What a surprise when the fairies ran into the Specialists in the Black-Mud Swamp! The Winx have to help them look for the missing troll, don't they? But the Trix, they were the one's responsible for the supposedly missing troll. Until now, the two groups have not crossed paths, but the next battle is very close.

-

"THAT'S IT!" Y/n chucked the potatoe as hard as she could across the kitchen, letting it explode against the wall.

Flora put down her knife for a moment to ask, "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I can't stand it! First of all, we're teens, so why are we the ones cooking?!" She threw her apron to the side and kept going. "Seriously, is Chef Sfogila so lazy he can't do it himself?! They need us to have kitchen duty?!"

As she yelled, the doors opened, a fat chef looking quite unamused at her. "You will be wives one day and have to cook for your husbands."

"...hey, Sfogili, my guy, we were just talking about you..." She finger-gunned him awkwardly, adding, "All good things, all good things..."

"Right..." He took huge strides over to Musa, who was peeling the potatoes with a big smile as she hummed to herself. "How's the side-dish coming along?"

"Almost done, sir," she replied with a tiny piece of potato in the hand that was not holding the knife.

He took it from her, criticizing harshly. "These potatoes are too small! Take off less skin! And what about the omelettes?!" He aggressively gestured to the eggs in the pans on the stove. "Don't forget to flip them, eh?!"

The girls rushed over and grabbed the pans, quickly flipping them, Musa catching hers before it fell on the floor.

"Who eats breakfast for dinner, anyway?" Y/n asked aloud, shifting the egg on her pan.

"People with class!" Sfogilia answered harshly, then added, "Finish flipping and then to Faragonda's office with you!"

"What?!" Shocked, she flipped the egg into the ceiling fan. Sfolgilia intently glared as she laughed uncomfortably. "S - sorry about that, I really don't know how that happened..."

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Somebody turn the fan off!"

Flora rushed to the switch. "Uh, I - I'll do it!"

She flipped out the wrong way, the fan spinning faster with the omelette still on it. Musa waved her hands, breaking out in, "Go little omelette spinning like a DJ like it's your birthday like you got your biggest fan gonna serve you like a ham..."

Pissed, Sfolglia balled up his fists. "I said turn it OOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFF!" he belted operatically. "I see you need instruction in singing as well as cooking in the kitchen! It is the music of juice not leftovers!"

Flora finally got the fan off and the omelette fell off...right on Sfolgilia's head, splattering on his clothes. He wiped it off with a grunt. "Grr...I'll have a word with the headmistress about granting you a permanent exemption from kitchen duties! Errgg..." He wiped his face off with his apron. "You young fairies cause more troubles than help! Now I must clean up before dinnertime, so keep an eye on the roast!"

He left out in a huff while Flora went to check on his roast. "Everything's okay here!"

Y/n sat on the counter with a sigh, her head falling into her hands. "Do you really think Sfolgilia was that mad at me? Why do I have to see the headmistress? Girls, I can't get expelled! I can't go back to Earth where I'm the one stuck cleaning up after my brother explodes something...seriously, a chicken once went in his mouth, right? He claims it didn't even taste like chicken..."

"If you want my two cents," Tecna chimed in with one leg against the wall she leaned on, arms crossed, and eyes closed, "You and Blaze are too interesting to expell." Her eyes opened and she came off of the wall, holding her hands out. "Fairies from Earth? I mean, nobody would have expected that. There hasn't been magic on Earth for centuries." [No plot hole here. Wait until season four...heheh...]

The only female Winx to not be in the kitchen swung the door open, calling out excitedly, "Girls! I have some really wild news!"

Tecna rolled her eyes and picked up her knife, going back to peeling. "We know. You've managed to get out of kitchen duties. Congratulations, Stella."

"Oh, but I've a perfectly valid reason for that, you know! I'm going out tonight! I've got a date! Isn't that exciting?"

Y/n rolled her eyes from the counter, replying with, "Let me guess. Eraklyon's oh-so-charming prince?"

"Yes!" she squealed with an excited jump. "See, I just knew that you'd understand as my best friend and all!"

"A guy who knows you and still wants to see you?" Musa chimed in, glancing over her shoulder at Stella while she peeled. Y/n glared; she would have given her a hard elbow to the gut if she had not been holding a knife.

But to Stella, she gave a small smile. "Congratulations, Stella, he is pretty cute."

"Pretty cute? He's gorgeous! His dark eyes, his strong arms! And that voice!" She screamed out a squeal while Musa looked for the nearest thing to hit her with. "And he's really nice and considerate, too. I mean, I couldn't even consider dating a jerk." She gave them her big eyes. Her golden-brown eyes were the most expressive in the group, giving her the advantage. "But Y/n, girls, as my best friends, there's one thing I need help with: what am I going to wear? I'm so confused! Will you help me pick something?"

She looked back at the door, then at Stella with an affirming nod. "Of course. I just need to take care of something first, okay?"

-

Faragonda's office was spacious, yet cozy. Her large desk had enough room for up to three chairs, but only one was seated out for the occasion. The fairy fidgeted in her seat while she felt the eyes of Faragonda stare into her soul.

"Well," she finally spoke up.

"Listen!" Y/n blurted out quickly. "I didn't mean to call Sfolgiloa lazy, okay? I'm just not a good cook and took my frustrations out on him. Seriously! I burn water! And - and the omelette was a total accident, if he's mad, I can pay for dry-cleaning. Spencer still sends a little bit of money, so..."

She stopped when Faragonda only looked at her confusedly. Her hands were locked together and under her chin, shoulders hunched so she found reach, but she now lifted her head in concern. "Y/n, are you feeling alright?"

"..................that was part of my one-woman show, I just thought now would be a good time to test it out."

"Right...anyway..." She reached into one of her drawers and pulled out an envelope. Instead of a red stamp on the front, it held a light blue one. She gave it to Y/n and explained, "I've been contacting planets far and wide about you and Blaze. All were met with either no response or one denying that they know who you are. That is, until tonight."

She took the letter and looked at the back.

To: My Dearest Y/n
From: Jack

"I haven't opened it," Faragonda continued. "And after you have, I'd like you to come back with it."

-

Y/n kept the note away from her friends, especially Stella. She already had a date to worry about; no need to add more to her plate.

Stella pulled back all the clothes in her closet, the girls looking in it. "You've got a whole other row back there!" Y/n exclaimed.

"That's the problem." She walked away while Flora looked through the closet. "I need something really special. Romantic!"

She pulled out a short long one and brought it over to Stella. "I'd go with this," she said. "Pure, classic elegance. It's perfect!"

"For a funeral, yes. For a date, I need something with a bit more pizzazz!"

"How about this then?" Tecna pulled out the most hideous dress any of the Winx had ever seen. "You're sure to make a lasting impression wearing this. How could you have bought something like that?"

"I didn't buy it."

"Someone gave it to you?!"

"I designed it."

Musa, without missing a beat, snarked, "In the dark?"

Y/n pulled out a random dress, Stella's eyes lighting up. "Y/n! That's the one!"

She handed it to her, then took a seat next to Musa. "So...will there be any other cute guys there?" she asked Stella.

"No, Blaze won't be there."

"Hey!" She jumped up and crossed her arms. "What makes you think I like Blaze, hmm?!"

"Someone's getting all defensive." She giggled, posing with her dress in front of the mirror.

"Stella!"

"Besides, it doesn't matter if you do because he likes Brenda, anyway. And I'm pretty sure she likes him."

She turned around fully to her, noticing that the ice fairy was facing her back towards her. "Sorry, Y/n. I was just joking, alright?"

Even Tecna crossed her arms, saying, "Yeah, well, you shouldn't joke like that, Stella."

Ignoring her, Stella called for Musa. "Musa, could you get that box for me, please?"

"Sure." She lugged over a whole chest, grunting as she plopped it in front of the blond. "Ugh! What's in there?"

"Just a few pieces of jewelry." She kicked it open with her foot, revealing a stack of gold accessories.

Flora gawked at it. "A FEW pieces?!"

"Here! These are perfect!" She slipped on a few bracelets, then her ring, but stopped to study her arm. "But, uh...the ring is too much." She took it off. "Now that's better!" Handing it to Y/n, she asked,  "Here. Y/n, could you keep this for me, please?"

"Your ring?" she asked in disbelief, but accepted it. "But Stella, what if I lose it?"

"You won't, I trust you completely. Besides, who needs a magic scepter when you've got a real prince to protect you?" she asked, spinning around.

"I wouldn't trust that guy," Tecna said seriously, her eyes narrowed. "Something is not quite right about this date. I smell a rat."

Musa sniffed. "I smell something, too."

Thick smoke blew above them, catching their eye. It took them awhile before panic began to ensue.

"AHHHH!"

"Oh no, the roast! Yikes!"

"Hurry up! Quick!"

Everyone but Stella ran back to the kitchen, Flora stopping for the fire extinguisher. "We'll need this!"

Smoke had already consumed the kitchen, wafting out when Musa swung the door open.

"Uh-oh..." Y/n cringed, backing away.

" 'Uh-oh', indeed!"

The girls cringed back when they heard the voice of an uppity lady and a figure emerge into the kitchen.

"A disaster! Catastrophe! Calamity! Your unreliability is unforgivable."

Musa cringed away, shrinking back into Y/n. "What's up, Ms. G.?" she tried.

Ignoring her, Griselda waved her hand. "Aerolux!" The fire disappeared quickly, leaving the only thing left to do as to chastise the girls. "I hope you have a good excuse for all of this."

Flora, right then, swing the door open, running with the fire extinguisher. "Here I - gaahh!" Running in heels, she tripped over them, spraying Griselda with the foam from the extinguisher.

Y/n quickly clamped her mouth shut with a hand, Musa snickering along, still close to her.

"Get back to work immediately!" Griselda scolded, wiping the foam off with a handkerchief. "Do you hear me? Dinner must not be delayed! Do your best, girls."

Once she left, Y/n looked back at the group with a shrug. "Well, guess we won't be eating a whole lot tonight."

-

The first thing Y/n proceeded to do when she got to her dorm was flop on her bed. "I'm exhausted," she moaned. Flora came in behind her, yawning behind her hand. "And starving. Flora? You wanna go over to the cafeteria and - nope she's down for the count."

Flora had fallen asleep in her bed, Kitty jumping out of the way are almost getting sat on by her. She licked her paws indignantly before walking out. Y/n struggled to get up and covered Flora with a blanket. She went back out into the lounge area, where Musa had her back faced to her and her arms crossed. "And what's Riven's problem?!" she seemed to be finishing saying. "Why doesn't he ask me out like how Sky did Stella?"

"Because he's not interested?" Y/n suggested casually. Even Tecna, who was the most disinterested in boys in the group, was looking at her strangely.

When she was able to see Musa's face, she saw that it had dropped. She held her hands out, trying to explain quickly, "Oh, Musa, no, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant -"

"Well, I'm just saying..."

"I can't believe you want to go out with Riven," Tecna stated with a look of disgust.

Y/n agreed, putting her hand on her shoulder. "Seriously, Musa, he's so rude! You deserve so much better. Although, it would be fun to be asked out."

She turned her head to the Earth-raised fairy with an excited smile, taking her shoulders in a playful, caring way. "I know, right?"

Tecna was left blinking before she said, "I've not been programmed for dating."

"You should try it, it's fun!" Y/n responded with a giggle as she looked towards her tech friend.

"Have you dated anyone before?" Musa asked curiously.

".............yesn't?"

"What's so fun about dating?" Tecna asked. "For example, you two obviously broke up. At least one of you experienced heartbreak and there's no other experience of relevant value."

"No, no, we ended on good terms," are reassured.

"Hey, why don't you ask Timmy out?" Musa suggested.

Instead of answering, Tecna left with a smile and small wave. "Goodnight, girls. I'm going to switch myself off now."

With just Y/n and Musa left, Y/n said seriously, "I hope you don't think that he's only acting rude because he likes you. Riven, I mean."

Musa shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

"No!"

"Well, still. What if I called him? That way I would have an answer."

"Hmmm..." she thought for a moment - actually thought, this was one of her best friends, after all - and said, "You do whatever you think is best. Goodnight, Musa."

Back in her room, she saw the letter from Faragonda on her night stand.

She would worry about it in the morning.

-

The first thing Y/n woke up to at dawn was the sound of crashing, followed by a valley girl voice yelling, "Stupid dorm!"

Flora sat up, rubbing her eyes and proceeding to her the mascara from the day before all over her hands and cheeks. "Hey, what's going on?"

Y/n got out of bed, her bare feet hitting the carpet. "Stella? Jeez, I don't think her date went too well..."

As they got out, Musa and Tecna peeked out from their dorm room, glancing at Y/n and Flora.

"You heard that, too?" Musa asked.

"Yeah and it sounded expensive." Y/n approached the door and knocked. "Stella? Hey! Open up!"

"I don't think that's a good decision..." Flora mumbled.

"Stella!"

Stella opened, her eyes narrowed and dress from the night before still on. Everything looked to be in place, as of she had not slept, but she did not look tired, either. "Hiya, what's up?"

"Stella, what's with all the noise?" Tecna asked. "And at this hour? It's not even time to get up yet."

"Ah, nothing. Just...just doing a little cleaning. A little reorganizing."

"What time did you get back last night?" Y/n asked, concerned. "We didn't hear you come in."

"How did the date go?" Flora asked with a wink. "And we expect every detail."

"I got in late and the date went fine, okay?"

"No, c'mon, tell us!"

"Uh, it was very romantic," she came up with, but her face was twisted into an annoyed look.

"Did he walk you home? Did he kiss you goodnight?"

Annoyed soon became pissed, surprising the Winx when she yelled, "Urgh, come on! Don't you people have your own lives!? How totally pathetic! Ugh!" She slammed the door shut in their faces, leaving the girls stunned.

Musa balled her fists up and reached for the door. "I'll show her pathetic!"

"No, Musa." Y/n took her arm and pulled it down. "Come on, let's leave her alone. She'll get over him eventually."

-

"And one more time, all together. A deep breath, repeat after me: decapadunkin!"

"Decapadunkin!"

The pumpkins on each fairy's head vanished; all but Katy who began to panic, violently trying to pull the thing off. "Professor Wizgiz! It didn't work, it didn't work!"

"Calm down, calm down. This is what happens when you don't concentrate enough."

"Do something! Please, Professor!"

"I'll take care of it right away." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large mouse, shoving it into Katy's face. "Here we are."

It screeched loudly, showing its teeth viciously. Katy threw herself against the back of the chair. "Ahhh! A mouse?!" The pumpkin vanished thereafter, showing her normal face and messy brown hair.

Y/n leaned over to Blaze to whisper, "Isn't she, like, the Fairy of Animals?"

"That sounds more like something a fairy from Earth would be," he whispered back.

"Ahem." Wizgiz shot them a look that told them to stop talking. They sat back up straight while the professor chuckled. "In a case like this, a good scare is the best cure. Thank you, Phil."

"No problem, Wizzie," Phil replied before being dropped back into the pocket.

Students began to put their things away once the bell rang.

"I'll see you all tomorrow for our first lesson on entosymbiosis: the art of insect transformation."

This was met with unanimous groans.

-

"Did you notice?" Musa asked on their way to their next class. "Our little princess didn't even bother to come to class."

"I don't know what's gotten into her," Flora sighed.

"I think I know who to blame." Y/n's eyes trailed off as an angry look began to develop. "And his name rhymes with 'lie'."

"Sky?" Tecna asked. "I guess that would explain a few things...maybe he did something to her and she doesn't want to tell us."

Flora seemed hurt by this, claiming, "But I thought we were her friends."

"And I thought Sky was her boyfriend, but I guess he blew that," Y/n growled. "And I'm gonna find out what happened, one way or another." She ran towards the dorm, despite her friends' protests.

On her way up the stairs, she passed by Blaze, who gave her a wave. "Hey, Y/n, I thought maybe we could walk to class toge -"

"That sounds great, Blaze, but I'm kind of busy," she replied, still speed-walking past him.

"Huh? But what about Palladium's class?" he called.

"Five minutes, bestie!"

He sighed, a little defeated, before walking the rest of the way by himself. Taking out his phone, he opened it to his gallery , landing on the one he had taken with Brenda; she had taken pictures with all of her friends the night of the dance and happened to send Blaze the one with him that he downloaded.

She had looked amazing that night in her blue dress and her hair curled, the golden streaks in front shining in the electric lights. And her laugh was cute: girly and high-pitched without being screechy.

Hesitantly, he moved it to the bin, although he was still unsure after he had taken action.

"Fuck romance," he said under his breath.

Griselda, only a corner ahead of him, pulled him aside and gave him a long lecture about the use of inappropriate language on school grounds.

-

"Dear god..."

Y/n looked around the trashed lounge that was her apartment, taking a hesitant step in.

"Stella? Open up, bestie, we're getting ice cream." She reached for her doorknob and pulled it open, finding her room in the same state as the lounge. "Damn, how bad did Sky hurt you?!"

But the last straw was when she saw that Tecna and Musa's room was a disaster, as well. Especially Musa's broken speaker.

"Stella!"

"Hi, Y/n. Looking for me?"

She spun around, nearly falling down, and found the blond with a wicked smirk, her golden eyes cat-like.

"Stella. I don't know what happened last night, but you can't take your emotions out on -"

"Look, sweetie. I'm just desperately looking for something. Mind helping me out?!" She picked up the desk chair by Tecna's computer and threw it across the room.

"Stella! What the fuck?!"

-

Down in Griselda's office, she glanced up from her paperwork, sensing that somebody had sworn.

-

"Again, whatever Sky did has nothing to do with us! I'll kill him if you want, but -"

"SHUT UP! I'M NOT IN THE MOOD!" Taking in a sharp breath, she grit her teeth, demanding, "Where is it? I want to know where you hid it."

She heard running, followed by Musa and Tecna's voices.

"She's in here!"

"We're coming, Y/n!"

"W - what?!" She backed away, shaking her head with her arms out, ready to defend herself. "Where's what?"

"My ring, you thief!" She pointed at her accusingly, snarling.

"Stella, I don't recognize you. Let's just talk about whatever it is that's bothering you -"

"I don't wanna talk, I want my ring, you thief!"

"Thief?! You gave it to me!"

"Hurry, girls!" she heard Flora cry.

But Stella was already charging up and let lose a ball of dark energy. Y/n dove out of the way just in time. On her knees, she realized, "Wait...that was too dark to be fairy magic..."

"Thief!" She ran for the window and jumped out, teleporting away, but before shattering the glass.

She backed up to the wall, shaking. "........what the hell was that thing?"

-

"She threw a CHAIR at you?!" Tecna demanded in shock while the rest of the girls surveyed the damage.

"Technically, she threw it at the wall."

"Well, there's a technical term for that! Crazy!" She made a cuckoo sign, not looking angry, but more annoyed. Look emotions are hard on Zenith don't judge her too harshly. "Prince Charming set her off, did he?"

"No, she..." Y/n began, remembering her look. "She wasn't Stella, she was...evil. Her magic, her aura...nothing was right about it."

"What if she has a spell on her?" Flora asked on a horrified voice, tapping her chin in worry.

"No, I don't think so. Unless the user could use dark energy through her. I'm telling you girls, it wasn't Stella!" She took out her phone, tapping away. "Look, I'm sending a text to Blaze. The minute he gets out of class, we're all going together to find Stella."

"Where do we start?" Tecna asked, not realizing that Musa was already on the floor, crouched over a book, where a slip of paper was underneath: Stella's invitation.

"Well, I'd start with last night's date." She stood with the invitation, waving it for the girls to see. "Prince Sky of Eraklyon: our number one suspect."

-

The Winx - Blaze included, minus Stella - had pulled Sky away from his classes while the rest of his classmates were doing their stretches.

"As much as I would love to ask her out," he began. "Last night I worked out until nine, then I collapsed. I didn't see Stella and I'd never sent her a note like that."

"You mean this doesn't look familiar to you?" Y/n waved the envelope in his face, which he took from her, eyes scanning it over.

"Um...Y/n, who's Jack?"

"What?" Snatching it back, she saw from the envelope that it was hers.

"Yeah, who's Jack?" Blaze agreed, crossing his arms suspiciously.

"Nobody! Here!" She thrust the correct letter at him, blushing heavily.

Sky grabbed it from her and shook his head. "Still not mine. Sorry."

"Sky spend so much time on his royal throne he never learned how to read!"

The Winx saw Riven stop to snicker at them and noticed Sky's awkward chuckle. Y/n shook her head and said, "Riven. Didn't anyone ever teach you not to make fun of people for what you yourself can't do?"

He stopped laughing and growled at her, then stomped off.

A dog ran over and began to jump on Sky, which he ignored. "Obviously, someone has tricked her."

Y/n propped her elbow on his shoulder, leaning against it. "But it must be nice to know that she's interested, huh?"

"Heh...certainly doesn't hurt."

Getting nowhere with the prince, the dog instead ran to Tecna, jumping on her. Startled, she put her hands up. "Yes, that's a good little caninus carnivores...um, would it be possible to turn this animal off, please?"

"Lady! Down girl! Hush, Lady! Lady!"

"Lady!"

Lady ran away to where Brenda was, bending over with her hand out. "Come sit, girl."

"She's spent so much time with Brenda, she stopped listening to me."

Brenda looked up at their company and stood, walking up to Blaze. "Hello, Blaze," she said with a small smile.

"Hm? Oh, hey, Brenda." Glancing at Y/n, he backed away from her, unsure of how to proceed.

But he was saved by one of the professors leaning over to yell at her and Sky. "Less flirting, more fighting! Some fierce, fiery dragons are anxiously awaiting your arrival! So, say goodbye to your little friends!"

"Yes, Professor," Sky called up to him. "We'll be there right away!"

Brenda leaned closer to whisper, "That's Codatorta the Terrible. It's probably better not to keep him waiting."

"You'll keep us posted, won't you?" Sky asked before they went to leave. "And if you need any help, you know where to find us."

Once they were gone, Flora looked at the group worriedly. "Now what?"

Blaze watched after the prince and his squire go, face set hard. "Do you have to ask? Let's go to Magix."

Hearing this, Y/n did a double-take, looking at him a moment longer than would have been comfortable if he was looking at her.

-

The girls and Blaze walked through Magix City, probably the most stylish people in the town. While everyone else seemed to wear more muted colors, greens and yellows and blues and pinks popped out from them, along with their gorgeous hair, whether long and flowing like Flora's or short and cute like Tecna's trendy bob or Musa's punk pigtails.

But the looks from the passerbys went unnoticed while they looked out for their friend silently, taking graceful strides down the sidewalk.

"So, you think Stella is here somewhere?" Tecna asked.

"I think Stella could be anywhere at this point," Blaze retorted, looking from side-to-side for the blond.

Flora glanced at him curiously, raising a perfectly arched brow. "Then why are we starting with the city?"

Y/n noticed the very obvious shift in his demeanor when talking to Flora vs. Tecna. "Because of the Black Lagoon, remember? That's where she was supposed to go last night. Maybe they'll be able to help us there."

"Black Lagoon...hm..." Tecna brought her wrist up and a device appeared on it. She put in a few commands. "Using my search program, we'll be able to find it in a flash. A quick scan using the synchronic map and...voilà." A hologram appeared, slowly rotating around. "Hmmm. Strange. No sign of the Black Lagoon."

Blaze, unable to repress a smirk, suggested, "Now let's use my search program."

"Since when do you have a search program?" Y/n asked suspiciously.

"Since forever," he replied, brushing past her to a man on the sidewalk. "Check this out. Excuse me, sir?" he called out to him. "I'm looking for the Black Lagoon?"

"Black Lagoon? Never heard of it, sorry." He walked by, not in the mood for small-talk.

The other girls laughed, Tecna's sounding more forced. Y/n just crossed her arms and shook her head at him. "Blaze, that was kind of rude."

"What? How?" He seemed genuinely shocked with his arms held out and confused as to how simply asking for directions was rude.

"Are you serious?! You just put down Tecna in front of our friends!"

"It's fine, Y/n," Tecna said, smiling a little too widely. "As long as we find Stella."

"She's right," Flora said and looked around for someone, spotting a woman with a dog. "Ma'am?" she called to her, briskly striding over. "Can I ask you a question?"

Musa, on the other hand, had found a man, explaining, "I think it might be a restaurant, but it might be a club."

-

"Uh...no."

-

"Well, there is the Black Eyed Peas, but that's a band, not a lagoon."

-

"Nope."

-

Dejectedly, the Winx sat around the corner of the sidewalk, heads in their hands.

"Nothing. This isn't good," Flora mumbled, her eyes fixed on her bright pink sandals.

"Yeah and my feet are killing me," Y/n agreed, deciding of all days, this was a good day to wear heels.

Blaze leaned back, gazing up at the moving clouds. "If they want it to be a cool spot, they really should start advertising a little bit."

"Maybe someone just played a joke on Stella and put her in a bad mood," Musa suggested, her arms around her knees.

"You know, I think Musa's right," Tecna agreed. "Let's just go back to Alfea and warn Ms. Griselda."

"Why not Faragonda?" Y/n asked.

"Because Ms. Griselda might be scary, but she's good at these things."

"You girls give up already?" There was evident panic in Blaze's voice, so Y/n reached over to squeeze his bicep.

"Listen," the Zenite began gently. "This kind of perseverance isn't always good, Blaze."

He pulled away from his best friend's grasp, yelling at the poor techno fairy, "Neither are your electronic gadgets!"

Musa, heaving a sigh, dropped her head into her knees, fed up with all the drama.

"Blaze, enough!"

That quieted everyone down. Musa looked up with her beautiful dark eyes, Flora tilted her head curiously, Blaze fell back slightly on his hands, a bit surprised, and even Tecna looked shocked by the sudden outburst.

Jumping to her feet, she pointed down at him accusingly. "You've been a real dick to Tecna all day! And Flora! You know she's a little slow when she's stoned!"

The nature fairy blushed a bit, her blush darker on her tanned skin.

"And what the hell has Tecna done to you?! Don't you think she's worried, too?!"

"Well, she isn't acting like it." He stood up with his hands on his hips defensively, staring her down. She normally thought his eyes were a pretty sky blue, but like this, they looked cold.

"Hey, hey!" Flora yelled over them to diffuse. "This is no time to be fighting!"

His gaze dropped, as did his hands. "Yeah...sorry..." he mumbled to Y/n, then shifted so he was looking at the other girls. "Flora, Tecna, same goes to you...I'm sorry, I'm just worried..."

"Um...excuse me?"

A heavyset nerd with glasses and an upturned pig nose clomped his way over to them, his thick hoodie pulled tightly around his bludging neck that hung down to his chest. His voice was rather high, as well. "I couldn't help but notice that, uh, well you were asking questions and I - I - I think I have the information you're looking for. U - um, but maybe it's none of my business." He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably while Blaze and Musa ran over to him.

"Are you kidding? Why didn't you say so right away?"

"Do you know anything about the Black Lagoon? If you do, tell us, please! Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Musa bat her eyes flirtatiously, biting her lip in an attempt to get the teen's attention.

He seemingly gave it to them, winking in a gross way at Musa, who forced herself not to recoil. Blaze, being the group's boy, stepped closer to her, ready to throw hands with this creepy guy. "Uh yeah, it's a great new restaurant. Just outside the city, you follow the main road and keep going till you get to the bridge. You can't miss it! There's a really large oak tree right in front of it." He pointed behind them, where they turned to look.

"Awesome!" Blaze exclaimed, turning back. "Thank you so -"

There was no teen behind him.

Tecna had turned with him, starting when she saw nobody. "Oh! That's weird."

"Uh, where'd he go?" Flora asked.

"I have no idea."

Blaze scanned around for a moment to find him. "I think that's how hipsters are. They leave without saying goodbye."

Y/n raised a brow at him. "Since when?"

"I don't know, but what else makes sense?"

The other girls mumbled in agreement before going back on their way.

-

"The directions were right," Blaze said as they crossed a bridge to a large orange tree and small building. "Here's the big oak tree. And there's the Black Lagoon."

Musa cocked her head to Tecna, snark in her voice. "When we get back to Alfea, don't forget to update your search program."

Tecna took offense to that, containing her yell at Musa. "My search program works very well! It's this place that's wrong!"

"Tecna's right. There's a strange feeling about this place." Flora approached the tree, placing one of her delicate hands on it. "This tree isn't breathing."

"Trees don't breath, Flora," Y/n commentated, stepping next to her and putting one of her hands on her shoulder.

"They do, but you don't hear it. You feel it."

"Then it's dead?" she questioned while the rest of the Winx joined them.

"Not...dead, but..." Her eyes drifted in hesitation. "It's as if it didn't exist, as if it were an illusion."

"Illusion?" she repeated and warily turned to the door of the building. "Damn, it's all coming together now..."

"What is?" Musa asked, but Y/n ignored her in favor for going to the door. Her s/c hand, shaking, slowly reached for the handle.

"Y/n, don't!" Flora cried and a sudden wind swung the door open, blowing the fairy back on her butt. The illusion spell had lifted to reveal an old, worn-down cottage.

Blaze ran to Y/n, grabbing her arm to help her up. "Are you okay? Jeez, what told you that was a good idea?!"

"Actually...I got the opposite feeling. But..." She looked inside while the other girls ran over to them. "I can feel Stella's energy in there." She led the rest of them inside, where the teen appeared out of the shadows, sadistically grinning at them.

"Oh, at last, there you are. We've been waiting for you. Come in please, come in." He motioned for them to follow, running around.

It's a trap," Musa groaned.

"Yeah, but we can't go back now," Y/n told her with a sigh.

"Hey, wait!" Blaze yelled after him. "Who are you?!"

Not answering, he ran down the stairs.

"He wants us to follow him," Tecna observed.

"No, thank you!" was Y/n's definitive reply with her arms crossed and turning away. But they slacked when she remembered Stella. "Well...maybe just a little."

Musa looked up at the ceiling in contemplation. "A fresh coat of paint, a few nice rugs, it would look totally different."

The pink haired fairy glared at her, chastising, "This is not the time to joke around, okay, Musa?!"

She shrugged. "It's what Stella would've said."

"Well, look who's here..."

Everyone gasped while Stella came out of the shadows with a wicked smile, her arms held out. "My friends."

The door behind them slammed shut, drowning them in darkness.

"I'm only here to take back what belongs to me." Her eyes narrowed and twitched. "I want my ring. And you're going to give it to me, one way or another! Pixies!" She jumped up and did a flip, energy in her hands.

"What did she call us?!"

"Stella, your aura is very negative right now."

The beams were thrown at them, Y/n pulling Flora out of the way, who was still preaching her hippie shit. They hid behind one of the beams, panting as Stella broke it. "I told you that wasn't Stella!"

Musa, Tecna, and Blaze stayed on the other side of the room, watching in horror.

"Their cover's not gonna last long!" Musa exclaimed.

Tecna stood, announcing, "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

"And I'll go in with you," Blaze decided, standing next to her.

-

Tecna chopped and punched at the air with her arms, then knelt on one knee, arms crossed in peace signs, emitting an energy from them.
Her hands went into a fist, a sleeve appearing on her arm with digital accompaniment. The same happened at her torso, a lavender bodysuit and high-heeled boots appearing, then with her pendant and wings, which were instead bars that wrapped around themselves. Finally, a matching helmet was placed on her head.
She opened her eyes, a glider coming out of the bars and letting her fly back, then dissipating when she landed, her hands on her hips.

-

Blaze spun in a circle with his hands up, twirling.
He clapped and crossed his hands, arm bands appearing and sleeves coming from his undershirt. With his hands held out, another shirt came in, this one only covering his top and with a yellow pendant on his chest. His pants and boots appeared along with it.
He turned his head and his wings appeared. Straightening, a small crown was placed on his head that matched the pendant. He flew up and landed on his feet, one hand on his hips as his eyes narrowed.

-

While Blaze kept Stella busy, Tecna ran across the room with her shield up, taking Y/n's arm, who grabbed Flora. "You girls need a lift?"

"Thanks, Tecna."

Stella, ignoring Blaze now, tried to hit them before they could run, completely obliterating the beam with a dark chuckle. "Ready to surrender, pixies?"

They hid, Tecna and Blaze still the only ones transformed. Musa got up, her face twisted into disgust. "That's it, I'm sick of being your plaything!"

"No, Musa, don't react. We can't hurt Stella!" Flora insisted, pulling her back.

"But Y/n's right, that's not Stella. She has no powers without her ring. Besides, she would never call us pixies." Blaze stood up, shouting, "Are you Icy or Darcy?!"

"And the slowest horse crosses the finish line! Hahahaha! Congratulations." Stella put a hand up to her face, shedding her look and revealing herself to be a different blond: Darcy. "Here's your prize." On either side of her, Icy and Stormy appeared, cackling under their breaths. All of them were in their witch forms.

"The witches!"

"Alright, y'all, let's hit it. Everyone, Magic Winx!"

-

The tiles under Musa lit up as she stepped on them. She twirled on the dance floor while they twinkled, then crossed her arms with peace signs.
Red boots appeared out of purple pixels. She threw up her hands, a red top with one strap coming in as the boots did with a thin pink cloth in between, covering her stomach.
She kicked her feet up while a music disk spun under her and her wings and a pair of headphones appeared, then stood on one foot, spinning around with the disk.

-

Y/n let out a battle cry before putting out her arms.
Light blue armbands appeared, followed by tall boots. White and blue energy surrounded her body as she leaned back, her arm out and her face twisted in concentration, and gave her a darker top that hung loosely on her shoulders and a skirt.
Her head jerked up and a blue choker appeared with a diamond in the middle while blue - yet transparent - wings appeared behind her. She jolted back and landed on her feet, her arms held out in front of her as if she were about to shoot an energy beam.

-

Flora tilted her head back as her body fell back, her hair blowing around her head. She crossed her hands above her head in peace signs.
A sparkly pink dress appeared with lighter petals for a skirt, followed by pink heels. A green choker appeared on her neck, followed by a flower on her chest. Instead of wristbands, long petals came onto her arms, the petal being the longer bit in the back.
She gave a small grin and spun around, putting her arms up while green translucent wings clipped to her back in a burst of a flower.

-

"Wait for me!" The fat teen ran out to the Trix, begging. "Wait for me! M - me - me, too, Madame!"

Darcy smirked with her dark pink lips, giving Y/n mixed feelings about her. She was beautiful. But she was also evil. So there went that option.

Still...

"But of course, Knut."

He was raised up in a sitting position before plopping back on the ground in oger form.

Icy giggled at the Winx: a girly, vicious giggle. Raising her hand, their eyes followed, finding Stella enclosed in her bondage.

"Stella...are you okay?" Y/n called up.

"Yes, but...I'm really sorry. The witches tricked me!"

"Stella, it's okay. We'll get you down!" To the Trix, she stated simply, "You want the ring, right? That's what this is all about."

"Smart girl. So why don't you hand it over." With a wave of her hand, Icy's dark energy coils wrapped tighter around her. "Poor Stella...that portal coil up there will keep squeezing her tighter and tighter until she goes pop!"

"Just like a big fat zit!"

"She's gonna be splattered all over the wall!"

"Time's running out. You gotta decide Y/n: Stella's life or the ring?"

She watched Stella fight against the coils, begging her, "Y/n, don't give it to them!" But she was wrapped so tightly around the throat, she could no longer yell out, no matter how much her face twisted in pain.

"This is blackmail!" Flora yelled up, masking the panic in her voice.

Tecna put up her shield again. "And we never give into blackmailers!"

"Hmph." Musa held out her finger to them threateningly, channeling all her energy. "Get ready, evil witches, for the thrashing of a lifetime! We're gonna make three wish you never heard of Alfea!"

"Yeah, you tell them, Musa!"

Y/n closed her eyes, announcing, "Everyone, stop. I've made my decision...the wings are coming off. Stella is too important." In a blue light, she detransformed back into her normal clothes.

"Y/n!"

"Y/n?"

"We can't put her in any more danger." She went up to Icy. "Here. Now let her go."

Icy took it, glanced, and put it away. "Normally, I wouldn't. But I don't need her anymore." She snapped her fingers and Stella fell in a heap of blond hair. "I knew we could count on the soft heart of a fairy."

Looking up, she announced triumphantly, "We did it!" As they cackled, Icy threw the ring up and it turned into a scepter. "The scepter is ours."

Knut walked over to them and they all disappeared, leaving Stella behind on the floor.

Y/n ran over and bent down, pulling Stella into a hug, squeezing her tightly. Dazed, Stella accepted, putting her arms around her neck.

-

"We've been had. We fell for it like amateurs."

"Maybe that's because...we are amateurs..."

The bridge by the building was the perfect place to stay and reflect on everything. Musa, in the middle, had her head in her hands, leaning against the railing. Meanwhile, Tecna, pissed, had her arms crossed with Blaze glaring at her, his arm around Y/n. "We could've beaten them," she insisted. "It was five against four."

"I know, Tecna, but that could've made it worse. I just had to get Stella out of there." She felt Blaze tighten around her, pulling her into a side-hug.

"But who are you to decide for all of us? I thought you were cool, but you're acting like a primedonna." She shut her eyes to scream, "You're not the boss!"

Flora grabbed her back, saying, "I would've done the same thing."Tecna, I would've done the same thing."

"So would I!" Blaze yelled back, taking an aggressive step to her until Flora stood in between them, holding out her hands.

"Blaze, that's not helping."

"She's right." Y/n walked off with a smile. "They scored a goal, sure. But the game is only half done."

"What game?" Stella asked, following with the rest just behind her.

"Soccer? Is that...not a thing on your planets?"

"What's soccer?" Flora asked.

"It's...here." Coming across a can, she stopped. "Pretend this is a ball."

"That's not a ball," Tecna insisted.

Stella rolled her eyes, stating firmly, "We're pretending, Tecna?"

"Right. So all you gotta do is kick. Like this!" She kicked the can, sending it flying across the prairie.

-

In the next chapter, amazing discoveries will lead Blaze, Y/n, and their friends to Cloud Tower to try to get Stella's magic ring back. Their mission will be filled with obstacles, spells, monsters and magic traps. Will they succeed by themselves, or will they need help?

-

We're
The magical Winx Club
We're best friends and our hearts will beat as one
Yes that's us
We're the kids of marvelous Winx Club

Winx!
Winx Club!
Energy!
The Winx is warm!
Under the sign of the Winx!
Winx Club!
Winx Club!

We're
The magical Winx Club
We're all tied to the same fate together
We're the kids
The wonder kids,
That's us
The magical Winx Club
So happy to be flying from heaven to earth
This magic feeling
This is our Winx Club!

-

I'm sorry this took so long.