A Time to Remember

by Catherine Ingram

Moonlight the blue Uni trotted merrily beside me, her white hoofs thumping softly on the morning grass, her plaited mane swinging from side to side as she broke into a gallop."Catch me if you can!" she called, her giddy sing-a-long voice ringing in my ears. I couldn't take it any longer. I ran up to her and hugged her around her neck. She stopped prancing and looked at me, with her bright blue, shining eyes. "What's wrong, angel?" she asked, looking concerned. "I don't want to let you go," I whispered, hugging her even tighter.

I felt the paintbrush in my rusksack. It was time. I remembered yesterday, when me and Moonlight were playing together in the field, maybe for the last time. I felt like crying. I didn't want this to happen, but it had to be done and I hadn't even told Moonlight about it yet. I looked outside. The sun had just begun to rise above mount Usilain. It was a lovely sunrise, spreading a pink and purple haze over all Neopia. I cried my eyes away and started walking towards the heart of the house, the biggest room of all.

Set in the very middle of the house, a beautiful room stood out against all the rest. My bedroom was dreary and boring, Moonlight's was exactly the opposite. As I opened the French doors that led to Moonlight's bedroom, I had to adjust my eyes to the dimness. All the curtains were closed and I opened them quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping Uni that lay on the King-size bed. I looked around the room and sighed. How I would miss walking in here every morning and finding this place in a mess. I picked up the book Battle Ready-- it was thrown on the floor.

I gave it to Moonlight lastnight to read. I wondered if it was good. I opened the first page and almost screamed in fright as it vanished with a puff of purple smoke. I looked all around the room, at the Air Faerie Posters she had on the wall, at the clothes strewn on the floor and at the sleeping Uni. I nudged it awake.

After Moonlight had gotten dressed, she trotted into the kitchen and started sniffing the air. "What's for breakfast?" she asked, pushing open a cupboard and looking inside."Here," I said and set some Neo Crunch Cereal on the table in front of her. "There's some Hot cakes if you want them, and I also bought some of the new kind of pastry they got in." She started crunching the cereal.

"Thanks," she said, though a mouthful of Cereal. "Will you pick up the new Neopian Times for me this evening? I want to read about that new game," she continued, looking at me.

I looked down sadly. I didn't want to tell her that there would be no this evening. It was now or never. "Moonlight," I said, my voice trembling. "There is something I need to tell you."

"You are not a normal Uni," I said. "You are...you are...you are not really my pet. The Faerie Queen created you, and said that you would be the strongest most powerful pet imaginable. I was young, like yourself. She came to me one night, presenting me with you. She said that I was the seeker, to look for a rightful owner who she could depend on to raise you right. I said I would, being over joyed with such an important quest. But as soon as she had gone, I looked into your eyes and I could not let go. I have raised you, thinking I could do what the Faerie Queen said. But you are only at level 125 with 33 abilities. The Faeries I let loose for your abilities flew away and told the Faerie Queen what I had done. She came to me last week telling me I had to give you up for breeding. She wants to breed your kind, special Unis. She has made one other like you but he lives far away in Faerieland. She gave me a Faerie paint brush and told me to paint you, fly on your back to Faerieland and come back to Neopia, and never breathe a word of this to anyone. Do you wish to proceed with the plan, Moonlight?"

Her face had gone completely blank. After a while she got up and trotted out to the garden. She neighed loudly. Afterwards, she came back in and said, "I do," in a feeble sort of voice.

I slung my rucksack on my back and walked her outside. "Don't forget about me," I said to her. She looked at me angrily and walked away. I didn't get a word out of her all the way to the Rainbow Pool. She stopped at around a million houses on the way, bidding all her friends good-bye but not telling them why she was leaving. As we walked through the doors, every NeoPet imaginable was getting painted through a giant machine, going in green and coming out striped. Moonlight finally talked to me.

"I love you," she said. "I never want to leave you but what has to be done has to be done."

I started bawling. I couldn't stop myself. Moonlight walked up to the door of the machine and nodded. As I took out my Faerie paintbrush everyone looked at me and Moonlight. Never before had a Uni been painted Faerie. I slid the paintbrush into the slot of the machine and quickly ran to the bottom door where the painted NeoPets come out. Everyone else crowded around too.

After five minutes there was nothing. Then a beautiful Uni came out, massive wings spread majestically on either side. I loved my Uni. Everyone cheered when she came out. Moonlight grinned for the first time all day. She hadn't been able to fly before, her small wings only letting her glide. Now she flew all around the rainbow Pool, everyone cheering and clapping. She landed next to me and beckoned me aboard. I hopped on and we flew outside. We were off to the distant Faerieland.

The End