Chapter 29: Rescue at Cloud Tower
Hey everyone I'm back with a new chapter and just in time for Valentine's Day. I'm glad all of you loved my last chapter. I've been holding onto that bomb for a while and I'm glad it blew you all away. And I'm thrilled that this story now has over 300 followers and favorites! Thanks for all your help! You guys rock. Anyway I hope you like what I have planned. Please Review and Enjoy.
Returning to Alfea, we see the Specialist ship return from Domino. As the ship lands the Winx. Specialists and Mirta step out to see Faragonda and Saladin waiting to greet them.
"Welcome back all of you. Bloom, how are you dear?" Faragonda asks.
"Fine, Ms. Faragonda." Bloom nods.
"So, your mission was successful?" Saladin asks.
"We found them, sir." Sky nods.
"Brandon…uh I mean Prince Sky and the others." Bloom starts.
"Their timing was excellent," Stella said.
"Yes, thanks to our other friend," Faragonda said looking at Mirta.
"Ms. Faragonda, I just want to say don't punish the Winx for hiding me. I was in trouble and they helped me." Mirta apologizes.
"Young lady, coming to us was very brave and while hiding a witch at Alfea was a surprise if it wasn't for you the boys might never have found them, so you have my thanks." Faragonda smiles putting Mirta at ease.
"Hey look. Looks like Kiko has a new friend." Musa points to show Kiko playing leap frog with Pepe.
"It's Pepe. Icy's Duck." Bloom gasps as Sneaky walks over to the little creatures.
Roaring softly, both little guys smiled as they leap-frogged over the little dragon wanting to play with him too.
"Aww. How'd he get here?" Stella asks.
"I brought him here," Knut said walking over.
"Knut." Stella gasps.
"It's alright, girls. The ogre is on our side now." Faragonda assures.
"He fought courageously against the forces of evil," Saladin adds.
"Goodness. You close your eyes for a second and look what happens." Stella said.
"Pepe and I managed to run away from Cloud Tower. They chased us but we were too fast for them." Knut explains.
"Indeed. We don't even know what happened to Ms. Griffin." Faragonda said.
"Wait, what about Lucy?" Mirta asks concerned.
"I'm sorry but we don't know," Knut said making Mirta uneasy.
"So I guess this means we're all in the same boat now," Flora said.
"Yes. But it remains to be seen whether we can keep afloat or not." Musa giggles.
"But at least we have a liferaft," Stella said gesturing to Knut.
Looking around Tecna noticed the Specialists and Dragons walking through the main area.
"It's getting a little crowded here, don't you think?" Tecna points out.
"It's true then, Red Fountain Castle was destroyed?" Bloom realized.
"Yes. Unfortunately, the boys will stay here for now." Faragonda said.
"If it wasn't for Ragnar's rescue Dragons we might not have made it out," Saladin said.
"As strong and courageous as these young men are, they can't possibly overpower Icy, Darcy, and Stormy by themselves. The whole Magic Dimension lies in ruin." Faragonda said.
"Those three witches won't wait long before launching a new attack on Alfea. We've got to be ready to fight them." Saladin warns.
"We have much to discuss, all of you let's go inside," Faragonda said leading the Winx and Specialists inside.
As Saladin watched them walk in noticing him walking in the back with Toothless at his side and a look that showed a lot was on his mind.
Meanwhile, at Cloud Tower, we find ourselves in the prison cells where Riven is all by himself as Stormy and Darcy look at him from the small window in his cell door.
"Look at that driveling idiot." Stormy mocks.
"Hey Stormy, what do you say we play with his head a bit? Just for laughs." Darcy suggests.
As the two Trix walk away, Riven suddenly finds multiple copies of himself in his cell with him.
"What's going on? What are you trying to do?" Standing up Riven faces the clones. "What do you want from me huh? Come on, speak! What is it? What do you want, huh?" Riven asks but no copy says anything. "Come on! What are you waiting for? What? Who are you?"
However, each clone changed shape to reveal each one was a scary swamp-like monster before they merged to create one big monster that stared him down.
"You stay away from me! Go away! Go away! No! You're not me! That's not who I am!" Riven said in denial but the monster was copying all his movements. "You don't exist. You can't be."
Reaching out Riven and the monster touched fingers much to his disbelief.
"You are real." Riven realized.
Falling back Riven watches as the monster approaches him to the point he can see his reflection in the creature's eyes.
"Alright, big boy. I have no way of defending myself against you but I won't panic. I don't go down so easily you know. There are many things I don't like about myself, but I'm far from being a monster, okay? I have a heart. And even though I can't be sure they'll ever be able to forgive me for all the things I've said and done, I have a few friends too." Riven admits.
"Hey, kiddo." A voice calls out snapping Riven out of it.
"Huh?" Making his way to the cell door, he looks to see Ms. Griffin in the cell across from him. "Ms. Griffin? Is that you? What are you doing here?"
"Paying the price for my foolishness. I too have shown poor judgment. I should've realized sooner that their ambition was dangerous in scope." Griffin explains.
"But it's not your fault. It would've been impossible to guess what they were planning." Riven said before noticing the lock on his door. "Hmm. I've got to try to get out of here. I've always been good at picking locks." Looking around Riven notices a piece of metal on the floor. "This'll do." Grabbing it, Riven bends the metal inserts it into the lock, and picks it. "Alright. The person hasn't been born yet, who could keep me locked up."
Opening the door, Riven made his way to Griffin's cell.
"Don't worry, Miss Griffin. I'll get you out of here in a second." Riven said about to pick her lock.
"Don't waste your time, kid," Griffin said confusing him. "Believe me. If it were as easy as that, my dark powers would have taken care of that lock long before now. It's an ancient Runic lock. It's unbreakable. My girls are busy preparing a potion which will allow me to confuse the protection Runes for a few seconds." Gesturing inside the cell, we see a few witches mixing a small potion out of a bucket. "Once they do…"
Before she could finish they heard a roar down the hall making Griffin gasp.
"What's happening?" Riven asks.
"The scrapers. Save yourself!" Griffin orders in a scared tone.
"But what about you?" Riven asks.
"You can do nothing for me. Now run!" Griffin repeats.
As several dark creatures scurried down the halls, Riven made a run for it.
Running as fast as he could he ran up the stairs only to see he was at a window that had no other way but down.
"Oh, man. I wish I still had Hookfang right now. This can't be where it ends." Riven said to himself.
As they got closer, Riven remembered something.
'Wait a minute. Raggy and Sky did this in their exams and it worked.' Getting an idea, Riven steps onto the edge.
"You'll never get me!" Riven yells before jumping out the window and plummeting down.
In Farragonda's office, Sky suddenly felt a strange sensation.
"Riven?" Sky pauses.
"What's the matter?" Bloom asks catching that.
"Nothing I just got a strange feeling," Sky said.
Around the room, we see Bloom, Sky, Brandon, Stella, Ragnar Toothless, and Knut anxiously waiting as Farragonda, Saladin, Codotorta and Prof. Wizgiz soon join them.
"Well, Bloom, we have seriously considered your proposal, and we…" Farragonda starts.
"Accepted it? And that's why you didn't ask the other Winx to come to this meeting." Bloom assumes.
"You mean to say that the others know nothing of this?" Saladin asks.
"I think it's best if Bloom fills them in, they'll take it better," Farragonda suggests.
"Excuse me but what are you talking about?" Sky asks.
"We're discussing Bloom's plan for getting back the Dragon Flame. She hasn't told you anything?" Saladin asks as Sky glances at Bloom who just smiles. "You boys are accompanying her to Cloud Tower."
"What?" Brandon gasps.
"Only a total lunatic would go there right now." Sky agrees but Ragnar is still silent.
"Exactly. That's the very last thing the witches expect from us. I need to get right into the castle! We have no other choice." Bloom said.
"But how are we going to get there?" Brandon asks.
"Easy, we take tunnels," Knut said.
"Knut is very familiar with the old underground corridor system linking the three magic schools. He will be the one leading us on this mission." Bloom explains.
"Come on! You've lost all of your magic powers. You're putting your life at risk!" Sky said trying everything to talk her out of doing something so dangerous.
"But I have no choice, don't you understand? As long as the witches possess the power of the Dragon Flame, nothing can stop them! The Flame is a part of me. I'm responsible for it. Just like Ragnar is responsible for his." Bloom gestures looking at him.
"Huh? What Bloom?" Ragnar said snapping out of his trance.
"Ragnar, what's wrong man? You're not yourself." Sky asks concerned.
"I'm sorry I just…I need to be alone right now." Ragnar said walking out.
"Ragnar," Stella said worried knowing why he was like this.
"Not a good time to be lost in thought." Brandon cringed.
"We can't do this mission without Ragnar. He's just as much a part of this as I am." Bloom said.
"Brandon and I will go talk to him. Maybe we can help." Sky suggests.
"Wait," Saladin said stepping forward. "Let me go talk to him. Toothless mind joining me?"
Nodding his head, the dragon walked alongside.
"I guess I better go convince Musa, Tecna, Flora, and Mirta to stay here." Bloom sighs seeing it was probably for the best.
"Their powers are essential to the protection of Alfea. The signs are unmistakable." Farragonda agrees.
As Saladin and Toothless walked out they saw Ragnar sitting by himself looking up at the dark sky.
"So, room for two more?" Saladin asks as they sit next to him.
"Sir, if you're gonna scold me for abandoning a mission and hesitating I just wanna say—" Ragnar starts.
"There is no shame in admitting fear before a battle. It would be wrong if you didn't. I know these last few days must be difficult for you." Saladin said.
"That's an understatement. I just found out one of my friends is my sister, my birth parents are alive and I'm the prince of a lost kingdom. Not to mention I'm in the middle of a battle that could determine whether I live or die." Ragnar said.
"I understand that it's a lot, but Bloom seems to believe that she's worthy of this. But what about you? Are you worthy?" Saladin asks.
"I-I don't. I mean say by some miracle we win and people learn the truth. Am I supposed to rebuild Domino? Help my sister find our parents? I get that Bloom's driven to do this, she's been preparing for this for a while, but not me. I mean I can't make such big decisions like deciding the fate of the realm. I can't even decide which girl I like." Ragnar said grabbing his head.
"Ragnar, do you remember what I once told you?" Saladin asks.
"Told me what?" Ragnar asks as Saladin walks right up to him so he can look him in the eyes.
"Ragnar, the only thing that's holding you back is you. Look at all you've accomplished. You're braver, stronger, and smarter than you used to be. I've watched you make the biggest improvement in Red Fountain history. Look inside yourself Ragnar, you are more than what you believe you are. I know it, your teammates know it, your friends know it, even your dragon knows it, but none of it matters if you don't know it." Saladin said poking him in the chest with his staff.
"But I-I don't know what to do," Ragnar admits.
"You can't be expected to know how to handle every situation. But you've never turned away from what you know is right. Find that drive, and you'll find the strength you need to make it through." Saladin said.
Taking a deep breath, Ragnar feels Toothless nudging his leg while Sneaky sits on his lap.
"You guys really think I can do this huh?" Ragnar asks as both dragons nod.
As Ragnar tried to figure out his answer, he didn't notice Stella watching this from behind a wall.
At Cloud Tower, the Trix had just learned about the fate of Riven.
"No." Icy growls pounding her fist in frustration. "Oh well. He chose his fate."
"I would have liked to see him squirm a little longer," Stormy said.
"Yeah." Darcy agrees.
"Well, that's the end of that. Now it is time to seal the fate of Alfea." Icy grins.
Making their way in front of a large magical pentagram the Trix got to work.
"Creatures of the Dark! It is time for you to rise!" Through their spell, the Trix summoned various monsters.
"Rise from the deep! Emerge from the abyss! Go out into the world past the gates of Cloud Tower! And in our name, destroy the light, fill the skies, and swarm the earth! May darkness forever rule this realm!" Icy declares as the army was on the move with Alfea as their destination.
At Alfea, a Terrible Terror that was perched atop a balcony heard a noise.
Lifting its head, the little dragon lets out a cry warning a nearby specialist.
"What's wrong little fella?" He asks before noticing the army coming their way. "No! They're coming from the northeast! Thousands of monsters!"
Alerting the school, all the Specialists, Dragons, and Fairies rushed to prepare themselves.
Near the well, Stella had transformed into her fairy form and joined up with Bloom as she said goodbye to Flora, Musa, Mirta, and Tecna.
"Well, this is it... I'm sorry. I wish I could help you." Bloom said.
"Same here." Flora agrees.
"We've already discussed it. You'll be more useful here." Bloom informs.
"Same old story. You're as stubborn as a mule." Musa said hating this.
"Oh Musa, Flora." Walking over Bloom hugs her friends.
"Hey I'm here too," Stella said joining the group hug.
"Me too," Mirta said joining in while Tecna just sniffled.
"Tecna, are those tears I see in your eyes?" Stella noticies.
"No. I just got some dust in it." Tecna denies.
Seconds later, Brandon pops out of the well.
"Excuse me girls, but time is wasting and Knut has found the right path," Brandon calls out.
"Hey! This group got room for a few more." Ragnar said walking over with Toothless.
"Ragnar. You came?" Bloom smiles.
"Yeah well I know this is scary but I'd be a pretty lousy brother if I let my new sister go at this alone. I'm still a little nervous about this but if you're willing to try so am I." Ragnar smiles.
Smiling Bloom hugs her new twin.
"That means a lot," Bloom said.
"Hey girls," Ragnar said looking at them. "Good luck out there."
"You too," Mirta said as Bloom, Ragnar, and Toothless went inside.
"Hey, you got a second?" Stella said tapping Musa on the shoulder.
"What now? I'm not really in the mood for another talk with you." Musa said.
"Listen. I…I think we messed up. Not just you, both of us." Stella said.
"What are you talking about?" Musa asks.
"What do you think?" Stella hints at the well.
"Ragnar? Stella this was his choice. He chose to have us stay friends so neither of us would be crushed." Musa said.
"Yeah well instead of us being crushed, he's crushed," Stella states making her freeze up.
"Wait what?" Musa asks.
"He's shaken to the core and he's freaking out. Listen there has to be something we're not seeing but there has to be a way we can figure this out. If not for either of us then for Ragnar. He's constantly putting us before himself don't you think he deserves something?" Stella asks.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but you're right Stella. What do we do?" Musa asks.
"We come back from Cloud Tower and we'll talk then," Stella said.
"Then you better make sure he comes out this too," Musa said poking her in the chest.
"You got it." Climbing into the well, Stella looks to Crystal. "You be careful girl. Look out for everyone."
Grumbling softly Crystal nodded her head before Stella jumped in. While she was sad to see her rider go she looked to Cloudjumper, Skullcrusher, and Stormfly. They wanted to go too but knew they had to stay here and help the others.
As the army closed in the Specialists, Fairies and Dragons launched their attacks trying to keep them at bay.
"The East side!" Farragonda gasps.
"We'll defend it," Saladin assures.
As Timmy fired multiple shots the remaining Winx joined up with him.
"At last. We could sure use your help." Timmy smiles happy for the backup.
Using her magic, Flora blasts one away.
"Flora watch out!" Mirta calls out.
Turning around Flora noticed another coming her way but Mirta used her magic to make a barrier to protect her.
Flicking her tail, Stormfly fires several spikes impaling the beast.
Nearby, Kiko and Pepe were running for their lives as one closed in on them.
However just as it was about to strike, Sneaky appeared on its shoulder.
Growling it was not happy someone was messing with its new friends.
Biting down on it the beast shrieked in pain before Codatorta punched it in the face knocking it to the ground.
"Good work little one." He said as Sneaky smiled. "Come along." He said looking at the other pets.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Tecna asks.
Seeing how serious this was, Tecna, Musa, and Flora transformed into their fairy forms.
"Alright girls, let's show them what we're made of," Musa said climbing onto Siren's back. "Winx attack!"
As they climbed onto Lagoon and Windshear they took to the skies.
Meanwhile, down in the tunnels, Knut was holding a torch as everyone followed behind him.
"Well, Knut, which way do we go to get to Cloud Tower?" Sky asks as Knut strokes his chin.
"I'm not sure. Things are different down here." Knut said as they made their way through.
"It's those darn witches' fault." Brandon blames.
"So you're not really a prince?" Stella asks looking at him.
"No. Unfortunately, I'm Brandon, Sky's page. During the Red Fountain tryouts, we switched names." He admits.
"So Sky wasn't the only one tricking us?" Stella realized.
"Yeah sorry about that." Brandon apologized.
"Still you really helped him out. You should meet my friend Nova. I think you two would get along well." Stella suggests.
"We take care of this and maybe you can introduce us," Brandon suggests.
Walking behind Sky, Ragnar was still a little silent.
Nearby Toothless nudges Sky getting his attention. "Toothless?" He asks and Toothless gestures his head back. "Oh uh…so Ragnar. How are you holding up?"
"My head is literally swimming with questions," Ragnar admits.
"Well from one prince to another I might be able to give you some tips." Sky offers.
"Just give it to me straight. Does being a prince ever get easier?" Ragnar asks.
"Ehhh…it takes time." Sky cringes speaking from experience.
Suddenly Toothless and Knut came to a stop confusing everyone.
"What is it, Knut? Did you find something?" Bloom asks.
"I dunno. It's just that I feel like we're not alone down here." Knut said making her nervously grip Inferno.
"Don't worry Bloom, I got your back," Ragnar said.
"I envy you, Ragnar," Bloom said surprising him.
"You envy me, why?" Ragnar asks.
"You can still defend yourself. Well, I…I've no idea what I'll do when I find myself in front of the witches." Bloom admits.
"But I envy you. I mean look at me. I'm a mess. I can't even think straight and yet you're ready to jump headfirst into all this." Ragnar admits making Bloom smile.
"Maybe that's why we need each other. So we can help each other out." Bloom said putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah…I guess so." Ragnar smiles softly.
"And don't worry Ragnar, if you need it I'll protect you too," Stella said leaning in.
As they kept walking none of them realized the Trix were spying on the battle at Alfea.
"Excellent. Everything is going according to plan." Icy grins.
"What are you talking about? Our troops are falling back." Stormy points out thinking she meant the battle.
"I know they are. I want this war to last a long time. I want Alfea to suffer a slow, humiliating defeat. The Creatures of the Dark are numerous and will never give up the fight. So ultimately, they will bring down Alfea." Icy cackles.
Back in the tunnels, Knut leads them to an opening that had a fork in the road with 3 different paths to take.
As Knut looked around trying to figure out which one to take a craven flew out of one tunnel and upwards.
"There are three tunnels. Which one do we take?" Stella asks.
"Uhm…I don't know." Knut admits.
"What? In the last half hour alone, you've nearly led us into fourteen death traps." Stella glares when Ragnar grabs her arm.
"Stella calm down. We made it through those traps pretty well." Ragnar reminds.
"Knut's trying his best," Bloom said looking at him. "Now think. You have a great sense of smell, don't you?"
Pausing Knut sniffs the air and looks to the middle tunnel. "It's this one."
"Are you sure?" Stella asks.
"If I say it's this one, this one is it," Knut said when Toothless picked something up.
Growling Toothless fires a plasma blast that flies past Knut.
"Whoa, Toothless what's gotten into—" Before Brandon could finish it was revealed that Toothless had blasted some creatures that were up ahead.
"Okay, clearly this wasn't the right path," Ragnar said as they all glanced at Knut.
"Uh oops." Knut gulps.
However, Knut's trail of bad guesses was far from over.
As Knut climbed up the ladder to open a cover, an entire river of water came down forcing them to flee.
In the next cavern, we see Toothless ripping various vines to shreds alongside Knut.
Behind them, we see the vines wrapping around Sky, Brandon, and Bloom as they try to escape.
"Guys a little help here." Ragnar gulped as he and Stella were tied together with their bodies smushed up against one another their faces inches apart.
While Ragnar was still nervous, Stella didn't seem to mind. In fact, she wouldn't mind staying like this a little longer.
Grabbing Inferno, Bloom ignited it cutting them all free much to Stella's disappointment.
'She couldn't have waited another few minutes?' Stella thought.
In the next cavern, they all sat down to catch their breath.
"Ugh, I gotta do more cardio." Ragnar pants when suddenly the lumps under them begin to move.
Panicking they saw they were sitting on giant bugs forcing them to blast them all away.
Until finally, they came to a stop.
"Oh yeah! We'll get out of here, no problem. Right." Stella mocks trying to sound like Knut.
"It's not my fault. This place is full of smells." Knut said leaning against the wall.
"Well, clearly Toothless' nose is better because he's spotted all your trouble. If only he knew what smell Cloud Tower was, then we could follow him." Ragnar agrees when Knut sniffs the air.
"Hang on a second. I know that stink." Knut said when the wall he was leaning against fell through and Knut went down a huge slide screaming.
Following Knut, they went down the slide and to their surprise ended up right outside of Cloud Tower in an area filled with garbage and other junk.
"Well I'll be, he did it," Ragnar said impressed while Toothless roared in agreement.
"This is Cloud Tower?" Brandon asks looking around.
"I think this is the castle's garbage dump." Sky declares.
"Ugh what a stench yuck-o," Stella said covering her nose. "We've got to find the way out of here and back into the castle itself."
Looking around Bloom noticed Knut was stuck in some kind of dirty water.
"First let's give Knut a hand," Bloom said.
Walking over, they struggled to pull Knut out when Toothless smelled something.
"Uh oh, what's wrong bud?" Ragnar asks as Toothless growls which triggers another noise.
"What was that?" Bloom gulps.
"I don't know and I don't want to know," Stella said as Knut was freed.
Suddenly bursting out of the mud all around them were giant roach-like monsters.
"Beetleroaches!" Knut gasps.
"What are these things?" Ragnar asks backing up to his friends.
"Giant-garbage-eating insects." Knut clarifies.
"Eww! Disgusting!" Stella said hiding behind Ragnar as more showed up.
"There's like a whole army of them." Sky gasps.
"Well then let's turn on the bug zapper. Toothless zap these bugs." Brandon orders.
"No wait!" Bloom said stopping them. "If we do too much damage we run the risk of blowing our cover." She said igniting Inferno.
"She's right. We get rid of one of them and the witches will sense it and that means we can kiss our surprise attack goodbye." Sky realizes.
"Right. We'll stand here and call their name 'til they go away." Stella said nervously. "Anyone got a can of bug spray?"
Pausing Ragnar got an idea. "No, but I got the next best thing." Reaching to his belt, he pulls out a black ball-like object and a green vile.
Bending down, Ragnar pours the vile into the ball before shaking it, throwing the ball it landed near the Beetleroaches emitting a green gas that caused them to flee.
"Whoa, what was that?" Bloom asks surprised.
"A little Zippleback gas mixed with a few chemicals makes a pretty effective stink bomb," Ragnar said proudly.
"For a Specialist who's not very confident you sure are full of surprises." Knut compliments.
"Thanks, I think," Ragnar said however that moment was short-lived when Queen Beetleroach emerged.
"Look out!" Stella gasps as it grabs Sky.
"Sky!" Bloom tries to help him but the Queen swats her around and throws Sky to the ground.
"Quick kill it." Knut points.
"It's moving too much. We could hurt Prince Sky." Brandon said unable to throw his javelin.
Suddenly a figure in a ragged cloak jumps onto the Queen's back surprising everyone.
Running around it tried to throw the stranger off but he wouldn't let go.
"Your number's up!" He said zapping the queen causing her to scream in pain before running off.
"Guys look, they're all running away," Stella said as all the Beetleroaches fled.
"That's because the one I zapped was the leader." The stranger said approaching them.
"Thanks, but who are you anyway?" Sky asks.
"What? You don't recognize your old friend anymore?" Taking off the cloack everyone looked in surprise to see it was Riven.
"Riven?!" His old teammates gasp in surprise.
Soon, Riven was walking with them as they made their way back to the tunnels. Needless to say, Toothless was keeping a close watch on him as he explained his situation.
"I still can't believe it. You manage single-handedly to escape from the dungeons of Cloud Tower?" Sky said impressed.
"To tell the truth I didn't get to go very far. Up there past the dump. The witches have set up a protective shield. If I had gone one step further, they would've captured me." Riven points out.
"But how did you manage to escape?" Bloom asks.
"As I jumped out of the high tower window, I was sure it was all over for me. But then, a buttress broke my fall and I slid all the way down into the dump. I had to pull myself together. The place was teeming with beetle roaches. I lay low and looked for camouflage and most importantly - a weapon. The rest of my stay here hasn't been particularly exciting." Riven explains.
"You kidding? You had to put into practice everything we learned at Red Fountain. Survival in a zone totally infested with Creatures of the Dark. Hey, do you remember Codatorta's lesson?" Sky asks.
"Never hide downwind and keep your fingers out of your nose." Brandon jokes causing everyone to laugh.
"Uhm…Sky, Brandon, Ragnar. I want to apologize for all the things I've done." Riven apologizes.
"We can work out the details later," Sky said.
"Right. We're on a mission here." Bloom said.
"So are you with us?" Sky asks.
"You bet," Riven said before looking at Ragnar. "So uh how's Hookfang doing?"
"Doing well. Still haven't found him a new rider yet." Ragnar said.
"Hey uh, any chance I can get Hookfang back?" Riven asks looking at Ragnar.
"I don't know. Not sure if I can trust you with something this big." Ragnar said making Riven sigh.
"Yeah, I guess I expected this much from you," Riven said remembering all the times he picked on him.
"It's not gonna be easy to earn back my trust after everything you've done Riven," Ragnar said.
"I know, but there's gotta be some way I can at least prove I can earn your trust back," Riven said making Ragnar smirk for the first time since Domino.
"Well, actually Riven…there is a way. You do one thing and we'll instantly know if we can trust you." Ragnar said.
"Seriously? I just gotta do one thing and I'm back in. Lay it on me I'll do it right now if I have to." Riven said making Sky chuckle.
"Should we tell him what it is?" Sky asks.
"It's only fair," Ragnar said.
"What are you guys talking about?" Stella asks.
"Ragnar discovered something when he met Toothless. It's the ultimate test of trust. Pull it off and you instantly prove you're worthy of earning their trust. Human or dragon." Sky explains.
"You mean like with you?" Bloom asks.
"Exactly." Sky nods.
"How come you never told us about this test?" Brandon asks.
"It's not something for the faint of heart. It's not something anyone should just jump into." Ragnar said.
"Well, what do I got to do?" Riven asks.
"You gotta eat a fish." Ragnar starts.
"That's it? One fish. Heck, give it me to now. It's been a while since I've had a good meal." Riven said confidently.
"Oh, this isn't a normal fish. You see this fish…has already been eaten." Sky declares confusing everyone.
"Huh?" Slowly Toothless walks up to Riven and makes several gagging noises before barfing up a partially eaten fish right in front of him grossing him, the girls, Brandon, and even Knut out.
"Ugh, that is disgusting!" Stella said repulsed.
"Oh hell no, you guys are messing with me, aren't you?" Riven accuses.
"Yeah I wish we were but we're not," Sky said.
"I ate it to earn Toothless' trust and Sky ate it to earn mine. If you can keep down one bite, we know we can trust you and you can have your spot back on our team." Ragnar explains.
"Suddenly I'm glad you never showed us this." Bloom cringes.
Slowly Riven picked up the fish cringing in disgust. "You sure there's no other way?"
"One big bite. Like you're hungry for it." Sky said.
Taking a deep breath, Riven took a big bite of the fish much to everyone's disgust.
"Eww nasty." Bloom cringed.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Stella gags.
"Ugh remind me not to mess up that royally." Brandon cringed.
As the sound of chewing and gagging came from him Riven struggled for a while minute before finally swallowing.
"That was the worst thing I've ever tasted," Riven said throwing the fish down and immediately Toothless ate it again.
Slowly Ragnar began to chuckle before bursting into laughter.
"I can't believe you did it." Ragnar laughs holding his sides.
"Wait so this was a trick?" Riven accuses.
"No, we just never thought you'd actually do it. Welcome back, buddy." Sky said as he and Brandon clapped him on the back.
Smiling happy Toothless was glad to see his rider's mood was lightened.
"Look at that, Ragnar's smiling," Bloom said happy to see him like this.
"And who would have thought Riven would be the to do it?" Stella giggles.
"Huh? Well, what do you know." Ragnar chuckles impressed. "You really want to be back on the team."
"Ugh does anyone have any water? I need to get this taste out of my mouth." Riven begs.
"Sorry, but it doesn't go away. You're gonna be tasting that for the rest of the day at least." Sky said speaking from experience.
They had gotten out of the garbage dump but now they were on their way to the castle itself. Thankfully they were close enough to the point Knut couldn't get them lost again.
Slowly entering the castle from the tunnels, Knut stopped them.
"It's this way, wait here," Knut whispers.
Peeking down the hallway they saw a few creatures of darkness guarding the door. Moving past them Knut opened a secret entrance in the wall and led them into the Trix's room.
"Hey, this is the Trix's room. Knut, why did you bring us here?" Bloom asks recognizing the place.
"He wanted us to see a good example of bad decorating." Stella jokes.
"From here, we have access to the castle," Knut said as Ragnar peeked through the door and saw several dark creatures in the hallway.
"Not this way. It's under heavy guards." Ragnar said but Knut just smirked.
"Getting out of this room is not a problem. I've learned to move about the castle without being noticed. First, we need to go down a couple of stories. The tunnel leading us down is through there." Knut said pointing to a mirror.
Walking up to it, Toothless sniffs the mirror curiously.
"I don't know, it looks like a regular mirror to me." Sky observes.
"Keen eye as always Sky," Brandon smirks.
"You've got to trust me. I'm with you, not the witches! Come on, we've no time to waste!" Knut insists.
"Hey, ladies first Brandon." Riven mocks.
"And children next, right Riven?" Brandon counters.
Bloom was about to step up when Sky stopped her.
"Perhaps we should go first. It could be dangerous in there." Sky suggests.
"Toothless should go first. He can warn us if something dangerous is coming." Ragnar suggests.
Nodding his head, Toothless thought that was a good idea.
"Hold onto that weapon close Bloom. I got a feeling you might need it." Ragnar said.
Not needing to be told twice, Bloom's right hand moves to Inferno as they make their way in.
Going through the hidden passage, they ended up on the lower levels.
As they descended a staircase, nobody noticed a Spy-der on the opposite wall near the ceiling.
Making its way to Griffin's office, the creature showed Icy in the reflection of its eyes all of them walking through the halls.
"No! Those sneaks! I knew they'd try something!" Icy stood up outraged before turning to Stormy and Darcy. "Sisters, we have guests. Bloom is prowling about our secret corridors and she's not alone."
"How did she get here?" Darcy asks.
"Knut is with her." Icy declares enraging the other Trix.
"That traitor." Darcy growls.
"Oh, relax, Darcy. This is the first good thing he's ever done for us. We have the Dragon's power. Nothing can stop us. They're just pesky little gnats. So we'll swat them." Icy cackles getting an evil idea.
Meanwhile, at Alfea, everyone was recovering from the first wave of attacks.
"I still can't get over what's happening. I mean, this should have been a normal school year. Instead, we're involved in a major crisis, and we've got to save Alfea and the Magic Dimension." Musa said annoyed.
"Look at it this way. This experience is teaching us so much more than schoolbook stuff. We're part of historic events. We've had to come up with spells that could never be reproduced, Musa. We get to fight alongside the most powerful wizards and fairies in the Dimension. We even learned how to tame dragons." Tecna lists.
Hearing this, a fairy with long black hair and glasses walked up to them.
"You find all that thrilling, don't you? Well, I don't like it at all. This whole thing scares me! I'd rather be safe at home with my parents." She said.
"I know what you mean. I'm upset too. I can't stand the thought of being a prisoner here, in the middle of nowhere, far away from everyone I know." A second fairy said.
"Oh, how I wish this was just a bad dream." The first fairy girl said.
"Look take it from me, I know it's hard and it's not easy but if we can't give up," Mirta said.
"Mirta's right. We must resist and trust that we will win in the end." Flora agrees.
"Flora's right. We're like, a big orchestra. And each one of us has an important part to play." Standing up Musa helps reassure the other girls when Kiko, Pepe, and Sneaky walk by appearing to be on patrol. "Look, even Kiko, Pepe, and Sneaky are ready for action. See how ready they look? Each one of us is absolutely essential if we're gonna save Magix. Just think of what Bloom, Ragnar, and Stella are going through right now. They're at the heart of enemy territory, and Bloom doesn't have any powers! Even so, I'm sure they'll be all right."
"Musa's right. We can't allow this to go on." The first fairy girl said.
"That's the spirit." Flora agrees.
Nearby we see Farragonda looking at the group motivating the other fairies.
"I say we teach those witches a lesson they won't soon forget," Musa suggests when Siren roars in agreement and bumps against her.
"Well, it appears the dragons are with us too." Mirta giggles.
"Yeah, they think they can just wipe out all the good in the world and set up a realm of evil," Flora adds.
"But they are so wrong!" Tecna declares.
"And we are gonna take them down!" Mirta raised her fist and everyone cheered in agreement.
Suddenly Tecna got a message forcing her to change the subject.
"It's my pager." Tecna recognized.
Opening it we see a hologram of Timmy appear.
"It's a message from Timmy." Flora recognizes and instantly Tecna gets tongue-tied.
"Uh... yes. Timmy and I are, um... we're analyzing some data... We're developing a new early warning system. You know, to spot attackers? Later!" Tecna said running off.
"What was that all about?" Mirta asks never seeing this side of her.
"I've never seen her so-so…" Musa pauses trying to find the right words.
"So normal? Me neither." Flora said.
In the Specialist Ship, Timmy and Tecna were at the controls.
"Let's compare the data. And then we'll see if our hypothesis makes sense. If all the numbers are correct, only sub-spacial interference could delay the wave energy transmission. But the percentages are so low that…" Pausing Timmy glances at Tecna unsure if she was paying attention. "Are you listening to me, Tecna?"
"Yes, of course, Timmy. You were talking about um, low transmission rates, right?" Tecna asks surprising him.
"Uh, yeah. All right, then, um could you check the, uh, stability levels of the energy barrier for me, please?" Timmy asks focusing back on their work.
"Timmy." Tecna reaches out but stops herself. "If only I could put logic aside for a while and let myself be swayed by emotion. After all, it can't be that bad."
Back at Cloud Tower, we see the group walking through the corridors.
"We've been walking for hours in these secret corridors and yet, it feels like we're getting nowhere. Everything looks exactly the same." Bloom said.
"Don't worry. We're almost there. Only a few small steps separate us from the Dragon Flame. See? Over there is where they hide all their secrets." Knut points down the corridor.
"Are you trying to make me homesick?" Riven mocks.
Grumbling softly, Toothless narrows his eyes.
"Yeah, Toothless I'm with you. It seems too easy." Ragnar said.
"What do you mean?" Stella asks.
"No, he's right. No guards, no traps. Why are the Trix so sure of themselves?" Sky agrees.
"Time to let out the prisoners," Brandon said eager to bust them out.
"Be careful guys," Ragnar said as Brandon and Riven went down one path to free them.
"I'll join you guys in a minute," Sky said as he, Ragnar, and Toothless followed Bloom, Knut, and Stella to a large orange door.
"This is it Bloom," Stella assures.
"You'll soon be the most powerful fairy in the Magic Dimension once again." Sky adds.
As Bloom steps forward Ragnar slowly follows from behind.
Entering the room, the two siblings saw a large flame in the middle of it.
"Is that it?" Ragnar asks.
"My Dragon Flame. It can be mine again." Bloom said approaching it. "I can feel its heat."
But just as she was about to reach out to it the flame froze up and a powerful gust of wind blew in.
While Toothless shielded Ragnar with his wings, the gust blew Stella, Sky, and Knut sending them flying into the wall.
"What's going on?" Bloom gasps when the door opens and the Trix walks in.
"Surprise." Icy declares as Ragnar and Toothless slowly recover.
"It's them." Ragnar glares.
Growling Toothless was eager to get them too.
"That's not your flame, Bloom. Your flame is out of your reach, deep in our entity. And you could never get it back or find the other half. You lose, fairy." Icy mocks as they walked right up to Bloom.
Growling in anger, Bloom's hand slowly moved towards Inferno.
"See? We're stronger than you now, but you'll never be able to tell anyone." Darcy mocks.
"And do you know why you will never tell? Because Cloud Tower will be your grave!" Icy declares.
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Turning around, Stormy saw Ragnar punch her in the face with a flaming punch while Toothless blasted Darcy with a plasma bolt.
Using this opening, Bloom activates Inferno. "Hey, Icy!" Swinging the flame sword, Bloom slashes Icy's right shoulder causing her to scream in pain. "Still think you're stronger than me?"
Delivering a kick to her gut, Bloom knocks Icy into her sisters.
"That felt good," Ragnar said.
"Agreed," Bloom said before looking at the Trix. "And just so you know I did find the other half." Bloom declares shocking them.
"What?! The other twin? Where are they?" Icy gasps.
"You're looking at him." Ragnar declares as he and Toothless stepped forward.
"Are you kidding me? This loser was the other twin the whole time?" Stormy gestures.
"I should have known. You two have to be the most frustrating people in the realm. Of course, you had to be related." Darcy growls.
"You want her, you're gonna have to go through me first." Ragnar gestures.
"That can be arranged," Icy said.
However, before they could retaliate a large green blast sent the Trix flying into the wall.
"Did you do that?" Bloom asks but Ragnar shakes his head.
Turning to the door, they saw Headmistress Griffin enter the room.
"Take that as a warning," Griffin said walking past them to approach the Trix. "You three deserve the worst kind of punishment for what you've done!"
Entering the room, we see Riven and Brandon freed all the witches.
Using this chance, Ragnar helped Stella up.
"You okay?" Ragnar asks as she takes his hand.
"Much." She smiles.
"Come on, Bloom. Let's go." Sky said walking to her side.
"So you managed to escape, Miss Griffin." Icy glares.
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm still on my feet. We'll see you later, little missies. The final showdown will have to wait, I'm afraid." Griffin points out.
As she was about to leave, Griffin waved her arms and began casting a spell.
"What do you think you're doing?" Icy asks as Griffin creates a multi-layered shield in front of the Trix trapping them.
Making her escape, Griffin joined up with the others.
"Let's hurry, the shield won't hold them back for long. And I know their dragons are still somewhere in the tower." Griffin said blocking the entrance with large rocks to buy more time. "Follow me. We have to go up to Windswept Terrace. It's the only way out of the castle."
As all the Witches and Griffin donned their cloaks, they made their escape.
"We're leaving the castle in the hands of those three witches?" A witch asks.
"My dear, there's nothing we can do against Icy, Darcy and Stormy." Griffin sadly states.
"But Miss Griffin, if you leave them here, they could destroy Cloud Tower," Stella said worried.
"I'm well aware of that, Stella. Miss Faragonda had warned me against them, but I wasn't about to let myself be awed by three silly young students. That was a big mistake. The fact that Saladin, Faragonda, and I managed to overpower their three ancestors way back when doesn't mean we're invincible. The truth is, we must always keep our eyes wide open. The world of magic can never be taken for granted." Griffin explains.
In the other room, the Trix were struggling to break through the barrier.
Using her powers, Icy broke through the first one but they still had the second one.
"Miss Griffin took us by surprise." Stormy simply states.
"We're stuck. It won't be easy to get out of here." Darcy said.
"What? Do you think a little granite is gonna stop us? We've got to catch them before they make their getaway. Move aside, sisters." Icy created a blast of ice but only blew away some of the rocks.
"It barely made a dent. At this rate, it'll take us forever." Stormy said.
"What are you waiting for? Help me out! We'll let the Creatures of the Dark and Dragons deal with Bloom and her friends. Then we'll get our hands on that Specialist." Icy said as all three Trix combined their powers.
At the top of the terrace, Griffin led everyone outside.
"I'll conjure up a dimensional portal to Alfea. Everybody gather around. And try to stay as close as possible to one another." Griffin instructs.
Using her magic, Griffin creates a giant portal that hangs over the terrace. From it, a green light shines down sucking up the witches and pulling them into the sky.
"We've got to do this quickly! The Creatures of the Dark are coming." Griffin said when a loud roar echoed alerting Toothless.
"Uh, ma'am. That's not all that's coming." Ragnar gasps as the Snow Wraith, Windstriker, and Changewing fly up towards them.
"Hurry up! Enter the portal!" Griffin orders.
"Miss Griffin, we could throw them off the scent by creating some kind of distraction. If only I had Skullcrusher or my Wind Rider." Sky calls out.
Hearing his request, Griffin raised her arms and with her magic created a Wind Rider right in front of them.
"Isn't this better? A Space Spider 4000." Griffin declares.
"Whoa," Sky said amazed, and approached it. The second he climbed on his outfit changed to a black padded suit with a helmet.
"Sky it's too risky. Don't do it." Bloom pleads.
"I'm willing to take risks if it's to help my friends, and no one is going to stand in my way." Sky declares.
Moved by his determination, Bloom ran to his side.
"I'm coming with you." As she climbs on a matching outfit appears over her.
"I'm coming too," Ragnar said looking at Toothless. "We can keep up with them easy, right bud?"
Growling in agreement, Toothless readied himself.
Seeing it was now or never Stella raced over to him.
"Ragnar." Grabbing him, Stella yanks him into a kiss surprising him. He tried to push back but Stella refused to budge wrapping her arms around his neck until they separated.
"Stella, but I—" Ragnar starts.
"I haven't forgotten what you said at Domino but that doesn't mean I can't stop caring about you. That was a promise to come back. Please so we can at least talk about this." Stella pleads.
Seeing the worried look on her face, Ragnar could tell this was something on her mind.
"Alright. When we get back." Ragnar nods.
"I'll be thinking of you and Bloom," Stella said before flying to the portal.
"You better not die Raggy. I need you to vouch for me so I can get the team back on my side." Riven calls out before joining the others.
As the portal closed Sky and Bloom raced ahead just as the creatures arrived while Ragnar and Toothless shot into the sky.
Flying after them, the Trix's dragons gained on Toothless.
"We got company bud!" Ragnar said as ice, acid, and wind breath attacks rained down.
Flying sideways, Toothless dodges the attacks.
Pulling upwards, Toothless flew up over the dragons before firing a plasma bolt hitting the Changwing in the back and making it scream in pain.
Leaping off him, Ragnar grabs onto the Snow Wraith.
Roaring in anger, the dragon tried to throw him off.
"Don't mess with me you oversized Snowflake!" Ragnar said grabbing it by the back. "I have had a really emotional and stressful few days!" Taking a deep breath, Ragnar breathes fire hitting the Snow Wraith right in the face making it scream in pain.
Flying out of control the Snow Wraith plummets to the ground but Ragnar jumps off and activates his wings.
Behind him, the Windstriker was about to swoop in and strike but at the last second Toothless rams into him coated in lightning keeping it far away from his rider.
With the dragons out of the way, Toothless flew under Ragnar allowing him to deactivate his wings and grab back onto him.
"Come on! We gotta catch up with Sky and Bloom!" Ragnar said as they flew after them.
As the Dark Army emerged from Cloud Tower several creatures were proving to be obstacles.
"Sky! They're all over me! Do something, please!" Bloom said trying to shake off the little pest versions.
"A sudden acceleration might make them lose their grip. Hang on tight, Bloom!" Sky said flooring it and the little creatures just flew right off her.
Flying in nearby, Ragnar and Toothless had finally caught up with them.
"This way! We saw Alfea and we're getting close!" Ragnar points.
However before they could head to the school, lightning bolts rained down from the sky nearly hitting them.
As Toothless flies back alarmed Sky and Bloom swerved widly out of control.
"Bloom! Sky!" Ragnar gasped as they drove off a cliff.
Screaming both were about to plummet when Toothless dived down and grabbed onto their vehicle.
Flapping his wings wildly, Toothless guided them into a clearing before letting go.
"Everyone okay?" Ragnar asks.
"We are now," Sky said relieved.
"Quick thinking Toothless." Bloom smiles as they take off their helmets.
Sighing in relief, they had managed to escape Cloud Tower and get the Witches to safety but they still had to find a way to get back to Alfea and get Bloom's powers back.