Peril in Brightvale's Beryl Meadows

      The sisters treaded through lush green meadows, enjoying the vibrant voices of the birds as they approached their new home in Brightvale. The comforting breeze loosened leaves from their branches and danced upon the ladies' skin. Their hair twirled in the wind, reflecting bright sunshine. The grass was slightly dewy from the previous night's rainfall.

      When they reached their beautiful abode, they gazed in awe at its contents. It featured colorful blossoms, a gazebo, playground equipment, and a sparkling swimming pool. "Wow!" exclaimed Walda, the baby of the family. "I can't wait to go inside!"

      She flung open the gates and rushed to the door. Maldice, the youngest, followed her hastily, dropping her satchel in the process. Maldice turned the golden key and unlocked the door. Walda hurried inside and immediately jumped on the bed.

      "Careful!" called out Chessella, the second youngest. "Don't be so rough with the furniture!" Yet Walda was oblivious to her sister's orders. She continued to jump up and down with glee.

      "Walda!" snapped Chessella, setting her bag down. "Did you hear what I said? If you get off the bed, I'll give you some chocolate."

      "YUM!" screamed Walda happily, leaping onto the carpet and dashing toward her sister. She snatched the chocolate bar out of her sister's hand, ripped off the wrapper, and started to devour it.

      Chessella smiled joyfully, turning the other way as Walda wolfed down the chocolate bar. She finally had it— the quaint, idyllic dwelling of her dreams. She now resided among marvelous meadows, the picturesque place she had always wished to live in, without the bothersome noise and clamor of the city life she could never get used to. She and her siblings could now enjoy their lives, if only Walda would behave herself.

      "Hey," began Chessella, "Where's Chessangie?"

      "I don't know where she went," replied Maldice.

      "Watch Walda," instructed Chessella as she walked outside to look for her other sister.

      Ella soon found Angie collapsed on the ground. "What's wrong?!" cried Ella in shock.

      "That Spyder..." uttered Angie, pointing to the petpet, "It bit me."

      "Where did the Spyder come from?!" yelled Ella incredulously.

      Then Maldice appeared. "I forgot my- What's wrong?!"

      "A Spyder bit Angie," explained Ella. "We have no idea where the Spyder came from. Spyders aren't native to Brightvale."

      Maldice frowned. "Oh... My friend asked me to look after her Spyder for the weekend while she went on vacation. I put it in my satchel. It must've crawled out and bit Angie."

      Ella's face reddened with rage. "You... careless..." She gritted her teeth. "This is all your fault! Now Angie's suffering! No more venomous creatures! You're going to fix this mess!"

      "How?" asked Maldice, shrugging her shoulders. "The Spyder Juice Elixir is only sold in Neopia Central."

      "Well..." Ella paused. "I know! You can buy a Cooling Ointment at Brightvale Potions. It will cure any disease."

      "Sounds good."

      "You don't seem particularly worried, which strikes me as a problem."

      "You're right. I'm not too concerned because there's an easily obtainable cure."

      "Well, the longer you wait, the longer Angie suffers. You need to walk down to the city and pick up a Cooling Ointment right now."

      "When I get around to it..."

      "When you get AROUND TO IT?! Get your lazy self up and go over to Brightvale Potions! Angie's unwell because of you!"

      "But I'm hungry-"

      "Now!!!" hollered Ella. Maldice reluctantly picked up her bag and left.

      Ella sighed. She went back inside and set Angie down on the bed. The suffering Draik had tears in her eyes and could barely move. "Don't worry, sweetie," Ella reassured her. "Maldice is going down to Brightvale Potions right now. She will buy a Cooling Ointment, which will make you feel better."

      Angie nodded sluggishly.

      Ella sat beside her, overwhelmed by grief. She couldn't imagine the intense pain that Angie was in, all because Maldice had been so careless. Ella fought back tears until she heard a loud CRASH!

      She rushed out of the room, slightly worried. She wondered what Walda could have possibly done this time. "Walda!" she called. "What's wrong?"

      The baby didn't answer. She continued to sprint around the room sporadically. Then Ella spotted a broken lamp. She sighed, then walked over to the closet to grab a broom and dust pan.

      "Walda!" yelled Ella. "Is this a sugar rush?! You need to calm down!" Yet the candy had carried her over to her own little world.

      Ella returned to the room with her supplies, then swept up the glass. With a scowl on her face, she disposed of the colorful shards. If only Walda could behave herself, then she wouldn't have to spend her hard-earned Neopoints on another lamp. Then she made an interesting discovery.

      There were many candy wrappers scattered across the carpet. Walda had found the bag that Ella sat down earlier, torn through it, and gobbled down the remaining six chocolate bars that were in there. Frustrated, Ella knew she had to think of a different bribe.

      "Walda!" screamed Ella. "Go play outside!" Walda hurried outside and jumped on the swingset.

      Ella sighed in relief because the child was finally occupied and out of trouble. She had caused enough shenanigans for the whole week. Ella followed her outside and pulled up a lawn chair so she could sit and supervise her rambunctious sister.

      Maldice was walking down the dirt road when she noticed the strong smell of dung. She covered her nose in disgust, horrified at the putrid scent. "I'm glad we don't live next to THAT!" she muttered to herself. Then she dashed away from the source of the problem.

      When she reached the town, she noticed a silver catapult that served as some sort of monument. It was an antique, yet it continued to sparkle brilliantly in the sunlight. It had a feeling of rustic charm to it, which was appropriate for the region she was now living in. However, she had never been interested in history, so she shrugged her shoulders and passed by it.

      She walked into Brightvale Potions with Neopoints in her satchel. "One Cooling Ointment, please." she requested.

      "My apologies," replied the shopkeeper politely. "We have none left in stock."

      "NONE LEFT?!" screamed Maldice. "My sister is sick! When will you be getting more?"

      "Tomorrow morning," frowned the shopkeeper regretfully. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

      "I'll be back!" Maldice shouted. She left furiously, slamming the door.

      When she stepped back outside, the atmosphere was much darker than before. The once jovial, bustling city was now plagued by fear and uncertainty. The sky was shrouded in a troubling darkness. "MUAHAHAHAHA!" cackled a malicious voice.

      "Who is it?!" Maldice demanded to know. "Show yourself!"

      "We are..." A band of Mutant Korbats appeared. "...Here to steal everything you've got!"

      "Not if I can help it!" yelled Maldice confidently. She furiously soared into the air to fight the Korbats, but she was soon overwhelmed by a multicolored blast. She collapsed to the ground, knocked unconscious.

      The Korbats proceeded to fire their Rainbow Guns, as well as other weapons, at the unlucky townspeople. Innocent civilians wailed in fear as the Korbats set buildings ablaze and snatched all of the loot inside.

      Ella continued to sit in the lawn chair, overtaken by boredom while Walda entertained herself on the monkey bars. She was fighting the urge to take a nap until she realized that Maldice hadn't returned. "Walda," she began, "Maldice is still gone. I'm worried about her. Let's go downtown to investigate."

      "Okie-dokie," answered Walda, following her sister.

      "Yuck," groaned Ella once the two were almost there. "What's that smell?" Her eyes began to water as she reeled in disgust.

      "Kau dung!" whined Walda. "Yuck!" She covered her nose, then sprinted forward to avoid the appalling scent.

      "Wait up!" called Ella, dashing after her sister.

      They arrived at a scene of complete chaos. Wicked flames continued to swallow buildings, and people were running frantically in all directions. Screams of terror echoed throughout the city, like a scene in the Haunted Woods. A dire peril had washed over Brightvale's beryl meadows. Ella trembled with fear.

      Petrified, she stuttered, "W-Walda! You're a Battledome pet! Fight these foes!"

      "I have no weapons!" answered Walda.

      "Use that catapult!" yelled Ella, gesturing to the apparatus. Then a rainbow-hued beam hit her, and she was knocked out.

      Walda was fighting back tears. The grief she felt upon witnessing the turmoil was eating away at her soul. However, she knew that she, and only she, could help her siblings and salvage the town of Brightvale. No one else had the necessary strength. She loaded heavy rocks into the catapult and fired.

      The agile Korbats dodged the projectiles with masterful precision. "Is that the best you can do?" one of them sneered. Another beam hit her chest, yet she was unscathed due to her high defense.

      All seemed hopeless. Her efforts lacked fruition until a unique idea popped into Walda's head. She departed from the town and dashed away in the direction she came from. "Given up, haven't you?!" gloated one of the Korbats.

      She arrived at the Kau farm and hastily tossed the stinky dung in a wheelbarrow. Then she rushed back to the town, pushing the wheelbarrow in front of her. She loaded the catapult with dung and fired.

      The Korbats cried out in horror when the rancid substance reached them. "Eww!" they screeched. "Gross!" They quickly fled, leaving the remains of the town.

      The next day, everyone was feeling rejuvenated. Ella, Angie, and Maldice had all received the Cooling Ointments necessary to revive them. Relieved townspeople were sorting through the rubble, and workers had been hired to rebuild the ruined buildings.

      Then a Skeith dressed in regal attire approached Walda. He had an air of royalty to him, which Walda immediately picked up upon. Although she did not know his name, she concluded that he was a very important citizen of Brightvale. "Are you Walda?" he asked.

      "Yes," she replied. "Who are you?"

      "I am King Hagan, the ruler of Brightvale. Our noble city is most grateful for your heroic efforts yesterday. You saved us in our time of utter peril. Without your wondrous assistance, Brightvale would have been burned down to the ground. Please accept... the key to the city." He graciously handed her a golden key.

      Walda grinned, holding the prize up with glee. "Thank you, sir!" she exclaimed.

      "Way to go, Walda!" yelled Ella.

      "Well done!" cheered Angie.

      Walda had never expected to receive such a prestigious honor. She gazed excitedly at the hundreds of people who were thankful for her heroism. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes as the townspeople held her in the highest esteem. Even the King of Brightvale was thoroughly impressed with her efforts. Surrounded by applauding citizens, all she could do was smile.

      The End.