Tinker Bell was in the workshop, feeling sad. She pushed her nut crusher onto the table and sat down with a sigh, drooping her wings. She began to cry softly.
Fairy Mary flitted around, carrying a basket. She flew over to Tink's side when she saw her. "Back so soon?"
"You didn't go?" Tink asked halfheartedly.
"Oh, goodness, no. Far too much work to do down here."
Tink, with drooping wings, lifted her head off the table and rested it in one hand, tapping her fingers on the table. Fairy Mary fluttered past busily.
"Vidia was right," Tink said sadly. "Being a tinker stinks."
Fairy Mary looked over. "Excuse me?"
"It's just," Tink said, "Why don't we get to go to the mainland?"
"The mainland?" Fairy Mary echoed. "Who gives a pile of pebbles about the mainland?"
"But, Fairy Mary, the other fairies get to go," protested Tink.
"Tinker Bell," Fairy Mary replied. "Are you a garden fairy?"
"Well, no..." Tink said.
"Are you a light fairy?" continued Fairy Mary.
"No," answered Tink.
"Animal fairy?" Fairy Mary persisted. "Water fairy, perhaps."
"No, and no," Tink said.
"No, you're not," Fairy Mary said. She lifted Tinker Bell's chin. "You are a tinker. It's who you are! Be proud of it!" Fairy Mary fluttered up and laughed. "The day you can magically make the flowers grow, or catch the rays of the sun or whatnot, then you can go. Until then, your work is here!" She flew out of the workshop.
Tinker Bell's wings were drooping. She turned around and sighed. Then she flopped her head down onto the table. She turned her head to the side and looked around the room, then looked up at her failed inventions. She looked down, then suddenly a thought sprang to her mind. She sat up. "Good idea, Fairy Mary," she said to herself, and flew up, down, and out of the workshop.
It was the next morning, and fairies were fluttering around the Pixie Dust Tree. At the pixie dust well, Terence was handing out pixie dust. Silvermist, Rosetta, Iridessa, and Fawn were in a line.
"Here you go, Silvermist," Terence said, pouring a cup of pixie dust onto her head.
"Thank you, Terence," Silvermist replied. She held her breath as Terence poured the cup. "Oh, I hope Tinker Bell is okay."
"I know, that poor little sapling," Rosetta said as she moved forward in line. She took a brush and dipped it into the cup of pixie dust, applying the pixie dust to her face as if it were makeup. "She looked pretty wilted yesterday." She flew out of line without getting her cup of pixie dust.
"Well, I wouldn't blame her if she stayed in bed all day," Iridessa said as Terence was about to pour a cup of pixie dust on her head. Suddenly, Tink zipped past, making Terence drop the cup of pixie dust.
"Morning, girls!" Tink said cheerfully.
"Tinker Bell?" her friends cried.
"Guess what!" Tink cried. "I've decided I'm not gonna be a tinker fairy anymore!"
"What?!" all four fairies shouted at the same time.
"Well, I was thinking. Why do I have to be a tinker?" Tinker Bell asked. "Just cause some silly hammer glowed? I mean, who's to say it wasn't some big mistake? Maybe I can just switch my talent!"
"Switch your talent?" Rosetta said. "I don't know, Tinker Bell."
"If you could teach me your talents, any of them, maybe I can show the queen I can work with nature too!" A bug landed on Tinker Bell's arm and she slapped it. She flicked it off, and Rosetta looked at her with a worried look while Fawn looked horrified. The dazed bug flew past the four fairies, whose eyes followed it.
"And then she'd let me go to the mainland for spring!" finished Tink.
"Oh, Tinker Bell. That's just not how it works!" Rosetta said.
"Well, maybe she could," Fawn wondered.
"She's right! She could!" Silvermist agreed.
"Well, I've never heard of someone switching talents before," Iridessa said dubiously.
"She's right! Me neither!" agreed Silvermist.
"Look, you all do things that are beautiful and, and magical and, and important!" Tink replied. "But, me..." she sighed. "Well, there's gotta be more to my life than just pots and kettles. All I'm asking is that you give me a chance."
Her friends looked at each other for a minute. Then Silvermist spoke up. "I'll help you, Tinker Bell." She walked over and took Tinker Bell's hands.
"Thank you, Sil," Tink said.
"Me too! Could be fun!" Fawn added as she walked to Tink's side.
"Well, first time for everything I guess," Rosetta said as she walked over to join the others. "What harm can come from trying?"
"Well, I still think this is a bad idea," Iridessa said.