Chapter 1: Born of Laughter
The queen on Ninjago sighed contently as she stood on the balcony of her royal apartment, which commanded one of the best views of the city. This was one of those very rare moments when she was left alone in peace and quiet. She looked down at the bright city and smiled, knowing her subjects were living peaceful and happy lives. A gentle snowfall covered the city as the land waited for Spring. The glowing moonlight peeked through the clouds and glistened on the tiny snowflakes as the queen gazed upon the frosty magnificence of the city.
It was a beautiful sight.
Her eyes then looked up and seemed to rest on the brightest star in the sky. Her tired mind began to wander to stories her father told her of a magical land beyond the northern star. When she was a child she used to wonder how nature got its glow. Who gave it light and color as the seasons come and go, who helps all the world's creatures, great and small, to walk, to swim, and to fly and who crafted such tiny details. When she was a child she was told she might be able to see them if she tried hard enough, for it's all the work of fairies.
She would have to look carefully because they stayed well out of sight.
If that wasn't hard enough, they didn't even live in the realm. They lived in a magical land called 'The Pixie Vale. In the Pixie Vale, it was fall, winter, spring, and summer all year round and all at the same time. Each season occupied a corner of the magical realm of the fairies. It was only on the mainland that one season followed another, each waiting for its turn. At that very moment, the queen was disturbed from her thoughts by the sound of her baby daughter lying in her crib.
The baby laughed with delight at the colorful mobile dangling above her little head.
The queen listened to her daughter's first laugh as she remembered another part of the story. The first time that a baby laughed, a fairy's life took it's first flight. The laugh, invisible but filled with magic, soared out of the crib. It flew toward the nursery's open window, where a lonely fluffy dandelion poked through through the soil of a snow-covered window box. The laugh dove through the dandelion and carried one of the soft, white seed wisps into the cold air.
The queen smiled softly as she watched the speck of white disappear into the snowy winter night sky.
A new fairy was on its way to the Pixie Vale, but it still had a long road ahead. The dandelion wisp flew upward as the wind carried it across the rooftops of the city and through the smoke of the chimneys. It blew past skyscrapers, along the rivers, and over bridges. The laugh faintly echoed in the breeze as it carried on its journey, yet it was still so very far away. There were still so many obstacles the laugh had yet to face. So many things could go wrong.
The laugh collided with the bell of a slow-moving ship on the river but no one on board heard the almost inaudible ping.
The baby's laugh continued moving, it's joy helping it travel the long distance. Joy was a fierce, strong, and resilient weapon. The laugh spun woozily as the dandelion wisp swirled, but before long it quickly regained its bearings and continued onward. It touched down briefly on the sea, and a jingle echoed across the waves. Finally, the tiny wisp was taken up by the wind once more and he laugh was carried through the fluffy clouds and blown toward the shining beacon of the bright northern star.
The laugh was moving quickly now, eager to reach its destination.
The baby's laugh crossed the mythical ocean towards a lone, green island with a jingle and a giggle. Faster and faster it flew, skimming the plains, cresting the mountains, and finally emerging over the home of the fairies. The Pixie Vale. The enchanted land shimmered with every color of the rainbow. Wintry woods glistened with snow, while nearby a summery glen was bursting with greenery and vines heavy with fruit. Giggling happily, the laugh sped down toward the center of the Pixie Vale.
There stood a giant, majestic tree, radiating light and magic.
This was the great Pixie Dust Tree. It provided all the fairies in this magical land with their magical dust that allowed them to take flight and use their magic. Life in the Pixie Vale wouldn't be the same without this important tree. Its roots spread everywhere in the Pixie Vale. The soft tinkling sound of the laugh caught the attention of a fairy at work and many other fairies darted from the bushes and flower beds and began to follow the-wisp.
The wisp floated over a waterfall, where a few water fairies were playing.
They all shook the water from their wings and happily flew after the-wisp. The wisp passed under the branches of a pine tree, giggling at the tickle of the pine needles. More fairies peeked out from leaves and knotholes and they, too, followed to join the procession. Soon all the fairies of the Pixie Vale arrived at the Pixie Dust Tree. They settled on the branches of the huge, magical tree like a flock of chattering birds. Their beautiful wings and clothes glowed in the light of the Pixie Dust Well, which surged in the center of the tree.
They were dressed in ceremonial robes as they all eagerly waited for the new wisp to arrive.
High in the air, a wind fairy with jet black hair and a single green streak with dark green wings intercepted the wisp before it could overshoot the mark. He flew over, under, and around the laughing wisp, creating breezes to guide it safely to the Pixie Dust Tree. Finally, the dandelion wisp came to rest on an outcropping of mushrooms that formed a balcony above the well. The jingle soon faded away, and every fairy fell silent and waited with excited smiles.
A dust-keeper fairy approached the-wisp, holding a chalice brimming with pixie dust.
The fairy carefully poured the pixie dust over the wisp and the wisp swayed with a tinkle. Its shining strands shimmered and waved, moved by the magical golden dust. When it settled into its final form, the wisp was not a wisp anymore. It had transformed into a tiny male fairy dressed in a flowing white gown. The new arrival had bright sapphire eyes with a mop of ginger hair that flowed down to his shoulders and little freckles across his cheeks.
He looked around nervously as all the other fairies smiled and greeted the new arrival.
"Hello?" He muttered in a very shy voice and gave a tiny wave. When he waved, his fingertips jingled like tiny bells and sent puffs of pixie dust into the air. He stared at the others in wonder, but soon he was distracted by the arrival of the Ministers of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. These elegant leaders of the seasons took their places on perches above the Pixie Dust Well. They smiled down on the brand new fairy with welcoming faces.
Then they turned to look at a space between the branches where the air was beginning to shine a bright gold.
The new fairy watched in wide-eyed amazement as a misty cloud of golden dust wove its way through the limbs of the Pixie Dust Tree. Then the mist cleared to reveal a radiant and regal fairy with magnificent golden wings. He wore a glittering white robe, a wooden staff, and he had a long white beard. This was none other than the leader of all the fairies, King Wu. The king regarded the new arrival with a warm smile.
"Born of laughter, clothed in cheer, happiness has brought you here." He smiled at the new fairy. "Welcome to the Pixie Vale, I trust you found your way all right?"
"I think so." The new fairy stammered and King Wu chuckled as he flew behind the new fairy.
"Now, let's see about those wings." He smiled and with gentle hands, he unfurled a pair of gossamer wings from the little fairy's back. All the gathering of fairies all watched in awe. The new fairy seemed dazed and uncertain until King Wu took his hand and led him into the air. Tentatively, he flapped his new wings, rising off the ground slowly. He hovered for a moment, then he began to fly with increasing confidence. The other fairies applauded and laughed when he raced in a giddy circle and turned a somersault.
They liked this new arrival and each fairy looking on hoped that the new fairy would turn out to be a member of his or her talent guild.
King Wu waved his hand and several dozen toadstools magically sprouted around the edge of the Pixie Dust Well. They formed a row of pedestals and all the fairies fell silent. Arriving and flying for the first time was all fine and dandy, but watching a new fairy figure out his talent was the most exciting part. One by one, fairies of every sort flew toward the pedestals, clutching small objects that represented their talents. Jay watched in confusion as they placed the items on the pedestals.
A few fairies caught his eyes.
A male plant fairy with emerald green wings, wavy blonde hair, and green eyes gently carried a beautiful flower. A female water fairy with long black hair tied in a ponytail, chocolate brown eyes and ocean blue wings flew forward holding a drop of water as if it were a ball. A male fire fairy with spiky brown hair, amber eyes, and crimson wings did the same with a ball of fire. A male earth fairy with shaggy black hair, jade green eyes, and dark orange wings left a heavy stone on a pedestal.
The wind fairy from earlier swept past the new fairy with his nose in the air.
He didn't give a hoot what the new arrival turned out to be, but he always enjoyed a chance to show off his abilities. He opened his hand to reveal a tiny spinning whirlwind. More and more fairies brought symbols of their talents. The new fairy watched these ceremonial proceedings in confusion and slight unease before he looked up at the king.
"What are these things?"
"They will help you find your talent, little one."
"But how will I know which one is mine?"
"You'll know." The king reassured in a soothing voice and gave the new fairy a gentle push toward the toadstool pedestals. When the new fairy approached the flower, the plant fairies huddled close together in delighted anticipation. Several of them gave the new arrival an encouraging nod. The little fairy reached for the flower, but the moment his finger touched the delicate bloom, its glow faded. The plant fairies let out a collective sigh of disappointment, but the water fairies were glistening with hope as the new fairy approached the next pedestal.
He tried to lift the shimmering droplet of clear water, but the glimmer around it faded as well as it splashed against the pedestal.
The water fairies sighed as well but didn't stop smiling. The new fairy's attention was next drawn to the whirlwind. As soon as he lifted a tentative hand to touch it, the whirlwind faded into thin air and the male wind fairy that place it smirked. He hated competition. The new fairy was getting discouraged and now she was afraid to touch anything as he walked up and down the line of pedestals. He passed things such as a snowflake, an ax, a paintbrush, a large kitchen spoon, and finally, a ball of electricity.
As the new fairy walked by, the ball of electricity began to glow.
Seeing this happening, all the gathered fairies gasped and started whispering among themselves. The ball of electricity shined brighter and brighter until it practically vibrated with energy. It rose into the air and floated toward the little fairy. Instinctively, he reached out and caught it. Bursts of light shot out in every direction as soon as his fingers closed around the ball as it seemed to absorb into his skin and his clear wings became dark blue in color.
The fairies gasped then they began to laugh and applaud.
The new fairy had found his talent, or maybe it had found him. All the gathered fairies began to mix and mingle and talk about what had happened.
"Whoa!" The water fairy gasped to her friends. "Never seen one glow that much before, even for Morro." She smiled and the wind fairy, Morro, who was hovering within earshot, huffed and looked away, pretending that he didn't hear and didn't care. Morro was used to being one of a kind, and he didn't appreciate being upstaged by a little wisp.
"You know, I think you're right, little guy might be a very rare talent." The fire fairy smirked. Morro growled and tossed his dark hair off his shoulder and turned away. The little ginger fairy was still confused, unsure what all this meant as King Wu put a comforting hand on the fairy's shoulder.
"Come forward, Lightning fairies, and welcome the newest member of your talent guild, Jay." The King smiled and disappeared in a flash of golden light...