Here, Vidia finally has a breakdown which has been building up since the attack. When the tinkers deliver a new saddle for Ventus, that's when she finally snaps. A more emotional chapter then usual, so here we go.

Chapter Six: Silvermist's Idea

For several weeks, Vidia practiced.

All of Pixie Hollow knew of the crazy antics with Ventus. The first and only trained hummingbird certainly was a piece of interest. His lovely green and red feathers were a marvel to behold. The harness he was used to wearing, now. Vidia made sure it was comfortable whenever she put it over his beak. Her steed was unpredictable, so for the first little while she penned him in the woven cage. But she kept him happy, filling the sphere with sweet honeysuckle flowers, thimblefuls of fresh water, and (when no other fairies were in earshot) talked to him.

"Don't give me that look!" she said one morning, while fastening on the harness.

Ventus twitched in annoyance, not wanting to train today.

"You know very well we need to practice those focused winds today. It'll help with pollinating the flowers."

The hummingbird seemed to give a roll of the eyes. He was just as stubborn as his mistress.

Vidia soon became a skilled rider, able to perform impressive stunts similar to the old ones she did before. She could maneuver through tight branches like an insect. Ventus didn't seem to mind doing free-falls in the open glades. They could race along the riverbeds; Vidia conjured strong breezes to liven up the currant and make it more interesting. She liked bursting through the waterfalls, sending nearby water fairies scattering for cover. Large meadows were crossed in a matter of moments on Ventus. On foot the trips would've taken hours.

However, there were also drawbacks to this bird-riding. A hyperactive hummingbird was naturally distracted by everything colorful. On flights through the forest, Ventus paused at every other flowerbed. The scents were just too delicious to resist!

Vidia found the habit extremely irritating. "Can't you stamp it out of him?" she complained to Fawn one day.

"Sorry, Vidia. Can't stop him from keeping up his strength."

With his wing muscles pumping at her feet, it was a choppy ride. Often she would get wacked in the face by a buzzing green wingtip. To maneuver through those tight spaces in the branches, he kept on flitting and pausing with such jerks that Vidia felt sure she would be knocked off. To fall off would mean falling to her death…not an appealing thought. But the rides were getting smoother with each day of training.

When passing the Pixie Dust Tree, Vidia often flew wildly into its depths, for the sake of getting drenched in golden dust…just like the old days. Pixie dust had little effect on Ventus; he was so superbly fast already that dust didn't really make a difference. With him, she was able to keep up with the other fast-flyers for a time. Since fast-flyers were one of the rarer talents, there weren't many of them in Pixie Hollow. But a hummingbird was not a magical flyer. Ventus couldn't keep up forever and eventually tired and slowed. The other flyers accepted him into the gang nonetheless. While in a group, the purple and violet-clad talents sent gusts of leaves swirling through the forest, made entire cyclones of dandelion seeds in the meadows and even combined their powers to push fog off the beach. Vidia was grateful she was still able to do that. It took more concentration, controlling cyclones of wind. She found her powers not quite as strong, but were still accurate; maybe even more so. It was a glorious triumph.

Ventus became more and more tame as time went on. He made his stubborn personality obvious, but quickly grew quite fond of his mistress. Vidia grew quite fond of him, too, though she would never admit it aloud.

But soon, she found herself falling into another bout of sadness. True, it was nice to be flying again, but it was so different from before. There were days when she felt over-the-moon happy, and other days when she was so depressed it was hard to leave home. This was one of those days.

"Nothing feels right, Ventus…" Vidia talked to her bird while sipping the juice out of a golden peach. The two of them sat on a narrow branch, about eight feet from the grass below.

Ventus poked his beak into his own peach and sipped the juice out that way. It had been a month since his first training day and was now tame enough not to randomly fly off and leave her stuck up here. His black eyes blinked as he listened. He was far more attentive these days and could tell she was once again feeling a little down. He gave a small nudge, reminding her who was doing all the work.

"Yes, I know," she gently pushed his beak aside. "Thanks for the rides, bird-brain. But…I wish things were back to normal. That hawk attack should never have happened…"

…

Down below and unseen, Iridessa led Tinkerbell and Silvermist through the bushes as quietly as she could. The shadows hid their faces. If no one sneezed from the ticklish weeds, they wouldn't be noticed. "Now, don't make a sound!" Dess warned, moving an obscuring weed. The three peeked out, looked upward, and saw Vidia with her hummingbird high up in the tree, drinking from the peaches. She had a forlorn look about her and barely registered the fact that an entire peach had gotten stuck on Ventus' beak.

"Oh…" Silvermist sighed upon seeing Vidia's face. "I've never seen her so sad."

"I know. It's weird, isn't it? She's been up there for a long time," Dess reported. "It's been happening more and more since the training began. She'll just go someplace high up and—you know—sit there!"

"Maybe flying with a bird isn't working out," said Tinkerbell.

"But she's back in the air; it's what she wanted! What more could a fast-flyer want?"

Tinkerbell had a feeling of what was wrong. She hovered an inch off the ground to make her speech. "It's not just about being in the air. Have either of you really thought about what it's like to fly? I mean really felt it? I guess there's a…a… sense of freedom, kind of, that's the best way to describe it. The sheer joy of taking off and being weightless and going as fast as you possibly can…I bet you anything a fast-flyer loves that feeling more than anything in the world. It's their whole identity! For a flyer, getting over something as big as losing your wings has got to be near impossible. Vidia still has a long way to go."

"Oh dear, oh dear…" Dess grasped her face in understanding. "I think I get it, now. Oh, poor Vidia! What do we do? She's getting more depressed all the time. I tried saying 'hello' the other day and barely got a word out of her."

"And I heard she didn't even want to go with the other flyers today." Sil pointed out.

"Hmm…there must be something we can do…" Tink pondered, putting her inventive brain to good use. "Maybe a get-together with all of us?"

"Oh, Tink," Dess disagreed. "How is a party going to help? There will be lots of fairies at a party, and I don't think she'd appreciate a ton of company."

They plunked themselves on the grass to think.

It was difficult coming up with ways to make Vidia happy. (She tended to mask happiness with spitefulness.) Every idea they had involved situations where fairies were very likely to stare at her wingless back; that was the last thing she would want. In the days before the hawk attack, she was never one to smile often. To see her so mournful and so quiet was becoming strange; disturbing, even. No one had witnessed Vidia even shed a tear over the loss of her wings; not even now, as they spied her alone with Ventus, did her grey eyes even water.

Thinking about this, Silvermist perked up. "Water! Listen, I think we could try this…" She pulled the others in closer so they could hear. Outside the bushes, some ladybugs flickered past, completely unaware of the whispering fairy trio. Had they heard, the whispers would sound excited, but nervous as well.

"Sil, are you sure that's even safe?" Tink wondered.

"Of course it's not safe!" Sil was grinning. "But it might work, right? Let's go ask her. Something this reckless she's bound to love!"

"The things we do to make someone's day." Dess groaned apprehensively and flew out after them.

There would have to be a delay. The branch upon which Vidia and her hummingbird had been perched was barren. No other fairies or birds were in sight.

"Must've left while we were thinking. C'mon," said Tinkerbell, ready to take the lead. "Let's head to her plum tree. If I were feeling sad, that's where anyone would go: home."

…

In the privacy of her bedroom, Vidia examined the scars for the one hundred and fifty-fourth time. She was in the middle of changing her peach-juice-stained shirt and was bare from the waist up, with her back turned toward the mirror—it was a large, old shard of a mirror, jagged around the edges. It looked as Vidia felt: broken.

The scar tissue was too deep to ever fully disappear. They left ugly reminders of that fateful day. On her face, her arms, winding onto her abdomen…the three slashes on her back were still the hardest to look at. Cutting over where the wings had once been; not even wing stumps remained. It was as if they had never existed.

She reached behind to touch a shoulder blade. Still, she half-expected to feel something there. But yet again, nothing met her fingertips. This horrible self-consciousness was destined to be a rough battle. Without a tear or even a sigh of grief, she dressed into a clean shirt that wasn't covered in peach juice. Her mutilated torso was covered up mercifully.

A knock came from the kitchen door.

Vidia frowned. "Ugh. Go away, whoever you are!" Taking a final glimpse in the mirror, she thought about adding sleeves to all her clothes, so as not to see the scars on her arms.

The knock sounded out again. She walked into the feather-decorated kitchen and snapped at the door again. "What?!"

"Er…May we come in, lass? We've got a delivery!"

Vidia slouched at the voices. Now was not the ideal time for a visit from the crazy twosome. They were always bringing over things to make improvements to the staircase and elevators of the tree. She opened the door, planning on getting rid of them. But the sight at the door was not the overly-jolly face she was expecting. Bobble's face wore such a strong look of concern that she forgot her anger for a moment.

"Hello, lass," Bobble began, wringing his hands. He was wary of the fast-flyer's temper.

"Yeah, hi!" large Clank greeted cheerfully, oblivious to their moods. "We made up a new saddle for your hummingbird! Thought it might make the rides a bit easier. 'Cause, you know with how fast they go and all. All that buzzing and flitting around has got to be tough!" Over his shoulder hung a homemade saddle of a walnut shell and more golden jewelry trinkets to match the harness. A very lightweight thing, so Ventus would hardly notice it once suited up.

"So, how goes the training sessions?" Bobble asked as she took the saddle to inspect it.

"Er…they're going well, I guess. He doesn't need to be penned in the cage, anymore."

"Good! We'll get to work dismantling it. Um…May I come in?"

After considering, she nodded. Great, now she couldn't shove them off. Not after they gave her a gift.

"Clanky, wait outside, would you?" He turned to his best friend, who had begun to follow.

"But I thought you said we were gonna visit—"

Bobble corrected. "No, I said we were both delivering the saddle, and I wanted to talk to her. So, wait here, please?"

"Okay. Hey, how 'bout I test out the saddle instead, to make sure it fits?"

"That'll be fine, Clank. I saw Ventus down by the stream. There's a might bushel of flowerbeds at the banks." Bobble sighed as his friend took the saddle and flew off. "Clank—not the brightest, but a fine tinker."

He stepped foot into the dim kitchen. He sensed they had come at a bad time, given Vidia's harsh way of answering the door. It couldn't hurt to ask if she was alright. He had wanted to visit, but had been distracted lately by many tinkering projects. "I've been meaning to check up on you for days, Miss Vidia. So, how are you coping?"

That was when she finally snapped. An icy emptiness spread through her person. Not another one of these 'how are you' questions! Would they never end? It was all anyone seemed to ask her. She didn't know how much more she could take! "Don't you dare ask me that!" she exploded suddenly. "Everyone keeps asking me that! Every single day!"

Bobble drew back in surprise. "I thought I'd—"

"Oh, no, no, no, sweetheart. I've had it with everyone asking me 'how I'm doing!' Nothing is going to get better. Ventus may have me back in the air, but nothing has changed! I'm still a pathetic, wingless fairy and who knows if I even count as a fairy anymore! Fairies have wings!"

Bobble was rigid with alarm. "Miss Vidia, please. You're going through a rough patch—"

"Rough patch?! How about you get ripped apart by a bird and see how it feels! You can't possible imagine…" Vidia's will was finally breaking. She fought back tears which threatened to break out. Her scowl was lessening no matter how hard she tried to keep it. She took a deep breath. "You can't possible imagine what it's like."

Bobble took her hand. "Easy, Vidia. It's not the end of Neverland."

"For me, it is."

"No, it's not, I swear. We're all trying to help."

Vidia had never cried in front of anyone; maybe a single tear, but never a full-fledged cry. This was the first time. She kept wiping her face with her free hand. The tears started flowing and wouldn't stop.

"Shh…it's alright, lass." To her astonishment, Bobble leaned forward and embraced her. "To lose something so precious is unthinkable…No one in Pixie Hollow may ever understand. But I promise you, you will find your strength again."

She returned the hug, burying her face and whimpering like a child. Her tough exterior melted away. Tears were said to relief emotions and make you feel better, even if the situation hadn't changed. She found it hard to believe. She let the tears run their course. Having just a shred of comfort was nice for a change. The sadness had built up so much…back when Fawn had been looking after the fresh wounds, Vidia was careful to keep it in check. To cry was to show weakness, loss of dignity. Feeling a pair of arms around her, she found the courage to let out every ounce of misery.

Bobble stayed quiet and stroked her hair. It was upsetting to have such a hard-shelled, independent fairy reduced to this…"Things will work out, Vidia," he consoled after a while. "Just take it day by day."

She dried her face, not able to speak.

The tinker did his best to calm her. It took some time for all the tears to dry up. When they finally did, Vidia's grey eyes were bloodshot. Her throat seemed to have closed up and now she was even more humiliated for showing weakness. She took several deep breaths as Bobble's pained expression focused on her. For a moment, he looked almost as sad as she.

"Don't tell anyone you saw me like this!" she choked. She swore she would punch him otherwise.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Miss Vidia."

Neither of them realized the door had been left open. New voices echoed around the base of the tree and drifted into the house. Bobble released her from the embrace, suddenly embarrassed, and helped clean her face with a handkerchief so that she looked more composed. She prayed no one would learn of the breakdown. The tinker had better keep his word!

"Vidia?" came Tinkerbell's call. She, Iridessa and Silvermist fluttered onto the shady porch. "Oh, hi Bobble!"

In a hurry, Bobble tried to act casual. "Hello there, lasses! What brings you? Clank and I were just delivering that new saddle."

"I've had a stroke of brilliance!" Silvermist praised herself. "Perhaps we should have given it a shot before. Vidia, what do you think about learning to swim?"

Vidia and Bobble stepped further out onto the porch. "What? I'm not a water talent, Sil. Didn't we talk about this before?"

"Yes, but that was it—just talk. We have yet to try."

Iridessa shuddered. "I still say it's too dangerous! We could all drown or get eaten by something much bigger then us! There's a reason why fairies don't swim. Not even water talents."

Vidia thought for several minutes. She sort of saw the logic in the idea. Right now, she felt completely hopeless, so she replied in a sad voice. "Well, wings can't drag me down now. Sure, I'll try it. Things can't get any worse, can they?"

The girls cheered, and Bobble leaned in to whisper. "That's the spirit, Vidia. Try to smile now, alright?" He then dashed over to the railing. "Oi! Clank! Quit chasing the hummingbird and get up here. We're going to the river!"

…

Fairy wings absorbed water. Everyone knew not to get them wet. This meant no flying in the rain and definitely no swimming. There had been a few incidents in the past when water fairies had accidentally drowned because they wanted to be in the water they loved so much. Vidia didn't need to worry about being dragged under, but what about the drowning part?

"Don't worry about a thing," Silvermist reassured, as if reading these thoughts. "I'll make sure you stay safe. I'll teach you! And if you get in trouble, I'll manipulate the water and have it lift you out."

"Thanks, sweetheart, but do water talents even know how to swim?" Vidia raised an eyebrow.

"Umm…"

The group had chosen a secluded spot along one of Pixie Hollow's rivers. It was like a lagoon, away from the gentle currant, and perfectly still. Tall grass grew along the banks, and overhead was a giant willow tree; it towered above them with long strands of leaves drooping down all around. Below were the silvery fish and above them hopped a few happy frogs, eating some unfortunate flies. The willow offered some privacy, since the leaves hung as thick as curtains. No prying eyes could be found here, for most of the water talents preferred sunnier spots along the river.

Vidia had said she would try, but now began regretting the words. She was a tad nervous. How did one swim, anyway? Sil certainly didn't know. If a water fairy didn't know, who did? Everyone else thought along similar lines.

"Let me go ask the fish. They'll give us some answers," Sil landed on a lily pad and called down to them.

"Maybe we could make a lifejacket, somehow," Tinkerbell suggested to Clank and Bobble. "Any ideas, you two?"

"Oh, this is such a bad idea," Iridessa paced in the air. "Such a bad, bad idea…"

Vidia stood rooted to the spot, arms folded and face frowning. Honestly, what help would a fish bring? They don't even have legs…a frog would be better…Of course! Why wasn't that thought of? Frogs had legs, and could swim well. Vidia went unnoticed as she hopped onto a lily pad. A pair of frogs was close by and she observed their way of propelling themselves through the lagoon.

Staying at the surface and not sinking was her first priority. The amphibians did this by paddling their front legs side to side, treading in place. Still sitting on the lily pad, she imitated the motions; seemed simple enough. Maybe if she kicked or paddled her legs in the same fashion, she would stay afloat. The way their back legs bent and pushed back at the water was more complicated. She dangled her legs in the water and experimented a little. Kicking caused the lily pad to glide about the surface. It was a start, but reality would be different once she was actually submerged.

Vidia jumped back onto solid ground, where Ventus gave her an affectionate nudge in greeting. The new saddle was a nice addition; it had made the trip much more comfortable. Now she could sit more securely on his back.

Silvermist was still talking to fish distractedly. Judging from her half of the conversation, it sounded as if the fish were explaining how to swim with fins only. Sil didn't seem to realize she was learning nothing useful. The tinkers were chatting about flotation devises, and Dess had become a nervous wreck.

"Guess I'll do this myself," Vidia kicked off her shoes. "Watch these, will you, Ventus?"

She waded into some shallow water, waist-deep. First, she tried floating on her back. Her whole body kept going under, though, making her sputter and come up for air. So she waded closer to a rock, held onto it, and kept trying. This helped to get the knack and feel of it. Both ears went underwater as she practiced, so the voices of her friends became muffled and indistinguishable. The general feel of being supported by only water could only be described as a weightless one…when Vidia figured out how to float without grasping the rock, she found she was almost enjoying it. The trick was to keep her back straight.

She stood up in the shallows with clothes and hair completely soaked and plastered to her body. The muffled underwater sounds had been nice—she held her breath and dusked down, just to hear them again.

"Oh no! Did you drown?!" Dess finally noticed what Vidia was doing and zoomed over in a panic. She hovered over Vidia's head.

"Duh, obviously not! This whole swimming thing will take some time…wish it were faster, but hey, at least floating isn't' so hard."

From his cattail perch, Ventus gave a small 'chirp' of encouragement.

"Thank you, Ventus." Vidia turned back to Dess. "Go and drag Silvermist away from those fish. The frogs are the ones to speak to."

"Righto." Dess took off, still looking worried.

Vidia continued ducking and floating around the shallows. This wasn't so bad, really. When she thought about it, this was the complete opposite of flying. The weightlessness in the water felt different compared to the feeling in the air…but she liked it. Ventus chirped at her from time to time. She sent him one of her rare smiles, glad someone was watching her slow progress. Maybe water would help to fill the missing pieces of her life…it was worth a try.

She noticed Bobble was waving his arms exuberantly at Clank and Tink, coming up with more strange ideas for floatation devices, no doubt. She remembered his words of comfort during her breakdown: Just take it day by day.

Some readers may know the character of Rani, a water fairy from the Disney Fairies book series. In the books, she willingly cuts off her wings in order to swim with mermaids. I should've included her in this story somehow, but allow me to explain why she's not here. :) You see, while I was writing this story, I hadn't read the books for years and years. When the movies started coming out, not every book character was included in the movies, and so the animated characters made more of a lasting impression, you know? I didn't even remember Rani until Ripped Apart was nearly finished.

By the time I did remember Rani, the story was so far along that I couldn't figure out how to work her in. I didn't want her to just suddenly appear out of nowhere; it just didn't really work. So, let's just say Ripped Apart takes place in the movie universe, only. (Sorry, Rani! You just slipped my mind. lol) She would've been great in a tale like this.

Since I wrote this story a couple of years ago, it was nice to be editing and re-reading it, making a few changes to make it even better. I'm so happy with how this chapter turned out! Hope you enjoyed! :) Only 3 more chapters to go. :D As always, please be polite in any reviews you feel like leaving!