Ruby walked outside to the courtyard and smiled softly, breathing in the autumn breeze with delight. She noticed her friend, Robin, kneeling on one knee next to Pixie Pets watching some kind of mini-theatre Livy was producing. The redhead chuckled, walking towards them.
"Hello, what's going on here?" Ruby asked, after the Pets stopped clapping once the show ended.
"Oh, hey Red." Robin said, standing up to do their secret handshake. "Livy was just telling a love story between two beavers, however, I only figured that out at the end." Ruby laughed waving at Livy who flew towards them on her paper-board and waved back. "So, what are you doing here?"
"Professor Avalon is going to take me and the Winx to Red Fountain. They're having some kind of ceremony and I'd like to invite you to come with us." Ruby said.
"I'd love to but, I'm not supposed to. I'm a freshman and I wasn't invited." Robin told her, chuckling.
"Well, I'm inviting you so just ditch the damn classes for the rest of the day and let's go." Ruby insisted grabbing their hand and giving it a little pull.
"But..."
"Liam will be there."
"I'm in."
Ruby chuckled and turned around so they could go towards their group but, once she did, Ebony popped out of nowhere and jumped into her arms, wrapping her legs around her waist with a happy smile.
"Hey, babe." Ruby greeted warmly, confusing Robin.
"Babe?" They mumbled to themselves.
"I convinced Avalon to let me go with you guys." Ebony announced hopping off Ruby's arms and leaning against her, making Robin cringe in confusion.
"That's great, Peach. I'm glad I'll have someone to comment about my sister's crush on Avalon."
"Hey, am I not someone to comment that with?" Robin complained, fakely offended.
"No, because I know for a fact that you also have a crush on our teacher." Ruby told them, smirking.
"Of course I do, have you seen the man?" Robin said making them laugh.
"Alright, we should go before they leave without us." Ebony said with a smile.
Ruby looked at her in the eyes and they both leaned in, joining their lips in a soft and lingering kiss. Robin's eyes widened and their jaw fell open while their previously happy face turned into a disgusted one. The two girls pulled away with smiles on their lips and just as Ebony was about to pull Ruby away, Robin grabbed the redhead's hand, stopping her from moving.
"Huh? Rob? Why are you looking at us like that?" Ruby asked looking at her dumbfounded friend.
"I fucking need to talk to you right the fucking now." They told her, slowly. "Alone."
Ebony got the message and with a last peck on Ruby's lips, which made Robin cringe, she walked away towards the Winx and Avalon.
"Alright, what's up?" Ruby asked, pulling her hand away from theirs to cross her arms.
"What's up? Seriously?" They said, confusing the redhead further. "Why did you join lips with Ginny Miller over there?"
"Ginny Miller? Really." Ruby asked, unamused.
"We both know she's fucking annoying and don't avoid my question."
"Because we're dating, you know? That's what people who date do." Ruby explained, mockingly as if she was explaining it to a child.
"Why are you dating her?" Robin asked outraged.
"Because I like her."
"You like her? What do you mean? What the about the T..."
"Hey, come on we've got to go." Stella shouted from a distance, cutting off Robin.
"Look, Robin, I don't know why you're reacting like this, but I don't have time for this. Let's go, ok? We'll talk later." Ruby turned around and walked away towards the other girls and Avalon who stood in front of a Red Fountain aircraft that would take them to the school.
"Come on, Robin. What's so wrong about Ruby being in love with someone?" Livy asked, oblivious to the truth.
"I'll tell you later." They answered, heading towards the aircraft.
As soon as the group stepped inside the vehicle took off flight and flew away from the massive castle. Robin sat away from Ruby and Ebony, glaring at them as the brunette was clinging to the redhead like chewing gum in someone's hair. Everyone was curious to know how that happened and Ebony was eager to share every single detail.
"We've liked each other for a while and Ruby finally got the courage to ask me out. Yesterday we made it oficial." She lied through your teeth while Ruby smiled at them.
"Aww, I always thought you would look cute together." Bloom said with ahappy smile. "Robin, can we please talk? I have to ask you something." They snapped out fo their suspiscious trance and walked with the Fairy towards a corner on the craft.
"What's wrong?" Robin asked.
"What's wrong? Are you seriously asking that?" Bloom said. "Ebony and Ruby are together."
"Yeah, no shit. There is something very wrong here." Robin agreed.
"Of course there is. Ebony's story is bullshit."
"Woah, you actually cursed." Robin said, surprised.
"Not the time for that." Bloom scolded. "Yesterday Ruby was with the Trix, hugging them, flirting with them, kissing them and laughing with them. I mean, I've never seen someone so in love before. Gosh, I don't think I even love Sky as much as she loves them. And now, on the next day, she's dating Ebony? A girl who she couldn't stand last year."
"Who's dating Ebony?" Garry asked, popping out of nowhere which made the two Fairy's yell in surprise.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Bloom asked.
"Wow, this whole thing is really upseting you, Older Red." Robin said, getting a glare from her.
"Guys, what are you doing here?" Ruby asked, shifting her attention to them after hearing her sister and Robin scream.
"We were bored." Python said, hopping on Ruby's lap which caused Kaylus, who was already sitting there, to fly away.
"Hey, get off there, Ugly." She shouted, trying to push the heavy Ghoul out of her Fairy's lap.
"Who do you think you're calling Ugly?" Python growled, trying to hit her with her claws, but she dodged it.
"The only person who looks like a Troll. Oh, wait, Trolls actually have some hygiene au contraire of you." The Pixie snapped back, dodging another angry attack from Python.
Ruby grabbed the two by their necks like a misbeahving cat and moved both of them away from her lap.
"You two, stop fighting." She scolded. "Ghouls, next time you want to come with us, ask, don't just break into an aircraft."
"Yes, Mistress Ruby. We're sorry." Greg, the most civilized Ghoul, said.
"It's ok."
"Girl, you're gonna be a great mom one day." Robin joked making the other's laugh. Their eyes narrowed once Ebony leaned her head on Ruby's shoulder. "We've got to get to the bottom of this."
"I agree." Bloom said.
"Girls, we've arrived." Avalon announced, once the aircraft started losing altitude.
"Yay, I can't wait to see my Brandon." Stella said, sighing with love.
"And I can't wait to see Sky." Bloom said, as much lovingly which obivously gave a lot of happiness to Amore.
"And you, Robin? Who are you looking forward to see?" Musa asked, with a teasing smirk, making them blush.
"No one." They mumbled.
"Are you sure? I heard that Liam has been talking about you a lot." Stella said, provokingly, standing up and walking out of the aircraft.
"He has?" Robin asked, forgetting about the whole Ebony and Ruby situation for a second and running out after the blonde.
"Oh, you bet. He totally likes you." Stella said, flipping her hair behind her back.
"Really?" Robin asked, happily.
"Are you in love, Robin dear?" Ruby asked, flinging an arm around them.
"Wh-What? No, of course not." They said, clearing their throat with their cheeks coated red.
"Sure. I'm afraid no one believes you." Ebony laughed, pulling Ruby away from them and wrapping the redhead's other arm around her shoulders.
"And I'm afraid no one likes you." Robin mumbled, quietly enough for none of them to hear.
"Wow, Red Fountain's opening ceremony," Bloom said in awe as the ten, plus the Pixies and Ghouls, approached the entrance to the school in ruins.
"Even though the tower looks destroyed, the place still looks great." Musa said.
"Yeah, if you think moss in walls looks great. Seriously, how did that grow so fast?" Ruby said, making Ebony giggle. Robin mocked her giggle, scoffing when she stopped.
"Professor Avalon, thank you so much for taking us." Bloom said, smiling at the Professor.
"My pleasure. It's a chance for me to meet the teachers of Red Fountain." Avalon explained, stopping on his tracks to turn around and face the girls. "You go ahead, I've got to wait here."
"But, you're not coming with us?" Bloom asked, dissapointedly.
"I'm going to meet up with Professor Codatorta." Avalon answered. "Bloom, would you do me a favour and look after the others while I'm gone."
"You can count on me Sir." Bloom replied.
"That's what I like to hear." The Professor said, before walking away towards the school.
Bloom sighed, basically swooning as she watched the teacher walk away.
"Sister, you're drooling." Ruby joked.
"No I'm not, stop it." Bloom said, blushing.
"Guys, is that who I think it is?" Layla asked, looking at a trio of witches approaching them, consisting of Lucy and other two girls.
"Yes, they're the witches of Cloud Tower." Tecna confirmed, hatefully looking at the witches walking around as if they owned the place.
"They're on the guest list." Digit said, projecting a list of names with her bracelet.
The three walked past Mirta, who happily greeted her friend who she hadn't seen for so long, and barely even acknowledged her, leaving her behind to look at her friend walk away.
"You think, they'll be trouble?" Musa asked, worriedly.
"It's ok, the Trix aren't with them anymore." Bloom said. Ebony tightened her grip on Ruby's arm at the mention of the three witches, but her nerves calmed once she noticed the redhead wasn't reacting at all.
Suddenly, the floor under Lucy and the other witches, turned into ice, making them fall down and hit their heads painfully. The Winx gasped and looked around trying to find the culprit.
"It's Icy, it can only be her." Bloom said, getting ready for a fight for once she finds the witch.
"Relax, Piglet." Ruby said, laughing. "It was me."
"Ruby." The Winx scolded.
"Look, Lucy was being a bitch to Mirta. I am not going to let her hurt her just because she's popular now, they used to be best friends." Ruby said, glaring at Lucy who was already staring at her in fear.
"Well, next time find another way of doing that. You got me worried there, with whole ice thing and being worried is bad for my skin." Stella complained, touching her face to make sure her skin was intact.
"You guys are being paranoid." Ruby told them, walking inside the school. "Look, I don't like the Trix either, but you've got to relax and..."
"What do you mean you don't like the Trix?" Bloom, Robin, the Ghouls, Kaylus and Amore all asked at the same time. The Winx stared at them as if they were a creature with seven heads.
"Uhmm I mean that they tried to murder you and a lot of other people so I don't exactly nuture any love towards them." Ruby explained, looking at her friends confused.
"Yes you..." Amore started, but Kaylus placed a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't give away Ruby's secret.
"Yes, of course. Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." Bloom said, chuckling fakely. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Ebony smirking with triumph, making it clear as day that she had done something to her sister and Bloom intended to find out what. "Let's go find the boys." Having said this, the girls ran off to find their boyfriends without looking back or hesitating.
"Aren't you coming, Robin?" Ruby asked, noticing they weren't following.
"No, I have to speak to them, Kay and the Ghouls." Amore said, glaring at Ebony with so much anger that it looked like there was smoke coming out of her ears. "Now."
"Yes ma'am." The five all said, running off to an empty corner. Amore flew away, her angry eyes only leaving Ebony once she finally reached her friends.
"Ru, let's go." The Fairy said, frightened by the once kind Pixie.
"What's going on, Amore?" Kaylus asked.
"What's going on? I'll tell you what's going on. That Fairy is getting in the way of Linking." The Pixie yelled, getting a few odd stares from nearby Witches and Specialists. "Mind your own business." The crowd averted their eyes immediately, not wanting to find out what this new side of Amore was like.
"Greg, I'm scared." Garry said, stepping away from the Pixie.
"Ok, Amore, I know she is and I want to do something about it too, but the last thing we must do is to freak out like you're doing now." Robin said, attempting to calm her. "Do you have any idea of what might've happened?"
"It can only be a spell." Kaylus said.
"Or Ruby fell in love with someone better than the Trix." Python suggested, rolling his eyes. Needless to say, it was a mistake. Amore attacked him and pinned him against the wall by his collar.
"Listen here, Ghoul. I'm the Pixie of Love, I want everyone to love each other and protect each other and be nice towards each other." Amore said, her eyes burning with rage. "But I will not allow someone to get in between someone else's love, let alone when that kind of love is something as powerful and as important as Linking. Now, if you even dare to think about saying something like that ever again, I'll make sure something really bad happens to you. I want Ruby to be happy with the Trix, no matter how awful they are towards everyone else and I will break that spell if it's the last thing I do. And you're gonna help me do it."
"Yes ma'am." Python whimpered.
"Good." Amore said, suddenly being back to her happy and loving self. She dropped the Ghoul on the ground and turned to the others who stared at her with their jaws hanged and wide eyes. "Robin, Kaylus, your job is to figure out what kind of spell Ruby's under and the counter spell for it, Ghouls you must find a way of keeping Ruby away from Ebony because if I see that witch touch her one more time in a way she has no right to, I will rip her wig right out of her head. And I will manipulate Ruby into loving the Trix again." The Pixe frowned at the end of her sentence. "Ok, that sounded better in my head."
"Which part?" Robin asked, looking at Amore terrified.
"Move it girls and boys, we've got a mission and we better acomplish it. Do you hear me?"
"Yes ma'am." They all said again making Amore smile in her usual cute and kind way.
"I'm glad we got to an agreement." She flew away towards her bonded Fairy with a beautiful and dreamy smile.
"I'm so confused and terrified right now." Robin said, and the Ghouls and Kaylus didn't waste a second to agree. "But Miss Bipolar over there is right, we've got to get to the bottom of this so, you and me, Kaylus, will look for evidence once we get back to Alfea. For now we'll just enjoy the ceremony."
"Yeah, you'll get to enjoy a party while we have to keep those two Lovebirds apart." Python grumbled, walking away.
"Shh, Py, Amore has ears everywhere." Greg warned him and as soon as he did, Livy approached them surfing on her paper board and stopped in front of the grumpy Ghoul.
"I've got a message for you Python." The Pixie announced unfolding the paper. "This is your last warning, Python. You support that relationship once again and you'll swin with the sharks. With all the love in my heart, the Pixe of Love, Amore."
"Told you." Greg said, shuddering.
"Thanks, Livy." Robin said, smiling at her. The Pixe flew upwards and sat on her bonded Fairy's shoulder.
"When did she have the time to write that?" Kaylus asked.
"She probably already knew Python would say something like that." Robin said. "But now, Ghouls, go do your job."
The three didn't waste a second to run towards Ruby. Garry and Greg hopped on each one of her shoulders and once she let go of Ebony from the shock, Python got in between them and stopped them from getting any close to each other, by attempting to claw Ebony when she tried to hold Ruby's hand, claiming that 'he nedded his personal space'. Robin put theirs thumbs up with a smile.
"Man, they're good at annoying people." Kaulus said, making them laugh. "Do you think we'll be able to help Ruby?"
"Of course we will. I won't let my friend suffer in the claws of that girl for long." Robin stated, glaring at the back of Ebony's head.
She won't get away with this.