- Edited -

As soon as Rhythma dropped into the Alfea courtyard and rushed through the shocked crowd that stopped to watch her, all she heard was whispers. And not ones in her head. Those had been silent for a while now.

"It's Rhythma!"

"Wasn't she at Cloudtower?"

"Something's wrong! She's injured!"

"She looks daunted."

Rhythma blocked out the comments about how she looked and gritted her teeth, pushing past the students to find Faragonda waiting with an urgent expression. Beside her was Grizelda. As soon as their eyes met Rhythma's, they gasped in shock.

They rushed forward to meet the injured girl, and Faragonda had a hand over her mouth.

"Rhythma!" She gasped. "Are you alright?"

The young fairy gave a shaky sigh. "Cloudtower is lost." She croaked, ignoring the question. Then she looked around at her fellow students. They all seemed to be frightened and tired. "What happened here?"

"We were attacked," Grizelda said stiffly. "By monsters." Under her breath, she added, "Decay Monsters."

Rhythma groaned. "It's the Trix." She told the two teachers softly. "They've got the Dragon Flame."

"We know." Faragonda dropped her head low and closed her eyes. "Bloom told us."

"Bloom?" Rhythma tilted her head to the side. "What does she have to do with this?"

Silence.

Rhythma shook her head. "Nevermind." She reversed herself quickly. "I need to go to the nurse." To prove her point, she clutched her injured arm, now bleeding from a cut and still throbbing from where she had landed wrong.

Faragonda nodded slightly and stepped aside to let her pass. "Once you are finished, meet me in my office."

Rhythma passed the headmistress and headed into the school, only just realizing how much pain she was in. Discorda appeared at her side with the other pixies and they walked together in silence.

She was very lucky to have such friends as the pixies.

Once Nurse Ofelia had wrapped Rhythma's arm in a cast - claiming that it was merely fractured and not completely broken - the young fairy made her way up to Faragonda's office to hear what her headmistress had to say. Concorda - being a psychic pixie - had told her that she knew what Faragonda wanted, but that was all, though Rhythma noted the look of concern in her friend's eyes. Due to exhaustion, Rhythma had ordered all four Pixies to remain in her room.

"Permission to enter, ma'am?" Rhythma asked once she reached the office doors. There was silence for a moment, and the fairy's blood ran cold.

"Granted." Was the reply. Rhythma sighed in relief. Nothing was wrong. Why was she so paranoid?

"Come in, Rhythma. We have much to discuss."

It was Saladin? What was he doing in Alfea?

The young fairy complied and entered the room, her eyes widening when she saw that three pixies were in the room. As soon as Rhythma entered the room, they all turned to face her.

Rhythma smiled when their little faces brightened and they rushed over to the fairy.

"Hi!" The first said joyfully. "My name is Zing, Pixie of Bugs!" She had short purple hair and goggles.

"And I am Jolly," the Pixie she had seen that day in Magix smiled brightly. "As I'm sure you remember me, Guardian."

Finally, the male pixie bowed his head. He had blue hair and wore raggedy overalls. "My name is Fixit, Pixie of Technomagic!"

"Rhythma, Fairy of Pixies," the young fairy introduced herself before turning to Faragonda, Saladin and - surprisingly - Codatorta. "What is it?"

"She's completely insane," Jolly declared for Faragonda. "There is no way you'll agree to this. No way no how!"

The other pixies began to murmur angrily amongst themselves.

The headmistress stood up, a sad look in her eyes.
"I have a mission for you, Rhythma." She said. "But I fear you will be putting yourself in danger." There was a terrified note in her tone - one that made Rhythma wince slightly.

Rhythma tilted her head to the side, waving her hand to silence the chattering pixies. "It involves the Trix, yes?" She tried to keep the fearful note out of her voice, and nearly succeeded.

"It does." Faragonda nodded. "I am asking you a very big favor, and I understand if you don't want to do this, but the fate of Magix may very well be determined before the sun sets." Her eyes lowered suddenly, and a tired sigh escaped her lips.

The fairy waited patiently for her headmistress to go on.

"The professors, the pixies, and I have been discussing it," Faragonda continued. "And we think it would be fine if Zing went with you."

"What exactly will I be doing?" Rhythma asked. Her headmistress looked Rhythma dead in the eyes. And the words she said next made they young fairy's heart leap to her throat.

"I need you to get yourself into Cloudtower."

Rhythma sucked in a breath, suddenly very nervous. "You know that I can't do that without the Trix noticing." She said slowly, glancing at Zing, Jolly and Fixit, who all looked away guiltily.

"I am aware of that," Faragonda would not meet her eyes. "Which is why I'm not asking you to go unnoticed."

"You want me to get myself recaptured." Rhythma said after a moment and met her headmistress's gaze evenly.

Faragonda sighed. "I understand if you don't want to go." She said quickly. "They did some horrible things to you."

"That's not what I'm worried about. I am perfectly capable of surviving a few beatings." Rhythma said, surprisingly sharp despite her fear. "What I fear is what they'll do to me once I'm there. The last time they touched me, I ended up pretty much dead. Who's to say they won't do it again? And succeed this time? Nobody will be able to save me then."

Faragonda bowed her head. "I understand, Rhythma. Truly, I do. But Magix needs you."

Rhythma looked down, her eyes closed. She knew that the Trix would probably try to kill her again, unless she begged for mercy. Or gave them something in exchange for her life . . .

. . . but nothing was worth her life to them. Unless . . .

. . . information, perhaps.

She looked to Faragonda. "If I do this, I'll have to exchange them information about Alfea." The thought made her shudder - willingly give up what she knew to save her own skin sounded like a cowardly move. But what other choice was there? Faragonda was clearly sending her to spy, and one could not spy while she was dead.

"Do whatever you have to," Faragonda told her firmly. "Just keep yourself alive. That is the only thing I ask. Stay alive, and that would be enough."

"And this pixie is accompanying me?" Rhythma pointed to Zing, just to make sure.

Faragonda nodded. "She is. Zing will go with you to Cloudtower. She's not afraid of death like the others are." There was a glance at Fixit and Jolly, who both looked down in shame.

Rhythma lowered her gaze again, trying to hide the tears forming in her eyes. Was this really the only way to save Magix? "When do I leave? And what will you tell my friends?"

"You leave as soon as possible." Faragonda answered. "And I shall tell your friends that you were snatched while taking a walk in the woods."

Rhythma winced, imagining if Faragonda told her that Humora had been taken like that. Her heart broke at the thought.

"Saladin." Jolly implored suddenly, interrupting the young fairy's train of thought. "Surely you cannot agree with this? Surely you see the dangers. For one, your nephew cares deeply about her. What if she doesn't return? And then, I have glimpsed the outcome of this day in a card. If Rhythma stands alone against the Trix, I fear it will end in darkness." She paused.

Codatorta laughed brashly. "All days end in darkness." When he received glares from the pixies, however, he went silent.

"I agree with the mission." Saladin said, with a hint of regret as he glanced at Rhythma. "But I disapprove of you going as you began. You could very well lose your life today." He sighed. "I know you sincerely mean to protect Magix. Just as I suspect Icy, Darcy and Stormy do not. I will watch the mission closely. Should they cause you to fall, it will not be in vain. I will make sure of it."

"Will it take her death to convince you?" Zing demanded, flying to eye level with the Headmaster of Redfountain. Rhythma could feet her impatience finally coming untethered. The pixie had already given up hope. To be honest, Rhythma nearly had too.

Fixit surveyed Rhythma, Jolly and Zing, his amber eyes bright with anger. "You don't have to do this. You should let those foolish witches inherit the world they deserve. It would be our last gift to them." He stopped his gaze on Rhythma again. "They wanted to destroy Magix, but also rule it. We should fight, and accept our deaths like true soldiers. By then, Magix will be destroyed and nothing will be left to rule. THAT is what they deserve. We should give it to them."

"Almost tempting." Rhythma said, thinking about the destruction of Alfea if they let the Trix win.

"We can only control ourselves." Jolly murmured. "We nudge others toward wisdom as best as we can, but their decisions are theirs to make. It's often disappointing to try to influence others."

"That's the game the Trix are playing." Zing said, looking around at her fellow pixies. "Asserting control over others. Over everything, perhaps."

"Shall we disappoint them?" Jolly asked. She crossed her arms and a rare smile appeared on her face. The young fairy found herself copying it.

Rhythma raised her head high. Her heterogeneous eyes gazed at something that she knew the rest of them couldn't see: the future. Rhythma remembered Jolly's warning: This day would end in darkness. Would it really end once the sun set beyond the horizon? Would the Trix win? "I'll go alone if I must. While I live, Magix has a protector."

"Not alone." Zing said, stretching her wings. "I will not abandon the fairies trying to stand against this evil." She smiled determinedly at Rhythma. "I won't abandon you to face the torture alone. We couldn't protect you before, but I will protect you from now until you die."

"As will I. But I am unable to assist you tonight." Fixit said. His amber eyes were heavy for once, with some inner burden. "I wish others might have been of more use today."

"The two of you, then." Jolly said, turning to face Rhythma and Zing. "You have lost enough time."

The fairy took a deep breath, her thoughts clouding over as she ran through the plan in her head. "I'll do it."

"Thank you, Rhythma." Faragonda allowed herself a small smile. "The Magic Dimension will be forever grateful for your sacrifice."

After saying her quick goodbyes to the heads of school, Rhythma had taken Zing out into the woods to head for Cloudtower. Though she was sure a monster would take her before she reached the school, Zing insisted she prepare for a long hike.

Rhythma honestly didn't know what to prepare for. She was stepping cautiously, afraid of alerting any monsters that might be in the area, however, she was supposed to be alerting them.

"Rhythma?" Zing's voice came to her ears as the young fairy leaned against a tree, breathing heavily despite having rested a while back. "What's the matter?"

Instead of answering, Rhythma just shook her head and kept walking. She knew she was just nervous, but for some reason, this nervousness was turning her own mind against her.

"Rhythma!" Zing suddenly screamed. "Watch out!"

The warning came too late, as something flew through the air and struck the young fairy across the face, knocking her to the ground. Zing let out another scream, but ended up on the ground beside her fairy.

Rhythma was grabbed by the back of her neck as a decay monster lifted her high into the air. She held Zing close to her chest as the monster slammed her once, twice, THREE times into a nearby tree. The last thing the fairy thought about before her vision went black, was that she wasn't sure if the monster would kill her or let the Trix do it.

Oh well, she thought as the creature dropped her. I lived a good life. If not long, it was somewhat good. I hope Zing survives . . .

Then her mind shut off and Rhythma was plunged into an abyss of never-ending nothingness.

A/N: Finally got this chapter done. How was it? Opinions? Who caught the Hamilton reference?

Question: What would your pixie pet be? (The stuffed animals Flora brought to life in season four.)

Mine would be a mouse. His name would be Disco.

Please vote and comment. Hope you all enjoyed!