Author's Notes: Well, this was an annoying chapter. It did cover some things that keep the plot going, but I had no idea why I had to incorporate the whole long spiel about Tar, and then I figured it out! So yes, the Tar thing is dragged out, but there is a reason for it (does a happy jig). I'm also almost a quarter way through one of my sequels, which means I'll be starting put that up as soon as I get out of school, where hopefully I'll have almost written half, but we'll see.
Warnings: I have not read the books, but I have access to Wikipedia – so I have names such as Ginger but only a quick explanation of her character and talent. I saw the first movie – that's what has happened and it's AU after that. Adventure-talent is an actually an established talent-kin and will be used as such. I take liberties with the fairies pasts and incorporate my own version of Pixie Hollow within the rules of Never Land. A little bit of violence. Made-up fairy swears. Reused plot devices that work their way in there before I realized I had done it. Questionable morals. An abundance of Vidia, and me writing the wrong story. Expansions on talents that don't exist. Vidia has actually been a hero in the past. My ever present and 'famous' use of my own original characters.
Summary: Vidia uses the shadow in the library to her advantage, but once Tinkerbell finds it she lets it believe that it has hopes, and starts the cogs going for an ending that might mean the end of everything she has known.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Belongs to Disney and – well, I'm actually not entirely sure who wrote the actual series it's based off.
Chapter Three
Tar
Tink woke up the next morning and zipped through her work load fast enough to be done by the time Fairy Mary usually checked on her. Bobble and Clank watched her quick retreat with understandable curiosity, though they would probably never question what was going on. Tinkerbell wondered what she would finally come up with and how exactly she would draw Teardrop out of her shell. Maybe the best way was to let the books fairy act professional. Let her talk about her books and her system and her ink. Then Tinkerbell could gradually work on getting more personal information from the fairy, like where she lived, her favorite book, and go on from there. She might even be able to drag the other fairies to learn how to read from Teardrop, introduce the book fairy to the outside world. Not Roseetta, because she was being as stubborn as Fairy Mary, but maybe Silvermist and Iridessa, the light fairy would probably love how organized and straight thinking Teardrop was.
"I'm here!" she called into the library. Teardrop materialized out of one of the rows of books with an eyebrow raised, and Tinkerbell blushed as she remembered that the fairy liked her library to be quiet, almost silent, if it wasn't for the dull thud of feet across the floor or the buzz that came from the busy world outside the library.
"I suppose I should get bells over the door so you don't have to shout your presence every time you go through them," said Teardrop tersely.
"Why do we have to be so quiet?" asked Tinkerbell.
"Easier for others to concentrate on their books without annoying interruptions," said Teardrop logically.
"No one else is in here but me and you," pointed out Tinkerbell. "Plus, you can hear everything going on outside, isn't that distracting?"
"No," said Teardrop quickly with a look almost synonymous with longing crossing her face. The emotion was quickly wiped off her face and replaced with strict learning in seconds as Teardrop looked back at Tinkerbell. "Do you still want to take notes?"
"Yes," said Tinkerbell excitedly, and got a quick approving nod from Teardrop as she started to walk quickly toward a stack of paper and ceramic inkwell. Tinkerbell fluttered excitedly over to Teardrop, which afforded her an annoyed glance. It was suddenly evident to her that since Teardrop couldn't fly, the fact she was could cause tension in their friendship.
"These are yours, you need more paper it'll be with me at the desk as I write," said Teardrop offhandedly.
"I thought you wrote the spring story yesterday," said Tinkerbell, Teardrop looked less than impressed at her ignorance.
"No, I was compiling and organizing, I'm going to start writing it up today, it'll take me the next three days," said Teardrop and turned and picked up a sharpened stick and hatchlings feather. "These are your tools for writing. The stick it more useful if you want something precise. Down sides is you have to 're-ink' often, or in about four letters the ink becomes to thin to see. The feather is less precise and is more fragile. However it holds more and you can get more out of one dip."
"Alright," said Tinkerbell a little confused. She could have figured all that out by herself just by watching Teardrop the day before and experimentation.
"Now, the ink, that's what you really have to worry about," said Teardrop gripping the ceramic inkwell softly in her hands. Tinkerbell leaned toward it a little. Why did she have to worry about ink?
"Well, I call it ink at any rate," continued Teardrop placing the ink well next to the paper again. "It's better known as tar."
"Tar?" asked Tinkerbell looking at the small soft white curve, the while delicate against the thick black inside. Teardrop looked at her incredulously for a second, thought about it, and then seemed to come to a conclusion.
"I think that fairies these days refer to it as black magic," said Teardrop. Tinkerbell's eyes grew wide and she threw herself backward, away from the evil concoction. Teardrop looked back at her with that same dead look that said she thought Tinkerbell was overreacting. Tinkerbell was finally getting why the fairies all seemed to have something against Teardrop if the fairy was silly enough to work with black magic.
"Oh, no, I touched it," said Tinkerbell looking down at her hands in horror.
"Don't get so bent out of shape," snapped Teardrop with a roll of her eyes. "Tar is completely harmless when dry. Silly fairies making it sound worse than it is."
"But I've heard it killed a fairy," said Tinkerbell twitchily. Teardrop rolled her eyes.
"The only thing that can kill a fairy is when human's lose their faith," said Teardrop in perfect lecture mode. "But, a long time ago, it did severely cripple a fairy. Almost burned the wings right off, turned her hair a sickly grey, and made her hunched and compact. But she was drenched in ink for a long time."
"Oh, how long does it take?" asked Tinkerbell, Teardrop turned around and Tinkerbell found her eyes drawn to Teardrop's broken blue wings.
"About fifteen minutes to cause lasting harm," shrugged Teardrop, and turning around, she shoved her hands in Tinkerbell's face. "I sometimes get distracted and don't notice the ink until it starts to sting, and then I can hardly ever get water fast enough to stop corrosion."
Tinkerbell blinked and then took the dark hands and ran her hands lightly over them. The skin was light and bunched in areas showing where the scars from the black magic had starting eating away at her skin.
"As I said, you don't have anything to worry about, just keep an eye out for any ink that gets on you and I'll get someone to fly you to the nearest river," said Teardrop with a shrug.
"Couldn't you--"
"No," said Teardrop fiercely, cutting off Tinkerbell with a sharp turn and making the fairy flinch. There was an extended where Teardrop was obviously waiting for Tinkerbell to pick up her stuff and leave to do her research. "Yes?"
"Well, it's just, well your… you see it's just I was wondering," tumbled Tinkerbell.
"Spit it out or let it go Tinkerbell," said Teardrop severely, making Tinkerbell more nervous.
"It's just your… wings," said Tinkerbell, hoping that Teardrop understood her.
"Ah yes, how astute of you," said Teardrop her frown softening. "When I was younger an entire vat of tar was dropped on me. Sunshine got me into the water and scrubbed me down in a hurry, but wings are so much more delicate than skin, and well, this is the result," said Teardrop with depressed eyes.
"So, now you can't fly?" asked Tinkerbell in horror. Teardrop perked a little at that question.
"What? No, I can still fly, my wings just ache from time to time," she said with a shrug.
"But, you walk everywhere," said Tinkerbell in surprise.
"Yes, well, I work inside, I don't have to fly," said Teardrop.
"But wouldn't it be easier to fly to the books on the top shelves instead of using that ladder?" asked Tinkerbell.
"Yes, but not as practical," said Teardrop. Tinkerbell watched her, waiting for some elaboration that would clear it up. None was forth coming. "Are you going to back to your research?"
"Um," Tinkerbell looked dubiously at the inkwell and heard and exasperated sigh escape Teardrop's lips.
"Follow me," said the librarian shortly.
"What?" asked Tinkerbell fluttering over to her after a minute of being frozen. Teardrop opened a door she hadn't noticed before and started heading crisply out of sight. Tinkerbell followed slowly behind. The door led to stairs that led ominously down into darkness, the light from the door hardly illuminated the steps before being swallowed into the pitch black of whatever was down bellow. Not even the mining caves were this dark.
As she descended the stairs eventually ended and it wasn't long until Tinkerbell was feeling more nervous than a field mouse that had just spotted a hawk. She quickly made each creak and odd rustle ten times louder in her own mind. Each little sound was some odd, evil, and dangerous creature just waiting for her to let her guard down and then rip her to shreds.
"Teardrop," she whispered worriedly, wondering if it was really Teardrop's leaf that was rustling in front of her. Something brushed against her side and Tinkerbell squealed in surprise.
"Take my hand."
"What?" asked Tinkerbell trying to slow down her rapidly beating heart.
"Take my hand," said Teardrop just as softly and something skimmed Tinkerbells waist again.
Blushing Tinkerbell took the hand firmly between the two of hers. She thought she heard a choked chuckle from in front of her, but for Teardrop's sake choose to ignore it.
"Let go and stand still until I get the blinds open," said Teardrop, voice still soft, though Tinkerbell was sure she could hear a bit of smile in the words, Tinkerbell would let her have her fun, the strict fairy probably didn't allow herself enough chances for a good laugh.
Suddenly light flooded the room and Tinkerbell blinked rapidly, but her eyes rapidly adjusted. She looked to see Teardrop coming back from the high windows having schooled her face so that Tinkerbell could hardly see a smirk, and if she hadn't been looking for it she never would have seen it. Teardrop turned, and as she tugged and pulled what Tinkerbell realized that Teardrop had dragged her to a dank room. Besides it being very dusty, there were shelves filled with medium and small clay pots and in the middle of the small room three large clay vats, all topped with a heavy lid.
With a small grunt Teardrop finally removed one of the covers from the clay pots and then waved Tinkerbell to her. Tinkerbell slowly and carefully made her way over and looked into the pot. It was filled to the brim with thick pitch black tar.
"These were filled during the last great leak of tar," said Teardrop with a flourish, her hand dangerously close to the tar.
"Where does it come from?" at Teardrop's startled look she shrugged. "I've heard of it, but I never learned where it came from."
"The gold dust. Once in a while there'll be a big leak of this into the gold dust but it's usually only a trickle," said Teardrop, her eyes never leaving the black ink, she looked suddenly up at Tinkerbell. "Why such surprise? Everything needs a foil. There could hardly be gold dust if there wasn't something it's exact opposite, and these things tend to come together in a nice package. I wouldn't worry though; you only need to start worrying about then when four or five dust fairies are born at once. Two just mean there could be an influx in fairies, but five and three of them will be fishing out tar by the buckets and finding all sort of leaks to patch up."
"He never mentioned this," said Tinkerbell distractedly.
"Dusty is still there?" Teardrop sounded amazed, Tinkerbell looked at her confusion.
"No, Terrance, who is Dusty?" asked Tinkerbell.
"Ah, I thought so," said Teardrop politically. "Your friend probably didn't want to scare you. He probably only finds a little every once in a while. It's been a season since he had any tar for me, and that was in the tiniest pot yet."
"Oh, well, that's good," said Tinkerbell, but still feeling a little hurt. "How do they get it out?"
"Ah, no worry there, the dust fairies are born with an innate ability to notice and also the skill required to reach in and throw it out. Even if to us it's a liquid they can somehow make it all stick together and get rid of it in one quick flick," said Teardrop with a small smile.
"You've seen it done?" asked Tinkerbell and Teardrop returned to the present.
"Yes, when I was born it was one of those times of a very bad leak," said Teardrop and then shrugged. "I used to help Sunshine to organize it all."
"You're a dust fairy?" asked Tinkerbell excitedly. It would explain a lot, of course Teardrop would be bitter if her own talent gave her those wings.
"No," said Teardrop shortly. Her eyes quickly fled to the vat. "Tinkerbell, could you be a dear and get my pouch by the door, the smaller one, and please don't open it."
Tinkerbell cocked her head to the side, but Teardrop seemed suddenly fascinated by the tar, her eyes wide and intense. Shrugging the timer went over and got the small pouch. She even gave it to the fairy without letting her interest make her open the pouch to see the mystery inside.
Tinkerbell frowned in disappointment when Teardrop turned her back on the curious girl. She wondered what the other fairy could possibly doing moving like that. But self preservation made her wait by the door. Of course, her eyes were drawn to the larger pouch next to her. It probably had whatever Teardrop was getting inside it, right? Tink's fingers itched, and almost without her consent the tinker was lifting the flap to look inside.
She only caught a flash of sunshine gold before a firm dark hand had closed it. She looked sheepishly up at Teardrop who was frowning at her in disappointment. Tinkerbell idly wondered how long it had taken the older fairy to perfect that stare, while she backed up slowly, holding her hands up in submission.
"I believe you have some research to do," said Teardrop shortly, and Tinkerbell almost sighed in annoyance. One step forward and two steps back. She looked into the black room they had walked to and couldn't even see the light from the doorway from where they were. She held out her hand and, to her horror, made a pathetic whining noise in fear. Teardrop rolled her eyes, but took Tinkerbell's hand and dutifully led Tinkerbell back through the dusty archives.
Tinkerbell grabbed her paper, pens, and inkwell and flew to the tinker section and to her open books. She quickly lost track of time making designs, destroying and crumpling paper, until finally she came up with three solid designs that at least looked like they would work. She flew up to the window and grinned happily. It hadn't taken her as long as she thought. She had at least an hour of good sunlight to gather the Mainland things, and she was used to long nights of tinkering.
She gathered her papers up and then looked at horror at the mess still there. At the least she should put the books and make things look a little neat.
"Go ahead, I've got things here," Tinkerbell jumped at Teardrop's no nonsense voice.
"But I made the mess and…" Tinkerbell stumbled off at Teardrop's raised eyebrow. The librarian raised her hands and Tinkerbell flinched, causing a brief speculative look to run across Teardrop's face, before the dark fairy clapped smartly twice. The two dozen books sprang up almost immediately and were back in their places in an instance.
"Oh, thank you Teardrop," said Tinkerbell in embarrassment, Teardrop nodded in acknowledgement and headed toward the table since it still had papers strewn across it.
"Tomorrow I'd suggest bringing a satchel or the like to put your papers and stuff in," said Teardrop.
"Um, right," said Tinkerbell flying away backwards. "I'll fly – talk to you – see you later."
And Tinkerbell was flying fast out of the library. She hadn't needed to say goodbye to Teardrop, the librarian was already engrossed in tidying up Tinkerbell's work table.
The beach was as soothing as ever. Tinkerbell took a deep breath in, just smelling the sweet aroma of the sea. She turned around brusquely and looked over and between the grasses, her eyes seeking out lost things.
A quick flash of purple caught the tinker's eyes as she was looking. It was harder to find lost things these days since they had become more popular. A lot of those things found their way into tinker's corner for the new tools that the tinkers made and a few left over for Tinkerbell to play with. Still, she couldn't see Vidia loosening up enough to actually use something that Tinkerbell had come up with. Was the fast flying fairy trying to sabotage Tinkerbell somehow? She had done that once before, though what the fairy thought she could do was beyond Tinkerbell.
Tinkerbell flew over and watched Vidia flitter around. She ignored most of the useful Mainland things, but her interest seemed to be caught by the most inane and bulky materials. A long polished splinter, a huge round black rock, and finally she started tugging at a black piece of cloth. Finally she huffed and sent two cyclones the area, dislodging the cloth she had been tugging at. It was completely black except for a white skull and cross bones in the center. Vidia seemed stunned, just fluttering there for a minute, before she took off faster, moving all her findings in the middle of the cloth.
"What are you doing?" asked Tinkerbell finally. Vidia flinched and looked back with her same dry glare. "You're not trying to sabotage me?"
"What?" asked Vidia, as if the thought hadn't even crossed her mind and that the thought was even beneath her.
"Good, because you wouldn't be doing a very good job of it," said Tinkerbell with a quick glance at Vidia's findings. The fast flying fairy snorted and looked away from Tinkerbell returning her attention to her – treasures. "So, why are you here? Suddenly find an interest in useless Mainland things?"
"No, I'm here on a hunch and collecting things I think will prove my point," said Vidia, tugging up at the Mainland things, obviously trying to get away from the other fairy as fast as she could.
"What hunch?" asked Tinkerbell, a little suspicious but also curious. Vidia paused in her work to look snootily at Tinkerbell in disgust as if she thought that Tinkerbell wasn't only a menace and below her but also just plain stupid.
"I just caught the last sprinting thistle yesterday," said Vidia with a glare. "What in Never Land makes you think that I want to talk to you?"
"You know, maybe you'd have friends if you didn't act like that," said Tinkerbell angrily and Vidia let loose her treasures and flew right into Tinkerbell's face.
"Who says I don't have friends you pretentious tinker nobody?" asked Vidia dangerously.
"I didn't see anyone coming to your rescue when they found it was basically your fault that the sprinting thistles almost ended spring," countered Tinkerbell and getting close enough so that their noses were almost touching.
"Listen you little squirt, let's get one thing straight, my intuition and knowledge has saved Pixie Hollow more times than your little tinker tools will ever make up for your blunders," said Vidia and then flew back a little to give a Tinkerbell a flippant once over. "Plus it didn't take much to sabotage your corral; one small gust and you were out of your league. I probably could have left it alone and you still would have messed it up."
"You shouldn't' have been encouraging me to be a garden fairy, you shouldn't have set me up," fumed Tinkerbell her wings fluttering in agitation.
"You shouldn't have tried to change your talent," countered Vidia.
"You should have just said no, and plus, I wasn't asking you about becoming a garden fairy," said Tinkerbell.
"No, you asked me to teach you to become a fast flying fairy and then dared suggest you could be flying as fast as I could in a week when it's taken my whole life working hard to perfect my flying to this," snapped Vidia. Tinkerbell blinked and backed up a little, looked like flying fast was a very testy area for the other fairy. And then the tinker frowned. Vidia should be concerned about her job yes, but not to the point that she never made friends and connection.
"You know, I think if you'd stop being so conceited maybe someone would actually want to be your friend. I mean, I haven't met a fairy yet that can truly said they're your friends," said Tinkerbell harshly. Vidia hissed at the tinker.
"I don't need a bunch of whimpering fairies around me to know that I'm worth something," sneered Vidia. "Plus, I have friends."
"I think you sounded just a little too defensive there Vidia," said Tinkerbell with a smile she never thought she'd ever find in herself. "But go on; tell me who your friends are."
Vidia made a funny face, as if realizing that she was going too far. It was quickly replaced with a haughty sniff and Tinkerbell dismissed the look as the other girl realizing she had no friends.
"So what are you doing down here princess?" asked Vidia, holding her nails out in boredom. "Run out of Mainland junk in your ditch."
"No I've been doing some research to help out the other seasons, you know, because I actually do make a difference in them," said Tinkerbell with a bright but twisted smile. Ignoring the fact the other fairy was obviously changing the subject and also going through the 'Mainland junk' as she had so eloquently called it.
"Research? What, got your head together with those two morons and somehow exchange valuable tinkering insight?" said Vidia with a mocking laugh.
"No, actually it was in the library," at Vidia's large eyes Tinkerbell smiled triumphantly. "I had an interview to write about what happened during the spring with the librarian Teardrop. She told me that I could use the library resources whenever I wanted. Maybe you should go, there'll probably be a section on fast flying fairies, no matter how small it is. It probably has the name of several important fast flying fairies that were much faster than you."
"You… you agreed to an interview? Even after they told you what she did? Either you're very brave, or very stupid," scoffed Vidia and Tinkerbell felt her cheeks heating red, though she shouldn't have expected anything more from the superficial fast flying fairy.
"Teardrop is a bit odd, and might use Dark Magic for ink, but she's just lonely and maybe if you just let her she'd open up you'd see what a good person she is," snapped Tinkerbell angrily, glad that there was someone she could yell at and not feel guilty about it later. There was a quick flicker of surprise in Vidia's expression that threw Tinkerbell off, just a little.
"They didn't tell you," said Vidia, and then that same cruel and false submission smile crossed her face. "Of course, I suppose that I really don't have any reason to be mistrustful of her. I'd be sure to tell Queen Clarion about it though."
"What does that mean?" asked Tinkerbell, firmly set on the defensive.
"Nothing, nothing," assured Vidia with a small cruel smile. "Go right ahead and read your precious books, only a geek like you would think that a bunch of squiggles would actually tell you anything of real importance."
And with that Vidia called up her winds and was flying away with her stuff firmly in hand and well supported by the wind. Tinkerbell watched her go with the assurance that she had won that round. Still, that look and immediate backing down… it was the same sort of thing she had done when Tinkerbell had said the thing about the Mainland, and Tinkerbell couldn't help but think that maybe – maybe there was something to Teardrop that might be dangerous that when Tinkerbell found out would have Vidia saying 'I told you so.'
Tinkerbell shook her head. No. No matter what Teardrop had done to cause suspicion, no fairy should be locked away from the outside and contact from other fairies, no fairy should be denied their talent. She would continue to stick by her new friend. She would see to it that the other connected with the outside world again if she had to get every last fairy interested in books and the library, and with that firm in mind Tinkerbell began her quest for the needed lost objects on the calm beach.