"Oh, thank goodness you're all safe! I though that fire had got you!"
"Fire? Teggy, what are you talking about? There was no fire."
"Of course there was a fire, the whole forest was in flames but..." he looked around, confused. "Hang on... the forest - it was all burning, but the ground, the trees... they're all still green... how?" Then he realised. "Kaiser! Oh, I get it now. That spell of his - it made my fear a reality!"
"What?" said Anyuna, shocked. "You're afraid of fire? Oh, you poor thing!" she said, tentatively putting her arm around him.
"Oh my!" said Charlotte. "And I'm a fire fairy! I hope that doesn't mean you're afraid of me too!"
"We saw a massive flash of light coming from over here - what's going on?" Bloom asked. "And who's this Kaiser guy?"
"Kaiser is... WAS Layla's boyfriend." Stella explained. "He had her under some sort of mind control. That creep totally played her!"
"He's so gonna pay for that!" said Musa, still comforting Tegryn. "No-one disses my peeps and gets away with it!"
"But why did he do it?" Bloom asked Stella. "Why did he hurt Layla like this?"
"To steal the Ring of Solaria. He'd already stolen the Ring of Lunaria, and he combined them to form the Celestial Sceptre."
"The Celestial Sceptre? I've read about that!" said Tecna. "It's an incredibly powerful source of magic. But I thought that was only a legend."
"It was... but now it's real - and what's worse, the witches have it." Layla sobbed. "And it's all my fault! How could I have been so stupid?"
"Now come on, none of this was your fault. We all saw what happened." Stella said comfortingly.
"Let's get you back to Alfea." said Bloom. "You need some rest."
After the dramatic events of that day, the night was mercifully still, except for the odd cloud floating here and there in the gentle breeze. Up in the clock tower, a lone figure stood silhouetted against the moon, staring sadly down into the courtyard.
"Layla? Is that you?"
She turned around to see Anyuna hovering alongside her.
"Hi Yuni." she sighed. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"
"Uh-huh. How are you doing?"
Layla let out a deep sigh. "I can't believe this happened. I mean... everything seemed so perfect, and then..."
Her voice trailed away as she broke down in tears. Anyuna pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped them off her face.
"Come on, you're gonna be alright. You're a tough girl, you'll get through this."
"But I've never loved anyone like that before. I just... I just don't think I could ever feel that way again. How will I know I won't get hurt? How can I ever love anyone again?"
"Oh Layla, that wasn't real love, he had you under some sort of hold. You'll find someone a million times better than that scumbag, I know you will, and then you'll know what real love is. It'll happen one day, you'll see. You just need some time to get over this. Time heals all wounds, as I think I heard Teggy say once"
"Yeah, you're right. I've already spoken to Faragonda about it. She suggested I go home for a few days to clear my head."
"Sounds like a good idea. We're gonna miss you like crazy, but by the end of the week you'll be wondering what you ever saw in him."
Anyuna sighed. "Layla... I'm sorry to bug you right now, but can I tell you a secret?"
"Sure you can."
"Oh man, how do I say this?" she muttered to herself before taking a deep breath. "I've been wanting to tell someone for a few days now, but it's so awkward. Thing is... well, you're not the only one who's fallen for the wrong guy."
"You have a crush as well? What's wrong with him?"
"Nothing..." she said dreamily. "He's good-looking, smart, funny, romantic... he's everything I could ever want in a boyfriend."
"So what's the matter?"
"He already has a girlfriend, and she's such a cool girl, I wouldn't want to upset her... but this is hurting me so much inside."
"Is it someone I know then? Is it Riven? Sky? Brandon?"
"No." she replied sadly, staring down into the courtyard, watching a couple walking hand-in-hand before sharing a long, sweet kiss in the moonlight.
Layla looked down at them and gasped. "Tegryn? No!"
Anyuna closed her eyes. A tear fell, landing on the parapet with a small 'plap'. "I know it's wrong, totally wrong. We've been such good friends for ages now, but for the past week or so, I've had these... feelings for him. You know, when we were looking for Teggy's home village in the library, I managed to find it and Nini said Teggy was going to love me for it, and then he gave me that hug and kiss when we arrived in An-Chuan - ever since then, I've, well, you know, kinda liked him. I've always been so happy to see him and Musa together, but now, whenever I see him with Musa, I just want to rip her away and take her place. I'm such a bad person, but..."
"No you're not! You're not a bad person at all - you mustn't think like that. Yuni, you're an absolute angel and everyone knows it."
"But what can I do? I know I can't tell him, but I can't stay silent forever, can I?"
"I'm afraid you might have to. You're such good friends with him, but if you tell him, you could spoil it forever. And anyway, how do you know your crush will last forever? For all you know, those feelings you have for him could be gone tomorrow - everything will be back to normal and you'll be wondering what all the fuss was about."
"You really think so?"
"Uh-huh." Layla nodded.
"But... what if they don't? What if I always feel this way?"
"We don't know if that'll happen or not. After all, that's just a big 'what if', and that's no way to make decisions or live your life. I know it's gonna be difficult, but you must keep this all to yourself. It's the only way, really it is." Layla gave her friend a big hug. "Listen sweetie, I'm gonna go back to my room to pack - fancy helping?"
"Erm, no - I think I'll stay out here for a while, to get my head together. Besides, this is a great view."
"Yeah. Look, thanks for this chat. Those kind words of yours - they were exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you."
"No probs." She said as she waved her friend off. "Oh, Layla?"
"Yes?"
"Get me something nice from back home, okay?"
"Sure thing!" she smiled.
Anyuna looked on as Layla flew back to her room. She knew Layla was right, she knew she had to bury her feelings for Tegryn, for her own sake if no-one else's. After all, he's madly in love with Musa, and they were so made for each other - what chance would she have? And besides, she's no relationship-wrecker - there was no way in Majix she could ever bring herself to do that with a clear conscience.
No, the only sensible course would be to follow Layla's advice and not say a word about her feelings. Maybe Layla was right... maybe her crush will disappear in time. As gut-wrenchingly difficult as it was, she knew she must put her own feelings aside and just hope blindly for the best.
She bowed her head and sighed yet again. "Why?" she tutted to herself. "Why the hell did I have to fall in love with HIM, of all people?"