Okay. So maybe this wasn't going to be quite as easy as I'd made it out to be in my mind.

In the two and a half years since I'd been to Sparx with the others, I'd forgotten just how cold it was here. It wasn't quite as bad as the Omega Dimension – where the very icy air you breathed seemed to suck the warmth and life right out of you – but instead was its own particular brand of disheartening. Omega literally drained your magic energy if you weren't careful; Sparx just crippled my spirit, every time I realized what a crazy thing it was that I had done.

Yet no matter how bad it got, I couldn't give up. I had been at this for almost two months now, and had actually made some – albeit extremely minute – progress. The long days spent in Enchantix form channeling all my energy into bigger and bigger fire attacks were taking their toll on me; sometimes I'd curl up in my tent and sleep for days on end, just to recharge. But I wouldn't let myself abandon hope that one day, I actually would finish this Herculean task I'd set myself.

Certainly, this would've been a hell of a lot easier with some help. But some insane part of me that felt like I had something to prove refused to let me ask for any. I hadn't even told any of the girls where I was going when we'd all left Alfea the morning after graduation; they probably assumed I was in Gardenia, or possibly Eraklyon with Sky (who I hadn't even spoken to since I'd left him in the hallway the night of the graduation dance). And as my cell phone was currently lying in a snowbank somewhere, there was no chance of any of them finding out where I'd gone that way.

When I stopped to really think about it, it was sort of scary. I had completely cut any ties I had in the magical dimension. No one knew where I was. I could die on Sparx, cold and alone, and no one would ever know.

Sometimes, that thought was depressing enough to make me want to give up this vain quest to prove myself, go home, and act like the last few months had just been some crazy dream. But other times, it was strangely exhilarating. Sparx was my natural home, and here I was, making it hospitable again. And unlike all my other accomplishments, no one could ever argue that I hadn't done it myself. This was something that would be attributed entirely to me. Thinking about that was enough to get me out of my tent most days when I started to feel like quitting.

Still, I thought one particularly frigid morning, it wouldn't be so bad to have some human company. Two months with only my own thoughts for companionship was not exactly pleasant, especially with the promise of nothing but more of the same for God only knows how long.

Just remember what you're going to get when you finally finish this, I told myself, aiming another blast of fire at a glacier. Your parents, and a kingdom – everything you always dreamed of. A little hard work and loneliness is a small price to pay for all that.

My Dragon Fire had proved itself capable of melting the sheets of ice that blanketed Sparx, but all that revealed was a desolate, rocky gray landscape that wasn't much more habitable than the endless snow. To make the planet truly livable, I'd have to go back and use nature magic to coax plants to grow again. But first came the seemingly never-ending task of melting the ice, which was made even harder by the dark magic in it. Because of that, I found myself having to use fairy dust quite a lot, which just depleted my energy supply that much faster. It also had the lovely little side benefit of making me weak, disoriented, and dizzy; once, I passed out in a snowbank and might've died of hypothermia in my skimpy Enchantix dress if it weren't for the Dragon Fire's protection.

Today, I was up in one of the mountain ranges, trying to unfreeze a peak that supposedly contained Sparx's hidden library. If that were true, it would be an enormous victory for me – I could set up in there, sheltered from the elements by thick stone rather than the flimsy prop-up tent I currently called home base. Unfortunately, it seemed to be buried under a six-feet-thick wall of solid ice.

A fiercely cold wind whipped my hair in front of my face, and I shivered. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a dark figure climbing the mountain; it looked strangely like a person. But then I blinked, and through the bitter wind and snow the figure disappeared.

Gritting my teeth, I focused all of my energy on the mountain. The cold soon disappeared as my body flared bright and hot with the power of the Dragon Fire, spreading out so it encompassed a good portion of the area around me. Reaching down to pluck my fairy dust pendant off my neck, I shook it vigorously, adding that to the mix.

I believe that I can do this, I chanted in my head over and over again, as the fairy dust gave it extra strength. Slowly, I saw some of the ice start to melt, and for a second, I lost concentration to smile.

And that's when it all came crashing down – literally.

I awoke with no idea where I was.

The walls were tall gray stone, with plush red carpeting underneath me. Shelves and shelves of books lined every turn, and candles burned in holders on the walls, providing illumination. But most peculiar of all was the heat. I had never been able to sustain a fire that would last this long on Sparx, no matter how hard I tried.

Carefully, I pulled myself off the ground and took tiny, tiptoe steps in the direction of the source of heat, hoping that I'd find some answers there. Eventually, the shelves of books opened out onto a little alcove with a tall stone fireplace and a couple of cozy armchairs. The fire I'd felt crackled and burned happily, and there was an arm draped over the side of one of the chairs.

Instantly, I was on high alert. I hadn't seen another person the entire time I was here (although I suppose it was certainly possible there was someone else living here, though highly unlikely). Taking care to make as little noise as possible, I summoned a ball of fire to my fingertips, ready to strike at any second.

"You're going to kill yourself if you keep going on like this," a gratingly familiar voice drawled. My eyes widened as the person in the chair turned around.

"Baltor." I tried to keep my voice steady, as my hands lit up with fireballs. "I'd say I'm surprised to see you alive, but we both know that's a lie."

He smirked. "Touché."

"What do you want?"

"Now, Bloom, is that any way to thank someone who just saved your life?" His grin grew wider as I stared at him in disbelief.

"You… what? Why?"

"The better question, my dear, is what are you doing here?" He leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other and pressing his fingertips together. "Shouldn't you be picking out your wedding dress and brushing up on Eraklyon royal law?"

My jaw set irritably. "Not that it's any of your business, but Sky and I broke up at graduation." His eyes flickered briefly in surprise, before returning to their usual mask of cool detachedness. "Your turn. How did you survive under the lakebed? Why didn't you come back? And what in the realms are you doing here now?"

Baltor shrugged. "Got bored of Magix. Decided to get out with my freedom while I still had it. As for why I'm here… I felt the Dragon Fire stirring when you started defrosting this place. Good thing I showed up when I did, or else you wouldn't be here right now."

I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. "I would have been fine in the snow when I woke up," I insisted feebly.

"Maybe this time, but what about next time? You've been lucky for several years, Bloom, and that's made you reckless. You don't think things through, and then your stubborn pride refuses to let you see when it's a lost cause and give up before you get hurt." There was something in his voice – concern, perhaps? – that seemed out of place with anything else he'd ever said to me.

"Why do you care, Baltor?" I challenged. "Wouldn't it be better off for you if I died?"

His lips pursed. "Contrary to popular belief, it seems, I don't actually want to kill you. And letting you die out here is not something I want on my conscience."

I arched an eyebrow. "You have one of those?"

He chuckled. "I guess I deserved that." Uncrossing his legs, he sat up straighter and motioned to the other chair. "Sit. If I wanted to harm you, I would have by now."

I bit my bottom lip, unable to determine whether or not he was baiting me into a trap. Finally, realizing just how little strength I had left, I collapsed gratefully into the chair.

"Where's the rest of the gang?" he asked. "I thought you six were joined at the hip."

"Graduation happened." I don't know how it had happened, but somehow I was having a civilized conversation with Baltor, of all people. It was more than a little surreal. "They're all guardian fairies now."

I saw his expression change as he seemed to understand what I'd left unspoken. "And you… wanted that." I nodded, moving my hands closer to the fire.

"You know, you never answered my question. Why are you here?"

"You mean I didn't give you the answer you were really looking for." I rolled my eyes. "I'm here to help you."

"Excuse me?" I blinked, sure I'd heard him wrong.

"I know you've got this martyr complex about how you have to be the one to bring back Sparx all by yourself, but if you're going to insist on doing this, there's no way you can actually do it alone. Plus," he grinned, "haven't you ever heard that two dragons are better than one?"

"The expression's two heads, idiot," I said, not wanting to comment on either the 'martyr complex' or the 'I'm going to help you' bit. "Why? What's in it for you?"

For a moment, his expression darkened, and I could've sworn I saw genuine sorrow in his eyes. But as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. "Why not?" He shrugged. "It's not like I have many other options of where to go. Funny how the whole escaped convict thing works sometimes."

"But… you…" There were about a thousand sentences on the tip of my tongue: You spent the better part of a year trying to kill me. You're part of the reason Sparx is the way it is; you doing this is practically the definition of irony. You and I hate each other. But somehow, what came out was, "You really want to do this?"

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. "You know, somehow I figured you'd be a little more grateful."

"Well forgive me for wondering what the catch is."

"Catch? Why does there have to be a catch?"

"Two months ago I thought you wanted to kill me. I'd be utterly stupid not to be at least a little wary of your motives."

To my surprise, he grinned. "Fair point. But all that's behind us now, isn't it? We're just two people with a common agenda." If it were anyone else, I would've called the tone of his voice wistful as he continued, "Sparx was a lovely place, you know. It could be again."

As much as it got under my skin the way he could talk about Sparx – that he remembered it and I couldn't – he did sort of have a point. Having an extra set of hands – and some more Dragon Fire – would definitely be nice. And that we had managed to get through this entire conversation (not to mention the fact that he'd pulled me out of the snow in the first place) was proof that maybe there was a side to Baltor I'd never seen before.

Still… I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"So do we have a deal?" he asked, holding out his hand. I hesitated, and he stared pointedly at me. "What's the matter, Bloom? Don't you trust me?"

I laughed darkly. "I think you know the answer to that." But I still reached over and shook his hand. "I'm warning you, though," I added as I pulled away, "if this is all some elaborate trick to get my guard down, I won't hesitate to fight back with all my strength."

I had never seen him smile so widely. "But of course, my dear. It would be foolish to think otherwise."

We had our whole lives scripted

But we tossed it to the side

Those words can't tell us nothing

Come on, let's improvise

Do you trust me enough?

If we become two rebels

In this black and white world

Would you become a rebel with me?

Author's Note: And so the plot thickens! ;-)

Before I forget (because I did last time), I do not own any of the song lyrics I've been pasting at the ends. A complete playlist will be available at the end of the story.

So please, drop me a line and tell me what you thought. Next chapter should be up soon, depending on how my muse is faring (surprisingly well lately, so expect quick update times).

That's all for now, folks!

- Authoress