Posted September 26, 2021.


CHAPTER 1: THE BETROTHAL BALL

Helios, Solaria

The warm desert air wafted through the open window, a pleasant breeze lifting Musa's black hair as she gazed at the city below. The people were cheerfully chatting, walking past the date trees and cactus di zucchero, or sugar-cacti, that Solaria was so famous for. Buskers played lively Solarian music, music that made Musa's heart twinge just from the sound of.

She picked up her flute gently and began to clean it, getting ready for the big day. She would be performing at the Cathedral of Solare, the cathedral of the royals. It was the main base of the Archbishop of Helios, the religious leader of the Helian faith. He would be present for the great spectacle that was about to take place.

Today was Stella's betrothal ball. Although Brandon had proposed to her last Trimensis, they were now making it official. Since fairies lived roughly three-hundred to four-hundred years, engagements lasted for years, decades even. It was not uncommon for marriage ceremonies to take place when couples were well in their hundreds. Brandon would now have a place with Stella in the royal palace, and they would live for many years together until the proper time for their wedding arose.

Musa checked the calendar. Septmensis 22. The Winx had celebrated Bloom's eighteenth birthday at Magix on Quintmensis 4, and immediately afterwards headed to Domino to find the Book of Fate. Quintmensis 21, the day Bloom had earned her Enchantix, killed the Ancestresses in Obsidian, and liberated Domino, would forever be known as Dominian Liberation Day.

In the months since they'd liberated Domino, the former superpower had been built up extraordinarily well. Many of the UR realms, Melody included, had lent plenty of money for Domino to build itself back up again. Parliament had convened multiple times, and new elections were due in the fall.

It was not necessarily a smooth transition, however. There were still plenty of people displaced due to the war, and many cities' infrastructure needed repair. In addition, while no one on Domino had aged for seventeen years, the rest of the world around them had. That had caused a sentiment of unsettlement across the people, as well as the many realms that had to handle these changes.

The door to Musa's room opened, and she turned around. Riven was there, with his normal cocky grin. "Hi," he said, closing the door behind him.

"Er… hi," Musa said, trying to push the discomfort out of her voice. She couldn't forget how, back in Obsidian, Riven had betrayed them and joined with Mandragora. Although he had been spelled, it still filled her with dread, the same way she'd felt when he'd willingly joined Darcy in her freshman year at Alfea.

Stop this, she scolded herself. He's still the same person he once was. Just the same way nothing about her music had changed. She faked a smile, looking up into his eyes.

"Why're you so down today, baby?" Riven teased, cradling her in his arms. "You're not acting all peppy and excited like normal. You're not being my girl."

"I'm just tired," she said, smoothing her dress. "Being a Guardian Fairy is a lotta work."

That wasn't untrue, certainly. She worked directly with the Minister of Defense, along with the other Guardian Fairies and Witches of Melody. At times she even got to see the King himself. It was a rewarding job, being able to defend her kingdom.

All the same, no one had told her how much office work it would be. She had to constantly attend meetings, instead of going out there and fighting battles herself. "We have police and soldiers for that," they'd told her. Apparently, the Guardians were only sent out in times of dire need.

She missed her relatively carefree life, back at Alfea. She missed being able to go out on missions, interacting with people and combating villains. But most of all, she missed spending time with her friends. She hadn't seen her friends since the Dominian Liberation Ball – she'd only seen Stella when she'd landed in Solaria the previous night. They were all so busy now, spending all their time in government offices and only getting to crash in their homes – their new homes, as Guardian Fairies – at around 22:00 every night. Being an adult was certainly not for the faint of heart.

"Well, you and I are going to be the greatest couple," Riven said, vigorously rocking her in his arms. "We're going to be dancin' and prancin' all over the floor. Everyone'll love us."

Musa caught a whiff of Riven's breath, and groaned. "Riven, how much have you been drinking?"

"Just a glass, here and there," Riven answered, smiling

"A glass here and there" usually meant he was borderline drunk. And it's only 8:00. She groaned, sitting down in her chair.

She wondered when he was going to propose to her. Brandon had proposed to Stella after their graduation. Sky also proposed to Bloom at the Dominian Liberation Ball; their official engagement-ceremony would be next spring. Truth to be told, she didn't know if she'd accept if Riven proposed to her.

"You're so cute when you pout." Riven sat on top of her lap.

"Riven, please, never do that" – Musa grumbled – "and get off." She tried to push him off, but he was too heavy and she was too tired to deal with his conduct right now. He leaned forward and roughly pressed his lips against hers. Musa eventually gave in, allowing their tongues to meet.

Please get me through tonight.


The cathedral was a wonder to behold. It was elaborately decorated with gold, free paintings of gods, goddesses, and virgins along the walls. The ceiling was filled with friezes of suns, moons, and warriors. At the front of the hall was a large stand where the Archbishop of Helios stood. Brandon stood at the podium, decked in a tuxedo with an orange bowtie. As a newly instated member of the Solarian Navy, he was also wearing his naval badge on his chest. His father stood behind him in a black-and-white suit.

All throughout the week, the Solarian seamstresses had fussed over Musa's dress, and she'd finally been dressed in something that they'd deemed acceptable. It was a pale buttercup dress with layers of tulle and flowers woven into it. A bit flashy, in Musa's opinion – especially since its layers stuck out like a cloud. It was the poofiest, widest creation she'd ever seen in her life.

A Solarian noblewoman's garb traditionally used chiffon and satin, which was manufactured with silk imported from Melody. As the UR's largest producer of silk, there had once been a time when Melody was the only realm which engineered silk. There were tales that in the Age of Discovery, silk-weavers were forbidden from selling the secrets of silk creation to the other realms they traded with, lest they wish to be imprisoned forever. She sighed and gazed at the front pew, where her friends – the guests of honor – sat.

She grinned excitedly as she saw Layla, Tecna, Flora, and Mirta. After all these months, they could finally see each other in-person again. The women grinned and waved back as they seated themselves. They were all wearing beautiful dresses, designed in the Solarian style. In Solaria, it was customary to wear pastel colors at engagement ceremonies, and bright, vibrant colors at weddings. She took a moment to admire the cut and style of each dress.

Like her, they were all wearing chiffon. Layla's was flared like an ocean, a lime-green color that was layered, like waves. Tecna was wearing a lilac dress in a jagged cut, one which extended all the way to the floor. Flora was wearing peach-pink, with pink solarblossoms and lunarblossoms adorning her hair. Mirta's was pale orange, with a jagged cut similar to Tecna's.

As the guests crowded into the hall, Musa lifted her flute, beginning her recital. She played several Helian hymns, Melodian flute-pieces, and Magixian love-songs. She played for an hour, each perfectly-rehearsed piece coming out without a hitch. She smiled, enjoying the power of the performance. It went on throughout the ceremony, as background to the procession of Solaria's soldiers and military-staff, in horse-carriage. Finally, once it was all over, King Radius began to speak.

"Greetings, people of Solaria, royal guests, and beyond!" the king called. "I would like to formally welcome you to my daughter's betrothal ceremony." He nodded to the Archbishop of Helios, Lord Julius Octavian Venetia, who made a long, boring speech in Solarian, probably about the traditions of royalty and purity. Musa's eyes glazed over, even though she knew that her friends were remaining as attentive as ever.

She had never liked betrothals or weddings, and always thought they were incredibly hyped. When she was younger, the music always helped her through the ordeal of sitting still at weddings, but she couldn't even enjoy that anymore. She sighed in relief as the Archbishop finished his speech. He made a signal, and then everyone stood up.

All eyes were on Stella as she entered the room. Bloom tailed behind, wearing a pale blue dress with lunar emblems upon it, and Lady Luna wore a similar dress as she followed her daughter into the room. A gasp left Musa's mouth when she saw Stella's dress.

It was a silver dress that swept the floor and had layers upon layers of diamonds and pearls. It fit her perfectly, and she could tell that the Solarian dressmakers had used the essence of the moon itself to make it for her. The insignia of Solaria and Lunaria was upon it. She wore a bracelet Brandon had given her after the disaster of her Princess Ball, a gift in his family that was passed down from mother to eldest son, so that the son could give his beloved the gift of happiness.

According to tradition, the heir to Solaria's throne usually went through a long process of seeing suitors, usually of noble and royal parentage. This elaborate ritual, known as Il Processo Consorte, started once the heir came of age at his Ritual of Protection or her Princess Ball, and ended when he or she had decided on a betrothed. In a rare turn of events, the king had allowed Stella to abandon tradition and promise herself to Brandon, the man she loved. Although many purists were not too happy with the decision, the lack of convention had attracted far more people than normal – not to mention the fact that Stella was a very popular princess, especially after her defeat of Chimera the previous year.

After Lunaria had joined Solaria in 13200 of the Age of Discovery, their traditions had been entwined. For many years, in order to secure the good faith of the Lunarian people, Solarian princes had married Lunarian ladies, welcoming them into the royal family. Because of this, a sort of duality had emerged in Helian tradition. The sun-god, Solare, and the moon-goddess, Lunara, were husband-and-wife, sometimes even different aspects of the same deity. Solare represented the masculine embodiment of fairykind, and was represented by the colors orange and gold. Lunara, the feminine embodiment, was represented by the colors blue and silver. This was represented in the wedding-attire that they'd wear, should they ever get married; Stella would wear a blue-and-silver dress dating back to 15300 A.B., and Brandon would wear an orange-and-gold vest created in 6200 A.B. Back when heirs were only male, the Solarian king was believed to be the incarnate of Solare, and his consort, the incarnate of Lunara. It was part of the reason why Il Processo Consorte was so important; the people needed to be absolutely sure that their future queen had the power of Lunara.

As the princess walked down the aisle, Musa began to sing a song she had composed the previous year, one which Stella had begged her to perform. Taking a deep breath, her powerful voice filled the air as she sang "Love Can't Be Denied."

As Stella walked up to the steps, Bloom passed her the ceremonial bouquet of flowers. Brandon's little sister, Kleo, gave her Brandon's lunarblossom corsage, and Stella's cousin, Rex, gave Stella's solarblossom corsage to Brandon. The entire cathedral watched intently as Stella pinned the lunarblossom to Brandon's vest, and Brandon tied the solarblossom around Stella's left wrist. Immediately, the archbishop launched off into another long speech about the sanctity of betrothal vows, particularly for royalty.

When that was finally over, he had Stella and Brandon face each other, eyes staring into eyes. He began to speak.

"Citizen of Eraklyon and Princess of Solaria and Lunaria," he said, "I now invite you to make your engagement vows, in the presence of Solare, Lunara, and their people."

"I, Brandon Angelos from Eraklyon," Brandon began, joy sparking his eyes, "do take you, Your Royal Highness Princess Stella Lucia Castillo di Solaria e Lunaria" – he said this smoothly without missing a beat – "to be my fiancée from this moment forward. I promise to be faithful amid all infidelity, loyal amid all treachery, chaste amid all impurity, and loving amid all cruelty. Should the Fates have us part, I ask that you release me from our bind, in good faith and non-enmity, our hearts forever kinder after being in each other's lives." He placed an engagement ring on her left ring finger, a golden band with a yellow diamond shining brilliantly in the light.

"I, Her Royal Highness Princess Stella Lucia Castillo di Solaria e Lunaria" – this, too, she said without missing a beat – "do take you, Brandon Angelos from Eraklyon, to be my fiancée from this moment forward. I promise to be faithful amid all infidelity, loyal amid all treachery, chaste amid all impurity, and loving amid all cruelty. Should the Fates have us part, I will allow you to release us from this bind, in good faith and non-enmity, our hearts forever kinder after being in each other's lives." She placed her ring on his right ring finger, a silver band with a twinkling blue sapphire. The entire court was silent as they held each other's hands, gazing up into each other's eyes. Finally, the Archbishop spoke again.

"In the presence of our gods and before this congregation, this Citizen of Eraklyon and Princess of Solaria have made their vows. They have declared their engagement by the giving and receiving of corsages and rings. By the power vested in me by Solare and Lunara, the Divine King and Queen, I now acknowledge their bind."

Brandon leaned down towards Stella, and Stella leaned upwards. Their lips met in a kiss, and they looked as if they were joined together, god and goddess incarnate complete. A magic spell sealed their engagement as the onlookers clapped.

I can't believe they're engaged, Musa thought, a happy tear escaping her eye. She had never felt as happy for Stella as she did now, especially after all they'd been through together.

At the same time, she couldn't deny the twinge in her own heart.


The banquet was held in the Solarian Great Hall with the entire Solarian court, and royalty from all over the Magic Dimension attended. Hundreds of nobles were invited as well, and quite a few high officials from the other realms had managed to slip in.

Musa still hadn't quite gotten used to the extravagance of royal families. The Melodian royal family was bad enough, but Solaria was quite another thing altogether. There were enough roasted meats, dates, olives, and breads to last a lifetime.

"Are you enjoying your meal, Nymph Musa?" asked the man next to her.

"Yes, Lord Luigi," she responded, digging into her bread. "It is excellent."

"It's great," Riven said hungrily, shoveling food into his mouth.

Musa stifled a groan. It had been tedious learning all the proper etiquette of nobility and royalty. She had worked so hard to make herself look good and proper – and now, Riven was messing it all up. Already, the royal courtiers didn't need much of an excuse to mock her.

Dessert arrived at the table, a mix of Solarian custards, cakes, and pies. Excitement buzzed around and the courtiers ate in full, voices overlapping in conversation. A Melodian man sitting across from her, whom she hadn't noticed before, looked at Musa and smiled.

"Greetings, Nymph Musa," he said, biting into a Solarian cactus-cake.

"Senator Bao," Musa said politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

The senator had managed to get a seat at the wedding, along with Musa's employer and several of the other Melodian Guardian Fairies. He was a member of the Melodian Free Arts Party, a party that was dedicated to arts' unions and the improvement of artists' place in society. It was a bit silly, in Musa's opinion, as feudalism was long gone and artists already were at the top of society. But there was one thing this senator was very well-known for: his opposition to the killing of musiwhales.

This was a cause that Musa herself was very passionate about. The musiwhales were an endangered species that only existed on Melody, and were often illegally hunted for their tusks. The tusks were the sole source of zuìjiû, an intoxicating drug illegally sold and abused by many people in the realms.

"The pleasure is mine, Nymph Musa," the senator answered. "You're quite the force, I hear. Defeating the Ancestresses in Obsidian! The Magic Dimension reveres you for that."

"Thank you," Musa said modestly, though she knew the senator's words were simply to be polite. Her employer had tried to stop her from going to Obsidian, but she went anyway. All of the other Guardian Fairies were jealous of her achievements, and refused to even speak to her at the office. No, she was definitely not admired within the Magic Dimension. (Remove the underlined)

"You have wonderful accomplishments as well, Senator," she said. "You drafted the Bill of Magiwhale Welfare, which is now cracking down on those poachers in the west. That is an impressive accomplishment."

"Ah, so you too are interested in the welfare of our magiwhales?" Senator Bao asked with interest.

"Yes," Musa said passionately. "Those whales used to sing all the time near my home, off the coast of Calliope, and my mother taught me to sing by emulating their voice. Now I never hear them anymore. Action needs to be taken to stop the magiwhales from going extinct! And they need to put a stop to those dealers who sell the drugs from their tusks" –

"So our fledgling Guardian Fairy is an animal-rights' activist, too?" Secretary Zhedong's bored voice said behind her. "Perhaps she should focus on her job more, rather than interfering in matters that don't concern her."

Musa whirled around, furious, and she fought the urge not to yell at her boss. Technically, he was right – Nymphs were supposed to be neutral on political-affairs, serving their kingdom as ordered by the king and Secretary of Defense – but Zhedong had no right to interfere like that.

To Musa's complete humiliation, Bao didn't defend her – instead, he smiled. "Perhaps you are right, Secretary," he agreed. "But she is just a young girl. Do not be too hard on her." He smiled patronizingly at Musa.

Humiliated, Musa got up and walked away from the table as dignified as possible, keeping her head down so no one could see her flaming cheeks. She was so lost in thought, she didn't notice her surroundings until she bumped into someone.

"Oh!" Musa gasped, her head still tilted down. "I am so sorry," she said, and immediately scurried away, praying it wasn't one of the other Nymphs of Melody.

"Musa?" the voice called out in surprise.

Musa stopped and turned around. "Oh, Bloom! It's just you."

Bloom ambled over until she stood in front of Musa, looking distinctly worried. "You alright?" she asked.

Musa shook her head. "It's fine." She offered her arm. "Want to take a walk with me?"

"Would I ever!" Bloom sighed in relief. "Thanks so much, Musa."

"Yeah," agreed Musa, looking back at the stuffy scene behind her, with high officials and royals making exaggerated small-talk. "Let's get out of here."


"I can't believe how rude some of those people are!" Musa fumed. "They just don't respect me at all! I, a Guardian Fairy! What's the point of all this?"

Bloom had listened patiently to Musa's ten-minute long rant on the steps of a staircase outside the Great Hall. "Exactly, it's terrible!" she exclaimed in agreement. "Even worse when we have to deal with them every day. But, we're not Guardians to please people or earn rewards, Musa" –

"But we have to do all this administrative work!" Musa cut in. "They'll only ever deploy us in times of emergency! It's like no one trusts us to do any actual work!"

"I get where you're coming from, I really do. But Guardian Fairies are employed for life," Bloom pointed out. "Think about it, Musa. Since we're so young, they want to train us properly before we get into battle – particularly now, during a time of relative stability. There'll be plenty of time for battle in the future."

"Well, I hate how they mock us for bein' so young." Musa glared at her feet. "We've done more than most of them have done in their entire lives, and yet, they still call us inexperienced and foolish!"

"That's true," Bloom nodded. "And you're right. This whole thing is new for me, too, you know."

With a flash of guilt, Musa realized that she'd been talking about herself the entire time. "How're your responsibilities going?"

Bloom sighed. "It's a huge adjustment. Before this Septmensis, I was just an ordinary fairy, but now, I'm the princess of an entire kingdom. I have so many responsibilities!" She stood up and paced the steps. "I have to assist my father as heir to the throne, work with our Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and learn all the etiquette and behavior of a princess! In addition, I spend a lot of time in Eraklyon, because of our upcoming engagement. Once we're engaged, our kingdoms are going to rule jointly."

"You don't sound too keen on Eraklyon," Musa commented.

"Well, I love Sky," Bloom said, "and his mother is such a sweetheart, but his father is very demanding. Every time he looks at me, I feel as if I'm being scrutinized. In addition, Eraklyonese society is very feudal and patriarchal. Not many can accept the fact that a woman is in such a powerful position." Bloom sat back down next to Musa with her legs pulled up to her chest, resting her forehead on her knees. "The Eraklyonese media hates me, scorning me for my Earthian heritage and spreading all these rumors about me. It's part of the reason why we have to wait to announce our engagement – we're hoping the rumors will quell."

"I'm sorry, Bloom," Musa said, placing her hand on Bloom's shoulder to comfort her.

Eraklyon was certainly a very difficult realm to deal with. Only four realms of the UR still followed some form of feudalism – Solaria, Andros, Rêve, and Eraklyon. Out of those four, Andros and Eraklyon were very patriarchal, the succession granted only to the first-born male. Layla was making headlines as the first female heir in two millennia.

Bloom lifted her head, and changing the subject, asked, "So, how's your love life going?"

Musa's body stiffened. "Huh?"

"You and Riven?" Bloom prompted. "How are you both adjusting to life as adults? How's your relationship together?"

"Um…" Musa made a small, nervous laugh. She didn't know how to answer that. Truthfully, she didn't want to answer, either. For some reason, she wasn't comfortable sharing her relationship problems with her friends like she did before. "It's fine, everything's great. Um, hey, I need to use the bathroom," she said quickly, faking a smile. "I've been holding it for quite a while. That's another thing I need to adjust to – the limited bathroom breaks!"

Bloom shrugged, returning a smile. "Okay." Musa knew Bloom could tell she was lying.

She escaped as quickly as possible, running into the courtyard. The cool wind lifted her hair as she sat down in the gardens, gazing up at the statue of Calliope, a queen of Melody. Musa closed her eyes and breathed in, trying to calm down. She felt bad for lying to Bloom, but she needed to. She just couldn't tell her about their problems. As soon as she verbalized it, it would become real, and that was the last thing she wanted. Exhaling, she opened her eyes and stood up, heading towards the door.

Musa froze at the sight of four unfamiliar men in front of her. They wore identical white tunics and baggy leggings, and their expressions were contemptuous – clearly not welcome party guests.

"She's not at the party," one of them whispered to the lead man. "It'll make our job much easier – we won't have to confront all those guests and security guards."

"But it'll make it harder to find her," the lead man said, clenching his fists.

Musa didn't like the sound of that. Who are they, and what are they doing here? She stood straight, squared her shoulders, and stepped forward, trying to appear as threatening as possible. "Why are you here?" she demanded. "Do you have a pass?"

The man in the front chuckled. "Nymph Musa of Melody," he said. "How pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I, for one, am not pleased to make your acquaintance," Musa said hotly. "Get out of here before I call the guards to escort you out!"

"Don't mess with Ogron!" another one of the men snarled. He lifted his hands, and suddenly, a ball of white energy shot out.

Musa cried as she was blasted into the statue. The wizard glared at her, lifting another hex in his hands, but Ogron intervened.

"There, there, Gantlos," he said. "No need to be so aggressive." His hand shot out, and suddenly, he had pinned Musa against the statue.

Musa gasped, trying to summon her powers. A ball of musical energy formed in her hand, and she slammed him with the blast.

But her powers were weak from lack of practice. She stared at him, horrified and bewildered, as he pushed her even tighter against the wall.

"We're just here to ask a simple question," he whispered menacingly. The tone of his voice made Musa's skin crawl, "Where is your friend? Princess Bloom of Domino?"

"You picked the wrong person to mess with," Musa said boldly. "I'm not afraid of you!"

"We'll see about that!" Ogron struck her with lightning, pushing her to the ground. She tried to pull herself to her feet, but Ogron had created a lightning cage around her. She watched in fear as Ogron turned to his group. "Gantlos, Anagan, Duman – split up and find the princess! I don't care what you have to do, or who you have to hurt – just get her, and get her alive!"

The three men dashed away into the castle. Musa struggled, her muscles aching, and she glared up at Ogron, who smiled deviously at her. She tried to spit in his face, but the electricity simply vaporized the spittle.

"Nymph Musa!" Two guards ran into the courtyard, their eyes widened with concern. Not a moment too soon! They ran at Ogron, attacking him with their swords. But he simply dodged them without effort. With a single flourish of his hand, the swords vaporized, crumbling to bits of iron.

That's some crazy magic, Musa thought in horror. This man had the power to destroy charm-protected swords, and to trap Guardian Fairies in lightning cages! He's not getting Bloom! I won't let him. She had to warn Bloom somehow and get her out of here.

Musa closed her eyes and sent a sonic signal to Galatea. She hoped that Galatea would find Bloom and keep her safe. Maybe once the Dominian royal family was safe, they'd be able to get Musa out. But right now, that wasn't her concern. Just get her out … get her out …

"I'm only going to ask you one more time," Ogron roared, his eyes narrowed with rage. "Where is Bloom?"

"I'm right here!"

Immediately, the lightning cage vanished. Musa gasped when she saw the other Winx standing in front of them, in their fairy forms.

Galatea flew behind them, her eyes wide with horror and sorrow. "I'm sorry, Musa!" she cried. "I tried to get Bloom out of here, but she wouldn't listen! They insisted on coming and confronting these people themselves!"

Musa wanted to slap some sense into Bloom, and fought to contain her frustration. How stubborn can Bloom be? She shook her head at them in disapproval, giving the Winx dirty looks, and turned to Galatea. "It doesn't matter. Just go and get help!"

"Absolutely not!" Gantlos appeared, and knocked Galatea to the ground. The Melodian princess landed with a thud.

"No!" Musa yelled, turning towards Ogron with ferocity in her eyes. Sonic signal! She sent an alert to as many Melodian guards as possible to get them to come and help.

"We're not going to let them get us!" Layla declared, turning to Musa. "Come on, let's go!"

Musa transformed into her Enchantix, and flew up to join her friends. The fairies hovered above Ogron and Gantlos.

"Such beautiful wings," Ogron sneered. "That's what makes a fairy so special."

"It's almost a shame to tear them off!" Gantlos growled, flying up towards Musa from behind.

Musa spun around just as she was knocked out of the air. She regained momentum just moments before she could hit the ground, and she rose back up.

A buzzing sound blared, and she covered her ears as best she could. What is that? Below her, she heard Gantlos's laughter over the buzzing. So he's the one doing this.

"Fairy dust!" she shouted, summoning her powers. But the fairy dust did absolutely nothing. She groaned as the buzzing took over her ears completely.

"Digital slap!" Tecna whacked Gantlos with a jet of electricity. The buzzing stopped, and Musa joined forces with Tecna, facing down Gantlos.

"I don't know who you are," Bloom shouted, sending jets of fire at Ogron, "but you came to the wrong place!"

A hand suddenly grabbed the Dominian princess from behind, and she let out a yelp. Anagan squeezed her throat. "Wrong place?" he said. "I don't think so. This is exactly where we want to be!" He threw Bloom, and she hit the ground.

But before Anagan could descend and pin her down, Stella skittered down, grabbing Bloom by the hand and only narrowly missing Anagan's agile arms. He's fast. Musa watched as the two held hands, facing the Wizards.

"Now, Stella!" Bloom yelled. "Enchantix Convergence!" They concentrated their fiery and solar energy together, red-and-yellow shooting out of their hands and hitting Ogron in the chest.

Nothing. The spell didn't even make a dent in his suit. He simply dusted himself and looked up disdainfully at both Bloom and Stella. "That was fun."

"We have news for you, Bloom," Gantlos smiled, revealing razor-sharp teeth. "The Wizards of the White Circle are immune to fairy magic."

How is that possible? Musa thought in horror. We have to be able to beat them!

Ogron's eyes narrowed as he glared at the women. "Enough fooling around!" he ordered. "It's time for us to activate the White Circle! WHERE IS DUMAN?"

"I'm right here!" A wolf appeared, changing back into wizard-form. "Scared all the guards away." He licked his lips.

"Floral attack!" Flora called out on the essence of the plants. She shot a green attack-spell, one of her strongest, at Ogron.

But the wizard simply absorbed it. He rolled his eyes at her. "The more you attack me, the stronger I get!" He shot Bloom with a burst of darkness.

Musa watched in horror as her friend was thrown against the wall. "No!" Musa cried, flying forward. She caught Bloom just before she hit the ground.

Bloom's eyes were rolling in the back of her head, and she was nearly falling into unconsciousness. We have to stop these people. But any sentiment of anger was swallowed by fear as the warlocks marched towards them.

"I've been waiting for you for so many centuries," Ogron sneered, smiling at the Dominian princess. "The White Circle awaits you, Bloom." He joined hands with his fellow warlocks. "May the doors of the White Circle open wide!"

A white funnel appeared, shooting into the sky. Musa gasped, feeling the negative energy repel her and the white beam blind her eyes. Next to her, she heard Layla, Tecna, Flora, and Stella screaming. She grabbed onto Bloom as tightly as she could, feeling the fire fairy slipping away from her hands.

"Don't try to resist, Bloom!" Ogron shouted. "Allow your destiny to unfold!"

I won't let her go! Musa grabbed onto Bloom's hand, but she felt her hold weakening. The force was pulling Bloom towards the funnel, and she let out a cry of panic. The Dominian princess lost her grip, and she went flying straight into the circle.

"Finally!" Ogron laughed, a sound that made Musa's hairs stand up on end. "We've captured the last fairy on Earth!"

As the funnel's field grew stronger and stronger, Musa felt her magical energy starting to drain from her body. What's going on? She looked up at the other Winx and saw, to her great shock, that they were all struggling against the onslaught of brightness as well. No matter how much they fought, resistance was futile. She gasped as she reverted back to her civilian form, the magical flow within her blood completely stopping.

No! She tried to summon her powers to save Bloom, but nothing would happen. She could only watch, helpless, as Bloom thrashed around the Circle. Suddenly, a loud BOOM sounded, and Bloom was ejected out of the Circle.

The circle vanished, and Musa opened her eyes. Behind her, Layla, Tecna, Flora, and Stella were rising off the ground, weakly stumbling forward. The warlocks stared at each other. Bloom lay limp on the ground.

Ogron backed away with great disappointment in his features. "The Circle has rejected her," he said. "She's not the one we're looking for!"

"Your Highness!" A group of guards ran into the courtyard, taking in the scene around them. Flora ran up to Bloom and held her as she regained consciousness.

Ogron glared around at everyone. "There's nothing for us here," he announced. "But fret not. The hunt is on!" He vanished, the other wizards following suit.

That was the last thing Musa saw before everything plunged into darkness.


The next week was the hardest seven days of Musa's life. The media went wild, with headlines such as 'SIX GUARDIAN FAIRIES LOSE THEIR POWERS' and 'BETROTHAL BANQUET ENDS IN DISASTER!' There was no mention of Musa's courageous battle – instead, everyone seemed to think that she had hindered the fight.

All throughout the week, the press blasted Musa, some going so far as to say she started the attack. Of course, Musa's colleagues knew this wasn't true, but that didn't stop her from being the center of ridicule. Every day, she was blasted by her colleagues – or ex-colleagues, as it seemed. If magical rehabilitation therapy proved useless, she knew Zhedong would fire her on the spot.

"All it took was one attack for her to lose her powers."

"She couldn't even protect Princess Galatea!"

"How did she ever become a Guardian Fairy?"

Because I've done a lot! Musa wanted to shout. She was one of the rare Guardian Fairies to be appointed to her role straight out of college, which was why they hated her so much. Usually, a fairy or witch rose through the ranks of the Defense Administration, eventually picked by the ruling monarch. But Musa and her friends' accomplishments during their time at Alfea had been impressive enough that their sovereigns had chosen them for their roles immediately following graduation. Of course, all of that meant nothing, especially now that their magic was gone.

During the course of her time at Alfea, she had never considered the possibility that she might lose her powers. It wasn't unheard of – there were rare viruses that could cause people to completely lose their abilities. However, it was so uncommon, Musa had never known anyone with this problem. When Bloom temporarily lost her powers in their freshman year, it wasn't because of a virus, and Musa didn't think it would ever happen to her.

Her loss was utterly debilitating. Without the magical reservoir flowing through her veins, she couldn't think straight. It was always there in the back of her mind. Doing everyday tasks manually was a struggle. No longer could Musa comb her hair or fix her bed with magic. Her entire body had already begun suffering from the effects – her hair becoming dull, her skin sagging at her cheeks. What the Wizards wrought that day greatly diminished the quality of her life.

I can't take it anymore. She needed to get her real life back. She had to get out of Melody and find someone who would help them. Like Faragonda. The thought gave her hope, and she swiftly sat up, nearly knocking over a few books in the process.

This is a problem for the Winx to solve. With or without her employer's consent, she would not rest until she got to the bottom of this. She straightened up and called out, "Riven, pack your bags!"

"Huh?" the sleepy voice came from her bed.

"We're going to Magix."