The Guardian Stones
A Winx Future Fic

Chapter One: The Greatest Gift of All

Bloom never thought this day would come, but it had.

She stared at the gemstones in her hand, then at the book lying on the table of her parents' home in Gardenia. It was a storybook, a tome of magical legends. Of course, as with most magical tomes, it was hard for Bloom to tell which were stories and which were real. She had been sure the one about the talking bunny was fiction, but now that she knew Roxy, she had her doubts.

The fate of the universe, and of the entire Winx Club rested on one of the stories in this book, the tale of the Gems of Arcelia.

According to legend, a fairy named Arcelia had crafted gemstones for a group of her friends. These gems were connected to their powers, their souls. When the Wizards of the Black Circle killed them, the fairies' magic remained living in these gems.

Maybe it was a lost cause. But everything Bloom loved was in danger. The Trix had zeroed in on Earth as their newest target. They now wanted it because it was newly filled with magic, but because of how recent the rebirth of magic was, the planet was weak. The three witches had grown strong quickly, and even the Winx were having trouble battling them back. Bloom could only think of one way to stop them, and most likely, that would result in the death of the entire Winx Club, as well as the Trix.

But if the girls' souls could live on in another… would that truly be death?

Could she recreate the Spell of Arcelia? Well, in a sense, Bloom was a goddess. She definitely was the most powerful fairy in the universe, at least. Glancing back down at the book, she touched the gemstone. Whispering a few words in an ancient language, she sent her energy into the gem.

The feeling of it was odd, off somehow. It felt like there was no magic inside of her. She held out her hand and cast a spell, just as effortlessly as ever, but the magic didn't come from inside of her anymore. It was like… like a prosthetic limb, or at least she imagined that was like it was like.

But the spell had worked. It wasn't just a legend that mothers told their young fairies before bed. At least part of it was real.

Bloom suddenly shivered as a shadow fell over her. She looked out the window and saw a bird flying away… quite a large one, dark and mysterious. For a moment, she wondered if it had been looking at her, but she shook the feeling off as nervousness.

She looked at the gem she placed her powers into. It would have helped, maybe, if she had gotten different colors, but instead she had just grabbed the first stones she found in that crazy New Age store she had gone to, so each of the six stones were plain old rose quartz. Pretty, really, but all a flushed shade of pink and all small and round. The only way Bloom knew the one that was hers was because of the connection she felt with it.

She placed the six stones in a small bag. She had errands to run.

"You mean… this is what it will take to defeat the Trix?" Flora asked softly.

Bloom nodded. "They've gotten a lot stronger, and I think it's because they absorbed the power of the Shadow Phoenix. I thought we had defeated it years ago, but I guess balance has to remain."

"So if balance has to remain, and we defeat them, it means we die too. So saving our powers and our souls is the best we can do," Aisha said. "I don't like it, but it makes sense."

"I need to say goodbye to my parents… and Brandon." Stella said, more serious than the girls had ever heard.

They all nodded… Bloom knew they were thinking of their own goodbyes., which was confirmed, when Flora, crying, whispered "Miele…"

But they all took the gems when it was time, all said the words that bound their powers to the stones, all cried when the spell was cast and over.

The girls went to their various planets to say goodbye… except for Bloom. She had one final errand to run, and she didn't think she really could tell anyone what was happening, not even Roxy. Especially not Roxy! The fairy of animals wasn't a Winx, but she was like Bloom's little sister. Bloom knew if she told, the girl would talk her out of it, and there was no other way to save the universe.

So their last conversation was fun and games, going out to eat at a small Mexican restaurant, then watching movies at Klaus's house while he and Morgana were at the bar, helping people try to drink away the pain of the end of the world. It was when the bar was almost ready to close, about ten minutes before Roxy's parents would return, that Bloom asked. "Hey, Roxy? Would you do me a favor?"

Roxy's eyes lit up. Bloom knew that Roxy would be eager to do this; she was eager to do anything for the Winx Club, wanted to be part of it. But Bloom knew she would never have let the younger girl be part. This latest mission only proved it was two dangerous. "Sure!" she said, and Bloom smiled sadly.

The fire fairy pulled out the small bag of gems from her pocket. "Roxy, I need you to guard these with your life for the next day. Then, I want you to open the bag and scatter the contents over Gardenia, but put a tracking spell on them and keep an eye on them, okay?"

"What are they?" Roxy said.

"Something very, very important. I can't tell you what right now. Just promise me you'll follow my instructions and not open the bag until tomorrow night. Deal?"

"Deal!" Roxy said. Then her eyes narrowed. "Why can't you do it?"

"I've got other plans. Us Winx are going somewhere, but we need these to stay in Gardenia. It's a big job, and we need someone to take care of it."

"I wish I could come with you," Roxy said miserably.

Bloom almost smiled. "Oh Roxy. Trust me. You really don't."

She was writing to her parents, telling them what was going to happen, when she heard crashing outside. Instinctively, she knew that her time was up. "Magic Winx! Fairix!" she shouted, using the latest transformation they had gained- one with a flowy, princess-like feel and sharp, angled wings.

As she flew up, she saw her five best friends behind her, having arrived back on Earth just in time. The looks on their faces were somber, but accepting. They held hands, and Flora reached out to take Bloom's, so they were a strong line of fairies, standing against the three witches.

"How cute," Icy sneered. "Ready to lose, pixies?"

"We're not going to lose," Bloom said. In her voice was something she could never have described. It was an emotion she had never felt before- something all at once sad, hopeful, ready for anything… something impossibly strong. "We are ready to end you, Trix."

"Just try," said Darcy, and she threw up her hands, which burst with magic. Waves of darkness turned into a screech that filled the air. Down on the ground, humans covered their ears, but despite the horrifying waves, the Winx remained unbroken.

The Trix didn't relent. Icy threw ice shards that stuck in Stella's hair and pierced Musa's leg. Stormy conjured a storm so big that it must have covered all of south California. And the Winx never faltered. "What is going on?" Icy said, staring in disbelief.

Bloom squeezed Flora's hand, and knew that Flora squeezed Stella's, who passed it to Musa, then Aisha, then Tecna. Then, Bloom broke from the group. "We're all dead," she said softly, almost kindly. Then, before the three witches could react, she exploded, her power literally pouring out from each of her pores, uncontrollable and unavoidable.

There were no bodies dropping from the sky, no remnant of the nine girls to fall to Earth. The release of pure power had disintegrated the girls, just as Bloom knew it would.

Roxy just knew. The moment it happened, the moment she saw that burst of light in the sky, she knew that Bloom and the other Winx had done the unthinkable and killed themselves with the Trix. She didn't cry, as she would have thought she would if anyone had asked her what she would do if this happened. Instead, she went up to her room, ready to do what Bloom had asked of her.

She locked the door to her room, sat down on her bed, and opened the bag. Inside was a note.

Roxy,

If you don't know by now, you need to know that the Trix are gone. Don't worry about them. Don't worry about us… yes, we had to sacrifice ourselves to take care of them, but we aren't gone. We put our souls and magic into these six gems. If my spell is right, the gems' powers will manifest in six girls… at least, I think that's how it works. All my theory is based off the legend of the Gems of Arcelia. I put a book that tells that story under your bed.

Do what I asked… scatter these gems around the city. Six girls will find them, and then, maybe, we'll get another chance. Take care of us, alright?

I have a gift for you, Roxy, and that's the relationship you always wanted: here and now, I'm telling you that you're one of the Winx, and for now, you're the last one left. I'm sorry it had to happen like this.

With all my well wishes and all my friendship,

Bloom.

Roxy set the letter next to her. She didn't allow herself to think of what it meant. Instead, she carefully dumped the gems onto the bed and looked at them. Something seemed… wrong. Which was odd. They all looked exactly the same, right, so what could be the matter?

Then she realized.

She counted the gems. There were nine.

Author's Note: Welcome to The Guardian Stone! This is a rewrite/reboot of an old story I wrote on the 4kids board called "Stones." Which was very badly written indeed. Luckily, the plot was decent, so after four or five years and a lot more experience, this came to be.

One clarification. The story of the Gems of Arcelia is not mine. It belongs to Akela Victoire, and is in her story (the not surprisingly titled "Gems of Arcelia"). If you haven't already, go read it! And if you have, know that she uses the story differently than I use it. In GoA, it is a true story. In my fic, it is only a legend, and so her characters won't be appearing here. That also accounts for Roxy, who doesn't exist in Akela's story.

Hope you enjoy the story and keep up with it!