Disclaimer: I don't own Over The Garden Wall!

Title: Losing Your Wings

Summary: (Slight AU) The guilt of what Beatrice has done is eating at her, forcing her to take drastic measure in an attempt to atone. Her family turns back to human, but she doesn't. At least, not right away.

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Nightfrightpony- So I shall!

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Beatrice wondered, rather belatedly, if Wirt and Greg were better off here, in the end.

Sure, The Unknown wasn't always a picnic, but they'll be back. Someday. She knew it deep in her heart, and she knew they knew it too. After all, it's like dipping your toe in a puddle and expecting it to come out dry; some of the water never quite lets go.

It was a temporary fix, at best. They'd see each other again. Would it be fair to dangle that in their faces, the thought and feel of home, only to snatch it away?

Well, she decided, hunkering down in front of the window, it can't be any different from carrying a pair of magic scissors through snow and wind, only to give away the chance at being human again due to a bit of guilt and pride.

Wirt, the eternal softie, will bombard her with question when he gets back. Then try and persuade her to tell them. And then she will, knowing her; all she needs is a push. Greg will cheer for her the entire way.

...She misses them, okay? There. She said it.

"Waiting to get outside?" One of her brothers asks, bending down to open the window. Beatrice takes to her wings, her pride feeling the blow that her family assumed she wasn't even capable of going outdoors on her own.

"No, actually, I wasn't." She snapped. "And I can find my own way out."

He started to say something, but she flew away, out the small door they left for the dog.

Speaking thereof, she landed on a furry back and settled in. It wasn't a shoulder, but it'd do. "Alright, pooch. Mush. Anywhere but here will be fine."

The dog got to his paws, padding a few steps forward, then flopped on the ground. She fell into the dirt with an 'oomph.'

"Wow. What an invigorating experience." She sighed, getting to her wings. The dog began to roll around playfully in response. "You stink as a mode of transportation, you know that?"

Grumbling under her breath, Beatrice took to the air, sailing on the currents. She wondered if her family missed flying. She would be much more comfortable with a more solid footing on the ground, honestly.

Trees whisk by, opening to a grassy field. Beatrice almost falls out of the sky when she sees The Woodsman cheerfully hauling a bundle of sticks, a young girl by his side.

"Hey!" She swooped down the greet them.

"Hello, bird." He rasps. His deep voice soothed her, unlike before, when it had made her feathers fluff up. "All is well, I take it?"

"As well as it can be." She agrees.

"Good, good." He hesitated. "...The boys?"

"Home."

Relief sparked in his eyes. "Even better." He breathes.

"It's nice to meet you." The woman hums, sticking out a finger for her to perch upon.

"Same to you. Lugging wood?"

Storm clouds cross The Woodsman's old features. "I may no longer chop up Edelwood, but I'm still The Woodsman. This is my calling, bird."

"Okay. I'll help." Beatrice reaches into the pile and pulls out a small twig, holding it in both talons.

"Bird-"

"Nope. Nuh-uh. I'm gonna help." She stubbornly shook her head. "Besides, I could use the company."

Together, they haul the load to The Woodsman's home, working in silence. Beatrice sets down her stick with a flourish. "There."

"Thank you. You've been a good help." He rumbled, but she assumed it was just a ploy to make her feel better. "Bird, may I ask you why you're still a bird?"

Beatrice jumps. "What, never seen a talking bluebird before?"

"I have." He assured her. "But you have the air of someone who is what they didn't used to be." He bowed his head. "I understand it well."

"I threw a rock at a bluebird." She admitted, after a moment's hesitation. "It cursed my whole family."

"Well, surely there's a way to fix it, isn't there?"

"My family is fixed." She glanced away. "I just... decided against it."

"Ah..." The Woodsman says, his words a sigh. "I see. This is your punishment, then."

Beatrice quietly landed on the top rung of a wooden chair. "I did a bad thing."

"So did I." He reminded her. "And I'm not being punished."

"Your burden was much worse than my own." She remembered The Beast's dark voice and shivered. "You only did what you thought was right."

"As did you."

"Not when I hit a bird."

"But you learned. That's what's important." The Woodsman stood up to make himself a glass of tea. "Does your family know?"

"My family knows they are free." She offered. He shook his head.

"They've earned the right to know what imprisoned them, don't you think?"

She reluctantly bobbed her head. "I was worried that was what you'd say. So I should tell them, then?"

He shrugged. "You should do what you think is best. Remember, the only one punishing you, is you."

Author's Note: Short, I know. But still. =) Only one more chapter.

-Mandaree1