Part Ten:
In the depths of the ocean, there lies a ruined civilization, Maraqua. But it is not entirely abandoned. Within lies a dreaded sea monster...
The water was teeming with life. Fish swam everywhere. Peophins looked at them and quickly swam away in fear. Eventually, one blue Peophin approached them.
"What are you?" she asked fearfully. "Are you new creations of Dr. Sloth's?"
"We are Neopians, transformed into this to go on a quest for the Faerie Queen," answered Spritzie.
"And what is it you seek?" asked the Peophin.
"A necklace from the Ghost Lupe's sunken ship."
"I will take you there, " said the Peophin. "Follow me. My name is Aquatickaa." One by one, the others introduced themselves.
"So how is it that there is still so much life here, when it's so depressing on the surface?" questioned Luna, as they followed Aquatickaa.
"The underwater realm is the only place the Tri-Union hasn't conquered, aside from the Faerie Queen's Palace," she answered, "They have no use for it. Most of those who would be able to live on land as well as water left the sea when Maraqua was destroyed long ago."
The group swam down into the depths of the ocean, down the face of a cliff, until finally, they could see the remnants of the ship, looming eerily in the distance. When they got there, the group searched the entire ship with no luck.
"Now what?" cried Lil in despair. "It's not here."
"When Maraqua still existed, many Maraquans pillaged the ship and took what they found back to the Kingdom. Most of the valuables are there now."
"Ok then," said Sun. "We have to go to Maraqua."
"It will be very dangerous," warned Aquatickaa. "It is said that there is a giant sea monster that has come to live there since the days of the Great War."
"We have to try," declared Chibi, "It could be the key to defeating the Tri-Union once and for all."
Aquatickaa's eyes grew wide. "Are you the Faerie Defense League?" she asked. "I hardly recognized you! I haven't seen you in years! The Faerie Queen must be very powerful!" as she said this, she hugged Chibi tightly.
"Huh?" asked Koorite, bewildered.
"Well, I will go with you to Maraqua, and show you the way," said Aquatickaa.
"Some of us should stay here on the ship and wait," determined Spritzie, "That way, if something happens to those who go, the rest will still be able to continue the quest."
In the end, it was decided that Chibi, Luna, Emerald, and Lil would stay and wait on the ship, while Spritzie, Koorite, Gryffin, Sun, and Aquatickaa went to Maraqua.
The ruins of Maraqua were covered in seaweed, algae, and even some corral reef in some places. Fish had made a home of it.
"Everybody keep a lookout," said Aquatickaa, "The sea monster could be anywhere."
"This is going to take forever," sulked Gryffin, "Maraqua has been gone for years. Surely people have come to excavate the ruins, and taken things back with them. And it takes years to even do that."
Suddenly, something grabbed Koorite from behind. The rest of the group turned around in horror. Holding Koorite was a monstrous creature, with grey, scaley skin and a Kougra-like head. Koorite was being held in one of its eight long, lashing tentacles. Before they could react, Sun, Gryffin, Spritzie, and Aquatickaa had each been taken by one of the tentacles as well.
"What do you want here?" questioned the creature angrily in a loud, wheezy voice.
"We... we are looking for a very special necklace," stuttered Spritzie. A flash of recognition came across the sea creature's face.
"I know the necklace you speak of," it said, "I found it when I first came here, and I saved it for the day I knew you would come to get it. I will take you to it now." With its three free tentacles, it began swimming.
"How did you know that?" asked Sun, confused.
"My name is Lunamercurie," answered the monster. Gryffin gasped.
"You're Luna's future self!" he cried out.
"But how did you get like this?" asked Sun..
"The Great War was a long and disastrous war," began Luna, "During the Great War, the Neopian Army was led by a group of eight powerful warriors, who called themselves the Faerie Defense League. They had special powers no other Neopian had, and were chosen personally by the Faerie Queen herself to help fight the threat. But it was in vain; four of the League members were enslaved by Vira, one was killed, one went insane, one vanished mysteriously without a trace, and in the end, I was captured by Dr. Sloth as a prisoner of war."
"How did you end up like this?" repeated Sun.
"By that time, Sloth had invented a new, more powerful Lab Ray which he used specifically as a form of torture for his prisoners of war," answered Luna. "He would use it on prisoners and change them, and often they would die because their new body was too mutated to be able to live in Neopia's environment. But Sloth had a special hatred for the Faerie Defense League. When he captured me, he mutated me into this and brought me into the water. Most of the Neopians inhabiting the sea tried to kill me out of fear, so I came to the ruins of Maraqua in an attempt to live in peace. But it became a normal practice for adventure-seekers to come and attempt to murder me and bring my body back as a trophy, so I had to kill them in self defense."
"I'm so sorry, Luna," said Aquatickaa. "I wish I had known. I could have helped you all these years if I had. But I was captured by the Tri-Union shortly before you were, so I knew nothing about all of this. When I never saw anyone again, I assumed you were all dead..."
"What?" cried an astonished Spritzie, "You know about all of this? How?"
"During the Great War, I was very close to the Faerie Defense League. I worked as one of the Neopian Army's spies," answered Aquatickaa.
Luna put them down as they reached a crumbled up palace. "You wait here, I'll get it. I have been sleeping in the palace ruins, and keep it in a vault there."
After a few minutes, Luna brought out a small, tarnished golden necklace with a golden heart locket on it, which had two Lupes inside.
"Here," she said, "And it is best that you don't tell the others what you learned here. If my past self should decide to try to avoid capture, and prevent me from becoming this way, then the consequences would be very bad. We would never meet now, and you'd never get the locket."
"Ok," said Sun. "Thank you so much!" she paused, "Is there any way to change you back?"
Luna looked away sadly, choking back tears. "It is very unlikely I will get changed back," she said, "When the Tri-Union formed, Lord Darigan gave Sloth's spaceship special magical defenses. Even the Space Faeries couldn't break through. Getting his Mega Lab Ray and reprogramming it is the only way to reverse the effects it had on those he used it on."
"We'll find a way to change you back," declared Sun.
"Oh, and Luna?" began Spritzie. "We - Sun, Chibi, you, Gryffin, Lil, Koorite, Emerald and I -we're the Faerie Defense League, aren't we?"
"Yes, you are," confirmed Luna.
"So why us?" questioned Gryffin.
"Now is not the time to know that, " Luna answered. "But in time, you will know."
Sun and the others then said goodbye and swam back to the ship.
Just as advised, they told nothing that happened to those that waited on the ship. Spritzie put the necklace around her neck, and it was time to go.
"Thanks for the help, Aquatickaa," said Luna. "We really appreciate it."
"No problem," said Aquatickaa, beaming at Chibi. "Goodbye... for now."
Once they reached the surface, the group managed to waddle and push themselves onto the shore. As soon as they did, there was once again the strange shifting of bodies, until they were once again their original forms. The Ghost Lupe was standing there waiting on them.
"It took you long enough!" he snarled.
"Well, we got it, didn't we?" retorted Spritzie, pointing to the chain on her neck. "Where's the Paint Brush?" Ghost Lupe levitated to a nearby bush, and his paw partially solidified, allowing him to carry the brush over to Spritzie. He gave her the Paint Brush, as Spritzie gave him the locket.
As soon as Ghost Lupe's paw touched the locket, it began to glow, and another Lupe spirit appeared. "Lorraine!" he cried out. "We're together at last!" Then, they both vanished.
"You're welcome," said Spritzie, annoyed. Suddenly, a large yellow bubble came down from the sky, and engulfed the eight Neopians. It lifted them high into the air, and took them back to the Faerie Palace. When they got there, Spritzie gave the Faerie Queen the Paint Brush.
"Well done," praised Fyora, "I have been watching from the mirror. Now, go on to bed, and I will tell you your next mission in the morning." Luna petted the Angelpuss on the back, who meowed happily.
The heroes have learned more of their grim future, and have just two more tasks to complete. Will they succeed?