Chapter Text
I knocked tentatively on Madame duFour’s doorframe. She looked up from her desk and smiled warmly at me.
“Mira! You’ve come for tutoring?”
“If now’s a good time?”
“Of course. Come, sit down.” She gestured to a pair of armchairs set around a low table.
We each took a seat, and I awkwardly drummed my fingers on my knees. Madame duFour flicked a hand back at her desk. A piece of paper drifted up and puffed out of existence, reappearing in her hand a moment later.
“Let’s see. You seem to be perfectly proficient in the theory of spellcasting, every writing assignment you’ve turned in has been top mark, but you struggle with the spells themselves,” She set the paper down, “Why don’t we start with a simple illusion?”
She pinched her middle finger and thumb together and arced them over her head, drawing a rainbow in the air. It shone brightly for a couple of seconds before slowly scattering like dust motes in a breeze.
“Your turn. Use your focus.” She nodded at the compass around my neck.
I took it off my neck and tossed it like I was flipping a coin, catching it again in wand form. I tapped it against my opposite hand a few times as I gathered my energy for the illusion. I drew my wand around the same semi-circle, imagining a rainbow trailing after it. It looked more like a watercolor painting left out in the rain. Muddied, unsaturated colors that melted away before I even finished the path of my wand. I slumped onto the armrest and awaited her judgment.
“Tell me why you have trouble with illusions.”
I blinked in surprise, “I don’t know. They’re not real, I guess.”
“Why is it not real?”
I thought for a moment, trying to put words to the way illusions made me feel.
“They’re immaterial, they have no substance to them. How can I cast a spell that has no physical body?”
Madame duFour leaned back in her chair, tapping a finger against her lips, “Interesting.”
“My aunt and my sister are both sorcerers, and even they use some kind of anchor for their illusions.”
“Ah, that makes sense then, if you grew up around that type of magic. You’re an air fairy, right?”
“Yeah, but I’ve got a little bit of storm magic, too.”
“Do you draw?” I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes.
“I paint. Mostly landscapes.”
“I’ve seen the forests in Callisto, they must be beautiful,” She smiled, “Let’s try this. A rainbow is just an illusion created by nature, right? It’s made of light refracted through water particles in the air.”
I nodded, trying not to let my confusion show on my face.
“So, create it for real. Feel the water in the air, and refract it.”
I set my wand in my lap and held my hands up like I was holding an invisible ball. I tuned into the feel of the air between my hands, the microscopic drops of water suspended between, and I twisted my fingers. It wasn’t quite a rainbow, but colorful flecks of light danced across my palms.
“There you go! Now, can you shape it?”
I widened the space between my hands and drew in more energy. I focused on the light itself, willing it into a more proper rainbow shape. The colors wavered and shifted into order, although some stripes were wider or brighter than others. I held onto the magic as best I could, but the strain was proving too much. I dropped the spell with a sigh.
“That’s good, you’re already getting the hang of it. Let’s try a few more, shall we?”
I stretched my hands out in front of me, hoping to dispel some of the soreness in my neck and hands. Madame duFour had kept me for well over an hour, running basic charm drills until I could cast them properly every time. I was drained, but I felt a little better about the upcoming midterms.
I found the Winx in the main courtyard, clustered around one of the stone benches around the well. Flora was the only one sitting properly on the bench, with her history textbook open across her lap. Musa sat on the back of the bench, playing a game with Tecna on her holoscreen. Stella and Bloom both stood by the well, the latter lost in thought looking into the water. I collapsed on the bench and used Flora’s shoulder as a pillow.
“That bad, huh?” she asked.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had to do so much magic in one day. I’m exhausted.”
“Well, did you learn anything?” Stella chirped.
I responded by flicking my hand at her, conjuring a small butterfly that flapped in place.
Stella leaned in to inspect it, “Hey, not bad! You’ve got the symmetry down.”
She waved her hand through it and gagged, “Ugh, why is it wet?”
“Water vapor. I’m still on training wheels.” I yawned and dispelled my illusion.
Stella made a noise and wiped her hand off on her skirt.
“It’s still tied with Transformation for my hardest class, but at least I stand a chance at passing the midterm now.”
“Speaking of, are you guys excited for next week?” Musa leaned over our heads.
Tecna looked skeptically at her, “The week before midterms? I think we have different definitions of excitement.”
“I’m excited for it to be over. I’m so overdue for a vacation, I need a closet refresh. And Bloom,” Stella turned to her, but Bloom’s gaze was still locked in the well.
“Bloom! Hey, Bloom!” Stella waved a hand in front of her face.
Bloom startled and turned around.
Stella put a hand on her hip, “You’re losing it, girl. Did you even hear a single word I was saying?”
“Sorry, I was kind of lost in thought. What were you saying?”
“Obviously, you have no interest in the fact that Professor Palladium is finally taking us into the new simulation room next class,” Musa announced, “But I, for one, think it is the most amazing news ever.”
Stella nodded, “No kidding. He told us some really cool stories about that place.”
“And some horrible ones, too.” Flora closed her textbook and hugged it to her chest.
“You shouldn’t let that scare you, they’re just warnings.” Tecna advised.
I tucked my legs up beneath me, “Yeah, what could even happen to you? It’s right in the name, ‘simulation.’”
“I guess you’re right.” Flora sighed.
“Come on, Flora. It’ll be fun, you’ll see!” Stella raised her arms like she was announcing her very own stage show, “As for me, I plan on having a memorable experience, one that will go down in Alfea history!”
“Memorable in a good way, or memorable like the potion lab?” I teased.
Stella poked me in the arm, “Ugh, you have no respect. You’ll see!”
✭✭✭
“This is it. Welcome to the simulation room!” Palladium opened the door, revealing a room covered floor to ceiling with flashing lights and computer paraphernalia.
The front of the room held a control panel and a window into a large, empty chamber. It was a little cramped, with the whole first-year class trying to squeeze in.
“So, how does it work?” One of the other students, I couldn’t see who, asked.
“It’s the product of very powerful magic and sophisticated technology,” Palladium tapped a few buttons, and the room beyond lit up, “The light produced by these panels allows our computers to create all sorts of virtual realities and environments. The replications are absolutely flawless!”
“Can it be used to simulate virtual dates?” Stella whispered to Bloom, probably a little louder than she meant to.
The students around her giggled, and she ducked her head in embarrassment.
Palladium cleared his throat, “Why don’t we use it to simulate your final exam instead?”
The whole class quieted instantly.
“In the anticipation of the upcoming midterm, I’ve set up a simulation of some of the things that will be on the test. Let’s have a look, shall we?”
He typed something into a keyboard, and the light in the simulation room shifted. I was too far in the back to see, and I squeezed myself to the side of the room to peer around a couple of my classmates.
“From here, I can oversee everything that happens inside, and I can pull you out the second anything starts to go wrong. But really, there’s nothing you should worry about.”
Palladium entered another series of commands, and the room became an exact replica of the courtyard outside. The students oohed at the display.
“You’ll be able to choose between two tests;” Palladium pressed a large button in the center of the console.
The scene shifted to a dark forest, where a figure shrouded in a cloak turned an unsuspecting hiker into a frog.
“Your first option is to counteract the unfortunate results of a curse cast by an evildoer of your choice.”
He entered a new command and pressed the button again, changing the landscape to a desolate plain littered with the remains of burnt-out trees.
“Option number two, use your magic to produce positive results in a damaged environment. Again, any landscape of your choice.”
Flora perked up behind me, “That’s my strong point!”
“This’ll be a simple walk in the park for me,” Stella flipped her hair over her shoulder.
“Modesty is your best quality, hm?” Bloom teased.
“No, my second best! Right after beauty.”
Palladium clapped his hands to draw our attention back.
“We’ll all meet here for the midterm. Please have decided on your choice of test, and bring any materials you may want to bring in with you. I’ll split you all into smaller groups so you don’t have to stand around waiting for your turn. The list will be posted outside your dorms either today or tomorrow. Believe me, this is an experience you’ll remember for a long time!”
“So, which of the tests are you thinking about?” Musa asked me as we left the classroom.
I shook my head, “Ugh, I have no idea. Probably the curse-breaking one, but I don’t know what curse to choose.”
“Same here.” Musa hummed.
“I think I’m going to try fixing a damaged environment,” Bloom turned to Flora, “Do you think you could help me put together some potions?”
Flora smiled, “Of course! I was thinking of picking that one too, so we can prepare together.”
“I was thinking I’d try to fix a confusion curse. I was just reading about a spell to counteract it.” Tecna pulled up the article on her palmtop.
“Ooh, very cool.” I leaned over her shoulder to read the headline.
“I’ll send it to you.” Tecna typed in a few things, then my phone chimed from my pocket.
“Thanks.”
Stella tapped a finger on her chin, “I’m also going to do a damaged environment. Something cold, then I can fix it with my sunlight!”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I wiggled my fingers and conjured a slight breeze, “I wonder if I could fix something with my wind. Pollution, maybe? I’m not sure how well that would work, though.”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m going with the curse option. I don’t know what kind of environment I can heal with music.” Musa laughed.
✭✭✭
The weekend came and went in a haze of final preparation. I had opted to stay at school to work on my history essay, which I finished late Saturday evening. Sunday was spent cramming for all the other tests I had, and I was feeling tired both mentally and magically.
Stella’s alarm clock woke me up with a radiant chime just as the sun began to rise.
“Happy finals week.” I grumbled, flipping onto my back to stretch my arms.
I still felt a slight twinge in my hip, but it was lessening every day. I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. My hair had tangled completely around Cat Cat’s neck, and I set to work detangling it.
Stella flopped over and snoozed the alarm, “We just had to be the first group, huh?”
I freed Cat Cat and set him down on my pillow, then got up and did a few more stretches.
“Luck of the draw, I guess.” I said, falling into a backbend.
Stella finally sat up and yawned, “At least we’re all together. I wouldn’t want to be in a group with Amaryll, that’s for sure.”
I lifted my leg up and pressed my shoulders out, “Yeah, did you see her that time I messed up that plant growth potion? She was laughing like it was the funniest thing in the realms!”
I switched legs, holding it for a count before I kicked over onto my feet.
“Like she’s so perfect herself. Are you showering?”
“No, not until after class. I haven’t decided if I’m going to run or not today.”
Stella shook her head and made for the door, “You and your exercising on purpose. Don’t you get enough of it from E and D?”
I laughed as she left for the bathroom. I changed out of my pajamas and into light green pants and a matching top with a flower printed in the center. By the time I finished braiding the front sections of my hair out of my face, it was time to go.
“Alright, ladies! We’ll begin in just a few minutes. You’ll go one at a time.” Palladium powered on the control room’s computers.
The first group consisted of all six Winx and four other girls I was pretty sure were also all roommates.
“I’m just so nervous!” Musa whispered.
Flora clutched her bag of potions to her chest, “I hope I don’t have to go first.”
Stella shrugged, “I think it might be better to go first. That way, you get it over with, and then it’s off your mind!”
“I think going second might be best,” I countered, “At least then you know what to expect.”
The simulation room’s lights blared to life, jolting us out of our conversation.
Palladium clapped his hands together, “Alright, everything is ready. Let’s get the ball rolling! Which one of you wants to go first?”
“Oh no!” Stella moaned.
A few of the other girls and I echoed her sentiment.
Musa nudged Stella with her elbow, “I thought you said you wanted to get this over with.”
Stella shrank backwards, “I changed my mind!”
Palladium pressed his lips together, hiding a smile, “Just as I thought. Why don’t I pick a volunteer, then?”
“I’ll go!” Bloom’s hand shot in the air.
I let out a sigh of relief.
“Excellent! Which one of the tests did you choose?”
Bloom stepped up to the front of the room, “Uh, the second option. I want to work on a damaged environment.”
“Good choice, girl!” Flora whispered in support.
Palladium started typing on the control panel, “You can choose the environment. What would you like?”
“I was thinking something desolate. Somewhere cold, maybe?”
He typed a few more things, then scrolled through a list, “How about Domino? It’s completely frozen and devoid of life.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it,” Bloom perked up, “It’s perfect.”
“Well then, here it is! I’ll adjust the settings so you won’t feel as cold, but everything else will be as it is in real life. Are you ready?”
“Yep! I’ve brought a few ingredients for potions and stuff, can I take them with me?”
“Sure, take whatever you want.” Palladium opened the door to the simulation room, “You have thirty minutes to complete your task. I’ll be watching everything from here, so just say the word, and I can pull you straight out. Now, do your best!”
“Good luck!” Musa waved.
Flora still gripped her bag, “Be careful!”
“You’ve got this!” I gave her a double thumbs up.
“Take care, alright?” Stella ran forward and gave her a quick hug.
“Figure it out!” Tecna nodded.
Stella turned back to us, arms crossed in confusion, “What kind of encouragement is that?”
“The most logical kind.”
“Thanks, girls. I’ll see you in a bit!” Bloom waved and shut the door behind her.
The nine of us who were left crowded around the window as Palladium activated the simulation.
“Can you hear me, Bloom?” Palladium spoke into the microphone.
Bloom’s voice came from over a loudspeaker, “Loud and clear!”
Palladium entered a final few commands, and the landscape changed around her. The walkway beneath her feet retracted and was replaced with packed snow. The walls faded into pale sky and faraway mountains.
“It’s still a bit chilly in here.” Bloom shivered.
“One moment,” Palladium adjusted a few sliders and knobs, “How’s that?”
“Much better, thanks!”
“Good, your time starts now.”
I took a seat on the floor and watched as Bloom melted the snow around her with a glowing heat spell.
“Hey, I taught her that one!” Stella pointed.
Flora gripped her arm in anticipation, “Oh, just wait! I helped her pick out all the seeds!”
Bloom pulled out several packets from her bag and sprinkled their contents over the ground. Once finished, she opened a potion bottle and poured it on top. Sprouts burst through the soil, and Flora hummed in excitement.
“Hey, what’s that off in the distance?” One of the other students asked.
“That’s a mountain, Luna.” Another girl deadpanned to her friend.
“No look, it’s flying closer!” She pointed, a little frantic.
Palladium waved off her concern, “It’s probably an animal of some sort. They’re programmed to arrive as you get closer to succeeding.”
“I don’t think that’s an animal!” Stella jumped up and leaned over the console.
Bloom finally looked up from her gardening to see the three figures flying towards her. She turned towards us, a confused expression on her face.
“Hey, I thought this was su—”
Her voice cut out.
Palladium tapped frantically on a few keys, “Bloom, can you hear me? Bloom!”
She showed no sign of being able to hear him. Instead, she turned back to the now clear figures floating around her. One dressed in magenta, one in purple, and one in teal.
The Trix.
“You have to get her out of there!” I urged.
“I am trying!” Palladium bit out, hands moving rapidly over the control panel.
Tecna moved in for a closer look, “Are they real or part of the simulation?”
“I don’t know, I can see their auras, but they’re all weird and muddy.” Stella pressed her fingers into her temples.
One of the other girls put her hands up on the glass, “I can’t feel their thoughts, but I don’t think that means much. I don’t sense Bloom, either.”
Bloom dodged an attack from Darcy. She transformed in the next second and lobbed a fireball back towards her.
Musa rattled the door handle, “Can’t we just let her out?”
“Not from the outside.” Palladium kept his eyes on the controls.
Stormy shook the ground with lightning, killing all of Bloom’s new plants and gouging rifts into the ground itself. Chasms split wider by the second, and Bloom barely avoided falling into one. Lava churned up from the ground, razing the last of Bloom’s efforts.
Palladium jerked his head towards the door, “Ortensia, Priya, go get the headmistress. Tell her I sent you.”
The two girls ran from the room. Bloom was still fighting the Trix in earnest, but she was sorely outnumbered. Her power was flagging. Icy sent a blast that knocked Bloom off her feet and teetering towards the edge of the chasm.
Palladium shoved his chair back and stood with his hands raised, muttering a spell in Elvish.
A glaring light overtook the view through the window, growing brighter until it was impossible to see through to the other side.
Stella squawked in protest as Tecna grabbed her hand and mine and slammed them against the control panel.
“Find Bloom, shield her!”
I barely had a second to process what she meant before Tecna channeled our energy through the system. She guided us through a dizzying blur of technology, warping my sense of reality until I couldn’t feel myself standing in the control room. Stella pushed her light out across the digital landscape. I could feel her searching for Bloom through the way Tecna connected us, and I knew the moment they latched onto each other. I sent my own power out, wrapping Bloom in a protective shield of air and keeping her from being swallowed by the maelstrom of data. Strings of code died out like city lights, and Tecna yanked us back into reality.
Palladium yelled the final lines of his spell, the lights flickering out in a final crescendo. The sudden absence of the computer’s hum was deafening.
He steadied himself on the edge of the control panel, hair falling limply over his face, “Quick thinking, girls. Remind me to give you extra credit for that.”
Stella conjured an orb of light and held it over her head.
“Look, there’s Bloom!” Stella rushed through the door, now unlocked.
We all ran through after her. Bloom lay in the middle of the walkway, looking a little dazed, but overall unhurt.
“Bloom, are you alright?” Flora knelt and pulled her up to a sitting position.
Bloom rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, “Yeah, something saved me just before I went tumbling into a river of lava.”
I laughed in relief, “You can thank Tecna for that!”
“Do you realize you crashed the computer?” Stella asked, one hand cocked on her hip.
“Really?”
Palladium nodded, “You did, the simulator is totally gone. But you’re okay, right?”
“I’m a bit shaken, but other than that I’m fine.” Bloom smiled tiredly.
I looked up at the ceiling. The light panels were completely shattered, like someone had taken a stone to a mirror. Stella’s light flickered ominously off the cracks, reminding me of the lava we had only just saved Bloom from.
“I don’t think that’s going to be an easy fix.” I remarked.
Tecna glanced back at the computer room, “If the system is as fried as I think, they’ll be lucky to have it back up again any time soon.”
“I’m postponing the exams,” Palladium announced, “I’ll have to discuss the situation with Headmistress Faragonda, then we’ll reschedule as soon as we are able.”
Stella and Flora pulled Bloom the rest of the way up to standing.
“Hey Bloom, any chance you could get the history exam postponed too?” Musa joked.
Bloom’s smile widened, and she shrugged, “Well, I can try!”