Hey everyone! It's the first day of sun in a week. Where I live, it's really nice outside. I hope you all get the chance to go out (unless you're in lockdown, of course).

Previously on AUP…

A sudden rumble made everyone stop in their tracks. King Radius stared at everyone, his eyes wide.

Then rain began to fall.

Stella's dress burst open at the seams. Her skin color changed from tan to green, and she let out an agonizing yell.

"My daughter!" cried King Radius, reeling in pain. "What is going on?"

Countess Cassandra stepped up and glared down at Stella.

"This is not your daughter," she announced. "Guards, take it into custody immediately!"

-o-o-o-

"Look, Professor, all we want to do is defend our school," Flora said weakly. "We need to know what's going on."

"I can't let you," Avalon answered. "These aren't my rules."

"But don't you remember being trapped in Shadowhaunt?" Flora pressed on. "Didn't you feel helpless, as if you couldn't do anything? Well, that's how we feel right now. We need to save Alfea!"

Something in Avalon's gaze shifted. He stared at her, and she held his gaze firm. He finally nodded.

"Alright, I will tell you," he said. "I believe you are more mature than the other girls. But I don't want you telling anyone else."

-o-o-o-

Bloom looked at the Teen Fairy questionnaire. "Er, this question is really weird" –

"What is it?" Musa asked.

"If you were alone with a really pretty girl and she said she like liked you, would you a) start to sweat nervously, b) reciprocate her feelings, or c) run out the room?"

For a moment, there was silence. Flora stared around awkwardly, and the other girls looked startled.

Finally, Stella spoke. "Um… 'c' all the way? How awkward is that?"

"It's not that weird," Musa said. "There're gay men in my hometown. Although, in that situation… I'd definitely vote 'a'."

"My parents have gay friends," Bloom said. "But I'm with Musa on this. It'd be totally weird if another girl had the hots for me."

"It's just… wrong." Layla sat down, her arms crossed. "About a few centuries ago, there was a prince in the Androsian royal family who announced on interrealm television that he was gonna marry another man. Let's just say it didn't go well. Why would anyone have feelings for someone of the same gender?"

"How weird would it be if someone was like that at Alfea?" Stella asked.


CHAPTER 17: EL DÍA DEL AMOR

"It's pleasant out here, isn't it?" Flora's mother asked her as they sat down on the porch steps.

It was now fall break. After exams, students received a break from school, going home to spend time with their families. Musa had gone to Andros with Layla, making up for their missed time together in the spring. It was usually four weeks, but the schools had decided to change it to only two weeks, so that Alfea and Red Fountain would start their second semester earlier. Cloud Tower was still under Valtor's control, and though the UR was trying to free the witches, they hadn't succeeded.

Flora sighed. A few weeks before, the UR had managed to free some of the witches from Cloud Tower, with Lucy's help – they'd all been sent home. But most of the girls were still trapped in the school. Their parents were fighting, saying that the UR wasn't doing enough to free their daughters, simply because they were witches. If Alfea or Red Fountain had come under the same siege, they reasoned, the students would be freed in seconds.

"Flora, what's going on?" her mother asked in concern.

"Sorry, Mamá," Flora responded. "I'm just worried about a lot of things. The safety of the Magical Dimension is at stake. And we're facing a lot of trouble at Alfea as well. What are we going to do?"

Her mother reached for her hand.

"I know it's hard, Flora," she said, "but you will be able to prevail. I believe that everything happens for a reason. They chose you for that school because they knew you'd be able to help the world, and you already have. Have faith in yourself. Just trust that, no matter what, you will defeat Valtor."

"Okay," Flora said uncertainly, only slightly soothed. Mamá sighed.

"I am a priestess," she said, "and there is only so much I can tell you, Flora. But I believe in you. Just trust in your friends, your teachers, and your school. You will get through this."

I don't know, Flora thought. The truth was, she was too worried about her friends to be able to trust in them. We'll have to get through this. She leaned heavily back against the steps.

They sat silently together, the breeze rustling past the Linphean trees. The cool wind soothed Flora's heart, and she closed her eyes, allowing her mother's wisdom to seep in. The birds chirped gently, a soothing lullaby to Flora's fears.

What Flora didn't know was that this break would be the last time she saw her family in a long time. Her troubles weren't ending – in fact, they were only about to begin.


The second semester started amicably enough, autumn well on its way. The Winx girls returned back to Alfea, spending every weekend enjoying the cooler weather. That was, the weekends they could. Enchantix training was much more intense than Winx or Charmix, and Flora struggled initially to master the moves Faragonda taught her.

Before their dismissal home, Faragonda had announced that they were opening classes for Alfea sophomores and seniors at Red Fountain. The girls could take a course in Dueling, Dragon Wrangling, Hoverbiking, or Aviation. The girls observed the class-lists with interest.

"Kicking a boy's butt with a sword would be totally fun," Layla said, signing up for Dueling.

"I've always wondered how it'd be to ride that Hoverbike," added Musa.

"I'd love to fly those spaceships on missions," Mirta grinned.

"And I'd really like to take a class in taming dragons!" Bloom said cheerfully. "It'd probably get me more in-tune with my powers. I mean, I am the fairy of the Dragon Fire, after all."

Flora had no time to take these classes; since she was the last fairy of the first semester to join Enchantix training, she was struggling to catch up with her friends. Stella claimed she would lose time with her snookums, but Flora knew that was only part of the reason why. Stella needed to focus solely on her Alfea coursework so she could graduate. Although she'd passed her final exam by gaining her Enchantix, Alfea seniors still needed to get a passing score in each of their classes to graduate.

But no one was in more jeopardy than Tecna. She was banned from leaving campus, and was under academic probation in all of her classes. Obviously this meant she couldn't take a Red Fountain class, but that was the least of her problems. Flora was the only Winx girl she would even talk to.

"Here," she had said, passing Tecna some herbal tea, "drink it."

Tecna said nothing, though a glimmer of gratitude shined in her face. She lay down on her bed, a dull ache in her eyes. Heart filled with sorrow, Flora sat down next to her best friend.

"I wish you would tell us what's going on," she said softly.

"I can't," Tecna whispered. Her naturally white face was even paler than normal. "If I could, Flora, I would. But it's just too much."

"Then let it out," Flora insisted.

"No," Tecna said weakly. That was all she said. She turned around in the bed, closing her eyes, and Flora could press the issue no further.

She left Tecna's room, sighing as she walked to her dorm. And then her phone rang. She picked it up, and Mirta's face appeared as a hologram above the screen.

"Mirta!" Flora breathed. They hadn't seen much of each other lately; what with Flora's Enchantix training and Mirta's Aviation class at Red Fountain, there had been no time to go out together.

"Do you remember what day it is today?"

"What is it?" Flora rubbed her eyes, trying to remember. What with everything going on...

"Día del Amor!"

Flora shot her head up. Today was a special Linphean holiday that fell in the autumn, celebrated by couples who professed their love to one another. It always fell on the first Thursday of Decemensis. She gasped out loud.

"I'm so sorry, I totally forgot!"

"Not to worry!" Mirta grinned. "Just meet me at the grove near Lake Roccaluce."

"What for?" Flora asked.

"I've got a surprise for you."


The winds rustled as Flora made her way through the quad. She wore a short, sprigged rose-and-buttercup dress with yellow autumn leaves in her hair. Her feet were bare as she walked into the forest, laughing at the soft, squishy feel of the earth beneath her.

This is beautiful, she thought. A quiet, relaxed day with her girlfriend. Linphèana knew she needed one, especially after all that had happened.

She reached the grove, which was empty. Guess Mirta hasn't arrived here yet. She sat down on the grass, leaning back and stretching contentedly.

And then she froze as she heard a voice.

Flora sat up, grass sticking onto her skirt. She dusted herself quickly, standing up - but not fast enough. Bloom, Stella, Musa, and Layla appeared, and stopped as soon as they saw her standing there awkwardly, staring in surprise.

"Hey, Flo, where'd ya come from?" Musa asked.

Where'd you come from? Flora thought, her mind racing. This wasn't supposed to happen. Mirta and I are supposed to spend time by ourselves!

"Hey, what's with the dress?" Stella had caught Flora's dress, and was admiring the cut and the shape.

Flora shrank back, but Stella was in no rush. She laughed triumphantly.

"I knew it!" she laughed. "You're finally going out with a boy!"

"Stella!" Bloom and Musa called out.

"So?" Stella goaded. "Who is he? Tall? Handsome? Is he brave and strong, or is he a total nerd?"

Flora winced. I should text Mirta and tell her not to meet me here... But there was no way for her to text without Stella prying the phone out of her hands.

"Or maybe he's quiet and reflective, like you!" Stella continued on. "I'm assuming an artist, 'cause come on, you totally dig that stuff. Just give me his number and I'll make sure he treats you like a princess" –

"Stella," said Layla, quietly. "We came out here to talk about important stuff, not some stupid boy."

"Oh, sorry," Stella jumped up, remembering. "Flora, why don't you be a darling and join us? You're good at helping with this stuff."

How could Flora say no? She sighed, nodding as they walked towards the lake.

"These past few weeks have just been insane," Musa said. "There're just way too many things going on – and none of them good. What with Melody's situation, Lay's engagement, the Solarian royal wedding" –

"We have to do something!" Stella cried immediately. "I can't believe Countess Cassandra hasn't been evicted by now! I was hoping the situation would resolve itself, but look at what's happened! She is such a scumbag!"

"You were there over break, right?" Layla asked. "Weren't you able to spy on her? If you collected some intel, then we can figure something out."

"I was going to go home," Stella complained, "but then Chimera and I got into this huge fight on the phone. I told her she'd better not get in my way, and she got her dear mommy to scream at me for three hours. Daddy told me it'd be better to just stay at Mom's place in Lunaria, so that I wouldn't get into trouble." She buried her face in her hands.

"Well, it looks like we've got some weddings to crash," Musa declared. "We've just gotta figure out how to expose Crooked Countess, and then we're all set."

They reached the lakefront, gazing into the surface of Lake Roccaluce. Bloom knelt down, placing her hands into the water and soaking in its energy.

"This lake always calms me," she said. "I mean, this is where Daphne's spirit resides, after she was cursed. And it's where I got the Dragon Fire back."

Flora nodded absentmindedly, thinking quietly to herself, Mirta, Mirta, Mirta...

"I mean, Daphne was so brave," Bloom said, a tear dripping into the lake. "She sacrificed herself to save me from the Ancestral Witches. I'd like to think I'm as brave as her, but I don't know that I am."

Flora felt a wave of pity overcome her. She reached for Bloom's hand.

"It'll be all right, sweetie; trust me," she said. "I know you'll be able to face him. Even though you've both got the Dragon's Flame, which means your fates will be tied, you'll still be able to stand up against him."

Bloom recoiled as if Flora's touch was made of lightning.

"What?" asked Flora, startled. "What did I say?"

"You said the exact same thing Faragonda told me," Bloom gasped. "How did you know he has the Dragon Fire?"

"I" – Flora stared around helplessly as the other girls cast her confused looks. "Well" –

She scanned her brain frantically, trying to think of an excuse. But she realized very quickly there was no way around the truth. I have to tell them. She sighed.

"A few months ago, I was in the library at the middle of the night," she admitted. "I tried to break in, but then… Avalon caught me. He was about to turn me in, but I convinced him to tell me the truth, and he told me about Bloom's fate being entwined with Valtor's."

"You mean you knew about this the whole time and didn't tell any of us?" Bloom gasped.

"Avalon made me swear to keep it a secret, I wasn't allowed to tell anyone" –

"You knew all this time and didn't tell us." This time Layla didn't even bother to phrase it as a question.

Flora stared at her friends hopelessly. She wished, with all her heart, that she could just retrace her steps and go back on what she'd said. But it was far too late. "I" –

"Flora, the best girlfriend in the world!" Mirta came running towards her, wearing a neon red jumpsuit and a pot of flores del iris in her hands. "Surprise! I'm sorry these flowers haven't budded yet, but I really wanted to surprise you and" –

She stopped as she saw the four other Winx girls standing behind Flora, their arms crossed. Mirta's eyes went wide, and she backed down, her arms trembling.

"Seems like you've been keeping a lot of things from us," Layla said flatly.

Flora stared at her friends' gazes, all of which had gone from supportive to grim in two seconds. What just happened? Finally, it was Stella who spoke.

"How long have you been dating Mirta?"

Flora swallowed. "For about eight months now."

"And you didn't tell us?" Bloom asked. "Why would you keep such a thing from us?"

"I" – In the corner of her eyes, Flora saw Mirta backing up slowly, her eyes downcast and terrified. "I thought – I thought you'd think differently about me. That you'd stop wanting to be seen with me after finding out I was gay."

Now Layla exploded. Flora shrank back as the dark-haired girl glared at her, rage in her eyes.

"You thought we wouldn't want to be seen with you anymore? Flora, how could you be such a horrible judge of character? How could you ever think we'd react with anything but love and compassion?"

"How can you expect us to trust you if you can't trust us?" Musa added.

With a sinking feeling, Flora stared at the other girls.

"I'm sorry"… she said weakly.

"Clearly not sorry enough." Stella's voice cut through the air like stone.

Flora turned towards Mirta, who was standing with a frozen, horrified expression on her face.

"We should go," she said quietly, putting her arm around Mirta. The two walked silently away from the grove.


"I can't believe I didn't let you tell your friends," Mirta sobbed.

"It's okay," Flora said quietly. "It's not your fault. I didn't want to tell them, too."

They were in Mirta's dorm. The two girls were crying, sniffing as the insufferably cheerful sun shined in the sky. Flora put her arms around Mirta and rocked her quietly, closing her eyes.

"How could this have gone so wrong?" Mirta whispered.

Flora didn't know. She sighed and turned towards Mirta, lowering her head.

"On Stella's birthday in Sextmensis," she said, "we were doing a Teen Fairy Quiz. We came across this question about lesbian girls, and the other girls' reactions were, well" –

"What?" Mirta asked, a sense of urgency in her voice.

"They were shocked," Flora whispered. "Musa and Bloom were okay, but Stella and Layla – you should've seen the looks on their faces. They were horrified."

"Is this – us – really that bad?" Mirta whispered. "How could they do this to us?"

"There's nothing wrong with who we are," Flora answered. "But they've grown up in such different environments – they wouldn't understand" – But deep down, she knew that wasn't true; Layla's words still rang through her head. How could you ever think we'd react with anything but love and compassion?

How could I have? After all, they'd all avoided warlocks like the plague in the beginning of their freshman year, but by the end, they had become allies. The Winx had even been supportive of Mirta's transformation, something they never would've supported a few months before the war. And they'd been through so much together in the past three years, too. How could I be so stupid to think their views were set in stone? Now they would never want to speak to her again.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with us, either," Mirta answered. "But what are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Flora answered. "I just don't know."


That Monday, Flora was roused awake by Griselda's sharp knock on her door. She jumped up, startled, as the deputy headmistress glared at her. "Come with me, young lady."

What? Flora rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stared around. It was then she realized that Bloom was not in the bed next to her.

She walked with Griselda to Faragonda's office, and was sat down in a chair. Griselda stood behind her, her hot breath on her neck. Faragonda frowned.

"Flora, I want you to explain this to me." She turned on a switch on her desk, and a projected image appeared on the wall. Flora stared at it in confusion as the screen turned on, showing that morning's Triple M news on the screen.

BREAKING NEWS: COUNTESS CASSANDRA AND DAUGHTER REVEALED AS TRAITORS, the headline read. PRINCESS STELLA AND FRIENDS CRASH WEDDING, RECLAIM THRONE.

Below that was an image of Stella, Bloom, Musa, and Layla, each wearing an identical black suit with an orange, blue, red, or green stripe on the side, respectively. They were all wearing biker helmets and waving at the camera. Flora stared at the screen in stunned horror. They defeated Cassandra? And... without telling me? Without bringing me along?

Then she realized. Yesterday was the wedding… Today was Decemensis 7, and the other Winx had left campus the evening before, claiming they'd be back by night. Flora, worn out from Enchantix training, had crashed at nineteen o'clock, without any clue as to where they'd gone.

"So," Griselda said, her eyes flashing, "can you tell us exactly what is going on?"

Flora stared at her, a million emotions going through her head right now. To name the least, hurt and sadness. Hurt because her friends had cast their closeness away so quickly, and sadness because she knew it was absolutely her fault.

"Although neither you nor Tecna went to Solaria without our permission, we know you are all close friends," Faragonda continued on. "Tecna is in a realm of trouble on her own, so we find it hard to believe she stayed back merely to cover-up. So tell us the truth, Flora. It will be easier that way."

Flora thought about how strong their bond used to be, how the girls had stood together against the world, against all odds. How close they'd all been, before Tecna had decided to revert back to her old aloof self, before Valtor. He was too good at ripping people apart, destroying friendships and breaking alliances to get what he wanted. And she wouldn't let him.

"Yes," she said, "I knew."


Their punishment was to scrub the entire school, all throughout the night – without magic. Kind of a throwback to freshman year, except none of them were as close as they'd been before. Whereas their cleaning party in freshman year had been the dawn of their relationship, this was a dusk, nightfall well on its way.

Musa tried turning on music, but no one was in the spirit. Stella and Layla ended up squabbling over which mop to use, which left Bloom, Flora, and Musa to do all the work. They went to bed at five in the morning, irritated with each other and completely exhausted.

What's happened to us? thought Flora, lying facedown on her bed. Why can't we trust each other anymore like we used to? Misery shot through her, and she thought, Why did I mess everything up?

She knew she should've been open with them from the start. But she hadn't been – she hadn't learned anything from her time at the Resort Realm. They'd all been squabbling with each other back then, too – but that was mainly from stress, not because they had a deep reason to mistrust each other.

But Flora had planted the seeds of distrust. She'd sowed them all this time, without knowing, and now the roots were too deep to be pulled out. I can't believe this… She stared hopelessly out the window.

And she had no one to blame but herself.


Wow, this situation sucks. What are your thoughts about this? What do you think about the Winx's reactions, how Flora reacted? Things are not going good.

Next chapter:

- Melody declares a state-of-emergency.

- Tecna sneaks out to see Vasiliev.

- Vasiliev gives Tecna an ultimatum.

I hope to see you soon! Please, let me know what you think!