I thought I was done with any short chapters and then I come across this little darling. I would never wish to have to write an assignment longer than this, but it's a lot shorter than the chapters before it and the ones that follow it.

Oh, and if you keep your eyes open you'll spot some spoilers for season 3.

Chapter Twenty-Three – Darkness and Light

"Layla, you and Flora go with the pixies to Pixie Village so they can get this tea for the Flower of Life," Bloom instructed when they got back to Alfea. "Tecna, Musa, Stella and I will stay back here and brief Ms. Faragonda on what happened in the Resort Realm and find out what's going on with Lord Darkar."

"Brandon and I can take you to Pixie Village in our squad ship if you want," Sky offered. "The rest of the guys can get back to Red Fountain on their levi bikes."

"Yeah, that'd be great, but with so many pixies and god-knows-what happening in Shadow Haunt, we might need a little more help. Helia, would you be able come with us?" Layla asked in a not so subtle way to getting the former art student to spend more time with Flora.

"Sure," Helia agreed without a fight.

"You guys can brief Saladin without us, can't you?" Sky asked Timmy and Riven.

"Yes, Sky. We're not children," Riven spat.

"Then why don't you act like it?" Layla shot back.

"Guys, don't start," Musa ordered, silencing the two of them.

"Fine. Let's just get our levi bikes," Riven said to Timmy who nodded. "They're still in the hanger, right?"

"Yeah, but I think they're behind my Red Wing," Helia informed them, referring to the single seater fighter jet that he had used to get to the Resort Realm. A few minutes later, Helia had moved his Red Wing out of the hanger and Timmy and Riven had gotten their hands on their levi bikes. Layla, Flora, Brandon, Sky and all the pixies piled into the squad ship while Helia was going to travel in the Red Wing rather than trying to get it back in the hanger again.

"Bye!" Stella waved as the ship flew off. "They're just going out to get some tea off a flower. What are the chances of something going wrong?"

"With our luck?" Musa questioned.

"Girls," a commanding voice addressed them, and everyone turned to find Griselda waiting for them at the top of the school steps. "Ms. Faragonda is waiting for you in her office."

"Coming Griselda," Bloom said as she and Stella moved off inside the school. Tecna stayed behind to give a quick good-bye to Timmy as did Musa, but in her case, she wasn't interested in Timmy.

"So, you coming to prom?" Musa asked casually.

"Red Fountain always goes to prom," Riven reminded her. "I'm sure it's not much of a party without a couple members of the opposite sex present."

"You gonna save me a dance?"

"I don't dance."

"You scared?"

"No."

"Then I'll be expecting a dance," Musa said, edging towards the stairs. "I gotta go."

"Yeah . . . wait," Riven impulsively stopped her, and suddenly he felt nervous and uncomfortable when he realised he wasn't sure what he was going to say after that. But she turned around and looked at him with her navy eyes, causing him to panic and say the first thing that popped into his head. "I like you too sorta."

Sorta is an interesting word. In most sentences, sorta means absolutely nothing, but in some sentences, sorta becomes everything. Sentences such as 'you're going to live' or 'it's a boy' can be completely changed with the inclusion of sorta at the end of them. And unfortunately for Riven, 'I like you' is another one of those sentences.

"You're a jerk," Musa snapped, storming off inside the school towards Faragonda's office and Tecna followed after him.

"Shut up," Riven snapped at Timmy before he had a chance to open his mouth.

"You're incredible, you know?" Timmy said, completely ignoring Riven's order.

"Shut up."

"I mean, even when you tell a girl who has been crushing on you since . . . well, forever, that you like her, you still manage to piss her off."

"I said; shut up!"

"Okay. Let's go."

"It's right down there," Digit pointed and Sky started lowering the ship down. It was hard to think that Lord Darkar had spent all year searching for Pixie Village, and here it as, tucked away in a secluded part of the forest. As soon as they were on the ground, the teenagers made their way into Pixie Village. Brandon carried Digit and Tune and Helia had Amore and Lockette while Flora and Layla carried their own bonded pixies. And all of those pixies were sneezing their heads off.

"Hi!" Libby, the Pixie of Messages, greeted and the reply was Chatta sneezing. "What's the matter? Is it allergies?"

"It's a flu," Digit told her.

"We dropped the others back at Alfea and then had to come here right away. Their immune system must have weakened because they haven't been back to the Flower of Life in so long," Layla said.

"Are you really mad at me?" Libby asked nervously. "I'm sorry about Icy."

"It's okay, Libby," Flora assured her, scooping her up in her hand. "We know you tried to save the Codex."

"I don't mean to be rude but we really need some tea," Tune interrupted.

"My throat's sore," Digit croaked.

"I'm cold," Lockette shivered.

"I'm hot," Amore groaned.

"I'm achy. Let's get some Flower of Life tea before this flu totally wipes us out," Chatta said.

"We should take some of that tea with us," Helia suggested. "It would be good to have in case you fly into another cloud of spores."

"We can't take the tea with us. We have to drink it here," Lockette told him firmly. "Come on Libby. Let's show them how it works."

But Libby had that anxious look she had when she asked them if they were mad at her for not stopping Icy from stealing the final piece of the Codex. "The Flower is sick."

"What?" all the pixies exclaimed in unison.

"Icy attacked it," Libby explained. "It hasn't been the same since."

"Let me see it," Flora instructed.

The Flower of Life was like no flower any of them had ever seen. If they hadn't known better, they would have thought it was a monument of some kind. There was a mote and several elegant arches made out of the Flowers leaves. But as striking as it looked, there certainly something wrong with it.

"Now, I'm no expert on flowers, but that one does not look well," Brandon said.

"Poor flower," Flora crooned, touching the Flower of Life to get a good sense of what was happening inside the plant. "I can sense its pain."

"Flora, we've tried everything," Libby told her. "Nothing works. It keeps getting worse."

"If the Flower of Life doesn't get better, neither will we," Chatta pointed out.

"No pressure," Brandon said to no one in particular.

Sky glared at his squire for a second before shifting his attention back to Flora. "Can you fix it, Flora? I mean, this is your field, no pun intended."

"I'll try," Flora promised, sinking to the ground with her legs tucked up underneath her. She delicately put her hands on either side of the Flower to get a reading and everyone feel silent to let her work. However, after twenty minutes without her so much as opening her eyes, people and pixies started to get a bit anxious. Their concerns didn't lessen when Flora suddenly dropped her hands and slumped ten minutes later.

"What is it?" Sky asked her.

"I dunno," Flora confessed, looking somewhat defeated and frustrated. "I've never dealt with a plant this complex before. I . . . I can't connect with it. It's on a level beyond my skill."

"Just focus, Flora," Helia said. "We know you can do this."

Flora bit her lower lips nervously, but she hesitantly put her hands on either side of the plant again. And she did not look confident.

"It's been over an hour and I don't see what good any of us are doing here," Layla whispered so as not to disturb Flora's concentration. The Princess of Tides was in conference the boys while Flora work and they were trying to figure out what their next move should be. "I just got word from Bloom, and apparently Griselda wants to go through a last minute training session. Should I go back?"

"Yes," Sky nodded. "Like you said, you're not doing any good here. May as well try and help prepare for Lord Darkar. Flora's the only one who can help the pixies now."

"I can get you back to Alfea in the squad ship, or you can sit on my lap in Helia's Red Wing," Brandon told Layla with a charming smile.

"Tempting, but I think I'll go by fairy wings," Layla smiled back.

"Your loss, but we should be done here before you get back."

But they weren't done by the time Layla managed to fit in a bit of training and returned to Pixie Village. Flora had tried several times to heal the Flower with her magic, but all efforts ended in failure. Eventually, Ms. Faragonda had to be called in via magical messaging to discuss her options with Ninfea, the Queen of the Pixies. The Queen had been very patient, but the future of her village and all who lived in it was in danger, so she was starting to get a bit panicked.

"Is there nothing we can do?" Faragonda asked after Flora and Ninfea had finished explaining what had happened so far.

"I am trying but my magic's not strong enough and Flora's hesitant to help," Ninfea said as Flora sat down next to her. Ms. Faragonda looked confused by this news.

"You should be able to take care of this Flora. What's the matter? Come in," Ms. Faragonda said, obviously talking to someone who had just knocked on her office door.

"Ms. Faragonda, my powers are not that strong," Flora told her headmistress, looking both ashamed and defeated. "I mean, I haven't even gotten my charmix yet."

"You're the Fairy of Nature. You can do this."

"But if I make a mistake, Pixie Village could disappear forever."

"Then don't make a mistake, Flora. Now I want you to go ahead and save that flower," Ms. Faragonda ordered before closing the magical link. Flora sighed heavily and looked absolutely miserable.

"Come on, let's get these pixies into the shade," Layla suggested. "The last thing they need is pixie heat stroke."

"Ms. Faragonda wasn't very nice," Tune said once everyone had gotten comfortable in the shade while Flora continued to try and connect with the Flower of Life so she could heal it. "Flora's trying her best and . . . and . . . ah-choo!"

"Ms. Faragonda knows that, but we don't have time to mess around here. You guys are sick and Lord Darkar has all the pieces of the Codex," Layla reminded them. "We've just got too much to deal with at the moment."

"Maybe Flora needs a cheer to get her . . . get her . . . ah-choo!" Chatta sneezed.

"Just take it easy guys. We don't want to guys exhausting yourselves."

"I know! How about I tell your fortunes?" Jolly, the Pixie of Fortunes asked, pulling out her tarot cards. After she had predicted that there was a tall, dark handsome man in Layla's future and warned Sky to keep clear of fancy drinks, Jolly went on to predict Amore's love life. "I'm sorry Amore, but I just don't see love in your future."

"Jolly, how can you say that to her?" Libby scolded when Amore burst into tears.

"Amore," Jolly comforted, turning her cards into a handkerchief. "The cards aren't always right."

"Yeah. No offence Jolly, but I don't see how a drink could seriously affect my future," Sky said.

"Well, I didn't think that Flora could get stumped by a flower, but there you go," Brandon shrugged.

Meanwhile, the Queen Pixie was doing her best to boost Flora's confidence. "You can do it Flora."

With a focused expression, Flora put her hands on either side of the Flower of Life and summoned her magic. A soft, golden light started to glow between her hands, but just as it started gaining power, her magic faulted and she slumped back. Subtly, Flora looked back over her shoulder at Helia who standing in the shade behind her, and he could see the defeat in her eyes.

"That was no good," Flora said aloud to herself. "I have to think and figure out the best way to do this."

"Don't think," Helia advised, walking over to her and placing his hands gently on her shoulders. He felt her tense beneath his touch but a second later she relaxed into it. "Use your heart, Flora. Your heart has a lot of power. I know it does."

Helia couldn't see her face, but he felt her straighten her shoulders in a determined pose and when she spoke, her voice was filled with a confidence that had been lacking ever since she had been assigned the job to heal the Flower of Life and protect the future of Pixie Village.

"Alright, here it goes," Flora said, and in a flash of white and pink light, she transformed into her winx mode. "I'll give it everything I have!"

Filled with determination and confidence, Flora once again placed her hands on either side of the Flower of Life and started to conjure up a healing spell. Layla, Sky and Brandon all got to their feet as intense power started to grow within the Flower, causing its drooping leaves to pick themselves up and colour started returning to the plant.

"It's working!" Digit cheered.

"That is amazing," Sky said as he watched the Flower return to normal. It really was an incredible looking plant, and when it started spits out its healing leaves, everyone broke out into loud cheers and applause.

"You did it, Flora!" Helia grinned widely. He had the strong impulse to snatch her up into his arms and hug her senseless, but then the pixies started sneezing, reminding everyone of just how sick they were and the reason they had come to Pixie Village in this first place.

"Come on. Let's collect some of those leaves," Flora said, practically glowing in pride. "I'll make you girls a nice pot of tea."

It didn't take long for Flora and Layla to make the herbal healing tea and serve it out to all the pixies, and it took even shorter for the tea of take effect. From the very first sip, the pixies eyes and noses started to dry up, and the colour started returning into their faces.

"Mmm. I feel better than ever," Lockette grinned as she continued to sip down some more tea.

"Whoa, headache's gone!" Chatta cheered.

Digit was still waiting on her cup of tea, but just as she was about to let lose another sneeze, Layla passed her a cup. She quickly took a big gulp of the tea and then checked her data and grinned. "Hey look! One hundred percent better!"

Layla loved spending time with pixies who had been her friends for years. Glim, the cubby little pixie that looked like a bumble bee, was bouncing around her, hoping for her own cup of tea. "You can have some."

"Would you like to try some tea?" Flora asked the boys as everyone laughed at Glim's delight at getting some tea.

"Honestly I'm kinda scared of that tea," Brandon confessed, making everyone else laugh again.

"Oh look!" Lockette suddenly squealed, pointing at the Flower of Life. Everyone followed her pointed finger and saw that the Flower was starting to glow. The teenagers watched in absolute confusion for a moment, but that confusion turned to shock when a pixie popped out of the top of the Flower, proving that the Flower of Life was not just an elegant sounding name.

"I guess the Flower of Life is all better," Libby grinned.

"That explains the mystery of how pixies are . . . um . . ." Brandon trailed off, not really sure if he wanted to discuss just how pixie reproduce without the existence of any male pixies.

The Queen Pixie, however, knew what he was getting at. "That's right. This is how pixies and pixie pets are born."

Brandon tried not to look weirded out when another pixie was born. "Fascinating."

"I guess we should head back," Sky suggested. They had nothing to do once they got back to their respective schools other than wait for Lord Darkar to make a move, but they couldn't spent the day hanging out in Pixie Village when they could be needed somewhere else.

Brandon sighed. He was enjoying hanging out in the forest, even if there was a flower going to labour just a few feet away. But he had his duty and he couldn't ignore it. "Let's go."

Sky nodded and he and Brandon headed off towards their ship. Helia hesitated for a moment and stole a glance at Flora while her back was to him so he was forced to head towards his Red Wing without so much as a good-bye.

Layla saw this and took steps to change it. "Hey Flora! Come say good-bye to the boys!"

Flora hesitated. She was still not sure how to confront Helia about her feelings for him, but as she watched him walk away, she realised that no matter how afraid telling him the truth made her, it was nothing compared to how awful she felt not telling him. Moving perhaps on their own accord, her legs started running towards the clearing that the Red Fountain ships were in.

"Helia!" Flora called, but her hesitation earlier cost her the chance of seeing him before his ship started to take off. "Helia!" she shouted again, but with the roar if the engines, it was impossible for him to hear her. But despite all impossibilities, Flora tried one last time. "Helia!!"

By some unfeasible chance, Helia managed to hear her and quickly steered his ship into a landing. Before Flora had time to construct a sentence to express her feelings for him, she found herself face to face with her crush.

"I wanted to tell you . . ." Flora started, but under Helia's cool, cobalt eyes she froze up and started to stutter. "Sorry . . . I don't know how I'm supposed to do this."

"Well Flora, what is it that your trying to do?" Helia asked, trying to be as compassionate as possible in order to try and relax her. Unbeknown to him, but his consideration actually made Flora more tongue-tied.

"I've never said this to anyone before so . . . um . . ."

"Helia!" Sky's voice barked out of the squad ships loud speaker. "Please report to your ship."

Helia had the sudden desire to hit Sky over the head, but he realised that there were more pressing matters awaiting them – such as the impending doom on behalf of Lord Darkar – so he decided to forgive him this once. "They're in a hurry."

"Oh, well . . . er . . . in that case then . . . we can talk some other time," Flora smiled apologetically.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later then," Helia smiled back, trying not to look too disappointed.

Helia had almost made his way back to his ship before Flora finally worked up the courage to blurt out what she had been dying to say for months now. "Helia! I really like you!"

Helia wouldn't have been able to stop the smile spreading across his face even if he wanted to. Turning, Helia beamed back at her with all the adoring admiration that his eyes and his reserved nature would allow. "I like you too," he admitted, and since he knew he needed to get back to Red Fountain, he settled on simply blowing her a kiss before returning to his ship.

"Sorry to have to rush you like that," Sky apologised over the radio as soon both the ships were in the air.

"You should know that I officially hate you," Helia told him evenly.

Brandon laughed. "Having one of us ruin your chances to spend some time with a girl? Welcome to the brotherhood."

"I'm honoured," Helia mumbled sarcastically, but underneath it all, he was.

Dragons on their own were incredible creatures, but there was something about them when they were still just foals that could only be described as magical. At just three days old, Amethyst was the size of a fully grown great dane and had the playful attitude of a puppy. Her scales gleamed pure white while her wings were an attractive shade of purple, the perfect combination of the colours of her mother and father. Her legs were long as it was with all foals and her long tail flicked back and forth with enough strength to break human bones on impact. She was a fine specimen and Shannon was already predicting a very successful breeding program to come out of her.

"Apparently they've already got a yearling from Popularis that they want to introduce to her as soon as she's of mature age," Helia said. He, Sky, Brandon and Riven were all hanging off the side of the stall, watching Rouge show off her foal and commenting loudly of what an attractive young dragon Amethyst was, much to Rouge's delight.

"She just hatched three days ago and they're already trying to set her up?" Riven asked.

"Do you realise how much easier my life would have been if someone had just arranged to set me up with Stella when I was born?" Brandon speculated. "I mean, I would have saved so much time in freshmen year instead of dating all those other fairies."

"At the time, you liked dating all those other fairies," Sky reminded his squire.

"And besides, what if they got it wrong?" Helia hypothesised.

"Yeah, you could have ended up with Victoria," Riven pointed out, making the squire shutter.

"Okay, maybe it's not just a great idea after all," Brandon agreed. Any chances of them discussing the pros and cons of signing Brandon up into a breeding program was cut off when Timmy – who had stayed behind to go through some last minute data regarding the Trix's attack at the Resort Realm – came sprinting into the stable and skidded to a stop in front of the rest of his squad.

"Sky," Timmy panted. He may have been breathless, but Sky didn't need words to know that something was wrong. Timmy wasn't like the other guys who could keep their emotions and expression well schooled. To Sky, Timmy's green eyes were like an open book. "I just got a call from Tecna and . . ."

"What is it?" Sky asked, a wave of dread building up inside of him.

"It's Bloom," Timmy breathed. "She's missing."

Dun-dun-dun. TBC