Alex took charge. "Guys, we need to try to shapeshift into the animal forms. Penny, you use your power to shrink the fire, and maybe if I smother them— Juliette, you'll need to strengthen Penny's magic."

Penny gaped at him, pushing Mrs. Proditor from her mind. "Alex, we've only done it once before. If we do it now— what if they take over our minds again? And will we even be able to transform?"

Alex looked at her. "I don't know, but it's a risk we have to take. This fire will be all over the school soon, and who knows who will die in it?"

Juliette nodded. "We can do it."

Penny hesitated. You are braver than you know. "Okay."

She thought back to when they had last shape-shifted. That was different. I'm in control now. Penny closed her eyes. Pheonix? Are you there? Can you help me?

There was no reply from the mythical woman. Penny sighed. Ok then. Wings. Fire. Feathers. I'm a pheonix, I'm a pheonix, I'm a pheonix.

I have no clue what I'm doing.

But something was working. Tingling erupted on Penny's skin, and at a gasp from the others her eyes popped open. She could see the others, but her vision was tinted red.

"You're on fire!" Alex cried.

Oh shoot. I haven't lost control for months. C'mon, fire, go away! She wanted to turn into a Pheonix, not a ball of fire.

The red faded, but the shocked expressions her friends were wearing didn't.

"What's wrong?" Penny tried to say, but instead a strange whistle came out of her— beak?

Penny glanced down and squawked. For a moment she thought she was still on fire. Then it hit her what the red and gold adorning her body was.

Feathers.

She had become the Pheonix.

Penny gave an experimental flap of her wings. This is amazing!

She flapped again, and rose off the ground before drifting back down. Time enough to fly later.

Penny inclined her head at the others. You need to transform too!

Alex looked at her. "Do we need to shapeshift to be able to talk with you?"

Penny nodded, and Alex let out a breath.

Amazed, Penny stared as brown skin hardened into blue scales and Alex's neck elongated, two arching horns curving out of his head.

"Penny? Can you hear me?"

"Yes!" Penny looked at Dragon Alex, who stared back with wide eyes.

"I remembered being able to do this last time, so I figured it would work again."

Juliette looked at them and gave a frustrated sigh. "Guess it's my turn. Let's try this."

It took longer for her, the flames growing each moment that passed. Finally, though, in Juliette's place stood a gleaming white unicorn tinted violet. "This is amazing!"

"Juliette, can you try to use your horn to strengthen my magic?" Penny asked. "I'm going to put out the fire."

Juliette nodded and stepped forward. Penny flapped her wings again, an attempt to do fly over.

She lifted off the ground, and flight felt natural to Penny as she glided over to Juliette.

Juliette lowered her head, and her horn glowed with violet light. Penny tensed involuntarily.

The horn gently touched Penny's forehead, and warmth and energy flooded through her. She was full to the brim with magic.

"I'm going to try to put it out now." Penny looked at the flames and willed them downward. Her newly strengthened magic came willingly, and the fire shrank.

For a moment. Then it reared up higher than ever. No, no, this isn't supposed to happen!

But the fire disobeyed Penny's every command, growing higher each moment that passed. In her desperation, she even tried to make it grow in the hopes that it would do the opposite and shrink. Then it did as she said. Why won't it work?

In her panic, Penny shifted back to human form. The room was becoming uncomfortably hot. Normal fire doesn't affect me. Her powers, it seemed, had no bearing whatsoever on these black flames.

The others shifted back too.

"Penny! Can you control the fire?" Juliette yelled.

Penny shook her head. "I'm trying! Nothing is working! Everytime I try to make it smaller, it just grows!"

"Then stop doing it if it makes them bigger!" Juliette said, sounding exasperated.

Penny reached into her mind, calling for Pheonix. She closed her eyes, and despite the flames still raging around them, and this time it worked. She saw a different world, the same spot she had first met Pheonix, what felt like years ago.

Pheonix was there as well, and she hurriedly walked over to Penny.

"Help us!" Penny said. "Mrs. Proditor is a Malum, and she's trying to burn down the school. She says that if she does, and everyone inside dies, then the magic released will be enough to give all the Malum enough power to not lose their souls! Surely you can do something--"

Pheonix held up a hand. "Penny, I am but a memory, here to help and guide you. I cannot do anything in the physical world."

"Well then guide me!" Penny yelled, desperate. "Everyone in the school is going do die if we don't do something!"

The Pheonix fixed Penny with an intense gaze. "There is one way to stop the cursed flame of the Malum. It is born to kill, and feeds on death. Each time a soul is lost to it, the fire grows."

"But how do I stop it?"

Pheonix grew quiet for a moment, and when she did speak, it was barely above a whisper. "A willing life, given to the flame, will stop its spread. The sacrifice will stop the flame.

"No... you can't mean..." Penny shook her head. "No! I can't!"

Pheonix reached out, her brown eyes mournful. "It will be hard. This I know. But you have strength within you that you've never known. And it will take all the strength you have to do this."

Penny blinked back tears. "But-- but why me?" She knew she was being selfish, but in that moment Penny would've done anything else to stop the fire, anything but this.

Pheonix sighed. "Penny. The Pheonix has several powers, but one is rarely known. When a Pheonix dies in flames, then sometimes they'll come back in the same form them were in when they died. It may take days, it may take years. It may be never."

Penny shook her head, not wanting to hear false hope.

A single tear rolled down Pheonix's cheek. "Penny... I know how hard this is."

"How can you?" Penny cried, tears streaming down her face. "How can you know what it's like to sacrifice yourself? I'm only 13! I have my whole life ahead of me, and I'll never get to live it! How can you possibly know how hard it is?!"

The Pheonix was crying now too. "Because... because I did the same thing."

"What?" Penny asked, startled. "You... what?"

"Circumstances were different, and I admit, I was older than you are now, but I did have to sacrifice myself to flames to save others. And I know it is hard. But Penny, you are brave. And you can do it."

Penny shook her head. "But I'm not brave! I can't!"

The Pheonix shook her head. "Penny, you are the bravest person I have ever met. Braver than me. You were brave enough to reach out to a lonely girl, even when your magic warned against it, and you were brave enough to lead your friends to fight the flames. And, should you choose to do so, you will be brave enough to do this."

"How can I be brave when I'm so scared?" Penny said. She was terrified.

"Courage isn't not being scared. It's being scared, but doing what has to be done regardless." The Pheonix studied Penny. "It's your choice. You don't have to do this. But I think I know what you'll choose."

You are braver than you know. Penny had never been very brave. But she would do what she had to do, and if she had to be brave enough to do this...

Then she would.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I'm really grateful for all of you guys reading this! <3 Here's one of the longest chapters so far!
And, you know, please don't kill me for this chapter.