Winx Club: The Journey Begins

Chapter 9: Tangled Trials

Under the cover of night, an agent on a covert mission infiltrates Red Fountain, expertly evading detection. He tracks down the captured troll, swiftly tampering with its containment before slipping away, unseen and unheard.

—

The following day, Sky, Brandon, Riven, and Timmy are assigned a critical mission: transport the troll from Red Fountain to a designated release point beyond the protective barrier. Their instructor sternly cautions, "The troll is secure within the forcefield cage. Land, release it using the remote control, and return immediately. The protected territory is a dangerous zone!"

They soon take off unaware that the troll will break free within an hour after takeoff.

—

Meanwhile, the aspiring fairies are gathered in the heart of Black-Mud Swamp, a mix of excitement and nervousness buzzing among them. Professor Palladium stood before them, his expression soft with a reassuring smile.

"Today's exercise will be rather difficult." he began, "A good fairy should be able to listen to what nature tells us. Today's exercise is designed to put your skills to the test. You have three hours to get out of Black-Mud Swamp and reach the clearing in the middle of Gloomy-Wood Forest, without using magic. Remember, listen carefully to the voice of nature, and follow its advice."

With a final nod, Palladium vanished, leaving the girls alone in the murky swamp.

The groups spread out. Astra scans their surroundings and asks, "Do any of you know the way to the Goomy-Wood Forest?"

The girls shake their heads. Musa looks at Stella, "Didn't you do this before?"

Stella scoffs, rolling her eyes. "My group never made it anywhere near the forest."

Musa chuckles, "Let's hope that wasn't your fault."

Stella gasps, feigning offense. "Hey!"

Tecna tries to get them back on track, "Alright, alright. We need to figure out a plan."

Astra, intrigued by their eerie surroundings, started snapping pictures with her camera. "This place is kind of fascinating."

Stella wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I don't care how fascinating it is; I just want to get through this without ruining my shoes."

—

Chaos erupts on the Red Fountain ship as the cage malfunctions and the troll breaks free. The beast wreaks havoc, causing the ship to plummet toward the swamp below.

Spotting the falling aircraft, the girls sprinted to the crash site.

"You guys okay?" Flora asks the boys, her voice laced with worry.

"Isn't it rather obvious?" Riven grumbled, rubbing his head in pain.

Noticing Riven, Musa bites her lip. He glances in her direction, and Musa's heart skips a beat. Involuntarily, she giggles. She quickly looks away, pretending to focus on something else.

"We're all safe and sound, thanks," Brandon says, pulling himself up and shaking off debris. He looks back at the aircraft and groans at the damage. "We need to find and contain the troll before it causes any more damage."

Sky nods, "Agreed. Everyone, be on your guard."

The girls gasped, "A troll?!"

"You were transporting a troll and you let it escape?!" Tecna exclaimed, shocked.

"We didn't let anyone escape." Riven shot back. "There was an accident. We lost altitude and-"

"Mechanical failure!" Timmy interjected.