S1E2 "Welcome to Magix"

The swirling wing-shaped gate of Alfea Castle opened, allowing groups of fairy girls to walk onto the grounds. Girls with a rainbow of hairstyles, skin colors, and suitcases swarmed alongside the two, talking excitedly amongst themselves about the upcoming session. Bloom felt entirely out of place, and still held some lingering doubts that she had spent her entire life with hidden magical abilities.

"The postcard didn't do this place justice." Bloom felt her sandals scuff along the ground. "Now that we're actually here..."

Alfea looked so much larger up close. The courtyard was surrounded by massive marble columns, iridescent windows dotting the exterior. She blinked a few times to prove she wasn't dreaming.

"This place is gorgeous!" Bloom said, staring upward. "And huge!"

Stella smiled. "Yes, definitely. It surprises the new girls every time."

Bloom could hear a shrill voice nearby. When she looked around, she saw a stern-looking woman checking in the new students.

"Who's that lady over there?"

"Griselda, Head of Discipline." Stella grimaced. "Of course, she's out here screeching this early."

Walking closer, the woman was scanning a clipboard for names. She was probably the most normal looking person she'd seen upon arrival, despite her lanky proportions and shimmering navy pinafore.

A girl with silky blue hair approached, nervously curtseying before her.

"What is your name, young lady?"

"E-Eleanor of Dolona?" The girl responded. "I sent my registration form, if you-"

"-Let's see...Eleanor, Eleanor...ah!" Griselda tapped her clipboard.

Eleanor shuddered.

"What's wrong, are you nervous, young lady?"

"A little..."

"There you are, Eleanor of Dolona." Griselda scribbled a few words. "You may go in, dear."

Eleanor curtseyed again before walking further into the courtyard.

"Next!"

Bloom panicked. It would make sense that a prestigious school would have limited entry, but Stella definitely forgot to mention how she managed to get Bloom enrolled on such short notice.

"Stella!" Bloom said discreetly. "I don't think I'm on the list!"

"No honey, you are." Stella smirked. "I've thought everything out. The Princess of Callisto, lovely girl by the way, has decided not to attend this year." She manifested an ornate letter into her hands.

"It's her letter of withdrawal, but who says she's withdrawing? For all the Headmistress knows, she's standing right before us!"

Stella tore the letter into tiny little pieces that got picked up by the breeze.

Bloom recoiled. "So I'm just taking her place? This isn't right Stella!"

"It's just a little white lie..." Stella giggled out. "Come on, it's too late to turn back now!"

The two approached, Stella putting on a smile. "Good morning, Ms. Griselda!"

"Princess Stella? Of Solaria?" Griselda peered up from her clipboard. "I'd never thought I'd see you again, considering last year's...incident. Do you really plan on attending this year?"

"What can I say..." Stella gave her a coy look. "Perseverance is a Solarian virtue."

"Right." Griselda's eyes narrowed. "And who's this young lady?"

"Varanda, Princess of Callisto." Stella blurted out. "A personal friend of mine. She's attending this year."

"Varanda...Varanda? Ah, yes." Griselda scribbled words again. "Varanda of Callisto. Both of you may enter."

"Thank you!" Bloom said a bit too loudly. Griselda was taken aback, but nevertheless shooed them forward.

"Careful, Varanda." Stella spoke through the grit of her teeth. "Your earthling's showing."

Bloom sulked. "You're not gonna call me that for the rest of the year, are you?"

"Well, we don't have much of a choice. Just try not to mess up too much."

"Says the girl responsible for last year's 'incident'!" Bloom retorted. "If it's so bad that you're repeating a year, what did you even do?"

"Nothing...terrible." Stella walked a bit faster across the courtyard. "That old crone loves to dramatize. Just follow me!"

A little while later, several students gathered for a formal tour of the campus grounds.

"Ladies," Griselda announced. "This school will be your home for the next three years. But know that this 'home' can cease to be yours at any moment!"

Stella rolled her eyes. "Here we go again..."

"The rules of this institution are based on discipline, and disregard of these rules will lead to me personally escorting you to the front gate!"

Griselda began to pace. "This is not a...magician's school. Never use that term here. You're not here to learn hocus pocus and party tricks, alright? It is also crucial to mention that use of magic is strictly prohibited outside of designated classrooms, and only under teacher supervision."

Griselda noticed Stella inspected her nails. "Is that clear, Princess Stella?"

Stella sighed. The surrounding fairies watched, some giggling.

"Because thanks to you and your antics, the potions laboratory in the East Wing will not be accessible until next month at the earliest!"

Griselda approached, hands at her waist. "Please take precaution this time, Miss Stella! It would be a shame to expel you not once, but twice, within the span of little over a year!"

"Stella?" Bloom gasped. "You bombed the laboratory?!"

Stella darted her eyes elsewhere. "...my father paid for the damages."

"Attention, ladies!" Griselda clapped her hands together. "Your Headmistress has arrived!"

The Headmistress was a petite older woman dressed in an elegant periwinkle uniform. Her hair resembled the texture of fair-weather clouds, yet her blue eyes shimmered like an unyielding storm. Beside her were people Bloom presumed to be instructors, consisting of a brassy-haired Elven man, a caped, silver-haired woman, and a stout leprechaun in a leafy hat.

"Terribly sorry that I'm late," the Headmistress said. "I hope you all will excuse me."

Griselda scolded a few chattering fairies. "Attention!"

The Headmistress laughed. "I hope Ms. Griselda has not frightened you all too much."

A burst of soft, wispy magic escaped from her fingertips, swirling into the summer air.

"Welcome to Alfea, the most highly prestigious fairy school in all of Magix! I am Headmistress Faragonda. Please, follow me towards the main entrance."

The group followed the woman up the stairs, gasping as the marbled doors opened to reveal a great hall surrounded by stained-glass windows. A grand staircase in the center was the main attraction.

"Gather around, everyone!" Griselda shrilled. "The doors must be closed before we can proceed!"

It took a few moments for any remaining fairies to enter. Bloom and Stella were squished between a freckled girl with pointy ears and a blonde that smelled of strawberries.

"Excelling as a fairy can be hard work, but I know that everyone here is capable of doing so. You will learn a variety of crucial skills, nonetheless. Please keep in mind that the instructors and I are always here to help you all."

Faragonda clasped her fingers. "As our orientation session comes to a close, feel free to explore and familiarize yourself with the campus grounds. But be very careful, as there are dangers lurking about!"

Stella nudged Bloom's shoulders. "Listen up, missy. She said this last year..."

"Stay away from the witches and warlocks of Cloud Tower!" Faragonda said sternly. "Headmistress Griffin is notorious for accepting Magix's more...troublesome...youth. Please be aware of your surroundings. That is all for now."

"Alright, everyone!" Griselda shrilled. "You're all free until dinnertime!"

"Good luck fairies!" Faragonda smiled, genuine laugh-lines showing. "I look forward to the upcoming school year. Classes start tomorrow at eight-o-clock sharp, so try to remain punctual!"

The group splintered off into different directions, several voices echoing down the corridors.

"Griselda sucks, but you'll like Headmistress Faragonda. She's actually really nice."

Bloom and Stella strolled down a marble corridor, eyeing the labeled signs above them for their dormitory numbers.

"What's Cloud Tower?"

"Okay, let me explain." Stella started. "Magix only has three prestigious, accredited schools for magic. We're at the one for fairies, Alfea. Girls only."

"Yeah?"

"The second is Red Fountain, a Magitech and Tactical Training Academy for boys." Stella swooned. "They train them to become Specialists, skilled in weapons of their choosing. That's where Sky and the wonder boys go. And finally..."

"Cloud Tower?" Bloom said curiously.

"Technically also a school. Like...the opposite of Alfea, but worse." Stella joked. "Earthlings have juvie, right? We have Cloud Tower. Dark magic only, no exceptions. Griselda threatened to send me there last year. As if they'd let a fairy anywhere near that place."

"Oh..." Bloom pictured cauldrons and dark spells, with bats swirling around the sky. "Aren't they worried about being a bad influence for them? Maybe they can be taught to change their ways..."

"They're already bad influences, Bloom. I doubt telling them 'don't do bad things' is going to change their minds. Listen, I don't get it either, but the school's been running alongside Alfea and Red Fountain for centuries. If they're going to be bad, at least let them be good at it."

Soon enough they arrived in front of an entrance labeled with a host of names.

Stella read the tablet. "Stella...oh wow, Varanda's here too!"

She opened the doors. Inside were two or three connected rooms, some already decorated by their other roommates. Bloom was surprised to see how large the beds were, or how the entire space seemed far larger than it did from outside.

Stella pointed to an adjoining door. "That's my room over there. The same one I had last year."

"You get a room all to yourself? Lucky."

"There's perks to being a princess, I guess."

Stella's room had a large glass-paned window, and the mid-day sun reflected off her floor-length mirror and silken comforter set.

There was a third door adjacent to Stella's room, with a tablet that showed Bloom's cover name, Varanda, and the name of her roommate. Bloom walked inside to see that more than half the room was littered with plants. Walking further, she jumped as a nearby plant screeched with pain, grasping its vines and whimpering like a child.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" It yelped.

"I'm sorry!" Bloom apologized, not fully grasping that she was talking to a plant. "Please excuse me!"

"No," a soft voice said. "Excuse me. I've left my things in such a mess."

A girl stroked the plant's leaves. "This is a talking plant, by the way."

Stella walked in, raising her eyebrows. "We noticed."

The girl was a bit taller than Bloom, with small moss-colored eyes. Her hair bore green leaves, a few of which fell to the ground before quickly being replaced. Her forearms and calves bore a faint greenish, bark-like discoloration. But above all she smelled quite nice, like fresh roses.

"My name is Flora. Are you my roommate?"

"Yes, I am." Bloom smiled. "My name's Bl-Varanda. Varanda of Callisto. Nice to meet you."

"Callisto?" A clear voice behind Bloom asked. "That's a long way from Alfea-like the fourth world of Magix's upper ring."

Bloom turned around to see another one of her roommates. She wore a metallic purple-green vest with matching joggers, holding a futuristic briefcase in her hand. She had big eyes, large and nearly fluorescent, and short magenta hair. Magenta was a common hair color for people in Magix, it seemed.

"I'm Tecna. What's your name?"

"Well, I'm Stella." Stella, the tallest girl in the room, swiped back a bundle of hair.

Tecna gave her a humorous look. "I think we've all heard about you, Stella."

"Stella Bombastic!" Yet another voice called out. "In the living flesh?!"

Bloom's final roommate walked in through a connecting door. Short, pig-tailed, and with gauged ears, she rounded out the full spectrum of personalities Bloom would be interacting with this year. She was the spitting image of one of her high school friends, Mei, right down to her multicolored fingernails.

"Before you blow up your room," the girl joked. "Give us time to duck and cover first, okay?"

"Accidents happen, alright?" Stella brushed off the comment, playfully rolling her eyes. "Potions is my least favorite subject anyway."

"Name's Musa. How's everyone's day been going?"

More screeching came from Bloom's room. But instead of a plant, it came from Kiko, her pet rabbit. A vine had him ensnared.

"Kiko?!" Bloom had explicitly told him to stay home the night before. "What are you doing here?!"

"Oh, bad plant!" Flora scolded. "Put them down, right away!"

"No, don't scold your plant." Bloom slowly peeled Kiko out of the plant's grasp. "Kiko was probably trying to eat it. It was just defending itself. You're in so much trouble, little boy! Where have you been hiding all this time?"

Flora grabbed a bowl of soil from her desk. "Are you hungry, little bunny?"

She sprinkled in a packet of seeds, and in seconds several carrots began to grow. Kiko looked delighted.

Stella looked out the window. "You know, it's a little past lunch time anyway. Does anyone want to go into Magix City before curfew? I know a couple decent places we could eat at."

The other girls nodded in agreement.

"It'll give us a chance to get to know each other, too!" Flora said, feeding Kiko carrots.

"Anyone up for pizza?" Bloom asked the room. The others gawked, confused. Stella gave her a wide-eyed, disapproving look.

"Pizza?" The pig-tailed girl stifled out a laugh. "What's pizza?"

"Um..." Bloom struggled to find a suitable answer.

"It's...the national dish of Callisto."

The five girls took the next bus towards Magix City. Bloom was a little disappointed that the transportation was lacking in magical steeds and pumpkin carriages, but the bus still wowed her with its shimmering pink interior. After some time the vehicle came to a gentle stop, a woman's voice speaking through the loudspeakers.

"Magix City Station, last stop, please transfer here!"

Stepping out, Bloom saw that Magix City was indeed a city, much like Gardenia, but filled with floating cars and oddly-dressed people. Small businesses lined the sidewalk, selling relatively normal things, like shoes and cellphones. She stopped walking, staring at everything in silence.

"What's wrong with your face right now?" Stella prodded Bloom's cheeks. "Are you disappointed or something?"

"Well...?" Bloom waved off Stella's fingers. "The most enchanted city in the Magix universe, and it looks like Gardenia after too many sleeping pills. Alfea's amazing but here-I thought there'd be like...dragons? Gnomes walking around...potion shops? But this is all-"

"That's fairytale stuff, Bloom."

"But you said Magix was just like those fairytales, but not as nice!"

"Okay, I'm not saying those things don't exist here." Stella perched her sunglasses at her forehead. "I'm just saying that Magix City is far more modernized than you'd think."

Bloom turned to see a fiery-haired man park his hovering vehicle nearby. The vehicle's exhaust had a bluish-green hue, with faint crystalline specks.

"Everything still runs on magic here." Stella informed her. "It's just not as obvious anymore. Here it's mostly in the form of Magidust. Gadgets, vehicles, lighting, pretty much everything. Functional, tangible magic. You understand now?"

"Yeah, I guess..."

"There you guys are!" Tecna yelled, jogging back down the sidewalk with the other girls. "Stella, you're supposed to be in front, if not Flora's going to keep detouring us into every flower shop she sees."

Flora already had a pot-shaped bag in her hand, which she strategically placed behind her. "I got carried away."

"Alright!" Stella smiled, walking ahead of everyone. "The first place should be around the corner."

Knut exited an eyewear shop, adjusting his new lenses. They were pretty expensive, but his masters were kind enough to give him a few extra coins for his hard work. He stuck out like a sore thumb against the pink stone sidewalk.

Before he started walking he saw a group of teenagers walking along the opposite sidewalk, with two girls looking strikingly familiar.

"Wait a minute." He mumbled to himself. "...the earthling girl! And that stupid fairy!"

They soon turned the corner and became out of sight, but Knut had already learned everything that he needed. His masters would be delighted to hear of the fairy's resurgence, especially now that she was in Magix and in such close proximity. He would be given another chance to prove his worth and get back into their good graces. Illegally crossing the street, he stomped after them, careful to remain a safe distance. He then took out a cellphone to announce the good news. After a few rings the call was answered.

"Hello?" A silvery voice answered.

"Good afternoon, your highness!"

"Ah, Knut!" The voice grew bitter once more. "What is it this time, boy? We're busy right now."

Knut winced. "The fairy and her friends are in Magix, your highness. The earthling fairy is here!"

"The one you let escape?!"

"Heh...yes." Knut said meekly. "The other fairy and their friends are heading downtown as we speak."

The silvery tone in their voice returned. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yes, your highness. I can see them plain as day. What should I do?"

The voice paused. "...Is The Sun and Moon fairy in possession of her scepter?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Listen, Knut. Reclaiming that scepter is of utmost importance. Do not bring any more attention to yourself, but make sure to be aware of their location. Given your recent failures, leave the rest to me and my sisters. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Knut waited for the group to turn another corner before stomping off again. "Yes, your highness! I will not let you down this time."

"Good. Now hang up."

Knut stuffed the phone into his overalls and continued the chase.

Stella had led the group to a cool restaurant called The Blithe Bistro, which sold moderately priced Magix City staples with terraced outside seating. Everyone had finished their meals and the sun had only recently set, but nobody felt pressure to return to Alfea Castle despite the upcoming curfew.

"I don't understand why my cell's not working." Bloom gave her phone a puzzled look. "I try to call a number and nothing happens. I guess I don't have service here. Does Magix have Wi-Fi?"

The group laughed at Bloom's strange choice of words.

"Let me have a look," Tecna offered her hand. "Electronics are a specialty of mine."

Bloom gave her the cellphone. Tecna inspected it, squinting her eyes in disbelief.

"Varanda, this is prehistoric technology!" Tecna started to laugh. "Where'd you get that thing?"

"It's the most recent model!" Bloom replied. "Like, everyone one in Ga-Callisto has it."

"Callisto needs to catch up, then!" Tecna handed back her phone. "Remind me to go shopping with you some time."

After paying for their meals, Bloom walked off in search of the nearest telephone booth. Finding one, she inserted the pay card Stella had loaned her and dialed her home phone number.

"Hello?"

"Mom, it's me."

"Oh, Bloom!" Her mother sounded delighted. "How's the session going so far?"

"Mom, I've barely been here a day." Bloom giggled. "Classes start tomorrow, though. Today Stella and I got to meet our new roommates, and we share a huge apartment together. I'm actually really liking this place so far."

"Well I'm glad to hear it! Is there any way we could send you a care package? You never know how the dining hall might turn out."

"Hmm...I don't think so..." Bloom paused. "Maybe you could-"

Bloom saw a large yellow ogre stomp by. Knut. She was thankful to not have been spotted, but still alarmed that he was prowling around so close to Stella and her new friends.

"M-mom, my friends are calling me now." Bloom panicked as Knut turned the corner. "Love you, and give dad a big hug and kiss for me okay? Bye."

She hated to cut the conversation short, but time was of the essence. She followed Knut's path, leading her to the lantern lit fountain area the others were sitting at. Had he been tracking them this entire time?

Knut stomped off towards an alley. Foolishly, Bloom followed. She soon ducked behind some trash bins as three girls emerged from the darkness. From the glimpse that she saw, they looked nothing like the fairies at Alfea.

"Well, Knut?"

"I saw the blonde fairy with the magic scepter in the square. She's with her friends now."

"The scepter is so close, it needs to be ours." One girl said sternly. "This would be the perfect opportunity."

There was silence. Bloom grew nervous, but any sudden movements would reveal her location.

"Sisters." The voice was odd, reverberating down the alleyway like a hiss. "I think we're being watched."

It took everything in her to not dart off towards the fountain, where at least she'd have a powerful fairy like Stella to come to her aid. She tried to peek up from the bins and steal another glance, but before she knew it one of the girls began to manifest behind her. Strange, painful magic blasted her forward to where the others were standing.

Bloom looked up at the laughing girls. There were three of them, bearing coal-stained eyes and wearing matching uniforms of leather and sheer muslin in the darkest shades of burgundy, plum, and Prussian blue. Their glowing eyes bore into Bloom's soul, and she could only sit in fear as they approached her with heartless, calculating grins. They didn't look much older than her, though. If they weren't fairies, there was one dreadful possibility.

These were the witches Faragonda had warned her about.

The double dressed in plum disappeared, replaced by the real one moments later.

"We finally meet. Did you like our little joke, sweetheart?" The one dressed in blue had a silvery, soothing voice.

The one dressed in burgundy grinned wider. "You can laugh if you want. Wasn't it funny?"

They grew too close, so Bloom raised her hand in the hopes that her fear would fuel a large blast like it did before. But to her dismay, a mere tendril spewed out, evaporating before it even reached the air.

"Aww, how cute. A little fairy's lost her way tonight."

"Alfea's gone downhill, hasn't it?" The girl in blue twirled a sharp, manicured finger. "Let's give her a real magic lesson, shall we?"

Stalagmites grew from the ground, confining Bloom into a contorted position. The other witches joined in, one zapping her with another blast of dark magic while the other conjured a controlled tornado that flung her into the air. She grabbed onto a building's ledge for dear life, the witches roaring with laughter below her.

How she longed to continue talking with her mother at the phone booth.

"Get down here, ma'am!" Bloom felt the ice magic encase her torso, weighing her down. "We're not finished yet!"

She fell on some discarded boxes, wincing at the pain developing along her hips. The three had given her enough whiplash that she couldn't even remember which direction she came in from.

"I want you to say goodbye, girl. Say goodbye!"

"W-What?!" Bloom gripped her side, grimacing. "Why?!"

"Too late." The girl in blue gave her a dark, ominous smile. "Rest in pieces."

Bloom screamed as she was entombed in ice, the surrounding air being uncomfortably trapped in her lungs. They began to burn, muscles aching as she froze into a pose of absolute fear. She could only watch as the girl manifested a blunt weapon made of ice, rearing it above her head and aiming to smash Bloom to pieces.

Before she could, blinding energy blasted the girl aside. Through the yelling and commotion, she could make out a familiar face.

"Bloom!" Stella banged on the icy surface. "Bloom! Can you hear me?! I'm going to get you out okay?!"

The ice around her began to melt, making her fall to the ground and heave in a big gasp of air.

"Solaria!" The booming word announced Stella's transformation. The other girls began to transform as well, each wearing multi-colored shimmering outfits and growing a unique set of fairy wings.

"The Sun and Moon fairy!" The girl in blue regathered her footing. "There it is-the scepter!"

"Great, there's more of them." The girl in burgundy sneered, growing slightly alarmed. "Knut, give 'em a nice welcome!"

Knut charged, sending the fairies in opposite directions. Tecna and Musa flew into the air, focusing their powers.

"Static Sphere!" Tecna called out, sending an electrical pulse of energy in Knut's direction. This was paired with Musa's blast of sonic energy that shook him repeatedly, nearly deafening his hearing.

"Golden Pollen!" Flora joined, conjuring the growth of ensnaring gold vines. Knut was now a sitting, sneezing duck, glasses strewn from his face.

"You idiot..." The witches readied their powers. "Let's handle this ourselves!"

Their offense began with a barrage of ice crystals. Tecna gathered the others behind her before casting a large electronic shield of energy in front of them. Soon the burgundy witch struck the shield with a bolt of lightning, destroying it and leaving the fairies exposed.

"This is stupid. Let's just kill them all!" The plum witch yelled. "Then the scepter will be ours for the taking!"

"Excellent idea!" The blue witch manifested the perfect snow storm. The cold was becoming unbearable, and too much for the fairies to handle entirely.

"Girls-ah!" Stella grasped her scraped forearm. "We have to get out of here. Come close!"

In a burst of light, the group was zapped back to the fountain. Bloom showed signs of hypothermia, shivering in her wet clothes. Stella radiated some of her warmth to soothe her.

"Bloom, are you okay? Speak to me!" Stella said frantically. "Bloom, open your eyes, damnit!"

"Why do you keep calling her Bloom?!" Tecna yelled. "What is going on Stella?!"

"What are you not telling us?" Flora added, looking hurt.

Stella paled when she realized she'd been calling Bloom by her real name. "Um, okay-so she's not...Varanda. She's not from Callisto, either..."

"Stella!" The others yelled in unison. Musa grabbed her pigtails for reassurance. "Is she...is she even a fairy?! Is she from, like, Earth or something?!"

Stella protectively grasped Bloom. "Yeah? Listen, I'll explain everything, okay? Just calm the hell down! She doesn't need all this yelling right now, she can barely keep her eyes open!"

"I-I'm sorry." Bloom coughed out, still shivering. "Coming here was a mistake."

"You've got to be kidding me..." Tecna unfurled her glider wings, zipping away into the sky.

"I can't get expelled on my first day!" Musa paced in the air. "If Faragonda finds out, it's all over. But if Griselda finds out, we're straight up doomed!"

"Calm down!" Stella tried to regain order. "I know you both probably hate me right now, but can you help me bring her to Alfea?"

Flora, though silent, helped Stella hold up Bloom as they flew upwards. Musa flew frantically behind them in case Bloom fell from their grasp.

Their silent trip back to Alfea came to an abrupt stop in the center of the courtyard. The sky was dark, and not a single fairy was walking the grounds. It was at least an hour after curfew, and they'd be in heaps of trouble if they were caught outside the dorms. They ran stealthily towards the main entrance, de-transforming to avoid a second charge of prohibited magic.

"I think we're all clear." Flora slowly pushed open one of the marble doors. But just on the other side was a fuming Griselda, her beaming lantern angled towards their gasping faces. Tecna's arm was held in her tight grasp, and she gave the girls a look of embarrassment and empathy.

"First this one, and now the others, what in the name of Ma-"

She gave Stella a beady-eyed look.

"Stella." Her voice was quiet, but harsh. "Only you would be so bold as to disobey the rules this early in the semester."

"Ms. Griselda, I can explain-"

Faragonda manifested next to Griselda, looking more disappointed than angry. "Do you have any idea what time it is, ladies?"

"Ms. Griselda, Ms. Fara-Headmistress Faragonda!" Musa was practically melting with anxiety. "I'm sorry. We're sorry!"

"Return to your dormitories immediately. I will reiterate the rules again tomorrow morning."

The girls quickly walked towards the east corridor, with Bloom trailing behind them.

Griselda stopped her. "Not so fast, Princess Varanda of Callisto!"

Bloom panicked. Stella and the others stopped walking, panicking along with her.

"An apologetic letter from King Balstrade announcing his daughter's withdrawal was delivered to us this evening." Griselda hunched over Bloom, eyes narrowing. "Is there something that you've forgotten to tell us, girl?"

Bloom nervously entwined her fingers. "My name is Bloom. I'm from Earth..."

"I knew it!" Griselda said triumphantly. "A proper princess would never speak so brashly to an authority figure! I should've known from that point onward! Impostor!"

"Calm down, Ms. Griselda." Faragonda said quietly. "You may not be Varanda, but you must certainly be a fairy, as our grounds are enchanted to repel non-magical entities."

Bloom had a brief thought of Kiko, who had probably devoured all of Flora's plants by now. She guessed that him also passing the barrier would insinuate that Kiko was magical as well.

"Tell me Bloom, why did you withhold your real name?"

"It was my fault!" Stella froze in her place. "This was all my idea! Please don't expel her!"

"It's alright, Stella." Bloom said meekly. "You see, I'm from this small town called Gardenia, where I've lived my whole life. I realized I had magical powers the day before-"

"-An earth fairy? Utterly impossible!" Griselda interrupted.

"I beg you, don't send me away!" Bloom nearly cried. "I've wanted to be a fairy since I was a little girl, and I really am now! This place will do wonders for helping me learn how to control my powers."

"Miss Bloom, you have lied to us. That is simply unforgivable!"

"But she also has shown great tenacity and perseverance which cannot be denied." Faragonda lightly grasped Bloom's shoulder. "Are these not qualities that every fairy should possess?"

Stella stuck up her index finger. "Perseverance is a Solarian-"

"Yes, I know." Griselda grew frustrated. "But-"

"Go to bed, young ladies. Try not to make any more noise, please?"

"Yes, ma'am." The group said quietly, before returning to the apartment.

"I didn't think there were any fairies left on Earth," Faragonda said to Griselda in the silence of the great hall.

"I didn't either. I thought they all disappeared centuries ago."

"Well then..." Faragonda brought a finger to her chin. "Who exactly is this Bloom?"

The women walked back up the grand staircase, discussing the matter in hushed tones.

"I think we should call ourselves the Winx."

"The what?" Stella said, twirling around in Musa's chair.

"If we're going to be a badass magical fighting group, we should at least have a name."

"I mean, it's not a terrible idea." Tecna hunched over on the side of her bed. "A name is good for a quick reference."

Stella beamed. "The three witches we fought are apparently called 'The Trix', so maybe we should be called 'The Super Five' or 'The Stella Five' or...or! 'The Airy Fairies'!"

Musa widened her eyes. "The Hairy Fairies? Are you sure?"

The other girls laughed, though they quickly stopped when they remembered what time it was.

"I'm really liking the name 'Winx'" Flora crossed her arms in a cornsilk blanket. "I think we should go with that."

"Alright, Winx it is!"

"Wait." Tecna said. "What does Winx mean again?"

"Well, nothing!" Bloom raised her hands objectively.

"I guess for now it just means, 'Winx'!"