Chapter 7

Once she reaches the exit to Cloud Tower, Silver doesn't stop running until she's deep into the forests surrounding the Witch school. Catching her breath, she leans against a dry, dead tree before bursting into tears.

"I don't understand...Jade and I are sisters. That should come before being a Fairy and a Witch!" she cries, as she wipes up her tears.

"Oh boo hoo," a familiar voice echoes from afar.

Silver runs in the direction of the voice, and finds the wishing well she'd come out of earlier. She peers down the well, and spots Ancrua still standing at the bottom, her hands on her hips.

"Now, can we please get out of here?" Ancrua asks, an impatient eyebrow raised.

Silver flies down to the bottom of the well, and lands on the muddy floor, splashing Ancrua in sludge. She groans, wiping the gunk off her arms.

Just as Silver and Ancrua prepare to head back to Alfea, shouting starts to come from the well entrance.

"Hey, let me go!" Jade's voice demands, as three Witches hold her arms. They throw her down the well, and Jade hits the bottom with a thug, splashing more mud onto Ancrua.

"That's what you get for being a little Fairy-lover. If you love Fairies so much, why don't you join them?" the Witch with the black hair asks.

"Why don't you just stay out of my business?" Jade counters, rubbing her head.

The Witch with the black hair snarls, "No! I was just about to strike a deal with a powerful Wizard, until you decided to bring along your ditzy Fairy friend. Think of this as your 'just desserts'. You think you're the best Witch in your class? If this is the kind of company you keep, Jade, Cloud Tower should seriously reconsider keeping you around."

She cackles, along with the other Witches around her, as the Witch with the black hair casts a spell and seals the well shut with a magical barrier. They walk away, still laughing.

Silver helps Jade up, as Ancrua starts backing up.

"You-...you're a Witch!" Ancrua sputters, until she's as far away from Jade as the cave will allow.

Jade's long green hair starts to fly around as her eyes glow green, and her power starts to charge in her hands, "Yeah, you wanna make something of it? Because as you can see, I'm not in the greatest mood-"

"Jade, stop!" Silver rushes to put her hands on Jade, "This is Ancrua, my friend."

"I never said I was your friend," Ancrua pouts, turning away from them.

Jade glances over at Silver with a raised eyebrow, "Silver...don't tell me this is your entire crew, is it?"

Silver chuckles, "Well...I mean...I have other friends...they're just...you know...back at Alfea and all...and couldn't come on this mission-"

"You don't have any friends," Ancrua corrects.

Jade examines Silver, and assumes a thinking position, "That can't be right. You've always had friends, tons of friends."

"Maybe it's because she's no longer the only princess hanging around," Ancrua points out, "at Alfea, every girl is the princess of their own planet. Her friends at home were probably only her friends because she's royalty."

"That's not true! I'm telling you, it has something to do with Alfea!" Silver tries to convince Ancrua.

"Besides," she continues, "I'm not the only princess of Alrance. Jade's a princess too."

Jade shakes her head, "Doesn't matter. You're still the one who gets the crown, Silver."

Silver giggles, jumping up-and-down, "I know, the royal crown of Alrance is the prettiest thing!" she tells Ancrua, "It's got diamonds from our Diamond Moon, and rubies and sapphires, and is made from pure gold-"

"I know! You've told me!" Ancrua interrupts her, exasperated with her optimism.

"So...how are we getting out of here?" Jade asks, crossing her arms.

Ancrua points to the blocked cave tunnel, "Well, that's the way we came, but it's collapsed."

"We could clear the path with a Convergence spell," Jade points out.

"What's a Convergence spell?" Silver asks with complete sincerity.

Jade groans, "You're a second-year Fairy and yet, you don't know what a Convergence spell is? That...seriously worries me."

"I'll figure it out if you tell me what it is!" she argues, throwing her fist into the air with a smile.

"A Convergence spell is when Fairies combine their powers together to cast the same spell," Ancrua explains.

"Witches too," Jade chimes in, "and if all three of us combine our powers together, we should be able to clear the way."

"What?! No! I'm not Converging with a Witch. What if you...you turn me evil or something?" Ancrua protests, waving her hands in front of her.

Jade sighs, "Well...then I guess we're stuck here."

Silver frowns, and turns to Ancrua, who, after exchanging glances with Silver, sighs, "Okay, fine. But just this once."

Silver, Jade, and Ancrua all form a line in front of the debris blocking the tunnel entrance and start to take hands. Ancrua hesitates for a moment before taking Jade's hand.

"Winx Convergence!" Silver shouts.

All of the girls' hair start to whip around, as a white light surrounds Silver, a green light around Jade, and a blue light around Ancrua. The three of them close their eyes and tilt their heads back as beams of light fly from their chests and attack the debris. The cave is swallowed in blinding light, and the three girls are thrown back, falling to the ground.

"Ugh, more mud!" Ancrua shouts, as she wallows in the puddle of mud she'd fallen into.

Silver helps her up and Jade snaps her fingers, which causes all of the mud and grime to disappear from Ancrua's Winx outfit.

"Wow...thanks," Ancrua mumbles, before the three of them walk toward the tunnel entrance, where the boulders of debris have now disappeared.

"Well, only one way out," Silver chuckles, gesturing toward the cave tunnel.

The other two nod, before they start walking down the dark tunnel.