Sorry it's been so long since I updated this! I'm gonna try and update more often. Also, I am now on Tumblr, still as Calissa Rowan, and I'm gonna post a picture of Naomi on there to celebrate finally getting this chapter posted. I'm trying to design some of her looks, and this one is the first!

'Now, remember that Black Mud Swamp is a dangerous environment. Keep your wits about you at all times. And do not attempt anything dangerous.' Roxy gulped. Wasn't wandering around a wild swamp as first-year fairies a little dangerous in the first place? However, Naomi seemed unconcerned by Palladium's lecture, watching him with an interested expression, while most of the other fairies just seemed bored, with the exception of a girl with long black hair who seemed like she might throw up with nerves. At least somebody lived in reality.

'Professor, couldn't we just learn about listening to nature in class?' complained a girl with chestnut hair who Roxy thought was called Kyral. 'This place is crawling with mosquitoes! And mud! It's totally gross!'

'No it's not,' Krystal replied, looking a little offended. 'The swamp is home to thousands of plants and creatures; it's beautiful!' Kyral harrumphed.

'Well, some of those 'beautiful creatures' are mistaking me for a buffet!' Naomi rolled her eyes.

'Maybe if you were wearing mosquito repellent, they wouldn't.' Kyral gasped.

'That stuff smells like feet!' Naomi raised an eyebrow.

'Your planet is so lucky to have you as its future guardian fairy.' Before Kyral could say whatever angry retort she was clearly thinking of, Palladium clapped his hands.

'Alright! Okay, girls. In groups of six, explore the swamp and practise listening to nature's voice. Meet up back here by two. The groups will be…' Roxy listened to him list names, waiting for hers. 'Roxy Wilde, Naomi Hunter…' Yes! She and Naomi were in a group together! 'Yomi Kuroyanagi…' Roxy thought that was the nervous girl with black hair. 'Krystal Rose…Kyral Finn…' Oh, great. Kyral didn't seem like the most nature-orientated person. 'Olivia Silvers.' Damn.

'Ugh,' Olivia muttered, shooting Naomi a glare. 'Great. Wandering around a swamp with a mutt disguised as a girl. Fantastic.' Roxy had half a mind to whip around and tell Olivia to shut up, and that nobody gave a damn what she had to say, but Naomi's utterly unconcerned expression reminded her that doing so would simply prove that she did give a damn, enough to disrupt class and get herself in trouble. So, instead, she took a deep breath and walked over to Krystal and Yomi.

'So, where do we go?' Krystal started to reply, but Olivia cut her off as she strode over.

'Outta this swamp. Duh.'

'I'm sorry, Olivia,' Naomi said sarcastically. 'Do you have somewhere else you'd rather be?'

'Uh, yeah. A spa, getting a mani-pedi.'

'Believe me, I wish you were at a spa too. Because then I wouldn't be being forced to listen to you spew forth negativity and unhelpful comments. But, since we have to be in this swamp, why don't you either shut up, or contribute something helpful?' Not waiting for the inevitably spiteful response, Naomi turned to Krystal and Yomi. 'Okay, guys. We have to listen to the voice of nature. Where do we go to do that?'

'There any chance it's back to Alfea?' Kyral grumbled, glaring down at the mud that was already crusting onto her legs.

'Nope,' Naomi replied, not even looking over at Kyral. 'Roxy and Krystal, since your powers are the most closely connected to nature, you two should probably take the lead here.'

'Who died and made you leader?' Olivia scoffed. Naomi didn't reply, but Roxy caught the slight twitch of her eye that meant Olivia had finally managed to do some damage.

'Nobody,' Roxy said calmly, before Olivia could say anything else. 'In case you weren't listening, Naomi just said Krystal and I should take the lead. So she's not in charge. We are. And I say…' she glanced around, wishing she'd had an end to that sentence when she'd started saying it, 'we go that way.' She pointed towards a large, flat area of boggy grassland, and Kyral groaned.

'Couldn't we just go into Magix and get lattes?'

'Okay, how the hell did you get accepted into this school?' Naomi demanded incredulously. Kyral shrugged.

'My parents are important.' Naomi looked like she had several thoughts on that sentence, but she fought to hold her tongue, turning on her heel and heading for the bog.

'Okay, people. Let's go.'

'Ugggghhhh! How much longer until the end of this stupid assignment?' Kyral groaned, yanking her leg out of a pool of mud and glaring down at the mud marring her pale skin. Well, it was her own fault for wearing shorts.

'Well, let's see…' Naomi mused. 'It's a three hour assignment…so about two hours, fifty-five minutes.' She rolled her eyes. 'Quit complaining.'

'Oh yeah? You quit…' Kyral evidently scrambled for a retort, eventually settling on childishly sticking her tongue out.

'Wow. So witty.' Roxy shook her head, stifling a giggle at her roommate's sarcasm. Honestly, even covered in mud, Roxy was actually okay with the assignment. Black Mud Swamp was full of animal life, and it had been all she could do to keep from forgetting about the assignment and just wandering off to meet all the creatures that lived in the swamp.

'Eeeee!' Speaking of creatures, Kyral was wildly swatting at a mosquito. 'Get it away!'

'Kyral!' Krystal exclaimed. 'Calm down! It's just a mosquito!'

'It's gonna drink my bloooooood!' Roxy winced. Okay, enough was enough.

'Leave her be!' she snapped, focusing her irritation on the mosquito, which immediately obeyed the Fairy of Animals, flying off to somewhere with less shrieking. 'Happy now?'

'Yes. That bug won't mess with me again.' Kyral pulled her foot out of the mud and walked on, leaving Roxy seriously hoping her planet had plenty of other, more competent, guardian fairies.

'What does listening to nature's voice even mean?' Yomi asked, biting her lip.

'Oh, everything!' Krystal beamed. 'The wind in the trees, the frogs in the swamp, the snap of branches…'

'Kyral shrieking?' Naomi jerked a thumb towards where Kyral had encountered an apparently terrifying newt. Krystal stifled a laugh.

'Not so much.' She turned back to Yomi. 'Mostly, we just need to pay attention to our surroundings in order to safely navigate the swamp.'

'Ugh, can we shut it with the lecturing?' Olivia snapped, leaning against a tree, staring down at her phone.

'Olivia! Seriously?' Naomi facepalmed as Olivia took a selfie. 'We're on an assignment.' Olivia snickered.

'So?'

'So you might fail.'

'Yeah, right. My parents are very influential. Palladium won't fail me.' She looked up, a mean little smirk playing on her lips. 'I know you need to worry, 'cause your family are all failed criminals, but me? I can do what I want.' And what she wanted was apparently to walk away from the group.

'And where are you going?' Naomi folded her arms. Olivia smirked.

'The Red Fountain freshmen are doing training exercises in the mountains just outside the swamp. If I'm stuck out in…nature…all afternoon, I'm gonna be stuck out in nature with ripped abs.' Naomi looked like she wanted to punch Olivia.

'We have to stay together,' she growled. 'You're not going anywhere.' Olivia ignored her. 'I'll tell Palladium.' Despite her earlier assertions, Olivia froze.

'You wouldn't dare.' Naomi raised an eyebrow.

'What would make you think that? I'd derive pleasure from telling Palladium about this.' Olivia's lips pursed into a furious pout.

'Ugh. Fine. But I'll get you back.' Naomi rolled her eyes.

'Oh, I'm so scared. That was sarcasm, in case you couldn't tell through all your hair products.' Roxy sniggered and followed Naomi through the swamp.

'Okay, what's her problem?' she asked quietly.

'Princess, some people just suck. And they don't need a reason.' Roxy nodded, but privately couldn't help her mind drifting back to the question it had been presenting since she'd met Naomi: what had the wizards' reasons been? Why had they captured the Earth Fairies? Surely Naomi would know. But every time the words came to her lips, she remembered the pain that painted itself onto Naomi's face every time her family came up, and the question died.

'So, where do we…' Roxy trailed off, her gaze drifting off to the left.

'Rox?' Naomi stopped, staring at Roxy with concern. 'You okay?'

'Yeah…' Roxy wasn't sure what it was, but something through the trees was…calling her. She could hear it in her mind, like her mom's voice when she'd worn the White Circle.

'Roxy? Roxy?'

'…I gotta check something out,' she murmured, pushing through undergrowth in pursuit of the…whatever she was feeling.

'Oh, great. Because nothing ever goes wrong when people enter weird trances in swamps.' Naomi followed her through the brush, followed by the rest of the group.

'Ugh. What are we doing here?' Olivia moaned, yanking a branch out of her hair. Roxy ignored her, staring ahead of her.

'Whoa…' Naomi breathed. In front of the group was a waterfall, but the water, instead of being clear, glowed menacing purples and greens. Roxy could feel the power coming off it in waves as she stared in awe.

'Roxy!' She hadn't even realised she'd been walking forwards until she felt Naomi yank her back. 'Okay, now you're just creeping me out.' Roxy shook her head, realising just how out if it she'd been.

'Whoa…that was weird,' she muttered.

'You know what's weird?' Kyral asked. 'That! What the hell is that?' she demanded, pointing at the waterfall. Roxy, having the same question, looked to Naomi. Her roommate knew so much about magic; she figured it wasn't too much to hope that she'd know about this.

'Hm…' Naomi frowned. 'It's wild magic.'

'Wild magic?' Roxy repeated. 'What's wild magic?'

'It's a powerful form of natural magic,' Naomi explained. 'But it's dangerous. It twists beings into dangerous, destructive versions of themselves. It's really rare; it shouldn't be here.' Kyral started to back up nervously.

'Well if it's so dangerous, we should go tell Palladium.' Naomi nodded.

'In a shocking twist, I agree with Kyral. Only very powerful magic-users can purify and dispel wild magic.' There was a loud huff, and the group turned to see Olivia rolling her eyes.

'Oh, please. We don't need Palladium. We're fairies! We can dispel this junk on our own.'

'No we can't, Olivia!' Naomi replied. Olivia smirked.

'Maybe you can't.' Roxy's heart dropped as Olivia flounced towards the waterfall.

'Olivia, don't!' She dashed forwards, grabbing Olivia's wrist. 'It's too dangerous!'

'Hands off, loser! I know you think you're super important because you fought some loser wizards and Bloom Taylor occasionally deigns to look at you, but you're just some weirdo from Earth who's gonna crash and burn as a fairy and as a princess. Oh, and the puppy eyes at Manuel? Yeah right. You're pathetic.' Roxy honestly wasn't sure she'd ever heard so many mean thoughts strung together, but she kept her grip firm, even though the mention of Manuel stung worse than she'd have liked.

'Olivia, just leave it,' she ordered, trying to channel her mom's authority in her tone.

'Get off!' Olivia yanked at her arm, and Roxy stumbled forwards, still determinedly clinging on like she was trying to win tug of war.

'Guys!' Krystal started forwards worriedly. 'Olivia, stop!' Olivia ignored her, giving her arm one last, mighty tug, freeing herself from Roxy's grip and tumbling backwards, landing with a shriek and a splash in the waterfall.

'Olivia!' Roxy shrieked. 'Oh my god!' Naomi and Krystal dashed forwards. 'We have to get her out of there!'

'Actually, we gotta stand back!' Naomi cried, pulling Krystal and Roxy away from the water's edge as a huge, blue snakelike being burst from the pool, landing in front of them.

'What is that?' Roxy exclaimed, staring in horror at the creature before them.

'That is wild magic at work!' Naomi yelled. 'Olivia, you idiot!' Roxy stared at her agape.

'Hey, maybe now's not the best time to be antagonistic, Naomi!' The Olivia-snake-thing regarded them thoughtfully for a moment, before suddenly lunging for Naomi.

'Naomi!' Roxy shrieked. Naomi rolled aside, shifting into a bird and flying up and out of the way, landing across the clearing and turning human again. Olivia hissed and whipped around, going to strike again.

'Oh no you don't!' Krystal threw out her hand and roots shot out of the ground, wrapping around Olivia's tail. Olivia hissed furiously, snapping the roots like tissue paper before diving for Krystal, and Krystal screamed.

'Roxy, magic, transform! Crystal Shell!' Olivia fell back as her head made rapid contact with the shield, rising back up and striking again and again. Roxy could feel the wild magic all over her, and, for reasons she couldn't explain, it was messing with her head. She wanted to destroy it and embrace it at the same time. What the heck is this stuff?!

'Hey! Princess Hair Gel!' Olivia's head snapped around to snarl at Naomi. 'Remember me? Naomi, magic, transform!' Naomi flew up just as Olivia lunged for her. 'Ooh, too slow. Dark Orb!' From behind her shield, Naomi turned her attention to the others. 'Guys, she's focused on me. I'll distract her, you guys go find Palladium and get him here!' Krystal nodded, turning and running back the way they'd come, Yomi and Kyral pelting after her.

'Wasp Sting!' Olivia was knocked back by Roxy's attack, and Naomi glared at her.

'Princess, I told you to go!'

'No way am I leaving you to fight a crazy snake-Olivia alone, Naomi. Mystic Talons!' Olivia hissed furiously. 'How do we fix this?'

'We can't. We just gotta keep her busy until Palladium gets here. He'll be able to counteract the wild magic and get her back to her usual, bitchy self.'

'Great. Easy.' Olivia spat venom, partially melting a tree. 'Or not.'

Roxy stared Olivia down, summoning her magic to her hands, ready to defend, but instead of fighting, Olivia flicked out her tongue, her head whipping around to stare towards something neither girl could see.

'Um…what's she doing?' Roxy asked nervously.

'You're the animal fairy. You tell me.' Olivia suddenly whipped around, slithering out of the clearing at terrifying speed, dead set on reaching whatever it was she could smell.

'Uh-oh! Where's she going?' Roxy exclaimed, flying after her, dodging trees, no easy feat when she was flying through a tangled swamp.

'Don't know!' Naomi cycled through form after form to run, fly and slither through the swamp unimpeded. Changing back to her fairy form, she took a deep breath, sniffing the air. 'I don't get it, I just smell swamp! Rotting leaves…water…moss…sweat!'

'What?' Roxy stared at her in confusion, almost crashing into a tree. 'Did you say sweat?'

'What did Olivia say before? The Red Fountain freshmen are in the mountains! That includes Manuel! She's going after him!'

'What?' Roxy paled at the thought of something happening to Manuel. Well, something worse than dating Olivia. 'Why?'

'If I had to guess, she's staking her claim!'

'What? Against who?' Naomi stared at her like she might be stupid.

'Against you, duh! It's obvious he liked you the other day!' When Roxy stared at her agape, Naomi facepalmed.

'Oh, for goodness sake. Seriously? Look, it doesn't matter. We just gotta stop her before she gets to him.'

'Um…might be a little late for that. Look!' Roxy pointed up at a sheer cliff face, a very familiar head of strawberry blonde hair free-climbing down it. 'Manuel!' Olivia slithered to the bottom of the cliff, sinking her claws into the rock and starting to climb at a pace far too fast for something with no legs. 'Manuel, look out!' Manuel turned at the sound of Roxy's voice, shouting with surprise as he saw Olivia only ten metres below him, crawling purposefully towards him.

'What the heck?!'

'Manuel!' Roxy gasped with horror. 'We'll never reach him before her!'

'I have an idea. Just get to Manuel!' Roxy had no idea what Naomi was planning, but she knew better than to question her, flying at top speed towards the cliff.

It was no use! Olivia was going to get there first!

'Transmutation!' A stream of pink energy shot past Roxy, hitting the base of the cliff, transforming the rock into golden sand, the spell spreading rapidly up the cliff.

Just as Olivia reached out a scaly talon for Manuel, the rock beneath her changed into sand, and she disappeared into it with a primal cry of rage.

Manuel cried out as the rock under his fingers likewise changed, but just as his head vanished into the sand, Roxy locked her fingers around his wrist, tugging with all her might and yanking him out of the sand, her wings beating madly with the effort.

'Rrrgh…why do they make guys so heavy?'

'Roxy?!' Manuel exclaimed, staring up at his saviour in shock.

'Hey, Manuel! Brace yourself!' Roxy came in to land next to Naomi, and she and Manuel tumbled to the ground.

'What the heck is going on?!' Manuel demanded. 'What was that thing?'

'What? You don't recognise your boo?' Naomi asked sarcastically, and Manuel's mouth dropped open.

'That…that's Olivia?!' Naomi nodded. '…How?!' Naomi shrugged.

'Let's just say she doesn't really get what 'serious danger' means. You may want to find a girlfriend with more self-control than a three-year-old.' As though enraged by Naomi's comment, Olivia burst out of the sand, slithering towards them furiously.

'We may wanna run,' Naomi remarked, yanking Roxy and Manuel to their feet. 'Like, now!'

'What happened?' Manuel gasped as they pelted through the trees. 'Why is Olivia…that?!'

'We found a waterfall of wild magic,' Naomi explained, ducking under a branch. 'Olivia fell in.'

'She what? How?' Roxy felt guilt well up inside her.

'It was my fault. She was going to try and purify the magic, and Naomi said it was too dangerous, so I grabbed her wrist to try and stop her, but we fought, and she fell into the wild magic. And now she's a snake-thing.'

'Not your fault, Princess,' Naomi said. 'Olivia woulda done something stupid as hell and put people in danger whether you'd stepped in or not. It comes with the territory of being a selfish bitch.'

'Hey!' Manuel snapped. 'Don't talk about her like that!' Naomi rolled her eyes.

'I call it like I see it, blondie. And that's a pretty accurate way to see it.' Manuel frowned, but evidently decided that running from an angry snake-girl wasn't the time to debate viewpoints.

'So how do we turn her back to normal?'

'We keep her busy until Palladium gets here,' Naomi explained.

'And we do that how?' Naomi shrugged.

'I was thinking we just keep running.'

'We'll never be able to manage that!' Naomi smirked.

'Maybe you can't. Me? Easy as breathing. But since she's focused on you now, we may need a new plan.'

'She's catching up!' Roxy screamed. 'Naomi, we gotta fly! We'll both hold onto Manuel, together we can-'

'That's a nice idea, Princess, but I got a better one.' Naomi glowed, and Roxy gasped as she transformed into a pegasus. 'Hop on, pretty boy!' Manuel stared in surprise, before vaulting onto Naomi mid-run, letting out a sharp cry of surprise as she shot into the air. 'C'mon, Roxy!' Roxy followed them, bursting up through the trees just as Olivia reached for her.

'Whoa! Since when can you do that?' Roxy gasped, staring at Naomi.

'I've always been able to do this.'

'Why didn't you tell me?' Roxy could have sworn Naomi shrugged.

'You didn't ask. Oh, and, Manuel? You see the position you're in now? That's perfect. Hands don't move north or south from there.' Manuel just stared.

'You're…a horse.' Naomi rolled her eyes.

'A pegasus, technically. And what's your point?' Manuel apparently didn't have one, and Naomi snorted. 'Okay, well, we can't just stay up here forever.'

'Why?' Roxy asked.

'Because she's gonna start spitting venom again.' A spray of venom shot past Roxy. 'See?'

'Run!' Roxy yelled.

'Fly, technically,' Naomi remarked, beating her wings and flying away from the very angry snake-girl chasing them.

'What do we do?!' Roxy exclaimed.

'Get her back to the clearing. That's where Palladium will be going. We just have to get there, and we'll be fine.' Just as Roxy was starting to think they could do this, a huge boulder went flying past her.

'What the hell?!' She barely dodged the next one, staring in horror down at where Olivia was hurling whatever projectiles she could find. 'Naomi, look out!' Naomi moved too late, a stone the size of a blender crashing into her wing. She let out a shriek of pain, her body flickering madly as she struggled to stay in her pegasus form.

'Roxy…grab Manuel!' Roxy took hold of Manuel just as Naomi dropped out of the sky, tumbling down into a tree and landing in the swamp's sludge.

'Naomi!' Roxy flew down as fast as she could, but she had to jerk back as another boulder shot towards her, the shock destabilising her landing, sending her and Manuel crashing into a beaver dam.

Pushing down pangs of guilt over the poor beavers' home, Roxy staggered to her feet, gasping in horror as she saw Olivia slither menacingly towards Naomi, who was back in human form, having de-transformed from her fairy form, lying against a tree, clutching her shoulder.

'Naomi! Mystic Talons!' Olivia was barely fazed by the attack, continuing to move towards Naomi.

'Liv!' Manuel shouted desperately. 'Leave her alone! Come after me again!'

'She won't listen,' Roxy said, horrified. 'Naomi's hurt; she's far too easy a target.'

'We have to get her attention back on me!' Manuel exclaimed. An idea suddenly occurred to Roxy. A very, very stupid idea, but one that could possibly save Naomi's life. She's staking her claim. Against who? Against you, duh!

'Manuel, kiss me.' Manuel stared at her, jaw agape.

'What-'

'Trust me! Just kiss me!' She turned to Olivia. 'Hey, Olivia!' She reached up and pressed her lips against Manuel's, unable to keep her heart from fluttering. This was her first kiss. And it was in a swamp to distract a crazy mean-girl who'd been turned into a snake.

There was a furious roar, and Roxy broke the kiss to see Olivia hurling herself across the clearing, her serpentine face twisted with blind fury.

'Run!' Roxy grabbed a dumbfounded Manuel's hand, pulling him through the swamp. 'Faster!' She could hear trees and rocks being hurled aside as Olivia furiously pushed them out of her way. She was going to catch up!

They burst out of the trees and into a very familiar clearing, the waterfall in front of them, still glowing with otherworldly power.

There was a shriek from behind them, and Roxy whipped around, throwing up a shield.

'Crystal Shell!' Olivia pounded against it, shattering the magic and sending Roxy tumbling across the clearing. 'Manuel!' Manuel was pinned down under Olivia. There was nothing she could do!

Dizzily trying to get to her feet, Roxy felt that same tug as before. Slowly, she turned to stare at the waterfall. There was so much magic. So much raw power. Enough to save Manuel. It was dangerous. It was the only way. It was foolish. It was smart. It was terrible. It was perfect.

Hurling aside her doubts, Roxy flung herself forwards and plunged her hand into the wild magic. She had no idea what was going to happen. Maybe she'd become like Olivia. Maybe absolutely nothing would happen and she'd just get a wet hand. But instead, she felt raw, wild power flow into her fingertips, spreading through her body like wildfire. She gasped, the magic threatening to overwhelm her. It was so strong. So wild. So free. She could do anything. She could feel everything. The whole swamp. Olivia, the power rolling off her in waves. Manuel, his heart beating wildly with panic. Naomi, a short way away, her breathing shallow. A group of fairies, bringing Palladium to help. They were too far. They'd never make it. But she could. She could do this.

She got to her feet, her dizziness replaced with a strange feeling of clarity despite all the knowledge pouring into her mind.

'Release him,' she snapped, and Olivia's head whipped up to stare at her in shock. Her eyes narrowed even further, and she tossed Manuel aside, slithering menacingly towards Roxy. Strangely, Roxy wasn't scared. She knew what Olivia was going to do. She could sense her thoughts. They were clouded with wild power and rage.

As Olivia lunged for her, she held up her hands. She didn't know why. She didn't think. She didn't need to think. She knew. That familiar glow of wild magic appeared at her fingertips, a corresponding glow spreading across Olivia's whole body. She could sense her. Inside the wild magic, she was there. And she was angry. Roxy could feel the anger wash over her, get beneath her skin, but it didn't bother her. It was just a part of the incredible everything she could now sense.

Concentrating, she watched as the wild aura slowly moved from Olivia, vanishing into her own, Olivia's skin slowly fading from scaled to smooth, her hair tumbling down her back in its overly-gelled waves, her expression turning from lethal and angry to confused…and angry. Roxy got the feeling the anger might just be her face.

Olivia dropped to her knees, gasping for breath, and Manuel pelted over.

'Liv! Liv, are you okay?!' Olivia nodded slowly.

'Ohhh…what happened?' She put a hand to her head.

'You got infected with wild magic, and Roxy saved you,' Manuel explained. Olivia's expression soured for a moment, before being schooled into what ungrateful people presumably imagined gratitude looked like.

'Really? Thanks, Roxy.' She looked at Roxy, and her somehow still flawless lips formed a perfect 'o' of surprise. 'Oh my dragon! What happened to you?' Roxy frowned.

'What do you…' she trailed off, looking down at her hands. Her hands were covered in strong, dark lines forming animal markings, while soft pink fur had grown around her wrists. She stroked it gently, surprised to find it soft as cotton candy. She moved her tongue in her mouth to find her teeth sharp and pointed, while her previously hiking-boot clad feet had transformed into soft paws.

She turned to the waterfall, catching a murky reflection in the shimmering water. She looked so different. Her face was marked with tiger stripes, pointed ears sprouted forth from the top of her head, while a tail flicked at her back. She frowned. It was strange how unconcerned she felt by her change. She blinked, noticing her eyes were a striking gold instead of their usual amethyst, now sporting slit pupils that could see everything. All her senses were stronger. Was this what it was like being Naomi? If so, being Naomi was amazing.

She found herself reaching for the wild magic again. If this was what only a second's touch could do, what could she do if she touched it for longer? If she plunged her body into it? If she embraced the wild, untameable beauty of this power?

'Roxy?' Her ears twitched at Manuel's voice. Ignore him. He's a distraction. Stay focused on the wild magic. Her fingertips twitched to touch the water.

'Roxy! Roxy, step away from there!' Palladium. That was Palladium. Palladium was there. He was going to purify the wild magic. But then…then it'd be gone. She couldn't let that happen. Her newly-discovered retractable claws slowly emerged from her fingertips and she tensed, ready to protect the wild magic.

'Roxy…' Her ears pricked up like they'd been electrocuted as she heard a second voice. Weak and dizzy, and so familiar. Naomi! She whipped around, tearing herself out of her trance, her claws disappearing again. Naomi was leaning on Krystal and Yomi, her skin worryingly pale, her shoulder bruised and bleeding where Olivia's rock had made contact with her pegasus wing.

'Naomi!' Roxy pelted towards her, all thoughts of wild magic flying from her mind. 'Oh my god! Are you okay?' Naomi smirked.

'I could ask the same of you.' Her gaze flicked up and down, taking in Roxy's appearance. 'You get a makeover?' Roxy bit her lip.

'It's…complicated.'

'Indeed,' Palladium agreed, frowning at Roxy's wild magic-influenced appearance. 'We need to fix this as quickly as possible.'

'I'm fine, Professor,' Roxy protested. Palladium shook his head.

'You may think that now, but wild magic is dangerous. It can make you lose control.' He looked to the waterfall. 'It must be removed as quickly as possible.' He began the spell to purify the water, and Roxy turned away. She couldn't watch. But she could feel. She could feel the wild magic being erased, and it hurt. The second the wild magic was gone, she felt weakness wash over her, and her stomach churned with regret at having done nothing to protect it.

'Okay, everyone back to Alfea,' Palladium ordered. 'Young man, as Olivia seems to be dizzy, might we request your aid in getting her back to school?' Manuel nodded.

'Of course.' He helped Olivia to her feet, and Roxy frowned as she made a big show of rolling her eyes back and not-quite-fainting backwards into his arms.

'Oh!' She let out a blatantly fake squeak of surprise. 'Oh, Manuel!'

'I got you, Liv.' Manuel scooped her up into his arms, and she laid her head against his chest. 'Don't worry; I'll carry you back.' Olivia smiled sweetly up at him, but as Manuel walked past Roxy, her expression hardened into a furious scowl that sent shivers down her spine. It was back to the sweet smile in a heartbeat, but Roxy found herself backing up slightly.

'Roxy?' Palladium beckoned her. 'Come. We need to get back to Alfea and get this sorted out.' Roxy nodded and followed him, but inwardly she was screaming that she didn't want this sorted out. She liked this power. It was strong. It was like when she'd first wielded the White Circle, but a hundred times better. The magic had no restrictions. It was strong. Free. Wild.

'Okay, Roxy, now just stay still…' Roxy lay still on the bed as Wizgiz crafted intricate magical symbols that shimmered and arced over her. 'Sweet Solaria, how could this possibly happen?' He was whispering to Grizelda, but Roxy's newly-sensitive ears picked it up as clearly as if he'd been yelling in her ear. 'Wild magic in Black Mud Swamp? We'll have to ensure there isn't any more before we can let students in again.'

'Roxy seems okay,' Grizelda murmured back, and Wizgiz frowned.

'You know the dangers, Grizelda. You remember Ka…' Roxy strained to hear more, but the symbols glowed brighter, and everything started to become quieter. She could feel her teeth flattening, her nails blunting and her skin returning to normal. Everything became darker and quieter, and she found herself wondering how she had ever coped with such weak senses. She breathed in through her nose and felt like she had a bad cold stuffing her up. Her own senses made the world grey.

'Okay, all done!' Wizgiz announced. 'You're back to normal.' Roxy sat up, putting a hand to her head as she felt a dizzy spell hit.

'Are you okay, Roxy?' Grizelda asked worriedly. Roxy nodded.

'Yeah, I'm fine. I'm gonna head back to my room, if that's okay?' Grizelda and Wizgiz exchanged a glance. 'What?'

'Headmistress Faragonda would like to talk to you first,' Grizelda explained gently. Oh. Great.

'Am I in trouble?' Grizelda's silence spoke volumes, and Roxy sighed and hopped down from the bed.

'I can help you walk…' Grizelda offered, but Roxy shook her head.

'Thanks, but I'm fine.' As she walked over to Faragonda's office, Roxy swallowed back a wave of nerves. Everyone had made it pretty clear that wild magic was dangerous, and not to be trifled with. And she'd stuck her arm in it.

She knocked on the door and heard a 'come in' from inside.

'Headmistress?' She opened the door and walked inside nervously.

'Roxy.' Faragonda smiled warmly at her. So she couldn't be in too much trouble, then. 'Take a seat. How are you feeling?' Roxy sat down in the plush chair opposite Faragonda and sighed.

'Fine, I guess.' Faragonda frowned.

'Roxy, I understand.'

'Huh?' Roxy stared at her in confusion, and Faragonda smiled weakly.

'Wild magic…it's like all power, really. Alluring. I know you didn't want to give it up. And I don't blame you.'

'Why did I have to?' Roxy asked quietly. 'I wasn't like Olivia; I didn't lose control.'

'Didn't you?' Roxy looked away, remembering the sensation as her claws had extended, the adrenaline coursing through her as she'd prepared to do whatever she had to to defend the wild magic. 'Mm. Roxy, as seductive as wild magic can be, you must understand that it's dangerous. Especially to one like you.' Roxy's head shot back up.

'What? What do you mean 'one like me'?'

'You are the Fairy of Animals, Roxy. Wild magic is drawn from the untameable power of the wilderness. It is natural that you would be drawn to it.' She didn't ask, but she knew. She knew about how the magic had drawn Roxy to it. She'd felt its call. A part of her still heard its phantom whispers, drawing her to the wild.

'Is it dark magic?' she asked curiously. Faragonda shook her head.

'It is outside the realms of light and dark. Wild magic cannot be constrained into such divisions. It is…untameable. Which is precisely what makes it so dangerous.'

'I…don't understand.' Faragonda nodded and smiled reassuringly.

'That's okay, Roxy. Wild magic…when one uses it, it becomes almost impossible to hold onto oneself. Self-restraint…is overcome by the desire to embrace the wild nature of the magic. Most that have tried to use it have lost themselves to the wild. This is what I needed to ensure you knew.' Faragonda smiled gently. 'Roxy, it is imperative you understand the dangers of what you did. Your actions were brave, and ultimately saved Manuel and Olivia, but your choice could have had disastrous consequences. You must not do anything like that again. Do you understand?' Roxy nodded.

'Yes, Headmistress.'

'Good. Now, I'm sure you're very tired after your adventure. Go back to your room, and I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Thank you, Miss Faragonda.' Roxy got up and left the office, lost in a distracted haze. Wild magic…power…nature…danger…Manuel… Manuel. Manuel? Seriously? She'd been almost overwhelmed by crazy magic and her brain had decided a boy was top of her list of concerns? What's with you, brain? Did you get hit in the fight or something? But despite how ludicrous it was to be thinking about a boy, that was where Roxy's thoughts decided to set up camp. And maybe they had a point. She'd kissed him. What had she been thinking? Her sensible, rational brain told her that she'd been thinking about animal instincts and the best way to distract Olivia and save Naomi. Her dumb, irritating bad-idea brain told her something much more concerning: she'd kissed Manuel because she'd wanted to. And, as much as she hated to admit it, both brains were kinda right. Her choice had definitely been made with the intention to save Naomi, but that didn't mean her heart didn't flutter as she remembered Manuel's lips against hers.

He has a girlfriend. The thought brought her crashing back down to Earth. Or Magix, technically. Olivia. No matter how horrible the girl was, she was Manuel's girlfriend. Roxy's heart could flutter all it liked, but that didn't change the fact that Manuel was very much taken. She hated how sad the knowledge made her. She'd get back to her room; she was sure Naomi would know what to say to snap her out of this utterly ridiculous fantasy.

Just as she was approaching the dorms, she let out a shriek of surprise as a hand closed around her arm, yanking her into a bathroom.

'How dare you.' Roxy felt herself get shoved against a sink, looking up to see Olivia glaring down at her with a feral snarl.

'Olivia…'

'Save it!' Roxy's heart thudded madly as Olivia leaned in threateningly. 'Manuel is mine. And if you ever so much as think about kissing him again, I will destroy you.' Roxy gasped.

'But…but…' Olivia smirked.

'What? You think I don't remember? I remember clear as day. Your lips against his. You really think you have a shot, don't you?' Olivia snickered. 'You're pathetic!' Roxy threw Olivia off her, ducking away from her grasp.

'Olivia, I'm sorry, I was just trying to distract you to save-'

'Oh, give it up!' Olivia snarled. 'You want him! Well, guess what?' She grabbed Roxy's wrist, glaring at her with a fury that somehow scared her more than any of the wizards. 'He's mine.' Roxy yanked her wrist out of Olivia's grip and stumbled away, running back to her dorm. Olivia didn't follow, having apparently accomplished her goal.

'Roxy?' Naomi's voice was filled with concern as Roxy burst back into their room, wiping furiously at her eyes. 'What's wrong?' Roxy looked up at Naomi, sitting on her bed already in her pyjamas, her shoulder bandaged up, and she burst into tears. 'Roxy!' Naomi scrambled to her feet, throwing her arms around Roxy and guiding her to sit on the bed. 'What happened?' Roxy took a deep, shaking breath and the whole story tumbled out, Naomi's expression darkening as she explained what Olivia had done.

'Alright, where is she?' Naomi stood, the fury radiating off her in waves. 'Nobody gets to treat you like that!'

'Naomi, no!' Roxy grabbed Naomi's hand and pulled her back down onto the bed. 'Don't. She's angry because I kissed Manuel. Which I shouldn't have done. He has a girlfriend.' Naomi rolled her eyes.

'Oh, please. You were doing it to save me.' Roxy bit her lip. 'Rox?'

'…That was why I did it. But…that doesn't mean I didn't…like it.' Naomi facepalmed.

'Injecting unnecessary relationship lunacy into your life. You really are a Winx.' Roxy nodded.

'I know! What's wrong with me? Why would I do that?'

'Look, Princess. You can't control your feelings. But you can control your lips. Just don't kiss him again and you'll be fine.' Roxy nodded slowly, and Naomi groaned. 'You want to kiss him again, don't you.' Roxy nodded sheepishly. 'What are you doing to yourself?!' Roxy covered her face with her hands.

'I know.'

'I'm not getting involved in this.'

'I know.'

'It's a terrible idea.'

'I know.'

'I'm gonna get roped into this somehow, aren't I?'

'Probably.' Naomi flopped backwards, groaning into a pillow.

'You know, some people have normal lives.'

'Yep.'

'But, then again, those people are boring.' Naomi gave Roxy a smile from under the pillow. 'Other than the incredibly ill-advised kissing and feelings, you were awesome today. Total badass.' Roxy blushed furiously.

'Wish Miss Faragonda had seen it that way.' Naomi rolled her eyes.

'Lemme guess. She told you to never use wild magic again.'

'Yeah. She said it was too dangerous. But you said it was dangerous too.' Naomi sat up.

'Yeah, so's the Abyss. But Ogron wielded that just fine. It's all about knowing what you're doing, and having the strength so that you control the magic and it doesn't control you. You didn't turn into a crazy snake-thing, so I'd say you're pretty damn strong.' Roxy smiled at Naomi's praise. Naomi wasn't one to give compliments if they weren't true, and she started to feel a bit better about her conversation with Faragonda.

Naomi yawned her catlike yawn, stretching her arms and wincing, touching her shoulder gingerly. Roxy winced with guilt as she realised she'd forgotten to ask Naomi how she was doing. Good Lord, was she really that distracted by a boy? This was starting to concern her a bit.

'How's your shoulder?' she asked, looking worriedly at the bandages she could see under Naomi's shirt. Naomi shrugged.

'Eh. It's sore, but it'll be fine. It's not broken, just bruised pretty badly. I'm pretty resilient.' Roxy breathed a sigh of relief.

'I'm sorry I got us both into this today. If I hadn't followed the magic...'

'Roxy, resisting magical pulls is borderline-impossible. Especially if your magic has a connection to it.'

'If I hadn't grabbed Olivia...'

'If you hadn't grabbed Olivia, she'd have done something that would have ended just as dangerously. Don't beat yourself up.' Naomi yawned again, and Roxy laughed softly.

'You should get some sleep.'

'So should you, Princess.' Roxy had to agree with that. Now that she wasn't having magic removed or being threatened by a crazy princess, she could finally feel just how exhausted she was. She could go take a shower and change into her pyjamas. Or she could just fall into bed and lie there senseless until morning. The fact she woke up the next morning still in the same clothes suggested she went with option two.

Season seven foreshadowing! I always thought wild magic should have been talked about before season seven so it didn't seem as random, and Roxy feeling a connection to it seemed natural. (I know Naomi's a shapeshifter, but she's gonna get other stuff, so wild magic is Roxy's.)

And now Roxy's life is even more complicated. Hooray. Next chapter we'll see Aidan again, plus Roxy's first ball!