Dandelion

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The one who gets left behind

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This is a story about Dandelion, the incredible adventure she goes on, and how no one is truly as alone as they feel. Based off of Barbie: Fairytopia, which does not belong to me at all.

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Chapter One

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I smiled and waved at Elina from across the meadow, my face lighting up when she gave the smile only I got to see. Quickly she flew at me, as though she couldn't wait just to talk to me. "Hey Elina," I said giggling. "I just saw you yesterday, you know."

"I know," she said, blushing slightly. "But you know…you're my best friend! I always get so excited when we hang out." Beside her, Bibble complained a little bit, and we assured him that he was Elina's best friend too. He was such a cute puff ball. "Besides," Elina said after a moment, her face falling even as she tried to keep it cheerful. "I'm leaving tomorrow and…" her voice trailed off.

"Oh Elina," I sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. She was such a quiet, reserved person, but she just couldn't say no when someone needed her help. The Enchantress herself had requested her presence at the castle for a secret mission that she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about, not even the guardian fairies. But of course, she had told me. And Peony. Oh, and Bibble. "Don't worry about it, ok?" I said, trying to cheer her up. "Since all of those fairy magic powers altered you again, you've become a huge help to all of Fairytopia! We are all so thankful for you, and I'm sure the Enchantress wont ask too much from you."

"I am too," Elina assured me, "but I'm scared. I always make a mistake before I do anything right, remember?" she sighed and stared down at her hands. "Last time all of Fairytopia was in danger of a long, long winter. What will happen this time?"

"That wasn't your fault," I sighed, growing exasperated. "That was Laverna, and besides, you need to stop blaming yourself for everything and singling yourself out all the time. You aren't alone, Elina. Your friends are with you."

She lifted her head and stared at me sadly, before giving me a tight but weak hug. "Oh Dandelion," she whispered in my ear. "You always believe in me, even when I don't. Thank you so much…" her voice trailed off, and I knew that she was thinking about how alone she was. She was an orphan after all, with no parents or family, and only Peony and Bibble to take care of her. Once she'd been ostracized because of her lack of wings, and now she was placed on a pedestal she was afraid was going to send her crashing down. How could I do anything but be there for her? I had been that ever since I was a child and I saw her alone when everyone else was playing games in the meadow, and I would never stop. Even if the rest of the world hated her, I would always be there for her.

"Come on," I said with a smile, and took her hand in mine. "Let's go have some fun." And we flew off together not caring where we went, determined to make our time pleasant. Bibble followed us, talking all the way.

Evening came as it always did; too soon. The sky slowly changed colors as the sun sank below the horizon, and stars began to be revealed in the dying light. Fairies all over the meadow returned to their homes for a sweet night's sleep, and hopefully good dreams, while I flew with Elina toward her ever-caring Peony. Just as it came within sight, she turned to me and gave me a tight, prolonged hug.

"I'm leaving first thing tomorrow," she said sadly. "I'm really going to miss you, Dandelion. Promise me you'll take care of yourself?"

"Oh Elina," I laughed. I pulled back to place my hands on her shoulders comfortingly. "I will, I promise. Now you take care of yourself too, alright?" I turned to Bibble, floating tiredly beside her. He was always sleepy way before either of us were. "I'm counting on you to keep your eye on her," I said. He saluted bravely, spouting protests on how I should never have doubted him. Giggling, I turned back toward my best friend. "Then everything will be fine. Come visit me when you can, okay?"

"Okay," Elina smiled. She sighed, still worried, but I could tell she was determined to be brave about whatever the Enchantress wanted from her. As the shadows darkened around us, and Peony opened her petal door, Elina suddenly gasped and grabbed my arm. "Oh Dandelion! It's so late. What will your mom say?"

I winced at the reminder. My mother was…well…unique. My being out this late would probably mean I would have to suffer some sort of consequence when I got back, but it didn't matter. "Oh she'll complain," I sighed, "but it's fine. You're worth it." I gave her one last hug and then turned and flew off, waving a final farewell before my closest friend was out of sight. I kept smiling as my home amidst the ferns came into view, determined not to be sad. Elina was important. Sure I didn't ever get to see her anymore, it seemed, but she needed a friend who could be understanding. And that was me. Wasn't it?

I fluttered through the door and pulled it shut quietly, before turning toward my dimly lit entryway. Mother was standing in the center, waiting for me.

"You're late," she said coldly.

I felt my smile fade slowly from my face. "Yes, mother," I said quietly. I tried to remain calm, but even now I was shaking anxiously. "I flew Elina home to say good bye. She's leaving early tomorrow, and I wont see her for a long time. But I'm home now."

My mother's cold, pale gold eyes held mine emotionlessly, and though her face remained frozen like marble, I could tell that she was dissatisfied with me. It shouldn't have surprised me, especially since she was always cold, distant, and disapproving, but every time I saw that face it cut straight to my heart. I would never be good enough for her.

"You are not allowed to be late," she said, her voice flat and emotionless. "Or have you forgotten the rules of this house?"

"I haven't forgotten, mother," I interjected.

"Quiet!" She snapped. I fell silent respectfully. "It seems that you will never understand," my mother snapped in disdain. "Do you think you can be like other fairies? Flutter around the meadow all day having fun, and then go home and sleep away the night like that's all there is to life? Well you're not. You're different, and you will always be that way. Or have you forgotten your family heritage?"

I lowered my head to stare at the floor sadly. Always my heritage. Why did she bring it up every day like I had somehow forgotten? How could I have, when she was always talking about it? "I haven't," I quailed. "Really, mother, I haven't. But I can't act like I'm different when I'm with the other fairies in the meadow! I just act normal around other people, and there's nothing wrong with that!"

"You think this is something to hide?" as she spoke, my mother's voice grew louder and darker, and her eyes flashed dangerously with an ominous dark glow. "Do you think I want you to pretend that you're just a normal fairy and leave no one the wiser about who or what you are? Do you think that these rules I give you are a game, or some ploy of power I use to control you?"

She turned swiftly and walked toward the center of the room, where a stone bowl sat encircled by chairs like an empty fountain. She flicked her hand toward it, and fire flowed forth and rested inside, burning away at nothing and yet not going out. Warmth flowed from the bowl of fire to fill the room with red, warm light.

"You are the last of the Fire Pixies," my mother hissed. "A princess among silly fools. Your friends have merely a sixth of the power that you contain, and yet you hide your very nature away from them because you are ashamed. Even that Elina girl doesn't have the privilege of knowing your secret, although she is honest enough to tell you all of hers. Do you hate your heritage so much that you would pretend it doesn't exist?" She turned her eyes to lock with mine, and I had to shudder and look away. How could they be so cold, and yet burn with such fire?

"It's not like that," I argued weakly. "It's not something that just comes up in conversation, you know. And if I brought it up, it would just look like bragging or something! Don't you see? If I told them I was a Fire Pixie, they would either think I was crazy, or think I'm an evil fairy!" Even as I spoke, I knew that Elina wouldn't, and I felt ashamed about not singling her from everyone else I knew.

If my mother agreed, she didn't say. But I could tell, and it shamed me even more. "Why? Because 'fairies aren't supposed to make fire'? That's ignorance speaking," mother sneered. Unspoken, she seemed to be trying to tell me that not everyone was ignorant—Elina wouldn't think of me any less. "And what does it matter?" Mother continued. "The only thing I ask from you is that you behave respectfully, and that you are back by curfew. Or do you want everyone to see what happens to a Fire Pixie at night?"

I scowled darkly at the ground, ignoring her. Why did she never understand? I always behave respectfully, and I always try to make it home by curfew. Why was that never good enough, if that was all she wanted from me?

"Go to your room, Dandelion," she ordered quietly. "And think about your behavior. You will always fall short if you continue to be something you're not."

I turned and marched away, jaw clenched tight with anger and hurt. My eyes grew watery before I could even close the door and throw myself onto my bed. "Why does she have to be so… so…" I shuddered involuntarily with held in tears, before exhaling heavily. "…So cruel!" She wasn't cruel, and I knew it, but I hated the coldness that was between us. I was ashamed of being different, and though I could love Elina for it, I couldn't bear to tell her that I wasn't who I seemed. Mother always disapproved, always stayed distant, and yet never berated me for anything else besides hiding my heritage. Somehow, even my curfew seemed as though she had established it for me, because of my fear of being found out. It was all messed up in my head, to the point where I didn't know if I was really angry at her, or if I was really angry at me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to think about anything else besides the raging emotions that swam through my body and my brain. But I knew it would be a long time before I would be able to get to sleep.

-o-

"So did you hear the latest gossip?" Penelope Pixie declared, zipping up to a group of fairies that were talking casually together near me. She was always gossiping, but she was the Meadow's main source of news, so nobody really minded. Sitting in the warm of the sun on an open sunflower, I listened with interest to see what she would say. "There's been some visitors to Fairytopia recently," Penelope began excitedly. "Visitors of the unwelcome kind!"

Several fairies gasped, and began asking questions. What kind of visitors? Dangerous ones? Vicious ones? Mysterious ones? Humans? I left my place on the sunflower to join them, finding this the only exciting thing to have happened since Elina left three days ago. For all I knew, this might have something to do with why she left. "Tell us," I said to Penelope, knowing that she would only continue when the attention was fixated mostly on her.

She smiled obligingly at me. "Well!" She continued, "According to the rumors, no one knows what they are, but they are not humans, nor anything else we've ever encountered before! They fly, like us, but in swarms! And wherever they go, they leave nothing but empty wastes behind them!"

Everyone gasped. "They're destroying Fairtopia?" Gloria asked, her voice reaching a much higher pitch than usual. "Why? What do they look like? What do they do?"

"No one knows. All that is seen of them is the swarms," Penelope shook her head. "And the places that they go to are not destroyed at all, they are simply empty. No sentient life to be found. Not fairies, not pixies, not puff balls, not insects, not mice, not anything! Nothing but the flora and fauna that was there to begin with." She paused, drinking in the attention, and then spread out her hands wildly. "And they're headed straight for the Magic Meadow!"

At this, everyone went wild. Gasping and talking worriedly about the affair, everyone began talking about leaving. What about their Fairy Guardian? Someone had to talk to her. Maybe the Enchantress could do something?

I listened anxiously to the mayhem, hoping that Elina and the Enchantress were working on the problem even as we were speaking. Elina always figured something out. She could stop this. We didn't have to worry. Right? "Listen," I blurted, and some of the fairies paused to hear what I would say. "I haven't seen Elina in three days, and she's not at home. Maybe the Enchantress called her, and they could be stopping the intruders right now!" I smiled hesitantly at them. "We should have faith in our Fairy Guardians, and the Enchantress. Elina too. They'll stop this, I just know it!"

"You're right," Gloria agreed, breathing in relief. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm sure they will protect us."

"I'm still leaving," Penelope insisted. "It's not safe here! You all should think about leaving too. If worse comes to worse, we can always take shelter at the Enchantress's castle. That's what it's for, remember?"

As she spoke, everyone began to calm down. I was slowly feeling better too. "You're right," I agreed. "We should prepare just in case, and we shouldn't lose faith in our protectors either."

Others agreed with me. And pretty soon, everyone was heading home. Word began to spread through the Meadow, and soon everyone knew about it. I took flight for my house at top speed, knowing that my mother would want to hear about all this. She never left home, and I never stayed there during the day, so it seemed strange to me. But still, I would just put up with her cold and distant attitude so that she could tell me what we should do. She always knew what to do.

"Mother?" I called, sweeping in and landing on the cold stone floor. Though our home was hidden in a forest of ferns, it was really a cave that tunneled into the bedrock in intricate ways. It was a fortress, and though it was dark and secluded, I always felt safe in it. Maybe I wouldn't have to leave. "Mother there's some news," I said loudly, glancing around.

My mother walked out of her room at the end of the hall, a curious expression on her otherwise emotionless face. "Well?" she asked.

I dove right in. "There's a swarm of dangerous flying creatures making their way to the Meadow," I exclaimed. "Everywhere they go, they leave the place empty with no sign of life but the flora and fauna that was there to begin with! People are talking about leaving, and hiding at the Enchantress's castle. But what do you think we should do?"

My mother looked shaken, something I had never—ever—seen before. "What do they look like?" she asked quickly, her voice quiet and hushed as though she feared someone was listening. "Are they bluish? Jagged-shaped? Fairy-sized?"

I suddenly felt terrified. My mother never worried about anything, not even Laverna's tricks to take over Fairytopia. But now, it seemed she knew more about this swarm than anyone else. "I don't know!" I blurted, my voice shaking. "No one can get close enough to tell, but I think they're fairy-sized. All we have is rumors from Penelope Pixie!"

She nodded, her face pale. "Of course," she whispered. "They wouldn't let anyone get close enough to see. Come, we must move quickly while we still have a chance. Go outside and gather everyone in the Meadow together, tell them that I have very urgent instructions to give them, and that I know what the swarm is. I will hasten to you when I am finished preparing…" her voice trailed off and she flew into her room.

I zipped out of the house at top speed to do just as she had instructed. I could only guess at the terrified expression my face held as I went to every single house and every person I found to tell them my mother's words. No one argued with me, and just as quickly as I was flying to inform others, they made their way to the Pagoda, the largest, most decorated stage in all of the Meadow. It was a tree stump that was cut low to the ground, and surrounded by many mushrooms, moss, flowers and vines, until it looked like a pagoda that could be used for events. And so it was called, and used for just that. I could remember watching musical concerts on that stump, and how I wished that I could up there someday, performing for an enraptured audience. I never would have guessed I would be gathering everyone together to hear terrible news, instead.

When the entire Meadow was emptied of its inhabitants, I flew back to the Pagoda and stood on top of it, holding my hands together anxiously. "Listen everyone," I called, and even though I was terrified, I marveled at how the flowers and vines had grown up around the stump to amplify sound. My voice carried easily out to the reaches of the crowd that hung in the air, fretting loudly to each other about the swarm. They quieted down to hear my words. "Any moment now, my mother will come and tell us what this swarm is, and what we should do to be prepared for it," I said, trying to be brave and calm. "It is dangerous, but we are not without hope. Everything is going to be alright!"

The talking grew hushed now, but it still filled the Pagoda with the murmur of voices from hundreds of people. It was almost beautiful. Suddenly, I felt that someone was beside me, and I turned to see my mother at my elbow. I gasped when I saw her.

Since she had always been in the house, hiding from the light of the sun, she had always seemed cold and sharp to me. But now, her wings glowed with an orange light that reflected the sun and reminded me of elegant tongues of flame reaching high into the sky. Her face, too, was warmer, and her deep crimson dress did not seem as harsh. The sunlight had changed her into a beautiful, stunning creature to behold.

"Listen, my fellow inhabitants of the Magic Meadow," she called, her voice instantly bringing silence among the crowd. "This swarm is something to be feared, and something we must flee to safety at once. There has been talk of leaving, of hiding at the castle, and I tell you now that we must do that at once. Only with the Enchantress will we be safe from the scourge that is setting itself upon us!"

"But what are they?" several voices asked. "When should we leave? What should we take with us?"

My mother raised a hand for silence, and continued gravely. "This swarm is nothing else but the Storm, a giant cloud of Ice Imps." Her words were followed by gasps and murmurs of confusion. Not everyone had heard them, including myself. "I will explain," said my mother. "Ice Imps are fairy-like creatures, only their form is grotesque in comparison. They are boney and knobby, their wings jagged and deformed. They resemble bat wings more than anything else. Their skin is ice blue, and covered in scaly lumps and calluses that look like frozen mounds of bluish mud. If you see one, you will never, ever, forget it.

"They travel in swarms, and they attack in swarms. And they have one favorite food." My mother looked at each one of the crowd, her eyes serious and afraid. "Meat." The scattered horrified whispers that rose in response were instantly hushed when my mother opened her mouth once more to continue. "They are like flying piranhas, they swarm any form of life that can be considered meat, and devour it in seconds until there is nothing left, not even bones. They are more vicious that any other creature found in Fairytopia."

"But I thought they were imprisoned," someone cried out. "The Enchantress had them bound up in the deep mountain caves, never to come out again! How did they escape?"

My mother did not respond at first, but her silence did not last long, either. "I do not know," she said at last, and as soon as the words were out I knew they weren't true. "Perhaps they have been digging all these years to escape, their hunger pushing them onward toward freedom. But it doesn't matter. They are out, and they are coming. We must leave here at once."

"We need to pack," someone else wailed. "I can't leave all of my…"

"You pack nothing!" my mother declared loudly. Her face became cold and harsh, as I was used to it. "They care for nothing but yourself, and they will seek only to eat. Everything else will remain untouched. We must leave now, and all together, or those left behind will be alone and unprotected."

I felt my throat clench up anxiously, and my eyes turned toward the sky where the sun was beginning to set. We all had to leave now? Together? "What about when it grows dark," I blurted. "What then?"

"We keep flying," my mother said firmly. "Anyone who stops or stays behind will be devoured." Her eyes turned to glare at my disapprovingly. "Do you really think your own personal comfort comes before your life, or the lives of anyone else here?"

I knew that her words were not just for me, but I still felt shamed and embarrassed by her rebuke. "I'm just scared," I said sullenly.

"As are we all," mother sighed. She flew up into the air. "Come, everyone! We must leave at once!" Flying toward the end of the Meadow in the direction of the castle, she led the hundreds of fairies, pixies, puff balls, and more toward the safety the Enchantress could provide. I hurried to her side with the rest, too afraid to be anywhere else.

It was weird, but at that moment, I believed that the only one who could protect me was my mother. And for once, I didn't want to be away from her.

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Comments? Critiques? Questions? Let me know.

rika195