'Naomi? It's been really long time…Manuel and I are supposed to be on Domino in four hours…' Roxy hesitantly walked inside, frowning as she saw Naomi, her face streaked with mascara, huddled over a collection of Ogron's journals. 'Naomi, are you okay?'

'Ogron thought I might have been brought to Zenith by animal traffickers,' Naomi mumbled, not taking her eyes off the journal.

Roxy's eyes widened. 'Those are a thing in the Magic Dimension?'

'Yep…not sure why I never mentally pitched the idea.'

Roxy slowly joined her on the bed, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. 'Do you believe that?'

Naomi bit her lip, lost in thought. '…No. Wherever I came from, it got a robot sent after me. I think something bigger is going on, but…well…I wouldn't eliminate it as a possibility of how I wound up on Zenith. Not whatever happened after, but…logistically.'

Roxy's heart twisted, and she folded Naomi into her arms. 'Naomi…'

'Either way, I haven't…haven't found anything that'll tell us where we need to go.' Naomi rubbed her eyes, sighing miserably. 'I…I wish I could talk to them.' She caressed the journal lovingly, her eyes alight with bittersweet sadness. 'They'd know what to do. I'd feel safe.' She took a deep breath, looking up at Roxy. 'Roxy, I've asked, and I have to know. Did you find out? How long are they sentenced for?'

Roxy felt her stomach drop. Naomi was already crying…this wasn't a good time…

Naomi's eyes narrowed. 'Roxy, you're hiding something. You've been hiding something a while now. What is it?'

'Naomi, now isn't-' No. No, she had to tell her. With a deep, shaky breath, Roxy lifted her gaze, trying to exude an air of 'I totally didn't mean to lie to you, it just seemed like a good idea at the time'.

'…Okay. Okay, yes. I am. Nebula…I asked her. At the first summit. And she…told me.'

'The first summit?' Naomi repeated, almost imperceptibly edging away. 'That was weeks ago.'

'…Yes.'

'I asked you…'

'I know.' Roxy took Naomi's hand, but felt her pulling away slightly. 'Naomi…'

'How long.'

Roxy flinched, not ready to say the word. 'Naomi, listen, I'm going to talk to her again-'

'How. Long.'

Roxy stared down at the floor, her hair falling in front of her eyes in a protective curtain as she whispered, 'Eternity.'

Silence whacked them both in the face, settling in for a good few minutes while Roxy's heart tried to remember how to beat and Naomi's blood tried to remember the way back into her cheeks.

'…Eternity?'

Roxy nodded mutely.

'…As in…I'm never going to see them again?'

'…Yes.'

'…And you didn't…you didn't tell me?'

'I'm sorry…everything was too much…'

'You just let me hope? You lied to me?'

'No!' Roxy bolted to her feet defensively, before realising she had lied. 'Well…not intentionally…I just…I couldn't crush you. You went through so much…'

Naomi's eyes flashed, and she got to her feet, her hair flicking like the tail of an angry predator.

'You don't decide what I can and can't take, Roxy. You promised you'd tell me. You left me hanging on. You let me talk about seeing them again, and you knew I wouldn't. You knew they were being left to be tortured for f*#king forever!'

'No! Naomi, it's a prison, it's not-'

'Don't you dare tell me they aren't being tortured!' Naomi snarled. 'Do you know anything about Omega? About being frozen in that ice? You lose your mind! You're in constant, unending pain, doomed to suffer. And if it's eternal, then that's a fate crueler than death! What are they suffering for?! Release? Or just sadism?!'

Roxy couldn't find a counter-argument. Naomi was right, really. Omega was a cruel fate, and execution seemed kinder than eternity in that frozen hellscape she'd only walked for an afternoon.

'I should have told you. But you were in the hospital!'

'And when I got out of hospital? When I was fine?'

'I'm sorry, when were you fine?' Roxy demanded. 'Because, last time I checked, you were traumatised as hell!'

'And this is so helpful with that!'

'Exactly!' Roxy snapped. 'It's not! Finding this out is not helpful! I thought that maybe…maybe things would be easier…'

'What, if I was delusional?' Naomi whipped around, stalking out of the room.

'Naomi!' Roxy ran after her, almost tripping over her own boots as she hurried downstairs. 'Naomi, I thought I was looking out for you…'

'Pro tip, Roxy.' Something about the way Naomi had dropped her nickname made the sentence feel a million times worse. 'Lying isn't helpful.'

'Girls?' Manuel hurried into the kitchen, glancing between the two with concern. 'What's going on?'

'Roxy asked Nebula how long my family's sentence is, and then lied to keep me from finding out!' Naomi snapped, folding her arms. She didn't look so much mad as…hurt. Really, really hurt. Roxy hated that she'd hurt her, but she couldn't go back in time and tell her, could she?

'Naomi…Roxy…' Manuel looked at a loss. 'Look, Naomi…I get that keeping stuff isn't great, but…you're kinda overreacting. Roxy lied, she didn't try and kill you.'

Everyone glared at Manuel. Even the decorative plate on the counter gave him the stink-eye.

'Naomi, I know you're upset…' Aidan started, taking over from Manuel, who was confused as to why his very clear point hadn't ended the argument. 'But I'm sure Roxy didn't mean to-'

'Don't tell me what Roxy did or didn't mean!' Naomi snapped. 'I can't believe you kept that from me! I'm never gonna see them again, and you let me keep hoping!'

'What was I supposed to do, crush you?!'

'You just did!' Silence fell. 'I don't want to talk about this,' Naomi muttered, hugging her arms around herself. 'I'm…I'm going to my room.'

Despite having just stormed downstairs, Naomi trudged back upstairs. There was the sound of quiet sniffling, and Roxy had the horrible feeling that she'd made her best friend cry.

'Naomi…' She reached out to her, but got no reply. She knew she should go after her, but…the last time she'd poked the bear, it had been the night of the gala, and…well, everyone knew how that ended.

'I'll go,' Aidan muttered, following Naomi upstairs. 'Naomi! Naomi, hold up!'

Roxy watched him go, before flopping down at the kitchen table, burying her head in her arms.

'How did I screw up this bad?'

Manuel sat down next to her, patting her on the shoulder. 'It's not your fault, Rox. Naomi's emotionally delicate at the moment. Plus, y'know, she's got trust issues.'

'That I just exacerbated,' Roxy muttered, resisting the temptation to pick at the wood lacquer out of stress. 'I should have told her, I just…I couldn't be the one to effectively orphan her. I care about her, so much, and I just couldn't twist the knife. I don't know…I don't know what I thought was gonna happen, I just…procrastinated, I guess. Figured it'd go away. Or someone else would drop the bomb.' She groaned, covering her face. 'Am I a terrible friend?'

'What?' Manuel's face was the picture of shock. 'Roxy, no. You're a good friend, you just got put in a difficult situation that you weren't sure how to deal with. Naomi will calm down, she'll understand that, and she'll forgive you. That's how friends work.'

'Do you really think so?' Roxy looked towards the stairs, towards the muffled sounds of crying and Aidan's reassurances.

'I'm certain. If you two aren't strong enough to get past this, you weren't friends in the first place. And you are friends, so you're strong enough to get past this.' He checked the time, grimacing awkwardly. 'But you're gonna have to get past it really fast or later, because the summit starts in three hours, and we gotta go.'

Roxy's heart dropped. She couldn't just leave! Naomi needed her! Why did the summit even need her? She wasn't a real princess, not like the others. Nobody wanted to hear what she had to say even if she had something to say in the first place. Her friend meant so much more to her, but she wasn't getting out of it.

'We're their ride anyway,' she said quietly, heading for the stairs.

She knocked on Naomi's door, smiling softly at the paper bat bedecked in glitter and ribbon, emblazoned with 'Naomi's Room'.

'Naomi? Aidan? We…' Oh god, was she seriously hitting her crying friend with 'We gotta go to our thing?' What a jerk moment. But apparently some important people needed her to sit in a chair and listen to other people argue. 'Guys, we have to get going for the summit.'

There were a few moments of quiet, muffled speech, before footsteps approached the door and Aidan peeked out.

'…Naomi wants to stay here overnight. You guys can pick us up tomorrow, if that's not too much trouble?'

Roxy and Manuel exchanged a glance. They were supposed to drop Naomi and Aidan back off at school, but it was the weekend, so…

'Alright, that sounds like a plan,' Manuel conceded. 'We'll come back at eight tomorrow to pick you up.'

Aidan smiled wanly, giving a decidedly droopy thumbs-up. 'Thanks, man.'

'Naomi,' Roxy called, though Aidan was holding the door so all she could see was the edge of a curtain of pink hair. 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. The complete opposite, in fact. I wanted to keep you from getting hurt. I…can we just talk? Tomorrow? When we've both had a little time?'

There was a mumbled, 'Whatever' from the room, and Roxy took that as a good sign.

'Okay. Goodbye.' She grabbed her boots from the hallway and followed Manuel out and back onto the trail tracked through the snow, boarding the ship once again, this time without Naomi's sass and sarcasm.

'So…' she muttered as Manuel took off. 'I made a decision about what Naomi should or shouldn't know because I thought I knew what she needed better than she did. You think this is what it's like being Faragonda?'


Naomi's ears pricked up as she heard the ship take off. Her gut twisted with regret, and she wished she'd come out and talked to Roxy before she left. She'd overreacted…and pretty badly, at that. Roxy hadn't meant to hurt her. It hadn't been malicious. And seriously, the daughter of the man who'd faked a surrender to try and trap every Earth fairy in another dimension was penalising someone for hiding something with the well-meaning intention to protect her friend?

'Ugh, I'm such a jerk…' she groaned, covering her face with her pillow. It was dusty, but she didn't care. Well, until she started sneezing.

Aidan couldn't help but smile at her kitten sneezes, removing the pillow as he brushed away a tear. 'Naomi…you're not a jerk. You got upset.'

'I yelled at her. She didn't deserve that. I just…' She sniffed, wiping pointlessly at her eyes like it would do something other than smudge her mascara behind the limits of human comprehension. 'I'm never gonna see them again, Aidan.' She was so over crying, but crying was rather like an annoying ex that kept calling and reminding you how good you were together until you gave in and made out with them one last time.

'I think…' she whispered, as Aidan folded her into his arms. 'I think I just…figured I'd see them again? It'd be in five, ten, twenty, god, even fifty years, but…Omega's almost never eternal. I knew they'd be in prison, somewhere, but I'd see them. I'd see them, Aidan. I'd be able to talk to them, hug them, tell them how much I love them, how much I missed them… But I can't. I…' She broke down, clinging to Aidan like a lifeline, sobbing into his sweater with the heartache that crashed over her in a tsunami of loss. True, permanent loss.

Aidan, for his part, just pulled her close, stroking her hair and murmuring quiet reassurance. 'It'll be okay, Naomi…'

'How's it gonna be okay?'

'Because you're strong. You're strong enough to cope with whatever bullshit life throws at you, and I have faith in you. You're brave, and smart, and you can rise from the ashes, even if it feels like you're drowning.'

Naomi's cheeks tinged with pink, and she looked up at Aidan, gold meeting green as her heartbeat quickened. She was emotionally wrought, drowning in heartache and grief, lost at sea. She was in no position to think anything through, and her inhibitions were struggling to find shore, utterly ignoring her lips as they flew for Aidan's. She wasn't sure how first kisses were supposed to work. But if the books she'd read were to be believed, they were supposed to melt into each other, his hands knotting into her hair as salt mingled with passion and her pain faded in the warmth of their connection. But she was damn sure that, first and foremost, her lips were meant to meet his mouth, not his hand.

'Naomi…'

She opened her eyes to see Aidan looking at her with sad, resigned compassion.

'Aidan…'

'Not…not now, okay?' he murmured. 'You're not thinking clearly.'

Naomi recoiled slightly, humiliation starting to burn her cheeks. 'I…I thought you'd want this.'

'I do!' Her heart beat faster at the admission. 'But not…' He sighed, running a hand through his hair. 'Not like this, Naomi. Not when you're not thinking. Because I want you. I want to kiss you. But if I kissed you now, when you're not thinking anything through, I'd be taking advantage.'

'You're not. I know what I want!'

Aidan shook his head. 'I don't know that. And I can't kiss you if I don't think you're really thinking about what you're doing.'

Naomi turned away, hugging her arms around herself. 'I thought you liked me.'

Aidan frowned. 'Naomi.' Naomi didn't turn. 'Naomi Hunter, look at me.' When she still didn't, he sighed and spoke anyway. 'Naomi, I do like you. I like you a lot. I like that you're a crazy, sarcastic badass. I like that you don't get scared by what people think of you. I like that you care so fiercely about the people you love. I like that you shapeshift when you dance. I like that you don't think I'm a total freak. I like everything about you, Naomi. And believe me, when you're thinking clearly, if you try and kiss me again, my brain will explode and I won't be able to get enough of your lips on mine. But I won't take advantage of your grief. It's not fair.'

Naomi was silent for a moment, sniffling quietly through her residual tears. But she couldn't fight irritating butterflies in her stomach loudly campaigning for her to calm down and get back to her crush.

She hesitantly turned, taking Aidan's hand. Neither spoke as she shifted closer, resting her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her, and she settled for resting there, her eyes falling closed in his embrace.


'Where the hell have you been?!' The screech echoed across the landing bay, making Roxy wince as she hopped off the ship, still pulling on her pumps, her hair barely acceptable. Changing on a spaceship was hard! Except for Manuel, apparently, who looked dapper as hell, like James Bond.

'Stuff went down, Liv,' Manuel explained, giving his girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek before hurrying towards the summit hall.

'Stuff? What, did the dog bite someone?'

Roxy had a sudden urge to punch Olivia, and Manuel looked pretty damn offended too.

'Liv, that's crazy offensive.'

Olivia snorted, taking Manuel's hand. 'Whatever.' Her mouth dropped open as Manuel frowned, slipping his hand out of her grasp as they walked. He didn't say anything, but the gesture was enough.

'Not cool, Olivia,' Roxy muttered.

'Oh, would you just shut it?' Olivia hissed. 'I thought I told you to stay away from him!'

'Yeah, you did.' With a rush of confidence, Roxy tossed her hair and sashayed after Manuel. 'I just ignored you.'


The summit was just as chaotic as ever. Now that they were all faced with a very real ticking clock until Tritannus would inevitably find a way to steal the seal, everyone had to try and make their biased yelling serve some sort of purpose. Seeing as how it was all mostly insults or accusations of treason, it was hard to see how they were going to manage that.

Roxy shot Manuel a sympathetic glance as she watched him and Olivia argue in quiet, aggrieved tones, before sitting next to Nebula and trying to look like she understood what was going on here.

'Did you find what you needed?' Nebula asked quietly. Truthfully? No. In terms of the things Nebula thought they were getting…actually, also, no. But apparently Roxy was a liar now, so what the hell?

'Yeah. Naomi and Aidan stayed overnight.' A spark of indignation on her grieving friend's part flared inside her, and she shot Nebula and accusatory glance. 'She wanted to clean up a bit. The place was a wreck.'

Nebula scoffed quietly, rolling her eyes. 'You cannot seriously have expected me to play housemaid for the wizards.'

'That's her home, Nebula. You could show it some respect.'

Nebula was saved by the bell, or rather by Oritel very loudly yelling over the throng of voices clamouring for supremacy.

'Sovereigns! Sovereigns!' Nothing. 'Hey! Everyone shut up!' Wait, what? Rulers could yell at everyone to shut up? Why had no one told her that?! That was like the one royal skill she was great at!

'Oritel, how dare-!' started Erendor, but Oritel held up a hand.

'My patience for you all bickering like children while our people face the deadly effects of Tritannus's pollution has reached its end. I care not for what points you respect so little as to scream them into the ether. We need a plan, and we need it fast. If nobody can present one, then please, do not speak up with simple ire.'

Everyone fell quiet. You could have heard a pin drop. And then the argument about who was dropping pins in the middle of an important summit.

'Um…' All eyes swivelled to Stella as she stepped forwards, a few eyebrows quirking at the happy-go-lucky fashion princess speaking her mind at such an important summit. But she was undeterred, her voice ringing clearly across the hall. 'Among the Winx, we've been discussing a strategy. In all honesty, most of the credit goes to Tecna and Aisha. As such, I'll be handing the floor to Crown Princess Aisha of Andros.'

'Thank you.' Aisha had the undeniable voice of a queen, her edicts echoing throughout with an authority that made Roxy shiver. 'My cousin poses a great and present threat to us all. Should he become the Emperor of the Infinite Ocean, he would possess supreme control over all bodies of water. This is far too much power for anyone to possess, least of all him.'

'Psh, yeah! We know! That's why we're having this summit!' God, for a freshman fairy, Olivia sure loved to jam her two cents in where they weren't needed. Bloom gave her a look that said that if she interrupted Aisha just to insult her one more time, she'd meet a very angry dragon, and Olivia shut up, though she was quite evidently still whispering snide comments to Manuel, who pushed her off, watching Aisha with interest as Olivia seethed.

'All he needs is the Seal of Control. He'll come after it, regardless of what we do. And as he works for that, he'll cause more and more damage to our people and lands. We need to stop him now. Which is why the Winx and I propose a plan. We will move the Seal to Andros-'

There was a rush of uproarious incredulity.

'Andros?!'

'The water planet?!'

'The planet where he'll be strongest?!'

'Trying to give your cousin a hand, are you?!'

'Silence!' Aisha's voice was just as authoritative as Oritel's, shutting every shout up. 'Yes! Andros! The planet upon which he'll be strongest. The planet upon which he'll be most overconfident. Where he can bring his entire army.'

'So we're inviting an army? Glad it's your planet and not mine.'

Aisha didn't even flinch, continuing as though nothing had been said. 'We cannot call ourselves victorious until every mutant has been cured. Thus, we must bait him into bringing every poor soul to where we, and every Enchantix willing to fight with us, can use our fairy dust to free them.'

'Your fairy dust doesn't work underwater,' Nebula argued. 'This plan will fail, Aisha.'

'Trust me when I say we have a strategy that I will explain,' Aisha promised. 'He will come for the seal. And we will ambush him with all who are willing. Every Alfea Enchantix is already up to fight, and I beseech any fighter here to join us.'

There were murmurs of temptation, and Aisha pressed on. 'We will ambush him, and take him into custody. Him, and the Trix. Then we will travel to the Emperor's Throne, free Princess Daphne, and reclaim and restore the seals.'

'Hm…' Nebula tapped her fingers thoughtfully. 'Very well, Aisha. You have our attention. My warriors will be at your disposal. I trust your judgement.' Apparently those were the bonds formed in crazed vengeance. Cute.

Aisha smiled gratefully, before turning to the room at large. 'Thank you, Nebula. Now, here is our strategy…'


Andros was beautiful. At least, Roxy assumed so. It was pretty covered in warriors right now.

'Ready?' Bloom asked, flying in to land next to her, her Enchantix wings shimmering in the evening sunlight.

'As I'll ever be,' Roxy replied, fidgeting with her own fairy form's clothes. She felt…damn underprepared in this, honestly. She was in a crop top and chunky boots. Not exactly combat clothes…

'Are you okay? You seem stressed. I know there's about to be a giant battle, but…'

'No…' Roxy sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. 'No, you're right. I told Naomi. About the wizards. She…didn't take it so well.'

'Oh!' Bloom unquestioningly wrapped her arms around her. 'Why not?'

'She was upset I'd lied to her…but I guess I deserved that. She yelled and stormed off…we didn't say goodbye.'

Bloom's eyes filled with concern. 'Oh, Roxy… Roxy, she'll get past it.'

'You think?'

'Of course! She's your best friend! And she just got pretty devastating news. You just need to talk to her.'

'You make it sound easy.'

'One thing I've learned is that, honestly? Things are usually a lot easier to fix than you think. Talk it out. Don't inject drama.'

Roxy was about to ask more when a loud battle horn sounded, signifying the opening of the ocean gate. Tritannus was here.

'Everyone!' Aisha shouted, having taken up the role of commander. 'Secondary troops, take hidden positions! Primary troops, prepare to engage!'

Almost everyone, Roxy and the fairies included, took positions hiding amongst to rock formations surrounding the lagoon where they'd placed the seal, locked away in a coral tower, surrounded by dozens of triton guards. It looked believable. And it looked like Tritannus swallowed it, hook, line and sinker.

'Well, well, well. So this is what my cousin deems sufficient protection?' drawled the mutant prince, swimming into the lagoon, trident raised and ready. 'Pathetic! You will all become my slaves!'

'Never, foul beast!' shouted the leader of the guards. 'It doesn't matter how powerful you are; we are many, and you are few!'

Tritannus snorted with amusement. 'Let's see if you still think that in a minute.'

The guards let out shouts of surprise as they were yanked below the water, slick, slimy mutant hands closing around their tails and dragging them down.

'I am a king!' Tritannus roared. 'I have an army! And I brought it!'

Roxy covered her mouth, horrified as the guards began to transform into the same, hideous monsters. Weren't they supposed to intervene? To stop this? But that wasn't the plan. They had to wait until every mutant was in the lagoon, and dozens were still streaming in. Soon…soon.

'Baby!' Ivy cooed, flying towards the tower. 'It's so close! I'll be empress by tonight!'

'We'll have to celebrate somehow…' Tritannus purred. 'I wonder if that Sirenix outfit comes off…'

Roxy almost threw up. She was glad they were happy, but gross! Actually, no, they were evil, so she was mad they were happy. So just…gross!

The last mutants swam through, swarming the remaining guards, and, finally, it was time for intervention.

'Arms of the Earth!' Huge, thick vines burst from the ocean floor at the neck of the lagoon, blocking off the water-bounds' exit.

'What?!' Tritannus screamed, whipping around and aiming his trident at the vines. 'What is this?!'

'It's a trap, genius!' Musa snarked, diving and creating a shield against his toxins, along with Tecna and three other Enchantix fairies.

'What?!'

'Enchanted Morphix!' Aisha flew up behind her cousin, hitting him in the back with her spell. 'She said it's a trap, cousin.'

'How dare you!' Icy screamed, her eyes burning blue with rage. 'Dark Bolt!'

'Crystal Shell!' Roxy blocked the attack as best she was able, tumbling back as the shield cracked.

'Harmony Barrier!' Khadija, one of the many higher Alfea fairies joining them, dove between her and the continuing attack, dispelling it easily with her shield. 'Nice, Roxy!'

'Enchantix fairies, move out!' Aisha ordered. 'Fairy dust!' She blew a shimmering cloud straight for Tritannus, but her cousin dove as fast as possible, the powder settling uselessly on the surface.

'You little brat!' Stormy screamed. 'Toxic Tornado!' As her winds whipped around the lagoon, the warriors streaming down to the water's edge were knocked back, while the fairies were flung far and wide, shouting in panic. Roxy felt her breathing speed up as the wind tugged at her hair, yanked at her wings, dragged her who knew where, the shouts of her allies sounding so much like her fellow Earth fairies as they were swept towards the Abyss.

'Hey, weather girl!' Stella's voice snapped her out of it, and she turned her head, fighting against the wind to see Stella grab Stormy's wrist, yanking her around. 'Ocean of Light!'

Stormy shrieked as Stella blinded her with the light spilling from her hands. As she struggled to regain sight, Stella shoved her as hard as possible, sending her tumbling towards the shoreline, where bright golden ropes lashed around her wrist, allowing Helia to drag her down and to where the Specialists waited with a cohort of guards.

'Stormy! Flood of Darkness!' Darcy bathed the entire lagoon in shadows, and there were several screams as people were struck while blind.

'Crystal Shell!' In a panic, Roxy threw up her shield, feeling an impact a heartbeat later. Just in time. She squinted into the darkness, seeking any light beyond the weak green glow of her own shield. There were sparks and flashes, and shimmers from fairy dust. She heard a shout of elation and beamed. Sounded like one mutant was free.

'Fairies, light this place up!' came an order, and Roxy summoned her best illumination spell. It wasn't much, but as others did likewise, she could make out Darcy in front of her.

'Bumblebee Barb!' Her attack found its place in Darcy's shoulder, and she shrieked as the witch threw her off, sending her tumbling for the rocky ground.

'Gotcha!' Manuel grabbed her out of the air, zipping through the chaos in his wind rider. 'That's twice I've saved you now. If we're not careful, we might start falling into stereotypes.'

'Yeah, whatever, aim for Darcy!'

Manuel hurled his chakram, and as Darcy ducked, she was hit from behind by a burst of blaze, tumbling towards the water.

'Nice job, Bloom!'

'Fairy Dust!' As the darkness fell away, Bloom used her fairy dust on the three mutants leaping up to try and grab her, their skin smoothing out until two mermaids and a triton tumbled back into the water.

'Aid team, move in!' Four mermaids dove, helping their confused brethren to shore, out of the way of the fight. That was three down. But the waters were still crawling with mutants.

Their remaining triton soldiers dove, pulling struggling mutants to the surface, where they were quickly healed and taken to shore. As the Enchantix fairies worked on healing, everyone else put all their energy into keeping Tritannus and the Trix trapped and off their backs. Darcy was already out, while Stormy was barely holding her own against the Specialists and soldiers.

Tritannus was like a whack a mole mole, popping up everywhere and blasting fairies out of the sky, or hitting mutants that had already been healed, vanishing back underwater before anyone could stop him.

'We gotta go down with him!' Bloom shouted, trying to heal mutants while dodging Icy's blasts.

'I'm on it!' Aisha yelled back. 'Magic Winx, Sirenix!'


The lagoon felt like a tin of sardines, slippery mutants swarming through every drop. It was enough to make a fairy claustrophobic.

'Where are you, cousin…?' Aisha muttered, swimming through the formerly clear waters. This was their last stand, their victory. She wouldn't fail.

There! 'Neptune's Sting!'

Tritannus let out a roar of pain and fury, but Aisha didn't pause. 'Morphix Staff!' Her weapon met his, pink clashing with gold, and she brought her leg up, slamming her foot into his toothy jaw.

'You're going to pay for what you've done, Tritannus!'

'You're going to wish you'd never been born!'

'Been there, done that!' She ducked and twisted away from his attacks, parrying and assailing with her own, blasting away any mutants that came close.

'Agh!' Tritannus roared furiously. 'Why do you have to be this annoying?!'

'Why do you have to do this?' Aisha demanded, bracing her feet as Tritannus brought his trident down against her staff. 'Tritannus, stop this! It can end! Trust me, this will be so much easier for you if you surrender!'

'Well look who's suddenly preaching to end the violence!' Tritannus almost split her skull in two, and Aisha had to dive aside, rolling away from the three blades driving into the seabed where her stomach had just been.

'The vengeance fairy herself!'

Aisha recoiled, her grip tightening on her staff.

'What, killing is only okay when you say so?'

'Don't tempt me…' she growled. 'And don't bring that up!'

'Why not, cousin? Why not go all out and kill me?' He chuckled as her grip on her staff turned white-knuckled. 'Trying not to turn evil again after your little faux-pas?'

'Oh, f*#k you!' Aisha screamed. 'Morphix Punch!' Tritannus was thrown back as her fist met his jaw, pink magic hurtling out and throwing him into his own minions. 'You don't get to talk! You don't get to say anything, not after what you've done. You mutated our family! You poisoned the oceans! You-' She gasped as a meaty hand closed around her neck, squeezing tight before hurling her into a rock formation.

Blood drifted up in a crimson cloud as Aisha groaned, clutching her shoulder.

'I defeated you. You can add that to your little list.' Tritannus spun his trident around in his hands, blasting Flora's vine barrier with a stream of toxins.

Aisha watched with horror as the strong green vines twisted and warped, new, grey tendrils sprouting and lashing out, seizing the fairies as they healed the mutants, slashing at all who came near as they carefully untangled themselves. Any minute now, they'd let Tritannus and the mutants get away!

'No!'

'Yes, cousin. Yes. Your little strategy has backfired, hasn't it?' He leaned in closer, the water where he breathed taking on a sick, toxic taste. 'I'll take the seal. I'll mutate you all. And I'll rule the dimension.'

'No!'

'Get ready for a makeover, cousin!'

Aisha threw her arms up, summoning a shield as Tritannus sent toxins streaming towards her. The barrier held, but it wouldn't forever. The water was becoming more and more polluted with each passing second, and her head was swimming. No! No, she couldn't let them lose! This was her mission! These were her people! She had to stop this!

She stopped focusing on her shield, on the imminent mutation streaming towards her. Just allowed her magic to protect her as she focused on feeling the water all around her. Tickling her fingertips, caressing her skin, embracing her on all sides. She was the fairy of fluids. This was her element. Not Tritannus's. Hers. And she was taking it back.

At the surface, everyone stared with surprise as the water in the lagoon started to bubble, droplets breaking away from the surface and rising higher in a gentle mist, swirling and twisting as it became a storm, a wild, tumbling vortex of water. Stormy was bound and being restrained with magical cuffs on the shore, so who could be doing this? The answer came as the centre of the water dipped, the seabed appearing as the ocean rose up around them, mutants dropping to the sandy bed as their medium lifted away from them, towering above everything as the Princess of Andros got to her feet, her hair billowing around her as she stalked towards the beached prince trying to scramble back into the water.

'Checkmate, cousin.'

'No! Tritannus!' Icy dove, tackling Aisha down. 'You think you've won with your little trick, fairy?!'

'Icy, don't!' Aisha gasped out, gritting her teeth as she focused on keeping the water from crashing back down on everyone.

'I'll freeze you in the mud like the worm you-'

'Hands off my girlfriend!' Icy was flung off as a familiar hand grabbed her by the tentacles, yanking her away from Aisha and sending her tumbling across the wet sand.

'Nabu!'

'Aisha, I'll cover you, just focus on your spell!'

'Enchantix fairies, this is our chance!' Bloom called, and fairy dust filled the air as the flopping mutants were healed, dozens of joyous shouts ringing out as the merfolk were returned to their natural forms.

'No!' Tritannus bellowed. 'No, no, no!'

'Yes!' Aisha gritted out, struggling to her knees as Nabu parried Icy's blasts. 'It's…over…Tritannus.'

'No! It can't be over!' Tritannus hurled a bolt of pollution at her, but it was blocked as Oritel jumped between them, slashing through the magic with his sword, before the weapon found its place resting at Tritannus's throat.

'Try anything else and it will be the last thing you ever do.'

With the mutants back to normal, the other Winx convened on Icy, rendering the ice with unable to do anything but furiously put her hands in the air.

'Anyone else getting Deja vu?' Musa asked, aiming an attack at Icy in case she did so much as twitch. 'The Trix beat and their almighty new boss in the dirt. Feels like we've been here before.'

'I swear, when we get out of this, you little pixies are gonna pay!' Icy shrieked as Sky handcuffed her, walking her out of the lagoon as Tritannus was similarly restrained and carried to land.

Nabu offered Aisha a hand, which she gratefully accepted, staggering towards land as her spell struggled to hold the water in place.

'Air breathers clear?' Oritel asked, and once everyone was certain, Aisha carefully let the water slip back into the lagoon, submerging the merfolk back in their own environment once more. She almost collapsed as the spell finally ended, but she wasn't done. Not yet.

'Flora, take care of the vines. I think it's about time we see the real face of our enemy.'

As Flora's fairy dust restored the vines, before sending them back into the earth with a thank you, Aisha transformed into Enchantix, pulling her fairy dust bottle from around her neck. She poured the shimmering powder out into her hand, not bothering with fancy spellcraft. She was just dumping this on her cousin.

Tritannus coughed and spluttered, groaning as the green faded from his skin, leaving him flopping on the stone, triton once more, utterly powerless.

As it hit Aisha that it was finally over, her knees practically gave out. 'It's over, Tritannus. You lost.' He wouldn't look at her, but she spoke anyway. 'Was it worth it? Was it worth hurting people? Hurting your family?'

Tritannus didn't reply, staring stubbornly down at the floor.

'Brother.' Nereus surfaced, helping a triton soldier as he recovered. 'Brother, answer her.'

'I should have been Emperor!' Tritannus spat, whipping around to glare at Nereus. 'I should have been everything, and you should have learned what it feels like to be nothing!'

'You were never nothing, Tritannus…' Tressa murmured, pulling herself up and out of the water. 'You were our brother, and we loved you.'

'You weren't nothing,' Aisha agreed, de-transforming. 'But now…now you will be. You've been stripped of your prince title, and you'll face punishment for your crimes.'

'And may it be harsh,' agreed a deep voice Aisha knew very well. All turned to see King Neptune rise from the water, swimming towards the shoreline, Ligea on his arm, her eyes welling with tears as she saw her son in chains on the rocks.

'Oh, Tritannus…'

Aisha almost thought she saw something like guilt or pain flicker in her cousin's eyes at the hurt in his mother's voice, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

'I thank you all for freeing us,' Neptune boomed, his gratitude echoing off the rocks.

'Mother, Father!' Tressa gasped, diving back into the water and swimming towards them as fast as her tail could propel her.

Ligea swept her up into a hug straight away, while Neptune patted her on the shoulder, swimming for shore.

'Father!' Nereus threw his arms around his father, and this time Neptune hugged back.

'Brother.' Aisha's father shook Neptune's hand, smiling warmly. 'We rejoice that you are returned to us.'

'I am glad to be back.'

Ligea and Tressa joined him, the queen pulling her son into a hug as well, whispering warm words of love as she stroked his hair.

'We did it!' Stella cheered, doing a little dance of celebration. 'Three cheers for Aisha! Girl, that spell was badass! We'd have been screwed without it!'

Aisha laughed with delight and relief as Stella tackled her in a hug, swiftly joined by the others. It was over. Tritannus and the Trix couldn't threaten anyone else.


Roxy had never been in this kind of post-battle celebration. When they'd defeated the wizards, it had really just been her and the Winx. Everyone else had left before the real fight. But this…this was different. Everyone had given it their all, fending off mutants and witches, and now the atmosphere as Tritannus and the Trix were taken away was absolutely elated. They'd risked their lives, and they'd come out on top!

'Who's awesome? We are!' Manuel high-fived her, his eyes shining. 'This was my first battle! And we won!'

'We did!' Roxy hugged him, and he hugged back, jumping up and down in celebration. 'We won!'

'Ahem.'

They jolted apart as Olivia stalked over, her hair askew after the fight, her fairy form soaked and muddied.

'Is this little party over? Or should I turn away so you two can make out?'

'Liv, we're just happy…'

'Why not try being happy with me?' She tried to take his hand, but he just sighed.

'I want to be happy with my friend, Liv, without being penalised and vilified. We won! Can't we just take a break from being snide?'

Olivia drew breath to snap, before clenching her fists and talking through gritted teeth. 'Fine. Whatever.'

Manuel visibly slumped, and Roxy made an executive decision. 'Manuel, we won!' She'd already said it, but the repetition of the statement made his eyes light up once more. 'We won! And you distracted Darcy so Bloom could take her out!'

'I did!'

Roxy turned to Olivia with the best smile she could muster. 'Your boyfriend's a hero.'

Olivia looked like she wanted to sanitise her eyeballs after Roxy made eye contact, but she glanced to Manuel, and the hint of a genuine smile graced her pouty lips.

'Yes…yes, he is.'

Seeing as how Olivia seemed to have hung up her toxic cap for a minute, Roxy stepped aside, de-transforming. She had to call Naomi and Aidan to tell them the great news!

As soon as her wings vanished, she was assaulted with a cacophony of message alerts from her phone, the device practically attacking her from her jeans pocket.

'What the hell?!' She grabbed it, a thousand notifications popping up as soon as she turned it on. 'What?!' There were about fifty missed calls from Aidan, and fifty more unread texts. As soon as she opened one, her face drained of all colour.

'Manuel!'


We had to have Aisha's moment. I wasn't taking that from her.