Episode 17: "Big Trouble! Everyone in the Fairy World is a Liar!"





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"You probably want to know what I've been up to." says Arc, as he and the Queen eat breakfast together at the palace. (By the way, even though we learn here that his real name is "Aru", I'm going to continue to call him "Arc". (a) I like it better, (b) Yuushi calls him that even after finding out he's a prince and hey, if it's good enough for the main character, it's good enough for me, and (c) Arc is the name of his rogueish "adventurer" persona, whom I like a lot better than the formal prince version.)
Worried mother. The Queen can only look sadly at her son, since he won't tell her anything...
He wants to know about what?! His real father, eh? And hmm, _who_ is it he's been desperately researching all this time...?
Portrait of the old King. Erisel tells him that his father was a great King, but Arc doesn't want to hear any more of it and leaves the table.
Off to the fairy world! Meanwhile, back in her _other_ job, Erisel sends the four girls off on a trip to find the fourth Crystal Flower...and this time, it's in the Fairy World.
Scatterin' my molecules all over creation! Doesn't this effect here just TOTALLY look like they're "beaming out", like from Star Trek...?
Well, at least they landed well this time. They teleported in only a few feet above the ground and landed on their feet, not their heads, with no slamming, bending of body parts into weird positions, or landing on heads. She's getting better at this vortex business..!
The Ellcrys?! Oh, wait, wrong series. As they all gaze up at the enourmous World Tree in wonderment, Erumina explains what its purpose is.
BUT... Something's wrong...
Wow, that thing's huge. And awfully..._red_...
Deep in the forest. Beth leans against the trunk of the World tree, halfway up it, as if sad about something.
Depressed fairy. Whatever it is, Berubel is sad about it too.
FATHER?! Her father is a tree? Well, actually, I can see that, I've _read_ fantasy like that...like, a dryad girl who's Princess of the Forest and her father IS a giant oak, most of the time, and only takes on humanoid form rarely and reluctantly...yep, I've run into that kind of thing before, in fantasy. But that's not quite what's going on here. I'm just saying: It doesn't really weird me out all that much, given the circumstances. I could see it.
Did anybody bother to ask directions? And yet again, the instant they step into a forest, they get lost. :P
What is this, a DISNEY flick?! The sickeningly cute little fairy-tale like woodland creatures hide and watch the visitors.
Hello... A nervous little fairy comes out to greet them.
Can you help us? Yuushi asks the denizens of Fairyland. They're a little TOO eager to help...they give lots of directions. Lots of _different_ directions, that will have them running literally _all over_ Fairyland. Hmmm...
Was it something we said...? Well, it COULD be the fact that Grenda _insulted_ their Princess, maybe... :P
Keepin' tabs on them. Meanwhile, Berubel is keeping a close watch on the visitors.
It's getting worse... Whatever affliction the World Tree has...it seems to be spreading... Beth looks sadly as a dried-out flower crumbles to dust in her hand and blows away on the wind.
The search isn't going too well... Grenda falls down the Rainbow Cliffs or whatever they were called--one of the places they were told to search.
EEEEEEK!!!! And in the Sparkling Caves, they are chased by a huge flock of bats.
That's it... After having looked everywhere they were told to and finding nothing, the group flops, dejectedly, at the roots of a tree.
Not THEM again! Of _course_ Beth is watching them; what, you think she's stupid?
"Actually, NOBODY knows where it is." admits the little fairy they met earlier. The truth is, they were just trying to get rid of the strangers, because they were scared of them.
WHAT?! Needless to say, the party doesn't take this news well.
And Grenda handles her anger in her usual way... Although you might want to watch out for that, Grenda...remember how the fairy got _loose_, last time? (CHOMP!)
Bumper silliness. Beth keeps trying to toss the ball of paper in the wastebasket, and keeps missing...
Cheater! So finally, she cheats by making a wind-spell that blows the paper just where she wants it. "_I_ make the rules."
What, this? Grenda plays innocent when Beth comes out and catches her (Grenda) injuring one of her (Beth's) citizens.
What are you doing here?! Beth wants to know.
Kokoru explains that they're here to get the Crystal Flower. She asks Beth to come along with them, but Beth says that if this flower can help her become the Platina Princess, then she will definitely get it for herself! and disappears in a tornado.
Workin' in a coal mine... After being told, no fooling this time, we really mean it, this IS the truth, honest, that the Crystal Flower is at the highest point of the Fairy World--the top of the World Tree--Grenda immediately decides that it must be at the opposite place--the BOTTOM!--so she sets off mining. (Notice that the Crystal Flowers have a _tendency_ to be at the tallest place...the one in Hell was at the top of Nyago's Huge Castle, the one in Heaven was at the top of the Sacred Temple, etc...)
"I don't know where it is either." admits Beth, as she and Berubel hang out on one of the boughs of the World Tree.
"Here's your chance!" says the little blonde fairy, rushing over to Beth.
Meanwhile, back to our heroines... Erumina struggles hard against the strong winds around the World Tree, but eventually has to give up and just climb like everybody else.
Here we go! The girls prepare to climb the tree (minus Grenda, who's deep underground by now.)
This will make them give up! Evidently only Beth can get to the top of the World Tree, or so Frele (the blonde fairy) thinks, anyway. By telling them to go there, she has gotten them off Beth's back--isn't she happy?
"I don't need help from anyone!" bellows Beth, angrily. (Could be worse...she _could_ just go around saying things like "...." and "Whatever." all the time. (snicker))
Aww, you hurt her feelings! Frele zooms away, crying.
Flashback: Beth makes an impassioned speech about something--we don't know what, as there's no sound--to the inhabitants of Fairyland.
And they walk away. Oh, dear...
Oh, great. That's ALL she needed...a pack of enamoured moles! (Is it just me, or is the fact that moles _would_ be attracted to a humanoid girl in the first place, just a wee bit disturbing?)
"No way." says Grenda, in disgusted disbelief.
"We made it!" They've reached the top of the World Tree!
AAAA! The winds blow poor Kokoru right off the tree!
And to the rescue, it's...BETH?! The Fairy Princess uses her own wind magic to try to draw Kokoru closer to her.
Fight it! Kokoru struggles against the wind to push herself downwards, towards Beth.
"Take my hand!" Beth reaches out to Kokoru.
"Thank goodness!" says Yuushi, relieved that Kokoru has been saved.
The Crystal Flower! It _was_ up here, after all.
It was nothing, really. An embarrassed Beth mutters that it was really her father's wish that she rescue them, it had nothing to do with _her_...(yeah, right. ;))
"Why don't you come back to the Acadmey with us?" Kokoru extends the hand of friendship.
...and gets it slapped away. Ouch...
Kokoru is hurt for a moment, but then she cheers up, when she realises that since Beth _did_ save her, she (Beth) must be a good person, after all.
GET AWAY FROM MEEEEE!! Meanwhile, deep beneath the earth, Grenda STILL hasn't shanken her subterranean suitors.

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