A/N: Griffin is studying some books in her quest to track down the Coven and Valtor when Faragonda interferes and learns something she didn't know about her friend. Could be considered a sequel to "What is the One Thing That Can Never Break?" but can be understood on its own as well.
"Why are you still awake?" Faragonda's voice startled her.
She'd been so concentrated on studying the maps that she hadn't heard her approach even in the dead silence of the library in the middle of the night. It was just proof that her work was too important and she couldn't abandon it in favor of sleep. They had a hot trail on the Coven and it was their first real chance in weeks to actually turn things around. It would be a crime to let that opportunity slip through their fingers, and while she hadn't protested when everyone else had gone to bed, she'd stayed up to work. Somebody had to.
"I'm not done here," Griffin said, making her voice cold so that Faragonda would get the message. She wasn't joking around. She wouldn't let anyone pull her away from her work right now when she was on the cusp of finding them, of finding him.
"Step away from the books," Faragonda's tone was just as grave, making the temperature in the room rise as the atmosphere became tense with the intent they were both putting in their respective stances on the matter. There was no room to breathe as their silent battle of wills gained speed, both of them not moving a muscle in their refusal to budge.
It was the wave of energy that spilled from Faragonda that made Griffin look at her to see the serious expression on her face as the magic flowed from her, both light and dark. It was untypical of Faragonda to let the side of her powers that fed from the negative emotions at play and Griffin wasn't exactly certain what her friend was hoping to accomplish. If the fairy was trying to convey to her that her actions were hurting her enough to power her dark magic, then it was a waste of time. She wouldn't let even that deter her from her task.
"Griffin, I am serious," Faragonda said when Griffin turned back to her books. "You need to go to bed and I will make sure that happens no matter what," she said, more magic spilling from her in support of her words and it finally dawned on Griffin what was going on in Faragonda's head.
"You won't fight me in the library," she said as she turned to look at her friend, the smile on her face more intended to hide her hurt rather than to express smugness over calling Faragonda's bluff. It wounded her that Faragonda would try to manipulate her like that, and her heart quivered in fear for a moment as the thought of all of it being an illusion of Lysslis' crossed her mind but she shrugged it off. She knew Faragonda's magical signature. It was her friend who was trying to manipulate her. And she had yet to decide whether that was better or worse.
"Oh, yes, I will," Faragonda said, her body shining as she transformed in her Enchantix to prove her words, the light blinding and painful, and not just because Griffin had spent hours staring at endless strings of words in different languages as she was hunting for the Coven.
"So you'll fight me–in the library–even though you think I'm too exhausted to be reading?" she asked, no fake smiles this time, just the genuine disbelief in her eyes as she tried to show Faragonda that it was madness. That whole conversation was insane. They were supposed to be friends, not fight each other–in the library–when she was only trying to help.
"If that will convince you to get some rest, then yes," Faragonda said, her own voice carrying hints of desperation as her eyes begged Griffin to just listen to her and make things easier for both of them. It wasn't in her power, though, and the energy coming off of Faragonda was only tugging at her own feelings, pulling them to come forward and power her magic to put a stop to this before anyone could get hurt.
She let them out, let them flow and seek out the energy hidden in her, merge with it and power it for her purposes. There was too much hurt and resentment and despair for her to contain them if she wanted her trick to be efficient but there were also the good things. Her love for Faragonda that would never let her hurt her, the gratefulness for having such a devoted friend even when they disagreed, and her desire to protect all the books from any possible damage this argument could have on them. She couldn't let that burn – all the magic, and beauty, and knowledge. It would be a sin.
It all flowed together and closed around Faragonda, weaving a silvery sphere around her that held her trapped so that they would all be safe, so that no one would get hurt. Griffin had had too much of that, too much of hurting and getting hurt. She had no more strength to go through more of that. She would break too much, more than she already had, and that scared her more with the possibility of it going on rather than with the possibility of it ending when she tired out and was so crushed that there wasn't even dust left. It was more terrifying to think that it wouldn't stop even then, that the relentless conflict inside her that kept breaking her apart would go on even when she was just the stardust left after the star had died and its existence was long forgotten.
Faragonda tried everything to break free from her magical prison but none of her tricks worked, even though they had been almost equally powerful the last time they'd sparred together. It had been long ago, though, when they'd still been studying magic in a carefully controlled environment and not in the realities of the war, and Griffin had never suspected she could do the magic she was currently performing. And it had changed.
"How is this possible?" Faragonda asked when she tried to use her fairy dust to escape but it had no effect whatsoever. "How can you be maintaining this level of magical concentration for so long?" she looked at Griffin, leaving the fairy dust alone now that it had proven useless.
"There's just enough light magic in this to withstand your fairy dust," Griffin explained as she basked in the feeling of the positive emotions running through her and making her sphere unbreakable. It was proof that she could do something other than destroying and she could keep it up forever. She wanted to. "I can explain if you're ready to stop this fight and listen?" she offered even though she wasn't tired and didn't want to end the connection between her feelings and her magic that made them both much more distinguished and intense than they were when separated. But she didn't want to physically be in a fight with Faragonda. It was one of her biggest nightmares.
Faragonda nodded calmly and had her winx vanish, leaving her in her normal clothes and as her usual self, as Griffin's best friend that wasn't trying to fight her when everyone else was, as the warm presence she could always count on when the fissures inside her filled with too much cold.
Griffin slowly let the feelings fade, causing the sphere to do the same and let Faragonda out so that she could join her as she sat down. Probably for the first time in the last two hours. And now that her resolve when it came to the whole situation with Faragonda was more or less put to rest, her energy drained out of her slowly but surely, letting the exhaustion seep in. Though, that could be caused by what they had yet to discuss.
"What we study in Cloud Tower and Alfea respectively is not all there is when it comes to magic," she said, her gaze on the books in front of her to occupy the part of her mind that wasn't captured by her explanation but was rather prompted by it to wander back in memories instead. "The schools teach a more clinical approach to magic which is probably a good idea when you have young and inexperienced magic users on your hands, but it leaves so much potential unexplored." She took a breath, preparing to dive into the topic truly. "We're taught that magic is a tool and that it needs to be controlled when you use it but that puts a divide between you and your magic that renders you unable to use your full potential." She chanced a glance at Faragonda to find her listening carefully and if she was drawing any side conclusions, it didn't show on her face. Griffin's own thoughts were scattering now that her whole attention wasn't occupied, though. "We're taught to look at magic as something that stands beneath us and not as something that stands next to us, inside us, and is a part of us." You can't just do magic, you are magic. "When you really connect with your feelings and let them flow without holding them back, they can power your magic with unlimited power," she said, her voice shakier now as all her strength was going in just getting the words out, and she hadn't noticed when her vision had filled with tears as her eyes had been busy watching the memories play out in her head.
"Griffin," Faragonda called, her voice quiet and full of understanding now, asking to stand next to Griffin and not against her as she understood Griffin needed support since rest wasn't an option currently, and the warmth that washed over her was a shocking contrast to the cold that had lived inside her for so long now. It had her tremble and that, in turn, forced the tears to spill, which also dragged out the sobs in an avalanche of feelings she'd been doing her best to hide ever since she'd arrived and joined the Company. Ever since she'd left him.
Griffin nearly threw herself at Faragonda's open and welcoming arms, clutching hard at her because she was one of the only two things that she knew for sure. "I have to find him," she choked out. She had to see him. She had to stop him. But before that she had to see him.