The Consequences of Illusen Propaganda

     Exclusive Interview with Illusen, Champion of the Faerie Festival

     Whimthief debated if she should hide the Neopian Times this week and face the wrath of Jhudora of her not having her Friday evening read or… face the wrath of Jhudora for Illusen, yet again, getting the spotlight when they had worked together on last year's Faerie Festival. Never mind that Fyora forced them too. Whim took a deep breath before bending down to retrieve the paper– no matter her choice, there was always wrath involved when it came to Jhudora. The Transparent Blumaroo made her way back into Jhudora’s Bluff to seal her fate.

     “Here's the Neopian Times, Jhudora,” Whimthief said weakly. She extended the paw with the newspaper.

     Jhudora snatched the Neopian Times from Whimthief. Her purple eyes narrowed into a glare that could curse the living with a single glance. Whim winced before turning to make her retreat. “Wait,” Jhudora hissed. “When did Illusen win the Faerie Festival? And why did they interview her on her day, but not even a Weewoo was seen leading up to my day?” Jhudora sparked a green flame that engulfed the newspaper. The newspaper fell into a dusty pile of ash on the table.

     “I- I- I don't know. I just go and retrieve the papers for you,” Whimthief responded quietly. Whim averted her gaze from the green flames and onto her feet. She studied the shape of her shoes as she waited for Jhudora to push further, but instead, something happened unexpectedly.

     “Very well. I'll just have to go there myself to find out why they think Illusen is more important than me.” Jhudora pushed herself up from the table before stretching her wings out. “I'm off to Neovia. Get the cardboard cut-out set up and then meet me there. Surely, you can figure that out on your own.”

     Whimthief nodded as she got to work on pulling out Jhudora’s stand-in. She watched as Jhudora lifted off the ground with one graceful flap of her wings; Whim hoped to one day be as strong as her mentor. Shaking off the awestruck, Whimthief moved quickly in order to catch up to Jhudora. The stand in was in place for anyone looking to complete one of her quests.

     Whimthief made her way out into the open air and took a deep breath– the air rattling through her bones. She stretched out her iridescent wings before letting the flutter to prepare for the long flight from Faerieland to Neovia. Even though she was Jhudora’s apprentice and she aesthetically fit the look of Neovia, Whim was petrified to fly around the Haunted Woods. As a small Blumaroo, the older normal faeries would tell her that if she went into the Haunted Woods, Balthazar would appear and capture her; however, since she was abnormal, he would keep her in his collection for the rest of her existence. Whimthief knew of Jhudora’s history with Balthazar which is why she asked to do her apprenticeship under Jhudora– she wanted to be as strong as Jhudora to fend off Balthazar.

     As she neared the Haunted Woods, she hesitated. Were those other faeries right about Balthazar being on the loose again? Or was she worried about nothing? Whimthief hovered in one spot as she located the break in the canopy to signify Neovia's location. Instead of going through the woods, she figured over the top would be the safest bet. If there's one thing she knew about Balthazar, it was that he couldn't fly.

     She safely descended into the foggy streets of Neovia. Whim studied the signs on the buildings, hoping she had landed close to the Neovian Printing Press. After doing a full circle assessment, she spotted the sign. Whim swiftly made her way into the building to catch Jhudora arguing with the shopkeeper.

     “-- no, I don't know how to make myself clear. I'm not okay with the biased reporting that's happening in the Neopian Times! Illusen didn't win anything. We worked–” Jhudora ranted before she was silenced by the wave of a Pteri wing.

     “Here's the thing Jhudora. She's good and you're not. Most consider you to be evil, if I'm being frank,” the shopkeeper said. “No one wants to read a paper where a villain is sharing all the supposed good selfless deeds they are doing around Neopia. Do you see anyone interviewing Balthazar? No, because no one wants to read an article written by a villain apologist. Now do you get it? Get out of my shop.”

     Anyone with eyes could see the rage coming off in green fiery waves off of Jhudora as she seethed. Her long green talons tapped impatiently on the counter as she searched for any kind of rebuttal. Instead, she stood up stiffly, any emotion that once rested on her face, now gone. Jhudora walked towards the door before turning around.

     “No one ever calls a person interviewing the good guys a ‘Hero Apologist’ even if their heroics cause damage,” Jhudora said calmly. Her clenched fist, relaxed as a green fire emerged from her hand. She robbed the fireball into a stack of papers, pushing Whimthief out the door with her.

     They scurried around the corner before Jhudora turned to Whim and grabbed her by the shoulders. “I need you to take the blame for this. Illusen can't know I let my temper get the best of me,” Jhudora said, panic biting at her words.

     Whimthief nodded as she processed the request. Before she could say anything to Jhudora, Jhudora launched into the sky and out of sight. Whimthief stood as still as a statue as the thoughts and panic swirled within her mind. Waiting for the proper authorities to arrive to take her away meant more time in Neovia… which meant if Balthazar was still around, there was a greater chance of being captured and never feeling the breeze in her bones again.

     Whim paced in the alleyway as she debated on whether she listened to Jhudora or looked after her own well being. Each passing thought led to more questions than she had answers for. In the end, Whim decided the chance of capture would outweigh the betrayal Jhudora would feel for Whimthief not taking the blame.

     “I got to get out of here,” Whim muttered as she stopped pacing.

     “Not if I have a say in it,” a deep voice growled behind her.

     Before she could take off into the air, she was suddenly encased in glass. The older faeries hadn't been lying to her about Balthazar escaping. She wished she hadn't followed Jhudora out here and had let her deal with her own consequences. Whim wished that Jhudora had grown fond of her to notice that she was missing, but she knew that Jhudora was too caught up in her rivalry with Illusen to notice. This was it. This would be her existence, stuck on a shelf in a glass bottle, for the rest of her foreseeable future.

     The End.