Heyy. As promised, here's the next update. Thanks everyone for the reviews, you're all awesome. Once again, I'm sorry that the last chapter was a bit confusing, but it won't be that important for this story. The only character that will appear a lot will be Luna, since she's the one who started it all. This chapter has some Musa X Riven scenes, as was requested. Hope you enjoy!
There was only silence in the Headmistress'office. No one said a word for a few minutes as they all thought. Bloom's head was spinning, she couldn't believe what she had just heard. She couldn't be the reincarnation of the dark one, she just couldn't be. But as she stared into the book, at the picture that showed Luna and her friends, she couldn't deny the resemblance between them. They could easily pass as twin sisters. It made her sad to think that she had been meant for evil.
Flora was shocked and scared, but she was glad to get an explanation to the visions she was having. However, knowing who Luna was didn't explain why she was seeing her. Was her spirit somehow hanging around the office? Or was it just a trick played by the darkness? Thinking about the darkness made her feel sick. Now that she knew the extent of the damage it could to to a person, she was terrified of ever hurting the people she loved. She felt herself star to hyperventilate as visions of dead bodies filled her mind. She eneded to get away from there, get some fresh air. She stood up, catching her friend's attention, and tried to run towards the door. She heard them calling her, but she ignored them. But as she tried to run, her legs felt heavy and she felt sick again. Everything started spinning. It wasn't long before her legs gave out and she fell to the ground. Only there was no ground. Strong arms wrapped around her and she felt herself being carried somewhere. Then she she felt nothing.
When her eyes opened again, the first thing she saw was Helia. He was sitting in a chair near her and his hand held hers gently. She tried to sit up, but her head was hurting. She didn't understand why she was having such a terrible headache or why she felt so weak and tired. She blinked a few times before managing to focus. She was lying on the red couch that had been previously occupied by Sky and all her friends surrounded her as they cast her worried looks. She wanted to reassure them that everything was okay, but she didn't want to lie.
"Flora? Can you hear me?"Helia said as he looked at her. She nodded her head, which was a terrible idea, because everything started spinning again. She held onto his arm until the feeling passed and she was able to focus again.
"She doesn't seem to be okay. Maybe we should take her to the infirmary."Aisha was saying, but she shook her head. She didn't need to go to the infirmary, she needed to talk to them. They needed to discuss everything they had learned about their ancestors and the dark one.
"No, I'm fine. But we have to... We have to talk." Though she sounded weak and tired, she was glad not to hear the threatening tone of before. She was also glad to realize that, at the moment, there were no voices on her head and the figure that had been haunting her thoughts since she had taken the darkness was gone. But she was more worried about how sick she felt. She wondered if it was a side effect of having all of that darkness locked inside you.
"We can talk later. Your health and safety are more important."Helia said firmly as he stood up and looked at her worriedly. She felt her heart melt at his words and love for him filled her. But then an image of Luna killing Sean crossed her mind and the small smile that had appeared on her face was gone. She was the dark one now, a horrible and dark creature that would end up destroying everything. She didn't deserve Helia's love or the girl's friendship. She was a threat to them all and she knew that she would never forgive herself if she ever hurt them. But what could she possibly do? From what they had been told, there was no way to destroy the darkness. She sighed in frustration and felt like giving up already. Almost as if she guessed what Flora was thinking, Miss Faragonda spoke up.
"Don't give up yet, my dear."Her words were encouraging and Flora breathed in as she tried to hold onto hope. She needed to have hope or else everything would be over. She had to believe in herself, that she would be able to fight against the darkness, or else she would lose everything. As she looked at Helia, her sweet and gentle boyfriend, the person who believed in her most, she knew that she could do it.
"This is my fault."Bloom scared them all by speaking for the first time since she learned that she was the reincarnation of Luna. Flora realized that as terrible as she might be feeling, Bloom was probably feeling a thousand times worse. After all, she was the one that had dreams about Luna's life, had seen her destroy the Magic Dimension and then kill everyone she loved. Bloom was the one needing comfort, not her.
"Don't say that, Bloom."Sky said as he looked worriedly at his girlfriend. The red head was paler than they had ever seen her and she looked like she was about to cry. Flora wondered if she also felt sick.
"But it is. It was supposed to be me, not Flora. You shouldn't have saved me." No one could argue that it was supposed to have been her, but Flora knew that there was no way she would have let her best friend get hurt. She didn't regret what she had done and she would make sure that Bloom knew that. Musa spoke up before she could voice her thoughts.
"Look, I don't think that arguing whose fault it is will be much help. What we need to do is find a way to defeat the darkness." Some of them nodded their heads at her words. But Flora didn't, she could feel it in her heart: there was no way. She was going to lose control and become a heartless monster. Her heart ached and she felt a lump on her throat. This was a nightmare.
"I think the best you can do is kill me."They looked at her as if she was crazy, but she ignored he pain she felt at Helia's heartbroken look. This wasn't the time for them to think about how she was their friend, his lover, they needed to see into the future. Of what she would become. And they needed to pay attention to the story Miss. Faragonda had told them. By the time their ancestors had managed to find a way to destroy the darkness, most of the Magic Dimension was already destroyed. Her friends couldn't make the same mistake of believing in something that was clearly no longer true.
"No way!"Aisha and Stella screamed at the same time. "You've lost it if you honestly think that we'd be capable of killing you." Musa told her, but she shook her head. They were so predictable, acting exactly like she knew they would. But after all, they were heroes and heroes didn't think about killing people. But they would have to. The fate of the universe depended on it.
"You need to stop thinking about be and start focusing on what's best for the Magic Dimension." She was angry at them for forcing her to say this things when they should have thought of it first." You saw what happened to Luna, the same thing will happen to me and it's your job as defenders of the Universe to destroy me before it's too late." They shook their heads, refusing to listen to her.
"No!"The word was spoken by Bloom and she had a determined look on her face. "Yous saved my life tonight and I'm gonna do everything I can to save yours. I won't let you die, even if it's the last thing I do." Her promise warmed the heart of the nature fairy, but she also started getting desperate. How else could she convince them that she was thinking about what was best?
"Bloom's right, we don't have to give up."Miss Faragonda spoke and she walked towards the nature fairy and looked right into her eyes. "Luna only became the dark one because she couldn't fight against the darkness. But I know you Flora and you have a light that shines more brightly than I've ever seen. You are so good and kind that I know you are strong enough to fight this." She was shocked and surprised at how much the Headmistress believed in her. She wasn't exactly the most confident person there was and she was used to doubting herself. That was one of the reasons why she had always valued her friendship with the Winx and her relationship with Helia more than anything, they believed in her and showed her she was a good person. They loved her for exactly who she was. But would that be enough to stop her from becoming a heartless monster? And if that happened, would they be able to see past their love and do what was right? Her thoughts were broken once again by the person who held her heart.
"Flora, my love, I plead you to take my words into the most consideration. I love you more than anything and I will do whatever it takes to keep you from giving into the darkness. Whenever you feel sad, hopeless or angry I'll be there to remind you of who you are and help you realize that you have enough strength to fight this. I'll always be by your side and I plead that you never forget that you have my full support." Her heart melted once again and she couldn't find words to reply to such a beautiful declaration. She could see her friends looking at the two of them with admiration and she even heard Stella whisper "so perfect" and Musa look at the two of them with envy. Flora looked back at his beautiful blue eyes and knew exactly how to show him just how much she appreciated his endless love and belief in her. He knew her so well he was already expecting it and he wrapped his arms around her before she could wrap her own around his neck and they kissed passionately, magically, lovingly. The whole world disappeared, she completely forgot about all her problems as all she could feel was his arms gently wrapped around her and his soft lips that kissed hers with a determination she had never felt before.
"Come on, lovebirds, we're still here." They barely heard Riven's words and then his scream when Musa kicked him. " Don't even start."She threatened the maroon haired specialist. "Let them, they deserve to have this moment."She told him and then a smirk came to her face. "Besides, I don't recall hearing you complain when I was kissing you just a few hours ago."The maroon haired specialist gave her a slightly angry look, but it soon disappeared. She smiled in victory and he couldn't help but smile as well.
Everyone knew that Riven and Musa's relationship wasn't an easy one to live or understand. But there was no doubt anymore on whether they loved each other or not. After Nabu and Helia helped the specialist get her back, the two of them had been closer than ever. Riven had been less "moody", as they would call it and Musa had seemed happier than ever. They were good for each other and they were happy, so their friends were happy for them.
Riven surprised Musa by pulling her closer to him and hugging her. She smiled at him and they stood there, happy and in love despite all the chaos that they were living. It felt good to have someone they could count on and trust. "I love you, Musa."Riven whispered in her year, softly. He knew that was what she needed to hear in this situation, that amongst all the chaos they knew that they would soon face she needed to have something solid, a rock she could hold onto. And he would gladly be that rock. The blue haired fairy looked at him with a secret smile after hearing his words. "I love you too."She whispered back. And those words were what would keep them fighting, believing and living. Sometimes a declaration of love is all you need to keep carrying on.
Soon Flora and Helia pulled apart from their kiss and looked at their smirking friends with blushes on their faces. His arm kept wrapped around her shoulders and she kept her head on his shoulder as both smiled at their friends. Hope had been renewed and they all knew that although they had a difficult path coming, everything would be alright in the end.
But happiness didn't last for long. Soon, Flora's eyes widened and her smile disappeared as the unwanted guest appeared once again. "Okay, you had your time to understand the situation. Now you're going to begin your quest to become the dark one." Flora wanted so badly to ignore her words, but she needed to know exactly what was happening. "Who are you? Are you just a piece of my imagination or is it something more?" For the first time her friends didn't look at her like she was crazy and understood who she was talking to. They kept quiet as they waited for her to tell them Luna's response. The dark one smiled at Flora the same cold and dark smile of before. "You think I might be, what do they call it, a ghost?"Her eyes were shining as she looked at Flora like she was crazy. "I'm not a ghost. I'm not Luna. I am the image of the darkness that's inside of you right now. I'll be your guide as you become the dark one."She didn't like the way Luna was talking, it was as if she had no doubts that Flora would become the dark one. It might be because the vision was created by the darkness that wanted to control her. What better way to control someone than to make them give up on themselves? There was more. "I could transform into another dark one too, but I think you'd prefer Luna." Flora was thrown off by this statement. Another dark one? So did that mean that people had taken the darkness before Luna? How was it that the Magic Dimension still existed, then? Why hadn't it been destroyed?
"Flora? What did she say?"Bloom broke her from her thoughts. She was clearly nervous, having pulled herself off Sky's embrace and was looking at the nature fairy in desperation. "If we can even trust anything she says." Musa said and Tecna agreed. "She's just a picture of your imagination, Flora. It's not real. The only thing we don't know is why you're seeing her."
She ignored them. She was even more terrified now and she needed to know. "Another dark one? So that means that there were more of them?" Everyone's eyes widened at this question. It hadn't crossed their minds that there might've been other dark ones before Luna. Of course, it had been stupid and naive of them not to consider that a force as powerful as the darkness would have never been used before Luna. "Of course." Luna's image confirmed her fears. "There were many dark ones throughout time. They all tried to fight against the control of the darkness and they all failed. As you will fail. You should say goodbye to your friends now because you will lose." The words were vicious, cold and cut like knives. Once again, Flora tried to convince herself that it just the darkness talking,exploring her weakness. It certainly did a good job. She felt her knees give out once more and her head started hurting again. But she wasn't going to back down, she would fight and she would win.
"You're wrong. I won't hurt the people I love and I won't fail." She told the dark figure and just like that it disappeared, leaving her tired and weak. Thank goodness Helia's arms were holding her in place or else she might have fallen to the floor.
"This darkness isn't doing her any good."Aisha stated. "We have to find a way to get rid of it." Musa added and they all showed their agreement. "It's decided then. We'll start right now a quest to find a way to defeat the darkness and we won't fail. We can't." Bloom said and they all stood up with determined looks on their faces and started walking towards the door.
"Wait. I understand that you're anxious to start your quest, but now it's late at night and I'm sure you're all tired. You should get some sleep and tomorrow you can meet me here after breakfast. I will lead you to a place where you can start your quest."It was Miss Faragonda, the voice of reason. Flora was happy for her suggestion, she felt so tired she doubted she would be any help. She just wanted to close her eyes and relax a little, if that would even be possible.
"Okay then. Tomorrow we'll start."Bloom said firmly and they resumed to walking. Helia and Flora stayed last and he easily noticed she was in no condition to walk, so he picked her up and carried her to the dormitory. They got there to find her and Bloom's room was empty, which she was glad for. She was sure that the fire fairy would want to talk about what they had discovered and she was in no mood for that. She didn't want to hear anymore comforting words or how Bloom believed in her. She just wanted to forget, even if for a few hours, that she was the dark one. Helia gently lay her on the bed and helped her remove her shoes and then put the blanket over her.
"Goodnight, my love." He told her before kissing her forehead gently and then standing up. She was half asleep, but when he started leaving she found herself more awake than ever. "No, don't go!" She screamed and he was surprised at the desperation on her voice. He came back instantly to find terrified green eyes looking at him. "Flora, what's wrong? Are you feeling ill again?"He wondered why she was so desperate. He put his hand on her forehead to search for a fever, but found nothing. "I'm not sick, I'm just scared. After everything I've learned today I'm scared I'll be having nightmares."He mentally face palmed, he should have known this would happen. She had had such a traumatic day, of course he shouldn't leave her alone. So he took off his own shoes, climbed into he bed and held her. Her hand searched for his and she squeezed it as a way to say thank you.
A few minutes passed and though she was warm and cozy, with Helia gently stroking her hair, she couldn't sleep. She didn't know if it was the fear of becoming a monster or just the weight of everything she had learned that kept her awake, but she was unable to sleep. Helia seemed to be awake as well for he stopped stroking her hair and looked at her through the dimly lit room. "Can't sleep?"He asked her and she nodded. He sighed. "Well maybe we should talk then."She didn't want to talk and she thought he should know that the last thing she wanted was to discuss everything that happened. "Not about what happened, of course. We'll talk about something else." He added, almost as if reading her thoughts.
"Okay. What do you want to talk about?"She asked as she turned her head to look at him.
"I guess our trip to the Resort Realm will be cancelled now." He said and sighed a bit sadly.
"No, don't cancel it, I think we should go anyways."Her words surprised him, he didn't think she would want to take vocations after it all.
"Are you sure? I would've thought the last thing you'd think about was vocations."
"A vocation is exactly what I need. Maybe if I'm able to relax it will be easier to fight against the darkness."He agreed with her words and also the next ones. "Also, I really want to spend more time with you. It's been a while since we've been together, just the two of us."He smiled at her and she smiled back. They kissed once again, sweetly and gently. This was exactly what they were fighting for. Love and Happiness. When they pulled apart, both were a bit breathless.
"Then does that mean I can start planning our trip?"
"Yes. But didn't you say that you had already booked the hotel?"
"I meant planning what we'll do there. Like swimming or walking around the forest. I heard the forest near the Resort is the most beautiful of all, except for Limphea, of course." Now she was getting excited for this trip. It might be a chance for her to live a normal life. They kept talking about everything they'd do on their vocations for a few hours, until sleep finally consumed them. As she closed her eyes, safe in her lover's arms, she hoped that everything would be alright. But their adventure had barely begun and soon they would be tested. Everything would be tested.
What did you think? Did you like that I included some Musa X Riven scenes?For those who like Bloom X Sky, they'll always be a part of the story. Also, (Spoiler Alert) some Aisha centric scenes will be coming. What do you think it's going to happen now? Will the Winx succeed? Will Flora be able to fight against the darkness? Next chapter should come Friday or Saturday.
