Ogron squinted at the bright light, shielding his eyes with an arm. It had been such a long time since he had seen the sun, and he could barely remember what the outside world looked like. It was a pity Duman wouldn't be able to share this—ah—reunion with his brother wizards. But the past was the past, and now it was time to move on.

And these three witches. He could not fathom what they were trying to accomplish by freeing him and the others, but nevertheless he would keep his guard up. One could never be too safe. But he was afraid that Anagan and Gantlos, the idiots, were beginning to trust the witches, who put on such convincing—but most definitely fake—smiles and told such sweet lies. Icy, the blue-haired one, had told them that they were looking for a place they could operate from, but that was most likely a trap. Ogron made a mental note to walk carefully from now on and observe his surroundings well, in case there were any traps nearby. The girls seemed to know this forested and swampy territory well.

"May I ask where we are going?" inquired Ogron. The blue one—Icy—looked at him.

"We're heading to a cave in the woods over there. It should still be there. I don't think anyone knows of it. Darcy," she called out to the brown-haired witch, "No one knew, did they?"

"No," said Darcy. "Least, I don't think so."

"Yes," said Icy, "So, you see, that's where we're going. When the girls and I were still students at Cloud Tower, the local school for witches, we found out about that cave one day when we were doing an assignment, and made a note of it just in case. And once we get there, we'll be able to do some more research on the Winx and find out there current whereabouts."

Another uncanny thing about the witches was that they seemed to know everything about the wizards. How they had found out so much about the wizards, Ogron couldn't figure out—although it was pleasing to imagine that he and the others had caused so much damage that everyone had heard of them. Briefly, Ogron allowed himself to pretend that the witches actually wanted to help them destroy the Winx. Those fairies needed to be taught a lesson.

Ogron almost walked into a tree. He had let his cursed imagination carry him away again. He hated Magix's pesky forests and their sweet little animals. One day—one day—

But no, he had to stay in the present. They had apparently arrived at the place. Icy was conjuring up some sort of spell using a magic slightly different from his—less strong. Or at least it had been until the Winx arrived.

Wait.

His magic…was less strong. Maybe now, after all the people began believing in fairies, his magic would be extremely weak!

"Anagan! Gantlos! Get over here!"

The witches exchanged glances. Ogron ignored it. Something much more important was at stake. He ducked through a cluster of trees where the witches wouldn't be able to see them.

"Try your magic. No!" he hissed when he saw Gantlos preparing to uproot a tree. "Something small."

"Why?" asked Anagan. "What's wrong?"

"Just do as I say!" Ogron exclaimed, impatient. He didn't want to try it himself. Better not to know than to experience the bitter truth.

"All right," muttered Gantlos. He, hand encased in a dark purple aura, reached down to a rock embedded deeply into the rotting forest floor. He should have been able to lift it without a thought. He should have. The birds in the trees seemed to hold their breath, and the forest seemed to be eerily silent. The world was still, and Ogron felt a shiver run through his spine, a coldness that slept in his bones. No. It couldn't be.

Gantlos couldn't lift it.

"…What…?" he muttered, and tried harder. He dug his fingers into the earth and pulled, the muscles on his arm straining their hardest. Gantlos grunted, grabbed it with the other hand, and planted his feet firmly on the ground. But the stone, which he once wouldn't even have given a thought, remained still.

"Try again!" gasped Ogron desperately. "Harder! You fool, you're not doing it right!" But it was to no avail. Ogron felt himself begin to spin, down, falling into a pit of darkness. He grabbed onto the trunk of a nearby tree to steady himself. And suddenly he felt a void within himself, a gaping hole where his magic should be. He was dizzy. No. He never would've thought that his magic—that his magic could be gone!

"Listen," he said, voice barely above a whisper, "We can't let the witches know. Not now, not ever. We can't let them be able to hold this over us."

"It's okay, Ogron," Anagan said quietly. "They don't know our powers, anyway, so we can just pretend." Gantlos sat down, staring at his hands that, for the first time, had failed him. Slowly, he rose, adjusted his hat, and began walking back. Anagan, glancing up, followed, and Ogron became the last one to go.

The witches had been conferring, and they looked up, startled. They were mocking him, Ogron thought bitterly. He stared enviously at the imaginary magic that coursed through their veins.

"Well," said Icy after a while, "it doesn't work. We can't get in."

"Then where will we go?" Ogron hissed. "I can't stand this place. It's damp, musty, dirty, and I hate it!"

The witches exchanged looks, but Ogron didn't care. He felt Anagan's hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down," he muttered. "Why don't we go to Magix?" he asked, raising his voice.

"Magix? Are you crazy?" Darcy asked. "We can't go to Magix! After everything you've done! Your faces are probably plastered onto Wanted posters everywhere!"

"But we could," said Anagan. "Maybe the Winx could forgive us. Maybe, if we tell them we've changed."

"But it's too suspicious!" chipped in Stormy. "After all, since we're working together and all…" Icy flinched.

"Well," she said, "Magix is definitely out of the question. But where else could we go?"

"Exactly," said Anagan. "And I'm not about to spend the rest of my life in a forest or a cave."

"Well, I suppose since us three have been forgiven and everything, it'll be okay," added Stormy in a small voice. Icy gave her a sharp look.

"Fine, then," said Icy. "We go to Magix. But this isn't going to end well."

So the doomed wizards and the subdued witches, all deprived of their reputations and power, hobbled through the forest to Magix.