Chapter 1: Three Fairies

Planet Avalar; Red Lizard Orphanage

It was a warm night in Tenrou Valley, but cloudy. The orphanage was an hour from serving dinner, but its young residents were active. Red Lizard was a very poor, but diverse orphanage, consisting of humans, Elfins, giants, ogres, any type of child left parentless for whatever reason. The bigger kids were mean to the little ones, and the orphanage's staff did little to control them. One of the children, an alien girl with blue skin, bare feet, and a blue dress was sweeping in the corner with a morbid expression. She looked 12 years old, but Lapis Lazuli was about 2,000, having retreated to this planet some centuries ago. She had a beautiful Lazuli Gem strapped to her back, in the shape of a teardrop.

"Hey, Lapis! Lapis!" She ignored the 3-year-old yelling at her. A little girl with black hair, tan skin, purple eyes, wearing an orange dress and white boots. She was Zeira Lizard, the daughter of Lord Jezelf, the orphanage owner. "Lapis! You missed a spot!"

Lapis rolled her eyes, knowing the same response would come. "Where?"

"YOU!!" Zeira chucked the glass of orange juice at the older girl. "Hahahahaha, hahahahaha!"

Angered, Lapis grabbed the orange off her body using her waterbending, splashing it against Zeira. "…Waaaaaah, WAAAAaaaah!" The toddler began crying.

"Is that my baby girl?! Zeira, what's wrong?" Lord Jezelf Lizard hurried in and picked up his daughter comfortingly. He was a bald man with a goatee.

"L-L-Lapis took my orange juice, a-and SPILLED it on me! Waaaaaahhh!"

"There there, sweetheart, Daddy will take care of this. LAPIS, clean up my daughter! And no using your witchcraft."

He set Zeira down, and Lapis sighed with anger as she went to get a towel. She bent over to wipe the child clean—"NO!!" Zeira smacked Lapis in the eye. "Lapis is blue like she's sick, she's gonna infect me 'cause she's gross!"

"You have a point, Zeiry!" Jezelf grinned. "Alright, I'll make the elves change you. Lapis, make yourself useful!" He threw a thick leather satchel at the alien's head. "The ogres wanted more roasted Froads. Get huntin' in the swamp!"

"I can't go to the swamp, it's too dark, I can't even see the moon."

"STOP MAKING EXCUSES or I'll make you work the boiler!"

Lapis huffed with anger and took the satchel, leaving the building and walking barefoot down the dirt road. Since the orphanage was short on money – rather Lord Jezelf was keeping it all for his spoiled daughter – footwear was deemed an unnecessary want, and he only bought shoes for kids he liked more. Lapis didn't really mind, after 2,000 years, it felt good on her soles. Still, she hated being the errand girl just because she was more mature and had powers. I mean, why couldn't the giants wrestle the Froads, it would give them an excuse to act like the "big shots" among them.

A burning scent caught Lapis's nose. She looked right. A column of smoke rose from a light in the distance. A house was on fire. Lapis dropped her satchel and rushed that direction, grabbing some water from the nearby river in her bending. As she kept running, she mended the water into arms, ending at giant fists. Once she made it to the small house, she threw the liquid over the flames and watched them disperse into steam. She moved the steam away with her bending as she entered the house.

A man and woman were down on the kitchen floor. As Lapis calmly walked forward, studying, she heard a chair rattle, looking down when a pair of eyes zipped under the table. Lapis crouched and looked under. A blonde-haired girl of 3 years, with oval-shaped, dark-green eyes – with no pupils – wearing a pink dress, and no shoes, looked at Lapis with fright, like Lapis was about to kill her. "Who are you?" Lapis asked.

The child stuttered and whimpered. "M-m-m-m… Mavis."

"Mavis? Come on out, I'm not gonna hurt you." Lapis held a hand under.

Mavis hesitated. She didn't know if she could trust her. She very weakly reached her hand. Lapis gave her an assuring smile. Mavis took her hand, and Lapis gently pulled her out, standing at full height like a helpful older sibling.

"Could you tell me what happened?"

"I…I dunno. I was running around outside, and when I came back, Mommy and Daddy were… asleep. They were cooking, but then the house got on fire, s-so I hid. C-Can you please help them?"

Lapis smiled and nodded warmly. She extracted any remaining water and molded it over her hands, letting the liquid glow a mystic blue while her gem did the same. She searched the father's fallen body. She moved her hands over the chest, the arms, the neck… "I…I don't understand."

"What?" asked Mavis, who was otherwise entranced by the glow of Lapis's gem.

"I'm not feeling any physical injuries." Lapis checked the mother, laying her ear over her heart. "They weren't cut, punched, drowned, smothered; these soot marks from the fire are minor, but they fell beforehand. Were your parents sick or something?"

Mavis shook her head. Lapis looked at the blonde mother with a solemn frown. She sighed, stood up, and turned to Mavis. "I'm sorry. I really don't understand why, but… they're dead."

Mavis stared with emotionless green eyes. She looked down. "Okay."

"?" Lapis raised a brow. "Aren't you… upset?"

"Of course I am. But I wanna meet the fairies."

"Fairies?"

"Uh-huh." Mavis looked up. "Mommy and Daddy taught me about fairies. They're magic things, like me."

"You have magic?"

"Uh-huh. And I can make light. That's why Mommy and Daddy said I should never cry. Because lightbenders don't cry. And fairies don't like crybabies. I wanna meet the fairies. They sound fun."

Lapis smiled softly. She got to her knees and put a hand on Mavis's shoulder. "My dad used to tell me about fairies, too. But he said they only come to kids who are upset, or sick. They live in the ocean, so they're summoned by the falling of tears."

"…But… Mommy said they live in stars. And I'm a lightbender, and stars are light, and I'm magic, so…so fairies live in stars."

"Hmhm, you're not making any sense." Lapis chuckled.

"Yes I aaaaammm!"

"Well, in light of the circumstances, I'll give you this one. But, Mavis… just because you cry, it doesn't mean you're a 'crybaby.' I'm sure the fairies would love a girl who loved her parents. If you loved your parents, you would cry for them."

"But…But…"

Lapis bended more water, and formed them into wings on her back. She turned to show her backside to Mavis, flapping the wings. "Call me your fairy." She turned her head and smiled. "Summoned by your tears."

"…" She stared wondrously at the girl's wings. …The 3-year-old began to sniffle, then cry. She hugged and soaked Lapis's legs, the taller girl patting her back. With her bending, Lapis collected the fallen tears and formed them into watery hearts. She placed both hearts on the parents' chests.

Ten years later…

The day was bright and sunny. Mavis Vermillion had lived at Red Lizard since that night. She was treated rashly by her peers, but had Lapis to defend her, take her with her on errands. Today, they were coming back from the market with fruit. Mavis grew her golden hair very long and wavy, to her knees. She wore a flowing pink dress with blue diamond patterns around the waist, a red bow around her collar, and short, makeshift feathered wings on either side of her head. Like her blue-skinned friend, Mavis was barefoot. The 3-year-old girl had grown much taller at Age 13, while Lapis…

"Hey, Lapis? Why are you still short?" Mavis asked with a nosy, inquiring look.

"I'm a Lunarian. We take a really long time to age."

"So that means I'll be older than you?"

"You'll be bigger, but I'm the mature one."

"I'm still Big Sister and you have to do what I say." She smirked like a troll.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mavis."

"ALPHA ORPHAN!" Mavis leaped, wrapped legs around Lapis's shoulders, and made the waterbender fall on her front, dropping the fruit. She gritted her teeth angrily as Mavis sat on her back and swung her legs. "Alpha Orphan forever! And my children, then my grandchildren, will tower over you!"

"GET OFF me!" Lapis shot up, throwing Mavis on her back. "Quit goofing around." She used her waterbending to clean the dirt off the fruit as she put them in the bags. "Or Lord Jezelf'll make us shine Zeira's thousand shoes again."

"It's such a hard-knock life, Lapy."

"So hard-knock, we might as well make a trend of blonde or blue-haired orphans."

"Who are also wizards!"

As they crossed the front yard to enter Red Lizard, they saw a giant boy dangling a tiny Elfin girl above some ogre kids, who threatened to eat her. With a disapproving look, Mavis calmly walked under the giant's legs and stood between him and the ogres. She clapped her hands, channeled her power, and shone as bright as the sun. The creatures shielded their eyes, and the Elfin girl felt herself land on a watery tentacle. When the light finally faded, they saw that the Elfin was gone.

Inside the orphanage, Lapis set the Elfin down, she and Mavis smiling with her. "Thank you, Big Sisters!" She hurried into the little doorway that led to the Elfins' quarters. Mavis and Lapis exchanged proud grins.

"Still playing the heroes, huh?" a smug voice said. After all these years, Zeira hadn't shown any better attitude. Her clothing was mostly the same, but she wore skin-tight black pants under her orange dress, whose sleeves were detached from the body. Her black hair was in two pigtails, tied by orange bows.

"Somebody has to, Meany Zeiry." Mavis retorted.

"You two deserve it." She walked past them. "Only way a couple of magic freaks feel important."

"You're the only one of us that could be mistaken for a demon, Hothead." Lapis stated.

Zeira stopped and passed her a scowl. She threw a flame at the alien, who defended with a water shield. Zeira had discovered her firebending at five years old, and she had become a worse nuisance since. She loved to set things on fire, proclaiming to Father that it was an accident, then he forced one of the kids to buy a replacement. "You guys are even lucky I still hang around here after school." Zeira said. "Consider it a compliment the rich girl is hanging with the filth instead of at her mansion."

"Zeira, you can phrase it any way you want." Mavis replied, scowling. "You're a mean heartless person that has no friends, so your best chance is getting the orphan kids to like you."

"I don't care if I don't have friends!" Zeira flustered, turning red. "And besides, I would look for much better friends than shoeless farm animals. Speaking of which, I'm gonna look for a new pair. Be nice and I'll give you the chance to shine them." She walked away.

"Hmph. Who wants shoes, anyway?" Mavis huffed.

"Yeah. Well, it looks like her dad isn't back, yet. Wanna go outside and dance?" Lapis asked.

"Of course!" Mavis smiled.

After they put the food away, the friends walked several yards behind the orphanage. Lapis put a conchshell on the ground and pushed a button – it was a Sound Dial, a magic shell that could play recorded sounds. It played a slow and gentle tune. Lapis extracted water from her gem and surrounded them inside a large bubble, making the sunlight appear blue inside. She kept the bubble standing as she controlled two separate globs of water, while Mavis ignited her hands with golden light. The two elements connected, and created a bright and colorful strip of rainbow.

The girls stood back-to-back, smiled, and danced gracefully. Their leg and arm movements were synchronized, the rainbow flowed beautifully in the air. The grass was soft under their feet, helped them to move fluently without aching. Both girls' backs touched each other as they raised both hands above, the rainbow crossing over like a bridge. They clutched their fingers, and the rainbow dispersed into wet, but colorful sparkles, tickling and warming their faces. Lapis let the water shield fall and drench them both. Mavis felt especially heavy with all her wet hair; almost her entire body was blocked from behind by the golden curtain.

The girls laughed and fell on their backs, staring at the sky while their heads touched each other. No matter how arduous the orphan life was, they were glad to have each other. "Aaaaah!" They heard a scream and sat up, looking to the orphanage. A white, four-legged creature was crouched and scampering quickly into the forest. A pair of shiny green shoes hung from its teeth. "THAT THING STOLE MY NEW SHOES!" Zeira screamed, running outside barefoot. "DO SOMETHING OR I'LL TELL DAD!"

Lapis and Mavis exchanged glances, deciding to chase the creature into the forest. Lapis formed Water Wings and flew while Mavis dashed along the ground. They searched left and right, but found no sign of the creature. …Then, in the shade of some trees, Mavis saw its widened green eyes before it zipped away. She pointed, then she and Lapis chased. The white, wolf-like creature leapt over many bushes and logs, they chased under many shady and sunny areas. They lost track of how deep they went in the forest, they didn't even care about Zeira's shoes, but this creature was far too curious to ignore.

"HYAARH!" It popped up from some bushes and growled, showing her sharp teeth.

"AAAH!" The girls hugged each other in fright. "Huh?" Then looked confused. It was a girl, with skin white as a ghost, matched by her body-length flowing hair. She wore only a white dress, bare arms and bare legs.

The girl glared at them with light-green eyes, holding the stolen shoes close. She zipped below the bushes, so the orphans looked over curiously. The stranger was squatted to the ground, using a knife to stab holes in the shoes' sides. She placed them both on the ground. She smiled warmly at the tiny family of Minish. The half-inch creatures gratefully entered the shoes and made them their home. She turned to smile at the orphans, then was gone.

"Hello there!"

"AAAAH!" The girls startled again when the stranger popped up behind them.

"Who are you?" Her body bent like a rainbow, a quizzical stare. "What are you doing in my forest?"

The orphans exchanged glances. "I'm Mavis. Mavis Vermillion. She's Lapis Lazuli. We're orphans from Red Lizard."

The girl whooshed behind them. "Why did you follow me?"

"Because you stole somebody's shoes." Lapis replied.

The girl danced to their side, "She had plenty of shoes, she didn't look like she needed them. I borrowed some, for people that did."

"You mean those tiny guys?" Mavis looked at the Minish. "What are they?"

"They're Minish, of course, haven't you ever seen one?" The stranger's movements were nimble, but the friends questioned why she made them. "They bring gifts to good boys and girls."

"Are they like… fairies?" Mavis questioned.

The girl zipped to her other side, "Fairies, don't be ridiculous." She smiled wittily. "They're… W-Wait." The girl frowned and looked surprised. "How do you know about fairies?"

The friends exchanged smiles. "We're the Fairy Sisters!" Mavis exclaimed.

"We search far and wide for the fairies!" Lapis followed happily. "Well, we'd like to, at least. …I keep telling Mavis they live in water, but she never listens."

"That's because that's ridiculous." Mavis said grumpily. "Fairies live in stars in space."

"That's to say they live in suns, more ridiculous."

"That's not what I mean!"

"You're both wrong."

"WHUUUH??" The friends gaped at the stranger. "What do you mean?" Mavis asked.

The girl looked both ways, holding a hand beside her mouth as she loomed closer, "Wanna hear a secret?"

The friends nodded, still agape.

"I saw a fairy." Her eyes narrowed, she whispered softly.

"Where?" Mavis asked.

"THIS WAY!" The girl zipped off. Mavis and Lapis immediately bolted after her. Mavis jumped bush after log, Lapis flew with her wings and avoided each branch, the stranger ran on all fours like a wolf. They arrived at a towering, snaky tree. She climbed up quickly, Lapis flapped higher while Mavis used hands and feet, the blonde-haired slipped on a branch, but regained composure and climbed.

Finally, they were at the top of the tree, overlooking the woods. They both stared at the girl expectantly, her back was pressed against the side of the bark. She stepped aside, "Here!"

Mavis and Lapis looked close. A tiny mosquito sat on the tree. The bug flew around their faces, then landed on Lapis's triangle-shaped nose. Her eyes narrowed to it, before she flicked it off. "That wasn't a fairy!" she stated.

"It wasn't?" Her head turned sideways. "Well, it was worth a shot!" She smiled and shrugged.

Mavis and Lapis exchanged disbelieved glares. The girl held a hand out to them. "Hi! My name is Aisling. It's nice to meet you."

The girls smiled and each shook her hand. "Hi, Aisling." Mavis greeted. "Is this really your forest?"

"Pretty much. I mean, I grew up here, no one else is claiming it, so it's mine!" Her movements implied her logical thinking.

"Are you an orphan?" Lapis asked.

"Not really. I was raised by wolves! I learned how to hunt and run. RAHRrrrr!" She growled and showed her teeth, but then grinned bubbly. "I wanna show you something else, look!" She leaped down the tree, through the leaves, landing perfectly on her feet. Mavis, rather, plopped on the ground haphazardly, while Lapis floated down gently with her wings. Aisling showed them an oddly-colored area of bark, but revealed it to be a book shrouded by leaves. "Ta-daaaa! Kells' Book of Spells!"

She opened it, and the girls stared with awe at the very intricate textures, designs, and words. "Woooow." Mavis had stars in her eyes. "But, who's Kells?"

"I don't know, some kind of wizard, I guess." Aisling closed it. "I read stuff from this book and things happen!"

"I know! We'll call you Aisling Kells!" Mavis beamed.

"What? Why?" Lapis questioned.

"Well, I have a last name, Lapis has a last name, so Aisling deserves one, too!"

"Hmmmm." Aisling smiled and tapped her chin. "I like the sound of that! Aisling Kells."

"So Aisling, you like fairies, too?" Lapis asked.

"Of course I like fairies! Fairies protect nature, and the forest. And the forest is my home!"

"No no no, you couldn't be more wrong." Mavis shook her head. Lapis glared at her, expecting the same contradiction. "Fairies live in outer space!" Her eyes sparkled. "They disguise as shooting stars, then kids make wishes on stars, and fairies grant their wishes!"

"That's not true at all." Lapis argued. "Fairies live in the ocean, lakes, and water habitats, where they ensure peace for not only sailors, but all creatures, and come to children at the call of falling tears."

"I'm afraid you both are wrong." Aisling shook. "Fairies are nature spirits. They protect all life, and live where life mostly dwells."

"But life mostly dwells on planets, and they could watch it all from the stars!" Mavis reasoned. "Can you agree with that??"

"Look, we can't discuss this now." Lapis concluded. "Mavis, we have to get back to the orphanage."

"But I haven't made my point, yet!" Mavis stomped. "Unless… you want to go with us, Aisling?"

"No, I shouldn't be around other people for too long." Aisling said. "I get… feisty." She made a predator face. "But maybe you two can visit me tonight. There's a beach on the other side of this forest."

"That would be great!" Mavis grinned. "We can soak our feet and everything!"

"Sounds like a date." Lapis chuckled. "After all, fairies live in the ocean, anyway."

"We'll decide when we get there." Aisling winked.

Having failed to recover Zeira's new shoes, the girls were expectantly ordered to shine the other ones without powers. After eating dinner, Mavis and Lapis snuck out and met Aisling in the forest. She led them across the dark woods to the beach. Sparkly stars hovered in the indigo sky, the waves brushed softly on the shore, and the forest leaves rustled peacefully as the girls sat on the sand.

"So why did you two become so fascinated with fairies?" Aisling asked them.

"My parents taught me about fairies because I was magic!" Mavis replied with her big smile. "The fairies saw that I would be a good little girl and gave me their power. Why else would we have magic?"

"Well, I have magic because of Lunaria's moons." Lapis informed. "On our planet, we have only moon and waterbenders, because there's an abundance of both types of chi. Of course, it's said that the moons serve as a gateway to a dimension where Space Chi flourishes. The moons regulate that chi, but it results in a supernatural power that flows into our world. We called it moonbending. It's as close to magic as bending gets. The waterbenders in our world harnessed the power using these gems like on my back. I can combine waterbending with this magic."

"It still supports my point that fairies live in space."

"They don't live in space!!" Lapis yelled infuriated. She sighed and spoke with a brighter smile, "My dad used to tell me that fairies are more in tune with emotions. Like the waves of the ocean. If the fairies are angry, then storms appear, and the ocean becomes dangerous, but when they're happy, the ocean is peaceful. That's why fairies live in the ocean, and move to lakes and rivers as well. It's also why they're summoned by the falling of tears, droplets of water that stem from emotion."

Aisling bit Lapis's arm. "OW!" the Lunarian screamed. "What was that for?!"

"Trying to make you cry and call the fairies." She smiled innocently.

"No, you have to do this!" Mavis grabbed Lapis's right leg and began tickling her foot.

"Hahahahahaha- no no, that doesn't work, HAHAHAHAhahahaha!" Aisling decided to tickle the left one. The blue-skinned girl laughed hysterically and produced tears.

"I'm not seeing any fairies." Mavis smirked. "Do you wish we would stop?"

"Yes, yes, please stop, hahahahaha!"

They stopped tickling. "See, we stopped tickling because the fairies granted your wish!"

"You are completely ridiculous! Things happen because they happen, not because of fairies!"

"I'll say." Aisling spoke with a proud air. "Fairies believe in order and nature, that's why they live in the forest. My wolf parents never taught me, but I learned about fairies from the Minish. They told me that Celebi, the Firstborn Spirit of Forest, is a fairy."

"Okay, the Firstborn are obviously fairy-type deities," Mavis spoke logically, "but they were all created by Arceus at the beginning of the universe, IN SPACE."

"I should have warned you," Lapis spoke to Aisling, holding one hand up to Mavis, "Mavis is a real bookworm. Not even just with fairies and fantasies, she reads more than I did in 2,000 years."

"Fairies like good girls, and good girls are smart girls!" Mavis spoke brightly. "That's why I am keen to be super smart!"

"Even though she rarely acts like it." Lapis eye-rolled.

"Only because I don't want to overwhelm my friends with powerful knowledge." Mavis smirked. "But when I'm grown up, I'll officially start the tradition of smart and pretty blonde girls!"

"If you like reading so much, try to read this." Aisling passed her spell book over Lapis, to Mavis. "It even took me a while to understand all the words in that texture." Mavis was quickly flipping pages. "An interesting note, lots of phrases are hidden within-"

"DONE." Mavis clamped the book shut. Her eyes were closed upward, giving a bright and intuitive smile as she looked at her friends. Aisling gave a reproving glare. "…Okay, I'm kidding." Mavis admitted, and her two friends sighed. "But it isn't actually that hard to read, you just have to take into account the shape of the lines. I found like, 10 phrases of hidden text."

"Shamefully, I have to ask her to clarify a few lines whenever we read spell books or storybooks." Lapis admitted.

"Hey Aisling, do you ever do a Fairy Dance?"

"A Fairy Dance? What's that?"

"We read in a book that fairies like to dance on rainbows. So me and Lapis like to create a rainbow with our bending and dance with it."

"Mavis is a lightbender, so hers and my waterbending make a rainbow." Lapis clarified.

"That does sound lovely!" Aisling smiled. "Maybe I could help, too."

"How?" asked Mavis.

Aisling sat cross-legged and opened her spell book. She recited the poem with a very soft whisper. "Petal in the grass, please coooome with me. I, will, take, you, hoooome." A pleasant breeze blew from the forest. The air chilled Mavis and Lapis's feet. They felt lighter than the wind, they soared weightlessly over the sea, holding hands as they danced with more fluent motion. "Sail on the wind, across the endless sea. Your flower, waits, for, yoooouu."

The girls flew into the air as Lapis pulled a stream of water, and Mavis shone with light. She softly touched her glowing hand to Lapis, turning the water into rainbow. As light as the air, over the ocean waves, under the starry sky, they danced. Their minds were as free as their bodies. They dreamed of many wonders and mysteries of the endless world, the endless cosmos. The greatest wonder of all was magic. A splendid, supernatural force, a beautiful power that could make anything happen. Only the fairies could answer their questions. They would let their minds and hearts become as wondrous and free as the fairies.

After the girls finished dancing, they stood once again on the beach. "That was so fun!" Mavis danced on the sand with joy. "Let's do that again, and then even more to be certain how fun it was!"

"It was pretty fun." Lapis giggled. "But we need to get back to the orphanage. We're up way past our bedtime."

"Why don't you two live in the forest with me?" Aisling asked. "The two of you have a very natural feel about you, I think you would make great company."

"We prefer sleeping under roofs. Even though we still don't have beds." Lapis replied. "Aisling, why don't you come and live with us? We live near the forest, anyway, and you can run in and collect food so we wouldn't have to buy much for everyone."

"Yeah, Aisling, we need another girl friend for our club!" Mavis grinned. "I mean, if Zeira isn't planning to join."

"Oh, I don't know." Aisling looked away and scratched her arm. "I'm really not comfortable around many people. You two felt nice, that's why I talked to you."

"How did we feel nice?" Lapis asked.

"I saw the way you stared at the Minish. You were adored by them. Most people like to step on them."

"I would never stamp such cute creatures!" Mavis sang.

"Still, the people at Lizard are pretty mean." Lapis reminded. "That doesn't mean all people are bad, though. You know, why don't we meet up tomorrow and practice magic?" She smiled. "I don't think me and Mavis got a chance to really show you."

"I can't wait to show you my wand!" Mavis proclaimed brightly. "It's the prettiest thing ever!"

"I'll look forward to it!" Aisling beamed. "I'll help walk you out of the forest."

Somewhere far away…

In the darkest of night, in a plain where no life thrived, a group of ships came down from the heavens. Short, green aliens in magenta uniforms, and bulgy same-colored eyes, set foot on the planet's surface with a huge machine in their possession. It was a thin, cylindrical device with metal spider legs, red gems on their tops, and drills on the bottom. The device drilled into the earth, releasing colorful gems into the ground. Miles across this landscape, hundreds of these drills were implanting gems into the crust. Avalar's rich magic energy was slowly being absorbed.

Above Avalar's atmosphere

The Biggest was the pride of the Irken Empire. Wherever in the cosmos you lived, if you saw this ship above your planet, you would be afraid. "Delivery Team reports successful implanting of the Injector into Avalar's crust." An Irken soldier reported. "Twenty-four Gems and counting have been inserted. We're getting reports for three-thousand seventy-six close to maturing."

The Irken Emperor, Tallest Dirk, was an Irken in beefy, shiny armor of red and black metal, and dark-red eyes. He scowled at the screen. "I just hope we aren't wasting our time and resources with this garbage." He stated. "These 'Gems' of yours better be worth the effort."

He was speaking to a tall and slender woman with bright yellow skin. Her clothing was darker yellow, she had sharp yellow eyes, hair that was up in two spikes (from the side, it looked like Pac-Man), and she had a shiny yellow diamond on her chest. "I should be the one concerned about your choice of a harvesting ground. Is Planet Avalar really that fertile with energy?"

"Of course it's fertile! That's why the Irkens could never conquer it! This 'magic' energy that they possess destroyed thousands of our kind. We're trusting you because you claim to know how to harness 'magic.' Are you true to our alliance, Yellow Diamond?"

"You can count on me to keep my word." Yellow Diamond replied. "As long as your resources are true to their worth."

"My Tallest!" an Irken spoke up when his monitor started beeping. "A fleet of 102 ships is coming toward us!"

"The Galactic Kids Next Door." Tallest Dirk knew. "Activate the Color Beam Cannons. It's time we use the Wisps' power against them!"

"Save your energy." Yellow Diamond walked out of the room. "I can handle this myself." The Irken Emperor and soldiers exchanged looks of confusion.

The 102 GKND ships were commanded by a larger flagship, which looked like a gigantic cake with candles. "Numbuh 256, Sir," a dark-blue Cube Wisp spoke with a Jamaican accent, "we've picked up somebody in front of the Biggest. According to the reports, this person is the co-leader of the new Diamond-Irken Authority."

"Yellow Diamond…" The GKND Leader, Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom, stared with interest from her command throne. "This is our chance to finally stop her. We've gotta act now. FIRE COLOR BEAM CANNONS!"

Each of the ships lit with cannons of a variety of colors. They locked directly on the small, yellow target that was directly in front of the Biggest. The colorful cannons lit up the atmosphere as they fired. Yellow Diamond touched her diamond heart, which glowed a mystic yellow as giant, floating, white diamonds floated in the way of the lasers. The diamonds shone when the lasers made contact, and redirected at Yellow Diamond. The woman transformed her body into solid diamond, and every laser was absorbed into her form. After they stopped, her body was shining and flashing with all the array of colors. "What?!" Dimentia gasped.

Yellow Diamond flew toward the center of the fleet like a comet. The neon within her body was growing brighter, bigger. "She's concentrating all of that energy to erupt!" a Wisp named Gabe exclaimed.

"Let's get out of here!" Dimentia yelled before warping her subordinates.

A gargantuan colorful ball, even larger than the Biggest, lit up that region of space like a sun. The Irkens gaped. It was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen.

The light disappeared, leaving nothing but Yellow Diamond in the debris. The woman was completely unscathed. She felt her chest. "The power I stole from White Diamond is suiting me well. It should prove very useful." She smirked. "I don't know how I ended up in this dimension… but whether I get back or not, it won't matter. If these greenlings live up to their worth, the Gem Empire will rise again."

Red Lizard; the next morning

Mavis and Lapis shared a single mat and blanket in the orphanage. It used to belong to just Lapis, who began sharing it with her friend since they met. As years passed, Mavis still enjoyed cuddling with her metaphorical sister, even though they were both too big together. Since Mavis's gigantic hair would never fit, the blonde was forced to let it stand on end while she lay, and her gold hair looked like a carpet during the night.

"AAAAAHH!" The girls startled awake. They exchanged surprised glances. "SOMEBODY HEEEELLLP!"

The Fairy Sisters burst out into the main room, seeing Zeira backed against the corner, her knees twitching. A very tiny, white kitten was sitting before her. "Awwwww!" Mavis approached the little creature and picked it up. "It's so cuuuute!" She rubbed her cheek against its soft, smooth fur.

"That thing was just a WOLF a minute ago!" Zeira panicked.

"This thing, a wolf?" Lapis chuckled, smiling at the kitten. "This baby couldn't hurt a fly."

"Get it AWAY from here! KILL IT or something, just get it away so it doesn't eat me!"

"You're so hotheaded, Zeiry, it thinks you're roasted chicken." Mavis kidded, holding the cat to Zeira. "Wanna taste, Kitty?"

"NO, STOP IT, GET IT AWAY!" Zeira bolted out of there.

Mavis and Lapis giggled as they carried the kitten partway to the forest. "Can you believe Zeira, calling this guy a wolf?" Mavis said, putting the cat down.

"I know!" They walked a short way ahead. "The ogres don't even scare her, but she-"

"Grrrrr." They froze with fear. The girls slowly turned around… a ghostly-white wolf was snarling at them with bright green eyes.

"AAAAHHH!" Their hearts nearly stopped, the wolf lunged at them with its fangs wide open.

"RAAAaaaah!" Aisling tackled Mavis to the ground, standing on her on all fours with her smiling face directly over hers. "I thought I smelled something good!"

"A…Aisling?" Mavis stared with surprise.

"I didn't scare you, did I? Well, that's okay, maybe this'll help." Aisling shrunk down, and Mavis saw the little white cat curl up on her chest.

"Aisling…" Mavis's eyes grew bright again. "You're a Metamorphmagus!"

Aisling changed back, sitting on the girl's chest still. "Who?" She began scratching her ear with her foot like a cat.

"A Metamorphmagus is a wizard that can transform into anything." Lapis informed. "There're also Animagi, who can change into an animal, but you changed into two animals, so… Can you do more?"

"Oh, of course! Watch." Aisling turned into a snake and slithered up Lapis's dress, making the blue-skinned dance as she tickled. Aisling came out the back of the top and turned into an eagle, soaring into the sky. She turned into a frog and dropped down on Lapis's head before hopping to Mavis's chest, the blonde giggling. Aisling then turned into a beetle and crawled up to Mavis's head, before changing back to human and jumping off.

Mavis stood up as she pleaded, "Pleeeeaaase let me keep you for a pet."

"Don't be silly, Mavis, it'll just be more work when we have to clean up after her." Lapis laughed. "So where did you want to practice magic, in the forest?"

"I don't know any place better." Aisling agreed. "I'll race you!" She ran like a wolf into the woods, chased by her new friends.

"Aisling Kells," Mavis announced after they were deep into the forest, "Mavis Vermillion is proud to introduce her new friend to her most prized possession," she raised a purple wand with colorful strands growing from the back, "the Fairy's Tail Wand!"

"That would be a Pony's Tail." Lapis corrected with disbelief. "It's the most common wand there is for humans."

"I still don't see your wand, Lapis." Mavis stared accusingly.

"I use a gemstone, remember?" Lapis pointed behind her. "It's all the magic I need."

"And I am just fine with a spell book." Aisling held up Kells' Book of Spells. "Paper comes from trees, so it feels natural."

"So let's do some magic, girls!" Mavis proclaimed brightly. "Hey Aisling, check out what I can do!" The human lit her hands with light as she gently waved the Pony's Tail in the air. Tiny light particles began to flow down from gaps within the leaves. The particles concentrated into a single point, until a goat appeared into place. "Ba-a-a-a-a-a."

Aisling gasped in awe. "You can create animals?…" She reached forward to touch the goat, but her hand phased through.

"Not really." Mavis replied. "When I mix my magic with lightbending, I can make illusions out of photon particles! For example, birds," she whooshed her wand in one direction, conjuring flying birds out of the light, "bulls," another direction, a herd of black bulls stampeded by, "or dragons!" She shot the wand above her, and a towering red dragon "ROOOOAAAAR"ed over the area. "But… none of it is real." She commanded the dragon to gnash down against the group, but it burst into light particles, as did her other creations. "Sometimes, I like to set Zeiry's hair on fire!"

"I'm a waterbender," Lapis recapped, "but when I harness the moonlight through my gemstone, I can mold my water to fix injuries. Since most creatures are 70% water, I can look for any internal or external injuries and transform my water into new flesh. And that's besides the Water Wings I can make to fly." She bent water over her back to make into wings on her gemstone. "Mixed with my gem's energy, the water gives me a low-gravity feel."

"What about you, Aisling? Are you a bender?" Mavis asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact!" Aisling wiggled her fingers to make some grass and flowers stretch up to her hands. "I'm a plantbender. But with my powers, I can telepathically speak with any creature that dwells where Plant Chi flourishes. That is to say, all of the forest's creatures. Furthermore…" Aisling closed her eyes and looked away. The girls heard pattering through the bushes, and readied their guard when a wolf with white and dark-gray fur presented itself. The wolf held a brown, fallen leaf in its teeth, before dropping it at Aisling's feet.

The white-skinned girl picked the leaf up and waved her hand over it. The leaf regained its natural green color, and swelled back to a soft, lush form. "With my magic, I can bring dead plant matter back to life. Of course, not many plants are dead in this forest, so I don't have much to practice."

"That's so amazing!" Mavis said with sparkly eyes. "It's gonna be so much fun doing magic with you! The fairies are gonna love us and come down for a visit!"

"I told you, we would need to cry first." Lapis sighed.

"I told you, that's ridiculous." Aisling winked.

"We'll see who's sillier!" Mavis declared, raising her wand high. "LET'S DO MAGIIIIC!"

The golden-haired wizard used a Levitation Charm to make an acorn float in place, luring a curious hungry squirrel while the other girls waited above the branches. When the squirrel rushed up to take the acorn from the air, Aisling quietly mumbled a spell and wiggled her fingers to send a wave of purple dust at the creature. The squirrel expanded in size, so Aisling and Lapis dropped onto its back, while Mavis ran and hopped up on the front seat. "GO, Citrus!" Mavis kicked the sides, and the giant squirrel began dashing through the woods at whipping speed. "Whoa-oa-oa-oa-oa-oa-oa-oa-oa!" The forest's quickest tree-climber was even quicker, and the girls' senses couldn't keep up with them.

"Okay," Aisling began, facing her friends in an open area of grass, "on the count of 3, try to transform into a cat like this." She shrunk and morphed into a kitten. Mavis and Lapis stood firm and ready as Aisling changed back and counted, "One… two… three!"

"HRRRRRNNNNN!" The two sisters shut their eyes and trembled in place. Their heads throbbed and swelled red, they focused every amount of magical and mental power into transforming their very bodies. "Poot!" Lapis perked, turning red in the face as she bent and held her dress down. "Oh my."

"Hehehehehehe!" Mavis giggled.

"Try again." Aisling eye-rolled.

"HRRRRRRRR!" They shook and throbbed again, channeling their brain power through their bodies. "WAAAAAH!" Mavis screamed, raising her hands panickingly. "I just turned my fingers into cats!!" Indeed, her fingers were furry, mewing, and adorable. All three girls burst into joyful laughter.

"Let's try each other!" Aisling suggested. Mavis waved her wand and cast a spell on Lapis to make her fly in the air. The Lunarian stretched her arms to either side, smiling with purest delight as she flew above the trees under Mavis's control. Mavis brought her back down, then Lapis sent a spell from her fingers to Aisling. The white-skinned girl became nearly invisible, only a faint hologram.

"Aisling, you're a ghostie!" Mavis freaked.

"I'm trying to make the water molecules in the air refract her presence." Lapis explained. "It works much better at night."

"It feels kind of delightful." Aisling smiled, studying her faint and soggy form. "Like I'm blended with nature. Anyway, try this hair on for size." Aisling zapped Mavis, and the girl's golden hair grew longer and longer, stretching past many trees of the forest.

"Ugh!" Lapis performed a Water Slice to chop Mavis's hair back to its previous length. "I have enough hair to manage on her!"

"Lapis, that was mean." Mavis pouted. "We could've done so many things with that hair."

"If there's a girl in the world with more hair than you, then I'll admit my fault."

"I'm a little tied up myself, actually." Aisling was back to solid form, and she stretched her white hair longer to wrap around her body and fall over.

"Get a grip on yourself, Wolfgirl!"

The girls remained in the forest 'til nightfall, in which a crescent moon hung in the starry heaven. Aisling sang a song that made Mavis and Lapis's feet as light as air. The Fairy Sisters danced gracefully under the night, their hands locked as they left a rainbow trail. They floated in place as they waved a rainbow in one direction, then the other, and another, having rainbows fly all over the forest and create a beautiful, magical light one could only appreciate from their bird's-eye view.

The next day, Lapis, Mavis, and Aisling cast spells on each other to transform their colors. They experimented with many colors on their friends, until Mavis insisted on making Lapis pink, Lapis making Aisling blue, while the latter wanted Mavis white. The same thing for the other girl, and this resulted in a fast-pace magic fight, Mavis became white, Aisling turned pink, Lapis was white, Mavis blue, Aisling pink, Lapis white, Lapis green, Mavis orange, Aisling magenta, blue pink white brown, until a great explosion of magical color ended up mixing them in all three. The girls giggled before going to wash off.

A half-moon was in the sky that night, so Lapis tried to focus the water molecules around her, standing at the top of a flat rock in a clear part of trees. Her feet transformed into the paws of a cat, and she smiled excitedly. "I'm gonna try and turn the moon brown!" Mavis proclaimed as she waved her wand and lit the tip with brown magic. She blasted a spell directly at the moon, but it was nowhere near out of the atmosphere before the spell popped. A brown barrier blocked the moon from view, so Lapis's feet changed back. She growled with aggravation.

The day after, Mavis was waving her wand around and reciting an incantation to make clouds rise out of her wand like smoke. The sky became totally cloudy, much to Lapis's aggravation, as she wanted to see the full moon tonight. Aisling sang a song from her book and caused the wind to blow more strongly. While this was intended to blow the clouds away, it ended up creating a rainstorm. Lapis let her Lazuli Gem glow and strengthened her chi to spiral the rain like a cyclone. The cyclone stretched up to the clouds and moved them away, allowing the sun to shine over the forest again. Lapis sat down and gasped for breath.

When night fell, Lapis relished in the energy of the full moon. Her gem glowed with a beautiful blueness. Mavis and Aisling gaped in awe: their friend hovered in the air as a marvelous pair of glittering fairy wings sprouted from her back. She flapped over her friends, sprinkling tiny, sparkly droplets of water that chilled and tickled their faces. Aisling also grew bug wings with her shape-shifting power and flew up with her. They both looked down at Mavis, who was frowning longingly. The girls smiled and flew down to pick her up by the arms. They flew under the night as Mavis lit her hair with light. They were like a shooting star.

After they were finished, Aisling led the girls to a distant area of the forest, where a hot spring's steaming surface lit up the area. "The forest creatures like to come here to drink." Aisling explained, beginning to take off her dress. "I come here to bathe. You two smell like you can use it." She dropped her dress on the ground and jumped in. "Well, don't just stand there! Join me! And take your clothes off, there's no need for those here."

"Wow! I never took a bath with friends before!" Mavis spoke brightly. "Or, ever. Hehe, we usually clean ourselves with magic."

"Easy when you have waterbending." Lapis blushed at this idea. "Anyway, I'm not totally comfortable with this. Mavis, we can just—!" When she looked over, Mavis's pink dress was already dropped on the ground.

"Why not, Lapis?" Mavis grinned, still beside her friend.

"MAVIS!!" The alien immediately turned away. "Don't just stand there like that!"

"But being naked is fun, Lapis!" Mavis proclaimed happily. "I feel like a silly little animal, rolling on the grass, getting dirty feetsies!" She did a jig.

"Hu-u-u-u-u." Lapis shuddered, keeping turned. "Look, I'll just wash myself behind these trees, I don't need-"

"Sanshrew!" Mavis shot a spell at Lapis's dress, which immediately dissolved into sand.

"AAAACK!" Lapis covered her chest and whipped around, blushing hotly at Mavis. "MAVIS, change my clothes back!"

"Not until you get in the tubby with us!"

Lapis glared at the human. The longer she dragged this out, the more Mavis would just stand there casually. Her long bangs were covering her… well, now Lapis was thinking too much. "Fine!"

The three girls enjoyed the soothing feel of the steaming tub. The water touched their very souls. They were becoming entranced in its heavenly feel. Their hair weighed heavy and soaked after they had submerged and resurfaced, and Lapis's hair was now hanging longer as a result. "I may have only known you two a short time, but… I would like to consider us lifelong friends." Aisling spoke calmly. "I can't say that I'm lonely out here in the forest. I'm friends with all the animals, and the Minish. Yet, somehow, I feel more… at home with you girls." She closed her eyes. "Two girls that I… connect with."

"What kind of creature are you, exactly?" Lapis asked. "You look a little pale to be human. I'd almost say you were a spirit of some sort."

"Hmmm… good question." Aisling looked thoughtfully. "I guess I never thought about it. I can turn into any creature I set my eyes on. I wonder if I'm even… naturally human?"

"To me, it doesn't matter what you are." Mavis said with her friendly smile. "Because you're our friend now, Aisling! You're a Fairy Sister!"

Aisling blushed, closing her eyes as she submerged a little lower. "That… means a lot to me. I never imagined myself having… friends like you two. Even the animals…" Aisling opened her eyes and turned around. "I'm a little hungry. Do you girls want any apples?"

"Of course!" Mavis nodded, Lapis agreeing. Aisling climbed out of the tub, and her long hair blocked her nudity as she walked into the forest.

Lapis sighed with solace, turning around to lay her head on her arms against the spring's edge. Mavis noticed her blue hair float along the surface. "Lapis, your hair is very pretty when you let it hang down."

"Really?" Lapis looked up slightly and opened her eyes, glancing Mavis's direction without turning to her. "I figured it would weigh me down, so I keep it up."

"I wouldn't think so." Mavis shook her head. "Long hair makes you seem more free. Just like going barefoot. Or being naked!" She made a grin. "I can picture us flying in the air, like birds with flowing hair!"

Lapis chuckled, laying her head down. "I can survive without shoes, but I want my dress back after this."

"You know, Lapis…" Mavis looked in the direction their friend went, "I think we should ask Aisling to join the orphanage. I think she would make a great addition."

"She told us she didn't want to."

"Why not? She could transform into a cat and pretend to be our magic transforming pet. Hehe, we could make all the big kids be nice to the little guys!"

"We can't even use our own magic against them without being punished. Except for the occasional Zeiry prank. Besides, Aisling is a lot happier here than she would be there. Out here, you don't have anything to worry about except getting food or getting bugbites."

"But you heard how she sounded, she feels lonely out here without fellow… sentient creatures of her anatomy. The orphanage may not be great, but… if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have a family."

Lapis frowned with regret. "Yeah… I guess if I wasn't sent outside, I never would've found you… Mavis, I'm really sorry about what happened." She let her face dangle over the water, her forehead rested on the edge. "I know we don't talk about it much, but I kind of felt the same way. My homeworld, Lunaria was in a war, and I was forced to leave the planet to protect myself. It's just so hard when your life changes all of a sudden. I've been living on this planet for centuries, but I still wish that I could go home. You lost your parents when you were three, so…so you don't really understand how dramatically your life changed. I mean," she briefly glanced Mavis's direction, "you lost your parents at that age, and even you understood the situation, but I never… ugh," she shook, still facing the water, "Mavis, I'm sorry I'm not making any sense. I just wanna say that, after what you've been through, all I want is- huu!"

Lapis flinched and stood up straight when she felt the pair of arms wrap around her from behind. Lapis blushed. She felt Mavis's body press against her backside, resting her head against Lapis's neck. The alien's wet blue hair was soft. "All I really need to know, Lapis… is you're my big sister. Even after I become the old granny and you're still a bratty kid… you're my big sister forever."

Lapis was still blushing. Mavis didn't seem to take into account they were naked. She was hugging the friend she had gone shopping with, practiced magic with, played games with, shared a mat with, and enjoyed every moment of every day with… naked. I mean, they were currently- you know. They have gotten so close after 10 years. They were past the boundaries of friendship, and very far within the boundaries of family. Lapis smiled, turning around to hug her sister. She didn't care how weird it looked… they were comfortable with each other. They always would be. They would do everything together. Forever.

They heard the grass crunching as Aisling returned with apples. "Oh?" She stopped to look at the hugging girls. "Oh…" She blushed and shifted a foot, "I didn't realize I was interrupting something."

"No you're not, Aisling, join us!" Mavis invited.

"Wait, what?" Lapis asked, blushing embarrassedly.

"She's a Fairy Sister, too now! That means she has to join the Naked Fairy Hug!"

"You're really gonna call it that?!"

"Okay, then!" Aisling perked. "Sure!" She jumped in the water and joined the girls in the hug. Lapis made a disbelieved sigh and embraced them both. It was the most wonderful time of all three of their lives. They knew their friendship would last forever.

Far away; Gem-harvesting grounds

Holes began to break open on the small mountains, and the Irken troops held up their shock-spears in defense. Purple, monstrous creatures, with whitish hair that covered the length of their bodies, began to crawl out, snarling ravenously. On their chests were amethyst gems. The Irkens used the spears to shock the creatures, leading them into cages to be carried on ships. The perimeter of this campsite was being patrolled by Irken SIR Units, as well as tall, slender, white-skinned androids in blue uniforms. They had light-orange hair, blank eyes, wielded white energy spears, and had smooth, shiny pearls on their foreheads.

"So… your bodies are made out of solidified photons." A SIR Unit recapped with a questionable tone, tapping a Pearl's skirt. "Your entire sentience is concentrated inside your pearls?"

"Affirmative!" the Pearl replied loudly, her mouth flapping up-and-down rapidly as she talked.

"But like, how does that work? Is that to say the pearl contains a memory chip, a combat program, a hologram projector, and the means to make the hologram solid and animated?"

"Does not compute! Definition of 'Memory,' 'Solid,' and 'Like' required!"

"Joseph, shhh!" another SIR hushed. "Someone's coming!"

They faced directly forward. A cloud of pitch-black was blocking the horizon. Faint footsteps were heard as someone's image was visible. "Halt!" The Pearls narrowed their eyes and aimed their spears. "This is a restricted zone! Identify authorization, or we will annihilate!"

The figure walked closer, swaying lightly as he bore a tired expression. His eyes were as black as his hair, and he wore a black robe with a white toga over his front. He was about 17 years old. "This place… it used to be beautiful… What happened?…" He mumbled quietly.

"Final warning! Desist!" the Pearl threatened.

"Screw that, fire!" The SIR Units began firing laser guns. Every shot struck the swaying stranger, shaking his body, but he showed no signs of pain, didn't bleed, and didn't fall.

"Challenger refuses to fall! Battle Mode Level 10 initiated!" The Pearls ganged up on the teenager, furiously stabbing their spears against him, the boy with the black mist refused to fall down. Minutes passed, and they failed to wound him. "Error! Error!" the Pearls shouted. "Weapons ineffective! Status must be: faulty! Must now commit Harakiri!" With that, all the Pearls stabbed their selves, poofed into smoke, and left only their gems.

The Irken troops rushed over to the stranger with their guns raised. "That's it, stop right there!" one commanded. "This area belongs to the Irken-Diamond Authority! Any trespassers will be killed! Er, but in the event they can't be killed, we will arrest you!"

The stranger stopped. His hair was shadowing his eyes. "You people ruined this area… I feel the magic energy… the life… being sucked away."

"We're not kidding! Turn yourself in!" The Irkens locked their guns.

"Why don't people… understand how precious life is." The boy limped forward, speaking quietly and darkly.

"Stop! Now!"

"This land…" Tears leaked from his dark eyes. "How could you treat it this way? Why?. . . huff-f-f-f-f." He was struggling to restrain his tears. "It was so… beautiful!… W-Why would you…"

The black mist spiraled around the boy. It expanded and swallowed all the Irkens across the landscape. "AAAAaaaahhh!…"

The Irkens were all dead. Their vital organs stopped completely. They were all lain about the field. They bore nary an injury on their bodies, however.

"No…" The teen sniffled and gripped his head, "No! I-I'm sorry… I… didn't mean… I-I just… loved this place… so much!…"

The SIR Units that were immune to the black cloud panicked at the sight. They tried to fly away—whipping blasts of energy struck and destroyed the robots in single hits. A pretty woman with light-blue hair in a ponytail and glowing reddish-magenta eyes blew the smoke off her finger. Another woman with frizzy, snakelike hair, green eyes with slit pupils, and a purple gown approached the dark teen. She was clapping softly. "You live true to your name… Zeref the Black Cloud."