A gentle breeze rippled through the deep orange leaves of a vast oak tree as it blew through the forested area. Nearby, a wooden arched bridge with intricately carved rails stood over top a serene stream flowing through the shrubbery. Overhead, the sun beat down upon the scene, giving the place a pleasant, airy atmosphere. Beside the oak tree lay a building constructed with what appeared to be elven architecture. Such a place appeared to be very warm and welcoming, however it had no distinct aura.
"This is the place," said Bloom, as she approached the area with three other girls. "The Black Lagoon Cafe." They stepped across the bridge, admiring the scenery of the surrounding area.
"This place has the wrong vibes," declared Flora the instant they crossed the bridge. She gently walked over to the large oak tree and analyzed its life force by putting her palm up against it. Green energy was transferred from her hand to the tree, yet none was returned back to her. "Just as I thought. This tree has no life force!"
Tecna whipped out her scanning device. "Flora's right," she confirmed. "This whole area isn't correct, it's as if the reality of this place is being intentionally hidden!"
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the soft breeze turned into a wild whirlwind, getting stronger and picking up speed.
"Wh-what's going on?" stammered Musa as the girls struggled to keep their ground. All the leaves of the tree blew right off, momentarily blocking off the view of their surroundings. As the air cleared up and the winds died down, it did not even appear to be the same place they had just been in seconds ago.
"The winds were the illusion spell being lifted," determined Tecna, examining the changes. The sun was nowhere in sight and it was as dark as night. Heavy silver fog rolled through the area, uncovering the now bare jagged branches of the dead tree. The elven-styled building was replaced by a falling-apart shack which resembled a haunted house. There was nothing calm or peaceful about the scene anymore; it was nothing short of desolate with a morbid aura. It was the type of place where one's intuition would be screaming to get away; a place where a feeling of impending doom hung over like a dark rain cloud.
"We need to get out of here right away!" cried Tecna. "We've walked right into a trap!"
The girls turned around to go back across the bridge, however it was no longer there. Neither was the stream, it had been replaced by a murky bog. As the fog rolled out, it uncovered something that made the girls gasp. Just above the centre of the bog, hanging by several vines, was the body of none other than Stella. Her body rotated at a slow speed, under complete control of the vines which bound her.
A laugh came out of nowhere, giving the girls goose bumps. It was a laugh of pure evil, one which took pleasure in the suffering of others and had no remorse in doing so. "Why hello there," came the amused voice of Icy. It did not seem to have a source; it was as if the whole ghastly scene was speaking itself. The voice rang out loudly and had a chilling effect.
"Do you pixies like it here? We made it special. Enjoy your visit!" And with a final cackle there was once again silence. However this was not just regular silence; it was the deafening silence where you just know something's about to happen.
As the girls moved closer to the bog to get to Stella, a gargantuan anaconda suddenly burst forth from the water. It was as thick as a school bus and smirked to show it's destructively sharp fangs.
"Let's go, Winx Club!" shouted Bloom as the four girls transformed with a burst of colour and energy. Hovering a few feet in the air, the girls were now ready to combat the monstrous snake coming in the way of rescuing their friend.
The snake lunged at the person closest to it: Musa. Barring its fangs, the snake struck at Musa who just barely managed to dart out of the way. Reeling back in for a second attack, the snake observed the group to locate its next target.
Meanwhile, Flora was attempting to release Stella from the vines that bound her. The snake was still in between them, so she concentrated from a distance, trying to take control of the vines. "I can't make contact!" she cried, just as the snake lunged. Shrieking in agony, Flora free fell from the sky; the snake had made a direct hit.
"Flora!" cried Bloom, diving after Flora and managing to catch her before she disappeared into the depths of the bog. "I-I think I'm okay," stammered Flora, regaining her composure.
As the snake slithered in to attack Bloom and Flora, Musa shouted, "Subwoofer blast!" Two gigantic purple speakers appeared on either side of the snake, playing blasting music.
The snake hissed furiously and tried to move away, but Tecna was too quick. "Static Sphere!" she cried. A webbed green sphere surrounded the snake, blocking its escape route.
By this time, Flora had recovered enough to rejoin the battle. The snake was thrashing wildly within Tecna's sphere, which was threatening to break. "Venus Vine Wrap!" called Flora. Vines came out of her hands towards the snake, immobilizing it.
"My turn," said Bloom. "Dragon Fury!" The orange silhouette of a massive dragon crashed down upon the snake. With a huge explosion and one final hiss, the snake faded away into the darkness and all was quiet once more.
"We have to get to Stella!" Flora broke the silence. The four fairies flew as fast as they could towards the centre of the bog where Stella was being held. Surprisingly enough, there was nothing obstructing their way as they finally reached their seemingly unconscious friend.
"Stella!" cried Bloom, grabbing at the vines in an attempt to tear them away. The vines came off easily and Stella fell into the arms of her rescuers… only it wasn't Stella. With the snap of her fingers, Darcy dropped the illusion of herself as a fairy and assumed her regular appearance, taking the fairies completely by surprise. "Perceptis Disorientis," she said, as purple haze filled the area. Everything the girls could see was distorted, and they were temporarily unable to defend themselves.
"Wh-where's Stella?" shouted Musa, trying to regain her focus.
Darcy merely smiled evilly and pointed to the far side of the bog where a giant tornado was spinning. Surrounding the tornado were numerous lightning bolts, spinning and getting closer and closer to the centre. In the direct centre of the tornado, Stella's form was visible, encased in ice. Immobile as she was, the expression displayed on her face was one of terror and pleading.
It was too much for Bloom to take; she broke out of Darcy's spell and began to charge her powers. She concentrated and clenched her fists as a yellow aura surrounded her; her energy was preparing for maximum potential.
"Oh, we're not fighting," came the chilling voice of Icy as she flew out of nowhere and hovered beside Darcy.
From the other side, Stormy flew up as well. "You're surrendering the Ring of Solaria or your friend is history." The lightning bolts swirled closer and closer to Stella as they were sucked in closer to the middle of the tornado; it was apparent that contact with them would cause excruciating pain.
Bloom glanced at Stella's ring on her finger. Was it worth risking her best friend's life for? A shriek from Stella brought her back to her senses. The lightning bolts moved in dangerously close to her, apparently they were able to go through the ice case immobilizing her as if it wasn't there. Another shriek announced that a bolt had grazed her. It seemed as though the bolts had melted the ice enough for her to be able to scream. "Please!" screamed Stella, as a second lightning bolt slashed her.
Heart racing, Bloom glanced at the rest of her team for support. Flora, Musa and Tecna were all still under Darcy's spell and unable to help. It was all up to her. Making an impulsive decision, Bloom wrenched the ring off her finger and threw it into the air. "Take it!"
Icy flew up and caught the ring. "You won't regret this," she sneered. "Sun Power!" Hearing the words coming in the cold voice of Icy rather than the warm voice of Stella was disgusting to hear. As the ring turned into the Scepter of Solaria and was used to transport the three witches out of the area, the tornado, lightning bolts, and ice case disappeared allowing Stella to fall to the ground. Darcy's spell also lost its effect on the fairies and together the four girls frantically made their way towards their fallen friend.
With Stella barely conscious on the ground below them, the girls landed and prepared to take her to safety. Her eyes fluttered open for a second. "Girls? Thank you so much for coming after me. I don't know what would have happened to me without you." With a smile on her face from knowing she was safe in the care of her four best friends, Stella passed out. The rest of the Winx Club, glad to have their lost member back, carefully transported her back to Alfea to recover.