Thank you to all of those who reviewed, PMed me, and went to the poll! Since I have gotten over 5 positive answers, here is the first chapter for your enjoyment!
Once Upon a Time . . .
. . . in a kingdom called Atmos, there was a woman who's husband became very ill. The married couple had a single daughter named Piperella, who was very kind and beautiful. She had dark brown skin with orange eyes and midnight blue hair. She sobbed by her father's bedside as he slowly but surely died.
"Dearest daughter," the sick man said faintly, "When I am dead, plant this crystal in my grave. If you are ever in need of something, dig up the crystal and wish for it. Remember my words and always be kind to the world." The man held out an emerald green crystal that his daughter took from his shaking hands. With that, Piperella's father left the living world.
The sweet girl wept over her father's grave as she nestled the green crystal in the soils of his resting place. Two years after her husband's death, the sad girl's mother remarried to a very kind and gentle man . . . so she thought.
When the wedding ceremony was complete, the man took out his red energy sword and killed his new wife, leaving her dead at his feet. The man had raven-black hair, evil red eyes, and a name to match his heart: the Dark Ace. He also had two daughters, named Cyclonis and Ravess.
Piperella's new stepfather took her to his great mansion in Cyclonia. The Dark Ace and his two daughters forced Piperella to do all of the hard work. Piperella was up before sunrise everyday. She had to replace the furnace crystals, cook the meals, clean the floors, scrub the tables, and every other chore imaginable.
Back in Atmos, the latest class of Sky Knights had recently completed their training. To celebrate, the headmaster of the school decided to throw a ball in honour of the graduates. Every eligible person in all the land was invited.
The headmaster took great pride in showing off the boy who was the top of his class; Aerrow. He was very handsome, with wild red hair, dazzling emerald green eyes, and a smile that could make ladies drop dead before him. Aerrow also had extraordinary skills as a Sky Knight; he wasn't the top of his class for nothing, you know.
Every girl in the Atmos wanted to dance with Aerrow so badly at the ball. There was a rumour going around that he would propose to whichever lady caught his fancy. Of course, idle gossip isn't always dependable, but everyone in the land believed this particular tidbit.
In Piperella's household, Cyclonis and Ravess were also preparing for the ball. Their father, who was such a sucker for puppy dog eyes, had given them his permission to attend the ball. The two sisters were constantly pestering Piperella, ordering her to fix their dresses, find their jewelry, shine their shoes, and just about everything else to get ready for the ball.
"Wouldn't you like to go to the ball?" Ravess asked innocently. A knowing smirk was on her face as Piperella dug in the jewelry box for some necklace of her stepsister's.
The kind working girl said in her melodious voice, "Oh, yes, I would. The ball sounds so wonderful." Before returning to her searching.
Cyclonis laughed in a very harpy-ish way at her stepsister's wish. "Fat chance! No one would want to see you at the Sky Knights' Ball! Only pretty girls like Ravess and I are invited."
Cyclonis's words were not entirely true, for Piperella was indeed invited. The letter that had been delivered to the house had stated that every single person in the lands should be in attendance. Piperella had asked the Dark Ace if she could go as well, and he had said she could. But she had a few problems.
First of all, she had absolutely nothing to wear on such a fancy occasion! When her stepsisters had first met her, they had gone through all of her clothes and taken whatever was even remotely nice for themselves, even if they didn't like it. All poor Piperella had to wear were her few tattered old dresses and soup-stained shoes.
Secondly, Piperella's stepfather had told her that there was a catch. If she wanted to go to the ball, she had to finish all of the work that had to be done on the day of the grand event. The Dark Ace knew that this would be close to impossible, since Piperella could barely complete all of her chores on a normal day. On a day where she had to spruce herself and her stepsisters up, Piperella would be lucky to do a quarter of her chores.
Finally, she had no idea how she would get there. Piperella was sure that her stepsisters would never ride with her on the same ship to something like the Sky Knights' Ball. She was also aware that it wouldn't be fit to merely fly her heli-scooter to such an event. The oil and grease from her ride would ruin her dress.
Piperella knew that this wasn't going to be easy.
Eventually, the night of the ball loomed upon Atmos and Cyclonia. The women from each of the kingdoms flocked to the Sky Knight Academy in droves, wearing the most beautiful dresses anyone had ever seen before. They all wanted to be the most gorgeous, so that Aerrow would ask them to dance.
Cyclonis and Ravess were getting last second check-ups on their appearances, making Piperella snip little threads here and there, adjust their many jewels, and basically just tire herself out. When their stepsister had fixed them to their satisfaction, the two sisters strode out of the mansion, followed by their father. Before he went out into the night, the Dark Ace turned to face his stepdaughter, who was washing the floor.
"Not coming with us, Piperella?" he asked mockingly, knowing the answer even before she shook her head sadly. Her stepfather merely cackled evilly, before he left the house and closed the door behind him, leaving Piperella to her scrubbing.
I'll only post the next chapter after I get five reviews for this one! So go!