Avi emerged from the silver light looking for all the world like an avenging angel. If said angel happened to also be a mechanic.

Her racer's jacket and pants had morphed into a sparkling silver jumpsuit with no sleeves, instead relying on black elbow length gloves to keep her arms warm. Her hair, normally pulled into a tight ponytail to help control the kinks and curls, was now in two twin buns reminiscent of Sailor Moon… but the most important thing was that that kind of hairstyle would stay safely out of harm. A pair of knee-length black boots and wings that looked like they had been made by a blacksmith completed the look.

She was a fairy. That much was obvious, even expected, perhaps. In hindsight, she found it highly predictable.

Avi, however, was not one to dwell in hindsight, and besides, if she paused to admire herself she'd be leaving an important job unfinished.

She let her gloved fist connect with Trudric's face.

The wizard yelped in pain and hopped backwards, cursing. As Avi smirked, satisfied with her work, he glared at her. "Couldn't you use magic like every other fairy?" he demanded.

Avi pretended to think, then grinned. "Well," she said, "you asked for it. Hammer Fist!"

A ray of silver magic pelted him in the gut. She couldn't help but laugh.

Then bright red magic came towards her, and her giggle fit abruptly stopped as she tried to maneuver her brand new wings well enough to dodge.

"So," Bloom said with raised eyebrows. "Can we all agree that next time, we don't leave humans alone on the ground?"

"Well, she didn't turn out to be human," Lysis grumbled.

Saf's hands were clutched at her heart nervously, and Roxy watched with furrowed brow as the four fairies tried to figure out what to do next. After it was clear that Saf could not break the barrier… or at least, she couldn't in her current stage of training… they had come back down to the ground to see Avi transform and a fight between the two commence. Though Roxy had tried to jump in and help, Lysis pulled her back and pointed something out. Though the four fairies could see Avi and Trudric fight, Avi and Trudric did not seem able to see them. "We don't know what kind of trance they're in," Lysis argued. "Or what interfering might do."

"It would be easier if we knew more about the Apprentices," said Bloom. "Once we figured out what kinds of powers the Wizards specialized in, their strategy was predictable. This, on the other hand, is odd on multiple levels. What is Trudric doing? Where are the others? Are they in Tir Nan Og as well, or are they attempting a divide and conquer strategy?" She shook her head, frustrated. "I don't know. I need the Winx Club. We could figure it out together."

"The others can't be here right now, Bloom. It's up to you, me, and all the fairies of Earth," Roxy said. "I know you don't know us as well, and I know we've never been on any grand adventures with you, but you have to trust that we can help."

Bloom looked away and her red hair flopped into her face. "It's not the same."

"I know. It may never be the same again, though, if we don't work together," Roxy said, not unkindly.

They looked back to the battle. Roxy was pleasantly surprised to see that Avi was holding her own in the fight. Steel-colored wings glittered as they carried her out of harm's way time and time again.

Then, the unthinkable happened. A beam of Trudric's magic shot quickly, too quickly, and found its mark in those lovely wings. Roxy looked away, cringing, not wanting to see what would happen.

"Roxy, it's okay!" Bloom said, and she sounded equal parts amazed and excited. "Look!"

Timidly, Roxy looked back towards the battle. Trudric had been knocked to the ground and was cursing wildly as Avi stood over him, triumphant. "What happened?" asked Roxy.

Bloom smiled widely. "Her wings actually reflected his blast! I've never seen anything like it. I think they must be actual metal!"

"Could they still be torn off?" asked Lysis. "If the Wizards' Apprentices are going to continue with their masters' work, we need to know."

"I'm sure they could with the right spell, or if someone was strong enough, but it seems pure offensive magic can't touch those wings." Bloom was still grinning. "This is amazing!"

Lysis was nodding rapidly. "I'd bet it's a sort of evolution mixed with magic. Since previous fairies had delicate wings, the new ones don't. I almost want to test Roxy and Saf's wings to see if theirs could withstand…"

"No way!" Roxy yelped.

"I wouldn't really!" exclaimed the fairy of biology, but her guilty face showed that maybe it wasn't completely the truth.

Out of the blue, Avi grinned. "Oh man, once my friends see me, they're gonna be stunned," she boasted. "Not that I'm magical or anything, but that I got out of this without a single scratch. For a wizard, you're pretty pathetic, eh, Trudric?"

"She shouldn't be taunting him." Lysis's face was pale. "She got lucky and she caught him off guard, but he must have had years of training by now… I can't imagine the Wizards finding apprentices in the last few months. I'd chance him to have studied for anywhere between fifteen and five hundred years."

"Five hundred? Who can live that long?" exclaimed Safeyah.

"Any magical being, easily," said Bloom. "Roxy's mother is over a thousand years old, in fact."

The new fairy stared at them warily. "How old are all of you?"

"Lysis is twenty-three, Bloom is twenty-one, and I'm seventeen," Roxy assured her. "We really are the ages we look."

Avi didn't seem to be able to hear Lysis's warnings, just as she could not see her friends. "No wonder none of your friends came to help you. They're probably super embarrassed."

"This isn't good," Lysis said, her lips pursing.

"Heck, I'm getting massive secondhand embarrassment just from watching…" Avi continued with a smirk, closing her eyes in a satisfied way.

Trudric whipped his hand out and fired off a bolt of magic. It hit Avi square in the face, and she toppled to the ground.

The wizard stood and brushed off his long white robe casually. "What were you saying?" he said with a small laugh as he stepped on her stomach, his foot seeming to be exerting only enough force to keep her down, not to injure her. "Because it sounds like you were predicting how I now feel about you! How cute. Perhaps you're the fairy of premature gloating?"

Avi said a few well-chosen words that upon hearing, Lysis immediately clapped a hand over her own mouth, scandalized.

Trudric simply seemed amused. "Whatever you say will be of no concern once my brothers and sibling find us. We needed someone like you to help us set our plan into action."

"I'd never help you, never!"

"Dear fairy, did I even do anything to you? Up until you attacked me, I mean. So I helped seal Earth from the rest of the magic dimension. So what? You never knew there was anything outside your own world anyway. For you, to you, I have done nothing unprovoked."

Avi looked thoughtful, and Trudric tilted his head to the side, appraising her expression. "Trust me when I say you will help us," he said.

As soon as he said that, Avi turned defiant again. "You don't tell me what to do. Nobody can. I've made up my mind."

"You'll make up your mind to help us soon enough…"

Bloom turned to Lysis and Roxy. "I know we said we shouldn't interfere in whatever magic is at work, but the way this looks…"

"It's either going to end with a captured Avi, an endless circle of arguing, or both," Lysis finished wryly.

"I don't know which one's worse," Roxy added with a shudder.

"Time to interfere?" Saf asked, slightly hopefully.

"Time for us to interfere." Lysis stared at Saf haughtily. "You'll only end up getting in the way, untrained and ungifted as you are."

"Pardon me! Leaving an untrained fairy out of things was what caused this problem!" Saf wasn't entirely sure if her argument was worthwhile, but it was her best friend in the fray, her best friend who had followed her in a time of trouble. To not rescue Avi as Avi had attempted to rescue Saf… that would be a betrayal.

Roxy and Bloom nodded, seeming to agree, and begrudgingly, Lysis's face softened. "Fine. But you're staying behind one of us."

Saf wasn't Avi. She didn't argue any more. With Lysis, she wasn't sure how far she would get anyway.

Bloom clenched her fist. "What do you think this is, Lysis?"

"Illusion magic. He mentioned the others needed to find him, and he has yet to address us, so I'd chance that both of them are affected. Likely he learned it from one of the Wizards, but didn't learn how to alter the spell so he was left out of the illusion."

"Just what I was thinking. How come we're not affected?"

"We were flying near the top of the barrier, out of the radius. It wasn't set up to incorporate anyone who came too close, simply those around when the spell came into play."

Roxy and Saf tried not to look too confused. Bloom, for her part, seemed to follow the conversation with ease. "Have you ever fought an illusion-user before? Do you know how to defeat them?"

"No. I've never met one. Earth fairies are usually above cheap tricks. You?"

"Just one." Bloom frowned, seeming lost in thought for a moment. "I never asked Mirta how her powers work. I should. She just never seemed that important after…"

Avalon spit out another nasty word, and Roxy frowned. "Bloom, do you mind maybe monologuing after we save Avi?" said the pink-haired teen.

"Oh. Yeah. Um, I propose we go at Trudric with offensive force. Hopefully he'll drop his concentration."

"And hopefully," Lysis said, "he won't pull an illusion over us as we do that."

"That's something to worry about. Roxy, Saf. Lysis and I will attack. You two fly as far as you can while still being able to see us. If we're illusioned, then take Avi and get her away, then go to…"

Saf blinked. "That's it."

"What?" Bloom looked to the girl quizzically. "What's it?"

"You couldn't fly Avi up because we needed to offensively cast spells, but you could carry her, right?"

Bloom nodded.

"Why don't we just pick her up and fly her away? We can deal with the illusion later if this doesn't work, but the way I see it is that once Trudric realizes she's gone, he'll have to drop the illusion over them so he can find her again. By the time that happens, we'll be far enough away and prepared enough to have the advantage."

Bloom, Lysis, and Roxy stared at her. "That may just work," Lysis admitted softly.

"No harm in trying," Bloom agreed. "It isn't like he can see us or hear us. Likely he'll have no idea what's going on."

Saf smiled, happy she made a good suggestion. "So we're going for it?"

"Yes," said Lysis. "Why not?"

Avi didn't feel anything lift her. She was only aware of the sensation of movement. Movement she had not caused.

There were not many guidelines in the dark to show her how far away she was. There was only Trudric, seeming to get increasingly smaller. He shouted at her as she moved away, but something seemed to restrain his arms, something invisible. Avalon laughed.

Then, she frowned. She was moving away in a dark, dark void, and the farther she moved from the wizard, the darker that void seemed to get.

Is this death? Was I really so defeated?

At least it didn't hurt. It was just incredibly confusing.

Avi hung her head. Saf better appreciate this. And when they bury me, they better mention I was the coolest fairy ever, even if I was only a fairy for like, ten minutes.

As she lifted her head up, prepared to face whatever was or wasn't waiting for her on the other side, she saw cracks of light in the darkness. Slowly, the cracks grew and grew, letting white light into the dark dimension until the blackness shattered spectacularly.

She was in a forest. Bloom had one of her arms, Roxy another, and Saf had her legs. They were at least ten feet off the ground.

"What the heck are you guys doing?" Avi demanded.

The three fairies smiled. "Looks like it worked," said Bloom.

"I did not expect Trudric to release the illusion that quickly," Saf said happily.

"Can you fly on your own, or do you need us to carry you?" Roxy asked, concerned.

Avi flapped her wings experimentally. "I think… I know I can fly on my own, but what happened?"

"Trudric, the wizard, trapped both of you in an illusion world," Roxy explained. "We could see you both, but you couldn't see or hear us. We weren't planning on interfering at first, but you looked like you could use some help. Dropping you in five, four, three, two…"

As they released her, she freefell for a second before letting her lovely wings take her up to the same height as her friends both old and new. "Okay, so you saw me kick butt magically, but did you see me punch him? That was the best part."

"We saw," Bloom assured her.

"So rad! And I'll do it again if he…"

"Not likely."

The fairies looked backward mid-flight to see Lysis closing in behind them. She quickly joined their flight group. "I chased him off, but it was only because he was outnumbered," she informed Roxy. "I couldn't defeat him. Now, as for you, Avalon Masterson, you will not be punching anyone because you will never have the opportunity to battle him again. You could have been killed, once he discovered you were a fairy. The audacity to transform like that!"

"Well, I couldn't control it," mumbled the dark-skinned teen. "It just happened after I decided I was gonna mess him up."

"No more," said Lysis firmly. "Bloom, I don't care what you do to me. We're taking them to Nebula and Morgana the instant we are back at the castle."

"So you see, my queen, the only thing we can hope to do is establish some sort of training or schooling for these new fairies. While Safeyah's powers could be inherited, Avalon shows no fairy lineage whatsoever."

"And a week ago, I ran into another human girl with powers," Bloom added. "I don't think a school is a good idea, but I do agree with Lysis's assessment that new fairies are somehow coming into existence, and we need to count on that being linked with the Apprentices and the Very Special Fairy."

Nebula frowned. "If you don't agree with schooling, what do you propose?" Next to her, Morgana nodded, as though prodding on an answer.

"That the girls be offered a normal life, once they are tested to see if they can break the barrier. If they choose magic, Alfea College awaits them once the barrier is broken. We don't have the necessary staff or facilities to train them here in Tir Nan Og, not when the castle is so busy preparing for war."

"The barrier breaking could take years!" Lysis argued. "Our only bet is for Roxy and I to find these fairies as soon as possible and immediately start training them. Give them no choice; they will only be weak links in war if they are not instructed. Queen Nebula, you know war well, you know this to be true."

Avi raised a hand lazily. "Yes, Miss Masterson?" addressed Queen Nebula.

"Look, Queen, these two did not handle Saf and me that well, you know? If you leave them in charge of recruiting new fairies, you won't get many willing girls at all. I propose that Saf and I come along to help ease the girls into things, since we know what it's like." Avi folded her arms over her chest confidently. "What do you say?"

Nebula looked to Morgana. "I believe I have a solution that will fit all needs," Morgana said. "Permission to propose it?"

Nebula nodded. Morgana stood. "A school shall be founded in a new location, across the country from us, so that another safe haven for fairies and war base will be established with it. Attendance will be mandatory for all fairies under the age of eighteen and those over eighteen who cannot demonstrate proficiency in magic. It will also teach typical high school subjects in addition to magical, in order to appease human parents."

Lysis smirked at Bloom, pleased to have won.

"However," Morgana continued, "Not all students shall be residential. Some will travel and learn on the road, through action rather than theory. In return for this extended field trip style of learning, they will help locate and recruit new students."

Avalon nodded approval. Only Bloom still seemed disgruntled.

"Bloom will vacate her current position as Modernity Advisor and will be headmistress and professor of this new school."

If anything, Bloom looked even less pleased.

"Does this suit you, sister?" asked Morgana.

Nebula nodded. "Yes. Plans should be set into action to purchase a large property on the east coast immediately. I imagine the majority of the population would be residential, keep that in mind. Bloom, come, we have much to discuss."

Bloom took a deep breath before following Nebula and Morgana away.

Roxy grinned at the three remaining fairies. "A school. I guess I'm going, since I'm seventeen… I hope Alfea allows transfers."

"I don't know what Alfea is, but I don't think any of us are going to really go to this school. Didn't you hear? We're the students on the move!" Avalon put one arm over Roxy's shoulder, the other over Saf's. "We're like some special task force. Collecting fairies, helping them grow, just you three and me. The core four."

"Did you just name us?" Lysis said wearily.

"You know what? I think I did."

Saf smiled. "So does this mean we're all friends now?"

Everyone looked to Lysis. Among the three teenagers, no words were needed. The older fairy, on the other hand, was still unpredictable and a little bit grumpy.

Lysis sighed. "If we must be. A bond would make it easier to work together anyway."

"I think that's the best we're getting," Avi said.

Roxy smiled. "Yeah. For now," she said, and her voice was full of hope for the future of the small group… and for all the new fairies who now had four young guides to lead them to control their powers.

AN: That's the end of the introductory arc! Next, we embark on discovering some new fairies, which means new faces! In upcoming chapters, you can expect to see several old friends from the old story. If you are the owner of any fab characters, I'd love it if you confirm that I can still use them, but I really only need you to tell me if I can't, or else I'll assume they're still fair game.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!