"Well, I'm sure everyone can agree Azura knows how to keep her lectures interesting," remarked Sunburst as she, like everyone else, was gathering her notes. Before they knew it, their first lesson had flown by, and they were now preparing to transition into their second. "Thank the Rainbow for that."

"You're right about that. I'll admit, I was a little afraid she'd put us to sleep, considering the subject," agreed Linden.

"I'd say it's extra lucky for me," said Lilith, "I have her for my magical theory class, too."

Azura had spent the morning going over the basic geography of the land with the group, using one of the large, elaborate maps she'd borrowed from the Crystal Palace's library to support the lesson. Not only did it detail FairyTopia's seven regions and where they were located, it showed them all the other distinct areas of the realm such as the Crystal Cove, not to mention the Bogs of the Hinterlands – the latter of which was naturally outside FairyTopia's border.

Then, she'd proceeded to delve into the beginnings of fairy history, a topic all eight fairies found much more intriguing than they ever thought they would. Before they knew it, each one of them had pages and pages of notes that documented the Guardian's teachings in thorough detail – even Faban, who was known for near-constantly having at least one mirror in his hand.

Finally, when the class's allotted time met its end, Azura had given them a list of book recommendations, informing them of the Palace library's location so they could continue researching on their own time. "It isn't exactly mandatory since we'll be going over so much of the material together. Nevertheless, I highly encourage it," she'd said before dismissing them.

"So, are you all as excited as I am to see what Ruby's class is like?" Sunburst asked the group.

Shimmer, for one, was ecstatic. Swordplay was the class she had been looking forward to all day!

Elina, on the other hand, was still rather nervous. If the class had involved the use of weapons meant for throwing, she would have been much more confident – she'd had more than enough practice in that department thanks to all those games of catch with Bibble and Dandelion. Not to mention the way she had shattered Laverna's 'union point' crystal with ease. This would be much different. But if it gave them all another method of defending the land against Laverna, she was all for giving it an honest shot.

What she and the others didn't know was that the sword fighting techniques of FairyTopia differed from those in the Land Beyond the Rainbow. For one thing, while the swords there had a wide variety of names, styles, relevance to specific time periods, shapes, and sizes, those in FairyTopia carried much less diversity. Blades in FairyTopia could be easily classified into two categories – one-handed and two-handed. Though FairyTopia's inhabitants would one day go on to experiment with a wider variety of sword styles, each of these two categories consisted of a single standard design at present.

This was because, for many years, use of such weapons had been extremely limited (as was the fairies' knowledge surrounding them), especially since the beginning of the current Enchantress's rule. From the time she was crowned until now, she had maintained a law stating that only FairyTopia's guards were permitted to carry swords. Not even the Guardians had access to them. Ruby had been the one to finally change her mind about the latter – for the very same reason Elina was so willing to take up the skill.

The Guardian in question stood waiting for the apprentices atop one of the higher trees surrounding the dorms, its top so dense that the fairies could treat it like solid ground. An array of swords floated off to the side, waiting to be retrieved, while a single blade was stationed at one end of the treetop. Strangely, there was one other sword waiting separately from the rest, which seemed to indicate that it, too, had been spoken for. "Hello, everyone, and thank you for being here on time. I'm sure I don't need to explain what this class is focused on, but before we begin for real - Shimmer, let's see you demonstrate for us, shall we?"

Right away, Shimmer flew to the end of the treetop and plucked the waiting sword from its position in the air. Since Ruby was already holding a blade of his own, his intent was perfectly clear, and Shimmer knew it. As she readied the weapon, everyone could see that it, like the others, was made of a beautiful, strong crystal of pure white – until the blade abruptly faded to a strong, vibrant red.

"How did that happen?" Elina couldn't stop herself from asking.

"You see, Elina, each of these swords are designed with the capacity to, er, become attuned to the magical energy of whoever's wielding it. You've probably noticed by now that whenever Shimmer uses magic, it comes out looking red, right?"

"So, then, when I pick up mine, it'll glow light blue?"

"Exactly. Now, Shimmer, let's begin."

Shimmer smirked. "Gladly."

The apprentices watched as the two fairies faced each other, falling naturally into fighting stances and, for a brief moment, eyeing each other apprehensively in anticipation the first move. To most of the observing fairies' surprise, Shimmer was the one to execute it, swiftly and expertly bringing her sword down in a diagonal cut to the left - only for him to deflect her strike by bringing his own blade to the side, fighting arm across his body. Without missing a beat, he took the opportunity to thrust forward in a counterattack and, when Shimmer deflected, manage to pull his fighting arm back just as she went to grab hold of his wrist, no doubt to attack it with the pommel of her sword.

Elina was awestruck. These two were proving themselves to be quite skilled and, due in large part to their expert timing, speed, and continuous use of strategy, it quickly became difficult for her to tell who was on the offensive or defensive at any given moment as the fairies' blades continued to collide in a series of thrusts, cuts, and parries.

Soon enough, Shimmer and Ruby had both taken flight as a means to dodge one oncoming attack or another, but the duel lost none of its momentum. The apprentices were quick to notice that, with the exception of having to worry less about footwork or weight distribution in their feet, the stances and movements they performed were not much different than those executed on the ground. That is, until it became evident that having wings offered a wider variety of attack and defense methods to choose from.

One such example was when, upon Ruby's delivery of a powerful overhead strike, Shimmer was quick to maneuver so that she was lower in the air and thus, out of the blade's range. In the process, she instinctively raised the sword above her head as a way of blocking in case she hadn't made it far enough.

Overall, it didn't take long for Ruby to realize he had truly underestimated Shimmer's abilities going into this fight. She had most certainly improved since the last time they'd sparred, there was no denying it.

"Been awhile since we've done this, huh, Ruby?" Shimmer remarked as she blocked another attack from the Guardian. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, finding the experience of sparring with her mentor after so long nothing short of thrilling. It was also nice, she had to admit, not to be in mortal danger while fighting for once.

Ruby could see the determined gleam in her eyes, matched with the enlivened grin she wore. "Indeed, it has, Shimmer. And you've clearly been practicing."

"Oh, you have no idea."

Shimmer's blade moved in a swift upward arc as she made to slice Ruby's left wing – but stopped just short of making contact. The Guardian, who had tried and failed to deflect her sword, gave a grin that was rather unexpected by the six observing apprentices. "Excellent strategy, Shimmer, colour me impressed!" He then turned to the others and explained, "You see, because our battle is airborne, her taking out my wing like that would send me to the ground, where she would have a beautiful opportunity to deal the final blow depending on how quickly I react. On one hand, if I take too long to recover from the fall, she could finish me off and the duel would be over. On the other, if I'm able to block or otherwise avoid her sword in time, then the duel can resume on the ground."

Elina couldn't help but think that there were other factors of this scenario that Ruby ought to mention, but since she knew nothing about sword fighting, she wasn't confident enough to speak up about it. For one thing, he'd left out that recovery time from a fall like that would have to depend on the environment one was fighting in plus the height they were falling from. For another, she wondered, just how fatal or dangerous was an injury to a fairy's wing, aside from causing said fall?

"So then, how do you want to do this? Admit defeat, or keep at it?" Shimmer asked, clearly still having fun.

"I think we'll call it here; they seem to get the idea. Anyway, with that wonderful demo out of the way – thank you, Shimmer – we can begin the lesson proper."

And so, they did, with Ruby conjuring several training dummies for them to use. Each one bore a striking resemblance to one of Laverna's fungi – an idea Shimmer had suggested as they'd been travelling to the palace together. "First thing's first," he said, "I want each of you to choose a sword. As you can see, there are both one-handed and two-handed options to choose from."

He then went on to explain the advantages and disadvantages of each upon being asked about them by Linden, and soon enough everyone bar Faban and Shimmer was carefully considering which to choose. Their swords had been the ones stationed apart from the others as the two already knew which ones they wanted and knew from experience how Ruby was planning to structure his lessons.

"I see your shoulder's been healed," Ruby remarked to Shimmer as he held her sword out to her, "Topaz's doing, I assume?"

Shimmer nodded, "Oh, yeah. Freaking out about me being hurt like that was the first thing she did when she saw me."

Ruby chuckled. "That sounds like Topaz, alright. Here, Faban, this one's yours."

"Excellent. This ought to be good practice for me," said Faban, taking the blade from him and watching it glow a mesmerizing shade of purple, "The Rainbow knows I need it."

It was then that the remainder of the group returned, each with their sword of choice. Elina, Lumina, and Linden had chosen one-handed swords while Sunburst and Glee had decided on two-handed. As expected, their blades were now glowing various colours in accordance with each of their magical energies – light blue for Elina, indigo for Lumina, orange for Sunburst, green for Glee, and bright yellow for Linden.

Throughout the rest of the class, Ruby chose to go over basic footwork with them, as well as the various stances that existed, and some basic attack and defense methods. Shimmer, for one, had been quite pleased when he offered for her to help teach. To her, this was a testament to Ruby's recognition of her skill.

However, the lesson was over too soon for anyone's liking – even Elina's. While she may not yet have been confident in her ability to wield a blade, seeing that duel between Shimmer and Ruby had truly impressed her, and inspired her a great deal to try her best.

"That's it for today, folks. Your next lesson won't be until after lunch, so feel free to make your way to the Palace to get something to eat," said Ruby. "I'll be holding on to your swords for the time being. Goodbye!"

And with that, he waved his hand and the dummies vanished, the apprentices' swords floating toward him.

When she entered the Crystal Palace's dining space, Elina couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight of every place at the table having been set, no doubt Azura's doing. "She must have known when we were coming," she voiced, noticing the flower-shaped dishes of food laid out in the center.

Bibble and Dizzle gleefully zoomed over to the table, the former going straight for a hydrangea cupcake topped with pink and purple icing. "Dizzy-loo," he babbled as he admired the colours. Then he turned to the other puffball and offered the cupcake to her.

"Aww," Glee cooed, then added, "I think I might try one of those too, they look delicious. Ooh, look – there's magnolia bread and...wait, what are these?"

Elina stepped closer to get a better look. What Glee was pointing at was a bowl of pale, pale blue berries with white stems. "Hmm...I'm not sure. I've never seen berries like those."

"Me either. Maybe one of the others will know. Either way, they must be edible if Azura left them here for us."

"They are," Linden chimed in, having just entered the room, "but they're not native to FairyTopia. They're called shiverberries."

"Have you ever tried them?" questioned Glee, picking one up to examine it closer. They looked and felt as though they were coated in a thin layer of frost – right down to being cool to the touch.

"No, but I hear they're supposed to be good. Try one." He, too, plucked one from the bowl and popped it in his mouth. "Oh, wow, they are!"

So, Elina and Glee each tried one and, to their delight, discovered Linden's assessment to be true. The shiverberries were sweet, but not sickly sweet, and they were just as cool on the inside as they were on the outside. It was like biting into mint coated in a perfect layer of honey – and wrapped in a bit more mint for good measure. "They're delicious," said Elina, adding a few more to her plate.

"Okay, so Shimmer and I were talking," Sunburst's voice floated in from the doorway as the two entered the dining area, "and we agreed we ought to have that Fairy Ball rematch we've been talking about after our last class. You guys up for it?"

"Absolutely," replied Glee. "Hey, why don't we invite Lilith to join us? I bet she'd love it."

"I would, Glee, thanks," said Lilith, who had just come in with the last of the apprentices, "I don't think I've played before, though, so you'll have to teach me."

"Oh, we will," Sunburst smiled at her, "And fair warning, it can get pretty competitive."

"Trust me, once I get the hang of things, that will not be a problem. I'm rather competitive, myself." Lilith grinned back.

"Oh, really? Then this should be fun."

Lunch was over within the next hour and a half and, as they flew to their third and final lesson of the day, it was Linden's turn to be overjoyed, as the topic was one that he knew well - healing spells – though there would also be instruction on potions and antidotes, which he wasn't nearly as well-versed in. Luckily for him, Topaz would be the one teaching this class and, out of all the guardians, she was the most capable of doing so thanks to her vast knowledge in the field.

It had surprised Linden to learn that Topaz initially hadn't thought Laverna's formula could truly hold the power of weakening flight – but then again, that formula had been one of Laverna's own making. Given her nature, who knew where she'd gotten the ingredients?

If only I'd been able to figure out the antidote myself, Linden lamented. True, he had helped keep fairies alive, but he had not been able to cure them completely until the Guardians found Laverna's antidote hidden away in her castle. In any case, Topaz had since dedicated a great deal of her time to studying both the formula and the cure and had recorded her findings for future reference.

The fairies finally reached their new destination, a chamber within the Crystal Palace that looked to be a laboratory of sorts. Seven cauldrons had been set up in a semicircle, with a singular one across from it presumably meant for demonstrations by Topaz. A colourful variety of ingredients lined the walls and surrounded the cauldrons, an impressive array of powders, liquids, herbs, and more. When Linden and the others looked up, they could see a beautiful crystal chandelier with magical rainbow flames suspended from the ceiling.

"Wow," said an impressed Glee, "Every time I think the Palace can't get more beautiful, I get proven wrong."

"I know. I mean, how amazing is rainbow fire?" Elina agreed, "Remind me to ask how that's done."

"Why, with magic, of course!" an energetic Topaz chimed in, "It's a spell the Enchantress created. I'm sure Tourmaline or Emerald could show you how to do it!"

Sunburst smirked. She already knew that, out of everyone here, she would have the easiest time mastering the spell. Fire, light, and colours had always been her specialty, after all. Though there was no denying Shimmer and Lumina's potential, she had to admit.

"Now, then - welcome back, everyone! I can't tell you how much of a joy it is to see you all again," she greeted the apprentices cheerfully, "and how much I'm looking forward to teaching this class! Oh, and you'll be delighted to know, the Enchantress has granted me access to all Laverna's old spellbooks and potion recipes, so I now have a much better understanding of how to combat her poisons and will pass that knowledge to you."

"Hold on, she didn't have those with her in the Bogs, then?" Glee raised her eyebrows.

"Of course not, dear, why in FairyTopia's name would we allow her to keep anything she could use to launch an attack?"

"Like that stopped her," muttered Sunburst.

"Er, yes, well, she's nothing if not resourceful," admitted Topaz, "But the point is, now we know how to better defend ourselves if she tries any of these things."

"If I may, Topaz," Lumina spoke up, "There are healers in every region of FairyTopia, aren't there? If that's the case, shouldn't we give a copy of the remedies to each region, so they're prepared, too?"

"Good thinking, Lumina, you're quite right! I'll be sure to address it next time I meet with the Enchantress. Now, for the first half of today's lesson we will be focusing on the various types of healing spells that exist, and for the second half, you will create your first potion."

With a graceful wave of her hand, an ornate book bound in thick green leaves appeared upon the tables which sat beside each of the apprentices' cauldrons. Each of these books had a honey calcite crystal embedded in its cover.

"It's beautiful," breathed Elina, running a hand admiringly over the cover and opening the book to the first page. On it was an introductory message explaining the book's contents and the level of difficulty associated with each spell and potion within. Luckily for the apprentices, those things were organized with the simpler items near the front, and the most difficult ones at the back. Topaz made sure to explain as much. "As you can see, the first spell we will be learning today is a simple little charm to heal a minor cut or scratch. Linden, would you please come up and demonstrate for us?"

"Of course." Linden obliged at once, and Topaz conjured what appeared to be a fairy, but clearly not a real one judging by how lifeless and immobile it was. It was simply a dummy like the ones they'd used in Ruby's class, in this case created for practicing the spells on.

When he was facing the other six apprentices, Elina and Glee were startled to see him pick up a nearby spruce needle – no doubt a potion ingredient – and carefully drag it across the dummy's arm. Then, after setting the needle back down, he held his hand over the mark and a soft yellow glow appeared in his palm and surrounded the dummy's arm. Within seconds, the little scratch was completely erased as if it had never been there at all.

"Well done, Linden," said Topaz, "Thank you very much." Another wave of her hand, and each apprentice had a dummy of their own to work with, "I'd like you all to try that same spell, which you can accomplish by focusing your light energy on the wound – much like with the Blush of Spring. Except, instead of visualizing the opening of a flower, you'll need to picture the wound closing. You may have noticed by now that visualization is essential no matter what kind of magic you're doing."

"So then, this should be fairly easy, should it not?" Faban asked smugly.

"In this case, yes," said Topaz, "since you've already mastered luminescence, which is one of the core skills needed for most kinds of magic. Off you go!"

Off they went, indeed, and despite their existing knowledge, no one aside from Linden was able to get the hang of the spell on their first attempt. However, each apprentice did still manage to pull it off quickly enough, with Topaz congratulating them gleefully in turn.

"I'm so glad we get to hold on to these," Linden told Elina, holding up his book, "I don't know about you, but I plan to read ahead later."

Elina laughed. "Maybe not right away, but I guess I might do that at some point."

For the rest of the first half, the apprentices were all absorbed in learning the spells Topaz assigned to them. They were all for various types of minor wounds and inflictions, but the basic visualization method was the same.

"Now, then, let us move on to our very first potion," Topaz called out once they reached the halfway point of their scheduled class time.

"Perhaps I could help?" A new speaker chimed in; a fairy that was unfamiliar to everyone present as she approached. "I know a good deal about potions and tonics myself, after all."

From the look of the fairy's wings, Elina guessed she was not from FairyTopia, as they were primarily purple, and their shape and pattern were reminiscent of a monarch butterfly.

"Who are you?" Shimmer asked.

The fairy smiled. "Glad you asked. My name is Henna. I'm from another realm called Flutterfield, but I was forced to leave due to...complicated circumstances."

Shimmer was on her guard at once, her mind racing with questions. What circumstances? How did she get in the palace? Does the Enchantress even know her? If she doesn't, why would the guards let her through the doors?

Elina and Lumina were likewise suspicious. While Elina had always known that there were lands beyond FairyTopia's borders, she had never heard of this 'Flutterfield' before. Lumina, on the other hand, had heard of it and knew the fairies there to be friendly, but her instincts were screaming at her not to trust Henna.

Sunburst, however, was the one to reply. "But I thought your people couldn't leave Flutterfield because of the skeezites?"

"That's not exactly true. You see, leaving has always been possible if you know how to avoid the skeezites. It's just that most butterfly fairies have always been too afraid to try," corrected Henna, "Thankfully, I have ways of handling them, so I have nothing to fear."

Topaz was smiling. "Well, in any case, Henna, we welcome you. The Enchantress informed us you would be coming, of course, and your knowledge will certainly help our young apprentices along their path."

"That's what I'm counting on. Now, why don't we continue where you left off, hm? Let's see the potion you're working on."

"Well, Henna, as I was just about to explain to the group, this concoction is meant to reduce fever and the symptoms associated with it. The recipe can be found on page fourteen of the textbooks, tools are on the tables, and the ingredients you'll need are in the labelled jars around the room. If you need help or have questions, feel free to ask!"

Henna picked up Topaz's copy of the book and flipped to the appropriate page as everyone else did the same and soon, they were all busy gathering ingredients and bringing them back to their stations.

"Let's see...amaranth petals, powdered sunlight root..." Elina muttered to herself as she located her own. It looked like they would have to crush the sunlight root themselves, so she took some from the jar and flew back to her station to use the mortar and pestle. Meanwhile, Henna was now busy writing feverishly on a spare scroll, though Elina could not see what the words were. Modifications to the recipe, perhaps?

Topaz was equally curious, peering over Henna's shoulder to read the scroll's contents. "I've never seen any of these ingredients before. Are they native to Flutterfield?"

"Some of them, yes. Others are from the surrounding areas, like the Bewilderness. I was thinking they ought to be included in the index you have here."

"Certainly not a terrible plan. And maybe we could do some experiments sometime, see how these things interact with the ones we have here. How does that sound?"

Henna smiled. "That sounds perfect. While we're at it, I also have a list of poisons and their cures if you'd be willing to look later, see if there's anything unfamiliar to you?"

"I would love to!"

Linden and Glee were the first to finish their potions, with Elina not far behind. While Linden's potion was undeniably flawless, Elina and Glee were quick to notice there was something off about their own work. "Looks like we messed up somewhere along the line," Glee mused, "What do you think we did wrong?"

Topaz flitted over to analyze their work. "Let's see...Oh! It looks like you've simply added a little too much sunlight root, Elina. And Glee, I'd say you just need to stir yours a bit more."

"Quick question, Topaz," called Shimmer, "Will this room be open to us whenever we feel like practicing this stuff?"

"Not in the beginning, no. At least, not unless you have one of us supervising," Topaz responded. When it looked as though both Shimmer and Sunburst were fixing to protest, she added, "And I know that it must seem like we're treating you like children, but you must understand that with the types of things that are in here and how easy it can be for something to go wrong, it's simply a matter of safety."

The two fairies rolled their eyes but, nonetheless, remained silent.

"Now, before you go, I want to give each of you a copy of this index I have here. It's a detailed list of ingredients and their properties and uses, so it's important that you study it."

"And keep in mind, once Topaz and I are able to update it, we'll make sure to give you the new version," added Henna. "And, Topaz, I can't thank you enough for allowing me to be here today, it was an absolute pleasure."

Topaz beamed. "You're very welcome, Henna, it was wonderful to have you. Will you be present during future classes?"

"If that's alright with you," Henna smiled.

"Then, it's settled. Anyway, have a good evening, everyone! And remember, one-on-one sessions begin tomorrow night."

"And," Faban chimed in, more to the apprentices than to Topaz, "I seem to recall a Fairy Ball game was scheduled for tonight. Shall we get that started?"

"You know it!"

"Absolutely."

Even Bibble and Dizzle, who'd been watching the class from the sidelines, cheered at the prospect of more Fairy Ball, each rooting for Elina and Glee to win, respectively. 

And so, the seven fairies made their way to the Rustic Forest to begin the game, meeting up with an equally enthusiastic Lilith on the way over.

Not one of them noticed Henna flying off on her own, away from the Palace and all its surroundings.