gelert named Celandra discovered it, and it was located somewhere in Faerie Land.

"And what about this paper? Who would carry around their name on a piece of paper?"

"Who knows?"

"Are you guys discussing The Blumaroo Enigma?" asked Spitfire, Rumples' Airax and the only PetPet we have that can talk, suddenly swooping down and landing on my arm. He usually didn't converse with anyone, and spent most of his time brooding in Rumples' closet. KiwiBonk always insisted his bad disposition was due to being named 'Spitfire'.

"Yeah," I said, shaking him off. "We found a piece of paper with their names on it by the Tombola, and we think, well, I think it's Midnight Sun and Canapy Dream plundering the Hidden Tower and rigging the Tombola," I said.

"I remember that. It was about fifteen years ago," he said, ruffling his chest feathers. "Those two disseminated consternation across all of Neopia. Everyone thought they must be powerful necromancers to penetrate the Faerie Queen's protection, but when it turned out they were little Blumaroos, the public was flabbergasted."

"What?" said KiwiBonk, after a pause.

"How did they get in the Hidden Tower?" I asked.

"A key," said Spitfire, "They won it from the Tombola. Weird, huh?"

***

When MinxJade, Chino and Rumples got home, I took KiwiBonk and Spitfire to the Tombola to check things out. The other Aishas weren't interested in the mystery, and neither were the PetPets, so they stayed home. Spitfire didn't want to go, but we dragged him there anyway. As we stepped off the boat that brought us to Mystery Island, he launched up in the air and refused to come down. KiwiBonk was so sure the key opened the door to the Hidden Tower, she didn't bother bringing it. She wrapped it in a blanket and shoved it under her mattress.

We made our way through the crowd of islanders, pets, and owners to the Tombola for the second time that day. The Chia Police were still there, as was the crowd trying to get in.

"Stay away, unless you want the entire police force asking for your autograph," I warned KiwiBonk. She scowled, but stayed a safe distance away.

Officer Pudge recognised me instantly. "Well, if it isn't the little miss with the Aisha. How are you?"

I shook the plump hand he offered to me. "Fine. Have you discovered who rigged the Tombola yet?"

"As a matter of fact, we did. But it's confidential. I'm not allowed to tell." The Chia winked, then whispered in my ear, "We think it's the two Kaus known as the 'Moo Marauders'. We found a bit of paper stuck in the door leading to where the Tombola loot is kept that had their names on it. But the paper appeared to be ripped."

"Do you think they're the same people who are stealing stuff from the Hidden Tower?" I asked.

"Probably. I'm on my way over there to check it out. Why don't you and your pet come over, too?" He had evidently noticed KiwiBonk, standing nearby, who was trying to look casual but was doing a bad job of it. "We sure could use your help. Most of my detectives are investigating the break-in at 2900 Delta Close."

"Sure, we'd love to.... Wait! Did you say 2900 Delta Close?"

"Why, yes I did, little miss."

"That's my house!!!"

***

I got a ride to the Lost Desert in a police cruiser, in a state of shock. KiwiBonk kept asking questions the whole way, and nearly cried. Officer Pudge came as well.

When we got there, I bolted to the door and threw it open. Chino was holding his stuffed doll and bawling, and a dozen or so police officers with notebooks on hand were asking a pale- faced MinxJade questions. Rumples was trying to calm the three PetPets, but he looked pretty jittery himself. He held a cloth to his forehead.

"What happened?" I gasped, as KiwiBonk skidded to a stop beside me, and Chino buried his face in my leg.

"That's what we're finding out now, miss," said one of the detectives. I was so relieved to find my pets safe and sound that I felt annoyed by how the officers all called me 'miss' every thirty seconds.

"Alison!" Rumples cried.

"It was so scary!" MinxJade whimpered.

"Is this your house, miss?" asked one of the Chias. I felt like saying, 'No, I'm just the cleaning lady.', but that would have been rude. "Yes, this is my house."

"What happened?" puffed Officer Pudge. It had taken him all that time just to waddle from the car to my door.

"It seems that four unidentified persons broke into this house in broad daylight..." explained one of the Officers, "...struck this young pet here..." He pointed to Rumples. "Rummaged through the house, until they came to...."

"KiwiBonk's room," said MinxJade.

"Yes, and turned everything upside down in their search for something, then exited by one of the windows in that room," he finished.

"Oh no. All my stuff!" she breathed. I followed her to her jelly room. It looked like a tornado had passed through. Her drawers had been emptied, her bean bag chair ripped open, and her shelves tipped over. She picked through the mess. "Nothing valuable is gone... Wait a second!" She felt under her mattress. "Alison! It's gone! The key is gone!"

Of course, we had to explain about the key, how we got it, and how we suspected Midnight Sun and Canapy Flier to be behind the robbery of the Hidden Tower, the Tombola, and now our house. Then, another bunch of police officers showed up, and MinxJade had to explain the robbery again, and KiwiBonk and I had to tell our story. The police officers offered us a room at the Neolodge for free, but I said that we could stay here for the night, if they would drive by a couple of times.

Before they left, Officer Pudge took me aside and told me more about the Moo Marauders. He really did think they were behind the three robberies. I remembered that he found the other half of my piece of paper and I asked to see it. His piece had, "Honor Sweetness, Flier Link" on it, which were the names of the Moo Marauders. When I put the pieces together, they fit perfectly. The note now read, "Midnight Honor, Sun Sweetness, Canapy Flier, Dream Link."

***

The night passed uneventfully. MinxJade, Chino and Rumples had recovered from the shock, and regarded the whole incident as an adventure. "Wait 'til I tell the kids at school my house was broken into!" Chino said, his eyes shining.

The next morning, my four Aishas went off to school again. KiwiBonk was strong enough to stay until lunch today, but I had to promise not to do any clue hunting today without her. I was left alone in the house with the four PetPets. Snuffs was bouncing around the house, Sara Dippity, MinxJade's Bluna, was soaking in the tub, and Chino had somehow shut himself in the microwave and was screaming to get out. But where was Spitfire?

Then I remembered. In our rush to get home when KiwiBonk and I heard of the break-in, we had left him behind. Spitfire was still on Mystery Island.

***

There was still yellow tape around the Tombola, but people were allowed to play. I spotted Officer Pudge monitoring the area, and when he spotted me he waved his baton and hit a Uni in the face.

"Hi, Officer. Have you seen my Airax around?" I said breathlessly.

"No I have not, miss. Why?"

"I left him here yesterday."

"Oh, I have to tell you something. I figured out what the names on those two little bits of paper-"

"Actually, it's one bit of paper ripped in half," I corrected.

"Yes, well, I figured out what they mean. They are the names of four very poor pets, who are homeless."

"Are they the ones who broke into my house?"

"We don't know that. Nor do we know if they rigged the Tombola so everyone could win, or if they looted the Hidden Tower. We have yet to track them down. We did find out what they stole from the Hidden Tower, though. Whoever 'they' are."

"What?"

"Twenty Swords of the Air Faerie, ten Rainbow Swirly Things, seventeen Faerie Fogs, fifty Faerie Acorns, and thirteen Crystal Boomerangs."

I was about to ask what a Rainbow Swirly Thing was, when I was pushed to the ground. As I fell, I saw the crumpled bodies of the Chia Police Squad. "Nobody move!" a voice shouted. Looking up, I saw Officer Pudge draw his gun and look as ferocious as a chubby Chia can look. I slowly got to my feet, then dropped again, because four dark figures with bent forks were standing in front of me, commanding everyone to lie down. Officer Pudge was the only one standing. I was afraid he was going to get hurt. But then he realised it was four against one, so he put dropped his weapon, and slowly lay down.

It was dead quiet. I could have heard a pin drop, but of course, nobody had any pins, and if they did, dropping it would have been the last thing on their mind. I couldn't see where the figures were moving, but somehow I knew they were the same four who robbed our house. They were dressed in black. Two of them had wings, and one had fins. The other had spikes coming out of its back. Whether the four were Midnight Honor, Sun Sweetness, Canapy Flier, and Dream Link, I didn't know. They could have been the Bloomaroos and the Moo Marauders working together, but none of them had hooves. I didn't dare move my head, but from what I could hear, judging from the terrified whimpers coming from the Tombola Man, they were looting the place they had rigged to make winning easier. I guess their plan for winning hadn't working, so now they were just robbing it. I wondered if the Hidden Tower was next on their list. What about my house!? They're already robbed it once!

I don't know how much time passed. I felt like hours, but it could have been minutes. The four had taken all the wanted, and left, still holding out their bent forks. Everyone lay still for a few minutes more. At last, we all took a breath. Then, complete chaos. Pets started crying, and owners made a mad rush for the ferry. The Tombola Man started to sob.

"Come on, Officer!" I cried, leaping up. "They're on their way to the Hidden Tower!"

Officer Pudge realised I was right. He grabbed his gun, and shouted, "This way!"

He led me to the nearest police car. "How will we get in?" I yelled over the noise of the crowd.

The Chia looked confused. "You're not that big."

"No, not the car, the Hidden Tower! We don't have the key, and I don't know where it is!"

"Alison!!!" a voice called.

"Spitfire?!" The familiar shape of Rumples' Airax darted in and out between the mob. He clutched something in his talons. He soared up above my head, and the object landed in my hands. It was the key.

"I stole it back!" he hollered. "Now go!"

Officer Pudge and I got in the car, and he drove his car as fast as he could to Faerie Land.

"Wait a second, Officer," I said. "We have the key, but we don't know where the Tower is!"

"This old Chia knows more than you think," he said.

"You mean you know where it is? I thought practically no one did!"

"Practically know one does. It's careful guarded, and only a select few are allowed in."

"You're part of the select few?!" I said in disbelief.

"Well, not exactly," he admitted. We were already in Faerie Land. It was especially crowded today, so Officer Pudge and I got out of the car. The streets weren't crowded with owners and pets though, instead Faeries were swarming around.

"Must be part of the security," the Officer yelled.

"What?"

"All these Faeries," I realised Pudge and I weren't the only ones who knew about the four thieves. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Spitfire heading for a small, shadowy tower of the Faerie Queen's castle.

"That's the Hidden Tower?" I asked.

Officer Pudge shook his head. "It's the Queen's private quarters. He's gone to alert her."

I reached the gates before Officer Pudge did. "We need to get in," I gasped to the armoured Gelerts guarding the entrance.

"Were you summoned.... Oof!' the Gelert asked, as Pudge caught up and pushed him aside. He lumbered to the front doors as fast as he could. The Gelerts blew his whistles and yelled, "Hey! You aren't authorised to enter the palace!"

"Which way?" I said. The Chia didn't answer. He went to a large picture of a yellow Aisha with wings and tapped a corner gently. Nothing happened.

"Is it a secret entrance?" I asked. Five or six armoured Tonus were running straight towards us. Pudge tried the other corner. "Quick! Come on!" He continued tapping gently. A whole pack of pets were approaching from the other direction. They were almost there. "Put down your weapons!" a Wocky shouted. "There's no time!" I shouted, and punched a corner of the picture as hard as I could. It swung open like a door. The pets stopped in their tracks.

"Ohhhhhhhh," they breathed. I was stunned too. The inside of the secret tunnel were sparkling, as if the walls were encrusted with diamonds. Pudge grabbed my hand and pulled me through. He kicked the door, or rather the picture, shut.

"Now where do we go?" I said.

"Straight," he replied.

When the door was closed, it was very dark in there. Officer Pudge turned on his flashlight, and pointed it all around.

"How far does this tunnel go on for? Does the Faerie Queen know about this tunnel? How did you find it?" I blurted as we ran.

"Just a short distance. Yes. It's a long story," said Officer Pudge.

"What?" Pudge stopped so suddenly I crashed into him. In front of us the tunnel made a sharp turn.

"Beyond this turn is the Hidden Tower," he whispered.

"But we didn't go up! How can it be a tower?"

"It isn't. It's just a round room, but with a high ceiling, so it appears to be a windowless tower."

Pudge motioned for me to stay put, then leapt out and yelled. "Put your hands up!"

Silence.

Officer Pudge pointed his gun all around. "Nothing. You can came out now, miss."

The room had beige walls, with shelves all around the circumference. On the shelves were the oddest assortment of objects I had seen. I saw bent forks like the thieves had used, crystal balls, swords, staffs, rods, amulets, and other magic things. There was one door, with a lock that matched my key. I went over, and turned the doorknob. It was locked from the outside, but I could unlock it from the inside if I needed to.

"They're not here yet," I said.

"Maybe they're not coming at all." Pudge took a handkerchief out of his pocket and mopped his sweaty face. "Take a weapon, just in case."

I picked up a sword. "I always wanted a sword."

"That's a Sword of the Air Faerie. It's very powerful. Now, let's hide until the thieves come." Pudge climbed to the seventh shelf, and huffed and puffed to squeeze his body in a vase.

"Where will I hide?" I asked.

"With that sword in your hand, you're invisible!" his muffled voice said.

Now all we had to do was wait.

To be continued...

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Midnight Sun, Canapy Dream: Part Two

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