Chapter 5: Lockette

Tecna watched something unbelievable happen. As soon as she got under the water she looked behind her to see her Enchantix wings start growing out from her back. Tecna immediately thought the spell was lifted.

Then things began to change even more. After her wings grew to their original size, they materialized into a swarm of blinding glitter. The swarm circled around her and left behind the mermaid tail and this time her bathing suit evaporated and changed into a lilac bikini top that tied up around the neck and was made up of various shells. Finally there was a shell and seaweed headband in her hair.

"I'm...I'm dreaming, I know it," Tecna bit her lip. She pinched herself multiple times to try and wake herself up. Nothing happened; she only drifted in the underwater abyss for what felt like hours. Tecna began to cry but noticed her tears float away.

"What am I going to do?" Tecna sniffed. "I don't know what Valtor is planning but I'll undo this spell...somehow."

Tecna felt the necklace Timmy gave her around her neck.

"Timmy would tell me not to give up, he would help me," Tecna smiled grimly. "But he...everyone would think of me as a weirdo looking like this. What am I going to do?"

"Tecna?" she heard someone say behind her. Tecna froze, who was talking to her?

"H...Hello?" she turned around to see all six of the bonded pixies in little bubbles looking at her in curiosity.

"What are you guys doing down here?" Tecna gasped. She grabbed them all and rushed to the surface. They all floated out of her arms once they broke the surface.

"We want to know what you're doing down here," Tune asked.

"And why do you have a tail?" Chatta added. Tecna was shocked that they weren't running away scared of her.

"I...I wanted to keep this a secret," Tecna covered her face.

"We won't tell anyone," Digit replied. "You can trust us." Digit came over and hugged Tecna.

"First you guys have to answer me one question, how did you know I was here?"

"We seen you sneak through the forest," Amore explained.

"We knew something was up," Lockette added.

"Something IS up, look what Valtor did to me!" Tecna sobbed.

"Valtor did this to you?" Amore flew around her.

"I have no idea how, but I think he did this to me so I would be less of a threat," Tecna sighed and sank deeper in the water so only her head showed.

"So you lost your powers and you're a...mermaid?"Digit asked. "Very illogical."

Tecna nodded in response, she started to cry. "I never wanted this!"

"You need to show Valtor whose boss!" Chatta said angrily.

Tecna stopped crying and looked at Chatta.

"This is what he wants to happen to you, too sad to even try!" Chatta replied.

"We are going to help you. You are going to be the best mermaid you can be so you can defeat Valtor!" Lockette replied.

"Logical," Digit pondered.

"I...I don't know what to say," Tecna sighed.

Piff flew over and landed on Tecna's head. Piff used a little bit of her magic to make Tecna smile.

"Maybe you guys are right," Tecna smiled grimly.

"We are right!" All the pixies said together.

"Well what am I supposed to do now?" Tecna asked the pixies.

They were all silent, Tecna decided to swim around the lake for awhile. She felt very clumsy when trying to swim; she awkwardly bumped into rocks and seaweed.

"I am never going to get the hang of this," Tecna sighed. Eventually she made it back to the pixies.

"How'd it go?" Amore asked.

"Not good. It's just so hard swimming without feet. I'll try again," Tecna sighed and dove back down.

"We have to help her," Digit said to the other pixies. "I'm her bonded pixie..."

"It takes time to reach perfection," Tune replied.

"If she doesn't get the hang of it, I'm worried she'll give up completely," Digit sadly said. This made Piff to start crying.

"It's okay Piff," Amore hugged the baby pixie. "We'll think of something."

Lockette suddenly thought of something. "I've got an idea, but I'm not sure if it'll work."

Lockette started, "I think Tecna's all caught up in her mind that she doesn't believe that she can do it."

"She said she was trying," Digit replied.

"I think it's something deep inside her mind, she needs to be more relaxed instead of being stressed," Lockette corrected.

"How do you suppose we correct it?" Amore asked.

"We need to open her mind, and that's where I come in," Lockette pulled out her wand. "Watch this." She went and dipped her wand in the water. The lake went bright blue then returned to normal.

"What did you just do?" Chatta asked, puzzled.

"Shhhh look!" Lockette pointed at the water. They all watched Tecna do jumps out of the water with ease and swim really fast now.

"How did you...?" Digit looked at Lockette clueless of what she just did.

"I opened Tecna's mind so she's completely focused on her swimming. Look how good at swimming she is now."

"Don't you think Tecna will be suspicious?" Tune asked.

Tecna swam over to the pixies.

"I don't know what happened, but something in my mind just clicked and I can swim great!" Tecna squealed in excitement.

"Does that answer your question?" Lockette giggled.