Naomi held her bag tightly to her as she hurried through Gloomywood Forest, casting one final glance back at Alfea. The castle was dark and quiet, filled with slumbering fairies who wouldn't figure out that she was gone until the morning, and by that time they'd stand no chance of finding her.

Running away wasn't ideal. In fact, there was no part of her that thought it was a good idea; she just knew that staying at Alfea was an even worse idea. She couldn't stay there. She'd thought she could hold it together, but she couldn't. She couldn't patch up the cracks and stay adrift in an ocean of loss and loneliness. If she was going to end up alone, then she was going to be alone in a place of her choosing.

She double-checked her phone. Her shuttle left in an hour. An hour to get to Magix. An hour before she could put all this behind her.

She picked up the pace, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease. She felt a twinge of guilt over leaving, and Roxy's face kept appearing in her mind, but…that wasn't it. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, glancing into the thick darkness that even her eyes couldn't truly penetrate. This was such a bad idea. Walking through a magical forest alone at night, when no one knew where she was. If Gantlos knew what she was doing, he'd have a heart-attack.

But Gantlos wasn't there to tell her not to do this. Her family were gone. And she had to get out of Alfea. She took a deep breath and walked faster, her footsteps crunching through leaves, branches pulling at her hair as though coaxing her to stay with them, to succumb to their forest's darkness. She shook them off, remaining focused on her goal. Magix City. She just had to get to Magix City, and then she could get off this stupid planet.

She could have used magic to get to the city, but magic left a trail, and she wasn't risking having Faragonda or Nebula come find her and pull her back because they thought they knew what was best for her after only a few days. They didn't know her. Nobody knew her. And in less than an hour, she'd make sure things stayed that way.

She froze suddenly, her ears twitching. She could hear something. Her heartbeat quickened. She strained to hear. Leaves, crunching. It could have been a deer, but she knew what deer sounded like. This was a footstep. And another. And another. Coming towards her. She sniffed the air. Maybe it was Roxy, or some other fairy. A sharp, metallic scent washed over her. That was not a fairy. It didn't even smell…alive.

She whipped around, her eyes searching the darkness for whatever was out there. She was tempted to call out 'hello', but she knew that was an even worse idea than wandering alone through a forest at night. If there was something out there, it would have her location in seconds. She could shift, but she didn't know what was out there; using magic could just light her up like a beacon.

She heard more crunching footsteps, far closer, and she turned on her heel and ran, dodging roots and branches that tried to stop her, to trip her, to leave her to whatever was following her. Because it was following her. The footsteps had sped up, as though matching her increase in pace.

She ran faster, her breath coming in panicked gasps. Why had she done this? What had she been thinking?

The footsteps were closer, but, despite the increasing volume of her pursuer's footfalls, she couldn't hear a single breath. What was behind her? She wanted to turn and look, but she knew that the second she did, she'd surely trip and stumble.

Since she knew whatever was behind her already knew where she was, she glowed pink, preparing to shift and hopefully make her escape. But, just as she began to feel her magic changing her form, a powerful jolt of electricity hit her back, and she cried out, tumbling to the forest floor and rolling into a tree.

'Ngh…' She sat up carefully, gingerly touching her head as she tried to focus her eyes.

The footsteps slowed, and she looked up. A shaft of moonlight shone through a gap in the thick canopy of leaves, and she gasped as her pursuer stepped into it, silver light reflecting off a shining metal body. A narrow eye-like slit glowed a menacing green, and she could see it appraising her. It was a robot. She had been chased and blasted by a robot. And, judging by the way its left arm was crackling, it hadn't been satisfied with just the one blast.

Before she could even start to wonder what on Earth a robot wanted with her, electricity shot forth from its arm, and she threw herself out of the way, scrambling unsteadily to her feet, her head swimming from the last shock.

'What…what are you?' she asked, her voice trembling. The robot simply ignored her, and she had to leap away from another blast. 'What do you want?!' she screamed in panic, crying out as she wasn't quick enough to dodge the next blast, crackling energy catching her arm.

She clutched her arm, staring at her pursuer in fear.

'Naomi, magic, transform!' she gasped out, transforming into her fairy form. Maybe now she'd stand a chance against this thing.

She tried to use her wings and fly away, but she was too dizzy from her shock, and she stumbled, barely avoiding hitting the ground.

'Dark Orb!' She flung up her shield just in time to block the next blast, staggering back under the force of the impact as her shield fizzled out, her focus too compromised to keep it up.

'Obsidian Flux!' Her attack hit the robot, crackling and fizzling out as it bumped into its chest. The robot looked down, as though unimpressed.

'Give in.' Naomi started at hearing the robot speak. Its voice was cold and emotionless, and it sent shivers down her spine, the tone tugging at something buried deep inside her memories. 'It is futile to fight. Endgame's chances of winning this fight are ninety-nine point nine percent.'

'Endgame?' Naomi asked, tense and ready to attack again. 'Is that your name?' Endgame ignored her.

'Naomi Hunter's chances of winning this fight are zero point one percent.' Naomi recoiled. This thing knew her name? How? What did it want?

'And what are the odds of you just giving up and leaving me alone?' she asked, trying to disguise the terrified tremor in her voice.

The answer came, cold and detached.

'Zero percent.'

'Right…' Naomi muttered, summoning her magic. 'Then I guess I'm banking on that zero point one percent. Transmutation!' She flung her hand out, transforming the ground under Endgame into quicksand. Her heart leapt as the robot started rapidly sinking, but her face quickly fell as it lifted itself out of the pit, blue fire burning under its feet.

It shot another bolt of energy at her, and she shifted into a fox, dropping below the attack and its impact as the electric attack split a tree in half.

She ran for Endgame, shifting into a horse at the last moment and bucking her hind legs right into its chest, sending it flying into a tree.

She shifted back, watching it nervously. Was it down? It got up as though she'd just tickled it. No, of course it's not down.

'Dark Orb!' Her shield blocked the first attack, but the second obliterated it, slamming into Naomi's stomach and sending her crashing into a tree, her fairy form vanishing in a burst of sparkles.

She tried to lift her head, breathing hard. She had to get up! She couldn't just sit there! But her aching body wouldn't listen, too exhausted and winded to stand.

Endgame walked towards her, and she tried to scramble away. But it was futile; she had exhausted her magic, and her eyes would barely focus.

Her heart beat faster as Endgame reached for her, and she gasped with fear.

'Mystic Talons!' Naomi's mouth dropped open as Endgame was sent flying into a tree by a very familiar attack.

'Naomi!' She looked up to see Roxy in her fairy form, staring down at her with worry and fear. 'What's going on?'

'Wish I knew! Roxy, look out!' Endgame had recovered and was aiming an electrical attack at Roxy.

'Crystal Shell!' The attack bounced off the shield, and Roxy flew at Endgame. 'Wasp Sting!' Endgame, now more prepared, dodged the attack, its strange, glowing eye-slit seeming to take in Roxy.

'Error. Unforeseen adversary.' Roxy landed a few metres away, her eyes burning.

'The name's Roxy, tin can. Mystic Talons!' Endgame was knocked back a few feet. Roxy folded her arms. 'Who are you, and what do you want with my friend?' Naomi's breath caught in her throat. Her friend? Even after all the times Naomi had pushed her away, Roxy still wanted to be her friend? She was fighting a crazy killer robot to protect her. Naomi felt a rush of gratitude for her roommate, followed by admiration as Roxy steadfastly stood her ground against Endgame's attacks, her shield holding steady.

'Error. Error. Calculated opponent power-level exceeded. Directive change. Retreat.' Naomi watched in shock as Endgame flew swiftly off into the night, her entire body trembling.

'Good riddance,' Roxy muttered, staring after the robot. She turned to Naomi and ran over, dropping to her knees and de-transforming in front of her, staring into her eyes with concern. 'Are you okay?' Naomi nodded shakily, her breathing starting to calm down.

'Y…yeah. I'm okay.' Roxy looked around at the destroyed forest.

'What happened? What was that thing?' Naomi took a shaky breath.

'It…it called itself Endgame. I don't know where it came from. It just…it just started chasing me…and then it hit me with one of those attacks, and I fell…and…and…' She started to shake, and Roxy wrapped her arms around her comfortingly.

'Hey, hey…it's okay. That thing…Endgame…it's gone. You're okay.' Naomi nodded, swallowing hard.

'What…what are you doing here?' she asked, shakily wiping her eyes.

'I woke up and you were gone, along with all your things.'

'But…but…how did you find me? I didn't use any magic; there'd have been no trail to follow.' Roxy smiled.

'I didn't need a magic trail; I just asked the animals. I found a squirrel that had seen a pink-haired girl with a duffel bag walking this way, and pretty soon after that I heard battle sounds and then you know the rest.'

'Yeah…' Naomi stared searchingly into Roxy's worried purple eyes. '…Why'd you save me?' Roxy blinked in surprise. 'I kept pushing you away…' Roxy held up a hand.

'Naomi. There is no universe in which I just leave you to get attacked by a crazy killer robot. I'm your friend…or at least…I'd like to be.' Naomi hurriedly wiped her eyes again as Roxy's words brought on a whole new wave of emotions. Roxy took a deep breath and continued. 'Naomi, I am so sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it, and I definitely didn't mean to hurt you. I…I care about you, strange as that sounds after only a few days, and I want to be friends.' Naomi smiled weakly.

'I…I think I want to be friends too. I'm sorry I was so stubborn; I was so stupid. Great Dragon, I was stupid.' She took a deep, gulping breath, thinking back to how insane her decision had been. 'I should never have just left Alfea. That was the dumbest thing I've ever done. I was just…hurt, and angry, and I felt so alone…' She started to cry again, and Roxy folded her arms around her.

'I know. But you're not alone now, okay?' Naomi clung to Roxy and cried, realising just how much she'd needed someone to comfort her, how much she'd needed to be held, how much she'd needed to know that she wasn't alone.

Eventually, Roxy pulled away.

'We should get back to Alfea. Even if Endgame's gone, it isn't safe to be out here at night.' Naomi nodded and got unsteadily to her feet, aided by Roxy.

'No kidding.'

'We should tell Faragonda-'

'No!' Naomi exclaimed, and Roxy stared at her in surprise. 'Sorry,' Naomi murmured. 'I just…' She sighed deeply. 'I don't want people asking me questions about this; I don't want people more interested in me than they already are. Plus, if Faragonda knows, she'll just call in the Winx, and I…I just can't handle that.' Roxy nodded slowly.

'…Okay. But we can't just ignore this.' Naomi opened her mouth, but stopped as a smile tugged at Roxy's mouth. 'I guess we just have to investigate ourselves.' Naomi smiled gratefully; she couldn't handle being the focus of a new Winx adventure. She tolerated the girls, but she was so not there yet.

'Let's get back before Grizelda figures out that we're not in bed,' Roxy said, grabbing Naomi's duffel bag from where it had landed in a tree. She looked at where Naomi was struggling to stand, and looped the strap over her own shoulder. 'I'll just carry this, shall I?' Naomi nodded gratefully, and Roxy held out her arm, allowing Naomi to lean on her for the walk back to school.

Walking through the forest, Naomi craned her neck around to catch a glimpse of the destroyed woodland where she'd fought Endgame. What was that thing? And what does it want with me?

Naomi stared into the bathroom mirror, wincing at the thin red scratches across her forehead and cheeks, accented by the mud and leaves that seemingly now lived in her hair.

She took a deep breath and pulled off her sweater, flinching at the movement. The Winx never seem this injured after a fight… She dropped her clothes onto the floor, feeling that she was perhaps entitled to be a bit of a slob; after all, she'd just been attacked by a crazy robot.

Stepping into the shower, she turned on the hot water, wincing as it washed over her scratched skin, breathing in the steam and allowing the fear and panic to wash away with the dirt and mud streaming down the drain.

After what most people would call an excessively long shower, Naomi stepped out and wrapped herself in the big, fluffy green dressing gown Roxy had lent her when she'd realised Naomi didn't have one with her, nestling into the soft fabric and breathing in Roxy's scent, allowing the newfound familiarity to calm her.

Roxy was sitting on her bed when she came out of the bathroom, and she sprung up the second she saw her.

'Feeling any better?'

'Yeah, kinda,' Naomi replied, reaching into her (thankfully unharmed) duffel bag and pulling out a pair of dark-purple button-up pyjamas patterned with silver bats. Anagan had given them to her for her fourteenth birthday, and they were a little small, but she put them on nonetheless, finding comfort in the beloved items of clothing.

As she buttoned up the shirt, she caught her reflection in Roxy's mirror, grimacing at the large, dark bruise on her stomach. That's not going away anytime soon… She quickly buttoned the shirt, hiding the mark from sight. Out of sight, out of mind… Yeah, right.

She sat down tiredly on her bed, pulling her wet hair into a messy bun to keep it off her back. She could dry it, but she was so tired that just the thought of getting up again to get the hairdryer made her head spin.

Roxy draped her blanket over her shoulders, and Naomi nestled into it, finally feeling safe again.

'So…' Roxy began awkwardly, clearly unsure how to begin.

'So.' Naomi wasn't sure what she was supposed to do either; this was her first time getting attacked by a crazy robot and being saved by her family's former mortal enemy. Roxy decided to get the ball rolling.

'You really have no idea where that thing came from?' Naomi shook her head.

'No clue. But…' She thought back to the chill that had come over her when she'd heard Endgame's cold, menacing voice. 'But I think there was some part of me that recognised its voice.' Roxy raised an eyebrow.

'Recognised its voice? From where?'

'I don't know.' Normally Naomi would have a sarcastic response, but right then she couldn't summon one. She was struggling not to cry as it was.

'So you've never seen Endgame before?' Roxy winced. 'Sorry. I'm being way too invasive, aren't I? It's just…'

'Why would some random robot I've never seen before just show up out of the blue and attack me?' Naomi finished. Roxy nodded.

'Well…yeah. It's weird.' Naomi nodded.

'No argument from me. You're right.' She sighed deeply and rubbed her temples. '…I don't think I've ever seen it before. But…'

'But…' Roxy prompted.

'But I could have encountered it when I was young. Before…before I was adopted.' She took a deep breath; she couldn't believe she was talking about this.

'…How…how did you come to be adopted by the wizards?' Roxy asked tentatively. 'You don't have to say if you don't want to!' she added quickly, and Naomi smiled softly.

'No, I…I can tell you. But I'd prefer it if you kept it private.' Roxy nodded emphatically, and Naomi sighed. 'I don't remember anything before I was adopted, and, honestly, my memories of meeting my family for the first time are pretty hazy. After all, I was only about a year old.' Roxy blinked.

'How do you remember when you were one?' Naomi shrugged.

'Shapeshifters tend to have faster cognitive development, depending on how often they change shape. Think about it: a wolf develops independence before a human, right?'

'I guess that makes sense. Okay, go ahead.'

'Right. So, as I said, I don't really remember this, but I've been told the story enough times.'

Fifteen years ago, Zenith

'Well, that was pointless,' Duman remarked as the Wizards of the Black Circle walked through a Zenithian forest. Ogron rolled his eyes.

'Are you planning on stopping complaining about this venture any time soon?' Duman shook his head, smiling mischievously.

'Nope.' Ogron sighed.

'Great. Good to know.' The wizards had come to Zenith in hopes of using the planet's techno-magic to improve their spells to find the remaining Earth Fairies; unfortunately, Duman's point had been frustratingly accurate: the trip had been rather pointless, the highly-advanced scientific magic turning out to be largely incompatible with their ancient Terrestrial magic, a topic Duman didn't seem set to shut up about any time soon, much to Ogron's chagrin.

'Why did you think this would work, anyway?' Duman asked as they walked up a hill en route to the magical nexus where they'd created their portal. 'Aren't you basically an expert on magic and stuff?'

'And stuff?' Ogron raised an eyebrow. 'What stuff?' Duman shrugged.

'Stuff.' Ogron rolled his eyes.

'Great. Thanks for clearing that up.'

'Guys,' Anagan interjected. 'Let's just get back to the nexus and get off this planet, okay?' The wizard was obviously rather desperate to leave the perpetually-freezing Zenith, utterly hating the cold, shivering even in his coat. He looked around nervously. 'This place is really strange; are these trees made of metal?' Gantlos nodded.

'Looks like it. Zenith doesn't have plants and animals like Earth, and its climate is calibrated by its people.' Anagan shivered.

'I really just want to go home.' Duman opened his mouth, most likely to make a smart comment, but then he froze.

'Duman?' Gantlos asked, concerned. 'What's wrong?' Duman stared suspiciously into the trees.

'You said Zenith doesn't have animals, right?' Ogron nodded.

'No, the only living beings on Zenith are its people.' Duman frowned.

'My senses are telling me something different. There's something in the trees.' Ogron's eyes widened.

'It can't be a person, we're miles from any town.' Anagan shrugged.

'Maybe Zenith does have animals; or maybe someone's taking a hike.'

'Zenithians don't go for hikes; it's not a recreational activity here,' Ogron replied, following Duman's gaze.

'How do you even know- You know what, never mind. Duman!' Anagan exclaimed as Duman began walking towards whatever it was he could sense. 'Maybe wandering off after something we know nothing about isn't a great plan?' Duman rolled his eyes.

'You worry too much, Anagan.' Gantlos folded his arms.

'He might have a point, Duman. We don't actually need to investigate, y'know. Right, Ogron? Ogron?' Ogron was already setting off after Duman, and Gantlos facepalmed. 'Those two are far too curious,' he muttered to Anagan, who nodded.

'Guys!' Duman called. 'You need to see this!' Gantlos and Anagan exchanged a look, before hurrying after Duman.

'What is it?' Anagan asked. Duman was crouching in front of a small crevice between several large stones. He turned to look at them, holding a finger to his lips.

'Shh.' He beckoned them over. 'Come here, but slowly and quietly.' The other three wizards exchanged a confused glance, but they listened, walking over and kneeling next to Duman.

'Okay,' Ogron whispered. 'Now what is it?' Duman gestured inside the crevice.

'Look,' he murmured, and his friends' eyes widened. Curled in a tiny ball between the rocks was a tiny, thin, bedraggled pink wolf cub, staring out at them with wide, frightened golden eyes.

'Is that a…wolf?' Gantlos asked softly. Duman shook his head.

'Not exactly.' He held out a hand to the cub, who whimpered and recoiled. 'Hey, it's okay…We won't hurt you…' The cub sniffed his hand, and its eyes widened. It slowly got to its feet and followed Duman's hand out of the crevice. 'That's it…' The cub yapped and licked Duman's hand, and Duman laughed softly, stroking the animal's ears. 'Hi there…'

'I don't understand,' Ogron said, and the cub flinched upon hearing him, whining and trying to hide behind Duman, whom it apparently trusted.

'Shh…' Duman soothed. 'He won't hurt you either.' He looked to Ogron. 'Hold out your hand like I did.' Ogron did as Duman suggested, and the cub crept out from behind Duman, sniffing him warily. It apparently approved of him, as it moved closer, nuzzling into him.

'There are no animals on Zenith,' Ogron murmured as the cub slowly moved to investigate Gantlos and Anagan. 'Why is there a wolf cub? What did you mean when you said it 'wasn't exactly' a wolf?' Duman turned to look at Ogron.

'That she's not a wolf.'

'Then what is she?' Anagan asked quietly, staying very still as the cub nosed inquisitively at the fabric of his coat.

'She's like me,' Duman breathed. The others looked at him in surprise.

'You mean a shapeshifter?' Gantlos asked, keeping half an eye on the cub as she sniffed his hand. Duman nodded, and his friends blinked with shock. In all their many centuries, they had never encountered another shapeshifter.

'But…' Ogron began, confused. '…There are no shapeshifters on Zenith.' Duman shook his head.

'No. Watch.' He glowed white, signifying that he was about to shift, and the cub sat on her hind legs, watching him curiously. The light faded, and in Duman's place was a black wolf.

The cub yapped excitedly, scampering up to him and nuzzling him lovingly. Gantlos laughed softly.

'Looks like she likes you.' Duman nuzzled the cub back, before sitting back on his hind legs and turning human again. The cub watched him for a moment, before sitting back on her own hind legs and glowing pink.

Ogron, Gantlos and Anagan's mouths dropped open as the cub was replaced by a baby girl, no older than one, staring up at them with those same golden eyes.

'Well this is unexpected…' Anagan murmured. 'Where'd she come from?' Duman shrugged.

'Not here.' The baby started to cry, and Duman scooped her up into his arms, nestling her into his winter jacket. 'Shh…It's okay.'

'What…what do we do?' Ogron asked, struggling for words, a remarkably rare occurrence that demonstrated just how unprepared he was for the turn that events had taken. 'We can't just leave her here.' Duman shook his head.

'No, we can't.' He got to his feet, the others following suit. 'I think she should stay with us.' Ogron blinked with surprise.

'You do?'

'Why not? You guys did the same thing with me.' Ogron frowned.

'Well, yes, but you were much older, and you could tell us who you were and where you came from.' He looked to Anagan and Gantlos. Anagan nodded slowly.

'Yeah…but what else do we do? Shapeshifters aren't always…accepted. I'm not sure we just drop her off with someone.'

'Gantlos?' Duman asked. 'What do you think?' He turned to look at Gantlos, the baby still clutched in his arms. She looked up at the blonde wizard with wide, curious eyes, and Ogron saw a look pass over his friend's face: a protective, loving gaze that told Ogron that he'd already made up his mind. Anagan was looking at the baby with a similarly smitten expression, and Ogron sighed.

'This was really not the plan…' he muttered as three sets of convinced eyes turned to look at him. He rubbed his temples, trying to think. He opened his eyes and looked at the baby lying happily in Duman's arms, meeting her golden gaze and seeing curiosity, love and a surprising intelligence staring back at him. He sighed, knowing that he, like his friends, had already made up his mind.

'Alright,' he said. 'We'll take her back to Earth with us.' Duman grinned delightedly.

'She needs a name,' Anagan remarked, and Duman frowned, thinking.

'How about…Naomi?' The baby laughed, and Duman smiled. 'Hey, she likes it!' Ogron shook his head fondly.

'Alright then; Naomi it is. Let's get her home.'

Present Day

'And that's how they found me,' Naomi finished. Roxy was staring at her with wide eyes, gripped by the story.

'So…they just found you on Zenith?' Naomi nodded.

'Yep.'

'What were you doing there?' Naomi shrugged.

'I have absolutely no idea. Ogron tried to figure out where I came from, but he couldn't work out anything helpful, so…' Roxy frowned.

'Do you ever wonder about where you came from?'

'No.' Naomi's answer was firm and decisive. 'Never. Wherever I came from, I know where I ended up, and I ended up with a family I love, and wouldn't change for anything. I just never…never felt like there was anything missing. My family were always totally happy for me to try and find out more if I wanted, but I never did. Besides, I…' Images from her nightmares flashed through her mind, and she winced. 'I might not like what I'd find.' Roxy frowned, noticing her wince.

'What do you mean?' Naomi sighed, pulling her blanket tighter around her.

'You remember the…dream I had last night?' Roxy nodded. 'Well, the first part of that…the first part was about my family.' She took a deep, grounding breath, focused on keeping her cool as memories of her family's pain coursed through her mind. 'But the second part…just before I woke up…that was different. There were all these cables snaring around me, and…and someone was there, but I didn't know who, only that I was very, very afraid of them. I've…I've seen those things in my nightmares as far back as I can remember. I don't know if they're memories or what, but if they are, I don't want to remember them.' Her hands were shaking now, and Roxy hesitantly put her own hands over them, stopping the trembling. Naomi looked up into Roxy's kind, amethyst eyes, and a weak smile made its way onto her face. 'But maybe…maybe they have something to do with Endgame.' Roxy gave her a reassuring smile.

'Wherever that thing came from, we'll figure it out. I promise. I've got you, Naomi.'

And we finally have both Naomi's past and that robot I promised! (I told you it was coming.) In case anyone is wondering where Naomi's surname came from, she's the daughter of the Fairy Hunters, so I figured Hunter would work well as a surname (plus I just liked it).

I'm going to do a collection of short stories about Naomi growing up with the wizards, so if anyone has any requests for that, please let me know in a review.