Winx Club 1. Chapter 1

**Hi! Welcome to my first real story. In case you couldn't tell from the summary (which happens) or set this story aside and forgot the summary (which I have done), this is a Winx Club next generation story. Basically, it's about the Winx Club's kids and their adventures.**

**This chapter is to introduce you to all the characters and tell you what happened after the Winx Club series ended (I'm going to be making up a good portion of it). Please forgive the somewhat boring chapter (at least, I think it's boring. Please feel free to tell me otherwise!).**

**In this version, the Winx can access previous transformations, and their prefered one is Enchantix, since it is the complete fairy form, even though there are higher, more specialized transformations ( .com). However, they often use Believix for teleportation.**

**Just a note- I've got my own spin on how all the different realms are. Some are religious (I'll explain it when it's relevant; if you want to know ahead of time for some reason, just ask) and some aren't. If you aren't religious or are against religion, or are against anti-religion, please don't hate or judge. It's just how I imagine them in my (somewhat insane) mind. Speaking of realms, I usually don't like the 4Kids dub of Winx, but I'm going to call the Musa's planet the Harmonic Nebula like they do, partially because I like what how it sounds and partially because calling it Melody would conflict with one of the children's names.**

**As for a disclaimer, I am not associated in any way with Nickelodeon, Ignio Straffi, Rai Due, or any other company that is officially involved with Winx Club and I therefore do not own Winx Club.**

**Finally, beware of OCs (original characters)! This is a next generation story, so obviously the main characters will all be OCs. However, there is more to the Magic Dimensions than just these characters, so there will be other original characters. You have been officially warned!**

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><p><strong>Eraklyon, the Planet of Majesty<strong>

Queen Bloom and King Sky of Eraklyon sat in their throne room waiting for their two children to come downstairs.

"Can you believe it?" Bloom asked Sky. "Both of our children are going to be away in school this year. The saying really is true- time does fly!"

Sky nodded. "It does feel like it was only yesterday that you and the girls managed to strip the Trix and all our enemies of their powers and watched them slink away, never to cause us trouble ever again."

"Has it really been twenty years?" Bloom asked. "I feel like it was just the final battle and that I conceded the crown of Domino to my sister only yesterday so that I could be with you, Sky."

"Sometimes I still wonder how you could choose me over your entire planet, Bloom," Sky said, gazing lovingly at his wife. "Am I really worth that much? Do I really deserve all your love?"

Bloom nodded, smiling. "Don't you ever doubt yourself, dear," she said. "I love you more than a thousand Dominos. Besides, Daphne and Thoren are doing a wonderful job of ruling the planet. I could never regret my decision to be at your side, Sky, never."

"Mom, Dad, really?" Bloom and Sky looked away from each other to see their first child, Miriam, standing in front of them with her arms crossed and her luggage at her side. At eighteen years old, she was a beautiful young lady with slightly wavy blonde hair that hung just below her shoulders that resembled the way her father had once worn his, and brilliant blue eyes like her mother's. Named in honor of her maternal grandmother, she wore her signature red that matched her fierce and fiery personality, as well has her power- Natural Fire. No matter what her parents had tried - gentle talks, stern discipline, and more - Miriam had never broken out of her phase of snobbery, as her honorary aunt, Stella put it. It exasperated Bloom and Sky to no end, and they finally had given up trying to discipline her and resorted to hoping that she would grow out of it. At year eighteen, their hopes still went unfufilled.

"Miriam, honey, you ready for your third year at Alfea?" Bloom asked her daughter.

"Of course, Mom," Miriam said in a what-do-you-think tone. "This is the year I earn my Enchantix. I am totally ready."

"Where's your brother, sweetie?" Sky asked his daughter.

"I'm here, Dad." Sky turned to Oritel. Unlike with his daughter, Sky had an easier time being more disciplinary with his son, so in contrast to his sister, Oritel was a perfect gentleman. At age sixteen, was just about as tall as his sister. He was his mother's son, with her fiery orange hair, her bright blue eyes, and her burning determination. He had shown interest in things other than graduating from Red Fountain as a certified Specialist, but, honoring his parents' (particularly his father's) wishes, he had agreed to attend the school.

"Good, are you ready to go?" Sky asked his children and his wife. They all nodded.

"Are we Zoomixing or are we taking a ship?" Miriam asked, looking at her nails, finely painted red, with disinterest.

"We're the Eraklyon royal family on an official trip," Sky said. "We're taking the royal ship. Come on. Servants, take the luggage. We depart in ten minutes."

**Solaria, the Planet of Eternal Light**

"Mom, it happened again." Stella looked up as her only daughter and the light of her life (besides her husband, of course) walked into her office. While Stella was the queen of Solaria, she had her fair share of paperwork to do, so whenever she was not in the throne room seeing to business, she was in her office, illuminated by the light of Solaria's triplet suns, signing and sealing official documents.

"Did you close the curtains over your windows like I told you?" Stella asked.

"Yes, Mom, I did," eighteen year old Lucy answered. "It happened anyway."

Stella looked her daughter over. Lucy's normally chocolate brown hair had turned snow white, and her normally golden eyes had turned shock silver. Even her normally bronzy skin had become pale as moonlight. This happened almost every night, particularly when one of the four moons was full.

"There weren't any cracks in the curtains to allow the moons to shine down on you?" Stella asked.

"No, Mom," Lucy said. Lucinda, dubbed Lucy by her family because it meant light and Lucky by her friends because she was the Fairy of Luck, was a reserved and elegant girl in contrast to her lively and charismatic parents.

Stella sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, honey," she said. "All I can say is that you were born on a night when the four moons were all full. I think you really are touched by the moons."

"I know that Lady Luck is one of the Moon Sibilings," Lucy said. "I know I've probably inherited every moon power that you gave up when you became a Sun Queen, and that I'll probably be a Moon Queen myself, but do I have to turn white whenever the moons are out?"

"I think that's just how it is," Stella said as she stood. "You always seem to turn back whenever you stand in the suns." She placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders and invoked the power of the Sun Sisters. Lucy immediately returned to her normal appearance. "There you go."

"Thanks, Mom," Lucy said. "I'm ready to go when you are."

"I'll go get your father, then," Stella said. "Would you prefer that we teleport or take the official ship?"

"Teleporting is fine," Lucy said. "I don't want to make a fuss, and besides, this way you and Dad can get back here faster."

Stella smiled. "That's my little girl! Always thinking of others," she said. "You're doing better than I did at your age."

"Mom, at my age you were saving the Magical Dimensions from Valtor and the Trix," Lucy said.

"You're right, dear," Stella said as she led her daughter to the royal chambers. Even though Brandon had been imbued with the essence of Solaria, he was still not a native Solarian, and was therefore not a natural morning person. Stella threw open the doors and snapped her fingers to make the curtains open. Light flooded into the room. "Wake up, dear. We're taking Lucy to Alfea today!"

Brandon groaned as he rolled over and pulled the pillows over his head. "So bright..." he mumbled.

Stella walked over and swiped the pillows from her husband. "No sleeping in today," she said. "We have to check Lucy into the Alfea dorms by one o'clock Magix time for her third and final year of schooling. You don't want to make her start off on the wrong foot, do you?"

"She's the Fairy of Luck! We'll get there on time no matter what," Brandon said as he made a half-hearted attempt to take his pillows back from his wife before sitting up sleepily.

"I don't like to take advantage of my power, Dad," Lucy said. Brandon turned to his daughter's voice.

"Good morning, Lucy," he said, rubbing the back of his head tiredly. "You didn't turn moony on us last night?"

"I did," she said. "Mom fixed it."

"Oh. Well, I'd better get dressed if we're gonna leave soon." Brandon got up and headed to the bathroom.

"Let's give your father some privacy," Stella said as she guided her daughter back to her quarters. "Are you all packed?"

"Yes, Mom."

"My, so responsible! When I was your age, I was always putting those things off until the last minute." Stella opened the doors to her daughter's room. The curtains were still drawn, but the bed was made and the luggage was neatly packed. "Good, good. Now, Lucy, I have a gift for you."

Lucy turned to her mother. "What is it?" she asked.

"Well, as a third year fairy, your main goal, besides passing all the academic courses at Alfea, will be to earn your Enchantix," Stella said. "As you probably know, to earn your Enchantix, you must sacrifice yourself to save a person from your planet. That could entail taking a dangerous assignment. I want you to be safe, so I'm going to give you the Ring of Solaria."

"Whoa...but Mom, that's your special talisman!" Lucy gasped, eyes wide.

"Now it's your special talisman," Stella said as she slid the ring off her finger and handed it to her daughter.

"How do I activate it?" Lucy asked.

"Well, when I was younger, I used to yell 'Solaria!' for effect, but really, all you need is the power of Solaria flowing within you. You don't even need to turn it into its scepter form. I was just a theatriatical young fairy and loved to have the dramatic effect of using a magical weapon."

Lucy took the ring and closed her eyes. It immediately transformed into a scepter. "Mom, thank you!" she exclaimed as she turned the scepter back into a ring and slipped in on her left middle finger.

"You're welcome, Lucy," Stella said. "Now let's get your stuff and see if your father is ready."

Lucy followed her mother as they went back to the royal chamber. Stella rapped sharply on the door. "Dear, are you decent?"

Brandon's muffled voice came through the door. "I'm done, honey. Coming." He opened the door. "Are we all set? Good."

"Mom, can I teleport us with the ring?" Lucy asked.

"You gave her your ring?" Brandon asked.

"Yes," Stella said.

"Who are you talking to?" Lucy asked.

"Both of you, of course," Stella said. "Now, focus hard on where you want us all to go. Picture it clearly in your mind."

"Alright," Lucy said. She closed her eyes, and she and her parents disappeared in a flash of golden light.

**Andros, the Planet of Mystic Waters**

Queen Aisha and King Nabu of Andros sat together on a balcony that overlooked the sea, enjoying a sunset as they had their evening meal. Aisha gazed into her husband's eyes.

"What are you thinking about, Aisha?" Nabu asked.

"Oh, I'm just remembering that there was once a time that I thought I would never look into your eyes ever again," she said. "When you spent all your energy to close the vacuum that the Wizards of the Black Circle created, you almost died. And then, during the crisis with Tritannus, I almost moved on with Roy and Nex. But I never felt with either of them what I felt with you."

"Ah, yes," Nabu said, nodding. "And you missed me so much that you were willing to dabble in necromancy to bring me back. You know I've told you that the Dark Arts are never the answer."

"You know I was desperate," Aisha said.

"I do," Nabu said. "You were willing to sell your soul to save me."

"I'm not ashamed, you know," Aisha said. "I would have done it."

"I know you would have, and I'm not scolding you," Nabu said. "I would have done the same for you."

Aisha smiled. "And here we are, eighteen years later, with a son, a prosperous kingdom, and an anniversary coming up."

"I'm still glad that we named him Ophir," Nabu said. "Oh, I'll never forget those days when I was, um, stalking you to find out who you were."

"Me neither," Aisha said. "And I'm glad we named him Ophir too."

"You talking about me?" Aisha and Nabu turned to their only son, who stood with a backpack slung over his shoulder a rolling suitcase in his hand. His curly hair definitely came from his mother, while his eyes were his father's. He was short for his age, as well as slightly scrawny, but he made up for his physical stature with his skills as a wizard. From a young age he had shown talent in water manipulation, something that his mother was more than happy to teach him. His father taught him the basics of wizarding skills, such as shielding, flying, invisibilty, teleportation, and more. Ophir was a smart and serious boy, and he learned quickly. He surprised both his parents when he started reading high-level wizarding texts regarding difficult arts such as runes and alchemy, as well as when he started following interplanetary politics. His answer to their questioning was that runes and alchemy were interesting, and he would need a solid base in interplanetary politics if he was to become the king of Andros someday. Nabu often lamented his son's lack of a childhood because of that.

Nabu turned to his son. "Oh, we were just recalling the events that brought about your name," he said.

"Oh, that story," Ophir said with a nod. "That's a good one."

"You're all ready to go?" Aisha asked.

"Yes, Mom," he said.

"You're going to be good for Helia and Flora?" she asked.

"Yes, Mom," Ophir said again. "Don't worry. I'm seventeen, so I'm a year older than all the boys in my class. I'll be fine, and you know I'll behave."

Aisha sighed. "Just allow me to be a mother and worry about my child, ok?"

Ophir grinned. "Yes, Mom. Are you guys coming with me or am I going on my own?"

"We're both coming, of course," Nabu said. "Do you think we'd send you off to your first year at Red Fountain by yourself?"

Ophir blinked. "No, of course not," he said.

"Right," Aisha said, standing. "Our waiters will take care of this. Ophir, did you eat?"

"Yes, Mom, in the library. Oh, do you think Uncle Helia will let me go to the magic schools to check out their archives? I heard that there are some legendary alchemy texts in Cloud Tower."

"Of course he will," Aisha said. "You know he will. And chances are, he might teach you some himself. Listen to him."

"You know I will, Mom," Ophir said.

"Let me be your mother," Aisha said, playfully sharp. Ophir nodded.

"Alright, now let me be your father," Nabu said.

"Yes, Dad," Ophir said, nodding his head in advance.

"Oh, don't give me that look," Nabu said. "It's better we do this here than at Red Fountain, yes?"

"Yes," Ophir said.

"Alright. Whatever you do, be respectful to all, especially women. It doesn't matter if their three times your age or you're three times theirs, if their significantly taller or shorter than you, or if their rude or polite to you. Be respectful. And use your magic responsibly. I know you will, but I've just got to say it anway. Oh, and if you've got free time, make yourself a wizard's staff. They're great for channeling magic, and their just a handy weapon overall. Hm...I don't think I've got much else to say to you. You're a good boy."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Ok," Nabu said. "I'll teleport." There was a flash of magenta light, and the three disappeared from the balcony.

**Magix, the Realm that Never Sleeps**

Flora rose with the sun, as she always did. She rolled over in her bed to see her husband Helia sleeping beside her. Suspecting that he had been up late doing last minute pre-term paperwork, she was as quiet as possible as she rose to dress and wake her daughters.

Three years after their marriage, she and Helia had had twin girls. Although they were twins, the two siblings held more differences than similarities. Lily, the elder, had inherited her mother's hair, her father's eyes, and both of her parent's gentle dispositions. She was a nature-loving pacificst who, in tribute to her father, wore her hair as he had done in his younger days. She was the Fairy of Traditional Art, and enjoyed everything thing about it - drawing, painting, sculpting, and more. Jasmine, or Jaz, as she prefered to be called, had her father's hair, her mother's eyes, and a spunky personality that made her the odd one out in her family. She was the Fairy of Digital Art, and loved neon colors and technological media more than all three of her family members combined.

Flora sighed as she opened her daughters' door. She couldn't believe they were already sixteen and ready to start their first year at Alfea. Time really had flown. Ten years ago, all three Heads of the three major schools in Magix had relinquished their titles in favor of a well-deserved retirement. Headmistress Griffin had handed her title to Mirta, the young witch who had transferred to Alfea after the Trix's attack on Magix in order to see if witches could learn good magic as well as bad. Headmistress Faragonda had passed her title to the very capable hands of Griselda. Needless to say, Aflea, although still the warm and welcoming place it had always been, was now much cleaner and more organized than it ever had been. And Headmaster Saladin had handed his title over to his grandson, the young wizard Helia. Flora was very proud of her husband, who had taken his new job in stride and made Red Fountain into a wonderful place.

Pulling herself from her early morning thoughts, she opened her daughters' door. She smiled when she saw Lily dressed and packing her clothes while Jasmine had her pillow over eyes and her headphones in. "Good morning, Lily," she said. "Up and ready early as always." Going over to her sleeping daughter's bed, she gently removed the pillow from her head and lifted her headphones off. "Jasmine, honey, wake up. You're leaving for Alfea today."

"Ugh...Mama, please, five more minutes. We live in Red Fountain. We're, like, five minutes away from Alfea, and that's if you and Papa don't teleport us," she groaned.

"Nevertheless, time doesn't stop for the sleepy," Flora said. "Summer is over, sweetie. We have to check you into the Alfea dorms by one o'clock."

"...What time is it now?" Jasmine asked. She rolled over and tapped her handheld tablet that her godmother Tecna had gotten her for her birthday. "Mama, it's not even seven! Can I please enjoy my last day to sleep in? Please?"

"May, Jasmine," Flora corrected gently. "I suppose if you're packed and ready to leave by lunchtime, I'll let you sleep."

"Thanks, Mama," Jasmine said. Lily just laughed quietly. "Aw, sure, laugh all you'd like because you got Mama and Papa's morning person genes. I'll get you back when I'm the one who has an easy time staying up late studying."

"I'll do all my studying in the morning," Lily said.

"...Oh. Well, as long as you don't wake me up with the light at some ungodly hour in the morning," Jasmine said as she took her pillow back from her mother and put her headphones back on. "Good night."

Flora smiled fondly at her younger daughter before turning to Lily. "Just be ready to go by lunch, alright?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, Mama."

Flora went to see Helia in his office. He had dressed and taken breakfast into his office already, and was checking the various files that the dorm directors had sent him. "Good morning, dear," Flora said, sitting down in front of him.

Helia looked up. "Good morning, Flora," he said. "It's that day already, isn't it."

Flora nodded. "They go today."

"What time?" he asked as he sipped a cup of tea.

"By one," she answered, helping herself to a piece of one of his breakfast pasteries.

"Ah," Helia said, preparing to tackle the last stack of papers sitting on his desk. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"Your work lies here," Flora said.

"This day will only come once for them..." he countered.

"All the same, today is a day that will only come once for the incoming class of boys," Flora said. "You need to be here for them."

Helia sighed. "I suppose you're right," he said.

"My, so much paperwork when the term starts tomorrow?" Flora asked.

Helia nodded. "It never ends. If it's not checking off something school-related for one person, it's okaying something for publishing for another."

"Don't you have a secretary?" Flora asked.

"Yes, but even that poor man can only do so much," Helia said. "He's off, running around doing the things that need to be done away from the facility while I stay here and do all the papers."

"I see," Flora said. "Thank you so much for appointing me simply as a teacher and the head of the medical facilities here."

"You're welcome, dear," Helia said. "Are the girls up? Wait - I didn't have to ask that question. Lily's up and Jasmine...did you let her sleep in?"

"It's her last day to do so, so I did," Flora said. "I'm just told her to be ready to leave by lunchtime. Is there anything I can help you with until then?"

At lunchtime, Flora headed down to the dining hall. Helia and Lily were already there. "You all set to leave, sweetie?" Flora asked her daughter.

"Yes, Mama," Lily said.

"Is Jasmine up?" she asked.

"Yes, Mama. Last I saw, she was packing her clothes."

"Oh, dear. She didn't pack last night?"

Helia smiled. "You know her. Ah, here she is now."

Jasmine stumbled down the stairs, dragging her luggage with her. "Man, I can't wait till I learn a levitating spell at Alfea!" she grumbled as she shoved her bags in a corner and sat down to eat.

"I'm sure you can't," Helia said, smiling at his daughter. "Good morning. Or should I say good afternoon?"

"Whichever suits you, Papa," Jasmine said as she filled her plate. "Boy, I can't wait to show everyone at Alfea what I know! See, I was up late last night browsing different spells that beginner fairies can learn, and..."

Flora and Helia laughed. "I'm glad you're so excited to learn, Jaz," said Helia.

"Just don't let staying up late become a habit at school, or mornings will seem very unfriendly," Flora finished.

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mama. Yes, Papa," she said.

When they all finished eating, Lily and Jasmine said goodbye to their father before Flora transformed into her Believix and teleported them to Alfea.

"Aw man, I can't believe we're actually here!" Jasmine said excitedly as she bounced around in the registration line. "I've been dreaming about this for year!"

"Ugh, rookie fairies," a snobby girl's voice said. "I hope I wasn't that pathetic when I was a rookie."

"Miriam, honey, that's rude," said a woman's voice.

"Bloom?" Flora turned to see one of her best friends, the Queen of Eraklyon standing with her daughter in the third years' registration line.

"Flora! Your two girls are first years?" she asked.

"Indeed they are," Flora said. "Have you seen any of the others?"

"I haven't," Bloom said. "Miriam, stop sulking and come over here." Said blonde turned, rolling her eyes at her mother. "Miriam, you remember Lily and Jasmine, Flora's twins, right?"

"Sure, Mom, whatever," Miriam said.

Jasmine curled her lip in disgust. "Ugh, bratty snobs," she said rather noticeably to Lily. "I hope I don't become a spoiled witch like that."

Flora gasped, appalled at her daughter's behavior. "Jasmine! Apologize this instant. You are not to call people names, nor to invoke the title witch as derogatory."

Jasmine sighed through gritted teeth. "Yes, Mama. I apologize, Miriam, for invoking the honorable name of witch upon you in a derogatory way."

"And?" Flora prompted.

"And for being rude," Jasmine said, trying hard not to roll her eyes.

"I hope you never embarrass yourself in public like this again," Flora said sternly.

"Yes, Mama," said Jasmine.

"Now, Lily, Jasmine, go wait in line to register. I'm going to talk with Bloom."

"Yes, Mama," Lily said as she pulled her sister away before she could get herself into more trouble.

"I'm sorry about that, Bloom," Flora said as her daughters left.

"No, it's no problem," Bloom said as she waved Miriam away. The third year fairy gladly left. "Miriam has had that coming for a long time. I've never really been able to reign her in, you know. I've gotten to the point of hoping that she grows out of it."

"I see," said Flora. "I feel like all our friends are saying this, but they grow up so quickly!"

"I agree," Bloom said. "And I don't know why, but I feel like they have a great destiny ahead of them."

**Zenith, the Planet of Infinite Intelligence**

"Timmy, turn down the burner so I can put my mixture in," Tecna called over the noise of electronics.

"Sure, if you hand me those micro-pliers so I can tweek this," Timmy answered as he reached to adjust the appliance.

Tecna handed him his tool and glanced at her watch. "Goodness, we've got to bring Ryan to Red Fountain in half an hour! Just let me freeze time in there..." She held out her hands and made a green digital net surround her experiement. "Good..." she murmured as she made a few hand motions and cast her spell. "That should to the trick."

Timmy wiped his brow as he set down his tools. "There. Just need to freshen up a bit, ok?"

"Not a problem, dear," said Tecna. "Leave it to me." With a wave of her hand, both were clean.

"Ah, the joys of practical magic," said Timmy as he and his wife headed up from their laboratory.

"It does beat fighting for my life like back in our younger days," Tecna said with a nod.

"You know, sometimes I really do envy Stella and Brandon," Timmy said. "They'll technically never appear old because of Solarian magic."

"That would make a good research project," Tecna agreed. "I can almost see the headline - Solarian Magic: the Secret to Eternal Youth!"

"New project, Mom?" Tecna was pulled out of her thoughts by her son's voice.

"Just speculating," Tecna said.

"What was it?" Ryan asked.

"The youth of Solarian royalty," Tecna said. "You know how the royals of Solaria never grow old physically, right?"

"Of course, Mom," said Ryan as they all walked to the ship.

"Well, what is it that gives the Solarian royals special youth and longevity?" asked Tecna. "It's not an inherited trait, because those who marry in have it too."

"I bet it's in that Rite of Royals that the Solarian royalty do when they bring new members into the royal family," said Timmy. "There's probably some ancient magic from the dawn of time that's in the Rite."

"Most likely," said Tecna, nodding. "Remind me to ask Stella about it someday. Are you driving, Timmy?"

"Yep," he said. "Got everything, Ryan?"

"Yes, Dad," Ryan answered.

**Red Fountain School for Specialists**

A few hours later, they arrived at Red Fountain. Tecna and Timmy brought their son up to register. To their pleasant surprise, Helia was personally overseeing everything.

"Helia! It's been far too long," Timmy said, greeting his old friend. "How has everything been going?"

"Everything is running smoothly, thank you," Helia said with a friendly nod. "Flora is off dropping the girls at Alfea for their first year."

"Have Nabu and Aisha shown up with Ophir yet?" asked Tecna as she signed some paperwork and handed it to her son to sign as well.

"Not yet, but they should be here soon," Helia said. Turning to Timmy, who had finishing signing off on the paperwork, he took it.

An Androsian ship landed, and Aisha, Nabu, and Ophir walked out. "Hello!" Nabu called cheerfully. "Beautiful day out today, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is, my friend," Helia replied.

"They get so big so fast, don't they?" Aisha asked her friends.

"Far too fast," Tecna agreed. "Ryan, are you all set?"

"Yes, Mom," said Ryan.

"Alright, wait for Ophir to fill out his papers, and then head up, ok?" said Tecna.

"Yes, Mom," said Ryan.

"Behave yourself and use good judgment," Timmy told his son.

"Yes, Dad," said Ryan. "I'll call you on the weekends, and more often, if I can."

"See, Ophir?" Aisha asked her son. "And I had to fight to get you to call on weekends alone!"

"Mom, I told you that it's because you're so busy with ruling Andros," Ophir said.

"Parents always have time for their children," Nabu said as he filled out his bit of the paperwork and handed it to Helia. "If he gives you any trouble, call us, not that I think he will."

"Don't worry about it," Helia said. "I understand that we're all meeting at The White Horse for old times' sake?"

"Yes," said Tecna. "We'll see you then."

Ryan and Ophir followed a senior student up to their room. "Oritel, Ophir, Ryan, Lin, and Zach," Ophir read. "Hm. Looks like we're gonna have a bunch of suite-mates."

Ryan opened the door. He immediately recognized red-headed Oritel, who was lounging on the couch with a boy who had a mop of curly blonde hair. Oritel, recognizing the children of his parents' friends, sat up.

"Hey, guys! How's it going?" he asked.

"Pretty good," said Ophir. "Haven't seen you in awhile. How's life been?"

"You know these guys?" asked the blonde.

"Yep. Our parents go way back," said Oritel. "The tan guy's Ophir and the one with glasses is Ryan. Guys, this is Zach. He's gonna be one of our two other suite mates this year."

"Nice to meet ya, dudes," said Zach. "I'm a second year, and I specialize in speed, stamina, and agility."

"Ophir," said Ophir. "I'm a first year, even though I'm your age, and I'm a wizard."

"Wizard?" Zach whistled. "Wow. Don't you guys usually go to school elsewhere?"

"Yeah, but Headmaster Helia's a wizard, so my parents figured that I could seek training here," said Ophir.

"I'm Ryan," Ryan said as he was putting his things away in the other room. "I'm a first year, and I'm probably going to specialize in computers and strategy."

"Cool," said Zach. "So, where are y'all from? I'm from Magix."

"Eraklyon," said Oritel.

"Wait, so are you _Prince_ Oritel?" asked Zach.

"Yeah," said Oritel. "Don't treat me like I'm anything special, though. I hate it when people do that."

"No problem, dude," said Zach. "And you guys?"

"Zenith," said Ryan as he organized his belongings.

"Andros," said Ophir. He clapped his hands and made his luggage unpack itself neatly. "So I'm sharing a room with Ryan and this other Lin fellow, and Oritel's with you?" he asked Zach.

"It seems so," said Zach. "I haven't seen Lin around yet, though."

"He's here," said Ophir. "I can sense another person's presence among us."

"So stealth doesn't work on you wizards?" A boy of Harmonic Nebula heritage poked his head out of his, Ryan's, and Ophir's room.

"Not if you're not used to cloaking presence," said Ophir.

"Ah. I'm Lin, from the Harmonic Nebula, and I'm a third year specializing in strategy and stealth."

"You're from the Harmonic Nebula?" asked Zach. "What's your Yin Yue name?"

"My family doesn't practice," said Lin.  
>"Aw, rats," said Zach. "The Yin Yue culture is so interesting!"<p>

"You're thinking of converting?" Lin asked.

"Nah. It's just cool," said Zach. "I take it since you're from Andros, you worship the god of the sea?"

"Not really," said Ophir, "it doesn't work quite like that."

"And you're probably follow that moral code since you're from Zenith?" Zach asked Ryan.

"Well, yeah," said Ryan. "It's law."

"Right," said Zach. "How about you, Oritel?"

"Eh," said Oritel. "Mom's talking to me in one ear about the Heart of Fire philosophy from Domino and some religion from her Earth region called Christianity or something, and then Dad's talking in the other about Eraklyon's god's code of honor, so I don't really know what I believe."

"I see," said Zach.

"Are we done talking about religion?" asked Lin.

"Don't blame me for being curious about culture," said Zach. "I'm a curious guy."

"Whatever," said Oritel. "Let's talk about some more important stuff."

"Like what?" asked Ophir as he sat down on the couch.

"Like if you prefer witches or fairies!"

**The Harmonic Nebula, the Realm of Spirit and Song**

Musa was in music-land as she mentally composed her next piece of music. She was so wrapped up in it that it wasn't until she was poked on the nose that she came back to reality.

"Mom, I said it's time to go!" Musa eyed her seventeen year old daughter. The girl had definitely inherited her father's maroon hair, though in a slightly darker shade. However, the Harmonic Nebula blood in her was clear, as anyone could tell from her eyes and her complexion.

"'Kay, Mel," Musa said, standing. "Did you get your father?"

"Yeah, I had to mute his guitar before he could even hear me," Mel, short for Melody, said. "Why do you guys play so loud in the house anyway?"

"For effect," Musa said. "Do you have your talisman?"

"Mom, how could I forget my talisman?" Mel asked.

"You're not as serious in Yin Yue as I would like you to be," Musa said. "I always have to check these things."

"Mom, it's not like I'm Dad, leaving my talisman all over the place and forgetting to keep hats and shoes off indoors," Mel said.

"True, but you've picked up some of his habits," Musa said. She banged on Riven's door. "Riv! Time to go!"

"Tell Mel to un-mute my guitar!" her husband called from inside the room.

"Mel..."

"Yes, Mom." Mel snapped her fingers and her father opened the door.

"Thanks. Now, Mel, do you have everything?" Riven asked as he came out.

"Yeah, don't worry," said Mel. "I'm totally pumped to go out and earn my Charmix, Mom!"

"Are you sure?" Musa asked. "It involves overcoming your shortcomings, and you inherited your pride from both your dad and I, you know."

"I know, Mom," said Mel. "But, then, I can come to terms with it a lot easier than you guys can."

"Things are always different in the field," said Riven as he locked the house. "Musa, are we teleporting or are we taking the ship?"

"Teleporting," said Musa. "Saves time. Believix!" She transformed into the form she mostly only used for teleporting anymore. "Zoomix!"

**Alfea School for Fairies**

"Hello, hello!" When the lights cleared, Musa saw Stella, Flora, and Bloom grinning at her. Stella, the one who had spoken, being her exuberant self, rushed forward and hugged her friend.

"Yo, guys," said Musa. "How're things going?"

"Good," said Bloom. "Our children grow up too fast. Sky took Oritel over to Red Fountain for his first year. Can you believe that they're all in school together already?"

"I kinda have to," said Musa. "It's obvious that they're here now."

"Mom, I'm gonna check in," said Mel. "Am I registered under my normal name or my spirit name?"

"You're Qu Diao Mel," said Musa.

"Cool," Mel said as she went to wait in line.

"Are they rooming together?" asked Musa.

"Yes," said Flora. "Oh, they're going to have so much fun together!"

"Just like we did," Bloom said.

"Hopefully they won't have to save the worlds like we did," Stella said. "Sure, it brought a lot of fame, but it was stressful, and too much stress is not good for a girl's body and mental health."

"There has been peace in the Magical Dimensions ever since we defeated the Trix for good," Bloom said. "I'm sure there will be peace for them."

"Yeah, but the Trix didn't have any reason to want the Dragon Fire either other than to take over the Magic Dimensions," said Musa.

"The Trix are trapped in the Legendarium," said Bloom. "They can do no harm."

"This is true," said Stella.

"So, we're meeting at the White Horse?" Riven asked, feeling out of sorts amid so many girls.

"Yes," said Bloom. "It's been far too long since we all sat down and had dinner together."

"Mel, you all set?" asked Musa.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm good," Mel said. "I'll call you if I need anything! Love ya!"

The five girls met up in the dormitories. It was somewhat awkward at first. After all, they were sharing their mothers' old dorm. It seemed like everyone had great expectations for the five girls because of their parents.

Jasmine broke the ice. "So..." the tech-saavy girl said. "What's everyone going to do?"

"I'm off to see if my gown will be ready for the Welcome Ball," said Miriam. "I've got no time for little people like you. Lucy, are you with me?"

Lucinda, who for the past two years had tagged along with Miriam, shook her head. "I'm going to stay here with the others."

"Fine," said Miriam. "Hang with those losers, and you'll lose your status as popular."

"I don't need to hang out with your sort to be popular," said Lucy. "Popularity is a vice when it is used in your way."

"Ugh, don't start talking about that Solarian religious stuff," said Miriam. "I'm off." And the Princess of Eraklyon slammed the door.

"What a spoiled brat," Mel scoffed. "I can't believe someone as nice as Bloom had a daughter as mean as Miriam."

"I know," said Lily. "It really is a pity."

"So..." said Jasmine. "I know our parents are, like, besties, but I don't know you guys very well. So, I'm Jasmine, fairy of Digital Art. I've yet to try out my basic transformation, but I really, really, really can't wait to."

"And I'm Lily," said Lily. "I'm the fairy of Traditional Art, and I too have yet to try out my basic transformation."

"I'm Lucinda, crown princess of Solaria," said Lucy. "I'm the fairy of Luck, and I have my Charmix. If any of you see me and I've suddenly turned white, don't be worried. It's just a harmless condition that I have."

"What sort of thing would lead to that kind of condition?" asked Mel.

"I was born on a day when the four moons were all full," said Lucy. "Mom said I was touched by the Moon Siblings. And about Miriam, well, she's the fairy of Natural Fire, and, like her mother, is probably one of the most powerful fairies in her year. She's also got her Charmix."

"She's a spoiled brat if I ever saw one, and yes, I know I mentioned that. Ok, so I'm Mel, aka Qu Diao. That's my spirit name. Don't ask, apparently my spirit name is my real name, and all that other religious stuff. I'm the fairy of Sound, and I'm gonna earn my Charmix this year," said Mel. "Oh, and I'm probably gonna get a boyfriend just to annoy my dad."

"You're dad's Riven, right?" asked Jasmine.

"Yeah, and yours is Helia, the Headmaster of Red Fountain," said Mel.

"Yeah, well, good luck with a boyfriend and your dad," said Jasmine. "My dad used to be his roommate, and he as some pretty good stories about how high-strung your dad used to be. Apparently being in a band with your mom has done him a lot of good, because according to both my mom and dad, he's mellowed out considerably."

"That's what I hear too," said Mel.

"So..." Lily said, changing the subject, "What about the Welcome Ball? Lucy, what do we wear to it?"

"It's a semiformal event, so I suggest a nice evening dress with heels and jewelry," said Lucy. "Don't go too crazy, though, because it's not a ball in royal terms."

"Sure thing," said Jasmine. "So what was Miriam getting all worked up about?"

"She tends to go over the top," said Lucy. "She likes to keep up appearances."

"Sounds annoying," said Mel.

"Don't tell her I said this, but it sort of is," said Lucy.

"So, tomorrow is orientation and then we get ready for the Welcome Ball?" asked Lily. Both Mel and Lucy nodded.

"Awesome!" Jasmine exclaimed. "I can't wait!"

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Before everybody tells me that Helia is not a wizard, I saw an episode near the beginning of season 5 in which he gives Flora an origami that he made and makes it fly for her, and in the closing episode of season 5, he did the same thing. He's demonstrated superhuman strength when he saved Flora from the giant thing that attacked on the grand unveiling of Red Fountain, and also when he pulled a ship in with just his laser strings. Plus, his grandfather is Saladin, who is one of the most powerful wizards of his generation. Therefore, in my story, Helia is a wizard.<strong>

**Preview of Coming Attractions**

The three major schools all hold a Welcome Ball together to promote good relationships and avoid the bad ones that had been established during the time of the Trix's attack on Magix. This year the party will be held at Cloud Tower. Usually this party is fun and starts many wonderful friendships. But this is not a normal year- a new witch is starting at Cloud Tower, and she is rumored to be the most powerful and the most dangerous witch alive, even more so than the Trix. She is Nixy, the Witch of Natural Disasters.


	2. Chapter 2

**It's been a while. Life is busy, and I haven't had time to myself in a long time. It's nice to get back to writing, though. I really hope that it doesn't take me this long to get the next chapter up.**

**To those of you who saw my previous chapter, I did change Nixy's title. Chaos was too broad a power, I decided, so I changed it to Natural Disasters.**

**If you reviewed and have an account, I replied to you via PM. If you reviewed and you have no account, here are my replies you:**

**Guest - I hope I will finish it. I've always wanted to finish a story, and it would be really cool if it was this one!**

**Character Recap**

Fairies

_Miriam_- elder child of Bloom and Sky, age 18, from Eraklyon, Fairy of Natural Fire, Charmix level, third year at Alfea, powerful but a spoiled brat

_Lucinda (Lucy)_- only child of Stella and Brandon, age 18, from Solaria, Fairy of Luck, Charmix level, third year at Alfea, elegant and reserved

_Lily_- elder child of Flora and Helia, age 16, from Lymphea, Fairy of Traditional Art, first transformation 'Winx' level, elder twin of Jasmine, first year at Alfea, quiet and artsy

_Jasmine_- younger child of Flora and Helia, age 16, from Lymphea, Fairy of Digital Art, first transformation 'Winx' level, younger twin of Lily, first year at Alfea, tech-saavy and sassy

_Mel (Spirit name- Qu Diao)_- only child of Musa and Riven, age 17, from the Harmonic Nebula, Fairy of Sound, first transformation 'Winx' level, second year at Alfea, happy-go-lucky with a flair

Specialists/Wizards

_Oritel_- younger child of Bloom and Sky, age 16, from Eraklyon, dragon-riding prodigy, first year at Red Fountain, easy-going and idealistic

_Ophir_- only child of Aisha and Nabu, age 17, from Andros, wizard specializing in alchemy and runes, first year at Red Fountain, intellectual and mature

_Ryan_- only child of Tecna and Timmy, age 16, from Zenith, genius mathematician and thinker, first year at Red Fountain, geeky with a heart of gold

_Lin_- suitemate with Ophir, Ryan, and Zach, age 18, from the Harmonic Nebula, battle strategist and stealth expert, third year at Red Fountain, quiet and clever

_Zach_- suitemate with Ophir, Ryan, and Lin, age 17, from Magix, speed/stamina/agility specialist, second year at Red Fountain, curious and talkative

**In the previous chapter:**

The Winx Club has settled down and made families. Now their children are of school age- the same age that they were when they saved the dimensions multiple times. The children have been brought to their respective schools and have settled in.

* * *

><p><strong>Alfea School for Fairies<strong>

"Jasmine. Jasmine, wake up." Lily shook her twin sister awake.

"I don' wanna," Jasmine mumbled into her pillow.

"Jasmine, it's orientation day at Alfea," Lily coaxed.

Jasmine rolled over. "Seriously?" she asked.

"Serious," Lily said with a nod. "Today we to meet our teachers and go to the Welcome Ball."

Jasmine sat up. "I couldn't care less about the Welcome Ball, but orientation, here I come!"

Half an hour later, the sisters were down in the dining hall with most of their roommates. Miriam had headed off with some other girls.

"Miriam just doesn't care, does she," Mel muttered distastefully as she watched the blonde girl chatting with some other popular girls.

"No, not really," Lucy agreed. "However, what is it to us if she makes a fool out of herself?"

"Ya know, Mel?" Jasmine asked as she poured herself some milk, "I agree with you. What did Bloom ever do to deserve a bratty daughter like that?"

"I know, right?" Mel said with a nod. "You guys excited for orientation?"

"Heck yeah," said Jasmine. "Actually, I'm more excited for tomorrow. That's when we get to transform in class, right?"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Mel said, nodding. "You'll have fun with that, I promise. Tomorrow I get to do a field assignment for Professor Wizgiz. Something about recalling last year's skills. Knowing him, it's probably an obstacle course or something. How about you, Lucy?"

"Today I get to go to a seminar on Enchantix, its powers, and how to earn it," said Lucy. "Tomorrow I start academic classes and receive my first Enchantix mission."

"Oh," said Jasmine. "Sounds fun, I think. Do you guys have orientation today?"

"Not like you guys have it," said Mel. "Second years just get the Charmix talk, and then we're free. No little tour or lengthy intro for me."

"What are you going to do all day?" asked Lily as she ate.

"Eh, probably avoid Miriam like the plague and prepare for the Welcome Ball. Say, what are you guys going to wear?"

"Something that goes with both day and night," said Lucy.

"Because that tells me a lot," Mel said sarcastically. "I've recently gotten a taste for Earth's Victorian goth style. It suits my music."

"Cool," said Jasmine. "I'm going to wear something obnoxiously neon. Probably a lot of neon yellow with a dash of neon pink and purple."

"I'll stick with a nice Lymphean evening gown," said Lily quietly.

"And I'll bet any of you twenty Harmonic Nebula clefs that Miriam's gonna show up in a full-out royal ball gown," said Mel.

"Thirty Magix credits says it's actually some bright red, risque piece of fabric that her dad would never allow her out of the palace in," said Jasmine.

"You're on, girl," Mel said, fist-bumping the younger girl.  
>"We've got five minutes to finish up," said Lucy, seemingly disregarding the younger girls' antics.<p>

"Thanks," said Lily.

At nine o'clock, Lily and Jasmine stood under the bright autumn sun in Alfea's courtyard. Headmistress Griselda stood before them. "Welcome, fairies of all realms and dimensions, to the Alfea School for Fairies," she said. "This is your first step to becoming a full-fledged fairy, capable of doing great good for throughout the Magic Dimensions. The first thing I will address is conduct. You are to behave yourselves like young ladies, not like street ruffians. Should any of the staff catch you performing in a manner that is less than satisfactory, you will be properly disciplined.

"The second thing I will address is our relationships with the other schools, particularly Cloud Tower. Years ago, I know that there was a historic rivalry between Alfea School for Fairies and Cloud Tower School for Witches. That rivalry has been abolished. Should either Headmistress Mirta of Could Tower or I catch wind of anything akin to unfriendly competition, those involved will be disciplined. Am I understood?" Not waiting for the students to reply, she continued. "I also know that we historically have a history of favor with Red Fountain School for Specialists. While we will continue our friendship, we will not form any partnership excluding or discriminating against the witches of Cloud Tower. Is that clear?" This time, Griselda waited for the students to give some sign of comprehension, and she received it. "Excellent. From here we will introduce the teachers. You will give them your full attention and the utmost respect, and that is not a request."

Lily and Jasmine respectfully listened as the teachers that they had much about from their mother introduced themselves and the subjects that they taught. Jasmine silently wished that her mom's friend Bloom's sister, Daphne, the current queen of Domino, still taught History. Apparently, she had been one of the better teachers to walk Alfea's halls. Professor DuFour sounded positively dull, Professor Avalon didn't sound too bad, and neither did Professor Palladium. Professor Wizgiz seemed delightful, and, well, Headmistress Griselda had always had a reputation.

When the teachers had finished their introductions, Headmistress Griselda took the floor again. "Now you will have a tour of the school, and then lunch, after which you will be dismissed to prepare for the Welcome Ball." Waving her hand, pieces of paper appeared in front of each of the girls. "Here are your schedules. You will not need these today, but you should take care not to lose them." The Headmistress gave them a minute to put their schedules in places that they wouldn't forget before sending them off on their tour.

At eleven o'clock, the third year students filled Alfea's courtyard. Being a princess, Miriam made sure to surround herself only with the highest society. Connections were what got one places, after all. So she assciated with the daughters of rich Magix corporate owners and noblemen, as well as, of course, with other royalty.

Miriam had been shocked when she had been placed with younger girls for her final year as an Alfea student. Sure, her mom and dad had been friends with the other girls' parents, but she didn't understand why the dorm coordinators though that it meant that her parents' friends' kids would her friends. Miriam didn't mind Lucinda; after all, the girl was the Solarian heiress, a fairy of great power, and a person of considerable influence. Even if her temperment lacked the fire it took to suceed, she was a tolerable and reliable person. However, the other girls were all of no rank. Sure, Lily and Jasmine were the daughters of the Headmaster of Red Fountain, but that did _her_ no good. Besides, Lily looked like she had no spine, and Jasmine was just street riff-raff. And goodness, don't even get her started on Melody. The girl was a spiritual nut, even if she assured her that there were worse in her home realm, not to mention that she had not an ounce of class. The girl couldn't stop making noise, and she while she had fire, she wasn't driven enough to be successful. All in all, it was a rather bothersome arrangement.

Miriam saw Lucinda standing quietly, waiting for the orientation to start. She approached the Solarian girl, saying, "Why alone again, Lucinda? Being social is a good thing."

"Being reflective is a good thing as well," said Lucinda.

"Being reflective doesn't get comrades to help you reach the top," said Miriam.

"Being overbearing doesn't help either," said Lucinda.  
>"I'm not overbearing," said Miriam. "I'm just assertive. If one is not assertive, then one never gets their opinions heard."<p>

"See it as you will," Lucinda said serenely.

"Ahem. I'm glad you all managed to get here on time," Headmistress Griselda's voice rang out, silencing all conversation. "As you probably know, this year, along with your training, you will be sent on missions in order help you earn your Enchantix. As Enchantix requires you to put your life in danger for someone from your own realm, these missions will be significantly more dangerous than any that you went on in last year's quest for Charmix. You will be sent on missions with other third years from your realm for this purpose. During these missions, you will have to use all your previously acquired skills, including your Charmix, in order to earn your Enchantix." The Headmistress paused. "And of course, once you earn your Enchantix, the rest of the year will not be for slacking off. You will still be expected to run missions with your realm-mates in order to help them attain Enchantix. If I receive reports stating that you have done anything less that your best, there will be consequences. Am I clear?"

Used to Griselda's personality, the third years all gave a murmur of understanding, and their Headmistress launched into a lecture on Enchantix, the specific requirements for earning it, its special properties, and the Higher Forms that allowed for more specialized powers. Miriam nodded to herself when she heard her mother's name mentioned with the realm-famous Winx Club for holding the current record of most Higher Forms ever achieved. She had her goal - to break the Winx Club's record for the most Higher Forms. While Believix was these days nearly impossible to achieve, as the great majority of Earth now believed in magic, there were always many other options, such as Sirenix.

When the lecture was over, Miriam stopped to chat with the daughter of a Dominoian noble before heading to her room. To her distaste, Melody was loafing about in their lounge, listening to the noise that she called music.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" the daughter of Musa and Riven asked, annoyance clear in her voice. "It's my dorm too."

"I didn't say anything," Miriam said, walking by her. "Honestly, the nerve some people have, just because their parents are famous."

"Says the girl who's a princess," Melody retorted.

"Princesses are refined, and as heiress, I'm born to take over the throne of Eraklyon. You, on the other hand, are just a rich girl who's only known because her parents are rock stars. There's a significant difference between the two of us," Miriam said, gracing the girl by turning around to speak to her face. "You'd best start getting ready for the Welcome Ball now. You'll need all the time you can get." And then she closed her door, dismissing the other girl's indignant comeback.

**Red Fountain School for Specialists**

The alarm went off. There were no words to describe how happy Oritel was to wake up to something other than the shrill sound of his sister's voice. He was _finally_ at Red Fountain, away from the Eraklyon royal palace, at a place where he could be free from his parents' watchful eyes so that he could do what he loved - spend time with dragons.

Oritel's mom was a natural with dragons; she was the Fairy of Dragon Fire. His dad was an acclaimed dragon tamer as well as a king. Oritel himself had inherited his parents' link to dragons, but in a different way. He wasn't a wizard who had power over the ancient Dragon Fire, and he wasn't a fearless tamer who could bend a dragon's will. He was more like...well, he didn't really know how to describe it except by likening his relationship with dragons to the relationship a rider has with his horse. He was not a controller of dragons, but a friend of dragons.

Of course, that wasn't the way the typical dragon-human relationship worked. Usually it was 'human dominates, dragon submits.' Oritel would have to talk to Cordatorta about his theory of an actual companionship between humans and dragons. The concept fascinated him, and he was eager to learn if such a thing could be accomplished. It would be a lot easier to do so here than on Eraklyon, where the duties of a prince were his priority.

"Nooooo..." Oritel looked over at Zach, who was pulling his pillow over his head. "It can't be morning, I just closed my eyes!"

_Is this guy really a year older than me_? Oritel wondered. "Sun's shining, man," he said out loud as he turned off the alarm. "I've got first year orientation, and you've got second year."

"It can't be true," Zach moaned as he rolled over, yawning. He scratched his head before getting up. "Summer can't be over."

"You be depressed," said Oritel as he got up as well. "I'm pretty excited. I hear that dragon training is a cool thing."  
>"Yeah, but those conditioning classes we have are not," said Zach. "Not to mention the training uniform."<p>

"Hey, it could be worse than it is now," said Oritel as he dressed. "Dad told me all about the old uniform before Headmaster Helia took over. Apparently it used to be this ugly, awkward unitard-body suit thing. Now, at least, it's just battle pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a tunic guard with combat boots."

"True," Zach said as he headed to the bathroom to take care of personal hygiene.

At breakfast, they were joined by Ophir, Ryan, and Lin. Considerably less chatty and spontaneous than Zach, Oritel found his attention, along with his gaze, wandering.

What caught his eye was another student, a boy with sandy blonde hair and gold eyes that seemed to glow. He was sitting by himself, at the end of one of the long tables. Oritel, being the socially well-trained young man that he was, was about to ask the other boy if he wanted to join them, but stopped when he saw him whisper something and snap a finger.

Sitting next to Oritel, Ophir suddenly looked alert. "Someone just used magic," he said.

"Uh, maybe Headmaster Helia?" suggested Zach. "He's a wizard."

"No, it wasn't him," said Ophir. "I know what his magic feels like, and it's more mature than this."

Oritel pointed. "I think it was that guy over there," he said.

Ophir turned to look. "Yes, you're right. But what did he do?"

The dining hall quieted as Headmaster Helia walked in. "Crow," he said, pronouncing the boy's name like one would the when speaking of the common Earth bird, "please, no magic at the table."

"Aw, but Headmaster, the school year doesn't without a start-of-the-term prank!" the boy, Crow, said in a carefree tone.

"That is an interesting view, but the calendar says otherwise," Helia said. "Now please put the salt and the sugar back where they belong, and unstick all of the eating utensils from the table."

Crow sighed. "Yes, Headmaster. Such a killjoy, such a killjoy." He snapped his fingers and Helia nodded, satisfied.

"Who's that guy?" Ryan asked Lin, who had been at Red Fountain the longest.

"That's Chrono," said Lin. "He's in my year. As you can see, he's wizard. He has a strong Downland accent and uses Downland slang frequently. If I were you, I would be careful when associating with him."

"Why?" asked Oritel. As far as he knew Downland had been left to ruin after his mother's battle with the Shadow Phoenix, Darkar.

"Well, you guys don't live around here, so I wouldn't expect you to know," said Zach. "As you probably know, Downland was abandoned after the fall of the Shadow Phoenix. There was so much bad magic down there that everyone left, even the people who'd lived there before. In fact, the place was declared uninhabitable by inspectors. Officially, the place is empty and desolate. In reality, it's alive and filled to the brim with all sorts of shady business. It's the place where you hire guys to do your dirty work and where criminals go to hide."

"Why doesn't anybody go in and stop them?" asked Ophir.

"There are too many people living there," Lin said with a shrug. "I've actually been there once, when I was on a mission last year. It's suprisingly like Magix, except it's got a wilder feeling and is filled with crime, black markets, and other nasty things."

"Yeah," said Zach. "And the people there are _tough_. I wouldn't pick a fight with a kid half my age down there, and I'm a Specialist in training!'

"Sounds...uncivilized," said Ryan, shifting uneasily. "And Magix keeps this all a secret?"

"It's kinda like Andros being connected to the Omega Dimension," said Zach. "I mean, it isn't anymore, but Magix is no worse now than before. Besides, it draws the shady folks who'd hang out in the streets at night away."

"That still doesn't make it right," said Oritel. "Eventually, Magix will have to do _something_, especially when things get out of hand."

"I wouldn't bet on it." The five turned to see Chrono, who had silently approached and sat down. "I couldn't help overhearing y'all discussing my hometown. Say," he said, looking Ophir in the eyes, "you're a wizard. Y' don't see many of our kind here. You're Androsian? Nice. Hm...judging by your bearing, I'm gonna guess the son of someone high-ranking. Maybe a courtier?"

"Son of the King and Queen, actually," said Ophir.

"Nice," said Chrono. "And you, too, Red. You've got a kind of regal air too. Not quite as mature as Water Prince, though. I'm gonna guess some degree of nobility in your blood?"

"Yeah, I'm the prince of Eraklyon," said Oritel.

"Huh, so I'm in the presence of multiple royals," said Chrono. "That's just odd. Well, you were wondering if Magix could control Downland. I'm 'fraid not. Downland's got a lot of powerful, skilled people in it, and Magix wouldn't be able to do a thing."

"Magix has got a police force, right?" asked Ryan.

"Yeah, but they wouldn't be able to do squat against a bunch of powerful wizards, witches, and general hunters and mercenaries," said Chrono.

"Plus, we don't know Downland's layout," Zach said. "It's a total labryinth down there!"

"Sure is, my man," said Chrono. "You a native, here?"

"To Magix," said Zach.

"Hm..." Chrono squinted at Zach. "You don't come with a lot of money. Scholarship?"

"Man, I hate you wizards sometimes!" Zach complained. "No respect for personal business."

"So, yes," Chrono said. "Well, since where I come from, we trade information for information, I'll tell ya that I'm here because I convinced the headmaster to let me in."

"You have connections?" Ryan asked.

"Not the sort you'd think," said Chrono.

"Can we stop talking about ourselves and talk about something more fun?" asked Zach.

"Like what?" asked Ophir.

"Like, the Welcome Ball," said Zach. "You guys know anyone you're gonna ask to dance, or something?"

"I'm gonna hang with my cousin," said Chrono. "Before you go thinking weird things, it's just because she's insecure."

"I think I'll ask the headmaster's daughter Lily," said Ryan. "I've only met her a couple of times, but she seems really nice."

"Heh, my only goal is to keep a dragon's tail length from my sister," said Oritel.

"I'll go for whoever's hot and single," said Zach. "Hey, Lin, you've been here a while. Do you know any single ladies?"

"Yes, but I can't guarantee anything," Lin said reluctantly.

"Ophir, man, you're quiet," Zach said, chattering on. "You got a special girl?"

"No, though I wouldn't mind asking the Solarian princess for a dance," said Ophir.

"Neat," said Zach. "Hey, Chrono- Chrono?" The sandy-haired wizard had disappeared. "Aw, man, I was just gonna tell him that he seems pretty cool, for a Downlander, and that he could hang out with us anytime he wanted."

Lin's eyes narrowed. "I still advise against it, even if he does appear decent."

"Whatever you say, dude," said Zach. "Hey, Oritel, Ophir, do you guys need any help finding where you need to be?"

"We're fine, thanks," said Ophir, as he got up to clear his plate. Oritel, not really knowing what to do with the chatty Zach, the currently ill-tempered Lin, and the quiet Ryan, followed.

**Cloud Tower School for Witches**

"Whoa, this place looks so different that what it used to!" Lily exclaimed as she and her dormmates exited the lift which had taken them from Alfea to Cloud Tower.

"Yeah, there are no more storms and other nasty wards," said Mel. "Apparently it's been like that ever since the new headmistress, Mirta, took over."

"So Alfea's the only school that doesn't fly, huh?" asked Jasmine.

"Yep," said Mel.

"I'm off," said Miriam, as she swept by in her stunning, stylish, floor-length red dress. "If any of you little people want to see me or want to interact with high-class company, I'll be with the other royals, heirs, and heiresses."

"It's not a full-blown princess gown, but it's not a skimpy piece of fabric," said Mel to Jasmine as Miriam left. "I guess we both owe each other twenty clefs. Where are you headed, Lucy?"

"I'll be around," the Solarian princess said vaguely as she drifted away.

"She's got a social screw loose or something," Jasmine said as she watched Lucy walk away.

"Jasmine, be polite," Lily said gently. "Just because she's quiet doesn't mean that something's wrong with her."

"Yeah, yeah," said Jasmine. "Well, when are the boys gonna get here? I wanna dance!"

"Heh, you don't need boys to dance," said Mel as the three of them entered the school and hung up their coats in the designated coat room. "I'm happy, single, and ready to rock out!"

"So you're gonna waltz by yourself?" asked Lily.

"I'll sit out the slow stuff," said Mel. "So, the dance is gonna be held in the caf..."

Lily gazed in awe at the Cloud Tower cafeteria. Open and multi-storied, refreshments and resting areas were on the high platforms while the dance floor was on ground-level. Her mother had told her of the times that she and her friends had ventured into Cloud Tower to protect the Codex and to fight Valtor and the Trix. The place that she had described was dark and gothic, with a hint of Earth's Halloween. The place that she saw here was open and airy, if not as brightly colored as Alfea. It was no longer haunted house-esque; rather, it looked like a modernized Victorian castle, if such a thing could exist. "This place is beautiful!" Lily finally exclaimed as she looked up to the glass ceiling, which showcased the sunset.

"It's amazing what a little light can do for a place," Lucy said sagely as she passed them.

The trio blinked. "You'll get used to her popping up and disappearing eventually," said Mel. "Come on, let's hit the food before the boys get here."

"It's so nice that one can't tell who's a witch and who's a fairy by the way they dress," Lily said.

"Yeah," said Jasmine. "I'm sure your parents told you about the days when fairies and witches were mortal enemies."

"Believe me, I've heard it all," said Mel as they stepped on a platform, which took them up to the food balconies.

"Man, I kinda envy the witches and their ability to fly without transforming," said Jasmine.

"And I'm sure the witches envy our ability to gain a power boost everytime we earn a new transformation," said Lily. "After all, they have to work extremely hard to grow stronger."

"Which is why being a fairy, in my opinion, totally beats being a witch," said Mel. "I mean, hard work is cool, but only if what you're doing is what you love, and to be honest, my love of music trumps my love of magic."

"So, like, if you had to give up one, you'd give up magic," said Jasmine.

"In a heartbeat," said Mel.

As they took food, Lily looked around. She saw Miriam, sitting with a bunch of other well-dressed girls, chatting as they sipped carbonated beverages from fine glasses. "Does she always go off with them?" Lily asked Mel.

"Yeah," said Mel. "She thinks she's too good for us."

"Hey, look!" Jasmine exclaimed. "The Red Fountain boys are here!"

Lily and Mel turned to look. Indeed, the young men of Red Fountain arrived, dressed in evening finery. "Let's clear a path to the food," said Mel. "Boys eat a lot. Plus, the music's starting." Lily and Jasmine followed Mel down to the dance floor. "They'll play the boring stuff later in the night," Mel told them. "Right now is when the fun stuff is."

After a couple of songs, Lily left her sister and Mel dancing freely to the beat, and went to sit. She was not one to be inspired by architecture, but Cloud Tower's fine hall had piqued her interest. Lily took a platform up to the resting balconies, and looked for an empty table. She saw one where a black-haired girl in a deep red dress sat alone. "May I sit here?" Lily asked when she approached.

"Ah, yes," the girl said.

Lily sat and took out her sketch pad. She was not by nature a talkative person, but as she sat and drew, Lily felt the awkwardness of silence. "I'm Lily," she said finally. "What's you're name?"

"I'm Vita," the other girl said.

"It's nice to meet you, Vita," Lily said. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your power?"

"I'm the Witch of the Mind," Vita said.

"I'm the Fairy of Traditional Art," said Lily. Vita nodded silently.

"Hey, Vita, the poor girl's tryin' to hold a conversation with ya," said a boy's voice. "Speak up, would ya?"

Lily turned to see a boy with sandy blonde hair and gold eyes fly up to them, carrying two glasses of soda and a plate of crackers and cheese. _A wizard_, she thought.

"Cousin," said Vita, nodding slightly to him.

"Come on, you don't need to be so formal with me," said Vita's cousin as he set the snacks down. "I mean, I'm your buddy, yeah?" Lily noticed that he had a slight accent.

"O-of course, cousin Chrono," said Vita.

"So, introduce me to your new friend," said Chrono.

"Cousin Chrono, this is Lily, the Fairy of Traditional Art," said Vita, her voice soft.

"Nice to meet ya, Lily," said Chrono, holding out a hand. Lily shook it. "Hey, nice picture," he said, gesturing to her sketch of Cloud Tower's hall. "You really live up to your power."

Lily felt her cheeks warming. "Thank you," she said, bowing her head.

"See, Vita? That's all it takes to hold a conversation. Speak audibly, look a person in the eye, and compliment the other person. Or, if you don't wanna talk, ask questions and let the other person do the chatting themself." He helped himself to a cracker.

"Yes, cousin," said Vita. "Your picture is very nice."

"Thank you," said Lily. "So, you're a wizard? I noticed that you have an accent. Where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm from the Magix dimension," said Chrono. "And you've got a sorta refined Lymphean accent, though it's only just there. I'm gonna guess that you've got a parent from Lymphea, but live off planet, yeah?"

"Why, yes, how did you know?" Lily asked.

"I'm a good guesser," said Chrono, grinning.

"He cheats," said Vita.

"Aw, you wound me, Cuz," Chrono said, putting a hand over his heart. "You don't believe that I'm just awesome?"

"You're skilled, but not enough to read minds unaided," said Vita.

"Come on, can't you admit that I'm even just a little bit awesome?" Chrono asked, glancing sideways at his cousin, grinning.

Lily couldn't help but smile at his antics. "I'm sure that if I got to know you, I'd find you awesome," she said.

"See?! Even the girl who just met me recognizes that I'm amazing!" Chrono exclaimed. "Hey, does that imply that you wanna get to know me better?"

"If it's in a nice, appropriate way, I wouldn't mind," Lily said with a smile.

"That's neat- hey, I'll give you my number, if that's appropriate enough for you," said Chrono.

"Ok," said Lily. She handed him her pencil. "You can write it up in the corner of the page."

"Sure," said Chrono, as he jotted it down. "Here you go. Call, text, let it just sit in your phone for an emergency, or anything else you'd like. You'll find I'm very open minded."

"Just don't let that open mind get you into trouble, cousin," said Vita.

"Hey, you're a good influence on Vita, Lily," said Chrono. "She's actually making comments and holding something of a conversation-" Chrono stopped short. Vita's eyes narrowed, and she looked over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

"No," Vita whispered. "It can't be- would she dare?"

"Please excuse us," Chrono said, the carefree, cheerful tone of his voice suddenly gone. The two stood and flew down from the platform, to the corner of the room.

Lily frowned. _How odd_, she thought. _And they seemed so nice. I wonder what set them off?_ Her sketch deemed finished, she entered Chrono's number into her phone, and went down to find her sister.

Ryan stood with Ophir near the food tables, watching people dance, chat, and eat. "This must be a refreshing change from Zenith's Academy," Ophir remarked.

"Yeah, it's a change," Ryan agreed. "Honestly, though, I think I'd prefer the company of books and computers better, though."

"You wanted to ask Lily to dance later, yes?" Ophir asked him.

"Yeah..."

"Well, a slow song just came on. Perhaps now is the time?" Ophir suggested.

"Maybe...hey, I don't see you doing anything either," Ryan said.

"I'm not insulting your nerves at all," Ophir assured him. "Though I am planning to seek Lucy and ask her to dance."

"Lily was talking with some other older boy and girl," Ryan said glumly.

"Really?" Ophir asked. "Did you know who?"

"No," said Ryan. "The boy's back was to me, and, well, I kinda don't know anyone anyway."

"Ah, well, she may be free now," said Ophir. "Why don't you check and see?"

"F-fine," Ryan said, his cheeks already coloring.

Ophir grinned at his friend. "You'll be fine. Lily won't say no; she's too polite for that."

"Yeah, well, it's nerve-wracking for me all the same!" Ryan moaned.

"If you'd like, I'll show you how it's done," Ophir said. "Follow me." He led Ryan to a platform, and headed over to a resting table, where Lucy sat, talking with some other girls. "Excuse me, ladies?" he asked smoothly.

They turned to him. "Yes?" asked one of them.

"I was wonder if I might have the privilege of dancing with Princess Lucinda of Solaria," Ophir said.

Lucy looked up at him. "I would be honored, Prince Ophir of Andros," she said as she stood. Ophir offered her his hand, and she took it. Ryan watched as Ophir began to escort her to the platform. He and the others gasped in surprise when Lucy stepped out under the open glass ceiling, through which the moon was shining. Lucy sighed as her skin paled, her hair turned white, and her eyes turned silver. "I knew this was going to happen," she said as she looked at her now pale hand.

"You certainly did," said one of the girls sitting at the table. "You even dressed so that you went with whatever you looked like!"

"See, Ryan?" asked Ophir. "It's not too hard. Lily's over there. Just go up and ask her."

"You're asking Lily?" asked Lucy. "Don't worry, you won't be turned away."

Ryan bit his lip as he took the next available platform up to where Lily sat, drawing. "Um, excuse me?" he tried to ask, but his voice, for some reason, wouldn't work. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Excuse me?"

Lily looked up. "Yes, Ryan?"

"Um, I- I was wondering if y-you'd like to d-dance with me!" Ryan managed to stutter out.

Lily smiled and put away her sketch pad. "I'd love to dance with you, Ryan," she said. He offered her his hand, and she took it.

Down on the dance floor, Ryan saw that Oritel had asked Jasmine to dance. "Hey, man, you actually asked her?" Zach asked as he walked by.

"Yeah," Ryan said.

"Who's this?" Lily asked.

"He's, uh, one of my suitemates," said Ryan. "His name's Zach."

"Dude, I can't find anyone to waltz with!" Zach complained. "Do you see anyone who looks like they'd wanna dance?"

"Hey," said Jasmine, as she and Oritel waltzed by, "ask that girl over there in the Victorian-style dress. She isn't dancing with anyone."

"Thanks!" Zach said as he ran off.

"Jasmine, you know Mel doesn't want to dance," Lily said.

"Yeah, well, it'll be funny to watch him try," said Jasmine with a laugh. "Tata!" And she and Oritel waltzed off.

"So, uh, how are you liking your first year at Alfea so far?" asked Ryan, still a little nervous.

"The first day lends itself to a promising year," Lily said. "And you?"

"It looks like it'll shape up to be an interesting year," Ryan said, nodding. "That is, if Zach is any indication of anything."

Lily smiled. "If he's anything like Mel or my sister, I'm sure he'll keep you and your suitemates on your toes."

"Yeah," Ryan said. "Er, I heard you're rooming with Oritel's sister. Um, how's that?"

"I don't think it's so bad," said Lily. "After all, she keeps to herself." Ryan noticed that she didn't look convinced.

"That's good," he said.

When the dance ended, he got Lily a drink before they went their separate ways. Oritel met him at the food tables. "Hey, man, so you managed to ask her to dance?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did," Ryan said, feeling proud of himself. "It looks like this year won't be too bad after all!"

Vita could not believe what she was feeling. She had not felt this presence in a long time, not since she had managed to escape her mother and that accursed book seven years ago. Her cousin Chrono, sensing her distress, squeezed her hand softly. "It's gonna be ok, Vita," he said soothingly. "It's gonna be ok."

"Cousin, if it is really her, it is not going to be ok," said Vita.

"Vita, even if it is her, we're gonna be fine," said Chrono. "We're gonna make it fine. In a school full of witches, what can she possibly do?"

"Cousin, she managed to escape the same place I did," Vita said. "She's gotten stronger, such that she was able to conceal her presence from me ever since she entered the school. I had no idea she was here until she signaled us."

"We're not even sure if it's actually her," Chrono reasoned with his cousin. "It could be some other girl signalling someone else."

"Believe me, cousin, I know the energy signature of the girl who helped my mother, my aunt, and my uncle make my life wretched for ten years," said Vita.

Chrono switched calming tactics. "If it's her, she'll be alone," he said. "Your mom and her mom have no power and can't leave that place, and your uncle is a creature bound to that place now. She's her on her own, which makes her weaker."

"If she's here, it's because she was powerful enough to escape, and deemed intelligent enough to carry out her parents' and her aunt's evil plans," Vita said firmly.

"I've got the trace," said Chrono. "This way."

The pair slipped out into the hallway. "Hadey," said a girlish voice. "You haven't changed a bit for the better since I last saw you."

"I don't go by that name any longer, Nixy," said Vita.

"Don't turn your back on who you are, cousin," said Nixy, as she stepped out into the light. A head of borderline-curly maroon hair was pulled back into an elegent bun, and blue eyes that glinted dangerously. Pale skin was made paler by a dark purple dress of satin. "Who's this loser you're with?"

"I'm Chrono, miss Nixy," said Chrono. "I hear you've been harassing my good friend Vita. What's with that, huh?"

Nixy's eyes narrowed. "You...you feel familiar, and yet I know I've never seen you before. Who are you, and who are your parents?"

"Eh, they're just your typical Downlanders," Chrono said carelessly. "Dad's a wizard, and mom's a Downland ambassador-type person. Nothing special."

"You are of no concern to me," said Nixy, and she turned to Vita. "I called you here to give you a message," she said. "I plan to finish what our parents started, and to bring the Magical Dimensions to their knees before me. On behalf of my parents, I want to give you a second chance, and offer you a place at my side as I awaken the forces of evil that have been hidden for far too long. Will you take this offer and redeem yourself in the eyes of the great and ancient Ancestral Witches and their descendents, or will you turn away and make yourself an enemy to all of the Kingdom to come, Hadey?"

"Even if I were to accept your offer, you and I both know that my mother would never allow it," said Vita.

"Well, your mother's not here, and neither is mine," said Nixy. "Our parents have lost their power, and it is now you and I who hold the power of the Ancestral Witches. Besides, your mother failed our predecessors far too many times to be considered to hold any power or authority in the eyes of the Ancestral Witches. I, Nixy, the Witch of Natural Disasters, give you my word as the voice of the Ancestral Witches and the herald of the Kingdom to come, that you, Hadey, the Witch of the Mind, will be granted full reconciliation in the eyes of the Ancestral Witches, should you accept my offer and join our ancestors in the fight for the Kingdom."

Vita didn't need to consider for even a moment. She shook her head. "I will have nothing to do with your quest to bring about a kingdom of wickedness, tyranny, and fear," she said. "If I must, I will do everything in my power to stop you."

Nixy sighed. "I will give you one more chance, cousin. Will you accept my offer?"

"I said no once, and I'll say no again," Vita said firmly. "I decline you offer."

Nixy hissed. "You will regret this, cousin," she said. "When my parents and I rule the great Kingdom, as it is our right, you will wish that you had joined me when you still could have!"

"You do realize that there's nothing stopping me and Vita from reporting you, right?" asked Chrono.

"If you value your friend's wellbeing, and the wellbeing of the people of Magix, you won't say a word," Nixy said.

"Is that a threat?" Chrono asked darkly.

"If it wasn't, what kind of witch would I be?" asked Nixy as she slipped away into the darkness, leaving a very concerned witch and wizard behind.

* * *

><p><strong>Once again, I'm sorry that this took so long to post! I believe I'm a bit older than your average Winx fan, and, unfortunately, I have to deal with the school-related stress that comes with that. This means that May will be very hectic, and that I probably won't get a chance to post another chapter for a while. I apologize in advance! I'll still reply to any reviews I get in the meantime.<strong>

**Preview of Coming Attractions**

Nixy has made her threat, and approaching danger looms over the Magical Dimensions. However, everyone except Chrono and Vita live in happy ignorance, and the children of the Winx Club, and their new friends, begin classes at Alfea and Red Fountain.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'll make it official - updates for this story will probably be few and far between due to my daily schedule and distractible interest. I'm sorry! I'll try to make it up to you with quality of story.**

**On a side note, the trouble with writing during an ongoing show is canon occurrences messing up headcanons. After seeing the rest of season 6, I'm going to have to go back and edit some small things in the previous two chapters, but their effects shouldn't harm your current understanding of the story.**

**To guest with the name e - I would really like to continue with this story! I'm having trouble because I've been kind of disappointed with the way the show is being handled, but hopefully the upcoming season 7 will inspire me. Unfortunately, it looks a little bit too glitter-dipped and cutesy from the trailer and other promotional material. Maybe that will make me want to remedy that in this story, though.**

**Character Recap**

Fairies

_Miriam_- elder child of Bloom and Sky, age 18, from Eraklyon, Fairy of Natural Fire, Charmix level, third year at Alfea, powerful but a spoiled brat

_Lucinda (Lucy)_- only child of Stella and Brandon, age 18, from Solaria, Fairy of Luck, Charmix level, third year at Alfea, elegant and reserved

_Lily_- elder child of Flora and Helia, age 16, from Lymphea, Fairy of Traditional Art, first transformation 'Winx' level, elder twin of Jasmine, first year at Alfea, quiet and artsy

_Jasmine_- younger child of Flora and Helia, age 16, from Lymphea, Fairy of Digital Art, first transformation 'Winx' level, younger twin of Lily, first year at Alfea, tech-savvy and sassy

_Mel (Spirit name- Qu Diao)_- only child of Musa and Riven, age 17, from the Harmonic Nebula, Fairy of Sound, first transformation 'Winx' level, second year at Alfea, happy-go-lucky with a flair

Specialists/Wizards

_Oritel_- younger child of Bloom and Sky, age 16, from Eraklyon, dragon-riding prodigy, first year at Red Fountain, easy-going and idealistic

_Ophir_- only child of Aisha and Nabu, age 17, from Andros, wizard specializing in alchemy and runes, first year at Red Fountain, intellectual and mature

_Ryan_- only child of Tecna and Timmy, age 16, from Zenith, genius mathematician and thinker, first year at Red Fountain, geeky with a heart of gold

_Lin_- suitemate with Ophir, Ryan, and Zach, age 18, from the Harmonic Nebula, battle strategist and stealth expert, third year at Red Fountain, quiet and clever

_Zach_- suitemate with Ophir, Ryan, and Lin, age 17, from Magix, speed/stamina/agility specialist, second year at Red Fountain, curious and talkative

_Chrono_- son of "just your typical Downlanders," age 18, from the Downland region of Magix, wizard with an as of yet unknown specialty, third year at Red Fountain, carefree and chatty

Witches

_Vita (formerly Hadey)_- the daughter of one of the descendents of the Ancestral Witches, age 17, from an unknown place, Witch of the Mind, second year at Cloud Tower, quiet and shy

_Nixy_- the daughter of one of the descendents of the Ancestral Witches, age 16, from an unknown place, Witch of Natural Disasters, first year at Cloud Tower, menancing and powerful

**In the Previous Chapter**

The children of the Winx, and their new friends, had their orientations and attended the Welcome Ball, held at Cloud Tower. There they have fun, dance, and make new friends. However, a threat emerges when Nixy, the Witch of Natural Disasters, reveals to her cousin, Vita, her plans to complete the work of the Ancestral Witches and their parents.

* * *

><p><strong>Alfea School for Fairies<strong>

Jasmine woke to her sister pulling the pillow from her head. "Noooaaaah," she groaned.

"It's time to wake up," Lily said gently.

"So I gathered," Jasmine grumbled crankily. She pulled off her headphones. "Transforming today in class better be worth the morning."

"I'm sure it will be," Lily said. "I laid out your books for you so that you could have five extra minutes to sleep."

"Thanks, sis," Jasmine said as she got up. "Hey, would you mind grabbing me something from my closet? Anything's fine. You know I don't care for matching."

"Okay." As Lily went to the closet, Jasmine headed to the bathroom to take care of personal hygiene.

At breakfast, Miriam had gone off with her third year friends as usual. Mel had sprawled herself over the table, moaning about how much she hated Moon's Day.

"Not feeling school hours?" Jasmine asked.

"Sometimes I hate Grandfather Sun so much!" Mel whined.

"The start of the week after Welcome Ball Weekend is always rough," Lucy said. "The teachers understand."

"Not Wizgiz, apparently," Mel said. "He's got an hour's worth of refresher exercises for us first thing first period."

"We get to Griselda's smiling face as we transform into our basic fairy form," Jasmine countered.

"True," Mel said. "Gee, Lu, do you remember transforming for the first time?"

Lucy nodded. "It is the most wonderful thing, to feel that surge of magic and then have your first flight."

"I can't wait to fly," Lily said wistfully. "I've always dreamed of this day."

"Spoken like a true romantic, sis," Jasmine said. "I'm so recording this and sending it to Mom and Dad! I can just imagine Mom's reaction - she's gonna be all flowery and excited, and Dad's gonna be his usual relaxed self, but there's gonna be that twinkle in his eyes as he congratulates us."

"So you've been dreaming of this day too," Lily said.

"Duh!" Jasmine exclaimed, waving her arms around for emphasis. "Doesn't every fairy?"

"Five minute warning," Lucy said, seemingly to no one as she gazed off into the distance.

"Thanks," Mel said as she slurped down the last of her chocolate milk. "Alright! One energized fairy ready to take on the worst Wizgiz can throw at me!"

"I've got first period Magiphilosophy," said Lucy.

"Sounds...relaxing?" Jasmine commented. "Oh well, let's go Lily! To that arena place where Griselda wants us to meet!"

"Attention, girls! Attention!" barked Ms. Griselda. "Form a circle around me! Yes, a circle. Don't tell me I have to teach you simple shapes at your age! Spread out there by the stands! No, move over!" After some more direction, Ms. Griselda was satisfied.

"Alright..." Her eyes flicked up and down from her data pad to the circle of first-year fairies, making sure everyone was present. "Raise your hand if you already know what your power is." About three-quarters of the girls raised their hands.

"Alright, now raise your hand if you have some idea of what we're about to do." Everyone raised their hands.

"Good. This makes my life much easier. For those of you who do not yet know your power, don't worry, it will come to you. For those of you who do know your power, let's get right to it. Focus your magical energy in a positive way as you think about your source of power. Some of you may want an incantation to transform, some of you may want a hand symbol, and some of you may want an object to use as a focus to transform. No way is a better way, but each has its ups and downs. For example, a spoken incantation can't be taken, but you need to remember it and you must have your voice to transform. A hand symbol can't be lost, but you need to be able to form it correctly consistently, and you must be able to move. A physical focus doesn't need anything but you to pool your magical energy into it, but if you lose it, you can't transform."

Jasmine raised her hand. "A question over there?" Ms. Griselda asked, poking her glasses as she turned.

"Do we have to have to choose from those three options alone?" Jasmine asked. "Can we just focus in our minds?"

"Do you really think you have the level of concentration necessary to do that at your age?" Ms. Griselda asked.

"So it is possible?" Jasmine asked.

"Yes, it is," Ms. Griselda said. "However, it takes age, experience, and a calm and clear mind."

Another fairy raised her hand. "Yes?" Ms. Griselda asked.

"Which is the easiest way?" she asked.

"They all are the same," Ms. Griselda said. "However, most fairies I've seen seem to prefer the spoken incantation, especially after the Winx Club made it so popular."

Lily raised her hand. Ms. Griselda turned to her. "Does choosing a certain way to transform affect the way we have to cast our spells?" Lily asked.

"Yes, in fact, it does," said Ms. Griselda. "While there is no permanent effect, whichever way you choose to transform, that way is the easiest way to cast spells." Looking around, Ms. Griselda asked, "Is that all?"

Another fairy raised her hand. "How do we transform if we don't know our power?"

"Just focus your energy in a positive way," Ms. Griselda said. "Once you transform, you'll know what your power is. Now, is there anything else? No? Then prepare for your very first transformation! If you manage to transform, don't go doing anything crazy without my authorization! And if you don't, keep trying!"

Jasmine grinned. "So, what are you gonna do, Lily?" she asked.

"I think I like the idea of using an object," Lily said. "You know I always carry around my art supplies in that dimensional pocket thing that Dad gave us. No one can break into that, so I can always reach in and pull out my special paint brush! Plus, I plan to use that brush a lot in my spells."

"Not a bad idea," Jasmine said, nodding. "I think I'm gonna go for an easy hand symbol. You have to focus your magic in order to make it work, right? I think I'll use that Lotus hand symbol that Dad always uses when meditating. If I hold both arms out straight with my palms up and position my fingers just so..." She turned to Lily. "What do you think?"

"So you'll use your hands to use your spells?" Lily asked.

"Yep! See, since I'm digital art, I can use my finger to draw in a holographic field," Jasmine explained.

"Makes sense," Lily said as she pulled her paint brush out of her dimensional pocket. "I'm ready. Are you?"

Jasmine assumed her pose and Lily gripped her paint brush. Blocking out the voices of the girls around them, they focused their energy and summoned their power. Suddenly what felt like a rush of adreniline rushed through them. In a flash of light, the sisters had suddenly transformed! Lily twirled around in her light blue, flowing dress reaching to about mid-thigh, complete with a darker blue robe, a whtie choker with a little silver pendent the shape of an inverted tear drop hanging from it, a white sash, white ankle boots, and white gloves which did not cover her fingers and reached up to the middle of her upper arm. Her wings were white and soft-edged, greatly resembling her mother's, though she had a two upper wings and two lower wings. Jasmine stood in a short neon green off-the-shoulders dress which had sleeves to her elbows. She had hot pink pants which stopped about mid-thigh, neon green knee-high boots, a hot-pink top whose straps were the only part that showed under the dress, and fingerless hot-pink gloves with yellow diamonds on them. Her wings were neon yellow and sharper than Lily's, but she had only to larger upper wings.

"Dude, we look awesome!" Jasmine exclaimed, jumping up and down for joy. She threw her hand up in the air. "Ms. Griselda, Ms. Griselda, can my sister and I try flying?" she shouted.

"Yes, but don't fly higher than about twelve feet!" Griselda shouted back as she made a mark on her data pad.

"Alright!" All it took as a thought, and their wings fluttered. "I'm flying!" Jasmine exclaimed in exhiliration as she rose up into the air.

"This is...everything I dreamed it would be!" Lily whispered as she slowly rose into the air.

"All we've gotta do is think, and we do it!" Jasmine said. "Well, Ms. Griselda never said how fast we had to go!" And with that, Jasmine took off. "Wahoo!" she shrieked.

Lily laughed and took off after her. "Thank goodness for magic which keeps my dress under control!" she commented as she caught up with her sister.

"Heh, tell me about it!" Jasmine exclaimed. "And they say the skirts just keep getting shorter, if that's possible, huh?"

"Hopefully our natural magic will affect the outcome of our transformations," Lily said as they sped around the arena with the other fairies who had transformed.

All too soon, Ms. Griselda clapped her hands and shouted for the girls to turn back to normal. Landing, Lily and Jasmine de-transformed with a simple thought. A bell rang, signaling the end of the class period.

"Where to next?" Lily asked Jasmine, who had downloaded the first-year fairy schedule onto her mini computer.

"We're off to Metamorphosimbiosis," said Jasmine. "That's Wizgiz, right?"

"I hope he's easy on us first-years," Lily said, worried. "I hope he doesn't make us do whatever Mel was complaining about."

"Hey, we just transformed for the first time last period," said another first-year fairy, with silver hair and light blue eyes. "Hi! I'm Miranda, the Fairy of Mirrors, but you can call me Miri. I'm from Solaria! What about you guys? Are you sisters?"

"I'm Jas, the Fairy of Digital Art," said Jasmine. "I'm from Lymphea, but I live in Magix most of the time."

"And I'm Lily, the Fairy of Traditional Art," said Lily. "We are sisters, twins in fact."

"That's so cool!" Miri exclaimed. "So...do either of you know where we're going?"

"I downloaded that map of the school they gave us into my computer, so yep, I do," Jasmine said.

"Neat," Miri chirped. "I've got a copy in my mirror, but it's backwards and I don't feel like trying to follow it right now, so I'll just follow the herd. Hey, Jaz, I saw you transform! Your outfit is super cool. It's so bright!"

"Did you transform?" Lily asked.

"You bet! It's all silvery, of course, but it's a little swirly. It's pretty neat," Miri chattered. "Hey, what did you guys use as your transformation focus? I did an incantation."

"I did a hand symbol," Jasmine said. "It's the Lotus hands out in front of me."

"I used an object, my special paint brush," said Lily.

"Wow! So we all did something different," said Miri. "Hey, do you guys mind if I hang around? You guys seem pretty cool."

"Sure," said Jasmine. "It'll be nice to have someone to talk to, since my sister likes to do a lot of listening. Not that that's a bad thing, of course, Lily."

"I know," Lily said with a smile. "Is this the classroom?"

"Why indeed it is!" a chipper voice called from inside. The three fairies entered to see several other first-years sitting, waiting. "Take any seat, my dears, and let's wait for the rest of your classmates to find their way here."

"What are we gonna being doing today, Professor?" Miri asked as she sat down with Lily and Jasmine.

"Why, we're going to be doing the warm-up exercise that I give all my first-year students!" Professor Wizgiz answered. "We're going to change the color of our hair!"

"Wow, now I don't have to bug Mom to let me get highlights!" Jasmine cheered.

"Same!" Miri exclaimed. "I think we're gonna get along just great!"

"Totally!" Jasmine agreed.

Lily took out her textbook, notebook, drawing pad, and pencils as she waited for class to begin. She silently sighed. Jasmine was already making new friends, and would probably drift away from her. It was to be expected, of course. She and Jasmine were no longer little girls who would dress up in matching outfits (though that phase had not lasted long) and do everything together. They were growing up and would sooner rather than later follow their different paths. Lily knew that she would find her niche soon enough, but the sudden realization that her bond with her sister would probably never be the same as it had been before Alfea saddened her a little.

Professor Wizgiz's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Alright, my new students, we're going to do a simple exercise in the focusing of magic today. Everyone, pick up the mirrors which will appear in front of you...now!" He snapped his finger, and mirrors poofed into existance in front of each student. "Now, focus a little of your magical energy to your head and imagine what color you'd like your hair to be! And don't be afraid to be a little kooky!"

Lily gripped her mirror, focused her energy to her head, and imagined her hair a lovely olive green. Nothing happened.

"If it doesn't seem to be working, try closing your eyes to block out visual distractions and then try," Professor Wizgiz told his students.

Lily obeyed, closing her eyes and envisioning her hair becoming olive green, starting from the roots and spreading from there. She felt a tingling sensation in her scalp, and when she opened her eyes, her hair had changed.

"Haha! It worked!" Jasmine crowed as she threw her hands in the air triumphantly. She now sported hot pink hair in place of her usual black.

"Same!" Miri cheered as she admired her now golden locks.

"A talented trio, hm?" Professor Wizgiz remarked as he strolled by, checking on his students' progress. "Things look promising for you girls! Now sit back and experiment a bit."

**Red Fountain School for Specialists**

Oritel, Ryan, and Ophir stood next to each other as they examined their schedules. "So...we have to meet with our designated counselors, I guess?" Oritel asked.

"Yeah," said Ryan.

"I'm not sure I really like the idea of choosing only one focus," Ophir commented. "A well-rounded person is more likely to succeed in a fight.

"Well, that's why we're _specialists_," Oritel stated.

"And the team aspect of our training theoretically covers our weaknesses," said Ryan.

"Hm, I guess," Ophir said. "I don't suppose either of you know what you're specializing in?"  
>"Dragons," said Oritel.<p>

"Computer science sounds pretty good to me," said Ryan. "Plus, it's a diverse and versatile field, so I'll still have a lot of choices, even if I'm committed to that one path."

"How 'bout you?" Oritel asked Ophir. "You don't say much, so I can't really get a good feel for you."

"I'm a wizard, so my options are significantly different than yours," said Ophir. "However, I've always been a fan of runes and alchemy."

"I wonder what Zach and Lin do," Ryan said. "I bet they could give us some advice."

"Do you think they'd assign us all to the same team?" Oritel asked. "I know back when my dad went here, the teams went by suite, but we're in a dorm with two older guys."

"Who knows," Ophir said. "I'm sure things have changed now that Saladin's no longer the headmaster. So let's head to orientation. I'm sure the teachers will explain everything to us."

Oritel found that everything about Red Fountain was well organized and borderline militaristic. This did not surprise him, of course, as it was school for aspiring soldiers. In fact, he rather liked the order. While it was not entirely different from royal life on Eraklyon, which was a relatively militaristic place as far as the Magic Dimensions went, it did lack the sparkle of his mother's warm demeanor and the booming rumble of his father's laugh. He was interested to find that this did not bother him at all.

"It means you're growing up, man," Zach told him. "You know, you're like a fish that's going up the waterfall into a world of adventure and possiblities. What's up there? Who knows. It could be the mouth of a hungry bear or a river full of freedom and fun. You're leaving the mole's hole, and you like it."

"Please, never become a poet," Lin told Zach.

"But the headmaster's something of a poet," Zach complained.

"There's a difference," said Lin. "He's good."

"Why do you hate me?" whined Zach.  
>"Why are you acting like a twelve year old girl?" asked Lin.<p>

"Uh..." Zach had no snappy comeback, so he was quiet. He turned to Oritel. "So you first-years had your meetings with your counselors today and went to orientation?"

"Yeah," said Oritel.

"How was it?"

"Good, I guess," Oritel said. "I mean, I'm not looking forward to those conditioning classes, but I'm sure I'll get over it."

"Do you know what you're majoring in?" Zach asked.

"Dragons," said Oritel. "What do you guys major in?"

"I'm a physical," said Zach. "I push my body to its limits in order to get stronger."

"I'm a strategy major," said Lin. He had nothing else to add.

"Cool," said Oritel. "How are your teams?"

"Eh, my buddies are good," said Zach. "In fact..." He dug around in his pockets for his phone. "...I think we're going to hang out in downtown Magix. I'm outta here." He jumped up and left.

"I only have to deal with him for one more year," Lin said with a sigh.

"How about your team?" Oritel asked.

"We're well-balanced in both skill and personality," Lin said.

"I see," said Oritel. "So, I guess Red Fountain isn't as team-oriented as it used to be?"

"No," Lin answered. "I hear that the headmaster found it disadvantageous in the real world because graduates had to leave their teams and join the work force without practice learning how to click with other people quickly."

"Makes sense," Oritel said.

"Mm," Lin said. Oritel got the sense that he didn't really want to talk, and was quiet.

"I guess I'll head out and explore Magix," he said. "Okay?"

"Sure," Lin said, not really listening.

Oritel went to see if either Ryan or Ophir would be interested in going out for a bit. He found that Ophir already had his nose buried in an alchemy book and that Ryan was doing something on his computer that Oritel did not quite understand. Deciding to leave the two alone, he headed out on his own. As he waited for the small air bus which would take him down to Magix, he was joined by Chrono.

"Going to enjoy the city?" Chrono asked as he leaned against a post.

"Yeah, I guess," said Oritel.

"Alone?"

"One of my suite mates went to hang out with his team, one of them doesn't really seem to care, and two of them are studying or something," Oritel said.

"It's the first day," Chrono said.

"I know," said Oritel. "I think I'm the only normal one."

"Except for the guy who went out already?" Chrono asked.

"No, he's definitely not normal," Oritel said. "He talks way too much to be normal."

"Nice," said Chrono. "Well, if you want some tips on where to hang out, I'll give you some. Anyway, I'm off to meet my cousin for a cup of coffee." He stepped onto the air bus to the park district and disappeared.

Oritel sighed. Maybe he could just go hang out with the dragons, he thought. But he took the air bus to the down town anyway.

He wandered for a while before coming upon a skateboarding park. Oritel had never tried skateboarding before. After all, he was a prince, and princes learned the proper fighting forms, not civilian skateboarding. It did look amazing, though. He stopped at the railing to watch the skateboarders.

A pale girl with short, spiky dark blue hair in a ponytail did some tricks which involved spinning and grabbing the edge of the board. Oritel was incredibly impressed that someone so thin (she must be a fairy, he decided) could make her muscles exert the kind of control they seemed to as she worked.

"Nice, Julie, but I bet I can do better!" A girl with a choppy blonde bob, black and red streaks, and a fierce look in her eyes that contrasted her fairy-like face moved to outdo her friend. Oritel watched her, and had to admit that she was definitely better than her friend.

"Where's Mel?" the blue-haired girl, Julie, complained. "She said she'd be here ten minutes ago?"

"You know how distractible that girl is," the blonde said. Then she turned to look up at Oritel. "Yo! What are you looking at, boy?"

"How do you do all that?" Oritel asked.

"Practice," Julie said.

"Talent," the blonde said at the same time.

"Oh, shut up," Julie grumbled. "Not all of us can be the Fairy of Athletics."

"That exists?" Oritel asked before he could shut his mouth.

"Heck yeah, it exists, boy," the blonde snapped. "Wanna come down here so I can show you how real it is?"  
>"Oh, shut up, Lita," Julie said, smacking her lightly. "You know the kid means no harm. You get that response from everyone." Turning to Oritel, she said, "You don't look like someone with magic, so I guess I'll have to explain to you. Get down here."<p>

Oritel wondered why he was a gentleman sometimes, but he obliged, hopping over the railing and making his way carefully down the side of the in-ground skateboarding tunnel.

"So," said Julie, once he was standing in front of them, "There's a giant misconception that fairies have the 'good' powers and witches have the 'bad' powers. This isn't true. Rather, there are three types of magical energy - positive, negative, and neutral. Fairies thrive off positive energy, while witches use negative energy, and wizards handle neutral energy. Because wizards are neutral, they don't have specific powers. However, fairies and witches do. Everything as a positive and negative side to it, and that's how witch and fairy powers arise. Witches get the negative, destructive aspect, while fairies get the positive, constructive aspect. So, for example, I'm the Fairy of Gems, so I embody the positive aspect of them. However, I'm not the only person who can use Gem power in the dimensions. Somewhere out there, there's another person who can, and she's a witch."

"I get it," Oritel said. "So, because athletics exists as some sort of power, it doesn't get defined as a witch or fairy power, but instead just goes to two people, or something like that."

"Something like that," Julie said with a nod. "I'm not the best at explaining things, so I probably just screwed you up."

"Dude, it's the afternoon of the first day back at school, and you're trying to give the kid a lecture," Lita complained. "Let's just teach him how to skateboard! Here, use Mel's board. She ran off somewhere for the time of being, but she won't mind."

"Mel, as in the daughter of Musa and Riven?" Oritel asked curiously as he took the board.

"Yeah, why?" Julie asked.

"Nothing," Oritel said. He wished people would stop identifying him by his parents, and he wondered if the other kids of the old Winx Club felt the same.

"Take this." Lita handed him a helmet, which she had conjured out of nowhere. Oritel put it on. "Now, put one foot on the board and start paddling around to get a feel for it."

Oritel spent the rest of his afternoon having Lita and Julie try to teach him how to skateboard. He found that he could listen to instructions, but just did not have the sense of balance required quite yet. "Give it time," Julie said. "Not all of us can be sports stars without trying."

"Yeah, I'm just lucky," Lita agreed.

"Who said I was talking about you?" Julie asked.

"Come on, you know you can't _not_ talk about my awesomeness," Lita said with a big grin. "It's starting to get late. Let's go track down Mel."

"What, are you being _responsible_ now?" Julie asked in joking disbelief.

"Nah," Lita said. "I'm just hungry."

Oritel smiled. He liked these girls. They had fun, laughed, did not care that they were sweaty from their afternoon skateboarding, and did not ask once who he was, even though they probably recognized him from the news as the prince of Eraklyon.

"So, kid, we'll see you around the park, now, practicing, right?" Julie asked as she took Mel's board.

"You bet," Oritel promised as the helmet disappeared off his head with a snap of Lita's fingers.

"Good," Lita said with a nod. "You've got some decent potential. I'm expecting you to use it, you hear me?"

"Will do," Oritel assured her. "Hey, thanks for everything today."

"No problem, kiddo," Julie said. "...Er, you _are_ younger than us, right?"

"First year, Red Fountain," Oritel said.

"Good," Julie said with relief. "I didn't think I'd seen you around, but I just had to be certain."

"Aw, come on, if it bothered the kid, he'd have told us by now, I think," Lita said. "I mean, he might have told us his name or something."

"I don't like my name," Oritel said. "It's weird and attracts me too much attention."

"I see," Lita said. "Well, that's fine. See ya 'round, kid."

**A Small Cafe in Magix**

Vita breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her cousin's familiar tan trench coat. He entered the cafe wearing his signature relaxed grin. Spotting her, he made his way over.

"Told you I'd be here, cuz," Chrono said. "I'm guessing that you want to discuss the unfortunate appearance of one of our least favorite relatives?"

Vita nodded. "That's one way to put it."

"We could always head out my way, you know," Chrono said. "It might be easier to speak with fewer euphemisms and other flowery language."

"But polite company prevents us from leaving an unwanted trail to your apparently secret lineage," Vita said.

Chrono sighed. "I was afraid you'd say something like that."

"Are you ready to order now?" a waiter asked.

"Coffee, please," Chrono said. "A dash of milk and hazelnut, but no sugar, please."

"I'll have the herbal tea of the day," Vita said. "One sugar but no cream, please."

"Alright, thank you." The waiter walked away.

Chrono turned back to Vita. "Why is it so important that our other cousin doesn't know who I am?"

"I don't want her harassing your mom or dad," Vita said. "They work so hard, and already have enough enemies as it is."

"It's the price for being successful in their fields, and they're willing to pay it," Chrono said. "Plus, they're both strong. They could take her."

"But she was able to get out of a closed dimension," Vita said.

"So were you, and so was Mom," Chrono pointed out.

"Your mother went out with your father's help, and I'm the Witch of the Mind. My power can control the dimension of the imagination," Vita said. "However, Nixy controls natural disasters. The only way she could get out is by brute force."

"She could have had outside help like my mom did," Chrono said. "Though, on second thought, that doesn't make me feel any better."

"You don't say," Vita said.

The waiter brought out the pair's drinks. After a word of thanks, the cousins sipped their drinks, in thought.

"So what do you suppose we should do?" Chrono asked. "Confront her head on? Expose her early?"

Vita shook her head. "Nixy is a sly little thing. She's much like your mother, in fact, though her heart is filled with wickedness. She grew up in the dimension of imagination like I did, so she'll know many tricks of the mind that could fool even the most powerful. She'll find some way to write any accusations off as a lie."

"So wait it out, then," Chrono said. "But that will just give her time to formulate a plan. Plus, if she got out with the backing of, say, the Ancestral Witches, she'll gain power from them."

"I know, but our options are so limited," Vita said as she looked out the window. "I don't know what to do."

"Alright, so maybe we don't tell any adults out here, but what if we told my mom and dad? Mom worked with the Ancestral Witches once; maybe she could give us some pointers. Plus, they _do_ deserve to know," Chrono said.

Vita sighed. "I don't know." She shook her head. "This is all so sudden. She pops up out of nowhere declaring that she's the new voice of the Ancestral Witches and has the nerve to ask me to join her. What else could she pull out?"

Chrono pursed his lips. "I don't know," he said. "I'll do some reading at my place, though. And Vita, I've made up my mind to tell my parents. They should know, whether you like it or not."

Vita nodded. "Alright."

"So, let's change the subject. What do you think of that cute little fairy girl we met last night and ditched?" Chrono asked.

"She seems so sweet and delicate," Vita said. "It would be a shame to see her break in the face of the impending battle."

"Impending battle?" Chrono asked.

"Nixy's never been one for subtlety," Vita said.

"Figures," Chrono said. "Well, we could take little Lily under our wing and teach her some strength and grit. Plus, it would be interesting to study side by side with a fairy. I wonder if she could learn witch and wizard techniques?"

Vita smiled slightly. "This isn't going to be one of your new projects, will it? Tracy told me how you were trying to make a time amulet with her over the summer."

"Hey, I did it, didn't I?" Chrono asked.

"I suppose you did," Vita said. "I can't believe your mother let you keep it."

"She knew I might need it," Chrono said.

"For catching a few minutes of extra sleep?" Vita asked with a laugh.

"For battle," Chrono said. "You know that I'm likely to follow in my father's footsteps, right?"

"Yes," Vita said. "And, of course, I'll have to follow along to keep you alive."

"What would I do without you?" Chrono asked with a grin. "I'll pay, okay? It's my duty as the older one."

**Alfea School for Fairies**

It was evening, and Miriam had summoned the rest of her dormmates into their lounge area. She eyed them as they sat themselves down. Lucinda looked as serene as ever, Melody was scowling (typical of her), Jasmine looked like she wanted to be somewhere else, and Lily sat politely. Miriam sighed internally, but killed the urge to do so visibly. After all, she had to set an example of how a true fairy should act. She stepped forward to speak.

"Now, I get the distinct impression that some of us don't like one another as much as we should," she said.

"Of course not," Melody said rudely. "Your attitude makes me want to hug a mountain troll."

"Case and point," Miriam said as she forced back a well-deserved comeback. "Anyhow, I decided that we ought to remedy that. Since Lucinda and I will be out on Enchantix missions soon, I thought that we should get to know each other a little better before we head out. So, tell me, what did you do at the Welcome Ball last night?"

"I stayed with Athena," Lucinda said. "Some other girls came by, but I mainly spent the night with her."

"You hung out with that little nerd?" Miriam asked, disappointed in Lucinda's choice of companions. "Did you dance at all?"

"Ophir asked me once," Lucinda said.

Miriam sighed. Lucinda really was hopeless. "Moving on. I'm afraid to ask, but what did _you_ do, Melody?"

Mel scowled even more fiercely at her. "I showed Lily and Jaz around before eating, hanging out with Lita and Julie, and rejecting every guy who asked me to dance."

Miriam frowned. She had heard of Lita and Julie's bad reputations, and was not surprised that someone like Melody kept their company. "As expected from someone like you," she said. "Jasmine?"

"I hung around Mel before dancing a little with your brother," Jasmine said. Her voice betrayed her rude disinterest, but Miriam kindly wrote that off as being the result of being raised as a commoner.

"At least you're choosing decent company," Miriam said. There were worse people that Jasmine could spend time with than her little brother. "And you, Lily?"

"Oh, I danced a little with Jaz, but then I went to draw. I met this really nice witch and her cousin, and we hung for a while before they went off together," Lily said. "Then I danced with Ryan, and we had a good night."

Miriam nodded. There might be hope for this little softspoken fairy after all. "Socializing with people outside of Alfea is a good idea. Connections are important."

"Thank you?" Lily asked.

Melody, of course, was the one to break the meeting. "Alright, this is stupid. I'm going to my room."

"Same," Jasmine said. Of course the riff-raff would stick together. "Come on, Lily."

Miriam watched as the three retreated into their rooms. She knew that Jasmine and Melody were lost causes, but Lily was not quite yet. If she spent more time with the proper people, there might be hope for her. Lucinda touched her arm. "Perhaps we should go rest?" she suggested.

At least the socially inept girl was considerate. "Of course." There were more pressing things on her mind than saving Lily from a life of social discord. She had her Enchantix to earn, a social network to keep healthy, and a life of ruling the great planet Eraklyon to prepare for.

* * *

><p><strong>My good friend rothfyae is on deviantart, and she's a really talented artist. She drew me Jasmine and Lily's first transformations, and maybe someday she'll draw the rest of the girls, and maybe even the guys! If you didn't feel like reading my descriptions of the transformations, go check out their actual appearance through rothfyae's gallery. She's pretty organized, so it shouldn't be too hard to find.<strong>

**Preview of Coming Attractions**

The first day has come and pass, with a little good excitement and nothing disastrousl. But this is only the calm before the storm. With the third-year fairies receiving their first Enchantix assignments, new groups of friends forming, Nixy planning her social network, and Vita and Chrono creating their own opposition, things are on their way to getting a little more eventful.


End file.

Winx Club, Fantasy, Friendship