Somewhere in Neopia, on a cloud floating over the land, is a shimmering, candy-floss castle, where all sorts of winged ladies hold court
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"Look at you," she murmurs, gently wafting up and down on the cloud. "Do you know how much trouble you've caused me this last few weeks, hmm?"
It had all started with the raucous celebrations in Neopia Central immediately following Hippolyta's departure. The rumors started spreading far and wide: Dr. Sloth was vanquished. Dead. Vanished, and the Space Faerie hadn't even been needed. The other faeries quickly spread the news among themselves.
The only one who hadn't heard was, yes, the Space Faerie, as she was out living up to her name. For two whole weeks, she'd not had a single headache. Not even a sneeze. In fact, she felt so glowingly whole and happy that she decided to celebrate by...well...going to visit her old enemy Frank Sloth. Maybe her new happiness could be spread to him. Maybe she could 'go to him' for once, and they'd not fight.
Imagine her surprise when the rumors finally reached her ears, in his empty and echoing space station office. Sheaves of reports, papers, unanswered messages. His minions milling about, aimless and worried. And increasingly cryptic reports about 'the new plan...'
The reason for her well-being was made clear. She was well because he was gone.
It took another hour to get the straight story as to what had happened that day at the Rainbow Pool, and another hour after that to get the Nexus logs of Hippolyta's question as to what to do about diaper rash.
Nope, this little bundle of greenish joy has no clue of anything since he 'woke up' underwater and trapped inside of a heavy, black cloth. All he's known for the past few weeks is sleeping, eating oatmeal and drinking formula, burping, and Hippolyta playing with him and attempting (and sometimes succeeding!) at making him giggle.
There's nothing but little baby thoughts living inside his head; no thoughts of conquest, of genocide, of enslavement, of devices made for torture and death.
When she says his name, there's a small, "Blmmmn," from behind that finger he's sucking on.
She would like to keep him, just like this, for a little longer. She understands totally Hippolyta's desire to 'raise' him and care for him. There's a very strong temptation to go against her word, for just a moment. Lumindra promised that she'd restore Frank to his 'old' self. And the reasons for this remain.
But that deep, perverse desire in her, the one that makes her love him wholly, is so tempted to let him start over. To not be that horrible person, to make a difference in his life.
That's not her call to make, however. If she did that, she'd be no better than those who originally raised him to be a killer. Frank Sloth must make his own choices. She'll always be there to clean up after the consequences, and stop him if need be. But he must remain free. That's why evil is tolerated by the faerie kingdom within the borders of Neopia. If everything were solved by magically removing all source of conflict, then morality would mean nothing.
Sigh.
She takes off one of her gloves, and gives him her finger. Her nail polish, it should be noted, is the same color blue as her hair.
Her finger is stared at by baby Frank, his eyes going wider and wider the closer it gets. Then, with careful, baby-like deliberation, the other hand that isn't occupied with being sucked on reaches out. And soon, his pudgy, green fingers are wrapped around hers.
It's held like that for a long while, as though he's trying to determine what he should do with Lumindra's finger now that he has ahold of it. But then the baby seems to come to some kind of a decision and he clumsily draws it closer to his face. And once it's right there, Frank's own finger comes out of his mouth and hers replaces it. He's soon sucking on it industriously, those enormous red eyes still looking up into her own.
If anybody else were around, they'd see the rare sight of Lumindra wibbling. No fooling, her lower lip is trembling, and her eyes are wide.
"Oh, my."
As he's so occupied, she leans down slowly and touches her lips to his forehead. It's a motherly gesture, made odder by the fact that there's a slightly-glittery kiss mark on him now, that gradually fades out.
A blessing, perhaps?
"Come on, now, let's get you to Fyora."
So saying, she stretches her wings wide, where they glimmer in the pure, high-altitude sunlight for a moment. Then, as gently as possible, she's up and flying toward the castle, her power and speed reigned in considerably for his comfort.
Just so long as she keeps her finger where it's at, baby Frank seems content. Though his own fingers wrap a little tighter as though to ensure it stays in his mouth, and his toothless gums press down for an extra measure.
And the scenery that zips by is watched by Frank with that same gaze he gives everything; even though he's just an infant, you can tell he's attempting to absorb every detail, is struggling to understand the world around him right this instant.
Not much longer now before that innocence is lost abruptly...Hopefully. At least, hopefully for him. As for the rest of Neopia...
Well, that's the OTHER reason she's taking him to be restored. The agreement in place between the Faerie Queen and the doctor.
Not that anybody really...knows what that agreement is. Not even Lumindra, the head 'general' in the war against him. But when Lumindra went to Fyora to confirm the news, the Faerie Queen had instructed her to bring Sloth back to the Hidden Tower.
And they were almost there.
Her finger does indeed stay in his mouth, and she actually winces a bit when the pressure increases.
"Good thing you don't have your milk teeth in yet. Yipes."
The Hidden Tower lives up to its name, as it occupies an innocuous space next to the castle itself, but remains completely invisible to the naked and untrained eye. But all of faeriekind knows its secret, so there is little concern that the Space Faerie will not find her way.
Once inside, there is a long, spiraling staircase leading upward. And at the top waits the Queen herself, accompanied by two Light faeries. The artifacts this tower was made to contain are conspicuously absent from their vaults and shelves right this moment; magicked away, no doubt, to prevent temptation of the guest their blue-haired sister is bringing.
When Lumindra enters, the two golden Light faeries' eyes snap to the door and both scowl in distaste. Most likely at the bundle the Space Faerie carries. Most likely.
But that's of no consequence, as the Faerie Queen Fyora shifts her staff to her other hand and tilts it towards the door. "The two of you are dismissed." And the Light faeries shrink to little yellow, glowing orbs and flit out the window. Now alone, Fyora smiles in a controlled, regal way and beckons Lumindra closer.
Any and all scowling done by the other faeries passes by completely unnoticed by Lumindra. After all, her own facial expressions are pretty much learned by rote...and she's never been good at interpreting them on others.
The Space Faerie does indeed walk closer, folding her wings behind her demurely as she goes. She holds the little green bundle out toward the Queen...with her finger still in the baby's mouth.
If Fyora knows one thing (and fortunately, she knows many), it's how her subjects operate. The lack of embarrassment and tact the Space Faerie can possess is most likely points of endearment now.
When the baby is held out, Queen Fyora lets go of her staff, where it stays perfectly upright with no support. And little Frank is carefully taken from the other faerie's arms and held out for inspection. The Queen looks over the now squirming and fussing infant with a look of patient study.
"Quite the fix he's found himself in, hasn't he, Lumindra?"
The blue-haired faerie just nods, pursing her lips and surreptitiously slipping her glove back on.
She's never had a baby gnawing on her before, really. Oh, sure, she's been snuggled by baby pets, and praised by regular pets, but a humanoid baby? Never. Faeries don't really have babies, after all. So the maternal instinct doesn't really exist.
"Poor man never learns," Fyora says. Her expression doesn't betray a great deal, and neither does her tone. That one sentence isn't said in pity, frustration, exasperation...It's simply stated, somehow gently, but firmly, as though solidifying it in fact.
"I'm going to have you step back a ways, dear," cautions the Queen when she walks to the center of the room and conjures up a soft blanket to set the baby down on. Lying on his belly now, arms splayed out on the blanket under him, baby Frank starts fussing louder, sputtering in the beginning of what's shaping up to be a good, loud cry to express his unhappiness with being put down and left alone like this.
Lumindra immediately steps back, moved by obedience to Fyora, which is a greater force than the baby's cries. Although she does feel slightly sorry for poor Frank. He's never liked magic, and he probably won't be well pleased to 'wake up' in the middle of the Hidden Tower.
...Oh. Wait.
"Will he be able to find his way here again when he's restored? Should I put him back to sleep before you do this, Majesty?"
The Faerie Queen has, by now, returned to where she first stood, taking her staff in hand once more from where it'd been waiting for her. Even as she speaks to Lumindra, she's waving her staff in a slow arc in front of her, trails and whisps of purple, shimmering magic trailing behind it. Lavender Faerie runes begin to form around where the baby is lying.
"Magic is already in place, Lumindra. Spells have been woven to confound his mind and sense of direction once he exits this tower by whatever means he wishes. We need not worry about the doctor finding his way back."
No more is said on the subject as the Faerie Queen begins to chant, weaving the enchantments that will reverse the paint brush's magic. The baby is wailing now, not much caring for the bright lights that have suddenly surrounded him. His eyes are squeezed shut and his fat baby hands are doing their clumsy best to cover them as he howls.
Ah, of course. She should have known as much. So she simply nods again, and holds stock still. She's seen this sort of power used before, and she's no slouch herself when it comes to mystical energy, but that doesn't mean that she's lost all sense of wonder about it. Her eyes shine in her inexpressive face, marveling at this display. Any faerie would. It's not often that Fyora does deep magic like this. It's rarer still that anybody gets to witness.
Granted, she's also feeling more than a little sorry for the baby, who does not look happy. But it will all be over soon, and he won't be coming to any harm.
It's not much longer before the room begins to turn to shades of purple with the light shining around the infant, casting long shadows and only growing brighter. The baby's squalls seem to somehow becoming lost in the buzzing sound of magic swirling all around them.
The spell seems to reach a fever pitch and that purple light starts to fade into white. The Queen's eyes are glowing with that same illumination, her steady voice still doling out the incantations necessary. And it all culminates with one last arcane word and that light becoming downright blinding and with a loud flash.
Then it fades slowly, the air filled with mist and sparkling glints of faerie magic. The runes themselves are still waning, and many of them are obscured now by the baby's considerable gain of bulk. Because there's now a large, green man lying face down on the stone floor, looking to be unconscious and unmoving.
The fact he's naked doesn't help any matters.
And the fact that, once he stirs, groaning first quietly, then loudly, and attempts to get up doesn't either. Dr. Sloth is soon very wobbly on his feet, clutching his head in one hand and struggling to get his eyes open. It's obvious he's trying to make sense of his surroundings, trying to figure them out this very instant. Some things never change from infancy to adulthood.
It's only after a long moment he finally croaks, "...M'waking up with a headache...in Faerieland. M'naked, I dun' remember anything...And m'with the Queen an' the Space Faerie. I...must have done something AWESOME."
It had all started with the raucous celebrations in Neopia Central immediately following Hippolyta's departure. The rumors started spreading far and wide: Dr. Sloth was vanquished. Dead. Vanished, and the Space Faerie hadn't even been needed. The other faeries quickly spread the news among themselves.
The only one who hadn't heard was, yes, the Space Faerie, as she was out living up to her name. For two whole weeks, she'd not had a single headache. Not even a sneeze. In fact, she felt so glowingly whole and happy that she decided to celebrate by...well...going to visit her old enemy Frank Sloth. Maybe her new happiness could be spread to him. Maybe she could 'go to him' for once, and they'd not fight.
Imagine her surprise when the rumors finally reached her ears, in his empty and echoing space station office. Sheaves of reports, papers, unanswered messages. His minions milling about, aimless and worried. And increasingly cryptic reports about 'the new plan...'
The reason for her well-being was made clear. She was well because he was gone.
It took another hour to get the straight story as to what had happened that day at the Rainbow Pool, and another hour after that to get the Nexus logs of Hippolyta's question as to what to do about diaper rash.
And here they both were.
"Oh, Frank."
Reply
There's nothing but little baby thoughts living inside his head; no thoughts of conquest, of genocide, of enslavement, of devices made for torture and death.
When she says his name, there's a small, "Blmmmn," from behind that finger he's sucking on.
Reply
But that deep, perverse desire in her, the one that makes her love him wholly, is so tempted to let him start over. To not be that horrible person, to make a difference in his life.
That's not her call to make, however. If she did that, she'd be no better than those who originally raised him to be a killer. Frank Sloth must make his own choices. She'll always be there to clean up after the consequences, and stop him if need be. But he must remain free. That's why evil is tolerated by the faerie kingdom within the borders of Neopia. If everything were solved by magically removing all source of conflict, then morality would mean nothing.
Sigh.
She takes off one of her gloves, and gives him her finger. Her nail polish, it should be noted, is the same color blue as her hair.
Reply
It's held like that for a long while, as though he's trying to determine what he should do with Lumindra's finger now that he has ahold of it. But then the baby seems to come to some kind of a decision and he clumsily draws it closer to his face. And once it's right there, Frank's own finger comes out of his mouth and hers replaces it. He's soon sucking on it industriously, those enormous red eyes still looking up into her own.
Reply
"Oh, my."
As he's so occupied, she leans down slowly and touches her lips to his forehead. It's a motherly gesture, made odder by the fact that there's a slightly-glittery kiss mark on him now, that gradually fades out.
A blessing, perhaps?
"Come on, now, let's get you to Fyora."
So saying, she stretches her wings wide, where they glimmer in the pure, high-altitude sunlight for a moment. Then, as gently as possible, she's up and flying toward the castle, her power and speed reigned in considerably for his comfort.
Reply
And the scenery that zips by is watched by Frank with that same gaze he gives everything; even though he's just an infant, you can tell he's attempting to absorb every detail, is struggling to understand the world around him right this instant.
Not much longer now before that innocence is lost abruptly...Hopefully. At least, hopefully for him. As for the rest of Neopia...
Reply
Not that anybody really...knows what that agreement is. Not even Lumindra, the head 'general' in the war against him. But when Lumindra went to Fyora to confirm the news, the Faerie Queen had instructed her to bring Sloth back to the Hidden Tower.
And they were almost there.
Her finger does indeed stay in his mouth, and she actually winces a bit when the pressure increases.
"Good thing you don't have your milk teeth in yet. Yipes."
Reply
Once inside, there is a long, spiraling staircase leading upward. And at the top waits the Queen herself, accompanied by two Light faeries. The artifacts this tower was made to contain are conspicuously absent from their vaults and shelves right this moment; magicked away, no doubt, to prevent temptation of the guest their blue-haired sister is bringing.
When Lumindra enters, the two golden Light faeries' eyes snap to the door and both scowl in distaste. Most likely at the bundle the Space Faerie carries. Most likely.
But that's of no consequence, as the Faerie Queen Fyora shifts her staff to her other hand and tilts it towards the door. "The two of you are dismissed." And the Light faeries shrink to little yellow, glowing orbs and flit out the window. Now alone, Fyora smiles in a controlled, regal way and beckons Lumindra closer.
"Let's have a look at him, shall we?"
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The Space Faerie does indeed walk closer, folding her wings behind her demurely as she goes. She holds the little green bundle out toward the Queen...with her finger still in the baby's mouth.
Good thing Lumindra doesn't embarrass easily.
Reply
When the baby is held out, Queen Fyora lets go of her staff, where it stays perfectly upright with no support. And little Frank is carefully taken from the other faerie's arms and held out for inspection. The Queen looks over the now squirming and fussing infant with a look of patient study.
"Quite the fix he's found himself in, hasn't he, Lumindra?"
Reply
She's never had a baby gnawing on her before, really. Oh, sure, she's been snuggled by baby pets, and praised by regular pets, but a humanoid baby? Never. Faeries don't really have babies, after all. So the maternal instinct doesn't really exist.
He's still cute and protection-worthy, though.
Reply
"I'm going to have you step back a ways, dear," cautions the Queen when she walks to the center of the room and conjures up a soft blanket to set the baby down on. Lying on his belly now, arms splayed out on the blanket under him, baby Frank starts fussing louder, sputtering in the beginning of what's shaping up to be a good, loud cry to express his unhappiness with being put down and left alone like this.
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...Oh. Wait.
"Will he be able to find his way here again when he's restored? Should I put him back to sleep before you do this, Majesty?"
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"Magic is already in place, Lumindra. Spells have been woven to confound his mind and sense of direction once he exits this tower by whatever means he wishes. We need not worry about the doctor finding his way back."
No more is said on the subject as the Faerie Queen begins to chant, weaving the enchantments that will reverse the paint brush's magic. The baby is wailing now, not much caring for the bright lights that have suddenly surrounded him. His eyes are squeezed shut and his fat baby hands are doing their clumsy best to cover them as he howls.
Reply
Granted, she's also feeling more than a little sorry for the baby, who does not look happy. But it will all be over soon, and he won't be coming to any harm.
Reply
The spell seems to reach a fever pitch and that purple light starts to fade into white. The Queen's eyes are glowing with that same illumination, her steady voice still doling out the incantations necessary. And it all culminates with one last arcane word and that light becoming downright blinding and with a loud flash.
Then it fades slowly, the air filled with mist and sparkling glints of faerie magic. The runes themselves are still waning, and many of them are obscured now by the baby's considerable gain of bulk. Because there's now a large, green man lying face down on the stone floor, looking to be unconscious and unmoving.
The fact he's naked doesn't help any matters.
And the fact that, once he stirs, groaning first quietly, then loudly, and attempts to get up doesn't either. Dr. Sloth is soon very wobbly on his feet, clutching his head in one hand and struggling to get his eyes open. It's obvious he's trying to make sense of his surroundings, trying to figure them out this very instant. Some things never change from infancy to adulthood.
It's only after a long moment he finally croaks, "...M'waking up with a headache...in Faerieland. M'naked, I dun' remember anything...And m'with the Queen an' the Space Faerie. I...must have done something AWESOME."
Reply
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