Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
On the following morning, Rosella walked up to the Winx wearing her usual outfit. Around her neck was the choker that she had received from the Dragon and Phoenix and in her hand was a cherry pink handbag with a ribbon motif.
"Bonjour, everyone." The child greeted.
"Morning Ro." Bloom replied with a smile.
"Rosella?" Tecna said in surprise, "Aren't you a little young to study at Alfea?"
"I am just… how you say… sitting in. It is Madame Faragonda's hope that this will help me learn how to control my powers." Rosella explained before remembering something. "Ah, Bloom, if you need a partner for potionology, I can help you. I have already learned a lot about that from Grand-maman."
"Thanks Rosella." Bloom replied with a smile before the group headed into the classroom. Rosella made her way to a desk at the front of the classroom. The chair had a stack of cushions on it, so it had obviously been prepared for her ahead of time. Bloom helped the younger girl into the chair and sat down beside her with Stella on her other side. Rosella resisted the urge to point out that it was a little funny to have a fairy with orange hair sitting in between a blonde and another with hair as red as a rose.
Once all of the students had been seated, a leprechaun walked out from behind the desk. He wasn't as small as the leprechauns Bloom had heard about on Earth. Rather than being three inches high, his head was more or less level with his students' waists—Rosella excluded of course; though his pointed hat made it a little difficult to tell exactly how tall he was for certain.
"Good morning, everyone." The leprechaun began with an Irish accent. "As usual, it befalls me to kick off the school year." He leapt up backwards and sat on his desk. "Now, for those of you who haven't met me yet, I am Professor Wizgiz, your teacher of Metamorphosis, or as I prefer to call it, the art of changing…" He pulled his cheek, blubbering as he took off his hat and his entire form shifted into that of Griselda. "The way you look!" When he spoke now, his voice was a mixture of his own and Griselda's. The students gasped, looking the professor over as he flawlessly imitated Griselda's grumpy demeanour before they cheered in delight. "Oh well, that's nothing. By year's end, you'll do much better than that." He said in his mixed voice before taking the glasses off his nose and shifting back into his original form.
Suddenly one of the students raised her hand. "Professor Wizgiz, sorry to interrupt, but why is there a little girl in our class?"
"Oh, this is Rosella." Wizgiz replied, "She's staying here at Alfea as a guest of the Headmistress. Miss Faragonda thinks that sitting in on our classes here might help her learn to control her powers properly." He leapt from his desk to that of the student behind Rosella, showing that despite his size, he had superb agility. "Now then, since every ending must have a beginning…" Wizgiz snapped his fingers and a silver hand mirror floated up from the desk of each student. "Let us start with a simple exercise. Concentrate." Stella, having experienced this much before, grasped her mirror and fluffed her hair. "Look in the mirror." Bloom reached forward and grabbed her own mirror as he continued, "Look at yourself… and think about changing the colour of your hair." A few of the girls gasped in delight as they succeeded quite easily. Bloom looked at her reflection and scrunched her eyes shut, attempting to summon her energy. Her bangs fluttered for a moment, but then fell back onto her forehead as nothing worth noting happened. Feeling discouraged, she set the mirror down. "Don't worry, Bloom." Wizgiz said kindly, "If at first you don't succeed, try again!" Bloom smiled awkwardly in response.
Rosella tilted her head as she stared at her reflection, pondering what colour to make her hair. Pink? Too close to her normal colour. Yellow? No, too ordinary. After thinking on it far longer than necessary, she finally decided on a colour and smiled as her hair changed to a sort-of frosted purple. It was immediately afterward that she became aware of the smell of smoke.
"Uh, Bloom?" Stella said nervously.
"Not now, Stella." Bloom said, glaring at her reflection as if it owed her money.
"But Bloom…" Flora began.
"I said not now." Bloom replied.
"Bloom!" Tecna snapped more firmly.
"Ugh, what?!" Bloom asked with annoyance as she looked at her dorm mate.
Musa was standing next to the techno-fairy, looking freaked out. "Your desk is on fire and your mirror is…"
Bloom looked back in front of her, looking just as freaked out as Musa when she realised that her desk was indeed on fire and the handle of the mirror was melting in her hand. Several of the girls began to scream in alarm as Bloom froze, having no clue what to do.
"I have got it!" Rosella exclaimed as she stood up and threw her hand out towards Bloom. She began to sing a gentle melody as white sparkles drifted from her fingertips. "Rose de cristal brûlante—Montrez votre pouvoir—Rembobiner le temps—Et rendre ce qui est à moi—Guérir toute la douleur—Enlever la pluie—Ce destin impur—Brûlez-le loin de moi—Loin de moi..."
To the shock of everyone in the classroom—including Wizgiz—the crackling flames disappeared. Not only that, but Bloom's desk and the mirror in her hand were returned to their previous state—as if the accident had never happened.
Bloom was the first to break the silence, "What did you just say in French?" She asked.
"Huh?" Rosella said as she looked over at Bloom in surprise, her expression turning thoughtful. "Hm… I am not sure if I could speak the translation aloud without something happening, but… basically, that was a spell that nullifies magic and also restores damaged objects, as well as heal injuries."
"I would've just gotten a fire extinguisher." Bloom noted before adding, "But why did my desk catch on fire when all I was trying to do was change the color of my hair?!"
"Calm down, Bloom." Rosella told her, "Getting upset will do you no good. The magic of a fairy is controlled through positivity. Take a deep breath and relax. Think about something that makes you happy."
"Okay…" Bloom said uncertainly. She took a deep breath as Rosella said, closing her eyes as she leaned back in her chair and reminisced about her annual vacation to the beach with her parents. As she thought of the sparkling blue ocean, her hair shifted to a deep blue, the colour of the summer sea.
"Amazing!" Maria exclaimed.
"You did it, Bloom!" Flora added.
"Finally." Bloom sighed in relief, "But why did it go so wrong before?"
"It is just because you are not used to it, that is all." Rosella informed her, "Your magic is imbued with fire. Because you became frustrated, your magical essence caused the desk to burst into flame. It is quite common for a fairy to lose control of her powers in such a way when angry, particularly when she lacks experience."
"Seriously Bloom. There's nothing wrong with you." One of the other students said, "It's this kid who's abnormal. Professor Wizgiz, I thought you said she couldn't control her powers, so how the heck was she able to put out that fire and fix everything?!"
"Honestly speaking, Rosella, Amaryl is correct." The professor acknowledged as he turned to Rosella. "That was an ancient and very powerful spell. Wherever did you learn it, lass?"
"I don't know Professor. I've always just... known it." Rosella admitted.
ウィンクズクラブ
Meanwhile, at Red Fountain, the various Specialists were gathered on the training field, where the Headmaster Saladin and Head teacher Codatorta were standing before them. Beside them was a man that the students did not recognize.
"Good morning, gentlemen. I've called you here to introduce to you a new instructor who will be joining us henceforth. This is Professor Desmond. He will be instructing you on etiquette, diction, the History of Magical Objects, and the Code of Chivalry."
Riven scoffed, "What do we even need those classes for?"
"Riven!" Brandon scolded.
"What? Got a problem?" Riven replied. His other teammates glared at him. "I'm just saying, what does all of that have to do with being a hero? Is this guy not teaching us to fight because he can't?"
Codatorta stepped forward to scold his student, but Desmond held up his hand to stop him and smiled congenially, "If you doubt the merits of my teachings, young man, why don't you see for yourself whether or not I am 'worthy' of teaching you?"
"Ha! Fine by me!" Riven said as he moved forward. Dusk and Tudore sighed, both knowing what this would lead to.
Desmond put on a pair of gloves and accepted a Phantoblade from Codatorta. Riven took out his own and within moments, the sparring match began. However, it was over almost as soon as it began, and Desmond had soundly defeated Riven.
"You underestimated him, lad." Codatorta said to Riven as Desmond deactivated the Phantoblade. "Archduke Desmond is an esteemed alumnus of Red Fountain who graduated more than a century ago. He's even battled alongside the Headmaster and the Company of Light."
"What? But… you don't look nearly as old as the—My dad." Prince Sky said in surprise.
"That's because I'm not." Desmond said he tugged a pair of regular gloves onto his hands. "I imagine the King of Eraklyon has at least two centuries on me. That's my guess, at any rate. I've spent some time on Earth since then, so I'm a little unsure of the exact age difference between us."
Once the students had been dismissed and dispersed, the members of Sky's Squad reconvened to continue discussing their new instructor.
"Archduke Desmond is the first born child of the Queen of Soulstice." Dusk explained. "Our parents were close."
"But didn't the realm of Soulstice fall several years ago?" Timmy asked as he adjusted his glasses.
"Yes, but the Archduke was visiting our planet when it fell, and he's been residing there ever since." Tudore explained.
"Wait, you said he's the firstborn? Then why is he an archduke and not a prince?" Sky asked.
"Soulstice is a matriarchal monarchy." Dusk informed him, "The realm is dependent on a fairy queen's power, so only a girl can inherit the throne. That's why when Desmond's younger sister was born, she was immediately declared as the heir to the throne."
"That must've stunk for the Archduke." Riven said.
"Not really." Tudore said with a shake of his head, "If the next fairy queen had been born into a branch family instead of being his sister, he would've had to marry that girl to preserve stability within the monarchy. The birth of his sister meant that he was free to openly pursue a relationship with any girl he liked. Desmond never wanted the throne anyway. In fact, he was so happy when his sister was born that he swore an oath as her personal knight."
"Then… what happened to his sister when the planet fell?" Sky asked.
"I've heard rumors that she was also sent away somewhere." Brandon told him, "After all, the current Queen—or princess in the absence of a queen—of Soulstice is also a key member of the High Council."
"But the High Council has been defunct ever since Soulstice fell." Timmy said.
"That's only temporary." Dusk told him, "Desmond's sister is way, way, way younger than he is. She's still too little to take over those duties right now. The High Council will probably be re-established before Soulstice is reclaimed."
ウィンクズクラブ
Back at Alfea, Bloom was staring in shock at the potions laboratory, completely gobsmacked. The room that had been so totally destroyed by Stella that you could still see the damage from the courtyard—and that was supposed to require at least another month to be fixed… had been completely restored by Rosella's spell—the same one that she had used on Bloom's flaming desk in class.
"…How?" The fiery-haired fairy finally managed to ask.
"As I said, it is an ancient and powerful spell." Wizgiz told her. The leprechaun had wanted to confirm just what level of restorative power the spell—and consequently, Rosella—contained, so he had asked her to try using it on the potions lab. Or rather, Rosella had volunteered, as she didn't want to wait a full month to begin potionology.
"What even makes sense anymore?" Bloom asked, still feeling dumbstruck.
"If you are speaking in Earth terms, then nothing." Rosella replied, "I do not know why you would though. You had multiple books about fairies in your room."
"But those were fiction, not a new reality." Bloom said.
At this, Rosella raised a brow, "One of them was titled, 'Fairies: Myth or Reality?'." She pointed out.
"I wish I had it right now…" Bloom muttered.
Feeling that Bloom's murmuring did not merit a reply, Rosella turned and began walking away. "Let us go."
Bloom quickly hurried after her. "Whoa, slow down, Rosella!"
"Why?" Rosella asked as she looked at Bloom in confusion.
"It seems to me that you're rushing a bit." Bloom explained.
"That is because we should not be late for Oncle's class." Rosella explained as she continued walking. Now seeing her point, Bloom followed the girl.
"I wonder how tough he is?" The fire fairy pondered.
"Very." Rosella stated. "I have heard that he was the most skilled combatant in the Company of Light."
"We'll see if that's true." Bloom said skeptically.
The younger girl raised a brow, "You do not even know what the Company of Light is… or was, as it were. At any rate, do not underestimate him. Especially being as you can barely fight at all."
"I'm sure I'll find some way to fight him." Bloom told her.
"Today is only the first day of your first year. Nobody is expecting you to take him down, nor are they requiring you to." Rosella pointed out. She personally thought that it was doubtful that anyone would expect that of Bloom even when she had graduated.
"Okay." Bloom acquiesced.
"I have been told to just watch." The younger girl stated, "It seems that the teachers are starting to ask Madame Faragonda all sorts of questions about my powers. I do not know why. I do not even know what the source of my magic is, let alone why I am like this."
The two girls joined the other new fairies on the back lawn, where the class would be held. Rosella sat on the steps as Bloom lined up with the other girls, who soon stood in front of said steps.
"Morning ladies." The man greeted.
"Good morning." His students replied.
"For those of you who don't know, I'm Professor Midnaruan, your Magical Combat teacher. For your first class, we'll start with basic attack spells. I want each of you ladies to hit me with your best shot." He told the group of teenagers before looking at Maria. "Why don't you give us a demonstration, Moonbeam?"
"Daddy!" Maria exclaimed in embarrassment, "Not in front of my classmates!"
"Moonbeam?" Bloom asked Stella in a whisper.
"I think that's his pet name for her." Stella whispered back.
Maria sighed and transformed before taking off her ring, "Lunaria!" She exclaimed as her ring transformed into her sceptre. She then pointed the staff-like implement towards her father. "Ray of Moonlight!" She fired a continuous beam of energy at her father, who blocked it quite easily. Still, Maria didn't give up right away. She was determined to break through her father's guard for once.
"Uh… how long does she plan to keep this up?" Musa asked.
"Good question." Tecna said.
At that point, Midnaruan decided that they couldn't keep holding up the class, so he told Maria, "That's enough, Moonbeam."
Maria ceased her attack as told, but pouted at her father in annoyance. "Would you please stop calling me that during class?"
"All right." He assented.
Maria sighed and returned to her normal form. "Have at it, girls."
Tecna stepped forward in response, "Magic Winx!" Putting the new transformation call that she and her dorm mates had come up with to use, she transformed into a light purple, futuristic fairy outfit. "Wire beam!" She threw a green ball of energy at her instructor, but Midnaruan didn't even bother to block it and remained completely unfazed when it hit him.
Flora transformed next, her outfit changing to a pink dress with a petal like design. "Venus Gobbler!" She called as she stretched out her hand. Three Venus flytraps sprouted and grew to an enormous size around Midnaruan before wrapping around him, but he simply broke free without much effort.
"Base Boom!" Called Musa as she slammed her hands on the ground. Her outfit was a red, asymmetrical dress, knee-length boots, and a headset. The sound waves she had created were easily blocked by her teacher.
"Now it's my turn!" Stella said as she took off her ring. "Solaria!" Her ring transformed into her staff-like sceptre and she took aim at Midnaruan. "Burning Sun!" Her ball of light flew towards Midnaruan and exploded in a bright flash, but he merely brushed himself off.
"Your turn, Bloom." The blonde said to her friend.
"Okay… Magic Winx!" Bloom exclaimed…. But nothing happened. "Huh?" The teenager looked at her hands in confusion, "Oh come on! Not now!"
"Problem lass?" Midnaruan asked.
"Yes sir. I can't seem to summon my powers." Bloom replied.
"Bloom, you have never transformed before, but it does not matter. Simply skip it for now and focus on launching an attack spell, just like we did at your house." Rosella told her.
"Okay…" Bloom replied, attempting to perform the spell that Stella had taught to her during the fight with Knut, only for nothing to happen, save for a handful of orange sparkles flying out. "Oh come on! Why not?!"
'She is thinking too much and putting too much pressure on herself.' Rosella thought to herself, 'Magic is just like art. All she needs to do is envision what she wants to create. In this case, a ball of fire.'
Unbeknownst to Rosella, Bloom could hear her thoughts, and she quickly put her young friend's words into practice, creating a fireball that grew increasingly larger as she smirked at Midnaruan. "Still want my best shot, Professor?"
Rosella sweat-dropped at the sight of this sudden development, "Um…" The other students, Winx included, gaped in surprise.
"Of course." Midnaruan told Bloom.
"Well then, here goes." The fiery-haired teen replied as she chucked the large fireball at her instructor. Midnaruan caught the flaming projectile, tapping into his magic to avoid being burned as he was pushed back slightly by the force of it. Once he had control, he threw the attack back at Bloom.
Rosella's eyes widened as she realised that the attack would likely hurt Bloom and the other students and she quickly threw out her hand to neutralise the spell. "That was too much, Oncle." The child scolded as she lowered her hand, ignoring the fact that most of the students were now gaping at her.
"Whoops. I guess I got a little carried away." Bloom said with an awkward grin.
"'A little'?" Rosella replied, "How did you even manage to go from barely creating sparkles to creating a giant ball of fire?!"
"I don't know…" Bloom admitted.
"What do you mean?" Rosella asked with a raised brow.
"I don't know how I made the fireball so big." The teen clarified, and the younger girl sighed.
"You probably just became too enthusiastic once you found that you could do it…" The child remarked thoughtfully.
"Any idea why I couldn't transform?" Bloom asked her.
"From what I have studied, in order to transform, a fairy must have both a strong will and full belief in her magical abilities." Rosella replied.
"So you're saying that I don't?" Bloom asked, and Rosella sighed in frustration.
"Bloom, why are you asking me? I cannot transform either. In this instance, you should ask the others for help." The preteen said before shifting her attention to Midnaruan. "Oncle, you must be more careful going forward. That spell you sent back at Bloom could have easily hurt her and the other students, had I not intervened."
"All right, Rosebud." Midnaruan said with a nod before turning back to Bloom, "By the way, Bloom, your attack magic is very powerful. I think you'll excel in combat once you have your flames under control."
"Yes sir." Bloom replied.
Rosella, having successfully diverted Bloom's attention away from her inability to transform, turned and walked back toward the steps. In reality, it wasn't that Rosella didn't know why Bloom couldn't transform, she just did not want to answer the question. To her, it was quite obvious that the older girl lacked full belief in her powers, given how easily they frustrated her. With a sigh, she sat back down on the steps as the class continued with the exercise. As she had said to Bloom, she could not transform either, and she was not entirely sure why. Was it because she did not believe in her powers? She couldn't say… when she knew what to do and how, she didn't hesitate, but more often than not, she simply had no idea what she was doing. Was it just because she was too young? With a sigh, she reached up and absently fiddled with the gem on the necklace she was wearing.
…Right… This necklace was the same one that she had received from the Dragon and the Phoenix in her dream last night. When she had awoken this morning, it was already there, around her neck, meaning that that hadn't been merely a dream…
Why? What made her so special that the two of them had gone to such lengths to provide her with a means to control her powers? She wasn't… someone special like Bloom or… She decided not to let her thoughts continue down that path, releasing the gem from her fingers and sitting up properly as the last of the students finished.
"All right, now we're moving onto defence spells." Midnaruan told the girls when the last student had finished her attack. "What I'll do is fire a spell at each of you, which you must block."
Bloom moved to stand near Rosella, thinking that it was best to go last this time. "Thanks for helping me with that attack spell, Rosella." The teen said.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Rosella asked her, "I did not do anything to help you with that."
"Huh?" Bloom looked at the child, "But I heard you talking about how magic was like drawing and how I just needed to visualize what I wanted to create." She shrugged nonchalantly as Rosella stared at her blankly. "I guess hearing people's thoughts is just another thing to get used to." She said without noticing the growing shock on Rosella's face.
"Bloom! Unlike telekinesis, telepathy is not something that all fairies have! To use it, you must either have a certain type of magic, or…" She looked thoughtful for a moment before grabbing Bloom's hand as she stood up. "Pardonnez-moi, Oncle, but I must go to the library immediately to look into something. It is urgent. And I need for Bloom to come with me."
"All right." Midnaruan agreed, "Your both excused for now, but come back to class as soon as your done."
"Mais oui!" Rosella replied as she yanked Bloom toward the door. "Attendez-nous!"
ウィンクズクラブ
"Here you are, Rosella. This book will provide you with information on the sources of magic held by fairies, excluding unique sources." Barbatea, the school librarian said as she pulled down a book from the shelf and handed it to Rosella.
"Thank you, Madame." Rosella said as she accepted the book.
"What is it that you're looking for, Rosella?" Bloom asked as she followed the younger girl to a table, watching as Rosella set the book down and climbed into a chair.
"I am trying to determine the source of my magic." Rosella explained as she opened the book.
"The source?" Bloom asked in confusion.
"Mm-hm. Every fairy's magic is rooted in something, and that something determines what kind of powers they have."
"The source of my powers is fire, right?" Bloom replied, remembering how Rosella had said such earlier.
"Oui." Rosella confirmed as she searched the book's contents. "Fire is one of the most basic elements. It is extremely common, which means that it is simple enough for a teacher to help a student develop, even if the teacher does not possess fire magic themselves. The four most common sources are fire, water, wind, and nature, but there are, of course, other sources, such as light and music. Every fairy's powers are tied to the energy of her home planet."
"So fire magic comes from Earth?" Bloom asked.
"Earth was once known as the Realm of Diversity, so while some Earth Fairies are fire fairies, there are also wind, nature, and water fairies from there." The preteen answered, "What's more, a fairy's powers are not always rooted in precisely one source. Sometimes, they are a combination of sources, although there is usually one that is considered dominant."
"So how is it that you don't already know what the source of your magic is?" The teenager asked.
"I told you, not every fairy has powers from one of the more common sources. Grand-maman told me that the source of my magic is something rare, and that is why nobody knows how to teach me. I am hoping this book can explain." Rosella clarified as she stopped on a page. "Here we are."
Bloom looked over her shoulder. "Animal prowess?" She asked in confusion. That didn't really sound like Rosella's powers at all.
"Oui." Rosella replied, "I have a cousin who is an animal fairy, and her powers are the most similar to mine that I have seen. Though they are a far cry from the kind of powers I have, animal prowess is a more complex source, so by looking up her powers, I may learn something about my own, or at least, what to look under." She ran her finger down the page until she found the information she wanted. "'Animal prowess is considered to be based in a combination of nature and empathy magic.' Okay… now let's look up what 'empathy magic' is…" She marked the page regarding animal prowess with one finger while turning the pages with her other hand. "Here we go. 'Empathy magic is the power to sense the emotions of others. It is a rare type of magic that is most commonly seen in combined forms such as animal prowess or emotions-based illusions. Pure empathy magic, which can directly touch the hearts of others, can only be wielded by members of the Qilin Clan, and can also be used to sense the feelings of plants and animals, as well as a person's true nature.' Hm… It doesn't say anything about telepathy though…" Rosella said thoughtfully as she returned to the page on animal prowess. "Oh! It says that the ability of animal fairies to communicate with animals telepathically is attributed to the nature of side of their magic."
"So it's not part of empathy magic." Bloom surmised, "Then how do you explain me hearing your thoughts?"
"There are other explanations…" Rosella said vaguely as she closed the book. "I will ask Oncle Midnaruan about it. He would probably know. In the meantime, we should return to his class."
"Yeah, it's probably my turn by now." Bloom agreed, following Rosella as she returned the book to Barbatea and left the library.
The midnight-haired teacher turned to look at the two girls as they walked back outside. "Just in time, Bloom. It's yer turn."
"Good luck." Rosella told her friend, "And remember, positivity is key. You have defended yourself with a shield before. You need only to do the same thing again."
"Thanks." Bloom replied, approaching Midnaruan as Rosella sat back down on the steps. "All right Professor Midnaruan, hit me with your best shot and don't hold back."
"Ignore her." Rosella said bluntly from where she was sitting. "Hold back. Please hold back."
Midnaruan raised a brow at Bloom. "You want my best shot?" He asked before quickly firing off a medium-sized ball of shadow magic at the teenaged fairy.
Bloom closed her eyes briefly before snapping them open again. "Flame shield!" She threw her hands out and a orange shield formed in front of her. Midnaruan's orb exploded as it hit this shield, pushing Bloom back slightly, but she was nonetheless still standing when the smoke cleared. Seeing this result caused Rosella to sigh with relief.
"I guess you save your full power for bad guys, Professor." The fire fairy remarked.
"Bloom, I told you to be positive, not overconfident." Rosella scolded, "You have no idea how powerful Oncle Midnaruan truly is. He is not like those ghouls from the other day. Do not think that managing to defend yourself from some small-time monsters by pure instinct makes you qualified to take on a full-fledged wizard. Need I remind you that you cannot yet transform like your classmates?" Bloom winced at this, realising that she had indeed gotten a bit overconfident. Rosella wasn't trying to be mean, but the fact remained that she was indeed behind the other students, and she needed to remember that. Seeing that Bloom understood, Rosella let out a slight sigh of exasperation and turned her attention to Midnaruan. "Oncle, is class finished now? I need to talk to you."
"Yes Rosella." Midnaruan said with a nod before turning to the students. "You all can go now." He watched the students walk off and then turned to his niece, "Come with me, Rosella. We'll be doing your training in private, so we need to go to a more secluded part of the campus. You can discuss whatever you wanted to talk about with me there."
"All right." Rosella agreed, following her uncle into the forest of Alfea's campus and over to the lake that existed on the school grounds.
"Now, what did you want to ask me?" Midnaruan inquired when they had arrived.
"First, what is the Qilin Clan?" Rosella asked, "I read in the library that members of this clan are the only people who can use pure empathy magic like mine."
"Qilins come from the realm of Soulstice and have a unique lineage compared to other fairies." He told her. "Empathy magic is complex, and I doubt that any of the books in Alfea's library would contain an in-depth explanation of your powers. We'll have to look elsewhere to learn more, cause while you are a Qilin, your powers are quite different from those of your mother."
"I see…" Rosella said thoughtfully.
"Anything else?"
"Yes." She replied, fixing Midnaruan with a firm gaze. "Why do I have a telepathic bond with Bloom? Neither she nor I have powers suited to telepathy nor are we related to one another, and yet, without meaning to, I allowed her to hear my thoughts for a brief moment."
Midnaruan looked around carefully before lowering his voice to the point that Rosella could barely hear him, "It's because you were born from the Dragon Flame and the Phoenix Ice."
At this, Rosella's jaw dropped and her eyes widened in shock. "How…?"
Midnaruan averted his gaze awkwardly, "Because your mother used the Dragon Flame to have you."
"To have me?" Rosella asked in confusion, "What do you mean…?"
Her uncle only sighed and shook his head, "You're not ready to hear the whole story. The truth would be too much for you to handle right now."
"Oh." Rosella lowered her gaze and fiddled with the crystal on her choker with a resigned and disappointed expression on her face. "There's something else I want to ask… but let's work on my training first."
Midnaruan nodded. "Do you know how to use an attack spell?"
"Nothing specific, but Stella taught me how to concentrate my energy into an orb and fire it."
"Then try hitting me with that." Midnaruan told her as he walked a short distance away and then faced his niece.
Rosella nodded, holding her hands in front of her and concentrating her energy into a sphere as Stella had taught her before shooting it at Midnaruan. Although Midnaruan neither flinched nor attempted to block the attack, he nonetheless gave her a wide grin after it had made contact with him.
"Even in such a basic form, your attack magic is pretty powerful." He explained, "It won't hurt those who are pure of heart and mean you no harm, but it'll knock anybody with ill will for a loop. This is good, cause it means that unlike with Bloom or most of the others, even if you should somehow misfire, innocents will never get hurt." The girl nodded in understanding. "I trust you know a basic defence spell?" Midnaruan asked.
"Yes. Grand-maman taught me that." Rosella said with a nod.
"Then try blocking my spell now." Midnaruan told Rosella before quickly throwing one of his shadow orbs at her. The child didn't hesitate as she held up one hand, a sparkling white barrier forming around her as she did. Midnaruan's orb neither exploded nor bounced off of the shield, but instead shrunk into nothingness. "As I thought…" He mused as Rosella lowered her barrier. "Your shield contains a nullification property, meaning that any spells that strike it are simply cancelled out. As with your attack spells, this ensures that innocents are not likely to be in danger, since you would have to be defending against a physical projectile for there to be a risk of rebound."
"That reminds me, I was thinking that perhaps, in the future, it would be a good idea for you to hold joint combat classes with Codatorta's students from Red Fountain." Rosella remarked, "Specialists are bound to face spell casters from time-to-time, and the fairies of Alfea may sometimes face enemies who rely on physical attacks."
"Yeah, that is a good idea." Midnaruan agreed. "At any rate, that's all we're doing today. I just wanted to get a feel for what you can already do."
Rosella nodded, "In that case, perhaps we should return to my room to discuss my other question?"
"Sure."
Once they were in her room, Rosella cast a sound-proofing spell taught to her by Eldora upon the room before returning her attention to Midnaruan. "Do I have a piece of the Phoenix Ice inside me too?"
"Maybe." Midnaruan replied with a shrug, but the girl was not convinced that he didn't know for sure.
"Last night, I met the both of them in a dream."
At this, Midnaruan dropped his air of nonchalance, "Tell me as much as you remember."
Rosella looked thoughtful as she recalled the words of the two entities, "They said that I hold more power than my body can contain, and so they gave me this necklace." At this, she gestured at the necklace that she was wearing—proof that this had been no ordinary dream—if it had been one at all. "And they also told me that I am a special fairy who must be protected at all costs. They told me that only I can stop Bloom and Icy from killing one another. They said that I have the power to keep those two in check and that I may be able to break the hold that the Ancestral Witches have over Icy, Darcy, and Stormy."
"You mentioned something about that last night, but it's impossible. The Ancestral Witches died a long time ago." Her uncle said in disbelief.
"Non, il n'ont pas." Rosella replied as she picked up a thick tome from her bed, placing it on the bench by the footboard and opening it to the page she wanted to show what she meant, "They did not die. Instead, they became trapped in the Obsidian Circle, along with all of the people of Domino."
"In that case, won't they get out if Domino's people were freed?" Midnaruan asked thoughtfully.
"Oui, it is possible." Rosella acknowledged as she looked at the illustration on the page, "But still, the people of Domino do not deserve to pay for the sins of the Ancestral Witches.
"No they don't." Midnaruan agreed.
The child sighed as she closed her book and changed the subject, "So, how do I keep Bloom out of my head for the time being?"
"I can do that." Came the Dragon's voice within her mind.
"Good. Being able to give her advice when she needs it is useful, but I cannot have her reading my mind all the time." Rosella knew that there were just too many dangerous secrets within her mind to let Bloom listen to her freely.
"True, and I am sure that you do not wish to hear her every frustration either."
"It does not really matter. I can sense her feelings either way." The girl said with a shrug.
"What is frustrating her?"
"Not being as in tune with her powers as the other girls and feeling a little lost without a sense of purpose or direction." Rosella replied.
"That is not good."
"C'est non." Rosella agreed.
"So whadda we do?" Midnaruan asked, causing Rosella to blink as she realised that she had been speaking out loud.
"Um, Oncle, I was not talking to you. I was talking to…"
"Yeah, I know. The Dragon." Midnaruan replied, waving the matter off.
"Oui…" Rosella said awkwardly, feeling that she had been a little rude.
"Do you have any ideas?" The Dragon asked.
"I do not know." The child admitted, "I cannot understand her. She is so… so frustrating!"
"Why is she frustrating?"
"She is too easily agitated." The girl said, crossing her arms in something of a pout.
"My power needs a chance to settle down inside of her."
"That is not what I meant." Rosella said. "I mean that she is too impatient and becomes frustrated with herself too easily."
"She's a teenage girl. Mood swings and confidence issues are normal." Midnaruan pointed out.
"She is driving me crazy!" Rosella exclaimed, "She is a fairy, not a witch! I do not have anything against witches, but what I mean is that Bloom's pessimism is—how you say—counterproductive!"
'Looks like Bloom's not da only one having puberty problems.' Midnaruan thought to himself before attempting to help Rosella approach the matter differently. "I think she had expectations about what having magic would be like and has been disappointed by reality. Her magic being unstable and her world getting turned upside down doesn't help her negativity, but what do Earth fairytales say about fairies?"
Rosella looked thoughtful for a moment, tilting her head and placing a hand to her chin in thought, "Mm… the fairies in Earth's fairytales are quite… simple. They are mostly benevolent beings who can use their magic for almost anything, from turning a pumpkin into a carriage to gifting a newborn princess with beauty and talent." She mentally added that the second notion was completely absurd.
"She'd probably less frustrated if she could do anything she wished with her powers." Midnaruan remarked.
"Oui, mais c'est ridicule. Even fairies have their limits. We are still mortals after all." Rosella pointed out.
"True." He admitted.
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"Girls, can I ask you something?" Bloom said to Stella and Flora later that night as they were going over the day's lessons in hers and Flora's room.
"Uh-huh." Stella replied.
"Why are you here at Alfea?" The redhead asked.
"Because I want to become a real fairy—successful, beautiful, powerful, and universally admired." Stella explained candidly. "Of course, I also want to do good things like making people happy and bringing back together estranged lovers, starting with my parents." Having said that, she sat next to Bloom on the fire fairy's bed, leaning forward and placing her hand in her chin.
"I want to become a real fairy too." Flora agreed, "But I'm here primarily because I really love to learn." Suddenly she found herself being smacked with a pillow by Stella, who groaned in annoyance.
"That is such a nerdy answer!" The blonde said before throwing the pillow over her shoulder with a grunt.
"What about you, Bloom?" Flora asked.
"Well that's the problem. I have no idea what I'm doing here." Bloom admitted as she walked over to the window.
"You have to give yourself time." Flora told her. "You only found out you were a fairy a few days ago. It's natural that you don't know what kind of fairy you want to be yet."
"Yeah, I guess…" Bloom sighed.
"Bloom, you're overthinking things." Stella told her, "When I invited you to come with me to Alfea, it was only so you could learn how to use your powers. I wasn't thinking that far ahead." She tilted her head, "And isn't that why you came? To learn more about your powers and how they work? Just focus on that for now. The rest will come naturally over time. You have to learn what possibilities exist before you can decide what you want."
"That's true, and Rosella did say that it would be dangerous for people on Earth if I don't learn how to control my powers." Bloom admitted.
"Well of course. Fire magic can be used for many things, but at its core, it's a destructive type of magic." Flora said. "That's why it's well suited for combat."
"I doubt anyone on Earth would know how to deal with that." Stella agreed.
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"Mm, this is really good."
"I really like to do metamorphosis."
"What classes do you have this afternoon?"
"What is this? Is this narcissus soup or something?"
"Nah. It's got carrots. There, you can see for yourself."
"Oh, in the flowers."
"Are you crazy? Edible flowers? You're gonna get kicked out!"
"Yes you are!"
Amidst all this random chatter, Bloom and Flora tiptoed into the dining hall and sat down with their dorm mates, where their bowls of the aforementioned soup were already waiting for them.
"It's about time. What took you guys so long?" Stella asked from her seat beside Bloom.
"My fault. I overslept." Bloom replied.
"Watch out for Mistress Griselda. Somehow, I don't think she's a very nice person." Tecna warned the two as she brought her teacup to her lips.
"Young ladies, may I have your attention please?" Faragonda called as she stood up. All of the girls stopped chattering and looked over at the woman, who was eating on a dais with most of the other faculty, although Rosella and Midnaruan were absent. "As is tradition among the magic schools, the annual gala to honour our new students will be held tonight. Students of the Alfea College for Fairies and the Red Fountain School for Specialists will gather here, in our castle, to perform the traditional welcome gift exchange ceremony." At that, the room burst with excitement from the students, making it impossible for Faragonda to continue.
"Silence, please!" Griselda commanded as she clapped her hands to get the girls' attention, "Miss Faragonda, our Headmistress, is speaking. Let's show a little respect!"
"Thank you, Griselda." Faragonda said cheerfully before continuing, "One more thing I'd like to say: I'm calling on all of your creative minds to turn this ordinary looking hall into a festive ballroom, so today's classes are canceled. Get to work and do us proud!"
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Meanwhile, at the Cloud Tower School for witches, all of the students were gathered together in the main auditorium, talking amongst themselves as they waited for something.
"Attention please!" A staff member called, "Here comes Headwitchress Griffin!"
At this, all of the students seated themselves in an orderly fashion as Griffin walked forward to address her students from the platform of her throne, which sat well above her students' heads. "My young witches, I've summoned you here because I have a sad piece of news to share. The fairies are hosting a party tonight, and once again, the witches of Cloud Tower have not been invited." The woman said. At this, a commotion rose among the students, although it was hard to tell if they were booing or cheering. Griffin apparently saw it as the former. "Yes, my friends, I agree with you, but this is an opportunity for you to test your cursing skills. It is the duty of every witch in this school to crash this party and wipe the smile off their faces! They've snubbed us, we'll make them pay! And so, I urge you to come up with a way to ruin their little fiesta! Submit your proposals and I'll select one!" She turned and sat down on her throne, resting her chin against her fist, "May the worst witch win!"
In reality, this was more of a tradition between Alfea and Cloud Tower. It was both a chance to train the witches in the ways of being one and a chance to test the young fairies' of Alfea's vigilance. At least, that was the excuse that she always gave to Faragonda.
"What do you think? Should we come up with a little scheme?" Darcy asked her sisters. They had always skipped out on this extra credit opportunity in the past.
"Why not?" Icy said casually.
"Aw, come on. We'd just be wasting our time." Stormy complained.
"Trust me, Stormy dear, it'll be fun." Icy assured.
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"Classes are canceled, and this is just our second day?" Tecna complained as the Winx walked through the halls of Alfea.
"What do we have to do to get ready for the party?" Bloom asked.
"Easy, Bloom, just get ready to have a ball!" Stella declared happily.
"I'll provide the decorations." Flora said. She snapped her fingers and the pillars in the hallway were instantly covered in blooming vines of roses.
Musa ran ahead of the group and turned so that she was standing in front of them. ""And I'll take care of the music. I mean, what's a party without dancing?"
"And I'll worry about what to wear, because clothes are important too." Stella remarked.
A short while later, the six girls were gathered in Stella's room so she could show them the dress she planned on wearing. Musa, Tecna, and Flora had already put on their own formalwear to show to each other. Rosella had joined them as well, stating her interest in seeing the older girls' outfits.
"And of course, I refuse to go unnoticed!" The blond said as she pulled a deep navy evening gown off of one of her many racks of clothing. "Well?" She asked as she turned around, holding the dress in front of her and pausing just long enough for someone to gasp. "What do you think?"
"It's gorgeous." Bloom said breathlessly.
"Mind you, it wasn't cheap, but look at it." Stella said, "It was calling me from the shop window: 'Buy me! Buy me, please!'"
"And of course, you answered its plea. How very noble of you." Musa said sarcastically.
"Well, I'm bound to make an impression." Stella stated.
"Ah-ha… I hear the guys from Red Fountain are really cute." Flora remarked.
"Guys? As if I care about that." Tecna said with disinterest.
"Then… why are you dressed like an absolute diva?" Musa asked. The techno-fairy was wearing a short, black and silver dress with long silver stockings and gloves and a pair of silver ankle boots.
"That's beside the point." Tecna answered. "You attend a ceremony, you dress accordingly."
"Yeah, sure." Stella remarked.
"Non, non, Stella. Tecna is quite right." Rosella said from where she was delicately perched on the stool to Stella's vanity. "Both as a princess and as one who is obsessed with fashion, you have surely heard of applying the concept of 'time, place, and occasion' when choosing a dress. And Musa, do not underestimate the degree to which a princess such as Stella needs many, many outfits, most, if not all, of which must be of the very highest quality."
"Speaking of which, no offense Maria, but your dress looks a little… um… understated." Stella pointed out.
"Yes, well, keep in mind that Lunaria is not nearly as prosperous as Solaria." Maria replied, "My family cannot afford to indulge in luxury too much." Anyone could tell that her soft blue, Hellenistic gown was a stark contrast to Stella's couture.
"Yeah… um, sorry, but do you think they'll let me in, dressed like this?" Bloom asked as she stood to her feet and gestured to the casual clothing she had on.
"Oh, Bloom." Flora said sympathetically, "You don't have a dress?" In addition to Stella and Tecna's attire, the Linphean fairy was wearing a rose-themed evening gown, the bodice of which looked like a blooming rose, while the crepe'd skirt looked as if it was made of long petals. Meanwhile, Musa was wearing a crimson and gold blouse in the modern Chinese style with a translucent black fabric that covered her shoulders and collarbone area. The matching skirt had a layer of the same translucent material over the folds of crimson fabric and was accompanied by crimson ankle boots with chunky platform heels. A pair of dark stockings and earrings shaped like Eastern bells completed the look.
"No problem." Stella said as she stood up, "There's a solution for everything, and in this case, it's called 'shopping!'"
"With what money, Stella?" Rosella asked. "I don't expect that the currency of Earth has any value here in Magix. Especially since Earth does not have a single, planet-wide currency."
Before Stella could answer, there was a knock on the door to the dormitory. Bloom stood up and walked over to the door. She opened it to find Midnaruan standing there, along with Desmond.
"Hello Bloom." Midnaruan said.
"Hi Professor Midnaruan." Bloom replied calmly.
"Hope you don't mind the intrusion, but are Rosella and Maria in here by any chance? We knocked on their door, but they didn't answer."
"Here we are." Maria said as she walked into the foyer with Rosella following. "What did you need?"
Midnaruan tilted his head when he saw his daughter's outfit. "What are you wearing that old thing for, Moonbeam?"
"Huh?" Maria said before looking down at the gown she was wearing. "Oh, the girls and I were just showing each other what we'll be wearing for the ball."
Midnaruan smiled at her. "Ah, but you won't be wearing that, Moonbeam. You'll be wearing this." Out of nowhere, a new dress appeared on a dress form. It was midnight blue, the same color as Maria's hair, with a pattern that was reminiscent of a cloudy night sky. The golden decorations on the dress spoke of the moon and stars. The billowing skirt and sleeves, along with the ruffles on the hem, were all much more befitting of Maria than her current one.
Maria gasped in surprise. "Daddy… where this come from?"
"You didn't really think we were going to let you attend your own debutante looking like anything less than a princess, now did you?" Midnaruan asked her.
Maria blushed, "But… I can't be indulging in excessive luxury when its hard to even provide our citizens with food."
Midnaruan shook his head in response, "It's not excessive, and besides, we saved up as a family to buy you this. There are times when it's important to be able to hold your head high, my dear daughter."
"What's this about a debutante?" Bloom asked in confusion.
"As you probably know, Bloom, many of the students of Alfea and Red Fountain are of royal blood, and even those who are not will likely interact with royalty quite frequently after graduating." Desmond told her, "Many of those who are royalty have already debuted in the high society of their own realms, but not in inter-realm high society, also known as Royal Society. Regardless of their social standing, tonight's ball will be the first inter-realm social event that most first-year students have ever attended. For that reason, it's considered to be something of a debutante ball. However, because the only adults present will be the faculty members, it lacks the performance pressure of Royal Society events, meaning that students who have not yet received formal etiquette lessons will not have to endure the scrutiny of high-borne aristocrats. In that sense, it is a more casual debutante where students need not walk on eggshells."
"Oh…" Bloom said as she realized that all of the other girls must have known this ahead of time, since they had been prepared from the start.
"By any chance, do you not have a dress to wear, Bloom?" Desmond asked her.
"Well, not really…" Bloom admitted, "I didn't know there were going to be formal events at Alfea, so…"
"Even if you had known, you would not have had enough time to prepare, am I right?" The archduke asked. At this, Bloom nodded in reply. "Then please, allow me to help you."
"What do you mean?" Bloom asked.
"I would like to buy a dress for you to wear this evening." He answered, "The truth is, Bloom, I have known you for a very long time. Until a few days ago, it had been many years since I had seen you, but we originally met shortly after you were born. My mother was very close with your birth parents."
"Really?" Bloom asked in surprise, "What were they like?"
"Hm…" He began thoughtfully, "Your father was quite noble, but he could have a quick temper at times… By contrast, your mother was usually calm and level-headed… though when she did get angry, it was quite dangerous. The deep love they shared was famous among those in their circle. I can't tell you everything just now, but I can promise that they loved you very much."
"Then why did they give me up?" Bloom asked, but Desmond only shook his head.
"They did not give you up Bloom, but… well, you will learn the truth in time. Now then, shall we get going?"
"Yes." Bloom agreed.
At that, Desmond turned to the youngest of the fairies, "Rosella, do you have a dress for tonight?"
"Mm, not really…" Rosella replied. "Grand-maman's tastes are a little… eccentric…"
"Yes, I thought that might be the case." Desmond said with a bemused smile, "But not to worry. With the knowledge of Madame Eldora's personality in mind, I asked Madame DuFour to place an order for you. We can pick it up while we are shopping for Bloom's dress."
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"I've received many suggestions, but none as disgusting as yours. A horrible idea! Terrible! Despicable!" Griffin said to the Trix, "In other words… it's the best." She finished with a maniacal grin. "Well done, you three! Great start to the year!"
"Thanks Professor." Icy said with a satisfied smirk.
"Now please, don't disappoint me." Griffin said as she walked out from behind her desk and around the girls.
"We'll get to work right away, ma'am." Darcy assured.
"Trust us. You can be sure we won't fail." Icy said confidently, "Tonight, you'll sleep to the sound of crying fairies."
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Thanks to Midnaruan's teleportation magic, the group reached the main shopping district of Magix very quickly and entered the popular boutique that Desmond had had in mind.
"Feel free to try on anything, Bloom." The archduke said as he gestured around the store.
"There's so many…" Bloom gasped. It was like walking into a bridal shop during prom season.
"Is there anything that stands out to you?" Stella asked.
"I don't know… there's so many options that I don't know where to start…" Bloom admitted.
"It may also be that the fashions here are unfamiliar to you, Bloom." Desmond speculated, "Every realm has its own style, but Earth's fashion is not well known here. Even if it was, Earth has so many different cultures that it doesn't really have a particular element that is standard amongst its clothing. Why don't each of you pick out something you like and Bloom can try those on, so that she has a smaller selection?" He suggested, "Even if she doesn't like any of them, it can familiarize her with the clothing and help her figure out what kinds of things she likes."
"Good idea." Stella agreed before she and the other girls scattered to pick out dresses for Bloom. In the meantime, the red-headed fairy sat down near the changing rooms to wait with Rosella, Desmond, and Midnaruan.
"Here, Bloom. Try this one on." Flora said as she brought over a pink dress. Bloom took the dress and went into the dressing room. After another minute or so, she stepped out to find that the others had gathered to see how the dress looked. "Oh how lovely!" Flora exclaimed happily, but Tecna shook her head.
"Absolutely not." The techno fairy said.
"I have to agree with Tecna." Desmond remarked, "That is not a becoming color for you, Bloom. Not only that, but the neckline is far lower than is appropriate for a young lady. The ruffles around the neckline are more suited to an older woman… and by older, I mean someone from your adoptive mother's generation. It's quite odd, because the styling of the skirt is very appropriate for a teenager. It's as if the designer didn't have a specific age range in mind when designing it."
"Wow, I didn't expect you to know so much about fashion, Desmond." Stella said in surprise.
"I have no talent for design myself, but I'm interested in the way in which clothing is used to express the cultural differences between realms." He explained. "I lived for a little while on Earth, and while there, I did a bit of studying on the various clothing styles of that planet."
"You say all that, but you also studied the finer points of ladies' fashion in general for the sake of your sister, didn't you?" Maria said knowingly.
"I can't deny that." Desmond said with a shrug, "It's my duty to protect her as much as possible, not just physically, but emotionally as well. I should be knowledgeable in order to help her avoid embarrassment."
"All right, whose dress is next?" Bloom asked.
"Here, try this one." Musa answered, holding a yellow dress out to Bloom. The fire fairy turned and disappeared back into the dressing room. She stepped out a moment later and stood before the others as the attendant straightened the back of the dress.
"…I think it could work." Stella said after a moment, unaware as Flora rolled her eyes in response.
"Absolutely not." Rosella decisively, "Bloom, yellow does not suit you. Besides, that dress looks… very old-fashioned. A tea-length trumpet silhouette? It looks like a cocktail dress from the 1940s." The child sighed and turned on her heel. "Wait here." She said before walking off to scour the racks for herself. She had decided that, as the only one besides Bloom who was familiar with the current fashions of Southern California, it was up to her to find the older girl something presentable. After a few minutes, she returned with an attendant, who was carrying a blue gown on Rosella's behalf. "Here." Rosella said with certainty. "Blue is your best color, Bloom. It brings out the color of your eyes and complements your hair. Asymmetrical dresses like this one are currently in fashion on Earth as well, but I believe it is still modest enough to avoid being improper."
Bloom didn't say much as she took the dress from the attendant and went back into the dressing room. She stepped out a moment later, enabling the others to see what the gown looked like on an actual person. It was a blue dress with an asymmetrical bodice and a full skirt that reached to just above Bloom's ankles. The skirt rippled as it flowed with voluminous ruffles of chiffon that draped downward. Hanging from the top of the single strap was a single-shoulder chiffon cape.
"Well?" Bloom asked.
"Very nice!" Stella said in approval.
"It looks wonderful." Maria agreed wistfully.
"I am very impressed, Rosella." Desmond said to the younger of the two redheads, "You found a dress in a color that suits Bloom and incorporates elements of both current fashion trends on Earth as well as those of her birth planet."
"Speaking of which, how do you know so much about what was popular when and what the current trends in Gardenia are, Ro?" Bloom asked, "It's not like you go out shopping much."
"You are right, I do not." Rosella conceded. "I learned about historical fashion trends from a book and about current trends from reading fashion magazines at the library. I'm not all that interested in superficial things, but this kind of knowledge is of at least some importance for socializing. Especially for women. Men's fashion changes significantly more slowly." She couldn't really put into words why she felt she needed such knowledge, however.
"Here is the dress you ordered, sir." A clerk said to Desmond as she carried over a pink, asymmetrical dress that had flowers on the neckline and trailing down the skirt. The strap is made of a sheer chiffon and featured a cape in the same style as Bloom's dress. However, contrary to Bloom's ballgown silhouette, this dress has a flowing A-line shape with a hi-lo skirt. It was also significantly less frilly, with the emphasis placed on the floral decorations instead.
"Wow! It's so pretty!" Rosella gasped in amazement.
"By the way, how did you know that Rosella and Bloom would need dresses?" Flora asked.
"I'm an alumnus of Red Fountain, so I've been to this party before." Desmond said, "Given the short notice on which they came to Alfea, I figured that Bloom and Rosella would not have dresses prepared. However, Rosella is at an age where it is a bit difficult to discern what can be considered appropriate attire, so it was easier to order hers. That said, Madame DuFour is the one who designed it. Though I understand the elements of fashion, I haven't much skill for design. Men's clothing tends to be rather lacking in decoration, so I have no knowledge of how to apply ornamentation."
"Well it looks great!" Stella said in approval.
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Later that night, the Winx and Rosella entered the ballroom. Stella immediately dragged Bloom away to socialize, and Musa, Flora, and Tecna all followed them. Rosella, meanwhile, glanced around the ballroom nervously. Being so much younger than the other students, she couldn't help but feel shy. Maria apparently noticed this and took the younger girl by the hand, leading the way to where her older brothers, Tudore and Dusk, were standing. "Dusk! Tudore!" The Lunarian princess called. The two boys turned and nodded at their sister before Tudore turned his attention to the child beside her and smiled softly. "Good evening, Rosella."
Rosella seemed a bit surprised that he was paying her any mind, but she quickly remembered her manners. "Bonsoir, Tudore. Et tois, Dusk." She replied with the gentle dip of a curtsy.
"What do you think of the party?" Tudore asked.
"It seems… how you say…" She scrunched up her brow cutely as she searched for the right word. "'Casual' is not quite right… everyone looks much too nice for that…"
"Relaxed?" Maria offered.
"Ah, oui." Rosella said with a nod, "It feels a tiny bit romantic, but too much so. There is a friendly atmosphere overall. All in all, it seems quite nice, but… I do not know what I should do…"
"Would like you to dance then?" Tudore asked as he held his hand out to Rosella. The preteen turned bright red and nodded shyly before accepting his hand and allowing the Lunarian prince to lead her onto the dance floor. Bloom and the others noticed this and looked on in surprise.
"Isn't he a little old for her?" Bloom asked quietly as Maria quietly joined them.
"Rosebud does not remember this, but they are betrothed." The dark-haired princess said as she watched the pair. "Tudore does not have any romantic feelings for her at the moment, but he is too honorable to even think of looking at other girls. He is fine with waiting for her to grow up. That is why my family calls her 'Rosebud'. Right now, she is just a bud, but someday, she will be a rose in full bloom."
"Still… an arranged marriage?" Bloom worried.
"And between two people so far apart in age?" Tecna added quietly.
"It is a rather long story, but… Rosebud's mother was a talented matchmaker who could always tell when two people were made for each other. Our families have been close for a long time. Also, originally, the age gap between Rosella and Tudore was only three years. It became wider because of the time lag between Earth and everywhere else. However, those with magic age much more slowly after reaching full maturity, so when Rosella has grown up, you won't even be able to tell there is a gap at all." Maria explained.
"That makes sense." Stella said with a nod.
Unbeknownst to everyone else, though Rosella was truly delighted to be dancing with Tudore, she soon became distracted by the energy she sensed in another part of the school. It seemed that Icy, Darcy, and Stormy had broken in and were casting a spell on something. She could guess what.
"Is something wrong?" Tudore asked, noticing her distraction.
Rosella quickly returned her focus to her dance partner and smiled pleasantly. "No, all is well… What do you think of the decorations?"
"They look nice. Did you help?"
"Flora did most of the actual work, but I did assist her with the aesthetics." The redhead replied, "I also helped in choosing the tablecloths and tableware. I wanted the party to feel fancy without being too luxurious."
"Well, I'd say you did a good job." Tudore told her. The dance ended and he escorted Rosella to the refreshment table to get a drink.
"Here." He said as he held out the juice-filled flute.
"Thank you." Rosella said before looking at her friends and the members of Tudore's squad. "Why are the others just… standing around?"
"Maria is shy and Dusk is… well, let's just say there's someone he's longing for." Tudore replied.
"Flora is shy too and Tecna is very introverted, but I would expect Bloom, Stella, and Musa to be a bit more sociable…" Her gaze drifted towards the brunette of Tudore's squad and she shook her head. "Although maybe not as social as him." She lifted her glass to her lips and murmured, "It's unbecoming to flirt shamelessly…"
Tudore nodded, "I agree. Leaving him aside, however, I think Timmy is probably too nervous and Riven is… aloof. As for the last member of our squad, I think he has his eye on somebody."
As Tudore took a sip of his own juice, Rosella saw what he meant—Brandon was gazing at Bloom from a distance. He seemed to be search for the right moment to approach her.
The small fairy turned back to the refreshment table to peruse the desserts just as Timmy and Dusk returned to the ballroom while carrying a large chest between them. She glanced at the chest out of the corner of her eye—she could sense dark energy within it. So that was what the Trix had cast a spell on. "…What it once was, let it be again…" She said softly. Unnoticed by the other students, magic flew out from the fingertips of her hand and entered the chest. She finished her drink and placed the empty glass on the table. "Please excuse me. I need to go check on something." She told Tudore before moving past him to exit the ballroom.
ウィンクスクラブ
Several of the bamboo reeds around where the Trix were hiding froze and shattered as Icy struggled to contain her temper. "I don't believe this! The spell didn't work!"
"All right, let's go see." Stormy suggested.
"Never mind, Stormy." Icy said as she calmed down. "Sooner or later, the ring will be ours. I always get what I want."
ウィンクスクラブ
Rosella stepped out into the garden and looked around carefully when she heard a voice. "Rosella?" The young girl looked over her shoulder to see Bloom approaching her. Apparently, she had followed her out of the ballroom. "What are you doing—Wait, isn't that Stella's jewelry chest?!" Bloom exclaimed suddenly when she noticed an unexpected object floating past them. Another chest was accompanying it, but Bloom did not recognize this one.
Rosella sighed as she saw it. "Pourquoi moi…?" She muttered before dashing after the chest with Bloom following. Suddenly the two chests burst open and fell with a clatter as a single item from within each one continued to drift through the air.
Bloom stopped and knelt beside the fallen chests, "Goodness! This is very strange!" She gasped as she noticed the two items that were flying off on their own, which Rosella was already chasing. "Stella's ring! It's flying away!" Bloom said as she recognized the ring box.
"Yes! And the other is Maria's!" Rosella called.
"Hang on!" Icy said to Darcy and Stormy, "Someone's coming this way, and so are the rings!"
Rather than continuing to chase the rings, Rosella stretched out her hand and used her magic to grab hold of both, relying on her magic's nullification properties to overpower that of the three witches and safely bring the ring boxes into her grasp. Bloom gasped for breath as she caught up. "How did you do that?"
'Never mind that. We need to go back inside.' Rosella said telepathically. She could already sense the Trix's anger rising.
'Trouble?' Bloom guessed.
'Yes. Take these and run.' The child replied as she handed the ring boxes to the older fairy.
'Okay.' Bloom agreed before turning and running off with Rosella following.
The three witches hiding in the bamboo grove growled in irritation. "Unbelievable!" Icy exclaimed, "They're running away with the rings!" The three of them flew out from amongst the reeds and landed behind Rosella and Bloom. "Rosella, that nosy little missy! Why can't she mind her own business?" Icy fired a blast of magic at the two fairies. Rosella sensed it coming and shoved Bloom out of the way before jumping aside herself. Unfortunately, Icy anticipated this and used her magic to catch Rosella in a trio of energy rings.
"Aah!" Rosella cried as she struggled to get free. 'Why can't I nullify these…?'
'You must not, dear child.' The Phoenix's voice rang in Rosella's mind, 'You must avoid allowing the Trix to witness your full power for as long as possible.'
Bloom, meanwhile, had dropped both of the ring boxes when Rosella had pushed her aside. She grunted as she stood back up and gasped when she saw the witches and Rosella's situation. She took a few anxious steps back. "Uh-oh, this isn't good. Where are the others…?"
As it happened, Flora was actually watching what was happening from the window of the ballroom with a worried expression. "Oh, no! The witches have got Bloom and Rosella cornered!" She fretted before hurrying over to her dorm mates and Maria. "Bloom and Ro are in trouble!" She informed them.
"Young ladies." Faragonda interrupted, having not heard Flora, "It's time to offer our gifts. Come and join the others and Musa will play something for us."
"Uh…" Musa murmured. The others whimpered as they realized that they would ruin the party if the pointed out the situation outside.
"Let Rosella go!" Bloom demanded nervously.
"Don't worry." Icy told the teen fairy, "Those are just to make sure she won't interfere." The ice witch turned her sharp eyes on Bloom. Bloom gasped and backed away nervously.
Stormy stepped forward, crackling with energy. "Are you ready, little girl?" Bloom gasped nervously. Icy charged up her powers and then grunted as she unleashed a stream of cryogenic energy towards Bloom. Bloom gasped as the ice spiraled around, circling in on her before she dashed and jumped out from with the circle. Darcy slammed her foot down on the ground, her body glowing with illusion magic as a crack formed in the earth in front of her. The crack rapidly grew along a more-or-less straight line before forking off into a T-shape, one of the branches opening up directly in front of Bloom, who whimpered nervously. Stormy growled with effort as she sent a small tornado careening towards Bloom. The freshman braced herself against the gale and was forced to take several steps backward before she lost her balance and fell into the chasm that Darcy had created, just barely managing to grab the edge with her hand.
"Oh…" The newbie fairy whimpered as she looked up at the Trix.
Icy held up her hand and the ring boxes that Bloom had dropped floated into it. She stored them away somewhere and grinned wickedly at Stormy. "May I do the honors?"
"Of course." Stormy replied with a grin as she bowed slightly.
Bloom groaned quietly.
"You're on your own this time. Your friends are not around to help you." Icy told the teen as she crossed her arms and looked down at her, as if to say to Bloom that this was her own fault.
"No!" Rosella exclaimed as she struggled within Icy's energy rings. "Leave her alone, Icy!"
"Be quiet, Rosella." Icy said flatly before grunting as she gathered energy for a more powerful technique. "So long, little fairy!"
"No…!" Bloom cried in frustration. "I am a fairy. I must not fail." Her body began to glow with power, "I will succeed!" Suddenly the air surged with the energy of Bloom's fire magic, dispelling the illusionary chasm that Darcy had created and allowing Bloom to gain her footing, her first transformation having finally been achieved. The Trix were all a bit surprised by the level of energy that had surged forth from the girl. As it died down, Bloom looked at herself. "Wow! I've transformed!" She exclaimed before squaring up against the Trix, "Looks like we're evenly matched."
Rosella would have face-palmed if she could have, wondering in what world "three-against-one" was an even match.
Icy chuckled. "That's an awfully cute little fairy outfit." She sneered, "Too bad you'll need more than that to win against us."
"Well said, little sister." Stormy agreed.
"Vertigo!" Darcy exclaimed as she began using her powers of illusion to disrupt Bloom's sense of balance.
"Wh-what's going on?" Bloom asked in confusion as the world around her appeared to waver, "I'm all dizzy…" She placed her hands on her head in thought. "I must offset the witch's spell… But of course!" She began flapping her wings and rose into the air, "Fairies can fly, and up here, spells of illusion have no effect."
Darcy snarled in annoyance.
"Got a problem, Darcy?" Icy asked with an annoyed expression.
"Bloom is only half-right, but at least she managed to use her head…" Rosella murmured as Bloom glared down at the three witches.
"Nasty little fairy!" Icy exclaimed in annoyance as she summoned her powers. "Ice prism!" The silhouette of a snowflake overlapped with Icy's body as it began to snow. Bloom gasped as she barely managed to dodge the towering crystals of ice that shot up around her. However, she failed to notice the one that sprung up directly behind her until she heard Icy exclaim, "Frostbite!"
Bloom cried out in surprise as Icy's face appeared within the prism and struck her with a frosty blast of air, knocking her into the bamboo grove.
"Now let's put the icing on the cake." Icy said as she summoned her energy once more. "Iceberg!" She exclaimed while unleashing a large blast of energy that froze the thicket in its entirety. She cackled as she looked over her handiwork. Suddenly she snapped her fingers and Rosella yelped as Icy's bands of energy suddenly released her and she dropped to the ground with a thud.
"Ow…" Rosella murmured as she sat up. Icy bent down and patted the child's head. "We've got the rings, so we'll be leaving now. Take care of yourself, Ro." She added as she stood up before teleporting herself and the other two away with a snap of her fingers.
Rosella sighed and got to her feet before walking over to where Bloom was crawling out of the bushes with a groan, having managed to dodge Icy's last attack.
"I did it! Just in time!" Bloom exclaimed to herself as Rosella helped her to clean the stain off of her gown.
"Bloom!" Musa exclaimed.
"Rosella!" Maria called.
"Goodness, are you okay?!" Flora asked with worry.
"Yes, we're still in one piece, but where were you all?" Bloom asked.
"We couldn't get away from the headmistress…" Stella explained.
"Is everything all right?" Tecna asked.
"Well, I did manage to get away from them." Bloom answered.
"You know, you ran quite a risk." Tecna told her.
"She didn't exactly have a choice, Tecna." Rosella pointed out, "Once they decided to attack her, what was she supposed to do?" She sighed, "The blame for Bloom being in danger falls on me. I did not expect her to follow me out here."
"You were planning to face them alone?!" Musa exclaimed.
"I knew they would not harm me." Rosella said, "For the moment, at least, they are too afraid of my Oncle and their own headmistress for that." She turned toward Bloom with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Bloom. I wanted to help you, but I was told it was better not to use my defensive powers in front of others if I can help it." She waved her hand and dispelled all of the ice around them.
"How did you do that?" Flora asked.
"This much is fine." Rosella assured the nature fairy. "It is much easier to reverse the damage created by an attack spell than to block the spell itself."
"What about Stella and Maria's rings?" Bloom asked with concern.
"Don't worry about that." Rosella said with a smile as she reached into the small purse she was carrying and took out two ring boxes that were identical to Maria and Stella's. "I've studied Professor Palladium's lesson quite well." She held her hand over the two ring boxes, allowing it to glow for a moment before she held them out to their respective owners. "Here you go. It turns out that very basic spells like these are quite easy."
"I've been meaning to ask—" Tecna began, "I thought you came to Alfea because you couldn't control your powers, so how are you able to do things like this without batting an eye?"
"It's because of this." Rosella said as she pointed to the choker that she was wearing. "I couldn't control my powers because my energy is too big for my body to contain. That's also the reason I awakened them at an abnormally young age. This necklace was created for me to help contain them."
"Where did that even come from?" Bloom asked. "I've never seen it before."
"That's a secret." Rosella said as she put a finger to her lips with a smile.
A/N
So hope everyone enjoyed this long-awaited chapter, I can only hope chapter 4 won't take as long but cannot make any promises
Pinkrose064's Notes. Oh my gosh. I feel like this took forever! British Spelling is such a pain when you're not used to it! So yeah, basically ended up redoing this.