The leaf-clad pixie stopped on a ledge overlooking a deep valley. Sparkling cerulean streams glistened throughout. Lush emerald grass carpeted this haven. Somehow everything looked brighter in this place. In the center of this gorgeous forest a beautiful tree stood tall and seemed to emit its own radiance. It could be seen even from a distance. The area was not easy to get to.
"Wow! Is this still Neverland? It's beautiful!" Rachel said.
Tinker Bell spun around in a shower of gold dust, making a particularly sweet chime as she did so. Whatever she said must have been said with great pride.
"So what we're needed for is down there." Bryan said.
Tinker Bell nodded.
"Let's go then." Rachel and her brother were about to start climbing down the ledge to the valley when Tinker Bell flittered in Rachel's face to stop her. She made stopping motions and slightly harsher bell noises.
"I have no idea what this fairy's saying." Bryan said dryly. Aparently he wasn't completely sold yet on fairies. That would probably continue until he received confirmation fairies were nothing like mermaids.
Tinker Bell kept making elaborate hand motions and spoke very quickly. The best Rachel could figure, she wanted them to stay put. But asking why wouldn't do any good obviously because they didn't understand twinkles. Tinker Bell made one last gesture for the two of them to sit then flew off. Shrugging, Bryan did just that.
"Does that make sense? She takes us all the way over here then leaves?"
"That was probably a 'I'll be back' message." Rachel said.
Indeed it was. A short time later Tinker Bell returned with a small pouch in her hands. She pointed at it and chimed excitedly. Rachel peered at it. It sparkled blue. But all she could do was look at the pixie, waiting for an answer to why this trip and blue sparkles were so important. Tinker Bell fluttered in front of Bryan, gesturing for him to stand up. On is feet, Bryan looked between the pixie and his sister, hoping for one of them to give some kind of clue as to what this was all about.
Tinker Bell smiled and flew in circles around the two. Handful by handful she showered the siblings in the sparkling blue dust. At first nothing happened. The dust shower was just pretty. Then suddenly the world began to look different. A split second later everything got really big. Very surprised Rachel and Bryan looked around. They had shrunk!
"It worked!" A joyous voice above them cried. "I can't believe it! It really worked!"
Rachel looked up. Tinker Bell flew down to them. She could be understood now.
"You can talk. But what happened? What did you do? Why are we so small?"
"I used blue pixie dust to make you small. And I'm so glad it actually worked. I don't think anyone has used the blue pixie dust for making humans shrink before." Tinker Bell said. "I'm glad you can understand me now. Big people can't hear pixies talking." She giggled.
"Yeah that's nice." Bryan said, none too thrilled with being suddenly four inches tall. "But mind telling us why you shrunk us?"
"Yeah, sorry about that." Tinker Bell said. "I know it must be a surprise but I reeeeeealy need your help. I would have told you ahead of time but, like I said, big people can't understand pixies.
Let me explain. This is Pixie Hollow, my home. I've been watching you fight those nasty creatures. I haven't seen things like that in forever but they didn't come as far as Pixie Hollow before. It seems you two are the only ones who can fight them. And they've made their way here too. Even our fairy magic has limited effects on those things. I need your help to keep my home and friends safe. Worse still, those things have been meddling with the Pixie Dust tree. If the tree is damaged, no more magical pixie dust will flow and no fairy will be able to fly ever again."
"Wow." Rachel said. That was a lot to take in. "That's some of the best nutshell-ing I've ever heard."
Tinker Bell smiled, hopeful. "So you'll help us, right?"
"Of course." Rachel said. "Right?" She looked to her brother.
"Well we're already here." Bryan answered. "And if there's Heartless then it's our job to help out."
"Horray!" Tinker Bell did several flips in midair.
"But we're not the only ones who can fight Heartless." Bryan said. "Peter Pan can fight them too. He lives here so why didn't you ask him first?"
Tinker Bell stiffened and went a strange shade of red. "I'm never talking to Peter again." She said with an unpleasant growl. And Rachel was sure she heard an odd twinge of jealousy in her tone. But when she inquired about it, Tinker Bell avoided the question.
"There's just one other problem, Tinker Bell…" Bryan began.
"Oh please, call me Tink." She said, her mood changing as quickly as the topic.
"Ok, Tink. How are we supposed to get all the way over there now that we're so tiny? That will take all day."
"Oh…um. Well, I couldn't have you go there normal-sized. Humans aren't allowed at Pixie Hollow. Even the Lost Boys don't know where this is and they live in Neverland!"
"So we shouldn't even be here?" Bryan raised an eyebrow.
"Well, um, technically? No. But Pixie Hollow needs help. I'm sure queen Clarion will understand if she finds out. But just in case, we'd better keep your being here a secret. Except to my other pixie friends of course."
"Ok, fine, but how are we-"
"We get to meet other fairies!?" Rachel interrupted, excited.
Tink nodded. "We'll need to get you into some sort of disguise though. Those clothes aren't exactly what a pixie would wear and you'll need to keep a low profile."
"But what about flying? Don't you think someone will notice two new 'fairies' that have no wings? Unless," Rachel said hopeful, "Is there a way your blue dust can make that happen?" Become a mermaid princess, check. Become a magical fairy, check? Now all she needed was a pet unicorn.
"Sadly, no." Tink said. "I don't think there is such magic that can give a human fairy wings. But," She added with a sly grin. "Pixie dust can make anything fly."
Rachel just about came unglued when she heard that.
"What are we waiting for!" She said in an excited, squeaky voice. "Let's do it! Let's do it!"
Tinker Bell smiled brightly. She flitted her wings and her sparkles shined brighter. "All you have to do is believe and hold on to a happy thought."
She flew in tight circles around the keyblade wielders. As the glittering dust landed on them Rachel and her brother the two began to gently float. Rachel's smile was nearly as bright as the pixie dust. After taking a few minutes to get the hang of flying, even Bryan couldn't help but smile at this amazing new gift. Once they were ready, Tinker Bell led the pair to her home in the trench where the Tinker Fairies lived. In her house Tink had planned ahead and brought a pile of assorted clothes. After getting dressed into more fairy-acceptable attire, Tink helped each of them pin on pretty petals to their clothes to look like wings. If anyone were to ask, Rachel and Bryan were to say they were fairies from the Mainland. That was why their wings were different and they had the keyblades. But with any luck only Tink's closest friends would be the ones any of them would have the most contact with.
"Ok, looks like the coast is clear." Tinker Bell looked outside her door to make sure there weren't many other fairies around. "Follow me."
Rachel found it hard to follow Tinker Bell because there were so many things to look at. Fairies sat at different stations crafting trinkets out of all sorts of natural items. Acorn caps became lids for teapots. Tiny stones were tied to sticks to make hammers. Rachel desperately wanted a closer look but there were Heartless to take care of first. The fairies seemed to be on edge as they worked. And there were some patrolling the area with hammers or cockleburs at the ends of sticks like maces. Apparently the Heartless were a problem regardless of location.
"C'mon c'mon c'mon!" Tink urged. "Almost there." She dove behind a thick patch of flowers. Rachel and Bryan followed.
"So what are we hiding from?" But the question barely slipped off Bryan's lips before realizing he'd asked the wrong question.
Tink stood amongst a small group of fairies. Some looked nervous. Others, hopeful.
"Ok everyone! These are the ones I told you about. This is Rachel, and her brother Bryan. They can make those scary shadow monsters disappear."
Instantly the heroes were swarmed by the fairy friends and heard all their stories of how they were Pixie Hollow's last hope.
For pixies, each one of them had a certain talent. Animal fairies like Fawn taught baby birds to fly and gathered food for creatures coming out of hibernation. Light fairies like Iridessa lit up fireflies and made rainbows. Very few of the fairy talents had even the slightest effect on the Heartless. Animal fairies could barely keep the creatures and insects under control. Everything was so scared of the Heartless. Flowers refused to open out of fear. Not even the Garden fairies could coax them open. Wind fairies could blow them away for a while but didn't do any real damage. Same with Water fairies. Blasts of water deterred them but not for long. The only ones who had the most effect were the Light fairies. But even though light kept the darkness at bay, darkness thrives in the shadows of the light.
"So where do you want us to go first and how do we get there?" Bryan asked after each of them had a turn to introduce themselves and share their grievances.
"We need to clear out the forest first." The fairy with a very long ponytail named Fawn said. "The little animals are just terrified."
"No, no, sweet pea. The meadows need attention first." Rosetta said, nervously fiddling between a lock of her red hair and the edges of her rosy skirt. "If we can't get things to grow how will we prepare to change winter into spring on the mainland?"
"What abou' us down in Tinkers Nook?" A skinny fairy with wild hair and big-eyed goggles said. His name was Bauble.
"Tha's righ'. Those creatures are making a righ' mess out of our workshops. We can't get any work done to help anyone." A big fairy named Clank agreed.
"Couldn't you two split up and cover twice as much to get the job done faster?" A fairy in a blue dress named Silvermist suggested.
"I don't think that's the best approach." Bryan said, unsure.
Rachel nodded. The two of them always fought side by side. They were under the impression that because their keyblades were actually one key split in two it may lose some of its power if taken away from its other half. They had not yet tested that theory and now didn't seem the appropriate time. Especially if that's exactly what would happen. IF this was as bad a crisis as the pixies were making it out to be now was not the time to be running on half power. And anyway, both of them played off each other in battle. They didn't need to get thrown off by going solo after being so used to fighting with a partner.
A sharp whistle halted the squabbling over what place needed the most attention. A boy fairy with short blonde hair and an acorn cap as a hat had broken up the bickering.
"Don't you think the Pixie Dust Tree should be our first and only priority?" He said sharply. "Everyone is scared and on edge but no fairy of any talent is more important than the others. I've seen a lot of those things getting closer and closer to the Tree by the day. If the Tree is what they're after, do I need to remind you all what is going to happen if they harm it?"
The other fairies nodded in agreement or shuffled their feet, guilty for being selfish.
"Terrance is right." Tink said. "We have to get them to the tree."
A dark-skinned fairy in a yellow dress groaned nervously and kept twitching about. "Ohhh, I know it's important but…"
"Seriously, Iridessa?" The fairy called Vidia said crossly. "We're in a crisis situation. What could be so important?"
"Well, it's just that, um. You see, the closer we get to the Tree, that's where Queen Clarion lives, right? IF she sees them she'll be able to tell their wings aren't real. Right? Then she'll know they're not real fairies. And she'll know they must be humans. But humans aren't tiny. So then she'll know someone must have stolen the blue pixie dust to make a human small. And that's a reeeeealy big no no. This would have to go smoother than paint on a lady bug shell for her not to get mad."
"Come on, Iridessa!" Tink said. "Look at the bigger picture here."
But Terrance shifted, uneasy. Come to find out he was a Dust Keeper fairy and had the best access to the blue dust. Blue dust was very rare and valuable to the Pixie Dust Tree and was not allowed to be used for anything else. If this didn't work out as well as hoped, it was his neck on the line for stealing the blue dust. It wouldn't matter if it had been Tinker Bells idea or not.
"Alright then," Rachel said. "We'll go to this tree. Is there anything else we need to know?"
"Well," Vidia said thoughtfully. "I've noticed there's a bit of a pattern to the shadow monsters movements. Being a fast flying fairy I'm in the air a lot because of all my important jobs."
"Oh honestly, Vidia." Rosetta said, hands on hips. "Stop fluffin' up your ego and just tell them."
Vidia rolled her eyes. "Fine. At first the things showed up in large numbers in different regions of Pixie Hollow, going in like a badly shaped spiral, all circling the Pixie Dust Tree."
"Now that I think about it," Terrance said thoughtfully. "It might have been just my imagination but those creatures seemed to be looking for something around the tree."
"Looking for something?" Bryan repeated, eyebrows raised.
Terrance nodded.
Rachel looked at her brother. If that were true, could that 'something' be the Keyhole? If the Pixie Dust Tree were that important and had that much magic, it would make sense that focal point of power would be the location of the Keyhole.
"So how do we get there? What is the least exposed way?" Bryan asked. Like his sister, he suspected they would find the Keyhole at the Tree.
"We could go back to Tinkers Nook and hye dem in a basket or a wag'n an' sneak 'em there." Clank said.
"That's a great idea." Silvermist said.
"Or they could hide in a cluster of flowers. We could say we're making the council room look pretty." Rosetta suggested.
"That could work too." Silvermist agreed.
"Maybe I could create a huge gust of wind that could push us there really fast before anyone notices their wings aren't real." Vidia said thoughtfully.
"That's an even better idea." Silvermist agreed again.
"Sil!" Fawn scolded.
"What? They were all really good ideas."
"Stop being such a flip-flopper. And good ideas are not helpful if we can't decide."
"Forget it!" Rachel said. "We'll just start walking slash flying. Bryan and I will stay low and take care of any Heartless that show up. The rest of you will stay close to keep us clear of too many other fairies."
"And those of you whose powers have even the slightest effect on the Heartless stay even closer." Bryan added. They still had a ways to go and would need all their strength if they were going to jump into the heart of a swarm. No doubt if the Heartless could sense they were getting close to the Keyhole, they would very likely be stronger. And if they were as tough or tougher than that Devil Ray thing from the day before they'd need all the help they could get.
"But what if-" Iridessa began.
"We'll cross bridges when we get to them." Rachel said, cutting her off.
They'd spent enough time talking. Rachel found it strange the aura of hesitation around several of the fairies even though this was an important task. Besides, flying was fun! Less talk more action.
Vidia, Tinker Bell, Terrance and Bauble flew the highest, staying in a protective square around everyone. They would be the ones to alert of any far off danger. Rachel and Bryan flew among the others much lower to the ground. If anyone were to see them, they would just look like a group of friends all going somewhere together.
There was a stream that passed right by the Pixie dust tree. It created a natural path that beat trudging or weaving through a jungle of grass. Suddenly something large and black leapt from the water, catching Fawn by the foot. Fawn screamed as it brought her down. Instantly everyone was in a panic.
"Somebody pull her out!"
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!"
"Let her go you ugly thing!"
The Heartless looked like a skeletal catfish with blank eyes and a huge mouth. It floated at the surface with Fawns foot still in its mouth, but it wasn't doing anything. Even though Fawn was thrashing in the water trying to free herself and swim away the Heartless did nothing. Perhaps this one was a bit dim and didn't know what it was supposed to do with a captured heart.
Bryan swooped down and bashed the fish hard on the head. It grunted and flicked its whiskers upwards to see what hit it. He slashed again and again but the Heartless didn't seem to feel it. Hitting the back of its head felt like smashing a brick wall (and was just about as productive). The bashing did make it open its mouth just enough for Fawn to jerk her foot loose. Finally realizing it once had a catch and now didn't the Heartless began to submerge as if nothing had happen.
"Oh no you don't!" Rachel yelled at it, making a sharp dive.
"Wait! Don't'!" Bauble yelled. "You'll never make that dive!"
"Fairies can't fly with wet wings!" Clank finished.
"My wings aren't even real!"
"Oh, righ'. Be careful! Pixie dust might wash off!" Clank said.
"Silvermist!" Bryan called to her. These fairies certainly did talk a lot. "Shoot this thing out of the water!"
"Oh? Right! I'm on it." Silvermist dove to the water then came out of the dive last second, throwing her arms out in front of her. Like a small geyser a pillar of water jetted up, pushing the Heartless with it. The dopy Heartless flopped on top of the spout, unable to wriggle off.
Rachel flew on the other side of the Heartless from her brother. She looked directly at him, held her Keyblade out and the orb crackled with yellow light. Bryan nodded, understanding the silent suggestion.
"Ok," He instructed. "Let go."
Silvermist stopped the flow. The water splashed down, leaving the Heartless in midair for a moment. Not wasting any time,
"Thunder!"
Electricity snapped and popped against the drops of water in the air around the Heartless, forming an orb of sparks. The Heartless could barely wriggle or writhe before it vanished in a puff of darkness. Like most intense or panic induced fights, the battle didn't last near as long as it felt. Fawn was all right. Her ankle was red and a little swollen but luckily for her the Heartless wasn't too bright. But with wet wings she couldn't fly.
Not wanting to leave her behind unable to get away should a Heartless show up, Rachel and Bryan proceeded following the river on foot. The rest of the fairies stayed in their watch cloud above except for Rosetta and Tink who stayed close to Fawn.
Similar battles happened sporadically on the trek to the Tree. Sometimes a large single Heartless and others hoards of Shadows and Darter Imps. Thankfully in a land of tiny people the Heartless also were matched in size. New Heartless began appearing the nearer to the Tree the assembly got. Some looked like spiny snakes. Others, angry wasps with huge stings on all their limbs. Some looked like flora that favored long range attacks and took a lot of energy chasing down. As expected, the opponents became stronger and more numerous the closer they got. But this only confirmed their suspicions. If the Heartless were around like this, that could only mean they must be near their quarry. And that couldn't happen.
The fairies helped out whenever they could, even if 'helping' meant throwing acorns or berries giving the Heartless something else to look at. Vidia enjoyed putting her talent to use when on multiple occasions helped Rachel and Bryan scoop up Heartless in whirling mini-tornadoes, making them much easier to zap with magic. One battle, the three of them swooped up the Heartless in a tight cyclone and Iridessa pushed an intense sunbeam right over top of them. The creatures of darkness didn't last more than a few seconds under the pure light.