My thanks to I Luv Milarion for pointing out a small, but glaring plot hole which I addressed in the first paragraph of this chapter.

Chapter 5

The tinker fairies and sparrow men were left temporarily stunned by the total destruction of Tinker Bell's cottage. When the thistles tore up the other houses the feeling of paralysis only deepened. But when Vidia started screaming for help some of the tinkers looked at each other unsure of what to do. Thistles had never been in Tinker's Nook before and not one fairy had any idea of how to respond.

Finally someone decided to try something, good or bad. "Let go!" someone yelled. "Vidia, let go!"

I can't let go, I need to get these lousy weeds out of here, Vidia sneered back in her thoughts.

Others began to follow and began to yell out to her, "Let go." The fast flyer held tight, her body bouncing and scraping across the ground. The more she got scraped up though the more she began to consider their advice.

The thistles somehow managed to work their way out of the housing district and turned into the courtyard where all the tinker made wares were stacked and ready for pickup and delivery. The tinker fairies, afraid for both Vidia and of losing so much hard work, descended and formed a makeshift barrier. They yelled and whooped and waved their arms and wings at the thistles trying to turn them. But the frightened weeds refused to cooperate and plowed straight into them. The tinker fairies scattered trying to avoid getting poked and scratched. Most escaped safely, a few like Clank, got scratched or cut up.

The rest of the tinker fairies who were watching in stunned paralysis finally reacted to the scene and tried to run or fly to safety. They ducked behind rocks, into the workshop or flew high above the fracas. Unfortunately, in their panicked flight no one remembered the mouse carts or the mice hitched to them. Cheese saw the thistles heading his way and bolted towards the exits, but his cart hit a bump and turned on its side, all the wares inside spilling out. As it dragged and bounced along behind him, it caught on something and his harness snapped allowing Cheese to escape unhindered. His friend, Cheddar, wasn't so lucky. Cheddar didn't move right away he was so scared.

The thistles barreled into the pickup area, plowing through the neat stacks of rainbow tubes, woven baskets, acorn bowls and other wares sending them flying high into the air where they landed all over and pelted the tinker fairies that could not shelter themselves from the fallout. Cheddar finally turned to run, but the thistles hit and overturned his cart along with the mouse. He lay on his back, his tiny mouse feet relentlessly pawing and grasping at the air trying to turn himself over. When the thistles hit Cheddar's cart they split and ran in opposite directions leaving Vidia speeding towards the mouse cart with one rope in each hand, the fast flyer about to be pulled in half by the running weeds.

Terence saw the thistles running into the courtyard and immediately recognized that they were about to crash into the stacked wares.

"Fly, FLY!" he yelled at Tink, but she was too dumbstruck by the loss of her house to hear him. She had remained airborne the whole time, her wings flitting without thought, so he pushed her towards the nearest thing he could find, a rock platform jutting out from the nook's wall face.

Tink finally started to register what was happening. "What? What?!" The thistles hit the stacked wares and launched them high into the air. Once reaching their apex the flying bowls and other objects began to descend, falling all around the courtyard. Some began to drop onto Tink and Terence.

"Get down," Terence yelled. He pushed Tink onto the rock and into a crouching position against the wall face. An acorn bowl fell right at them. Terence put his arm up to block it, but instead somehow managed to catch it. Thinking quickly he put it on Tink's head. He crouched next to her, putting his body between hers and the rest of the falling debris, using himself as a shield. He wrapped one arm around her and put the other over his head. He could feel several items strike his back and head as they dropped back to earth. "Stay down," was all managed to say. Terence could feel Tink's body shaking in fear and shock. But at the moment there was nothing else he could do to help her.

Staring down the overturned mouse cart Vidia let go of the thistle to her right. She was instantly yanked to the left. The thistle she still held on to was running headlong into a wall before it suddenly turned back towards the housing district. Vidia's momentum caused her to swing around in a wide arc and she found herself racing towards the same wall the thistle had just avoided. The fast flyer had no choice but to release the second thistle. She was flung backwards where the fairy hit the ground hard and then rolled into the wall with a sickening thud. She ended up laying face down motionless and gasping for breath for several seconds, the wind having been knocked out of her.

The first thistle had run straight out of Tinker's Nook, but the second was about to go back into the housing area and cause even more damage unless someone did something fast.

Sorry this one took so long. I had written it and then decided it wasn't very good so I had to rewrite it entirely adding the suggestion by I Luv Milarion.

Wow, double digit views and reviews, I feel humbled and honored to have this kind of fan base so quickly. Thanks for your gracious and continued support and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.

Author's Note: The mouse, Cheddar, is an original character.