The younger neopets all gathered on the floor as the wise old Green Kacheek rocked in her chair, preparing to tell the young ones a story. An especially impatient yellow acara named Summer tugged at the grand lady's skirt. "Ga'ma Janeo! Tell us the story about the Magic Mirror! I like that one!"
The wise lady smiled as the younger pets looked up in curiosity and the older, more mature pets shook their heads, but listened anyway, because the woman would always tell this story with all the energy and drive of a young girl.
"Ah, you would be referring to the story of the Mirror Portal, is that right Miss Summer? Well, it just so happens that I know that story by heart!" her face took on a look of pride as they all leaned in for the beginning of the story. "Well, my little ones, It all began many years ago, before any of you were thought of. There," she pointed to the horizon. "There was once a large and beautiful continent where everything ever thought of grew and the faeries would come to replenish magic items that are used in potions and fruits used in elixirs. Most people just called it Eden or Utopia because when ever you were there, every pain, hurt and sorrow just washed away with the tide. It was here that an evil creature who's only happiness was her own beauty, made her home after many eons of peace. They called her Lynn. Lynn was a great inventor of her own devise. She was once a beautiful Sprite but was cast away because of her selfishness, which had become so troublesome to her people that she severely hurt several Sprites in an attempt to make herself more beautiful. Her greed for beauty had caused her to invent a machine that could transfer the other Sprite's energy into her body and make her shining body more large and brilliant than ever before."
Summer turned her head sideways. "Sprites? What are Sprites? Are they like faeries?"
The old lady smiled, "Not quite, dear. They looked, well… like extremely shiny Jubjubs with long dragonfly's wings and no feet. Their eyes were the most easy to see because they looked like jewels in the center of a star." she cleared her throat. "Now, were was I?… Oh, yes…
"But because of her selfish and impure heart, Lynn was changed, not into the most beautiful creature to ever exist like she had hoped, but into a vile creature with large ears and a bulbous head and a slightly humanoid body, if you didn't count the strange, stubby tail and pigeon toed hands and feet. Her body was now covered with a leather-like skin of mottled grays, browns and greens. Her face, which she never dared to show to anyone again, was different from any humanoid creatures, because of the slight snout forming from it with a flat nose. It was very different from what she had intended and instantly began taking it out on her fellow Sprites, who in turn, decreed that she was no longer a Sprite, for how could something so ugly and grim be associated with creatures so beautiful and kind? They bestowed upon her the name Grim-Lynn, for they believed it suiting for someone in such a position.
"This only succeeded in fueling Lynn's anger further. After excluding her to the point that she never left the cave in which she had built her machine, Lynn's mind began working in overdrive, scheming for someway to get back at the Sprites who, she felt, were responsible for her problems. She locked herself in her cavern laboratory for years on end, and everything she made, she horded and kept in perfect condition. She had been in the cave for so long, the Sprites began to think she had finally died in her self inflicted prison. But, then, one morning, she came outside in the sunlight and declared, 'You Sprites! You thought you had won! Well, hear this! You have three days to either accept me as a Sprite and offer to do anything I say as repayment for what you've done, or I'll use all the great and terrible things I've created to destroy you and all that you love! Don't bother running from this continent, I've got a weapon that will seek anyone who runs and destroy them! That is all!' and then she went back into the cave, grabbing berries along the way to munch on.
"Well of course, this caused an uproar among the Sprites. The Queen of the Sprites, Polarisa, called a meeting. When all the Sprites were gathered, she asked her smartest advisors if they thought the threat had any truth to it.
"The advisors agreed in unison that, though Grim-Lynn was a greedy and selfish thing, she was no liar. The threat was very real, and she meant it. The Queen then rallied together a large group of brave Sprites to go and try to pacify Grim-Lynn. They took all the rarest fruits and potions as well as elixirs they could find, but as they approached Grim-Lynn on that day, they found she had been waiting.
"'If your Queen has business with me, bring her here!' She shouted as she knocked the fruit and presents away. 'But if you want to fight with me, you're welcome to try!' She came out into the sunlight, just enough so they could see the special armor she had created for herself. 'Go ahead, try to hurt me! I think you'll find the result of any attack rather shocking! Remember, you only have two more days!'
"The Sprites, too afraid of Grim-Lynn to try, immediately scattered and found their ways back to the Queen to report the incident. The Queen, unsure of what to do, began to seek out help from someone, anyone who would help her. She began with the faeries, usually so helpful in their nature, but found that, for some unknown reason, they did not think they could help in such a situation. Then, desperate in the quest for her people's well being, Polaris sought out help from the many races of Neopets.
"After much searching, the tired and desperate Queen stood before her people with no volunteers to help her, most thinking she was nuts for believing the 'old tales of Grim-Lynn' and sending her on her way, others seeking payment she could not afford, she then began to ask if anyone had any ideas on what to do about Grim-Lynn, reminding everyone that time was growing short, with one day left, and soon they would all be made slaves to her hair-brained schemes if something did not change. Soon, a small Sprite came forward.
"'I know a way to defeat Grim-Lynn! How can she hurt us if she is banished?' The Queen looked at the small sprite for a moment.
"'Tell me, little one,' she began as calmly as she could, 'How would we banish her?'
"The small Sprite replied, 'That's easy! The answer is written on the walls of a cliff cavern near here!'
"Soon all the Sprites paraded to the cliff cavern the small Sprite had spoken of, and sure enough, there were glyphs on the walls that told of a Spell of Banishment. As the Queen and advisors read though the many directions they began to sweat. This difficult and demanding spell could be their last chance.
"Polarisa soon turned to her people and said, 'Everyone! Please, we must hurry! We need a large floor mirror and these other items! Quickly! We need them by sun up tomorrow!'
"The Sprites then went all over the continent and found the strange items, but could not find a Floor Mirror. They searched all over and offered many great prizes for the retrieval of one, but none could be found.
"They searched everywhere, caves, beaches, trading posts, and even under rocks, looking for something large enough and shiny enough to act as a floor mirror.
"Sunset was fast approaching and soon, the queen knew she would have to give Grim-Lynn her answer. She went off by herself to think, finding herself heading towards Lynn's den. When she got there, she listened carefully. Grim-Lynn was snoring softly. 'Taking over the world must be hard work,' the Queen thought sarcastically, only daring to come to the mouth of the cave to look in. Then something shining in the corner caught her eye. A FLOOR MIRROR! It was almost the size of the wall! The Queen began concocting a plan. Some how, she was going to have to use Grim-Lynn's love of the mirror against her… and just maybe, she knew how.
R'n'R ppl! I do not own neopets, but I love writing about it!