Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

Author's Note: I could continue with Scottish dialog, but that would make difficult reading for you. So just "take it as read" that the Scottish fairies are speaking Scottish.

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Clarion's Hobby - Chapter 6 - Dragonfly-Ball

Neil and Vidia touched down in a corner of a field, beside a 4-foot circle. Two of the fast-flyers raced off across the field, and soon returned with 6 dragonflies. Prilla, Phoebe, and a handful of local fairies landed to watch.

"We call this game Dragonfly-Ball." Neil told Vidia. "It can be played with 1 or 2 fast-flyers. Each flyer starts the game with a colored ball, and 3 matching colored dragonflies." He stepped into the circle, and picked up 2 large dried peas, 1 orange and 1 blue. Neil handed the orange ball to Vidia.

"The game is played inside the circle." He fluttered into the circle. "The object of the game is to keep your ball in the air using only your feet," he kicked the ball straight up, buzzed in a circle, then kicked it up again, "While trying to catch your 3 dragonflies." He caught the ball and fluttered back to Vidia.

"First one to catch their 3 dragonflies wins." Neil gestured to the group of 3 orange and 3 blue dragonflies. "These dragonflies are specially trained; they fly at random inside the circle, and when you grab them they'll fold up their wings and go rigid."

Vidia had no problem seeing the possibilities of the game. It contained elements of speed, timing, skill and chance. Great fun for a fast-flyer.

"Want a practice run?" asked Neil.

"No, I'll pick it up as we play." Vidia fluttered into the circle with her orange ball. Neil and the dragonflies hovered into the circle with her.

"The game starts when both balls are in the air." explained Neil. "Ready? Let's go." They both kicked their balls upward, and the dragonflies started their crazy flights.

"This is wild!" Prilla told Phoebe.

"Aye," Phoebe agreed, "Only fast-flyers can do this."

Neil already had one dragonfly under his arm. Vidia was fighting to work out a strategy. Her ball had almost dropped to the ground a couple of times. Shortly after Neil grabbed his second dragonfly, Vidia caught her first. Prilla clapped and cheered. Neil seemed to be having trouble with his elusive last dragonfly, but got it just as Vidia grabbed her second one.

"Don't be discouraged, Vidia." Neil sympathized. "We've been playing this for years."

"Never mind that. Let's go again." Vidia insisted.

The dragonflies buzzed into their chaotic dance as the 2 balls rose into the air. Vidia caught her first one just after Neil. She grabbed her second one as Neil floundered, then snatched his second. Vidia suddenly thought "Why am I chasing these stupid dragonflies? Why can't I just use my winds to pull them to me?" After a long period of attempts, she finally got her third. She turned around to face Neil, who was hovering there with 3 dragonflies.

"You're doing really well, Vidia." Neil told her. "You have the makings of a first-class Dragonfly-Ball player."

"Again." was Vidia's response. Though Neil once again took the lead early, Vidia's wind-netting skill improved quickly. She caught her second and third dragonflies in rapid succession, while Neil was still after his third. Prilla and Phoebe jumped up and cheered. There was polite applause from some of the local fairies.

"Very good, Vidia." Neil gave her a warm smile. "I've never seen a player improve so quickly. This might be a good time to break for lunch, if you'd like?."

Normally Vidia would have a snappy answer to that, but all she could manage was "Sure."

As they flew off to the local tea-house together, Vidia asked "So what's with the waving hands in front, during the race?"

"That's just my personal style." explained Neil. "My hands work like forward canard winglets. It helps my maneuverability. I notice you have your own style."

"Really?"

"Oh, aye. You're very lithe in turns, like a cat with wings."

Vidia sat with Neil and the local fast-flyers during lunch. Prilla sat nearby with Phoebe.

"There's a bit more to Dragonfly-Ball than you've seen." Aileen stated to Vidia.

"What am I missing?" Vidia asked.

"Players aren't allowed to deliberately make physical contact," explained another, "But they can block or interfere with the other player."

"So you were going easy on me." Vidia eyed Neil.

"It was your first time playing..." Neil claimed.

Prilla turned to Phoebe with a question she had been itching to ask for a while. "Phoebe, do you have any fairies who can travel to the mainland faster than a fast-flyer?"

"Faster than a fast-flyer? Nae." Phoebe looked at Prilla curiously. "Nae one could be faster than that."

"Oh." Prilla sounded a bit disappointed. After a moment, she asked "What about fairies who don't seem to have a talent? Any of those?"

"Well... only a very few." Phoebe thought Prilla was trying to say something.

"Any unusual stories about those fairies?"

"Not really. Most of them move from talent to talent, as they're needed, but none of them are as good as true talents." Phoebe thought for a moment. "Unusual stories... there was one."

Prilla looked interested. "A couple years back," Phoebe began "She was working with the cooking talents. They were lifting a large, heavy kettle when the overhead beam snapped from dry-rot. The whole thing came down on this fairy. We thought we'd lost her for sure, but when the wreckage was cleared, she was gone!"

Prilla was captivated. "It turns out," Phoebe continued "She woke up in an orchard hours later, under her favorite tree, with no idea how she'd gotten there." Prilla's eyes sparkled, and her wings buzzed.

"Phoebe... I think I can trust you with a little secret." Prilla thought about how much she should say, as Phoebe waited. "I'm not really a fairy-colony-visiting-talent."

"Well, that does sound a bit made-up." Phoebe smiled.

"We have to return to Neverland, but you can tell that cooking fairy I'll be back to talk with her very soon."

After lunch, Vidia and Prilla made preparations to head home.

"I hope you don't mind if I introduce your Dragonfly-Ball game to Pixie Hollow fast-flyers." Vidia told Neil.

"Of course not." Neil looked pensive. "I do wish you could stay for a while, I'd teach you some of my tactics."

"I'll come visit again."

"Perhaps I could visit your Neverland?" Neil suggested.

"Well... Neverland is about 300 miles from here."

Neil looked concerned. "300 miles... that's about 6 or 7 hours of hard flying." He looked at Vidia with determination. "I could do that."

Vidia gave a smug little smile and stepped closer to Neil, speaking softly. "I can fly it alone in less than 30 minutes."

Neil's eyes grew huge. "What? Thoir do chasan leat! Really?" (Get out of here!)

Heather stepped up to Prilla and Vidia. "You gave us a bit of a start when we first met, but I can see now you're just like us. Queen Caointiorn gave me a message for you: Neverland fairies are welcome in Dachaigh Sidh." Heather smiled and stepped back. "May the wind always be at your feet."

Vidia and Prilla lifted into the air amid waves, and calls to "Come back soon." Neil followed them as they turned south.

"Vidia, how can you fly 300 miles in 30 minutes?" asked Neil.

"Prilla?" Vidia reached out a hand. Prilla swung over and took her arm in the double-grip. Vidia looked at Neil, smiling "Like this." Vidia and Prilla rocketed out of sight in seconds.

"Wow." was all a stupefied Neil could express.

Vidia dropped her wind-fold 30 seconds later, being now 3 miles away from Neil and Dachaigh Sidh, but kept her grip on Prilla.

"Oh, Vidia." grinned Prilla. "That was wicked of you. He'll go crazy trying to figure out how you did that."

"I guess it's back to Pixie Hollow." Vidia sighed.

Prilla Apparated them into the air above Pixie Hollow. They separated, and after a moment of re-orientation, headed for the Pixie Dust Tree where they would give Queen Clarion their report.

"That went reasonably well." Vidia commented.

"We met some new friends, you impressed some fast-flyers," Prilla trivialized, "And I think you have a new fan."

Vidia smiled quietly to herself.

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Author's Post Note:

This story didn't go at all in the direction I originally intended. It wasn't supposed to be a "Vidia sports" story. It was supposed to have a Prilla-interest section, and the whole Scottish thing was supposed to be the first of 2 story halves. It just fluffed-out so well, that by the 4th chapter it became its own story. I'll have to put the other ideas into other stories.

Also, I had the bulk of this sporty story written before I found out the upcoming Tinker Bell 4 movie would be "Pixie Hollow Games". Honest. Mid-July (2011), I checked for TB4 movie news, and was surprised to find TB4 and TB5 had swapped places. Maybe my subconscious is tuned to Disney Fairies buzz.

Freaky.