Chapter One

"Bloom, I'm in a fashion crisis!"

I rolled my eyes at the shrill voice, unable to hold back the smile it brought.

Turning around in my chair, the door to my dorm room burst open. A flustered blonde was revealed, looking anything but happy behind the enormous stack of clothes in her arms.

"Bloom, did you not hear what I said?" she inquired angrily, inviting herself in.

"Yes, Stella, I heard you. And I'm pretty sure every planet from here to Frost heard you, too." I replied, giggling.

I quickly blocked the pillow that was promptly tossed at my face.

"Ha-ha, very funny. I'm serious, Bloom. I don't know how to do this!" She examined each article of clothing she'd unceremoniously scattered across my bed.

"Your parents have been divorced for how long now? Ten years? I think you're perfectly capable of choosing what you want to wear to your mom's and what you want to wear to your dad's."

Picking up the pencil on my desk, I returned to the sketch I'd been working on. Much like the majority of the drawings I'd been recently pining over, this was turning out to be anything but what I'd hoped for. Just before I could put the lead to the paper, a huge stack of expensive clothes appeared on top of my sketch.

"But I bought that new summer collection from Wizrahi!" Stella cried, distress laced in her tone. "And then there are those new Spell McCartney sandals I bought last week that go with the green Fairygamo skirt! How do you expect me to separate what clearly goes together?"

"I don't know, Stel." I said, beginning to get frustrated. "I'm sure you can come to some kind of conclusion."

"I need your opinion, though!"

"I haven't even met your parents! How would I know what either of them would like? Besides, you're their daughter. They're going to love you even if you wear plaid with stripes."

She scoffed in indignation. "I would never wear something as horrifying as that."

Grateful that she had calmed down a bit, I brought the stack of clothes over to my bed, adding to the growing pile of haute couture fashion.

"Here, how about we try a game?" I suggested, sifting through the load. "I'll put an outfit together and you say where it'll look best at –your mom's or your dad's."

Stella shrugged, tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Sounds simple enough."

"But, there's one tiny little catch."

She frowned. "What catch?"

"Once you pick an outfit, none of those clothes can be transferred to the other suitcase."

A gasp of horror filled the air and she shot to her feet. "That is insanity! Why would you suggest something so . . . so inhumane?"

I sighed, tossing the shirt in my hand back. "Fine! If you don't like my rules then go ask Musa. I'm sure she'd love to help you."

Judging by the look on her face, she didn't catch the sarcastic lilt in my voice.

"Musa!" she screamed, running out of the room. "Musa, I need your assistance!"

I laughed, hearing a distant slam of a door and its lock clicking.

"Musa, don't you dare ignore me!"

Music suddenly began to blare through the common room, barely muffled by the thin walls.

Stella and Musa could never coincide together. I'd wondered how we'd all managed to survive living two years in the same housing unit without becoming victims to their wrath.

The two girls were the living embodiments of hot and cold, not only in their appearances, but also in their personalities. Stella was the girly blonde with an obsession with fashion, while Musa was the oriental tomboy who detested anything that included a skirt.

Therefore, the idea of Musa helping Stella with fashion was an easy thing to laugh at.

"You are horrible."

Glancing over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of my smiling roommate walk in. "I'm only trying to get them to bond before summer starts."

"No, you just wanted to get Stella out. You know she and Musa are hot and cold."

Brutally erasing a particularly bad line, I started to re-draw the curve. "Okay, so maybe I did something against my better judgment. I'm sure no one's going to die from it."

Flora laughed and slid a chair up next to mine. Her eyes carefully inspected the drawing, taking in every detail I made. She appeared to be curious, but said nothing.

Flora had been my roommate for the past two years, and I couldn't have been more grateful for that. She was the peacekeeper of our little group, always gentle and always having a rational way to end a conflict.

After spending so much time together, Flora had become like the sister I'd never gotten the chance to have. Of course, no one would've guessed it based on a first glance. With her long brown hair, tan skin, soft voice, and my unruly bright red hair, pale skin, and awkward demeanor, we were polar opposites. Although, unlike Stella and Musa, we could live together harmoniously.

"I didn't know you still drew." Flora said, nodding towards my sketch.

I shrugged, nonchalant. "I'm not that great at it anymore."

Picking up one of my pictures I'd tucked into the drawer of my desk, she shook her head. "What are you talking about? These are amazing, Bloom!"

"Not really. I've done better."

"Well, if you want, I can give you a few pointers. Helia's been teaching me some things about drawing."

"Oh, has he?" I inquired suggestively at the mention of her boyfriend.

"Bloom, that is not appropriate!" Flora scolded, blushing.

"Lighten up, Flo! You know I'm just joking."

"Still, you poke fun at my relationship all the time!"

"Only because you make it so easy!"

She began rifling through the drawer, looking at everything else I'd crammed inside it. "What if I said something about you and Sky?"

I threw my hands up in innocence. "Go right ahead! My boyfriend and I have no secrets! Poke fun as much as you want!"

"That's not even fair." she huffed. "There's really nothing?"

I paused, my steady line faltering. " . . . I don't know. We sort of had a fight earlier."

Her brow furrowed, curiously. "About what?"

Setting the pencil down for what felt like the millionth time today, I sighed. "It was weird. I thought it'd be nice to spend some quality time with him and his parents on Eraklyon for a few days, since our summer vacation time's been cut shorter this year. But, when I brought it up, he just freaked."

Flora frowned. "He freaked?"

"Yeah, it was really strange. He started coming up with all of these excuses about how he had 'things he had to take care of.' I don't know why he'd do that. It's not like I didn't get along with his parents the last time we went there or anything."

She said nothing, but the way she was toying with the handle of the drawer sparked an interest in me.

"What?" I asked.

"It's nothing," she insisted. "It's just . . . maybe they caught wind."

"Caught wind of what?"

"Maybe they caught wind of what happened in Real–"

"Don't." I interrupted, quickly returning to my drawing.

"It's a possibility, though."

I shot her a look, a warning that she was crossing a line.

If there was one thing that I didn't want to talk about in my relationship with Sky, it was that. It had already caused a sore spot between me and him, and the thought that it could've created another with me and his parents was one that I absolutely did not need.

Unafraid of my wrath, she shot one right back.

"Fine." I mumbled, unintentionally making an extremely dark line on the paper. "Maybe."

Flora smiled and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I don't do this to upset you, sweetie. I do it because I care."

"Yeah, yeah," I pushed the paper aside, unhappy with what I was coming up with.

She laughed cheerily and stood up. "Come on; let's go get Stella and the others before someone gets killed. We all can go get some pizza or something."

Standing up, I grabbed the purse I'd laid next to my suitcase. "I am all for a pizza!"

Her face turned serious. "Before we go, I know you don't like talking about." she said, carefully. "But, if you ever do want to talk about the Realix thing, I'm here. I know it must've been really traumatic for you, and I want to know you're okay."

Shifting the bag on my shoulder to ease the tension in my body, I shook my head. "I'm good, Flo."

She gave me the same look she had earlier.

"I am, really. All I want to do is forget about it. Can we just go get some pizza?"

Frowning disapprovingly, she nodded. "Fine, fine. But, like I said–"

"I get it, Flora! If I need a therapist, I will call you!"


Alfea's courtyard was nearly bare by the time Flora and I got there. Most of the students had already left, dying to get out and go home to their families.

But, of course, we were the oddball group.

The remaining four (Stella, Musa, Tecna, and Layla) had bunched together near the well at the center of the courtyard, waiting for us to join them. We could hear Stella the moment we stepped outside, ranting about my 'atrocious' idea for how to separate her clothes.

"Stella, you complain about everyone's fashion choices!" Musa exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "Why would you trust our choices for you when you hate the ones we make for ourselves?"

Stella looked offended "Because you are my friends, Musa! I hoped that I had taught you all enough to at least put together a decent outfit." She gave the musician's outfit a once-over, her flared nostrils an indication she disapproved. "Clearly I was wrong."

"Wasn't she banging on her door asking for her help not half an hour ago?" Flora whispered to me, smiling.

I shrugged. I never understood how Stella's mind worked, and frankly, I didn't really care to. If I tried, I figured I would spontaneously combust from all the confusion.

"Now, here is a well-taught pupil!" Stella announced as we arrived, her eyes landing on me. "Bloom, the sweater and the boots –good choices, keep making them!"

Giving her a fake smile, I nodded. "I try."

"Speaking of fashion," Layla interrupted, "did you ever finish packing?"

The princess frowned, crossing her arms. "No, unfortunately. I have to finish dividing my clothes into "Mom" and "Dad' when we get back."

"By my calculations, you can't properly divide your wardrobe for two separate locations. Your clothes don't amount to an even split." Tecna said as she typed furiously into her miniature laptop.

"What?"

"You calculated her wardrobe?" I asked, amazed. "Is that even possible?"

"It's Tecna." Musa replied. "Are you honestly surprised?"

"I don't believe you!" Stella denied, crossing her arms. "I was able to split it last year!"

"Yes, but you have to take into consideration the new clothes that you bought this year." the tech-savvy fairy said. "Your wardrobe has considerably increased and, in doing so, you managed to arrive at an odd number."

Her jaw dropped, eyes searching around for a logical explanation. She suddenly looked at me, practically begging for me to make everything better.

"Don't look at me." I said, holding my hands up. "I'm the one who told you it was a bad idea to buy the entire Wizrahi collection."

Stella became distraught. "I'm checking this out for myself! Where are my bags?"

Instantly, I perked up. "I got this!" I yelled, spinning around to face the balcony where our dorms were.

Flora put a hand on my shoulder, her expression filled with worry. "Are you sure this is a good idea, sweetie? You know what Ms. F said about your powers–"

"Flo, my powers are fine." I insisted, wanting to prove her wrong.

"But Bloom –"

"Hitherus!"

The doors that led to the balcony suddenly burst open, a line of suitcases pouring out of them (it didn't even create a dent in the amount Stella actually had, but it was a start). The sight was enough to make everyone in the courtyard stop and stare.

"See?" I said, a triumphant smirk crossing his face. "I'm totally in control."

I regretted saying it the second it left my mouth.

Layla jumped in as soon as the bags started to fall to the ground. "Don't worry; it's my turn to get this!"

I don't think Stella had ever been happier that Layla had expert gymnastics skills than in that moment.

With a few well-timed jumps and flips, Layla successfully caught a suitcase on each arm and one ankle, somehow managing to balance on just one foot. Stella nearly passed out from relief, whining about how they were her 'precious babies.'

"Well, that was a close one."

"Not close enough," Musa said. "Look."

Directing our attention back to the balcony, we saw one final suitcase fly out of the doors. For a moment, we thought it would follow the same path as the others, until Tecna decided to speak up. "Based on the trajectory and speed of that bag, if Layla doesn't move within a few seconds, it's logical to say that –"

The suitcase collided with Layla before she could finish.

Musa shook her head, sadly. "Be a little faster there next time, Tec."

"My couture!" Stella screamed in agony, her eyes wide as she scanned through the now-open suitcases scattered across the courtyard. "Do you know how long it took me just to separate those four bags?"

"I think it's safe to say that you've still got a bit of dark magic lingering." Flora said, keeping her voice low enough for only us.

I opened my mouth to say something snippy, but then decided against it. Sure, I could be mean to Stella or Musa, but I couldn't bring myself to go that low around Flora.

"Wait, what's that?"

All of us looked up to the sky to see a bright sun flare appear before us. The intensity of the flare mixed with the brightness of the sun was enough to nearly blind us, forcing us to squint. Stella barely seemed to notice, looking straight at it.

"It's a Sungram from Solaria! Wanda's the official palace messenger!"

Squinting to see through the light, I could barely make out the hologram of a blonde woman holding a scroll in her hand.

"The Royal Court of Solaria is pleased to announce our official Princess Ball." a woman's voice rang out, followed by a loud trumpet sound.

There was another flash of bright light and the woman was gone, replaced by an outline of a man in regal garb that I didn't recognize. "You're going to love your party, Stella. And I have a surprise announce I'm going to make there that I believe will make you very happy."

The flare flashed once then completely dissipated, only leaving a trail of smoke in its stead.

Surprisingly, silence followed the Sungram. Blinking away the black spots that filled my vision, I glanced over at Stella. Her jaw was dropped in shock, a wide smile spreading over her face.

"Oh no."

Stella screeched, jumping up and down, the suitcases sprawled across the ground forgotten. "I can't believe it! I'm actually going to have a Princess Ball!"

"Stella, calm down!" Layla yelled, trying to tame the blonde. "You're scaring the other students."

"Um, I don't particularly like to sound dumb," I said, confused, "but what's a Princess Ball?"

"Something stupid," Musa commented under her breath.

"It's like a princess's coming out to society," Flora explained.

"We don't have anything like that on Zenith," Tecna declared, typing furiously into her mini laptop again. "But, according to my research, it's a special ball held by a princess's parents on her eighteenth birthday. It's merely a social gathering to publicly announce that the heir to the throne will soon begin her training."

"Training?" I asked.

"Princesses have to have special training lessons before ascending. The people want a well-rounded, proper ruler."

"It's the most amazing thing in the entire universe!" Stella shouted, still jumping. "I didn't think I'd have one because of my parents' split! But I was wrong! And I'm so happy that I was wrong! This is so exciting!"

Musa turned to look at me, nodding. "So, like I said," she told me, "something stupid."

As much as I didn't want to rain on Stella's parade, I had to agree with Musa. Holding a ball in honor of a princess going into training for her ascension to the throne seemed a bit over-exaggerated. Was it really necessary to go to such lengths over something that a princess is supposed to do anyway?

It wasn't even her birthday . . .

It wasn't even August. It's June.

Hell, she'd already turned eighteen!

"I am so lost," I muttered to myself, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I have so much work to do before this weekend!" Stella exclaimed. "I have to buy a dress, and shoes, and jewelry, and send the invitations, and –"

There was a deadly silent pause.

Looking back over at Stella, I noticed a mischievous smile spread across her face as her eyes landed on me.

"No."

"Oh, Bloom, please?" she begged, clasping her hands together. "There's no way I can get this done all by myself!"

"I have to go back to Earth, Stel! We only have a few weeks off this year; I want to see my parents."

"But it's tradition for the princess to have her best friend at the ball! This is a once in a lifetime thing! Please?"

Frankly, the last thing I wanted to do was attend a ball. It wasn't that I didn't want to go for Stella, but it was the fact that I'd never been to one before. I didn't have the luxury of having princess lessons or learning how to act around royalty, like the other girls. Sure, Sky's family was royalty, but I always guessed at what to do around them. And –big surprise– I tended to choose the wrong things to do.

The thought of expressing that concern to Stella though was instantly brushed off. Stella had the ability to acknowledge other people's feelings, but empathizing with them was another story.

Sighing in defeat, I ran a hand through my hair. "Alright, fine. I'll tell Mike and Vanessa I'll be a few days late."

Stella screeched again and threw her arms around me, squeezing tightly. "This is going to be so amazing!"

Musa started snickering and leaned close to my ear. "You are so screwed."


*bursts out of the ground Ichabod Crane style* I AM ALIVE!

Alright, I'm going to keep this very short because I have a 5:30 wake up call for school and it's already 12:00 at night.

So, as we all can see I have returned with a rewrite, you could say, of the third season of Winx Club! Yes, I am very aware that it is not like what it is in the show -that's the point. There is a very slight chance that I may do a few edits on this chapter just to make sure that I got everything correct -nothing major, just a few itty bitty tweaks to some words and whatnot.

Hopefully, I should have the next update done by the end of my fall break, so be on the look out for chapter two!

-Bloom