White Wolf Fan Fiction Presents:

~Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'~

A Poptropica Story

Title: Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'

Warnings: Game Spoilers (Game Walk-Through); Childish 'Humor'; In-Game Story-Line

Disclaimer: I don't own Poptropica or the islands that I will be playing. I do own Noel and the general character profile, 'Gentle Lightning', and every action written within this story is mine and mine alone.

Summary: Noel finally moves forward and is led from the frozen island to a frozen, and sinking, ship! He must gather his wits, help the people off the ship, and prevent an old ship captain from killing himself with stupidity in the process. But can he survive the frozen waters, the dangerous sea creatures, and the island obstacles thrown at him in the process?

A/N: Following the old 'Poptropica Islands' collection, this story will be based off of my own game play and some conversation may not be written correctly, unless I 'cheat' and go through other game plays to find what that individual character says at the time of the game play. Every mistake is my own, but most islands I have played through and for the most part, I do remember some of them, so some islands might be easier than others. If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, etc. feel free to leave a review and/or message me personally. Other than that, have fun reading the new and improved Poptropica Islands~

S.O.S Island

-0-

A week. That's how long I'd stayed on that frozen island before I had finally gathered myself up enough to just move. And the first thing I did was assemble the blimp back up, repairing what I could to make it at least useable in my state of mind. And the second thing? I climbed in and just left. Not even sparing a second glance towards the frozen wasteland that I'd taken refuge in after the storm.

For two days I'd floated along the air, frozen clouds surrounding me in the sky, birds scarce the farther I went, and the sea nearly frozen beneath me. And for two days, I'd spent most of my time crying and sleeping, unfortunately, not even caring if or when I would spot another island.

At least, not until I finally spotted something worth my attention in the frozen ocean below: a ship. One that was sinking. And fast, by the looks of it.

So, steeling myself up, I went down, to offer what help I could.

It escaped my attention though that this ship was one of Poptropica's quests: S.O.S Island. Which always puzzled me, because the ship wasn't an island, but… then again, I've always questioned Poptropica's logic and this was no different.

Going down to the iceberg near the ship, I noticed that smoke was coming from it, and the ship was obviously on its last legs. It kind of reminded me of the Titanic, though thankfully without the icky lovey-dovey romance or whatever.

Climbing down the rope- I had decided to leave my hat, my cane, my cape, and my bowtie in the blimp, somehow just knowing that this was going to be a disaster on my outfit- I landed on the ice and spared a worried glance towards the sinking ship before turning to the people in the boat nearby.

"Hey!" I shouted, calling down to them and caught their attention, thankfully, as a woman in a dark blue ship outfit- I never knew what those were called, not that I paid much attention to stuff like that anyway- cried out in a sort of half-hysterical relief and swam from an orange donut thing to the iceberg I stood on, climbing out of the water and standing directly before me, a little out of breath it looked like. "O-oh, are you alright? What happened!?" I questioned her, so fully of worry that I was feeling jittery and tense.

"Help! You have to help us!" she cried, "There are still people trapped inside!" Directing her attention towards the ship, I noticed the people in the little boat coming up to the ice, climbing from it, some in hysterics, others looking pained, and it made me wince before I turned my attention to the actual ship and I bit my lower lip before nodding.

"Y-yeah, o-okay…" I stuttered out, shivering as I finally felt the cold wrap around me in the intense setting around me. I really wish I had a thicker jacket, and now that I think about it, I have no idea how I survived in that cave without one. Guess I just had too much on my mind…

Right, okay. Sinking ship, trapped people… gotta save them all before it's too late. Got it.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I ran over to the ship, grimacing at the broken railing before me before finally gripping tight to it, hissing and pulling back when I felt just how cold the metal was. "O-okay, c-c-come on… I-I can do this… I-I totally g-g-got this…" I'm pretty sure I'd feel a lot more confident if my teeth weren't chattering so much as it was. "A-actually… maybe I should see i-if… if anyone has… h-has an extra jacket o-or s-s-s-someth-thing…"

Backing away slowly, I glanced back behind me and nodded shakily, knowing that surely the ship would last enough time for me to talk to everyone at least once or something.

Making my way back across the ice, careful not to slip and fall into the freezing waters below, the first person I came across was a man dressed with a large black cowboy hat, black sunglasses, and a life-jacket with loads of money sticking from his hat, jacket and in his hands. Wow… "E-excuse me, do you-"

"What a nightmare!" he suddenly shouted, growling and gritting his teeth in anger and frustration, almost seeming like he didn't even notice me standing there. "This has completely ruined my dinner plans." he added and I frowned, unable to help it. There was an entire ship sinking and all he cared about was dinner plans…?

Shaking my head, I moved on to a pretty girl with brown hair tied back in a ponytail and she looked more distressed than anyone I've seen so far, "H-hey… y-you okay…?" I asked and she turned sharply to me, gasping slightly in surprise before nodding shakily and then, as if changing her mind, she shook her head furiously, scrubbing at her eyes as they leaked tears.

"My brother, Ishmael, is still on the ship. You've got to help him!" she pleaded and I held up my hands, immediately going back to rubbing furiously at my arms to try and warm up.

"I-it's okay, I-I-I'm gonna help h-him, d-don't worry…" I promised her and she smiled shakily, nodding her head.

"T-thank you…" she whispered back, sniffling and I smiled back, a bit of warmth making itself known inside me, pleased I could reassure her like this. I'll save everyone, even if I freeze in the process… which, I certainly hope I don't. I can't stand the cold… so this is kind of a bit of a nightmare for me.

Making my way further down the ice, I steadied myself before jumping from one ice platform to the next, coming across a curly blonde haired lady next and I sighed in relief when I looked around us, seeing a hot cocoa machine, a large orange tent with a green plus on the side, and water and snacks in a crate beside it all. There was also a guy with spiky brown hair pacing back and forth near the crate of food.

First thing I did was get me a cup of hot cocoa, sighing in relief when the cup filled my hands with warmth and the drink soothed my aching insides. And now that I was at least, somewhat warm… sort of… I decided to talk to the blonde lady. "Thank goodness we made it out safely!" she seemed relieved at that and the brown haired guy snorted.

"Yeah, but it's so cold! I can see my breath!" he complained and she shot a scolding look back at him.

"It's much better than sinking with the ship, you should be grateful!" she said, sharp and dangerous and I shivered, out of fear rather than the cold, but her attention was snapped back towards me anyway, her eyes wide. "Oh dear! You must be freezing in just that flimsy little jacket of yours! Come on, I saw a spare jacket in the tent over there that you can have." she waved me over to the tent and grateful, I followed her, grinning weakly in thanks.

She rummaged through a couple of suitcases, ones that looked like they made it out of the wreckage okay and got out a big fluffy winter coat, one that would normally be a bit too big on me, but seeing as I… yeah. It fit okay when I tried it on and I felt much warmer than before, and when she smiled at me and shooed me off, I couldn't help but grin back, hugging her in thanks before making my way back out of the tent.

Now that I found a jacket and had talked to everyone out here, I decided to finally head back towards the ship and see what use I could be there.

Going back to the ship, I finally climbed up the railing, ignoring the cold, and I grimaced when I felt the ship shaking beneath my feet. "G-gotta hurry…" I whispered to myself, clenching my hands into fists before running along the deck and towards the first door I saw, barely able to keep the whine inside when I saw the huge chunk of ice blocking the entrance. "A-aw, c-come on!"

Okay, okay, think…

There were large cracks in the ice, so that must have meant that it could be broken or smashed, right? Now, just to figure out exactly what I could use. Shaking my head, I snorted and then looked up, because really, it's Poptropica, so of course there was a giant round ice boulder thing on top of the ship, already ready to be pushed on top of the ice chunk blocking the door.

Seriously. Where's the logic again? ...right, there isn't any.

Trying to climb the ice up is a bit of a fail, since it's too slippery to get a proper hold on. And there was a giant pile of it blocking my way to the other side of the ship… which meant only one thing: I had to climb into the freaking water to get to the other side. And okay, while I would have no problem with this while playing the game on my own, I wasn't just playing it. I was living it. And in going into the water, my coat and clothes would get soaked and my bones would freeze. Surely there had to be another way?

No. Unfortunately, there wasn't.

On the other hand… there were donut things all across the water and a broken boat further along, so if I spaced my jumps right, I could get across with minimal damage done to myself or the clothes I was wearing.

Grinning, the perfect plan forming in my head, I jumped down from the ship and landed on the first donut thing- I really needed to learn the names of these things, because seriously, these aren't donuts… not even close- and made ready to jump from that one to the next. I did this a few times before finally coming to the broken boats I saw and I jumped onto them, freezing up when I thought for sure my added weight would tip them over, but I sighed in relief and straightened up, brushing down the coat in a fit of nervous excitement as I looked back up to the ship.

Getting up to the other side of the ship, as it turned out, was easier than I thought it would be, jumping from one boat to the next before making the final leap up to the ship. It didn't hurt to climb the black ropes that normally held the boats in place either, so I made it safely.

Finally where I wanted to be, I made quick work to climb up to the top to push the boulder over so I could finally access the blocked entrance. The boulder was heavy, but with the help of the sinking ship itself, I was able to push it off the edge and onto the chunk of ice, cheering in triumph when the chunk of ice smashed into pieces.

Climbing back down the ship, I made my way back to the doorway and finally went inside, glad to have passed the first obstacle.

-0-

Finally getting inside, the first thing I noticed was the little amount of warmth that was provided upon getting out of the frigid air. The second thing I noticed… was how dark it was and I was never too fond of the dark. I still have a little nightlight, in the shape of a rabbit with a top hat on, in my room and I admit that sometimes Alexis lets me sleep in her room so I don't get scared of the 'monsters' in the dark or whatever. And the third thing I noticed was the bit of water that had gathered inside the ship and I grimaced, frowning at the puddles, knowing that if I didn't hurry, those puddles would become bigger and bigger with each passing minute.

Making my way through down the stairs, I started down the hall, past the fire hydrant and the several boxes and crates. I was disheartened to see several of the doors with broken handles and cracked glass, and several of the lights hanging above shook dangerously, most of them with broken lamps. All of them not working.

I walked passed two doors labeled 'Ballroom' and 'Galley', and found past that, three more doors, two with more broken handles and the other, looking relatively okay considering the damage to other doors. At the back of the hall was a room labeled 'Boiler Room', and like the ballroom and the Galley, was blocked by crates that were too heavy for me to move right now, so I couldn't go inside them yet.

Checking out the room, marked '6', with the okay handle, I decided to try it out and see if it was okay to enter. But, of course, as luck would have it… it's locked. "I'll need to find a key or something unlock this door…" I sighed, wanting so bad to be able to unlock the door on my own, but I couldn't, not then at least.

Going back down the hall, making a mental note to return to that door when I found a way to unlock it, I finally decided to go down the other hall, past the exit to the ship's exterior… only to find absolutely nothing within the hall that was filling up quickly with water.

Backing away from the water, I bit at my lower lip before finally realizing that there was another door at the top of the stairs, next to the one marked 'Exit'. So, leaving the water where it was, because there was no way I could do anything to fix the damage already done to the ship, I went back up the stairs, hopping them two at a time in my haste to get away from the frigid waters, and opened the door labeled 'Bridge'.

Grimacing at the amount of water in the room, I stepped past it all and made my way past several displays of model ships. Even past a broken display case of a broken sword and somewhat okay gun before reaching a strange staircase that lead to the second floor to an area that looked like a control room.

And the first thing I saw was a little panel of switches and well, the ship was already kind of sinking so… why not?

...never place a twelve year old- er… oh screw it! I'm still twelve, darn it! Whatever that amulet did doesn't count, I swear!

Anyway… never place a twelve year old- ha!- in a room full of buttons and switches.

"Careful! We're in enough trouble as it is!" an old, gruff voice shouted at me and I flinched, backing away from the controls before walking over to the old man in front of all the controls. "Are there any survivors?" he called sharply into a microphone, "Any survivors on board, please press your Emergency Call Button!"

"What happened here?" I questioned when the old man, his hair gray and weird, turned towards me. I knew the ship was sinking, but I didn't know why… and well, if I was gonna save everyone, may as well know how they got into the situation in the first place.

"'Twas the wicked white whale!" he scowled, eyes narrowed and I frowned, "I had him in my sights, and then he turned and rammed us!"

"A… a whale did this to the ship?" That was ridiculous… whales were kind and peaceful creatures, I think. At least that's what my teacher told us; even Killer Whales, the ones that snacked on sharks, seals, and penguins or something like that.

He sighed then and scrubbed a hand over his face, "Aye, my mortal enemy. Been hunting him for years… looks like he finally got me." he answered sadly and I couldn't help but make a sad noise of my own in return. But, while his story was sad, it didn't change the fact that the ship was sinking, whale or no whale.

"I'm very sorry about the uh… the whale but… but you need to get off this ship!" I urged, flailing out my arms. "We're sinking in case you haven't noticed and any second now you could be at the bottom of the sea with the rest of it!"

Snorting at my words, he moved a hand up to fix the cap on his head before crossing his arms, eyes narrowed at me, a little smirk playing at his mouth, "Don't you know the captain always goes down with the ship?" He sighed then again when I made a choked noise in shocked panic and shook his head, "Most of my passengers escaped, but there are a few still left on board. Go and rescue them!" he nodded his head in an urgent manner and I puffed my chest out as I nodded, accepting the task. "I have turned on the Emergency Door Controls. Open the doors by turning that knob there, behind you." he said and I did exactly that, going back over to the controls and I grinned, having been given permission by the captain to mess with one of the buttons and knobs on the controls.

Reaching up, I turned the knob from red to green and made a noise of pride and triumph, feeling particularly pleased with myself. "Done! The Emergency Doors are no open!" Looking back at the captain, he nodded his head and moved his hands in a 'shooing' motion and I saluted to him before finally running back, determined to get this done right and hopefully before the ship actually does sink.

So… back to door '6' I go…!

-0-

Upon entering the room, I was immediately greeted by a strange man trapped among boxes and things, screaming, "Save me, whale!" Slightly unnerved by that and by the giant spear hanging on the wall above the hammock, I proceeded cautiously to try and get him out of the mess and out to safety.

"H-hey, it's okay! I'm here to help!" I tried, running over to him, digging into the pile before finally moving the heavy boxes he was stuck beneath. Letting out a small sigh of relief, I watched as he made a noise of ecstatic glee, jumping away from the mess.

"Thanks! My leg was stuck under all that junk." he grinned at me and I smiled back, pleased with his gratitude.

"You're welcome!" I answered in return, "What were you doing in here, anyway?"

"I'm calling that friendly whale to come save us," he said, as if it was obvious, nodding to the strange toy thingy on a suitcase atop one of the shelves.

"Erm… don't you know that it was the whale that rammed the ship?" I asked him, curious, and he frowned, actually looking insulted at the implication. But… it's what I heard from the captain himself, so… it was true, right? My mom says that grownups are always right… except when it comes to something between her and Dad, then she's always the one right.

"That… that can't be! Whales are so friendly and cute!" he argued, shaking his head sharply and I sighed, feeling a little sympathetic for the guy. I remember a time when I thought like that about dogs, because I used to have this cute little Siberian Husky and then one day she was gone and Mom said it was because she bit our neighbor and had to get put down. I didn't believe it and cried for three months over her, I was so upset. Finally I believed her because our neighbor, Mr. Kensington showed me the dog bite, the one Misty gave him. I thought she was too cute and nice to do that to someone, especially someone as cool as Mr. Kensington, but she had, still… that didn't mean that I didn't love Misty anymore.

"Come on… let's get out of here before the ship goes under for good, okay?" I smiled at him and he sighed, dejectedly, before nodding.

"Okay, just let me get my Whale Caller." Nodding in consent, I watched him grab his toy thingy and then we were finally heading out of there.

-0-

"Thanks for saving me." Ishmael said, his sister- because she had immediately thanked me when I brought him back to the ice from the ship- nodding her head in time with his words. "But… I still don't believe that nice whale did all of this." he said and I nodded, understanding why he thought that.

"It's okay, I understand." I told him and he smiled, grateful, it seemed before his smile turned a little sad.

"Here, you might need this," he held out the toy thingy, the Whale Caller, and I took it, hesitant, half-awed and half-unsure.

"Erm… t-thanks…" I whispered, sticking the toy in my backpack before suddenly freezing when a very loud creaking, and gurgling, noise rose in the air and I whipped around, eyes wide as we all watched the ship sink a little bit further into the water. "Oh no!"

"There's no time to lose! Get back to the ship and look for more passengers!" Ishmael pushed me back in the direction of the ship and I nodded shakily, biting at my lower lip, staring fearfully at the ship, just knowing that it would be filled with water now and I would actually have to swim through some of it. There wasn't getting out of it at all, but of course, the thought crossed my mind that I could abandon these people, but… my heart wouldn't let me, even though my mind was screaming at me to get out of here before I got hurt, or worse.

But I couldn't think about that now, because I still had people to save and a stubborn captain to rescue, so I had to do this. And if that meant swimming in ice cold water, soaking myself in the process, then…

…so be it.

-0-

First thing I noticed, going back to the ship, was that I wasn't able to climb it the way I had before; there weren't any railings I could get ahold of, unfortunately, nor any ice I could jump on. But I was nothing if not stubborn.

I would find a way back onto that ship, so I jumped onto the donut thing, the one closest to the ice, again, spacing my jumps so I landed on the second one not too far away. Lucky me, the entrance wasn't beneath the surface yet, so, entering the ship through that door, I made my way inside, bracing myself for the destruction I would no doubt find within.

And sure enough… water was everywhere. It was impossible not to get wet, but I knew this had to be done.

Ignoring the alcove to the left of me, I headed down the hallway to the right, swimming through the water to the best of my ability, still not quite used to… be older… surfacing a couple of times to get much needed air before finally coming to the few doors that had previously been blocked, the 'Ballroom' and the 'Galley'.

I decided to go into the ballroom first, just to see if I could do anything in there, because knowing Poptropica, I probably would need a certain item before continuing through some of the tasks needed done. The water level was a bit lower than the rest of the hall, back where I entered, so I wasn't too worried right now about anything, and without much more thought, I pushed away one of the boxes, easier now that it was in the water, and finally entered the ballroom.

The second I entered the room I noticed that the entire floor was covered in water, and standing on one of the chandeliers was a teenage girl about… my… age, I guess. "Help! I can't swim!" she cried out and I looked around sharply, worrying slightly as I looked from her to the water and then back to her.

"O-okay, hold… hold on! I-I'll think of… of something…" I finished the sentence more in a whisper, mostly to myself. The entire place, I noticed, was a bit fancy, with a sign to my right saying 'The Imperial Ballroom', with stairs leading down to a lower floor that led to the initial ballroom area.

At least the lights were working in here…

Going all the way down the stairs, to the lowest floor, I grimaced when I had to swim through the water again. Coming up to the surface on the other side, I stood atop one of the drink bars and coughed, grimacing when I felt the taste of saltwater in my mouth. "Okay, okay, I-I'll just… just… uhm…" trailing off, I looked around, biting my lower lip as I thought of what I could do before pausing, frowning when I saw cracked glass, all the way across the ballroom. "Cracked glass… room full of water… girl that can't swim hanging hanging onto the chandelier for dear life…" I muttered to myself before grinning and I looked to my feet, picking up the bottle that I was lucky didn't fall into the water yet. "Perfect. If I can somehow break the glass… raising the water level, then I can reach her and help her out of here."

Nodding to myself, I was so sure of my plan, so focused on only it and getting the girl to safety, that I cared little for the water now as I dove back into the water, struggling only slightly to swim. I ignored the first floating, albeit pretty chair, and the single floating donut thing, and swam to the other side, panting heavily in the exertion.

"O-oh boy…" whimpering, I climbed up shakily on the chair here, swallowing hard as I tried desperately to keep my balance, so as not to make the chair float away or fall back into the water. Finally finding as much balance as I was gonna get, I aimed the bottle to the crack in the glass in front of me, determined to make this shot count. Finally throwing the bottle at the glass, I heard it shatter, and I let out a woop of triumph as the water started to fill the room and raise the level of the water already here.

...I probably should've gotten to steadier land before jumping in excitement, since I managed to not only lose my balance on the very unsteady chair, but I fell… back into the water.

"Ack!" Surfacing, I coughed up the water swallowed in the shock of the fall before finally turning my attention to the girl, who was now clinging to the donut instead of the chandelier. "I did it!" Grinning, excited once more, I swam back over to the girl, offering her a reassuring smile that she didn't return.

I guess she was still too scared to do much of anything, so, with what little strength I had left after swimming too long already, I grabbed the string tied to the donut and started pulling her back towards the stairs.

"Hold on, w-we're almost… almost there…" I breathed out, glancing back at the girl to see her eyes closed tightly and I couldn't help but smile a little. She reminded me of myself when Alexis first taught me how to swim, when I was nine. It was scary, but… she got me through it eventually; I'm not strong enough to swim too long but I'm good enough to get this done anyway, which I was grateful for.

...oh.

The water level isn't high enough to reach the very top of the stairs.

Of course not.

Sighing, I looked back at her with a frown before letting go to climb onto the nearby chair, this time steadying myself a bit easier than the last one. I picked up a stray bottle, empty of course, floating along the water near me and took aim, throwing it at the glass, relieved when I hit the mark and the room started filling up more for a second time, enough for sure to allow me to get the girl to safety.

"At least that's done…" I whispered, brushing my hands on my pants, grimacing at how wet they felt, finally realizing just how soaked I was. "...great…" muttering to myself, I finally just shook my head, not caring anymore as I got back into the water, determined once more to get the girl back to safety and away from the water. "Just a little further, I promise…" I told her and she could only whimper in return, as I grabbed the string again, after ducking underneath the donut and I finally pulled her to safety, the two of us reaching the dry stairs near the doors to the large room. "Now, let's get you to safety."

-0-

"Looks like I won't win the Tour Director Bureau's gold seal this year, either…" the girl had said mournfully when we finally got onto the ice, looking sadly back at the ship before she finally cracked a smile back at me, and I couldn't help but beam back at her. "Oh well. Uhm, thank you, anyway." she added and I nodded my head to her, sighing in relief, my muscles sore and aching from swimming so long and hard.

"You're welcome, honestly. I'm just glad you're safe, now." I answered, almost very nearly cut off by the terrible creaking noise again, the water bubbling and splashing all around the ice platforms now as the ship suddenly tipped onto the front, the back of the ship now topside.

"Things aren't looking good over there," the girl frowned, looking anxious and disheartened and I shook my head, tense as a log now. "You should head back to the ship right away."

"Y-you're right…" I looked down, and rubbed furiously at my left arm with my right hand, shuffling on my feet, "I'm running out of time…! I have to hurry!"

Who knew what else I needed to do? And I still had to get the captain out of their too, before the entire ship sank to the bottom of the sea… and this time… I had no time to get a quick cup of hot cocoa.

Running all the way back to where the ship was, I was stopped from jumping back onto the donuts to get to the entrance of the ship by the woman that first stopped to talk to me, when I arrived here. "Wait! The entrance is completely submersed! You'll have to find another way in."

...crap…!

Okay, fine. I can do this. I can totally do this.

...I have to do this.

Luckily there was a giant pile of ice chunks right near the ice platform and just beyond the first donut thing. So finding a way up, was turning out to be a bit of an easier task than I thought it would be. I had to be careful where I jumped and climbed, however, as some parts were more slippery than others.

Using open windows, ropes, ice chunks, and surprisingly really bouncy umbrellas, I finally made it to the very top, well, back, of the ship, where a large gaping, smoking hole was placed in the broken steel. "Oh boy… okay, one… two… t-three…!"

And in I went.

-0-

If I thought it was bad before, it was even worse now. The entire area was a disaster, and the hallway was a disarray of broken lights, broken doors, and debris. I had just barely been able to climb down to the bottom, using the broken lights and somewhat steady pipes, leading down to the pit of water. I was incredibly glad I hadn't nosedived into the water, because who knows what would have happened to me, had I done so.

I may be in Poptropica, but like this… even I'm not that lucky to survive a fall like that.

Spending a few minutes swimming around pointlessly I finally realized that the area I needed to go in was behind a heavy box that, even in water, I couldn't budge, so, naturally, I had to find a way to either lower and raise the water level and seeing as I was in a sinking ship that was filling with water every second of every minute, I couldn't get rid of any of it.

Option: Raise the water level it is.

And while I could have waited for the water to rise on its own, I figured it was easier just looking for a level or cracked glass or a wheel thingy that would let me raise the level on my own.

Turns out I didn't have to look very far after all, seeing as their was a broken pipe with a wheel thingy on it that I could turn, effectively raising the water level enough that the crate moved with the water, revealing the gaping vent I could finally make my way into.

...yay.

First thing I noticed upon exiting the vent… I was completely submerged in water. Second thing?

There were jellyfish everywhere.

I may have only been twelve, but I've watched enough Discovery Channel to know what jellyfish can do to a person.

So I had to be very careful when swimming to the surface, avoiding the jellyfish surrounding me.

...third thing I noticed?

I'm back in the ballroom, only… it looks completely different than when I was in here last. Everything was turned on its side and while the chairs and various bottles were still there, it was still very different to me, seeing it all like this. Even the poor chandeliers were broken and shattered, though as I made my way further up, I soon discovered that the drink bar was still nailed to the floor, perfectly unharmed.

...Poptropica logic, I freaking swear.

Going past the bar, I soon found out that the stairs were completely broken, some parts even gone and behind the wall, now torn, were pipes. Some of which with levers that I probably had to mess with now.

...I'm either going to cause the ship to sink much faster or I'm going to die.

...or bust a pipe and cause large heavy objects to almost crush me.

But hey, at least I found a way out of here… I think, anyway.

-0-

The next room looked as if it was one of those boiler rooms or whatever they were and oh. Okay. Maybe I am in the boiler room?

Well, er… only one way to find out.

Making it through the maze of pipes and platforms, struggling several times to reach a few of the higher ones, I finally made it to the top right corner of the boiler room, where I saw a oil-stained woman with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail trapped by steam. "Hey! Be careful!" she scolded me the second she saw me and I tried my hardest not to lose my balance when I flinched back, just a little startled. "You can't get through the steam!"

"W-what… what can I d-do?" I asked her, stuttering only slightly, my clothes thoroughly useless and my bones freezing up. I'm only glad that I'm in a room that is somewhat warmer than outside, the steam helping out a lot; not to mention I'm glad my teeth aren't chattering yet… then my words would be really messed up.

She nodded to the pipes and the wheels then, crossing her arms, a wrench clutched tightly in one hand. "We'll need to reduce the pressure," she answered, looking a bit annoyed by this, and I couldn't help but wonder why. "After I turn this valve-" and oh, the wheels are called valves apparently, "-get to the other side and turn the other valve before the pressure builds." she instructed and okay, that's why she looks annoyed.

Because even I have to admit doing this sounds a little hard.

I could only hope that I could get it right the first try, as I nodded to her, saying I understood, and when she turned the valve thingy, I immediately jumped down to follow the green pipe, unsure how much time I had before the pressure built up to the max, but determined nonetheless to get it done.

It was easy enough, I guess: down, then left, then up and then all the way left again till I hit an identical green wheel to the one she turned. I turned that and waited until she called back to me, "You did it! Now there are three other pipes. Find them and do the same thing."

Got it.

First on the list was the orange one, I figured it was closest, after all.

After a bit of scoping out, I discovered the first valve was just below the green one I turned and then the other was all the way at the bottom right corner of the boiler room.

"Excellent! Just two more to go!" she called to me and I grinned, excitement and anticipation drumming in my veins.

Now the red. The first one was right beneath the orange one and then after going around to find its twin, I found out the second red valve was at the very bottom left corner. So getting that one done was a piece of cake!

...okay well, I actually had to turn the one at the bottom first, but the saying still applied.

"Yes! Just one more to go!" the woman shouted in apparent glee, her faith in my ability to turn wheels found.

And the last one was the blue pipes, where the first one was the one underneath the red valve- and I have just discovered that apparently all the pipes go in just one direction, which I hadn't known when I figured out the orange pipes because I actually did start with the valve on the bottom right corner and not the one under the green valve- and the second was underneath where the woman was trapped.

Turning that valve, I followed the final pipeline, eager to finish and free the woman from her steamy prison.

"Ha ha! Thank you so much!" the woman shouted, jumping up and down, free now and I grinned back at her, fist pumping the air.

Hey! Maybe now I can help out my dad whenever he has trouble with the pipes in the kitchen or the bathroom?

...ah, on second thought, probably only in my dreams. There's no way he'd let me anywhere near them again after I nearly exploded the pipes under the kitchen sink the last time I tried to help him out.

Oh well.

Anyway, back to the task at hand.

Climbing back up the woman, I was eager to get her off the ship and back with the others so that I could finally get the captain off of the ship too.

Unfortunately it looked like she had other plans.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, frowning at her as she attempted to fix some of the pipes.

Shaking her head at me, she kept her attention on the pipes in front of her, "Thanks for getting the steam off, but if you'll excuse me, I have to fix the ship." she said, as a way to brush me off, but I wasn't about to give up that easily. Even if she was crazy for wanting to stay and fix something that had no hope of ever being fixed now.

"It's too late to fix the ship!" I argued with her, flailing my arms out- momentarily forgetting I left my cane back on the blimp- as I stared at her like she was an alien.

"There's still hope… I can still save the Pequod!" she snapped back at me and I groaned in frustration, refraining from whining at her to get my way.

"No! It's taken on too much water. It's going down! What don't you understand about that?" If she didn't leave the ship soon, I was going to end up resorting to drastic measures to drag her out of here with me, I swear…!

And finally she answered with the one thing that could possibly save her hide after all, "Only the captain can order me off this ship." she said in a matter of fact way and I had to keep myself from grinning in relief.

"That's just it! That stubborn old man wouldn't get off the ship until all of the other passengers on board, including you, were safe and sound, off of the ship. It's by his orders that I'm even down here while the freaking ship is tipped over." I flailed out, whining this time, "And I hate water…!"

Looking shocked at my outburst, she finally held up her hands in surrender, "Okay, okay." she sighed, running a hand through her messy ponytail. "If Captain Boomer says so…" she conceded and I slumped my shoulders in relief.

"Okay…" I replied in answer, beyond relieved.

She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me, nodding her head, "Let's get out of here!"

"Gladly!"

-0-

When we got back to the ice platform, she thanked me again and I refrained from telling her that the captain didn't specifically order her off the ship, but she seemed grateful to be off it nonetheless. "Here, take this, it might come in handy," she offered in thanks, smiling as she handed me her wrench and I grinned, taking it from her before putting it in my backpack.

"Thank y-" I cringed, cut off by the sound of more creaking and I suddenly wanted to curse Poptropica logic because really… why? But then I realized something very important, upon looking back at the ship. "Captain Boomer is still on the ship!"

"Hurry and get back to the ship to look for others!" she shooed me away and I didn't even spare her a second glance as I ran along the ice, not even bothering to be careful, to get back to the ship.

As it turns out my previous entrance was now blocked off by a random piece of metal that just so happened to fall in the hole and seal it off from me when the ship started to sink faster than before. So now I had to find a different way in… which wasn't actually very hard, as it turns out, because there was now an even bigger hole, right next to the little hole I'd used to get into the hallway from before.

I didn't even bother counting to three this time.

I just… jumped.

-0-

The boiler room was completely trashed; pipes were broken machines were piled up on top of each other, each broken and mangled with the crash. I almost wasn't sure how to get past it all.

Unfortunately, getting through it all meant getting past broken pipes letting out very hot steam occasionally. On the bright side though, at least my clothes will dry, going past them to where I was sure I was supposed to go.

Going past the first burst of steam, I climbed up the platforms, going to the top of them, pushing the pressed box of garbage off the platform so I could continue onward, following it downward before going down to the exit of the boiler room, coming into the ballroom. It took naught but a few seconds to swim to the doorway of the ballroom, exiting back into the hallways.

Coming up to the surface, I gasped for breath, spending a few minutes to catch my breath and think.

"Wha… what n-now…?" I puffed out, grimacing as I looked down into the water, hoping desperately I didn't have to swim all the way back down. I knew the bridge was down there, but surely the captain would have found somewhere safer to hide out?

Shaking my head, I looked up and sighed, grabbing one of the pipes connecting the broken lights, pulling myself up so I could climb up them to the top.

"Nowhere but up… I hope…" I whispered, slowly climbing up the lights so as not to cause the lights to fall with my new weight. Finally reaching the top light, I saw the vent I was to go into and I took the chance first second I got, climbing into it and back into the darkness. "Where… am I?" I questioned, frowning once I came out of the vent and into the new room.

And wait… is this the boiler room? Because if it is, I've been getting that one room's name wrong the entire time.

...oops.

Anyway, boiler room or not, this was where my next task would be.

...on second thought, I'm not gonna make any assumptions, but uh… did boiler rooms have freezers in them?

No clue.

Entering the freezer, I immediately noted how cold it was in there, colder than the rest of the ship, for sure, and I was seriously hoping my clothes would have dried by now. Focusing on my task though, I saw the boxes all stacked up against the wall and… wait, hold on, how is everything facing right-side up when the ship is tilted downward in the sea?

...I'm not even gonna question Poptropica logic anymore. And well, at least the door and the 'Exit' sign was facing the right way… I think.

Anyway, beneath my feet was a box of lettuce, which I didn't think was that important to note until I saw the boxes against the wall, labeled with different pictures, a few of which were lettuce boxes. Moving the boxes, I made sure not to cause an avalanche on me, and it wasn't until I removed all the boxes marked 'Lettuce' that I started to realize that I had to move not only them, but most of the others too.

There was something behind the boxes, and when I finally moved the last of what I needed to, I discovered exactly what- or rather, who- was hidden behind them.

A man… trapped in ice.

And I had to try so hard not to laugh at the silly sight he made like that.

"O-oh!" I failed anyway, stifling my giggles behind a hand, hiding a grin of mine as the man tried to glare at me. He shouted muffled words at me and I barely was able to get ahold of myself before deciding to drag him and myself out of the freezing cold… well, freezer. "Hold… hold on, o-okay?" I asked him and he made another frustrated noise as I grabbed the ice and pulled him out of the freezer. "Let's get you out of here and unfreeze you somehow…" I added, mostly to myself, though, and was glad when we finally got out of the freezer and into somewhat warmer temperatures. "Now… what…?"

Looking around, mostly down, I noted several different platforms that led possibly all the way down to the bottom, where I probably needed to get the man to.

Exploring down first, I managed to figure out that I needed to fill the little alcoves with boxes and crates and when I get to the very bottom, I can officially say I've never been happier. Because there, sitting on the floor was an oven thingy that felt like heaven against my frozen bones and icy skin. And if I stayed there for a few-ish minutes, well… everyone can wait because I can't save anyone if I'm frozen.

Can I?

No.

Anyway, when I was nice and warm, my clothes relatively dry now, I made my way back up with the use of pipes and the few platforms I could reach, climbing up. I was finally ready to unthaw the that I think about it, he does look a lot like the cooking ladies at my school, it was kind of funny.

Pushing him down to the oven, I waited the several minutes it took to thaw him out and I grinned when he jumped from the oven area in relief, "Thanks! Now, let's get out of here."

...can I stay here to warm up just for a few more minutes?

...no?

...okay.

-0-

"Thanks, again. I feel so nice and warm on this iceberg!" Wait. What? No way! It was much warmer near the oven… although, I guess… he had just been frozen in a big block of ice, so yeah… I can… I guess I can understand. Kind of.

"You're uh… welcome, but… I personally think the oven was warmer than this ice block." I answered with a cheeky grin.

I was expecting it this time, the loud creaking and the gurgling that interrupted the man's greatly amused laugh. And when I looked back, things were finally taking a turn for more than the worst: the ship had completely turned over, from right-side up to the bottom of the ship coming up above the sea level.

"Hurry back! The captain is still on board!" The man told me, obviously worried, and I knew then that the captain was the only one left on board.

"Ugh! Stupid… stubborn… old… man!" I groaned, running my fingers through my hair, before running back towards the ship.

I'll get that old man off the ship even if it's the last thing I'll do…

...I just hope it isn't.

The entrance, as it turned out, was literally right there at the ice platform, so getting in was the easy part. The hard part was getting through the ice cold water that filled the ship from top to bottom to find the captain.

Back in the boiler room- because I know it is the boiler room now, so I'd been right this whole time- I had to navigate through the pipes and the platforms, avoiding the garbage clutters and the broken machines in my way, to get to the next area.

...I never expected the sharks.

When I saw the first shark, I nearly choked on the water surrounding me, kicking back in the water, panicked, and hoping desperately the shark didn't see me in return. Backing off a few feet, though I could barely breath, I found that I was torn between going back up for air or pushing onward.

I went back up, trying to figure out my next plan of action.

Going back down, I found out there were two sharks in total here, so I swam as fast as I could, staying as far away from them as possible, and I couldn't have been happier when I found the path to the next area.

In the ballroom there were jellyfish and harsh currents everywhere, and I could barely get through it all, to the next area. Finally reaching the vent at the top- technically bottom of the ship- after what felt like hours, I went through it, just about done with all this water.

Back in the hallway now, I didn't even bother to go down the right hallway, towards the alcove, and swam through the mess of crates, garbage, and broken lights towards the other vent on the far left side of the hallway. Going inside the vent, I came out on the other side into what I now figured was the kitchens, now completely sick of the water.

I was also really sick of all the sea creatures, because now instead of jellyfish or freaking sharks there are squid things with shells melded of forks and knives sticking out of a pan thing.

I was feeling sick, I really, really, was. And I barely made it past all the squids.

I need to breath, and all the bubbles are barely holding me over.

In the next area there were giant crabs that I avoided, okay enough, and avoiding the sparking- seriously… Poptropica where is your logic…?- cords was a bit more difficult but I managed, until I finally found the captain. And what I found… was a mess of a guilty man and I knew then that Ishmael was right, that the whale didn't do this. No man looks that guilty like this, deep under the water in a capsized ship.

We were too deep now though, to reach the surface, going back through the ship, the way I came, but maybe we didn't have to.

Getting an idea, I got into my backpack and grabbed out the toy that Ishmael gave me, trying to turn the dial, but unable to with my bare hands. Handing the toy to the captain, who took it without a sound made, I grabbed the wrench and turned the dial that way, moving the arrow to the picture of the white whale, hoping with all hope that this worked like I thought it would.

Suddenly, with the dial pointed towards the right whale picture, a sharp high pitched noise rang out and I nearly dropped the toy, barely having enough time to put it and the wrench back in the backpack before the ship suddenly jolted as the whale rammed into it, and when the large glass windows broke, the water just started gushing out, dragging both the captain and I with it.

Next thing I knew was darkness.

-0-

When I came to, both the captain and I were on the ice, the whale gone, and we were surrounded by the others that I'd rescued. "Good, that's good, breathe kid, breathe." The old man said when I rolled over, coughing loud and hard to expel what water I'd swallowed on the journey. "Thanks." he finally added, smiling at me and I offered a shaky smile back, "I owe you my life. You risked yours to save mine and I'm forever in your debt." he then sighed and sat back, looking out at the sea, where the whale probably disappeared to. "I guess that whale wasn't so bad after all. I was blinded in my hunt to see that, and because of that, I got us all into this mess. I rammed an iceberg chasing after him and well… you know the rest, it seems. That was a pretty smart move back there, kid, with that device and I couldn't be prouder, I'll admit." Pulling me up, he pat me on the shoulder and flashed a grin before pulling back.

"If you had just told me the truth in the first place, everything would have been easier," I told him and he nodded his head in agreement.

"I know, and I'm sorry. Here," he started, reaching around his neck to pull off a necklace with a gold medallion- the Island Medallion- "why don't you take my Captain's Medallion. You've earned it this day."

I did it. I actually really did it.

And I couldn't be happier about it.

I was ready to be rid of all this open water, that was for sure.

"Thank you so much!"

After returning the jacket to the curly blonde haired woman, and saying my goodbye's to them all, I climbed back into my blimp, donning my apparel, just in time to hear helicopters whirring in the background, coming towards all the shipwrecked passengers.

"Good luck and thank you!" I called down to them, waving back to them before finally setting off, wishing them a new beginning from all of this.

I wish I could say I was expecting the blackness this time, but I wasn't.

-0-

"You've done the forbidden, little Noel…" the man hissed at me when I turned to see him, both of us surrounded by the empty blackness and I frowned in return, not knowing what he was talking about.

"I don't understand." I told him and he scowled, pointing at me, at my chest and it was then that I realized I could see the amulet now and I tried then to take it off, making it a distressed noise when that did nothing. "No! I didn't mean to! You have to take it back! I can't be like this!"

"It's already too late boy. The damage has been done, because you messed with one of the forbidden Amulet's of Avalon!"

"I'm sorry…! Please! Please, you have to tell me how to fix this!" I pleaded, on my knees now and he stepped back, looking at me with pity.

"The only way to reverse the change of this stone is to find the other four amulets. Never put any of them on. Their power is far too great for a mortal like you to handle, but together, when you have them all…" he trailed off then and turned away after, shaking his head and he glared at me. "Don't forget the reason you're here, or the consequences will be worse than this. And remember, collect all of the medallions… or you won't be able to go home."

When the darkness disappeared, along with the amulet and the man, I was alone in my blimp, set on the course for the unknown.

I had no idea where to head next, but I hoped that wherever it was, I could handle the pressure of my next task.

Save Poptropica, collect the medallions, and find the other four Amulet's of Avalon…

...how hard could it be?