Re-writing Neopian History by tyhaosi
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Mygni sighed as he picked up the heavy book that had been discarded on the small table and put it back on the shelf in its proper place. He cast his eyes around the room, locating the rubbish someone had left behind and the pile of books scattered across the floor. As a librarian, Mygni was in charge of keeping the place clean and orderly as well as assisting Neopians to find the books they wanted. But Mygni took his job further than that; he loved books and he believed that each one had a mind, a heard and hidden secrets. Books had a soul. Mygni was determined to treat every book in the library with love and kindness no matter how boring they were. Mygni was a small red Lenny who had difficultly making friends, so he turned to books. Books didn’t laugh at him if he wasn’t wearing stylish clothing nor did they hit him for not being able to afford expensive toys. He enjoyed imagining that he was a hero, saving Neopia from unknown danger and all other Neopians worshipped him. It was easy to get sucked into a story, to fall into the shoes of the characters and get taken away to another world. He hoped that one day he would share the courage of heroes in the books he read.
“Hey, look. There’s the loser!” A voice behind him snickered and something hard collided with his head.
Mygni spun around to face his attackers; a menacing Darigan Grarrl stood in front of him. His cronies stood by Mygni’s sides; a blue Kacheek and a green Jetsam. Darketh the Darigan Grarrl grinned at Mygni’s frightened face. It was he who had spoken before.
“Whatcha doing, loser? Hiding in the library like a coward? It’s no wonder you don’t have any friends. I mean, who would want to be friends with someone as pathetic as you?” Darketh snarled cruelly and pushed Mygni.
A pain spread through Mygni’s back as he smacked into the shelves behind him, stumbling as he tripped and fell. Books painfully struck his head as they fell off the shelf. It was as if the books were punishing him for disturbing their tranquility. Mygni tried to scramble backwards but the blue Kacheek, Rabbid, was blocking his path. Frightened, Mygni’s eyes began to fill with tears.
“AHAHA! You’re such a cry-baby.” Dirre the green Jetsam laughed hysterically.
The three Neopets descended on Mygni, hitting and kicking him. Crawling into a ball to protect himself, Mygni whimpered and cried as he endured blow after blow. He tried looking for an escape but everything was becoming blurry and black. Fear assailed him; he was unable to do anything! BANG! The blows stopped coming. Cautiously Mygni lifted his head. A magnificent faerie Ixi towered over the three bullies that had attacked him. Portia was the head of the library and she was a ferocious fighter. He watched as Portia struck the bullies until they fled. Portia’s face was livid as she turned to face Mygni. She was breathing heavily due to the rage that surged through her body.
“You must lean to stand up for yourself!” she snapped. “Otherwise they will always pick on you.”
Mygni wished he could shrink to the size of a Miamouse and hide in one of the holes in the wall. Portia was unlikely to hit him or punish him but she would not be sympathetic, believing that Mygni brought these attacks upon himself because he wouldn’t stand up to the bullies.
“I can’t,” Mygni stuttered.
Portia sighed and shook her head. “Mygni, you’ve got to find some bravery deep down in yourself and just stand up to those cronies!”
Mygni attempted to sink into the floor, vehemently hoping it would absorb him. There was no way he could summon enough courage to stand up to Darketh and his cronies.
“Just be like the heroes in the books you read. Pretend you're one of them,” Portia suggested, trying to persuade Mygni. Gently she helped him to stand.
Mygni smiled weakly at her and began to collect the books that he had knocked off the shelf when he had been pushed. All he wanted was to be alone in the library with the comfort of the books. He sighed with relief as Portia gave him one last look and wandered off. When she had gone, Mygni ’s legs gave way and he collapsed, tears streaming down his face. Hugging the books he had picked up, he crawled into a ball. Why wasn’t he brave like the heroes in the books? Why couldn’t he stand up for himself? Why was he so pathetic?
Slowly Mygni picked himself off the floor and began to re-arrange the books in their proper order on the shelf. Suddenly he noticed that one of the books was missing pages. Frowning slightly, he picked it up to look at it more closely. The book was called “Neopian History” and looked as though it had seen better days. It must have been damaged when Mygni fell against the bookshelf. Heart sinking with the thought that he had destroyed a precious book that should be treasured; he opened it to assess the damage. Many of the pages were torn and now unreadable. To see that he had hurt a book, a friend, was the worst thing in Mygni’s life. Taking the book to the repair room, Mygni pondered what to do. Perhaps he could leave the book and no one would notice. It was a rather old book, and probably wouldn’t entice many Neopians to read it; unless of course they loved books like he did.
Unexpectedly an idea popped into his head. He could just mend the book and re-write the pages that were missing. Nobody would know and he wouldn’t get into trouble, but re-writing Neopian History wasn’t going to be easy. With a quick flick through the book, Mygni noted that the damaged pages were about the Battle for Meridell. With desperation Mygni began to write. ***
The Darigan soldiers screamed and dropped their swords as the ugly creature swooped down on them. It was horrid; bones sticking out, skin grey and leathery. Lord Darigan has seen better days; his wings were rotten and torn, half starved, he could barely see what he was doing. ***
Mygni scratched his head. What would have happened next? He didn’t know anything about the Battle for Meridell. “I suppose they need a hero. I wish I was a hero.” Mygni smiled. Maybe he couldn’t be a hero, but in this story he could be. In this story he would have the courage to face his tormentors. ***
Mygni, the fierce knight, strode forwards. He was a red Lenny and was known as one of the most courageous and wisest Neopians of all time. All who met him were amazed at his kindness, his strength and his bravery. Sword in hand, Mygni turned to face the Darigan soldiers. “Surrender!” he cried. “Surrender to the soldiers of Meridell!”
A Darigan Skeith charged at him. With a war cry, Mygni lunged forward and raised his sword. The soldiers of Meridell, encouraged by Mygni’s bravery, immediately dashed forwards into the fray, proud that they had a brave hero on their side! Knocking a Darigan soldier to the side, Mygni lifted his head to see Meridell winning the war. As his team forced what was left of the Darigan Army to retreat, Lord Kass swooped down upon them.
“Who is the foolish Neopian that dares to defy me?” demanded Lord Kass. Silence filled the battlefield as the Meridell soldiers nervously backed away.
Mygni shuddered at the sight of his enemy; Lord Kass was a formidable opponent. But should Mygni stay silent and let Lord Kass win? Should he give up because he was too frightened to confront Lord Kass? Should he back away and leave the people of Meridell to suffer? “No!” he cried. “I will not let you win, Lord Kass. As long as I have breath in my body, I shall defend Meridell!”
With alarming speed, Mygni swung his sword at Lord Kass, cutting his amulet in half. Vile green liquid oozed out and the power of the amulet released Lord Kass. Clutching his head and screaming, Lord Kass ran away into the darkness, never to be seen again.
***
Mygni sat back and relaxed. With the book repaired, he wouldn’t get into trouble unless someone who actually knew about the Battle for Meridell borrowed the book, which was unlikely. As Mygni went to put the book back on the shelf, he heard a noise behind. With a start, he spun around and froze. Darketh and his cronies were back.
“No Portia to protect you now,” snickered Darketh as though he had read Mygni’s mind.
“How dare you terrorise innocent Neopians!” The words slipped out of Mygni’s mouth before he could realise what he said.
“What did you say?” snarled Darketh. “What did you say, you pathetic Lenny?”
Mentally Mygni cursed himself for acting as though he would in the story he wrote. Yet when he had written the story it had felt so real, as if he were able to stand up to those who sought to make life miserable for others. Darketh thumped him on the head and Mygni dropped the book. Mygni scrambled to pick it up and stopped when he noticed the words on the page. “You’ve got to search your heart and find the courage inside of you.” He whispered the words. Mygni got to his feet, feeling a fire deep within him. “Leave me alone! Never, ever come near me again!”
Surprise and then fear flashed in Darketh’s eyes. Trembling, Darketh stepped back. “I meant it!” Mygni yelled, waving his fist in Darketh’s face. Darketh and his cronies fled, never to bother anyone again. Mygni grinned. “Everyone has courage; it’s just a matter of finding it.”
The End
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