[Hugo Prosperio]

This chapter is minor on the Process (but there is some more Fairy TF going on) and more about setting the stage for the final chapters.

Chapter Seven: Magistrate Mabia’s Madness

Beth’s eyes opened slowly. Inside she had hoped she’d open them and see her own bed, and have dreamt the whole night before, but, sadly she had not. She had been shrunk by fairy, and then kidnapped by another. She looked around and saw that she was in a cage.

“Great” she said sitting down, Indian style, in the middle of her prison.

“You’re awake!” said a voice from the distance. It was a male voice, and it sounded kind, but at this point, Beth didn’t know who to trust.

A strong looking man stepped into the frame and he smiled. He bent down a little bit to peer inside.

“My, you are tiny, aren’t you.” He said. Beth looked herself over, and peered at the male fairy in front of her…it would seem that since she passed out in the jar, she had gotten even smaller…not by a whole lot, but at this size, it felt huge.

“Yes. Very astute observation!” Beth said coldly. . The man smiled.

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t hurt you, I’m your guard. I have to make sure no one gets to you. My name is Da’av” he said.

“Bethany” She replied, still unsure. “Why am I here? Where is here?” she asked

“This is the great Fairy colony of Meridos…but I am not sure why you are here. I only know not to take my sights of of you, or to let anyone see you. Only the High Magistrate and Siri even know you are here…and me, of course.”

Beth saw the kindness in his eyes, and warmed up to this giant man quickly. He truyly meant her no harm, but her calmness was shattered when a much colder voice rang through the room.

“Da’av. Cover the cage, and take it to the throne room” she said, whomever she was.

“Yes, Mistress Siri” he said. He then turned to her and frowned. “I gotta cover the cage for a bit. It might get a bit bumpy, so just hold on. “

Her world was plunged into darkness as the black cover was draped over the cold metal bars. She then felt the cage being lifted off the ground. She yelped, as this was by far the scariest thing that had ever happened to her. She only prayed that he wouldn’t drop the cage.

-----

“It’s my fault” Jadaris said. “I should have come to get the drinks…I am the host.”

Caitlin shook her head “No, I am the one to blame, this whole party was my idea. If I hadn’t invited them, It would be me, and not her…at least I’m somewhat used to being small. She must be terrified.”

“You guys, this isn’t your fault” Jenna said, hovering above them. “Whomever this High Magistrate is, she was planning this. She wanted a human. It could have been Caitlin, It could have been me, but there is no doubt, she would have taken one of us no matter what.”

“I must go speak with the Magistrate…maybe I can reason with her, make her let Beth go.” Jadaris said.

“We’re coming with you” Caitlin said firmly. Jadaris tried to say no with her eyes, but she couldn’t even do that.

“It’s dangerous. They don’t allow non-fairies anywhere near the tree…” the pixie stated.

Jenna floated down and leaned in…

“But what if there were no non-fairies.” She said with two proud flaps of her new wings.

“Jenna that’s brilliant! Jadaris…” Caitlin said “Make me a Fairy too, and together we can save Beth!”

“Well…it’s worth a shot.” Jadaris said. “Jenna, go get my pouch, will you.” She added.

Jenna landed and walked over to the table where Jadaris had left the dust, and grabbed it.

“Here you go” Jenna said as she handed it to the other pixie.

“Brace yourself, Caitlin. It feels really weird” Jenna added as Jadaris made the powder circle Caitlin and a tingle unlike anything she’d ever felt suddenly ran through her. She was so entranced by it, she didn’t notice herself glowning, yellow, like Jenna had before.

Caitlin felt something odd, as he hair shot up into her head, forming into a spikey punk look, far different from her normal hair style. It also became blue in color as it styled itself.

“That’s neat…” Jadaris said, seemingly impressed with her own magic.

“Wow” Caitlin said looking in the nearby mirror.

Then she felt her ears starting to stretch as they formed themselves into the cute pointy look that Jadaris and Jenna both sported. As they finished, Caitlin reached her hands up to touch them and saw that her nails were now as blue as her hair.

Then came the wings, which was the strangest sensation Caitlin had ever felt. As with Jenna it looked incredibly painful, but wasn’t, in fact it was quite pleasant. They new boney shapes from her back started to grow the thin skin that made up the wings, and soon she was finished.

“Perfect!” Jadaris said as she looked over her new fairy friend.

“Now what?” Caitlin said, recalling Jadaris’ statement about “thinking happy thoughts” to fly. She started to hover, and Jenna and Jadaris soon joined.

“The High Magistrate is not an easy person to deal with, I want to warn you.” Jadaris said.

“Well, I am gonna give her something to deal with when I see her…” Caitlin said, flapping her new wings even harder.

“In due time. First…let me explain a few things…

-----

Harsh light filled the cage as the cover was removed. Beth looked up to see a new giant face staring in at her, an older woman, with purple hair. She smiled curtly at Beth and then circled the cage.

“Hello there, little one.” She said. “I am Mabia, High Magistrate of this Colony. You are?”

Beth looked up and simply stated “Bethany Gainsborough”

“Well, Ms. Gainsborough, do you know why you are here?”

“My idiot roommate” Beth joked.

“I am not sure what you mean by that, but now is not the time for humor, human” the Magistrate hissed.

“Look, all I know is my roommate became friends with a pixie, who invited us over for a sleepover, and I got shrunk, and well, here I am now, tiny, and in a cage.” Beth sighed.

“Ah, well, you see, Human contact is forbidden…usually. I allowed that foolish girt out into your world for one reason, to lead me to a human. I knew she’d do it eventually, and here you are. You see, I wish to understand humans, but not because I want to get along with them, like, say Jadaris. No, I wish to understand them, so I may know what they fear, what brings them sadness, what causes them pain.”

Beth’s eyes started to widen.

“You are my first human. You will tell me everything, Bethany Gainsborough…even if you don’t want to.”

“You have no right! I have a life, I have friends, a family, school…You can’t just keep me like…like a pet.” Beth said, now on her feet.

“Pet? You misunderstand me. You are not a pet, Bethany, no, you are a test subject…and when my use for you is wasted, I shall dispose of you as such. You have no rights. You are meaningless, and at your size, you can’t do anything about it…” Mabia mused, a smirk spreading across her face.

“Da’av!” she then shouted. The big guard from before walked in, and Beth saw him lumber over to the Magistrate, bow, and then stand at attention.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” he asked.

“Take the human away until I call for her. I cannot stand the smell.” She said as she gave a derisive laugh from behind her teeth.

Beth merely raised her right hand up, and only her middle finger was extended.

-----

“She what?” Jenna asked.

“She wishes to study humans, she wants to learn their weaknesses. She wants to rid the world of them I believe…My father had this notion as well, but we could never prove it. She asked me to kidnap humans for her research. I refused, and was banished.”

“I thought you said you were here to study?” Caitlin said

“I am…but I was also told never to return to the colony, unless I brought a human back for the High Magistrate. She must have enlisted my old school rival to spy on me, and then…take Beth when we weren’t looking. Poor Beth.”

“It’s going to be alright. We are gonna save her, right, Caitlin?” Jenna said.

“Right!” Caitlin responded. The three of them flew out into the open bedroom, and there waiting for them was Alfred.

“Ah, You’ve all joined the club” he says to Jenna and Caitlin. “Where is your charming little friend?” he asked.

Jadaris quickly explained to him about Beth’s kidnapping, and he simply nodded.

“Don’t forget your bag of tricks, Ms. Jadaris.” He suggests…Jadaris gasps, flies down under the bed, and then back out again, with the little box she had showed Caitlin. She waved her hands over it, and it turned into a purse like bag. She then dropped the pouch of dust she had used to change Jenna and Caitlin inside it.

“Ready, Girls?” she asked as she waved her hands to open the window.

“Ready!” Both of the former humans shouted, and all three flew out of the window and into the distance. Alfred watched until they had flown out of site.

“Godspeed, Girls” he said as he went back to work.

-----

“Are you okay?” asked the giant male fairy known as Da’av. Beth didn’t respond. She just sat staring out into space. Her thoughts dwelled on what Mabia had said to her. She was to be an experiment…disposable and useless. In all her life she’d never dreamed this were possible, but the truth of it laid bare before here, and she could only cry.

“Oh…what’s a matter, little thing?” Da’av asked.

“I…I am not supposed to be like this!” she responded through sobs. “I don’t want to die here.”

“Die?” Da’av gasped. “Who said anything about dying?” he asked.

“The…Magistrate told me I was a test subject, and that when my usefulness was spent, she would dispose of me.” She gasped, trying to compose herself.

The male fairy gasped as well. He staggered back, trying to think. Could the Magistrate be capable of harming this creature?

“The Magistrate…she wouldn’t do that. All Fairies love and respect all of the earth’s creatures.” He said as he ladled some soup, it seemed, into a bowl on the table next to him.

“Look, you don’t have to believe me. I’m tiny, and insignifcant…but I want to see my family again, and…my friends, even if I am going to kill Caitlin for this” she mumbled “I just want to go back to my old life…I am not a little guinea pig…or at least, I’m not supposed to be.”

Da’av waved his hands over the bowl and it shrunk in size, and he then placed it in her cage.

“What is your name, little human?” he asked, the concern in his voice evident.

“Beth.” She said, smiling for the first time since arriving in the Colony.

“Well, Beth, I promise you this. I will not let any harm come to you. No matter what.” He stated. She accepted the bowl of soup, and ate it. It was the best thing she’d ever tasted. She smiled back at the giant again, and happily ate her supper. She may have been trapped, but at least she had someone watching over her.

-----

Caitlin Miller had never seen such sights before in her life. As she, her roommate Jenna, and their newfound friend Jadaris soared over the city, she watched the nightlife from a whole new perspective. She fell behind several times, due to her desire to take in her new surroundings.

“Caitlin! Keep up!” Jenna screamed back as they flew by the tallest building in the city, which looked like a city in itself to Caitlin.

They soon made their way to the border of the city and a small town. The town wasn’t well known, and even Caitlin hadn’t heard of it before, but as they approached they saw why. It was mostly forestland, it seemed.

As they continued to fly, Caitlin saw less and less of human houses, until there were none, just trees.

“We are getting close.” Jadaris said as they started to lower themselves. Soon, in front of Jenna and Caitlin’s eyes a site like nothing they had ever witnessed unfolded. A tree, large and unique stood in the middle of a green grassy glen, but unlike any other tree the girls had ever seen, it was glowing…a faint yellow glow, like the one that had engulfed both girls when they made the transition from tiny human to pixie.

“Oh my god, It’s beautiful!” Jenna gasped.

“Girls, welcome to the Fairy Colony of Meridos” Jadaris said. Normally she’d be overjoyed to be home, but the overbearing sense of forbidng loomed over the tree.

“Hold on tight, this could be a bumpy landing” she warned.