Chapter 2: Getting the party Started

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The High Uintas Wilderness, Utah, October 2022

In the most Isolated forest in the American state of Utah, exists for over 20 years an area that's even more Isolated. More like cut off from the rest of the ''Safe Part'' of the forest people that have come close enough to see it would say. Why? Because 20 years ago there was a massive storm, one of the biggest in the country's history, that caused so much damage in that area, it was to dangerous for any clean up crew to remove the debris, so it was left as it is and abandoned. Not that much of a lost, no hiker or camper goes there anyway.

But what they see is but an illusion, an illusion conjured by the magic of an Invisible wall, which both combine keeps any humans from coming in, but more importantly, it keeps who lives inside safe from the outside world.

Inside the ''Dangerous'' part of the forest

Pass its wall and its illusion is a much different place than one could imagine it to be. No Fallen trees, no chunks of earth and rock ripped out of the ground, no traces of fires or lightning bolt strikes, no damages of any kind just a healthy, thriving forest with an abundance of colorful flowers by day and colorful, phosphorus plants and mushrooms by night, some might think it a place directly coming out of a Fairy Tale. Oh how close to the truth they might be.

But it is in the deeper part of the forest that the true Fairy Tale happens, where the sun shines brightest and fresh clean water can be found in a long streaming flowing through out the forest and up to a large pond in a clearing, where various berry bushes and fruit trees grow tall healthy and strong, well kept by the good Faeries that live there.

Right now a group of Wallerbogs and Pixies were Laughing Happily while picking large quantities of berries, apples and Pears to put in baskets to bring back to their homes. But one Wallerbog was eating more berries than he was picking, which annoyed some Pixies that were flying above him, as he wasn't suppose to eat them now. So they swoop down to stop him by pulling at his ears, clothes and even trunk, anything to get him to stop munching. He tries to defend himself by swamping at them and ends up wobbling around doing so, knocking over many baskets and some of his Wallerbog brothers.

Meanwhile

The 3 Pixies Knotgrass, Fittle and a healthier Thistlewit, were approaching the clearing to see how the picking was coming along.

Thistlewit: They should be done by now.

Fittle: *Nervously* I hope so, or there won't be anything to eat or drink at the party, and with no food or drinks, there can be no party and if there's no party, a lot of faeries are going to be quit angry.

Knotgrass: Oh calm yourself Fittle, with or without the fruit there's still plenty to go around back at the village, but i'm sure the pickers are done gathering all the fruit we'll need or will be done soon enough. If we have to we'll help them finish and be back at the village quickly.

But they got one hell of a surprise when they finally arrrived to the Orchard to see that many of the fruit baskets that have been gathered, were spilled all over the ground and stomped on by a Wallerbog being attacked by a group of pixies, and his friends trying to help him while the other pixies do nothing to stop this wild dance or even helping their sisters attacking the Wallerbog.

Fittle: *Looks Horrified with her hands on her head* Oh no, the fruits.

Thistlewit: *Just looks at the scene shock*

Knotgrass: *Looks shock, then angry before whistling hard enough for everyone present to hear her and stop what they are doing* For the love of Mother Nature, what is going on here.

When no one was answering Knotgrass question, only avoiding the angry pixie's angry gaze out of embaressement for getting caught, she called over one of the pixies attacking the Wallerbog, Magnolia, to explain what has happened. To give her the truth and be brief about it.

Magnolia: This is all Ludowig's fault *Angrily points at the Wallerbog now named Ludowig* While we were all working are butts off, he was stuffing his trunk with blackberries and elderberries instead of putting them in the baskets. My friends and i were just trying to talk him into stopping before he ate them all, but he wouldn't listen and started attacking us...

Just then another Wallerbog, named Lillard, stepped forward to call out Magnolia's lie. Yes his friend was stuffing his face that alas was true, but it was the Pixie who attacked Ludowig first, pulling at his ears and trunk without warning, they never tried to talk to him. Knotgrass was furious now, and gave Magnolia and her pixie friends one of hell of a death glare that scared them into hiding in a bush before she took some deep breaths to calm herself and regain her cool.

Knotgrass: It doesn't matter who started this mess or who's lying about who did, these fruits and berries need to be delivered to the village fast, so everyone save what you can and head back, no more arguing, no more fighting and *Flies to Ludowig's face* no more stuffing your faces.

Ludowig nods frantically and grab some baskets to put in all the black and elderberries that he can from the bushes and what can be saved from the ground, as quickly as he can. The other Wallerbogs and pixies followed sud, saving what they can and once they were done, they followed the 3 fairies back into their village, where other fairies were decorating the place from top to bottom and putting up large banners that says ''New Moors 22th Anniversary Celebration''.

This day the Faeries of the ''New Moors'' were celebrating, the Twenty Second year of life on their new lands. Maleficent's teleportation spell worked, all of the faeries, with what they could carry, made it to their new homeland alive. The moving was done, but the hard work had just begun. After a few days of getting use to their new environment, some of the faeries who were healthy enough went to work on building their new homes in the trees, ground and bodies of water, while others went to either pick and gather food or plant the seeds of their former home to make this place feel more like home. The Sick ones and children were under the watchful eyes of Diaval, Knotgrass and Fittle for the time being.

Fortunately, the change of scenery seem to be improving the health of the sick ones little by little, much more than when they were still in the old, dying Moors. Within the following weeks, more and more faeries were recovering enough to help their friends in molding this land to their liking. Yes, things seem to be getting better for the Moors folk each day.

As for Maleficent herself, sense she was the strongest Faerie of them all, she worked on the side recreating the ''Pool of Jewels'' with what she and the little Mushroom Faeries were able to save from the old one within the largest pond they could find in the forest. Then with the help of it's magic working in concert with her own, she created a barrier that isolated that section from the rest of the forest, and the human world, even taking adventage of the resent massive storm to add the illusion of a completely destroyed and unsafe area to keep the humans away.

Her part be done, Maleficent took a kind of sabbatical for the next 15 years or so where she used little to no magic to do anything, letting it and her body rest from the overuse so as to not risk exhausting her power and aging herself into an old crone and break down to ash like the Spriggans and Earth Dragon did.

Back in the present, a much more healthy, but strangely dressed Maleficent was walking around, watching the fairies putting up the decorations for their party and from time to time stopping to either help some faeries putting up decorations, or making suggestions about how some decorations should be placed.

Her health and appearance has returned to what it was before she started overusing her magic to keep the old Moors alive, with no more grey spots in her hair or wings, but her hair somehow became a wheat blond color instead of brown and her lips are redder now. But that's not what made her current appearance strange, her outfit is what does.

The fae is dressed in a black dressed shirt under a light grey coat with matching elephant pants, black high heeled shoes, grey gloves and a grey fedora hat. She looked like does fancy human women that walk the streets of their big city to go shopping or something like that, plus her wings and horns were nowhere to be seen, if the other Faeries didn't know better they would think some human woman managed to infiltrate their new home and run around in panic, and they did, the first time, but fortunately, they got used to their Guardian's new taste and wardrobe, and the new hobby that came with it.

Eventually she arrived at the center of the village where long tables were set for the party feast. Already there was some food on the table, like plates of cut vegetables with herbal dipping sauce close by and several pots of steaming vegetable soup. Not far from the tables, some Pixies were preparing fire pits for roasting Chestnuts.

Maleficent took a deep breath and savored the wonderful smell, which were now making her a little hungry.

Maleficent: *Looks at one of the vege plates with contemplation* 'I'm sure no one will mind if one of 2 little carrots are missing before the party'

Meanwhile, a young red headed pixie dressed in a red and purple flower long dress was flying around in a panic, asking any faerie around if they have seen those who were to bring back fruit for the party. When no one could say yes, she continued to fly around panicking even more until she eventually came across Maleficent trying to pilfer some small carrots.

Penrose: *Puffs her cheeks angrily* Hey you *Flies to Maleficent's face* That's for when the party starts, put that carrot back on that plate.

Maleficent: *Looks shock* Well forgive me your highness *Puts the carrot back and crosses her arms* If i've known i'd get a face full of angry pixie for my troubles, i would have left for my patrol early.

Penrose: *Deflates a bit and sigh* Sorry Maleficent, but the party is only in a couple more hours and that's all the food we've managed to put up so far, maybes all we'll get, so we need to keep it all here until it starts *Gets worried again*, there might not even be enough, and we'll have to serve smaller portions, the bigger faeries might not like that, so they'll start eating the small faeries, like me *Start Hyperventilating*.

Maleficent: *Walks closer to the pixie* Now calm down Penrose, no one will eat you, what's here is plenty enough to go around. And besides, there's the fruit portion of the feast to consider: The Drinks, The Candied pieces, The Compotes...

Penrose: *Shifts from panic to seriously annoyed* If those pickers ever get them here maybe, the Cooks and Juicers are waiting on the fruits they've haven't brought back yet to start on those, and i've been all around the village asking anyone if they've seen them, but no *Slumps in the air in despair*

Maleficent: *Feeling bad for the Pixie* 'The poor thing, always worried about everything every time there's a big celebration, it's practically a miracle she hasn't fallen sick from stress alone.' *Suddenly gets an idea* 'Why not use a little magic and conjure up a temporary strawberry bush or apple tree, or better yet both, they should provide the fruits we need and ease her worries.'

But before Maleficent can wave her hand to do so, a long hair blond Pixie dressed in Yellow, Orange and Black like a monarch butterfly flew by and told Penrose that the fruit pickers are back and have left the baskets with the faeries at the cooking huts.

Sunray: The rest of the feast should be done just in time for the party to begin according to Madame Knotgrass.

Penrose: *Looks relieved* Oh thank mother earth we won't be dessert, *Hugs a confused Sunray, to Maleficent's amusement* Thank you Sunray for the good news, thank you.

Sunray: Heuuh no prob, but its Madame Knotgrass and her sisters you should thank for the fruit arriving, which remains me, they asked for you and me to go to the cooking huts as soon as possible, we're going to give the cooks a hand at finishing the rest of the feast.

Penrose: *Nods* right, let's go *Begins flying away, but stops to turn to Maleficent, waving at her* Be careful on your patrol Maleficent, see you at the party *Flies off*.

Maleficent waved the pixie goodbye just as a familiar raven flew by to land next to the Dark Fae and was changed into a human with a wave of her hand.

Maleficent: I'm off to my weekly Patrol in Hurricane Diaval, i she'll return for the party in a few hours. Make sure everything is ready and that there's no fights or disputes among the other faeries while i'm gone, understood.

Diaval: *Bows* Perfectly mistress. But are you sure it is wise to walk around the streets of Hurricane today? Why not skip this time and stay to continue helping?

Maleficent: Nonsense Diaval, i've been doing this for the last 9 years and nothing bad has happened so far, today won't be any different. We must remain constantly vigilant and certain no one in that town knows about are existence so close to their backyard. *Begins to cast a teleportation spell to leave, but was gently stopped by Diaval*

Diaval: But no faery ventured out the New Moors for months now, and no humans has ever tries to enter the ''Danger Zone'', perhaps we no longer need for you to patrol the-

Maleficent: *Pulls her hand away with a light frown* I will be the judge of that Diaval, and please do remember who you are.

Diaval: *Sigh* Your humble servant and co-protector of the New Moors. Forgive my insubordination mistress, my only wish is to see you safe.

Maleficent: I know my friend, and i understand, but like i said it must be done, and i'm the only one capable enough to carry out this important mission. To listen in on the rhumors that faeries have been spotted outside the New Moors and erase what they saw and heard from their minds.

Diaval: And i'm the only one hear strong enough to protect and keep are people from leaving while you do so. *Sigh Again* Just be careful and return to us soon.

Maleficent: *Smiles* Like i said, a few hours tops, just enough to go around town and listen in on any supernatural related rhumors...

Diaval: *Suddenly Smirks* And maybe come across a certain group of girls you've grown so fawn of over the last 3 years?

Maleficent: *Glares at him in a semi-playful manor* If i have the time, perhaps. I shell see you later Diaval.

And again she cast her teleportation spell, succeeding this time and disappearing in a swirl of golden magic.

To be Continued...