The History on Mystery (Island)

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ARRIVAL ON THE ISLAND

Way out to sea in the world of Neopia, there is none other than Mystery Island. Its origins are a mystery (for all we know, it could’ve fallen out of the sky or appeared in the ocean by a collection of fallen rocks from a volcanic blast), but its people certainly are not. They sailed to the island from afar after living in a jungle not far from Neopia Central when they had been run out by a strange creature now known only as 'the Shadow that chased away the islanders.'

When the Neopets had hopped into the boat and gone out to sea, after a few days they began to starve, as they hadn't brought any kind of provisions from the mainland in their great haste to escape alive. Just when they thought they were about to die from hunger and thirst, a large shape formed on the horizon, acting as a stimulant for the people.

'An island! An island!' they shouted in glee, although the language they actually used is now lost. 'Food! Water! Shelter!'

As quick as they could, they directed their boats towards the formless shape and spun their Kougra paws and their Techo Claws so that they looked like wheels. In two days, they had finally reached the sandy shores of the mysterious island and collapsed upon the sand. Looking up, the helpless adventurers saw that the bushes near the sand were teeming with strange red berries that looked like cherries (they are Krakuberries) and the trees were so basically loaded with strange banana-like fruit with green stripes (Zeenanas) and large blue fruits with brown spots (Chokatos) among other different kinds of fruits. Eyes almost crying in happiness, they grabbed at the exotic foods and began to eat as many as they could fit into their hungry, dry mouths at once.

That night, the Techos made grass skirts for the new islanders to wear. They lit a great bonfire using some trees the Kougras had clawed down and they danced the night away. Jhuidah the Island Faerie, the Techo Master, the Tiki Tack Man, the Tiki Tour Guide, and the Island Mystic - of course, they weren't ALWAYS island related but had strong mystical powers - the five old elders of the jungle from where they came from, declared that the island was to be their new home and that they would call it 'Mystery Island', as no one knew anything about it, except that it had saved their lives.

***

DESTRUCTION OF GERAPTIKU

Many years had passed, and the living styles of the Islanders grew. Their population had increased and they now expanded over the entire island. Some new species of Neopets had also arrived and settled on the island, graciously welcomed by the old elders. Mystery Island's first few centuries were peaceful and prosperous; they had discovered more kinds of fruit and had almost covered all four corners of the island, including a marketplace to the west, native shops towards the south, and a great city in the East.

Around the time when Geraptiku had disappeared, things on the island started to get rowdy. Some of the people started to protest about how things were run. Harassed, the five elders went north to investigate on the disappearance of the Geraptiku... people-who-lived-there.

Upon arrival, observations were made that suggested they had been run out of their homes just recently: half coloured, half finished paintings were on cloths that were attached to bamboo sticks and a petpet shop towards the north still contained strange, alien little creatures with food remaining in their troughs. None of them bothered to check the Deserted Tomb on the outskirts of the city ('It was too... errr… dark!' said the Tiki Tack Man in their report) but the Tiki Tour Guide found a strange note squashed under a large pile of skulls near the entrance.

'GERAPTIKU IS NOT SAFE WE HAVE ESCAPED,' read Jhuidah, the only one among them who was expert at deciphering both messy writing and the ancient language. 'I can't read this next word, but whatever it is, it's coming,'

'So a big blotch of oil paints is going to kill us all, is it?' said the Techo Master, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

'I don't-' began the Island Faerie, but she was interrupted by a large rumbling sound. Slowly, all five of them turned towards the Deserted Tomb which they had ignored until now. Gigantic, black shapes began descending the steps and approaching them with great haste.

Screaming with terror, the five elders all piled into the Tiki Tour Guide's Carriage and he pulled them, as quick as his feet could go, out of the ruins and into the night. The next morning, when they had presented their report to the Islanders, they left out the shapes that had come out of the Tomb and told a lie, so that it made it sound like they just vanished. The islanders were all content with the lie that they had been given (they forgot it anyway, why else does everyone now say no one knows why Geraptiku is abandoned?) and peace returned to the island.

***

CREATION OF TECHO MOUNTAIN

Shortly after the 1,000th year celebration of the island, the islanders closest to the heart of the Island awoke to find a gigantic mountain that had simply appeared overnight. Hurriedly, some islanders and the immortal Five Elders ran to the center to find that the mountain was carved in the shape of a great Techo.

They barely had any time to marvel at the great carving skills of the sculptor when they noticed a great mass of pitch-black smoke spewing out of the top of the mountain and covering the mountain in shadow. A great beast, apparently made out of fire, emerged from it and set fire to the trees around it. Horrified, the elders combined their strengths, and banished the great beast into the bowels of the Volcano and sealed the top.

The smoke was blown away by the wind and the islanders all cheered, until flames jumped up from the inside of the Techo's Mouth, and a figure wearing a strange mask appeared. They couldn't see any of its features, because it was only visible for less than a second before turning around and running into the Volcano. Four of the elders started to chase the strange Neopet, but the Island Mystic's words rang out into their heads.

'There is no point of going inside,' he said in a booming voice. 'We would get burned to a crisp!'

The elders first looked as if they wanted to punch the Mystic and pursue the person who had caused their troubles, but eventually saw the urgency in these words. So instead of chasing the masked person, they used their magic to close the Techo's mouth, eyes, and nose, so that whatever was trapped inside the mountain could never get out again, even if it did open again a couple thousands years later.

***

DISCOVERY OF GADGADSBOGEN

A couple of centuries after the Techo Mountain Incident, the Islanders began to notice a definite change in the strange fruits that grew on Mystery Island. Sometimes, some fruits would just disappear, to be replaced by strange new ones. This had only just recently started happening, but the elders couldn't care less, saying, 'It's natural; you probably just ate them all.'

They decided that they needed some kind of new festival to celebrate this strange change in their foods (or perhaps they were just bored). Running in large groups around the Island, a Techo and Kougra, followed by about a dozen of their friends each, collected the remainder of some disappearing fruits, which included TeaLeefs, Pango Chutes, Tigersquashes, and certain types of Juppies and stored them away in their huts.

When new fruits sprang from the trees, they gathered some of them (Tigerfruit, Bludberry, and Tigermelons) and presented them to the Elders. Holding up a TeaLeef in one hand and a Tigerfruit in the other, the brave Techo called, 'Look carefully, oh wise Island Mystic! The fruit I hold in my right hand (the TeaLeef) can no longer be found on this Island! Search the shops and trees as closely as you may, but you will find that they have all disappeared!'

'What?!' shouted the Island Mystic in the same booming voice he had used during the Techo Mountain fiasco. 'You have stolen and eaten my people's foods?!?'

'No!' said the Kougra, grabbing a Tigerfruit and shoving it under the Mystic's nose. 'Can you not see? This fruit is new; it has replaced the old. We must have some kind of warning of this, every year!'

'Hmmm,' said Jhuidah, who had been lurking near the doorway. 'I have noticed this change too, though I have decided to be impassive. This has also happened last year, during this time: the Month of Running. Every third month of the year, the fruit trees must change their roots and start growing new fruits to replace the old!'

'But it's so boring!' said the Tiki Tack Man, who had just walked in. 'All you do is celebrate fruit, the thing that gives us both water and food - big whoop! We should make it more special somehow!'

'Leave that to us,' said the Techo, his eyes sparkling.

The Kougra joined his friend. 'We'll think of ways,' he said with a smirk.

In a matter of days, several booths had been set up near the northeast shore. They were extremely strange; there was a gigantic screen which had a bulging number of fruits in a large basket with a small trapdoor at the top. A fair way away a Neopet could stand in front of a counter with a bamboo joystick and lever. As the trapdoor opened, three fruits fell out, all perfectly arranged in a line. When they moved the joystick, a hidden string would move, enabling the Neopet to control the movement of the fruits, while the lever could change the way the fruits fell by using string also. Some of the fruits could manipulate the other fruits, and the objective was to control the fruits from stacking up so high that they reached the basket until they won the game.

The elders had a look at the game, and thought it was a brilliant idea. 'A very good job,' said the Techo Master to the Kougra, and he beamed.

The next week, the elders called all the Islanders towards Techo Mountain and told everyone, 'Let it be known that every year, during the beginning of this month and lasting till the very end, we will have Gadgadsbogen, a festival to celebrate the old fruits of our beloved island and the growth of the new ones!'

The Neopets all cheered, and as they did, several large baskets of preserved fruits from the year before came crashing down upon them all. Infuriated and covered with Tigersquash, everyone grabbed a Pango Chute and threw them as hard as they could towards another Neopet. Soon, the air was thick with flying food and young pets, and the elders stared impassively at the crowd that was roaring with joy and dismay. 'MY HAIR!!! NOTHING GETS OUT SLUGROOT!!!' rang out from all directions.

'There's nothing left to do now,' said the Tiki Tour Guide. 'Except join in!'

***

MUMBO PANGO AND THE MARAQUANS

1,500 years had passed, and a great wind swept from the North. Some new species of Neopets knew that there was a great underwater settlement to the North, and it wasn't long before Pteris and Unis arrived, screeching, 'Maraqua has been destroyed!'

In the matter of a week, many things from the remains had washed up on shore: helpless but adorable little Maraquan Petpets near the Northwest Shore, strange new foods, and Kois, Flotsams and Jetsams that were badly injured.

'We must help these people!' declared the Techo Master in a meeting later. The other elders all agreed with him, which was a rare moment.

In just a few days, a small island had been civilized for living just off the shores of the Northwest Coast, and a Kougra had graciously volunteered to nurture the petpets and then sell them. Some of the foods, like Fish Heads and Crab Burgers, had been added to the stock of a new Tropical Foods shop that had been opened at the southwest corner of the Island, while some of the injured Neopets were nursed back to health and are now living around the beaches. Many weeks later, a Maraquan Flotsam Chef that had been found on the shores was enlisted to feed the great Mumbo Pango, and a new Quest game was started.

Things began to settle back to normal once more on Mystery Island, when all of a sudden the great Mumbo Pango requested that thirteen human 'elders of Neopia' were to be brought to the Island at once. The Kitchen Chef had apparently taken a nice, long vacation and Mumbo Pango was beginning to get hungry! He decided to have the Islanders and the rest of Neopia vote on who was going to be fed to Mumbo Pango, and the last remaining person received the privilege to walk away unscathed, and the Neopian game ‘Sacrificers’ started.

A few weeks later, Pop Tart won, and shortly after that Mumbo Pango presented her with five gigantic crates of mystical totems carved to look like various species of Neopets.

'Take these back to Neopia Central,' he commanded her. 'Give them to certain pets that look worthy enough to come to my Island. They will need three of these to access the hidden harbor and be able to sail here to enjoy this great island!'

***

VOLCANIC TROUBLES

2,000 years passed after the discovery of Mystery Island, and it is still wonderful, with lush forests and glorious fruits growing on every piece of vegetation you could imagine.

And you thought it would last?

Of course, in modern day Neopia, the need for tribes and what-not was, well, no longer needed and the five elders just became regular Islanders, though the descendants of the original Islanders knew that they possessed great powers that were demonstrated when a terrible plot happened.

The Volcano which they had sealed so many years ago was somehow opened once more, but no one realized this yet. The Shaman kidnapped Jhuidah the Island Faerie, closing down the Trading Post entirely and disabling the proper use of the Mystery Island Cooking Pot. Stuffing her in a bowl mainly used for petpets at the Rock Pool Petpet Shop, there she stayed for many hours until the Neopians found out the secrets of the Tabogo Potion and used it to free the Island Faerie. She found a note that looked as if it was going to a superior. When questioned further, Jhuidah had remembered that she had forgotten to remember a very important word that was relevant to all this, and this word had disappeared from all of Neopia at the time: OF!

The Tiki Tack Man, another elder, then just vanished without a trace. When he returned, he was, well – blue. Fetch players were in luck: during a certain quest someone found a Magic Tiki Tack mask, which they gave to the cursed superior. He instantly changed back to mahogany and says that a shaman was inside the volcano and that he was going to unleash unspeakable terror upon the island – again. Could this be the figure that had appeared about a thousand years ago? We don’t know, but he also gives us BEAST, another hidden word.

Next, when we thought that things were going to settle back to normal, the great Island Mystic went missing – think of all the frantic girls that needed to know whether Colby Eyrie wanted to take them to the NeoSchool dance! He returned shortly after, saying that he knew nothing of his capture but remembering the word AWAKEN. The islanders were mystified: OF, BEAST, AWAKEN… it sounded like there was something bad going on!

As things slowly grew more hectic, the Techo Master went missing (you can imagine the uproar that would happen on the Battledome boards if that happened again and they were all a second away from a 200 strength boost or something like that) and Techo Mountain became open for the public. Brave Neopets climbed up its slopes towards the mouth and investigated the area, but they found nothing. A great voice was soon heard from within: ‘WHAT’S THE CODEWORD?’

Naturally, nobody knew, and nobody could open the Techo’s Mouth to discover exactly what was inside. Just when all hope was to be forsaken, a beach on the western shore became open to all Neopians, and pets went storming inside, frantically seeing if anything special was there. However, there was nothing upon the sand, so they simply left it. However, at certain times during the minute and hour, there were reports of seeing certain letters on the sandy shores: HYAKLOB. When pronounced before the Techo’s Mouth, it opened, and there was the Techo Master. Fight him with karate moves and he would break free from the stone and give you yet another word: MAGMA.

At the height of panic (basically, when the volcano started spewing smoke once more), the Tiki Tour Guide, the last of the elders, went missing! Goodness knows how he turned up in that shop, and all you had to do was send a Tabogo Potion to its owner – strange, isn’t it? He also had a word: ANCIENT.

By going inside the volcano and saying ANCIENTBEASTOFMAGMAAWAKEN, a gigantic Moltenore (could it be THE beast?) sprang out of the lava and got rid of that evil Fire Faerie that was blocking your way. You run forwards and find the Shaman, an extremely ugly charcoal-black Kyrii holding a large staff. Running towards the Island Mystic, you receive four new sayings, which eventually lead to the incantation to get rid of the Shaman: BEGONEEVILSHAMANOFDARKNESS.

With a puff of smoke and a load SNAP noise, the Shaman disappears. The five elders appear in the Volcano out of nowhere, ready to congratulate the person who has managed to free Mystery Island of the evil curse, and that person is…

***

MYSTERY ISLAND TODAY

Today, during Present Year 7 (about 2,000 years after the discovery of Mystery Island itself), Mystery Island has changed in many ways. The elders, seeing no purpose in taking any warning in anything bad that could happen to the island anytime soon, created many things such as the Trading Post, the Tombola, Tiki Tack Tours, the Training School, and the Island Arena. Gadgadsgame was revamped and added to the official Neopian Games Room, Geraptiku was foolishly re-opened to the general public, people could now visit Mystery Island for free, you could get your fortune told by the Island Mystic, and more shops were set up on the island, including ones owned by people.

However, it is said that if you go traveling along the Endless Plains between the Haunted Woods and Neopia Central, among the occasional once tropical-looking (but now withered and tiny) trees, you could see just a flicker of the shadow that started all of the above in the first place...

DISCLAIMER: None of this probably never happened. For all I know, Mystery Island could've just sprang out of the ocean filled with fruits and Neopets, or they're all ALIENS bent on destroying us all. I have tweaked the times when some of the non-fictional events happened so that you can understand the article better, but most of it is all fictional, so don't believe anything I tell you! Except that. And that. And... oh, whatever. Also, the end of the Volcano Mystery Part is supposed to be like that. There’s a gigantic smudge there... yeah. *runs*

Thanks to lizardkitty101 for all your help! :D