Post by Rider on Apr 2, 2005 19:19:33 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]A chronicle of yesterday's escapades, in story format. Omnicient 3rd person. Feels so weird, writing in third person. I'm used to writing in first...[/glow]
April Fools and Changing Rules
Part One
The first of April. Birds were singing. Flowers were blooming. The last of winter’s snows were melting into the Rainbow Pool, causing it to flood its banks. Pets were swimming, hoping that maybe some magical residue from the paintbrushes would rub off on them and change their color. Ridergirl laughed as she passed them on my way to the Catacombs. Some people were desperate. But all the same, she couldn’t blame them for trying. Today was the day for everyone to be a fool.
Rider climbed down the ladder and into the caves, dank with melting snow. The second door to the right led her to the vast chamber that is the NTWF.
Something immediately struck her as odd. Instead of the usual shouts and minor explosions coming from the door, all was silent. She felt a pit in her stomach, small at first, but it grew as she opened the door.
A string fell from the doorframe. Attached to it was a paper, reading, “Welcome to the Ninja Times Fighter's Dojo! This forum was originally created for Neopian Times authors and artists to have a place to Network and hang out, and for new and aspiring writers and artists to receive advice, feedback, and lessons from those who have made it to the ranks of the published! Now, however, the ninjas have taken over and are enforcing a strict regime. There will be no sillyness, pirates, or non-ninja activities. For those who are willing to comply you can pick up your ninja uniform and chopsticks in the room to your right. The rest of you, please take the door to left. Arigato.”
The first thing that struck her was the fact that ninjas speak Italian.
The second was that the ninjas had taken over.
Annoyed, the pirate brushed the parchment away from her face and walked through the door on the left. She instantly regretted it.
Sitting in front of her was a high-backed velvet throne. The Meridellian throne that she had supplied as an armchair for the NTWF. Wires coiled around the legs and arms of the chair like adders, hissing with electrical power. A metal helmet, vaguely resembling a motorcyclist’s helmet, was attached to the wires, making the scene look like something from a macabre horror flick. On the left wall, a machine buzzed and bleeped like a twisted black video game in an arcade. Buttons and levers flashed a thousand different colors. Ninjas clad totally in black poked pirates and civilians with their katanas. They herded them into a line at the front of the chair.
And at the front of this line was Ery.
“ERY!” She cried, before she could stop herself. Her Tabloid husband, the master of the Keyblade, herded and controlled so? He gave her one last small smile before sitting down in the chair. Forcefully, a ninja jammed the helmet onto his head.
There was a jolt of purple lightning to his brain, then nothing.
Ery rose from the seat, eyes like marbles. Glassy, listless, apathetic. “All traitors and rebels will be reprogrammed here,” he said in a monotone. “That is the pirate captain. Seize her.”
In the blink of an eye, Rider found herself surrounded by ninjas with katanas. “Drop the sword.” One of them poked her in the belly. She dropped it, because she liked her guts when they’re all compact inside her body, thank you very much. “And the shield.” She was a bit more reluctant to drop the shield, but after a ninja poked her in the head with a throwing star, she decided that she liked her brains in her body too.
One of the ninjas removed his hood. Stal. “Good job, Ery. Tracy, Ery, would you two like to help in the reprogramming of those sent to this institution?”
Rider whirled around. Tracy, one of my few moderators that wasn’t a ninja stood behind her, clad in a ninja’s attire. Tracy removed her hood and drew a katana. Her eyes held that same glassy look. “Yes, master.”
“Yes, master,” Ery repeated, bowing to the ninja. He grabbed the paw of the next person in line. Nick, the Great Dane anthro. Tracy put the helmet on Nick’s head. “This will only hurt a lot.”
For a moment, the poor boy looked reassured. Then, he started struggling. “Wait a second! That's a bad thing!” He bolted out of the chair in a swish of flying fur and bit Ery in the forbidden zone. Rider winced.
It was a good several minutes before they could finally zap Nick’s brains, or rather, what few brains Nick had. Then they turned their attention to one of their own. Eri.
It took three ninjas to restrain girl, still holding her kunai and lashing out. “I am a ninja!” she protested.
Ery grabbed her by the wrist. “You are a traitor, not a ninja.”
More purple lightning. For some reason, Ducky had a cattle prod. It amused me, and I couldn’t help but giggle despite the hopelessness of my situation.
Next in line was a hooded, cloaked, and (as far as we know) genderless figure named Randomy the pirate. She was harder to subdue than Nick was. Somehow, she had managed to retain her cutlass. “Ha! Stinkin' ninjas! You'll never make me one of your stupid slaves! I AM A FREE WOMAN!!!”
“GO RANDOMY!” Rider shouted, jumping up and down to see over her captors’ heads. The cloaked girl was taking on three ninjas at once, and drawing closer to the door, towards Rider’s end of the line. The pirate Cap’n grinned recklessly. This was like some Indiana Jones movie! “Go, get out of here!”
One of the ninjas lunged forward, katana glittering like a blade of ice. At that same instant, Rider’s foot “inadvertently” shot out.
The ninja tripped and lay splayed on the floor. The other two ninjas, so intent upon their target, couldn’t stop in time. They tripped over their fallen comrade and went down like sacks of potatoes. Randomy opened the door and vanished.
Rider soon found herself being lifted by the armpits. “You’re coming with us, pirate captain.” They dragged her to the front of the room and jammed the helmet on her.
A monkey chose that moment to climb in the window and randomly press half of the buttons on the mind-control machine.
Purple lighting flashed for a brief moment, then was replaced by bolts of azure blue. It flashed in front of Rider’s eyes, scorched her nerve endings and made her feel like she was on the end of a toothbrush, bristled and tingly on one side and being pressed against an enamel object on the other.
A sharp heat rose in the back of her skull. A thousand images passed through her head, messages of ninja domination, monkeys and sailing ships, popcorn and badgers.
Then her world went blank.
April Fools and Changing Rules
Part One
The first of April. Birds were singing. Flowers were blooming. The last of winter’s snows were melting into the Rainbow Pool, causing it to flood its banks. Pets were swimming, hoping that maybe some magical residue from the paintbrushes would rub off on them and change their color. Ridergirl laughed as she passed them on my way to the Catacombs. Some people were desperate. But all the same, she couldn’t blame them for trying. Today was the day for everyone to be a fool.
Rider climbed down the ladder and into the caves, dank with melting snow. The second door to the right led her to the vast chamber that is the NTWF.
Something immediately struck her as odd. Instead of the usual shouts and minor explosions coming from the door, all was silent. She felt a pit in her stomach, small at first, but it grew as she opened the door.
A string fell from the doorframe. Attached to it was a paper, reading, “Welcome to the Ninja Times Fighter's Dojo! This forum was originally created for Neopian Times authors and artists to have a place to Network and hang out, and for new and aspiring writers and artists to receive advice, feedback, and lessons from those who have made it to the ranks of the published! Now, however, the ninjas have taken over and are enforcing a strict regime. There will be no sillyness, pirates, or non-ninja activities. For those who are willing to comply you can pick up your ninja uniform and chopsticks in the room to your right. The rest of you, please take the door to left. Arigato.”
The first thing that struck her was the fact that ninjas speak Italian.
The second was that the ninjas had taken over.
Annoyed, the pirate brushed the parchment away from her face and walked through the door on the left. She instantly regretted it.
Sitting in front of her was a high-backed velvet throne. The Meridellian throne that she had supplied as an armchair for the NTWF. Wires coiled around the legs and arms of the chair like adders, hissing with electrical power. A metal helmet, vaguely resembling a motorcyclist’s helmet, was attached to the wires, making the scene look like something from a macabre horror flick. On the left wall, a machine buzzed and bleeped like a twisted black video game in an arcade. Buttons and levers flashed a thousand different colors. Ninjas clad totally in black poked pirates and civilians with their katanas. They herded them into a line at the front of the chair.
And at the front of this line was Ery.
“ERY!” She cried, before she could stop herself. Her Tabloid husband, the master of the Keyblade, herded and controlled so? He gave her one last small smile before sitting down in the chair. Forcefully, a ninja jammed the helmet onto his head.
There was a jolt of purple lightning to his brain, then nothing.
Ery rose from the seat, eyes like marbles. Glassy, listless, apathetic. “All traitors and rebels will be reprogrammed here,” he said in a monotone. “That is the pirate captain. Seize her.”
In the blink of an eye, Rider found herself surrounded by ninjas with katanas. “Drop the sword.” One of them poked her in the belly. She dropped it, because she liked her guts when they’re all compact inside her body, thank you very much. “And the shield.” She was a bit more reluctant to drop the shield, but after a ninja poked her in the head with a throwing star, she decided that she liked her brains in her body too.
One of the ninjas removed his hood. Stal. “Good job, Ery. Tracy, Ery, would you two like to help in the reprogramming of those sent to this institution?”
Rider whirled around. Tracy, one of my few moderators that wasn’t a ninja stood behind her, clad in a ninja’s attire. Tracy removed her hood and drew a katana. Her eyes held that same glassy look. “Yes, master.”
“Yes, master,” Ery repeated, bowing to the ninja. He grabbed the paw of the next person in line. Nick, the Great Dane anthro. Tracy put the helmet on Nick’s head. “This will only hurt a lot.”
For a moment, the poor boy looked reassured. Then, he started struggling. “Wait a second! That's a bad thing!” He bolted out of the chair in a swish of flying fur and bit Ery in the forbidden zone. Rider winced.
It was a good several minutes before they could finally zap Nick’s brains, or rather, what few brains Nick had. Then they turned their attention to one of their own. Eri.
It took three ninjas to restrain girl, still holding her kunai and lashing out. “I am a ninja!” she protested.
Ery grabbed her by the wrist. “You are a traitor, not a ninja.”
More purple lightning. For some reason, Ducky had a cattle prod. It amused me, and I couldn’t help but giggle despite the hopelessness of my situation.
Next in line was a hooded, cloaked, and (as far as we know) genderless figure named Randomy the pirate. She was harder to subdue than Nick was. Somehow, she had managed to retain her cutlass. “Ha! Stinkin' ninjas! You'll never make me one of your stupid slaves! I AM A FREE WOMAN!!!”
“GO RANDOMY!” Rider shouted, jumping up and down to see over her captors’ heads. The cloaked girl was taking on three ninjas at once, and drawing closer to the door, towards Rider’s end of the line. The pirate Cap’n grinned recklessly. This was like some Indiana Jones movie! “Go, get out of here!”
One of the ninjas lunged forward, katana glittering like a blade of ice. At that same instant, Rider’s foot “inadvertently” shot out.
The ninja tripped and lay splayed on the floor. The other two ninjas, so intent upon their target, couldn’t stop in time. They tripped over their fallen comrade and went down like sacks of potatoes. Randomy opened the door and vanished.
Rider soon found herself being lifted by the armpits. “You’re coming with us, pirate captain.” They dragged her to the front of the room and jammed the helmet on her.
A monkey chose that moment to climb in the window and randomly press half of the buttons on the mind-control machine.
Purple lighting flashed for a brief moment, then was replaced by bolts of azure blue. It flashed in front of Rider’s eyes, scorched her nerve endings and made her feel like she was on the end of a toothbrush, bristled and tingly on one side and being pressed against an enamel object on the other.
A sharp heat rose in the back of her skull. A thousand images passed through her head, messages of ninja domination, monkeys and sailing ships, popcorn and badgers.
Then her world went blank.
Big force taking over, little rebellion is... erm... rebelling.... ^__^
Furgo 
Michael. 
