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Once upon a time, there was a kingdom by the name of Phoenix Wonderland. It might sound faraway, but in truth, it rested in a spot quite near you and I, tucked away in our hearts. That’s the sort of place it was, one of heart and happiness.
Or at least that was the sort of place it used to be when it was ruled by a man named Rakunosuke Ootori. He was a most interesting man; he was old, but he had the peculiar curiosity only children carry. He loved to laugh, and so did his people.
But even such a happy place was not exempt from tragedy. Eventually, Rakunosuke passed away and left Phoenix Wonderland to the care of his son and grandsons.
His son and grandsons took their new land very seriously, but that was precisely the problem. They were so serious they forgot to smile, and their people forgot as well.
Luckily, Rakunosuke did not only have a son and grandsons. He had granddaughters too, and one of them was Emu Ootori.
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Emu was not at all like her brothers and father; she shared Rakunosuke’s curiosity and love for dreaming. When she saw Phoenix Wonderland descending into such sadness, she decided she simply had to do something about it!
She set out telling jokes, but they fell flat. She gave out balloons, but they deflated. She juggled, danced, and jumped rope, but nothing seemed to stick . “There must be some way to make everyone smile again,” she said sadly to Phenny, her dragon friend.
It was around this time a hero arrived at Phoenix Wonderland. He was Prince Pegasus of the Tenma family, and he boasted quite the reputation. He announced repeatedly that he had slain the monster in the Robit Village, and soon word spread to even the castle.
Most of the castle was abuzz with curiosity, but Emu was particularly thrilled. The bear-headed guards grudgingly let the young man through the gates at Emu’s request.
“Ootori Family of Phoenix Wonderland!” Pegasus shouted. “I, Prince Pegasus, have come for a quest! I will slay any monster and become the greatest hero!”
In the short time that Pegasus had arrived, Emu had thrown together a quick plan. She burst towards the gates with Phenny at her side, grinning as wickedly as she could. “Wonderhoy, great hero! I am the Overseer of the Evil Dragon, and I have a quest for you!”
To punctuate this, she poked Phenny. Phenny roared obediently, and Emu let out her best evil laugh.
A smug look came over Pegasus’ face. “I see my reputation precedes me! What is your quest, Overseer?”
“To bring a smile to all of Phoenix Wonderland!”
Pegasus stopped looking smug. He looked at Emu, who had her hands on her hips. At Phenny, who sat pawing at the ground. At the guards, who seemed more like babysitters. Then he turned his heel and began to walk away.
“Nooooooooooooooo!” Emu cried, throwing herself at the Prince. “You can’t go! You can’t you can’t you can’t!!”
The Prince struggled in her grasp. “Your ‘quest’ doesn’t make sense! It sounds like a child’s wish!”
At this point, Phenny ambled over, picked up the Prince by the back of his collar, and lifted him into the air. Pegasus shrieked.
“Put me down!!!”
Phenny stretched to full height, lifting the Prince further up. He took a good look at just how high he was—so high up Emu seemed tiny as a mouse! The panic overtook him so mightily he shrieked again and acquiesced. “I’ll help! I’ll help!! Just get your beast to put me down!”
“It’s a dragon!” Emu corrected, but waved up at Phenny. “Please let him down, Phenny!”
Phenny did so. Pegasus would have landed gently, except he flailed once again and hit the ground with a thump . He groaned miserably. “The world…won’t stop spinning…”
To Emu, the world spun wildly with possibilities! She thanked Pegasus enthusiastically, but he only groaned louder in response. Her hug of gratitude would have to wait.
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Of course, coming up with a plan was easier said than done.
“I have defeated many a monster in my travels. Why, that is how I saved the people of Robit Village!” Pegasus boasted. “Are there monsters in Phoenix Wonderland?”
“Umm…not really?”
Pegasus cast an unsubtle look at Phenny. “What of your beast? Did you not say it was evil?”
“Phenny’s not evil! It’s my friend!”
Pegasus sighed. “No beasts, then. Are there maidens trapped in towers?”
“My sister likes to stay in her room sometimes, but I don’t think that counts?”
Pegasus was beginning to grow impatient. “Then what is there to do?” he shouted, and stamped his foot for good measure. “You asked me to help, but you don’t know what to do! How will I be the greatest hero like this?”
Emu became very quiet. Phenny noticed this, but just as it made a move towards Pegasus, a most beautiful song came through the bushes. It was sweet and light, so much so it cleared the air between them. Pegasus in particular looked rather abashed.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I spoke too harshly.”
Not one to hold a grudge, Emu took Pegasus’ hand. “Let’s go look for the voice!”
“What?”
“It stopped us from fighting,” Emu said. “If we find it, I’m sure we’ll find something that can make everyone smile.”
Perhaps Pegasus was feeling apologetic, curious, or both. He let Emu lead him hand-in-hand, and Phenny followed.
They discovered a clearing tucked just beyond the castle gates. There stood a Robit girl with bolts in her limbs. A young alchemist hovered around her, his palms glowing. He put his hands together, and the light vanished.
“You’re all tuned up,” he said. “I suspect you were tired from singing so much.”
Emu could no longer contain herself. “Your singing was perfect!” she cried, and burst into the clearing.
The girl jerked in surprise; the alchemist steadied her. “I see we have visitors,” he said, looking over at the trio. “To whom do we owe the pleasure?”
Introductions were made, and Emu explained their quest. Nene listened quietly. Rui nodded and hummed. Emu finished with an appeal: “You should join us too!”
“But we don’t have ideas yet,” Pegasus butted in.
“I’m sure we could think of something together,” said Rui. “A grand, exciting plan for four people and a dragon…”
“This sounds like a circus,” Nene murmured.
“Circuses are made of hard-working folk!” Pegasus said indignantly. “Do not use their occupation as a term of belittlement!”
“I love circuses! ” Emu chimed in. “Their shows make everyone laugh—”
She stopped. Of course! With a show, you could juggle, dance and jump rope at the same time—and what’s more, Rakunosuke had loved shows! “Why don’t we perform a show ourselves?”
That is the end of our tale, but the story of Emu and her friends has only just begun. They performed many shows, returning just as many smiles to Phoenix Wonderland. They still perform today—just cast your eyes where there is heart and happiness, and you are likely to find them.