In Plain Sight
6. For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic
Velma squinted her eyes, scrutinizing the sign next to the iron gate before the Mystery Machine. If not for the specific directions from her GPS and the vandalized plaque in front of her eyes, she might have thought they were at the wrong place. The spooky, decrepit estate on the other side of the gates certainly didn't look much like a school. Though she had to admit it was in keeping with the locations of many mysteries the gang had solved over the years…
"Oh, the gates must open automatically." Fred commented in surprise as the wrought-iron gates swung open to allow them entry. "And the drawbridge ahead must function the same way."
"Drawbridge?" Velma did a double take. Sure enough, a stout wooden bridge lowered down over a lazy moat, ensuring that the pair could drive straight up to the front door. "What kind of place is this?"
"Can't be as creepy as it looks, or Shaggy wouldn't be smiling and waving at us." The blond man observed. Their beatnik friend waited for them at the front door, grinning like an idiot and waving his lanky arms about.
"He'd better have a good reason for taking Daphne to this place." Velma grumbled. As different as she and the redhead were, the older girl was like a sister to her. The thought of preppy, cheerful Daphne in a place like this made the brunette shudder.
"Like, what are you two doing here?" Shaggy asked as Fred parked the van and Velma climbed out. "I thought you'd be at school."
"We were until Daphne went missing, and you along with her!" Velma griped. "What kind of place is this Shaggy, and why bring her here?"
"You still don't believe, do you?" Shaggy asked, catching the pair off their guard. "The one patch of heavy clouds in a brilliantly sunny day just happens to stay over the top of the school grounds? The old gates with no electronic help automatically open as soon as someone drives up? Daphne making a light show when she gets upset or angry? Come on, Velma, you know you want to believe it."
"In what?" Velma grumbled. "Obviously the gates are operated by magnets and Daphne's glow was a trick of the lights. And the sign out front has obviously been defaced. Ghouls don't exist, just like magic isn't real."
"I wouldn't be so quick to judge that." Both newcomers looked to the front door and saw two women approaching. One was very short and had short black hair restrained by a red scarf, twinkling dark eyes, and wore a pink dress and red high heels. The second was more modern and exotic looking, with teal eyes, magenta hair in an asymmetrical bob, and purple and green attire. "While I work very hard to keep this school's purpose a secret from the townsfolk, I don't feel you are any sort of threat to my girls and as Miss Blake's and Mr. Rogers' friends, you deserve to know the truth."
"And just who are you two?" Fred asked, arms folded across his chest. The two women didn't look very threatening, but one couldn't be too careful when dealing with strangers.
"Like, this is Miss Grimwood, the headmistress here." Shaggy indicated the short older woman. "She's been running the place for thirty years or more. And this is Tecna, one of the new student-teachers helping Daphne through her…adjustment period." The scruffy young man chose his words carefully as he introduced Tecna. "Grimwood's is a school for unusual creatures—both magical and non-magical."
"And your friend Daphne is a very rare magical creature in this realm." Grimwood interrupted. "We haven't had one of her kind pop up in over a decade."
"Provided she's a born native of this planet and not a transfer from another realm like my friend Bloom." Tecna corrected. "We thought she was the first fairy to be found on Earth, only to later discover she was the last heir to Domino instead. Since we know Daphne is adopted, it would be illogical to blindly assume she is from this world until we know more about her and her powers."
Velma, completely taken aback by the logical manner in which Tecna stated her point, blinked twice in utter confusion. "Magic? Fairies? Is this some kind of joke?"
"No, and I can prove it to both of you." Tecna said, a small smile playing on her lips as two more young women approximately her age joined the rest of the front porch group. One was a tall, dark-skinned woman with gray-aqua eyes and wavy brown hair. Her companion had dark blonde/light brown hair with natural highlights running through it, grassy green eyes, and a sun-kissed tan.
"Don't leave us out." The darker skinned woman commented, eyes smiling. In fact, all three women seemed to be in on a joke that the two visitors couldn't understand…yet.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Tecna replied with a smirk. "Now…Tecna Winx Enchantix!"
"Layla Winx Enchantix!"
"Flora Winx Enchantix!"
Blinding lights in hues of purple, green, and pink surrounded the three women in an instant, temporarily hiding their forms from view. When the lights faded, all three had undergone complete transformations.
Tecna's hair became noticeably longer in back and on the left (shorter-cut) side, and faint lavender eyeshadow appeared on her eyelids. A purple tube-top and matching pair of short-shorts were held together by a pair of v-shaped overlays—electric green on top and a darker purple on bottom—that connected with each other at her navel. Sandals made entirely of intertwining purple cords adorned her feet, lavender sparkly gloves reached up her arms, and a large set of purple-shaded wings (seemingly comprised of three pairs of rectangles laid one on top of the other) sprouted from her back.
Layla's brown hair grew longer with two sections held back in pigtails and a tiara-like headband keeping the soft waves from falling into her face. A pale green tube-top with an ocean-blue overlay resembling strips of seaweed covered her breasts, while a short green, pink, and blue striped skirt tastefully draped across her hips like a sarong. Green sandals similar to Tecna's graced her feet, and gold sparkled gloves reached almost to her shoulders. A set of large, beautiful green and pink wings—again comprised of three different pairs of smaller wings—fluttered softly, keeping her in the air.
Like the two other women with her, Flora's hair grew longer when she transformed. Two sections of her sun-streaked hair worked their way into pigtails. A halter dress shaded majorly in soft pinks and purples fluttered down from her neck like flower petals floating in the wind, with matching soft pink glittery gloves adorning her arms and hands. Pale blue corded sandals wrapped up her calves while beautiful pink and green butterfly-like wings beat softly in the air.
Fred openly gaped at the trio of winged women, not able to get his brain to process the information in front of him properly. There were people here…and they had wings. Working wings, at that. No visible wires holding them up, and not enough time between wardrobe changes to be anything other than…magic. However, Velma remained skeptical. She wasn't going to throw away years worth of accumulated knowledge refuting the existence of magic and fairies due to a single parlor trick. She wasn't convinced yet.
"Ah, there's always a skeptic." Miss Grimwood chuckled, looking serenely at the bespectacled sleuth. "But I think I know just the ticket… Layla, dear, would you go fetch Daphne and Sibella?"
"No need, Miss Grimwood; we're right here." Velma watched as a set of four young women walked up toward the front door of the school. The speaker, a teen with long purple hair and emerald eyes, spoke with an Eastern European lit to her voice and was dressed in purple and red, which complemented her odd lavender skin quite well. One of her companions, a semi-transparent girl with white and blue hair, pale blue skin, and pale eyes, floated effortlessly above ground without wings. She wore a light blue dress and white boots. The next and tallest of the group had stitches traversing her skin in irregular patterns, bolts in her neck, and black and white kinky-curly hair that stood straight up. Her dress was green with a blue sash. And last but not least was…
"Daphne!" Fred and Velma gasped in unison.
"Uh, hi guys." Daphne waved timidly. "What brings you all the way out here?"
"We were looking for you!" Fred exclaimed. "What are you doing out here?"
"I'm training to be a fairy, just like the girls and Ms. Grimwood no doubt told you." Daphne responded, keeping her stance cautious. She understood their concern, but they were going about this the wrong way. It wasn't as if Grimwood's didn't have telephone or internet. Her cell phone was charged up and it received calls from her parents just fine.
"Great, they've tricked you too." Velma remarked, clearly unconvinced.
"Tricks? Is that all you think this is?" Daphne grumbled. "You think my saving your life back at that warehouse was just a parlor trick? I've got a newsflash for you, Velma! Things aren't the way you think they are! Monsters are real. Magic is real. I happen to fall under both categories, being a fairy and all."
"A water fairy, if you want to get technical." Sibella waved a lavender hand. "But she and those three are the only fairies here. I'm Sibella Dracula, and these are our classmates Phantasma the Phantom and Elsa Frankenteen."
Phantasma's maniacal giggling forced Velma to cover her ears. "Oh, you two should just see the looks on your faces!"
"Now, that's a highly rude comment to make." Miss Grimwood frowned at the semi-transparent teen. "What do we say to our guests?"
"I'm sorry." Phantasma tried to be serious, but couldn't quite contain her giggles. "They're just so clueless…"
"So was I two days ago." Daphne frowned.
"Yeah, but you actually believed and they don't." Phantasma responded.
"True, but don't laugh at them anymore, 'kay?" Shaggy sighed, running a hand down his face. "You're not helping our cause much."
"No, but I think Daphne can." The mocha-skinned fairy replied, her voice calm and collected. "Show them."
Though fighting back a severe case of nerves, the redhead nodded and closed her eyes. "Daphne Magic Winx!" She cried out as the familiar violet aura surrounded her, blinding her from view for as long as it took her transformation to complete.
Fred gasped as the light faded, revealing his girlfriend in a glittery purple dress with a green sash and matching shoes. Wings, smaller than those of the other three fairies sprouted from her back and fluttered lightly once exposed to air. She looked at the blond boy, desperation evident in her blue-green eyes. "Fred, Velma…they're not deceiving you, and neither am I." She summoned an orb of lavender energy into her open right hand. It was all she knew how to do besides sprout wings, at present.
"I know this seems illogical." Tecna said, staring directly at Velma. "If I were in your shoes, I too would be skeptical. However, it is what it is. The facts are before you; do with them what you will.
Velma remained silent, trying to wrap her brain around what these women were trying to tell them. Beside her, Fred seemed to have his mind made up.
"I…I believe you." He said, faltering a bit as he tried to get the words out of his mouth. "I've known you two since we were kids." He glanced at Shaggy and Daphne. "You wouldn't go through all this trouble for a hoax. I believe in fairies." That last sentence was one that sounded stupid now that he said it, but in his mind it seemed smart and reassuring.
"I don't know that I believe, but I am more open to the possibility." Velma sighed. "I would still like more concrete evidence." This met with a groan from Shaggy and a confident grin from Tecna.
"Velma, I think you and I will get along splendidly." The lavender-clad woman said as a bright glow enveloped her and her two travelling companions. "What in Obsidian…?" She breathed as the three felt an unfamiliar kind of magical transformation licking against their skin. Even Daphne felt stronger, though she didn't have the same glow as the others.
"So it's happened at long last." Grimwood smiled, clearly pleased with whatever was happening.
"What's happened?" Elsa asked, holding a hand in front of her face to shield her eyes from the brightly glowing auras around the three alien fairies.
"For the first time in decades, a fairy on this planet has earned her Believix." Grimwood replied. "It's a transformation gained by helping someone believe in magic, and is a good deal stronger than Enchantix. Look!"
Tecna's form came to light first, revealing a sparkly lavender jumper with lime green and paler lavender accents on it, including a ruffled mock-skirt. Lavender socks reached halfway to her knees, and a pair of blue ankle boots covered her feet. Lavender short, fingerless gloves covered her hands while large green and lavender wings protruded from her back.
Layla came next, clad in shades of aqua. A one-shouldered lime green crop-top with a glittery sleeveless aqua vest covered her breasts, and an aqua choker adorned her neck. Aqua Capri pants with a ruffle around both her hips and the hem of the pant legs reached to just past her knees while boots of pink and aqua reached midway up her calves. Aqua-toned bow-shaped wings sprouted from her shoulder blades and her brunette hair was held back by a simple aqua headband.
A skirt and top comprised of what appeared to be pink flower petals and bright green leaves barely covered Flora's willowy frame, leaving an ample sections and midriff and leg exposed. Pale pink socks reached to her knees while boots of a slightly more purplish hue climbed almost as high up her legs. Her pigtails were now simple mini-buns, and gold, green-trimmed wings with green and pink floral designs on them flapped softly in the humid air.
"A new era has dawned on Earth this day." Grimwood spoke with conviction. "An era in which magic is once again known and used by beings here without fear. Oh, I've been waiting so long for this day to come!"
"Exactly how long, Miss Grimwood?" Velma asked, genuinely curious by the woman's previous comment.
"Since Morgana and the other fairies of this planet were sealed away by evil wizards many years ago." The woman replied. "Now, Miss Dinkley, if you and Mr. Jones are quite finished gawking, why don't you come inside? I'm sure Mr. Rogers won't mind giving you a tour."
"Like, not at all." Shaggy shook his head, a goofy grin on his face. "Come on, gang! I'll show you around!"
Later on, in the potions/testing lab, Tecna was running a data analysis on the power levels she detected from Daphne earlier. The source of the new fairy's power felt familiar to her, and not because it was similar to Layla's. No, Tecna knew she'd felt this power before, she just couldn't recall where.
"Oh wow." The magenta-haired technology fairy looked over her right shoulder as Velma gasped, looking at the equipment with wide eyes. "What is all of this stuff?"
"That one is a teleportation pad—very handy for getting between distant realms where no shuttles venture." Tecna pointed to one device in a corner. "That one measures the output levels of a fairy or other magical creature." She indicated another machine. "And this one is a computer of sorts. It runs data gathered about magical fields against known types of magical energy to more accurately determine the source of a magical creature's power. I'm currently trying to decipher your friend Daphne's."
"This is…I mean it's just…wow." Velma was at a loss for words, but still moved closer to the other girl. "How does it work?" She looked intently at the machine in front of the teal-eyed fairy.
"I have all kinds of devices that measure magical energy readings." The fairy explained to the girl in the orange sweater. "Once the data has been collected—non-invasively, of course—I can take the memory chips out of the devices, plug them into this machine, and hopefully get a match."
"And here I thought magic and technology would be separate fields of study." Velma adjusted her glasses as Tecna smiled.
"Oh, far from it. In fact, my home realm, Zenith, is one of the most technologically advanced magical realms known." She finished entering the search parameters into the database and clicked the 'find' button on the screen. "Once I finish my student-teacher duties here through Alfea—the school Flora, Layla, and I came from—I will return to Zenith to assume the role of my realm's Guardian Fairy."
"Sounds like a major responsibility." Velma observed. "But I have to ask, why do you want to find Daphne's 'source'? I thought she was a water fairy like Layla."
"She is, but her powers work on a different level. They don't come from the tides, but something else entirely. Once we know exactly what kind of water fairy she is, we'll be able to better train her." The fairy explained while the search engine did its job. "That, and I've felt this source before and for the life of me I don't quite remember where I was when I encountered it."
"A mystery then." The bespectacled human smiled knowingly. "Good to know that searching for answers isn't a strictly human thing."
"Dear, I wouldn't call any of you strictly 'human'." Tecna chuckled. "Fred is a shoe-in for Specialist training, if he chooses to go that route. They're kind of like magical dimension policeman/infantry. Shaggy's got some kind of bestial magic flowing through him, which has transferred to Scooby Doo. Daphne, of course, is a fairy. I haven't figured you out yet, though. You're not a witch, but I'm not convinced that you are a dormant fairy either. Perhaps a sorceress? They don't ever transform but their magic can be every bit as strong as a fully-fledged fairy."
"I'll believe it when I start giving off free light shows." Velma scoffed as Tecna's computer started to beep. "What does it say?" Not that she would understand it, but the bookworm was ever curious about things unknown.
"There's a match." Tecna felt her breath catch as she looked at the screen display. "But that's impossible…"
"What the heck are 'Water Stars'?" Velma squinted through her glasses to better read the characters on the screen.
"Very powerful artifacts." The technology fairy whispered. "They are the only thing strong enough to put out Dragon's Flame. Though since Bloom is Fairy of the Dragon's Flame, it stands to reason that at some point there was a Fairy of the Water Stars…"
"If there was, wouldn't it be in magical records somewhere?" Velma inquired. "If they're that powerful, there can't have been too many fairies with that source. In fact, I would bet that a Fairy of Water Stars can only exist if there is already someone in control of Dragon's Flame."
"You're a genius." Tecna praised, clicking on a few links provided by the search. "It says the last fairy with this power source was: Princess Dafne of Domino." If she hadn't been sitting in a chair at a desk, she would have collapsed to her knees. Having never seen any images of Princess Dafne, Tecna wasn't sure just what the dead royal might have looked like. But the proof before her was undeniable.
"She and our Daphne have the same face, name, and power source?" Velma frowned. "This can't be a coincidence. Whatever happened to your princess?"
"She disappeared after saving her infant sister—keeper of the Dragon's Flame—from a group of evil witches, and was presumed dead." The fairy replied. "Apparently she underwent some sort of de-aging process instead. When she used up all her energy, she must have somehow become an infant again."
"Daphne's dreams." The brunette woman whispered. "A couple of days ago, Daphne mentioned having strange, recurring dreams of a palace, witches, and a baby."
"I would bet my realmberry those are repressed memories and not just dreams." Tecna responded. "Velma, I need you to go track down the Headmistress, Flora, and Layla immediately. Tell them this is of upmost importance."
"No problem." She didn't have to believe in magic to know the other woman was gravely serious. Whatever was going on held vast importance to her and those around her, and Velma had enough common sense to know she should do as she was told.
"You're sure?" The snowy-haired visage of Miss Faragonda frowned over the video chat line.
"One-hundred percent, Miss Faragonda." Tecna spoke up. She, her fellow Winx members, and Headmistress Grimwood were all gathered in the elder witch's office. "Dafne of Domino and Daphne Blake of Earth are the same person. They're identical in everything from physical appearance to power source."
"So she is indeed the missing Princess of Domino." Faragonda folded her hands together on the desk before her. "But her presence on Earth combined with the fact that you three achieved Believix transformation is not something to be overlooked. I want you girls to stay and continue training her."
"Valeria, if I may," Grimwood spoke up, "the Wizards of the Black Circle do not know what we know. They think our girl is truly a Terrestrial fairy, and as such they may want to capture her and sacrifice her to the same fate as the other native fairies of this world."
"All the more reason for you girls to stay there." Faragonda stated. "I will get in contact with Musa, as she should be able to help defend the school, if need be. Has any attack been made there, Tryphena?"
"Not by the Wizards." The short witch stated. "A power-hungry 'Witch of the Web' made an effort to brainwash the students last year, but it has been quiet since."
"I won't count on it staying that way." Layla frowned. "If these guys are as powerful as you say they are, they might try to breach the school's defenses."
"They can try, but they won't succeed." Tryphena snorted. "I know their magical signatures no matter what form they choose to take. The barriers around school grounds won't permit them entry unless invited. Which brings up the matter of educating the students about these men."
"A wise decision." Valeria nodded. "I would say it would also be wise to inform Miss Blake of her true identity sooner rather than later."
"Yes. The poor girl is so confused right now." Flora sighed. "It's as if she isn't sure who she is anymore. Maybe once we tell her, she can start finding herself again?"
"Be as gentle as possible in breaking the news to her, girls." Grimwood chided. "Her whole world is being turned on its head; it would only be natural for her to lash out in confusion or suffer a minor breakdown."
"We'll do our very best, Headmistresses." Flora bowed her head respectfully.
"And we'll start princess lessons once she gets used to that." Layla added. "Which she should be miles more adept at than Bloom was, since the family that raised her is apparently quite wealthy."
"However you see fit." Faragonda smiled. "Keep up the good work and be ever on your guard. You never know who might be waiting at the gates."
Outside the fence surrounding the school grounds, a pale-skinned redheaded wizard growled in frustration. Of all the places for the last fairy to show up, she just had to be here! She couldn't be out in the open and make it easy for them to capture her. No, she had to go to the ghoul school where that pesky old witch lived.
"Easy, Ogron." An equally pale blond wizard wearing a large hat tried to soothe his companion. "Duman and Anagan may yet find a weak point in the school's perimeter."
"Not with Tryphena running the barriers and those alien fairies helping re-enforce them." Ogron muttered.
"Maybe we don't have to get in?" the other wizard asked as a dark-skinned man with black dreadlocks sped up to the group.
"It will have to be the 'don't get in' plan, Gantlos." The superhumanly fast wizard complained. "That old bat knows us and our magic too well. Duman and I could not penetrate the shield she has around the place."
"Then we lie in wait for one of the students to get careless and leave school grounds alone." Gantlos shrugged. "We can use the girl for leverage."
"Have you forgotten that the fathers of those girls handed us our very asses on a silver platter the last time we started a fight with them?" Anagan frowned. "Even with the healing spells we used, I still got scars from that damn vampire!"
"The Mummy was no pushover either." Ogron grumbled, wincing at a phantom pain brought on by the memory of their memorable fight with the Ghoul Council of Elders. "Nor were the witch sisters."
"And that werewolf will maul us to bits." A fourth man—this one not quite as pale as Ogron and Gantlos and sporting a fuscia-colored Mohawk—pointed out as he approached. "Those things are magic-resistant! Just like that thing with the stitches all over it that nearly fried you!" He stared pointedly at Gantlos.
"But these girls are not as skilled as their sires, Duman." The blond wizard shrugged again. "We can easily capture them and make Grimwood give us the fairies in exchange for her students' lives."
"Or she calls their fathers and launches a joint-strike force that completely wipes us out." Ogron spoke up. "I do not think we will survive a second encounter with those creatures and do not wish to test that hypothesis. Come, let us go back to our lair and discuss this matter more completely."
"Yeah. The last thing we need is to screw up and get our clocks cleaned. Again." Duman grumbled as the four wizards left the area in a puff of smoke.