Culmination | A Tinkerbell Fanfiction

Epilogue: A Fairytale Life Can Be So Overrated

"All right," Clara announced, reemerging from the hospital wing to find the large cluster of fairies waiting outside impatiently. Immediately, everyone paused what they were doing at the healing-talent's remark and gathered around to hear what she had to say. "I've assessed the extent of the damage and--"

"It's not good, is it?" Iridessa fretted, cutting off the fairy and earning shushing looks from the rest of the group. "Oh, right, too soon. Sorry."

"Right," Clara went on, folding her hands and looking down at the younger fairies calmly. "Now, before I tell you what can be done, why don't you explain what happened following the...incident. How long have they been like this? I would ask him myself but..." She waved a hand, not needing to explain any further.

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Tink admitted, looking to her friends for support. "But we will do our best to tell you what we know."

"Scarab?" Shade whispered, kneeling down before her. "Is it really you? Are you...okay?"

She frowned. "Uh, I'm pretty sure I'm me," she said, trying to lighten the heavy mood she could feel had descended on the forest. "I think I would know if I wasn't...but...what happened? Why...why are you all here?"

"The bracelets," Spurn answered, coming to stand before the two of them, taking the four rings, shattered and divided, and holding them out for her to see. "Do you remember them?"

She blinked. "Uh, yeah, of course, I do. I helped design them. Why do you ask? Did...did something happen to them? No, dumb question; what happened to them?"

"Scarab," Shade whispered, taking her hands again. She gazed at him, clearly concerned by his solemn mood. "The bracelets...they corrupted you. You...you went a little crazy in the head."

Her eyes widened and her wings fell against her shoulders. "What?" she gasped, twisting to face the Queen and her subjects gathered behind her. "I...I knew they were powerful, probably too much for anyone to control alone but I never imagined I would...I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

Multiple pairs of eyes hastily darted in Tink and Bobble's direction; finding Tink staring back resolutely and Bobble already trying to sink away from the spotlight, pulling his jacket back over his wings and shrinking away from Clank's side. His work here was finished and...other fairies were beginning to gather, having clearly seen where the fight had ended. His hand went to his belt and he hastily shoved something out of sight behind his bubble dropper before any of them could see what it was.

However, he couldn't get far before the heavily accented voice of concern and panic sounded through the clearing and Fairy Mary was upon the group, frantically searching for her workmen, pushing aside anyone who, heaven forbid, decided to stand in her way. 

"Tinker Bell! Clank! Bobble!" she cried, spotting the three of them near the front and darting over to them. Clank and Tink smiled reassuringly and Bobble froze in place, halfway to the shadows where he had clearly been intending to slink away unseen. "Oh, oh my poor dears, are you all alright?" she demanded in her typical I-love-you-so-much-now-don't-ever-do-that-again-or-I'll-ground-you-for-a-century motherly voice. "No one is hurt, right?"

"We're fine, Fairy Mary," Tink assured her.

"One hundred percent!" Clank added, giving her a thumbs up.

Mary snorted, now rounding on her third and final charge. "Phineas," she snapped, resting her hands on her hips and staring him down. He immediately recoiled under her sharp tongue and edged away, looking ready to turn and bolt as soon as he could. "I saw what ya did up there." She pointed to the air. "And that was very risky of ye. Ye put yourself in too much danger, bein' the Protector. Ye forget, there are fairies here in the Hollow who care about ya too. What would have happened if somethin' had happened to ya up there? What would we have done without ye?"