"Come along Michelle!" called Lucille, my owner. I followed her obediently
to the Bakery. This by far was one of my favourite places in Neopia. The aroma
of fresh bread made the fur on my little Wocky tail stand on end. I browsed
through the shop looking for my favourite pastry: Pizza Pasty. The taste of
gooey cheese, tomato sauce, and hot bread was the best in the world. I reached
for the warm Pasty but not before Lucille said, "No!"
I looked at her in mild shock and indignation. She had never denied me a yummy
Pizza Pasty before. However, before I could put together a protest, she led
me out of the store while the Breadmaster stared after us.
"I'm sorry, Michelle," she began at once. "I just don't have enough Neopoints
to get a Pizza Pasty. I know that you just love them, but you can do without
it for today."
I looked at her again, this time with shock. I couldn't believe my tiny ears.
Lucille had always had enough Neopoints to buy me things as simple as food.
To her, 600 Neopoints was chump change. However, I knew looking through the
Shop Wizard was useless, because they sold the pasty for 1000 Neopoints. I put
my head down dejectedly, wondering if I could get my second favourite food when
I found myself at the door of our NeoHome.
As I walked through the door, I found things much different than what I had
remembered. As I looked through the kitchen I found that many of the shelves
had been removed. When I ventured to the living room, my lovely zen sofa was
missing, along with the coffee table. Then, dreading what I would see next,
I traveled up to the second floor and into my room. Nearly everything was gone.
All that was left was my bed, desk, chair, and my desk accessories. Even my
numerous Usuki sets were missing.
Howling with indigence, I sprinted downstairs in two bounds, right in front
of Lucille. Once again, I stared at my owner open-mouthed, pondering her explanation.
I growled, barked, and banged my little paws on the ground. Lucille gazed down
at me, with a look of pity in her eyes that I had never seen there before.
"I'm sorry Michelle," she began somberly. "I had to sell some of our stuff.
The recession is really hitting us hard. The only way I could keep you is to
sell some things and do a little budgeting. I am truly sorry."
I stopped my tantrum at once. I knew Lucille would do anything to keep me
happy and healthy. Now I felt horrible for growling and barking at my owner.
Not only had Lucille tried to save Neopoints for me, but also tried to avoid
sending me to Dr. Sloth. For this, I felt grateful, and jumped up to Lucille
and hugged her in appreciation.
"Awww Michelle," my owner began, but stopped abruptly and let herself be hugged
by her only pet. I then jumped down and casually asked, "What's for dinner?"
and trotted into the kitchen.
"I know it isn't your favourite food, but it's all I could afford to spend,"
she began meekly. "Here, it's--"
A sandwich and neocola... yum, I thought, as Lucille set the plate
before me.
I felt bad for not liking the food, so I began to eat in false enthusiasm.
I quickly glanced at beaming Lucille and kept eating, feeling guilty all the
while. After my meager meal, I proceeded to my bedroom and reached for my beloved
book, World Class Wockys. Unfortunately, it was no longer there, and
I did not question why it had disappeared. Instead, I reached for an old, tattered
book, entitled Time Travel. I had read this book many times and was bored
with it, but needed something to take my mind off my owner's financial situation.
Just then, I heard a small tap at my window...
I leaped off my bed and peeked out the window, my eyes just barely visible
over the windowsill. There, an extraordinary sight met my eyes: three glowing
Faeries. I gasped in disbelief and opened my window just a bit.
"That Jhudora... I just can't stand her. Always cackling and sending unsuspecting
pets and owners on those goose chases that she deems quests. She, and all those
other Dark Faeries, bring shame upon everyone in Faerieland," said the first
Faerie. She was the smallest of the three and seemed to be a Light Faerie. It
looked as though she had tapped the glass with her wings.
"I agree! Why doesn't Fyora just ban her? It's not like it's very hard. I
mean, with a wave of her wand she could send her flying as far as the Haunted
Woods! It outrages me that she just does not act!" argued the second Faerie.
It looked as if she was a Fire Faerie. She was the tallest and seemed to have
a bit of a temper.
"How many times must I tell you, Fancy? Fyora can't banish her. It would send
Faerieland into disarray, and throw all the Dark Faeries into an angry mob.
Even if Fyora sent the rest of the Dark Faeries away, they would still come
back, more evil than ever! And with Jhudora as angry as the rest of the Dark
Faeries, there's no way Fyora could get rid of them. They would take over Faerieland
and turn it into a disaster area," said the third Faerie. "As long as Jhudora
is there to keep order of the Dark Faeries, Fyora sees no harm in letting her
stay and do her own quests," she looked to be very sensible and wise. She was
an Air Faerie.
"I know, I know..." said Fancy the Fire Faerie. "It just sickens me that Jhudora
can stay in Faerieland!"
"I just hope this new recruit can help take down Jhudora and those foul Dark
Faeries of hers," muttered the Light Faerie.
I listened with stunned ears. Were they talking about Jhudora the evil Dark
Faerie in Faerieland? And who was this recruit that they mentioned? I then decided
that I should speak up and ask them a few questions. I opened the window and
stuck my head out bravely.
The three Faeries jumped in surprise. I then asked them, "Ummm... who exactly
is this recruit you just mentioned?" Then, believing it was rude to address
them in such an unofficial manner, I added, "Your Faerieness."
"Oh my," gasped the Air Faerie. "You gave us quite a fright. Try warning us
before doing something like that again!"
"Ummm... sorry," I said meekly.
"It's okay," she replied. "Well, now that you're here, may I ask you a question?"
"Sure..." I said. I found it quite amazing that a Faerie would be asking a
common Neopet like myself a question.
"Do you know where Michelle the Wocky lives? We've been searching all night
and are almost ready to give up," asked the Air Faerie casually.
I was so shocked that I nearly fainted. However, I recovered myself quickly
and said, "Yes, yes I do. She lives here. I am Michelle."
"Oh good," said the Air Faerie. "This is wonderful! We need to speak to you."
"A-about what?" I stuttered weakly. I feared the answer.
"Well, we need your help in taking down Jhudora and her dark minions," the
Air Faerie said, as if this was as normal as commenting on the weather. "As
you may have overheard, we need you as a recruit to send Jhudora away forever.
We have monitored you ever since you were created, and decided that you had
enough bravery and selflessness to keep Jhudora out of Faerieland."
"I think you have the wrong Wocky," I replied unthinkingly.
"No, no. We have quite the right Wocky. You are very skilled, and we think
you are of the perfect character for what we need done. Unfortunately for us,
we had trouble finding the right NeoHome tonight. If this had been in the day,
we would have found your NeoHome quicker, but Fyora insisted that we fetch you
in the night," answered the Air Faerie. "Now, if you let us in, we can explain
the full nature and seriousness of the situation. Fortunately for us, you have
heard most of our conversation and we have less to tell you."
"Come in..." I said, not knowing if this was the wisest thing to do.
They came in and transformed into full-sized Faeries, then closed the door
and window, magically locking them. They conjured chairs and sat down, ready
to tell me everything. I feared what they had to say, but sat down in one of
the conjured chairs and felt a shiver in my spine.
"Now, if you'll stay silent during this, we can be done quicker," the Air
Faerie said briskly. "Jhudora, as you know, is the Queen of the Dark Faeries.
We have repeatedly tried to devise plans in which to get rid of her. However,
Fyora the Faerie Queen has stamped all of these plans out. All of these plans
would upset Jhudora enough for her to revolt, and a revolt would destroy Faerieland.
Yet, we have finally made a strategy foolproof from enraging Jhudora."
"This is where you come in," broke in the Light Faerie. "We need your bravery
and selflessness to bring Jhudora to an end. The very things that Jhudora despises
can bring her reign down. All you must do is gather all of your Neopoints and
perform her challenging quests. Make sure that when you finish one quest, you
immediately do another, so she knows you have not made any Neopoints while doing
the quests. Also, if she ever gives you something, refuse it and give it back.
When you run out of Neopoints, do not try to make anymore. By then, she should
expect you to do whatever she asks of you. However, by that time, she should
be unknowingly drained of a great deal of her powers."
"With her powers greatly diminished," chimed in the Fire Faerie, "she will
be easier to dispose of. If her powers are fewer, so it will be true with the
other Dark Faeries. That way, we can send Jhudora away and keep the remainder
of the Dark Faeries under control."
"I have a question," I said unsteadily. This felt more and more like a dream
every minute. "How in Neopia am I going to be able to manage this? My owner
has already told me that she doesn't have enough Neopoints to indulge my extra
pleasures, and has to budget! How can I complete Jhudora's daunting tasks without
going broke on the first try?!"
"That is something you must figure out..." whispered the Air Faerie. "This
will be part of your selflessness. If Jhudora discovers that we've helped you
with your quests, then all our plans will be lost. From this point on, you must
figure out how you will get all of your Neopoints together in order to do her
tasks."
"Oh yes," said the Fire Faerie, "we forgot to mention. Once you start her
quests, you may not make another Neopoint. If you do, our plan will never be
complete."
"Now we must leave," interrupted the Light Faerie. "May your courage and altruism
guide you."
And with that, the Faeries disappeared without a trace. I sat there, aghast
at what I had just heard. I, Michelle, was going to help bring down Jhudora!
I couldn't see how it would be possible, but I had to try. So I crept silently
downstairs and poured myself a glass of Kau Kau Farm milk and began to think.
When I finally figured out how I was going to go about my task, I went to bed
and slept restlessly, anticipating the coming day...
The next morning, I awoke at 8:00a.m NST, thinking about the bizarre dream
I had just had. It included three Faeries and a plan to take down Jhudora. Before
I could even think about my dream, I found a note on my bed. I opened the envolope
and read:
Dear Michelle,
As you know, you have been selected to take down Jhudora singlehandedly. What
follows is a list of instructions that you must obey in order for this plan
to work:
1) You must collect all of your Neopoints and get rid of all of your items.
2) Next, travel to Faerieland and find Jhudora.
3) Do her quests until you run out of Neopoints.
4) Once you run out of Neopoints, do not visit Jhudora's Cloud again. Wait for
trainned Faeries to take care of the situation.
May your courage guide you,
Fancy the Fire Faerie
Angela the Air Faerie
Lucy the Light Faerie
I looked down at the letter and read it again. After I read the message several
times, I decided my "dream" wasn't a dream. It had been real. I was
really going to take on Jhudora...
I went downstairs as I normally did and ate my breakfast. Afterwards, I mounted
my bicycle and rode to the bank, ready to withdraw all the Neopoints there,
along with the day's interest. Since my owner was at her guild, and wouldn't
be back till 2:00p.m NST, no one would know I was gone. While I was at the bank,
I cleared the Safety Deposit Box and inventory.
After visiting the bank, I went to my owner's shop, ready to clear it of every
item. I knew I was going to regret this, but I had to do it. Luckily, there
were only five items left. I took these items and placed them under the Money
Tree, along with the contents of the safety deposit box and inventory. Next,
I headed towards the furniture store.
When I approached the owner, I told him that my owner wanted to donate everything
in her NeoHome to the Money Tree. Thankfully he didn't ask questions, and said
he would send his men at 12:00p.m NST. Now that all my items were gone and there
were no more Neopoints left in the bank, I was ready to go to Faerieland, but
there was one problem...
How was I going to get there? Once I had realized that I could not make it
to Faerieland, I did an about face on my bike, and headed towards home.
By the time I reached home, it was 10:00a.m NST. "Two hours 'till the furniture
people come..." I thought. As I crashed onto my bed, thinking of the flaw in
my plan, I hit something hard. I looked beneath me and discovered the book,
Time Travel.
Of course, I thought, I must have left this here last night. I guess
I'll just read it until the movers come. Again...
Just as I started to read, I had the sudden urge to turn to the back cover
and read it instead. It was at that moment that I read the very thing to save
my plan:
"This book may be the secret to getting out of Neopia Central..."
I looked hurriedly through the table of contents and found the chapter on
actually getting to the other worlds. After browsing a few pages, I found what
I was looking for:
"In order to get out of Neopia, you must first go to the Wishing Well
and deposit five Neopoints. Next, wish to go to another world, (for example,
Tyrannia). Within seconds, you will be magically zapped to the world of your
choice. In order to get back, go to any landmark in that world and ask to go
back to Neopia."
With restored confidence, I packed the book and my Neopoints in a small bag,
and ran back to my bike. I set off towards the Wishing Well, faster than was
wise. Coming to a screeching halt, I reached for my bag and took out five Neopoints.
I threw them into the Well and said in a clear voice, "I wish to go to Faerieland."
Then, as the book said, it whisked me magically away, landing on a soft cloud.
"This must be Faerieland," I whispered. I was quite awed by the settings and
thought it was beautiful. I looked around for Jhudora's Cloud. However, I saw
another cloud with a sign that said, "Healing Springs."
"I guess I'll ask the people here," I said to myself.
I walked to the cloud to ask for directions. When I walked in, I saw a beautiful
Water Faerie sitting on a rock surrounded my dozens of magical potions. However,
when I asked her how to get to Jhudora, she gasped and said, "You would like
to visit the Cloud of Jhudora? You are very brave, indeed. Only those who wish
to go bankrupt visit that awful, awful place. However, if you insist, you just
walk beyond here and you will see it. But please be careful, young one..."
"Thanks," I said gratefully, and headed towards Jhudora's Cloud...
"Welcome, my pretty," was the greeting that Jhudora gave me. "Welcome to Jhudora's
Cloud. Would you like to do a quest for me...?"
"Y-yes," I said unsteadily. "What can I bring you?"
"You can bring me..." she said evilly, "a bar of soap."
"Soap?" I asked surprised. This was going to be easier than I thought. "Sure,
I'll bring you some soap."
"Thank you, dear," she whispered, "Bring it to me within sixteen minutes,
and I will reward you most handsomely... but, if you do not," she continued,
"I will be forced to do something that I'd rather not."
I gulped and nearly sprinted away, ready to complete my first task. Two minutes
later, I found myself in the Healing Springs once more, asking to go to Neopia.
"Certainly," she said pleasantly. With a flick of her tail fins, she magically
whisked me back to Neopia.
Surprisingly, my bike was still there. I jumped on and rode to the Shop Wizard.
When I asked for soap, he gave me the list of owners who had it in stock. After
buying it, I ventured back to the Wishing Well and deposited my five Neopoints
with a wish. In a few minutes' time, I found myself before Jhudora and gave
her the soap.
"Thank you, my pretty..." she cackled. "As a reward, I give you..."
"No thank you," I interjected. "Keep it, I don't need it."
"'Don't need it,' you say," she sounded highly affronted. "Everyone needs
my rewards. Now, take this you piddling little pet, and get out of my sight!!"
"I said no thank you," I sounded braver than I felt. Before she could reply,
I ran for the Healing Springs and back to Neopia.
When I returned home, all our stuff was missing and it was 1:55p.m NST. My
owner was due home any minute, and I feared what she would do. Then I heard
a sharp knock on the door. I opened it timidly and saw Lucille. As she entered,
she let out a horrified scream.
"What happened to all our stuff!" she yelled. She looked extremely baffled
and upset. "What happened Michelle?!? Who did this?"
"I-I dunno," I lied quickly. One thing Lucille never could see through was
a lie. "I guess the Pant Devil broke in or something."
"Everything gone. All of our stuff, gone," she said this more to herself than
me, and I could tell she was near tears. "I can't sell the house, because you
would have nowhere to live... I'll just have to go by the bank and pick up some
Neopoints..."
"I'll do it," I said hurriedly. Lucille couldn't find out her sweet little
Wocky cleared the bank account. "You just stay here and figure out a plan on
getting our stuff back."
"Ok," she said. She sounded nothing like herself. So I went back outside and
jumped on my bike and on into the direction of the bank. I wasn't really intending
to go there, I just wanted Lucille to see me leave. Then, as soon as I was out
of her sight, I doubled back behind our house. I climbed one of our extremely
long vines and opened my bedroom window. I stumbled through and went to an open
floorboard. Stashing the Neopoints, I secured it where no one would ever look
there.
Afterwards, I returned to the front door and told my owner that the bank account
had also been raided and that our points were gone, along with our items. She
look appalled and thoroughly angry. Then, just as I thought she was going to
say something, she broke down a cried. I felt horrible for what I had done,
but knew that I was doing the right thing for the sake of Faerieland, and eventually
Neopia.
I then told her I was going for a walk and left the house. I went back to
Jhudora and did another quest. After that, I was down to 90,000 Neopoints. Day
after day I went by Jhudora's, and did quest after quest. Eventually, she stopped
offering me rewards and let me do quests continually. Then finally, my last
quest came...
"Get me..." she said, "a Nuranna. Yes... that should suffice."
I hurried off the cloud and went back into Neopia with the 10,000 neopoints
I had. I bought one for just that amount and returned to the cloud. I was sorely
tempted to keep the little Petpet for myself, but knew better.
"Thank you, young one..." she said silkily. "Now for your next-"
"I can't. I'm--" I began; but then, out of nowhere, came three familiar Faeries...
"Stop right there, Jhudora!" said Lucy the Light Faerie. I recognized her
as the Faerie that had tapped my glass that fateful night.
"It is time to banish you from Faerieland," broke in Fancy the Fire Faerie.
"Forever," said Angela the Air Faerie.
With that, they all preformed confusing spells, and in a poof of smoke, Jhudora
vanished.
"Where'd she go?" I asked.
"The Haunted Woods," said Lucy. She seemed to have little concern.
"I think she'll enjoy serving the Esophagor," Fancy cackled.
"Well, our work here is done," said Angela. "You will be rewarded greatly
for your services. Thank you."
"You're--" I began, but they vanished. I then proceeded to the Healing Springs
and back to Neopia. Before I knew it, I was at my house. I opened my door, and
the usual scene met my eyes: my owner looking blankly at a spot that held furniture
before it was taken away.
Not wanting to watch, I went to my empty room to sulk. However, my room wasn't
exactly empty...
Sitting in the middle of the floor were two large bags marked NP; without
question, I knew what it was. I rushed towards the bags and opened them with
shaking hands...
The bags were full-to-the-brim with Neopoints. Below the bags, I found a note:
Dear Michelle,
Thank you for your unwavering help in Faerieland. Without you, we could have
never had peace in Faerieland. Thanks to you, Jhudora is gone forever, and the
remainder of the Dark Faeries are under our control. Enclosed in each bag is
one million Neopoints.
Thank you once more,
Fancy the Fire Faerie
Lucy the Light Faerie
Angela the Air Faerie
And with that, I bolted downstairs, ready to see the look on my owner's face... | 
