 A Shoyru's Quest for a Plushie Paint Brush
by starishblue
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The golden light of the tropical sun filtered in through the windows, beaming onto the blue Shoyru and kissing him awake. Nuttie gingerly rubbed his sleep-blurred eyes and blinked a few times to adjust to the rays of sunshine that illuminated his room. It was a lazy Sunday, but Nuttie had much bigger plans for the day. He quickly brushed his teeth and scrambled down to the kitchen, where Jamie -- Nuttie's owner -- had been cooking up a batch of delectable pancakes, leaving the aroma of butter and golden syrup lingering in the air. "Mom, can I-" "No Nuttie, I'm sorry. You've been asking me every day, but my answer remains the same - we just can't afford a Plushie Paint Brush right now, having adopted your sister from the pound and all. I'm sorry, Nuttie." Nuttie slumped his shoulders as the sparkle faded from his eyes. "But Mom, I've been trying really hard and I never really ask for anything. All the other kids at school-" "Nuttie, we can't afford it! Why can't you put yourself in my shoes for a minute?" Jamie snapped, with deep furrows in her brows. Regaining her composure, she shook her head and placed both hands on Nuttie's shoulder. "I'm sorry Nuttie, I've been stressed out lately. I shouldn't have-" "Fine! I'll go get a Plushie Paint Brush myself then. Maybe you'll love me more if I were plushie instead of blue!" exclaimed the young Shoyru, stomping out of the house in haste. Nuttie knew he probably should not have flared up at Jamie, but he was just momentarily frustrated that she had not acceded to his demands. "I'll make it up to her later." Riding a wave of determination, Nuttie headed on over to the Games Room, where he hoped his talent for games would allow him to earn a great payout. He was greeted by a Blue Blumaroo, who hopped over and grinned at Nuttie with a loaf of bread in his hand. "Hey there young 'un! Would you like to try your hand at Kass Basher, the most popular sport in Meridell? Grab a plank of wood and step right up! The further you send Kass flying, the more Neopoints you can earn!" "Yes, yes, I'll try!" Nuttie exclaimed, before swiftly picking up a plank of wood laying on the ground. Taking a deep breath, he positioned himself beneath the gigantic tree, swung the plank of wood back, and waited for the most optimal wind speed: 7 metres per second... 6... 7... 8...... 9! Seizing the moment, Nuttie hit the plank of wood with all his strength. WHAM! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Soon enough, the setting sun turned the sky into a blend of red, orange, and purple hues. What a long day of games! With all his energy drained and fatigue kicking in, Nuttie wiped the sweat off his brows, left the Games Room, and made his way to a nearby bench where he enjoyed the long-desired comfort of sitting down. Nuttie reached into his pocket and carefully examined his winnings by counting every shiny coin in his bag of Neopoints. "1.. 2... 10000... 20000...20010!" The blue Shoyru jumped up in glee, patting himself on the back for all his hard work. That was a lot of Neopoints, wasn't it? Nuttie had never earned his own Neopoints before, and he was proud of himself for doing so. "See, it wasn't as hard as Jamie had put it," thought Nuttie as he ran to the Trading Post in search of the elusive Plushie Paint Brush he had yearned for so long before. At the Trading Post, Nuttie stumbled upon thousands, millions even, of trading lots, each containing items of different shapes and sizes that Neopians had curated from all over Neopia. He filtered through the plethora of lots before finally fixing his gaze upon a Plushie Paint Brush. He squinted his eyes to focus on the wishlist printed below the item... "Four million Neopoints?!" Nuttie stared in disbelief as thoughts raced around his head. If he earned 20,000 Neopoints every day like he did today, it would take... two hundred days to reach his goal! And boy, today had been extremely exhausting - the young Shoyru was unsure if he would be able to keep up the pace for two hundred days in a row. More importantly, Nuttie realised that perhaps his owner hadn't been exaggerating, after all. Plushie Paint Brushes were indeed exorbitant, and earning Neopoints was such a strenuous and energy-sapping task. He began to reflect on his words and realised that maybe a Plushie Paint Brush wasn't the most important thing in Neopia to him after all. Nuttie took one last glance at the Plushie Paint Brush, then turned and walked away from the Trading Post for good. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "A deluxe bouquet of flowers, please! And some of those chocolates as well. How much would that be?" "Twelve thousand Neopoints, please." Without hesitation, Nuttie reached into his bag of Neopoints and took out twelve thousand coins before handing it over to the shopkeeper. He knew that Jamie would love a bouquet of her favourite roses and a box of sugary sweets. It was undeniably the best purchase he could have made with what he had painstakingly earned. Suddenly, Nuttie heard coughing coming from somewhere in the distance. This piqued his curiosity, and he cautiously walked in the direction of the source before chancing upon a Faerie, slumped up against a tree. She clutched her head with one hand, and looked to the ground with a look of pain on her face. Now, Nuttie may sound and try to act tough at times, but he was, in essence, a soft-hearted Shoyru with great tenderness and love for all. He approached the mysterious Faerie and with a warm tone, said, "Hey there! I'm Nuttie. You look like you could need some help. Is there anything I can do to cheer you up?" The Faerie looked up at Nuttie, and tried to muster a small smile on her face. "Thank you so much, kind one. I seem to be down with a case of Achy Head. If you could get me some Magic Goop, I would be greatly indebted to you." Nuttie nodded, and without hesitation, walked into the Neopian Pharmacy in search of some Magic Goop. Luckily for him, it cost eight thousand Neopoints, a little less than what he had left to spare. Nuttie purchased the Magic Goop and returned to the Faerie, beaming as he handed over the Magic Goop to her. Within minutes of soaking her feet in the Magic Goop, a healthy flush and radiant smile returned onto the face of the Faerie. She had been cured! "Thank you so much, Nuttie. My name is Naia the Fountain Faerie." She paused to think for a moment. "Thank you for your kindness. Would you like to visit my Rainbow Fountain? I have enough magic left for you to take a dip, where you will emerge in the very colour that you desire." Nuttie let out an audible gasp. A Fountain Faerie? He could not believe his eyes! Nuttie had assumed that Fountain Faeries were a myth, a mere tale passed down from time to time. "Are you sure?" Nuttie's eyes widened. "Absolutely." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Mom! Look what happened to me!" Nuttie dashed into Jamie's room excitedly, with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. Nuttie was now a Plushie Shoyru, having dipped in the magical waters of the Rainbow Fountain that the Fountain Faerie had blessed. Jamie was not in her room, but what Nuttie saw gave him a bigger surprise than the one he had just had. Perched atop the middle of Jamie's table was a Plushie Paint Brush, with a pink satin bow wrapped around it. Nuttie's eyes started to well up with tears. "Nuttie, you're home? Wha-" Jamie stood in the doorway, looking at Nuttie with a mix of amusement and surprise. "It was the Fountain Faerie, Mom, but what is this?" Nuttie asked, gesturing to the Plushie Paint Brush sitting on the table. "Well, Nuttie, you wanted the Plushie Paint Brush so badly, and I couldn't bear to see you sad. I'm sorry I snapped at you too. So I thought about it, went to the Safety Deposit Box, and traded all my valuables for this. You deserve it though because you're a spectacular pet and I do love you very much!" Jamie paused and chuckled. "But I guess we have no use for this anymore." Nuttie wiped away a tear and reached in for a hug. "Thank you Mom. I'm sorry for shouting at you too." Nuttie reached for the bouquet of flowers and box of chocolates, and tenderly placed it in Jamie's hands. "I bought this for you, Mom! More than anything, you're the most important thing to me in the whole wide world!" "I love you too, Nuttie, forever and always!" The End.
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