In a flash, Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell raced through the Autumn Forest. Other fairies followed, including Fawn, Rosetta, Iridessa, Silvermist, Vidia, and the seasons’ ministers. Snowflakes were falling more rapidly now, and fairies throughout the warm seasons were panicking.

“The temperature seems to be plummeting!” the Minister of Autumn cried.

“The hibiscuses are halfway to hibernation!” added the Minister of Summer.

“Now, now, ministers,” Queen Clarion said, trying to remain calm. “Let’s not panic.”

But as they reached the top of a steep hill near the border and looked into the distance, they gasped.

“Snow!” the Minister of Spring cried.

They couldn’t believe their eyes. Snow was billowing up into the sky from the edge of the border, and it was beginning to blanket the warm seasons of Pixie Hollow!

Just then, Tinker Bell heard Clank and Bobble. They were struggling down below in the riverbed by the border. She flew toward the sound of their voices and found them on a ledge near an icy waterfall. They were trying to move the snowmaker.

“Heave ho!” the tinkers cried.

“What happened?” Tink asked when she reached her friends. She pointed to the machine. “How did this get here?” The last time she’d seen the snowmaker, it had been on the bridge.

“I don’t know, Miss Bell.” Clank shrugged. “But it’s stuck real good.”

“Aye,” Bobble said. He pointed to the mound of snow piling high into the sky. “And it’s making that thing bigger by the minute!”

Tinker Bell called to Rosetta and the rest of her friends to help move the snowmaker. With all their might, the fairies pushed and shoved. Finally, the machine broke free. It tumbled deeper into the riverbed and splashed into the water.

“We did it!” the fairies cheered.

“It’s over.” Tinker Bell sighed.

“Uh…I don’t think it is,” Vidia said slowly. She pointed up at the sky.

Though the machine was gone, the snow was still coming down. A cold breeze ruffled the fairies’ clothes and sent chills to the tips of their wings.

“Why isn’t it stopping?” Clank asked.

Queen Clarion and the ministers all looked concerned. “It’s too late,” the queen said. “The seasons have been thrown out of balance.”

“But if the temperature continues to drop, it will freeze all of Pixie Hollow,” the Minister of Spring said.

All the fairies looked to Queen Clarion for guidance. But she remained silent. Just then, a sharp crack behind them grabbed their attention. The fairies watched as a large, frozen tree branch broke and fell to the ground.

The Minister of Autumn turned to the queen with a grave expression on his face. “Queen Clarion,” he said. “The Pixie Dust Tree…”

The queen’s eyes grew wide. Immediately, she flew high into the sky and gazed at the Pixie Dust Tree in the center of Pixie Hollow. Her face clouded with worry. “We must hope the tree survives,” she said. “Otherwise there will be no more pixie dust.” She paused. “Life in Pixie Hollow will change forever. And no fairy will ever fly again.”

The fairies all gasped, picturing life without the Pixie Dust Tree.

The queen motioned to the fairies. “Hurry,” she said. “We must do everything we can!”

Everyone in Pixie Hollow began to prepare for the coming freeze. The fairies needed to make sure that they and all the animals would be able to stay warm until the cold had passed. Iridessa took an armful of fireflies and placed them in a sunflower, which Rosetta closed up around them. Over by Havendish Stream, Fawn escorted a group of frogs into an empty log and patted it closed with moss.

Meanwhile, Fairy Mary was directing the tinker fairies to pile moss onto the Pixie Dust Tree. “That’s it,” she instructed them. “Lay the blankets along the branches, as many as you can. We must protect the tree.”

In her teapot home, Tinker Bell was helping several pillbugs keep cozy. “There you go,” she said, lowering a pillbug onto her bed. “You guys just stay here and keep warm. Everything’s going to be—”

Suddenly, a twinkle from the corner of the room caught Tinker Bell’s eye. She turned to see Periwinkle’s frosted blue flower resting on her table. Rosetta must have brought it to her house after they had taken Periwinkle back to the Winter Woods. Tink flew over to examine the flower. Part of the frost casing had broken away. She couldn’t believe what she saw. The flower’s petals stretched wide in full bloom.

“It’s still alive!” Tink breathed.

Slowly, an idea began to form in her mind. If the frost had helped keep the flower alive, then maybe…

Tink looked out the window, in the direction of the Winter Woods.

“Peri,” she whispered.