This chapter is a bit longer, but I'm proud of that. It means I can be creative and go off the beaten path to blend the two source materials together along with personal experience for Elyssa's character. Long author's note at the end for those of you who want to know my writing processes.
Despite what the chapter title might suggest, it's not meant to be a play on 'Show Yourself' although it could be. I just went with the the overarching message of the chapter, what Elyssa keeps saying that Tecna needs to learn how to do.
I'm finding that a lot of my stories nowadays have an underlying theme of "Never Be Alone." It's the song, I believe it's an integral part of Tecna and Timmy's relationship and possibly Tecna's internal struggles with self-acceptance. I'm not just speaking in terms of this story but all my current works.
Chapter Three: Love Yourself
After the festivities in the kingdom were over, the five occupants of Zenith's palace gathered in the enormous entertainment room for a night of virtual reality video gaming. They were paired in teams of two, with Elyssa and Digit against Tecna and Timmy. Over the two years they had spent together, Tecna and Timmy had developed strategies for every video game they played and had never lost a game yet. Everyone placed their simulation goggles over their eyes as the game began, and opponents started to shoot at them. The team that defeated the most of the game's opponents would be the winners.
After a couple rounds, the final lightning round had commenced. The two teams were neck and neck for high score, and it looked like Tecna's team would claim victory again. Suddenly, Tecna froze in the middle of shooting her opponents. She was picking up another one of those strange mental messages. Only this time, it was stronger than ever before. Tecna tried desperately to tune it out, but it was blocking every other sense of her train of thought. She was quickly losing focus on the game. Timmy began to notice her distress at an instant and stopped shooting his own opponents momentarily.
"Tecna, are you okay?" he asked. However, there was no response from the technology queen. Within Tecna's mind, the message was beginning to get louder. The worst part was that she couldn't escape it. She placed her hands on her head, as if she was getting a migraine.
"Tecna?" Timmy repeated. But his voice was blocked out be the high frequency mental sound that only she could hear. With Tecna distracted, the game's opponents began shooting at her with unrelenting force, and finally knocked her down. On the screens of both Tecna and Timmy's simulation goggles, red text reading 'GAME OVER' flashed to life. Everybody instantly took off their goggles, not caring that Elyssa and Digit had won the game by default. The group watched Tecna toss off her goggles, groan in exasperation and get up to leave the room entirely.
"Tecna, what's wrong?" it was Elyssa who now noticed that her older sister was not herself. She had an instinct that it might have something to do with unresolved trauma from Tecna's childhood. Like before, Tecna couldn't hear her sister, just like she couldn't hear Timmy.
"I need to lie down!" she shouted over the deafening sound that only she could hear, "I have a headache!" No one in the room could understand why she was shouting at them, she could hear them perfectly clear before the final round of the game. Timmy froze with growing concern as his beloved exited the room. He was certain tonight wouldn't be the right time to propose. However, that didn't mean that he wasn't going to give Tecna his undying love in her time of need.
"I'm going to go see if Tecna is alright," he told Elyssa and Digit. He was about to leave after Tecna when Elyssa stopped him.
"No Timmy," She said, and he froze in his tracks. "Of course you're her boyfriend, but this might be something that Tecna still struggles with. I've noticed she's been acting very different lately, kind of… disturbed."
"She has?" Timmy asked. Suddenly he was ridden with guilt, "Oh, what kind of boyfriend am I if I don't even pay attention to the love of my life. I just thought she was just stressed out about the fall festival."
"It might be that, but it could also be something that she'll only feel comfortable confining in with family. That's why she could be so distant about it," Elyssa told him. Tecna told him about her isolated childhood right from the beginning, but he never expected it to come to haunt her again. Elyssa continued to explain, "I'm the only family she has left since our parents died, and I'm the only one who truly understands her struggle. I might not have been right by her side growing up, but I knew what she was going through once I found out about her powers."
"I see," Timmy responded quietly. Now he was fully grasping the possible severity of the situation, "Do you think Tecna's headache could be caused by something wrong with her powers?"
"I don't know," Elyssa admitted softly. "I'm going to find out. What I do know is that Tecna still has to give herself a lot of self-acceptance." As Elyssa turned to leave, her last words saddened Timmy. He had forgotten just how much Tecna's past had damaged her. Over the time he had lived with her, he never let a moment go by that he didn't tell her just how beautiful and powerful she was. But to realize that she didn't believe it for herself broke his heart. He flopped down on the couch silently as Digit floated beside him. The robotic pixie had been quiet during the whole conversation, he watched him ponder over what Elyssa had said. She was just as much of an outsider to the sisters' bond as Timmy had been. After a moment, he took the ring case from his pocket and began staring at it for the longest time.
"You want to propose to Tecna, don't you?" Digit said as she noticed what was in Timmy's hands. He looked up at her and nodded slightly in response.
"Yeah," He admitted, "but now I understand that it's not time yet. Tecna's not ready," Timmy wasn't offended by the fact that his beloved couldn't confine in him the way she could with her younger sister. He respected that, and despite having the reminder from Elyssa, he understood that Tecna' s trauma was still deeply seeded within her. He was aware that Tecna had trust issues with everybody, but most importantly, herself. Timmy knew that Tecna would not be able to commit to a stable marriage if she didn't love herself first. So, he would respect her and give her the time to figure herself out. With that decision, Timmy let out another deep sigh. He wanted so badly to be bold and heroic, to finally do the thing that he was most hesitant to go forth with. In a way, he was slightly disappointed, but in another, he was relieved. He was given more time to build the courage he needed to finally propose to Tecna when the time was right.
Meanwhile, Elyssa walked quietly up to Tecna's bedroom door.
"Ding dong," she said softly, but loud enough for her sister to hear. The sisters shared the same trait where sudden noises like knocking startled them. It was most prominent in Elyssa, but more dangerous in addition to Tecna's powers.
"Come in," there was a strained response from Tecna on the opposite side of the door. Elyssa opened it to see Tecna lying on her bed with her hand over her head. The mental message had died down, but it took a lot out of her.
"Hey, what's going on?" Elyssa asked in a low voice so she wouldn't cause Tecna's headache to resurface, "You always beat us at video games, even Timmy when you two play against each other. And he tells me you never apologize for it."
"Yeah," this got a light chuckle from the technology queen. That was what her sister wanted to get out of her comment.
"That's how I know something's off," Elyssa continued as she sat next to Tecna on the bed.
"Well, I'm getting these…" Tecna began while she sat up, then started to contemplate whether to disclose the fact that she was receiving mental messages to Elyssa. She knew her sister would understand and support her, but she also believed it was her responsibility to uphold Zenith's safety and security on her own as queen. So, she held back and chose to rephrase her statement.
"I have so much responsibility placed upon me. The people of Zenith depend on me," She continued, "I don't want to let them down."
"Listen to me, Teccy," Elyssa began to reassure her. Despite being the younger of the sisters, she always had the role of the protector and caregiver. So, Tecna knew what was coming when she was addressed with the nickname that only Elyssa gave her when their parents passed. Elyssa continued, "You are intelligent, magnificent, powerful and beautiful. I've been there through your entire childhood. Even when I didn't know the truth, the truth didn't change a thing. The truth, your magic, only made me understand you better. It brought us closer. The point is, I know what you had to go through, and how much it's damaged you. I know that you need the time to give yourself love and acceptance."
"I don't know if I could ever be myself without you," Tecna said dully.
"Love yourself, Tec, because I love you," Elyssa reassured her, "And Timmy loves you too. I'm beginning to think he's feeling a little left out."
"I know," Tecna admitted with a sigh, "I love him so much too. I just…"
"Don't worry, you need time to fully love yourself. He knows that," Elyssa told her, "Remember mom's song?"
"Timmy said you taught it to him," Tecna said with complete surprise, "I don't know how many times he's sang it to me."
"It was the only thing that kept you from shooting laser beams everywhere when we were younger… at least that's what you told me once we were able to stop that electrical storm," Elyssa told her, and Tecna grimaced slightly at the memory, "But that's all over now. Just get comfy and close your eyes." Tecna obeyed without hesitation as the two sisters began to snuggled closer together.
"Don't be afraid,
I'll be right there.
An angel will keep you from sorrow."
"I know what you're trying to do," Tecna interjected with a slight giggle.
"Ssh," Elyssa responded, giving her sister a knowing smile before continuing to sing.
A breeze will blow softly, whispering gently,
That you're not alone.
There will always be a place where you can find me,
And it won't be long, you'll wake up strong.
Life will give way to a better day,
You'll never be alone."
As always, the song worked. All throughout Tecna's life, her mom had sung the song to her. Elyssa continued the tradition once she found out about Tecna's magic abilities. To give Timmy the chance to grow a bond with Tecna, Elyssa let him on in this little family secret. Now, Tecna had fallen fast asleep next to her sister, and Elyssa soon followed.
I wasn't sure if anybody was interested in this TecnaxFrozen series, but I'm interested so I'm gonna keep writing.
As I watched Frozen II, I noticed Anna use the same knock she did with Elsa as children, kind of like a inside secret. I also saw that Elsa startled easily and it totally reminded me of myself. So I added my "Ding Dong" as a little thing between the sisters, the same as the knock that Anna does.
I actually had a tough time trying to think of another game for them to play for the charades scene. At first, I wanted them to play a game that requires a lot of brain power or strategy, but then I realized the answer was easy enough. Plus, I can add in the tidbit about Tecna always beating Timmy at video games and never apologizing for it.
And finally, I wasn't originally planning to add "Never Be Alone" to this one, but I believe it's a symbolic part of Tecna's canon story. I think the song can work with any dark situation, but it also is reassurance that we're not alone in our struggles. No matter if I write an AU or canon Tecna fanfic, I think 'Never Be Alone' has to be worked in there somewhere, it's essential.
Oh, and as I was watching Frozen II in theatres a spicy hot minute ago (wow it's been a year and a half almost, this pandemic has beaten the crap out of time) and I always felt like I could share the ending scene in this chapter with Tecna. Encouraging her to love herself when she's officially known as the most underrated Winx member. So I low-key enjoyed writing this scene.