"Oh no - did I hurt you?!" Flora asked the spider plants she had landed on.
The plants seemed to be fine. Thank goodness.
Flora breathed a sigh of relief and looked around attentively. She was in Lynphea, no doubt. Why had she been brought here without saying goodbye to the others? A bad feeling crept over her... Hopefully, the others were okay.
But it was no use worrying about them. She had to focus on her mission. The faster she moved forward, the sooner she could see the others again!
But Arcadia had given her a difficult task. How was she supposed to find the Guardian of Lynphea? Maybe she could ask the Wise One of Lynphea... Or perhaps she should consider requesting an audience with Queen Rachel? And what if they couldn't help her either?
Questions upon questions.
But Flora decided to ask someone who knew everything about Lynphea for help: nature!
She sat down on the ground and focused her powers on the earth to connect with the plants.
But they didn't seem to want to give her an answer. Only the trembling willow pointed its branches in a vague direction.
Flora thanked it and set off in the direction the willow had shown her.
It was a muddy path near a river, but Flora didn't mind. The flowers blooming here were something special.
"I can't believe it! Rosa Pluvia - rain roses!"
A rare flower. They only grow near flowing waters and bloom only in rainy weather. When they bloom, their petals change to a pearlescent rainbow color. They are beautiful, emit a pleasant aromatic scent, and their pollen is an ingredient in many remedies. Flora was thrilled but continued on her way.
"Nature can be so beautiful..."
The path grew thornier and eventually led away from the river into the forest. Here, the foliage was so dense that she could hardly see anything... But mushrooms grew in abundance on the ground.
One of them particularly caught Flora's eye. It looked like a normal fly agaric, but something about it was odd.
"Can you please stop staring at me like that?" said a squeaky voice, and the mushroom began to move.
Indeed. It had small thin arms and a tiny face that looked at her offendedly, hidden under the red cap.
"Sorry," said Flora, smiling gently.
The little mushroom stretched and yawned, "... that was a nice nap..."
"What's your name?" Flora wanted to know.
"Hmpf!" the little mushroom huffed and straightened its cap. "You can call me Shroomy."
"Hello, Shroomy. My name is Flora," she said and shook the tiny hand of the mushroom man, "Maybe you can help me... I'm looking for the Guardian of Lynphea.
"Shroomy chuckled softly.
"Is something funny?" Flora asked.
The little mushroom shook its head: "Sure, I can guide you. But why should I do that?"
"Please, Shroomy. It's really important."
"It's reeeeally important!" Shroomy mimicked her, "Sorry, lady, but that's not going to happen."
"But why not?" Flora asked.
Shroomy just crossed his arms and turned his head away.
There had to be a way to persuade him to help...
"Shroomy... Please. I need to find the Guardian of Lynphea. My friends are in danger!" she tried to explain.
But Shroomy didn't seem convinced: "Sure, anyone can say that!"
"I was sent by Arcadia. The Guardian is supposed to help me activate my Portix power."
"Oh, why didn't you say so right away?" Shroomy said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
That didn't work.
Should Flora give up?
...if only she were a bit more confident... could present herself more assertively...
"So, I'm off. Bye, Flora!" Shroomy said and waddled away.
Damn! What now?
"Wait, Shroomy—" Flora began, but the little mushroom had already vanished.
She sat down, disappointed in herself. It wasn't the first time she had been too shy to take a stand. She remembered the past... Once she wanted to give Helia a love letter but just couldn't bring herself to do it. Out of fear that he might not feel the same, out of shame and shyness.
It had always been like this. Whenever it came down to it, she couldn't be confident. She envied the other Winx for that... She wondered how they were doing. Had they already found the guardians of their worlds? What if not? What if they were in danger?
And while she was wallowing in self-pity here, anything could be happening to her friends!
This thought seemed to wake her up and she stood up.
She had to find Shroomy, and this time she would convince him! But where was he?
She followed the little mushroom's tracks through thorns and mud, constantly calling his name. Branches got tangled in her hair.
Her clothes were torn, and the thorns had dug into her skin. But that didn't matter.
How far had Shroomy run?
It felt like she had been running for hours when Shroomy appeared before her.
The little mushroom grinned: "You're tougher than I thought."
"I'm not leaving until you take me to the Guardian of Lynphea!" Flora said, gasping for breath.
Shroomy let out a cackling laugh: "You're already standing in front of her!"
"What?"
Surprised, Flora watched as the birch tree Shroomy was leaning against transformed into a woman. Her hair was made of branches, and the bark turned into natural armor.
"You have passed my test of courage and determination, Fairy of Nature. I am Natyra, the Guardian of Lynphea," she said as a squirrel climbed onto her and made itself comfortable in her hair.
"I— it's an honor to meet you," Flora said nervously.
Shroomy nudged her: "Hey, I thought you were more determined. Stand tall!"
Natyra smiled: "You are a peaceful being, aren't you, Flora?"
"That's right, your majesty."
"Unfortunately, there will always be conflicts... Tell me, Flora, if you had the choice to bring peace to the world for a year by sacrificing your loved ones... Would you do it?" Natyra asked, and a flower-covered scythe appeared in her hand.
Flora was startled: "What kind of question is that?!"
Natyra watched her closely: "The answer to this question determines whether I will entrust you with the power of the Portix. You only have one chance. And you have ten seconds."
Flora was indignant. Sacrifice her loved ones? Never!
"Ten... nine... eight... seven..."
On the other hand, it would bring peace to the world... But for how long? She already said there would always be conflicts... A year is short... But every day is important... Peace would help so many...
"... six... five... four..."
Her friends... or a year of peace... All over the world... But—no. With her friends, she could bring peace to the world! Without the Winx, after a year, evil would return and maybe even triumph! On the other hand, there were also wars in the magical dimension. Not to mention on Earth. And people deserve to be able to breathe freely... A year...
"... three... two... one..."
"Time's up!" Shroomy's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
Natyra raised an eyebrow:"... you have passed."
"W-what?" Flora asked, close to tears.
Natyra placed a hand on her shoulder: "There is no right answer to this question. If you had chosen one side, you would have failed. You are a good friend and loyal to your loved ones. And at the same time, you want to save the world."
"And I can do that, with the help of my friends!" Flora burst out.
Natyra smiled at her approvingly and handed her the scythe: "With this artifact, you will bring peace to the world. Now go—Alfea awaits you."
"Thank you, Guardian Natyra," Flora said, clutching the scythe with trembling fingers. Immediately, the essence of Lynphea—the power of nature itself—flowed through her.
"And stand tall, for heaven's sake! You're a Portix fairy now!" Shroomy grumbled at her.
Flora smiled at him, "Goodbye, Shroomy."
Then she stepped through the portal to Alfea.