The Winx could not comprehend how astonishing the newfound power was.
Bloom's colorful Butterflix dress was replaced with a blue one, wrapped with light red ribbons. Her hands were banded with the same things as well, except they were white. She wore brown boots, and her hair was tied up into a high ponytail. Streaks of deep red on her hair could be seen as well. Her wings were replaced with simple red-orange ones which represented her primary element: the Dragon Flame.
"Whoa," that was all Bloom managed to say. Shining with a new power, she looked at herself and took in the sudden retransformation. "This is amazing!" She added.
"How did you trigger that, Bloom?" Tecna quizzed. "It's not like it came out of nowhere, right? There has to be an explanation. A logical and rational explanation."
The fire fairy shook her head and replied, "I don't really have the slightest idea."
Apparently, Isabela had been trying to contact the Winx since the previous hours after school had ended. Ringing could be heard from Tecna's phone, and the pinkette detransformed to take it from her bag and answered it.
"Thank the gods of Valemnia from the Celeste Academy series!" The raven exclaimed through the phone. "Mother of crisis, do you know how many times I've tried contacting you guys?!"
"A 'hello' would have been nicer and shorter," Tecna sarcastically remarked. "No, considering there isn't much signal down here. You're still using that Windows Phone, right?"
From the other side, Isabela rolled her eyes. "Of course. I'm still using the Windows Phone that you made compatible around the Magix power pressure so that it would work."
Tecna then remembered how it isn't like the others' phones. Sighing, she stated, "Well, you can't connect to us directly. You need to use the phone I gave you. Where is it?"
"Somewhere in my drawers." The other fairy responded. "I can't find it--found it."
She held up a pink phone which seemed much like the others. Considering the girl wanted to have an Android phone, Tecna had decided to create a much similar one, except of course, better.
"I actually wanted to use this for a long time now," she said, using her head to hold the phone on her shoulder as she turned the other on. Under Mt. Ebott, as the others detransformed including Bloom, Tecna asked, "Then why didn't you begin using it?"
The phone turned on with a tone as Isabela held her Windows phone in her left hand, putting it on her left ear. "You know me--lazy. I also was focused on getting used to my dad's old phone. Does that excuse work?"
The techno fairy sighed and shook her head. Same as always, but she couldn't be any worse.
"Anyway," Isabela resumed as she waited for the new phone to start up. "Put this on speakers. Everyone needs to know about this."
"You found information?" Tecna quizzed. Isabela nodded even if unnecessary, then answered, "It's about your SOULs and their attributes."
The pinkette widened her eyes and put her phone in speakers immediately. "Okay, can everyone hear me? Say Winx."
"Winx." Everybody else said in sync. Isabela sighed, "Cool, cool. Now, I need everyone to listen. I got info about the game mechanics and the next location you're about to go into, if you're still inside the Ruins."
"We're about to leave," Bloom said. "We just fought Toriel."
The raven gasped. "Did you kill her?!"
"No, we didn't." Flora replied to ease the star fairy. The said fairy calmed down and stated, "Good. If you want a really good ending, you all need to go through the True Pacifist ending."
Musa was starting to get curious. "Did you get this from a video game wiki?"
"Of course! I've read the Undertale wikia for a long time, even if I can't play the game." Isabela answered. "I've watched some gameplays, though I stopped at when Luigikid just entered Snowdin Town, where you'll be in once you get out of the Ruins. The name is legit, believe me. Once you leave, you'll see snow and winter trees... that stuff."
Hearing about the snowy place, Stella pondered if she included winter clothes in the small closet she brought. She took out a small device and scrolled around through the ring of themed clothes, represented by hers first. As she was doing so, her friends were talking about endings. They discussed about the Neutral, Genocide and Pacifist endings.
"So, we have to not only spare everyone, but befriend relevant characters to get this ending." Aisha summarized. "What's the catch?"
"The final boss itself." Isabela answered. "I'll tell you, it's tricky. I'm already giving too much information about that. Anyway, let's move on to your SOULs."
Everybody listened closely, but Stella wasn't too bothered.
"Your SOULs have different colors, right?" She quizzed first. "That's because you have different attributes, represented by each color. I'll mention them, one by one: red for determination, light blue is patience, orange is for bravery, dark blue is integrity, violet or purple for perseverance, green for kindness, and yellow for justice."
"Your SOULs are classified as so because other people had fallen here before you," the raven further explained. "So far I only know Chara, the first human. This one was a child and sported determination. The rest are just proven because of the items they left behind, like, if you ever found them, the faded ribbon and the toy knife."
Roxy looked for the items mentioned. Meanwhile, Tecna was tapping her chin. "That answers two questions I was about to ask. Though, I do have another."
"Ask away, friendo." Isabela stated, calm.
"Which one owns the ribbon and the knife?"
Isabela snapped her fingers. "Oh, that's easy. That used to be owned by the child who had patience. Let me guess, one of you have them, right?"
"I guess that explains why I feel connected to them," Roxy said. "Thanks. Now I understand. The answers were worth the wait."
The raven chuckled from the other side. "Cool. Anyway, you might find more, but I don't know everything yet. I need to do more reading and probably install the game in my laptop."
"Good. Take any measures, but don't get too desperate." Tecna advised. "Alright, call us when you find out anything."
"Okay!" Isabela enthustiastically responded. "Oh, and before I forget, I thought, what if you guys found a transformation? It might be called Virtuix at this point, if you unlock it via doing something corresponding to your SOUL attribute, aka your virtue."
The girls were shocked. That wasn't in the game, right?
"...how did you know that?" Bloom asked hesitantly. The raven shrugged, then responded, "Deep thinking. I usually cross my favorite stuff over, like a universal collision, in my head."
This girl... Bloom thought. She's really creative and thoughtful.
"Anyways, I better go. I got homework--dormwork since I'm in a boarding school--to do! Talk to ya'll sometime!"
"Bye!" The Winx chorused. A click echoed from Tecna's phone, and after that she put her phone back into her bag.
Meanwhile in Isa's room, she had put down her phone and started customizing the other one to something she would like. Not too soon, she widens her eyes and snaps her fingers. She looks at her phone to call, but she hesitates.
"Godsdamnit," she mildly cursed. "I forgot to tell them about Sans da skelly. They'll eventually find out anyway, but they might see him as a threat, considering the first encounter, which is quite... shady."
The raven chuckled at her own pun, but then stops as she resumes customizing her new phone.
Back under Mt. Ebott, the girls are about to exit the Ruins. Again, as usual, they are held back by Stella. They all look at her, either confused or annoyed. "What's the hold up, Stel?" Bloom asked as she raised an eyebrow. The sun fairy snaps her fingers and changes everyone's clothes into winter-compatible ones.
(Photo credit: Fantazyme of deviantART)
Stella clasped her hands together, saying, "If the next stop is cold, might as well use these to fight the temperature!"
"Good to know you packed some compatible clothes there." Tecna said as she looked at the outfit she once used. "Thanks. We could have died of hypothermia if we were out there."
The blonde just giggled and replied, "No problem, Tec!"
Ready for what's next, the girls push open the door and into the light. They come out of the shadows of the Ruins, entering the new place Isabela called Snowdin. Cold air blew their faces, giving hem determination to embark on the journey ahead of them. Stepping out into the world far below the Surface, they held on their attributes through the snow-covered ground.
The true adventure begins...
Winxtale
Original by Toby Fox
Characters by Toby Fox, Iginio Straffi and Isabela Capistrano
Created by Isabela Capistrano