Return to Atlantis Part Two: Possessed Furbys
written by Tabby


Most of the thanks for part two goes to Barnacle who, if you ask him, claims to have written the entire thing anyway. Well, I must admit he was the source for many of the "big fun" ideas in this thing and it would not be near as good (and complicated) had it not been for his advice. Plus, thank you to all my family members and friends that read it beforehand (even if Cleve Clove claimed "the beginning and the ending were good, but the middle was confusing". Nergh! He just doesn't like Furbys! ^.~). And, of course, I will be ETERNALLY GRATEFUL to everyone out there who is going to read it now. Feedback, anyone? If I don't hear from any of y'all, I might threaten to stop writing, like I've threatened the past three months. My e-mail address is TabbyMLP@aol.com; got that? Good. Now sit, read, and e-mail.


"Big doo-ay!"

When Clever Clover heard this sound emitted from outside his front door, he assumed that it was Tabby annoying him with idiotic Furbish phrases. He grumbled as he went to let her in. However, upon opening the door, he saw that his visitor was someone much worse than he had expected.

"Whahoo! Party, wah!" a small autumn-colored Furby perched on his front steps said shrilly, a little propeller cap on her head.

Clever Clover promptly recoiled in fear, but pulled himself together and stuck his head out the door, glancing around. Tabby was obviously responsible for planting this Furby outside his house, so where was she?

"Boogie! Hee-hee!" The Furby suddenly took to the air and flew past Clever Clover into the archeologist's house.

"Hey!" Clever Clover yelled in outrage, swiftly turning around. "You fiend!" He chased after the talkative furball.

The Furby apparently knew where she was going. "Doo-ay, wah!" She deliberately flew down the hallway and into one of Clever Clover's back rooms.

"Get back here!" Clever Clover was hot on her trail. "Tabitha, I'm going to get you for this one!"

"Mee-mee e-day," the Furby said, skillfully floating around the room as she picked a chain up from the desk and clutched it in her beak.

"That's the Nur-Ab-Fin necklace!" Clever Clover protested, running forward. "Put it down!"

"Big no," the Furby said in an unconcerned tone as she flitted back down the hallway and out the door. The beanie caps that Furbys used to fly enabled them to go "mee-mee" fast.

"Tabitha, wherever you are, you're going to pay!" Clever Clover declared, as he stood at the doorway watching the Furby fly off into the darkening evening. "It'd serve her right if she got in trouble with that necklace again." Muttering under his breath, he closed the door and turned back inside.

* * *

Time passed, and the evening grew late. Tabby walked through the dark of night alone, facing up to the blustery wind. It was only a walk home from the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe, which was generally not an intimidating feat. But Tabby's terrible fear of the dark made the expedition absolutely petrifying.

And she was alone. There wasn't a soul around except for her. There was not even a single light on in the surrounding houses she passed. Who knew what evils lurked in the shadows? Most of the time as of late she was able to walk back with Sugarberry, her next door neighbor and best friend. But Sugarberry was with Vanguard at the Estate Manor; and her other two friends, Tamara and Tiffany, were off with their respective dates to other sights around town. Tabby felt dreadfully alone.

Of course, the one that should have been with her-- and the one that had been with her many times in the past-- was Thomas. He had always been there to escort her home before-- but not so much in recent times. She had begun seeing less and less of him in the past months. Tabby hated to think they were growing apart. Never before in her life had she had someone like Thomas to love.

Of course, Tabby had to admit that she had been busy lately, too. It was her latest endeavor to band together with Spike to form an eighties toy museum in Paradise Estate. With both Spike's and Tabby's collections combined, they would have quite a bit of displaying material covering both the girls and boys toys of that era. Tabby was happy to pack all her collected toys over to Paradise Estate in order to get them cataloged and arranged nicely, as she'd wanted to do for so long.

So, perhaps Tabby was partly to blame. But Thomas' absence still didn't make sense. What prevented him from making an appearance at the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe evenings? Or even from calling Tabby to let her know what was going on?

Considering how much grief Thomas had caused Tabby over the past year, Tabby found it ironic that he hadn't been given a piece of her mind, insulted, whacked over the head several times, been placed on her black list, and been banned from her sight long ago. But she still refused to even think of letting him go.

Actually, the last time the two had actually seen each other was several weeks ago when Thomas' Furby Doo-Moh had begun acting strangely. Tabby had advised him on the process of installing new batteries in the creature... and that had been their last lengthy conversation. Then there had also been that incident at the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe with Romance, but... well, she didn't know what to think.

It was an extremely welcome sight when Tabby's house came into view. She dashed up the porch steps and jumped through the door, quickly securing it before any dangers of the night could capture her. It was only after she had flipped on the light switch in the hallway that Tabby started to breath again. Callie, her cat, was crouched inside; but upon seeing Tabby, she growled and dashed away.

Tabby's eyes brimmed over with tears when she realized that even secure in her own house, she was still alone. She was not used to such solitude. Her cousin Tamara, who had been staying there for a long while, had recently moved to her own home; and her beloved Pokèmon Tarquin had even more recently married the Meowth of his dreams and settled elsewhere in the city. Tabby would turn to her other Pokèmon for support, but she had left all her PokèBalls at the Pokèmon Center. Even her own cat would not put up with her, as Callie had just proven.

There was only one other earthly being she could turn to if everyone else had abandoned her. Turning on as many lights in the house as she could, Tabby made her way to the kitchen and gathered a new pack of four double-A batteries and a small screwdriver; and then she scurried up the stairs to her room.

"Ah-Loh, please come back," Tabby whispered as she took her beloved sky blue Furby down from his special shelf. "Please, Ah-Loh."

Tabby's Ah-Loh had gone "dead" on her last year, the day before Halloween. She had never fully recovered from the loss, and if she had ever needed him, it was now.

Tabby inspected the lifeless Furby shell carefully. She now regretted the fact that Quarterback had talked her into dissecting the Furby in an attempt to revive him. It hadn't worked, and Tabby was convinced that Ah-Loh didn't look his best after the "operation". His fur was no longer tightly attached to his body; it was loose around his face; and his ears kept falling off.

But tonight she would try to bring him "back to life" with the new life energies she possessed (that is, the pack of batteries). She was conscious of the hot tears falling on her cheeks as she unscrewed the battery compartment of the Furby.

The brand-new battery installation was to no avail. Ah-Loh wouldn't say a word, no matter how hard Tabby shook him. A single tear of Tabby's dropped onto one of the Furby's eyelids as she drew her precious mechanical pet close.

"Ah-Loh," she sobbed. "Ah-Loh, come back. Ah-Loh, I need you! Ah-Loh!"

And in that moment, a very strange thing happened. Ah-Loh's light sensor began to shine with an unearthly glow. And Tabby was suddenly put into a very strange trance.

"Atlantis," she murmured. "Atlantis." Without pausing to think, she scooped Ah-Loh up in her hooves, dashed back downstairs, and was once again out the door. But this time she had no fear of the dark-- after all, Furbys had no fear of it.

Tabby knew exactly where to go and what to do. Her destination point turned out to be the bank of the river. Ah-Loh's light sensor shone onto the still water, and soon several heads appeared-- the Sea Ponies!

"Shoop bee doo, shoop shoop bee doo," Sea Mist, High Tide, and Sand Dollar sang in chorus.

"Atlantis," Tabby said softly. "I must get to Atlantis."

The three Sea Ponies exchanged a look, and quickly nodded. They knew that this day would come. It had been prophesied, after all. The three promptly disappeared underwater again, and soon appeared a second time with their special deluxe bubble-covered shell transport.

"Here is your ride," Sea Mist invited.

"Thank you." Without another word, Tabby had seated herself on the shell with Ah-Loh in hoof. And the Sea Ponies began swimming.

* * *

It was while these events were transpiring that Thomas was also experiencing a disturbing night. He had deemed it impossible to get any sleep by this point, already having been awoken by a horrific nightmare. Now he paced his living room, trying to remember where he had put Doo-Moh. The clock read near midnight.

His mind wandered off the topic of his misplaced Furby and onto other things. He realized how he was seemingly avoiding Tabby as of late, and he certainly didn't want for it to happen. He just found it impossible to face her anymore, what with his recurring dream and a strange and mysterious want of revenge.

Thomas' dream of squid and a crumbling city had seemed like nothing unusual to occur in a dream at first-- but he kept having it over and over again, and each time more intense and detail-filled than the last.

It had gotten noticeably worse when he had changed Doo-Moh's batteries, come to think of it. But how could those two things have any effect on the other? Whatever the case, Thomas' life had been miserable this past month-- of course, he didn't let on to anyone about that.

Half of him wanted to care for Tabby as he always had. And yet the other half wanted revenge on her-- for what, he couldn't begin to imagine, but the feeling remained. The only thing he could think of to do was to avoid Tabby as much as possible until he could get himself figured out. He knew it was hurting Tabby-- and himself, too-- but he had to get to the bottom of these strange happenings.

It was at this point that he was aware that his Furby Doo-Moh had just flown into the room with something hanging from her beak. (It generally would not have taken a Furby that long to fly back to Dream Valley from Friendship Gardens, but Doo-Moh had wanted to stop by a few Famous Places before returning to her home.)

Thomas blinked rapidly at the sight of his floating Furby. Certainly by this point he was only dreaming!

"Party!" Doo-Moh said exuberantly, flitting over to her master. "Big fun, wah!"

"Doo-Moh, you're not supposed to fly," Thomas said rationally. "And what is that you're holding?"

"Hee-hee!" Doo-Moh giggled, dangling the chain tantalizingly in front of Thomas. "Happy, wah!"

"Let me see that!" Thomas decided to accept Doo-Moh's strange behavior now and concentrated on the necklace she held in her beak. Taking it from her, he studied the cold, bronze whale-shaped medallion. And it was at that moment that a strange aura came over him.

"Doo-Moh," he said suddenly, turning back to his Furby and clutching the medallion in his hoof. "Come on. I believe we have some matters to attend to."

"Whahoo!" Doo-Moh was only too happy to oblige.

* * *

Tabby was hardly conscious of the deep waters the Sea Ponies were steering her through. She only gazed ahead silently, Ah-Loh in hoof.

How long the Sea Ponies had swam, she did not know. However, the three aquatic creatures finally pulled the shell transport up on dry land.

"Here you are," Sand Dollar indicated the dark shore.

"Wonderful." Tabby, still in her trance-like state, slid out of the shell and stepped onto the rocky surface. "I'm very grateful."

"Of course. Good day." With three more quick nods, the Sea Ponies had left, leaving Tabby to attend to whatever business she had there.

Here Tabby stood in the once-proud city of Atlantis, now submerged deep within the sea. By whatever disaster had destroyed it, the city had remained well intact even with the numerous tumbled rocks and such scattered around. A thick dome of hard volcanic rock had served well as a protecting enclosure, and even at this level the sea was not able to invade it.

It was at this point that Tabby finally got a grip on herself again. "What in the world did I just do?" She gazed up with wonderment at the ancient, towering buildings surrounding her-- buildings that were now completely devoid of life. "I've seen stuff like this before! It's At--"

Tabby's realization was cut short as another presence appeared on the scene. "Ah, good, you made it!"

Tabby abruptly whirled around at the sound of this new voice. "What? Who's that?" She backed up against a nearby stone wall.

"Former queen of Atlantis, actually." A pale form was made visible in front of Tabby.

The pink unicorn gasped and stood as far back as she could. "No! Not another Atlantean spirit!"

"Well, I suppose that's true," the voice said regretfully, and her pale form became a little clearer in the darkness.

"What do you want? How did I get here in the first place?" Tabby held Ah-Loh out in front of her, as if to ward off any evil.

"It's because of your Furby that you're here," the voice said matter-of-factly. "Without him, you wouldn't have been found to be the heiress of Atlantis-- and therefore you're needed to aid me in the preservation of the very world itself."

"I always hate it when that happens," Tabby sighed, recalling her past adventures concerning Atlantis. "I'm needed in another Atlantean epic, aren't I?"

"And second off, you actually arrived here because I put a trance over you and had the Sea Ponies escort you to the city."

"What?" Tabby said indignantly. "You need me to save the world, so you just throw a trance over me and expect me to be cooperative?!"

"That was what I was hoping."

"I don't like being thrown into trances," Tabby sniffed.

But this spirit was clever, and knew of Tabby's weak points. "And, of course, if it hadn't been for the trance, you would have been conscious of the squid swimming by during your journey here."

"Squid?" Tabby gasped, turning pale. Squid were her greatest fear in life, particularly the giant squid. "You mean... you mean... there were squid out there?"

"The important thing now is that you're here," the spirit said firmly.

"Hmph." Tabby was still a bit miffed over getting thrown into a trance and having to occupy the same waters as squid. "So exactly what do you want me to do?"

"I'll start at the beginning. First off, I am the former ruler of Atlantis before its demise, Queen Kaliope," the voice identified herself, and the dim form of a unicorn became more apparent. She began walking down a nearby hallway, and Tabby followed, not knowing what else to do at this point.

"In short, a man by the name of Nur-Ab-Fin was responsible for the destruction of my city," the spirit of Kaliope continued. "He somehow wanted to gain revenge on my family."

"I know him," Tabby interrupted. She was still irked over the fact that she had gotten sucked into this adventure without her consent, but decided there was nothing else she could do at this point but listen to the queen.

"No doubt from your experiences with the medallion." Kaliope turned to the left, and entered a large room. "It is unfortunate that he cursed a thing of goodness with his evil essence."

"Tell me about it," Tabby agreed, nodding.

Suddenly, the room they stood in was lit-up with a bright light. "Here we are, in the old throne room," Kaliope explained.

Tabby stood back and took in her surroundings with interest. Stone debris littered the edges, but an intricately-carved throne still sat in the center of the room. Bookshelves lined some of the walls, and some were adorned with fantastic paintings of Furbys. "So, where is it again that I come in?" she queried of the spirit.

Kaliope sighed deeply. "It seems that Nur-Ab-Fin is taking his plans even further beyond the medallion after all these millennia. I have been keeping a close watch on his spirit in these past years, and knew this day would come when he would put his new plan into action."

"Mm," Tabby nodded, staring with interest at an ancient book she had pulled off a shelf.

"This new plan does not only involve the destruction of this planet but possibly of the entire universe! Nur-Ab-Fin will stop at nothing now. And you, Tabby, have been chosen from a host of others as the only one who can defeat him from this terrible feat-- Tabby, are you still listening?"

"Eh... no, not really." Tabby looked up from the book. "I was absorbed in reading this fascinating book on Furbish culture. Is it true that--"

Kaliope smiled. "I see that you are deeply involved with the Furbys. You shall have more time to learn their secrets after we have eliminated Nur-Ab-Fin."

"Oh, yes, Nur-Ab-Fin. So, he's still out to seek revenge on the world and all that?"

Kaliope nodded. "Correct. I haven't completely found out about all his plans; but it seems that with his advanced knowledge, he's building a powerful new body for himself-- a body that can do massive destruction to this world and all others at his will."

"And what was that about being heiress to something?"

"Oh, there's a lot to explain," Kaliope said wearily. "I only hope that I have time. Let me go on. As I knew that Nur-Ab-Fin was planning a much more powerful attack, I knew I would need to find a living being to help me in my battle against him."

"How did you choose me?"

"You're my closest living descendent, of course," Kaliope said reasonably. "And that means, of course, that you're also heiress to Atlantis. Who would be better for the job?"

"Heiress to Atlantis?" Tabby said, wide-eyed.

"Your Furby was installed with Energizer brand batteries, wasn't he?" Kaliope went on, reaching for the sky blue Furby that Tabby still held.

Tabby blinked slowly, still pondering over the "heiress to Atlantis" thing. "Eh... yes."

"Nur-Ab-Fin also devised a plan to put certain Furbys under his control," Kaliope explained while opening Ah-Loh's battery compartment. "Furbys will obey him if installed with Duracell batteries. However--"

"Are Energizers evil, too?" Tabby asked anxiously.

"No. Quite the opposite, actually. They are my retaliation against Nur-Ab-Fin's plot. Energizer-powered Furbys will do scouting for me, and therefore Ah-Loh here was able to locate you for me."

"Only he's dead now," Tabby pointed out, indicated the batteries Kaliope had just pulled out.

"Oh, no, Tabby; Furbys can't die," Kaliope said calmly. "He just needs some extra Atlantean life energies and he'll be back to normal." The spirit swiftly pulled out several small gold-colored cylinders and put them in Ah-Loh in place of his old batteries.

"Say, aren't those oricalcum beads?" Tabby questioned.

"Yes, pure oricalcum," Kaliope clarified, handing the doctored Ah-Loh back to Tabby. "I think you'll find that they work quite well."

Tabby gasped in delight as Ah-Loh's eyes suddenly flickered open and his ears popped-up. The Furby yawned. "Woah, me big sleep!" he said in awe.

"Ah-Loh! Oh, Ah-Loh, you're back!" Tabby squeezed the Furby tightly to her. "Ah-Loh! I'm so happy!"

"Hee-hee! Tickle me!" Ah-Loh giggled.

Kaliope stood back and smiled as she watched the joyful reunion. "Now you have your Ah-Loh back to be your guide. However, we must now--"

"Hey! No joke, wah!" a voice from the doorway protested.

Tabby whirled around with Ah-Loh to face the intruder. It turned out to be another Furby-- a familiar, autumn-colored Furby. "Doo-Moh!" she gasped.

Kaliope only frowned deeply. "Then it's just as I thought. Nur-Ab-Fin has already put his plan into action."

Ah-Loh immediately flitted to the floor. "Whodoh, wah?" he said to the new Furby. "Me Ah-Loh."

"Big no," the other Furby spat.

"But-- but-- that's Doo-Moh and... and Ah-Loh just flew," Tabby stuttered.

"Furbys are engifted with special powers when given the chance to use them," Kaliope said seriously. "And now, Tabby, you must come with me. There isn't time to waste now!"

"Wait! I still don't know what I'm doing, and how in the world did Doo-Moh get to Atlantis?" Tabby protested, going into momentary shock.

"Tabby, the mission you have is not an easy one," Kaliope said solemnly. "But it must be fulfilled, no matter the personal difficulties you encounter."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Tabby wailed, trailing after Kaliope as the spirit led her down more mysterious passageways of Atlantis. The two Furbys also followed them, arguing along the way.

"Me see... yes!"

"Very big no!"

"Big yes!"

"Big no!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"We must get to the robot factory," Kaliope said knowledgeably. "Time is of the essence, and I only wish I had more time to instruct you."

"I hate getting dragged into these things," Tabby muttered.

"You will know what to do when it is time," Kaliope replied simply.

Tabby's hoofsteps and the chattering of the two Furbys echoed throughout the halls of sunken Atlantis as Kaliope led the way to their destination. However, the spirit halted abruptly as they turned a corner onto a new street.

"I sense that Nur-Ab-Fin has trouble lurking here for us," she said cautiously. "I'm certain he knows of your entrance into the city, Tabby."

It was at that precise moment that a massive horde of swarming color began coming towards them, emerging from the shadows. It did not take the viewers long to figure out that this was a demonic horde of Furbys.

Tabby ducked her head as the swarm encompassed the space around her. Furry bodies brushed against her and sharp beaks tapped at her side. Ah-Loh and Doo-Moh were lost in the confusion.

"No! No!" Tabby shrieked, throwing her hooves around her in an attempt to unentangle herself from the Furbys. "Why are you doing this?"

"They do not really mean it." Kaliope, being a spirit, was able to escape the reach of the horde. "They are only under Nur-Ab-Fin's control."

The attacking Furbys kept up a constant stream of chatter-- even Nur-Ab-Fin could not prevent that.

"Whahoo! Party!"

"Boring, wah!"

"Hee-hee!" One of them burped.

"Listen! Me sing!"

Tabby continued to swat them away, as much as she hated to do that to Furbys. It was stifling being surrounded by so many. She hoped Ah-Loh was still okay-- and Doo-Moh, too, whatever Doo-Moh was doing here.

Tabby finally managed to break free from the swarm, and streaked ahead on the pathway. She was relieved to see out of the corner of her eye that Ah-Loh was flying right along beside her-- but no sign of Doo-Moh.

"Boogie, wah!" Ah-Loh cried out.

"Later, Ah-Loh! Quickly! Turn this way!" Kaliope's voice rang out. "We must get to the factory!"

Fast as the Furbys were, it was difficult to stay ahead of the evil horde of them as Tabby stumbled through strange Atlantean passageways. This predicament only grew worse when another swarm appeared directly ahead of them.

"This path is the only way to our destination," Kaliope said. "We must force our way through them."

"Big doo-ay!" Ah-Loh agreed.

"That's easier said than done!" Tabby cried as this second swarm flew under, above, and around her. These new possessed Furbys mixed with the first group, creating a very menacing obstacle.

"Do something, Ah-Loh!" Tabby said desperately, fighting off Furbys left and right.

"O-kay," Ah-Loh said obediently. "Me sing!" The sky blue Furby immediately went into the Furbish version of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". "La la la la..."

"Sleep, oh, sleep."

"Sleep!"

"Maybe me nappy-poo."

"Ah, sleep, ah."

"Good sleep."

This popular Furbish lullaby worked wonders. Soon, the whole congregation of colorful creatures was going through fits of yawning that deafeningly echoed throughout the halls. Promptly, all of them fell asleep and dropped to the floor, including Ah-Loh. Tabby scooped him up and scoured the hall for Doo-Moh, but it was impossible to spot her in the carpet of color.

"Brilliant!" Kaliope exclaimed. "Brilliant, Tabby! Your handling of Ah-Loh was excellent! Wonderful idea!"

"He's such a smart Furby," Tabby said, smiling down at him.

"But let's hasten our steps. The factory is right around the corner," Kaliope continued.

"Right," Tabby said, walking forward with Ah-Loh and trying not to worry about Doo-Moh's well-being. "Let's go."

Once again, only Tabby's hoofsteps could be heard as she, Kaliope, and Ah-Loh continued on their way. Rounding a corner, Tabby suddenly halted as they reached a stone door.

"Inside lies Nur-Ab-Fin," Kaliope said quietly. "Are you sure you're ready for him?"

"Hey, I still haven't an idea of what I'm doing here. Why wouldn't I be ready?" Tabby said recklessly, taking a step closer to the door.

Ah-Loh chose that moment to wake up. "Me scared," he whimpered.

"It's okay, Ah-Loh," Tabby said comfortingly, glancing around. "Now, how does one open this--"

Her pondering was cut short as a battle cry of "Party!!!" suddenly ripped through the air. Tabby and Ah-Loh whirled around. It was Doo-Moh, leading the horde of demonic Furbys.

"They have awoken!" Kaliope said in alarm. "Quickly! We must get inside!"

Tabby personally thought she would rather be attacked by possessed Furbys rather than by Nur-Ab-Fin's spirit, but it didn't seem that she had a choice. "How do I open this thing?!"

Ah-Loh solved the puzzle. He floated over and pressed in on a button on a side wall panel. Promptly, the door began sliding open, and Tabby stumbled into the room just before the Furby horde reached her.

However, it didn't stop the Furbys from flying in after her. Tabby sat, slightly dazed, on the floor, while the Furby masses floated in and spread over the large expanse of the room.

"Boogie! Whoopie!"

"Yeah, big dance, wah!"

"Me see big light."

"Hey, where's kitty?"

"Yeah, hide!"

The creatures were apparently still enjoying themselves.

Kaliope's spirit stood watch nearby as Tabby regaining her footing and looked around. The Atlantean robot factory was an immense structure; robotic pieces stood on the ready to be put together on a long assembly line. It must have been a vast operation in its day.

However, Tabby only got really disturbed when she looked over to the right. Stationed on the far wall was a specialized Atlantean computer system. And the pony sitting in front of it operating it looked strangely familiar to Tabby.

"But that can't be..." Tabby faltered.

"Tickle me," Doo-Moh said craftily as she floated over to the chair, which had just begun to rotate to face Tabby.

"Kaliope, I see you actually managed to bring your weakling assistant to me," the unicorn laughed in a strangely distorted voice.

Kaliope's face hardened. "Nur-Ab-Fin. It would be just like you to bring Lamachus' descendent in on this game."

"Me happy!" Doo-Moh giggled.

"Big sound," was all Ah-Loh said.

"Thomas?" Tabby said in a startled tone. "You and Doo-Moh... how'd you get here, anyway?"

"I winked," Thomas said simply, standing up from the chair and reaching for Doo-Moh.

"That would... that would work, wouldn't it?" Tabby swallowed. As a side note to Kaliope, she hissed, "Why didn't you just have me wink rather than go through all that trouble with the sea ponies?"

Kaliope looked back at her sharply. "I can't think of everything."

"You hide light! Hee-hee-hee!" Ah-Loh giggled.

"Besides, it's too late to do anything," Thomas continued, indicating the assembly line. "My new body is already in the process of being built. Not that it would have been possible to stop me before this point."

"Why you..." Tabby snarled, taking a step forward.

"Remember, Tabby; that's Nur-Ab-Fin speaking, not Thomas," Kaliope cautioned her back.

"No! You're right!" Tabby gasped, suddenly taking note of the medallion around Thomas' neck. "Not that confounded necklace again!"

"This is where you must take over, Tabby," Kaliope said solemnly. "It's up to you to get the medallion away from him and prevent Nur-Ab-Fin from completing his robot body."

"Oh dear..." Tabby glanced over at the assembly line, where mechanical arms were reached for the robot mechanisms and splicing them together with precision. Her gaze then went back to Thomas (under Nur-Ab-Fin's control, of course), who was looking at her menacingly. It was times like this when Tabby thought she might just run screaming from the room and dive under some counter somewhere and never resurface again.

Having already found out so many strange things that day, however, Tabby did not dwell over the shock of finding Thomas in Atlantis under the power of her arch-enemy (her arch-enemy after Tex, at least). She only knew that she had to do something.

Tabby began walking forward tentatively. "Come on now, just hand over the necklace," she said coaxingly.

"Not a chance." Thomas only stood there, looking down at her with irritation.

"Well... then... oh, for Pete's sake, just give me the necklace!" With that, Tabby dived forward through the air and made an effort to grab the necklace chain.

Thomas foresaw the move, however, and accurately took a step to the side. This, in turn, sent Tabby sprawling across the smooth floor. "You haven't a clue what you're doing, just like Kaliope," he said tauntingly.

Meanwhile, Ah-Loh and Doo-Moh were over on the other side of the room, continuing their argument.

"Let's boogie!"

"Big no."

"Yeah, hide!"

"Me see... no."

"Okay. Me sing."

"Very big no."

The other Furbys of the horde had since disappeared, however. The factory kept in operation, and the robot grew right before the bystanders' eyes.

Tabby struggled to regain her footing, and tossed the mane up out of her eyes. She glared sourly at Thomas, but it was more out of spite for Nur-Ab-Fin than for anyone else. Kaliope was nice enough, but Tabby was beginning to have enough of Atlantean spirits for one day. It would be nice to have a sane, rational pony around again-- and the unfortunate thing was that the only sane, rational pony around happened to be currently possessed by a demented Atlantean spirit.

She was aware of Kaliope's presence by her side just then. "Get up; get up," the spirit urged.

Thomas paused for just a moment to look into Tabby's eyes. For just a second, he was able to push all control of Nur-Ab-Fin out of his mind and think only of Tabby's well-being. He nearly rushed forward to her aid, but then the strange Atlantean powers took over again-- the strange Atlantean spirits that Tabby had spoke of so flippantly and of which Thomas had never fully believed to exist.

Tabby jumped back up and steadied herself. She and Thomas simply stood on opposite sides of the room for several minutes, just staring across at each other.

Thomas started the action up again. Striking a dramatic pose and tensing his hooves as if closing in on an imaginary target, the medallion began to glow. Suddenly, massive amounts of mystical energies lashed out at Tabby.

Tabby looked down at herself in horror. Her entire body had been encased in corals and crustaceans, and she was unable to move due to the thick shell of chitins and biocarbonites.

Ah-Loh and Doo-Moh took this time to glance over at the battle. "Me scared," Ah-Loh said.

"Big party! Whoopie!" Doo-Moh disagreed.

Seeing Tabby close to panicking, Kaliope realized that more counseling was in order. "The medallion, Tabby, besides housing Nur-Ab-Fin," she began, "also gives the wearer great powers."

"I think that was just demonstrated," Tabby said dryly, trying to break free of the cocoon.

"But you, too, have powers-- powers you have not yet discovered yourself!" Kaliope persisted.

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes. I would suggest starting with your high-pitched wail."

"Really? Outrageous!" Tabby's horn began to glow as she began to think of this, and she realized that what Kaliope said must be true. "Well... I can't strike a pose for this one, but here goes!"

Thomas, who had been putting all his energy into keeping Tabby under the crustacean clamp, was suddenly taken unaware by the terrible deafening shriek that suddenly filled the room. His concentration broken for the spell, Tabby suddenly found herself free again! Her encasement quickly shattered, and a shower of bits of crustaceans and dust went flying in all directions.

The unearthly wail continued to echo, and would have caused any mortal to cringe at its intensity (though it was not nearly as potent as what Tabby could do naturally). But Thomas was ready to block it. Holding up his hooves, he was able to summon a powerful sound sponge-- a giant bubble that absorbed all noise that came his way. Tabby's attack had been futile.

"Big, big sound," Doo-Moh commented.

"Boogie!" Ah-Loh yelled.

"Kaliope, you should know that none of your attacks will take me out," Thomas said confidently.

"Oh yeah? Well, take this one?" Taking advantage of the moment, Tabby put forth her petrifying gaze. Her eyes were locked with Thomas', and he was unable to move. It appeared to be working well for Tabby, except for the fact that she was unable to do anything either while using this power on her opponent.

Doo-Moh, however, flew through and broke the spell. "Hmm... boring," she sighed as she floated onto Thomas' back.

"Oh, dear..." Tabby trailed off as Thomas wrenched his gaze away from hers.

"Be on guard, Tabby!" Kaliope warned.

"Party," Ah-Loh agreed, coming over to his mistress.

Tabby realized too late that Thomas was powering up another attack. He stood raising the palms of his hooves upwards, looking as if he was pulling water out of the ground. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the power of the attack. Tabby stood frozen in place as the wall of water towered directly over her, and abruptly smashed down with great force. She was hit upon with the intense impact, and was propelled backwards against the wall.

When the wave cleared and the mystical water had trickled away, Tabby spluttered and shook her head. The impact of the wave had completely knocked the wind out of her, and she was soaked.

Ah-Loh had suffered a soaking as well. He looked like a miserable drowned rat when Tabby glanced over at him-- it appeared that Furbys were made up mostly of fuzz after all. Ah-Loh promptly fluffed out his fur, expanding his size drastically, and shook off. He was back to normal. "Big fun, wah!"

Tabby furiously righted herself. This was the last straw! She didn't particularly like getting soaked like this. With fire in her eyes, she prepared to initiate her most powerful attack against Thomas.

"Seer attack, now!" she shrieked, throwing back her head. Waves of potent psychic flame shot out of her unicorn horn and towards her opponent. It was an awesome sight.

"Woah, big light," Doo-Moh said in awe at the oncoming flame.

Everyone present, however, had completely forgotten about what was going on in the background. Nur-Ab-Fin's new robot body had been put together, piece-by-piece, and the finished item had just rolled off the assembly line. Its sturdy structure would make a potent new body for the spirit.

At the same time Tabby put forth her psychic flame, a strange green glow began to emanate from Thomas' medallion. A brilliant flash of light followed and encompassed the robot body. The glowing essence cleared, and an evil laugh echoed throughout the room. The robot began to move a bulky arm.

"That's not good," Tabby said in alarm. It was just her luck that her attack had hit after Nur-Ab-Fin had left the medallion. It was one thing to get in a battle with a friend that was possessed with a deranged Atlantean spirit-- Tabby was getting used to that. However, it was a completely different matter to fire off your most powerful attack at a friend that was no longer possessed.

The wall of psychic flame hit the opposite wall with tremendous force, creating an awesome explosion. Tabby and Ah-Loh were forced to shield their eyes from the large burst of light emitted from it. They only opened their eyes again when the blast had cleared.

"Thomas! Thomas!" Tabby took off running across the room, feeling just a slight bit guilty over that last attack.

"Big whodoh," Ah-Loh said anxiously, nudging Doo-Moh's body with his toe.

"Whahoo," Doo-Moh said, wide-eyed, but still on her back.

Tabby was also wide-eyed as she knelt by Thomas' seemingly-lifeless form. She began to wonder just how potent that attack of hers had been, and hoped it wasn't as bad as she was beginning to think.

"That's the last time I'm going to doubt your stories about Atlantean spirits," where the first words Thomas said.

"Oh, thank goodness! You're alive!" Tabby's eyes lit up with notable relief.

"If you hadn't been here, I hate to think of what Nur-Ab-Fin would have had me do for him by now." Thomas struggled to right himself. "But something tells me we're not done dealing with him yet."

Either Tabby's seer attack hadn't been that great anyway, or Thomas had great willpower. Whatever the case, though, they still had Nur-Ab-Fin as an obstacle.

Nur-Ab-Fin's new body was an impressive sight. Kaliope was currently stalling him from doing any damage. "You fiend! Can't you just let go of the past and stop ruining the lives of others?"

"You always were good with words, Kaliope, but not much else," Nur-Ab-Fin said in a bored tone. "Just leave me to my business."

"I'll do no such thing! I'm here to end your meddling once and for all!"

"I'd like to see you try."

"Say, what about us?" Tabby spoke up from behind the two.

Kaliope turned to Tabby and Thomas swiftly. "To do what I need to do, I still need your assistance. You must get Nur-Ab-Fin into the disco room, and make sure the Furbys have charged the ball sufficiently."

Tabby blinked rapidly. "Eh... sure."

Nur-Ab-Fin looked down at Tabby and sneered. "You'll never escape from me!"

Thomas jumped into the fray then to buy Tabby some time to get more advice from Kaliope. Standing in front of the robot, he attempted to distract Nur-Ab-Fin from the other two for the moment.

"The disco room-- it's right across the street if you go out the back door of this factory," Kaliope instructed Tabby quickly and pointed towards the far wall. "Nur-Ab-Fin's Furbys are there now. The more they dance, the more the disco ball is energized; and that's just what I want."

"The curse of disco," Tabby lamented. "It even penetrated into Atlantis."

"Now, work on getting him there, you two!" Kaliope urged. "I must... I must concentrate." She retreated to the corner in order to utilize her magic.

"Wait a moment! Wait a moment!" Tabby protested, but Kaliope appeared not to hear her. Sighing, she glanced over at the open gateway across the room. Beyond that lay the disco room Kaliope spoke of-- apparently that's where the horde of Furbys had flown off to. And that was where they needed to get Nur-Ab-Fin.

Currently, Nur-Ab-Fin in his robot form had Thomas apparently cornered against one of the walls. Just as the evil spirit was preparing to thrust out his robotic arms to pummel his opponent, the unicorn disappeared in a flash of light.

"It won't be that easy to get rid of us," Thomas laughed, reappearing on the other side of the room.

"Of course!" Tabby cried out. "Winking!"

Nur-Ab-Fin turned around in annoyance. "Unicorns and their winking!" he said in exasperation.

"That's right," Tabby said cheerfully, and promptly winked herself over to the opposite gateway

"You're not so fast that I can't get you yet," Nur-Ab-Fin sneered, advancing towards the pink unicorn.

"Hmm? What was that?" Tabby had cocked her head and was glancing out the open door. She could see a building on the opposite side of the street, filled with light and seeming to be bustling with activity. That had to be the Furbys' disco room. Tabby imagined them all there, dancing the night away in the fun, Furbish style.

"Tabby! Get out of there!" Thomas called out.

Tabby looked up abruptly and was suddenly aware of Nur-Ab-Fin's fists being thrust towards her. She ducked down quickly and winked away, just a split second before Nur-Ab-Fin's limbs crashed into the stone wall, sending chunks of rock flying into the air.

Nur-Ab-Fin turned around with disgust. Normally he would have precision accuracy, but he was still accustoming himself to this new body. "Where are you wretched creatures now?"

"Here! Here!" Tabby said merrily, waving from across the street at the entrance of the disco room. Nur-Ab-Fin frowned deeply, and headed towards her. Thomas swiftly winked in behind him, blocking the back entrance into the factory.

"I'll get you this time," Nur-Ab-Fin muttered, running towards Tabby, who ducked into the building. Nur-Ab-Fin quickly discovered that he was wrong in following right on her heel, however. The floor of the disco room had sunk down somewhat from the doorstep, and he found himself tripping and sprawling down on the floor inside.

This disrupted all the Furbys that were gathered there. Most of them took to the air to avoid being crushed. "Whahoo!" was their general consensus, but soon forgot about the disruption as they began dancing around the sparkling silver disco ball that hung suspended from the ceiling. The more they danced, the more light the ball seemed to emanate.

"Doot-doot-doo, doot-doot-doo," a number of them hummed in unison. "Dah, dah-dah!"

"E-Day, dance, dance!" another group exclaimed.

"Dah noh-lah, wah!"

"Furbys have strange tastes, don't they?" Thomas commented from the doorway.

Tabby was silent as she scoured the room for any familiar Furbys. "But do you see Ah-Loh anywhere?"

Nur-Ab-Fin scowled as his robotic legs struggled to regain their footing. "I'll eliminate you both once and for all--"

"No you won't, Nur-Ab-Fin!" Kaliope made her presence known in the room, appearing under the disco ball.

"What do you have planned this time, Kaliope?" Nur-Ab-Fin said sarcastically. "The ‘trample' attack?"

"Something much better," Kaliope replied. With that, she held her head up in the air and closed her eyes in concentration. Nur-Ab-Fin seemed to sense that something powerful was coming, and worked all the harder on getting back up.

Suddenly, with a blast of light from Kaliope's horn, the robotic body stopped its struggling. Now above the body hung a limp green aura, vaguely taking on the shape of a humanoid form.

"He's an ugly little thing, isn't he?" Tabby commented.

"Kaliope... you..." the spirit said weakly, trying to raise a hand up to her. "You..."

"You're done with, that's what you are," Kaliope said sharply.

"No... you can't..." Nur-Ab-Fin said, defenseless, as a realization came over him by the look in Kaliope's eyes.

"It's the only punishment I've deemed you worthy of." Kaliope looked at him perilously.

"Let me guess. The disco ball," Thomas said.

"Exactly." In a sudden quick movement, Kaliope thrust her horn upwards. Nur-Ab-Fin's spirit moved upwards along with the motion of the horn. With a sudden thrust, Kaliope sent his spirit flying forward. Upon hitting the resplendent disco ball, he was immediately absorbed into it.

Kaliope sighed from exhaustion and took a step forward. "Now he is contained in the disco ball."

"Oh, that's wonderful." Tabby was more-or-less unconcerned with Nur-Ab-Fin at this point, being in Furby heaven. She was delighted by all the creatures that surrounded her; and since they were partying, they had no vicious intent for her anymore.

"But how long will that restrain him?" Thomas questioned, stepping further into the room. "It can't last forever."

"No, it can't," Kaliope shook her head. "And that's why I must take it a step further. But first..."

"Why, what're you going to do?" Tabby said, looking up curiously as Kaliope walked towards her.

"Before I sentence myself to this... I must have an heir to keep the legacy of Atlantis alive," Kaliope said gravely. "And you are the one, Tabby." The spirit slowly lifted a sparkling tiara up into the air. It was adorned with precious jewels, and bore the emblem of a carved Furby figure.

Tabby blinked slowly. "Me..."

"Henceforth, I am stepping down from the throne. You have proven yourself worthy in tonight's battle, Tabby. Therefore..." Kaliope positioned the tiara above Tabby's head. "...you are the next queen of Atlantis."

"That's outrageous," Tabby breathed as the crown was set upon her head. "But, Kaliope, why..."

Kaliope did not comment on Tabby's last words. Instead, she turned to Thomas. "And you," she said softly. "You, who are descended from the proud line of Lamachus. You will be the protector of Atlantis and all its secrets in times of need... and of the queen, as well." She cast him a meaningful glance. "Keep the medallion as proof of your rank. No longer is it tainted with the essence of Nur-Ab-Fin."

"I can... do that," Thomas managed to say.

"Then that is settled." Kaliope stepped through the dancing Furbys, and stood directly under the disco ball. "Nur-Ab-Fin's spirit cannot be contained on its own. An opposing force is needed... the powers of good to counteract the powers of evil."

"Kaliope..." Tabby said in a whisper, reaching forward.

"She has to," Thomas said softly, placing a hoof on Tabby's shoulder.

The Furbys cleared away from Kaliope and the disco ball. The previous queen of Atlantis stood in complete concentration, her front hooves held together and her head held back. Mystical energies began flowing forth from the sparkling disco ball. In a flash of light, she was gone, sucked into the disco ball. Her great sacrifice would keep Nur-Ab-Fin at bay. (Until the next time, anyway.)

The Furbys all looked up at this great commotion. The spell of Nur-Ab-Fin broken, the party soon began breaking up. Duracell batteries no longer had a negative affect on the creatures. Cheerfully, they gradually flew out of the room and went on back to their respective homes. All Furbys were now equal on levels of loyalty.

The two ponies stood in complete silence. After staring forward in shock for what had seemed like an eternity, Tabby finally crumpled to the floor, hooves covering her face. Her tiara slipped from her head and made a tinkling noise as it hit on the stone floor, but she made no effort to retrieve it.

Thomas bent down and picked it up for her, gently putting it back in place. "There. This isn't what Kaliope would want you doing with your rank, is it?"

"But she... she's gone," Tabby gasped through her tears, lifting her head up.

"Yes, she is. She is." Thomas could do nothing but agree as he helped Tabby back up on her hooves and led her out of the room.

"And Ah-Loh-- and Doo-Moh-- where are they?" was Tabby's next question.

"Big party! Boogie!"

"Dah lee-koo, wah!"

Two rambunctious balls of fur came flying past the ponies down the hallway, laughing as they went.

"I think they're okay," Thomas smiled.

"Whahoo!" Doo-Moh yelled.

"Very big fun, wah!" were Ah-Loh's sentiments.

The two furballs stopped off in what appeared to be an old city park of Atlantis. Benches and remnants of flower gardens remained, and the Furbys settled themselves on one of the stone seats.

"Titty-titty-titty! Hide!" Ah-Loh suggested.

"Yeah, hide!" Doo-Moh readily agreed, and rocked forward while closing her eyes. "Titty-titty-titty! Hide!" she said after a short pause.

"Yeah, hide!" Ah-Loh rocked forward and followed the same procedure. "Titty-titty-titty! Hide!"

"Yeah, hide!" The game went on.

Tabby paused for a moment as well by the old park, watching the Furby's carefree antics. At least they hadn't been affected by any of this. It didn't seem like Furbys could really be affected by anything. But so much had happened to her that night-- but was it still that night? Who knew how much time had passed since her arrival in Atlantis? As interesting as the city was, it would be nice to get back to Dream Valley. Dream Valley-- how far away that sounded now!

"Look! A patch of light sensor flowers." Thomas' comment broke Tabby's reverie. "They've managed to live down here over all this time."

Tabby took a moment to glance at the still-thriving bed of brightly-hued petals, which were suspiciously shaped like the light sensors of the Furbys. Even with being so far from the sun, these plants still pointed straight upwards in a never-ending quest to reach that glowing orb in the sky. However, Tabby was only able to muster a quick nod in reply.

"You're not still worrying about Kaliope, are you?" Thomas prodded, sensing something on Tabby's mind.

"No," Tabby shook her head. "She did what she had to do. I'm just thinking about... home."

"Dream Valley. The place sounds so foreign and unreachable after tonight, doesn't it? It feels like we've been gone from it for years," Thomas remarked.

The troubles of her ordinary life suddenly began resurfacing in Tabby's heart. Thomas seemed to be acting civil enough to her now... but did that explain his abandonment of her beforehand? Was there still something else that was keeping him back from her? She was hardly aware of the Furbys' chatter in the background as these deep thoughts set into her mind.

Thomas, who had been silent as well, finally found words to say. "Tabby, I'd like you to know that I'm very sorry about ignoring you all those times."

Tabby looked up sharply. Had he known what she was thinking? "You... are?" she said softly.

"Yes, I am." Thomas took his front hooves in hers and led her to one of the benches. "I was feeling rather mixed-up in life... I suppose that had to do with my somehow being connected to Atlantis. But I've missed you terribly."

Tabby's expression noticeably perked up at that. "I'm so... glad!" She wasn't exactly sure if that was the proper thing to say or not, but it was how she felt at the time.

The two Furbys finally began tiring of their game in the background. "Ah, sleep, ah," Ah-Loh yawned.

"Yeah, sleep," Doo-Moh agreed.

"Oh, sleep."

"Sleep!"

"Sleep, ah."

"Oh, sleep."

After a bit more yawning, the two had fast closed their eyes and fallen into a deep slumber.

"I could hardly stand not having you to confide in. You know... you're the only one, Tabby, who views me as more than just ‘the local vet'. There's more to me than my profession, and you saw that," Thomas said seriously, forgetting about the Furbys.

"I imagine there's more to any of us than just our profession," Tabby said flippantly.

"After what Kaliope said to me, it seems like I'm more connected to Atlantis than I've found out yet," Thomas continued. "But I feel fulfilled after this battle with Nur-Ab-Fin. I believe now I can finally give you your birthday present."

"My birthday present?" Tabby raised an eyebrow. Her birthday had been several months back, and at the time Thomas had claimed her couldn't give her anything yet... but what could it be now? "I'm not sure I can take any more surprises today... tonight... whatever."

"Please, at least listen to me," Thomas said, looking Tabby pleadingly in the eye. "I know I've caused you a lot of grief, but I promise I'll never leave you alone again if only you'll... if only you'll... Tabby, what I want to know is if you'll... marry me."

Tabby was, needless to say, taken aback by the diamond ring that Thomas presented her with-- her birthday present. She had known deep down that this day would have to come eventually, but never had she prepared herself for it. Her eyes opened wide as she locked her gaze with Thomas'... but somehow she knew what to say. "Thomas, you're the only one who's ever seen me for my true self, as well. I never prepared myself for this, but... I would have to say in reply ‘very big yes'."

"Thank you, Tabby," was all Thomas could utter at first.

"Oh, really, it was nothing," Tabby said calmly.

And so the ring was slipped on Tabby's foreleg, accompanied by a loving kiss. Tabby clung to him like she'd never let go. "Oh, I'm so happy!" she said through her tears of joy.

"I know, Tabby. I know," Thomas said softly, holding her close. "My beautiful queen of Atlantis."

"Me Boo-Boh-Bay," a Furby's voice suddenly ran out as he levitated upwards behind the two. "U-nye done." Before either of them had a chance to react in any way, there was a sudden brilliant flash of light...

...and the next second, all traces of any mortal creatures having been in Atlantis had vanished... all except for a mysterious Furby by the name of Boo-Boh-Bay.

* * *

Tabby rubbed her eyes, getting a fix on herself. What an awkward position she had fallen asleep in under Ah-Loh's shelf, and what a strange dream that had been. But wait-- had it been a dream?

She felt something shift off her head as she stretched, and heard it fall to the ground behind her. Standing, she picked up the sparkling article. No, it certainly had not been a dream. One does not get an Atlantean crown from a dream.

Nor a diamond engagement ring, she realized as well as she glanced down at her foreleg. Looking up at where Ah-Loh rested on the shelf, Tabby reached up and tilted him over on his side.

"Oh, sun up," the Furby yawned drowsily.

Tabby laughed with delight. No, it most assuredly had not been a dream! She grabbed Ah-Loh and scrambled over to her bedroom window, pushing aside the curtain and letting in the early morning light.

"Woah, big light," Ah-Loh commented.

"Yes, Ah-Loh, it is," Tabby agreed. "You're back to normal, and Nur-Ab-Fin is trapped in the infernal disco ball, and I'm the next queen of Atlantis; and Ah-Loh, I'm going to marry Thomas! Oh, isn't it all simply too wonderful?"

Ah-Loh purred. "Me very happy," he consented.

"I knew you'd say that. Ah-Loh, it's so grand! I should simply have died if this had all but been a dream. I'm so hap-py! Party, wah! Everyone's going to be so surprised when they hear. And--" Delirious with excitement, Tabby skipped out of the room with Ah-Loh-- it was no bother that she hadn't gotten a bit of sleep that night. She had a new day and a whole life ahead of her.

* * *

Thomas went through similar reactions upon finding himself back at home. Doo-Moh was sleeping peacefully on the arm of the couch, and Thomas suddenly became aware of a strange medallion strung around his neck-- though it didn't seem so menacingly strange anymore.

"Woah, me big sleep," Doo-Moh said in awe as she was awoken.

"Then it wasn't a dream," Thomas murmured. "And that means... I really did propose to Tabby. And she really did accept."

"Party, wah!" Doo-Moh added her sentiments on the matter.

"Then you finally approve of her? Good." Thomas stood and stared out the window at the brightening horizon. There was still the mystery of finding out more about his Atlantean heritage that Kaliope had hinted at. But that would wait... he had a new chapter of his life to start now.


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