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The sun bore down on the pristine walls and windows of Alfea College for Fairies. Fairies and professors walked down the halls. In the classrooms, young women honed their skills to become powerful fairies like their forebears. None of them seemed to pay attention to the protective barrier keeping them secluded from the rest of Magix. Down the halls, interwoven in the dorms and bathrooms, the dormitory of the Winx Club was quiet. It had been a rough few weeks. From Aisha’s blindness, to Sky’s betrayal, the girls have had no moment to rest. Today was a day to rest. Or it should have been. Within one of the rooms, a young woman eyed the golden letter in her hands. She sighed as she read the contents again, looking over the simple words written on the white paper. She sighed again.

“You’ve been sighing all day, Azure. What’s in the letter?” Aisha questioned from her spot on Azure’s floor.

Azure placed the letter down and turned to her friend, “It’s a letter from my parents. They want me to come home for the Festival of the Four.”

“Festival of the Four?” Musa asked, entering her room with Tecna and Flora.

Azure nodded, “Yep. It’s a festival that’s held every year to celebrate the four spirits of Windoria. Each year one of the royal heirs must perform the ceremonial air dance.”

“A festival and a dance!” Stella butted into the conversation, her face alight with joy and wonder, “That means beautiful clothes! What kind of clothes do you wear for the dance?”

“It’s not my turn this year to do the dance,” Azure laughed.

“It sounds wonderful, why are you so dejected?” Flora sat down on a small couch.

“The festival is wonderful but I don’t think this year will be doable. The situation in Windoria has gotten worse,” Azure explained.

“The situation in Windoria?” Bloom joined in, making their little group whole.

Techna decided to answer, “Currently, the Kingdom of Windoria is facing an economic crisis because their main source of revenue, the Skytwinkle, has mysteriously started to diminish. Skytwinkle is well known to have levitating and anti-gravity capabilities so it is used mostly in engineering and infrastructure.”

“Yes, we’ve managed to use the remaining resources we have to sustain ourselves so far but we’re down to our last mining outpost. After this…well we’re not sure how to proceed,” Azure finished.

There was a brief silence as the girls took in this information. Then, Bloom spoke up, “I think you should still go. This is something you celebrate every year and your parents want you there.”

Azure was a bit shocked by Bloom’s decision. Ever since the ball in Eraklyon, she had been moping about the dorms, heartbroken over Sky’s announcement.

“I agree. Besides, we all need a day away from Alfea,” Stella stated.

“Would Griselda even allow us to leave after we weakened the barrier?” Musa asked.

“She would since it’s a holiday that the royals must attend-“ Azure started.

Stella clapped her hands and grinned, “Great, let’s start getting packed right away. I’ll call the specialists.”

Before anyone could stop her, the blonde had left the room and bolted to her own to pick what was no doubt going to be a lot of clothes. Azure sighed and scribbled something down on a piece of parchment. She heard a tiny flapping of wings and looked up to see her pixie, Harmony, flitting to her. Harmony’s expression looked concerned as she looked over her bonded fairy.

“Are you okay? Do you want some chamomile tea?” Harmony suggested.

“Azure shook her head, “No, not this time.”

Encasing the letter in a golden envelope similar to the one she received, she blew on it and watched as the envelope transformed into a small white dove and flew out the window. Watching her reply go, she went to prepare for the trip along with the other six girls. She didn’t pack much, the festival was only for one day and then they would go back to Alfea. They couldn’t risk staying for more, not with Valtor out there. It took thirty minutes for the girls to pack their stuff and Azure to wrestle permission to leave from Griselda’s stoic demeanor. Walking through the courtyard of Alfea, the girls’ and pixies’ hair blew in the wind propelling across the courtyard as the Hawk landed. The giant red aircraft landed gracefully on the ground before the hanger door slowly lowered to reveal the Specialists.

“Somebody ordered a ride to Windoria?” Brandon said cheekily.

Stella walked up the ramp, pushing her boyfriend playfully, “Save it for the trip. We’ve got a festival to get to.”

He chuckled and followed his girl as the rest boarded the aircraft. Azure looked around and spotted her boyfriend at the controls, dutifully looking over the specs and information displayed on the holographic screen. She smiled and looked over his shoulder. Most of the information was not unknown to her. She was well versed in various devices and gadgets that dealt with aviation. While not required of a royal of Windoria, Azure enjoyed learning the mechanics of how it worked. Plus, like most things, this transportation device was powered via a Skytwinkle core.

“I’ve charted our route to Windoria and we should be arriving there in twenty minutes tops,” Jacob reported to her, not looking up from his work.

Azure frowned. Judging by the way his shoulders tensed and the rigid posture of his back, she could tell he was worried, “Nervous to meet my family?”

The man stopped and looked back at her, his brows furrowed, “Was it that obvious?”

Azure chuckled, “Don’t worry, they’ll adore you. Well…maybe my brother will be a bit hard on you.”

“He won’t ask me to duel for your honor or anything will he?”

Azure shook her head, “No, but he may challenge you to a racing competition.”

Before Jacob could respond, Riven butted in, “We should get going now, if you two lovebirds are done flirting.”

Azure simply shook her head and went to find a seat in one of the craft’s chairs. Settling down, she watched as they took off, phasing through the very fabric of space at a high speed. The ride there was so different then the previous times they had been on a journey. There was no tense atmosphere on what they’d find waiting for them, no lingering concerns about the Trix or Valtor. Just the unsettling anxiety in Azure’s stomach at returning to her kingdom and to see the failing state of it. But the idle chatter between her friends helped to distract her from that and soon she barely noticed the subtle change in the air as she entered Windoria’s exosphere. Listening to Chatta speak took all her attention, the little pixie was always so dramatic. Suddenly, there was a beep coming from the control panel. Azure looked up from her conversation with Aisha as Timmy opened a notification.

“I’m getting some strange readings. There’s a high level of toxicity in the air below and it’s incredible unstable,” he reported.

Azure stood up, “Ah, that. Don’t mind that, that’s normal.”

“This is normal?” Riven questioned incredulously.

“Yes, it is,” Tecna opened up her device and a holographic image of the planet of Windoria was showcased, “ Windoria’s troposphere is highly toxic due to an unstable collision of gases,” Tecna zoomed into the troposphere of the diagram, “In fact, it is so bad that they call it the Miasma Wastes.”

“How do the people survive here?” Amoure questioned.

Azure smiled, “You’ll see. Timmy, direct the ship towards the southwest.”

Intrigued by Azure’s directions, Timmy followed them. As they cruised through the dense clouds of the sky, each passenger watched as the clouds suddenly parted and revealed an astonishing sight. There, in front of them, was an entire landscape of islands floating in the sky. It stretched across the horizon, tall mountains reaching almost to the edge of the galaxy. Water flew down the sides of the islands, falling into the toxic below. Azure watched each of their faces, pride and wonder on her expression.

“Welcome to Windoria, the Kingdom of the Sky!”

“How is this possible?” Musa asked, watching as the aircraft passed some sort of barrier and the air pressure changed again, this time less oppressive.

“Windoria is able to maintain our floating islands through the use of Skytwinkle. Look, “Azure pointed to a giant cluster of crystal sticking out from the rocky underside, “Every island has naturally forming clusters of it that cause the islands to stay afloat.”

“Then, if the phenomenon of Skytwinkle disappearing continues…” Bloom trailed off as the question lingered in the air.

“Yes, the islands would most likely fall with it, forcing us to live amongst the Miasma Wastes again,” Azure responded sadly.

Stella gritted her teeth, “Let’s not dwell on those depressing matters! Look!”

She pointed to the streets she could see from outside the window. Even with it’s miniscule size due to the aircraft’s height, the Winxalists and pixies could see the colorful banners and streamers celebrating the holiday. As they grew closer to the center cluster of islands, they noticed a large castle sat within the expanse of a mountain. Azure pointed off to a tower nearby.

“Go towards there, we can land in those towers.”

Timmy followed her directions and as the aircraft approached the tower, something like a scanner overlooked the vessel before a circular opening appeared, allowing for them to board. Docking within the tower’s landing deck, the opening closed as lights filled the place. It looked like a standard landing dock, with workers going through the space, directing incoming and outgoing aircrafts. Exiting their own aircraft, they met face to face with a small posse of soldiers. Their golden and teal armor radiated within the light but what took the attention from everyone was the brass wings sprouting out of their limbs. Some were on the soldier’s feet, other’s their backs or hands. One of the soldiers stepped forward, a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair and a clean-shaved beard. He gave a sight bow to Azure.

“Your Highness, it is good to see you again. I am here to escort you and your friends to the palace,” the man stated.

Azure beamed, “Tal! You’ve come to pick me up.”

The man, Tal, regained his composure, a fond smile on his face, “Someone had to make sure you didn’t sneak off to the spire instead.”

Azure gave a cheeky grin and decided to introduce the man, “This is Tal. He’s the commander of the Winged Warriors, our royal guard. He’s been their commanding officer for seven years now so he’s pretty skilled.”

The man nodded to Azure’s friends, “Greetings to the princess’s companions. Please, allow me to escort you to the palace.”

Not having much else to say, the group followed the guard as they made their way down from the tower and into a fancy car. It looked a lot like the cars in Magix but it was longer and had golden filigree upon it. The inside was spacious and allowed for a lot of room even with the large size of them. Stella pressed her face to look outside the transparent windows as the car moved through the streets. All around, children, women, and men laughed, danced, and sang as they celebrated. A few people had interesting costumes, clothes of shades of orange, pink, green, and white flowing through the crowds. There was a large headdress with ribbons hanging off of it on some of the costumes.

“What are those costumes?” Stella asked.

“Those are to represent the Four Great Spirits of the Sky. Each color represents one of the four; orange is for the spirit of the south skies, pink is for the spirit of the eastern skies, green is for the spirit of the western skies, and white is for the spirit of the northern skies. During the dance, my brother will wear all four colors to represent the sky itself,” Azure explained.

She continued to explain more and more about her kingdom as they grew closer to the palace. Soon, the car stopped in front of the vast courtyard of the palace and they exited. Walking past the grand doorway and the tall hallways, they marveled at the interior and curtains decorating the inside. Even inside the palace, the festival was being celebrated as the servants were also dressed similar to the people outside. Soon, Tal stopped at two sets of intricately golden doors and nodded to Azure before opening them. Inside was the throne room of Windoria. The ceiling spiraled to the sky where a glass dome let light inside. At the front of the room were two thrones, one was tall and brass with embellishments etched into the frame. The other was not as tall and had a beautiful design for the back. Two figures were standing in front of the thrones, their attention on each other as they conversed. One was a beautiful woman with hazel hair held up in an intricate updo. Her white dress flowed around her figure like she was dressed in the clouds themselves and even from afar, one could see the resemblance to Azure. The other was a man with blonde hair that reached his shoulders. The light blue cape off his left shoulder flowed with every movement. Tal cleared his throat.

“Your Majesties, the princess has arrived.”

Both stopped talking and looked toward the group. Upon seeing their daughter’s face, their expressions relaxed and an easy smile appeared. The woman’s, Queen Aella, baby-blue eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“Azure, you’re here.”

Azure smiled, “Hello mother, father.”

Her father, King Octavian, simply smiled and beckoned to his daughter, “Are you not going to hug your parents after so long?”

Azure wanted to roll her eyes but she caved and hurried into her parent’s embrace. As both her parent’s engulfed her, she felt a small smidgen of her worry melt away. After a moment, the three parted and Azure looked around.

“Where’s Troy? At the training grounds?”

“We’ll get to that later. Please, introduce us to your friends,” Aella nodded to the group watching the display.

Azure turned to her friends,”These are my friends from Alfea. This is Bloom, Stella, Musa, Flora, Tecna, and Aisha.”

“Pleased to meet you, your highnesses,” Stella stated with practiced poise and she gave a slight bow. Aisha followed the gesture with the same decorum.

“Ah, the princess of Solaria and Andros. We are pleased to have you here in our kingdom,” Octavian returned their courtesy.

Azure gestured to the Specialist, “And these are the Specialists of Red Fountain; Brandon, Timmy, Helia, Riven, and Jacob.”

Each guy gave a curt nod and Aella looked over all of them, “Welcome all of you. We hope you all enjoy the festival and have a wonderful time in our kingdom.”

Azure bit her lip, “The festival…is it still going to happen?”

Her parents looked shocked at first before settling their faces. Octavian spoke up, “Though we face an unprecedented crisis, we must rally our people with something. This festival is to celebrate the life we were given by the four spirits and also our own perseverance till now. We must see it through.”

“As it is our duty as royalty,” Aella added.

Azure winced a bit at that but she sighed, “I see…then can you tell me where Troy is? Is he preparing for his dance?”

At this, the parents exchanged a look and Azure felt her heart hammering in her chest, “What? What is it?”

“Your brother has developed a…special interest in the current situation. He has been working with the scholars from the academy to figure out a way to reverse all of this,” Octavian explained carefully.

“Troy is? Why would he do that?” Azure asked.

“He felt it was better to see the results and hard work for himself. He is at the Crystal Mines as we speak, going over the latest findings.”

“And? What are the lastest results?”

The two fell quiet and Azure’s heart dropped more. Aella glanced at her husband who cleared his throat, “…it is not good. The scholars have determined that we have only a few more months before our resources deplete entirely. As such, we have made preparations to hasten your brother’s marriage to the princess of Nova Sil earlier so that we may account for the worse.”

Azure’s face fell as she took in the news, “I see…”

Her parent’s watched their daughter’s downtrodden expression with a mixture of pity and sorrow. Then, Aella spoke out, “Why don’t you and your friends go get ready for the ceremony? It won’t happen until later tonight but I’m sure Tal can escort you to any boutiques or shops you’d like to visit.”

At the mention of shopping, Stella’s eyes widened, “Yes, please!”

“No.” Azure stated.

Stella faltered and looked at Azure, “What?”

“No, I will not go to the shops. I’m going to go find Troy and help him,” Azure said.

“Help him? How do you intend to-!”

The rebuttal was cut off as a fierce shaking occurred. Azure yelped and looked around. All around her, she could see her friends trying to settle themselves as the very ground quaked and shivered, causing some ornaments and decor to fall and break. The guards shouted something and she could hear screaming from the streets outside the palace.

“What’s happening!” Aisha yelled.

“There seems to be some sort of seismic wave happening,” Tecna screamed, looking at her device, “The tectonic plates across the islands are colliding against each other!”

“English Tecna! Please!” Stella yelled.

“It’s an earthquake!” Musa shouted.

Panic overtook the people as the quaking continued, disrupting the festivities and halting any celebrations. After a moment, the shaking stopped and all was silent. Azure rose from the ground, looking over her friends to see if they were hurt. Seeing as they had not suffered any major injuries, she turned towards her parents.

“What was that? Windoria has never had earthquakes before.”

Octavian helped his wife up, “There weren't. But it seems the loss of Skytwinkle has made the islands unstable. They are prone to these occurrences every now and then.”

Azure looked at the palace. This situation was worse than she thought if earthquakes were happening. She suddenly gasped, “Troy! He’s in the mines! He could be hurt!”

She spun around to rush out but her father stopped her, “Azure! It is much too dangerous for you to go. I will have the Winged Warriors go and assure Troy’s safety!”

“No, I have to go! Who knows how deep he went into the mines and I’m the only one who has ventured that far into it,” Azure reasoned, yanking her arm out her father’s grasp.

“Against our better judgment! It is too risky!” Her father continued.

“Don’t worry, I’ve grown a lot while away. I can handle it,’ Azure tried to reassure him but his expression was not budging.

“You are still young Azure. We can’t let you go alone,” Aella pleaded.

“She won’t be alone,” Bloom said, “We’ll go with her.”

“We will?” Stella raised an eyebrow which resulted in a nudge from Flora.

The monarchs still did not seem okay with this until Tal spoke up, “I will personally escort the princess through the mines and keep her safe. It’s better to have someone go along with her instead of risking her sneaking away herself.”

Octavian looked into Tal’s eyes, seeing the determination and promise within them. He sighed, “Alright, bring my son and daughter back safely.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

With that, Azure wasted no time in bolting out the throne room and towards the aircraft. Boarding it, she barely registered the others following her as she put in coordinates into the system, “The Crystal Mines are in the eastern islands. The place is surrounded by storms and strong winds so we must be careful.”

“You leave the driving to me, just point me in the direction,” Riven stated, taking the helm.

Working in tandem, the two guided the aircraft past the skies overlooking the center islands towards the east. As they grew closer, the sky darkened and the clouds grew denser. Lightning flashed through the air, illuminating the tense expression on Azure’s face. As they grew closer to the islands, Azure could spot the rocky over cliff. The eastern islands were nearly barren of flora and life, the storms having ravaged the earth of any living being, All that was left was tall, bony trees and rock formations. She pointed to a clearing of land that was next to an opening in the side of a cliff. A mine cart track was leading deeper into the cavern with tools and excavated crystals laying about. Aisha looked around.

“Looks like the mining crew hasn’t been up here for a while…”

Jacob pointed to some faint footsteps, “Someone passed through here earlier, they may be close by.”

“We should stick close. The mines are full of tunnels and pathways,” Tal warned.

“According to my calculations, this mine goes about 4,000 meters deep,” Tecna assessed.

“We’ve never been able to get that far down but still, I wouldn’t want to take my chances.”

The group agreed to stay close as they transversed into the mines. The light greatly dimmed causing Stella to have to use a light spell to help them navigate the tunnels. Leading the group, Azure tried her best to remember the safe paths through there.

“Do you think your brother went deeper in?” Flora asked.

“My brother is nothing if not ambitious bordering on reckless. If it meant finding a solution, he’d try to get to the very center of the planet if he could,” Azure grunted out.

“Do these tunnels have any creatures in them?” Stella asked, remembering the monsters they encountered back on Darkar’s Fortress.

“No, I don’t believe so. These caves have been inhabitable for many life forms due to the location,” Tal stated, keeping pace with his princess.

Stella sighed at that, a weight off her shoulder. The group went deeper and deeper. Somewhere within the distance, a soft glow emerged. Bloom tilted her head.

“What’s that?”

As they got closer, the glow grew more and more, drowning out Stella’s spell and lighting up the area. Finally, they reached a large expanse of rock and sleet. In between the rock walls were crystal clusters that resembled the ones on the island underside except they were smaller. And these crystals were different. They didn't glow as brightly as the others, emanating a weak glow that dimmed ever so often.

“Are these all Skytwinkle?” Brandon asked, looking around the cavern.

“They are but as you can see, they’re wrong. Different,” Azure stated, kneeling down to examine one.

Flora put her hand to one of the crystals, “They look sick, like something is hurting them.

“By my analysis, it looks like something is,” Tecna held up her device to the crystal, “There's some sort of disturbance in the chemical bonds of the crystals, making them unable to fully form.”

“Our scholars believe something altered the atomic makeup of the Skytwinkle but they have no idea what. I assume my brother was helping them investigate that,” Azure stood up, dusting off her skirt.

She noticed Harmony levitating next to a crystal, her green gaze down, “There’s something about these crystals. They almost feel…malevolent.”

Flora furrowed her brows, “What do you mean?”

Harmony fluttered towards her, “I mean, crystals are able to transcribe a person’s emotions and feelings into themselves. These crystals are not like the ones I use. They seem full of something…like resentment or anger.”

“What do you mean by-“ Azure started.

When she went to move, there was a loud bang followed by something that sounded like rocks colliding. The group exchanged glances.

“Did you hear that?” Aisha questioned.

“Let’s go!’ Riven ordered, rushing towards the sound.

The others followed, the Specialist pulling out their weapons as the Winx and pixies rushed behind them. They went past more Skytwinkle, noticing that the deeper they go, the less they appear. They twisted around the walls and jumped over uneven surfaces. Finally, they could clearly hear someone speaking close by. Turning another corner, they stopped as they finally found their target. There, within a smaller enclave, was a group of people. Men and women in teal robes and carrying unrecognizable devices were chatting amongst themselves. Around the space were various tables, equipment, and other devices. Judging from the structure, some devices were meant to extract the crystals while others examined and tested it. In the center of the room were three figures. One was a young man with blonde hair brushed away from his face. His deep cerulean eyes were rapt on the scholar’s explanation. Next to him was another man, this one around her father’s age. His red hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, showcasing his sharp features and the scar tracing his left cheek. He was dressed in the same armor as the Winged Warriors but with a slight variation. When Azure spotted the men, she gasped.

“Troy!”

The blonde man turned and his face fell at the sight of his younger sister, “Azzy?”

Azure rushed forward and leapt into her brother’s arms. Her brother stabilized them both, his face still bewildered as he returned his sister’s hug.

“Do you know how worried I was! When that earthquake happened I feared the worst!” Azure reprimanded him. She pulled away and glanced over her brother, “ What were you thinking? Why are you so deep in the mines? You could have gotten trapped here or worse! Does that brain of yours actually work!”

Troy seemed to recover from the initial shock because he let out a laugh at his sister’s reprimands, “Yep, that’s definitely Azzy. What are you doing here?”

“I came for the festival.”

“No, I meant down here.”

Azure rolled her eyes, “Clearly, I’m here to make sure you haven’t found yourself stuck in a cavern with no way out. Apparently, my worries were unfounded.”

Troy ruffled his sister’s hair, “Ah, Azzy I’m perfectly fine. You shouldn’t have come all this way.”

Azure batted her brother’s hand away, “Well I did! Now tell me why you’re down here.”

“In a moment,” He looked behind his sister at her gaggle of friends, “Who are the people with you?”

“My friends from Alfea,” Azure went to introduce everyone again, making sure to not mention anything about Jacob to her brother. He didn’t need to know, not yet anyway. When everyone was acquainted, Troy nodded.

“I see. I imagine Tal is here to babysit you,” Troy smirked at Azure’s glare, “Well, since you’re here, no use in complaining. But first, let me introduce someone,” He gestured to the red-head next to him, “This is Xylan, my personal guard. He’s been helping me with this whole expedition for a while now.”

Xylan did not say anything, simply gave a polite smile. Azure raised an eyebrow, “A personal guard? Have you gotten soft, brother? Not spending enough time at the training grounds?”

Troy chuckled, “Hardly. But this is a whole different matter entirely. I needed the extra protection.”

“Really? How so?” Aisha asked.

“Well for one thing, we’ve made great progress with our research. In fact, I think we know what has caused the Skytwinkle’s disappearance.”

Azure’s heart beat in her chest as she gasped. Could that be true? Did he really know what caused all of this? “What do you mean?”

Troy nodded to the researcher he was talking to, a lanky man with wide glasses and messy hair, “Alem was just briefing me on their findings.”

Alem pushed his glasses up before clearing his throat and looking at the clipboard in front of him, “Yes. My team and I have done extensive research on the remaining Skytwinkle. There wasn’t much of a reaction nor results for the first couple of tests. But we have had a reaction recently that shed some light on things. Firstly, the previous hypothesis of the crystal’s atomic makeup being altered has proven to be true. Strictly speaking, the crystals have encountered something that has caused their chemical bonds to no longer function properly ensuring they do not grow.”

“Ugh, more science talk,” Stella groaned, “What does this all mean exactly?”

Alem frowned but continued on, “Basically, the crystal’s have been poisoned.”

The group paused, trying to dissect that information. Helia spoke up, “Poisoned? Is it even possible for such a thing to occur?”

“While it is possible for crystals to be toxic due to the elements within them, it is usually towards any being that is in contact with it, not the crystal itself. This type of poison does no harm other beings but targets the crystal instead.”

Azure blinked, “…Okay…is there anything else?”

Alem shared a glance with Troy who solemnly nodded back, as if to get his approval. Alem swallowed deeply and continued, “Secondly….there were traces of something in the poison that was recognizable. Very small traces but they were there nonetheless. The substances we discovered were very similar to the miasma found in Windoria's troposphere.”

“That’s impossible,” Azure insisted, “The islands were created to stay away from the miasma. There should be no trace of it anywhere.”

“Exactly. Whatever is causing this poison has somehow been able to distill the toxic gasses found below to infect and sicken Skytwinkle. It’s a phenomena I can not wrap my head over,” Alem explained.

Azure clenched her fists near her chest, her eyes wide, “Then…then how do we fix this? We have never found a way to get rid of the miasma so…”

Alem looked at his shoes, “We are still looking for a cure to heal the Skytwinkle.”

It was over. A poison created with the very thing the Skytwinkle was made to resist. It was Windoria’s greatest weakness. She couldn’t stay here. Without listening to her friend’s outbursts, she ran out the cavern, blindly stumbling through the tears and sorrow crashing in her heart. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she was running away. Again. She finally stopped not that far from the cavern and wiped her wet cheeks. It’s over. Her kingdom was going to fall and there was nothing she could do. Azure felt the tears welling again. Suddenly, she felt hands on her shoulders and looked up to see her brother. He had followed her out.

“Hey…don’t look so down. We’re going to find a cure and we’re going to fix this. I promise you.”

She gave him a weak smile and grasped his hand, “I know you will try…but for now, we should focus on what we can do. Father told me about how they’re rushing your marriage with Cymbeline.”

Troy’s smile flattened into a line and he let go of her shoulders “That isn’t your concern Azzy.”

“It should be. Your marriage can help our people and I think you should focus on that for now. Instead of being here in these mines looking for a cure that doesn’t exist.”

“We can’t depend on Nova Sil’s graciousness for long. Even a marriage alliance will not be able to handle the downfall of our economy and our kingdom.”

“Do you not trust in Cymbeline? That she will carry her part of the alliance? Father has worked hard to secure a reliable source of income from them, don't you believe in that?”

Troy wrestled his hands through his hair, “I think father made the decision he thought was best for the kingdom. And I admire him for that. But to give up like that…isn’t what I want.”

Azure looked into her brother’s eyes, “Troy, this isn’t giving up this is salvaging what we can. We must do what we have to do to ensure the kingdom and our citizens are safe. It’s our mission. It’s our duty as royals!”

Troy looked at his sister, a pained expression on his face, “You sound like mother and father, doing what’s right for the kingdom even if it meant abandoning their freedom. I thought you wanted more? Isn’t that why you went to Alfea?”

Azure paused and bit her lip, “I do but…Troy…I can’t pretend any longer. Windoria is doomed if we keep looking for something that’s not there. We have to do what we can.”

A silence. Troy looked anywhere but his sister and Azure felt saddened at the defeated look on her brother’s face. She wanted to say something but the words never left her mouth before someone else spoke.

“We must do what we can. Indeed, we must.”

Both Troy and Azure looked towards their right and saw a familiar figure exit the shadows, an indifferent expression on his face.

“Xylan? Did you come to check on us?” Troy asked.

Xylan regarded the prince coolly, “The Windorian royalty has always prided themselves in doing what they can for the citizens. Even if it meant reaching out for help and showing our weakness.”

Azure looked at Troy, who had an unsettled expression on his face. Troy’s voice grew deeper, restrained indignation held within it, “Be careful of the words you speak. They sound awfully close to discontent with the royal family.”

But Xylan did not seem apologetic. In fact, his expression stayed the same as before, “I had hoped the heir apparent would be more ambitious than his father. But instead, you waste your time chasing fantasies and miracles. Such a shame.”

“Xylan! Hold your tongue!” Troy roared, his fists clenched.

“And to think it was going so well. I just needed a little more time. The Skytwinkle was almost completely wiped from Windoria.”

Azure felt odd when looking at Xylan. Like he wasn’t real, “You…who are you?”

It was then that Xylan smiled. A wide, deranged smile that covered his entire face, “Me? My name is Xylan,” he paused, “I am a simple man. A man with numerous successes and achievements. A leader. A king.”

“A king…” Azure looked at Xylan’s eyes and something Harmony said before clicked, “…you did this. You poisoned the Skytwinkle.”

Xylan chuckled, “Yes, yes dear princess, I did.”

Troy faltered and pushed Azure behind him, “Why…why would you do this?”

Xylan sighed, “…I had high hopes for your father. He was smart and cunning. I’d hope he’d bring Windoria to glory and utilize our strength to build us to be the strongest kingdom in Magix. Instead he was like his father before him. Gutless. Always trying to appease the citizens and risking his pride for it. A leader needs to be decisive and rule with an iron fist. Your father lacked that determination. So I did what I had to. I managed to find a way to weaken this kingdom from the inside out. What better way than to use their greatest pride against them. And then, when everything fell to pieces and everyone noticed how inadequate the ruling monarchs were, I would step in with the cure and become the new king.”

“That’s not a king, that’s a tyrant!” Azure screamed.

“To each their own. But then you interfered with my plans, little prince. I did not count on you getting so close to the truth,” Xylan pulled out his sword, “No matter, I will fix this error.”

Before Azure could do anything, she watched as Xylan charged at her brother. Luckily, Troy was quick. He whipped out his own sword, blocking Xylan from injuring him. As the two men met in battle, Azure looked at where she came from. Making a beeline back to the others, she hadn’t gone more than ten steps before she was blocked by a figure from the shadows. This person was cloaked in all black with their face obscured. Raising their hands, they let out a bolt of magic that hit Azure square in the chest, pushing her back.

“Azzy!” Troy cried.

“Now, now princess, I can’t have you leaving yet. Besides, your friends are probably occupied.”

Inside the cavern, the rest of the Winxalist were shocked as more shadow figures emerged and started attacking.

“Who are these guys? Why are they attacking us?” Stella called as she dodged an attack.

“I don’t know but protect the scholars!” Aisha yelled.

“Wait, we need to find Azure and Troy. They could be in danger,” Flora said.

The pixies fluttered away, desperately trying to not get hit. Tune looked around, “What if they’re attacked as well?”

Bloom got out of the way of an incoming bolt and looked at the girls, “Girls, it’s time to transform.”

The girls nodded and struck their signature pose.

“Magic Winx!” Bloom, Musa, Tecna, and Flora shouted.

“Enchantix!” Aisha and Stella shouted.

A bright flash of light surrounded the girls as they began to transform into their fairy forms. When the light ceded, Aisha immediately raised her hands, “Morphix Shield!”

A bright, pink fluid emerged, shielding the girls from an incoming attack. In response, Stella sent an attack of her own, blasting the assailant into the other side of the wall.

“We need to get rid of these guys quickly and find Azure,” Jacob stated, using his daggers to slash at a figure.

Azure stood up, her gaze on the shadowy figure. Raising her hands, she stroked a pose and yelled out, “Magic Winx!”

Like the rest, a bright light surrounded her and she transformed into her yellow dress. Flying up, she eyed her attacker and raised her right hand, “Wind Blade!”

In her hand, the wind spun around her fingers and came together to create a boomerang. Throwing the boomerang, she watched as it ricocheted off the cavern walls and hit her attacker in the back of the neck, effectively knocking them out. Fluttering down towards the ground, she looked for her brother and Xylan. Finding them near the other side of the cavern, she hurried over. Troy blocked another attack from Xylan, his teeth clenched.

“What exactly is your goal? Even if you have a cure, the people will never accept you as their ruler,” Troy said.

Xylan laughed, “Oh but they will. They will have to once I show them the symbol of my rule.”

Troy furrowed his brows, allowing Xylan the chance to push him back. Stabilizing himself, his face flickered with recognition, “The Staff of Four Winds!”

“Exactly, once they see me wielding that staff, they will have no choice but to accept me as their king.”

“You will never get your hands on the staff!”

Troy charged after him, his blade making a clang sound as it hit Xylan’s. They continued their dance, each one matching the other. Xylan raised his sword to swipe at Troy’s arm but he dodged to the right as a rush of air went past him. Looking back, he saw Azure fly to her brother’s side, a ball of air hovering in her hands. Azure placed her back on her brother’s.

“Azure! Get out of here! You need to warn father that he’s aiming for the Staff of Four Winds!” Troy commanded her.

“I am not leaving you here to fight him alone!” Azure yelled back.

Xylan clicked his tongue, “How sweet, but I don’t have time to play with you two.”

Xylan raised his hand and neither were quick enough to block the bolt of lightning that appeared and singed their arms. Separating from each other, Azure fell to the ground in pain, clutching her arm. She squinted, trying to spot Xylan. Seeing him approach her brother, she noticed Troy was dangerously close to a sharp edge that led deeper into the mines. Her eyes widened. Xylan stepped closer until he was right in front of Troy. Troy, who was struggling to get up as pain racked his body, glared at him with one eye open.

“I truly do regret having to do this. You would have been a great prodigy,” Xylan stated.

Azure watched with fearful eyes as he raised his arm and a dark essence surrounded him. The same essence surrounding the crystals. The miasma. How was he wielding it? But she didn’t have time to think. Quickly, she got to her feet, bolting towards Troy.

“No!”

Xylan brought down his arm, the miasma surging forward towards Troy. Troy did not react, watching as the menacing force crept closer and closer to him. Just when he thought it was going to hit him, his eyes widened as someone stepped in front of him. Azure yelled as the miasma hit her in her heart, a deep pain settling into her. Purple veins coated her skin and she felt dizzy.

“Azzy!”

She could vaguely hear her brother’s voice but the pain and dizziness was too much. She stumbled back, her steps uneasy and wobbling. Looking up, she noticed Troy desperately trying to stand up, his eyes wide and fearful. Azzy reached out to him but her strength failed. Her knees buckled and she fell back. Back over the cliff. Troy watched as his sister tilted into the rift. His knees finally worked and he scrambled to reach her, his arms outstretched.

“Azzy! Azzy!”

But it was too late. She plummeted into the rift, disappearing into the darkness. Troy watched her disappear, distraught. Tears ran down his cheek as he sat stunned. Vaguely, he could hear Xylan saying something.

“Well, I didn’t expect to get the younger one but it works out.”

Troy spun around swiftly, his face marred with rage and grief. But he felt a buzz go through his body before he slumped forward, unconscious. Xylan looked at the prince then back at the cavern. More shadow figures appeared behind him and he nodded to Troy.

“Take him with us. I’m sure the king would love to see his son.”

The figures did as they were told and Xylan gave the cave one last look before he walked to leave the mines. Walking back into the cavern, he was the Winx and Specialist still fighting against his people. Spotting him, Tal furrowed his brows seeing the unconscious Troy and the figures at his side.

“What’s going on? Where is Princess Azure?”

The rest seemed to look back too, Riven knocking out the last guy. Jacob’s eyes searched around him.

“Why is Troy like that? Where is Azure!” He demanded.

Xylan pursed his lips, “I’m afraid the princess will not be coming back. She decided to sacrifice herself for her brother.”

At those words, the Winxalists stopped. None of them knew what to say, refusing to believe what he said. Finally, Flora got her words to sound out.

“You…what did you do to Azure?”

“I did nothing. She’s probably at the bottom of the mines by now.”

The next few seconds went by quickly. Jacob roared as he charged Xylan. He didn’t get far before two figures grabbed him by the arms and restrained him. Flora felt faint and leaned against Aisha who was glaring at Xylan. Riven wanted to charge to help Jacob but Brandon stopped him, his hard gaze on Xylan. Tal kept his gaze on Xylan, a silent fury emanating from his every pore. Nobody moved.

“I suggest you leave this place before it’s too late. The crystals won’t last for much longer,” Xylan suggested, walking away from them.

They could do nothing as they watched him leave with Troy. When they were gone, the figures holding Jacob disappeared, almost as if they weren’t there to begin with. He scrambled on the floor, his gaze looking at nothing but rock. Musa looked at where he came from.

“He has to be joking. Azure can’t be gone,” Musa reasoned.

She looked at the others who couldn’t say anything back. Making a move to go investigate, she noticed Harmony. The small pixie looked devastated, her eyes red with tears as Chatta and Tune tried to comfort her. Just the look of her told Musa all she needed to know. She felt devastated and tears fell as she slid to the ground. All around her, the Winx shed tears at the loss of their friend while their boyfriends tried to comfort them any way they could. Amidst the tears and sniffles, Bloom looked at the cavern. Most of the scholars had escaped but they left their equipment behind. Bloom went to a sample of the crystal and took it into her hand. It was warm and glowed faintly, desperately trying to hold on despite it’s predicament. Bloom closed her fingers over the crystal.

“We have to go after him,” she stated firmly. Turning back to the confused expressions of the others, she repeated it, “We have to stop him. Whatever he’s planning, we can’t let him get away with it, For Azure’s sake.”

There was a beat before Aisha nodded, “She’s right, we need to stop him.”

Tal closed his eyes and let out a breath, “…I have failed my rulers but I will not fail my kingdom,” he grabbed his spear, “We will go to the palace.”

One by one, they pulled themselves together. Helia laid a hand on Jacob’s shoulder whose eyes were burning. He stood up and glared at the way Xylan went. Feeling like they were settled, the Winxalists left the mines, following Xylan’s trail. Deep within the mines, Azure continued to fall. Her body felt light as she plummeted down and down and down. Her brown hair whipped across her face in the fierce wind on her back. Her closed eyes could see nothing, not even the winds curling around her as if to cradle her. Four different winds wrapped around her body. Pink, orange, green, and white. They covered her like a blanket and stopped her from falling further. A bright light emerged from Azure as a single golden butterfly fluttered in the air. It landed in the center of her torso, near her stomach before a blinding flash of light engulfed the entire area. From the light, multiple golden butterflies covered Azure’s body before revealing a yellow dress. Crawling down, the butterflies covered Azure’s legs, bestowing upon her intricate sandals of gold and jewels. Lifting up her right hand, a butterfly landed on her palm before pink gloves snaked up to her elbow followed by her left palm. Four butterflies flitted through her hair, causing the strands to curl and twist before stopping at the crown of her head and transforming into pearl beads. As a finisher, the butterflies landed on her back, granting her a pair of beautiful, elaborate wings. Azure’s eyes opened as a new power surged through her. Flying up and out of the ravine, she didn’t even bother to check her surroundings, going straight for the exit of the mines. Her destination was easy to spot, the palace. Flying over the kingdom, she noticed there was no panic or riots. But that didn’t matter. She made her way through an open window of the palace and went to the place she knew Xylan would be. The Altar of the Heavens, the place where the staff was kept. Zooming past the hallways, she could hear raised voices.

“What have you done to my son!” Octavian roared.

There was the sound of metal clanging and then an audible thud as something heavy was pushed into something. Azure flew harder until she finally reached the altar. Zooming past the doors, she looked at the scene before her. There were her friends fighting against multiple people. Her father was leaning against a marble pillar, her mother tending to him. And at the center of it, on the raised platform that housed the staff, was Xylan. His hands were gripping the staff with pride in his eyes. Standing in front of him, his sword raised, was her brother. When Azure entered the room, Xylan looked up and his face fell.

“Azure?” Tecna whispered.

Immediately, everyone looked at her. Upon seeing her transformation, the Winx’s eyes grew big.

“You got your Enchantix!” Stella exclaimed.

Azure met the eyes of Jacob who immediately dispatched his attacker and walked toward her. Lowering herself, she felt his arms encircle her as he brought her close.

“You’re here,” he stated, his voice barely a whisper.

Azure returned his hug, basking in his warmth, “I am.”

Jacob let go of her and eyed her fiercely, “Don’t scare me like that again.”

Azure smiled, “I won’t. I promise.”

She then turned her attention to her brother who stared at her with multiple feelings in his eyes. He opened his mouth. She raised her hand, “Please save your lectures for after we defeat this guy.”

Troy gave a wry smile, “I’ll allow it for now but you’re in so much trouble when this is over.”

Azure smiled and fluttered to stand next to him, both eyeing down Xylan. The man seemed amused at all this.

“What a surprise, princess but you’re too late. The staff is mine and so is Windoria! Today marks the day of a new ruler!”

Azure gritted her teeth, “Perhaps you don’t understand. You’re not taking the staff anywhere.”

“You want to challenge me? I have the power of the entire sky in my hands. You are nothing but a fairy,” he leveled the staff towards her, “Perhaps you would like to experience that again.”

He smirked at her and Azure watched the tip of the staff glow a brilliant blue. But she didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Xylan pointed the staff at her and waited for the magic to happen. But nothing did. The staff glowed before dimming out, leaving it dormant. Xylan looked at the staff.

“What? What’s happening? What is it doing?”

Azure flew towards Xylan, “ By right, the Staff of the Four Winds can only be wielded by those recognized by the Four Spirits themselves,” she hovered in front of him, “And you are not it.”

She raised her hand and everyone watched as strong winds encircled Xylan, trapping him. Azure pulled her hand back and the staff was lifted up but the winds and flung through the air. Troy raised his arm, perfectly catching it without so much as a struggle. Seeing his power in Troy’s hands, Xylan watched Azure with a hint of fear. Azure clapped her hands together causing the air cage to condense into a circular shape. Xylan looked around him.

“No, no, you can’t do this! I am the rightful ruler of Windoria! I am the leader of the people! You can’t do this!” He yelled.

But Azure did not give him a response. Instead, she steepled her fingers together and Xylan suddenly stopped speaking. He wobbled before collapsing onto the ground, effectively rendered unconscious by whatever spell Azure used. Hovering down, Azure took her gaze off of the man and looked around her. She caught the eyes of her father who, although stunned and injured, barked out orders.

“Guards! Detain this man immediately! Do not let him out of your sight at all costs!”

The Winged Warriors and Tal did as they were told, restraining Xylan and pulling him out of the room. Azure watched them go before she felt different pairs of arms encircling her. Blinking at the sudden group hug, she looked at the rest of the Winx.

“Azzy, you had us worried!” Stella whined.

“We thought you were gone!” Musa stated.

Azure smiled, “I’m sorry. But I’m here now.”

“You owe us cookies for the next two weeks for this,” Bloom joked which caused everyone to laugh.

Getting away from the group she faced her brother who still grasped the staff. In his hands, the staff glowed bright and brilliant, illuminating the room. The two grinned at each other before feeling their parents engulf them in a family hug.

“You two are in so much trouble when this is all over,” Octavian said.

“And neither of you are going to the mines ever again,” Aella added.

Azure and Troy could only allow their parents to chastise them but the grin on their faces never wavered. When all the sentimentals were done, Azure and Troy explained everything to their parents. Through a lot of shouts and explanations, they finally were able to figure out the issue.

“So Xylan was using the miasma to poison the crystals,” Octavian rubbed his knuckles, “But he said he had a cure.Perhaps there is hope to fix this.”

“Whatever cure he had, I doubt he’ll give it to us,” Troy stated.

“So we are must find another solution,” Aella commented.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about that,” they looked at her and Azure nodded, “I want to try something.”

She looked around, finding the shard of Skytwinkle Bloom had taken. Taking it in hand, Azure reached out for the bottle hanging on her neck. The clouds parted from the base of the bottle. The golden ring behind it spun around and around before disappearing too and the bottle popped open. Azure proceeded to draw a spiral wind pattern, sprinkling the crystal with fairy dust. As her family and friends watched, they noticed the crystal seemed to be getting brighter and bigger. The blue sheen started to return and a brilliant luster ensued. When Azure was done, she beamed at the result.

“What happened? How did you do that?” Troy pondered.

“Nothing a little fairy dust can’t handle,” Azure responded, “With this, I know there is a way to cure the Skytwinkle. I would like to work with the scholars to find a way to distribute and cure all the affected crystals so we can start our trade back up. We can save Windoria. I can save our kingdom.”

Octavian laid his hand on his daughter's shoulder, his eyes sparkling with pride, “Azure…you really have grown while you were away. We’re proud of you.”

“Thank you father.”

Octavian nodded and regarded the remaining people, “Today was a difficult day but it is still the Festival of the Four. I think it is time we celebrate because we have something new to celebrate today! The revival of our kingdom!”

Cheers and applause went through the room. Azure joined in on the merriment. Before long, the festival was underway. People danced and sang. She joined the rest of the Winx in a giant dance circle as music played before sharing a dance with Jacob. She laughed at the joy permeating the air. As she watched her brother perform the ceremonial dance, she knew that Windoria’s future was going to be a bright one.

Happens after Sky’s betrayed of the teams, episode “The Disloyal Adversary.” After this, Azure works with the scholars to help heal the Skytwinkle, effectively causing the revival of their economy little by little. As for Xylan, he was banished but not before the Winx figured out his ability to manipulate the miasma was given to him by Valtor.

Azure belongs to me
Bases by Cristalinawinx (www.deviantart.com/cristalinaw… ) and Breeze-nightwalker (www.deviantart.com/breeze-nigh… )
Backgrounds by me

Description
The sun bore down on the pristine walls and windows of Alfea College for Fairies. Fairies and professors walked down the halls. In the classrooms, young women honed their skills to become powerful fairies like their forebears. None of them seemed to pay attention to the protective barrier keeping them secluded from the rest of Magix. Down the halls, interwoven in the dorms and bathrooms, the dormitory of the Winx Club was quiet. It had been a rough few weeks. From Aisha’s blindness, to Sky’s betrayal, the girls have had no moment to rest. Today was a day to rest. Or it should have been. Within one of the rooms, a young woman eyed the golden letter in her hands. She sighed as she read the contents again, looking over the simple words written on the white paper. She sighed again.

“You’ve been sighing all day, Azure. What’s in the letter?” Aisha questioned from her spot on Azure’s floor.

Azure placed the letter down and turned to her friend, “It’s a letter from my parents. They want me to come home for the Festival of the Four.”

“Festival of the Four?” Musa asked, entering her room with Tecna and Flora.

Azure nodded, “Yep. It’s a festival that’s held every year to celebrate the four spirits of Windoria. Each year one of the royal heirs must perform the ceremonial air dance.”

“A festival and a dance!” Stella butted into the conversation, her face alight with joy and wonder, “That means beautiful clothes! What kind of clothes do you wear for the dance?”

“It’s not my turn this year to do the dance,” Azure laughed.

“It sounds wonderful, why are you so dejected?” Flora sat down on a small couch.

“The festival is wonderful but I don’t think this year will be doable. The situation in Windoria has gotten worse,” Azure explained.

“The situation in Windoria?” Bloom joined in, making their little group whole.

Techna decided to answer, “Currently, the Kingdom of Windoria is facing an economic crisis because their main source of revenue, the Skytwinkle, has mysteriously started to diminish. Skytwinkle is well known to have levitating and anti-gravity capabilities so it is used mostly in engineering and infrastructure.”

“Yes, we’ve managed to use the remaining resources we have to sustain ourselves so far but we’re down to our last mining outpost. After this…well we’re not sure how to proceed,” Azure finished.

There was a brief silence as the girls took in this information. Then, Bloom spoke up, “I think you should still go. This is something you celebrate every year and your parents want you there.”

Azure was a bit shocked by Bloom’s decision. Ever since the ball in Eraklyon, she had been moping about the dorms, heartbroken over Sky’s announcement.

“I agree. Besides, we all need a day away from Alfea,” Stella stated.

“Would Griselda even allow us to leave after we weakened the barrier?” Musa asked.

“She would since it’s a holiday that the royals must attend-“ Azure started.

Stella clapped her hands and grinned, “Great, let’s start getting packed right away. I’ll call the specialists.”

Before anyone could stop her, the blonde had left the room and bolted to her own to pick what was no doubt going to be a lot of clothes. Azure sighed and scribbled something down on a piece of parchment. She heard a tiny flapping of wings and looked up to see her pixie, Harmony, flitting to her. Harmony’s expression looked concerned as she looked over her bonded fairy.

“Are you okay? Do you want some chamomile tea?” Harmony suggested.

“Azure shook her head, “No, not this time.”

Encasing the letter in a golden envelope similar to the one she received, she blew on it and watched as the envelope transformed into a small white dove and flew out the window. Watching her reply go, she went to prepare for the trip along with the other six girls. She didn’t pack much, the festival was only for one day and then they would go back to Alfea. They couldn’t risk staying for more, not with Valtor out there. It took thirty minutes for the girls to pack their stuff and Azure to wrestle permission to leave from Griselda’s stoic demeanor. Walking through the courtyard of Alfea, the girls’ and pixies’ hair blew in the wind propelling across the courtyard as the Hawk landed. The giant red aircraft landed gracefully on the ground before the hanger door slowly lowered to reveal the Specialists.

“Somebody ordered a ride to Windoria?” Brandon said cheekily.

Stella walked up the ramp, pushing her boyfriend playfully, “Save it for the trip. We’ve got a festival to get to.”

He chuckled and followed his girl as the rest boarded the aircraft. Azure looked around and spotted her boyfriend at the controls, dutifully looking over the specs and information displayed on the holographic screen. She smiled and looked over his shoulder. Most of the information was not unknown to her. She was well versed in various devices and gadgets that dealt with aviation. While not required of a royal of Windoria, Azure enjoyed learning the mechanics of how it worked. Plus, like most things, this transportation device was powered via a Skytwinkle core.

“I’ve charted our route to Windoria and we should be arriving there in twenty minutes tops,” Jacob reported to her, not looking up from his work.

Azure frowned. Judging by the way his shoulders tensed and the rigid posture of his back, she could tell he was worried, “Nervous to meet my family?”

The man stopped and looked back at her, his brows furrowed, “Was it that obvious?”

Azure chuckled, “Don’t worry, they’ll adore you. Well…maybe my brother will be a bit hard on you.”

“He won’t ask me to duel for your honor or anything will he?”

Azure shook her head, “No, but he may challenge you to a racing competition.”

Before Jacob could respond, Riven butted in, “We should get going now, if you two lovebirds are done flirting.”

Azure simply shook her head and went to find a seat in one of the craft’s chairs. Settling down, she watched as they took off, phasing through the very fabric of space at a high speed. The ride there was so different then the previous times they had been on a journey. There was no tense atmosphere on what they’d find waiting for them, no lingering concerns about the Trix or Valtor. Just the unsettling anxiety in Azure’s stomach at returning to her kingdom and to see the failing state of it. But the idle chatter between her friends helped to distract her from that and soon she barely noticed the subtle change in the air as she entered Windoria’s exosphere. Listening to Chatta speak took all her attention, the little pixie was always so dramatic. Suddenly, there was a beep coming from the control panel. Azure looked up from her conversation with Aisha as Timmy opened a notification.

“I’m getting some strange readings. There’s a high level of toxicity in the air below and it’s incredible unstable,” he reported.

Azure stood up, “Ah, that. Don’t mind that, that’s normal.”

“This is normal?” Riven questioned incredulously.

“Yes, it is,” Tecna opened up her device and a holographic image of the planet of Windoria was showcased, “ Windoria’s troposphere is highly toxic due to an unstable collision of gases,” Tecna zoomed into the troposphere of the diagram, “In fact, it is so bad that they call it the Miasma Wastes.”

“How do the people survive here?” Amoure questioned.

Azure smiled, “You’ll see. Timmy, direct the ship towards the southwest.”

Intrigued by Azure’s directions, Timmy followed them. As they cruised through the dense clouds of the sky, each passenger watched as the clouds suddenly parted and revealed an astonishing sight. There, in front of them, was an entire landscape of islands floating in the sky. It stretched across the horizon, tall mountains reaching almost to the edge of the galaxy. Water flew down the sides of the islands, falling into the toxic below. Azure watched each of their faces, pride and wonder on her expression.

“Welcome to Windoria, the Kingdom of the Sky!”

“How is this possible?” Musa asked, watching as the aircraft passed some sort of barrier and the air pressure changed again, this time less oppressive.

“Windoria is able to maintain our floating islands through the use of Skytwinkle. Look, “Azure pointed to a giant cluster of crystal sticking out from the rocky underside, “Every island has naturally forming clusters of it that cause the islands to stay afloat.”

“Then, if the phenomenon of Skytwinkle disappearing continues…” Bloom trailed off as the question lingered in the air.

“Yes, the islands would most likely fall with it, forcing us to live amongst the Miasma Wastes again,” Azure responded sadly.

Stella gritted her teeth, “Let’s not dwell on those depressing matters! Look!”

She pointed to the streets she could see from outside the window. Even with it’s miniscule size due to the aircraft’s height, the Winxalists and pixies could see the colorful banners and streamers celebrating the holiday. As they grew closer to the center cluster of islands, they noticed a large castle sat within the expanse of a mountain. Azure pointed off to a tower nearby.

“Go towards there, we can land in those towers.”

Timmy followed her directions and as the aircraft approached the tower, something like a scanner overlooked the vessel before a circular opening appeared, allowing for them to board. Docking within the tower’s landing deck, the opening closed as lights filled the place. It looked like a standard landing dock, with workers going through the space, directing incoming and outgoing aircrafts. Exiting their own aircraft, they met face to face with a small posse of soldiers. Their golden and teal armor radiated within the light but what took the attention from everyone was the brass wings sprouting out of their limbs. Some were on the soldier’s feet, other’s their backs or hands. One of the soldiers stepped forward, a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair and a clean-shaved beard. He gave a sight bow to Azure.

“Your Highness, it is good to see you again. I am here to escort you and your friends to the palace,” the man stated.

Azure beamed, “Tal! You’ve come to pick me up.”

The man, Tal, regained his composure, a fond smile on his face, “Someone had to make sure you didn’t sneak off to the spire instead.”

Azure gave a cheeky grin and decided to introduce the man, “This is Tal. He’s the commander of the Winged Warriors, our royal guard. He’s been their commanding officer for seven years now so he’s pretty skilled.”

The man nodded to Azure’s friends, “Greetings to the princess’s companions. Please, allow me to escort you to the palace.”

Not having much else to say, the group followed the guard as they made their way down from the tower and into a fancy car. It looked a lot like the cars in Magix but it was longer and had golden filigree upon it. The inside was spacious and allowed for a lot of room even with the large size of them. Stella pressed her face to look outside the transparent windows as the car moved through the streets. All around, children, women, and men laughed, danced, and sang as they celebrated. A few people had interesting costumes, clothes of shades of orange, pink, green, and white flowing through the crowds. There was a large headdress with ribbons hanging off of it on some of the costumes.

“What are those costumes?” Stella asked.

“Those are to represent the Four Great Spirits of the Sky. Each color represents one of the four; orange is for the spirit of the south skies, pink is for the spirit of the eastern skies, green is for the spirit of the western skies, and white is for the spirit of the northern skies. During the dance, my brother will wear all four colors to represent the sky itself,” Azure explained.

She continued to explain more and more about her kingdom as they grew closer to the palace. Soon, the car stopped in front of the vast courtyard of the palace and they exited. Walking past the grand doorway and the tall hallways, they marveled at the interior and curtains decorating the inside. Even inside the palace, the festival was being celebrated as the servants were also dressed similar to the people outside. Soon, Tal stopped at two sets of intricately golden doors and nodded to Azure before opening them. Inside was the throne room of Windoria. The ceiling spiraled to the sky where a glass dome let light inside. At the front of the room were two thrones, one was tall and brass with embellishments etched into the frame. The other was not as tall and had a beautiful design for the back. Two figures were standing in front of the thrones, their attention on each other as they conversed. One was a beautiful woman with hazel hair held up in an intricate updo. Her white dress flowed around her figure like she was dressed in the clouds themselves and even from afar, one could see the resemblance to Azure. The other was a man with blonde hair that reached his shoulders. The light blue cape off his left shoulder flowed with every movement. Tal cleared his throat.

“Your Majesties, the princess has arrived.”

Both stopped talking and looked toward the group. Upon seeing their daughter’s face, their expressions relaxed and an easy smile appeared. The woman’s, Queen Aella, baby-blue eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“Azure, you’re here.”

Azure smiled, “Hello mother, father.”

Her father, King Octavian, simply smiled and beckoned to his daughter, “Are you not going to hug your parents after so long?”

Azure wanted to roll her eyes but she caved and hurried into her parent’s embrace. As both her parent’s engulfed her, she felt a small smidgen of her worry melt away. After a moment, the three parted and Azure looked around.

“Where’s Troy? At the training grounds?”

“We’ll get to that later. Please, introduce us to your friends,” Aella nodded to the group watching the display.

Azure turned to her friends,”These are my friends from Alfea. This is Bloom, Stella, Musa, Flora, Tecna, and Aisha.”

“Pleased to meet you, your highnesses,” Stella stated with practiced poise and she gave a slight bow. Aisha followed the gesture with the same decorum.

“Ah, the princess of Solaria and Andros. We are pleased to have you here in our kingdom,” Octavian returned their courtesy.

Azure gestured to the Specialist, “And these are the Specialists of Red Fountain; Brandon, Timmy, Helia, Riven, and Jacob.”

Each guy gave a curt nod and Aella looked over all of them, “Welcome all of you. We hope you all enjoy the festival and have a wonderful time in our kingdom.”

Azure bit her lip, “The festival…is it still going to happen?”

Her parents looked shocked at first before settling their faces. Octavian spoke up, “Though we face an unprecedented crisis, we must rally our people with something. This festival is to celebrate the life we were given by the four spirits and also our own perseverance till now. We must see it through.”

“As it is our duty as royalty,” Aella added.

Azure winced a bit at that but she sighed, “I see…then can you tell me where Troy is? Is he preparing for his dance?”

At this, the parents exchanged a look and Azure felt her heart hammering in her chest, “What? What is it?”

“Your brother has developed a…special interest in the current situation. He has been working with the scholars from the academy to figure out a way to reverse all of this,” Octavian explained carefully.

“Troy is? Why would he do that?” Azure asked.

“He felt it was better to see the results and hard work for himself. He is at the Crystal Mines as we speak, going over the latest findings.”

“And? What are the lastest results?”

The two fell quiet and Azure’s heart dropped more. Aella glanced at her husband who cleared his throat, “…it is not good. The scholars have determined that we have only a few more months before our resources deplete entirely. As such, we have made preparations to hasten your brother’s marriage to the princess of Nova Sil earlier so that we may account for the worse.”

Azure’s face fell as she took in the news, “I see…”

Her parent’s watched their daughter’s downtrodden expression with a mixture of pity and sorrow. Then, Aella spoke out, “Why don’t you and your friends go get ready for the ceremony? It won’t happen until later tonight but I’m sure Tal can escort you to any boutiques or shops you’d like to visit.”

At the mention of shopping, Stella’s eyes widened, “Yes, please!”

“No.” Azure stated.

Stella faltered and looked at Azure, “What?”

“No, I will not go to the shops. I’m going to go find Troy and help him,” Azure said.

“Help him? How do you intend to-!”

The rebuttal was cut off as a fierce shaking occurred. Azure yelped and looked around. All around her, she could see her friends trying to settle themselves as the very ground quaked and shivered, causing some ornaments and decor to fall and break. The guards shouted something and she could hear screaming from the streets outside the palace.

“What’s happening!” Aisha yelled.

“There seems to be some sort of seismic wave happening,” Tecna screamed, looking at her device, “The tectonic plates across the islands are colliding against each other!”

“English Tecna! Please!” Stella yelled.

“It’s an earthquake!” Musa shouted.

Panic overtook the people as the quaking continued, disrupting the festivities and halting any celebrations. After a moment, the shaking stopped and all was silent. Azure rose from the ground, looking over her friends to see if they were hurt. Seeing as they had not suffered any major injuries, she turned towards her parents.

“What was that? Windoria has never had earthquakes before.”

Octavian helped his wife up, “There weren't. But it seems the loss of Skytwinkle has made the islands unstable. They are prone to these occurrences every now and then.”

Azure looked at the palace. This situation was worse than she thought if earthquakes were happening. She suddenly gasped, “Troy! He’s in the mines! He could be hurt!”

She spun around to rush out but her father stopped her, “Azure! It is much too dangerous for you to go. I will have the Winged Warriors go and assure Troy’s safety!”

“No, I have to go! Who knows how deep he went into the mines and I’m the only one who has ventured that far into it,” Azure reasoned, yanking her arm out her father’s grasp.

“Against our better judgment! It is too risky!” Her father continued.

“Don’t worry, I’ve grown a lot while away. I can handle it,’ Azure tried to reassure him but his expression was not budging.

“You are still young Azure. We can’t let you go alone,” Aella pleaded.

“She won’t be alone,” Bloom said, “We’ll go with her.”

“We will?” Stella raised an eyebrow which resulted in a nudge from Flora.

The monarchs still did not seem okay with this until Tal spoke up, “I will personally escort the princess through the mines and keep her safe. It’s better to have someone go along with her instead of risking her sneaking away herself.”

Octavian looked into Tal’s eyes, seeing the determination and promise within them. He sighed, “Alright, bring my son and daughter back safely.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

With that, Azure wasted no time in bolting out the throne room and towards the aircraft. Boarding it, she barely registered the others following her as she put in coordinates into the system, “The Crystal Mines are in the eastern islands. The place is surrounded by storms and strong winds so we must be careful.”

“You leave the driving to me, just point me in the direction,” Riven stated, taking the helm.

Working in tandem, the two guided the aircraft past the skies overlooking the center islands towards the east. As they grew closer, the sky darkened and the clouds grew denser. Lightning flashed through the air, illuminating the tense expression on Azure’s face. As they grew closer to the islands, Azure could spot the rocky over cliff. The eastern islands were nearly barren of flora and life, the storms having ravaged the earth of any living being, All that was left was tall, bony trees and rock formations. She pointed to a clearing of land that was next to an opening in the side of a cliff. A mine cart track was leading deeper into the cavern with tools and excavated crystals laying about. Aisha looked around.

“Looks like the mining crew hasn’t been up here for a while…”

Jacob pointed to some faint footsteps, “Someone passed through here earlier, they may be close by.”

“We should stick close. The mines are full of tunnels and pathways,” Tal warned.

“According to my calculations, this mine goes about 4,000 meters deep,” Tecna assessed.

“We’ve never been able to get that far down but still, I wouldn’t want to take my chances.”

The group agreed to stay close as they transversed into the mines. The light greatly dimmed causing Stella to have to use a light spell to help them navigate the tunnels. Leading the group, Azure tried her best to remember the safe paths through there.

“Do you think your brother went deeper in?” Flora asked.

“My brother is nothing if not ambitious bordering on reckless. If it meant finding a solution, he’d try to get to the very center of the planet if he could,” Azure grunted out.

“Do these tunnels have any creatures in them?” Stella asked, remembering the monsters they encountered back on Darkar’s Fortress.

“No, I don’t believe so. These caves have been inhabitable for many life forms due to the location,” Tal stated, keeping pace with his princess.

Stella sighed at that, a weight off her shoulder. The group went deeper and deeper. Somewhere within the distance, a soft glow emerged. Bloom tilted her head.

“What’s that?”

As they got closer, the glow grew more and more, drowning out Stella’s spell and lighting up the area. Finally, they reached a large expanse of rock and sleet. In between the rock walls were crystal clusters that resembled the ones on the island underside except they were smaller. And these crystals were different. They didn't glow as brightly as the others, emanating a weak glow that dimmed ever so often.

“Are these all Skytwinkle?” Brandon asked, looking around the cavern.

“They are but as you can see, they’re wrong. Different,” Azure stated, kneeling down to examine one.

Flora put her hand to one of the crystals, “They look sick, like something is hurting them.

“By my analysis, it looks like something is,” Tecna held up her device to the crystal, “There's some sort of disturbance in the chemical bonds of the crystals, making them unable to fully form.”

“Our scholars believe something altered the atomic makeup of the Skytwinkle but they have no idea what. I assume my brother was helping them investigate that,” Azure stood up, dusting off her skirt.

She noticed Harmony levitating next to a crystal, her green gaze down, “There’s something about these crystals. They almost feel…malevolent.”

Flora furrowed her brows, “What do you mean?”

Harmony fluttered towards her, “I mean, crystals are able to transcribe a person’s emotions and feelings into themselves. These crystals are not like the ones I use. They seem full of something…like resentment or anger.”

“What do you mean by-“ Azure started.

When she went to move, there was a loud bang followed by something that sounded like rocks colliding. The group exchanged glances.

“Did you hear that?” Aisha questioned.

“Let’s go!’ Riven ordered, rushing towards the sound.

The others followed, the Specialist pulling out their weapons as the Winx and pixies rushed behind them. They went past more Skytwinkle, noticing that the deeper they go, the less they appear. They twisted around the walls and jumped over uneven surfaces. Finally, they could clearly hear someone speaking close by. Turning another corner, they stopped as they finally found their target. There, within a smaller enclave, was a group of people. Men and women in teal robes and carrying unrecognizable devices were chatting amongst themselves. Around the space were various tables, equipment, and other devices. Judging from the structure, some devices were meant to extract the crystals while others examined and tested it. In the center of the room were three figures. One was a young man with blonde hair brushed away from his face. His deep cerulean eyes were rapt on the scholar’s explanation. Next to him was another man, this one around her father’s age. His red hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, showcasing his sharp features and the scar tracing his left cheek. He was dressed in the same armor as the Winged Warriors but with a slight variation. When Azure spotted the men, she gasped.

“Troy!”

The blonde man turned and his face fell at the sight of his younger sister, “Azzy?”

Azure rushed forward and leapt into her brother’s arms. Her brother stabilized them both, his face still bewildered as he returned his sister’s hug.

“Do you know how worried I was! When that earthquake happened I feared the worst!” Azure reprimanded him. She pulled away and glanced over her brother, “ What were you thinking? Why are you so deep in the mines? You could have gotten trapped here or worse! Does that brain of yours actually work!”

Troy seemed to recover from the initial shock because he let out a laugh at his sister’s reprimands, “Yep, that’s definitely Azzy. What are you doing here?”

“I came for the festival.”

“No, I meant down here.”

Azure rolled her eyes, “Clearly, I’m here to make sure you haven’t found yourself stuck in a cavern with no way out. Apparently, my worries were unfounded.”

Troy ruffled his sister’s hair, “Ah, Azzy I’m perfectly fine. You shouldn’t have come all this way.”

Azure batted her brother’s hand away, “Well I did! Now tell me why you’re down here.”

“In a moment,” He looked behind his sister at her gaggle of friends, “Who are the people with you?”

“My friends from Alfea,” Azure went to introduce everyone again, making sure to not mention anything about Jacob to her brother. He didn’t need to know, not yet anyway. When everyone was acquainted, Troy nodded.

“I see. I imagine Tal is here to babysit you,” Troy smirked at Azure’s glare, “Well, since you’re here, no use in complaining. But first, let me introduce someone,” He gestured to the red-head next to him, “This is Xylan, my personal guard. He’s been helping me with this whole expedition for a while now.”

Xylan did not say anything, simply gave a polite smile. Azure raised an eyebrow, “A personal guard? Have you gotten soft, brother? Not spending enough time at the training grounds?”

Troy chuckled, “Hardly. But this is a whole different matter entirely. I needed the extra protection.”

“Really? How so?” Aisha asked.

“Well for one thing, we’ve made great progress with our research. In fact, I think we know what has caused the Skytwinkle’s disappearance.”

Azure’s heart beat in her chest as she gasped. Could that be true? Did he really know what caused all of this? “What do you mean?”

Troy nodded to the researcher he was talking to, a lanky man with wide glasses and messy hair, “Alem was just briefing me on their findings.”

Alem pushed his glasses up before clearing his throat and looking at the clipboard in front of him, “Yes. My team and I have done extensive research on the remaining Skytwinkle. There wasn’t much of a reaction nor results for the first couple of tests. But we have had a reaction recently that shed some light on things. Firstly, the previous hypothesis of the crystal’s atomic makeup being altered has proven to be true. Strictly speaking, the crystals have encountered something that has caused their chemical bonds to no longer function properly ensuring they do not grow.”

“Ugh, more science talk,” Stella groaned, “What does this all mean exactly?”

Alem frowned but continued on, “Basically, the crystal’s have been poisoned.”

The group paused, trying to dissect that information. Helia spoke up, “Poisoned? Is it even possible for such a thing to occur?”

“While it is possible for crystals to be toxic due to the elements within them, it is usually towards any being that is in contact with it, not the crystal itself. This type of poison does no harm other beings but targets the crystal instead.”

Azure blinked, “…Okay…is there anything else?”

Alem shared a glance with Troy who solemnly nodded back, as if to get his approval. Alem swallowed deeply and continued, “Secondly….there were traces of something in the poison that was recognizable. Very small traces but they were there nonetheless. The substances we discovered were very similar to the miasma found in Windoria's troposphere.”

“That’s impossible,” Azure insisted, “The islands were created to stay away from the miasma. There should be no trace of it anywhere.”

“Exactly. Whatever is causing this poison has somehow been able to distill the toxic gasses found below to infect and sicken Skytwinkle. It’s a phenomena I can not wrap my head over,” Alem explained.

Azure clenched her fists near her chest, her eyes wide, “Then…then how do we fix this? We have never found a way to get rid of the miasma so…”

Alem looked at his shoes, “We are still looking for a cure to heal the Skytwinkle.”

It was over. A poison created with the very thing the Skytwinkle was made to resist. It was Windoria’s greatest weakness. She couldn’t stay here. Without listening to her friend’s outbursts, she ran out the cavern, blindly stumbling through the tears and sorrow crashing in her heart. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she was running away. Again. She finally stopped not that far from the cavern and wiped her wet cheeks. It’s over. Her kingdom was going to fall and there was nothing she could do. Azure felt the tears welling again. Suddenly, she felt hands on her shoulders and looked up to see her brother. He had followed her out.

“Hey…don’t look so down. We’re going to find a cure and we’re going to fix this. I promise you.”

She gave him a weak smile and grasped his hand, “I know you will try…but for now, we should focus on what we can do. Father told me about how they’re rushing your marriage with Cymbeline.”

Troy’s smile flattened into a line and he let go of her shoulders “That isn’t your concern Azzy.”

“It should be. Your marriage can help our people and I think you should focus on that for now. Instead of being here in these mines looking for a cure that doesn’t exist.”

“We can’t depend on Nova Sil’s graciousness for long. Even a marriage alliance will not be able to handle the downfall of our economy and our kingdom.”

“Do you not trust in Cymbeline? That she will carry her part of the alliance? Father has worked hard to secure a reliable source of income from them, don't you believe in that?”

Troy wrestled his hands through his hair, “I think father made the decision he thought was best for the kingdom. And I admire him for that. But to give up like that…isn’t what I want.”

Azure looked into her brother’s eyes, “Troy, this isn’t giving up this is salvaging what we can. We must do what we have to do to ensure the kingdom and our citizens are safe. It’s our mission. It’s our duty as royals!”

Troy looked at his sister, a pained expression on his face, “You sound like mother and father, doing what’s right for the kingdom even if it meant abandoning their freedom. I thought you wanted more? Isn’t that why you went to Alfea?”

Azure paused and bit her lip, “I do but…Troy…I can’t pretend any longer. Windoria is doomed if we keep looking for something that’s not there. We have to do what we can.”

A silence. Troy looked anywhere but his sister and Azure felt saddened at the defeated look on her brother’s face. She wanted to say something but the words never left her mouth before someone else spoke.

“We must do what we can. Indeed, we must.”

Both Troy and Azure looked towards their right and saw a familiar figure exit the shadows, an indifferent expression on his face.

“Xylan? Did you come to check on us?” Troy asked.

Xylan regarded the prince coolly, “The Windorian royalty has always prided themselves in doing what they can for the citizens. Even if it meant reaching out for help and showing our weakness.”

Azure looked at Troy, who had an unsettled expression on his face. Troy’s voice grew deeper, restrained indignation held within it, “Be careful of the words you speak. They sound awfully close to discontent with the royal family.”

But Xylan did not seem apologetic. In fact, his expression stayed the same as before, “I had hoped the heir apparent would be more ambitious than his father. But instead, you waste your time chasing fantasies and miracles. Such a shame.”

“Xylan! Hold your tongue!” Troy roared, his fists clenched.

“And to think it was going so well. I just needed a little more time. The Skytwinkle was almost completely wiped from Windoria.”

Azure felt odd when looking at Xylan. Like he wasn’t real, “You…who are you?”

It was then that Xylan smiled. A wide, deranged smile that covered his entire face, “Me? My name is Xylan,” he paused, “I am a simple man. A man with numerous successes and achievements. A leader. A king.”

“A king…” Azure looked at Xylan’s eyes and something Harmony said before clicked, “…you did this. You poisoned the Skytwinkle.”

Xylan chuckled, “Yes, yes dear princess, I did.”

Troy faltered and pushed Azure behind him, “Why…why would you do this?”

Xylan sighed, “…I had high hopes for your father. He was smart and cunning. I’d hope he’d bring Windoria to glory and utilize our strength to build us to be the strongest kingdom in Magix. Instead he was like his father before him. Gutless. Always trying to appease the citizens and risking his pride for it. A leader needs to be decisive and rule with an iron fist. Your father lacked that determination. So I did what I had to. I managed to find a way to weaken this kingdom from the inside out. What better way than to use their greatest pride against them. And then, when everything fell to pieces and everyone noticed how inadequate the ruling monarchs were, I would step in with the cure and become the new king.”

“That’s not a king, that’s a tyrant!” Azure screamed.

“To each their own. But then you interfered with my plans, little prince. I did not count on you getting so close to the truth,” Xylan pulled out his sword, “No matter, I will fix this error.”

Before Azure could do anything, she watched as Xylan charged at her brother. Luckily, Troy was quick. He whipped out his own sword, blocking Xylan from injuring him. As the two men met in battle, Azure looked at where she came from. Making a beeline back to the others, she hadn’t gone more than ten steps before she was blocked by a figure from the shadows. This person was cloaked in all black with their face obscured. Raising their hands, they let out a bolt of magic that hit Azure square in the chest, pushing her back.

“Azzy!” Troy cried.

“Now, now princess, I can’t have you leaving yet. Besides, your friends are probably occupied.”

Inside the cavern, the rest of the Winxalist were shocked as more shadow figures emerged and started attacking.

“Who are these guys? Why are they attacking us?” Stella called as she dodged an attack.

“I don’t know but protect the scholars!” Aisha yelled.

“Wait, we need to find Azure and Troy. They could be in danger,” Flora said.

The pixies fluttered away, desperately trying to not get hit. Tune looked around, “What if they’re attacked as well?”

Bloom got out of the way of an incoming bolt and looked at the girls, “Girls, it’s time to transform.”

The girls nodded and struck their signature pose.

“Magic Winx!” Bloom, Musa, Tecna, and Flora shouted.

“Enchantix!” Aisha and Stella shouted.

A bright flash of light surrounded the girls as they began to transform into their fairy forms. When the light ceded, Aisha immediately raised her hands, “Morphix Shield!”

A bright, pink fluid emerged, shielding the girls from an incoming attack. In response, Stella sent an attack of her own, blasting the assailant into the other side of the wall.

“We need to get rid of these guys quickly and find Azure,” Jacob stated, using his daggers to slash at a figure.

Azure stood up, her gaze on the shadowy figure. Raising her hands, she stroked a pose and yelled out, “Magic Winx!”

Like the rest, a bright light surrounded her and she transformed into her yellow dress. Flying up, she eyed her attacker and raised her right hand, “Wind Blade!”

In her hand, the wind spun around her fingers and came together to create a boomerang. Throwing the boomerang, she watched as it ricocheted off the cavern walls and hit her attacker in the back of the neck, effectively knocking them out. Fluttering down towards the ground, she looked for her brother and Xylan. Finding them near the other side of the cavern, she hurried over. Troy blocked another attack from Xylan, his teeth clenched.

“What exactly is your goal? Even if you have a cure, the people will never accept you as their ruler,” Troy said.

Xylan laughed, “Oh but they will. They will have to once I show them the symbol of my rule.”

Troy furrowed his brows, allowing Xylan the chance to push him back. Stabilizing himself, his face flickered with recognition, “The Staff of Four Winds!”

“Exactly, once they see me wielding that staff, they will have no choice but to accept me as their king.”

“You will never get your hands on the staff!”

Troy charged after him, his blade making a clang sound as it hit Xylan’s. They continued their dance, each one matching the other. Xylan raised his sword to swipe at Troy’s arm but he dodged to the right as a rush of air went past him. Looking back, he saw Azure fly to her brother’s side, a ball of air hovering in her hands. Azure placed her back on her brother’s.

“Azure! Get out of here! You need to warn father that he’s aiming for the Staff of Four Winds!” Troy commanded her.

“I am not leaving you here to fight him alone!” Azure yelled back.

Xylan clicked his tongue, “How sweet, but I don’t have time to play with you two.”

Xylan raised his hand and neither were quick enough to block the bolt of lightning that appeared and singed their arms. Separating from each other, Azure fell to the ground in pain, clutching her arm. She squinted, trying to spot Xylan. Seeing him approach her brother, she noticed Troy was dangerously close to a sharp edge that led deeper into the mines. Her eyes widened. Xylan stepped closer until he was right in front of Troy. Troy, who was struggling to get up as pain racked his body, glared at him with one eye open.

“I truly do regret having to do this. You would have been a great prodigy,” Xylan stated.

Azure watched with fearful eyes as he raised his arm and a dark essence surrounded him. The same essence surrounding the crystals. The miasma. How was he wielding it? But she didn’t have time to think. Quickly, she got to her feet, bolting towards Troy.

“No!”

Xylan brought down his arm, the miasma surging forward towards Troy. Troy did not react, watching as the menacing force crept closer and closer to him. Just when he thought it was going to hit him, his eyes widened as someone stepped in front of him. Azure yelled as the miasma hit her in her heart, a deep pain settling into her. Purple veins coated her skin and she felt dizzy.

“Azzy!”

She could vaguely hear her brother’s voice but the pain and dizziness was too much. She stumbled back, her steps uneasy and wobbling. Looking up, she noticed Troy desperately trying to stand up, his eyes wide and fearful. Azzy reached out to him but her strength failed. Her knees buckled and she fell back. Back over the cliff. Troy watched as his sister tilted into the rift. His knees finally worked and he scrambled to reach her, his arms outstretched.

“Azzy! Azzy!”

But it was too late. She plummeted into the rift, disappearing into the darkness. Troy watched her disappear, distraught. Tears ran down his cheek as he sat stunned. Vaguely, he could hear Xylan saying something.

“Well, I didn’t expect to get the younger one but it works out.”

Troy spun around swiftly, his face marred with rage and grief. But he felt a buzz go through his body before he slumped forward, unconscious. Xylan looked at the prince then back at the cavern. More shadow figures appeared behind him and he nodded to Troy.

“Take him with us. I’m sure the king would love to see his son.”

The figures did as they were told and Xylan gave the cave one last look before he walked to leave the mines. Walking back into the cavern, he was the Winx and Specialist still fighting against his people. Spotting him, Tal furrowed his brows seeing the unconscious Troy and the figures at his side.

“What’s going on? Where is Princess Azure?”

The rest seemed to look back too, Riven knocking out the last guy. Jacob’s eyes searched around him.

“Why is Troy like that? Where is Azure!” He demanded.

Xylan pursed his lips, “I’m afraid the princess will not be coming back. She decided to sacrifice herself for her brother.”

At those words, the Winxalists stopped. None of them knew what to say, refusing to believe what he said. Finally, Flora got her words to sound out.

“You…what did you do to Azure?”

“I did nothing. She’s probably at the bottom of the mines by now.”

The next few seconds went by quickly. Jacob roared as he charged Xylan. He didn’t get far before two figures grabbed him by the arms and restrained him. Flora felt faint and leaned against Aisha who was glaring at Xylan. Riven wanted to charge to help Jacob but Brandon stopped him, his hard gaze on Xylan. Tal kept his gaze on Xylan, a silent fury emanating from his every pore. Nobody moved.

“I suggest you leave this place before it’s too late. The crystals won’t last for much longer,” Xylan suggested, walking away from them.

They could do nothing as they watched him leave with Troy. When they were gone, the figures holding Jacob disappeared, almost as if they weren’t there to begin with. He scrambled on the floor, his gaze looking at nothing but rock. Musa looked at where he came from.

“He has to be joking. Azure can’t be gone,” Musa reasoned.

She looked at the others who couldn’t say anything back. Making a move to go investigate, she noticed Harmony. The small pixie looked devastated, her eyes red with tears as Chatta and Tune tried to comfort her. Just the look of her told Musa all she needed to know. She felt devastated and tears fell as she slid to the ground. All around her, the Winx shed tears at the loss of their friend while their boyfriends tried to comfort them any way they could. Amidst the tears and sniffles, Bloom looked at the cavern. Most of the scholars had escaped but they left their equipment behind. Bloom went to a sample of the crystal and took it into her hand. It was warm and glowed faintly, desperately trying to hold on despite it’s predicament. Bloom closed her fingers over the crystal.

“We have to go after him,” she stated firmly. Turning back to the confused expressions of the others, she repeated it, “We have to stop him. Whatever he’s planning, we can’t let him get away with it, For Azure’s sake.”

There was a beat before Aisha nodded, “She’s right, we need to stop him.”

Tal closed his eyes and let out a breath, “…I have failed my rulers but I will not fail my kingdom,” he grabbed his spear, “We will go to the palace.”

One by one, they pulled themselves together. Helia laid a hand on Jacob’s shoulder whose eyes were burning. He stood up and glared at the way Xylan went. Feeling like they were settled, the Winxalists left the mines, following Xylan’s trail. Deep within the mines, Azure continued to fall. Her body felt light as she plummeted down and down and down. Her brown hair whipped across her face in the fierce wind on her back. Her closed eyes could see nothing, not even the winds curling around her as if to cradle her. Four different winds wrapped around her body. Pink, orange, green, and white. They covered her like a blanket and stopped her from falling further. A bright light emerged from Azure as a single golden butterfly fluttered in the air. It landed in the center of her torso, near her stomach before a blinding flash of light engulfed the entire area. From the light, multiple golden butterflies covered Azure’s body before revealing a yellow dress. Crawling down, the butterflies covered Azure’s legs, bestowing upon her intricate sandals of gold and jewels. Lifting up her right hand, a butterfly landed on her palm before pink gloves snaked up to her elbow followed by her left palm. Four butterflies flitted through her hair, causing the strands to curl and twist before stopping at the crown of her head and transforming into pearl beads. As a finisher, the butterflies landed on her back, granting her a pair of beautiful, elaborate wings. Azure’s eyes opened as a new power surged through her. Flying up and out of the ravine, she didn’t even bother to check her surroundings, going straight for the exit of the mines. Her destination was easy to spot, the palace. Flying over the kingdom, she noticed there was no panic or riots. But that didn’t matter. She made her way through an open window of the palace and went to the place she knew Xylan would be. The Altar of the Heavens, the place where the staff was kept. Zooming past the hallways, she could hear raised voices.

“What have you done to my son!” Octavian roared.

There was the sound of metal clanging and then an audible thud as something heavy was pushed into something. Azure flew harder until she finally reached the altar. Zooming past the doors, she looked at the scene before her. There were her friends fighting against multiple people. Her father was leaning against a marble pillar, her mother tending to him. And at the center of it, on the raised platform that housed the staff, was Xylan. His hands were gripping the staff with pride in his eyes. Standing in front of him, his sword raised, was her brother. When Azure entered the room, Xylan looked up and his face fell.

“Azure?” Tecna whispered.

Immediately, everyone looked at her. Upon seeing her transformation, the Winx’s eyes grew big.

“You got your Enchantix!” Stella exclaimed.

Azure met the eyes of Jacob who immediately dispatched his attacker and walked toward her. Lowering herself, she felt his arms encircle her as he brought her close.

“You’re here,” he stated, his voice barely a whisper.

Azure returned his hug, basking in his warmth, “I am.”

Jacob let go of her and eyed her fiercely, “Don’t scare me like that again.”

Azure smiled, “I won’t. I promise.”

She then turned her attention to her brother who stared at her with multiple feelings in his eyes. He opened his mouth. She raised her hand, “Please save your lectures for after we defeat this guy.”

Troy gave a wry smile, “I’ll allow it for now but you’re in so much trouble when this is over.”

Azure smiled and fluttered to stand next to him, both eyeing down Xylan. The man seemed amused at all this.

“What a surprise, princess but you’re too late. The staff is mine and so is Windoria! Today marks the day of a new ruler!”

Azure gritted her teeth, “Perhaps you don’t understand. You’re not taking the staff anywhere.”

“You want to challenge me? I have the power of the entire sky in my hands. You are nothing but a fairy,” he leveled the staff towards her, “Perhaps you would like to experience that again.”

He smirked at her and Azure watched the tip of the staff glow a brilliant blue. But she didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Xylan pointed the staff at her and waited for the magic to happen. But nothing did. The staff glowed before dimming out, leaving it dormant. Xylan looked at the staff.

“What? What’s happening? What is it doing?”

Azure flew towards Xylan, “ By right, the Staff of the Four Winds can only be wielded by those recognized by the Four Spirits themselves,” she hovered in front of him, “And you are not it.”

She raised her hand and everyone watched as strong winds encircled Xylan, trapping him. Azure pulled her hand back and the staff was lifted up but the winds and flung through the air. Troy raised his arm, perfectly catching it without so much as a struggle. Seeing his power in Troy’s hands, Xylan watched Azure with a hint of fear. Azure clapped her hands together causing the air cage to condense into a circular shape. Xylan looked around him.

“No, no, you can’t do this! I am the rightful ruler of Windoria! I am the leader of the people! You can’t do this!” He yelled.

But Azure did not give him a response. Instead, she steepled her fingers together and Xylan suddenly stopped speaking. He wobbled before collapsing onto the ground, effectively rendered unconscious by whatever spell Azure used. Hovering down, Azure took her gaze off of the man and looked around her. She caught the eyes of her father who, although stunned and injured, barked out orders.

“Guards! Detain this man immediately! Do not let him out of your sight at all costs!”

The Winged Warriors and Tal did as they were told, restraining Xylan and pulling him out of the room. Azure watched them go before she felt different pairs of arms encircling her. Blinking at the sudden group hug, she looked at the rest of the Winx.

“Azzy, you had us worried!” Stella whined.

“We thought you were gone!” Musa stated.

Azure smiled, “I’m sorry. But I’m here now.”

“You owe us cookies for the next two weeks for this,” Bloom joked which caused everyone to laugh.

Getting away from the group she faced her brother who still grasped the staff. In his hands, the staff glowed bright and brilliant, illuminating the room. The two grinned at each other before feeling their parents engulf them in a family hug.

“You two are in so much trouble when this is all over,” Octavian said.

“And neither of you are going to the mines ever again,” Aella added.

Azure and Troy could only allow their parents to chastise them but the grin on their faces never wavered. When all the sentimentals were done, Azure and Troy explained everything to their parents. Through a lot of shouts and explanations, they finally were able to figure out the issue.

“So Xylan was using the miasma to poison the crystals,” Octavian rubbed his knuckles, “But he said he had a cure.Perhaps there is hope to fix this.”

“Whatever cure he had, I doubt he’ll give it to us,” Troy stated.

“So we are must find another solution,” Aella commented.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about that,” they looked at her and Azure nodded, “I want to try something.”

She looked around, finding the shard of Skytwinkle Bloom had taken. Taking it in hand, Azure reached out for the bottle hanging on her neck. The clouds parted from the base of the bottle. The golden ring behind it spun around and around before disappearing too and the bottle popped open. Azure proceeded to draw a spiral wind pattern, sprinkling the crystal with fairy dust. As her family and friends watched, they noticed the crystal seemed to be getting brighter and bigger. The blue sheen started to return and a brilliant luster ensued. When Azure was done, she beamed at the result.

“What happened? How did you do that?” Troy pondered.

“Nothing a little fairy dust can’t handle,” Azure responded, “With this, I know there is a way to cure the Skytwinkle. I would like to work with the scholars to find a way to distribute and cure all the affected crystals so we can start our trade back up. We can save Windoria. I can save our kingdom.”

Octavian laid his hand on his daughter's shoulder, his eyes sparkling with pride, “Azure…you really have grown while you were away. We’re proud of you.”

“Thank you father.”

Octavian nodded and regarded the remaining people, “Today was a difficult day but it is still the Festival of the Four. I think it is time we celebrate because we have something new to celebrate today! The revival of our kingdom!”

Cheers and applause went through the room. Azure joined in on the merriment. Before long, the festival was underway. People danced and sang. She joined the rest of the Winx in a giant dance circle as music played before sharing a dance with Jacob. She laughed at the joy permeating the air. As she watched her brother perform the ceremonial dance, she knew that Windoria’s future was going to be a bright one.

Happens after Sky’s betrayed of the teams, episode “The Disloyal Adversary.” After this, Azure works with the scholars to help heal the Skytwinkle, effectively causing the revival of their economy little by little. As for Xylan, he was banished but not before the Winx figured out his ability to manipulate the miasma was given to him by Valtor.

Azure belongs to me
Bases by Cristalinawinx (www.deviantart.com/cristalinaw… ) and Breeze-nightwalker (www.deviantart.com/breeze-nigh… )
Backgrounds by me