Read this story
from the beginning!
I sighed. Why couldn't anything ever happen easily? Next stop
was the nearby Haunted Woods. We took the path out of Faerieland, but this time
we went right and into the clearing that was home to the Brain Tree, Esophagor,
and others.
Suddenly, a mutant Moehog passed by. "MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!" it shouted
and ran off.
"Strange NeoPets," Scarab commented. I noticed that Hiteru
had stopped and was staring at the ground.
"Oh Hiteru! We're sorry! Scarab…he didn't know!" I hurriedly
cried.
"It's okay, he couldn't have known…"
Scarab looked troubled so I took him aside and explained.
"Hiteru was a mutant when we adopted him from the pound. He was called Blobster47563,
and after he was painted, no one could call him Blobster again."
"Oh! I am so sorry…how could I have been so careless…" Scarab
looked so worried, that I held him in my arms and comforted him.
"Is that what it feels like to have an owner?" Scarab asked.
"It feels…nice. Could I have my own owner someday?"
"I promise you, Scarab, I will find you an owner of your own,"
I said fervently. And I meant every word of it.
As we went back to the group, Edna the witch popped up in
front of us.
"I need your help, puny creatures!" I sighed. This "help all"
business was getting me down.
"What?" I knew it wasn't exactly a kind reply, but we had more
important business.
The witch looked stunned. "Wh-Why aren't you cowering in fear?"
"Because we need to find the heart of this world, and fast
so we can take a chip and save Sakhmet," said Bryte calmly.
The witch scrutinized us and said, "Get me an Almost Gummy
Rat (Strawberry) and a Claw-Matoe and I will show you who has the heart."
"Thank you," Hiteru said politely.
Edna looked at Hiteru. "Didn't you use to be in my mutant ranks?"
Hiteru started to reply, but Edna cut him off. "Never mind, just go!"
So we started off to the marketplace. As we were going I could
hear snatches of conversations, like "I need to know when and where Nellie von
Korbat died…" and "That mushroom doesn't go for less than 50,000…" and "We have
to follow the ghost, Nab_213!"
I hadn't been to the spooky marketplace in a while, so I was
surprised to find the stone Jubjub keeper gone.
"We have to find a Claw-Matoe and an Almost Gummy Rat (Strawberry),
please," Tide said before anyone else could speak. That was so like my Tide.
He took control of situations that needed to be done quickly, for me, nor any
of my other pets, were, (by nature) "hurriers".
The shop wizard turned around and muttered what sounded like
"Argel boo boo frazz majigatoe!"
He then turned around directed us to two shops, but they were
in opposite directions. Bryte frowned, and then said, "Scarab, Zelda (that's
me), and I will go right, Hiteru, Aristothonea, and Tide, and you should probably
go left, okay?"
Everyone agreed and we set off.
A bit warily I walked up to the door and opened it. I was
expecting to see a dark, scary type of wallpaper, but it was a bright Quiggle
background, and the shopkeeper was a casual Light Faerie.
Scarab walked up to the counter and picked up a Claw-Matoe.
"20 NP," the Faerie said.
We bought it and went back to meet Aristothonea, Hiteru and,
Tide. But when we reached the agreed meeting point, they weren't there. We waited
a while, but when they still hadn't showed up, we agreed to go look for them.
As we walked to the shop they had gone into we heard screams, and increased
our pace.
Inside we saw Aristothonea, Hiteru, and Tide talking to a
threatening looking man.
"Give me your password!" he shouted, shaking his hand at Ari,
who I knew was the easiest to frighten. Immediately I recognized his type, a
thief. Once I recognized his username as ilovetosteal_somuch9, I sent a Neomail
to theneopetsteam. It was picked up by a Pteri who flew away, and I snarled
at the thief.
"Get away from my NeoPets," I said calmly. He started to back
up, but backed into the arms of the NeoPets police. They tossed us an Almost
Gummy Rat (Strawberry), and we happily went back to see Edna.
"Hmmmmmm…Good. Now…I am the Holder!" We all stared, and our
mouths fell open.
"It was the closest they could get," she said crossly. "Now
here." And she gave us her chip. "And be gone, you're annoying me," and she
wished us off to the shores of Maraqua.
"Guess this is where we should look for the next piece?" suggested
Bryte wryly.
"Only one problem, how do we get down there? Bryte's the only
one that can breathe underwater," I said. "Well, at least we can eat." I started
to dig in my backpack when I found five sets of scuba gear, and a tag that said,
"a gift from the Faerie Queen". I started to smile, and we all put on the scuba
gear (except for Bryte, who didn't need one, Acaras love the water) and we dove
down.
As we went below, I gasped. I had never guessed that there
was so much life under the sea. Aristothonea pointed to a sign that said, "Welcome
to Maraqua - Beware of Chiazilla". We stopped by the food shop, which was filled
with air for customers exactly like us.
"Uh, welcome to my shop, have some food, it's on the house."
What a kind Koi! We tried to protest, but he insisted, so I ordered Clam Chops
with a side of Kelp, and Bryte got her favourite, a Famous Crab Burger. Scarab
chose the Scrampi, Aristothonea likes delicacies and got the Fish Eggs, and
Hiteru chose a Frozen Fish Gel. Tide picked a Gummy Star.
"I'm really busy, and it's kind of hot, could you please get
me a FanFish from the mechanic shop?"
"Sure," said Tide, speaking for all of us, and we went to the
store and picked one up, hitchhiking on a ClamTaxi back to the mechanic shop,
handing it to the owner.
"Oh, thank you!" he said gratefully, but dropped the fan,
and it pushed back the skin of his wrist to reveal the Heart.
"What!?" Scarab cried. "I heard that it was only held by the
Maraquan King!"
The Koi looked uncomfortable. "Well, no one's supposed to
know, but since you know about it - the king is gone for a vacation on the shores
of Mystery Island, I can't give you this piece until you get his permission."
We decided to get that piece (on Mystery Island), the king's
approval, and then go back to Maraqua.
On the hot shores of Mystery Island (don't ask how we got
there - oh fine, a whale got us there in its stomach) we walked along the beach
to the point where the king was supposed to be, we found the fierce Battler
Nimmo, Ryshu. He glared at us.
"It is my job to protect the Maraquan king on his visit!"
"We accidentally found out that the Maraquan food shopkeeper
had it, and we need it to complete the necklace for the Dark Faerie so we can
save Sakhmet…" Hiteru started to say, when the Faerie Queen appeared next to
a coconut palm tree swaying in the wind and said:
"These NeoPets and their owner are under my protection, Ryshu,
Serafin, give them the pieces you hold." And with that, the Faerie Queen disappeared.
Pieces? Only the king…oh…Ryshu must hold one, I thought. And
Ryshu revealed his piece. We took it, gave our thanks, and traveled back to
Maraqua, getting the king's piece. Only four left…
To be continued... | 
