The Ruby Heart: Part Four

      Tania must have realized what I was doing, because she threw a ball of lightning and darkness towards the large Meridell Style Window. It broke and the Dark Faerie flew away.

      Suddenly, a small female yellow Buzz with short golden hair ran in. "My Princess Fayre, what is wrong?"

      I turned around just as Reginald and my parents came running. "Th-th-th-there w-w-was a D-d-d-dark F-f-faerie in here," I stammered.

      "What?" Reginald yelled, as the small yellow Buzz backed against the wall.

      "Where did she go, Fayre?" my mother asked sweetly.

      I slowly and shakily pointed to the broken window.

      I took this as a chance to look around. Light still streamed in through both it and the Faerieland Style Window on the left, that I realized was also broken. Underneath it was a Fyora Motif Vase filled with Star of Paradise Flowers. Over my Beauty Bed was a Snowflake Painting. There was a Mirror of Nova to the right of my bed, against the wall between the two windows. In the corner there was a brightly coloured Long Tiger Drawer. The room was made of gold. The light spilling onto the cold floor made the gold in it shine brightly like a clear night sky.

      "She must have been a spy," Reginald said after a moment of silence. "We must tell the Light Faeries and warn the kingdom."

      "The Light Faeries already know," the yellow Buzz said, as two Light Faeries flew in through the window. The taller Light Faerie had pure white wings, but the shorter one did not.

      "Yes, Oria," the taller Light Faerie said. I noticed a small ring she wore with the sun, stars and moon on it. I wondered why the shorter Light Faerie did not have one.

      And then I recognized the shorter Light Faerie. "Elaine," I whispered. I thought I glimpsed the young Light Faerie nod.

      "Princess Fayre, I am Darenila, the Queen of the Light Faeries in this realm," the tall Light Faerie with the ring said. "And this is Elaine. She will ensure the Dark Faeries do not return to steal, I mean kidnap, you, thus leaving Atharel without a future ruler. And then what would happen? An enemy might control us, and the true royal family will never continue, never guide the kingdom to prosperity. That is what you will begin to learn about once you learn more about the kingdom. There are books of the kingdom and its history in the Fyora Inspired Bedroom Desk." She pointed to the corner of the solid gold room. "My king and queen, we must make plans to defend ourselves, for we can sense a battle between the Light and the Darkness coming soon."

      I turned around to see that Oria had already gone, and that Darenila was following Reginald and my parents out of the room.

      As soon as the door had closed, I turned towards Elaine. "You liar. Why do you trust Tania anyway? She is a liar as much as you and the Scorchios are! Light Faeries are good and kind, and-"

      Elaine lifted a hand into the air. The diamond heart she wore around her neck rose into the air, gently pulling the Light Faerie with it as it came closer and closer to me. By then, I had realized that my hand in my pocket wrapped around the red duplicate, and it rose into the air at the same time. The two hearts pulled closer and closer together until they touched. There was a blinding light. I shut my eyes.

      When I opened my eyes, Elaine and I were standing in the gold room that we had just been in, with the same furniture and everything else. But something seemed different about it. It looked out the windows, which I realized had never been broken. "Where were we?" I asked, but I knew Elaine could not answer. But I still wanted to know.

      Elaine held up her fingers, to count as different numbers, forming a larger one. After a few minutes, I finally figured it out. She was telling me what year it was.

      "We're in the past?" I yelled, just as the door opened. A barely noticeable gold Scorchio stepped into the room, and walked towards the Beauty Bed as if we weren't there. He or she couldn't see us.

      "So the Light Faeries have chosen my family to lead Atharel, the home of the Buzzes, Scorchios, and the pure Light Faeries..." the young male Scorchio said to himself.

      I noticed Elaine staring out the Faerieland Style Window as a Light Faerie about her age flew past the tower. Elaine took my hand and seemed to float towards the same window, taking me along with her. We passed through the window as if it were made out of air. We floated after the Light Faerie as she flew into the clouds.

      I resisted the urge to look down, but only for a moment. When my eyes gazed upon the land below us, I was so frightened I held on to Elaine's hand tighter. I could never remember being so high! I let go of Elaine's hand and then realized I had just done so. I screamed and closed my eyes, expecting to fall.

      But I didn't.

      I opened my eyes to find myself still floating in mid air. I turned around and saw Elaine floating back to me. She pulled me through the cloud, revealing the town full of Light Faeries on top.

      There were few clouds above us. The sun shone quite brightly down on ourselves and the many, many Light Faeries around us. Each Light Faerie besides Elaine was doing a variety of things and did not seem to notice Elaine or me. Then Elaine tapped my shoulder and pointed to a Light Faerie coming up to the cloud and safely landing, unlike Elaine and I, who could not even feel the cloud we had flown through without pushing aside. Elaine, still holding my hand, followed the Light Faerie she had just pointed to.

      After a few minutes of floating in the air after the young Light Faerie from the past, we reached a palace. It was mainly silver, white, and golden. I knew what it was almost immediately. Considering this also to be a sign that the kingdom below us was my home, I realized that this was the home to the Light Faerie Queen. Elaine flew without moving through the doors as they opened for her fellow Light Faerie. I thought I saw a group of shadows lurking to the side of the palace, but Elaine beckoned for me to follow her. We passed through the solid doors to the palace and followed the Light Faerie to the throne of the Queen of the Pure Light Faeries, who I now knew to be one of Darenila's ancestors.

      "Queen Riona," the younger Light Faerie began, kneeling, "I am Jyoti the Light Faerie. I have seen during my walk that the Scorchios will betray their friends, the Buzzes, and fight and destroy. The Dark Faeries that will come at the end of the summer will aid them. My queen, we must fight back in order to drive the Scorchios out of the kingdom, where they will be weak and attack us no longer."

      "Very well, Jyoti," said Queen Riona, standing. "I shall send a Light Faerie to warn the Buzzes. Thank you for your assistance." She turned and left the room.

           Jyoti sighed and turned around to leave. This was when I finally saw her clearly. She looked as though she was about sixteen, with long ebony hair grown past her shoulders, with twinkling sapphire-blue eyes. She wore a familiar diamond heart on a necklace, which I soon realized was identical to the one Elaine now wore standing next to me. She had topaz sphere earrings and a small moon-coloured tiara on her contrasting dark hair. She had a pair of amber bracelets on her wrists, and wore an exquisite dress that was half gold and half silver. In a deep pocket on the left side of her dress was a regular wooden flute. She reached into that pocket and played the flute, just a few notes. But they were some of the most beautiful sounds I had ever heard. Then, out of nowhere, a voice just as beautiful sang.

      The darkness will take

      The Scorchios

      And break

      The peace between them,

      Scorchio and Buzz, led by Tien.

      Stop the Dark Faerie before it's too late!

      And then, there came a deep voice, threatening.

      When you tell them of the attack.

      Tell them only to fight back.

      If you tell of our act,

      I shall break with you this pact.

      The pact not to tell them

      Of my colours,

      Of the half and half Faerie

      Whose name is Tien,

      Or I will steal from you your greatest treasures.

      "Tien, sister, you know I have already heard this," Jyoti said, looking towards the dark corner behind us. "You know I will not tell any of your cur- I mean, gift, and that you will not steal my ability to see the future with my flute. You will not physically harm our family, the Light Faeries that inhabit this realm. Now continue your plans unharmed and undisturbed by anyone but each other."

      A tall Faerie stood up, revealing that she had hidden herself in a shadowy corner. She seemed to be a few years older than Jyoti. She seemed to be half of a Light Faerie and half of a Dark Faerie. But both halves of Tien's face had a twisted evil smile. She had two amethyst earrings barely visible under her short auburn hair. She wore a heart necklace that was also familiar. It was the same colour as her hidden earrings. It was the exact same one as Tania's. She had cold, cruel, brown eyes with an evil glint. She wore a pure black dress and light blue crystal bracelets. She touched the heart. "Just because six who the Queen favored were trusted with the magical gemstones that have powers beyond a Neopian's wildest imagination, it doesn't mean we have to do 'the right thing', 'the good thing', or whatever other name you good-doers have for it. That's boring. We're in another realm, Jyoti! Fyora has no power over us. We can do what we want! Are you going to join me or not?"

      "No," Jyoti said, stepping closer. "You were once a Light Faerie, happy, and kind, and good. You would never harm anything. And ever since this transformation you made when the Dark Faeries came, you haven't been the same. You stopped calling me Jyo, and you've been trying to take over the realm. Don't you remember anything about our past together?"

      "You are just like the others!" Tien yelled harshly. I then noticed how she was slowly walking towards Jyoti. Soon, she was right in front of her sister. Tien snatched the flute from her sister and disappeared, her pale, already darkened yellow wing turning a dark purple.

      Elaine covered her diamond heart with her hand, and there was another blinding light. I shut my eyes. When I re-opened my eyes, we were back in my room. Everything was as we had left it. Both windows were broken, the furniture and its arrangement were identical.

      I closed my eyes and thought back to when I had escaped whom I thought to be my enemy, but was truly my friend: when I had run from the Buzzes and gone to Faerieland on a Spotted Uni. I remembered this as though it were yesterday. Once I had run out of the forest and into Meridell, I had gotten on a Spotted Uni named Natasha. I remembered what she looked like: a light brown mane, emerald green eyes similar in colour to my own, and a brown spot that covered most of her face. She had flown me to Faerieland in exchange for the few Neopoints I had. I had met William, who adopted me. I thought of how vain Natasha was and decided to act like her. To match my colour and personality, I said that my name was Princess. Then I thought of how Michelle had helped me by suggesting a camping trip. In a way, my enemies had helped me.

To be continued…