10.1
The four adventurers bravely descended into the dungeon. Calia the Drow druid, wielding the powers of both life and darkness and accompanied by her faithful wolf companion, Zargold the dwarven barbarian, armed with his almighty axe, Kazon, the halfling battle mage, equally adept with both bow and spell, and Sylvia, a human priestess of the great god of the Sun, together they seek to conquer this den of evil and vanquish the great beast that had made the ruins its lair.
The ogre bellows its rage and swings its massive club at Calia. The dark elf twists aside just in time to evade the blow, and Zargold rushes in to grapple with his-
"Techna!" Kazon said. "I thought we agreed no grappling!"
"That was last game," Zargold said. "It's an effective tactic."
"It slows down the game," Calia said.
"It's not that complicated," Zargold said. "I don't understand why the four of you have such a problem with it."
Let me get out the rule book...
"Bloom!" Sylvia said. "Don't encourage her! Techna, the grappling section is thirty pages long!"
"Stella's right," Kazon said. "You're the only one who can even begin to remember all those rules."
"Please, Techna," Calia said. "I'd really like to finish this game in a reasonable amount of time. Please?"
"Alright, but only because Flora asked nicely," Zargold said.
So what are you doing instead?
"Making a called shot to cut off the hand that's holding the club."
Sigh. Okay, let me see if I can find the rules for dismemberment...
10.2 (Awesomedude17)
Flora had noticed that Techna was not her usual self this loop and became worried. So when night came...
"Techna, what happened?"
Techna rubbed her temples.
"You know the loop where there's cyborgs, mooing war machines, photosynthesis surviving humans, mind controlling psychics, cardboard box loving heroes, vampires, nanomachines, ghosts AND war vehicles that have nuclear payloads?"
"... Say what?"
"The Metal Gear Loops."
"Can't say I heard of that."
Techna sighed.
"Oh my gosh... Well... I became a cyborg myself... And it's complicated..."
"How?"
Techna took out a high-frequency blade and stared at it.
"Let's just say... It's very hard to follow, and not even the Anchor there fully understands that world. Also, a blonde guy chased us on a unicycle."
"Okay, I'll take your word for it. Let's just... Go out?"
Techna pouted, but nodded nonetheless.
"Sure. I could go for some Brain Bleach."
"I'll decide if it's that bad or confusing when I go there."
"Good luck, Flora." Techna replied, chuckling.
10.3 (lord Martiya)
Flora had planned it as a nice Baseline Loop with all of her Awake friends. For all of five seconds before finding out WHO had replaced Stella: Minako Aino, Sailor Venus. AKA a tomboyish Stella on permanent sugar high. And one of the oldest Loopers around.
"NOT HER!" the Trix cried out when they saw her on stage at Miss Magix.
As Minako sang (better than Musa, to the latter's chagrin) while casually dodging the Trix' increasingly desperate attempt at sabotage, Flora thought to how Minako's presence had changed the Loop. For starters, the Trix still had to find out that the Dragonfire was in Bloom and not in the Ring of Solaria: when the Trix had tried their kidnapping scheme, Minako had reflexively kicked them and Knut down for the count before even noticing she had been ambushed, and with Musa deciding it was to be a Loop with a relationship with Darcy they had missed their other chance.
Then there was the fact Darcy tried to defeat her in hand-to-hand every time she had a chance (keyword: TRIED), how Timmy was now dating Mirta thanks to the meddling from the self-proclaimed Goddess of Love, and-Did Darcy just tried to sabotage Minako with hellfire?
"Seller's market, sweety: twenty thousands or nothing." Minako said. "In advance."
"You win." Icy admitted as she paid the money.
After counting it, Minako handed over the Ring of Solaria the Trix had just rented, and left.
"You sure it's a good idea?" Flora asked her.
"Why not? You yourself told me the thing doesn't hold the Dragonfire and has no consequence, and they know better than try and keep the Ring." Minako replied.
Surprisingly, the disgruntled Trix gave back the ring after verifying it did not contain the Dragonfire… And Darcy did NOT attack Minako.
"Next time, princess, next time!" the witch threatened.
"As you wish." Minako replied.
"Who's the madgirl?" Diaspro asked.
"Minako, princess of Solaria." Bloom replied. "And-"
"I know her fame, thank you."
In their hiding place, the two fairies and Sky shuddered at the thought. They had NOT expected the self-proclaimed love goddess to try and set them in a three-way relationship-and if there was one thing Bloom and Diaspro ALWAYS agreed was that it was a horrible idea.
Darcy knocked out her sisters. They had not taken well Minako revealing that Bloom was the holder of the Dragonfire and that she had always known, nor that they had to PAY her to be told.
It wasn't like Darcy had appreciated it, but she was calm enough to not try and murder her in public… Not for that, at least.
"I WILL HAVE REVENGE, MINAKO OF SOLARIA!" Darkar cried out as he escaped from his newest fangirls-the newly-resurrected Three Ancestral Witches. Who Minako had convinced they were in love with him.
"That was cruel." Bloom pointed out.
"But funny, in a horror movie way." Minako replied.
"That too.
Minako was towering over the fallen form of Valtor, guilty of brainwashing her in-Loop father.
"I expected better." she said.
"Mina, you kick really strong… And Valtor sucks at meelee." Musa told her.
"I know! I just expected him to wear armour and resist a few more kicks before his bones started liquefying…"
"Prepare to meet your fate, Minako!" Darkar shouted. "I have the Relix now, and once I read it I shall have its power!"
"Do it."
Darkar laughed, and did just that.
"IT BURNS!"
Minako picked up the book, read it, and commented: "It's not that bad… At least the author makes an effort at developing the character."
10.4 (Crossoverpairinglover)
"I am Fire and Life Incarnate"
"You know, this was a bad idea" Musa stated for all four of the Awake Winx.
For trying to help Bloom awaken her full powers early this loop backfired.
For one thing, they were a little different than normal.
"Now and Forever" Bloom stated with immense power "I am Phoenix!"
The Phoenix Force had replaced the Dragon Flame.
10.5
Flora wandered around Alfea, looking for Techna. Her girlfriend hadn't returned to their dorm last night, and Flora was concerned. It was unlikely Techna had been kidnapped or even attacked, she and the other loopers would have noticed that, but it was more than likely Techna had gotten caught up in some project of hers and had forgotten to sleep. As admirable as Flora found Techna's work ethic, she really preferred it when the purple haired girl didn't work herself to exhaustion.
Flora continued her circuit of Alfea, finally stumbling upon a small building in a remote corner of the school that she was fairly certain wasn't supposed to be there. From the outside it looked like a very high tech shed, with metal walls covered in complicated circuitry, but Flora knew what it was. She sighed, then walked up to the door and knocked.
"Huh?" Techna's voice came from within. "Uh, come in, the door's unlocked."
Flora pushed open the door and stepped into the control center of the most powerful computer Techna had so far been able to produce. "Techna," Flora said. "Do you know what time it is?"
"Of course I do," Techna said. "It's seven in the evening."
"And do you know what day it is?" Flora asked.
Techna blinked. "I'm... guessing it's not still Tuesday, is it?"
"No," Flora said.
"Wednesday?" Techna asked hopefully.
"Yes," Flora said. "But only because I went and found you. Techna, you should know better than to stay up all night."
"Sorry, Flora," Techna said. "I got caught up in something."
"I guessed as much," Flora said. "What were you working on?"
"You remember how Bloom was able to beat Dio Brando?" Techna said.
"Yes," Flora said, unconsciously rubbing a spot on her left shoulder as she remembered that fight. "You kept plugging Bloom into machines for several loops after that."
"I was trying to figure out how Bloom was able to do that," Techna said. "I mean, she's a powerful fairy, but she's not that powerful. There had to be something else at work."
"Her powers have always responded to her emotions," Flora said. "I figured that must have been what happened."
"True," Techna said. "I think that's exactly what happened, but what I couldn't figure out was how. I ran every test I could think of on Bloom, but I couldn't find anything that explained it."
"So how does this explain you staying up for twenty four hours?" Flora asked.
"Because I ran a full high definition magical scan on Bloom a few loops back, and I've been running the data through my computer ever since, and today, er, last night, I finally found something." Techna pulled up a screen full of incomprehensible numbers and letters. "Look at this. Right here."
"Techna," Flora said with fond exasperation. "I don't speak fluent computer. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking at."
"Oh, sorry," Techna said. "I'll try to render it in something less technical." Techna tapped a few keys and a 3D model of Bloom appeared on the screen. A moment later a visual representation of her magic appeared as well.
"Alright, what am I supposed to be looking at?" Flora asked.
"Just a moment, let me remove the physical model and zoom in," Techna said, tapping in a series of commands to the computer. The representation of Bloom's body vanished, leaving just her magical signature behind. The image expanded as Techna zoomed in on a point near the center of the model.
Flora peered at the model. There was something strange about it. "I don't see... What is that?" the Anchor asked, perplexed.
"I don't know," Techna said. "That's what I've been trying to figure out myself. I've run it through the computer several different ways, but I haven't found anything. I was hoping you might now, you've spent more time studying magic than I have."
"I'm not sure," Flora said. "I can think of several things it might be, but I'm not sure." She looked at the screen for a moment. "Could you show magical resonance, rather than signature?"
Techna blinked. "I hadn't thought of that," she admitted. "One minute." She started typing and the image shifted dramatically. The magical field vanished, and the area around it came to life. The tiny irregularity in the center blossomed into a massive cloud of color.
"What is that?" Techna asked. "I've never seen anything like it."
"It looks like a Convergence bond," Flora said. "But there's something strange about it. It's like Bloom's performing a magical Convergence with herself."
"That's impossible," Techna said. "Convergences require at least two people."
"I know," Flora said. "Which raises the question, who is Bloom Converging with?"
"You have an idea, don't you?" Techna asked.
"I... might have something," Flora said. "Bloom carries the power of the Dragon Fire."
"Yes, I already knew that," Techna said. "Where are you going with this?"
"The power came from the Great Dragon," Flora said. "But it's clearly not all of the power the Dragon possessed."
"I can see that," Techna said. "Bloom's powerful, but she's nowhere near strong enough to create the universe."
"Exactly," Flora said. "All that power Bloom doesn't have, it must still be around. That means the Great Dragon is still around."
"You think Bloom's Converging with the Great Dragon," Techna said.
"Yes," Flora said. "It would explain where that power comes from, and it would explain why her powers respond to strong emotions."
"Because strong emotions would put her more in sync with the Great Dragon!" Techna said excitedly. "It's a force of creation, of course powerful emotions would improve one's connection with it!"
"Exactly," Flora said. "So, mystery solved?"
"Of course not!" Techna said. "I have so many more tests I want to-" the purple haired fairy suddenly flopped forward, out cold.
"I think they can wait for tomorrow," Flora said, gently picking up her sleeping girlfriend and carrying her up to the room the two shared. She gently tucked Techna into her bed and smiled down at the sleeping girl.
"Good night, Techna," Flora said, gently kissing the girl's forehead. "Sweet dreams."
10.6 (lord Martiya)
The Winx Club was wholly Awake, and they were enjoying their 'first' day while discussing how to deal with the Trix this loop when they had their route blocked by Cloudtower's first years plus the Trix. Most of them, the Trix included, didn't look hostile, just curious (Mirta even had a camcorder). One of them, however, was Mitzi, who in this loop had magic powers and, for obvious reason, had been accepted at Cloudtower.
"Thank you, Fand." Bloom whispered.
"Today I'll finally destroy you, Bloom!" she declared. "On Earth I had to hide my powers, but here-"
Bloom hit her with a light ball while shouting "Abracadabra".
"Just sealed your powers." Bloom said.
"What?!"
Mitzi made some moves, apparently trying-and failing-to hit Bloom with some spell.
"NO!"
Mitzi ran away in the direction of Cloudtower, crying all the way, immediately followed by the firsties, most of which were chuckling with the rest joining their number as they realized what Bloom had just done.
"Just to be sure... You just scammed her into believing you sealed her powers and her magic acted on it, right?" Icy asked Bloom.
"Of course." Bloom admitted. "I even used the most stereotypical fake spell of Earth…"
"Fully knowing what that means?" Stella asked.
"That she's going to be the laughing stock of a school where cunning counts more than anything."
"Don't even want to know why you're at Alfea and not with us." Stormy said.
"We'll send you the video of her finding out, if the headmistress doesn't do it herself." Darcy added before teleporting herself and her sisters to Cloudtower.
"You sure she did it with this "Abracadabra" spell?" Griffin asked her student after Mitzi told her what had happened in town.
"Yes, headmistress, I-"
"Why, Great Dragon? Why is this crop so troublesome? First the most gifted one is crippled by self-esteem issues, now this…"
"Uh?"
"You stupid girl, the fairy tricked you! She cried out the most typical fake spell OF YOUR OWN WORLD and told you she had sealed your powers, and as you were mentally deficient enough to fall for it without proof your magic did not respond to your call! Students of Cloudtower, take this as a lesson to never underestimate a fairy: they're soft, not stupid, and you should fear the wrath of a nice person almost as much as you should fear mine."
Griffin opened her hand, and a glass of "stuff" materialized in it.
"As for you cretin, I'll have you know your fellow first year Mirta has filmed everything, and she'll now give me the recording to be made public." Griffin decreed before drinking, as Mirta obediently gave her the memory card.
"You can't!" Mitzi cried out.
"I remember being there when one of Alfea's student said the same thing to Faragonda when her deputy suggested a rather harsh punishment. For once I'll take a page from my colleague. Just know this: there are few things I can't do, and making an example of a foolish little girl is not one of them."
Turned out that the Magical Dimension had its own version of Youtube, and a large number of celebrities owed Cloudtower's headmistress a large number of favours. Enough Griffin felt she could cash a few to have them publish that video.
And Bloom made Earth rediscover magic just so everyone at Gardenia could see that video.
10.7 (lord Martiya)
It was Halloween night, and Bloom had convinced her Awake companions to make a horror story contest between themselves.
The stories had been scary, with Stella's as the best one so far. It wasn't easy beating one where all of them fell in love with Edward AND Billy… Then came Bloom's turn.
"In two phrases I'll have you screaming." she announced.
"Bring it." Stella replied.
"The Trix are Stealth Loopers since Flora's second Loop. In their Formative Loop, they were Heterodyne Sparks."
"It wasn't us this time! We swear!" Icy protested.
"Then why did the fairies scream so loud to wake me up?!" Griffin asked.
10.8 (lord Martiya)
Stella had decided to make another attempt at creating a new shade of pink. The same thing had once exploded on her face, resulting in Alfea's lab destroyed and her being suspended for her whole first school year and then held back… But not even Looping would stop her from trying again. That was why she was being the Trix' lab assistant: according to Flora (who had spent a few Loops doing the same), the three witches were beyond paranoid in terms of safety measures-or would have been if it hadn't been for the zombie apocalypse, the plague of the werebeds, and all the other accidents.
And she was seeing them in action, as they produced a safe with more locks than the main vault of Magix' museum (and that would have stopped VALTOR) and then took their chemistry sets out of it and checked it for use. Then Stella noticed something strange in the safety wards.
"Is it supposed to have that rune in such an unfashionable placement?" she asked.
Stormy facepalmed, and Icy pinched her nose.
"What do you even care of fashionability in safety wards?" the ice witch asked.
"Chill, sister. Another check won't hurt." Darcy said as it looked it. "No, it's not supposed to have that rune there. Nor the others."
Icy and Stormy came there and looked at the ward, and could come only to one conclusion: somehow, someone had broken in their secured lab WITHOUT THEM NOTICING and altered the safety wards.
"Look! If we tried the experiment to put off chlorine trifluoride fire it would have multiplied it a hundredfolds!" Stormy exclaimed. "And the fire suppressor would have exploded!"
"And this one would corrupt wheat products!" Darcy shouted.
"Who could be THAT stupid to sabotage your experiments?!" Stella wondered.
"I don't know, but we're involving Griffin." Icy decided. "Whoever's the idiot, she can find out faster than us, and I can't think of something bad enough to do him. Or her."
As expected, Griffin took ten minutes to find the culprit and hoist her in the main hall of the school. As NOT expected, the motivations of the culprit, Rachel (a boy-crazy witch that looked like a green-haired Bloom), was that Darcy had accidentally stolen away the attention of the boys at a party.
"Of all the petty motivations to risk this world's destruction, this takes the cake." Griffin declared. "Now, do you have any reason for me to not call the guardians of Light Rock on you?"
Rachel looked at Stella for a moment, then whispered something.
"You did WHAT with Stella's chemistry set?!" Griffin exclaimed. "Even if you hadn't made ME pink for a week with that trick, your distillation and sale caused an explosion and nearly provoked an INTERPLANETARY WAR! And for so little money too… Ediltrude, call the government of Solaria. I'm washing my hands of this."
Needless to say, Stella would finally create that shade of pink without explosions.
"But what was that witch using your chemistry set for?" Bloom asked her blonde friend.
"Creating unlicenced lactose-free milk, it's highly regulated on this planet." Stella replied. "Don't ask me why, because I don't want to know."
10.9
"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor," Elrond said. "Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom." He turned to look at the black-haired hobbit seated next to the Grey Witch. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."
Bloom watched as the hobbit rose from his seat next to her and placed the cursed band of gold on the stone table in the center of the council. Scattered around the council, the other four fairies in attendance got their first glimpse of the evil artifact.
One of the men, Boromir, rose, muttering about "Isildur's Bane" and visions of doom as he reached for the ring.
"That would not be wise," Bloom said, her voice resonating with sudden power. "Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul."
Boromir staggered back as the council shook under the influence of Bloom's voice.
"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris, Ilmarë," Elrond said.
"I do not ask your forgiveness, Master Elrond," Bloom said, "For the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be spoken here again. The Ring is altogether evil."
"Ah, it is a gift!" the man said. "A gift to the foes of Mordor!"
"Yes," Musa said, rising from her own seat. "A gift. The sort of gift that stabs you in the back when you're not looking. Sit down."
"Musa is right," Stella said. "You cannot use it. No one can, save Sauron himself."
"And what, would a ranger know of this matter?" Boromir asked.
"She is no mere ranger," Flora said, rising from her own seat. "She is Stella, daughter of Radius. You owe her your allegiance."
"This is Isildur's Heir?" Boromir asked.
"And heir to the throne of Gondor," Techna said, not bothering to rise from her seat. Supposedly she was a dwarf this loop, despite looking no different from normal.
"Gondor has no Queen," Boromir said. "Gondor needs no Queen."
"Stella is right," Bloom said. "We cannot use it."
"Then you have only one choice," Elrond said. "The Ring must be destroyed."
"Indeed," Techna said, rising from her seat to scrutinize the object in question. "The question is how? Rings of Power are not so easily unmade."
"The Ring was forged in the fires of Mount Doom," Elrond said. "Only there can it be unmade."
"That is improbable," Techna said. "I will grant there are a number of powerful and complex enchantments layered through the artifact, but the idea that its sole weakness is a specific volcano is manifestly absurd."
"And what other method would you use?" Elrond asked.
"Well I'd begin with the obvious," Techna stated. "Reproduce the conditions inside a volcano and place the Ring within those conditions. Should that fail, there are a number of further escalating methods of destruction that can be applied to it, but ultimately nothing is truly vulnerable to only a single avenue of attack."
"Reproduce the conditions inside a volcano," a dwarf said skeptically. "And how do you plan to achieve this?"
"I have my methods," Techna said. "You can watch if you would like."
"You can truly achieve this?" Elrond asked.
"Yes," Techna said. "I imagine I will have found an effective means to destroy the Ring by this time tomorrow at the very latest."
"You will forgive me if I ask that you allow others to observe your efforts," Elrond said.
"Of course," Techna said. "I should think at least one representative of each race should observe. Bloom, Flora, Stella, and perhaps Mister Baggins here?"
"Gondor demands an observer of its own," Boromir said.
"Very well then," Techna said. "Musa, would you be willing to observe?"
"Of course," Musa said. "When will you be starting?"
"It will take me an hour or so to set everything I need up," Techna said. "Lord Elrond, I will need a clear space to work in."
"Very well," Elrond said. "You may use the smithy's courtyard."
"Excellent," Techna said. "If the observers could convene there in two hours, I will commence with the Ring's destruction. In the meantime, Mister Baggins, if you would hold onto the Ring for us?"
The hobbit nodded and reclaimed the innocent-looking piece of jewelry.
"Then it would seem this meeting is concluded," Elrond said. The various dignitaries started to drift away to their rooms.
Flora walked over to Techna. "You know, you could just teleport the Ring into Mount Doom."
"I could," Techna allowed. "But this way I get to see what else the Ring is vulnerable to!"
"You're turning the major conflict of this loop into a science experiment," Flora said.
"Well, yes," Techna said.
"Never change, Techna," Flora said with a fond smile. "Never change."
Author's Notes:
10.1: D&D players of the world, be honest. Does ANYONE actually like using the grapple rules?
10.2: Metal Gear, AKA Mind Screw the Series. Also, Techna may have taken up collecting swords. Not quite sure.
10.3: My response to seeing this loop for the first time: WhatisthisIdon'teven. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to ask.
10.4: Remember children! Always check whether you have the right fire deity before awakening its full powers!
10.5: Explanation for Bloom shenanigans and Techna learning to emote seems to have turned her into a bit of an over-excited mad scientist. You might want to keep an eye on that, Flora.
10.6: Being good does not necessarily mean being nice. Forget that at your own peril.
10.7: *whimper*
10.8: About time Stella got that shade of pink working! Also, safety conscious Trix? What gives?
10.9: You would not believe how much research went into deciding who Bloom should replace for this loop... Also, Techna, why? You could have had such a fun journey! Why did you have to break the plot? Whyyyyyy?