The Stone Hourglass

by Shepherd Virgo

This story is replacing 'Rod of the Heart Nova.' It will involve the same characters, and the same things will have happened in the first two books.

Disclaimer: I don't own Neopets.

Chapter 2: Meet General Coltzan

The group of Neopets smashed towards the ground with a loud boom. Kalora looked around. What was missing?

"Something isn't right here," she mumbled quietly. Everyone looked around. Then, finally, someone noticed something.

"Where is Coltzan's Shrine?" asked Bleue timidly. Every pet turned in the direction Bleue was looking. The Coltzan's Shrine along the river was missing.

As Verderato's gaze fixed on Bleue, he noticed that she did not look right. She looked like a fuzz ball! He then looked at everyone else. They looked wrong too!

Both Kauvara and Kalora were women with an accessory (Kauvara's was a wand and Kalora's was a battledeck) and clothes with their Kau color on them. Jade was now a polygonal version of a Gelert. Her colors were the same and she had a special collar with her name on it. Dr_Death and Largato had both become a dragon-like creature with two horns and wings. It looked suspiciously like Eyries. And finally, he and Bleue both looked like puffballs with sneakers and gloves.

The Sahkmet Mansion wasn't there either. Many of the tents that could be seen in the distance were gone. What had happened to them?

"What has happened to you guys?" Allegra asked curiously. "I haven't changed at all!" Azuldragao, Rash and Faelinn nodded in agreement. Everyone else shrugged. "Well, we'd better find out where we are pretty quickly if we want to find out what happened to us. Let's look for a house."

For over an our the group of confused Neopets tramped through the completely and utterly deserted desert of Sakhmet. Then, finally, they found something.

"My fellow Neopians," a booming voice began, though it sounded very faint from where they were. "Not a single of the dastardly humans," he said 'humans' as though it were vulgar, "will ever set foot on this land. No one shall ever find this colony of pets, and it will live on forever without any crossbreeding." Loud cheers echoed through the desert.

"COLTZAN! COLTZAN! COLTZAN!"

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"We've gone back in time," Faelinn said softly. Everyone stared at the source of the sound. It was amazing! How could they have gone back in time? Then they realized it.

"It must have had to with the sand sticking to the top of the hourglass," Kauvara explained. "A regular Stone Hourglass goes forward in time...that one must have gone backward in time."

"Man, I feel like a woman!" Kalora sang. Everyone laughed.

"I know why we look like this!" Jade said suddenly. "The Neopets along time ago were different than the ones of our time."

"So that's what started the Kyrii/JubJub mess!" Dr_Death said, as if figuring out a mystery.

"Hello?" Coltzan's voice called. They all turned to the sounded. "Are you Neopets?"

"Yes!" Rash spoke. "Except for me," she added as an afterthought. "I'm a Faerie." Whispering sounds came from behind Coltzan.

"SILENCE!" Coltzan boomed. There was quiet. "Would you like to join our clan? We have escaped from the humans who torture us Neopets and come from far away, Neopia Central! Have you heard of it?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Maybe you should join our group."

"Let us discuss that for a second," Faelinn replied. The group huddled together.

"We shouldn't join them," Kauvara said at once. "We might change history!"

"But they have food and water," Azul disagreed. "We won't survive if we don't join them."

"He's right," Faelinn seconded. "We'll be dead in a day if we don't go with them. How will we save Plesio if we're dead?"

"Well...I guess you're right," Kauvara said finally. They faced Coltzan. "We will join you," Kauvara said.

"Thank you. Currently our numbers are less than 100. You will be good for us." They all went to the very back of Coltzans group of followers.

"There can't be more than 50," Dr_Death commented as he stepped in place beside a very small Aisha. Jade went to the Aisha's other side.

"Hello," the Aisha said cheerfully. "What's your name, Mr. Cerpull?"

"Huh?"

"Mr. Cerpull!"

"You must be a Cerpull in this body," Jade whispered to Dr_Death quietly. He nodded.

"I'm Dr_Death," the Cerpull said.

"I'm Osiri," the Aisha said happily. And you are, Mrs. Polypup?"

"Jadretana, Jade for short," Jade told her, noting that she was a Polypup.

"Oh, I've heard about you in a ton of stories!" Osiri exclaimed. "Are you...are you," she started to whisper, "an Ancient?" Jadretana stared at her, then Dr_Death, in amazement. Dr_Death nodded at her, as if saying to tell the truth.

"Yes," Jade said, "but don't tell anyone."

"That's cool!" Osiri said. "I'm going to introduce you to my Mama." She grabbed Jade's hand a pulled her in one direction. She was surprisingly strong for an Aisha. Jade waved goodbye to Dr_Death and followed Osiri to her mother.

"Hello, Osiri," her mother, a primitive Usul, said. "Who is this new friend of yours?"

"Her name is Jadretana, Jade for short," Osiri informed helpfully. Osiri's mother turned to Jade respectfully.

"You are very welcome in this household, Jadretana," Osiri's mother said. "I am Vyssa Coltzan, daughter of General Coltzan. My father will be very happy to meet you. Did you bring any friends to this desert?" Jade nodded. "Please find them and bring them back here. Osiri will be standing beside me." Jade skittered off to find everyone.

Where every Ancient arrived in Vyssa's hut General Coltzan had arrived, with his friend Mr. Wezzle.

"So, daughter, it is them for sure this time, right?"

"Yes, father, it's them. The starry one, Jadretana, brought all of her friends with her."

"Good," the future Lupe King replied. He turned to the Ancients. "The prophecies are exactly true," he said in amazement. "The future has come to the past." And then Coltzan, Osiri, Vyssa, Jade, Bleue, Largato, Rash, Faelinn, Kauvara, Azul, Verderato, Kalora and Dr_Death were no longer in the Lost Desert.

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