Not the Best Family Reunion

     The bunnies rested on a stone bench by a clothing shop. Leala assumed sploot position across the resting rock, Mio laid gently down beside it, and Kalilu had fallen asleep on her back. They stayed like this for a while until the odd plush broke the quiet.

      “We need food.”

      “Notixu didn’t exactly give us time to grab any points,” said Leala. “An’ I left all my robo-uh-um, never mind. If we want food, we gotta steal it.”

     Mio gazed at her with button-like eyes, unblinking for a long moment.

      “Stealing is wrong. But maybe fun. I dunno.” She looked down at the cold earth at her paws and said, “I never did it before. Can’t… Can’t steal when there’s… no one to steal from…” Cue a quiet giggling.

     A light bulb appeared over Leala’s head, then flickered out and imploded to dust. Eureka! She’d solved it! She’d… What had she solved again?

     Shaking her head, Leala answered, “Well, I’m no help with it. You’ll have to do it.”

      “Me? By myself?”

      “You’ll be fine,” said the Magma Cybunny with a dismissive wave. “Just leave Kalilu with me and uh, think like a criminal or something.”

      “I’m not sure how criminals think, silly! I’ve never been one.”

      “Ugh, okay, just,” she rubbed her tired eyes, “find a food shop. Walk inside and take a look around. Look at the food. See the food you’re gonna go for. That food? That’s our food, okay? You jus’ gotta... take it.”

     Mio blinked at the smaller rabbit, who was drifting off as she spoke. “Okie dokie.”

     The plush twisted herself ever so gently, taking the cub by the scruff and placing Kalilu beside the bench. She booed the cub’s nose with her own before looking up at Leala. Mio’s drooping ears twitched. She waited for a few heartbeats before hopping her way down the street.

     There were a few others out; ‘pets garbed in fancy flowing dresses passed her by with hardly a glance. Mio herself couldn’t help but stare. How strange it was to see Neopets out in such a manner. She couldn’t put into words just what was so different, but things had certainly changed since she last walked the grounds of Neopia proper.

     The air here was cool and hazy. The road she moved along was tightly packed dirt with monochrome stones worn down from countless travelling feet. Twisting trees littered either side of her and the places between buildings.

     This place was ancient and in a cozy way. The winding paths trailed along like a loose thread. There was the scent of smoke and flowers, and voices with warm tones drifted on the breeze. There were people here, and nothing was hunting them. They could do all the arts and crafts they liked and play happy games and… Oh, food. Right.

     There was a cute little shop on the corner of one street. It was made from red bricks and charcoal-coloured tiles. Vines draped over the windows, which along with the door, were trimmed with some kind of golden-colored wood. Mio nearly forgot her mission again simply from the image alone.

     She took a deep breath and hopped in. A bell announced her arrival. Inside there were shelves made from wood and tile holding what was left of the shop’s stock for the day. She took a long look around. The attending ‘pet, an Orange Nimmo lady, had her attention buried in a book of flowy script. A short walk around would reveal to Mio that there were no other shoppers or thieves present.

     Following Leala’s advice, she analysed her potential targets. There were a few plates of an interesting fried noodle dish. A tangy-smelling sauce enticed her curiosity. There were some blue chard root stuffed dumplings as well as fruit salad. The plushie felt her nose twitch from the excitement of these strange new foods.

     Okay, step two.

     She got some dumplings and sugary rice crackers, along with a bowl of spiced nuts. She added some pastries as well, telling herself again and again that each of them already belonged to her and the others. The items were already their property; the shopkeeper simply didn’t know it.

     Mio took a long look at her inventory. Neopets, like the humans of Neopia, did have one. The spell, entwined into all Neopians from birth, gave every ‘pet a total of fifteen slots. Far from the amount that the owners received, but it sufficed for her. As she’d yet to purchase the items in question, their phantom visage trailed in the Plushie Cybunny’s wake.

     With a little nod to herself, she hopped back toward the door. A glance at the Nimmo made her think this would be easy. Oh how wrong she was. The moment her paw touched the door, a vicious grip clamped down on the pink fabric of Mio's paw. She looked up to see the frog giving her a dour look.

     Mio stared, her mane and tail bristling. Oh dear. Leala hadn’t told her what to do in this oopsie daisy. Still as a statue, or a shadow waiting for opportunity, she stared at the Nimmo wide-eyed like prey before the strike.

     The shopkeeper opened her mouth to speak. Mio drove her legs into her stomach. The Nimmo stumbled backwards. Her gaze trailed to the carved sansetsukon leaning against the counter. Quick as a blink, she grabbed it and gave it a little spin. She took on a fighting stance, scowl on her face.

      “I was going to let you off with a war…” now it was her turn to stare. “...ning.”

     Mio was rearing on her hind legs. Her eyes were black, with four white circles at the centre like evil buttons. Her fur was a mass of humming energy. Almost like a form of static electricity, a cursed magic made her mane light and flowing. Threads darkened here and there like a flicker of shadow. She’d drawn her claws. Needles glinted in the light. Threads had somehow risen from all over her looming form, each ending in a tiny phantom blade. Her expression had gone eerily blank.

     The wooden weapon clattered on the floor…

     * * *

     Nothing happened nothing happened nothing happened nothing happened nothing happenednothinghappenednothing nothing nothing nothing…

     And don’t mention it again.

     Mio moved sluggishly through the darkening streets of the cute little Shenkuuian village. As the sun fell slowly into oblivion, lanterns began to offer pools of comfort. Mio paused beneath one and looked up at the beautiful wavering light. She thought she liked fire. Even if the entire village burned to the ground, at least there would be nowhere for anything to lurk…

     She wanted to lurk…

     Suddenly she hopped away from the glow, and from then on, she kept to the umbras. The items she’d stolen no longer showed in the aura of her inventory. She wasn’t sure when that had gone away, and it didn’t matter. The things were hers and Leala’s and Kalilu’s now! No, wait, they always had been. Or something. Heavens, she wasn’t too great at the crime thing, was she?

     Leala was a blackened mound lying still on the bench. The fire in the smaller bunny’s pelt had gone out completely. The kit was exhausted it seemed, but everything would be okay now. Mio woke them, and the three ‘pets at last had their dinner.

     * * *

     In a dark and ravaged part of Neopia, there lurked a wraith-like figure. It stood tall even when slouching, which it oft did. Despite its massive size, the creature moved without a sound, save for the clinking of its chains. Stepping through a murky woodland, it ducked beneath a clump of hanging lichen and raised its head to view the Neohome in the distance.

     It was a huge building, and surprisingly well-kept. Poisonous plants grew in organised patterns. Dim lights marked a path to the door. Timidly, the creature slid a piece of wood to the side and entered.

     The mansion’s foyer portrayed a sprawling depiction of cosmic destruction. Broken only from a stairwell and a hallway on either side of it, the wall was carved and painted with images of broken constellations and worlds torn asunder.

     The being, a paranormal Mutant, made its way through the lavish labyrinth until it emerged into an inner chamber. Rage, as she was called, felt her intimidating aura of dark fire retreat as she backed away. Slumping ever lower, coiling where she stood, the Acara stared at the floor and tried not to think of what may happen to her for being late to this meeting.

     A hand gripped one horn and a tentacle took hold of the other. “Aw, is grumpy baby nervous? You sh- LOOK AT ME.”

     She met the monster’s maroon gaze.

      “You should be.”

      “Don’t,” said Rage with an admirable attempt at a snarl. “I’m here now, okay?”

      “Not when I told you to be.”

      “But… But-”

      “Never mind your buts. We’ll talk about it later.”

     The vicious hold on her horns vanished. The monster turned and made its way back to the other side of the room. Its other minions watched her a moment longer, then turned their attention to the one they now found themselves forced to call a master.

      “Now then. Since everyone is FINALLY here… we’ve got some chaos to create. I want to see Neopia fall apart. I wanna see it descend into anarchy. Thirdly: I want a milkshake.” Here, the creature allowed for a dramatic pause. “But where’s the fun in just dismantling society when you’ve gone the straightforward route so many times? Hm? Where’s the fun in that?”

     The Mutant Kau began to speak: “Well-”

      “That was a rhetorical question,” said the otherworldly menace with a chuckle, “I don’t care about your opinions. My point is that it’s more interesting to break things in new and twisty ways.”

      “You see, no world wants to be ruined. They resist. They squirm. And while that’s always fun, I’ve been curious lately. What does it look like when there’s no fight left in a planet? When all the foundations have disappeared out from under their pitiful little LIES, they call their reality?”

     The Darigan Ixi smirked. “I like where you’re going with this.”

      “So, let’s get started,” said the creature with a wicked smile. “The faeries are among the strongest pillars of the world. Maul, Moo, you’ll start in their home. Look for a way to seed distrust in the people. Make them doubt their queen. Rage, you’re coming with me.”

     The altered ‘pet complied. Just as the idiot monster craved, they stopped along the way to pick up a milkshake. Rage relaxed only a little when she realised that her horrible fate would be delayed for now.

     The cold Shenkuuian night embraced them like an old friend. Rage wasn’t sure why they were here, in a far-off corner of the world where a person fled for peace and quiet. She didn’t understand why they had come to this old abandoned Neohome past the dead end of Bridge Street. She knew she would likely never get the hypothetical motives behind any of the monster’s acts. Frankly, she didn’t care to. As soon as she could, the Acara was getting as far as possible from this mess.

     The Classic Neohome loomed over them like a haunted shell, and she wondered as they approached if the undead were lurking. Overgrown plant life whipped at her legs and wasted no time in nearly tripping her. Nocturnal bugs chirped in the backyard forest, growing quiet only when the intruders passed too close.

      “Look around for anything suspicious. Aside from us, I mean.” The cosmic horror sipped her milkshake.

      “You mean like that?” asked Rage flatly, and she pointed to the obvious pink in the middle of the shadowy green.

      “That’ll do.”

     She and the monster crammed themselves painfully into the little tube and braced for an extremely uncomfortable elevator ride. There was static, and a decrepit speaker began blaring a generic melody. The Neopet crouched there, in a stupid little chamber with an evil creature drinking a milkshake and wondered how she’d gotten herself into this situation.

     The winding paths below the earth were mostly of little importance. It wasn’t until they came across a room illuminated by a single screen, with a Draik’s egg behind a thick glass cylinder, that it seemed this trip was worth it.

     The screen glitched. A slew of data points flooded it, then static, then one simple message: Error code_null.

     The egg cracked.

To be continued…