Disclaimer: I don't own Winx Club.
Cyborg, you already had one guess. No more. As for me letting the girls have fireworks on the fourth, there's two problems with that. One, they're not American. Two, as far as they're concerned, the Fourth of July was almost two weeks ago. That battle at Stonehenge that was the end of book two happened on the ninth of July, and it's been exactly one week since then. Given my obsession with detail, I've had an official timeline for quite a while now, which I'll probably tack on to the end of this story. Long story short, no fireworks for the girls.
As of last chapter I've officially touched on every major villain for the first four seasons. Quick recap, the Trix are good guys working alongside the Winx, the Ancestrals are even creepier than they used to be, Darkar is Bloom's very distant uncle, Baltor was made from Darkar's physical soul, and the Wizards of the Black Circle ended up in Altivix. All that's left are Diaspro, Chimera, and Countess Casandra. Since they won't be showing up in person, here's a quick description of their fate: In jail for their next three lifetimes. Mind controlling kings and/or princes is not something to be taken lightly.
Time to get back to the story. Let's go.
"Luminé, you do realize who those men are, don't you?" Artis asked.
"They call themselves the Wizards of the Black Circle. They claim to have been fairy hunters. Whoever they are, they don't pose much of a threat to us."
"They temporarily annihilated all magic on Earth." Amelia said. "And they imprisoned every fairy from that world save one, but only after they'd stolen their power."
"If they have the power of an entire planet's worth of fairies, why are they so weak?"
"They lost that power when the fairies were freed. One of their members died, and the rest of them were defeated."
"In that case, you should have nothing to fear from them. Besides, they're already in deep trouble for the damage they caused in Melivon. They'll get their dues, don't you worry." Luminé descended, landing in front of the wizards.
"I hope she's right." Dhalia said as the girls followed Luminé to the ground.
"Hello boys." Luminé said. "How's life on the farm treating you?" The three of them placed their tools on the ground to greet the former queen.
"Hello Luminé." Ogron said through gritted teeth. "Just...fine."
"Uhuh. Well, keep at it. Maybe in another fifty years or so, you can come visit Melivon again. Would you like that?"
"Yes, we'd...love...to visit." He struggled to get each word out in a polite tone of voice, seeming to chew each word before spitting it out.
"Excellent. Where's Kobet? My friends here need to speak with him."
"Kobet is in his house." Anagan said, pointing. "He said not to disturb him."
"I'm sure he'll make an exception for me. Now go back to work."
The three wizards picked up their tools and went back to tending the crops. Luminé started walking towards the smallest of the three buildings. Unsure of what else to do, the Classix followed.
When she reached the door, Luminé knocked three times, then stepped back. An angry grumble could be heard coming from within the house. She grinned and knocked again.
"Go away!" A voice in the house roared.
"But don't you want to see who your guests are?" Luminé asked sweetly.
"No!"
"Too bad. Come on out Kobet, before I come in there."
"You couldn't force your way in if you tried! I've layered this house in enough wards to protect against anyone!"
"Lady Luminé?" Reyva asked. "I have an idea."
"And what idea is this?"
"I could teleport us in."
"Excellent idea. Or, we could just open the unlocked door." Luminé proceded to do just that.
"...Or we could do that." The girls followed Luminé into the house. They were greeted by a surprisingly spacious entrance hall with doors leading off in several directions.
Reyva whistled tonelessly. "This is a lot bigger on the inside than it should be. This entrance is bigger than the house is!"
"Yes, and now that you've seen it, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." An early middle aged man appeared in one of the doorways.
"Now Kobet, you wouldn't throw an old friend out without at least saying hello, now would you?" Luminé asked.
"Luminé? What are you doing here?"
"Helping these young girls. They want to leave Altivix, but the portal is sealed."
"I'm well aware of the portal problem Luminé!" Kobet said in a surly voice. "I've been trying to fix it for years!"
"I know you have, but maybe they can help you help them."
"Hmph. What makes you think that?"
"They have unusual powers, and they took down the Ember Blades. What more do you want?"
"Hmph. We'll see."
"You know something Kobet?" Luminé said as she stepped forwards. "I'd forgotten just how stubborn and pigheaded you can be."
"And?"
"And I hope you never change." She said as she hugged him. "I get way too much respect in Melivon for my own good. It's nice to be around someone who's not afraid to speak his mind."
"Let go of me. You know I don't like it."
"Oh right, sorry."
"Hmph."
"Anyways, these girls need your help."
"Alright, fine I'll see what I can do. Just no more hugging."
"Deal."
Kobet turned to face the Classix. "Hello, pleasure to meet you, charmed I'm sure, and all that useless prattle. Let's go." He marched out of the house and jumped into the air. Wordlessly, the fairies followed him.
"So, Mr. Kobet sir, do you know what happened to the portal?" Perdi said, flying alongside the wizard.
"Only that it was sealed up some sixteen years ago from the other side. The thing I don't understand is why my brother hasn't reopened it yet."
"Your...brother?"
"Yes, Tebok. He's in charge of the Andros end of the portal."
"Andros end of the portal?"
"The entrance to Altivix is in Omega. The exit is in Andros. Our master Medak designed it that way. We were trying to make it harder for people to get into Altivix, not harder for them to get out."
"Why were you trying to make it harder for people to get into Altivix?"
"Because idiots kept falling in by accident. Also, we were trying to make a prison that would serve just as well as Altivix, but would allow for someone who had been wrongfully convicted to be retrieved should new evidence come to light."
"So you built the Omega Dimension."
"I just said that."
"Um, could these two portals be used to travel directly from Omega to Andros?"
"I suppose so, but they weren't built for it. If you did that too much, or left the portal open for too long it would set up a magical feedback loop that could destroy both realms and possibly Altivix as well."
"Um..."
"Don't tell me. Someone did exactly that."
"Sort of." Amelia cut in. "The portal was left open for too long. A fairy by the name of Tecna sealed it from the inside. That was actually how she earned her Enchantix."
"You mean to tell me that the portal was sealed with a brand new Enchantix fairy's power?"
"Yes, she used her fairy dust. Is that a problem?"
"You fools, of course it's a problem! When a fairy earns her Enchantix, she has a brief period of extremely enhanced power. If sealing the portal was her first act as an Enchantix fairy, then it's no wonder we can't reopen it! You'd need the power of the Dragon Fire to undo the spell!"
Amelia and Perdi shared a look, then turned back to Kobet. "I think we have a solution." Amelia said, pulling out one of the Ember Stones.
"What is that?"
"Pure Dragon Fire in solid form."
"Great. Can you use it?"
"Yes."
"Then maybe there's a chance after all. We're here." He descended to the mouth of a cave set in a solitary mountain. "If the cave speaks to you, do not listen and do not speak back."
Seven fairies and one wizard landed in front of the cave.
"So now what?" Dhalia asked.
"Now we go in. Luminé, you will stay here in case something goes wrong."
"Goes wrong?"
"Altivix has a mind of its own. It doesn't like people leaving."
"Oh."
"Come on, the sooner we get this over with the sooner you can leave and the sooner I can go back to being left alone."
"Well he's certainly cheery." Artis commented to Perdi.
"Let's go."
The cave seemed to stretch on forever. It was weirdly bright within, as though the walls themselves were glowing. Eerie whispers seemed to come from every direction. They were too faint to make out, but they made the Classix's skin crawl. Only Nyssa and Kobet seemed unaffected.
They followed the tunnel as it wound through the heart of the mountain. The whispers grew louder with every step. Now they could pick out the occasional word from the jumble.
"...hopeless...no use...turn back..."
They shivered but continued on.
Finally, they reached a large chamber, big enough for Nyssa's old dragon form to fly around in. Echoes bounced of the pale stone, the weak glow from the walls giving everything a washed-out and sickly appearance. The whispers were even louder here, almost like someone was speaking in their ears.
"You'll never succeed."
"You'll only make things worse."
"You'll just fail again."
"Give up now."
"You'll never be strong enough to change things."
"Stop that!" Reyva shouted in frustration.
Kobet whirled upon her. "What did I tell you about listening to the cave?"
"Sorry."
"Well we're here." He said. He walked to the back of the cavern. A huge circular spot on the wall seemed...different. It didn't glow like the rest of cave, it was just a massive slab of stone. Nothing special about it. "This is it."
"Are you sure?" Amelia asked.
"Yes, you fool, of course I'm sure! I helped make it!"
"Alright then." Amelia shook her head trying to dispel the whispering voices. "What's the plan?"
"You have to break the seal this 'Tecna' created so that I can fix the portal." He pulled out a set of scrolls. "The rest of you will have to lend me some of your power to fix this."
"Let's get started then."
Amelia stood alone at the front of the group. The others were busy pouring power into the scrolls so that Kobet could restore the portal. They would have to act fast, otherwise the feedback loop would start again and destroy everything. Amelia took a deep breath, then focused on the small orange and red stone in her hands. Just like the other two she'd used, it cracked and then shattered, leaving nothing but a small flame behind.
"Now or never." Amelia said, ignoring the whispers that attempted to worm into her mind. She took the flame into her hands and allowed it to merge with her own powers. Clapping her hands together, she fired a beam of energy into the the stone. Small cracks began to form. Sweat began to appear on Amelia's face.
"Have to...keep...going..." Amelia said, struggling to hold up under the strain. There was so much power flowing through her that she could barely stand. At this rate, she'd run out of strength before the seal was even halfway open. She fell to her knees.
"Need some help?" Nyssa asked, placing her hand on Amelia's shoulder. Fresh strength flowed through Amelia from Nyssa, revitalizing her. She slowly rose to her feet again, channeling the new power into the beam. The cracks began to widen, snaking across the stone's surface. Finally, with a noise like a thunderclap, the stone shattered, revealing a swirling vortex of blue energy behind it. Bolts of energy flashed within it as it rumbled with magic, shaking the whole cave. Amelia collapsed, utterly drained.
"Now!" Dhalia shouted. Kobet rushed forward and began chanting in a language not even Perdi knew. Slowly, the bolts vanished and the rumbling quieted, leaving behind the swirling blue energy.
"It is done." Kobet said. "Now, you may pass through."
"Not yet." Dhalia said. "We still need to get someone first."
"In that case, we should go."
"Reyva, grab Amelia!" Dhalia shouted. "Let's go girls!"
They raced out of the cave as fast as possible. The whispers followed them to the exit, promising suffering and pain the whole way.
A/N: Well that was creepy. At least the portal is open now. Just two problems. Now they have to find and catch Eclipsis, then bring her back here. They're down to two Ember Stones as well. Four weren't even enough to beat Sasha, at least, not without trickery, and her mother is even worse. This should be fun.
Points go to MikoNoHikari, alenadira2, Vasyl, and an anonymous guest reviewer for figuring out who sealed the portal. See you all next chapter.