Chapter 10: Bloom Tested
"So, how are you feeling?" asked Stella.
She and the other girls were in the hospital wing, surrounding the still bedridden redhead.
Bloom, who had only awoken hours before, groggily mumbled: "My head's killing me. It's worse than when I got drunk".
"Yeah, but unlike when you got drunk, you kicked some serious ass. Seriously, girl, how did you do that?" asked Techna eagerly.
"I for one am also quite interested in how you managed to perform such a feat of magic," agreed Flora.
"I... I don't know. I just... did," replied Bloom. "It was like... I don't know... when I saw you all... I just... something inside me ignited... and then... I just let loose".
"So you're as clueless as we are. Great," said Stella. "Even the teachers don't have any idea why you're suddenly slinging around magic like you've been doing it for centuries".
"Doesn't anybody have at least an educated guess?" asked Bloom. "Because, I'd also like to know why I turned into a bomb back there".
"Well, it is clearly not due to training or skill. That much is obvious from the damage you did to yourself," said Flora.
"On that note, how are your hands feeling?" asked Musa.
"Stiff," replied Bloom, slowly wriggling her fingers a bit. "Hey, what about your injuries?"
"Most of us were tots easy to fix once Ophelia got a look at us," said Stella.
"Yeah, isn't exactly the first time she had to give me a physical after a shock like that," added Techna.
"But to continue the subject of your sudden rather drastic spike in power, there could be numerous reasons," continued Flora. "Most likely something to do with your environment on earth. Specific genetic quirks of your bloodline or exposure at an early age to an altering artefact for example".
"Considering my parents found me as a one year old baby, there's no way to tell if anything happened to me before then," replied Bloom. "We never did find out who gave birth to me".
"We could also have you scanned, but without knowing what we are looking for, that could take a long time before giving any results," continued Flora. "It would be easier if you could summon forth said power at will".
"Sorry, can't do that either," replied Bloom. "At least, not at will".
"Then we are at an impasse," concluded Flora.
"That's, like, the thing that's been happening to us most lately," sighed Stella annoyed.
"Yeah. We got, what, the mysterious dreams, her mysterious powers, not to mention we still don't know who wanted Riven to be turned to road kill, all of which ended up in one big, ginormous huh," continued Techna annoyed.
"We'll just have to keep looking and hope we get lucky," said Musa.
"Enough about that. Has anything interesting been happening while I was snoozing away these last two days?" asked Bloom curiously.
"Well, midterms are coming up in a couple of weeks," sighed Stella. "Which means it's time for a trip to the simulator".
"The simulator?" asked Bloom.
"I think I heard about it. Supposed to be a real powerful piece o' magical hardware," said Techna, an eager smile lighting up her face.
"It is top of the line artificing at work," added Flora. "Which is probably why DuFour heads the test".
"Why would they need that to test us?" asked Bloom.
"Because of knacks. Due to them, magi excel at very differing fields. It would be impossible to be able to test all magi equally in one location," explained Flora, before adding: "Unless of course said location can constantly alter itself to accommodate differing tests".
"That almost sounds like fun," said Bloom with a smile.
"I disagree. Last year, they wouldn't let me use my staff," grumbled Stella annoyed.
"That's because it's a test of your abilities, not of how many magical trinkets you were lucky enough to be born with access to," said Musa.
"But I work best with my staff," Stella said defensively.
"Are you sure your parents gave you the Sceptre to improve your skills and didn't instead give you to the Sceptre so it could get around," snarked the black haired girl.
"I can do just fine without my staff if I need to," huffed the Solarian princess annoyed.
"Well, midterms will be your chance to prove that," added Musa. "Looking forward to hearing about it".
"So, any other news?" asked Bloom, interrupting the brewing conflict.
"I heard a lot of the witches got hospitalized after your little stunt, though they should be out of bed now," said Flora.
"But if what I heard about how Griffin feels about the situation is true, man oh man, those witches are going to come crawling back to you begging for another blast, Firetop," said Techna with a slightly sadistic grin.
...
In Cloud Tower, inside the school's great announcement hall, stood the dozen or so witches that had been part of the battle. Many were nervous, shifting their weight from foot to foot, wandering in circles and in general eyeing the podium with dread. Even Icy and Stormy, while not nervous, did definitely not look forward to what was going to happen. And then, just as some of the students dared to hope they might be spared, Griffin appeared. With long, stiff steps, she made her way to the podium and glared at the assembled students. For little over a minute, she just stood there, starring the assembled witches into submission, many of them slightly cowering as her smouldering glare passed over them.
"Who do the lot of you think you are?" she finally asked, her voice low but intense. "You hunted down a girl younger and less experienced than most of you, attacked members of Red Fountain and did Dragon knows how much property damage. The only reason I don't have the lot of you expelled and shipped to Lightrock for the next decade is that there's doubts about who started the whole thing, but that does not excuse your behaviour. Defending yourself is one thing, but what you have done does not even come close to just being defending yourself". The headmistress started pacing. "I asked you who you thought you were. It was rhetorical, since I already know. Do not think I'm ignorant of what goes on in my school," she said warningly. "I know a lot of you still look up to the Ancestral Witches, seeing them as idols".
A few students tried protesting, but Griffin merely ordered: "Be silent. I said a lot of you, not all of you. However, if you feel so hurt by my words, there's probably some truth to it. Many of you think of them as cool, edgy, some tough girls that stuck it to the man. Ladies who forged their own path in life, with no regard for anyone else. And I guess the last part is true, but that is not a good thing". She carefully eyed her students. "Let me make this clear to you. A lot of you only know of the Ancestral Witches through second hand rumours and maybe an hour or two of study. I lived through their reign of terror. The Ancestral Witches were tyrants, murderous bullies that stomped on anyone that got in their way and even on some who didn't. They hurt innocent and guilty alike, striking down anyone they felt like, murdering and killing as they pleased. Their followers where likewise a bunch of power hungry fools who should have known better, following them out of misguided and pathetic desires. They were not glamorous, cool or hip. They were a bunch of the worst criminals in modern times and you should praise whatever you hold holy that they are gone". The headmistress took a deep breath before continuing. "Magic is a gift and so is the ability to use it. Not everyone can do it, not everyone has that gift. Nevertheless, what you did, that was misusing it. Magic is not a ticket to do whatever pleases you. It does not give you the right to stomp on others with impunity. It does not make you better than others. It does not make reality your own personal playground. There are rules and laws, even for you. This is apparently a lesson you have failed to learn". A small smirk appeared on the headmistress' face. "But we will fix that. You will each be given a copy of the Laws of Magicalis, and I want every one of you to write an essay at least five pages long on the importance of the laws and the benefits it gives our society. It is to be delivered one week from now. Understood?"
"Yes, Headmistress Griffin," sounded the answer from the students.
"Good. But we are, of course, not done," continued Griffin. "You are also to help fix the mess you have made, so I have signed the lot of you up for community service, starting today. I hope this will make you think about the mess that has to be cleaned up by somebody whenever magic is misused like that".
Many of the students groaned at the news.
"You should be grateful you all haven't been thrown in prison," warned Griffin. "If I were you, I would appreciate how lucky the lot of you are". She turned from the podium to leave, before she looked over her shoulder and said: "Oh, and one final thing. If you want someone to look up to, consider your classmates who were smart enough not to engage in your little battle royale and instead called the police on you. They were smart. Something the lot of you could learn from".
...
After a long day of hard work repairing, shovelling, building, fixing and dragging various things, a completely exhausted Isabella and Maria made their way into the common room.
"So, I heard you managed to avoid being expelled," said Darcy as a greeting, receiving only grumpy mumbling in reply.
The two other witches dropped into a chair each, looking close to falling asleep.
"I understand that the two of you would probably rather just take a nap, but before that, I have something to ask you," said Darcy and put down the book she was reading. "See, while I got some data on the dragonflame, I need to know what type of object it was contained in before we can start looking for it".
Stormy mumbled something.
"Ehm, come again," said Darcy.
"I said it wasn't an object," said the wild haired witch tiredly. "It was that redheaded fairy. She's the one who fucking lit up and damn near blew us all to the abyss and back".
Darcy's expression became puzzled as she leaned back in her chair and said: "That girl has the dragonflame in her? How can that be? I can count the number of families with that trait on one hand. Who is she?" She looked at Stormy and said: "Are you sure it was her and not an artefact she had?"
"How would we know?" asked Icy annoyed. "She lit up, eyes shining like the sun and then launched what I can only describe as a doom laser at us. So yes, it looked like she was the one".
"Odd. We will need to be absolutely certain," said Darcy slowly. "We also need to be sure that the dragonflame is powerful enough for our purpose. Ideally before we drain it from her, as that would be pretty hard to talk our way out of, even for me, if it turns out to be too weak".
"I'm sorry, did you see the crater she fucking made?" asked Stormy in disbelief. "How could it not be strong enough?"
"That is not an assumption we can allow ourselves to make, especially after the blunder with the Solarian Sceptre," said Darcy. "Now, all we need is an opportunity. Any ideas?" After a short pause, she asked: "Hello? Are you two paying any attention?" As she studied her two friends, she noticed that they both were sleeping. "I'll take that as a no to both my questions," she said to herself with a bemused smirk.
...
Three weeks later, Bloom and her classmates were lead into a room in the upper parts of Alfea. Inside was a great machine, large enough to be a small building in and of itself, clashing wildly with the surrounding ancient architecture.
"This is the simulator," said DuFour who was yet again clad in red. "It is an advanced technology that allows the modern magi to test their abilities to the fullest. Its invention has been a great boon to the education system. Techna, you have a question I see".
"How does it work?" asked the scarred girl eagerly.
DuFour smiled and said: "We'll get to that in a moment. Now, this machine is a vital part of the midterms and your exams for that matter. It allows us to fully test your knacks and your various general magical skills with no danger. Now, follow me". She opened a door in its side and led the students into a massive chamber. The walls were decorated with amber panels in honeycomb shapes and a metal bridge extended into the middle of the room. Bloom looked over the handrail and saw that there was quite a drop to the bottom.
"Now, when the machine activates the simulation, the bridge will retract and you will be suspended in a gravity bubble," continued DuFour. "This will allow you full movement without being artificially constrained by the limits of the room".
"Already quite impressive considering its size," Bloom heard Techna whisper to Musa, who nodded in agreement.
"Once the simulation is done, the bridge will extend below you before the gravity bubble is abolished. Now, any question?" asked DuFour, at which Techna immediately raised her hand in the air. "Yes, Techna".
"Is there any limit to what it can simulate?" asked Techna eagerly.
"Only the programming skills of the operator. And even then, unskilled people can buy and download programs for it," replied DuFour.
"Can the room also simulate feelings, you know, like pain or pleasure?" continued the magenta haired girl.
"Both can be simulated, yes... which is also why simulators are popular among the very rich," added the grey haired teacher a bit after a pause. It was clear from the way she said it that she wasn't comfortable thinking about the subject. "Though the level of pain that can be simulated by the school's simulator has a hard limit. This is enforced in all simulations, because too realistic pain can cause problems. Heart attacks, mental trauma or mild to severe cases of PTSD has resulted from misuse of the simulator's abilities. Which is also why it's important to have an operator at the console at all times". The red clad teacher led the students into an adjacent room. Inside were panels filled with buttons, computer screens and a massive window revealing the amber coloured chamber beyond. "This is where we will stay while the tests take place," continued DuFour. "I will load programs from the computer for each and everyone one of you and monitor you during the process to ensure that no harm comes to you. Any other questions? Techna, again".
"I assume recreational use of the simulator is forbidden?" asked the magenta haired girl.
"Yes, after one too many weird downloads that caused all kinds of havoc with the programs, we've decided that students can't rent the simulator for any reason. And I thank the Dragon every day that Faragonda made that decision," added their teacher. "If you want to use a simulator for the fun of it there are plenty of businesses and establishments that rent them out for money, even for those with... less than wholesome ideas in mind. Any other questions? No? Very well then, midterms start tomorrow at noon. Class dismissed".
...
Bloom's pencil slowly made its way across the paper, as the redhead slowly sketched an image of herself.
"So, midterms is tomorrow," she said to her pet, who was crawling around the bed. "I'm kinda nervous. I'm not sure I'm ready for it. I have only been studying magic for, what has it been, almost half a year, I think. Hard to tell, the calendar doesn't exactly line up with the one back home. Do you think I'll make it?" Kiko responded with some very happy noises. "Thanks, I guess it's not that bad. I'll just have to pass after all," said Bloom. "I don't think anyone expects me to excel. Or, at least I hope not". She bit the end of her pencil for a moment. "Kiko, what if they think I mastered magic after that thing I did. They wouldn't do that, would they?" Kiko tumbled around in the bed. "No, I guess they wouldn't. I'm worrying over nothing... I hope," continued Bloom. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. "Who is it?" asked the redhead.
"It's Musa. Brandon just showed up, said he wanted to talk," sounded the black haired girl's voice.
"Oh, just a moment, coming now," said Bloom, putting her sketching tools down. "Come here Kiko, back to your cage for now". The guinea pig was easily placed back in its home, where after Bloom hurried out the door.
In the common room stood the blond warrior, who upon seeing her said: "Hello Bloom. How's it going?"
"Much better now. My hands have started working properly again," answered the redhead.
"Yeah, I wanted to come see you earlier, but I've been busy with things at Red Fountain," said Brandon. "Hey, would you mind going for a walk. Lady needed some fresh air, so I brought her with me".
"Sure, sounds like fun," answered Bloom.
...
As they walked down the road, moonlight and lamps lighting the road, Bloom said: "It sure is getting colder".
"A couple more weeks and we might even get some snow," said Brandon, holding Lady's leash. "Would be nice. Reminds me of home".
"Lots of snow at home?" asked the redhead.
"Yep, especially nowadays," replied Brandon. "It's not so bad where I live though".
"So, what have you been doing at Red Fountain lately?" continued Bloom's inquiries.
"Well, the last couple of weeks, Cordatorta has been training us in dragon handling and riding," replied the blond squire. "And man, they are some temperamental lizards. I've been completely battered these last weeks. But Cordatorta just says that failing is a valuable part of learning".
"I guess that makes sense," replied Bloom.
"Yeah. So, I managed to get somewhat good at it," continued Brandon. "I mean, I'm not an expert, but I can stay in a saddle".
"So, why do you guys use dragons anyway?" asked Bloom.
"Well," began Brandon. "Despite how old the tradition is, dragon riding is still useful because, unlike horses for example, a dragon can easily take a bullet. Dragon scales are thick and hard, you need armour piercing bullets or powerful magic to bring one down, and even then, you got to hit the heart or brain or you'll just piss them off". After a moment, he continued: "Plus, dragons are reasonably smart creatures and can take some initiative on their own, something a gunship can't. This can of course also lead to problems, which is why it is so important for the rider to bond with their mount. Of course, learning this takes a long time, which is why gunships, helicopters and the like have gained a lot of popularity, but dragon riders are still used often. The biggest problem we face is being exposed on dragonback, but there's equipment to help mitigate that".
"Huh. That's pretty interesting," replied Bloom honestly.
"So, how's life been on Alfea lately?" asked the blond squire.
"Midterms are coming up," sighed Bloom. "And I must admit I am pretty nervous. I'm still not that good with magic".
"Well, you did blast a crater in the middle of Magicalis. I heard they only got that fixed a couple of days ago," said Brandon.
"I know," moaned Bloom. "But I can't do that at will. If my teacher expects something similar, then I have no idea what to do".
"Bloom, I'm not the studious type, I'll be the first to admit that," said Brandon. "But one thing I have learned is that sometimes, you just have to stop worrying and do stuff".
"Wasn't that the reason you and your group ended up fighting an ogre," asked Bloom with a teasing smile.
"Yeah, okay, yes." sighed Brandon. "Sometimes, it kinda backfires. But other times, you just gotta stop worrying about all the possible ways everything could go wrong and just get it done".
Bloom mulled over his advice for a bit as the squire threw a stick for the dog to catch. After some thinking. she said: "Thanks, Brandon. I'll try to do that".
"Happy to help," replied the blond warrior, flashing a warm smile.
The two of them rounded a bend in the road and before them lay Alfea.
"Well, guess I'll be going home now. Goodnight," said Brandon as he headed off.
"Goodnight," responded Bloom.
...
About half an hour later. Brandon marched into the common room of his group's barracks. It consisted of a common room with some chairs, a sofa, a table and a television, a bathroom and four smaller rooms where their beds and a few personal items was stored.
Riven, who was currently watching the news, looked over at the blond squire and asked: "Where have you been?"
"I've visited Bloom. Wanted to check up on her," responded Brandon happily. "Midterms are coming up and she was quite nervous, but I managed to put her fears to rest".
"Ehm... good for you," replied Riven slowly. "Geez, you're full of pep. If you had half as much energy when trying to ride dragons, maybe you wouldn't have had to have your spine readjusted a few dozen times".
"Very funny," replied the blond. "Any news worth caring about?"
"Eh, not really," replied Riven. "Nothing much out of the ordinary today. The most exciting thing is that the current head of the Zenithian People's Party has been revealed to have been taking money from some big name corporations behind his party's back".
"Oh, that's going to hurt their ratings," replied Brandon and winced. "Especially considering how they have been railing against the corporations influence in Zenith".
"Yeah, they're going to look like a bunch of stinkin' hypocrites. Shame really, I like their platform," added Riven.
"So hey, could you zap over to channel nine in about fifteen minutes? They're going to run Nanabi the Avenger again," asked Brandon.
"We'll see, right now, I have the remote," replied Riven, waving said object. At that moment, a simple ringtone could be heard from his room. The magenta haired warrior sighed and headed off, where after Brandon immediately jumped into the sofa and eagerly grabbed the remote.
"Hello, Riven Macrae speaking," he spoke into his phone.
"Hi, Riven. It's Darcy," sounded the reply from the other side.
"Oh, hi. How's it going?" asked the magenta haired warrior, closing the door to his room to get some privacy.
"Nothing much. Just wanted to hear how you're doing," said the dirty blonde witch.
"I'm doing okay. Have been doing really well in dragonriding lately," answered the magenta haired warrior proudly. "Had to get my arm fixed once, but eh, accidents happen".
"That's impressive, especially considering how dangerous dragons are," came Darcy's approving reply. "Anything else or has it been business as usual?"
"Mostly business as usual. Well, except I think that if Brandon's smile gets any bigger, his teeth are going to fall out," said Riven.
"Really? What's he got to be so happy about?" asked Darcy.
"Oh, something about him hanging with... Bloom was it?" said Riven uncertain.
"Ah, the redhead fire bomb that ripped a hole in Magicalis. Yeah, I heard about her," replied Darcy.
"Well, Brandon apparently gave her some advice about her midterms and now he's acting like he's a white knight who just pulled a maiden out of the jaws of danger," continued Riven.
"Heh, well, that sure does sound like the Brandon you've told me about," answered Darcy with a chuckle. "Anyway, I gotta run again, got some homework that needs to be done. We should go out again sometime soon. See ya".
"See ya," replied Riven into the phone and ended the conversation.
On the other end of the line, Darcy cut the connection, a devious smirk forming on her face.
...
In the middle of the night, all was silent in Alfea. Most students were asleep and the only sounds in the halls were the fluttering of a few pixies and the footsteps of Avalon, who was making his rounds.
In the simulator room, all that disturbed the quiet of the night was the gentle hum of the machine. Then the door to the control room creaked and with nary a sound, Darcy entered. Shadows crept from her and covered most of the room, though they did not hinder her sight in the least. She pressed a button and with a barely perceptible rise in sound, the machine started. The screen lit up and a password was demanded. Darcy merely plugged a little device into the machine's port, a password cracker immediately booting up. Less than five minutes later, she was in. She retrieved her little device and plugged in another, and with a few clicks of the mouse, the program was uploading. She pulled out a small hand-held computer and confirmed she was indeed receiving a signal from the simulator. A risky move, she knew, but she needed the data without being too close to the simulator. She shut down the computer and left just as silently as she had arrived.
...
Bloom nervously paced back and forth in her room, occasionally glancing at the clock. "I don't know if I'm ready, because I should be, since I did pay attention in class and Brandon did say I shouldn't worry and just do it, but what if I...". The redhead suddenly gasped, realising she was completely out of breath. "I don't think fainting before the midterms is going to help me, huh Kiko," she said with a smile, glancing at her pet. "You believe in me, don't you?"
The guinea pig made a sound, which Bloom interpreted as a yes.
"I knew you would have my back, Kiko," said Bloom with a smile. "Oh, look at the clock. I better get going now. Wish me luck".
...
Bloom entered the simulator's observation chamber with a throng of her classmates, the crimson clad DuFour already awaiting them. The redhead cast a glance around at her classmates, trying to gauge how they were doing. Some, like Musa, were nervous, shifting their weights, biting their nails and generally behaving like they were about to be tried in court. Others, like Flora, seemed expectant, but very serious and collected. And then there were some like Techna, who took it all in stride while wearing an aviator helmet.
"Alright class, the midterms start now. To make this fair, I have a randomiser program on the computer," began their teacher. "It will pick one of you at random". She pressed a button and a gasp went through the assembled students. After a few long seconds of waiting, the name Bloom Peterson popped up on the screen. The redhead swallowed loudly at the sight.
"Alright, Bloom. Since your knack is fire and does not require environmental aid, well, except oxygen of course, you will be placed in a simulation of an arctic area," explained DuFour. "In fact, the area is based upon the frozen realm of Domino. Now, enter the simulator".
Bloom nodded, stiffly entering the room. She kept taking deep breaths and counting to ten as she walked into the middle of the massive chamber.
"Alright Bloom," sounded DuFour's voice over a loudspeaker. "We'll begin in three, two, one".
A strange tickling shot through her body as weightlessness began and the amber panels shone. The area around her began changing before her very eyes. Small flakes of snow fell from the sky as frozen ground appeared under her feet.
"Alright... here I am," she said to herself. "It's... it's actually a bit cold here". She rubbed her shoulders for a moment while looking around. "I could probably start a fire," she said, as she noticed a nearby snowy forest not far from her current position. "I mean, I could also just create a flame, but it will probably be easier on me to just light up some wood". She entered the forest, a peaceful environment with great trees covered in the purest white. She started picking up some random sticks, before laying them all in a clearing. She put forth her hands and focused her magic. Steam started to rise from the pile of sticks as the snow and water evaporated from them. Then Bloom focused even more, igniting the wood.
...
"Hmm, nothing too original, but very passable work," mumbled DuFour to herself as she kept an eye on Bloom.
"Should we really be hearing the teacher's comments about this?" asked a random boy.
"I asked Palladium about it. The staff considers it educational for us to learn from each other's exams," replied Flora.
"Wait... that's odd," said DuFour suddenly, starring at the screen. "That's not supposed to happen". She pressed some buttons, trying to make the simulator delete the undesired elements, but none of her key presses did anything. "Oh no," she said to herself.
...
"Hmm, maybe I should melt some snow into water," speculated Bloom as she sat by the warm fire.
"Then you can start with this," sounded a familiar voice behind her and Bloom barely managed to roll away from the fire before a massive icicle impaled the spot where she had been sitting.
The redhead turned and stared in the direction of the attack. "I...ICY!" she exclaimed. "What... what are you doing here?"
"Correction," said Stormy as she appeared from behind a tree. "The correct question is..."
"...what are we doing here," finished Darcy as she stepped out of the darkness. Bloom looked around and realised she was surrounded.
"You're not supposed to be part of the test," said Bloom confused.
"Sorry, we are NOW!" yelled Stormy and launched a ball lightning. Bloom scrambled as her camp fire was blown to smithereens and hurried through the woods. She dashed across the snowy ground, the mocking laughter of the witches echoing in her ears.
...
"Miss DuFour. What is going on?" asked Flora concerned as DuFour nervously fiddled with the machinery.
"I don't know how..." replied the teacher with rising panic in her voice. "But something's seriously wrong with the code. It's altering Bloom's test in dozens of ways it isn't supposed to. Oh no, it just disabled the pain threshold".
"Isn't there some sort of main switch we can throw?" asked Techna.
"There is. But it is refusing to acknowledge input," replied DuFour as she grabbed her phone. "I... I need to get Faragonda to turn off the power immediately".
...
Bloom charged through the woods as a tree behind her was riddled with sharp pieces of ice. The flakes falling from the dark sky had become black and soot like, while odd planets became visible in the horizon.
"What's wrong, little Bloom? Can't you fight back?" asked Icy mockingly as Bloom leapt across a fallen log into the grey barren wastes the land had transformed into.
A bolt of lightning struck the ground before her, suddenly revealing Stormy. "SURPRISE!" yelled the wild haired witch and punched Bloom across the face, sparks of electricity dancing on her knuckles. The gasping redhead fell to the ground with a whimper.
"What's wrong?" asked Darcy, sitting in a dead tree above the fallen Bloom. "Can't do anything without your friends?"
"Leave me alone," yelled Bloom and hurled a fireball at the witch, but she easily dodged by jumping out of the tree.
"You disappoint me, Bloom," said Icy as she slowly walked towards the redhead. "I thought you were stronger than that. Come on, fight back". A fist sized hail manifested in the air and was launched towards the redhead. Bloom dodged and sprayed a line of flame against the white haired witch. She manifested a shield of ice, yawned and said: "You'll have to do better than that".
"Come on. Show us what an Alfea fairy can do," said Darcy from behind Bloom, before planting her fist squarely in the redhead's kidney. Bloom gasped and fell to the ground.
"Come on. Can't you do better than that?" asked Stormy, before kicking Bloom in the ribs.
Angrily, with tears of pain in her eyes, Bloom launched a burst of fire from her hand, but the wild haired witch easily dodged. Bloom used the pause to get up on her feet and ran away.
"DUFOUR, PLEASE, END THE SIMULATION," she yelled desperately.
...
"Do something, she's getting brutalised in there," yelled Techna.
"I'm trying, I'm trying," answered DuFour while holding her phone. "Faragonda? Thank the Dragon I got you on the phone. Listen, the simulator has gone absolutely crazy and Bloom is trapped in it. We have to turn the main power off immediately. I tried doing that, but it's not registering any input".
...
"Not good enough, Bloom," said Darcy quietly as she starred at the screen. Stormy and Icy both looked over her shoulders and watched the spectacle.
"If that had been me, I would not just have kicked her," said Stormy.
"The simulations are not supposed to be accurate representations of us, just familiar enough to be an enemy for Bloom. But it's not working," said Darcy. "Well, time to up the game".
...
"Right, get it done as quickly as... oh now what?" asked DuFour frustrated as the screen began acting up again. "What is going on now? Something just triggered further changes in the simulation".
"Triggered?" asked Musa concerned.
"The simulation isn't merely going crazy, somebody is actively hijacking it," exclaimed Techna suddenly.
...
Bloom stumbled over a hill and fell, rolling down the ashen slope.
"Going already?" echoed the voice of Darcy. "Don't you want to stay here... with your friends?"
"What... what did she mean by that?" pondered Bloom, black soot staining her clothes. Then she noticed something not far from her. A large pillar of ice stood in the middle of the bleak surroundings, standing out against the black ground. And there was something inside it.
Bloom took a closer look before exclaiming: "STELLA!"
Inside the ice was the unmoving form of the Solarian princess, her golden hair spread out through the ice. Bloom hurried and conjured an intense fire, the ice quickly melting. As it finally fell apart, the blonde fell out, lying lifelessly to the ground.
"No... No," whispered Bloom as she grabbed the blonde. "This... this isn't real, right? You're not in here with me. You're not... you're not..." A scream interrupted her thoughts and Bloom reluctantly left her friend's body behind as she rushed towards the sound. She rounded another blackened hill when she saw the one that had screamed. In a blackened crater lay Techna, eyes wide but without life, her skin blackened and scorched.
"No," whispered Bloom. "This isn't really happening... this isn't really happening. It's just... it's just supposed to be a simulation". Another pained scream rang out and Bloom stormed ahead, desperate to save her friends whether it was a simulation or not.
...
"This is fucking sick," exclaimed Techna as she saw her own corpse in the simulation.
"We have got to get her out of there. How soon can they get it shut down?" asked Flora.
"I... I don't know. Faragonda said she would get somebody to do it immediately... that's all," replied DuFour completely flustered.
"What about the power line? Can't we break it?" asked Musa.
"No. It's been built directly into the walls and reinforced to ensure random magic can't damage it," replied DuFour. "It would take even longer to destroy the power line than to just turn off the main power".
...
Bloom ran through the dead copse of trees and stopped, starring in horror at the sight in front of her. Before her was a massive chasm, heat and noxious fumes rising from the magma at the bottom. And by it stood Darcy, holding Musa by her throat. By her feet lay Flora, blood still seeping from her cut throat.
"BLOOM... HELP!" yelled Musa desperately. "She... she killed Flora. She's insane".
"Let... LET HER GO!" yelled Bloom.
"Only if you can make me," replied Darcy.
Bloom yelled in rage and pain, and flung fireball after fireball, Darcy easily dodging between them.
"Sorry. Not good enough," said Darcy with a headshake, before pushing Musa away from her. With a terrified scream, Musa plunged into the inferno below. Bloom screamed as she saw her friend ignite into flames and disappear into the magma below. Tears welled up in her eyes as she crumpled on the ashen ground.
"How sad," said Icy, who now stood beside Darcy. "She can't even protect her friends".
"She's completely useless," said Stormy, now also standing by Darcy. "Now she's all alone. And she can't do anything about it".
"It's a shame she wasn't more powerful," agreed Darcy. "Otherwise she might still have her friends. But I guess they didn't matter that much to her in the end. Or maybe they did, in which case, wow, that was a sad display".
"What are you going to do about it?" taunted Icy. "Going to avenge your dear friends by crying at us?"
"Cry, cry, cry, that's all you can do. No wonder your friends couldn't count on you," taunted Stormy.
"Come on, are you really letting us get away with this?" asked Darcy.
"No," whispered Bloom and slowly rose. Energy started to pump through her, burning in her heart, soul and mind. "I'm not". Primordial energy flared up in her eyes and an aura of glowing energy shone from her body. "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!"
A flare of the purest power exploded from her palms and blasted the three witches, their screams quickly fading as they were burnt to ashes in seconds.
...
A bright light shone from the simulator room with the intensity of a blazing sun. Smoke started pouring from the machine's panels.
"I don't think that's good," said one student.
"HIT THE DECK!" yelled Techna.
DuFour and the students threw themselves to the floor, as with a massive explosion, the glass shattered and panels of the machine blew open, smoke, sparks and fire billowing forth from the machine's destroyed innards.
...
"Well... that was gruesome," said Stormy slowly. "Did you design that program on your own? Because that was fucking terrifying. And so are you, by the way".
"I'll take that as a compliment," noted Darcy as she studied the readings she got from the simulator before it broke.
"I'm just happy that wasn't really us," said Icy. "I mean, imagine if we really had been hit by that attack and burnt to dust. That would have been... well, quite horrible".
"Well, look at this," said Darcy with a smile. "We hit the jackpot. Bloom has the dragonflame in her, although I have no idea how that is possible, and it is more than potent enough for our needs. Now we just need to... extract it".
...
"Bloom, are you okay?" asked DuFour as she hurried into the smoking chamber. The amber panels were burnt and cracked, small flakes from the roof raining into the chamber.
As the smoke cleared, the teacher and the students saw Bloom lying at the bottom of the chamber, almost naked with burnt flesh exposed, her hands once again blackened from her fire.
"Oh no, not again," said Techna as she jumped over the railing and skated to the bottom. "Bloom? Bloom, can you hear me?"
"Techna?" whispered Bloom, barely able to keep her eyes open. "You're... you're okay".
"We're all okay Bloom, don't you worry. It was just a simulation. Somebody hijacked it," replied Techna, as others made their way down to her. "Just stay calm, you're in good hands now. We're all safe. And so are you".
"That... that makes me... happy," said Bloom with a faint smile before passing out from pain and exhaustion.
...
"How could this happen?" mumbled Faragonda as she paced back and forth in her office.
"I have no idea," said DuFour. "I am so sorry that this happened".
"It's not your fault, Aure," replied Faragonda. "But we might have to up security after this. None of our students deserve what Bloom just went through. Any idea who's behind it?"
"Sadly, no. Bloom's blast caused most of the hardware to melt," replied DuFour. "I can have them restored, but only to the condition I know they were in last I checked. There is no way for me to recover the alterations made to it that caused today's incident".
"Why is all this happening?" sighed Faragonda. "I don't like it. There is something dark on the horizon, Aure. I do not believe these incidents that have centred around Bloom to be entirely unconnected, especially not after what we have witnessed from her".
"On that note, I did allow her to pass her midterm with flying colours," said DuFour. "She did an amazing job in there. Also, we'll have no choice but to postpone midterms for all the other students until the simulator has been fixed".
"Yes, yes, I'll make sure that the students know that," said Faragonda, looking very tired. "I just hope Bloom can forgive us for not taking as good care of her as we should".
"Headmistress, we all know that you of all people have done everything in your power to keep the students safe," said the crimson clad teacher. "You would never let anything happen to your students if you could avoid it. Nobody could be prepared for what has transpired recently".
"I guess you're right," sighed Faragonda. "I just hope we have the ability to ward off further incidents. Because if we can't, it is our students who are going to pay the price".