The Wand of Supernova: Part Two

Roxie found an open bench next to the Faerie City Center fountain and took out her map of Faerieland. Frosty decided that she would help by staring at her reflection in the fountain and barking at that strange Anubis who looked back at her and looked almost exactly like the one in her water dish at home. The Anubis wasn't of very much help.

Roxie stared at the map, and Frosty stared at her reflection in the water, neither quite knowing to make of it. Roxie didn't quite know how to make heads or tails of maps, but when she was on her I-wanna-be-a-faerie kick, she had begged and begged Mum for a book on Faerieland, any one at all. And she had gotten a map, a detailed one, no doubt, of Faerieland.

After several minutes of stony silence between the two, with occasional growls from Frosty, Roxie stuffed the map back into her back pack and picked up her Anubis

"Come on, Frosty," she told her petpet, "we're just going to wing it. I can't make heads or tails of this map, so we're just going to ask around... and see what we find." Frosty barked in protest as Roxie squeezed to tightly as she announced her plan. "Come off it, girl. It'll be fun. Like those Lewis and Clark fellows Mum keeps telling me about. We'll make an adventure out of it. The adventure of Roxie and her trusty Christmas Anubis, Frosty and their quest to find the Wand of Supernova that the Plant Devil stole... and how they manage to do it all before supper time." Roxie took up a striking pose, like she was a cross between a Lost Desert mummy and a gnarled tree from the Haunted Woods. Then, laughing and much barking from Frosty, who still didn't know what in Neopia were they doing, the duo walked down the Main Street and into a nearby bakery.

"Excuse me," Roxie told the shopkeeper behind the counter. "Do you happen to know where the Plant Devil's lair or den, or whatever you call it is?"

The shopkeeper, a wizened old Chia with half- moon spectacles, jumped and started to shake at the mention of the Plant Devil.

"Plant Devil?" he squeaked. "Where? Here? Hide! Hide!" he cried, flailing about. His spectacles flew off his face and landed on a barrel of flour. "Hide the valuables. He's coming! He'll come and get what you love the most!" The Chia started to shake. "I-I remember. The summer of year 3. He- he came. And- and," he started to flail again.

Roxie and Frosty looked at each other. I didn't know that the Plant Devil was that bad. She handed the spectacles back to their owner, but they just fell on the floor. The Chia didn't notice as Roxie and Frosty quietly exited his bakery.

"The Plant Devil is coming! Hide! Hide!"

Once outside, Roxie and Frosty looked at each other. Whew, Roxie thought as she wiped imaginary sweat off her brow. Frosty panted. I wonder if all shopkeepers feel that way about the Plant Devil.

* * *

"Plant Devil's lair? I haven't even heard of the Plant Devil. Hey! Maw! Do you know who the Plant Devil is?"

"What? What did you say?"

"Well... see here missy. I was er... ooh! Something shiny! Now, now where was I?"

"I'm not too sure, honey. You might want to go try Jhudora's Cloud... but then again... that might not be such a good idea... no telling what trouble she might be cooking up now. Care to sample some of my new, homemade fudge? I made it myself. No? Why doesn't anybody want to try some of my fudge?"

"Can't you read, kid? The sign clearly says CLOSED. An' dat's what I am. Good day."

"I don't remember ever seeing or hearing about the Plant Devil... are you sure that you don't mean Doctor Sloth?"

"A pretty young Cybunny shouldn't be worrying about these types of things. Why don't you go run along and play, honey? Let the grown- ups do the worrying for you."

"Plant Devil... Plant Devil. Have you checked the Gardening Supplies Store? Maybe they have it in stock."

"Read the sign. It says NO PETPETS ALLOWED. Now beat it. If that Anubis messes up some of my merchandise..."

"Didn't I tell ya, kid? CLOSED. Now git before I call the Chia Police on you and that little Anubis thingy too."

* * *

About an hour later, Roxie and Frosty had gone up and down the Main Streets and in every open store, with no luck on finding the whereabouts of the Plant Devil. Now, as they sat in the Fantastic Faerie Cafe, eating some Fruity Faerie Fingers and Sphinx Links, Roxie looked at her Anubis.

"Frosty, do you think that we're ever gonna find that Plant Devil in time for dinner?" The clock hanging behind the counter tick-tocked 2:45 pm, NST and time was wasting.

Roxie ate the last Fruity Faerie Finger, paid her bill, then she and Frosty went outside on to the street behind the Faerie Employment Agency, Wishcometrue Avenue.

She and Frosty leaned against an old-fashioned lamp post.

"I wish that we were able to find the Plant Ghost," she told Frosty wistfully.

Frosty barked and started to twirl around the lamp post. She cocked her head at a small brown wooden door just big enough for a Cybunny of Roxie's stature to fit through. That door wasn't there before, was it? The Anubis wondered and started to sniff around the door. Ew. It smelled like littler box and other things the little Christmas Anubis didn't want to name. In other words, it stank.

Roxie wandered over to where her Anubis was standing and wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Ew, Frosty, you know that there is a perfectly good lamp post down there."

Frosty stuck her tail between her hind legs, but cocked her head at the door. She scratched at it, as if looking for as secret button that would magically open it.

"Yeah, I know, girl. Something about this door reminds me of something, but I don't know what. I feel like I should go through. but I don't know... do you want to go through...?" Roxie scratched at the door lightly.

Frosty barked and tried to reach the brass doorknob that was hung just an inch or two higher than she was able to reach.

Roxie cautiously opened the door and peered inside.

It was a passageway, a long one too, and lit dimly with gas lamps that gave off an eerie green-yellow glow.

"I don't know, Frosty, I don't think that we should go through here, but at the same time, I feel that we should. Frosty? Frosty!" The Anubis had started to trot down the dark, dim passage way, and Roxie followed, both of them not knowing where they might end up.

* * *

About an hour and a half later, Roxie emerged from the dimly lit passageway, huffing and puffing, into a flight of stairs. They looked at each other, then, with Frosty stowed in her backpack, Roxie started the exhilarating climb up the stairs.

* * *

At the top of the 576- stair climb, Roxie huffed and puffed at the top landing. She collapsed there for a minute to regain her strength.

"Ugh," she moaned. "Never again..." Then she remembered her mission to get back her Wand of Supernova from the Plant Devil so she could give it to Martin for Christmas. She regained her strength and walked down the short passageway, hardly lit, with only one or two candles here or there.

At the end of the passageway, Roxie bumped into a door she didn't know was there, due to the infrequent lighting.

"Owww..." she rubbed her sore foot and stared at the door stupidly. What was it doing here? The long walk she wasn't used to had muddled her brains.

Frosty, having the benefit of a long nap while her owner trudged up the stairs, barked.

"Arrf! Arrrrrrfffff!"

Roxie turned around and stared at her Anubis who sat in her backpack, well rested. "What? You're trying to say that I should go through this door and it would lead to the Plant Devil...? You're crazy."

"Arf! Arrfff!"

"You're right. I don't have any better ideas. Let's go through."

Roxie opened the door- it squeaked and made them cringe- and it opened to reveal a long hallway, decorated in dark blues and purples, from the dark purple carpet that ran the length of the hallway with blue tassels lining the ends of it, to the dark blue tapestries with scenes embroidered on them in dark purple thread. Blue stained glass windows hung high above the tapestries and small oil lamps and wax candles provided flickering light.

A small assail dressed in a dark blue dress with a dark purple apron and slippers, carrying a basketful of nuts and a loaf of bread walked past, murmuring something about master's dinner under her breath.

"Uh... excuse me."

The Usul looked startled to find someone else in the dark passageway, especially one who looked like an outsider and was standing in an open doorway that the maid didn't even know existed.

"Could you tell me where I am? Roxie asked.

The Usul looked at the Cybunny and her Anubis strangely. Like how could she be in a place if she didn't know where she was. "Why, mith. The Plant Devil's casthle." The Usul spoke with a very pronounced lisp, pronouncing her "s" sounds with a "th" sound.

The Plant Devil's castle. It seemed too good to be true that she would wish to find the Plant Devil and actually find his lair!

"Oh. Thanks." Roxie paused a minute. "Could you tell me where I could find the Plant Devil?"

The Usul nodded. "You go down thith here hall, then turn to the right to go into the main hallway. Walk down a wayth until you find a grand arch. Enter the room that the arch openth too, and you will be in the Meeting Room. Mathter Plant Devil should be in there, thomewhere." The Usul adjusted the basket of nuts and bread that she carried. "Now, pleathe excuthe me, mith. I have to go back to the kitchen to thart preparing Mathter Plant Devil's thupper." She bobbed a little curtsy, then scurried off down the hall.

Roxie watched the Usul maid go down the long hallway and down a flight of rickety steps that could only lead to the kitchen, then looked at Frosty, who sat at her heels. She scooped up her petpet and put her into the backpack. Frosty tried to struggle and resisted.

"Sorry, sweetie. I don't want you to get lost in this place. I may never find you again if you do...."

Frosty allowed Roxie to put her in, but refused to be buckled in. Roxie shrugged and slung the backpack over her back.

"The maid said to go down the hallway, then turn right. Walk down the main hall a ways until I find some arch thing. I should go into the room that the arch opens up to, and that's where I find the Plant Devil, that stole my Wand of Supernova... right, Frosty?"

Frosty panted a yes.

Roxie walked down the long hallway, then turned right into the Main Hall. The Main Hall was somewhat grander than the one that she arrived in, with chandeliers hanging from a dark blue painted ceiling, a dark blue carpet with a dark purple border ran the length of the hall, suits of armor, polished to gleam, lined the walls, where dark purple and blue tapestries hung above them, and two pairs of guards, armed with spears guarded the exit to the outside world.

Roxie crept down the long -though not as long as the other one- hallway slowly, as to not make the marble floor that wasn't covered by carpet squeak. Surprisingly, Frosty kept silent. Maybe she knew how important this was.

Soon, after creeping down the Main Hall a ways, Roxie saw a grand marble arch, made out of purple marble, to stand out from the blue marble walls. Remembering what the maid had told her, she walked in.

The arch opened up to a larch chamber, with rather large stained glass windows- made out of purple and blue glass- that were placed in between each rich blue and purple tapestry. A single large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, sparkling with several little lights, rather like Christmas lights on a tree. In the middle of the room, amiss the sea of rich purple carpeting, there was a pile of items that the Plant Devil had stolen throughput the years, a greater pile that even the Snowager would envy, because the Plant Devil had even rare items, retired items, and items that most Neopians had never heard about, like Tombola Coins. Placed in front of the massive pile, smack dab in the middle of the room, there was a regal looking gold guilded chair draped in dark purple velvet and dark blue satin. Sitting in that chair, toying with Roxie's Wand of Supernova, was the Plant Devil. Roxie was sure of it. He had the same red eyes, the blue ghost endoplasm and the aura of menace the surrounded him.

"HEY!" Roxie shouted, loud enough to get the Plant Devil's attention, but not enough to bring the guards running. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, STEALING MY WAND OF SUPERNOVA?"

The Plant Devil looked up, with the bored expression of a spoiled brat who had everything he could have wanted or hoped for. "Who let you in here?" he demanded, looking up, but not releasing the Wand of Supernova. "Don't you know that you are in moi palace? The Plant Devil's lair! How did you get here? Did the guards let you in?"

"NO," Roxie yelled, getting red in the face. "I FOUND MY OWN WAY IN. AND THAT'S MY WAND OF SUPERNOVA THAT YOU'RE HOLDING, BUDDY. TOOK IT FROM ME IN THE ADVENT CALENDAR, YOU DID. NOW, I WANT IT BACK!"

The Plant Devil twiddled the Wand of Supernova in his hand. "Got in without assistance, huh?" she sneered, oblivious to the information that Roxie had just spat out at him, about her Wand of Supernova.

"Then, you'll need some help getting out. Gavin!" he called.

Instantly, the pirate Krawk whose ice ball had almost pulverized appeared by the guilded throne.

"You!" Roxie cried.

"Oh, you two know each other?" the Plant Devil cried in a sarcastic voice, like he was bored, but wanted a little fun toying with this little Cybunny intruder.

"Yeah, I know him really well," Roxie shot back, sarcasm dripping like ice cream from a cone in the Lost Dessert. "His ice ball almost hit me on my head!"

Gavin- the pirate Krawk- sneered at the little green Cybunny in a coat with enough brawn and bravery to seek out the Plant Devil and accuse him of stealing. "Tsk," he scolded, his voice colder than he Snowager's heart, "You must be more careful next time, little Cybunny," he and the Plant Devil roared in evil laughter.

The Plant Devil snapped his long scaly claws. 'There won't be a next time, little Cybunny", he sneered.

Totally oblivious to the Plant Devil, Gavin and Roxie, Frosty crept out of the back pack and scampered oh so quietly to behind the guilded chair. She sniffed. Ugh. This guy smelled worse than that mysterious door that they found.

"Guards!" the Plant Devil called. Instantly a pair of Skeith guards clad in full body armor appeared under the arch. The Plant Devil toyed with the Wand of Supernova, and his attack pea sized brain finally clicked on what Roxie had yelled at him about the Wand of Supernova that he held in his hands. "I'll make a deal with you, little Cybunny. You get this Wand of Supernova out of my hands in three minutes, and you get it and you get to go free. If not, then I keep the Wand of Supernova and I have Hugo and Vincent here throw you in what I like to call the dungeon," the Plant Devil bargained.

Roxie gulped, but it seemed like the only way to get the Wand of Supernova back. She nodded. "Okay," she agreed, her voice suddenly gone hoarse.

"Start the time!" the Plant Devil ordered. Gavin pulled out a stopwatch. "Go!"

Roxie looked around the room for something to help her, but found nothing. Then she spied Frosty hiding under the extravagant guilded chair. Then she had an idea.

She motioned to Frosty, who understood it.

"One minute down! Two to go!" Gavin called, like he was at a wrestling match.

Frosty crept out from under the throne and with a big breath she leapt up on to it. She bit the Plant Devil, but though she couldn't feel it when she bit him, the Plant Devil certainly did. He screeched loudly, so loudly that the glass in the windows rattled, and her released the Wand of Supernova from his grip. It flew though the air and Roxie caught it with one paw in the air.

"Gotcha!" she exclaimed and hugged her Anubis who had saved the day.

* * *

Martin, on Christmas morning,one of the few times that he was home, ripped off the holly wrapping paper that Roxie had wrapped the Wand of Supernova in. The pulled it out gingerly.

"Woa!" he exclaimed. "This is so totally rad! Wait until I swipe this baby a few times in the Battledome! Thanks!"

Roxie beamed with pleasure. She had gone through a lot of work to get that Wand of Supernova for her brother.

Frosty growled at a stray bow and pounced at it, rolling a few times on the floor. She sat up, the bow plastered on her head. She panted and smiled an Anubis smile.

Roxie patted her. "I couldn't have done it without you girl," she said and squeezed her petpet. Frosty squealed and scampered away.

The tree of them, Mum, Roxie and Martin laughed in delight.

The End

Author's Note: I hope you like it. I wanted it to come out before Christmas and the end of Hannah's battle, but I typed it up slow. Oh well. Happy New Year instead!