NPIA Headquarters, an Undisclosed Location Somewhere in Neopia Central
"So...what's the cake for again?"
Agent_Noelle the yellow Aisha brushed a few unruly
strands of her red hair away from her face as she glanced at a large wedding
cake sitting in her office doorway. "Oh, that!" she replied. "A friend of mine's
wedding is tonight, and one of the pastry chefs at the embassy volunteered to
bake the cake. So, I decided that since the wedding chapel isn't too far away
from here, I'd take it to work with me!"
Agent_Magnolia the disco Aisha gazed at the cake
once more. "I've heard of 'take-your-child-to-work' day, but this is kind of
pushing it."
"Oh, silly, I don't have any children," Noelle
answered.
"Well, I know," Magnolia replied, "but do you
really have to take the cake to work?"
"Yeah, that really 'takes the cake'!" Sys-op
commented. "Heh heh...takes the cake--get it, Mag? Because it's a...cake...and...AHEM!
Never mind!"
"Yes, please never mind," said Magnolia. "So,
I guess the cake stays!"
"Ohhhh, yeah," murmured Sys-op, eyeing the cake
with interest.
"Touch that frosting and no more cheese snacks
for a week," Magnolia warned as the office door creaked ajar.
"DON'T HIT THE CAKE!" Noelle shrieked as Chief
shut the door abruptly.
"What ca--oh," he replied. "Err--if you don't
mind my asking, why is there a cake here, anyway?"
"A friend of mine is having their wedding tonight,
and a pastry chef at the embassy volunteered to bake their cake, so I had to
take it to the chapel, and I had something to get here at the agency, so I thought,
'Hey! I can take the cake to work today!'" Noelle replied with a giggle.
"Um...okay," said Chief. "I had another
mission, so I'll just give it to Magnolia and be off. Err--and I won't hit the
cake with the door. Right. Uh, Magnolia...today you're going...to...er...the
Lost Desert to...NOELLE, that cake is REALLY distracting!"
"Apologies!" Noelle answered, stepping in front
of the cake. "There."
"Thank you!"
"You were saying?" asked Magnolia.
"Oh, right! Err--I said you were going to the
Lost Desert. Apparently, a group of archaeologists have recently found the ruins
of a long-lost city in the desert. Ten of them entered, but no one has returned
yet over the period of three days. One of the artifacts that is actually said
to be there is King Coltzan I's crown, which is apparently in a treasure chamber.
No one actually knew where it was, though, so that's why the archaeologists
went into the r--NOELLE! I CAN STILL SEE IT!"
"Sorry!" cried Noelle, covering the top of the
cake with her paws.
"Okay, good. Well, they went into the ruins to
find the crown and put it into a museum, but they haven't returned. So, you're
going to the ruins to find them."
"Eh--I didn't see that one coming," said
Magnolia facetiously. "I doubt I'll need any reinforcement for this one."
"A bit overconfident, are we?" inquired Sys-op.
"No, it's just that if I have any trouble, I'll
get one of the archaeologists to go with me!" said Magnolia. "They're well-trained,
aren't they?"
"I would only imagine," said Chief. "I advise
you leave as soon as you can--no one knows exactly what happened to those
lost archaeologists or if they're still okay."
"Well, that's settled then!" said Magnolia. "What's
the best way to cross the desert?"
"Actually, I don't really know," Chief replied,
"but since it's the way most people go, I would imagine going..."
Lost Desert, The Next Day
"...ON FOOT!" cried Sys-op. "I can't believe
you actually AGREED to cross the Lost Desert ON FOOT!"
"Well, it is how most people travel here!" cried
Magnolia, clad in a white silken headdress and robe. "I think it should be fine
if we don't overexert ourselves, right? Besides, now that the ruins are open,
anyone could just run in, grab some treasure and run out! If we crossed the
desert inconspicuously, they wouldn't know we were onto them."
"You have a point, I suppose," said Sys-op. "Fine,
on foot, then."
"I knew you'd understand," replied Magnolia with
a smile. "Oh, wait, I think that's Sakhmet up ahead!"
"Sakhmet? We're not LOOKING for Sakhmet!" Sys-op
exclaimed.
"Oh, yes we are! The ruins are supposed to be
just a mile east of here, so this is our place-marker," said Magnolia. "EASTWARD!"
Sys-op groaned as she followed Magnolia away
from the city and towards the ruins. She'd much rather be at home where there
was snow often. In the Lost Desert, it only snowed about once every winter,
and that wasn't even promised. But thinking of home brought Chaska to mind.
It was bad enough that she had been left at home alone, but she was also left
in charge of the laundry today.
Magnolia's House
"HELP! THE BUBBLES! THE BUUUUUBBBBLLLLLEEES!
NOOOOOOOO!"
The Lost Desert
"Magnolia, it's too hot!" exclaimed Sys-op after
a sixteen minute walk. "Can we stop for a moment?"
"No, Sys, we're almost there--then we'll
stop!" said Magnolia in reply. The tall, weathered ruins lay up ahead, an assortment
of tents gathered around it. "See? We were going to stop for nothing!"
"Well, it is hot, you know," Sys-op insisted
as they entered camp.
"Oh, hello!" greeted a red Gelert with a clipboard.
"And who might you be?"
"Good morning. I'm Magnolia Cherry--I was sent
here to assist in finding the ten lost archaeologists in these ruins. I understand
you're on the expedition?"
"Yes, actually. Amelia Rogers--I'm more of the
on-expedition secretary," replied the Gelert. "I keep track of everything we
find, everyone who enters the site, and everyone who's come up missing--which
is about everyone right now. The rest of us have decided to stay outside the
ruins just in case anyone was to come back--and just so that no more of us go
missing."
"Well, I'll be the next to go into the ruins,
I suppose. Hopefully I won't go missing," Magnolia murmured. "Well, thank you,
Amelia. Come on, Sys--SYS-OP!"
Magnolia tapped her foot as she found Sys-op
basking in the shade of the ruins. "Sys-op, we have to go in now."
"Oh...coming!" said Sys-op in reply as Magnolia
walked through the front entrance.
"Good luck!" said Amelia as they departed.
Meanwhile, Inside the Ruins
"K-Kunaaaaooooo?"
A red Mynci quavered nervously as he inched down
a dark hallway. "Kunao--where did you gooooo? It's dark back here! KUNAO!" There
was no response. "Kunao, I know you're up there!" Suddenly, something fell from
behind and clasped on his shoulder. He turned around to face a skeleton that
had fallen from the wall.
"AAUUUUUUUUGH! KUNAO, THE MUMMY'S COMING TO GET
MEEEEE--!"
"What?" an irate split Aisha replied, turning
around. "Jonathan, if you keep playing with the skeletons, we're never going
to get out of here."
"B-but--"
"But nothing, Jonathan," said Kunao. "Honestly,
if you're so afraid of everything, it's a wonder how you became an archaeologist
in the first place!"
"Oh, I am not, Kunao! I've been your partner
for years now--you should know that!" he insisted. "It's just that seeing ancient,
scary desert ruins in the dark is kind of different from seeing them with your
flashlight, Kunao." He turned to the skeleton. "Now that I see this again, it's
not so scary! Yeah--uh--ha, ha, ha...Euuugh."
"Quit being a big baby, Jonathan," said Kunao,
walking ahead and into the next chamber.
"Oh, easy for you to say. You're the archaeologist.
I'm just the sidekick. What do you expect me to say?"
"Want to be left in the dark again?"
"COMING!"
Somewhere Else in the Ruins
"Okay, this is just kind of intimidating,"
Sys-op murmured, following the glow of Magnolia's flashlight ahead. "Are you
positive they can't just find their own way out?"
"No, Sys-op, they've been gone for days
now!" Magnolia insisted. "We don't know if they're even okay or not. Besides,
it's kind of late to go back now."
"Oh, it's ALWAYS too late to go back once I start
getting scared!" Sys-op protested, stepping over a fallen rock.
"Eh, you've seen scarier, right?"
"Well, this ranks up there!"
"You'll get over it." Magnolia strolled on, waving
her flashlight around in observation. Suddenly, as she traversed into the next
chamber, the door behind and in front of her slid shut. "Eh...Is that supposed
to happen?"
"Hmm...don't look now, Mag, but I think we're
more than just trapped," said Sys-op, observing as sand began to fall from a
hole in the ceiling. "We're doomed."
"OH, NO!" Magnolia exclaimed in surprise.
"H-how do we stop it?"
"'How do we get out of here?' is a more
suitable question," said Sys-op prudently. "I don't know, but I heard somewhere
that every trap in places like this has a solution. Otherwise, the builders
wouldn't be able to get out."
"Yeah, but I can't exactly tell where that would
be now!" cried Magnolia. "We're almost up to our knees in sand!"
"YOU'RE up to YOUR KNEES! I'M up to MY
NECK!" Sys-op protested. Suddenly, the running sand stopped. "Well, who didn't
see that one coming?"
"Jonathan, I think we found one!" proclaimed
a voice. "Anyone in there? This is Kunao! Oh, I hope it isn't too late!"
The door slowly opened and a wave of sand poured out of the room. Magnolia and
Sys-op caught sight of a split Aisha and a red Mynci in the doorway.
"Ewwww," said the Mynci. "Saaand."
"Be quiet, Jonathan," ordered the Aisha. She
looked up at Magnolia and Sys-op. "Hey, you're not on the expedition, are you?"
"No," Magnolia replied. "Allow me to introduce
myself. I'm Magnolia Cherry from the Neopian Private Investigation Agency in
Neopia Central, and this is Sys-op. I actually came to find all of you and attempt
to take you to the exit of the ruins."
"You won't if you keep getting caught in booby
traps like that one," the Aisha noted. "If you're here to help, be careful next
time. Well, since you've found two of us, let's get the other eight, get that
crown and get out of here."
Magnolia agreed, and the group of four set off
in search of the expedition's party. "So, what were your names again?" asked
Sys-op.
"I'm Kunao," said the Aisha. "This is my spineless
partner, Jonathan."
"I am n--" Jonathan began, suddenly cut off by
a loud rumbling noise. The wall in front of the group suddenly revealed two
doors, where they led unable to be seen.
"Okay...well, I suppose since we can't all go
down one and come back, we should split up," said Kunao. "Jonathan and I will
go down this one; you and Sys-op will go down that one, okay?"
"Fine with me," Magnolia replied. "Come on, Sys-op."
Magnolia and Sys-op took the path to the left
and Kunao and Jonathan took the path to the right. Suddenly, the doors slid
shut behind them. "This is ridiculous!" Magnolia exclaimed. "These builders
were trying WAY too hard to get thieves scared."
"I'm scared!" Sys-op cried.
"Oh, please. This is so over-dramatic that no
one could think to ever..." Magnolia paused, turning around. "Uh...Sys-op?"
There was no answer. "Sys-op, quit trying to scare me--I mean it! Sys-op?"
"Jonathan? Joooonathaaaaan?" Someone suddenly
collided with Magnolia from behind.
"AUGH!"
"STAY AWAY!"
"I'M ARMED!" Magnolia turned around. "Oh, Kunao.
How did you get here? Didn't you take the other path?"
"Well, I thought I did!" she replied.
"But--I wound up with you...and I bet Jonathan and Sys-op are together now."
"I suppose," said Magnolia. "Well, the only way
to go now is ahead, since I don't know where you came here from."
"Right. Let's go, then."
In front of Magnolia and Kunao was a long hallway
lined with weathered pillars. Magnolia quickly walked towards the first, but
Kunao pushed her back. "Hey--what's the big idea?" asked Magnolia in surprise.
"That pillar is the big idea, Magnolia," Kunao
quickly replied. "I have a very strong notion that if you walk past it, it'll
fall on you. So, we're either going to throw a rock at it or run past it really
fast."
"Well," Magnolia answered, picking up a loose
stone. She threw it across the hallway, but the pillar collapsed before it passed.
"I think I won't be running past it really fast any time soon."
Kunao sighed as she stepped over the collapsed
pillar. From then on, they would throw stones at the pillars before they crossed
the hallway. When they reached the end of the hall, a treasure chest sat before
them. A locked door was to the left.
"What now?" asked Sys-op.
"I say we open the chest," Kunao replied. "There's
no other way we can go, and hopefully there will be a key inside."
Magnolia reluctantly lifted the lid of the chest,
and, sure enough, a golden key lay inside. She approached the door and slowly
slid the key into the keyhole. Before she could even turn it, the door slid
open.
"Well, I guess you're right," said Magnolia,
stepping inside. A podium sat in the center of the next chamber, showcasing
a golden lotus. "Ooooh..." Magnolia murmured, picking the treasure up.
"Give me that!" Kunao demanded, snatching the
lotus from Magnolia. "Well, we found something."
"Where do you think the crown and everything
else is, then?" Magnolia asked.
"Probably not too far away," Kunao suggested.
"The only way to go now is ahead, since we don't know how to get back through
that weird hallway to find Sys-op and Jonathan."
"You're right," replied Magnolia with a sigh.
"This is turning into some weird, wild goose chase, and we haven't found anyone
other than you and Jonathan here yet!"
Magnolia and Kunao walked into the next open
chamber that was completely empty, save a wall with an image of a crown on it.
"Now, what would this be?" Kunao questioned.
"Hmm...I don't quite know. Maybe the crown is
behind this wall," Magnolia suggested. "How do we get to it?"
"Well..." Kunao droned off. "Ah-HA! I know!"
Kunao walked over to the wall and ran her paw across it. Suddenly, her paw reached
a loose stone that sunk into the wall when she pressed it, as did the other
stones eventually. "I saw this in a movie once!" The wall opened up into a doorway,
showcasing a crown on a podium and locked cell on the other side of the room.
"Magnolia!"
"Kunao! Help! I'm scaaaared!"
Magnolia and Kunao turned to face the cell, where
a group of assorted pets were kept. In the front of the group were Sys-op and
Jonathan. "Sys-op--Jonathan! How'd you guys get here?" asked Magnolia.
"So, finally we meet, you despicable thieves!"
said a voice from behind before either of them could reply. Magnolia and Kunao
whirled around again.
"If I have to turn around one more time--!"
Magnolia began.
"Quiet, you!" Two fire Faeries in silken
tops and harem pants stood before them. "I thought I would never have the opportunity
to meet you in person," said the first, stepping forward.
"I don't know whether or not to be happy," Magnolia
replied facetiously. "Who are you two?"
"You ask me, do you?" the first replied.
"We are Tara and Tora, the two guardians of these ruins and this crown."
"We told you," said Tora. "Now what are your
names?"
"Magnolia and Kunao. We've come to save those
archaeologists and to get that crown, so we were just thinking that we could--"
"Steal it, no doubt," Tara replied.
"No way!" Magnolia defended. "Exactly the opposite,
if you're dying to know. Anyone could come to steal that thing, and we've come
to put it in a museum; you know, where it'll be safe?"
"And how do we know you aren't those burglars
you're telling us about?" Tara asked.
"Ooohhh, good point, Mag," Sys-op murmured from
the cell.
"Be quiet!" Magnolia cried.
"Look, what'll it take to convince you that we
aren't burglars?" Kunao asked. "We aren't thieves, we aren't burglars, we aren't
spies--"
"--Most of us," Magnolia added.
"We're just trying to help, that's all," Kunao
finished. "And we need the crown."
"Well, take it," Tara replied. "But fight us
for it."
"Fine," Magnolia told her.
"Are you insane?" Kunao questioned. "She'll
kick our tails out of town!"
"Well, that's a risk I'm willing to take," Magnolia
replied. "Besides, we either get kicked out of town or we don't get the crown."
"That rhymed!" Sys-op commented.
"BE QUIET ALREADY!" Tora, Tara, Kunao, Magnolia,
and the other archaeologists commanded in unison.
"So, you're looking to defeat us, then, are you?"
Tora asked.
"Uhh...who w-wants some?" Magnolia questioned,
waving her fists timidly. "AUGH!"
Tora quickly drew a sword from her waist and
nearly struck Magnolia, who darted to her left. "Where's your bravado now,
Magnolia?" she questioned, striking again.
"Maybe you cut it with that huge KNIFE of yours!"
Magnolia exclaimed, sidestepping Tora's next strike. "This is a bit of an unfair
match, don't you think?"
"No one said to come here unarmed, you know,"
Tora told her.
"I DIDN'T come in here unarmed! You just aren't
giving me enough time to draw a weapon!"
Magnolia stepped back abruptly, her foot hitting
a switch on the floor. Suddenly, the room began to shake violently. She looked
down at the floor and saw a sunken brick with writing in red paint reading:
DON'T TOUCH THIS!
...I MEAN IT!
"Oh, now I see that," Magnolia murmured.
"Tell me, what'd I just do? Oh--wait; sandstorm."
"Noooo," Tora replied.
"Ancient plague of some sort?"
"Noooo," Tara answered.
"The ruins are going to collapse, I bet."
"Yes!" Tara and Tora told her in unison.
"And this is all your fault, y'know!" Tora finished.
"Is n--"
"Magnolia," Kunao interrupted, "Do you really
think we have enough time to argue right about now?"
"Oh, right," Magnolia replied. She quickly ran
and retrieved the crown. "We can settle this outside, you two."
"Fine," Tara replied. "I'll unlock the cell;
you two get out of here!"
Magnolia and Kunao left the chamber, not awaiting
another warning. A few rocks fell behind as they ran down the next hallway.
"D'you think they'll be okay back there?"
"Back where?" Tora questioned, catching up from
behind. Tara and the group of archaeologists followed. "Do you really think
I want to be caught in here when this place crashes?"
"I guess not," Magnolia replied. Suddenly, they
came to a halt in front of a door with a small, flower-shaped impression in
it. "Now what?"
"I have no idea--I mean, we've never left the
ruins before!" Tara frantically explained.
"Oh, no," said Sys-op from behind. "We'll
never get out of here!"
"No--I have an idea," Magnolia insisted. "Kunao,
remember when we were back in that chamber with the lotus?" Kunao nodded. "Where
is it?"
Kunao searched her bag for the lotus, and upon
finding it, gave it to Magnolia. Magnolia turned the flower sideways and jammed
in into the impression. The door slid open vertically, revealing the camp of
several archaeologists' tents outside.
"Okay, that was too obvious," Kunao muttered.
"Why on Neopia didn't I think of that?"
"Hey, you're the archaeologist," Jonathan
told Kunao, following her out.
Later that Day
"That was a great thing you did back there,"
Tora told Magnolia, once out of the collapsed ruins. "We didn't even have
the lotus, so had you two not been there, that would have been the end of it."
"I guess she's right," Tara added. "Fine, take
the crown. You deserve it, anyway."
"Thanks!" Magnolia replied. "But--it's nothing,
really. All in a--GEEE!--Kunao, quit tapping me on the shoulder like that!"
"Sorry about that," Kunao replied. "But, now
that the ruins are collapsed, we're out of here. I thought I'd let you know
how great it was working with you--I hope I can see you again sometime."
"Same here, Kunao. It's been a pleasure," Magnolia
answered. "I should be going too, I guess. Sys-op--we have to go back to the--"
"Ah! We crossed the Desert on FOOT, remember?"
Sys-op told her. "So we're not going back to the anything."
The End
Author's Note: Thank you for reading my story, everyone! I'd also like to
take this opportunity to thank everyone for all of their positive and constructive
feedback on my stories so far. You guys are the best! As always, feel free to
Neomail
me with any comments, questions, or suggestions
you might have about any of my stories. Until next time! | 
