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 Six
Lonely
Vidia flew into her home in a slight huff. She didn't really feel like being outside and doing her job that day. She didn't feel like pushing herself and becoming steadily faster and faster until she could zip circles around any fairy and sometimes did just show off. The wind blowing against her face and trying to slow her down by pushing against her shoulders and tugging at her clothes. The great satisfaction she gained by not only pressing forward but using that opposing force to go faster until the world was a blur and she became invincible.
At that moment she just wanted to fall on her bed and scream away her frustration, or at least wake up and find out spring was still in the making and that no meddling Tinkerbell had ever been born and dragged her name through the mud.
"At least you didn't hurt yourself this time," said that soft melancholy voice that had Vidia jumping in the air since she had already been strung tight.
"Teary, what are you doing here?" asked Vidia. Teary looked up from her spot on Vidia's bed. She almost looked like a child, her eyes large, and her hand grasped at a brush that lightly touched her knotted hair.
"I got lonely," it was said quickly without a change in her emotions but it had Vidia at her level in a second.
"You never got lonely before," said Vidia. "There is no way this is going through that mess. I don't even know if my comb can."
"I didn't even remember what it was like to be alone until Tinkerbell started showing up," said Teary.
"What am I, chopped roots?" asked Vidia rooting around in her drawers for the comb.
"No, but I only ever saw you for a couple hours at a time and could slowly dissociate with you," said Teary and brought up her knees to rest on. Vidia decided she also needed water. "She only came for a short period of time, but even though I couldn't see her she was there, and the library seems silent without her in it."
"See," said Vidia sitting next to her friend and putting the glass of water on the night stand. "Tinkerbell is a menace."
"Possibly, but at least she's doing her job," said Teary and Vidia's hand stopped just short of Teary's hair.
"The reason I'm not there is because I'm just a bit… I need to a break to settle my senses," said Vidia with a shake of her head.
"Hey, spring is your season isn't it? This is your off season… well, seasons," said Teary with a small smile. "Ow."
"Unless you want to be here for the whole of the next season we're going to have trim this mop before we get to the salvageable part," said Vidia standing up to get said scissors. Teary wasn't even watching her, her gaze far away from the wall she was staring at. "And I didn't get to go help spring because of finding those sprinting thistles."
Vidia glanced back at Teary to find calm light brown eyes staring back at her. At least she now had the powerful fairies attention.
"Ah, yes, your punishment, I had almost forgotten," said Teary, her voice still lost in space. "You weren't allowed to go to the Mainland at all?"
"No, I made it to the Mainland quite a few times. I mean, I am a rare talent and I do play an important role in spring," said Vidia, clenching the scissors roughly in her hands. "They just kept sending me back to Pixie Hollow to catch those bloody things. They would do it with those stupid smirks too. Like they were glad I was getting punished and that someone was finally able to get under my skin."
"You think they should love you?" asked Teary with slight scorn in her interest.
"No, but, I mean, it's like they knew that you were the one who gave me those warnings and were glad that I was getting in trouble as recompense," said Vidia. "I guess I kind of wished that because I did give them warnings all that time they would at least do more than just tolerate me."
"Fairies can be petty and allot suffer from short term memory loss, I'm positive," said Teary making a face. "Plus, even though you're a little to set on your flying and have a bit of a superiority complex problem…"
Vidia stuck her tongue out and Teary just giggled.
"You're a good person," said Teary and smiled. "And I think that the fact you're so set on your goals is admirable."
"Of course," scoffed Vidia over the soft slicing of the scissors, she paused before continuing on. "Why are you so different when you come to visit me? I mean, in the library you were almost a completely different fairy, like you were in control, strong as your talent."
"I know what to do there," said Teary with a pleased smile. "I know the library and that it's my domain. I'm allowed there and so is anyone who wants to come in. That's why at times I'll seem to detach. I like working, I like to have that professional feeling. I like knowing I'm in my element."
"But, you weren't working when I was there," said Vidia.
"But the library was there, if anything happened I had a system to fall back on," said Teary and then smiled up at the girl. "I know what to do even if everything seems to going up in smoke, because it's my job, it's my place and it works with my talent. This – talking to someone and purposely going against one of the rules and having to rely on someone and not myself puts me off and makes me uncomfortable. I mean, being a friendly good with people fairy, isn't a talent, it's a skill; and if there's one thing I'm horrible at its skills."
"I hang out with you," said Vidia with a chuckle.
"But that's only because you know power when you see it. If I hadn't been pulsing with it when you saw me you wouldn't have given me the time of day. No, don't look away, that's just the way you are, doesn't make you any less of a fairy. Fast flying fairies are lucky and – unlucky in that way. They can separate themselves from a situation, but that doesn't mean they're any less of fairies it means that their jobs usually has them working individually, never sticking with just one talent, but working in tandem with them and the seasons," said Teary with a nod of her head that had the other fairy with the scissors glare at the girl.
"Unless you want to end up bald you will hold still," said Vidia tugging at Teary's hair. "Plus, you'd think that would make me better at making friends, that I'd have them all over Pixie Hollow instead of one."
"No, in my experience that is really rare. Ree was like that. She could make quick friends with every and all talents," said Teary biting her nail, her eyes once again glazed over. "But she was a natural leader, that's the reason she's the queen now. In most cases when a fairy has a job that has them only with minimal contact with their own and has them flying from season to season, that fairy learns, almost as a defense mechanism to be very self-centered. That 'bad character trait' is capitalized on."
"In your experience?" asked Vidia with a dismissive laugh.
"I'm old, I hear things eventually, I read autobiographies, a lot done by those same lonely fairies," said Teary with conviction. Vidia dipped her comb and started on the tangles, this might be salvageable.
"I'm not lonely," said Vidia with an unnecessary tug.
"Of course not," said Teary agreeably. They lapsed into silence. Vidia concentrated on brushing out the hair in front of her so that she wouldn't have to make Teary bald. It wouldn't do any good to try and fix her if the fast flying fairy just made her look worse.
"Why did you decide to fix up your look, or at least your hair?" asked Vidia, smirking at her victory over the knots and finally making sense of the dark fairies hair.
"Because, I want to look my best if she comes back," said Teary and Vidia paused in her brushing.
"Tinkerbell? I thought you were trying to drive her away," said Vidia, she couldn't quite place her tone, but it was definitely anything but happy.
"No, I wanted to warn her what she was getting herself into, if she returns after that it's her choose," said Teary with a shrug and a light tone.
"So this is all just for her," she tugged and Teary's head flew back and she caught tears on her corners of Teary's eyes before the dark fairy dragged her head back to look at the opposite wall that apparently either painted a picture of the past or had all the answers. "Sorry."
"It's alright, and it's not that it's specifically for her, it's for whoever comes in. I don't want them to call me crazy and not come back because of that. I think I like the idea of them trying to make up their own opinions about me, gives me more of a fighting chance to have them around me. I miss feeling like there are others like me, I miss knowing that the other half of me exists and isn't just something that exists solely in my own mind," said Teary softly. "But it's nice to know that I can make you jealous."
"I'm not jealous," spluttered Vidia. Teary smiled easily up at her.
"What day is it anyway?"
"Wednesday," said Vidia and put the scissors and comb to the side to admire her handiwork.
"Really? Wow, if I'd only waited two more days," said Teary with a small laugh.
"Well, I'm glad you visited," said Vidia trying to sound no nonsense and keep the blush at bay as she walked over to her kitchen to get some snacks. "It was nice to come and get my mind off my troubles for a little bit."
"What else are friends for?" asked Teary going over to Vidia's dressing room mirror to check her hair. She pushed at the small chestnut curls that twirled lazily against her head.
"Sorry, I couldn't get it any longer without being uneven," said Vidia.
"That's alright," said Teary running a hand through her hair and then shaking it with a small giggle. She turned to Vidia and picked up a sunflower seed and started nibbling at it. Vidia was pleased to see that she wasn't eating it madly like a starved person but at a leisurely pace. "I think I like it this length. So, what is wrong? The whole thistle thing was over a week ago at least, so what has you all up in arms now?"
Vidia frowned at the dark fairy who had suddenly found her food fascinating. The strangest thing was that she actually made the gesture believable.
"It's your fault you know," said Vidia. Teary glanced up at her, the tops of her bangs almost hiding her eyes. "I wouldn't have to deal with this if you hadn't told me about the pirates. Then I could ignore the looks and giggles."
Vidia shot a glare at Teary as the dark fairy snorted in disbelief.
"But, they're not listening, no matter how much evidence I put in front of them they don't get it, and when I do suggest something they just think that I'm searching for a way to put the spotlight back on me," said Vidia with a sneer. "They said the same thing I did, that it isn't possible, they don't even really let me start suggesting it might be pirates from the Mainland before they just leave."
"Have you tried the queen?" asked Teary, Vidia snorted.
"Have you?" and they were at a stalemate. Teary sighed and looked at Vidia who was biting her bottom lip in anger.
"You know, sometimes it's just easier to cry," said Teary softly. Vidia snapped her head at Teary to glare. But the dark fairy was being sincere. For some reason Teary had always been able to express her emotions, especially when she was upset.
"I don't cry," said Vidia dryly taking a violent bite of her sunflower seed. "But I do get even. What's the best way to quietly take out a fairy?"
"You mean kill?" asked Teary and Vidia nodded.
"I think taking care of Tinkerbell would be very therapeutic," said Vidia logically. "So, any suggestions?"
Teary laughed at her.
"Fairies can't kill other fairies," said Teary between giggles and then shook her head strongly at Vidia's skeptical eyebrow. "Nope, simply can't be done, only human's can, and then you never know which one of us is going to drop dead."
Vidia half glared and pouted at the dark fairy who still looked slightly amused that Vidia thought she'd actually be able to kill a fairy. Fairies and their silly rumors. Vidia's concentration then was captured by Teary's… attire.
"You know, your hair looks good now, but that leaf… if that doesn't scream unstable I don't know what does," said Vidia in slight disgust. Teary glanced uninterestedly down at her leaf.
"I don't have the materials to do anything but this. I mean, I guess I can make it more of a wrap, but I'd need thread to make sure it didn't slip," said Teary and then shrugged. It was obvious she'd thought about it before, the leaf probably wasn't that comfortable or practical.
"You could have some of my clothes, I have a few extra outfits I wouldn't miss," said Vidia, Teary just snorted.
"You're taller than most fairies, I'll give you that, but I doubt that your clothes would fit me, at best they'd be tighter than a corset," said Teary with a laugh when Vidia looked at her in confusion. "Never mind, it wouldn't fit."
"Well, I could always make a design for you and take your measurements to the tailor," said Vidia.
"Really? Are you any good at designing clothes? Won't the tailor be suspicious?" asked Teary seriously.
"I designed my own clothes, I'm no tailor fairy, but I do like to doodle every now and again," said Vidia with a confident smirk. "And as long as I don't go to Gertrude it should be fine."
"Thanks Vidia," said Teary with a child-like smile. "So you'll bring the designs on Friday?"
"I'll be there with more goodies and company," said Vidia with a slight nod. They spent the rest of the day switching between silence and conversations of no real consequence. It was long past dark when Teary finally left to sneak back into her library. Where, as she was working on the archives she once again rested her eyes in the darkness, just for a second before she would go back to work and was dragged mercilessly into a deep sleep.
---
The grass blew lazily in the winds, large blades bending nearly in half under its caress. She could understand why Vidia didn't want to work. Actually, that whole situation was odd. She couldn't help but think that Vidia had been a little to frustrated for pirates to be coming. Plus, the other fairies had a point, they were protected from the pirates by the Lost Boys, and any coming from the Mainland would sail into the pirate's cove, not to their shores.
"The winds are killer," said Rosetta flying up next to Tinkerbell. The tinker fairy rolled her eyes; the other fairy had gone from avoiding her to suddenly being attached to her side. This would have been okay, if Rosetta hadn't decided that since she was the one doing a favor to Tinkerbell, the other needed to follow her around all day. So Rosetta had tied them together with some vine that Tinkerbell couldn't break or untie and then the stronger garden fairy preceded to take her away from her tinkering and to her own jobs.
"I'm not going to the library today," said Tinkerbell, purposely making herself a deadweight so that they crashed to the ground. The pain was worth the irritated glare that Rosetta sent her.
"You're not going back ever," snapped Rosetta, standing up and starting to drag Tinkerbell as the other refused to get her feet or wings under her and follow the garden fairy willingly anymore.
"I've read the five books…"
"So you give them to a teacher fairy to return discretely," said Rosetta, the pattern to their argument already set up.
"And I really want to explore one of the old designs, but the one I wanted I found in the general index, so I was hoping to either get a book about the inventions of that time, or maybe a book dedicated to invention of that nature," said Tinkerbell, who finally stood and let her friend drag her behind her.
"Then go to a teacher fairy who specializes in tinker history," said Rosetta. "They'll probably tell you everything you want to know."
"But they won't know, some of those books were older than Queen Clarion, older than you. They really know what they're talking about, and understand," said Tinkerbell. "I mean, teaching fairies and great and all, they explain everything and make sense of the world and really get the point across, but they don't really understand. They can't go and create, maybe follow directions, but the books I want are by the inventors. There's something about reading what the author has to say, to read how they worked through it and finally came up with the final invention and then to expand and all the inventions that that first made possible."
"Tinker's," muttered Rosetta and smiled down at her bulbs. "Teacher fairies would explain it better."
"Yeah, they probably would," agreed Tinkerbell. "But reading the inventors version makes it seem like there are infinite amount of possibilities and that they choose to take it in only one of those ways. It makes it easier to add Lost Things and newer mechanics to the old one, or vice-versa."
The two fairies just stared at each other. Tinkerbell was sure she was getting through to the garden fairy.
"If it'll make you happy I'll stop trying to get Teardrop to open up," said Tinkerbell, lying, but she thought she sounded convincing. Rosetta snorted and sent a look to Tinkerbell that told the tinker that she knew her friend better than that.
"No, a few books aren't worth going near that fairy, and until then I'll keep you on this leash," said Rosetta.
"What about sleeping, what about my work?" demanded Tinkerbell.
"I have enough space," said Rosetta with a shrug, and smiling down at a peak of something starting to grow and silently coaxing it to start really growing. "And it's still a few months until the end of summer, in fact, summer just started, and the only time tinkers will be really busy is the few months before it begins."
"Yeah, and you have seasons to prepare for spring," countered Tinkerbell hotly.
"My garden needs constant supervision, sure this is the down season, but these babies wouldn't be able to flourish without me," said Rosetta talking babishly to the growing flower.
"And what about tinkers, you think we don't have our own jobs on our 'down time?'" said Tinkerbell folding her hands and trying to glare.
"Hey, I work with living breathing things that depend on my constant supervision," bit back Rosetta, Tinkerbell huffed and tried to figure out why so many fairies so easily discounted tinker fairies.
"Yeah, well, our work during the down hardly goes down at all. We might not work with breathing things that able to grow or make themselves, but we work with intricate machines that after a while seem to build up a like and even personality of their own. They need maintenance. We need to go over every pulley, cog, nail, and spring to make sure it's still in good working over. We go back and properly fix every cart and fraying rope that only got a quick patch job and properly fix it so it doesn't come crashing down on us like it's been threatening," said Tinkerbell and then paused to get a breath. "And after that work, while also starting to supply the autumn fairies."
"Well, that's the tinker moto isn't it, that being a tinker is never a bore, or something as corny as that," said Rosetta, Tinkerbell could already feel her face starting to turn an angry red.
"Fawn!" was the only frantic warning they got before something crashed on top of Rosetta. Tinkerbell was caught between being horrified, collapsing into laughter, and actually helping the now squished Rosetta.
"What is it with fairies just deciding to drop out of the sky and land on me?" grumbled Rosetta pushing the fairy off her in a huff. She stood up and turned to scold the fairy to find Tinkerbell was already over the still fairy trying to wake her up.
"Come on Fawn, just open your eyes," said Tinkerbell shaking the animal talents shoulder softly.
"She's not breathing," whispered Rosetta with wide eyes as Iridessa came flying down.
"What but she's… oh no," Iridessa hovered madly and Tinkerbell froze at the sight. Fawn was… fading. Her skin starting to become see through. "No, no, nothing was happening, she was fine and then she just… fell."
"It never makes any sense," said Rosetta. "One minute we'll happily flying along and the next one of you is dead. Strong, weak, young, old, it doesn't matter, it finds us and doesn't care whether if you're at the top of your game or down, it just finds us. It isn't fair or go by any rules we know. It doesn't even go from the oldest or I would have faded away long ago."
"What are you guys talking about, we have to help her!" shouted Tinkerbell feeling that every second Fawn was disappearing, not just her body, but her soul.
"Oh, sunshine," said Iridessa with tears in her eyes. "There's noth…"
Fawn's body convulsed and the animal talent drew in a frantic breath.
"Fawn!" shouted Iridessa and pulled Fawn so hard and long that the animal talent started turning blue from loss of air and making funny choking sounds. "Sorry."
"Are you alright peach blossom?" Rosetta asked reaching out her hand but not actually touching the other fairy.
"Yeah, I – I think so," said Fawn shakily.
"What happened?" asked Tinkerbell, still in the dark and freaked out.
"I, I think I almost died," said Fawn and then shivered.
"What, but… Iridessa said that you had seemed fine," said Tinkerbell, or maybe she'd heard it wrong.
"That's how it works," said Rosetta making the rest of the fairies look her way and the girl shrugged. "One second a fairy will be on top of their game, and next she'll be gone. It's just the way it works."
"But – Fawn is still here," said Tinkerbell. This didn't make sense, how could a fairy just be gone?
"It sometimes happens," shrugged Rosetta and then cringed under Iridessa and Tinkerbell's glares that told her that she sounded cruel. This was Fawn, a friend she'd had for years.
"Look, no one really understands how this happens and what makes fairies drop dead. The Indian's and Lost Boys know, but they haven't told us, afraid of what it'd mean," said Rosetta.
"It was like my purpose was over, like whatever had given me life had forgotten about me, forgotten my… existence," said Fawn hauntingly.
"Fawn, you don't have to…" but Fawn turned her far gazing eyes away from Iridessa, she had to.
"But then, there was a sound, skin hitting skin and a small human child crying out and giving me reason and giving me back my existence," said Fawn and then looked at Tinkerbell. "That's what it was like. Do you… do you think that one of Teardrop's books will explain to me what happened?"
"Oh, petunia, you really don't want to know," said Rosetta softly.
"Yes I do," said Fawn, her voice almost rising to a shout. "What makes you think I wouldn't? What makes you the expert? You haven't been this close, so helpless, felt so… useless."
"No, maybe not," said Rosetta seriously and then flicked her hair over one shoulder. "Doesn't mean I haven't had friends who went looking and found the answer, doesn't mean that I pried when they told me that I really didn't want to know."
"Yeah, then why not send me to those friends of yours so that either they'll tell me off or give me the answer?" asked Fawn with a deep friend.
"Because they're all gone," snapped Rosetta. "They all found the answer and all it did for them make them depressed for a week. In the end they were still gone. I still watched Gretchen fade away. I still woke one day to only find Heather was gone and all that was left was a cattail puff and some pixie dust. It didn't do anything for them; the knowledge didn't stop them from disappearing without a proper goodbye, and it didn't even make it easier for them. They started to dread death when it became clear to them it had no rhyme or reason, they still died with regrets."
"I want to know," said Fawn strongly, but she looked away. "Maybe… maybe if you…"
"You want me to go see that heathen?" demanded Rosetta and then looked away.
"It really does sound interesting -- those books," said Iridessa a little excitedly. "I could go with Tinkerbell tomorrow. I wanted to go see something on Ulra, you know see how different fact is from the stories we're told, and I really don't have that work tomorrow… I could look it up for you."
"What?" asked Rosetta sharply. "Are all of you deaf and stupid? I told you already that going to see Teardrop is like slowly dripping tar on yourself and letting it eat at you… none of you are going to listen to my warning are you?"
"We just… she hasn't hurt Tinkerbell; she didn't even try to lie to her. She has information," said Iridessa.
"Fine," said Rosetta angrily standing up and turning away from her friends. "But when you three go tomorrow you better not forget me."
"Forget you?" asked Iridessa.
"I'm going with all of you tomorrow. Someone of sense needs to be there to make sure that Teardrop doesn't take advantage of you guys," said Rosetta still facing away.
"Are you sure? You really sound like you dislike Teardrop," said Iridessa.
"Yes, I'm sure," snapped Rosetta and sighed, her shoulders slumping in some sort of submission and glancing to the side so she could only see Fawn. "I'll find out the answer, what it is that kills fairies."
"But Rosetta," said Tinkerbell and then quelled under the glare the garden fairy sent her way.
"We're not forcing you," said Iridessa grumpily and then shrunk under her own words.
"No, but I'm taking on what has to be done. You can't just be allowed to wander," said Rosetta. "You might not know it, but I think I've…"
"Don't feel obligated," said Fawn pushing herself up and eyes already searching for an animal in need.
"I don't," said Rosetta making Fawn pause. "It's about the time I learned the answer, it's about time I started getting ready."
"Rosetta, you can't mean it," said Iridessa.
"I have lived to see every friend I started out with disappear," said Rosetta and then choked a little. "I know that our deaths are random and while some live over one hundred years and some only last barely a week. But my luck has to run out eventually, and something tells me it might be soon, and as much as I think that just accepting might be easier. To not know what it is that ends a fairies life, I also need to know, I need to follow that path, and at the moment the only one who knows that answer is Teardrop and her books."
"You're not going anywhere," said Tinkerbell putting a reassuring hand on her friends shoulder.
"Actually I think I'm going to let you go," she easily undid the knot that tied her and Tinkerbell together. "And now I have some flowers to cheer and you probably have some tinkering you'd planned to do. I'll see you and Iridessa at the big red tulip at the path to the library tomorrow morning. I better not see you there Fawn, I'll be looking for you later either to tell you how it happens or tell you don't want to know."
And Rosetta left, none of her friends tried to stop her, just watched the fairy in what seemed a death march. The wind blew hard once and in a single blink Rosetta was out of sight.
"I sometimes forget how old she really is," said Fawn looking in the direction of her friend.
"I've met a few people half as old as her," said Iriessa rubbing her palms nervously. "And they… they're completely dedicated to their work. Sometimes… sometimes they seem to think that since I worry so much about detail and getting it right that I'm someone to confide to associate with but not actually become attached to. They'll tell me stories about fairies long since past.
"I once asked them why they never really got to know me. Ginger said it was because they didn't dare. They all friends who just stopped being. Lupin was the worse, the sparrow man made friends with three fairies in a row that lasted hardly a month. He doesn't dare get closer, just immerses himself in the thing that constant for him – the seasons. They say it's hard to lose friend after friend, that it would have been easier if they could just say they drifted apart."
"But you can't just give up," said Tinkerbell. "Well, I really need to go back."
"Tinkerbell," the tinker fairy stopped and moved her head back. "Even if… even if our lives seem to end so abruptly. Most of us live full lives. Long enough to lose friends, but short enough that we don't regret seeing their passing, not really. For fairies like Rosetta, they envy us our youth because they want to die but keep living. Rosetta is actually well balanced for a fairy her age. She mourns but keeps living and still make friends, close friends like us."
"It seems cruel," said Tinkerbell.
"Life isn't always kind, but no matter what we have our talents and that is always something we fairies can fall back on until we are – gone," said Iridessa, and then tugged up Fawn who had fallen to her knees again. Tinkerbell watched them leave, how Iridessa flew to the sun with a sudden set look she got when dealing with her light talent and Fawn found a butterfly that needed help getting back in the air. Tinkerbell flew away. There was an invention she had been trying to work out.