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A sacred, precious moment forever imprinted on my mind.
The former Uber Light Faerie and her former pet, a pure white Zafara, whom I
called Angel. Both were fallen, broken winged, hurt but they were soon to be
risen again – risen and reunited. Two wanderers coming together under the endless
stars. Two of the Fallen who intended to rise again.
Angel looked up at the Faerie, her sapphire eyes
muted.
"How?"
They both seemed to understand the question.
"It is hard," the Faerie said quietly. "We must
replace the one who replaced me."
I too understood – the Faerie needed to retake
her rightful place as Uber Light Faerie from the current occupant of the position,
who had stolen it.
Angel nodded. Her reunion with her Faerie seemed
to have filled her with a strange, solemn strength, born of hope.
"I wandered in a dark place for a while. But
I have come home. I believe now that we can rise again, for we are good, and
good overcomes evil."
Angel’s statement seemed childlike in her simple
division and evaluation of the world. But it made sense to all of us.
"But how do we get to Faerieland? Our wings are
broken…" she said.
The Faerie looked thoughtful. Her gaze alighted
on me for a moment but she dismissed me.
"No wings."
I felt dejected, but I knew the Faerie had not
meant it unkindly. It was a simple statement of fact. I should have been resigned
to my flightless future long ago. But they had wings, albeit broken ones, and
I had none at all. I forced my mind off the track of self-pity and willed myself
to be more useful.
"There are a few carrier services – winged pets
who’ll carry you up to Faerieland," I ventured.
"There are?"
The Faerie seemed surprised - she obviously had
never had use of them till now. I felt more valued and less like a superfluous
observer. I was proud to help Angel and her beautiful Faerie.
"I can show you…"
***
A long night trek and a short Eyrie rise later, we arrived in Faerieland. Throughout
the ride, the Faerie had been uncomfortable, unused to relying on mere Neopets
for flight. When she and Angel alight on Faerieland, she nodded to me.
"Thank you," she said absentmindedly. "Come,
Angel."
I watched Angel obediently follow the Faerie
away.
"Wait!"
They both turned.
"Can I not come?"
The Faerie looked me over and then glanced to
Angel, who nodded quickly. A touch of impatience seemed to enter her voice --
she was eager to rise.
"If you must, you can wait here. Once everything
is in order, I shall summon you."
I nodded gratefully and settled down on the soft
cloud floor, determined to wait. Angel and her Faerie quickly headed off towards
Faerie City. I lay down, staring up at the starry sky and imagined Angel dancing
between them…
***
In the hesitant light of early dawn, I had begun to drift asleep when I felt
a sudden tug. I was jerked onto a small cloud platform. I looked down and realised
it was floating above Faerieland. The fallen Faerie, Angel's Faerie, was there,
her eyes fixed on the current Uber Light Faerie. Angel was also there, standing
by her Faerie. There was another pet, who I guessed to be the Uber Light Faerie's
pet - a pure white Ixi, white feathered wings spread out behind her. A length
of golden chain connected her to the Uber Light Faerie. Angel and her Faerie
looked small and ugly by comparison. The beauty of the Risen is an impossible
perfection - the Uber Light Faerie's sparkling eyes and flawless face was only
matched in beauty by her pet, whose silky fur shone pure white. But I still
saw more beauty in Angel's sapphire eyes and broken wings than in anyone else.
"You condemned me to fall," Angel's Faerie said
quietly.
"And, thus, I rose. Such are the games we play."
"Ah, but you cheated. You encouraged the others
to help replace me and they did so, foolishly thinking you the lesser of two
evils and throwing their lots in with you."
"Is there anything you can do about it now, desca
(Fallen one)?"
"I can be more powerful than you. And thus regain
my rightful place!"
"Oh yes, let us talk of right and wrong. Power
is all you need and you know it too."
"Then pure power is what shall defeat you!"
I threw up a paw to shield my eyes just in time.
A searing blast of light erupted from both Faeries, engulfing them all. It was
over far too quickly. Angel's Faerie had fallen to her knees. A Faerie's magic
is rooted in her wings and her tattered, broken wings left her magic weak. Angel
helped her Faerie to her feet, teary eyed.
The other Faerie's lips beautifully curved into
a hard and cruel smile.
"Too easy. And now, I must make sure you fall
for good this time - fall too far to ever rise again…"
She raised her power, blazing light from every
pore.
"Ko'entri (Goodbye)"
She raised her staff… and the fallen Faerie smirked.
The Uber Light Faerie's eyes widened in horror.
"The other Uber Faeries - their magic has almost…gone.
They're really weak, with barely any power…"
"Whereas, you have too much," said the other
Faerie. "The magic is unbalanced. Light is powerful, every other element is
weak. Thus, the Uber Light Faerie must be too powerful - too powerful for her
own good and too powerful for Neopia's."
The Uber Faerie screamed in frustration. She
had been outplayed. She'd got too powerful and now, she would be moved on from
Neopia.
Fyora appeared next to the Uber Faerie.
"Come," she said simply.
The Faerie seethed with rage and nodded curtly.
She laid down her staff on the cloud, its white wood almost blending away. She
seized the chain that bound her to the Ixi and snapped it harshly. The Ixi clung
to her, begging to go with her. The Faerie shook the pet off irritably. I watched
in horror as the Neopet fell, her beautiful white wings as useless as Angel's,
streaming out behind her as she plummeted. Without a Faerie, she had no chance
of ever rising again and would live a wretched half-life, forever fallen. There
was no change in expression on any of the others face, though Fyora's eyes flashed
briefly. She looked at me calmly, trying to convey me a warning and then she
simply faded away, taking the Faerie with her.
Angel and her Faerie walked over to where the
staff lay on the cloud. Once they completed the right rituals, they would rise
once more. Angel compulsively turned to me.
I could not have done it without you, Dreamer."
I smiled and gazed into her eyes. It would be
worth it to see her attain the perfection she should reach -- to mend her broken
wings, to make those sapphire eyes fill with joy, to rise…
The final goal was within reach; Angel's story
was nearly complete…
We must help angels fly…
The End
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