Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Video and Winx Club belongs to Iginio Straffi and Rai S.p.A (NOT 4Kids!). Opening song instrumental belongs to El Hazard: The Magnificent World.
Note: This follows the Rai version of Winx as the 4Kids version butchered it too much, like with every anime it dubbed.
Chapter 58: Going Medieval! A Virtual Exam Trip!
Alfea simulation room…
Ranma yawned as he stood with Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla. It had been three days since the last battle with Valtor and the Trix, the time Ranma gained a new power alongside Bloom. The lone boy could only blush as the memory of how they did it still fresh in his mind.
"So what does Professor Palladium want with us?" asked Layla.
"If anything, it's probably a test." replied Tecna. "We were told to meet in the simulation room after all."
"Ugh… not again… but I supposed it's better than written." said Stella.
It was then the elven teacher walked in.
"Greetings, my students! You're all here." greeted Palladium.
"Greetings, Professor!"
"Now, as for why I've gathered you all here, it to step up your learning."
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Ranma.
"It's quite simple, really, Ranma. Now that you've acquired the power of being superfaeries, your course of study will change significantly! You will practice a lot, and for this, we will often use the simulation room."
"Hmmm! Sounds fantastic!" said Stella. "The virtual adventures are very exciting! You can do anything, but in the end nothing is real."
Palladium scratched the back of his head. "Well, it's not really like that. The adventures you will experience in simulation are artificial, but the dangers and the sensations are very real. If you are defeated, you could experience very serious emotional trauma. It's nothing to joke about!"
The girls and Ranma got startled at this. Bloom couldn't help but remember the time she was in the simulation room during her freshman year where the Trix ambushed her.
Palladium continued. "But I can help you by creating the virtual setting that you prefer. Where would you like to go?"
"Oh? We can choose where to have our adventure at?" asked Bloom.
"Just so! At least at the beginning that will make things easier a bit."
This raised everyone's interest.
"Wow! How about a huge shopping center?" asked Stella.
Musa rolled her eyes. "Bleah! Haven't you done enough shopping in reality?"
"Not really. You can never do enough!"
"I would like to be in a lush greenhouse with a tropical environment, personally." said Flora.
"What would it be like in the Sengoku Period of the samurai?" asked Ranma.
"I'd like to go to a castle in the time of the medieval knights." said Bloom.
"What? Medi-whazziz?" said Stella in confusion. "What's that? Never heard of it."
"Back on Earth, I've read about it in history books and it always fascinated me. Beautiful princesses lived in towers waiting to be saved by a knight..."
"Oh, I've heard about that, too!" said Musa. "Handsome minstrels would also sing ballads and madrigals. It's very romantic!"
"Don't forget about the battles, too." added Ranma. The memory of the Furinkan Principal hiring people dressed as medieval knights to fight the students popped into his head, which he quickly dismissed. 'Hopefully, it won't be like that...'
"It sounds quite fascinating." said Tecna.
"Okay then! When do we leave?" asked Stella.
"Right away! Ha ha!" laughed Palladium.
Palladium steps into the control room before instructing the six girls and one boy into the VR chamber. He looks through the archive of data discs to find the right one to use.
"It's time to put the data into the VR control console. Okay… let's see…. Oh, here it is. Earth setting, around the year 1000." He pops in the disc before addressing the students through the connecting window. "Now remember the rules. When you get there, you must solve a serious problem using only your powers. However, you won't know the problem nor solution at the beginning. You all must discover what the problem is on your own and above all how to solve it because this will be your work as faeries when you have finished school: to identify problems in your world and to act to resolve them."
"That's all well and good for the rest of you, but I'm just half faerie." said Ranma. The other girls could only giggle.
"Get ready everyone. The test begins… now!"
Palladium pressed the activation button. Suddenly, the VR chamber began to fill with a magenta-colored smoke.
"Look! The walls are disappearing!" said Flora.
Not just the walls, but the handrail they were holding onto moments ago vanished as well. The smoke engulfed everyone until a bright light flashed.
Once the smoke dissipated, they found themselves on a grassy plain lined with a few trees nearby. Not only that, their clothes have changed to fit the period.
"Oh! Our clothes… what is this?" asked Stella.
"I think it's a traveling cape." said Bloom.
Everyone inspected their new attires. The girls all wore simple short-sleeved dresses under a dark magenta cape. Bloom's dress had a green top with a pink skirt. Stella's was of the reverse. Flora had a soft indigo top with a green skirt. Musa had a full light magenta dress. Tecna's was a light indigo top with a dark purple skirt. Layla's was a full green dress with a purple belt.
As for Ranma, his usual kung fu outfit had been replaced with a simple short-sleeved red shirt under a dark blue vest with blue pants and brown boots.
"Hmm… I feel kinda awkward in this." said Ranma. Stella couldn't help but agree.
As everyone took into their current surroundings, Layla spotted something in the distance from out of the trees. "Hey! I see a kingdom down there!"
They all turned to see what Layla was pointing towards.
"It should be logical that would be our destination." said Tecna.
Flora looked up to the tree near them and the birds tweeting to each other on a branch. "The Middle Ages aren't bad. I've never seen such a large, beautiful oak tree!"
"Well this was a time before heavy urban development." said Bloom. "Back then, the world was full of forests. However, thieves and bandits took advantage of this to rob unsuspecting victims using the trees as a natural cover. That's why people lived in kingdom cities like that. Surrounded by walls and protected by castles."
"When you put it that way, Bloom, I think we should head over there before it gets dark." said Musa.
"Oh! You're right! What are we waiting for?" said Flora.
The group made their way towards the forest's exit when Ranma suddenly stopped. The girls also stopped when they noticed their lone male companion.
"What is it, Ranma?" asked Tecna.
"Someone's nearby..." said Ranma.
Suddenly from the trees before them, a group of twelve thugs appeared from hiding. They were all unkempt individuals dressed in dirty hooded outfits, armed with either swords or knives.
"Hehehe… we've found some easy pickings!"
"If you know what's good for ya, give us all your valuables!"
"Otherwise, things're gonna real ugly fast!"
Ranma looked unimpressed. He turned to the girls and asked, "Shall I?"
The Winx all smirked knowingly.
"Enjoy yourself." said Layla.
Ranma smiled before turning his attention back to the gang of thugs and cracked his knuckles. "Thank you."
Opening (El Hazard: The Magnificent World style)
The music starts as Ranma gets into a fighting stance. He rushes at the screen as the camera pans up to show the 'Ranma Club' title.
Ranma ran towards the approaching bandit gang who held their weapons threateningly. They laughed at the absurdity that a single unarmed guy could take them on.
The first thug swung his sword at Ranma's head, but the pigtailed boy quickly ducks it and elbows the thug's gut then followed up with a hard right cross to the face, knocking him out. He crouched down as he rushed the second thug, who was armed with a knife, hitting him in the gut with a fast triple punch that made him slump to the ground. The third thug raised his sword over his head, but Ranma quickly hits him in the chin with an upperkick then brought his foot down to stomp him in the face. The fourth thug came at Ranma with a pair of knives, ut gets side-stepped and greeted with a knee kick to his gut followed by a downward elbow strike to his back, sending him into the ground. The fifth thug charged at Ranma with sword held high and swung it downward, which Ranma quickly dodged, causing it to be stabbed into the ground. Without missing a beat, Ranma kicked the flat of the sword, breaking it, before gut punching the thug then grabbing and overhead slamming him. The sixth thug stabbed his knife towards Ranma but gets his attack parried and countered with a punch to the face and a kick to the gut that sent him flying back. The seventh and eight thugs tried to double-team Ranma with their swords but get snatched out of the air by Platinum Sky and Diamond Brandon, who slammed the thugs' heads together before slamming them into the ground. The ninth, tenth, and eleventh thugs quickly surrounded the pigtailed boy with their knives held out and rushed him. At the same time, Gold Helia, Onyx Riven, and Silver Timmy emerged and grabbed the thugs before kneeing them in the gut followed by an elbow to the face. The sould merged back to be replaced by Amethyst Nabu who knocked away all three of them with a spinning kick. Merging back into his host, Ranma turned to face the final thug, who looked terrified. Before he could even think about running, Ranma launched himself forward into a flying kick that nailed the thug in the face, knocking some teeth out.
With all the thugs knocked out cold, Ranma stood triumphantly as the Winx clapped behind him.
End opening
The group of Alfea students were on their way to the castle city, leaving behind the strewn bodies of the beaten and battered bandits. Ranma had made short work of them with nearly no effort. He was juggling a bag of coins in one hand that he had copped from the defeated thugs.
"I almost feel sorry for those guys." said Musa.
"Hey, it was in self-defense." said Layla.
"Robbing them seemed a bit much, though." said Flora.
"Oh come on, Flora. Think of this as our battle funds." said Ranma. "We don't have any of this place's currency, so it could be helpful."
"He's right, you know." added Tecna. "It was stolen in the first place, and we can make better use of it as it will go back into the city."
"Yeah! Besides, I don't feel like sleeping outside!" said Stella. "Well aside from bandits, I'm getting kind of hungry. Hope the food was good in the Middle Ages."
They come across the open drawbridge of the kingdom's border wall. Upon entering, they saw several people milling about and light-armored sentries standing guard. There were numerous two-story building structures lining the streets serving as homes and businesses. There were so many, combined with the branching roads made it like a man-made maze.
"Look at all these houses! Things are crowded inside the walls." Musa observed.
"That's right. Everybody's gathered together for better protection." said Bloom. They see the main castle in view. "And the castle controls everybody."
Ranma looked ahead at the large stone architecture. "Hmmm… doesn't look like it's open to the public right now."
"Perhaps it's closed for today?" said Tecna. "It is close to evening after all."
Stella looked about and spots a hanging wooden sign that read 'Good Wolf Inn and Tavern' over a building's door.
"Oh look! A tavern! We can eat here and spend the night."
"Good idea, Stella. We can also learn more about this place. Innkeepers were like the town newspaper in those days." said Bloom as she lead the way through the door.
"Just like in role-playing games, too." added Tecna.
Inside was a large room with a simple setup. The floor was dotted with several wooden tables with either benches or stools where customers sat with their meals. Near the back was a fireplace with a large cauldron cooking over a fire. Before it was a counter which consisted of a simple wooden plank sitting on two wooden barrels. The man, assumed to be the innkeeper, was a heavyset mustached man with red hair clad in a yellow shirt, brown pants and boots, and a green closed vest and stocking hat. He was currently chopping up some vegetables for his next dish.
"Welcome! Sit wherever you please!" greeted the innkeeper.
"Oh, there's a free table over there." Flora pointed out.
They all went and seated themselves at the table, which was close to the counter. Bloom, Stella, Flora, and Ranma sat on one side while Musa, Layla, and Tecna sat at the other. When asked what they wanted to order, they all decided on the house special. After a while, the innkeeper came with their food: bowls of turnip porridge served with bread and cups of water. Stella was a little more than disappointed.
"Excuse me, sir. We're a group of travelers. Can you tell us about this place?" Bloom asked the innkeeper as he was serving their food.
"This is the Kingdom of Queen Alexia, young lady. You've never heard of her?" replied the innkeeper.
Stella looked at her turnip porridge in disgust as she poked at it with a spoon. "Turnips…? But I wanted steak and fries..."
"She is a great lady who cares about her kingdom, but now she's anything but happy, unfortunately." the innkeeper continued.
Stella wasn't paying attention as she looked at Flora's turnip porridge bowl. "You got turnips, too? What's that green thing in there?"
Bloom then elbows Stella in her side before scolding, "Would you stop that and listen?"
"Ow! That hurt!" said Stella indignantly. She then holds her bowl towards the innkeeper. "Ahem… while we're listening, could you bring me something else? A burger maybe? Some fries? A soda?"
"Huh? What are those?" the innkeeper asked in confusion.
Bloom quickly chimes in. "Uh, don't pay attention to her. Ehm… We are strangers after all and have never tasted your food."
"Oh, so you've come from very far away and don't know how good our turnips are! We are famous for these and I would be honored to have you try all our best recipes!"
Stella could almost feel her stomach tying itself up in knots at the statement.
Bloom quickly gets back on track before her blonde friend could say anything else. "You were saying, regarding Queen Alexia? Why is she sad?"
"Because she isn't married yet. Poor thing..." replied the innkeeper.
"Wait, she has a kingdom but no fiance? Do suitors find her unattractive or something?" asked Stella.
"Oh no! She is very beautiful and intelligent, actually. There have been many princes who would like to marry her."
"So she basically can have any man of her choosing, right?" asked Ranma. "Then what's the problem?"
"She loves only one man, Count Beldar. Unfortunately, he went off to war five years ago and hasn't come back yet! It upsets me just to think about it!" The innkeeper couldn't help but wipe away some tears with his serving napkin.
A voice from the table nearby sounded off. "But it doesn't upset you too much to keep you from charging twice as much as the other taverns, eh? Innkeeper from Hell!"
They all turned to the voice belonging to a dark-haired middle-aged man in a brown robe who was eating his turnip porridge.
"Mind your own business! Eat less and you'll pay less, scoundrel!" said the innkeeper angrily.
The man scoffs before addressing the group of Alfea students. "Don't listen to that fatso. Count Beldar is most likely dead by now and I bet Queen Alexia will marry that no-good Alarik."
"What? He is not dead! He'll come back soon and marry the Queen! Then the kingdom will finally have an heir!"
"Ha! If only! Ukrain would never let that happen!"
The argument between the two older men caught the faeries' attention. Bloom grabbed the innkeeper's sleeve. "Wait, who is this Ukrain? And this Count Beldar?"
"Oh, excuse me, milady. I forgot you don't know." said the innkeeper. "Ukrain is an advisor to Queen Alexia. He ruled over the kingdom when she was a child, but now he has had to turn over power to her." He then turned and slapped the other dark-haired man in the head with his serving napkin. "It's stupid of you to talk about Ukrain in my tavern! Do you want his henchmen to burn it down!?"
"Are you saying that this Ukrain is an enemy of the queen?" asked Bloom.
"Definitely, even though he pretends not to be. He wants her to marry this guy, Alarik, who's a friend of his. Alarik would become king, and Ukrain would go back to ruling behind the scenes. A straw man in other words. However, Alexia would never agree, and when Count Beldar returns, everything will turn out for the best."
The faerie students looked at each other after hearing the story before nodding their heads. It seems they've found the problem they must resolve.
"But enough talk!" said the innkeeper. "I'll bring you some of my famous four cheese turnips. You can tell me if they are not delicious. He he!"
The innkeeper walks back towards the counter to cook up the dish. Stella once again felt sick to her stomach.
"Four ch- oh gross..! I feel sick..." said Stella as she held a hand to her mouth.
Ranma had to agree. The porridge tasted bad, but at least it was better than his ex-fiancee's cooking attempts.
"But we've identified the problem, don't you all think?" said Bloom.
"Certainly! Protect Queen Alexia from Ukrain's clutches until her Count Beldar comes back from the war." said Tecna.
"Okay, but the question is, how exactly do we do it?" asked Musa.
"Well I imagine we'd all have to get close to Queen Alexia." said Ranma. "The walls shouldn't be a problem. You could all just fly over and I'd jump in-"
"Hold it, Ranma. We can't risk doing something like that." said Flora. "We could get arrested for breaking and entering at best, or charged with attempted assassination at worst."
"Oh… right..."
"Then the only other method is to get invited in." said Layla. "That way, it won't be suspicious."
"Good idea, Layla. Now let's see..." said Bloom. She then addressed the dark-haired man on the adjacent table. "Excuse me, kind sir, how can we meet this Queen Alexia about whom we have heard so much?"
The man paused in his eating to look at the red-haired faerie. "Eh?" He turned his head away. "No one can get close to the queen. That evil Ukrain keeps her away from everyone!" The man turned his head back slightly. "But you'll be able to see her tomorrow during the Spring Festival. She will be on the reviewing stand and the entire population will parade before her to pay homage. But you didn't hear it from me!"
The man turned back to eating his turnip porridge.
"Of course. Thank you, kind sir." said Bloom.
That was when the innkeeper walks up holding a hot pot of his four cheese turnip stew and sets it down on the table. "Here you are! Tell me what you think later!"
The innkeeper walks back to the counter to prepare the other customers' meals.
Stella's nose wrinkled when she got a whiff of the stew. "Bleah! What a disgusting smell! It smells like roasted pickled slippers!"
Ranma and the other girls also couldn't stand the smell. Fortunately, Bloom had a solution.
"Hold on. Let me try this." With a wave of her hand, Bloom shot a beam of sparkles at the pot, causing it to illuminate for a moment before dying down.
"Huh? What was that, Bloom?" asked Ranma.
"It's a spell I found in a book of magical cooking."
Stella smelled the stew again and was surprised. "Ooh! It smells delicious now!" Taking a chance, Stella takes her spoon and samples it. Her eyes lit up. "It tastes like the pizza we had at your place that time!"
Bloom could only laugh. "They didn't have pizza in the Middle Ages."
"Oh, but it's yummy now! I'm gonna eat the whole thing!"
This alarmed the others.
"Oh no you don't! Let's get some before she does just that!" said Layla. She, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Ranma immediately went for the pot with their spoons. Bloom couldn't help but chuckle at them.
"Oh man, Bloom. If only I had known a spell like that before coming to Magix, it would've saved me a lot of hassle." said Ranma in between bites. Food prepared by Akane was something he would want to forget.
The innkeeper noticed the traveling group hungrily eating from the pot. "Wow, they really love my cooking!"
Later…
Ranma and the girls had paid for their meal and for a one night stay. The innkeeper lead them to a free room he had upstairs.
"This is your room. You're lucky I have one left, but you'll be a bit crowded." said the innkeeper as he opened the door for them.
"We'll manage. Thank you!" said Bloom.
The innkeeper left as they all entered the room. It was pretty modest, nothing but a window and a few simple beds.
"He wasn't kidding. It does feel a bit cramped." said Layla.
"Well there's really no helping it." said Flora as she sat on one of the beds. "Seems comfortable enough."
"It's getting late. We should turn in for the night." said Stella as she went to another bed.
"Hold on, girls. There seems to be another problem." said Tecna.
"Oh? And what's that, Tecna?" asked Musa.
Tecna scanned the room. "The beds. There are only six."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla's eyes turned towards their lone male companion. Ranma began to feel very nervous.
'Why do I feel like a mouse being stared at by cats?'
"Er… it's fine. You can all have the beds. I'll just sleep on the flo-"
"No can do, Ranma!" Stella interrupted as she looped her arm around Ranma's. "You're not going to be given that treatment!"
"Wait, Stella! What exactly are you proposing?" asked Musa.
Stella gets a devious glint in her eye. "How about it, girls? Shall we play rock-paper-scissors? Winner gets to have a cuddle buddy!"
The others immediately blushed hard. "WHAT!?"
Alfea simulation control center, real time…
Palladium was monitoring the students' progress and couldn't help but be amused at what he saw.
"Hopefully nothing serious will happen." said Palladium.
It was then Faragonda entered the room. "Oh, Palladium. How are they faring?"
"Quite well, I'd say. They've already accomplished their first objective. I'll fast forward to the next morning right away where they'll encounter their first real difficulty." 'And to spare Ranma from any more embarrassment. Private matters should stay private.'
Palladium typed in some commands on the keyboard to show the next scene.
Back in the virtual world…
The sun rose as a rooster crowed, signaling the start of the morning. A window on the Good Wolf Inn opened up as Stella took in the sun's rays.
"Ah, what a splendid sun! I can feel its essence down to my bones!" said Stella.
"Haha! You really are the Faerie of Light!" said Bloom.
Stella smiled, but then frowned. "It would've been better if I had won last night's game..."
Layla walked up to her. "Come on, Stella. Be a good sport. Musa won fair and square."
The blonde could only grumble as Musa helped Ranma out of bed.
"Come on, Ranma, time to get up!" said an amused Musa.
Last night, Musa had won the impromptu rock-paper-scissors game, therefore winning the opportunity to sleep in the same bed as Ranma. The Faerie of Music was blushing hard but at the same time was ecstatic inside while Ranma himself was flustered. The bed was able to hold the both of them as Musa snuggled herself up to Ranma as if he were a life-sized plushie doll. Being hugged by a beautiful sleeping girl made Ranma too nervous to sleep, and as a result didn't get much last night.
"Yeah… okay..." said Ranma in a drowsy voice.
"Ranma? You okay? You look tired." said Flora in concern.
"I'm fine, Flora… the… bed felt uncomfortable so I couldn't sleep."
"Really? It felt fine to me." said Musa before mentally smirking. 'Among other things...'
Ranma could only blush and stood upright. "In any case, we should get ready!"
Bloom looked down out the window to see people gathering for the Spring Festival. "He's right. Everyone's preparing for the festival. This is our chance!"
They all got dressed and headed out of the inn where they've joined in the crowds.
People have gathered at the piazza outside the front of the castle's entrance. A large elevated stand with a canopy top had been set up at the wall entrance separating the town from the castle. People crowded around the area as knights stood guard at the stand. A scribe walked out and uncurled a scroll in his hand.
"All hail Queen Alexia!" announced the scribe. As if on cue, the royal staff sounded off their horns.
Walking up onto the stand were Queen Alexia and Ukrain.
The queen was a beautiful young woman with dark brown hair tied in a braid that rested over her shoulder. She wore a red frilled dress with a pink royal cape and a small gold crown on her head. Despite being praised, Alexia wore a downcast expression.
The man known as Ukrain was a bald chiseled-faced mustached bearded man wearing black clothes and a dark brown cape with gold trim. He seemed to give off an arrogant, condescending air.
The two took to their seats on the thrones placed on the elevated stand. From within the crowds, Ranma and the Winx saw them.
"Oh my! The innkeeper was right! Look how sad the queen is!" said Flora.
"The bald guy must be Ukrain. He definitely looks like a bastard." said Ranma.
"All those guards are keeping her away from the people. How are we going to approach her and be received by her?"asked Tecna after assessing the situation.
"It's certain they're under his orders, but I have a plan." said Bloom. She gathered the others close. "As strangers, we'll be the last in line, so..."
While Bloom explains her plan, the scribe continues his announcements.
"The Merchants Guild honors the Queen! The Guild of Coopers and Woodworkers! The Millers! The Stonecutters!"
Each group the scribe called up would appear before the stand and bow to the Queen, paying her homage and wishing her for a long prosperous rule. Alexia would give a smile and wave to her subjects while Ukrain sat looking annoyed.
"Hmph. This is all very boring, isn't it, my Queen? Maybe you should return to your room."
Alexia was startled. "Oh no, it's wonderful. My subjects are saluting me. I would rather spend more time with them, actually." She looked down sorrowfully. "If only my beloved Beldar were here..."
Unknown to her, Ukrain gives a devious smirk.
The scribe reached the end of his scroll. "And finally, some travelers and pilgrims greet the queen!"
The Winx walk up with Ranma trailing behind them.
"Now, Winx!" said Bloom.
"WINX ENCHANTIX!"
In a flash of light, the six girls dropped their cloaks, revealing their Enchantix forms for all to see. All the people in the area were taken in awe at the sight. It was certainly something one doesn't see everyday in this timeline setting.
Queen Alexia was no exception. "Oh, what marvelous outfits! Did you see, Ukrain? It's fantastic!"
"What?" said Ukrain in shock.
The Enchantix Faeries and Ranma took a bow before them.
"Who are these young girls? I want to meet them. Have them come to the castle."
"But… my Queen, a bit of caution, we don't know who they are..."
Alexia turned to Ukrain annoyed. "Oh Ukrain, don't always say no to me! How can those beautiful elegant girls possibly hurt me?"
"Well… they could… I don't know…" Ukrain stuttered with his words.
"Well, if you won't allow it, then I will not knight any more of those people you recommnded." said Alexia as she turned her back to Ukrain.
Ukrain was shocked. "But, Your Majesty! What are you saying? Um… my proteges will be very offended!" the man weighed his options and gave a defeated sigh. "Actually, I think it would be okay for you to meet those strangers. I don't see anything wrong with it!"
"Excellent." Alexia addresses one of her royal servants. "Invite those young ladies to the castle. Quickly, before they leave!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Sometime later, the Enchantix Faeries were being lead through the castle. They've also managed to get Ranma inside as well, saying that he's their escort and bodyguard, therefore he must accompany them.
"We've managed to get into the castle. I can't believe it!" said Flora.
"Your plan worked perfectly, Bloom!" said Musa.
The servant leading them stopped before a door. "This is the audience room. The Queen awaits inside. Please mind yourselves."
He opened the door and ushered them in before closing it and taking his leave.
In the room stood Queen Alexia. She turned around to greet her visitors. "Welcome, friends! I am Queen Alexia. Might I have your names?"
They all bowed before Bloom answered. "We are the Winx, Your Majesty. I am Bloom."
"And I'm Stella."
"My name is Flora."
"Call me Musa."
"Tecna."
"I'm Layla."
Alexia nodded, then finally noticed the pigtailed boy. "Hm? I don't recall you."
"Er… I'm Ranma, Your Majesty."
"It's fine, Your Highness. Ranma's part of our group." assured Bloom.
"He's actually our escort and bodyguard." added Stella. "Wherever we go, so does he."
"Really? Well he does seem capable." said Alexia.
"You have NO idea." said Stella.
"In any case, we're… uh… student faeries on a school trip." said Bloom.
This caught Alexia's attention. "Faerie students? What a surprise! Maybe you could… " she looked down before recovering and gesturing to some chairs. "Sit down sit down. Tell me about yourselves. Then I will tell you about myself… and maybe your magic can help ease my pain..."
The young queen sat in one of the chairs which the other girls followed suit. Ranma leaned against the wall nearby.
Sometime later, Queen Alexia had explained her plight to the Alfea students, how her love, Count Beldar, left to go to war some years ago, and during his absence, Ukrain had been pressuring her to marry a man of his choosing.
"And so I'm still waiting for my love. Who knows where Beldar is right now! I feel that he is still alive, but..." Alexia could only look down sadly at the thought of the alternative.
"I'm certain he is alive, Your Majesty. Have faith and you'll see that he will return." Bloom assured.
"There is hardly any time left! Ukrain grows more and more insistent every day, and sooner or later, I will have to give in to his demands!"
Stella was shocked. "But you're the queen! He can't force you to marry a man you don't love!"
"That may be true, but the fact of the matter is that the kingdom needs for me to marry to produce an heir. Many of the nobles agree with Ukrain and I can't wait forever!"
As he listened, Ranma couldn't help but feel for the young Queen. He was reminded of his arranged marriage back home. This Ukrain guy was acting no better than Genma and Soun.
Alexia then turn to grab Bloom's hands pleadingly. "Please! Couldn't you do something with your magic? Find out if Beldar is still alive, when he will return?"
"Uh… sure, Your Majesty. That's really why we're here." said Bloom. "Our work is to help people in trouble."
"And you are in that exact situation." said Musa.
Flora remembered seeing a torch stand in the room being used as a light source. It was still lit and giving off smoke. "Girls, lets use that heat source as a medium to use a tracking spell."
They all got up and headed for the torch stand where they formed a circle around it while Ranma and Alexia stood nearby. Holding their arms out towards the torch, the six Enchantix Faeries recited an incantation to trace Beldar's whereabouts. A few moments later, the smoke took shape of what looked like a non-descript man riding a horse.
"Look! Something is there!" said Layla.
Suddenly, to the faeries' surprise, the fire from the torch erupted, causing the smoke to blacken and turn into a large menacing skull with flaming eyes.
"AAH!"
The smoke skull grew more and lunged forward to attack the Winx. A moment later, a glowing vertical line ran down the center of its face, which then separated into halves before dissipating into the air. Crouching nearby was Ranma, who had sliced the smoke skull in two with Riven's scimitar.
"That was close..." said Ranma before putting the light scimitar away.
Queen Alexia was shocked and anxious about what had just happened. "What does it mean? Is Beldar… dead?"
"No. That's not it." said Bloom. "A spell is blocking our attempts. The entire castle is under it and is canceling out our magic."
"A spell?"
"Evidently someone doesn't want you to know too much, Your Majesty." said Ranma. "Never would've thought that Ukrain guy was a wizard."
"Wait, Ukrain? Do you think he..."
"Who else?" said Stella. "Guy's clever, unfortunately."
Alexia was at a loss. "Oh my God! What do I do now?"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. We'll help you out." said Ranma. "I can personally vouch for these girls myself. If you don't mind, we're going to have to stay near you for the time being."
"Thank you..." said Alexia, nodding in understanding. She heads for the door. "However, we've been together for too long. I'll have one of my servants show you to your rooms. You all can be my guests for as long as you like."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" said Bloom.
The seven students of Alfea follow a the servant through the castle corridors. Unknown to them, Ukrain was spying on them from within the wall via a secret passage.
"Stupid amateurs! It will take a lot more than that to defeat my powers!" said Ukrain before turning to leave down another passageway. "Still, they are dangerous… I'd better accelerate my plan before it's too late."
Back with the Alfea students, they continued to follow the servant to the guestrooms. The stone corridors were lit up by the candlesticks on the walls.
"What gloomy corridors… living in a castle suddenly doesn't feel too great." said Bloom.
"Yeah, no kidding..." said Musa.
As they walked, Stella stopped to feel the wall. Ranma also stopped when he noticed Stella not following.
"What's wrong, Stella?" asked Ranma.
Stella had her hand on the wall. "These walls… they're too thick and the sun's heat is long gone." She turned to address the other five girls. "I want to try something. You all go ahead. I'll catch up in a minute."
"We'll catch up. I'll say with Stella. Someone's got to make sure she doesn't get lost." said Ranma.
"All right." said Flora as she and the others continued to follow the servant until they were out of sight.
"So what was it you wanted to try?" asked Ranma.
"Stella placed both hands on the wall, causing it to glow in a soft blue light. "Figured I'd do the place a service. Maybe by making the walls more transparent, the sun can get in and warm the interior, maybe even the heart of whoever's inside-"
Ranma's eyes widened when he saw a glowing red spot forming and expanding on the wall facing Stella's bare stomach.
"STELLA!"
Stella was taken by surprise when Ranma suddenly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away just before the red spot on the wall erupted into a large horizontal fiery blast. The attack vanished as soon as it had appeared.
"Whoa… thanks, Ranma..." said Stella who was a bit shaken.
"Don't mention it." Ranma looked at the wall. "What is this, some kind of magical security system?"
"Ukrain's evil protects even the walls, but..." Stella trailed off when she noticed the wall the flame came out of earlier had temporarily become transparent, revealing a secret passage behind it. "Wait a minute, what's this?"
"A hidden passage?" said Ranma as he also saw it. The wall soon looked solid again.
"There must be a way in..." said Stella as she felt the wall. "Maybe there's a hidden switch around here?"
Ranma also felt around the wall to try and find a hidden switch. He was just blindly feeling around until his hand reached for one of the candlesticks jutting out. However, he felt the candlestick make a clicking noise, causing a section of the wall to open up, having inadvertently found the switch.
"Nice! You did it!" said Stella. She entered the secret opening. "Now let's see where this leads to."
"Hey! Wait up!" said Ranma as he quickly followed the blonde Faerie, the wall shutting behind them.
Ranma and Stella walked down the narrow passageway, light shining out from small openings in the wall. They quickly stopped when they heard a voice from the room next to them.
"So what's the big news?"
Ranma and Stella froze and peeked through a small opening, where they see Ukrain talking with a built unsavory looking soldier.
"We have found Count Beldar, Master." the soldier reported. "He was returning here with a small escort, but we ambushed them and had them locked up in Blackthroat Tower."
"Excellent! I have been waiting for this moment for a long time!" said Ukrain. "Now I can finally complete my plan! For the moment, Beldar must remain alive. Once everything is over, you are to eliminate him. Now leave!"
"Yes, Master." The soldier bowed before exiting the room.
From within the wall, Stella and Ranma looked at each other.
"What luck. We wound up coming at the right place at the right time." said Stella.
"Yeah. He just blabbed out his plan." said Ranma. "Come on! We've got to warn the others right away!"
The pair quickly backtracked to regroup with the others.
Some time later…
Ranma and Stella managed to meet up with Bloom, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla in the guest quarters where they reported their findings.
"Count Beldar is alive? That's great news! We have to tell Queen Alexia right away!" said Flora.
"Yes, but we've got to be careful about this." said Stella. "If that Ukrain guy finds out what we've discovered, he just might have Beldar killed!"
"I wouldn't put it past that bald bastard." said Ranma. "He looks just the type to do it."
"You both have a point." said Bloom. "Well what do we do?"
"It's simple." said Tecna. "We must find and free the count, then expose Ukrain's plot."
"Good idea." said Bloom. "We cannot leave Queen Alexia alone, so we should split up. Layla, Tecna, Flora, and Ranma, you all will try to free Beldar at Blackthroat Tower. The rest of us will stay here and keep an eye on Ukrain."
"Okay. We'll leave immediately." said Layla as she opened the room's window.
"WINX ENCHANTIX!"
Flora, Tecna, and Layla transformed and prepared to fly out.
"Come on, Ranma!" said Flora.
"Guess I got no choice..." said Ranma as he triggered his transformation to female form. "WINX HENSHIN!"
Ranma-chan transformed into her Faerie mode and flew out the window after the three Enchantix Faeries.
Bloom, Stella, and Musa looked out the window and waved to them. "Good luck!"
"Now that they're on their way, now what?" asked Stella as they moved away from the window.
"I suppose we should stand guard. I wouldn't want to-" Bloom started before she was cut off by the sound of a horn outside.
"Open the gate! Count Beldar is arriving!" they heard a soldier say.
This alarmed the three girls as they quickly looked out the window where they spot a small group of men on horseback carrying a coat of arms flag riding towards the castle gate.
"Wait, what?" said Stella in surprise.
"But… it isn't possible!" said Bloom.
The soldiers proceeded to raise the gate to allow the group entry.
"Is it… really true?" said Bloom.
"I don't understand anything anymore!" said Musa.
They see by the gate Queen Alexia rushing to greet the Count and his entourage.
"The queen is beside herself. We'd better take a look for ourselves." said Musa. The three girls nodded and made their way to the gate.
At the gate's entrance, Alexia was ecstatic to see Beldar as she recognized his coat of arms and his armor. He was a tall built man wearing a dark purple bodysuit under a set of silver armor and a red cape. On his head was a full helmet.
"Beldar, my love! You've returned to me!" said Alexia happily. She then looked stunned when Beldar removed his helmet, revealing he's wearing a full metal mask over his face. "Your… your face? Why are you wearing that mask?"
"Eh… let me explain." said Beldar. "I was wounded in a battle and I didn't want you to see my disfigurement… but I will heal quickly, I assure you, and then, we will be happy again."
Alexia went and hugged Beldar. "Oh Beldar… I'm already happy! It's really you! I recognize your voice… I don't care about your wounds!"
That was when Ukrain made his appearance. "So now why not celebrate your wedding? You've wanted it so much that it wouldn't be right to wait any longer."
"I don't know." said Beldar before looking to Alexia. "My darling, would you marry me like this?"
"Of course, my love!" said Alexia. "Ukrain is right. I don't want to wait a moment longer!"
"So be it! The ceremony will take place tomorrow!" said Ukrain as he clapped his hands.
A short distance away, Bloom, Stella, and Musa had witnessed the whole scene.
"Did you see that? Ukrain looked unusually pleased." said Bloom in suspicion.
"Weird. I thought he hated Beldar." said Musa. "Something doesn't add up here."
"Exactly! That mask is a bit too convenient, don't you think?" said Stella, rubbing her finger on her cheek in thought. "What if that isn't the real Count under that mask?"
"What do you mean, Stella? Alexia herself said she recognized his voice!" said Musa.
"We'd better have a word with her."
Stella lead Bloom and Musa toward Alexia, who was walking with Beldar, Ukrain, and some soldiers down another hallway. Before they could get any closer, a guard blocked their way.
"Halt! Where do you think you're going?" demanded the guard.
"We have to speak to the Queen!" said Stella.
"No one can see her now! She must prepare for the wedding ceremony! Stand back!"
The guard shoved Stella back into Bloom and Musa before rejoining the escort. Unknown to them, Ukrain gave a devious smirk at the girls' failure to talk with Alexia.
"What a rude brute!" said Stella indignantly as she directed her hand towards the guard's back while gathering up her magical energies. "I'll just transform him into a mouse and-"
Bloom quickly grabbed Stella's wrist and forced it down, canceling out her magic buildup. "No, Stella! Don't cause a scene! We don't want to give Ukrain an excuse to arrest us. We're going to need to assess the situation."
"Ugh… fine… Something tells me I'm going to be taking another trip through the secret passageway. Heheh… I'm starting to like these madio… mediev… what was it again? Er… castles."
"It's medieval."
Later at sunset, guest quarters…
Bloom was looking out the window waiting for the other half of their group to return.
'This tower must be far. I hope they didn't run into any trouble...' thought Bloom.
Musa entered the room.
"Bloom, have you heard from Layla and the others?" asked Musa.
Bloom turned to her. "No. They haven't returned yet."
"Well, I've managed to talk to one of Queen Alexia's maids."
"Really? What did you hear?"
Musa looked around when she noticed Stella was absent. "Where's Stella? She should be here before I explain anything."
"She said she was going to spy on Ukrain. Stella should be back any moment."
As if on cue, Stella entered the room. "Hey girls! I'v got big news!"
Bloom giggled at her timing. "What did I tell you?"
"Hold on, Stella, I got here first. I have news, too." said Musa.
"Very well. Spill the beans." said Stella.
Musa cleared her throat. "The clothes and coat of arms do belong to Count Beldar, and he is also wearing the ring the queen gave him when he left. That's why she has no doubt in her mind that it really is the Count. She's truly lost her mind and cannot wait to marry him!"
"What you say may be true, Musa." said Stella as she had her hands on her hips. "However, the guy's an impostor!"
That got Bloom and Musa's attention.
"What? Do you mean that-" started Bloom.
"Now I'm sure of it. He's not Count Beldar, but Alarik, Ukrain's accomplice!" said Stella. "I saw them talking from within the wall. Ukrain used his black magic to make him resemble Beldar, but he wasn't completely successful so he decided to use the story about wounding his face. Even if he tricks Queen Alexia into marrying him, the marriage will still be valid!"
"A simple shape-shifting spell..." said Bloom.
"We can't allow this to happen!" said Musa. "We have to expose those frauds!"
"But how? If the Queen won't listen to reason-" said Bloom.
"Hold on, maybe there is a way." said Stella. "The wedding ceremony tomorrow will be performed by the great priest, and I heard he's not exactly fond of Ukrain, either." She heads for the door. "Let's go talk to him, and let's hope that in the meantime, Ranma and the others will come back with good news."
Somewhere in the skies, early morning next day…
Ranma, Flora, Tecna, and Layla had been flying around, trying to find any hint of Beldar's whereabouts but haven't had any luck. They finally regroup high over a large patch of forest.
"We've been at this for who knows how long." said Faerie Ranma-chan.
"Don't give up! We need to find him soon!" said Flora.
From the corner of her eye, Tecna spotted a lone man on horseback riding away from the kingdom's direction. "Hey! Look over there!"
The others turned to see what Tecna was looking at.
"That must be Ukrain's accomplice, according to Stella's description." said Tecna.
"Which means if we follow him, he could lead us straight to where they're holding Beldar!" said Layla.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's move!" said Faerie Ranma-chan.
The four Faeries flew after the henchman where he headed for a small derelict tower on the outskirts of the kingdom's territory.
"There it is! That must be it!" said Flora.
Ukrain's henchman arrived at the base of the tower prison where three armed thugs stood guard.
"You certainly took your sweet time! Did Ukrain give you our money?" the first thug demanded as he walked up.
The second thug looked up and spotted the Faeries in the sky. "Hey! What are those!?"
They all looked up to see the Fairies floating above.
"Crap! We're busted!" cursed Faerie Ranma-chan.
"They followed you! They want to free the prisoners!" said the first thug.
"I'll take care of it!" said the third thug as he aimed his crossbow and fired at them.
"Watch out!" shouted Layla as she and Flora quickly dodged the arrow.
"AAAH!" shouted Tecna as the arrow was headed straight at her face, giving her no time to shield herself.
Fortunately, Faerie Ranma-chan caught the arrow in her hand, stopping it just short of hitting Tecna.
"You all right?" asked Faerie Ranma-chan just as she broke the arrow in her fist.
"I am now." said Tecna before turning her attention to the thugs below her. "Let me take care of this. Digital Shield!"
Tecna formed a barrier that deflected more arrows shot at them away.
"Whipping Ivy!"
Flora shot a green beam at the ground near the crossbow thug, where a large vine grew out and whipped his weapon out of his hand before sending him flying with a whip slap to the face.
Layla dropped down and face the other two thugs who were armed with spears.
"Hydro Fist!"
She threw two big fist-shaped balls of water at the thugs, knocking them back.
Ukrain's henchman drew his sword and was about to blindside was when Faerie Ranma-chan reverted and switch to male form where he dropped down in front of the henchman, much to his surprise. Before he could act. Ranma sliced the blade of his sword off with Brandon's broadsword before kicking him back.
Ranma stood with Flora, Tecna, and Layla behind him.
"You guys still want to keep going?" asked Ranma.
The four men cowered in fear and ran for their lives.
"RUN! THEY'RE MONSTERS!"
"Ha! What courage." said Tecna.
"They weren't paid enough for this." said Layla.
That was when Flora's eyes widened. "Oh no! They must still have the keys!"
"Ah! The tower door!" said Tecna. She quickly heads for the door and tried to open it, but to no avail. "Of course it would be locked!"
A voice sounded from behind the door.
"Hey! What's going on out there?"
"Is that you, Count Beldar?" asked Layla.
"Yes, I am Count Beldar! We're locked in here!"
"Okay. Stand back! I'm gonna open this door!" said Ranma.
He heard some shuffling of feet. When it was silent, Ranma broke down the door with a kick. Coming out from the door were three men.
"Thank you all, but how do you know who I am? Who sent you?" asked the man in the center. He was a well-built handsome man with blonde hair in a pageboy style. He wore primarily green clothing with a red cape.
"Queen Alexia, your betrothed." replied Layla. "But there's no time to explain!"
Flora gathered up the horses belonging to the four conspirators. "Take these horses. We must get to the castle as soon as possible!"
"Yes, of course!" said Beldar as he and his entourage hopped on the horses.
"I'll try it, myself, too." said Ranma as he got on the fourth horse.
They all made a fast run towards the kingdom.
Some time later, at the kingdom's grand cathedral…
The wedding was taking place between Alexia and 'Beldar'. The queen was in a white wedding dress and 'Beldar' in a royal green formalwear. The great priest, an old man with long white hair with a long mustache and flowing beard, clad in a white elaborate priest rob and miter, stood before the couple to officiate their vows.
"Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" asked the great priest.
'Beldar' turned his metal masked face to Alexia. "I do."
At the same time, Ranma, Layla, Tecna, and Flora had escorted Beldar and his men to the kingdom's gate.
Back at the wedding, the great priest turned to Alexia. "And you, Alexia, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Alexia could only give a blissful smile. "I do!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the cathedral doors slammed open, taking everyone inside by surprise.
"Stop this wedding! That is an impostor! I'm the real Count Beldar!"
Beldar marched down the aisle with his companions following after. Everyone was shocked at the development, Alexia even more so. She turned as her eyes widened when she saw the man.
"What? Beldar!?"
"Alexia, my love! I have returned!"
"Wait… if you're here, then who…?" Alexia turned to the 'Beldar' standing next to her.
'Beldar' laughed behind his mask before removing it, revealing the face of a aging middle-aged man with a thick purple mustache. "Ha ha! Look here, dear little wife! I am, or actually, was the Marquis Alarik!"
Alexia was taken aback in horror. "What!? Oh no! I didn't want-!"
"Too late, my dear! According to the marriage law, it's valid, and now I am king!" Alarik gloated.
Ukrain walks up in mock concern. "I am horrified, my Queen, but I'm afraid that Marquis Alarik is right. The great priest himself has sanctified your union."
Tecna, Flora, and Layla glared at the bald man.
"The hell you are horrified, you son of a-" Ranma started as he was about to march up and pound the guy's face in before being held back by Layla.
"Ranma, no!"
Ukrain continued. "Therefore, we all have to accept that-"
"But he's NOT the great priest!"
Ukrain was surprised when he was cut off by Bloom's voice. She, Stella, and Musa were in their Enchantix form as they made themselves known.
"Therefore, the marriage is NOT valid!" said Bloom.
"What!?" said Ukrain.
"Dear Ukrain, you may think we're amateurs compared to you, but we have learned your methods and used them ourselves." She turned to Alarik. "Just as you transformed your accomplice, Alarik, so that he could pass himself off for Count Beldar..." Bloom turned to the great priest and held out her glowing hand, sending off a wave of sparkles that transformed the older man into a young man with wild green hair. "… We transformed the bell ringer, and passed him off as the great priest!"
The bell ringer gave a wide smile while laughing. "Ha ha! What fun!"
Bloom then hammered the final nail in the coffin. "The real great priest was hiding back there and worked with us, naturally."
She gestured with her hand towards a pillar, where the real great priest emerged out from. Ukrain and Alarik turned their heads at him and looked extremely nervous.
"That's right, you villain! You are a treacherous man and you will end up in prison!" said the great priest.
The two conspirators immediately tried to make a break for it. However, Ranma suddenly got in front of them and caught them both in their necks with a double lariat, knocking them down. The guards were soon upon them and had them chained up.
"Stop right there! You two are under arrest!"
"Ha! They'll get what they deserve!" said Tecna.
The real Beldar stepped up to the altar with Alexia and hugged her tight. "Alexia..."
"Oh, Beldar…. The real Beldar… you are here at last with me!"
The couple then looked to the seven Alfea students.
"Thank you all. You've made this all possible." said Beldar.
"Hey, it's all in a day's work." said Stella.
"You make sure you treat her right, you hear?" said Layla.
The great priest then made his way to his place behind the altar. "Well then, I can perform the real marriage ceremony that we have all wanted. Come, dear children!"
"Of course." said Alexia as she and Beldar stood together before him.
"Long live Queen Alexia! Long live King Beldar!"
Ending
"Well, all's well that ends well." said Musa as she and the others looked on, satisfied with their work.
Suddenly, their surroundings began to blur.
"Huh? What's going on?" asked Ranma.
They were all soon engulfed in a magenta colored smoke
Alfea, simulation chamber…
Once the smoke dissipated, Ranma and the Winx found themselves back in their normal clothes and in the familiar simulation chamber.
"Oh, is it over already?" said Bloom.
"We're back in the simulation room!" said Stella.
The doors opened to reveal Palladium wearing a satisfied smile. "Great work, everyone! You've all passed the exam with honors!"
"Ha ha! It was fabulous!" said Bloom.
"It's a great learning tool." said Tecna.
"When can we do this again?" asked Flora.
"Soon if you've enjoyed it so much. As Tecna said, it's an effective learning tool." replied Palladium.
"Just a second! Next time should be different." said Stella. "There should be boys, too! Otherwise, what fun would it be?"
The girls laughed while Ranma felt a bit indignant. "Hey now..."
Stella immediately hugs Ranma. "Oh come on, I was only kidding! Besides, you'll always be my favorite, Ranma!"
The other girls nodded in agreement. Ranma could only blush. 'Well this certainly beats written exams any day of the week!'
End ending
To be continued...
Preview…
Layla: So an event is coming up?
Tecna: Yes. The Miss Magix Pageant will be occurring soon.
Stella: Yes! I'm going to enter and win again! You'll all help me, won't you?
Musa: It feels like deja vu. Nothing will happen like last time, will it?
Flora: I don't know. I sense a dark foreboding on this one...
Ranma: Wait, this happened before?
Bloom: Whatever happens, we'll support you, Stella!
Stella: It's time for me to shine!
Bloom: Next time, on Ranma Club, 'Stellar! The Beauty of Starlight!'
Ranma: This feeling… it's just like before...
Author's notes:
Now this was quite long. I admit, this chapter was based off of one of the comic stories, just with a few tweaks.
Also guys, if you can, check out my other story,"Cap-Force". It's a new fic I hope can get just as popular with my watchers as this one! So if you can, give it a read!