“Zee,” Mariposa whispered. “You have to be very quiet.”
Just then, Boris nose-dived toward the princess, knocking her over the ledge.
“Ahh!” cried Catania.
Sylvie plunged to catch her, but Boris attacked again, this time aiming his razor-sharp talons right at Sylvie’s wings.
“Sylvie!” Catania cried as her beloved Pegasus neighed in pain.
Sylvie landed roughly on a nearby spire, Catania still on her back.
Mariposa, Zee, and Anu raced to Sylvie’s side and prepared to defend her against Boris’s next attack.
The bat dove at them again, but this time Anu and Zee pelted him with fruit from the roof garden. Zing! Zap! Squish!
Following their lead, Mariposa grabbed a giant fruit bowl. As Boris plummeted toward them once again, she slammed the bowl down on top of him, trapping him underneath. Whump!
Mariposa wiped her brow and took a deep breath. “Are you all right?” she asked Catania.
“I am,” the princess replied, shaken. “But Sylvie’s wing is hurt.” She jumped off the Pegasus’s back to inspect her injury.
Sylvie neighed softly and nuzzled Catania.
“She’ll be okay. She just can’t fly,” the princess declared.
They heard a low evil laugh and looked into the sky. Gwyllion was racing toward the Heartstone with Boris right behind her!
“Oh, no!” Mariposa cried. The evil bat must have escaped while they were checking on Sylvie.
“For your selfishness, I will leave you with nothing!” Gwyllion’s voice rang out.
Without hesitating, Mariposa rose into the air and dashed after Gwyllion. They had to save the Heartstone! She looked behind her to see Catania still on the rooftop. “Come fly with me!” she said.
But Catania looked terrified. “I can’t. I don’t fly … and it’s Gwyllion.…”
Mariposa flew down to her friend and looked her in the eyes. “You can do this, Catania. Be brave.”
The princess shook her head. “I’m not brave. I’m scared. I can’t.”
Mariposa frowned. If only she could make Catania understand that she could do anything she put her mind to. But there was no time. “Stay here,” she commanded, and took off toward the Heartstone.
Zee raced to follow Mariposa but stopped in her tracks. She gestured to Anu. You coming?
Anu looked questioningly at Catania.
The princess waved him away. “Of course. Go. Thank you,” she told him.
The two puffballs joined hands and hurried after Mariposa.
Catania buried her face in her hands.
Moments later, Gwyllion closed her eyes and aimed her staff toward the Heartstone. She focused all her attention on it, willing her spell to work on such a large Crystallite.
“I can feel it,” she murmured to Boris. “Not too much longer.”
Just then, Mariposa rushed toward the Heartstone. “Gwyllion! Stop!”
Ahhh! Anu and Zee screamed to throw off the old crone’s concentration. Gwyllion roared in frustration.
“Boris! Get her!” she commanded, pointing to Mariposa.
As Boris dove toward Mariposa, Zee and Anu lunged for Gwyllion’s staff.
But Boris circled back around and chased them away. “Nice try, puffballs!” Then he plunged toward them. “Yum, dinner!”
The puffballs glided higher into the air, locked in a high-stakes game of chase with the evil bat.
Meanwhile, Gwyllion was concentrating all of her energy on the Heartstone once again. She pounded her staff on the ground twice. Boom! Boom!
Mariposa hid behind a nearby spire. She waited until Gwyllion was totally focused on her spell. Ready … set … go time! She lunged toward the evil woman, reaching for the staff.
But Gwyllion must have sensed the attack. At the last second, she spun around and shot a blast of powerful magic right at Mariposa.
“Ahhhhh!” Mariposa wailed as the green magic surrounded her. She landed hard on the rooftop, frozen stiff.
At the same time, Boris dive-bombed Anu and Zee, sending them into Mariposa’s green cloud. They turned into Puffball Popsicles!
Gwyllion laughed with delight. She focused on the Heartstone, which was starting to flicker. “It’s happening! It’s happening!” She tightened her grip on her staff, and the mighty Crystallite flickered again.
Mariposa struggled against the evil woman’s spell, but she was no match for Gwyllion’s magic. Mariposa watched helplessly as the very heart of Shimmervale burnt out right before her eyes.
Suddenly, Catania flew out of the shadows! “Nooo!” she screamed, diving right toward Gwyllion.
Mariposa turned to see Catania soaring toward them. She’s flying! Mariposa thought excitedly. Mariposa’s heart soared. “Catania!” she shouted.
Catania slammed into Gwyllion, knocking her off her feet. As she fell, Gwyllion lost her grip on her staff. It tumbled out of the sky in one direction as Gwyllion spun in the other.
“Noooooo! Boris! Help me!” she screamed. A moment later, she hit the ground—hard. She moaned as her staff landed next to her, breaking into two pieces.
At the very moment the staff broke, Mariposa felt Gwyllion’s magic release its hold on her. She could move again! She scrambled to her feet and raced toward Catania. “You made it!” she cried happily.
“Not fast enough,” Catania countered. “It’s too late. Look.” She pointed toward the Heartstone.
A hideous black stain of evil magic seeped across the front of the stone, pulsing bigger and bigger. Mariposa shuddered. It wouldn’t be long before the Heartstone was extinguished completely.
Catania was near tears. “It’s so cold,” the princess said, her voice trembling as the Heartstone began to shudder and shake.
Mariposa looked toward the horizon, where the sun had slipped behind a last cloud. She shivered. It was so dark and so cold without the warmth and glow of the Heartstone. What would the Crystal Fairies do now?
Just then, Mariposa noticed something glowing beneath the fabric of Catania’s skirt. “Catania, look!” she cried.
Catania glanced down and gasped. “Oh! The Flutter Flower!” She pulled the flower out of her pocket and held it up. Then she saw her Crystallite necklace start to glow.
Mariposa cocked her head in thought. “I wonder…,” she started. She told Catania to hold the flower close to the Heartstone. The girls waited a minute, feeling hopeful. But nothing happened. “I thought maybe …” Mariposa’s voice trailed away in disappointment.
Then she noticed a flicker inside the Heartstone. “Wait! Keep holding it close to the Heartstone!” she cried, putting her hand on top of Catania’s. Together, they held the flower toward the stone. “It’s working!”
Zee and Anu were now unfrozen, too. They jumped up and down excitedly.
The girls smiled, and the glow of the Heartstone grew and grew. The Crystallite pulsed with energy until it almost exploded with a surge of bright, colorful light.
Mariposa shielded her eyes as the burst of energy seemed to light up all of Shimmervale. The sheer force of the energy pushed Mariposa and Catania back. Dazzled by the spectacle, the two friends watched as every color in the rainbow darted under and around them. The colors even began to change their wings! Both fairies’ wings became larger and more colorful, glistening with twinkling, blinking crystals.
“Your wings!” Mariposa exclaimed.
“Your wings!” Catania replied, grinning.
In a flash, the colorful explosion disappeared, leaving the Heartstone glowing just as it had before Gwyllion arrived.
The girls looked out over Shimmervale and smiled as Crystallites all over the city flickered back to life.
Zee and Anu rushed up and admired the girls’ new wings. Ooh! Ahh!
Catania reached into her pocket and handed the friendship necklace back to Mariposa. Mariposa was thrilled to have it back. Things were looking brighter already!
Mariposa, Catania, Sylvie, Zee, and Anu flew down
from the palace rooftops together. Catania looked around for the king, who came racing out of the palace to greet her.
“Father!” she cried, gliding toward him.
“Catania! You’re flying!” exclaimed the king.
The two hugged each other, and then the king held Catania at arm’s length.
“Your wings.… They’re beautiful!”
Catania twirled. “Thank you.”
“I’m so, so proud of you. And you, Mariposa,” the king said. “I owe you an apology. I misjudged you. I was wrong.”
Mariposa smiled warmly. But before she could answer, they heard a voice nearby.
“Mistress, c’mon, get up, eh?” pleaded Boris. “We still got a chance, you can do this!”
The group rounded the corner to find Gwyllion still lying on the ground.
She stirred, coming to. “Where’s my staff?”
The king balled his fists, struggling to contain his rage. “It’s gone, Gwyllion. Just like you’ll be when I’m done with you. Any last words?”
Catania put her hand on her father’s arm. “Father, no. You mustn’t harm her.”
“What?” the king responded.
“Remember why all this happened,” Catania him. “Gwyllion asked us for one Crystallite. One. And we have so many, but we said no.”
“And that gives her the right to destroy us?” the king asked, growing angry.
“No, not at all. But destroying her isn’t right, either,” Catania reasoned.
The king sighed, resigned. “What do you suggest we do?”
“What we should have done in the first place,” Catania replied. She knelt down next to Gwyllion. She took off her own Crystallite necklace and held it out to the old woman.
Zee looked questioningly at Mariposa. What is she doing?
“She’s being a friend,” Mariposa replied softly. “And maybe making one, too.”
Catania spoke to Gwyllion. “I’m giving you your freedom, and a chance to start over. I know that’s not always easy … so maybe this will help.” She fastened the necklace around the old woman’s neck.
Gwyllion looked shocked. “You … you’re giving me a gift? After everything I did?”
Catania nodded. “I’m righting a wrong.”
“I … I don’t know what to say,” Gwyllion stammered. She held the Crystallite charm in her hand, and as she did, a swirl of rainbow magic seeped out and wafted over her. She stood, mystified, as the lines on her face smoothed, her white hair turned brunette, and she became younger and healthier. “Thank you,” she said, choked up with emotion. “I hope I can live up to your faith in me.”
Gwyllion put an arm around Boris. “Come, my pet. We have much to think about.” She bowed to the king and princess and took off into the sky, Boris flapping behind her.
The king turned to Catania. “You may be a child,” he said solemnly, “but in some ways you’re wiser than I’ll ever be.”
Catania blushed and hugged him. “Thank you, Father.”
Mariposa heard a sudden sniffling and turned to find Zee and Anu hugging and crying into each other’s shoulders. She laughed. It looked like everyone was feeling a little choked up by the day’s events!
The king faced Mariposa. “I’d like to repay your kindness,” he declared.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she said. Good deeds didn’t need to be repaid, Mariposa knew. But she did have an idea. “Hmm, there is one thing you can do for me,” she told him with a twinkle in her eye.
A few days later, back in Flutterfield, Anu and Zee entered the ballroom with their arms linked. Zee grabbed a flower from a nearby table and put it between her teeth. As the music swelled, they began to tango.
Across the ballroom, Carlos introduced King Regellius to his mother. “Mother, this is King Regellius of Shimmervale. King Regellius, my mother, Queen Marabella of Flutterfield.”
The king bowed deeply. “Your Majesty,” he said. Then, remembering what Mariposa had told him about greetings in Flutterfield, he said, “I mean, ‘Hey!’ ”
Queen Marabella arched an eyebrow, confused. “Hey?”
Satisfied, Carlos flew off.
“May I have this dance?” the king asked.
“You’re not concerned about my fire breath?” Queen Marabella asked playfully.
King Regellius blushed. “Your Majesty, I am ashamed that I ever thought—”
The queen waved off his apology. “Our myths about you were just as silly. But it’s all in the past now. It’s a privilege to have you here!”
“And I wanted to give you this,” the king said, reaching into his robe pocket. “An offering of peace and goodwill.” He handed the queen a shimmering necklace.
“Is that a Crystallite?” the queen asked, marveling at the necklace. “It’s even more beautiful than Mariposa described. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” the king replied. “Now, may I have this dance?”
“Why, yes,” the queen answered, holding out her hand. “I’d love to.”
The king led her onto the dance floor, passing Mariposa, Catania, Carlos, Willa, and Talayla.
“No way!” Willa said, slapping her knee.
“Watch!” Mariposa exclaimed. She folded her wings down and eyed Catania. “Ready?”
“Ready,” Catania replied, folding her wings down, skirt-style.
On the count of three, the girls curtsied and their wings flew up. Sproing!
Everyone broke out laughing, even Sylvie, who sat quietly noshing on a bale of hay behind them. Her wing was wrapped carefully in a rainbow-colored bandage.
“Seriously?” Willa asked. “You knocked the king’s crown off his head with your wing? Whoa!”
“Well, it was an accident!” Mariposa insisted, giggling. It was funny, looking back on it now.
“I’d never seen his face that red,” Catania confirmed.
“I have,” Talayla inserted. “But not since I accidentally put lava sauce in his fluffle muffins. I’ll never live that down!”
“Ew!” Mariposa, Catania, and Willa shouted at the same time.
With all the catching up they’d been doing, Mariposa had almost forgotten the most important question of all. She turned to Willa and Carlos. “How’d everything go at the library? Still standing, I hope?”
Carlos and Willa exchanged a look.
“Are you kidding?” Willa said cheerfully. “It was a breeze. Easy as flutterbutter!”
Just then, a Butterfly Fairy breezed by and recognized Willa. “Hey! There’s that awful tour guide!” she said to her friend.
“Yeah, we want our money back!” the friend agreed.
Willa blushed. “Uh-oh. I … uh … have to … uh … freshen up,” she stammered, making a beeline for the bathroom.
Mariposa raised an eyebrow. But Carlos only winked and gave her a thumbs-up. Then he put his arm around her shoulder and said, “I just wanted to tell you again how impressed I am by everything you accomplished.”
Catania and Talayla exchanged a look, smiling mischievously. They took off toward the snack table, leaving Carlos and Mariposa alone.
“Thank you, Carlos,” Mariposa replied. “I couldn’t have done it without the Flutter Flower.”
“Care to dance?” Carlos asked nervously.
Mariposa grinned. “I’d love to.”
“See? What did I tell you?” Catania whispered to Talayla at the snack table. “Made for each other!”
Willa joined them from the bathroom, having escaped her angry tourists. “What’d I miss?” she asked the girls.
Then they heard someone clearing his throat nearby. They turned to see Lord Gastrous approaching.
“Well,” he said to Catania and Talayla, “I can see clearly that my ideas of Crystal Fairies were far-fetched indeed! You are in no way vicious or vile.”
Catania struggled to hide her smile “Why, thank you, Lord Gastrous.”
Willa and Talayla tried to keep from laughing.
The band swung into high gear, playing a
super-upbeat tune.
“Ohh! I love this song!” Willa exclaimed. She turned to Catania. “Do you dance?”
Catania grinned. “Yes!” she replied.
“Then come on!” Willa cried, and led Catania and Talayla into the dance area.
The girls started dancing next to Carlos and Mariposa, and then Willa zipped back to the snack table. She tugged on Lord Gastrous’s arm. “You want to get your groove on to this song, Lord Gastrous?” she asked.
Lord Gastrous looked flustered. “What? No! I … uh … never …”
But it was no use—Willa dragged him to the dance floor.
After all, it was never too late to try something new.
As Mariposa twirled and laughed with Catania at the dance, she thought about the past week and all she had learned. She had been so used to getting her answers from books that she’d never realized maybe the most important answers came from the heart instead. New friendships and new adventures were right at her fingertips—all it took was a little courage.
Mariposa clutched her own Crystallite necklace and smiled, then continued dancing with her new friend.
Mariposa and the Fairy Princess Junior Novelization (Barbie) Page 6