Star Fairy Chronicles: Acts I And II

Act I: Chapter 14

"Thank you," she responded, "Now, there's something I need to tell all of you. It's about my past. Please take a seat."

...

(100 years ago)

It was a warm day in the Forest of Bravery. The Bravarian warriors were outside sparring with each other and preparing for the next battle. A young girl named Clara was sparring with Penelope and currently had the upper hand. She looked similar to most Bravarians, but one key feature about her was the orange jewel embedded in her forehead. Penelope's hair and clothes at the time were also orange to represent Bravery.

"Give up Penelope!" Clara shouted, "I have the upper hand."

"I will never give up!" Penelope shouted back, "Besides, I know you're half joking, being my best friend and everything."

"That may be true, but I still have a feeling that I'm going to win," Clara said.

"Say what you want," Penelope replied, "But my spear is made of Bravery itself, a strong trait only we have. But what makes me different from you guys is that I have Determination, a trait exclusive to a few." She then clashed at Clara and foot swept her from below, granting herself the upper hand and victory. She and Clara then started laughing.

"Good job," Clara said, "You really have gotten stronger from last time."

"Thanks," Penelope said with a warm smile, "So have you."

"Maybe we might even be strong enough to challenge Emile," Clara suggested as she got up.

"Oh," Penelope said, "I don't think we should. Challenging the chief's son? You do realize that he's already figured out how to use Bravery's special SOUL ability, right?"

"There'd be no harm in giving it a try though," Clara told her, "Besides, he's too jumpy and energetic, so I don't think he would mind."

"Mind what?" Emile asked from behind them. The girls jumped in surprise.

"Oh, hey Emile," Clara said, "We were just talking about you."

"You were? Cool!" Emile replied with high energy, "What were you talking about?!"

"Um, we were just wondering if we could get a chance to challenge you," Penelope explained.

"Sure!" Emile shouted with excitement, "That sounds like fun! Who wants to go first?" Suddenly, Penelope heard the wind chimes beginning to clash. She saw pink particles in the air. She knew that this was a warning that something bad would happen.

"Oh no," she said, "We're in trouble." Suddenly, another Bravarian came running towards them.

"My prince," he said with panic to Emile, "We just got word that an army of Fear Star Fairies are heading this way. And what's worse is that the brought a Bête Noire with them." Emile trembled slightly, but remained mostly brave.

"Ready the troops," he commanded, "We'll see if we can contact Queen Starlight or Rosie and ask them for guidance. I will take out the Bête Noire myself. You just make sure the chief is safe."

"Yes sir," the boy responded. He ran off and headed for the cave.

"Emile, what's a Bête Noire?" Penelope asked.

"It's another word for black beast," Emile answered, "We like to call them Bettys sometimes. They're a spell construct made using the SOUL of Fear and are often seen with an Akumu as well. Try to avoid it if you see it. They can kill beings like us pretty easily." Suddenly, a stampede of Fear soldiers headed towards them. The Bravarian troops readied their spears. Emile dashed forward and started throwing several spears at them, taking them out one by one.

"Isn't it amazing how he can go from being fun and energetic to serious and brave?" Clara asked Penelope.

"That's what I adore about him," Penelope said, "His brave spirit and bubbly personality is what makes him special." She began throwing spears at the soldiers, aiding Emile in taking them out. Not long after taking out a few, a boy in pink jumped in front of Penelope. Standing next to him was a little pink slime creature that Penelope assumed was an Akumu.

"Well well, Akumu," he said menacingly, "Look what we have here? A little girl. Her SOUL will make a fine addition to our collection, don't you think?"

"Betty!" Penelope shouted with surprise, "You're already here?! Well, in that case, I'll take you down!" She began to throw several spears at Betty, but he kept dodging every single one of them. Then, his Akumu formed into a spear and he threw it at Penelope's chest. But before it could hit her, Clara got in the way and took the hit. Tears ran down Penelope's face as she saw her best friend's SOUL attached to the end of the spear.

"Go take care of the rest," she said, "I'll miss you." She then turned to dust and the Akumu ate her SOUL. Penelope fell to the ground as her colors began to drain away. The orange brightness she had began to fade into a light gray tone along with her SOUL of Bravery. Emile looked over and saw her on her hands and knees as Betty was about to take her life. He used his SOUL of Bravery to transform himself into his stronger self. He ran over to the Bête Noire and used everything he had to take it out as Penelope slowly passed out.

...

(Present Day)

"The next thing I remember is being found by Envy and being took in and raised as a SOUL of Fear," Penelope explained, "Darkmoon gave me the SOUL trait and made me a member of the Seven Deadly SOULs. I'm terribly sorry for the way I have treated you all for the past 100 years. I wish I could be Bravery again, but the spell Darkmoon gave me is sadly permanent. I wanted to change, which is why I wanted Willow dead, because as long as she is alive, Darkmoon's plan will succeed even when he has fallen." Blue walked up to Penelope and put her hand on her shoulder.

"No one said your destiny is bound to your SOUL Trait," she told her, "I know that you can be good, you just gotta try a little harder."

"Thanks," Penelope said, "Now. I suppose I should reveal what SOUL Trait Willow has."

"What is my trait?" Willow asked.

"It's..." Before Penelope could answer, light blue strings grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Help!" she shouted. Alerted by this, the others stood up and tried to follow her, but were stopped when a boy dressed in teal walked out. Rosie gasped when she saw him.

"Hesitance!" she said, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just taking back a traitor of ours," he replied, "Now, get out of here before I make you forget all of this."

... to be continued.