All right guys. Here's the next chapter. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to put this one up, I've been busy getting ready for college. I'm going to be busy with schoolwork, but I'll get on when I can and post more chapters. Studying won't stop me from being an active member of this community, you can count on that.

Chapter 9: The Real Guinevere

When they got to the library, everyone except Flora gasped at the sight of it. There were two stories with hundreds of bookshelves, containing thousands upon thousands of books, with topics ranging from different plants and their uses to advanced level spells and curses, though those books mostly gave information on counter spells, not how to actually hex someone. Tecna and Timmy dashed all over the place, looking at all the books, wondering which ones they wanted to read first. They would have spent the entire day in there if they didn't have a mission they had to complete.

"Look at this Timmy," said Tecna, gesturing at him to come and stand next to her. He did so and looked interestedly at the titles of the books she was looking at. "These books are all on the use of illusion spells. I'd love to learn some of these."

"Come on you two, we don't have time to look around in amazement," said Sky, who was seriously hoping Timmy wouldn't discover the four or five books that library had on technology. He was prepared to drag his friend away if he had to, just because they had to get this mission done. Timmy just sighed; he wanted to look through the place more thoroughly, but he knew Sky was right and they had to get to work.

"Where does one look if they want to find a counter curse?" asked Musa.

"All these books are on curses," said Flora, gesturing to a dozen bookshelves behind her. "There has to be something in here."

"Flora, there are so many books here, where do we start?" asked Bloom.

"The only way to really find something in here is just to look around and pray you'll find what you're looking for," said Flora. "Just be prepared to get a little frustrated. Half the time, either I never find what I'm looking for, or the books I do find give me stuff I can't use." When she saw the looks on everyone else's faces, she quickly said, "but seeing as we're on kind of a tight schedule here, let's speed this up with a little bit of magic."

"Leave it to me," said Tecna. She waved her hand over some of the bookshelves and several books flew off the shelves. They flew in circles around her and then the words left the pages and flew around in front of her. The others watched curiously as they saw her eyes darting back and forth, taking it all in. The words were moving around her very quickly, and none could understand how she was managing to read it all, but somehow or other she was.

"Is she actually reading all that?" asked Jason.

"It's a speed reading spell," said Musa. Everyone except Tecna looked at her as if to say, "how did you know that?" Musa sighed and said, "I've been Tecna's roommate for two years now. That's the only spell she uses when she's doing her homework. Gets the job done quickly and efficiently."

They spent several minutes watching her, but she stayed in that state, never seeming to snap out of it. It was as though she was in a trance, completely oblivious to the rest of the world and the people around her. She seemed to have forgotten that all her friends were still in the room. All her attention was on the books, and it looked as though she was going to be like that for a good while. Even Musa was a little stunned at how deeply immersed she was.

"It's been awhile since she's been that absorbed in the spell," she said. "It means she's getting close to something, so whatever you do, don't bug her unless she's ready to come out of it."

"How will we know when she's ready to come out of it?" asked Timmy, who'd been about to nudge her to see if she was even still alive.

"Usually, she just snaps out of it," said Musa. "Sometimes, like when it's time for dinner or something, I have to shake her out of it. She's always super mad whenever I do that though. Most of the time, when she does snaps herself out of it, you can see it. She starts looking less transfixed." Timmy backed off immediately. The last thing he wanted was for his girlfriend to be mad at him, particularly in this situation.

They watched and saw the books moving around her faster and faster and she was miraculously keeping up with all of them. Just when they thought she'd be that way for hours, she clapped her hands and said, "got it." All the books immediately flew back to their places on the shelves.

"You found out how to break the curse?" asked Flora.

"There was actually a special chapter on the curse Guinevere's under," said Tecna. "Similar curses have been used in past centuries, so the counter curse I found should work. Apparently, Guinevere was told that the curse would become permanent, so that she'd give up hope pretty early on and that would just give it more strength. It can still be broken, she just can't switch between her good self and bad self like she could before last night. We have to make her remember who she really is. But the catch is that you're the only one who has a shot at it Flora."

"Should have known that was coming," whispered Flora. "I'm the only one who can do it?"

"Yep," said Tecna. "Don't worry. The real Guinevere is still in there somewhere, but it's going to take a spell the size of this palace to break that curse." The girls didn't look that thrilled when she said that. "Oh come on, it's just an expression," she said. "I just meant it'll take all your Charmix power to do it, that's all."

"What are we waiting for then?" asked Layla. "Let's find Guinevere."

"Don't worry about it, she'll find us," said Flora.

"Got that right Flora!" They all looked up just in time to see Guinevere come flying down at them from the rafters. "Dark Shadow!" Everyone dodged the attack but it left a bookshelf smoking at one of the corners, which Layla put it out with a little water. This made both Flora and Tecna very hot under the collar; several of these books were irreplaceable.

"Anyone else think we oughtta take this outside?" asked Bloom.

"Yeah, good idea Bloom," said Stella. All the girls transformed, cast a vanishing spell, and reappeared a few feet outside the palace gates. Guinevere performed the same spell and followed them. At the same time, Icy, Darcy and Stormy appeared out of nowhere, balls of magic already forming in their outstretched hands. The Winx girls and heroes were cornered.

"You've got nowhere to run pixies," said Icy.

"We're not planning on running!" yelled Bloom. "Dragon Blast!" Icy dodged the attack, simultaneously dodging Sky, trying to knock her out of the air. "All right, that's it!" snarled the witch. "You boy toys are officially getting on my nerves." She conjured another troll out of thin air to keep them busy, making all the guys groan in exasperation.

"Aw man, not again!" yelled Brandon.

"Don't these witches have any ideas of their own?" asked Jason. "I mean, they do the same stuff every time we see them."

"Don't tempt them," said Riven. "If they find their ideas are getting old, they'll just make up quick new ones, and if they do, it'll be harder for the girls to stop them, and harder for us to help the girls. Let's just beat this guy for now."

Flora knew she had to be the one to get to Guinevere. She knew the boys could handle the troll and the girls could take care of themselves against the witches. But she had to face Guinevere alone if there was any chance of saving her. The girls realized this as well, and decided that they had to hold the witches off long enough for Flora to try nad reach out to Guinevere.

"Okay, here's the plan," said Bloom, shouting out orders like the true leader she was. "I'll take care of Icy. Musa and Layla, see if you can keep Darcy out of the way, Tecna and Stella, you do the same for Stormy."

"Right!" they all said together. The five fairies flew forward, ready to take the witches out. The three witches, just as the girls planned, were ready and willing to take them on. They didn't see what was going, but Guinevere did. She called to them to wait a moment, but they were already too absorbed in the battle against the fairies. The mastermind just looked over at Flora, who was gliding softly towards her. She was a little surprised that the fairy of nature was acting so calmly, so reserved, when she should be running, or more likely, flying for her life, as she had done the previous day. Guinevere just crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at Flora, knowing that this girl was about to try and convert her back to the side of good, and she was fully prepared to stomp her into the ground for it.

Sure enough, instead of fighting, Flora began speaking, and from the very start, all Guinevere did was roll her eyes.

"Guinevere, listen to me!" said Flora, starting to fly towards her. "This isn't the real you. You're a kind, honest girl, the only one in Rampara since before Earshra's time. We can be friends if you just trust me."

"That Guinevere is gone forever Flora!" yelled the Ramparan princess. "All there is now is an evil princess, ready to complete her ancestor's dream and rule all the realms. If you don't like it, then get used to it. Rampara and Lynphea will both be like this forever and soon every realm will be as well. I will be queen of them all!"

She started firing her strongest attacks at Flora, but the flower fairy dodged them all. She was amazed at how more agile she was than the day before, but then, she didn't have energy or confidence the day before. Today, she knew she was going to change Guinevere, and if she didn't, then no one else would.

The rest of the group by this time had all stopped their fights to watch what was going on between the two girls. The boys had taken care of the troll long since, and the girls had managed to subdue the witches, and even they were watching interestedly, sure that Guinevere was going to win.

"Come on Flora," Helia kept whispering over and over again. "You can do this. I believe in you."

Flora believed in herself as well. She could feel Helia sending his support to her, and that was all she needed to take Guinevere out. Once she was sure she had a clear shot, she dodged another of Guinevere's attacks and sent of her own. Guinevere dodged, but by this time, she was positively fuming. She started firing every single ball of energy she could muster, but not one of them hit her opponent. All the witch could do was stare in amazement; Flora had barely moved, and yet none of the attacks had gone near her.

"Nice shooting, unless you were aiming for me," said Flora.

"I don't understand," stuttered Guinevere. "Why couldn't I hit you?"

"Maybe because you realize that this whole thing is pointless and impossible. No one can rule all the realms," yelled Flora. "No one can control all the power that entails. Not even you, you must know that. Total realm domination would only culminate in misery for all people and too much power for you to handle."

"Don't you dare tell me I can't handle power," said Guinevere. "I have all Earshra's power in the palm of my hand. I can do anything I want, whenever I want and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"I can do more about it than you think!" yelled Flora. "Charmix power now!" Her Charmix appeared on her pink Winx dress and she yelled, "Venus Vine Wrap!" Strong vines wrapped around Guinevere and held her still for a few seconds before she was able to break free from them.

"You'll pay for that!" she yelled. "Dark Sha…"

She gasped and instantly lowered her hands, amazed at the sight before her. A pink glow had started to form around Flora, an impossibly bright glow, almost blinding, that made everyone shield their eyes against it. She was glowing brightly, so brightly that they could barely see her in the middle of it.

"What's happening to her?" asked Helia, who had only partly closed his eyes. He wasn't going to take them off Flora no matter what.

"If I didn't know any better," said Stella. "I would say her Winx has just gotten a huge power boost."

"Do you think she has enough power to defeat Guinevere?" asked Musa.

"I'd say she has a pretty good shot at it," said Layla.

"What's up with the flower pixie?" asked Darcy.

"I don't know, but let's get her before she gets us," said Icy. "Ice Crystals!" She fired several ice crystals at Flora, but when they approached the flower fairy, they just melted into thin air. Icy immediately backed off, knowing she wouldn't be able to do anything against Flora.

In a moment of blazing clarity, they all realized what had happened. She had just unlocked all the power within her, all the power the great Princess Lilia once had. Flora knew what she had to do. It felt as though the spirit of her ancestor was guiding her along, telling her what do. She could almost feel Lilia standing right there by her, acting her role as protector, advisor and guardian angel. Flora glowed even more brightly and a golden barrier formed between her and Guinevere. Every time Guinevere fired an attack at her, she just absorbed the entire thing. Guinevere, starting to get scared, fired at the walls of the barrier, but they didn't give way. She was trapped.

"Guinevere," said Flora, her voice echoing, bouncing off the walls of the barrier. Her voice was soft and quiet, yet they could all hear the words clear as day, as though they were standing right next to her. "Can't you see what this curse has done to you? It's only made you a power-hungry witch, whose heart is so intent upon ruling the world that it can think of absolutely nothing else. But at heart, you know you're not really a witch, you're a fairy like me. You've always had and still have Winx like me."

"I had Winx," said Guinevere. "The very first time I used those powers, my parents cast all these spells on me that would prohibit me from using my magic, saying if I ever used it again, the punishment would be worse. The day they put that evilness spell on me was the best day of my life. It made me see my true side and kept my Winx bottled up inside where I couldn't use it. And to think those times I was still my good self was spent trying to break that spell."

"That's enough!" yelled Flora. Power surged from her, knocking Guinevere back against the wall of the barrier. She hit the ground with a hard thud, and when she tried to get back up, not only could she not move, but she had lost the ability to fly. Flora continued, "You're still a fairy, you can still fight beside me and free both our realms from all this darkness. It's the only way things can ever come out best for everyone. You know that and so do I."

"That's not true," said Guinevere, but even she wasn't convinced. Those words were getting through to her.

"Hey check out Guinevere," said Stella. They all looked at her and saw that she was starting to glow and was starting to look different. In one second, they saw the Guinevere they'd been fighting and in the next, they saw a girl in green Winx apparel sitting there. She kept changing back and forth between the good side of herself and the bad. It meant that Flora's spell was working.

"Keep it up Flora, you've almost got her," said Bloom.

Flora didn't say anything else, she just concentrated her energy more, saying those thoughts to herself. Power radiated all over the area, and Guinevere seemed to be lapping it all up, even though part of her still didn't want to. Finally, she glowed one last golden glow, which lasted for a moment before her evil side disappeared. She opened her eyes, they were still red. But she blinked and they had gone back to that beautiful, deep blue color Flora remembered so well.

"My Winx," she whispered, as she realized her outfit had changed. She was wearing a pair of shorts, like Stella's except a very deep shade of green, like the green of new leaves on trees. She was also wearing a matching top with glittery, see-through sleeves and a small green piece of silk around her neck, with a blue diamond attached to it. She was also wearing a pair of high heeled shoes with lace crisscrossing up her legs until they reached her knees, her wings were the same shape as Flora's except white and her hair reached down to her shoulders, once again half pulled back in a braid. She was no longer the evil witch she had been, but was once again, the kind, beautiful fairy Flora had met in the palace. They could also tell that the evil Power of Rampara had been converted to the side of good as well, so Guinevere was just as powerful as she had been before, but was now able to use it for good and not worry about an evil side making all the decisions for her. She looked around at them, confused at first, and smiled the first true smile she had in a long time.

"Welcome back Guinevere," said Flora.

Guinevere replied, "it's good to be back. Thank you Flora." A Charmix appeared right in the middle of her heart in the shape of the ideal cut of a diamond and a white bag appeared on her left side that wrapped around her waist.

"Oh, hold my hair back, I think I'm going to hurl," said Darcy. They had all forgotten the witches were still there.

"It's time to show you girls some real power," said Stormy. "Psycho Cyclone!"

"Mesmerizer!"

"Ice Crystals!"

Guinevere and Flora deflected their attacks easily and fired their strongest ones at the three witches. Each could feel the powers of their realms flowing through their veins, which was an amazing feeling, like they could do anything. Guinevere was surprised at how much better she could handle these powers, better than she could a few minutes before. The three witches were easily overpowered. They started to fly away, but not before Icy managed to get a few last words in.

"I knew you wouldn't last long Guinevere," said Icy. "You're a stupid pixie, just like the rest of them. But whether you're on their side doesn't do any good now. The forces of Rampara are still running around this realm freely and they're still under an evil spell. They've dispersed so much through this realm that you'll never be able to take the spell off all of them."

"We'll see about that," said Guinevere. She knew her forces would listen to her, and that she could easily get them back to her realm.

"Come on Icy, let's get out of here," said Darcy, and the three of them disappeared before they could stop them. Flora and Guinevere both changed back into their regular forms and drifted softly to the ground exhausted. Instead of hitting the cobblestone walk though, Flora landed in a pair of strong arms, those of Helia. They looked at each other for a minute, then threw their arms around each other.

"I knew you could do it Flora," said Helia. "I never doubted you for a minute."

"I love you Helia," replied Flora. They just held each other, glad that one part of the mission was over. The rest however was yet to begin.

All right, that's another chapter down. So we have Guinevere back to the good side, but what we also have one evil realm taking over a good realm. But you have to remember that Rampara really isn't an evil realm, it's just under a spell. But you have to wait for me to tell you whether or not it'll go back to being good. Stay tuned!