Faith in Fate: Part Three

RNA had listened to and obeyed Cheetah ever since. She never questioned her orders. Flittingshadow thought they were bonding, but they weren’t. RNA was enlarging Cheetah’s ego.

     One day, Cheetah, in a jealous rage over RNA’s being painted, ordered RNA to go out and find a two dubloon coin. RNA left, and even though it was pouring rain, began a dogged search for the two dubloon coin. Cheetah lied to Flittingshadow about her whereabouts. She said that RNA had gone to visit friends. Flittingshadow bought it.

     Meanwhile, RNA was using her Gelert’s gift of speed. Then she realized she had no money. But she continued on, carrying out her orders.

     She came to the Lost Desert. Falling to her knees at Coltzan’s Shrine, she begged him for a two dubloon coin. The kind King, looking at the poor, bedraggled Gelert, obliged, and RNA began her journey home.

     It was still pouring when RNA knocked on the door. Cheetah opened it. Wordlessly RNA handed her the coin and went to bed.

     RNA grew taller than Cheetah, but was still hers to control.

     Cheetah was writhing on the gym floor under the memories’ force while Stratus cackled.

     Cheetah was just getting comfortable with the fact that she could simulate being an only pet. RNA didn’t accept the affections Flittingshadow tried to lavish on her, so she gave them to Cheetah. It was March 28th. Flittingshadow was gone again, and when she opened the door, this time there wasn’t a bundle. She held the hand of a purple- no, not completely purple, it had orange spots- neopet.

     “Her name is Kzonal,” Flittingshadow said. Cheetah was ready to figure out how to keep Flittingshadow’s attention away from the Grundo when she discovered Kzonal’s solitary habits. She didn’t need to do anything, as the Grundo was aloof.

     No! Cheetah wanted to scream. No, it’s not true! But she knew it was. She knew...

     Kzonal, forgotten, leapt through the air. She landed on Stratus and began to fight. Stratus threw gusts of hard air, but Kzonal’s home planet was a moon, and she easily broke through. A momentous battle ensued. But, finally, the Grundo was thrown, and lay still against a wall.

     RNA threw herself at the turned faerie, but Stratus easily evaded her. She tied the hapless Gelert up in her own tail and ears and threw her, and RNA, too, lay still. Cheetah screamed in rage and ran at the faerie, but a wave of memory overcame her.

     RNA had failed to carry out an order. Cheetah was angry at her. Failure is caused by subordinates failing to carry out orders, not the orders themselves. The faerie’s words were her thoughts as she ordered Cerbie to attack.

     Cerbie whined. He liked RNA, but he had to obey. He lunged for RNA.

     RNA was bruised. She had a swelling black eye, and there were many cuts that bled sluggishly about her body. But she couldn’t tell, or Cheetah would do something worse... Her excuse for it was “I fell down.” She stuck to it. Flittingshadow shook her head, knowing that this wasn’t the truth and questing for a reason for RNA to lie.

     Then the memory stopped. Cheetah knew there was more, but it stopped. Stratus was screaming, clutching her throat. Then she vanished.

     Flittingshadow spat on the place Stratus had been in disdain.

     “I hate people like her,” she said.

**********

     RNA, her front paws in casts and her head bandaged, spoon-fed Nitrogen Beef and Vegetable baby food. She was in the room in that was designated to the petpets. The petpets had been unconscious for a week, and were only now awakening, weak and hungry.

     Cerbie howled for more Pea and Ham baby food. Baby food was the only thing they were strong enough to eat, and they still had to be spoon fed.

     RNA reflected on what had happened. According to Flittingshadow, all three neopets had been unconscious. She had scooped them all up (RNA wondered how she had managed to do this) and brought them home. Cheetah was still in the NeoHospital, recovering from the effect of her memories.

     A week later, everyone was more or less good as new. Flittingshadow called them all together in the sitting room.

     “You’ve all shown true trustworthiness,” she said. “Cheetah, RNA, and Kzonal came to attempt to rescue me. Riyotou, you followed my orders calmly when we had to get them to the NeoHospital. I have something to show you all.”

     The air around her shimmered. RNA didn’t squeak, as she would have done two weeks ago. Cheetah was giving it her undivided attention. Riyotou’s mouth hung open. Kzonal just looked on, placid as a Kau.

     Flittingshadow wasn’t Flittingshadow anymore. Well, she still was, but there were many changes. Her ears had an elfin quality. A long, tabby cat’s tail sprouted. Her once almost robust form became lithe, and smooth as a panther’s. Her sneakers became ornate sandals with dove’s wings at the heels. But the most astounding change of all was the giant, feathered dragon’s wings that slid smoothly from her shoulder blades.

     Her pets stood, thunderstruck. All except Kzonal.

     “True form,” Flittingshadow said. Her voice fell like raindrops on a still pond.

     Riyotou was the first to recover. “Now I know where the ‘Flitting’ part came from,” he said, gesturing to her sandals and wings. “What about the ‘Shadow’?”

     Flittingshadow extended a wing. The feathers were a dusty gray color. Her tail, too, was gray.

     “Ah,” Riyotou said, and stepped back. He then shouted, “WHAT SAY WE HAVE A PARTY?!” This was met with cheers of approval. Friends were called, and Riyotou, the master of parties, prepared punch, snacks, and decorations.

     The result was this: Three owners (Flittingshadow, Tillie222222, and Starwars5353), pets (Fuzzball, Fireball, Superflame, Julianna Ro, Forest Fyre, Mega Dog, Rollan, Rexie, Spikes the Great, Johanna, Cheetah, RNA, Riyotou, and Kzonal) partying it out on a modified dance floor.

     Riyotou’s parties were always a success. Midway through it, he somehow rigged a device that blew confetti around the room. When the party was seemingly over, Riyotou produced seventeen Mystery Island Tickets, the cheers were almost deafening. They partied the rest of the day and night away.

      When they were back at home, all the pets were tired. Their guests eventually departed.

     Flittingshadow’s pets thought that they would be sent to bed, but Flittingshadow one more called them to the living room.

     “Let me tell you why I was captured,” she said, and began...

     There are people in every dimension who are different in the way they think. Where one person sees only one side, they see up to twelve. I am one of them.

     Most people are ignorant of this fact, calling it weird. Some others, though, have a different way of dealing with it.

     They have found a way to harness the special energy that gives a being such capabilities. They harness it, and remove it. Most beings don’t survive this.

     The creatures who possess this way of thinking are usually, for some reason, male, and they are usually restricted in some other way.

     Some of them aren’t, of course. But the ones who harness this energy wanted a new kind.

     That’s where I come in. I’m female, for one, and females have different energies than males. Also, I am restricted in very little. As what would be considered a bonus, I possess and can control rudimentary magic.

     This made me a perfect energy source. Gifted, not restricted, a magic user, with a new type of power.

     So they came. And I fought, but they overpowered me, with uneven odds. And took me to an establishment filled with illusion.

     The illusions were weak. I could see through them and read their intentions. Their prisons were weak, as well. I could escape, but risked recapture if I didn’t know more.

     They needed power badly. The reason everything was shoddy was a lack of it. And a resistance had developed among most of the male powers, which kept their abilities from being extracted.

     They tried to extract mine. I feigned weakness, making them careless. They extracted no power. They extracted a physical manifestation of my will, the will that defied them. When they try to use it as fuel, they’ll discover their mistake.

     But I had to act drained. As they carried me back to my prison, I drew upon the power I would need.

     I created a simulacrum, and escaped.

     “I didn’t realize that you would come looking for me,” Flittingshadow finished. “You’ve all changed so much.”

**********

     Cheetah had been spending a lot of time in her room. She was going over her memories, so she wouldn’t be shocked and surprised if her memories were used against her again. She had unlocked her mind, and was going over this memory.

     Cheetah was angry. RNA was spending far too much time with Mega Dog. Tonight they were going to the theater. She hatched a plan that would certainly make Mega abandon RNA.

     Cheetah entered RNA’s room. RNA was currently tending her garden, so she wouldn’t be discovered. She found the vial she was looking for. It read: Timed- Release Mucous-Membrane Irritation Powder. Cheetah knew enough of RNA’s big words to know that this was a modification of sneezing powder. It was in the shape of a web. Each web had a microchip in the center. When activated, the web would coat itself in sneezing powder that would stay on for as long as the chip was activated.

     She enlisted the help of Fireball, a yellow Xweetok who wouldn’t hesitate to mess up his brother’s life.

     The web went into RNA’s seldom-used makeup. It was so fine that it couldn’t be noticed.

     Mega Dog and RNA left. Fireball and Cheetah departed shortly after.

     They theater was nice, the show okay. Cheetah an Fireball went out and hid in the bushes.

     Mega awkwardly said goodbye, and he and RNA exchanged a friendly hug. In the middle of it, Cheetah activated the web.

     The result was instantaneous. RNA sneezed explosively. The web deactivated.

     Mega Dog was concerned. “Are you all right?” he asked.

     Cheetah growled. This wasn’t going right.

     “I’m fine,” RNA said. “I don’t know why...” Activate. “Achoo!” Deactivate. RNA lost her balance and fell. Cheetah thought Mega Dog wouldn’t want someone that undignified for a friend. Instead, he was even more concerned.

     He brushed his paw along RNA’s face.

     Cheetah was seething mad. Her plan had failed.

     Cheetah laughed. She had found a way to counter all her memories. They were immature and selfish. Now their power was gone.

The End