The fourth stop for the Equestrians' tour of Neopia was the city of Altador. A small-scale parade had been arranged, and the citizens were awed as the ponies popped their heads out of the windows of their Lost Desert transport (Fluttershy had to be coaxed to do so). Aquanax pegged Rainbow to be the type who'd hog all the attention, but the blue pegasus didn't seem to be doing so.
Judging by the spectators, it seems that the tour group were about to be headed for the Hall of Heroes. Which wasn't exactly where nightelf_37's neopets wanted to go (they wanted to go to the Altadorian Archives first, then here), but figured it might as well be their first stop in Altador.
Strangely, the populace calmed down rather quickly before the carriage finally pulled to a stop at the entrance. Although the surrounding Users in the area probably had something to do with it. Something about wanting to get on with their business; apparently, they were a bit cross that they aren't involved in this "Plot" as they always were, which had nothing to do with an equine's behind.
Once inside the Hall of Heroes, the delegates stood in awe as they marveled at what they saw. (Their driver decided to return to the Lost Desert…after a day's rest) There was a circle of eleven statues, each depicting a famed figure. The figures seemed to be from all walks of life, ranging from humble peasants to brave warriors and mighty spellcasters, and even one from a white-collar occupation and one from a…darker background. There was also a base meant for a twelfth, but the statue there seemed to be missing. And tending to the rubble that happened to be there was an orange yurble in a green toga and yellow sash, and a mop and bucket in hand.
(Yurbles are furry bipedal neopets who also seem to be able to go down on fours to run, according to Aquanax. They are easily recognized by their large, fluffy mane, their unusual curled-up ears, as well as the fuzzy patches around their eyes and their very large nose. They also stand at around 40 centimeters tall.)
That's where the tour party of ten went to. The yurble noticed them and said, "Oh. You must be those delegates." He pointed his mop to a far-off stairway. "King Altador is waiting, as well as the rest of the council, very rare for all eleven of them to be there."
And with that, the party headed there. As they ascended the steps, Tychophon decided to start with another story. But before he could do so, he noticed somebody headed their way from behind them. It was an aged Blue anthro lenny with a monocle and balding white hair.
"It's Finneus!" noted Messerole.
The lenny, Finneus, let off a gasp and said, "Oh! The delegates from Equestria! It's an honor to meet you! I'm Finneus, Archive Keeper of Altador!" He turned to face the grundo. "I assume you're here to see the Council?"
"Yes, we are," Twilight answered.
"We were hoping to go to the Altadorian Archives first to…brief them in on this land's history," Tychophon explained. "But then the parade happened. I wonder how they even knew we were coming today at that exact time. They couldn't've waited for hours."
Finneus just shrugged his shoulders in return. "Well, I happen to have the Book of Ages with me…" He demonstrated it by pulling and old book out of his hammerspace (remember, all neopets have one). "So I'll try and read as much as I can to you on the way."
(A/N: For those of you who want to read the Book of Ages without going through the Altador Plot for reasons (i.e. not a Neopets player or think the plot's too difficult), read it here.)
As they continued up the long stairs…
"So this Darkest Faerie… she was a hero before she became The Betrayer?"
Finneus nodded. "Yes, my dear Twilight Sparkle."
"And that was because she saved King Altador's life back in his youth. Supposedly a compassionate act not often found from a dark faerie. At least back in the old days."
"Yes. Betrayals hurt, especially from your first friend." At that, Aquanax noticed Rainbow Dash lower her head and turn away a bit. But the acara decided not to inquire the pegasus on the subject; if someone headstrong like her was acting this way after hearing that, it must be something serious.
At this time, the eleven of them reached the Council Chamber, where two faeries and nine neopets, all anthro, were waiting. There were twelve seats arranged in a half-circle, and one was naturally unoccupied.
"Welcome back," greeted a Blue aisha dressed in a brown bodice with light yellow sleeves, a brown skirt that also bore images of the sun, moon, and stars, and simple black shoes. In addition to long light blue hair that nearly reminded the ponies of one certain…rival, Twilight could also sense that she was a strong spellcaster. She was seated in the middle-right chair. "I see you have brought the delegates from Equestria with you."
"They know you?!" Rarity asked their tour guides, facing Euryflavia.
The usul gave a sheepish laugh as she rubbed her nape. "Eheheheh. It's kind of a long story."
"I presume you aren't merely here for the small 'daily' gift for your User." The voice came from the White lupe sitting in the center of the half-circle of chairs that seated the Council, and was at the right of the Blue aisha. He bore a medium-length beard that signified his age and wisdom. Messerole introduced him as King Altador.
"No, Your Majesty," Tychophon answered as he stepped forward and bowed. Even though that would be nice. "We currently serve as the delegates' tour guides. We took them here so you can discuss…well, political stuff. We planned on taking them to the Archives where Finneus would be," He gestured to the aged Blue lenny. "But then the parade happened and it led us here, so here we are."
"I see," Altador nodded. "Well, let's that over with first. In continuing memory of your great service to our land, I'd like to present you with a gift. It's only a small token of our appreciation, but we hope you will find it to your liking."
The shoyru walked over to the king, who produced an item from…somewhere (likely the hammerspace all neopets have) and offered it. Tychophon took the gift, nodded in thanks, and stored it in his hammerspace.
"What is the gift?" Rarity asked Euryflavia.
"Nothing special, really. A book, a food item, a toy, we sell it at our shop. We come here all the time if possible."
"Now that you're here, should we begin our discussion?"
"Actually, on our way here, Finneus was telling us about this land's history," Twilight said. "So far, we just reached the part regarding the Darkest Faerie." This was followed with a quick blink of her eyes, as if realizing she might've offended them.
Indeed, everybody in the Council had mixed expressions ranging between scorn and sorrow, the latter in Altador's face. "Yes, even now it hurts, but dwelling in the past won't change anything. We have to look to the future." He turned to one of the members in the council. Judging from her appearance, she seemed to be an air faerie (who are often identified by their blonde hair, periwinkle dresses, and delicate-looking bluish wings). She was at the seat second to the left.
The faerie nodded her head, then turned to the delegates. "I am Psellia, the Dreamer, and this is the deed that gave me my standing in the Council of Heroes. Long before the founding of this nation, when Faerieland was still a kingdom on the sky, I was relaxing on the clouds one day when a blumaroo bounced too close to the edge and slipped off. He was about to fall to the sea, and I knew he wouldn't survive the impact, so I immediately swooped down to catch him. My initial shock unfortunately made the distance I had to cover too great for me to do it safely.
"By the time I caught him, we were going down too fast for me to pull ourselves up, so I did my best to slow our fall until we reached the ocean with an almost delicate splash. Then, with the last of my strength, I swam us to shore, where we rested and recovered. While I think it's a fairly modest deed, this tale spread, reached Altador's ears, and he invited me to his group. I'll admit I used to be a little vain back in the day, even after I rescued that neopet, but his bravery eventually served to inspire me and give me a cause to believe in."
Psellia then indicated the other faerie in the room; a light faerie (identified by their bright yellow appearance in hair, clothing, and eyes) who had yellow markings under her eyes. At her seat that was second to the right in the half-circle, this faerie then spoke up. "I am Siyana, The First to Rise. My deed was the saving of a village from a most dreadful fate. During my travels, I once stopped at that village, staying for many weeks and helping keep their crops from frosting over in chilly nights."
"One evening, I spotted a shadowy form moving in the woods and followed them, using a thick blanket to hide my light. There, I found out that bandits were about to raid the village. I immediately flew to warn the village, but I was spotted and an arrow pierced my left wing. It hurt bad, and now grounded, I ran as fast as I could, my pursuers quick to the chase."
Some of the ponies turned to Aquanax, who had Faerie wings of her own. The acara explained, "Wings of true Faeries and born-Faerie neopets are more sensitive to pain than painted-Faerie neopets like me. That doesn't mean I won't feel a thing if that arrow pierced mine."
Siyana had paused patiently and once the neopet was done she continued, "By the time I reached the village, I was too out of breath to cry for help, so instead I used all my power to shine as bright as I could. The villagers thought the sun had risen and left their houses and saw the bandits approaching. Alerted to their presence, they armed themselves and drove the bandits away. As thanks for my deed, this farmer recommended Altador to me, and that's how I became part of his Council." The light faerie indicated the neopet to her right, a Yellow kacheek with hair of a lighter shade and deep blue eyes in a white toga with green pteruges, a laurel wreath, and leather caligae.
(Kacheeks are furry bipedal neopets with pointed ears and a fluffy tail. They normally stand at around 30 centimeters.)
"I am Florin, the Farmer," he introduced himself. "It wasn't long after Siyana's deed that I did mine. One day, I found some fellow farmers talking about a blight that was affecting their crops and turning them black. Unless something was done, an entire season's worth of food would be lost." Applejack, herself a farmer, took off her hat and put it in front of her chest in sympathy.
"I asked one of them to show one of those sick plants, they instead led me to the entire field, one third of which had been afflicted. Even though my own crops wouldn't have been affected, I spent days trudging through the woods, looking for a rare plant that could fix the problem. I found it after a few days, and returned to the village. I quickly ground the herbs and mixed them into a large trough of water, instructing the farmers to take a bucket and pour them into the afflicted plants. Within days, the blight vanished, though at the cost of my own crops due to neglect. Thankfully, the villagers were more than happy to share theirs with me.
"This word of my act of true generosity spread, and that's how I came to meet Altador himself, who offered me to join him." At hearing the word 'generosity', Pinkie's right ear began to twitch a bit, but nobody seemed to notice. "Now, I'm the overseer of the kingdom's plentiful farms." The kacheek then indicated a Blue cybunny in a purple dress and simple bonnet, as well as a tambourine in her paws, at was at the leftmost seat.
(Cybunnies are furry, lapine, quadruped neopets whose most noticeable features are their large ears, the ruff of fur around their necks, small and fluffy tail, and large, strong hind paws. They normally stand at around 30 centimeters as well.)
This cybunny spoke. "I am Sasha, the Dancer. In the quiet hometown where I grew up, me and the villagers there toiled for months for a great festival, hoping to make it the grandest ever. They worked extra hard to save as much food as possible, and even set up a grand stage. When the day came, the town was buzzing with excitement. Unfortunately, just hours before it would begin, a fierce tornado appeared. The town elders herded everybody to the large basement below the town hall for safety. For hours, I sang to the children and kept them calm."
"When it was all over, we found that the tornado had destroyed everything. The bandstand, the food stores, everything was in shambles. I couldn't let this storm take the community's spirit along with it, so I proceeded to dance, as if I was on a beautiful stage. They were shocked at first, but eventually joined in, and the sound of our revelry was heard well in the night. This deed reached Altador and he came in search of me. He understood the gift of hope and laughter, and welcomed me to be a part of his Council."
Upon hearing the word 'laughter', Pinkie's right ear twitched again for a little longer before stopping. Rainbow did notice it, but she shrugged it off as Sasha indicated a Blue peophin with a dark blue mane, blue iris-less eyes, and silver breastplate and arm guards. He was two seats from the right away from Jerdana.
(Peophins are elegant, graceful neopets that are half-equine in the front and half-aquatic in the back. They have fins sticking out from near their ears, their fur is very short and fades to scales in their large tail area, and a long mane reaching all the way to their backs. They normally stand at around 40 centimeters.)
"I am Marak, the Wave. I ruled over a small underwater village at the base of a drop-off just beyond the shore, where a town of fishermen resided. I used to be unmoved by their activities, but Psellia's plea impressed me to communicate with them. We co-existed peacefully for many years, but then food became scarce due to over-fishing. The land folk put the blame on my clan, and though I tried to reach a peaceful agreement with their leader, hostilities escalated quickly. One day, our village had been hit with boulders pushed down by the fishermen. Infuriated, I readied my clan for battle. As a counterattack, we positioned ourselves in a long line, three peophins below water level, and swam forward as fast as we could, creating a wave to push back the villagers and their rocks. By evening, the fishermen pulled back.
"Despite my anger, I couldn't leave this mutual hatred to fester, so I went ashore and spoke with the leader, reasoning that this conflict was senseless. I succeeded in persuading him, and we worked to find a peaceful solution. Years later, my deed of strong leadership reached Altador's ears, and he offered me and my clan to live off the shore of what would become this city. I accepted his offer, but not before testing his strength to see if he really was sincere, which he was. We would defend the city from enemies who would attempt to reach here by sea."
Marak extended a hoof to another member of the Council, a Blue grarrl with green scleroses in a brown military uniform. Galea, breastplate, leather gauntlets, caligae, the works. He also had some bandages on his tail, and was seated next to the Blue Aisha.
(Grarrls are scaly bipedal neopets, notable for their enormous teeth, which are bared at every suitable occasion. They also have short, slender arms that are surprisingly feeble-looking in comparison to the legs, a long, strong tail, a broad body, and a powerful roar. They normally stand at around 100 centimeters.
"I am Torakor, the Gladiator. In the days of old, armies often collided, at the cost of many lives and lots of money for funding the troops. Sometimes, to spare these costs, each army would settle a battle with the Rules of Engagement, a one-on-one between their greatest warriors. I was one of those warriors, and won many victories for my commanding general. He thought his army was invincible with me in it, and decided to expand his territories.
"I was troubled at this, but did not question him… until we came upon a small village. We surrounded it, and he challenged it via the Rules of Engagement. A quivering shoyru with a garden hoe was unfortunately their only champion. The army burst into laughter, but as for me, I decided to represent them. Enraged, the general ordered my elimination, but the prospect of fighting one of their own—thousands to one, no less (even I wouldn't have lasted long)—was horrifying enough for them to instead defect from him. And before I knew it, I had my own army."
"We became known for protecting villages instead of sacking them, and it wasn't long before I received a letter from Altador himself, informing me that a new city could use an army with such virtue in their leader. I was a bit skeptical at first, so when I came, I engaged him in battle to test his worth. He proved to be a skilled warrior, we became close friends, and I accepted the offer."
Torakor then indicated an Orange skeith with brown hair and a goatee in a blue official's uniform and red sash. He was seated to the right of Psellia from the perspective of the delegates.
(Skeiths are draconian neopets who can either go biped or quadruped, and are very solidly built with large bodies, tails and thighs. They have two small wings on their shoulder blades, spiky ridges down their spines, and strong tails tipped with a triangular plate. They are also notable for their large ears, obvious underbite, and stand at around 90 centimeters.)
"I am Gordos, the Collector. I'm the city's tax collector." he then noticed the wary eyes of some of the ponies. "Yes, I know that when it comes to the world of financial dealings, it's very easy to fall to evil but let me explain how and why I'm part of Altador's council. I once served a city that heavily taxed its citizens. I felt bad for taking so much of their earnings, but the governor insisted that every neopoint is put to good use and the high taxes were necessary for the city to prosper. I took his word at first, but eventually I saw the city fall into ruin, crime, and poverty."
"I wondered why a city with so much tax revenue was not flourishing, so I went to the governor. I was denied entrance, but I pushed my way in and would you believe what I saw; his home was lavishly decorated, there was plenty of exquisite rugs and expensive art, and on the dinner table was food on golden plate and goblets, enough for thirty. I was livid! The tax money had gone to his gold platters while the people starved."
"I confronted the governor and he attempted to bribe me into silence with his riches, but I wasn't having any of that. I outed him to the authorities, he was removed from office, and not only did I sell the luxuries and returned the profits to the people, I also reduced the tax rate by four-fifths. My deed of honesty despite the vice of riches surrounding me came to Altador's attention, and before I knew it I was part of his council, not just when it comes to riches, but also for artifacts, other supplies, and even information."
Erstwhile, upon hearing 'honesty', Pinkie's ear twitched again, and this time, everybody noticed as it came along with a moan from the earth pony. Twilight was quick to defuse the awkward silence, "Sorry, it's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. She's always been weird, and I've learned the hard way never to question her moments like these."
After taking a moment in silence, Gordos gestured to a Blue techo with green eyes and yellow scleroses (as with many techos) in a dark green cape and similarly-colored clothing that just screamed "thief". He was seated at the right-most seat, next to Siyana.
(Techos are scaly bipedal neopets with three-toed feet, a long, sturdy tail, very large eyes positioned on either side of their head, and markings on their face that contrast with the color of their skin. They normally stand at around 60 centimeters.)
"I'm Kelland, the Thief. I'll admit it's strange for someone of my stature to be part of Altador's Council, but remember that it also had someone like the Darkest Faerie, who only turned on us a long time after the founding of this city, that'll be explained later. My deed that landed me among them was, as expected, back in the old days. I was a firm believer in freedom, and I saw the darkness as a way to avoid scrutiny. And from that I came to understand that true liberty came from embracing the unknown rather than fearing it. Back then, I didn't question my role in society, it was just the way I am.
"Until one day, when I saw a tired worker collect his weekly wages and headed down a dark alley. His money was promptly swiped by a robber. I took witness of this, and something awoke deep inside of me. I returned to the thieves' den that night, and saw the robber lounging about. I was disgusted with how smug he felt, and stealthily swiped the coin puch back, with him none the wiser. Back in the streets, I saw the worker sullenly trudge home. Once he was inside, I knocked on his door, left the pouch, and hid on the roof."
"He gasped in joy upon seeing the pouch, and said that whoever returned this has his eternal gratitude, and left a few coins for me, not that he knew it was me. I felt…fulfilled, something I never had throughout my life of crime. From then on, I used my skills for good whenever I could, protecting the working poor from crime. Word soon spread of my deeds of charity, and Altador invited me. While the Darkest Faerie had already been Altador's friend by that time, it was my suggestion that she be part of the Council too. Since we were both Dark-aligned, her by element, me by background, Siyana initially distrusted us, but she eventually came to an understanding."
Kelland then gestured to a Yellow acara with green eyes, pink eye shadow, long red hair tied in a ponytail, a khaki cape, and a humble brown stola. She was seated to the left of Gordos. She offered a gentle smile before speaking, "I am Fauna, the Gatherer. I once lived in a small farm where the apples I tended grew to an enormous size and were the most delicious in all the land. The villagers smile and wave when I passed by, and petpets often followed at my heels. Even so, there were those who would do harm to them in my area, and I would protect them at any cost, even if I have to drive them away."
"One day, to my confusion, the petpets who follow me were nowhere to be seen. An old usul explained that the storm a night prior scared them so badly they ran off into the dark. I knew many predators roamed the edge of town, so I set off to find the petpets, followed by two pitchfork-wielding townsfolk for my protection. After a while, I heard one of their squeals, and we hurried over to find one of the petpets cornered by a giant, snarling creature. It glared at us as we approached, and managed to scare my 'protectors' in at least backing away.
"I on the other hand held out an apple to the beast. Even as it bared its teeth, I held my ground. Eventually, it took the apple, and I proceeded to stroke its mane. I remember the villagers falling over in shock when it began to lick my face." All of a sudden, Pinkie began to giggle, doing her best to not guffaw right then and there. Fauna didn't seem to take offense, though. "Is something funny with my recollection?"
The earth pony shook her head. "Not at all. It's just that…now that I think about it, you're very similar to Fluttershy here." She pulled the yellow pegasus over to indicate her. "She's very good at taking care of animals, and very kind too. You know, one time, me and my friends—though we weren't exactly friends friends yet—had to get past a scary monster. Everypony else was all for forcing their way through, but Fluttershy convinced us to wait. Well, after trying and failing a few times. Turns out the monster had a thorn in its paw." Her voice then lowered into a whisper as she leaned in Fauna's direction. "Though she didn't actually know it yet." Pinkie then pulled back and resumed normal tone. "After removing the thorn, the beast began to pick her up and…lick her in the face like a lost puppy, allowing us to pass through!"
Just as she finished, a magenta aura surrounded her and she was pulled to the back. Judging by the aura, the culprit was Twilight, and she immediately let off a nervous giggle as she mainly faced Altador. "I'm terribly sorry for her actions, Your Majesty. I've been telling her to control herself before coming here, but it just seems to be difficult for her."
"It's all right," said Altador as he faced Fauna. "Please continue."
The acara in the Council nodded. "In any case, the tale of my patience and kindness spread far and wide, reaching Altador's ears as well." Pinkie giggled a bit, but quickly stopped herself. Her right ear did continue to twitch a while longer, though. "When he came to invite me in his council though, I was in the process of fiercely protecting my land. And one day, when I was resting after a weary session, he came at my door, and he explained his intentions. Once I understood, and realizing I ended up being the first 'threat' to this future kingdom, and that I had been repelling its to-be-settlers, I joined his cause immediately. I believe it's your turn, Jerdana." she indicated the Blue aisha sitting next to Altador.
"Thank you, Fauna." The aisha turned to face the delegates. "I am Jerdana, the Protector. Before I joined the Council of Twelve, I was a wanderer. I got by on neopets I help for food and shelter. I was looking for something, but I didn't know what. And then one night, I came across Altador, though I have yet to know his name, sitting by a campfire, and he offered to share his food before I even asked. We sat and spoke for a time, we didn't notice a pack of werelupes until they surrounded us."
"Werelupes?" Twilight asked. "What's their difference between ordinary lupes?"
Finneus, who had stayed quiet the entire time, spoke up. "The difference between werelupes and ordinary lupes are that the former are generally more savage, moreso in the night. Their fur is also dark brown, at least the grunts."
"And to make things confusing, a Halloween-Colored lupe has the same appearance as a werelupe," snarked Messerole, though with a hint of humor.
"Altador made to attack, but I knew we were outnumbered, so I threw up a barrier that kept them at bay until they gave up and loped off into the night," Jerdana continued. "Altador was astounded by my power in magic, and offered me a place in his council. I finally found my calling, and joined him."
All of a sudden, Pinkie burst into a fit of laughter. This earned a worried face from Twilight, and curious looks from the neopets and faeries. "Pinkie!" Twilight scolded.
The earth pony's laugh abruptly stopped. "Sorry, Twilight. It's just that…five of their stories just reminded me a lot about us!" She gestured to Florin. "Generosity!" Then to Sasha. "Laughter!" Gordos. "Honesty!" Fauna. "Kindness!" Jerdana. "Magic! Though I haven't heard one for Loyalty."
"Um, do you know what she is talking about?" Florin asked Twilight.
"I think she's referencing the Elements of Harmony." The 'leader' of the delegates turned to face Altador. "Which are six magical artifacts in Equestria that represent subject aspects of… well, harmony; honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty, and magic, the Magic of Friendship. Their purpose mainly serves to purify forces of evil, or undo the damage those forces have done." She made a pointed glare at Pinkie, 'telling' her not to spout out anything else. Like the fact that the artifacts needed bearers, or that they were those bearers; that can come at another much later time.
They didn't know it, but it was obvious to Altador that they did not tell everything, but the king knew it wouldn't be right to force their…hoof. Every nation has their secrets, and there's no need to delve into it unless it directly concerns them. He didn't voice this however.
"I see. Now it's time for my tale," he spoke up, returning everybody to the topic they previously started on. "I was raised in a city of corrupt leaders, and one by one my neighbors left to seek a better life until little remained. The citizens left, looking for somewhere else to make a new start. Though still young at the time, I did my best to help by hunting for food, thus honing my skills in archery. We soon managed to settle and build a new village and prospered, though it was difficult without a city's resources and minimal trade."
"By the time I was an adult, I left to seek out a new city with good and just leaders. But as I traveled, I heard of the greedy and power-hungry governors all over, and their people suffering for it. I would've given up on my quest, had I not come upon a lush plain beside a beautiful shore, and I thought 'This would be a good place for a city. Too bad there isn't one here already.'
"And that's when I realized, maybe I should found my own city. But it would take years, and I would have to find others with the same dream, others who would swear to uphold what is right over what is easy, and not fall into corruption. As you have heard…" he gestured to all the Council members present. "…They, and her…" It was obvious who he meant by that. "…are among the ones I found. I gathered them, more from other scattered villages including my old home, and united them under one banner.
"The years passed, and our city flourished. Together, the twelve of us pledged that we would form the greatest and most noble city to ever grace Neopia's landscape. Even I, when not holding court, would help build the city alongside my subjects. The Darkest Faerie suggested magic be used to speed up the process, but I replied that one appreciates a home far more when they themselves place its stones. Indeed, when it was finished, nobody littered, nobody made markings on the walls, for we worked hard to build our city and doing so would dishonor that.
"For the record, I did not actually name this city after myself. Rather, when the time came, the twelve of us submitted the name in a ballot box, and when I pulled each piece of parchment from it, I saw that everyone but myself wrote 'Altador' as their suggestion." There were nods of agreement from the rest of the Council, affirming his words. "Soon, the caravans came, trading began, and our city became a center of culture and enlightenment. To ensure it survived the ages, Siyana blessed the mortals among us with the gift of great longevity."
"You might ask why I haven't shared this with the rest of the world. Well, the Darkest Faerie asked the same thing, and suggested I send Torakor and his army to unite them under my fair rule. I admitted that on the surface it sounded like a good idea, but I refused, reasoning that I would be no better than the general Torakor stood against if I did that, even if I thought it would be for their own good."
"The dangers of a well-intentioned extremist," muttered Tychophon. "It's easy to slip off the deep end, and you can't often tell until it's too late, and maybe not even then."
"Yes," agreed Jerdana. "She didn't like it, but she knew he was right. Perhaps turning down her ideas was why she eventually betrayed us. Over time, she plotted to take over Altador, removing all history of the rest of us in the process both physically and magically, but thanks to me and Queen Fyora, she was narrowly thwarted, turned to stone, and cast to the bottom of the ocean," Jerdana continued. "Unfortunately, it came at a price; our city was trapped within a time bubble and disappeared off the face of Neopia for as long as the Darkest Faerie. According to later visitors, a thousand years have passed before she escaped once more.
"Returning to Neopia, she sought to take over the kingdom of Meridell to recover the wand Fyora used to seal her, which had been buried there," Altador continued. "Next she attacked Faerieland itself, and fought with Fyora. In a desperate attempt to seek help, she created a portal to Altador for two young heroes, Tormund and Roberta. After gathering us all together, Jerdana handed them a magical amulet for their use and for sealing the Darkest Faerie once more."
"Gather you all together?" asked Rarity.
"The details of that is a tale of its own and it best told by those two heroes. You'll find them in Meridell and Brightvale," Jerdana stated. "After I sent them back to Faerieland, we enacted on a contingency plan should they fail, which they didn't. Using a very complex spell, I began to magically veil the memories and history books of everyone and everything in Altador, so that the Darkest Faerie could not bewitch us into believing she was the true ruler. Thanks to another part of that spell, it was eventually broken by a User.
"You see, part of the complexities of my spell is that it doesn't merely draw from me; I made it run on a separate power source, which I hid in the Darkest Faerie's statue. That other part of the spell provided for magical clues that would eventually lead the User to the mechanism for destroying her statue. It was a long and drawn-out process, to ensure that only the persistent (And whose who looked up guides made by those who cleared it, Euryflavia added mentally.) can solve it. The Darkest Faerie wasn't one for obscure puzzles."
"I see," Twilight spoke. "But… "
Sorry, dear readers, but I feared I would be putting way too much text on the Council portion than on the rest of Altador. Basically, what happened next is that an explanation of provided on why the Council seemed to know nightelf_37's neopets; The High Users, one of them being the User who broke the spell, decided that the puzzle would be interesting for Users, so they created a magical field around the city that would take Users to different "time periods", a very complex process I'm not gonna explain here (I put up something in the TV Tropes page on Neopets under the WMG sub-section). After that, the council requested nightelf_37's neopets to leave the chamber while they and the delegates discussed…diplomatic stuff, but not before the four yellow ones asked for a favor regarding the Colosseum…
Once the delegates of Equestria were finished discussing with the council, they rejoined their tour guides as they took them to the various places in Altador, starting with the Altadorian Archives as they first planned to go, where they showed the various clubs (especially the astronomy Club), then to the other (for-Users) stores, which sold food, armor, petpets, and magic items. The ponies were awed with the verdant greenery in the entire city, the aqueduct system was really innovative, and indeed there was no littering or graffiti in sight.
Before long, the group of ten reached the Colosseum, and entered its halls before making their way to the central area, where two teams of neopets were practicing a game. One team was composed of chias (normally 60 cm-tall neopets shaped like squashed ovals, have chubby arms and legs, and have no distinction between head and body) that seemed to be made of…some sort of gelatinous substance. And the other team was an assortment of more-or-less normal anthro Neopets, and—judging by their uniforms—they were a sports team local to Altador. There was also a red scorchio in a referee outfit and a whistle just outside the field boundaries. He was obviously the referee.
The sport was reminiscent of soccer, though with only five members per team, and the ball wasn't kicked around but instead held by 'catchers' on their arms (either the left or the right, mostly the right). And when the ball (colored brown) was hurled by one of the players, it was evident that it was actually a living creature curled into itself like an armadillo. One of the ponies moved, and everybody instinctively stopped her, and surprisingly she didn't struggle. And then Tychophon did a double-take upon realizing they were holding back Fluttershy.
And then he remembered something Pinkie Pie said about her when comparing the pegasus with Fauna; they both cared for animals, and can be scary when coming to their defense. The difference here was that as a native to Neopia, Fauna knows that these yooyus were not being abused; the neopets can only imagine Fluttershy's thought process upon realizing the balls the two teams were throwing around were living things.
And then the assorted team scored as one of them hurled the living ball to the goal defended by the…gelatinous chias, and the goalkeeper failed to catch the yooyu in time, in which the ball uncurled itself and jumped in cheer. And then the referee blew his whistle, making a short 'beep'. The players returned to their positions, and the yooyu rolled out of the field's bounds to be picked up later. The ponies observed that the teams consisted of two forwards, two defenders, and one goalkeeper.
Messerole then decided to supply them with a little more info. "That two-two formation is just one of three. There's also the one-three formation and the three-one formation, offensive and defensive respectively. It all boils down to preference and team chemistry."
And then something happened in the center of the playing field. Unlike the rest of it, which was all sand and dirt, this was two metal plates, akin to a 'door'. And then that opened and another yooyu popped out. In an instant, the forwards were on the ball-like petpet like cats to a ball of yarn or a mouse.
The match was as heated as any other sport. Quick passes, stealing the ball (somehow), scoring attempts, and at least one hint of unfair play. In the end, the local team (Team Altador) seemed victorious over the team of gelatinous chias (Practice Team) as the referee signaled the end of the match with a long whistle.
And then the leader, an anthro Green poogle, spoke to the rest of his team, "Nice work, everybody! We'll get the trophy one day!" And then he turned to where the tour party is. "Ah! The delegates from Equestria! Right on schedule!"
"On… schedule?" parroted Twilight. The other ponies were equally confused. In the meantime, the team of chias and the poogle's teammates left the field.
"His Majesty asked that you partake in at least one game of Yooyuball. Your tour of Altador isn't complete without playing its national game."
"Come on," urged Tychophon as he reached into the bag for something. "It'll be fun. We even brought our own Yooyuball."
"That won't be necessary, kid," said the poogle. "The field's been set up for you."
"Thank you very much, sir," Twilight said politely. "Oh, I didn't catch your name."
"'Trapper' Remis, Yooyuball Team Captain for Team Altador."
A half-hour later, the tour group was ready to take part in their Yooyuball game, fitted with Yooyuball uniforms that were then given a quick paint job with a magic paintbrush, but not the ones that change a neopet's or petpet's Color (and not for sale to Users). There was some adjustments for the ponies though, since not only the Uni-sized uniforms were slightly bigger, there has been no Uni in Altador Cup history that has played the role of a forward or defender (only goalie). There was also the issue of fitting the 'catchers' to them.
There were also limitations imposed to keep the game fair, some already established. Some of these were an 'altitude limit' to prevent the players with flight from going too far up (Euryflavia and Messerole were required to relinquish their wing gear for the duration of the game), tethers were attached to the unicorns' catchers and their uniforms to prevent them from 'reaching' farther than is possible for an average neopet Yooyuball player, and a speed regulation was set on Rainbow Dash to keep her from going too fast for a fair game.
Given that there were six delegates and four tour guides, one pony had to be transferred to the other team to keep the numbers even. To everypony's surprise, the neopets chose Fluttershy as their fifth member, using the claim of 'home advantage' as an excuse for their 'confidence'.
The teams went as follows: "Team Equestria" assumed the two-two formation, with Rainbow and Pinkie as forwards, Applejack and Twilight as defenders, and Rarity as the goalie, while "Team Yellow" on the other hand assumed the one-three formation, with Messerole, Tychophon, and Euryflavia as forwards, Fluttershy as defender, and Aquanax as goalie.
The acara wanted to be on the front, but there were no uniforms accustomed to her for forward or defender. While there is an acara player in the history of Yooyuball, he's an anthro and she isn't. That and Messerole didn't want to be stuck in the back, and they settled the dispute with a rock-paper-scissors.
The only spectators for this 'exhibition match' were Team Altador, the practice team of Jelly chias, members of a secret club situated in this very Colosseum, a few visiting Altadorians, and some officials to ensure fair play in this match. The entrance to the playing field then opened, and the audience first saw the delegates as they walked in.
Five of the six ponies were dressed in Yooyuball uniforms that were structurally similar to Faerieland's, except the primary colors were white and dark blue, and one of them wore a cowboy hat. The last pony's uniform was saffron and amber (two shades of yellow), an example followed by the four non-anthro neopets that followed; a shoyru, an acara, a grundo, and an usul.
Once the two playing teams were in their positions, the rules were reviewed for the sake of the delegates. After that, the center opened and a normal yooyu was launched skyward. All five forwards advanced, but Rainbow reached and nabbed it first with her catcher, which was attached to her right front hoof; she will not be able to rest on all fours for the duration of the match.
The pegasus promptly zoomed past the hesitant Fluttershy as the ground-bound forwards of Team Yellow immediately turned around to steal the ball, Pinkie pronked after her teammate, and Aquanax prepared to defend the goal. As soon as she was in what she judged as a good enough distance, Rainbow hurled the yooyu towards the opponent's goal, but the acara was ready. Taking off from the ground, she flew straight for the ball to counteract its velocity and caught it, just getting pushed back a bit as she landed.
Then, seeing two of her teammates waiting to be passed the ball, and Pinkie already moving to block one of them (Euryflavia), she twirled in place once to build momentum before hurling the yooyu straight for Messerole. The grundo caught the ball easily, then started to scud for Team Equestria's goal, but was ready to toss it to Tychophon, who was already positioning himself for a pass-shoot. Twilight stood below him, ready to jump so that her catcher can intercept it.
Already, Applejack was closing in on the grundo right in front of her, her catcher ready in her tail (the same went for Pinkie). Most of the other players at Team Yellow's end of the field were also making their move on the ball. Making his move, Messerole leaped straight over the earth pony, but Applejack reared up in surprise. Thankfully, she didn't do it early enough for him to end up smacking her in the face with his foot or his body, and he ended up just knocking off her hat instead. Still, it messed up his landing and he stumbled a bit, and it gave her enough time to turn around, approach the grundo, knock the yooyu out of his catcher and into hers.
Applejack turned to the approaching Pinkie, who has Euryflavia right behind her, then to Twilight, who had Tychophon above her ready to dive, then at Pinkie again. Knowing that Messerole will be ready in a few seconds to steal the yooyu back, and knowing that the shoyru might be able to grab the ball if she tossed it into the air for Rainbow to get, she hurled it at her (possible) distant cousin. However, the usul managed to get around Pinkie at this time, grab the yooyu, and dash away from her to make a run for the goal.
As she made to run between Team Equestria's two defenders, Euryflavia was coming to a minor conundrum as to how she could make the shot with the detail-critical Rarity standing in the way. She also doesn't know how experienced the fashionista might be in predicting an opponent's moves. Still, hesitation would give her opponent more time, so Euryflavia decided to leave it to chance and give it her best shot.
The yooyu sailed in the air towards one of the goal's corners, but Rarity was already close enough for her catcher to grab it. Since grabbing the yooyu with her magic is prohibited (and watched closely by an official), she reared back her catcher as she prepared to throw it, but then a whistle rang out. As it turns out, she had reared back her catcher so much that it was now in-bounds of the goal's area, scoring one point for Team Yellow.
Everybody groaned at this fluke (including the yooyu as it uncurled itself, hopped off, and rolled away), and a few even made outcries. Even neopet children who have seen a Yooyuball match knew not to make this mistake. Then again, telekinesis isn't a common ability among Neopets, and while Faeries do have some degree of it, they don't participate as players.
All the players returned to their positions as the stage prepared for the next yooyu to be launched.
The next yooyu turned out to be the Ice variant; snow white and ice blue, freezing to the touch, and flies slower without falling to the ground as a consequence of less velocity. It even falls faster, as if time is slowed down for the yooyu. This time, Euryflavia was the first to nab the ball, dashing forward before jumping to catch it.
Her follow-up landing was smooth and she was already advancing to the goal, Rainbow right behind her, Pinkie being blocked by Tychophon, and Twilight staring hard at the usul as she tried to predict her next move. Euryflavia elected to run straight for the unicorn, catching her a little off guard before then doing a left ninety-degree turn. However, Twilight managed to get her catcher to knock the yooyu out of the usul's (right-hand) catcher and into hers. The unicorn then quickly passed it to Rainbow, who immediately flew for Team Yellow's goal.
Erstwhile…
"Please, Fluttershy, at least make an effort in playing," Aquanax called out to her pony teammate. "We didn't choose you just so this can be a six-on-four. There aren't even that many spectators."
"I know. It's just that…"
"You haven't played against your friends before?"
A nod was the only response the acara saw.
"I have difficulty believing that. Anyway, remember that this is just a friendly match. No grudges will be held. It's all in good fun. And Rainbow Dash is already coming this way."
Indeed she was, and once again Fluttershy was easily bypassed, and once again it was up to Aquanax to defend the goal. This time, Rainbow moved closer than last time before hurling the yooyu at the goal. The acara was able to catch it once again, but the force of the throw was so strong despite the Ice yooyu's reduced speed she found herself within the goal's boundaries. Thankfully, the yooyu wasn't as well, so Team Equestria hasn't scored yet.
Unfortunately, Rainbow realized this wasn't soccer, where stealing the ball from the goalie was penalized, and swiftly swiped the yooyu from Aquanax, then shot it through the goal again, scoring a point for her team. The acara's eyes went red at that, but she knew this was a fair move, having seen it in numerous Yooyuball matches back in the Cups.
The next ball was the Fire yooyu; red and black, on (relatively harmless) fire, and flies very fast, even sometimes leaping right out of the players' hands when in their catchers for too long. Tychophon was the first to reach the ball this time, and as he weaved around Rainbow's attempts to steal the yooyu, before he was in range of the defenders, he spun once before tossing the ball, counting on its speed to make it to the goal before Rarity could react.
Unfortunately, while Team Equestria's defenders were unable to get in the Fire yooyu's path, he underestimated the white unicorn as she was able to successfully get her catcher in its path and exert enough magic force to keep the yooyu from making it. After that, she tossed the ball to Applejack, who then galloped straight for the goal.
Messerole was closing in from the front and Tychophon from behind, but she was confident she could keep the ball away from them and get close enough to score a goal. Unfortunately, just as she successfully went around the grundo, the yooyu decided to be fickle and launch itself out of her catcher…and straight into Fluttershy's. She was naturally surprised to see herself catch the fireball, and as she looked at it, it uncurled itself momentarily and looked happy to see her before curling up again.
And then came the calls to pass the ball to them. From Tychophon being blocked by Rainbow at every turn, to Messerole being barred by Applejack, and to Euryflavia and Pinkie making swerves around each other without any rough handling. It was a difficult choice to make, but eventually she decided to toss it at the shoyru; from what she'd been able to pick up in the game so far, he seemed to be the best out of all of them, even though he's currently being blocked by the fastest flyer in Equestria.
With some swift aerial maneuvers, Tychophon was able to swerve below Rainbow before rising upward to catch the Fire yooyu. Then, he spun once before facing the opponent's goal and tossing the ball for a long shot. As it streaked straight for Rarity (or more precisely, past her), she prepped herself to catch it. The Element Bearers have faced numerous dangers before; one living fireball should be no problem.
The Fire yooyu landed soundly in the catcher, but Rarity had been so focused on it that she didn't notice Messerole already closing in, having ran to the goal the moment Fluttershy tossed the ball. Euryflavia was still being blocked by Pinkie, and Tychophon was feeling a little winded from his stunt, so it was up to the grundo. As quick he could, he snatched the ball from Team Equestria's goalie, and threw it down, landing on Rarity's left before bouncing upward and into the goal, scoring one more point for Team Yellow.
The next yooyu was the Clockwork yooyu. Completely mechanical, set on a timer to explode, and not actually a living yooyu, not even mentally; just basically a yooyu-shaped bomb, and a rather weak one, too. But because there was no time to assure Fluttershy that it wasn't going to off itself, the rest of Team Yellow had to act very fast to score before it blows up. In the meantime, it will slowly turn red, which will likely alert Team Equestria to do the same.
Once again, Rainbow was the first to reach it, and she was quick to speed towards Team Yellow's goal. Unlike the first time, Fluttershy was able to intercept it. However, it wasn't a good enough effort to steal the ball, but it was enough for the speedy pegasus to drop it.
Messerole managed to grab the yooyu and started making his way to the goal, only for Pinkie to intercept him. He barely managed to keep the ball away from her, saw Euryflavia right past her ready to catch, and immediately ran to the closest side of the field. On the grundo's other side, Rainbow was already closing in to nab the yooyu from him. The moment he thought it was okay, Messerole performed what was known as an outlet pass, where one passes the yooyu to another player by making it bounce at an angle off the arena wall; a maneuver coined by one Ilsa Ellits of Team Meridell.
The maneuver was a complete success, and Euryflavia received the ball flawlessly before speeding straight for the goal. Twilight was busy mentally analyzing the outlet pass before noticing Euryflavia moving to bypass her. Quickly, she made to steal the ball, but the usul vaulted straight over her when she thought the neopet was going to go around. Once the bushy-tailed Neopet was back on solid ground, she made a dash for the goal. Rarity stood on guard, ready to catch the ball…until she saw it turning red and steaming. The second the usul hurled the ball, Rarity was quick to snatch it, and—in a moment of panic—was quick to hurl it skyward.
Tychophon debated flying up to catch it, and he wouldn't be penalized for breaching the 'altitude limit' if it was only to catch a yooyu, but he would have to fly back down to the 'limit' before he could toss it, so he decided to try and anticipate its descent. Rainbow did the same thing and the two ended up trying to push each other away while adhering to the rules.
Just as the ball reached the both of them, the shoyru noticed it was at its breaking point and immediately bugged out. The pegasus didn't as the Clockwork yooyu exploded, catching them both in the blast. Thankfully, due to secret materials, the yooyu did not leave shrapnel upon blowing up. Mysteriously, three bodies fell to the ground, but the unconscious one was neither of those sent crashing from the explosion.
"I guess one of us should've told her the Clockwork yooyu was just a non-sentient machine," Messerole noted as he looked at the fainted Fluttershy.
The next yooyu, after two more normal ones, was the Darigan yooyu; purple and black, evil red eyes, leathery wings, sharp teeth, and a mischievous attitude, not going where its thrower wants it to go. Rainbow should've know something was up, but didn't have time to ponder on that as she caught it—and seeing none of Team Yellow's forwards make a move for it—and zoomed towards the goal. As soon as she was in range, not quite getting Aquanax's smug look, she tossed the yooyu, only for it to decide to go the other way as soon as it left her catcher.
"What?!"
"That's the thing about those yooyus," said the acara goalie. "They never go where you throw them."
"Then how do you even score a goal with that kind of ball?!"
"Luck and reverse psychology."
Meanwhile, the Darigan yooyu was now in Fluttershy's catcher, and she overheard Aquanax's explanation. However, she still didn't know what to do with it. Still, she figured she should throw it. With a short plea, she hurled it right for Euryflavia, who was closest, but the ball instead flew into Meserole's general direction, where Pinkie also happened to be.
The grundo was the first to catch it and clutched it close as he barely managed to weave out of the earth pony's way as he ran for the goal. He and his user-mates, through watching countless games, knew the "sweet spots" where the Darigan yooyu would fly straight to the closest goal…provided one was facing a certain direction.
He reached one of these sweet spots and hurled the yooyu just before Pinkie could approach and grab it from him. To her surprise, as well as Rarity's, the ball went straight to Team Equestria's goal and it was another point for Team Yellow.
After a return of the fire yooyu, the Faerie yooyu was next to go; pink-and-purple, beautiful faerie wings, and with a tendency to curve in its trajectory. For once, Messerole was the first to grab the yooyu. Unfortunately for Rainbow, stealing the ball from him, which she can easily do, is against the rules as he wasn't a flyer; he has to make contact with the ground first. Thankfully, Pinkie was ready to do that for her. The instant the grundo's feet made contact with the dirt ground, the earth pony pilfered the ball from his catcher and put it straight into hers.
As she sped to the goal, Euryflavia was hotfooting it to intercept her, but she wouldn't make it in time as Pinkie took a chance for a long shot and hurled it forward…only for it to curve upward, where Fluttershy happened to be, and land straight to her catcher.
"Wow. It rarely curves upward," Tychophon noted to himself before yelling, "Pass it to me!"
Used to the game by now, the pegasus did as he asked, even as Rainbow moved between them, and the yooyu curved as the shoyru predicted. Having been tricked once before by the darigan yooyu, she immediately zoomed for the yooyu, even as Tychophon made for it as well. She managed to grab the yooyu, but the neopet knocked it off of her catcher shortly after and got it into his as he U-turned it to Team Equestria's goal. Knowing the Faerie yooyu's tendencies, and seeing it happen in previous games, throwing it from the air often resulted in it going out of bounds, which would give the other team the yooyu.
So he was forced to cruise close to the ground, where Pinkie. Applejack, and Twilight would be able to easier intercept his throw. Even now, he was sure the unicorn already passed on a plan in anticipation of the Faerie yooyu's abilities. Still, there was nothing much he could do about that, so he just flew right for Applejack to avoid Twilight. He held no illusions that the orange pony was going to be easy to weave around, but the purple one had longer range. Still, he managed to pull it off, doing an aileron roll to keep his yooyu out of Applejack's reach, then closed in on the goal; tossing the yooyu now would only have a small chance of hitting the goal, let alone scoring.
Once he judged he was close enough, he did a spin before throwing the Faerie yooyu, holding onto faith in that it'd curve how he predicted it would. Rarity stood at the ready, catcher fully extended, and her attention on the yooyu as it then curved. Unfortunately for the shoyru, she managed to intercept the yooyu in time, and took a few seconds to consider who to throw it to and how to take into account its curve. Tychophon was already closing in, so was Pinkie, Euryflavia and Messerole were already blocking her ground-bound defenders, and Rainbow was waving to get the ball passed to her. Seeing the two forwards in the same Y-axis from her point of view, she hoped that despite the faerie yooyu's curving trajectory, her throw would be able to head for Rainbow or Pinkie's general direction.
Tychophon's musing of the faerie yooyu was right, though, and the yooyu curved toward Messerole and Twilight. Seeing where it was going, the grundo made to hop up to catch it, but his head made contact with the unicorn's catcher as it was extended right above him for the faerie yooyu to land on. She then made a break for the goal, not trusting the random curve of the yooyu to throw it to Rainbow.
"Keep the forwards busy!" she directed.
Already, Pinkie was doing just that to Euryflavia, Team Equestria's pegasus intercepted the shoyru, and Applejack was moving to get in Messerole's way, who is right behind Twilight. There was also Fluttershy to deal with, and she held no illusions that the pegasus would make it easy, despite looking very much like she would.
The yellow pegasus moved in as predicted, and while the six don't exactly practice evasive maneuvers against one another, Twilight was able to predict Fluttershy's next move and swerve past her dive for the yooyu. And to avoid collision, Messerole had to slow down, which was enough time for Applejack to block his path.
With her as the last line of defense, Aquanax reared up so that both her forelegs are ready to catch the yooyu as soon as Twilight threw it. The unicorn was closing it, and the moment she realized the yooyu wasn't going to be thrown when she expected it, she realized that Twilight was going to make a close shot; it was the only absolute certain way to score a goal. Her opponent already had her catcher outstretched, and the acara knew that this would be very disadvantageous for her.
As soon as Twilight was in range, she made to block where she thought Twilight was going to throw the yooyu. Then, as soon as she thought her opponent was about to turn out to have made a feint, she made to call it and block the next move accordingly, only for Twilight to…well…
Both actually fumbled in this part and Aquanax nearly fell over, but Twilight eventually won this game of deception as well as a point for Team Equestria when the Faerie yooyu decided to jump out of the catcher; the Fire one simply has a shorter level of patience. Pony and neopet were shocked at this result.
(A/N: I decided to skip out on writing the rest of the match; it was a great source of writer's block and why I hadn't been able to advance this story much for so long. Sorry for skipping the Mutant yooyu for those who wanted to see it.)
After the game, as well as the short ceremony for the winners, the party of ten, now out of their Yooyubal uniforms (and back into their wing equipment in the case of the two that did have such) were now aboard a mode of cross-Neopian transportation the four tour guides have never realized was around until now: the Eyrie Cab service. They started in Neopia Central before eventually setting up branches wherever Eyries can fly to, which basically everywhere but the Virtupets Space Station (because it's in space, Kreludor (same reason), Lutari Island (all those storms), Moltara (it's underground, but they have a stop at the entrance from the surface), and Jelly World (because "it doesn't exist").
Pinkie was particularly wary upon seeing an eyrie up close for the first time, and Fluttershy showed a moment of fright before calming down. When asked, Rainbow explained that the two have had a particularly bad experience with a griffon before, a former friend of hers named Gilda. Of course, they've seen other griffons since then like one esteemed baker named Gustave le Grand, so it's not going to be a big issue.
Right now, the group were in two cabs they hired to take them to Shenkuu. Two medium-sized ones that can fit up to six each were taken to accommodate the group. Rainbow wanted to opt out of taking the ride for flying alongside the cabs, but since everybody was fatigued from the yooyuball tournament, she was convinced to ride with the rest. On an unrelated note, the neopets' wings (artificial and natural) weren't good for flying for long periods (and Tychophon wasn't as fatigued as the others).
The group were separated in two groups for each cab; one would hold Tychophon, Messerole, Twilight, Applejack, Aquanax, and Rainbow, while the other would hold Pinkie, Euryflavia, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Messerole. The cabs themselves were colored like the ones in Manehattan, though were completely enclosed with roofs and windows to protect from the wind, although the latter can be opened separately from the doors.
"So, Shenkuu is our next destination, is that right?" Twilight asked.
"That's right," Tychophon replied. "It's the next nearest land from Altador aside from the Lost Desert."
"I know the tour is supposed to take a few days or so, but…how many cities are you taking us to?"
"Nineteen, minus the four we've already been to, which makes fifteen. Probably sixteen if one counts Darigan Citadel as separate from Meridell. Why? How long do you expect we'll be here?"
"About a week, two at most. But judging by how long it's been since we awoke in your Neohome, if days in Neopia are as long as in Equestria, I think our tour might finish well before then."
"I see."
"What can we expect upon reaching Shenkuu?"
"It's mainly a merchant town, though until more than a decade ago, nobody knew of its existence, until…"
"Is this gonna be another story?" Rainbow asked as she looked out the window of the cab.
"Yup," agreed Aquanax as she moved for the other window, seeing the other cab, where she can see Messerole trying to tune out the 'girl talk' being exchanged between Rarity and Euryflavia, and then opened the window,. Neither eyrie flying the cabs made any warning to keep the windows closed (some neopets liked to fell the wind in their face, and there were no immediate airborne dangers at the moment), though they were ready just in case. She got the grundo's attention and he opened his window.
"What is it?!" he called over.
"Cyodrake's Gaze! Story time!"
"That's the fourth time today!" The Tale of Woe, the two Lost Desert tales, and now this.
"I know, right?!" After that, the two closed their cabs' windows and turned to the delegates.
"What was that about?" Fluttershy asked Messerole.
"It's time for another story. About an airship called the Cyodrake's Gaze…"