Chapter 3: The Secret of Salamon
The first official day of a new school year at Alfea began. The first class the fairies attended was Metamorphosis.
"Good morning, everyone!" The leprechaun teacher greeted his students, "As usual, it befalls me to kick off the school year. Now, for those of you who haven't met me yet, I am Professor Wizgiz, your teacher of Metamorphosis, or as I prefer to call it..." The professor began to warp his appearance into Griselda, "The art of changing your look."
The students applauded in intrigue.
Wizgiz reverted back to normal, "There is a reason your young monsters are with you today. They feed off your magic. So without your device, try to evolve them into In-Training or Rookie."
Bloom looked at Cole on her desk and then glanced at her classmates who either evolved their Digimon or accidentally changed their colors. She sighed at Stella, who hugged her Salamon tightly.
Roxy focused on Spike and within seconds, a source of energy flowed through them.
"Tsunomon!" Spike cried as he changed into an orange furball with a black horn.
"I did it, Spike!" Roxy cheered as Spike jumped into her arms.
"You sure did, Roxy, well done." Wizgiz congratulated her.
Bloom tried to replicate what her friends did, but Cole remained a Koromon as he sat on her desk, yawning.
"Don't worry, Bloom. If at first you don't succeed, try again." Bloom gave Wizgiz a weak smile as class continued.
At her room, Bloom wanted to try to make Cole evolve again.
"I don't understand, when the Trix attacked me, he evolved so easily. Why can't I get him to Rookie-level?" She whined from her bed as Cole lay in her lap.
"Evolving from a baby stage to In-Training doesn't take as much energy." Stella said, "That's probably why it was so easy for Roxy's Digimon to evolve."
"But that doesn't mean you should give up trying," Roxy deduced.
"Let's try again, Cole." Bloom persuaded.
"Don't rush it. School's just beginning and Cole is still young. If he doesn't evolve today, it's not the end of the world." Stella told her.
"Just concentrate, Bloom." Roxy soothed, "Focus on the bond you share with your Digimon and Cole has to do the same."
Both Bloom and Cole closed their eyes and after a moment a collective 'Wow!' filled the room. Bloom opened her eyes and gasped when she saw Cole.
"What? What happened?" Cole asked, looking around at the three fairies who had their hands over their open mouths. Yuki and Spike held up a hand mirror sideways with their jaws. "Ah!" Cole screamed when he saw his skin blue and one of his antennae were yellow.
"I'm sorry, Cole." Bloom picked him up.
"Change it back!" He panicked. Stella used her magic to convert Cole to his original pink color. "Phew! Thanks, Stella." He beamed in relief.
"This day sucks," Bloom said, lowering her head as Cole nodded in agreement.
"First days are always tough," Stella added.
"Stella, can I ask you something? Why did you come to Alfea?" Bloom wondered.
"Because I want to become a real fairy: successful, beautiful, powerful, and admired by all." Bloom and Roxy looked at each other, "Of course I also want to do good things like making people happy and maybe help my parents get back together."
"I'm starting to think I don't belong." Bloom sighed.
Roxy placed a hand on her shoulder, "Just give it time."
The Digimon and Stella nodded in unison.
The next morning at breakfast, Bloom and Roxy snuck into the dining hall late.
"What took you guys so long?" Stella asked as Yuki licked milk from her bowl.
"Sorry, I overslept." Bloom apologized as Cole and Spike yawned.
"You better make sure Ms. Griselda didn't see. I don't think she'll take it lightly." Tecna warned.
"Young ladies and Digimon, your attention please!" Ms. Faragonda called, "As is the tradition among the Schools of Magix, the annual gala in honor of our new students will be held tonight. Students of the Alfea College for Fairies and Red Fountain School for Magicians will gather here in our castle to perform the traditional welcome gift exchange ceremony."
As Ms. Faragonda spoke, the students chattered among themselves in excitement.
"Silence!" Ms. Griselda intervened, "Our headmistress is speaking!"
The students were silenced.
"Thank you, Griselda. One more thing, I will be needing all of your help to turn this ordinary looking hall into a festive ballroom, so classes today will be canceled. Now, get to work. I know you'll do Alfea proud."
The fairies cheered in elation.
At Cloud Tower School for Witches, the students all gathered in the main hall as the headmistress, a woman with violet hair wearing a sinister maroon uniform stood before them on a high balcony.
"My young witches, I have summoned you here because the fairies are hosting a party tonight, and once again, we have not been invited." Ms. Griffin shared as the students booed, "While this may seem like bad news, it is an opportunity for you to test your cursing skills. And so, I urge you to come up with a way to ruin their little fiesta. Submit your proposals and I'll select the most devious. May the worst witch win!"
Darcy looked at her sisters, "What do you think? Should we conjure up a Digimon Monster so disgusting those little pixies won't ever dream of throwing another party?"
"Why not?" Icy smirked, "It'll be fun."
Bloom and her friends walked through the halls of the school as they discussed the party.
"I can't believe classes are already canceled and it's only day two of school," Tecna said.
"What do with have to do for the party?" Bloom asked.
"It's easy. Just have fun!" Stella beamed.
"I'll provide the decorations." Flora volunteered as she fitted the walls with roses.
"And I'll help," Yuri chimed in crawling on her owner's shoulder.
"I'll take care of the music. After all, what's a party without dancing?" Musa suggested.
"Oh, I love dancing!" Mimi squealed from her side.
"And I'll worry about what to wear because clothes are important too," Stella noted.
The Winx girls gathered in Stella's room as she pulled out a vermillion colored dress with light blue trimmings. All of the other girls, minus Bloom and Roxy had on their formal dancewear.
Flora wore a pink, floor-length dress with deep green stripes and a darker pink bodice. Her hair was up in pigtail buns complimented by a rose.
Musa wore a kimono-style outfit composed of a pair of fuchsia flared pants with red swirls at the end. Her shirt used inverts of these colors. Her headdress was a red color connected to the shirt with a pair of red headphones hanging off.
Tecna's gown consisted of a pale purple dress with light green outlines. There was also a matching crown and a headdress at the back on top. She also had light purple and blue boots.
Cassiopeia wore a scarlet, strapless mermaid dress with a black belt embedded with a gold sea-goat, the sign for Capricorn. Her hair was in two pigtails tied with red ribbons.
The girls were all enamored with Stella's dress.
"It's gorgeous!" Bloom acclaimed.
"I hope so. It wasn't cheap." Stella said, holding it close to her chest, happily.
"I hear the guys from Red Fountain are really cute!" Flora declared.
"Gee, I hope I look good." Cassie prided.
"You look great, Cass," Roxy said.
"I don't care about guys," Tecna added.
"Then why are you dressed like an absolute diva?" Musa interrogated.
"I want to look magnificent for the ceremony." Tecna rebuked.
"Guys, what about me?" Bloom asked, looking herself over.
"And me," added Roxy.
"No problem!" Stella bemused, "There's a solution to everything and in this case, it's called 'shopping'!"
The girls went to various stores around Magix to help Bloom and Roxy pick out dresses. It took the third store before they all could agree on dresses. Bloom appeared from the dressing room with a blue dress while Roxy emerged with a lime green one.
"How do we look?" Bloom asked.
The girls nodded in approval.
"They're too expensive," Roxy said, looking at her dress's price tag.
"I'll pay for them." Stella offered.
"You might offend them, Stella," Flora stated.
The girls decided to leave the store without the dresses and with an upset Bloom and Roxy.
"Now what?" Bloom asked.
"It's getting late. We've got to be getting back." Cassie deduced.
"Are you going to be OK?" Reye asked from Cassie's arms.
"I'll find something. Don't worry." Bloom reassured as the others left, "I hope."
The other Winx girls got ready for the party as Bloom and Roxy shopped at a store with a sale to look for the perfect dress.
At Cloud Tower, Ms. Griffin was reviewing a plan submitted by the Trix.
"I've received many suggestions but none more disgusting than yours. In other words, it's perfect! Well done, you three. Great start to the year." The teacher praised.
"Thanks, professor." Icy smiled wickedly.
"Now, please don't disappoint me," Griffin warned.
"We'll get right to work, ma'am," Darcy said.
Bloom and Roxy returned to their dorm in a rush as they hurried to put the final touches on their dresses.
"This dress is way too long. I need a pair of scissors." Bloom set her dress down on her bed as she rummaged the drawers for scissors.
Roxy sat on her bed and watched her roommate.
"Why don't you try out your magic?" Roxy proposed as Kiko nibbled on the hem.
"I'll try." Bloom concentrated fire magic into her fingers and used it as a laser to cut her dress, "It works."
Bloom then heard noises from the window. When she left to check on the commotion, a small fire from her spell started to burn where she cut her dress.
"Bloom!" Roxy screamed as Artu barked frantically.
"What?" Bloom turned to see smoke and the fire she started, "Oh no!"
Kiko panicked as Roxy turned to her Digimon, "Spike, Cole, put it out." She pleaded.
"Bubble Blow!" Both In-Training Digimon spat acid bubbles that extinguished the flames.
"What a disaster! If only I had some scissors." Bloom sighed.
"You go look for a pair, I'll get ready for the party," Roxy told her.
As the Red Fountain guests arrived for the party, the Trix walked through an underground tunnel.
"Hey, this is it!" Icy exclaimed, "These tunnels have been abandoned for centuries. Back then they connected the three schools and were used in emergencies."
Darcy looked at a map, "The entrance to Alfea is straight ahead."
"Then let the fun begin!" Icy chuckled evilly.
Bloom walked through the halls with Cole looking for a pair of scissors.
"This is ridiculous! How hard can it be to find a simple pair of scissors?" Bloom groaned, opening the door to the underground tunnels.
"Now which way do we go?" Darcy's voice could be heard.
Cole gasped and latched onto Bloom's neck, "I recognize those voices."
Bloom quickly ran up the stairs before the Trix could shine their flashlights on her. The Trix moved further down the hall until they noticed the light green treasure chest.
"Look, the Red Fountain code of arms." Icy whispered.
"I wonder what those fools are gonna give the fairies," Stormy said.
"Doesn't matter," Darcy held up her black Digivice, "Time to summon one of the most disgusting monsters ever captured by Cloud Towers!"
A putrid, green light consumed the locked box as it began to gurgle and shake.
"Oh no!" Bloom gasped softly.
"Well done, sister." Icy praised, "Now, let's get out of here." She created a wall that the Trix used to pass through to the outside of the building.
Bloom and Cole hurried to where the party was to find her friends. As she snuck towards them, she bumped into Sky.
"Ow! Sorry, Sky." Bloom apologized, standing up straight.
"Bloom, are you OK?" Sky asked, scratching his head.
"Yes, thanks, gotta go!" Bloom quickly made her way to her friends leaving Sky flabbergasted.
"Girls, hey!" She called, waving at them.
"There you are," Stella said.
"We were starting to worry about you." Tecna followed.
"What took you so long?" Flora asked.
Bloom led the Winx into the hallway, "This is an emergency, the witches are here."
"What are you talking about?" Cassie asked.
"Icy, Darcy, and Stormy have cast a spell on the presents from Red Fountain," Cole explained from Bloom's shoulder.
"What did they do?" Musa asked.
A chorus of screams was heard from the room. The girls turned to see a hoard of Digimon resembling green sludge with eyeballs.
"Eww! What are those things?" Stella asked, pinching her nose in disgust.
"Those are Numemon, foul-smelling mollusk Digimon that throw their own excrement." Tecna evaluated looking at their information on her Digivice.
"Excrement?" Bloom wondered.
In the room, one of the Numemon tossed some poop at the partygoers. It missed them and landed on the wall by Bloom and the others.
"Poop," Tecna confirmed.
"Gross!" Stella screeched, "That's it! I'm not letting these disgusting slimeballs ruin my dress. Girls, call the 'mons and transform!"
"Right!" Five of the Winx girls and the fairies in the party held up their devices, "Magic Charmix!" They all called out as they transformed.
"Soul Charge!" All of the In-Training level Digimon except Cole and Spike evolved as they all stared down the intruders.
"It's Party Time!" The head Numemon announced.
Roxy and Spike joined Bloom and Cole. Roxy wore a green lace trim dress with pink cat ears on her head.
"We have to find those witches." She told Bloom.
"Let's go!" Bloom agreed as the four went in search of the Trix.
In the hall, where the party was previously taking place, the fairies cast various spells and the magicians used their weapons to take down the ever-growing ensemble of Numemon. One of them sprayed a noxious fume from its mouth, knocking Yuki the Salamon out cold, dragging her from the room while everyone was distracted.
The Numemon took Yuki to the Trix outside.
"Good work, Numemon." Icy praised, creating a frozen, magic bubble around the puppy Digimon making it float beside her.
"Did I do good, your hideousness?" The Numemon grinned a crooked smile.
Icy growled, "Yes, but that's all you're good for. Ta-ta," She encased the virus Digimon in a block of ice before destroying him.
"Now, that we finally have the ring, we can give it to the boss," Darcy said.
"Let her go!" Bloom hollered.
The Trix turned to see Bloom with Roxy, Cole, and Spike.
"Not these pathetic sprites again!" Stormy roared.
"Bubble Blow!" Cole and Spike released some acid bubbles towards the witches who brushed them off with ease.
"Well, this isn't good." Cole gulped.
"Ditto," Spike chuckled nervously.
Icy solidified the ground around them. Bloom and Roxy picked up their partners and jumped away from the ice. Darcy then stomped on the ground, cracking the earth and knocking Roxy to the ground.
"Roxy!" Spike cried.
Stormy summoned a twister aimed at Bloom who falls into the crack, gripping the edge.
"Bloom!" Cole looked down the hole at his partner helplessly.
"Time to finish you weaklings off," Icy promised as magic glowed in her hands.
"No! You won't hurt them." Bloom tightly bit her lip as her and Roxy's Digivice lit up.
Not only did Bloom finally transform into her cyan colored fairy outfit with clear wings but Cole and Spike evolved. Cole became a little orange dinosaur as Spike changed into a yellow bi-pedal lizard with a white-furred, blue striped pelt covering his body.
"Poison Ivy!" Yuri's vines wrapped around a few of the Numemon.
"Diamond Storm!" Reye's sharp leaves incinerated them.
"Sing a Song!" Mimi emitted a harmonic melody that stunned some Numemon.
"Super Shocker!" Zenon vibrated her wings to unleash lightning which struck the stunned green enemies.
The remaining Numemon were eradicated by Headmistress Faragonda.
"Now, what could have caused this chaos?" She asked.
"The witches from Cloud Tower, the Trix," Cassie told her.
"Hey, where's Yuki?" Stella asked worriedly.
"Bloom and Roxy are missing as well," Tecna said.
"Maybe they're in trouble. Come on, girls." Musa led the Winx to where the Trix were.
"Girls!" Ms. Faragonda tried to call the girls back but to no avail.
"You did it, Bloom, you transformed!" Cole clapped his new hands as his partner rose from the crack.
"You guys did too." Bloom referred to him and Spike.
"Big deal!" Darcy hissed, "Vertigo!" She cast a hypnotic spell, causing Bloom to become confused.
She then realized fairies have wings and flies into the air, holding both Digimon under her arms.
"Ice Prism!" Icy summoned some ice crystals against Bloom as the redhead dodged them all, "Frostbites!" A blast of ice shot from a crystal at Bloom.
As she descended to the ground, Cole slashed the ice bubble Yuki was contained in, catching the tan puppy in his arms. Spike grazed Icy's arm, canceling out her cold spell.
"That's it!" Icy prepared to use a spell to finish them off but the other Winx members arrived.
"Icy, time to bail," Darcy said.
"Ugh, we should have just left after getting the mutt," Stormy noted.
The trio of witches then teleported away.
"Bloom, are you OK?" Flora asked as Cassie helped Roxy stand up.
"You transformed!" Roxy gasped.
"I did, but did you see Spike?" Bloom smiled, reverting back to normal.
"Roxy, you're OK!" Spike wrapped his arms around her.
"Spike, you look amazing." Roxy praised as the Rookie smiled widely.
"Stella!" Yuki jumped into the blonde's embrace.
"I'm so glad you're OK." Stella hugged her.
"Those nasty witches were after my ring again but Cole saved me." She smiled lovingly at Cole who blushed, scratching the back of his neck.
"Why are the Trix always after her ring, Stella?" Musa asked.
"Beats me, Yuki's ring probably contains some powerful magic." Stella shrugged, "But enough of that, let's resume the party."
"Yeah!" The group celebrated.
The Winx, minus Bloom, returned to a clean party room as the Red Fountain boys gave some yellow eggs as gifts to the fairies.
"Here, Cass," Orion handed the brunette one. When she opened it, a group of glowing butterflies filled the room.
"Wow! They're beautiful." Cassie looked up at them.
"I know." Orion beamed, "Good to see you again."
The two magical beings smiled at each other.
Bloom then arrived minutes later wearing a light blue two-piece outfit with long, flowing blue strings at length with the pencil skirt she wore.
Prince Sky approached her, asking her to dance with him to which she accepted.
The other Winx danced with the Specialists, Stella danced with Brandon and Cassie danced with Orion as Timmy hung out with Tecna. Roxy and Flora mingled with their Digimon along with Cole, Yuki, Zenon, Reye, and Mimi in their Rookie forms.
"So, Sky, where are your Digimon?" Bloom asked.
"Red Fountain needed protecting, so they volunteered to stay behind." Sky said, twirling her softly.
The two laughed, enjoying one another's company as the room filled with laughter and happiness.
At Cloud Tower, the Trix were in the dorm reviewing their latest failure.
"Mistress Darcy," A voice said, its carrier approaching the witch with golden brown hair.
She and the other Trix glanced down at the reptilian Digimon donning kendo attire holding a stick.
"The master needs that Holy Ring." It said in a childish tone.
"We know, Kotemon." Darcy rolled her eyes, turning to the window, "We know."
To be continued...
Disclaimer: Winx Club is owned by Iginio Straffi, Rai Fiction, and Rainbow S.r.l and Digimon is owned by Akiyoshi Hongo, Bandai, Toei Animation. Cassiopeia and Orion are owned by my friend CyberChick135/DemiGirl21.