It had been a long few years, but the Grey Curse was finally broken. Colour was returning to the lands of Neopia, and the Jellyneo Staff HQ was recovering as well. (They never did figure out how the grey made it through the portal.)
The last couple weeks had been crunch time for the plot, and it was good to relax. Amanda and Shelby were playing Kacheekers in the break room. Pizza was refilling the soda machine. Zelda and noileh kept chucking things from the ball pit as staffers walked by.
All was right once more. Until...
A blinding flash. A deafening sound, like buzzing energy. And a voice:
Heads spun toward the office.
Perry: "Was that...Keyda?"
Carrie: "She was the only one in there..."
Lucky crept toward the office door.
Lucky: "You okay in there, Keyda? Your voice sounds really weird."
Keyda: "Yeah, about that..."
A Baby Bori stepped into the staff lounge.
Lucky: "Keyda? Where did this Bori come from?"
Another flash. Another buzzing.
Gen: "Lucky? Are you okay?"
Steve: "What's going on in there?"
Keyda: "Yeah, so...remember how we were all Neopets for the last tournament?"
Gen and Steve slowly turned toward the Bori.
Scattering plastic spheres around her, noileh scrambled out of the ball pit and sprinted for the office.
FLASH! BZZT!
noileh: "Oh, come on! Of course you miss me!"
Quail: "noileh? Whats happening?"
noileh: "You know Ummy's Boochi Plushie?"
noileh: "Yeah, it's...kind of alive..."
Ummy peered into the office to witness the mysterious living plushie. Another buzzing flash lit up the doorway. When the light cleared, a Baby Aisha stood where Ummy's feet should've been.
noileh: "Oh, come on! I want to try!"
Shelby glanced over her shoulder to find Herdy eating a faerie cake.
Shelby: "So...you ever heard of a plushie coming alive before?"
Herdy: "Well, there is one legend where—"
Herdy's story was cut short as chaos overtook the staff lounge. The plushie, it seemed, was on the move. JCab yelped as a blast landed too close for comfort.
Zelda began motioning others to hide in the ball pit, but the plushie was too quick. Halfway through her words, a Baby Scorchio dropped into the pit in her place.
Amanda sprinted away from the unfinished Kacheekers game.
Jessica: "The blast won't go through the fridge!"
FLASH! BZZT! FLASH BZZT!
Madge: "...I guess we were wrong."
Rylon appeared from the portal to Neopia.
Rylon: "Good gracious, what did I m—"
FLASH.
noileh: "Oh, come on! You hit everybody before me??"
BZZT.
