S1E4 "The Black-Mud Swamp"

Professor Palladium was a decent Potionology instructor, but with neurotic tendencies. Bloom often noticed how his fingers tapped nervously on his desk, or how his voice cracked whenever he was upset with the class. Given the disastrous state of the potion lab, their first training exercise would, to much of the students' disappointment, take place outdoors in a nearby swamp. Each girl was equipped with bush jackets, boots and gaiters, protective leg gear that Stella had incorrectly folded down to her ankles.

Palladium vied for the group's attention. "As I was saying, today's exercise will be rather difficult!"

Francine, an auburn fairy with a sour disposition, yelped and grasped her thigh.

"Professor Palladium!" She whined. "A mosquito just bit me!"

"Yes, Francine, that would make sense." Palladium flicked away a few gnats. "We are in a swamp, after all. No big deal, my dear."

"But look where it's got me!" Francine opened her thigh, revealing a red blotch incredibly close to her groin.

"Ah-okay!" Palladium darted his eyes at the marsh. "L-let me get you some ointment!"

"Way to go, Francine." A maroon-haired fairy named Hypothia said. "Palladium's short-circuiting as we speak."

"Man, it hurts. I hate bugs!"

Bloom and Stella lingered towards the back of the group.

"They're always giving him such a hard time." Bloom said.

"You know what they say about teenage girls." Stella replied, fanning herself. "We can smell fear. Dangerous creatures, we are."

"Now, a good fairy must be able to listen to what nature tells us. Listening is a crucial skill in potionology, mind you." Palladium retrieved a tube of cream and handed it to Winnie. "So today's exercise is designed to put your listening skills to the test. You've been put into groups, and I assume you all remember the names of your groupmates?"

Today marked the first class Bloom shared with all of her roommates. Stella had begged well in advance to be paired with the other four, a wish that Palladium eventually granted. However, the only one that seemed enthusiastic was Flora.

"You have three hours to get out of Black Mud Swamp and reach the clearing in the middle of Gloomywood forest." Palladium continued. "Remind you...without using magic!"

"Of course." Tecna mumbled.

"The voice of nature will not fail you." Palladium stood akimbo. "Heed her call, and I'm sure you'll succeed. Best of luck."

Palladium sparked out of existence, dematerializing into a cloud of gold specks. The girls were now left to their own devices, splitting into their assigned groups.

"I may have flunked," Stella said as she crossed her arms. "But can someone tell me how swamp hiking has anything to do with potionology?!"

Tecna cupped her ears. "He quite literally said it. We're developing our listening skills. Probably so we can tell when experiments fail, and know when to turn the burner off, unlike some people..."

"Which direction are we heading towards?" Musa said, smacking her arm for bugs. "Your call, Flora."

Flora eyed the environment, slowly turning her position before walking north-bound towards more marsh waters.

"We'll have to cross." Flora said quietly. "But the clearing is in that direction."

"Ugh, really?" Stella whined. "My legs are gonna get soaked!"

"Probably because you're wearing your gaiters like ankle socks?" Tecna unfolded Stella's leg gear to the tops of her calves.

"They looked so cute before."

"Unstylish, or mud-soaked skin. Your choice."

"Yeah, yeah, fine." Stella huffed. "I'm gonna need a thousand showers after this."

One after the other, the girls waded through the marsh, the water level growing as they reached the center. Stella groaned with each step, quickly tying her hair into a high bun in case she slipped. Flora dredged on forward, eyes to the horizon.

"Disgusting...smelly...gross..." Stella mumbled. "Terrible...gross...revolting."

"You forgot to mention gross." Musa said.

"Just take it slow and steady, everyone." Bloom said, wading behind Flora.

Bubbles suddenly began to form in front of them. Tecna took a few cautious steps backward.

"Guys, this isn't looking too good." Tecna raised her hands to perform a spell. "Let's just-"

"No, don't." Bloom pulled one of Tecna's arms down. "Palladium said to listen to the voice of nature."

Tecna scoffed. "I don't need to listen to know that these bubbles are probably explosive."

"Actually, yeah." Musa said, sniffing the air. "Or they really stink. Maybe we should turn around?"

Bloom sniffed the air. The smell of gas was pretty strong. The bank was close by, so by Bloom's orders the group dashed for solid land. Mere seconds later, the bubbles indeed began to explode, emitting foul-smelling gas high into the air. Stella plugged her nose.

"Okay," Tecna plugged her nose as well. "Good call."

Flora adjusted her gaiters. "I know another way around."

"Zarathustra's going to be the death of me." Stormy droned out while reclining on her bed. "I can just feel it."

Darcy rearranged her stacks of parchment paper in order of importance. "Her class is...tolerable. It's like Introductory Chaos, but with assignments that aren't laughably lame anymore."

"Terat withdrew today." Icy stood at her mirror, releasing her high pony-tail. "Little bitch of a boy chickened out, like predicted. Now I have to do all the assignments myself!"

"Aww, not little Terry." Stormy whined sarcastically. "He always had the best handwriting..."

Darcy rolled her eyes.

"I'm blowing off the rest of my classes." Icy faced away from the mirror and walked to the center of the room. "Where's Knut? We need to speak to him."

"Knut? Knut!" Darcy yelled.

Darcy's closet doors rustled.

"Oh boy," Stormy said. "Duck and cover."

"No. No...nonono." Darcy fumbled out. "He better not be in there, or I'm going to lose it."

To Darcy's horror, Knut busted out of her closet. He was sweating profusely, tearing clothes from their hangers and crushing shoe boxes beneath his feet as he approached.

"Sorry, your highnesses." Knut heaved out. "You can never be too careful. Mighty stuffy in there, I could barely breathe!"

"M-my clothes!" Darcy raged. "There's three damn closets, why'd you have to pick mine?!"

Knut shrugged, clearing his throat.

"Relax, Darcy." Icy said bluntly. "Most of it was bargain-bin, anyway."

"No, it was not! Look, this cardigan? One-of-a-kind! And now, it's ruined and smells absolutely disgusting! I'll kill him!"

Knut showered her with excessive pleas for mercy, getting to his knees and blubbering like a child.

"Oh, Miss Darcy, your highness! Please spare me! Please, oh please!"

Darcy stomped towards her bed, sitting down and fuming with her arms crossed.

"Well, at least he's not standing around in the open." Stormy said. "Any of the faculty finds him and we're expelled, no questions asked."

"Please..." Icy scoffed. "As if Griffin has the balls for that."

Icy and Stormy laughed. Darcy gave an amused grin, crossing her legs. Knut chuckled nervously.

"You don't get to laugh, Knut." Icy switched her demeanor. "Where's our status update?"

"Well...I had Red Fountain under my surveillance for a couple of days," Knut began. "Like you asked me to. Nothing really happened for a while, not until today."

"What do you mean?" Icy said.

"The group of specialists I fought with, in Gardenia that night? I saw them this morning, loading up this weird pod-flier with supplies. One of them, the one with the glasses, had my hunting troll in handcuffs. Headed for the Septumian Prison. So he's been in Red Fountain's custody this entire time!"

"Hmm...that's good."

"But also bad?" Stormy added. "What if they've already made it?"

"No, the trip is far too long for that." Icy responded. "They'd have to stop to refuel at some point."

"Knut, don't get your feelings hurt. But that troll was pretty much useless. Not to mention gullible." Darcy stood up and walked towards her sisters. "We can't have him spill our plans to the Septumian guard."

"But, he tracked her very-"

"Stella is a skinny, teenaged-girl that he's nearly triple the size of." Icy sneered. "All he had to do was tear her arm off or something. He couldn't even manage that."

Knut hung his head in shame.

Icy's eyes narrowed.

"He must be discarded."

It was an hour before noon. A Red Fountain aircraft housing a troll prisoner began to steadily increase altitude. Inside were the members of Specialist Squad #402, manning their respective flight instruments as they sat in silence. Riven, eyes glued to the navigator, sat in the commanding chair. Brandon and Sky flanked his sides in posterior seats, Brandon occasionally looking up to make sure Riven stayed on course. Prince Sky, bored out of his wits, scanned over a map of the terrain for ideal landing sites.

"Sky," Brandon said in a quiet tone. "Why do I feel like something's going to happen before we reach our destination?"

Sky looked over at him, and then at Riven. "What, something good or something bad?"

"I don't know." Brandon looked at Riven as well. "...Something."

"Talk shit all you want," Riven said without taking his eyes off the navigator. "I took the damn nausea meds and I passed the flight training with flying colors. I have everything under control. Girly Boy's getting worked up over nothing."

"Yeah?" Sky questioned.

"Yeah, your highness." Riven shifted the aircraft's direction to the right. "Captain's word."

"...Captain for the day." Brandon looked at the fuel gauge. "And captains always go down with their ships. Remember that."

Riven scoffed. He made a downward hand motion on the navigator, sharp enough to jerk everyone slightly backward. The aircraft increased to its highest altitude yet, and ultimately stabilized.

Timmy exited the second compartment, stretching his neck and leaning on the side of the main dashboard.

Riven used his peripheral vision. "How's it going back there, Tim?"

"Prisoner is stable." Timmy sighed. "Pretty calm for an troll. What's the estimated time of arrival?"

"It's looking like..." Riven read the navigator's adjacent monitor. "Three-"

The cabin shook violently. Both the decompression and general breach alarms sounded, a chaos of beeps and red lights dancing along the walls.

"The hell was that?!" Brandon said, gripping his chair.

"The alarms are going off!" Sky said, attempting to refasten his seat straps. "Something's been punctured. Pull the ship up, damnit!"

"We're already at max altitude!" Riven yelled over the alarms. "What could possibly hit us this high up?!"

The cabin jolted again, this time disabling the navigator entirely. The aircraft began to free-fall, headed at an angle towards a body of water in the Black Mud Swamp.

"Damnit, Riven!" Sky yelled, bracing for impact as the g-force accelerated. "Damnit, we're gonna die!"

Bloom and the others watched as the aircraft zoomed past, hitting the water firmly before sliding and sinking a few feet into the swamp floor.

"Wait, that's a Red Fountain Aircraft!" Stella cried. "Quick, somebody tell me! Does it say '402'?!"

Tecna cupped her brow while running. Distorted red numbers were stenciled on the cockpit window.

"Yeah...I think it does!"

"No. No!" Stella ran faster. "It's them!"

Upon arrival, the girls watched as Sky, Timmy, and Brandon crawled down the aircraft's damaged left wing. Seeing Brandon limping and doubled over sent Bloom's mind into a downward spiral.

"Brandon!" Bloom called out, struggling to run in the mud.

Brandon looked up and leaned on the aircraft for support. His hair was mangled and streaked with dirt, as were the others. Timmy wiped his dirty glasses in vain. Riven was absent.

Stella looked at the aircraft in horror. "Sky, what happened!?"

"Concussed Riven navigating, that's what." Sky groaned, seeming nauseous.

"What?!" Stella yelled, searching the area. "That's dangerous! Why was he driving in the first place?!"

"Codatorta passed him. Terrible call, but you know how pissy Riven gets-" Sky replied. "Shit, is he still in there?"

Flora and the others approached. "Is everyone okay? Where's Riven?"

Riven finally emerged, sliding his way down the wing. He landed feet-first in the mud, still holding onto the wing to keep his balance. The force of impact created a downhill slope towards the bank, and without thinking Riven walked and slipped backward, flinging mud into the air.

Sky rolled his eyes. "Like, look at him."

Riven looked up to see Musa gagging from a face full of mud. He immediately snorted, managing to get back up and glide down towards her.

Musa groaned. "I-I...I'm gonna throw up."

"Pfft hah-okay, my bad." Riven took a hand and wiped the mud off in a fell swoop. Musa groaned louder, rubbing her eyes frantically with her wrists.

"Ah! Ow, ow!" Musa cried. "That's worse!"

Riven looked puzzled. He pried her hands away from her face. "Um...okay stop rubbing them-chill out!"

Musa took a faulty step backward during the struggle, plummeting into the shallow marsh. She had unknowingly caught Riven's cape in her hands, and he, too, fell in after her. He face-planted into the mud, before rearing his head back and spitting for dear life.

Musa pulled herself back up to her knees. "I'm so sorry, Riven! Just-"

"-Don't touch me!" Riven spat, slipping around blind. He was still dry heaving. "Ugh-dumbass girl!"

A forceful hand grabbed Riven's arm and pulled him to stable ground. After clearing his eyes, he saw Sky aid Musa with a gentler hand, at one point carrying her off the bank in his arms.

Setting her down, Sky looked up at the smoking blast hole that had breached the aircraft.

Brandon shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"How did that even happen?" Sky said weakly.

There was a trail of large, wide-set tracks in the mud that led off into the distance.

"T-Troll." Timmy stuttered out. "Guys...where's the troll?!"

"You were transporting a troll?!" Tecna yelled. "How did none of you see it stomp away!?"

"I dunno!" Timmy snarked back. "Guess we were too busy suffocating in our seats!"

"We didn't crash on purpose. This was just some freak accident." Riven wiped his jaw of mud. "Stop worrying. He's handcuffed, anyway."

Brandon reached down to pick up what appeared to be a large piece of circular metal.

The troll was not handcuffed, after all. "I beg to differ."

"Troll or no troll, why are you all even out here?" Sky asked the girls. "It's dangerous."

Bloom shrugged. "Our first potionology assignment?"

"Get back to your assignment then, ladies." Riven walked the path of the footprints, glaring at Stella as she stood in his way. "Specialists don't need your help, I assure you."

"Oh, you mean the ones over there?" Stella said boldly.

Riven gave her a cold look, gritting his jaw. Stella cocked her head to the side, scoffing at his growing anger.

"Sky!" Riven yelled as he brushed past her. "Keep your girlfriend in check before I hurt her feelings."

"Dude." Sky placed his hands on his hips. "Where are you going?"

"Where do you think?"

Girls from the other groups ran over to the crash site, gasping at both the smoking hole and the injured boys.

"Great." Riven rolled his eyes.

A tall ginger fairy named Amaryl approached. "Do you need any more help? I could try a few healing spells. Palladium's assignment can wait."

"No, obviously!"

Amaryl turned around, glaring at Riven. "Did I ask you?!"

Riven waded off further and further into the distance, muttering loudly.

"Thank you for the offer, girls." Sky said. "But we'll be alright for now. A senior squad is on the way as we speak."

The other groups hesitantly resumed their assignment, disappearing into the marsh. Brandon, Sky, and Timmy hurried after Riven, Brandon limping whenever he used his left leg. Bloom felt the urge to speak, but too much time had passed to say anything worth mentioning.

"Are you okay, Musa?" Flora wiped residual mud off the girl's forehead. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine." Musa replied, looking mortified. "It's not his fault."

"What do we do now?" Tecna said. "Help the boys or continue this hopeless assignment?"

Flora massaged her wrist. "Palladium's probably waiting for us in the clearing. What if everyone makes it there before us?"

"Everyone went in opposite directions. I doubt anyone will be finishing anytime soon."

"Besides, this whole thing doesn't add up." Tecna pointed to the breach. "The fuselage is wrapped in Magitech. They would've been completely undetectable during flight. Even more confusing, the blast came from the inside-the metal's protruding outward."

"You think someone helped the troll escape?"

"Precisely."

Flora weighed her options. "...Alright. This assignment's pretty easy, anyway. Wouldn't want Palladium to think we're cheating."

"That is a psychic lock, which requires a cipher key or significant mental powers to break." Tecna elaborated to Sky. "Which I doubt the troll has the brain for. It's suspicious, don't you think?"

"Yeah, actually." Sky stared down at the girl, contemplating his thoughts.

Bloom continued following the footsteps up the marsh, but paused when the final steps immediately stopped and disappeared altogether.

"Guys, come over here." Bloom called out. "Look at the footsteps. They just disappear. How's that possible?"

"The ground's still soft." Flora stepped forward and inspected the print. "There's no way."

"Wait," Stella said. "Can trolls fly?"

"Nope, not at all." Timmy said matter-of-factly. "Would make transport a whole lot easier, though."

"Just keep searching." Riven said. "It's ten-feet tall and blue, where's it got to hide?"

Sky sighed. "Aye, aye, captain."

Everyone walked further into the marsh. The boys were less careful with their approach, stomping about and arguing over which direction to take. The fairies, led by Flora, remained cautious, trailing far behind them as a result.

"I think I hear something." Bloom said. "Rustling."

"Yes." Flora replied, keeping her voice low. "It must be nearby."

Yelps called out from an adjacent area. Followed by the sounds of rustling vines and snapping tree bark.

"Oh no!" Musa yelled. "I think they found him!"

When the girls approached, they saw the entire squad entwined in thick, purple vines. Arms, legs and torsos were cinched with the plants, and Riven and Sky were being strangled by the second. Brandon was dangling upside-down, hair dusting the ground as he swayed back and forth.

"What the-" Riven strained out. "Get-get this off of me!"

"Shit!" Timmy panicked as another vine crawled up his shoulder. "It's getting tighter!"

"Everyone, just stop moving!" Sky yelled. The vine wrapped tighter around his neck, taking him by surprise.

"Sky! No-hold on!" Stella yelled, but Flora quickly cupped her mouth.

"I recognize this plant species. I've been studying them all week." Flora whispered. "Quietus Carnivorous. They use sound to track their prey."

"What?!" Stella tried her hardest to remain quiet. "Palladium didn't mention the man-eating plants?!"

Vine tendrils snaked in the group's direction.

"Stella, please." Flora pleaded. "Everyone, be as quiet as possible. It's the only way to help them."

Stella and the others walked closer, stepping within the gaps of the forest floor.

Sky was turning a light shade of purple. "Stell-"

Stella placed a finger to her lips. Sky nodded, eyes rolling back for a moment to control his breathing. The other specialists remained wide-eyed and desperate to be released. Flora grasped a tendril and blew onto its leaves, repeating this process until the vines seemed to shrink away in annoyance. One by one, the boys dropped to the ground, crawling their way to safety. They headed towards an east-bound set of marsh, the girls pulling them to their feet.

"Stella!" Sky rubbed his neck. "Thank you–"

"-no. Sky? You scared the crap out of me. So you know what's gonna happen now?" Stella held back his body with a hand to the chest. "You're all going to shut up, stay with us, and listen to Flora, because she's clearly the only one that knows her way around here!"

Flora's face flushed when multiple eyes darted in her direction.

Riven crossed his arms. "Or you could keep up with us?"

"Wrong." Stella replied. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"Just listen to her, man." Timmy said, clutching his side. "Let Flora walk in front. I'd really hate to die before dinner."

After a few tense moments of Riven staring tentatively at the other specialists, he approached Flora at the front of the group. She stared, waiting for him to speak, but he only impatiently gestured for her to walk forward. Flora obliged, and the unified group began wading along the bank.

Bloom diagonally crossed towards Brandon, who hadn't said a word to her all morning. He walked with his eyes to the ground, a wince of pain occasionally flashing across his face.

There was much she wanted to say, but she didn't know where to start.

"...Brandon?"

He seemed to release his breath, shoulders slumping. "...Bloom."

Her name didn't sound warm, like before. Like when they danced together at the Gala-innocent, even flirtatious. It sounded heavy now, like a lump in his throat.

He continued before she could think of a question to ask. "...How's your day been so far?"

"Today?" Bloom erred on the side of sarcasm. "I'd say pretty well. You?"

Brandon scratched at his uniform. "...fantastic."

"Yeah..." Bloom's voice trailed off.

Silence. Heavy, insufferable silence.

"Hey," Bloom said quietly. "Do you want me to help you?"

Brandon's eyebrows raised. "Hmm?"

"It's just-" Bloom replied. "You've been limping since you left the aircraft. You can lean on me a little, if you want."

More silence. He inhaled, shoulders tensing again.

"Don't worry about it. I've been through worse."

He finally gathered the courage to look her in the eyes. They weren't watery anymore, just tired. Jaded.

"But, still..." Bloom inquired. "...are you okay?"

He stared at her, seeming to inspect her facial expression for doubt. Some warmth came back to his voice. "I'm alright, Bloom. And I hope you are, too."

His eyes went back to scanning the ground. Bloom could sense that something was still wrong, whether physical or otherwise. But for the time being she maintained her distance, not probing him any further for information. They walked in parallel, and nothing more.

The bank did not merge with solid land like they had hoped, instead draining into a rock-laden river covered in algae. Flora, Riven, and Sky stood closest to the water's edge.

"Well, bad news everyone." Sky rubbed his neck. "If you weren't soaked already, you'll definitely be after this."

"What is this?" Riven said derisively. "Why don't we cross over there? That's perfectly normal land."

"It's actually mud, and it's deeper than it looks." Flora said. "With this path, we can use the rocks to cross."

Flora took the first step. The rock seemed to sink a few centimeters, so she quickly hopped to an adjacent rock, then another. Riven was two steps behind her, who was followed by Sky and the others. The rocks, though large in diameter, were not enough for the nine to share. They grew sparse along the opposite bank, leaving little options to choose from. Timmy struggled to keep his balance while sharing space with Tecna, Brandon and Bloom. When Stella finally hopped on, the weight was enough for the rock to sink entirely, sending the five into the water.

"Gah-I swallowed some!" Stella sputtered, splashing about. "Sky!"

Sky turned on his rock, reaching down to grab her hand. But with his area already occupied by Flora, Musa and Riven, the same problem occurred, and soon enough the entire group would be submerged. Riven made a risky leap for the bank, planting into the mud on all fours. Scaling to the hill of solid land and wringing his limbs of mud, he waited impatiently for the others to join him.

"Riven!" Sky shouted, attempting to console a flailing Stella. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Waiting for you guys?" Riven shouted back.

"What-" Timmy, not the best at swimming, leaned on Tecna and Brandon to keep afloat. "Get back over here! Help us!"

Riven looked behind him, then back at the others. "Just...just swim over here! It's not that hard?!"

"Get back over here, NOW!" Brandon shouted, catching everyone by surprise. His tone was biting. Bloom was close enough to feel the trembling bass in his voice.

Riven grew tense. He raked his hair back and leaned over with his hands on his knees. The water looked revolting.

"I..." Riven mumbled. "I really...don't w-"

"Get over here, or you're off the squad!" Brandon shouted again, lowering an octave. "I'll guarantee it!"

Riven stared, wide-eyed. He watched as glares appeared on his squad members faces, along with uncomfortable looks from the fairies. He noticed Musa struggling the most, just barely able to keep her face above water. He jumped back in and ran in her direction, legs sloshing around algae and cattails in his wake.

"Riv-"

He picked her up and slung her across his shoulder. This made her face occasionally dunk into the water, something he didn't care to correct. He roughly planted her on the mud before turning around and repeating the same process with Flora. Soon enough the others begin pulling each other onto the hill, draining their boots and wringing their uniforms. Sky pulled Brandon from the water, who used a hand to flip back his wet hair. The droplets smacked into Riven's face. Brandon walked past him in silence, joining the others sitting in the dry grass.

"I dunno about you guys," Timmy said between breaths, chucking his broken glasses. "But I'd rather sit here for now."

"Same." Musa said weakly, sprawling out on her back.

Bloom curled into a fetal position. "Ditto."

"We can't while the troll's still roaming around." Brandon said, placing a hand on Bloom's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Riven stood, avoiding the looks everyone gave him while he stepped towards a slightly south-bound forest. Flora caught up with him.

"What now?" Riven said flatly. "Am I going the wrong way?"

"No, you're right." Flora said with a curious glance. "Just thought I'd care to join you."

Riven sighed.

She turned around and gestured for the others to follow. Soon the group was walking through what looked like the edge of the swamp, where rock formations and dense shrubbery lined the muddy perimeter. They continued walking for some time, until blood-curdling screams came from nearby.

"Troll!" A voice called out.

"Amaryl?!" Flora said in shock.

The troll had backed Amaryl and her group mates into a rocky cliffside, ripping apart bushes and throwing debris around in anger. The girls continued screaming, chucking rocks at his face and cowering underneath each other.

"We have to distract him!" Tecna shouted. "Quick, gather some stones!"

"Guys, which battle tactic is this?!" Riven said. "Encirclement?! Should we go with that?!"

"I guess!" Sky said, leading the specialists. "Timmy, Brandon, restrain his legs! Riven, do you have your bolas?!"

"No?!" Riven shouted. "We left all our shit on the aircraft!"

"Okay then!" Sky charged, unsheathing the handcuffs. "Help me with the handcuffs, instead!"

Tecna and the other fairies pelted the troll with heavy stones. It winced, bellowing and turning towards their direction. As soon as it charged, Brandon and Timmy tripped the beast with a strategically-placed tree trunk. The other specialists swooped in, grabbing each of his limbs and attempting to force them backwards into the cuffs. The troll thrashed, soon rolling onto his back and flailing his extremities. The boys were disoriented and flung into opposite directions. A large foot nearly came down on Riven's face, who ducked away just in time. The troll regained his footing, stomping further south as the boys recuperated.

Sky groaned on the ground, holding his head.

Amaryl approached warily. "The clearing's just over there, we've figured it out! We shouldn't tell you, but it's only fair at this point. You saved our lives...thank you!"

Her group ran off, a few girls crying softly. The boys kicked away stones in frustration. Brandon limped away and slumped onto some boulders, gripping his left calf and grimacing with pain.

"Brandon!" Bloom said, sitting next to him. "What's wrong with your leg?!"

"Nothing! It's fine! I already told you!" Brandon snapped, seeming to shake with pain.

In a bold move, Bloom squatted and pulled off his boot, then pushed up his nylon pant leg. The entire middle section of his calf was turning reddish-purple, alongside being swollen.

"Brandon!" Bloom nearly cried. "Oh my god!"

"Don't freak out!" Brandon said, nearly standing to pull his leg away. "Damnit, Bloom!"

"It's broken. You've been walking around on it this whole time?!"

"Yeah, okay?!" Brandon blurted out. "Now stop!"

He jerked his leg away, making Bloom lose her balance. She sat there on the ground in shock while he buried his face in his hands, taking in haggard breaths.

"I'm...sorry."

When he looked up his eyes were watery again, but now from frustrated tears.

"What I said before? That was a lie." He continued. "I'm having a terrible day. I don't think you understand the extent of how terrible it's been going. And it's only getting worse."

Bloom felt horrible inside. "I'm sorry. Why did-I shouldn't have done that."

Brandon only sat in silence, staring at his swollen calf. Sky, Riven, and the others approached, some gasping at his wound.

"Dude, that looks terrible." Sky said, concerned. "Is it broken or infected?"

"Broken." Brandon said in monotone. "Fractured only, I hope."

"Damn..." Timmy added. "We don't have anything right now, but Codatorta and the others should be here soon."

Flora tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I could try a few healing spells."

"Probably not a good idea." Riven mumbled.

"They're not powerful enough to seal the fracture, I think." Flora continued. "But they might take the pain away for now. Reduce some of the swelling."

Brandon took a second to nod, allowing Flora to lightly touch his calf. A cool, alleviating sensation occurred, which spread throughout the length of his leg and even to his feet. His shuddering breaths ceased, and he gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." He automatically seemed happier, though his hair still shielded his face.

"The bigger question is, can you still walk?" Sky asked.

Brandon put his boot back on and walked a few steps forward to test out the spell's effects. He gave a half-hearted nod. Sky grinned, wrapping an arm around Brandon's shoulders and squeezing him. The boys walked on to discuss their new plan, while Stella and the other fairies approached Bloom, who had a blank, disheartened look on her face.

"Bloom?" Stella asked, reaching down to grab her hand. "Are you alright?"

Bloom swallowed the lump in her throat. Too tired to fight back her tears, she let them fall, lines streaking through the dried mud on her cheeks.

"Oh...okay." Stella said knowingly. "Now...or later?"

Bloom rested her head on Stella's shoulder while they walked towards the clearing. Flora and the others gave her supportive touches.

"Later."

The Trix watched as the troll devoured its food. Fish bones littered the ground, and every so often it burped out a few scales. The sky had grown dark following the sunset, and waiting was wearing down their patience.

"I think the spell's worn off." Icy said. "He's not as graceful as before."

"This is going to take forever." Darcy groaned.

"Oh, shut up." Stormy hissed. "If he's not hungry, that's one less problem we have to deal with!"

"We'll approach after he finishes his meal." Icy said in a silvery tone. "Then it's back to Cloud Tower, okay?"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Fine."

After a few minutes of gnawing, the troll rose to its feet. The witches took this as their cue to reveal themselves, surrounding the troll and concealing their hands.

"Hey, big boy." Icy said with a smile. "How was dinner?"

The troll rubbed its protuberant stomach, grinning with meat-covered tusks. Stormy tried to hide her disgust, giving him a painful-looking smile.

"On the count of three, sisters." Icy said, eyes glowing. "One...two..."

Confused, the troll scratched at its rear and watched as the witches slowly swirled around his body.

Icy, Darcy and Stormy's hands glowed with magic, combining into a unified beam that paralyzed the troll and encased him in dark bindings. He struggled, a panicked look of fear and betrayal flashing in his eyes.

"Three."

Smoke, ash, and darkness surrounded the troll, and before long his form disappeared with only the fishbones in his place. The Trix grinned, lowering themselves to the ground.

"To Oblivion, he goes!" Icy cheered.

"So that our antics may continue for another day!"

Prince Sky was the tallest guy Bloom had ever seen in person. However, this changed once she stood in the shadow of Professor Codatorta. The man resembled a tree, and towered over everyone at more than seven feet tall. His arms were the size of barrels, and he dwarfed Sky so severely with his massive shoulder span that she felt no bigger than a bug in his presence.

"Palladium." Codatorta bellowed, an unnaturally low bass. "My sincerest apologies."

Sky and the others surrounded him, who were in turn surrounded by older-looking specialists with decorated uniforms. Brandon had been given a pair of steel crutches, his left leg in a splint and thoroughly bound in compression tape. He looked stable, but avoided any eye contact.

"T-There's no need to apologize, Codatorta." Palladium stuttered out. "Accidents happen, yes?"

"Yes, that is true." Codatorta said, raising his thick brow. "But know that I claim full responsibility for the...disruption my students caused to your class activities. I have placed too much faith and trust in those who have not yet earned it."

Riven sulked. He was stoic, with his hands clasped behind his back, but his facial expression still exposed his self-disappointment.

"See too it that Faragonda is notified of the escaped troll," He continued. "If it is spotted near Alfea, notify Red Fountain, and we will remove him accordingly."

Palladium gave a formal bow, which Codatorta reciprocated.

"Of course."

Codatorta turned on his heels, facing Riven. Riven struggled to make eye contact, instead staring at his boots. After a moment, Codatorta rested a large hand on his shoulder.

"You did well, given the circumstances."

Light returned to Riven's face. "I don't know...I think I screwed up."

Brandon and Sky gave each other quick glances.

"Yes, you did, actually. You forgot a very important rule. Can you tell me which one, my boy?"

"Never leave your squad behind..." Riven mumbled out.

"Because these aren't just your squad members. Your bond should go far beyond this. These are your brothers."

Codatorta gave a wry smile. "Hell, these are your sons."

Sky comically lowered his voice and put a firm hand on Timmy and Brandon's shoulders. "My brothers. My sons. Looking just like your daddy-"

"Skylar." Codatorta gave a chastising look.

Sky cleared his throat. "Sorry."

"All four of you, listen." Codatorta grew serious again. "Do not take your team for granted and place your squabbles at the forefront. For all that's known of war, you won't always get the luxury of making amends. That regret will plague you for a lifetime."

The squad nodded, the ominous tone going over their heads.

"Alright? That's all I'm saying." Codatorta finished. "Now get your asses on the aircraft."

The Red Fountain boys began walking past the fairies. Sky reached out for Stella's hand as he passed, but quickly recoiled it after being smacked by a stern specialist. Stella blew him a kiss instead, which he pretended to catch. Riven saw Musa gawking at him from the corner of his eye. She pointed to the center of his forehead and gestured to wipe. When he did, a large flake of dried swamp mud fell to the ground. She giggled as he frantically scraped for more. Finally, Bloom waited until the last second to watch Brandon as he entered the aircraft. When she looked up, however, he was staring straight at her with a hint of remorse. She quickly waved goodbye, but the ramp door closed before he could see it. The loud engine sounded off into the distance, trailing the breached aircraft behind it.

"Congratulations to Hypothia's team." Palladium spoke, interlocking his fingers. "Thirty extra credit points towards next month's test."

Hypothia and her group mates seemed too worn out to be delighted.

Palladium gave a long-winded sigh. "And well, Stella...your team came in dead last. Which is surprising given that Flora is currently my best student."

Flora opened her mouth to speak, but fumbled on her words.

"But also not surprising given your encounter with the troll." He shrugged. "So I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

"...Can we go home now?" Francine said, with puffy eyes. Her legs were covered in bug-bite welts.

"Like...please?"

After a change of clean clothes and a thorough shower, Bloom was ready for bed. Her legs ached, and her feet were a bit pruned from walking in soiled boots all day. She went to her other roommates to say goodnight, leaving Stella for last. She felt ready to talk about the Brandon incident, which in retrospect was entirely her fault. Why did she keep pestering him, when he clearly didn't want to talk about it? She barely knew him, and what she did was entirely out of line. But then again, if she hadn't, he would have likely kept fighting and come out of the situation in far worse condition. The questions were eating away at her brain. She knocked on Stella's door. Given the okay, she walked in to see Stella giggling at her phone screen, Sky's voice showering her with cheesy compliments.

"Don't mind him, he can't sleep." Stella said. "What's up?"

Bloom hesitated. She didn't want to kill the mood with her depressing romantic troubles.

"Um, nothing. I'm so tired, I can't remember." She fake laughed. "Good night Stella. Good night, Sky."

"Oh, ok. Goodnight Bloom. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye!" Sky's voice said, sounding a little groggy. "Have a good night!"

Bloom exited the room, closing the door softly behind her. She walked to her room in silence, climbing into bed and staring at the shiny ceiling. Flora had quickly fallen asleep, her notebook having slipped onto the floor beside her.

Bloom forced her eyes closed and swallowed her tears.