— 5th June 2005, Rainspell Island, U.K. —
7 days after the pot had landed on earth, Oberon and Titania had put their plan to rescue the fairies in action. Four of the frog footmen - led by Bertram - were sent on a magical lotus leaf and whisked to the human world, using disappearing magic to teleport them above Rainspell Island. The frog footmen were specifically selected since Titania had heard of the fairies calling the mortal world an unpleasant place, so she wondered if the frogs could weather the supposed unpleasantness of the mortal world. Not to mention a time earlier, Bertram had expressed his curiosity to explore the mortal world to Oberon, and he suggested that it would be the perfect time to send him there to Titania.
The lotus leaf had soon touched down on Rainspell Island, being small enough to prevent anyone from catching notice. It helped that unlike fairies, frogs actually existed in the human world, albeit not as sentient as the ones in the magical realm. The leaf landed on a small pond in Rainspell Island National Park, quite close to the pot-at-the-end-of-the-rainbow.
Bertram stepped out of the Lotus flower with his 4 frog compatriots - Francis, Cedric, Stanley and Jonathan - into the wide, new world surrounding them.
"Well boys, this is it," he announced, excited. "This is the human world."
"It's larger than I ever thought it'd be," Jonathan said, immersed in the beauty.
"Or maybe we're just smaller," Francis added, feeling frightened by the sheer size of the mortal world.
"Enough chat, we can marvel at this world later," Bertram commanded. "Right now our duty is to search for where the pot landed so we can return it home."
"And how are we gonna do that?" Stanley asked.
"Well, the king and queen have given me a special compass that points to where the pot is specifically for this mission," Bertram answered, holding out a golden compass before reading its arrow. "It's just ahead of us. This should be easy."
"Well, that's cool," Cedric said. "I'm glad we don't have to do much here. I just wanna hang out with Shannon again…"
Bertram then stepped out of the lotus flower and into the grassy soil near the pond, but shortly after, something flashed through his eyes that made him get worried.
"What's the matter, Bert?" Jonathan asked, going to comfort his leader.
"…I have a feeling something bad's happened to the pot," Bertram replied, clutching his arms around himself. "It feels like there's something dangerous in here, and it's already done something to the pot."
"I knew it! I knew it!" Francis exclaimed in fear. "From the mere look of this place, I knew there was something dangerous afoot!"
"Aw, come on," Cedric added, disgruntled at the prospect of having to stay in the human world for a long time.
"Really? If there is, I'd be willing to take 'em head on!" Stanley said, baring his fists.
"We can't do that now," Bertram said, trying to be reasonable. "They might be too powerful for us. We're only frogs, after all."
"Yeah, well I've beaten hundreds of goblins with my fists and tongue," Stanley replied. "I could easily beat whatever's out there!"
"Those are the words of someone who has no idea what's out there," Francis remarked. "Judging by those trees, even the mortals are clearly bigger than us, how could you ever hope to fight them?"
"Enough chatter, we just need to find the pot," Bertram said. "Follow me, everyone!"
"Yes, sir!" Jonathan said in return, and soon the frogs leapt across the forest, the magical compass being used to guide them to the pot-at-the-end-of-the-rainbow.
Ruby had been languishing in the pot for 7 whole days, too tired and wounded to consider anything. For their 1000th Midsummer festival, she expected something special, something great. But because of a simple mistake, one that she caused, she and her friends were forced into an agonising and painful experience that they never knew they wanted to get out of. She couldn't sleep at all, as the ground was either too cold and rough and she had no way of knowing when it was the appropriate time to sleep. And when she did sleep, all she could think of were the same despairing thoughts she always felt - why did this happen, when will this stop, where were her friends, over and over and over again.
And this was without the additional trauma she faced when she immediately landed. The hail of bullets, the booming voice, the loud explosion that knocked her unconscious, it was all too much for her to bear. And when she woke up, she found out the holes in the pot were covered up, clearly to prevent her from escaping.
At that point, she had resigned herself to this, having lost all hope of things getting better. She had been spending most of those seven days laying down often with her eyes closed, hoping to wake up and see the walls of her bedroom, relieved that it was all just a dream. But she never overslept - if she did, Amber would fly into her room and shout into her ears to forcefully wake her up. And it all felt so real too - she barely could feel anything in her dreams.
That was, until she heard muffled speaking outside.
"There it is! It's the pot we've been looking for!"
"A job well done, team. Now let's pull it up and see the Rainbow Fairies."
Ruby's eyes opened fully and her wings perked up when she heard them. She instantly recognised the voices - Jonathan and Bertram of the frog footmen. Titania really did have a plan to save her!
She fluttered to the edge of the pot where she could hear the voices, and with the hope and passion she thought she had forever lost, pounded on the pot's walls.
"Bertram! Jonathan! It's me, Ruby!" She exclaimed.
"Good heavens! You're safe!" A skittish voice replied. Ruby recognised it as that which belonged to Francis.
"Finally," Cedric's bored and apathetic voice spoke. "Now let's just get you back and we can chill out."
"No, we can't," Bertram added. "Judging by these two large holes in the pot, it seems my fears have come true. Something bad really did happen to it."
Ruby folded her arms in response, finally seeing one of them come to the realisation.
"Especially since we can only hear Ruby's voice in the pot and not the other six Rainbow Fairies," He continued.
"Well, what if they were all just sleeping?" Jonathan asked.
"They wouldn't be. The only fairy who sleeps in the day is India. Plus the thing that covered up the hole on top clearly doesn't belong to us," Bertram replied.
"Well then, looks like there's only one way to find out," Stanley's gruff baritone said. "Hey Ruby, where did your friends go?"
Ruby pulled her head down, the thought of her stranded and presumably deceased associates making her feel broken. "I think you should focus on flipping over the pot before we can talk about our situation. It's a very long story."
"Roger that, Miss Ruby," Bertram said. "But how do we flip it over?"
"Well, if you can stick a branch beneath the hole on the bottom and use the rocks in that hole, you could make a lever that could flip the pot up," Ruby answered.
"An excellent idea," Jonathan replied. "Guys, let's get working!"
"Yesss, finally the hard work and effort I've been waiting to pull off in this mission!" Stanley eagerly responded.
"Man, I thought this would be an in and out 20 minute adventure," Cedric groaned, pulling the rocks out of the hole made in the pot's edge.
"Oh, can it," Stanley grumbled, holding an even bigger rock above his head. "That's not the right mindset to have here. There's obviously going to be dangers in going to a whole plane of existence we've never ventured."
"Yeah, but still, what kind of thing would be able to burst a hole through cold steel?" Cedric asked. "No, two holes through cold steel?"
"Well, it's probably- I think…" Stanley put the rock down to think for a cohesive answer to Cedric's question. "Yeah, I honestly don't know. It's probably some fireball attack, but the mortals have absolutely no way of recreating our magic!"
"Exactly!" Francis piped in. "I knew from the very beginning that there was somethingdangerousin this world."
"Now, now, let's not give in to panic, Francis," Jonathan said, putting a hand on Francis' shoulder, "Whatever caused all this to the pot must have been long gone."
"O-okay," Francis said in return.
The four then marched to Bertram, who managed to stick a small branch in the rim of the pot.
"Good job, boys," he said. "Now let's put these rocks to good use, shall we?"
"You bet!" Stanley eagerly replied.
With strained ribbits and croaks, the frog footmen stacked the rocks they pulled on top of each other on the branch as Stanley and Jonathan did their best to pull it up. Soon, the pot was tilted up, and Ruby could see two beams of sunlight shining into the suffocating darkness of the pot.
She could feel the light recharge her as mana and energy grew, and with a regained power, took out her wand and waved it at the branch, before forcing it up with her magic.
With a quick jolt, the pot was pulled upwards and spun several times in the air before landing on its side. Ruby also flew up in the air and did several loops before hugging Bertram in a tight embrace, catching him off guard.
"Thank you, thank you!" She squealed in delight. "I never thought I would ever be free from this horrible exile!"
"Um, you're welcome, Miss Ruby," Bertram said, still trying to take in the sudden and awkward feeling of being hugged from above. "It's a pleasure to serve you and keep you safe."
"Wait, wait!" Francis interrupted. "We can't celebrate now, there's still lots of problems here!"
"As much as I want to celebrate this, Francis has a point," Jonathan said. "There's still a lot of work to do."
"Yeah, like how dirty and hurt Ruby looks! And the fact that she's the only one in the pot!" Francis continued.
Bertram and Ruby disengaged to see if Francis' claims were true, and yes, they were. Ruby's dress had been torn in several places, braids unkempt and mud and scraps all over her skin. And indeed, there was no one else in the pot with Ruby, the other six Rainbow Fairies missing in the empty pot.
"Good lord, you're right!" Bertram said, adjusting his spectacles, "Something terrible really did happen to the pot!"
"Of course the others are gone," Cedric groaned, folding his arms. "This was supposed to be quick! Titania caught them all in the pot to land in one piece, and we'd take 'em back and chill out forever! Where the hell did the others go?!"
"Seems like there's only one way to find out," Stanley replied. "Ruby, you said you'd tell the whole story once we flipped that damn pot over. So what happened, huh?"
A sad expression formed on Ruby's face as she flew to the pot and sat on its edge. "Something very, very horrible. I've never felt anything like this before, and I think I'm better off never feeling it."
Bertram soon followed Ruby and sat right next to her, the other four frog footmen standing near to see what exactly Ruby was talking about.
"After we were caught up in the pot, we entered the mortal world, where we drifted through the darkness of outer space before finding ourselves here. While we were floating, Sky spotted several floating objects with wings and giant dishes. By their appearance, the only logical conclusion was that they were man-made."
"M-man made?" Cedric asked in confusion. "How can the mortals just make stuff just to hurl it into the sky?"
"Then, when we found ourselves landing on the planet, Saffron saw a flying object that also appeared to be man-made moving towards us," Ruby continued. "And before we could do anything, it launched a projectile at us."
Ruby soon started sobbing, the memory of seeing her associates brutally ripped away from her. "It exploded, and formed a hole that caused most of us to fall out. Only me and Saffron and Sky were left and…" Ruby paused, trying to hold back the tears, "and the object hit us and took away Saffron and- and my dear sister Sky…"
Ruby no longer had the will to talk any more as she buried her face in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. Jonathan moved to her side to comfort her, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry Miss Ruby, it's all going to be okay," he said. "Wherever your sisters are, we'll help them return to the pot for you."
"That wasn't- that wasn't all of it," Ruby said. "When I landed, the pot was upside down, and it covered me in darkness. And I could barely do… anything here, since- since my magic relies on light."
"And then, a loud voice told me to get out or they'd k-kill me!" Ruby continued, her voice wobbling and without the confidence she normally had from all the trauma she sustained from the ordeal. "I-it sounded like Jack Frost, except… without the magical feel he usually had. I don't know how it's possible for the mortals to, well, have that effect with their voices!"
"So what did you do?" Bertram questioned.
"I… I stayed in the pot because I had a feeling they were going to hurt me. And they proved it by firing sharp projectiles near me," Ruby answered. "And then they threw those projectiles at the pot itself, and-and I used what little light there was to put up a protection spell."
"Then it gave way and they threw another fireball towards the pot. And it hurt, I f-fell unconscious for a long time," Ruby paused, having to register the traumatic event after remembering it, "A-and when I woke up again, I found out they covered all the holes in the pot so I couldn't get out!"
"That's horrible!" Francis added. "How could they ever do such a thing?!"
"I… I don't know, either," Ruby replied. "They treated me like some sort of danger to their world, when I didn't even want to be there!"
"Well, this just sucks," Cedric grumbled. "This was supposed to be one-and-done, and now it turns out the mortals have decided to attack you girls?"
"That's it. When I see those mortals, I'm going to slam my frog fists into their faces!" Stanley said, angered at what the mortals had done to the Rainbow Fairies.
"You wouldn't," Francis added, trying to ground Stanley back to reality. As much as he admired Stanley's will to work and fight, it got quite troubling in times when folding was the more pragmatic option. "The mortals are much larger than us, they'd just squash us under their feet! What makes you think you could fight them?"
"I dunno. I'm just really mad they hurt our friends," Stanley grudgingly replied.
"Now, now, let's not go to violence first, guys," Jonathan said, trying his best to cheer them up. "We still need to search for the other fairies."
"Right," Cedric said. "We don't know where the hell they went, and that annoys me!"
"I think Ruby should know," Bertram continued. "She's the only one left in the pot here."
Bertram then turned her attention towards Ruby. "Where are your sisters-in-arms?" He asked.
Ruby clutched her body with her arms, the thought of her sisters once again making her shiver. "I-I don't know, I don't know," she responded. "Ever since the pot went up in flames, they all fell out. Only Sky and Saffron were left, and then they got taken away as well, and I never saw any of them after they disappeared in the clouds…" Tears appeared on her face once more, the grief of loss too strong to avoid. "I don't know where they've gone, and for all I know, they probably died!"
"Don't cry, Ruby," Bertram moved in to comfort her once more, "They wouldn't be dead. Wherever they are, they wouldn't have been killed."
"B-but how could you ever find them?" Ruby tearfully added.
"She has a point," Cedric said. "The king and queen caught them all in this pot expecting it to stay this way when they landed. And now the mortal forces screwed them all over!"
"I see," Jonathan replied. "Well, we should relay all this information to them. They should be aware that the mortal world today is not the same as the mortal world they knew."
"Yeah," Cedric added. "Come to think about, how long has it been since the fairies last visited the human world?"
"Enough chatter, let's return to Fairyland, boys," Bertram interjected. "Oberon and Titania need to know of these developments."
"Right," Stanley added.
— Fairyland Palace —
"Titania and Oberon, the frogs we sent to rescue the fairies have returned back here," Charles said, the frog footman entering the room they were talking to in a rush.
"Good! I knew this would be easy," Oberon heartily replied.
"Not really, apparently they have some very bad news to tell you," Charles continued. "Apparently horrible dangers have come up in the mortal world."
"Oh dear, the worst thing I feared came true," Titania said, devoid of the enthusiasm her husband had.
"It's probably best if you follow me," Charles said. As he ran through the monotone hallway, Oberon and Titania followed him out to the dead fields where the frog footmen had returned with Ruby.
All 5 of the footmen had gone from the Green they usually had to grey, similar to Charles himself. They all had some form of disappointment in their expressions, from Stanley's internal rage to Bertram's forlorn sorrow. Ruby was the only person here retaining her colour, and even she looked miserable and traumatised.
"Oh dear, oh dear! What happened to Ruby? And why's she the only one you brought here?" Oberon asked in shock.
"That's exactly what we were going to tell you, Your Majesty," Bertram answered. "When the pot landed, it was attacked midair by a mortal aircraft which dispersed the other six Rainbow Fairies."
"Th-that's impossible! The mortals shouldn't be capable of flying," Oberon exclaimed in shock and disbelief.
"This is exactly what I feared," Titania said under her breath, "The mortals developing under the long passage of time between our visits."
"Ruby was the only fairy left in the pot when it landed," Bertram continued, "and she was attacked by mortal forces and knocked unconscious when they fired another fireball towards it."
"This isn't good," Oberon said, his worry visible from the tone of it, "Where do you think the locations of the other Rainbow Fairies are?"
"We can only assume they were scattered all over Rainspell Island," Bertram replied. "Ruby put up the horrible theory that the mortal forces might've killed some of them."
Oberon attempted to ask Ruby about the validity of the claims the frog footmen were saying. "Ruby, are you sure-"
"Please, let her have some peace," Titania interjected her husband. "There's more than enough evidence that they aren't lying. Miss Ruby's evidently been through a lot."
"Well, any new orders? How should we deal with the new threat the human world poses to the fairies? And what should we do now that the Rainbow Fairies are all over the place?" Stanley asked, eager to get back into fighting spirit.
"Everything you've told me has been the worst case scenario I thought of in summoning the pot to save the Rainbow Fairies," Titania solemnly said, looking down to her frog footmen, "I had a nagging feeling that the mortal world that awaited them was not the mortal world that awaited us."
"So what do we do?" Francis asked, on the verge of panicking.
"You should all explore Rainspell Island and search for the whereabouts of Amber, Saffron, Fern, Sky, Izzy and Heather," Titania ordered, sternness added to her sorrow. "Once you have found them, bring them back to the pot so they can all return to Fairyland at once."
"This would've been exciting if there weren't huge threats out there," Cedric grudgingly said.
"Danger would've come regardless," Titania attempted to reassure the grumpy frog, "Recently after the ball, Pearl and Abigail had spotted Jack Frost sending his goblins out to the mortal world. Evidently, he wants to ensure the Rainbow Fairies won't return to Fairyland."
"Got anything planned for it?" Jonathan asked.
"Yes. If you find more frog footmen coming to the mortal world, they're here to help you out and make this task easier," Titania answered.
"Don't feel so down!" Oberon enthusiastically chimed in. "The mortal world might have become a more dangerous place for us magical beings, but you'll return the Rainbow Fairies eventually. After all, we have powers that the mortals can never seem to accomplish."
"Yessss, that's the encouragement I've always wanted to hear!" Stanley said, finally mustering up the enthusiasm to grin again.
"It's good to see that you know how to adapt your missions," Bertram said, his wits coming back as he readjusted his spectacles, "I assure you that we can retrieve the other six in no time-"
"Guys! Guys! Guys! Ruby's f-fading!" Francis shouted in panic.
"Everyone turned to look at Ruby, and looked in shock to see what was happening to her. Her vibrant red dress had now become a sickly pink, and her blonde hair was bleaching out to grey. She was clutching her arms around her body and shaking, feeling a deathly cold that was destined to drain every drop of life that wasn't drained by the human attacks.
"Oh dear, Jack Frost's spell is in effect. We need the combined power of all the Rainbow Fairies to undo it," Titania panicked, not wanting to see the leader of the Rainbow fairies die in front of her.
"So what can we do?" Bertram asked in uncertainty.
"You two need to return to the mortal world quickly!" Oberon said, also panicking.
"Right away!" Bertram said, as they followed Ruby in flying off to the mortal world again.
Soon, Ruby and the frog footmen returned to Rainspell Island rather quickly, her dress and hair returning to their vibrant, healthy colour the moment they stepped foot on mortal grounds. Granted, Ruby still looked dirty and tattered, but it wasn't as horrible when compared to fading away.
"Well Miss Ruby, from the look of things rescuing your sisters isn't going to be an easy task, it seems," Bertram stated to her. "But don't worry, like Oberon said, we'll be able to get it done eventually."
"Yeah, there's no such thing as an impossible mission," Stanley added. "Just short ones and long ones."
"I appreciate your dedication, you green five," Ruby said gratefully, "thank you for rescuing me from the hopeless desolation I've been trapped in."
"Look, I know we can be happy knowing that they'll all be found eventually, but I have a feeling that the mortals are still watching us. What if they spot us?" Francis interjected, still as scared as ever.
"You're right. The mortal forces that attacked this pot could still be out there," Ruby replied, happiness turning to concern.
"Oh please, the Queen already told us the goblins are coming and now this?!" Cedric grumbled. "Stop fear mongering, Francis, this mission is already as convoluted as it is!"
"You shouldn't whine about this, Cedric," Ruby crossed her arms, mustering up some of her assertiveness to scold the complaining frog. "Francis has a valid point here. If the mortals were able to fly and create fireballs, they could easily watch over us."
"Whatever," Cedric said. "How do you plan on hiding the pot from the mortals?"
Ruby said nothing as she waved her wand at the pot, and a shimmer of red sparkles covered it as it rolled under a nearby willow tree.
"Good thinking," Jonathan said. "These willows hide the pot rather well."
"Yes, safe from all the enemies," Francis added.
Soon, Ruby flew under the willow's undergrowths, Bertram and Jonathan following. "Well, looks like you'd be safe here from all the threats out there. But it still doesn't look livable, though," Jonathan said, assessing the state of the pot.
"Of course," Ruby stood between Jonathan and Bertram, also looking at the pot. "There's clearly nothing we can do about the gaping holes, but we can add some furnishings. Given the amount of leaves here, we could feasibly make chairs and a table."
"If it's possible, then let's go with it," Bertram said, "But we still need to go search for your sisters. Jonathan, as my trusted lieutenant, you should get out there and lead the search for the others."
Bertram then handed Jonathan another compass, this time generalised to the nearest fairy. When Jonathan looked at it, it immediately pointed in Ruby's direction.
"Well, I'll be on my way," Jonathan said. "Oh, and do you plan on joining us, Ruby?"
"No," she replied, the shakiness still slightly there despite how better things have become for her. "I need more time to recover from the attacks. Besides, like Francis said, there are still dangerous threats in the mortal world."
"I see," Jonathan said in disappointment. "Well, see you soon!"
"See you too!" Ruby waved in response as Jonathan jumped out of the willow's growths to lead the other three footmen in search of Amber.
Soon, Ruby and Bertram were the only magical beings in the clearing, as they both looked around the pot in search of materials to build some furniture from. Soon, Bertram returned, both his hands holding large amounts of twigs and grass.
"Let's get to work, shall we?" Bertram eagerly asked, ready to do some constructing. "Stanley would've loved doing this," He thought.
"I couldn't agree more," Ruby replied.
And they soon got to work making minuscule furniture to make the pot much more welcoming and accommodating of fairies as the other frog footmen explored the island in search of the other Rainbow Fairies.
It had become clear now that the frog footmen's mission of finding the Rainbow Fairies and returning them to safety in the pot had become much more of a daunting task than expected, but that didn't mean they were going to give up on it. They knew that if they persevered, they would soon be able to return them to Fairyland and save their home from Jack Frost's terror, no matter how many goblins he'd sent to thwart them.