By the way, I'm going to post a directory about the classes the girls took in the first semester, so that it doesn't get too confusing. That way you can always refer back to that, instead of the fifth chapter.


CHAPTER 12: ALFEA UNDER SIEGE

"Tecna, are you okay?"

Tecna sipped her coffee absentmindedly, the heat of the day pouring down her cheeks. The outdoor seating-area of the café was fairly crowded, people chatting cheerfully with their boyfriends or girlfriends. She lifted her head slowly and gazed up at Timmy.

"Yes," she said tiredly. "I'm fine."

She'd lost track of how many people had asked her that question in the past week. She'd tried to blow people off, telling them she'd just missed curfew and fallen asleep in a patch of mud.

But something just wasn't the same anymore. After finding Tecna in the forest, the Winx now thought there was something wrong with her, and kept trying to figure it out. Stella kept pulling Tecna over to do a makeover, and Layla would stop at nothing to get her to learn how to dance. Activities they knew she hated. It was like they were determined to change her.

"No, you're not," Timmy said. "I know something's going on. Tec, the other girls told me your work still hasn't let up, and it's taking up so much of your time. Can't you speak to Vasiliev and get him to let you off?"

"No," Tecna answered. "I'm lucky in comparison to so many of my colleagues. My workload is actually a lot less."

"I don't believe that," Timmy answered. "He probably told you that just to make you feel bad. Besides, your colleagues probably aren't juggling school and a full-time job together." He looked at her in concern. "It's coding, right? Is this something I can help you" –

"No," said Tecna forcefully; she couldn't tell him how Vasiliev had ambushed her the other night. "It's top-secret; I don't even know what the project's about. I'm forbidden from showing anyone the code. If I do, I could be imprisoned without even a trial" –

"Don't worry," Timmy said, trying to look brave. "We'll sort this out together, Tecna. You'll be okay."

Tecna closed her eyes. I can't start crying now… She seldom cried for any reason, and wasn't about to start.

"In the meantime, is there anything I can do?" Timmy asked.

The pink-haired fairy paused. I should tell him everything… He was the sweetest boy she'd ever met. If she told him what Vasiliev had done, it would be a great weight off her shoulders.

But I can't… To do that would be a death sentence. And then she would lose her friends as well. She swallowed, not meeting his gaze.

"No," she said. "I have it under control."


"Good evening. This is the Magix Modern Matrix Foreign News Channel. We are here to report on a very deadly issue."

Tecna lifted her head. She and Flora were sitting in the common-section of their apartment, waiting for the news to come on. And now that it had, she pushed all other thoughts out of her life, watching intently as the newscaster spoke.

"With the rise of this mysterious villain called Valtor, there has been nothing but discord. He has taken the magical relics of Melody, Solaria, Andros, and Eraklyon, four prestigious realms of the UR. Every realm is on high-alert now, for there is no telling where he will strike next."

Tecna stared at the screen in silence. Next to her, Flora was planting vegetables in pots, trying to stay busy, though she saw the worried look in her friend's eyes.

"I don't understand," Tecna said, frowning at her laptop. "I've checked everywhere for information, and there's nothing about Valtor. Nobody knows who he is."

"But then how did he get locked in Omega?" Flora asked.

"I don't know," Tecna answered. It seemed highly troubling to her; after all, such a case should've gone public. "I've checked every court record I can, and nothing has come up!"

"Maybe he's using a different name and a disguise," Flora suggested.

"Perhaps. Or maybe"... Tecna gazed down at the screen. "Maybe Ms. Faragonda knows something that she's not telling us."

"Really?" Flora stared at Tecna. "Why do you think that?"

"Think about it, Flora." Tecna got up and stared out the window. "You said she lost her temper with Stella after curing her of her monster transformation. She's kept mum about everything, and seems to be doing everything she can not to discuss Valtor on campus. How could she possibly not know?"

"Well"... Flora looked down at the seeds she was planting. "I don't know, Tec. That sounds awfully far-fetched, especially considering there's no information about him online."

"There's nothing far-fetched about it!" Tecna felt a sense of irritation surge up in her. "It's perfectly logical, Flora. Why else would she" -

A flash across the screen startled her. Looking up, she saw the red letters signal BREAKING NEWS: ZENITH IMPOSES SEVERE SANCTIONS ON LINPHEA.

Tecna turned towards Flora, who was staring at the screen in shock. The newscaster, looking unusually grave, began to speak in a rapid pace.

"We received intel a few minutes ago that Zenith has placed sanctions on Linphea. In addition to the growing trade-war, Zenith is no longer selling any technological innovations to Linphea, including cell phones, computers, and other techno-gadgets."

Tecna gasped. Linphea depends on Zenith for its market! Although Linphea was the strongest agricultural realms in the UR, everyone depended on Zenith for a steady export of technology. This is going to mess Linphea's economy - as well as ours! She turned towards Flora, who had a shocked expression on her face.

"Oh no," she whispered. "What happened" -

"Queen Isabel of Linphea released a statement about this action," the newscaster continued on. "'Zenith's actions are reminiscent of old colonial times, and are unacceptable in a new world where we are moving past imperialism. Make no mistake, the Linphean people will fight back.'"

And Tecna couldn't blame her. In her past years at Alfea, she'd come to see the actions of her regime as horrendous. What was truly depressing was that the Zenithian government refused to do anything about its starving civilian population at home; instead, it was perpetually in a prove-nothing race against its former colony. I used to fall for that propaganda, too… She sighed, remembering her first day in Magix.

From the moment she'd stepped on Magixian soil, it was clear that this realm was a completely different world from Zenith. For starters, it was hot. For another, the sun was shining so brilliantly, a brightness that Tecna was completely unaccustomed to.

But most striking of all was how friendly the people were. There was so much chatter on the street, so much bustling and excitement. And it scared her, how foreign this world was.

In Zenith, nobody talked in the streets. There was too much fear cloaking the world, too much terror. And it just wasn't a good idea to speak unless absolutely necessary.

She had walked shakily into the road, staring around. Unfortunately, she'd downloaded no information about Magix, which made it harder to process what was going on. If only I had my scanners functioning like they do at home… She closed her eyes, trying to connect to the Web in Magix.

She gasped as someone knocked her over. Startled, Tecna fell to the ground, her wiring abuzz. A few seconds later, she heard a voice.

"Oh my goody goodness! I'm so sorry!"

Tecna squinted. A plant was coiling around her, and she stared blankly at it, its leaves turning up at her, its mouth (plants had a mouth?) shouting something at her in a different language. A light brown-skinned girl with honey-brown hair peered over her, her emerald green eyes clouded with worry.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to knock you over, but my plant doesn't like it when people knock over him, and I've been trying to keep him in order. So, I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to get everything in one piece" -

Tecna looked up at the girl. In addition to the plant, she was carrying a suitcase and a backpack. Why is she doing that? She stared blankly at her.

"I'm going to Alfea," the girl continued on, "so sorry if I'm a bit preoccupied."

"Er, so am I," Tecna said awkwardly.

"Really?" The girl looked surprised. "So can we go together?"

"Um"... Tecna wasn't sure about going anywhere with other people. After all, she was supposed to stick to herself. But I don't know the way… It might be safer to go with someone. "Okay."

"Great!" The girl grinned at her. "Let's go."

The girls walked together. Tecna followed along as Flora struggled with her bags, trying her best to levitate the suitcase but unsuccessful.

"So," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "Where are you from?"

"Zenith," Tecna said uncertainly.

"Really?" The girl looked shocked, and for a moment, she pulled ever-so-slightly away from Tecna. "You don't look that Zenithian, except for your hair! I thought you were Whisperian or something."

That's completely ridiculous, thought Tecna. Her mother did have some Whisperian blood from her side, but she didn't look any different from any other Zenithian. Except for the cyborg part… She felt a slight stab of pity overcome her.

"What are you?" she asked abruptly, her voice short and clipped.

"I'm" -

A sudden bird's screech filled the air. Tecna stopped short, and stared in front of her, horrified.

"What's going on?" she heard a man shout.

Tecna whirled around. A group of birds were attacking a storeowner, and he was jumping back, looking horrified. Other people were stopping in their tracks, staring at the man with mouths wide open. A few ran away.

"Oh no!" the other girl gasped, staring at the man.

Tecna tried to scan the birds, but in vain. They're Magixian birds, and I don't have any intel on them… She could only watch helplessly as the birds attacked the man. A few dove into his store.

"We have to do something!" the girl said desperately.

We do? thought Tecna, utterly taken aback. No, we need to run away! She'd come across occasions in Zenith where robots had malfunctioned, shooting electric rays at their owners and singeing their clothes. "Stop! We need to get out of here!"

But the other girl was already running towards the scene. "Stay away from him!" She focused her energy on the vines around the store.

What's she doing? The vines began to move, rising up towards the birds. Without growing in height, they wrapped themselves around them, catching them in their grip.

"What's she doing?" someone in the crowd shouted. "She's gonna get hurt!"

Suddenly, the birds broke out of the binds. They flew towards the girl, screeching and yelling.

No! Alarm shot through Tecna, and she lifted her hands. "Digital net!"

A net appeared in front of the girl. The birds collided into them, letting out a terrifying screech as they fell to the ground.

Tecna ran towards the girl, breathless. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," the girl panted. "Thanks for saving me." She looked up and towards the crowd.

Magix Police vehicles were appearing on the scene. Tecna shrank back, suddenly conscious of what she'd done. Not police… no, no, no! Why did I do this? Why didn't I stay out of trouble? She squeezed her eyes shut.

Two policemen arrived and followed the storeowner into the store. A policewoman arrived and knelt down on the ground, picking up the fallen birds.

"Spelled," she announced. "Someone spelled them to attack the store."

Really? Tecna stared at her, taken aback. The policewoman continued on.

"We'll take these birds to the Animal Conservatory to have them healed. They'll be fine," she added, to the other girl's worried look. "Now, what are your names?"

"Flora Fernández," the other girl said.

"And you?" The policewoman looked at Tecna.

Tecna shrank back in horror. However am I going to explain this to my parents? That she'd been so stupid, getting into trouble on the first day? This is it. This is the end.

"Tecna," she finally managed, her words coming out tight.

"Zenithian, aren't you?" the woman asked, and for a moment, her eyes hardened. "Well, I can assure you we are not here to attack you, Tecna. The Magixian police have far more important matters on their mind than incarcerating civilians without due process."

Tecna stared at her, dumbfounded. What does due process mean? She could hardly believe it. I'm not in trouble?

"We were just on our way to Alfea when this happened," Flora added.

"I daresay!" the woman said warmly. "Well, you're going to be wonderful fairies one day. That was excellent work, you too."

"They saved my store." The storeowner emerged from inside the store, looking amazed. "What's even more impressive is that a Linphean and a Zenithian worked together to make this possible."

She's Linphean? Tecna stared at Flora, stunned. What?

She'd never met a Linphean in her life. The only thing she knew about Linpheans was that they were dirty, uneducated, backwoods peasants. At least, that's what she'd been told her entire life. All throughout her life, she'd seen cartoons of naked Linpheans, painting them as foolish, low-down people.

But this girl wasn't dirty or uneducated. If anything, she was one of the brightest, kindest people she'd ever met. She'd saved the birds, without any regard to her own safety. And she'd been brave enough to step in the heat of things, when no one else in the crowd would.

"I know," the woman said, sounded impressed. "It's youth like these that make me hopeful for the future. Because of them, I see a bright dawn coming our way."

And now Tecna sat next to Flora as she planted seeds in her pot, not unlike the seeds of their relationship. She let out a sigh.

"When we first met," she admitted, "I thought you were a dirty, uneducated person. That's how the Zenithian media paints you guys – to us, all Linpheans are primitive." Flora stared at her in surprise.

"But I was so wrong," Tecna continued. "You're one of the bravest people I've ever known, Flora. I'm so glad I was proved wrong. And… I've come to realize that the Zenithian media is filled with lies." She hung her head.

There was a silence, and then Flora said, "Can I tell you something, Tecna?"

"Sure," Tecna said dismally.

"Linpheans have a media, too," Flora said. "We don't have mass propaganda like Zenith, but we have some pretty caustic stereotypes of Zenithians, too. In fact, when I first met you, I wanted to pull away. And if that bird attack hadn't have occurred, I would've left you and never spoken to you again. I thought all Zenithians were war-raging monsters who didn't care how many people they hurt."

"Really?" Tecna said in shock. "That's the last thing from our minds!"

"I know," Flora nodded. "The truth is, you guys need to survive as much as we do. Our governments cause problems, but when it comes down to the people, they truly aren't aggressive at all. All they want is to feed their families and live stable lives. But since our governments are far too radical"... She sighed.

"They blow everything out of proportion," Tecna finished. "The Zenithian government's actions are disgusting; it literally wants to take over Linphea. What are its policies – Linphea first, Zenithians never? That's how it's become." She let out a sigh.

Flora smiled. "Well, whatever's going on with our respective nations, I'm glad it hasn't come between us. It's great hanging out with you, Tecna." She smiled at the technology fairy.

And, like last time, Tecna found herself smiling back. I'm glad she's my friend, too… In that moment, an incredible wave of relief came over her, relief that Flora didn't hold her realm's actions against her. And that, no matter what happened out there in the world, their friendship would hold through the test of time.


Palladium's Magical Connections' class was starting to become Tecna's favorite now, and not because of the content. No, it was because she could close her eyes and take a semi-nap, completely tuning out his boring lecture. Not to mention, since none of the other Winx shared that class with her, she didn't have to deal with their concern. Of course, it wouldn't be helpful when they actually started doing spells, but when he was going over theory, it was very useful.

All throughout the class, she closed her eyes, completely ignoring everyone else as she relaxed her aching head. Her brain was still buzzing from all the wiring, but she ignored it, trying her best to get a few minutes of rest. That's all I've been getting nowadays… But there was no use complaining; Vasiliev's work didn't get finished on its own.

The bell rang. She looked around and saw the other girls picking up their things, heading to their dorms for a break before the next class. Tecna got up to follow them, but Palladium blocked her way.

"Not you," he said. "Stay back. I need to talk to you."

Great, thought Tecna as she sat down in her chair. Palladium sat down and placed two balls on his desk, one metal and one plastic.

"I want you to create a connector-spell," he said. "Come on, fuse the two balls together so that the plastic is forced inside the metal."

That shouldn't be too hard, thought Tecna, focusing her energy. She created an electrical-current in her hands, and shot it straight at the balls. Taken by the impact of the spell, she fell back, stunned at how much energy it took. Opening her eyes, she gazed at the desk.

Nothing. The plastic ball hadn't even moved a centimeter. He simply dusted himself and stared at Tecna, who was lying on the ground.

"We've practiced this spell for weeks now," he said, walking towards her. She took his hand and stood herself up, feeling dazed. "Tecna, you should be able to do this. You haven't been applying yourself at all with your spells."

"I'm sorry," she said, but Palladium ignored her. He reached into his desk and pulled something out.

"And these," he said, "are your quizzes from Advanced Battle. I've never seen you get such poor scores. You've always been good with spell theory, but you made basic mistakes now."

Tecna stared at the quiz. She'd gotten a 74% on one and a 52% on the other, which, in her books, was a fail. Red marks crossed out every mistake, and she winced at the sight.

"You've never gotten below an 80% on theory exams before." Palladium frowned at her. "Tecna, is there something going on in your personal life that we need to know about? Something that's preventing you from doing your work?"

"No," said Tecna instantly. "Absolutely nothing."

"You disappeared from campus a few weeks ago," Palladium responded, "for no apparent reason. You never do anything without a reason. That gives me good reason to believe something's going on." He sighed. "I'm going to give you extra coaching after class."

"But" – Tecna gasped.

"No buts," he said firmly. "I've spoken with Headmistress Faragonda, and she's agreed. You need to learn these spells, Tecna. How do you think you're going to learn to defend the Magical Dimension if you don't learn? How will you graduate?"

Does he have to give me a lecture? Tecna thought irritably. It seemed like everyone was ready to lecture her these days. Even Digit was starting to get annoyed.

"You told me I'd only be doing your homework for a few weeks at most," she had said. "It's been months, Tecna. It's nearly Octomensis, and you still haven't been doing homework at all. I thought your work was going to let up!"

"I thought so, too," Tecna said with gritted teeth. "I'm sorry, Digit. Maybe in another few weeks."

"You say that every few weeks," Digit answered, "and it hasn't worked. Seriously, Tecna! How do you expect things to change?"

"I'm sorry," Tecna sighed.

"You need to actually spend time doing your own homework," Digit said. "The reason why you can't even do these attack spells is because you don't know them! You don't know the theory, the practice, nothing! How do you expect to" –

"Please stop!" Tecna cried out. Her head was buzzing with her wiring, and she didn't know how much longer she could take this. "You don't know how hard this is for me! Please, Digit." Her tone became begging. "Please do this for me."

Digit gave in, her voice wavering.

"Fine," she said. "But don't think I'm happy about it." She sauntered off, leaving Tecna to hopelessly stare at her.

"You have to think about your future, Tecna," Palladium continued on, and Tecna snapped back to the present. "And not just your future, for that matter. Great evil is coming, and we need every student on campus to be able to apply herself if there's any chance of defeating Valtor." He stared at her. "Do you understand?"

What else could she say? She nodded. Palladium sighed, and took a step back.

"Meet me in the Amphitheater," he said. "Every day except Sunday, from 17:00 to 18:00, we will train. You're not losing out on your magical education just because of something that's going on" –

BANG. A sudden thunderclap startled Tecna. She fell back, staring up through the window. What she saw made her shake with alarm.

The thunderclouds she saw were no ordinary thunderclouds. In fact, they were the exact same that had formed on Andros two months ago. She stared over at Palladium, whose eyes were narrowed.

"Something's happening," he said. "Something's going on" –

Suddenly, people began to appear at the top of the dome-shaped magical barrier. They were flying down towards the school in aerial formation, sending attack spells into the shield.

WITCHES, her scanner read back at her. AGES 15-19, FEMALE WARLOCKS. POSSIBLY SPELLED.

"It's the witches of Cloud Tower!" Tecna gasped. "They've come to take us down!"

"Run!" Palladium roared, forcing the windows open. He flew out; with hesitation, Tecna followed him. She ran into the quad and gasped at the sight above.

The witches were penetrating into the barrier.

"Students!" Faragonda shouted. "Get into formation! We need to defend our school if there's any hope of sending them back."

But why are they here in the first place? thought Tecna frantically. Our schools are supposed to be working together! They have been ever since we defeated the Army of Decay –

"Students of Alfea!" a voice shouted in the sky. Valtor flew down through the broken barrier, smirking deviously. "I am here for your spells and treasures. Surrender them, and I'll leave you alone. Refuse, and I'll blow you all to Oblivion."

"Never!" Bloom shouted. "We're not giving you our spells!"

Bloom! Tecna stared over, and saw Bloom in her Winx outfit. Next to her were Flora, Musa, Layla, Stella, and Mirta. Tecna felt a rush of gratitude as she ran towards them, joining the Winx Club. Good thing I found them! Valtor began to laugh.

"Princess of Domino," he jeered. "Want to face it off?"

"No!" Faragonda zoomed towards him, and Tecna stared at her. She was wearing her fairy outfit, a lavender-and-white robe with bejeweled purple-and-green wings. The headmistress glared at him, her eyes blazing. "You will not attack any one of my students. Your quarrel is with me, and me alone!"

I knew it! thought Tecna. Something happened between the two of them, something horrible. But what? Valtor let out a derisive laugh.

"So be it," he jeered. "Witches of Cloud Tower, attack!"

The witches zoomed into the quad, firing from above. Tecna gasped as a hex hit her, and she fell to the ground.

"Magic Winx!" she yelled, transforming into her Winx outfit. She soared into the sky, hexing a witch with a digital attack. As she hit and dueled, her senses became more and more alive, and she fought more fiercely than ever before.

What was Palladium saying? I can fight as well as ever! Especially when my school is under attack! Gritting her teeth, she hexed another witch.

The witches' eyes were completely glazed over, and their faces were blank. But they were smirking. Clearly, Valtor had taken over their bodies and forced them to attack.

Suddenly, the witch Tecna was dueling shifted her gaze. Tecna watched as she turned towards Mirta, her eyes blazing.

"Traitor!" she shouted. "Traitor! Traitor!"

The other witches began to chant as well. "Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!"

Oh no… thought Tecna, staring. Mirta began to tremble, looking horrified.

How are the witches doing that? thought Tecna. If they were under Valtor's spell, they should be oblivious to everything except what Valtor had done. Clearly, the spell wasn't strong enough for them to forget who Mirta was. Eris let out a laugh.

"That's what I've been saying all along," she said. "I bet you anything she engineered the attack!"

Tecna glared at Eris. That's it, I'm done with that girl… She lifted her hands, and sent a digital slap at Eris. The sophomore fairy squealed as she was blasted to the side.

"Seniors!" Wizkiz called to Tecna and her friends. "I want you over here!"

The Winx flew towards him, followed by Amaryl, Rose, Katy, and Priscilla. Wizkiz pointed to Layla and Stella.

"You are Enchantix fairies," he said, "so I need you to help me create a barrier. Lavigne, Oleana, and Sandra also received their Enchantixes, so go and get them, too. Only an Enchantix-level barrier will blast the witches out."

"You got it!" Layla and Stella flew off to go find their peers. Wizkiz turned to the rest of them.

"I need you eight to patrol the halls of Alfea," he said. "Some of the witches may have gone there. Since most of you are seniors, you all have a sensible command of your magic."

Not me, apparently, thought Tecna. Wizkiz pointed to the doors.

"Tecna, Musa, Flora, and Bloom, you take the east wing. Amaryl, Rose, Katy, and Priscilla, you take the west. Understood?"

"But" – Flora hesitated, and Tecna knew why she was worried. Clearly, she didn't want to leave Mirta alone.

"GO!" Wizkiz roared, and Flora shut up.

"Don't worry, Flora," said Priscilla, and Tecna marveled at how much these girls had changed. She remembered back in freshman year, when they'd argued during the Voice of Nature exercise, and sophomore year, when Amaryl had attacked Stella because of a petty grudge. Now they had only one mission at heart – to protect their school. And they weren't about to waste time arguing.

"Let's go!" Bloom led the girls into the building and through the hall.


Minutes passed. The girls flew into Wizkiz's classroom, doing a thorough search to make sure everything was secured. So far, it seemed as if it was. No one could've possibly slipped through the barrier.

"Wait a second, I sense somethin'," Musa said suddenly. "A sound wave." She closed her eyes.

"What is it, Musa?" Bloom had joined her, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Someone's trying to tell me something," Musa said. "In that direction." She pointed to the door. "Let's go!"

The girls flew down the hall, down the steps and into the central hall. Musa closed her eyes for a moment, and then gasped.

"It's a sonic signal from Princess Galatea," she said. "The Trix have captured her and are making her show them the Golden Gate!"

"They have?" asked Tecna. She could've kicked herself. Why didn't we go to the Golden Gate first, instead of wasting our time here? We should've kept the most important parts of the school under guard!

"But why is Galatea here?" asked Flora. "Shouldn't she be fighting along with everyone else?"

"She thought she heard them sneak into the school, so she followed them," Musa said grimly. "And now she's trapped. We've got to go and save her!"

They flew down to the library, and Tecna felt her magisensors in her brain going haywire. The Golden Gate had been thrust open, and they zoomed towards it. She heard Stormy's furious snarl at Galatea.

"We warned you not to mess with us," she said, "and then you – AARGH!" A spell knocked her to the ground.

Galatea looked towards them, and there was obvious relief in her eyes. "Musa! Winx!"

"What happened to your wings?" Flora gasped. Tecna stared at her and realized that Galatea's wings were indeed missing, that they'd been cast from her Winx outfit. What happened?

"Save your questions for later," Bloom panted. "For now, we're taking these three down!" She glared at the Trix.

"Yeah," Musa added. "You picked on me two years ago, and I'm not letting you do this to Galatea! Leave her alone!" She shot a sonic boom at Darcy, who dodged just in time.

"I'm glad you're here," Icy smirked, "because it just wouldn't be right to come to Alfea and not spend some quality time with you losers." She shot an icy attack at Flora.

But Tecna darted in front of the way and created a digi-shield, reflecting her own attack on her. "You're not taking our scrolls!"

Stormy snarled. Creating a twister out of air particles, the books on the floor rose up into the funnel, turning and turning in the air. The girls gasped.

Flora zoomed up into the air and transformed into her Charmix. "Pollen dust!" she yelled, blowing it into the air. It enveloped the funnel, and in seconds, it vanished.

"Ice storm!" yelled Icy and Stormy, converging their powers together. Bloom darted in front of the way, creating a fire-shield that contained their magic. The Trix gasped in shock and outrage.

"Let's go!" Tecna whispered to Flora. Flora closed her eyes, and ivy vines appeared on the bookshelves. Icy and Darcy backed away in alarm.

Tecna lifted her hands in the air. "Winx Charmix!" she yelled, glaring at them. Using all the energy she had within her, she blasted an attack from her Charmix, slamming it straight into Icy and Darcy. They yelled in alarm as they hit the wall, vines grabbing them in the middle.

The Winx knelt on the floor, glaring at them. Icy and Darcy glared back. Then Stormy let out a laugh, one that made the hairs on Tecna's nonmetal arm stand.

"All right then." She created a deadly lightning-bolt, clearly a spell from Valtor's collection. "If we can't have your precious spellbooks, then neither will you!" She shot one into the bookshelf.

"No!" Bloom yelled, but her words were in vain. Fire enveloped the books, and the Trix laughed. Icy and Darcy broke free of the vines and joined their sister on the ground.

"Later, losers," Icy said. With a snap of her fingers, they vanished.

WARNING: FIRE AHEAD, Tecna's feed read back at her. HIGHLY VOLATILE.

I have to get a reading on this, thought Tecna. Closing her eyes, she focused her scanner on the fire.

"I'll try to smother the flames," Flora said desperately, sending pollen into the fire. But nothing happened. If anything, it gave the flames even more ammunition.

"How about a fire-on-fire attack?" Bloom sent a spark of her dragon into the fire, but that did nothing to stop it, either. The fire emitted venomous sparks at her, and she gasped, dodging to the side.

The results of the scan came back. Tecna scrolled through it as quickly as she could, gasping in alarm at what it said.

MAGICALLY-INDUCED FIRE, the reading responded. CAN ONLY BE PUT OUT WITH FAIRY-DUST.

"There's nothing we can do!" Tecna called to her friends. "We have to get one of the Enchantix fairies here to fix it!"

"But by then there'll be no library left!" Bloom stared at her.

"I know," Tecna answered, "but there's no other way. Let's run and tell Griselda!"

The four girls flew out of the Golden Gate, choking and gasping. Suddenly Musa halted and stared in alarm.

"Where's Galatea?" she gasped.

"She" – Tecna stared blindly around. Where was she? What happened to her?

From inside the gate she heard a girl's coughing. Musa gasped in shock and outrage.

"She's trapped in the fire!" she yelled. "I have to go save her!" She flew into the flames.

"Musa!" Bloom yelled, but Musa was deaf to her cry. Tecna watched in horror as she darted into the fire, and they could see her no more.

"Don't do it, Musa!" Flora asked desperately. "It's too dangerous! Come back!"

Then a ray of purple light shot through the air. Galatea was blasted through the fire, and landed at their feet. She stared up at them, her eyes wide.

"Musa?" Tecna stared at the fire. Musa had used her power to save Galatea, but she was still stuck in the flames. "Musa!"

Suddenly, a blinding white light filled the air, and everyone closed their eyes. When it had passed, Tecna looked over and gasped.

The fire had completely disappeared. The only thing remaining to show there was a fire at all was a few charred books. And in front of them stood Musa, smiling and carrying a pouch of fairy-dust.

"Musa!" gasped Bloom. "You got your Enchantix!"

"I sure did," grinned Musa, and Tecna stared at her. She was wearing a red top and skirt with yellow lace, and yellow barefoot sandals on her feet. A red barrette was in her hair and a yellow band was around her neck. She had yellow wings behind her back, with red and purple jewels hanging from above. She held her fairy-dust upwards and flew towards Galatea.

"I'll get your wings back," she said, and turned it downwards. Galatea let out a gasp of relief as her wings emerged again.

"Thank you!" she gasped, grabbing Musa in a hug.

The girls flew out to the quad, where they saw the fighting had ended. The girls had expelled the witches from campus and a new protective barrier had formed thanks to Palladium and the Enchantix fairies. Griselda came up to them.

"Thank heavens you're all right," she said. "You girls did remarkably well." A rare smile appeared on her face as she observed Musa. "And it appears that you received your Enchantix."

"Is everyone okay?" Flora asked.

"Everyone," Griselda said, "except"…

"Ms. Faragonda," the five girls said in unison. It was obvious something had happened to her; there was no other reason why Griselda would be so upset. The deputy headmistress swallowed and looked at them.

"Correct," she said. "She's disappeared; no one knows what's happened to her."

"Then we know what our next mission is," said Bloom, clenching her fists. "We're going to find Ms. Faragonda and bring her back home."

But Tecna didn't know whether they had a chance of getting Faragonda back home. Faragonda was powerful, but so was Valtor, and his strength far surpassed anyone else's. What are we going to do? She swallowed hard.

And how are we going to find Ms. Faragonda?


Now that schools are closed, this will be the last pair of chapters I post on the same day. I've decided I will start posting the Flora chapters on Wednesdays, and the Tecna chapters on Saturdays/Sundays. Please make sure to look out for them!

Next chapter:

- Flora, Layla, and Musa search for Faragonda.

- Mirta continues to look for Lucy.

- The girls will have to enter Cloud Tower in order to find out what happened.

AOTD: Both, but it depends. Ones with canon-characters can't be too OOC (with some exceptions, as with parodies and AUs). With original-characters, writers have a lot more freedom, but it still has to stay true to the universe. Both have to be well-written.

QOTD:How are you all handling the coronavirus?