Chapter Ten: Not that Bad?
"Musa!" Bloom yelled over the pandemonium of chaos that was Alfea, everywhere you looked you could see people fighting and running, screaming for help, looking around in fear. Bloom was leaning up against a pillar as black smoke blared past her in every direction; the roof that the pillar held up was crumbling above her, sending showers of stone and rubble down on her. She was in her Charmix form and while fighting bravely she could still see that they were fighting a losing battle, the smoke was just impossible to penetrate or maim. She had yelled to Musa who stood at the pillar next to hers, taking up the same stance she was, pressing herself against the stone and trying to cover her face from any dangerous rubble, Musa glanced over at her name being called and spotted Bloom.
"It's really not that bad!" Bloom yelled to her as she sent a wave of fire at a nearby smoke.
Musa balled up her fist and punched the ground, sending vibrations along the stone and hurtling toward the smoke, looking up she yelled at the top of her lungs "Not that bad?! Alfea is getting its ass handed to it! It is that bad!" Just then black smoke enveloped the two girls and they coughed as smoke filled their lungs, threatening to choke them to death. Running away from it they hurtled themselves in the direction of the battlefield where more fighting was taking place. Stumbling back into the Frey the two fairies soared up into the air and looked down on the fight below, fairies had collapsed with lack of air and Specialists were fighting for their lives against the never ending smoke.
"You can't beat it, what could possibly defeat black smouldering smoke?" Ask Musa who was gobsmacked at the scene unfolding before her, the battle had been raging for not that long and already the good guys were getting desperate. At that moment a huge wave of smoke caught the two fairies, catching them in a spiral that sent them whooshing around in circles like a tornado.
"We're running out of power and fast!" Yelled Griselda over the crashing of buildings and screams of the students, she was standing next to Miss Faragonda who was busy trying to fend off the smoke from getting to the students who had been knocked unconscious "What should we do headmistress?!" Miss Faragonda exclaimed as her spells were deflected and pain shot up her arm from the blowback of the failed spell, clutching her arm and looking around she tried desperately to think of a plan to save the students she had come to love and cherish, the school could always be rebuilt but that wouldn't happen if there were no students to live in its walls. It was painful to see what had come to pass.
"Headmistress Faragonda!" The firm yell of her college brought her out of her retrieve and back to the battle at hand, turning and facing the women she ordered "Get everyone back inside then barricade the door with the strongest spell we know!" Miss Griselda turned and yelled for everyone to run for the school, many students bolted for the door while the brave few stayed behind to help the injured people off the ground and carry them into the hall. Flora was in the middle of shouldering the weight of a fairy that had been unconscious but had just awoken, she had the girl around the shoulder and was trying to pull her toward the door when suddenly the girl was ripped from her arms and shot up into the air. Flora turned shocked at how quickly the girl had flown; she discovered the girl was being dragged into a massive tornado that had somehow surfaced on the lawn of Alfea. Flora sighed heavily when she spotted Bloom and Musa whirling around in circles cursing at each other. Rolling her eyes as she walked forward, Flora shot out her hands and yelled "Unbreakable vines!" Golden vines broke free of the ground, casting light on everything; Flora directed them over to the tornado and one by one plucked fairy after fairy from its black whirlpool and sent them gently flying in the direction of the schools entrance.
Stella and Layla rushed up the steps in a sea of students as they piled into the door, they could hear Miss Griselda yelling for everyone to stay calm and get inside but as soon as Stella and Layla were about a metre from the door something hit them both, sending them crashing to the floor in a heap. Groaning as she lifted her head Stella found Bloom lying right on top of her back "Bloom! You couldn't have made a better landing?!" She crawled out from under the red headed fairy that was clutching her head in dizziness. Looking over she saw Layla and Musa were in the same position right next to her "I'm going to kill Flora if we survive this" Muttered Musa as she tried to stand. A sudden scream brought the girls attention back out into the field as a huge shudder started to go through everything in a giant earthquake. The people outside tripped over in their attempt to get into the school, the people inside wobbled on their feet and tried to grab onto the walls while the people in the air looked down on the crazy spectacle in open mouthed wonder. The girls all flew up a metre into the air and looked at the lawn, they saw Flora and Techna bolting for their lives as a giant ravine opened up on the lawn and car park, cars and trees tumbled into the giant hole.
"Can't the world stay still for two seconds?!" Bloom yelled as she stood with the help of Stella and clumsily ran toward the ravine to help people off the ground and push them in the direction of the school. Techna and Flora reached them then and with a quick look around saw that they were the only students left outside, the whole student body was screaming for the doors to be shut or for them to hurry up. Turning and running once again from the dangers on the field the girls bolted for the doors but as you know nothing ever goes to plan with the Winx Club. Just as they reached the gradually closing doors the whole school and land around it seemed to jolt from under them like the whole thing was balancing on the edge of a knife, everyone went flying to the ground. The girls hit the concrete just at the threshold, turning quickly to glance down the stone steps and back toward the lawn they saw with horror big black vines had crashed its way out of the ravine and was coming straight for them.
Crawling backward on all fours the girls were almost in the safety of the hall when one black vine suddenly popped up from the concrete just before the door and wrapped itself around Stella's ankle. Stella let out a piecing scream as it tightened its hold on her and tried to pull her back outside, she flailed her arms our behind her desperate for something to hold onto while screaming for help. Arms suddenly wrapped around her torso and pulled painfully in the opposite direction of the doors, it was one big tug of war between two forces with Stella as the rope, so in other words it hurt...a lot. Grunting with the pain of being pulled two separate ways Stella lifted her hand in one last desperate attempt at freedom and yelled "Power of the sun!" Gold and white light shot out of her hand, blinding everyone close to her and most certainly everything outside. The black vine loosened its grip enough for the people to pull her inside and shut the door, once shut there was silence except for the laboured breathing of every student and teacher in Alfea.
Stella still gripped the arms that held onto her tightly and she opened her eyes a peek to see all her friends lying around her in exhausted heaps, she smiled at their tired expressions and closed eyes "Ok whose alive and who's dead, show of hands!" The reply was instant "Go to hell Stella!" She couldn't quite make out who said it but she laughed anyway, it only then occurred to her that she was looked at all her friends and they weren't holding onto her, smiling at this she whispered "Brandon...thanks for not letting go"
"Never" Brandon whispered back at her making her smile wider and squeezing the arm she still held.
Musa, Flora, Layla and Techna looked away from the sweet exchange that was happening between Stella and Brandon, it didn't seem right to stare. Looking across the hall to find their own guys, the anxious feeling they had gotten since the battle started was sharp and painful in their hearts but immediately faded when they laid eyes on the rest of the Specialists, all still in one piece. The guys were standing near Miss Faragonda and Miss Griselda who were talking rapidly to the teachers. Bloom watched the guys as if by physic power glanced over and met the girl's eyes, relief was visible in the guys while hesitant happiness in the girls. Bloom looked away from the shy scene unfolding silently before her pain stabbing her own heart that she had no one to look too when the battle was done. Bloom felt a small feeling of worry go through her as she remembered Sky and Diaspro going back to Eraklyon to fight the battle there, did they know what was going on? Would they be ok? Hell! Was the world going to be ok?
Getting up from her sitting position by the door and quickly running through the crowds of people and over to Miss Faragonda, Bloom listened closely as she ordered the teachers to take all wounded over to the infirmary and magically heal them and get them back here in an hour while she ordered others to cast protective spells all around the hallways and great hall. The teachers dispersed which left Miss Faragonda and Miss Griselda in front of Bloom, she stepped forward anxiously "Are you ok Miss F?"
The older woman looked tired and very brittle for once, not the strong health woman she was used too "I'm fine Bloom but right now we need to focus on the students. Did you have a question?" Bloom had many questions but one was weigh her down the most "Are we...do you really think we're facing a worldwide attack? D-do you think that the other planets are ok? And don't tell me we'll have to wait and see because I'm tired of waiting and the time for action is now so please tell me" She said hurriedly and for some reason Bloom felt the familiar sting in her eyes but yet again she refused to shed even a single tear. Miss Faragonda watched her warily through the question and after a long pause answered "Yes, I think we're most definitely facing a worldwide attack and I think the other planets will do just fine, we have strong leaders and the Kings and Queens of Magix won't let us down" Yes all our hope lied in the skills and knowledge of the leaders of Magix and as long as they were still alive Magix would stand a fighting chance Bloom thought determined to not give up hope.
The room was getting louder and people were starting to glance around warily at the walls and doors for any sign of attack. Walking back over to the front door and her friends Bloom met the eyes of some of the students as she passed, she was surprised to see the hate for her had gone from their eyes and had been replaced by a small sense of peace and the tiniest bit of gratitude. Reaching her friends she sat down against the tall wooden door and closed her eyes, the girls had all transformed back into their usual selves and Bloom did the same. She felt it when Stella sat down with them, no longer having a lovey-dovey moment with Brandon, she sighed contently "I told him he should go be with the other guys, try and figure out how we're all going to survive this"
"Of course we're going to survive, don't we always?" The girls turned to eye her curiously, she rolled her eyes "Ok we don't survive every time but we still have hope"
"Yeah I'm not too positive that all the students share our 'hope'" Replied Techna from where she crouched, she had pulled out a phone from god knows where and had started to fiddle with it. Looking around the girls knew she was right, these people had seen a lot and they knew that living wasn't always an option. Stella looked down at herself glumly and mumbled "Oh my god, look at my hair! It's all dirty and...deflated" Bloom put her arm around her friend as she inspected her hair some more.
"Did anyone notice how this attack seemed a bit...rushed" Bloom asked
The girls all glanced over at Techna "Yeah it did a bit, I mean it came on so fast, you think we'd have a bit more...build up" Flors remarked as she looked around idly.
"I know she must have been rushed for some reason, why would she stage such a quick attack?" Techna mused while she clicked away on her phone absentmindedly.
"Maybe she's just running out of time" Flora said as she eyed Helia across the room again, just to make sure he was ok.
"But why? It's not like there's a time limit on destroying the world and we know she's getting stronger so why rush?" Musa said while lifting herself up to stand and stretch her limbs "You think maybe as we get more good she loses power?"
For some reason Bloom didn't think so "No I don't think that's it, she may be connected to us through a physic link but she's still her own person" It occurred to Bloom right then that she still hadn't told the girls about the new evil sharing their powers, she groaned as she remembered this and put her face in her hands.
"What's up?" Musa said as she emptied her boot of all the dirt and sand that had somehow managed to find its way in there while sitting on a fallen bench.
Bloom lifted her head up and took a deep breath, the girls wouldn't like that she kept things from them and they certainly weren't going to like it when she told them that she got all her information from her evil reflection. When she took a breath to speak Techna suddenly jumped in the air and exclaimed warily, the girls immediately got to their feet also and eyed her anxiously "Techna?"
"Umm" She began hesitantly but stopped, she turned and started to run in the direction of the Specialists, the girls ran after her of tired limbs. The guys glance up curiously at their approach but once they looked at Techna they knew something was up. Techna began again "I was able to crack into Magix mainframe again-" The guys exclaimed at this, every fibre in their core was to obey the laws as Specialists and they didn't like it when someone they knew broke the law. They were in the middle of telling her of when Layla stepped forward "Guys, do you want to know what's going on or do you want us to go away and not tell you?" This shut them up.
After a moment of silence Techna began again "Again...I was able to break into the Magix mainframe to get an update on all the news and well...Eraklyon..." Bloom felt ice go through her. Oh god it's destroyed! Sky's dead and it's all my fault for not warning someone, oh I'm going to burn in hell for this "No it's ok!" Techna yelled when she caught everyone's wide eyes "It's not gone...I don't think. You see all communications are knocked out that lead to Eraklyon"
"What? That can't be" Timmy said quickly, his brain working fast to make sense of the situation.
"No it's true. There's no signals coming from or too Eraklyon and nobody can get any calls through and as the situation stands nobody dares to try and fight their way through the hoards of monsters surrounding it...I'm afraid it's looking bad" Techna went quiet near the end, looking down at the ground. The quiet was interrupted when a teacher came close and told them to move into the great hall so they could cast the spells on the front door. They all moved numbly across the floor, for once the Specialists and the Winx Club sat together in the cafeteria. It was the first time they had ever sat together during school and it would have been fun if not for the missing member and the dire situation that they were all in with death waiting right outside the walls.
It was quiet for a long time after that.
Two whole days passed and well...nothing happened. Rules and curfews were put into place, students were restricted from going outside or even leaving the great hall, they all slept on the floor and ate at the tables. Classes for defence and spell casting were doubled while all other classes were cancelled; the threat of invasion was still so high so nobody complained. The lack of news from the outside world was also getting to everyone, especially those few who knew about Eraklyon's situation. Stella and other princesses and princes got very worried about the attack but through Techna and Timmy's...ahem 'researching' into Magix mainframe they were able to find out the curious information that the new evil had not destroyed any planets just taken them hostage. She would not negotiate with anyone and held her power firm and strong, she was also relentless in her evil ways. Hundreds of people who resisted her got hurt but still she did not kill anyone. The girls puzzled over this for hours but came up with no reason why she would do this and what was more frustrating was that nobody in Magix even knew who she was or what she looked like. That didn't know a thing and it was because of this that the girls started to feel guilty over their cowardess for not telling them because they knew that they would inevitably be blamed for the whole thing. In those two days one good thing happened, people started to warm up to them again. When students and teachers saw that the Winx Club was back to their usual selves they were happy. Sure they didn't cheer or congratulate them on a good battle well fought but they did stop glaring and occasionally engaged them in conversation.
But the best thing about being trapped in a big room for two days was the girls got to stay with the guys. Bloom was exceedingly happy when she saw the guys start to smile at the girls, to which the girls would blush and smile black. It was almost like starting new and fresh, the guys had more or less let go of the fact that they had betrayed them about the whole Valtor thing and about them trying to kill them but forgive and forget, right? Bloom still felt the familiar sting of terror whenever she thought of Sky and Eraklyon but as long as the girls were getting better she could pretend she was too. Even though they didn't talk much and there wasn't really much time to rekindle an old relationship the girls still spent a lot of the time sitting with them at meals and helping them train. This surprised everyone when the girls picked up weapons and started to give pointers on wielding them, the girls also felt good about teaching what Valtor had taught them to do some good for once.
But as happy as those two days might have sounded the never ending dread and fear never went away. People still jumped and loud sounds and most of the students had violent nightmares about the dangers to come but there was always someone to lean on for support. And as much as the girls tried to hide it they were a wreck as well, they still weren't any closer to finding out how to kill the new evil and it frustrated them that they didn't know the state of the world was in. The grief hit them hardest on the second night when everyone was asleep on blankets and mattresses on the floor and the girls were in the middle of dreaming when all of a sudden the cold reality hit them.
It's cold and bleak, why does the world have to be this way Bloom thought as she looked around the black and white battlefield, fairies and Specialists were fighting against monsters and smoke that never cleared, lightening would strike them from the sky and earthquakes would shake the ground, all light would cease and water would dry up and worst of all the fire. The black dragon fire consumed all in its path.
I've killed so many people. I've killed so many people that didn't deserve it. I've killed so many people I loved. And it's all my fault!
The familiar screams in the back of Bloom's head sounded as she spied the new evil across the battlefield, she was so terrifying and beautiful. Blood covered her white skin and her red blood hair flowed to her ankles while she held up her sword which held the heads of the people Bloom loved. Despair shot through her as her knees hit the ground and she looked up into the red sky that resembled hell and screamed.
Bloom startled awake when a hand clasped her hand and a soft voice called her back into wakefulness. Bloom breathed heavily as she glanced around to see various students watch her from her place on the floor, looking over she saw all her friends' beds were empty too. Looking up she saw Miss Griselda looking down on her "Bloom why don't you go to the upstairs bathroom and calm down, your friends are there already" This confused Bloom but the need to get out of there overcame her curiosity. She quickly walked from the dark great hall and up the stairs which led to the bathroom on the second floor which was protected by spells. Walking into the bathroom she noticed this was the same one they had fled too on their first day back. Bloom looked around to see her friends all spaced out in the room still in their crinkled clothes and evidence of sleep visible on all of them. Looking out the window she saw the first few specks of sunlight on the horizon and a thought occurred to Bloom. Tomorrow would have been Sky's wedding, Bloom hadn't even noticed that she had been counting the days.
"Bad dream too?" Mus asked as she leaned against the far wall, crossing her arms. Bloom nodded as she walked in and closed the door behind her, she walked over to the mirror and was startled to find her reflection staring back at her. She had almost forgotten about her! There hadn't been enough time in any day to go and talk to her without being seen by any other student, the girl looked tired and much more together than the real Bloom imagined she looked, she gave the girl a small smile before turning on the water and splashing her face.
"It almost felt like a hallucination during a dream...did you guys feel that as well?" Flora asked from where she sat, the girls all nodded to this "I almost forgot that we could have hallucinations, we never really talked about them"
"They're most likely trauma from the whole Valtor experience" Techna replied
"But don't you think they mean something?" Flora asked, getting off the floor, determined to speak more about this.
"Hallucinations don't mean anything, Flora" Techna replied again, looking at the floor and toying idly with her turned off phone. Flora got a frustrated look on her face and stamped her foot "But what if these ones do?" The girls looked at her surprised by her outburst "Every time I get one of those visions it's like my head is splitting open and my mind is exploding everywhere, It feels like I lose my grip on reality and I can't stop it so I just go insane and I hate it!"
"Maybe we just have to accept that we're going crazy and there's nothing we can do to stop it" Musa muttered against the wall, more to herself than Flora who sighed and sat back down. Bloom felt a small feeling in her chest; it was unpleasant but not painful. Looking over to the mirror she was shocked to find that her reflection wasn't there, just her actual self. Bloom straightened from her leaning against the wall to stand right in front of the mirror, more awake now. The only other time her reflection had disappeared was when the new evil was near, spinning around she looked toward the window and yelled while stumbling back.
Right outside the window floating in midair was the girl, white hair, black eye and in all her evil self glory. The sun behind her made her look demonic and her smile was equally creepy, the girls yelled too when they saw the girl and scrambled to the other end of the room in terror "Who the hell is that?!" Musa yelled as she eyed the girl in a WTF manner. It occurred to Bloom that the other hadn't seen the girl before except Stella and herself, stepping forward in front of her friend she tried to put on a brave face "It's her"
Knowing exactly who 'her' was the rest of the Winx Club stopped the cowering and stepped up next to Bloom in a defensive manner "What do you want?!" Bloom yelled menacingly, remember all the wrong this girl had done in the last two days.
The girl threw her head back and laughed "Oh Bloom, always straight to the point" The girl lifted a hand and shot the entire wall off the side of the bathroom, giving her a clear entry into its walls. The girls were astounded that she could break the spells that Miss F and the teachers had put into place but still held their place "Don't worry I'm not here to kill you" She said nonchalantly as she stepped into the broken bathroom and placed a hand on her hip "Just for a chat. I thought it was time we all meet face to face"
"Well what if we don't feel like chatting?!" Musa yelled as he stepped forward menacingly, Bloom grabbed onto her shirt to hold her back.
The girl chuckled "Simmer down Musa, would you really talk that way to your own creation, hell we're practically family!" The girls felt the sting of that remark but that was nothing compared to the shock they felt "Related? How are we related? And what's this about you being our creation?" Asked Stella glancing the girl up and down.
The girl looked at her curiously, then she looked at Bloom "You really didn't tell them a thing did you?" Bloom felt like kicking herself...really hard. The girl laughed "Oh my god! Did you also know we share powers?!" The girl startled at the news, all looked wide eyed at Bloom who wanted to shrink into the floor and disappear "Oh well she can explain all that later right now it's my time to talk" She waved and hand and strode forward the girls tensed but still didn't transform, if they could avoid a fight they would.
"Ok I'm only going to say this once..." Said the girl slowly and seriously, for once she wasn't smiling "...you don't want any more people to die, I get that. So I'm here to offer you a deal. As you know I need you girls for something and I know you girls aren't going to just give me what I want so here it is. You come with me and I won't kill all of Magix, fair?"
The girls stared at her wide eyed and mouths open. What?!
"That's not really a deal...more of a threat" Stella said as she stared at the evil girl who shrugged her shoulder and smiled "I also want you to know that if you say no very bad things will happen and you won't like it one bit, fair warning"
"Out of curiosity what do you need us for?" Asked Techna menacingly "you have all the power in the world, so why could you possibly need us?"
"You see that's where me and all the other past 'bad guys' differ, I'm not going to tell you all my plans in one big evil monologue. That's how all the other bad guys told you their plans and guess what? They're dead now" The girl stopped smiling and stepped forward, her face taking on a very serious look as she stared right into the soul of each of the girls.
"So what's it gonna be...come with me...yes or no?"
Bloom knew it, the girls knew it. This was it, the defining moment. The one thing that would decide everything and the worst thing was that the girls couldn't think straight enough to answer, the minds were total chaos. Bloom shook her head desperately and balled up her fists. She thought of all the people she had lost and could lose, the pain and suffering she had inflicted on so many and how the one thing she wanted most in the world was to make up for that and this girl in front of her was offering to take away all her hard work and dump it down the drain.
Bloom took a deep breath and squared her shoulders "No"
The girl blinked once in a shocked expression. One by one the rest of the Winx Club girls answered the same thing "No" The girl stared at them for the longest time, she didn't even look angry. Taking a step back while keeping her eyes on the Winx Club she slowly disappeared into black feathers until there was nothing left but the sound of her last departing whisper on the wind "I warned you"
The girls all let out the air they had been holding, the tension left their bodies and they all slumped against the walls "Did we just condemn all of Magix to ruin?" Asked Layla as she breathed a sigh of relief. Bloom shook her head "No...No we couldn't have. You know how these things go, we stop them every time before they can carry out their evil deeds and we save the day, happy ending"
A sudden explosion inside the great hall had the girl leaping for cover, the ground under them shook and screams radiated up the halls and through the school. The girls all glanced at each other curiously before scrambling out of the bathroom and back to the cafeteria, students were just waking up and some were still asleep but the main thing that had caused everyone distress was the huge glowing sphere floating in the middle of the hall. The girls walked forward and rushed through the crowd until they made it to the edge of the group where Miss Faragonda and the Specialists stood.
"What is that?" Techna asked eyeing the thing curiously while students flocked toward the floating thing or edged warily away from it. Miss Faragonda stared at the huge floating thing with a hard expression "It's a live visual sphere. I don't know what it's doing here though, these things are incredibly hard to conjure and I know nobody has been at full power since the attack. Who could have done this?" The girls all looked at each other quickly. Aw crap!
Bloom turned to Miss Faragonda "Miss F I think we should get everyone out of here" The edge in her voice was enough to make Miss Faragonda glance over at here shocked at the fear in her voice. At that moment Flora let out a blood curling scream as she stepped back and covered her mouth in despair, Bloom's head whizzed around to the floating sphere to see the horrific sight of a small green planet burning to a crisp. Flora's planet...Flora's home planet...
Flora's scream turned to sobs as she watched as the planet she had called her home died in front of her "It's burning! It's burning!" Helia held onto her before she could crumble to the ground in a heap of grief, Bloom felt her heart constrict at the sight of the friend. Then in the blink of an eye the sphere changed to direct its gaze on another planet, this one Bloom recognised. Oh Stella...
Bloom had never heard Stella scream like that. The sound echoed through the hall and the people that surrounded her backed away in fear and respect for her. After that the horror continued, one by one all the planets of the Winx Club viewed on the screen, causing the one of the girls to break down and cry. And even after that more planets came up and soon other students were breaking down in grief and after a full ten minutes of that awful pain Bloom stood in the middle of the hall with her friends crumbling on the floor screaming their heads off and sobbing into the guys shoulders and all Bloom could do was stare at the sphere with dry eyes. I did this...I could have stopped all of this but...I just had to say no...
Anger surged through Bloom and sucking in a lung full of air she let out an enraged yell causing everyone to turn and stare at her in astonishment. Bloom fired up a fire ball in her hand and hurtled it at the sphere in rage, it shattered it and the shards of magic crashed the floor, still angry Bloom stalked toward it and hurtled another fire ball at the rumble...
"I" crash "COULD" crash "HAVE "crash "JUST" crash "SAID" crash "YES!"