I'm a very boring person, but there's a lot of stuff I must explain before we begin.
A. I don't own Winx Club. If I did, who knows what would have turned out. I'm not affiliated with the production in any way, and truthfully, often times I think the show lowers your IQ if you stare at it directly too long.
B. What some people consider 'Alternative Lifestyles', I consider valuable variations in the human species. This means if two girls kissing is enough to get you to flame, you probably shouldn't read anything I've done. Ever. If Timmy in a ball gown impugns your moral sensibilities, you're better off not risking it and going to read something more your particular style. God forbid I ever write any of my Care Bear stuff.
Do I make myself clear? Slash, femslash, shojo/shounen ai, yaoi, yuri. If I think it's a good idea, it's going in. At the very least. Crossdressing, gay boyfriends, reams of denial, Big Gay Al, I don't care. If it fits, it's going in.
C. I had a story, also in this section that I really liked. But as I kept writing, the story got away from me, so you can consider this a redux, or a reimagining, or even a side story to that one. I think it's a really fun mirrorverse to Winx cannon, but that's simply because they wasted so many good ideas as the story progressed... Nah, not a side story or a redux. I think I'll kill off a few characters while I'm back here.
Addendum: Dec, 2010 -
I started work on this before I finished Part Seven and the 'Epi-y' for Other Side of the Mirror, so Mike being dead made it into the story before I released any of this. You can blame SailorNova007 for getting me to dig this thing up and finish it. A little bit did make it in, but more so there would be a hint of what happened as the universe kept building off from it.
...Yay, I have a 'verse'! Please feel free to write in it, and tell me about it as much as you want.
-o0o-
'In retrospect, I probably should have thought this plan through just a tad bit more. But it's just as well really, I never was very good planning these things out really. I suppose that's why I have to go to all those anger management classes. I'll have to ask mom about it later.'
Bloom's problems could be traced back to the fact she didn't think very clearly unless there was violence already in progress. She'd day dream in class about magical places, full of wizards and witches, fairies and dragons. Some times she'd see them in the corner of her vision on the streets, turning to eventually see nothing.
Which is probably why, upon seeing a blond girl being attacked by an ogre, her first instinct was to try to help her, rather then run screaming. Which when she had time to think about it, the 'Running Away' would have been way more rational then trying to kick out a monster's knees from behind.
It worked of course, Bloom had tons of practice fighting goons twice her size already, so that wasn't a surprise. The ogre dropped to it's knees long enough for her to slam her fists into the back of it's neck. It's just that, where she would have expected a human to drop after that, ogres seemed have really thick necks. It was still moving, dizzily at least. And she didn't have the strength to over power someone it's size without the element of surprise on her side, and as it's attention was shifting directly to her she really couldn't count on luck cutting her a break a second time.
But then the girl fired a laser beam from her hand.
That was kinda cool really.
The ogre was distracted again, his head was turning back towards the blond. It would have been a nice set up for a sucker punch, if she could just hit him hard enough to feel it.
Something inside said she should give it a try anyways. Just ball up the fists, focus all the fire on one point and swing. Such a simple spell really. She'd been dreaming about it for years really, it always seemed so silly before, beneath notice even. Something you'd tell a baby with too much imagination, or maybe something from a book she read in kindergarten.
The contact of her fist to his turned cheek was soft. Softer then anyone she's ever hit anytime before, and Bloom had been involved in a lot of fights by her age. The small explosion that resulted was a bit unexpected, but something inside of her was waiting for it, ready, primed, and excited to finally get to help again. The ogre spun almost cartoonishly away, rolling across the park's grass, ending up unconscious against a nearby tree.
Relief floods her body, adrenaline washing it self from her blood stream. Her muscles relax, her heart slows, and everything speeds up to stop moving in slow motion.
'A nap would be nice' she's able to think to herself before her head hits the grass.
-o0o-
"... was fighting again?" That would have been her mother, Vanessa. She was always worrying about her, especially after...
"Fighting? Oh nonono, she was like some kind of next level government project or something." that high pitched voice... was her cousin visiting. "Three hits! She took down a fucking ogre in three hits. Yeah I softened the son of a bitch up for her, but she was all like wham, bam, thank you mam! Holy shit lady, your daughter is like some kind of"
"Will you please shut up!" Mom was angry? Mom never got angry. She got sad, wistful pretty often but never angry. "My daughter is a perfectly normal little girl."
"Except for the not getting sick, and the muff diving of course." Bloom just had to say as she sat up on the couch, her mother turning to look at her in shock, "And yes mom, still a virgin, thank you very much for asking." Vanessa blushing as she tried to hide the fact that she was holding her breath for just a split second there.
"Sorry for waking you up dear. This girl brought you into the shop an hour or so ago..." the older woman coughs into her hand, brushing her hair behind her ear nervously, "Yes, well, Miriam is still in the shop, and I'm sure she'll need some help at any moment." She stands blushing, "And your guest is staying for dinner tonight, it should be ready by six." she says as a command more then a question as she walks out of the living room towards the store, nodding slightly at the sleeping rabbit in the corner on her way out.
Silence fills the room for a moment, "Your mom is really weird, do you know that Red?" the blond says offhandedly while looking around the room.
"Bloom. The name is Bloom." The blond does look a little like one of her cousins. Her nose is a little higher, cheek bones a little finer.
"Stella, pleased to make the acquaintance." The blond continues to look around at the sparse apartment, "It's a bit small in here, isn't it?"
"We had to move after Mike... after my father died. We just moved into an expansion on the flower shop." Again the silence returned.
"Condolences. I wish my father died myself, but that fucker just got remarried."
"I'm sorry?"
"Don't be. Mom just left one day, and then dad just gave up on her coming back. Badda boom, she's declared dead, and he rushes off to screw the first royal trollop in line."
"Royal? So that means you're..."
"Stella, formerly Crowned Princess of Solaria."
"So you're an alien? Cool, that explains the laser beams."
"Alien? Seriously? I'm just as human as you are."
"You're from another planet!"
"So what?"
"You shoot energy beams from your hands!"
"So do you!"
"What! No, I don't!"
"Come on, what do you think you did to the big green guy back there! Hugged him to death?"
"No! I... Wait, what? I didn't..."
"Holy shit, you pulled that off and didn't even know about it! You must be like the chosen one or something. Girl, you've got a fucking gift."
"That... People can't... No way..."
Stella grinned, "Groovy, do what I do, okay. Put your hand over your heart, and just think about tugging, just a little bit. Till there's like a thread connecting your fingers to your heart. Pull just a tiny bit of thread out, like a tiny little ball of energy, and then pop open your fingers while visualizing the little ball flashing open. Like this." The blond moved through the actions, her hand flashing with just a tiny flash of sparkling silver light.
Bloom stared. It worked... It was probably a trick, but it worked. Still, it could be worth a shot. She closed her eyes, placing her hand between her breasts, and it felt so warm as she pulled, she had to gasp, she could feel just the slightest tug at... something in side her. She balled it up in her fist, the heat rolling around in her palm, "Too much, too much!" Stella seemed to be panicking for some reason as she opened her hand, and eyes at once, a ball of fire exploding outward, bouncing off the yellow walls around her.
Stella exhaled, dropping her arms, the light shield around Bloom collapsing, "Fuck, I usually have more time to do that. But you've got a knack for fire it seems." the blond starts giggling, still catching her breath. "I was on my way to Cloud Tower when I was detoured by that oversized thug. Do you want to come with me? It's a school for witches, so it should be fun."
Bloom blinked. She was fine. Not only that, she created an explosion in her hand. On purpose this time. "I don't know how to be a witch."
"Shit, a witch doesn't need to know how to be a witch. A witch just knows. The whole point of the school isn't so you learn to be some dead lady's version of a witch. The school is so that you have a place so you can learn how to be yourself, without having to deal with accidentally blowing up family heirlooms every time your fucking boyfriend ditches you."
"Does that happen a lot?"
"It happens enough."
"To you."
"If you want to start pointing fingers, then yes."
-o0o-
Stella had some fun stories. Stories about fairies and witches, and brave heroes who showed up just in time to completely misunderstand the facts and side with who ever was better at hitting on them. As opposed to Vanessa who seemed to have story after story of Bloom doing humiliating things one after another.
"And that's why Bloom can't be in the same room with Mitzi for more then five minutes anymore." The blond and brunette share a hard laugh while the redhead groans.
"Mom, it was my seventh birthday party. It was one kiss, and I'm still fairly certain I was under the influence of a great deal of sugar, you can't hold me accountable for it still." Bloom just sighed as that only got them to break down laughing even more. Chewing on her salad, waiting for the two to at least slow down, "Stella, how did you know to bring me back here?"
The blond tilted her head, swallowing the bite she was still chewing at, "Oh, your familiar knew the way." Confused again by the resulting silence from the other two at the table. "You know the bunny." Gears twisting in her head, a light going off once her brain has caught up, "Oh, wait, you just... Oh wow, sorry about that. I just assumed... Like I said, you're just a natural Red."
Vanessa broke the silence, picking at her plate, "Would you still... be able to come back home? While you're at the school..."
"Oh, of course! It's got all sorts of breaks for every stupid reason. Not to mention it's only a three year course... more or less most of the time. She won't be gone long enough for you to get home sick." Stella grinned, "I hear some of the parents still have to deal with bags of laundry every weekend."
"You should go. If you still want to. I don't want you"
Vanessa suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her whole body freezing, Stella jumping out of her chair, "Shit shit shit. Time Stop, stage one. Who ever it is doesn't want to alert the authorities yet."
Bloom blinked, moving in slow motion for a second, sitting up as everything rushed back to normal, her mother still frozen, Kiko hopping up onto her shoulder, "What do you mean stage one time stop? This is somebody's spell, isn't it."
The blond cracked open a window curtain, peeping though the opening, "Two, three... No, four trolls. Looks like that ogre brought friends with him this time. Red, do you have a backdoor?"
-o0o-
"Chaos is power, power is enriched by the heart." The plan was simple enough. Bloom just had to distract the trolls long enough for Stella to make the Time Stop stronger.
As Stella explained it, the first stage of a Time Stop was only strong enough to stop non-magical beings. Once Stella made it stronger, it would stop more things. At least the trolls, possibly herself, maybe Stella and if they were lucky, the people who cast the spell in the first place. More importantly, the spell should be large enough to get the attention of Specialists, who were apparently some kind of magical police force.
"The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos." So here she was with a softball bat, chanting what ever came to mind to keep her focused. Sonic could be a fun series at least. As long as she could focus on something that wasn't her hand, it most likely wouldn't explode like it did earlier that afternoon and tire her out. And as she had someplace to direct the energy, even if it was a troll kneecap, it probably wouldn't explode wildly like the fireball she did in the living room that evening.
So that is why the redhead was fighting a group of trolls with a flaming softball bat. Her self defense teacher believed that Bloom looked for situations where she would 'Self Defense' some poor guy's head into the asphalt. Though she'd usually deny it, it was still true more often then not.
Still, she was only able to drop three of them before everything stopped.
-o0o-
"God fucking damnit, you stupid fuckers, if you weren't so fucking busy fucking ogling your boyfriend over here, you'd get his dick out our ass, and actually use what ever portion of your brain stem that still processes basic information, you could tell that's an amplification circle I was drawing, which is not an illegal spell, so you have no fucking grounds to take us in for 'questioning'."
Waking up in shackles was a surprise. Though the plan did include attracting the magical police, and it did look like the flowershop was still okay. The trolls were also in similar manacles, so that was good as well.
Though it did seem that Stella was right. Even though she wouldn't let them get a word in edgewise, these specialists apparently cuffed anyone who was even slightly magical, without trying to figure out what was going on. And Stella really disagreed with being restrained.
"Excuse me. Does this mean we'll be late for registration at Cloud Tower then?"
