Dance of the Meepits: The Neovian Attack - Part Five

     "Shh!" Sophie replied, putting a finger on her dark, red lips. "When I was a child, my friend’s father was Mr. Cruso's butler! When Mr. Cruso was on a business trip to Sakhmet, Alex led me in through a trap door outside of Neovia."

     "So he had an escape route built!" Alice exclaimed.

     "Yes! Alex told me that Mr. Cruso was worried because he was rich, he might be attacked. So he built himself an escape route under the mansion."

     "That makes sense. And if it leaves out of Neovia..."

     "The exit's right by the beginning of the swamps. I can go to my shack and get my spare wand and potions! Then we attack the Meepits."

     "Got it! Bruno's nice and strong, he'll be able to protect you if anything goes wrong," Alice replied.

     "Good idea, Mother! I miss Alex, though. The baby Lupe always made me laugh. Oh well, best not dwell in the past."

     "Wait..." Alice said.

     "What is it, Mother? Do you have another idea?"

     "Yes! Remember, Neovia is facing the mountains, it corners off in the west! There's no escape that way! If we can lure most of the Meepits there..."

     "We can corner them and blast them to bits!" Sophie replied excitedly. She went into the kitchen and returned with a plastic bottle.

     "What's that for?" Alice asked.

     Sophie put her hand near the opening of the plastic bottle. Red glowing magic flowed in and then she put the cap on and twisted it. "We'll need to get this party started soon. Your hand will glow blue when I'm in a ready position. Throw this as far away from the mansion as possible and try to aim near into the mountain area, where it closes off. It will explode on impact, leaving a blazing inferno of fire."

     "Most of the Meepits will go off and wonder what happened!" Alice explained.

     "Leaving fewer Meepits here to guard the mansion!" Sophie finished. "There's a few hundred Meepits here, however. So there might be a few more Meepits guarding, but we need as less as possible to free the townsfolk."

     "Right," the purple Zafara said, raising her index finger. "What should we do with them though?"

     "Hmm, the men could get their weapons from the towns’ emergency cache. The women and children should seek refuge to the closest town."

     "But, it's dark! They could get eaten by monsters!" Alice explained.

     "You’re right. Hmm, get them to go to my shack. The monsters fear me, they don't go there."

     "Okay. I'll go to the trap door; it should be in the living room, under the luxurious sofa. Wake up the others, and tell them of our plan. Got it?" Sophie asked. She stood up and headed for the living room, looking down at the sleeping townsfolk.

     "Yes, Sophie. But please, do be careful! I don't want anything to happen to you!"

     "I've been through worse situations Mother, I'll be fine," Sophie replied, with a wink. She left the room and after a few grunts and groans, Alice heard the sofa move. Down went Sophie.

          ***

     Alice woke up the entire town. It took a long time, but she finally managed to do the long task. She held a town meeting in the mansion's kitchen and some folks had to listen in through the living room and dining room, but they managed to get the plan heard. The mansion was still dusty and full of cobwebs, but that was the least of their worries. They had work to do.

     A short few minutes later, waiting anxiously for Sophie's signal, the townsfolk gasped. Alice's hand was glowing blue.

     "How did that happen?" asked a blue Usul.

     "Holy Kau! That's amazing!" spoke a yellow Bruce.

     "Are you going to be all right, Mother?" Bruno asked, his strong, overgrown arms wrapping around her shoulders.

     "Yes. Sophie is in position. I need someone with a strong arm, however. Bruno?" Alice asked. She stared out the window in the master bedroom on the third floor, looking out at the ghost Meepits dancing through the ghostly fog in the streets.

     Bruno grabbed the glowing red bottle and put it in his right arm. "Anything for Neovia!" He smiled.

     Bruno looked to his left and threw it at the mountains with all his might. "This is it. Finally, we can escape."

     ***

     "Forty five minutes, Kassy, and this place is ours!" Lassy called out.

     Still in the town square, Tassy stared at the clock. "Why is it always midnight? It's so cliché!" she asked.

     Kassy looked at her, with her big eye staring at her. "Because whoever wrote those Faerietales copied off of our powers. It's from the poem, written by the first Meepit to walk in Ghost Island of the Meepits:

     Midnight, midnight,

     A Meepit's delight,

     We will reign,

     at precisely midnight.

     A Meepit's power,

     will reign forever,

     we will dance and dance,

     for as long as we shall prance."

      Lassy and Tassy looked at Kassy. "What?" they said together.

     "Remember, Meepits are not poets. We may not be as smart, but that all goes into our wonderful plans!" Kassy replied proudly.

     "Whatev-" Tassy started to say, but was interrupted.

     KA-BOOM!

     Kassy whirled around. "What was that?!" she screamed. She glanced at the nearby houses in Neovia. A hot, blazing inferno was near the west. Fire.

     "Meepits! Gather forces and head to the west! All units converge!"

     Several meeps were heard and hundreds of Meepits headed towards the western mountains. Sophie's plan had worked, at least, for now.

     "Lassy! Gather water from the well! Spray it on the fire! Now!" Kassy screamed her orders.

     "I'm on it! Hassy! Dassy! Help me!" Lassy screamed.

     Kassy ran through the cobblestone streets, pushing away wheelbarrows, chairs and benches. She wanted to know what happened and to stop it at all costs. She did not want to take over a burned down city. "Whatever it will take to keep you safe, Neovia, I will do it."

     ***

     Sophie crept up the roofs of the houses, hopping from one house to the other. Her spare wand, a bit smaller but almost identical to her better wand, glowed blue. The large eyeball at the tip looked around. The veins throbbed with each passing second.

     Sophie looked to the east; the townsfolk were approaching the cache of weapons. It was like a coffin, the cache. She saw pitchforks, knives, and other weapons. She sighed. "This could be a deadly battle. What could I do to stop it?"

     Glancing around, she headed towards the flames. Hundreds of Meepits were drawing water from the town well, trying to soften the fire, but it was magic. It could not be smothered.

     The townsfolk were now armed and ready to fight. They approached the western side cautiously, wondering when to strike. "Hmm, it seems the townsfolk managed to sneak out unseen. Any alarm before we attack could cost us the town. Yet, this just might be my battle. Alone..."

     She aimed her wand, further into the mountain range. Her wand glowed red now, ready to strike. She zapped a tree with her magic and it burst into flames, engulfing more and more trees with it.

     "More fire!" she heard a Meepit. "More Meepits into the mountains!"

     Pretty soon, all of the Meepits she could see were running. The plan was working perfectly; all that was to do was attack. This was the final moment.

     She jumped down near the flames in the houses. "Sophie?" she heard. She glanced to the right. A Meepit. "INTRUDER! INTR-"

     Sophie zapped him with her wand and there was a pile of sludge. Delightful. She sighed. Hopefully no one heard that, or the deal was off.

     She raised her hand, her wand firmly in place. "ALAKDOOM!" she screamed, and instantly, bright blue borders appeared between each and every road, blocking any access. The Meepits were trapped! It was finally time to head to their leader.

     "MEEPITS! Hear my call!" she cried. "I am Sophie, the Swamp Witch! You are trapped within these mountains and you have no hope of escaping my wrath! Negotiate with me now and your deaths may be delayed!" Her eyes grew wide and the fires subsided. All that was left were the Meepits. It was hundreds against one, in a secluded range. Could she survive?

     Meepits appeared between the trees, as she was on the edge of town. More and more appeared, the numbers growing too high to count.

     "Sophie, I see you got out of your prison," said a Meepit. "I am the leader, Mayor Kassy of Meovia."

     "It's Neovia, not Meovia. And you are not Mayor!" Sophie spoke harshly, her words dripping with venom.

     "Fine, in less than a half hour it will be. So, how about we kill you now? I assure you it will be painless." An evil grin formed across Kassy's face.

     "That won't be necessary. You see, the townsfolk are free. Your little prophecy has to have them captured. Secondly, they are right outside the borders. You kill me, and the barriers disappear, which means an all out war. And you know these townsfolk, do you really want that?"

     Kassy's red glowing eyes filled with anger. "You... will... die..." Instantly, red lasers shot out from her eyes and struck Sophie.

     With quick reflexes, she bent the beam off to one of her Meepits, making the ghost disappear without a trace.

     "You are a smart one, aren't you?" Kassy asked.

     "I’m smarter and more powerful than you may realize. How about a little negotiating?"

     "Never!" Kassy cried out, and shot an energy blast at Sophie with her paws.

     Sophie easily blocked the attack by raising her arm and creating a large shield. "So, are we just going to sit here, doing our little war cries while we exchange blows? Or are we going to sit down like actual mature adults and negotiate?"

     "For a witch, you sure have changed. What happened to the grumpy witch I've once known? And rather liked."

     "She grew up... and tried to start enjoying life!" Sophie replied angrily, her eyes narrowed into slits.

     "Fine, let's negotiate. I take Neovia and I'll let you live. How's that?" Kassy smiled.

     "Yeah!" yelled a voice from the trees. Kassy tilted her head, and saw Tassy with her index finger pointing at Sophie. "What she said!"

     But with a snap of Kassy's fingers, Tassy disappeared into a puff of smoke. However, Tassy was enough of a distraction for Sophie to stun Kassy cold, she fell down to the ground unconscious.

     "How about I'll let you live and we'll take back Neovia?" Sophie asked, with a hint of proudness in her voice. "Oh yeah, you can't talk."

     "I... I'm a... ghost..." said the Meepit, surprised.

     "I've died my share of deaths before. I used up all of my twenty three lives, but the spirits thought I had potential." Sophie smiled. "Hence how I turned good."

     With a flash of her hands, a shield arose around Kassy. Now she was unable to escape. “Meepits!” she called. “Your leader is trapped, and so are you! Surrender now and you may survive.”

     Meepits came throughout the trees, their paws in the air, sadness in their eyes. They were beaten. But how? Their leader was so strong. Looked like even some Meepits had lessons to learn, some lessons, which were easy to some folks.

     Sophie carefully turned to her side, watching the Meepits, and blasted some magic at the barriers, which broke loose. The townsfolk came running into the woods, with their pitchforks in hand. “Stop! The Meepits are defeated. We don’t need a war here!”

     The townsfolk stopped. They stared at the circle of the Meepits. Twelve chimes of the Neovian Clock Tower sang in the moonlit sky. Korbats flew within the wind in the atmosphere. It was midnight. A Meepit started dancing. The Meepit danced his fears away and was soon joined by another Meepit. And then another, and one by one, each and every Meepit in the woods started dancing. Sophie, as well as Bruno, Reggie, Alice, and the rest of the townsfolk knew; it was the dance of the Meepits.

The End

Author's Note: Special thanks to playmobil_is_my_life for editing and feedback is much appreciated. Thanks for reading! -Jockylocky