Happy Birthday, Neopia!

Written by: Lillie

The sun was shining brightly through the glass windows of the bedroom when Elizabeth awoke. She lay quietly for a while, blinking to try and understand why she had that delightful feeling going up and down her. It was the kind of feeling that you get when something wonderful is about to happen, and the sensation of having eaten a delicious slice of heaven. And then she remembered: today was National Neopian Day!

With a shout of hurrah, the Green Ixi leapt out of bed and landed on her pretty black hooves. A stirring in the bed beside her own showed that Robert had been jolted out of sleep by her cry of delight. A ruffled looking head peered out from under the quilt. "Whatever are you doing?" he demanded in an annoyed tone. "Can't an Ixi ever get to sleep in this place?"

"Sorry," Elizabeth said meekly. She knew how much Robert valued his beauty sleep. However, she cheered up immediately. "But it's Neopia's birthday today!"

Sighing heavily, Robert put his head back under the quilt. Taking this as her cue to go, Elizabeth danced lightly into the adjacent bathroom and cleaned herself from head to hoof. She meant to look her best today! It was going to be a lovely, lovely day, she was sure. Neopia National Day was always wonderful, everyone said. There would be enormous celebrations throughout the whole of Neopia, and everyone would have fun. There would be cake, balloons, games, and oh, all sorts of things! That was what everyone said, anyway. Elizabeth had always been too young to go out much. Her owner was worried about losing her, much to the young Ixi's dismay. Robert was older than her and was allowed to go out with their owner while a friend Neopet-sat Elizabeth. This year though, she was old enough. Her owner had promised to take her out.

"What's for breakfast?" Elizabeth demanded upon entry to the kitchen. Robert tumbled in, as though the magic word "breakfast" had compelled him to leave his bed. Their owner, Jane, looked up from where she was cooking. "Good morning, Elizabeth. How do omelettes sound?" Elizabeth thought about this for a while. They didn't have omelettes very often - you could get free omelettes from the Giant Omelette in the Tyrannian Plateau but Jane worried for the safety of the two Ixis in Tyrannia. Jane worried about everything. Omelettes were yummy though, and Elizabeth said so. Robert grunted his agreement.

After a delicious breakfast of omelettes (Jane was a good cook), Jane washed the dishes. Time seemed to tick by ever so slowly. Elizabeth wanted to go out - now. The dishes could wait. Jane had promised lunch and dinner out so they wouldn't need clean dishes. Wasn't she washing them slower than normal? Wasn't she being too careful with the plates? Jane was being so ... so clean.

"Have you made your bed?" Jane suddenly wanted to know. Elizabeth felt like she was caught in a trap and she was sure she could feel the blush spread across her face. If there was anything Jane was strict about, it was about doing chores. Elizabeth always made sure she had made her bed so Jane wouldn't have to, but she had forgotten today. "No," she whispered guiltily.

"Doing the chores is a part of being a responsible Ixi in this house," Jane said gently. "Irresponsible Ixis don't deserve a trip out." Elizabeth got the point. Robert had, of course, made his bed. He smiled smugly at her while she fixed hers. What seemed a lovely day already seemed to be turning into a horrid one. Would Jane really not let her go out? Tears welled up in Elizabeth's eyes. She'd been looking forward to this day for months, and they had said Neopia's fifth birthday was going to be better than any of the previous ones. She didn't want to miss it!

Her fears were availed when she saw Jane's approving smile. Her spirits lifted even further when they stepped outside the door, locking it behind them, and walked down the road to Neopia Central. The Day Out had really begun!

As they got closer to the Neopia Central, they could see signs of the celebration all around them. Many families had bedecked their Neohomes with streamers, balloons and banners to announce Neopia's 5th Birthday. Glancing at them quickly, one could make out phrases such as, "Happy 5th Birthday, Neopia!" and "Five cheers for Neopia! Hip, hip, hurrah! Hip, hip, hurrah! Hip, hip, hurrah! Hip, hip, hurrah! Hip, hip, hurrah!" The shops were overflowing with Neopians buying presents for their pets. Elizabeth suddenly wondered if they were going to get presents. Robert had told her not to ask; he was more aware of their financial situation than Elizabeth was. Afraid it might upset Jane since she was unlikely to be able to afford gifts, he had threatened dire things to his younger sister, banning her from asking.

They meandered between the crowds towards the marketplace. Knowing from previous experience how crowded it could get in the city centre, Jane had decided to take them to see the Soup Faerie first. The Soup Faerie and Jane were friends. Jane used to help out in the Soup Kitchen before she adopted the two Ixis and didn't have that much time anymore. They did still pop by occasionally (and get a free bowl of soup into the bargain!).

There were very few Neopians at the Soup Kitchen today, so the Soup Faerie was able to spare them a warm smile and a few precious minutes to talk with them. She greeted them with a hug each, which they happily returned.

"How are you enjoying yourselves, my dears?" she asked them in her soft, kind voice. "It's your first real day out on Neopia National Day, isn't it, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth nodded excitedly. "It's all so beautiful!" she cried, and proceeded to describe the details of the centre of Neopia. The Soup Faerie listened attentively and smiled in all the right places. At length, Robert put in, "Why aren't there many people here today?"

"Well, you see, owners often want to give their pets a better time than normal on this day so they save up everything they have just so their pets can get a good treat," the faerie explained. "They usually buy some good food instead of getting free food. It's a once a year treat."

"Your soup is good!" Robert protested. The faerie laughed.

"Why don't you go to the Pirate Academy?" she suggested, partly to Jane, partly to the Ixis. "I hear he's giving out free training today." This was met with an enthusiastic response from the Ixis. With a laugh and a parting wave, the family made their way to the harbour where a boat destined for Krawk Island would be waiting. Fortunately, there were not many people: most had gone in the wee hours of the morning and the others were planning to go later. It was the first time either of the Ixis had traveled in a boat and they would have run all over the place if they hadn't been feeling sea sick. By the time they did get to Krawk Island, Robert was looked more like a Green Ixi than a Blue one. Elizabeth, being Green anyway, didn't look any the worse for wear, but she felt bad.

"Ahoy there, mateys!" Cap'n Threelegs roared when they entered the Swashbuckling Academy. "What are ye here fer? It's trainin', isn't it, eh? I'll whip yer into shape in no time at all!" Without giving an opportunity for anyone to speak, he hustled them into a corner where he produced a log book for Jane to enroll the two Neopets. After signing them up for courses - Robert for Endurance and Elizabeth for Level - she waved goodbye to them and disappeared. There was no time to feel sad and miss her though, as Cap'n Threelegs roared again and shoved them rudely into a large room where several other Neopets were already busily training.

The training seemed to wear on forever. There was no end to the hard, physical work, the mental speed with which they needed to answer Cap'n Threelegs's fiery questions, or what Cap'n Threelegs called "pep talks". By the time the training finally drew to an end, both Robert and Elizabeth were utterly exhausted. Robert didn't care if he missed out on all the celebrations - he wanted to go home and go to bed. He worried that Jane might be late and Cap'n Threelegs would be able to give another of his pep talks before they could leave. He didn't think he would be able to listen to the old captain one more time without going stark raving mad. Elizabeth was bitterly unhappy for another reason. She thought she'd never be able to enjoy the rest of the day and everything that was to come, she was so tired. It was simply tragic, she thought.

Jane did arrive on time and she had bought a bottle of iced water for each of her pets. They were still cool and the two Ixis grabbed the water, drinking it greedily. As they were guzzling their beverage, Cap'n Threelegs whispered in an undertone to Jane, "Them two Ixis ye got there are right good 'uns. They'll make excellent deckhands one day, if ye'll let 'em." At least, he thought it was a whispered undertone. Cap'n Threelegs had a loud voice and he really couldn't be quiet, so the Ixis heard every word and visibly puffed up with pride. Robert thought maybe he could take on another pep talk without going stark raving mad and Elizabeth felt life was a little more bearable.

Back in Neopia Central, they had a late lunch at Hubert's Hot Dogs. Robert had a Chili Hot Dog, Elizabeth picked a Hot Dog with Onions and Jane went along with a traditional, simple Hot Dog. They were relatively cheap and quite filling. After their exhaustive training, the Neopets really did feel a lot more energetic after eating. They did, however, need another bottle of water for Robert to quench the fire his mouth was on, and Jane had to discreetly suggest to Elizabeth to eat some mints.

The afternoon was spent wandering around the bazaar. Someone gave the Neopets a free balloon each, and they each threw a Neopoint into the Wishing Well and made a wish.

"What did you wish for, what did you wish for?" Elizabeth asked, prancing around her older brother. His eyes twinkled wickedly. "What did you wish for?" he retorted. "I asked you first!" she protested. "Well, I'm not going to answer until you do." He shrugged his shoulders and continued walking, ignoring the miserable, reproachful look that his sister gave him. The curiosity was too great for the Green Ixi, and she said, "Okay! I'll tell you what I wished for! I wished for a" - here she bent her head closer and glanced back to make sure Jane was not within hearing range - "goodie bag. I want a toy. Now, what did you wish for?"

Robert drew back, silent for a while. His eyes weren't focused on the ground before him and his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere.

"Well?"

Coming back to earth, Robert glanced at his sister and smiled that all-knowing smile again. "I wished for" - here he bent his head closer and glanced back to make sure Jane was not within hearing range - "a secret." Elizabeth blinked. "What's that?" she demanded. He rolled his eyes expressively. "It means, you silly, that I'm not going to tell you. Don't you know that you shouldn't say what you wished for otherwise you won't get it?"

Horror filled Elizabeth's face as she heard this revelation. Evidently, she had not known this before. Robert almost felt sorry for teasing her - almost. "There, there," he said comfortingly. "There's always next year."

At this point, Jane intervened with the bright idea of window shopping. They spent an hour admiring the toys in the Toy Shop and Elizabeth had a further half an hour of enjoyment in the heart of Usuki Land. (Robert, I may add, was bored beyond his wits while in Usuki Land. He was far more interested in the Collectable Card Shop.) They went into the Furniture Shop and talked about what might look nice in their own Neohome. There was a Coffee Table that Jane particularly liked, and the Neopets could see why. It was a really nice, simple piece of furniture, yet so elegant it could only be described as "Jane-like". However, it cost far more than they could afford and they left the shop empty-handed.

Suddenly, Jane said she needed to see the Soup Faerie about something she was thinking about. Giving the pets some money to spend on smoothies, she smiled mysteriously and disappeared in the direction of the Marketplace. They were to meet by the Wishing Well in half an hour. With a shrug, Robert led his young sister into the Smoothie Shop where they bought the cheapest smoothies available. "Where is everyone?" Elizabeth asked Robert as they sat by the Wishing Well, slurping their smoothies. "There were so many people this morning and now there's less." Not knowing the answer but wanting to appear knowledgeable, Robert said lightly, "Oh, they've probably all gone to the Swashbuckling Academy for free training." This seemed a sensible answer which satisfied the both of them and it was, after all, not far off the truth.

When the half hour was up, Jane appeared again looking her normal self except for an extra twinkle in her eyes. "Come on," she told them, "we're going to the bookshop." Robert and Elizabeth beamed. They loved reading; Jane had taught them to enjoy books. There were only a few slim volumes at home. Even if they couldn't buy a book, they could peruse through them at will in the bookshop. They were always very careful not to damage the binding or the pages in case the Nimmo shopkeeper ordered them to buy it. They would have loved to, but books weren't cheap.

There were a number of customers in the Bookshop trailing in and out constantly. This was reassuring: it meant that the shopkeeper would be too busy with the constant arrival of new customers to care too much about a stray Ixi or two reading through his books but not buying them. Sometimes, if he was in a bad mood, he would order them out of the shop if they weren't going to buy anything and run him out of business. And so the time went by happily, amidst the smell of new pages.

After a long time of pure bliss, Jane gently dragged them away from their various adventures in bookland and took them to the Neolodge. She had promised them a meal (between tea-time and dinner-time), at a hotel. Even though most Neopians would think so, going to the Coakroach Towers was a real treat (that was all they could usually afford for a meal out). Because it was the most special day of the year, they thought they might be able to go to Fleapit Motel instead. Although most people would not think so, fleas were a great improvement from cockroaches. And although most people would agree that fleas are preferable to cockroaches (and some people disagree with that statement), it is generally agreed that the Fleapit Motel was really not somewhere you would want to have tea in.

Imagine their surprise when Jane brought them to not the Fleapit Motel, but Mountain Lodge! Mountain Lodge was a small, cozy wood cabin with several more wood cabins for people staying there. Tea was served in a room overlooking the gentle slopes of hillsides and meadows, with a crackling, roaring fire on one side. There were free 5 Years Old birthday cakes, of which the family took generous helpings. There were plenty of scones and butter, freshly baked country bread, slices of cured ham, scrambled eggs and bacon. It was all very heavy, very filling and very, very satisfying. Nothing was said for a while as they ate hungrily, and then the talk began.

Elizabeth was not as excited as she thought she would be. She really was very happy, but she felt a little disappointed. Today had been a fun day, and she had got a balloon and a birthday cake. She had read a book she had never read before and made a wish in the well. The meal they were eating at the Mountain Lodge was really delicious, even if it wasn't the elegant, high-class image she had thought it would be. But that was just it. She had been conjuring up a perfect day where the impossible happened, where they could buy anything and everything they wanted, and where they would be eating at the AstroVilla, not the Mountain Lodge. She felt bad for feeling ungrateful, so she said a hearty "Thank you for the lovely day, Jane" and did her best to mean it.

Robert fared better. He had not expected anything much, and had been pleased to get free training from Cap'n Threelegs, who really was nice if you thought about it long enough. They had been allowed to buy hot dogs, smoothies and now they were eating at a hotel that was much, much nicer than the Cockroach Towers. Window shopping hadn't been bad, he had managed to have some fun teasing his sister and it had all been a very nice, relaxing day for him.

After the meal, Jane and the Ixis sat outside on some wooden chairs that had been placed on the grass. A few other families were also sitting out there as their way of celebrating Neopia's birthday. "What are we waiting for?" Elizabeth whispered to Robert curiously. It was all so very quiet. Not knowing, but wanting to appear knowledgeable, Robert simply smiled and whispered back, "You'll see."

An explosion shook the air. With dropped jaw, Elizabeth stared at the sky. A whistling sound pierced the air, a barrel of light shot upwards and disappeared for a second, before a shower of sparks began to fall. Another fistful of light flew into the sky and exploded into light. Red, green, yellow, blue, orange - every colour of the spectrum seemed to light up the black night sky. It was a magnificent display of fireworks. Music could be heard being played as the fireworks shot up, one after the other, and fell back down to earth.

Above the noise, Jane shouted out, "Robert! Elizabeth!" They turned their heads in her direction momentarily, unwilling to miss a single bit of the fireworks display. Jane waved two bags in her hands. Neither of the Neopets knew where she had got them from or when she had taken them out. As far as they knew, Jane had been empty-handed most of the day.

A series of red sparks glittered across the sky.

"Here! Presents! From the Wishing Well!" Amazed, the Ixis reached out a hoof to take one each. At first they couldn't make out what it was. It was too dark to see properly and the lights above them were scattered randomly.

A large, yellow firework burst into a sunshine of light that cascaded back down.

And then they saw what it was that Elizabeth had wished for - Neopets goodie bags.

"You said wishes never came true if you told them!" Elizabeth glared accusingly at Robert.

"Well, I never said my wish wouldn't come true!" he retorted. "I also wished for a goodie bag!"

"Not two though!" Elizabeth cried out triumphantly.

"But Jane," Robert turned to his owner, deliberately ignoring Elizabeth's gleeful face, "how did you know we wanted these?"

Jane laughed. "A little blue bird told me," she replied. Then she grinned. "Maybe it's the power of three: I also wished for a goodie bag for you each!"

A rainbow firework spread across the sky, forming letters. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NEOPIA!" it read. And suddenly, Elizabeth thought that it really had been a perfect day after all.

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