Silver and Michael stand outside Headmaster Saladin's office as Jade is interrogated inside, with Silver pacing frantically.
"This is all my fault! I'm the one who invited Jade to the party! I didn't mean for this to happen, I didn't mean for her to get hurt!"
"Sil, I know she's your sister, but you have to consider the possibility that Jade caused this-"
"How could you say that, Michael?! This is Jade we're talking about, we were all friends as kids, we know her better than anyone else! You two were friends too-"
"But that was before she chose to become a Witch. Things are different now, Sil, face it. Headmaster Saladin determined that the monster that attacked Red Fountain was created by dark magic, Jade is the only dark magic user anywhere close to the dance. She's the prime suspect."
"But she put herself in danger just to save everyone! And don't tell me it was some sort of Witch trick! That dress was tacky but not even Jade would risk wrecking something so expensive for show."
The door to Headmaster Saladin's office opens, and both Jade and the headmaster exit.
"Calm down both of you. Jade is clearly not the one responsible here," the headmaster tells them, "conjuring such a creature is far beyond the abilities of any first-year Witch, although it's clear that Jade's powers are great. The dragon was imbued with a special kind of protection-"
"A dark magic that makes anything immune to good magic attacks, I sensed it at the dance. That's when I knew that only my magic stood a chance," Jade finishes for him.
Silver lets out a huge sigh of relief, before moving to hug her sister, "I'm just glad you're okay, Jade."
After they hug, Michael approaches Jade, "I owe you an apology, Jade. I thought for sure-"
"That I had caused the attack?"
There's a moment of tension between Michael and Jade, as she raises an eyebrow and puts a hand on her hip. But suddenly she smiles.
"Now that would bring a whole new definition to 'crashing the party'."
The three of them let out a chuckle as Headmaster Saladin closes the door to his office, leaving the three students.
"You have to admit, Jade, saving a dance full of Fairies and Specialists...that's a pretty Fairy move, wouldn't you say?" Silver suggests.
Jade shakes her head, "I'm not exactly ready to start wearing a glittery miniskirt."
"I think you'd fit in more at Alfea than you'd think."
The mysterious figure slams his fist down as he watches Silver, Jade, and Michael reconcile as they walk back to the dance.
"That Witch is going to be more of a problem than I thought."
"Awe, poor thing. Too much pride to make her your ally but too weak to take control of her."
The figure whips around to find Dec, Jade's talking cat familiar, intruding into the villain's lair, making himself comfortable among the potions and spellbooks.
"What are you doing here?! I thought you'd been banished-"
"You're looking at eternal banishment. Stuck in this body and unable to access my powers so don't even try your little mind control spells because I am useless as I stand."
The mysterious figure groans, and Dec can't help but let out a mischievous chuckle, "Even with your mind control and your ability to counteract good magic this bunch isn't a match for you. I've seen how this game goes...and you're not winning."
"How dare you speak to me that way!" the man takes his spellbook and hurls it at the cat, causing Dec to scramble off the table, "You're a failure! A disgrace! You're nothing without your powers!"
"I'm just telling you the truth, old friend," Dec mocks him in a slow and sultry tone as he saunters past an invisible veil that serves as the entrance to the lair, disappearing as he passes through.
The mysterious figure turns back to his crystal ball, watching Michael and Jade talking to one another as the dance resumes. He smiles.
"I'll get to her yet…"
His smile grows and morphes as he changes his appearance to match Michael perfectly.
"...all Witches want something."
With Red Fountain's ballroom walls damaged and crumbling from the attack, the Fairies and Specialists have moved the party to the raised courtyard just outside. Silver and Michael are on the dance floor together, while Jade hangs out towards the edge of the party, near the railing. She's switched out her dark green gown for a lighter olive dress with crystal detailing along the neckline. But a more fashionable dress does not make her any more approachable, and everyone at the dance keeps a clear distance from her.
Jade can't help but keep her eyes on Silver and Michael, who are slow-dancing in the middle of the floor.
"Sil, I think there's something you need to know. I've liked you for a really long time, and I was wondering if you felt the same."
Silver gasps in so much air she nearly faints, but for once she actually manages to keep her cool, "Michael! Of course I like you! In a 'more than friends' way, so to speak. Ha...I would love to make things official, if you're ready for that sort of thing."
He nods, "Definitely."
She bites her tongue to keep herself from squealing, instead she smiles and leans her head against his chest.
From the edges, Jade sees this and sighs. Suddenly though, she feels a hand on her shoulder.
"Too cool for the party?" an understanding, slightly jokey Ancrua asks.
Jade shrugs, "Guess I'm just not that popular at parties. I'm trying not to be a Witch about it."
"I know Silver was trying to set you up with Michael's friend...Parvati?"
"Parvati was planning on coming, but he came down with a killer bug at the last minute," Francis, another one of Michael's friends explains as he approaches the two girls.
Ancrua gestures to Francis, "I was talking to Francis before you got here, Jade. We're both into the Harriet Pager book series, and we share a favorite book in the series, Book Six, in which...I'm sorry, I'm totally nerding out on you, aren't I?"
"No, not at all! I also read Harriet Pager!" Jade tells them, and they beam, "But thank goodness you didn't go into any details because...I haven't gotten that far yet! I'm still on Book Four!"
They all chuckle, still a little nervous and awkward around each other, but the initial ice is slowly melting.
"Hey, how about I grab you girls some drinks?" Francis offers.
Jade and Ancrua both nod, and Francis wanders off to the refreshment table. Now alone, the two girls look out on the view of Red Fountain's courtyard, which houses a birds-eye view of the surrounding forest.
"I'm sorry if this is too personal of a question, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to...but I have to ask. Why did you choose to become a Witch? It's clearly not to gain power or take over the world."
"Power has something to do with it," Jade admits, "I just felt that becoming a Witch is the best use of my powers. Think about it. Silver is going to become the queen of Alrance. That means that when she graduates Alfea, she'll have our planet's Enchantix. Only one Fairy from each planet can have the Enchantix. If I became a Fairy, I would be stuck at the Charmix level for my whole life. Yes, Witches use dark magic, but that doesn't mean every Witch is evil. Witches have more choices than that."
"Do you like being a Witch?"
"I do," Jade answers without hesitation.
"I don't think I'd ever be tough enough to be a Witch," Ancrua admits, "girls at Alfea are mean enough, I can't imagine what the other Witches at Cloud Tower are like-"
"Speaking of the Witches of Cloud Tower, excited to get back to your lame Witch school, Jade?"
Ancrua and Jade turn to find Balena, dressed in a pink-tinted holographic flowy sundress, paired with an extravagant necklace of holographic rainbow crystals.
"All those evil Witches at Cloud Tower will have certainly heard the news that a Witch saved a dance full of Fairies and Specialists. Your reputation with them will be pixie dust."
Jade shrugs, but her tone carries serious viper, "I can handle a few Witches, but thanks for being so concerned, Balena."
"If you aren't already concerned yourself, you should be. Nothing even the most popular Fairy could do to you could even compare to what the Witches will do to you when you get back."