Never-Ending Birthday Bash

      “Oh yeah, I for sure want to make this!” Ali exclaimed out loud to herself. She had made it to some of the birthday parties in the past and had always had a blast. There was a lot of enjoyment and positive energy surrounding the event, with plenty of activities and birthday goodies for all the Neopians who attended. “Wait, what day is it today?” she asked as she looked down at her watch. “Shoot – TODAY is the 15th! I need to make my way down there quick!” Ali wasted no time and started to make her way towards the heart of Neopia Central.

     ***

      The little Shoyru had finally made it to the Birthday Bash. A large event area had been created, with a large gate surrounding the designated area. All the thrill rides that were set up were towering over the gate and could be seen before you even reached the entrance. The scent of sweets and treats filled Ali’s nostrils the closer she got to passing through the access point of the Birthday Bash.

      A friendly Yellow Kacheek greeted Ali with a warm welcome and allowed her to pass through the opening gate. Ali’s eyes filled with delight as she took in the sights of the Birthday Bash. The pamphlet didn’t do the event justice; it was even better than she could have dreamt. Neopians were squealing with glee, enjoying the foods and rides. The Electric Shoyru quickly got in a food line to enjoy all the pizza and ice cream she could handle.

      Ali enjoyed the treats provided by the Birthday Bash, but she was finally bloated. She couldn’t imagine eating another bite. She decided it was time to try some rides, and maybe she would run into some of her friends. She surveyed her options, and decided she would go on the spinning teacups.

      The Shoyru got in line behind a Pink Aisha. Ali realised she was standing behind her good friend Kaia when she heard the Aisha’s distinguishable laugh. “Kaia! I’m so glad to see you here. Did you want to spin in a teacup with me?”

      Kaia turned around and looked thrilled to see her friend. “Who isn’t here? I’ve been having a blast! I would love to ride in a teacup with you,” the Aisha said with a smile.

      The pair kept in line and made their way forward until it was their turn. The Purple Chia who was running the ride let them through before roping off the rest of the Neopians who were awaiting their turn to spin themselves silly. They stepped up into a white and pink decorated cup and took their seats.

      They listened as the ride runner gave his safety spiel. Mainly it was just staying in your own teacup until the ride came to a complete stop. Otherwise, they were free to spin the disc mounted in the centre as fast or as little as they desired.

      “You don’t have to tell me twice! I’m ready for full speed,” Ali giggled to Kaia as she grabbed onto the disc. Joyful music emitted from the speakers and the ride slowly started to move. The two manoeuvred the disc to get their teacup spinning faster and faster. They laughed together and enjoyed the wind that hit their faces.

      Ali and Kaia kept spinning and spinning. And spinning, and spinning, and spinning. “Hey, my arms are getting a little sore… isn’t this ride going on a little long?” Kaia asked as she stopped spinning the disc, feeling the exhaustion of working her arms.

      The Electric Shoyru also stopped spinning and looked around. The ride was still moving and hadn’t stopped for several minutes. She spotted the Purple Chia who was running the ride, who looked to be running around the controls in a panic. “Something seems wrong…” Ali said inquisitively. “I know we’re supposed to stay in the teacup, but something isn’t right here. I’m going to check it out,” she said as she unbuckled herself from the seat. She flew up out of the teacup and above the ride, flying over to the panicked Chia.

      The Purple Chia was frantically pounding on the controls, anxiety-filled murmuring escaping from his mouth. “The ride won’t stop! I’ve never had this happen before. What in Neopia is going on!?”

      Ali looked over the Chia’s shoulder and at the control panel. She didn’t know how to operate the ride, but nothing appeared broken or out of the ordinary. The Shoyru looked around the rest of the park and noticed the panic and screams that surrounded the rest of the rides in the area. “All of the rides won’t stop?” she asked. She then heard some screams coming from the gate entrance. She flew over and saw that the gate was now shut. Neopians were pounding on the gate, unable to reopen the entrance. The Shoyru gasped. “We’re… we’re locked in.”

      A million thoughts quickly raced through Ali’s mind. Why would they be locked in? Who would do this? What’s going to happen next? She had to help get to the bottom of this. Looking at the Neopians at the gate, the Electric Shoyru spotted the Yellow Kacheek she had seen when she first arrived. “Hey! You work here, right? Weren’t you the one who let us in?”

      The frazzled Kacheek looked back at Ali. “I do! Someone came and told me my shift was done, so I entered so I could enjoy the Birthday Bash too. Next thing I knew, the gate was closed and locked!”

      “Do you know the Neopian who came to relieve you from your shift?” Ali asked.

      The Kacheek shook his head. “No, I didn’t recognise them at all. I figured maybe they were a new volunteer for the event. We always get a lot of Neopians wanting to help last minute to ensure fun for everyone. I haven’t seen them since that interaction.”

      “What did they look like? Does the event have any other points of interest that you think they may have gone?” the Electric Shoyru asked, continuing her questioning.

      “They were a Spotted Vandagyre. There is a control room in the far corner of the event space. It’s a little hidden behind some topiary bushes along the gate, but it’s there. It may be worth checking out, since it supplies power to the whole area,” the Kacheek said.

      “Thank you so much for your help! I’ll see what I can find,” Ali said, and took off towards the Kacheek’s suggestion. She flew along the perimeter, seeing the party continuing without any signs of stopping. At last, she made it to the topiary bushes. The Kacheek was right; without being told that the control room was there, she never would have seen it. The Electric Shoyru went behind the bushes and found the door. She walked inside, and sure enough, she saw a Spotted Vandagyre standing in front of all the controls for the Birthday Bash. “You there! What are you doing!?” she called out.

      The Vandagyre turned around to look at the interruption that walked in. “We’re having a party!” they said with delight.

      “Yes, but… why are you in here? Did you lock everyone in and break the rides?” Ali asked in confusion.

      “You make it sound so sinister. I just don’t want the fun to end! You see, it was just my birthday too. I think everyone forgets about my birthday, because they’re so excited for this Birthday Bash to happen. I wanted to ensure there was more than enough time to celebrate, so why not just have everyone stay here to keep going on rides and eating as much pizza and ice cream as they like?” the Spotted Vandagyre asked with an innocent tilt of their head.

      “Let’s start again. What’s your name? I’m sorry you feel like your birthday was forgotten. I don’t think this was the way to try to celebrate it though. Everyone should have the freedom to do as much or as little as they like and be able to leave when they are done. If we return everything back to normal, I can introduce you to my friend and we can continue to celebrate your birthday. Does that sound okay?” Ali asked with sincerity.

      The Spotted Vandagyre looked at the controls and pushed a few buttons as they spoke. “My name is Joss! You’re right though, I should have thought this through a bit more. I’m sorry, I hope this didn’t ruin the event. I would love to still be able to celebrate after.” They pushed one last button, and the panic that could previously be heard turned into elation.

      Ali gave a sigh of relief. “Thank you for being so understanding! Now let’s go celebrate your birthday!” The Electric Shoyru led Joss out of the control room. They were able to find Kaia once she was off the spinning teacups and made quick introductions. The trio stuck together for the rest of the day and were able to enjoy the Birthday Bash.

     The End.