Not the Best Family Reunion

     Perhaps when this was over, the Boss would let him indulge in a bit of redecorating.

     He stood on a cliff with a curled edge overlooking the vast expanse of fae territory. Dusky green grass shuffled at his hooves with an oncoming breeze, and he lifted his muzzle to taste the air. He so enjoyed the smell of subterfuge in the morning. It brought a little extra pep in his step.

      “So, what were we doing here again?” asked Moo in a voice of many, instantly souring his mood.

     Maul jerked his head around to look at the Mutant Kau with a scowl. The golden tassels he had draped over his shoulders swung with the motion. Honestly, why did the Boss choose this empty-headed thing anyway?

      “We’re here to make Faerieland crumble from the inside out,” he told her. “Specifically, we need to start with Queen Fyora. We need a way to make the public doubt her competence. Or better yet: her intentions.”

      “Oh yeah,” said Moo slowly. “How are we gonna do that? Her Majesty’s ruled for a really, really long time.”

      “Yeah, that’s true,” said Maul, looking back out at the land. “How long do you figure she’s been at it?”

     Moo hummed with the sound of feathery screaming in the back of someone’s mind. “At least… four… no, five! Five months at least.”

      “Let’s split up and find out what we can use. I’m losing IQ points from being around you too long.”

     The nimble ‘Pet leaped from his perch. His shiny black hooves hit the ground and he slid down to the edge of a flower patch. He trotted gracefully along the grasslands just outside Faerieland proper. Maul was an odd sight but didn’t exactly stand out; the queendom attracted countless visitors from all over the globe. Plus, Dark Faerie enthusiasts were a thing.

     There was a line for the Wheel of Excitement so long that even the faerie running it looked annoyed. Fighters awaited their turn at the Healing Springs, and a few were even gathered at the Rainbow Fountain looking forward to a dip in the color of their choice.

     The Festival was on the horizon. Maul allowed his thoughts to meander on his way into the city. The crowding was somehow worse here, though he supposed that was to be expected. Faeries of all types intermingled with Neopets and humans. Fuchsias blended with green and gray. Bright orange lilies grew in windowsills and gave off heat in gentle waves. An Angelpuss fluttered by.

     Maul wasn’t a social Batterfly, so perhaps his guess was off, but could the Faerie Festival have already attracted more visitors here than normal? Whatever stunt they pulled, they’d better get it right. This sort of plot required careful planning and a gradual buildup, but Boss would want to see some level of result before long.

     A shadow passed over him, and he looked up to see a Skeith on their way somewhere. Judging by the satchel with that pinkish-looking badge, they were a courier in the middle of their route.

     Maul stopped by a fountain and grinned at his reflection in the water. Something in his mind had clicked; there was a way indeed to play the long and short games both at once. It was sure to earn him the Boss’s favor.

     The Darigan ‘Pet looked around, then trotted happily to a dark corner of the city. He had a monstrosity to call.

     * * *

     Fyora stood on a balcony, her eyes unfocused. A cold wind rushed through her lavender hair. Her mind was everywhere except the here and now, and she nearly jumped right out of her skin when there came a tapping at the glass doors behind her.

     An air faerie stepped out onto the glimmering marble and adjusted a pair of rectangular-framed glasses. Her hair was partially tamed in a bun, and she wore a rather professional set of attire shaded blue with a white cloud trimming.

      “Your Majesty, we’re getting more reports of that tropical depression near Mystery Island.”

      “And?”

      “Well, we’re not sure yet, but they’re saying it could end up turning into a pretty bad storm. The forecast says we may get some nasty weather. The… The air hasn’t been as clean lately, so it’s possible that things could get pretty rough.”

     Fyora sighed and rubbed her weary eyes. “Hm, and if that happens, we’ll have to delay the festival.”

      “Shall I go ahead and reschedule just in case?” asked her assistant, summoning a clipboard and pen. “We can move it to the second day of Collecting?”

      “Yes, just to be safe.” The Faerie Queen looked out at her home. “Tira?”

      “Yes?”

      “Do you ever feel like you’re forgetting something? Or rather, several somethings?”

     Tira sent the pen and clipboard away. “Is that what’s gotten you so spacey? There’s no need to worry; that’s what you have me for.”

      “I’d forget my staff if it wasn’t for you,” said Fyora with a humorous smile. “But that’s not what I’m talking about. It’s not something related to my duties as Queen. It’s more personal.”

     Tira came to stand beside her as Fyora leaned on the balcony’s railing.

      “For starters, I keep getting the feeling that something’s missing. That something happened long ago that…” two familiar silhouettes flashed in her gaze, “separated me from someone I care about.”

      “And then there’s something else,” she continued with a hint of ire in her voice. “A different thing I’ve forgotten. It had something to do with…”

      “With what?”

     She shook her head. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

      “No. Go on; you can tell me. My friend,” said Tira, placing a hand on Fyora’s shoulder. “There’s nothing you can say that will make me think you’re any crazier than I already do. Especially after the Macaroni and Cheese incident.”

      “Well,” said the Faerie Queen with a sigh. “It had something to do with these strange creatures I’d never seen before. Something to do with people that I always found extremely annoying. The whole thing… It just feels so weird. So… random.”

     * * *

     Leala stared at the building, her eyes glazed over from sleeplessness. Charka, the blasted vermin of a ghost, had somehow woken up. The Magma ‘Pet had hoped that the last dose of brain chemicals had chased it out of her skull.

      “Well, either your sister’s escaped again…”

      “Or Notixu’s already been here.”

     By now, the place was deserted. From Reena’s ranting descriptions, Shadeblight wasn’t a place where someone found actual support for their needs. No one would ever suspect Light Faeries, too, making any case against the facility hard to prove. They didn’t exactly have any other leads, so she left Mio and Kalilu outside to investigate.

     Her paw was serviceable, but black splotches plagued her vision. Leala’s pelt provided little light, but the interior was thankfully well-lit. There was no one in the front, and most of the doors were broken. Navigating was simple enough.

     It was quite eerie to see such a bright and cheery place so deserted. The hallucinations of an exhausted mind did nothing to ease that tension. Add “motivational” posters scattering the walls to the mix, and you wound up with an excellent formula for a horror movie. “Jelly World isn’t real, you idiots!” hung next to “Just be positive no matter what! It’s not toxic at all!” and heck... Leala understood why anybody with half a brain cell would want to get out of this place.

     After ruling out everywhere else, all that was left to check was the basement. Leala hopped carefully down the stairs. All around her was a gaping maw of pure dark. She yawned and chose a direction to go in.

      “Aren’t you worried about something lurking in this darkness?”

      “I am the thing lurking in the darkness.”

      “You know, I once knew a ‘Pet who-”

      “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m not- wait.” An ear perked up, turning slowly like an antenna searching for a signal. “Ha! We got somethin’ finally!”

     Leala picked up the pace, using the echoed thuds of her footfalls to make her way through a maze of shadow. The underground was far bigger than the building up above, leaving Leala to wonder about all the poor souls who’d been stuck down here. It took a special kind of twisted to craft a dungeon so impressive, right beneath a colorful guise. The bunny took mental notes for any future secret labs she built.

     Trapped behind a wall of debris, their wings glowing faintly, the Light Faeries sat in a dungeon cell. All of them were crowded together, shoved in a tiny space, and forced to endure each other’s armpit stink. Leala asked them what had happened.

      “A monster…”

      “Not of this world…”

      “It-it took all of the coffee. All of it! We’re coffeeless!”

     “That creature, whatever it was, it-it nullified our powers somehow.”

     Leala massaged her temples. “But like, was it weird-evil or just weird?”

      “Coffeeless!”

      “Dear Neopian, please free us. The monster ran off with one of our most ludicrous patients! A Xweetok. One who claims to have won arm wrestling matches against Werelupes. Such madness cannot be allowed to roam free!”

     Leala rolled her eyes. “Normies.”

      “COFFEELESS, I TELL YOU!”

To be continued…