Living in New Faerieland

Planning a trip to the clouds of Faerieland? Well, unless you’ve been living under the Rocks of Moltara for the past six months, you might have noticed that Neopia’s favored frolicking land of the Faeries has crashed into the ground. Yep. Smack. I’ll give you a moment to ponder this revelation. Okay. By now you should have drawn the conclusion that there will be no more vacations to the puffy, pink clouds the Faeries once called home. However, all is not lost. The Faeries have turned their desolate crash site into a flourishing oasis, with streams of beautiful aquamarine and pathways made of soft cloudstone. They were even nice enough to give Jhudora a little dwelling on the crater bluff. Upon seeing this lovely land the Faeries had created, many Neopians began to wonder: So what, exactly, is there to do in this new Faerieland? What is it like to live there? Luckily I [Harold the handsome Hissi] was able to go undercover and find out from residents what it’s like to live and work in the new Faerieland.

I entered Faerieland on a cool winter morning. Despite the chill in the air, the sun shone brightly over the Faeries' new home. There were plenty of Neopets strolling along, gazing at the whimsical surroundings. But not me – I had a task to complete! There were questions to be asked, and I was the only one up for the job. I started my quest looking for answers to one of Neopia’s favorite pastimes. I gave myself a decoy name, so as not to look suspicious!

I approached the Light Faerie waiting at the Wheel of Excitement; naturally she was taken by my debonair appearance. I introduced myself as a member of Neopia’s Super-Secret Investigative Team, and she was instantly at ease with my professional manner. I’m not one to waste time, so I dove straight into the questions.

NSSIT: What was it like to dig out the Wheel of Excitement and how did you make it shine so brightly again?

[Light Faerie, she runs the wheel. Such a kind and sweet creature, always happy to answer... oh sorry, I’ve started to ramble]: Well, it was very difficult at first. Jhudora continued to pour dirt over the wheel because she didn’t believe anyone needed to receive such magnificent prizes. Thankfully, a very strapping young Ixi came by to help out; even Jhudora left with a smile on her face. The wheel was then pulled out with ease, and with a bit of Faerie magic, it was sparkling again.

NSSIT: Fantastic! How about a free spin for good luck?

LF: I’m sorry, but we cannot give out free spins.

What a magical tale, wouldn’t you all agree? I resisted from the telling the nice Faerie that her wheel still gives out diseases and she could have added some new perks considering us hard working Neopians shell out 500 Neopoints per spin, but alas, I am resigned to let bygones be bygones. With one top notch interview under my belt, I moved onto the Rainbow Fountain. I’ll admit I was hopeful my good charm would allow me a dip in the Faerie's Fountain, so I gave her my card. Yes, yes, I know you’re all wondering if I’ve heard back from her... well, I haven’t... yet – but I expect to any day now! *coughs* Anyway, let’s not bother with silly information; on to the riveting questions!

NSSIT: Miss Fountain Faerie, how special was your old fountain to you? Was it just as easy to create a new one in the crater?

FF: Well, the original fountain which contains all the magic wasn’t broken in the crash, so all I needed was a bit of water and a rainbow. It was all very simple, actually.

NSSIT: Uh-huh, and what about the death and destruction that was caused while trying to resurrect the fountain?

FF: Oh, there really wasn’t any... we Faeries are very resilient, as soon as the stone curse was lifted, the Fountain was back in action.

NSSIT: But there are no Faerie Quests currently; what is keeping you from giving quests? Is the fountain malfunctioning? Is there chaos everywhere?

FF: No, it’s working just fine; however, Faerieland is a large place. We not only have the outlying lands, but there is Faerie City as well. All the Faeries are hard at work making every spec of our new home beautiful. We just don’t have time to give out quests, but fear not, they will be returning soon enough.

So the Fountain Faerie was a drag, but I vowed not to give up! The New Faerieland had secrets to offer and I was going to uncover them. I knew I would need to venture deep into Faerie City to find out what the new Faerieland was really like, so naturally the Battle Faerie Shop was my first stop.

NSSIT: Ah, the lovely Battle Faerie! How are you today?

BF: Please don’t touch that.

NSSIT: Yes, of course. I’ll start with the toughest questions first. Neopians are dying to know, does Fyora pay good wages?

BF: *glare*

NSSIT: The strong but silent type! I knew we’d get along, much the same we are! You Faeries once lived in the clouds, but now you reside in a giant hole in the ground, tell me, how does that feel?

BF: The old Faerieland had entirely too much bright pink. I much prefer the darker green and purple hues of our new home.

NSSIT: So you like living in the ground?

BF: I’m really busy, if you hadn’t noticed.

NSSIT: Right, yes, just one more question. When Faerieland was falling, did your shoulder pads help break the impact? They are big, aren’t they!

BF: -----------------

Sorry, folks, I won’t be able to post her response, wouldn’t be appropriate for the young Neopets who may read this article! I do think she liked me, though. As I meandered along the sweet smelling faerie roads, I thought back to her unwillingness to answer my question about the Faerie Queen's wages. I knew the Hidden Tower would have to be my next stop.

Ahem, unfortunately I was unable to get an interview with the Faerie Queen in the Hidden Tower because the tower is in fact, hidden. I decided to kill some time and give myself a faerie personality quiz. I quite enjoyed the questions! One of my favorites was “Others might describe you as... ” There were so many choices, but I knew I had to stay true to myself, so I obviously chose modest. After finishing the questions I waited anxiously for the results; however, I was unsurprised to learn that I was akin to the Light Faerie! Such a delicate and kind Faerie; I couldn’t find a better way to describe myself! Enough time wasting, though; I was on a mission! I drifted out of Faerie City, admiring the shining pink buildings and deep emerald forests as I strolled, determined to find the true spirit of what it’s like to live in the new Faerieland. I wandered up a long path and the air began to get cold and a bitter taste filled my mouth. I briefly wondered if I had lost track of time and made it all the way over to the Haunted Woods, but no, my friends! No. I had found Jhudora's Bluff!

NSSIT: What’s it like being the most despised Faerie around?

Jhudora: GET OUT!

NSSIT: Do you feel rejected because the other Faeries cast you aside on the bluff of the crater?

Jhudora: IF YOU DON’T LEAVE THIS INSTANT, I WILL MAKE YOU INTO A NEW HISSI-SKIN BELT!!

To my dismay, Jhudora was very busy and didn’t have the time to be answering questions. After the incident with Jhudora, who was just busy, mind you, nothing else, I had begun to believe I would never find out what it’s truly like to live in the new Faerieland. I had scoured the land up and down, and had yet to discover the spirit of the Faeries. Walking back down along the cloudstone paths that had earlier filled me with such hope, I felt nothing but despair. Maybe there was nothing special about this new Faerieland; maybe their home in clouds had even been better. I was about to give in and head home when I heard a soft sigh coming from a round bushel of trees. I looked around, but saw nothing and chalked it up to my occasional overactive imagination. But as I turned, the same soft sigh floated toward me. I turned to the trees and parted the branches, wanting to get a closer look. And would you believe, folks, I found the Discarded Magical Blue Grundo Plushie of Prosperity! There he was! Hanging off the soft branch by the seat of his pants, looking mournfully up at me. I was amazed to see him sitting there, but upon remembering my failed attempt to discover the new Faerieland, my smile faded. This little plushie could do nothing for me. I reached up to stroke his long, sad ears and I swear on Fyora’s castle what happened next was a faerie miracle.

This little critter spoke to me! It was barely audible, but my trained reporting ears heard the sound in an instant. I quickly got out my note taker and pen, another interview was on the horizon! This time I got right to the point.

NSSIT: What is it that makes Faerieland so magical?

There was no response from the plushie, but as I turned around, I kicked a small object; it was a Resewn Shoyru Plushie. So much for a miracle.

I picked up the ragged looking plushie; it had been torn apart and sewn back together. It was rather pitiful looking, yet the Grundo had left it for me. I sighed in defeat and left Faerieland, accepting that it was just another land, and I would never know what it meant to live there or to be a Faerie.

A few days later I was going over the interview notes I had taken, with the little Resewn Shoyru Plushie sitting on my desk in front of me. I realized the little plushie was a lot like Faerieland. Yes, it was a bit battered, but it was given another chance because someone cared for it. The Faeries were turned to stone for Sloth's sake! Yet, we helped to free them and they created an oasis out of wreckage. (An oasis, despite the fact that they’re overcharging for wheels and Fyora’s not so tip top wages.) The magic of Faerieland is that anyone can find a home there. In reason, the new Faerieland is the same as the old Faerieland. This was my toughest research assignment to date; I was trying to create something new out of something that had always existed. While I may have made a few wrong turns, my undeniable genius led me to answer the question: What is it like to live and work in new Faerieland? It’s positively magical.

-Harold Hissimouth, Senior Reporter, Neopian Times