The sun was shining, birds were singing, and Crystal Lake - the pride and joy of Crystal Lake Gardens, centre of Magix city - was providing the perfect backdrop to the end of what had been admittedly a very good date. Stella and Sky had shared lunch together at a nice restaurant before deciding to take advantage of the unseasonably warm day and go enjoy the gardens together before winter really hit and they became inaccessible for months.
"I'm really glad we're finally doing this," Stella said abruptly, after a few minutes of companionable silence during which they observed the gently rippling lake.
Sky turned to look at her, the sunlight catching the golden brown strands in his hair and making them glow, momentarily distracting Stella. She focussed and caught a hint of a sheepish smile before he replied.
"Yeah, me too. I'm… I know I was giving you mixed signals for a while there…"
Privately Stella agreed, but Sky looked like he was collecting his thoughts so she kept that to herself.
"And things kept happening," Sky continued.
And Stella got it, she really did. It was hard to sort out your love life when every other day something was coming after you, or your squadmate was allying himself with witches.
"And…"
"And," Stella prompted gently, burning with curiosity.
"Well you're a princess."
"And you're a prince," Stella reminded him, and Sky jolted as if he really did need the reminder.
"Yeah, right, of course. But you're you. You're smart, and funny, and really passionate about the things you care about…" Sky trailed off when Stella turned quickly to look out at the lake again. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked uncertainly after a moment.
"No," she replied quickly.
Because he hadn't. He really hadn't. Stella was used to the crowd of adoring suitors, they'd been a fixture in her life ever since she'd hit puberty. And she was used to the compliments; about her mile-long legs, about her golden hair, about her permanently bikini-ready figure, about her pretty face. She just wasn't used to anyone ever looking any deeper than that. Stella glanced back at Brandon, her smile back in place.
"You didn't say anything wrong at all," she told him before stepping closer, taking his face in her hands, and kissing him.
Bloom was enjoying one of her last days of bed rest; she'd woken at a decent hour - despite the fact that it was a Saturday - so she could spend as long as she wanted in the bathroom before the others got up, had pottered around for a few hours in the morning, tidying her side of the room, and doing some homework the girls had brought her during her time away, and was just settling in for the afternoon with a good book. The dorm was relatively quiet, Tecna having disappeared to work on some project with Timmy, like she'd been doing every weekend since the minotaur attack, Musa and Flora were both studying for their Magical Reality exams, and Stella had just gotten back a few minutes ago from her date, humming happily as she did, which was how Bloom knew it had gone well.
The peaceful quiet was interrupted by a sudden, strangled yell. Then Stella's voice all but screaming, "Flora!"
Flora glanced up from her textbook, and frowned over at Bloom before going to investigate, the redhead slowly following.
"Stella?" Bloom heard Flora enquire pleasantly despite Stella's obvious aggravation.
"Flora," Stella said again, this time accompanied by an irritated sounding sigh. "Why don't you take your hippy-dippy research and go save a different planet?"
Bloom emerged from her room just in time to see Flora flinch. Flora, being the most sensitive of the group, hated it when the others argued, let alone when she was actually involved.
Still when she replied, her voice was hard, containing only the barest trace of hurt. "That's not very nice."
Bloom caught sight of the disapproving look on Flora's face and winced internally, knowing it wouldn't go down well. Bloom quickly rounded the pair so she could stand between them.
"Come on, guys," Bloom sighed. "Don't fight."
"No," Stella shot back petulantly. "She's gone too far this time."
"You said it was okay," Flora snapped back.
Bloom sighed and wondered what 'it' was.
"Well, I changed my mind."
"Okay," Bloom said quickly before the fight could devolve any further. "Stella, what's got you so upset."
"It was one thing when she turned your room into a 24 hour greenhouse, which could get us all into trouble from Griselda," Stella started angrily.
Again Bloom suppressed a wince just thinking about the current state of her room; Bloom wasn't a neat-freak by any stretch of the imagination but even she had to admit that the room currently resembled a pig-sty. The more Flora studied for her upcoming exam the more the plants multiplied it seemed, until Bloom could hardly get from the door to her bed without bumping into something green. They were just lucky Griselda, who loved springing room inspections on unsuspecting fairies, hadn't been by in a while.
"Bloom gave me permission. And it's all research for the Magical Reality exam," Flora said hotly.
"I did say I would help her study anyway I could," Bloom agreed, because she had, although at the time she hadn't realised just how much greenery that would entail. "And it is our room," Bloom reminded Stella.
"Right," Stella said, abruptly veering back on course. "It's your room, so you know, c'est la vie." Stella flapped a hand dismissively. "But then Flora asked if she could put some of her veggies in my room because I get the morning sun and I figured 'a few pots on my windowsill, where's the harm?' But no, they have completely invaded my room."
Stella stomped back over to her room, Bloom following curiously, Flora sheepishly. Bloom wasn't sure what she was expecting - a few pots on the windowsill, like Stella had said, or something closer to her own room with plants covering every bare inch of space - but whatever it was, it couldn't prepare her for the reality. Stella's room wasn't completely overrun, but still Bloom could see the damage straight away. The base of Stella's wall of windows were cluttered with numerous plants, many of whom had started using the windows as a climbing wall and were starting to grow along it towards the ceiling. What was more, many pieces of Stella's wardrobe were fitted over the plants, and their leaves were smeared with what looked like makeup. Even as they stood there they saw a vine creep out and snag what Bloom knew was an expensive lipstick, and start to draw with it on the fern next to it. Beside Bloom, Stella let out an agonised sound and turned away as if the sight physically pained her.
"Look at them," she wailed to them, even though she refused to. "They're stretching my clothes, using my make-up, and I can barely see out my window anymore."
"They adapt to their environment," Flora said guiltily. "Besides," she continued, muttering under her breath. "There's a reason they're called 'menmosa-vainatosa'."
"That is my favourite dress," Stella shrieked, pointing at a scrap of silk and lace pulled over a large plant. "Bloom," she continued imploringly, turning to the redhead. "Tell her I'm not overreacting here."
Both Flora and Stella looked at her expectantly, both confident she would side with them. Bloom bit her lip, torn; she knew Flora really wanted to do well on her exam, but she could also see at least a couple of hundred vlosi's worth of damage right in front of her.
"Maybe we can fix them," she finally said, not picking a side.
"What if we can't? They're one of a kind!"
"And in the meantime," Bloom continued, ignoring Stella for the moment. "Maybe we can find a better place for the plants."
"They need sunlight," Flora said stiffly.
"Well, how about our balcony," Bloom suggested, trying to be patient. She thought that maybe this would be a lot easier, if she had siblings, but alas she had no practice mediating arguments.
"Yeah, maybe," Flora said, sounding happier. "And maybe Tecna will know a counter-spell," she added, glancing at Stella, obviously wanting them to meet some sort of compromise.
Stella looked reluctant to let go of her anger, and was still staring dolefully at her clothes but nodded. Pleased, Bloom lead the two of them across the common room to Tecna and Musa's room. Musa was on her bed, surrounded by textbooks, highlighters, and pages of notes, headphones on and blasting music, explaining why she hadn't heard the argument and come to investigate. Catching sight of the other three, Musa tugged her headphones down around her neck.
"Hey, what's happening?" Musa asked absently, highlighting a passage in her notes.
"Just looking for Tecna," Flora said, glancing around the room but Tecna was nowhere in sight. "Is she here?"
"Nah, haven't seen her since this morning," Musa said, finally giving them her attention.
Bloom clapped a hand to her forehead in sudden realisation. "Oh! I totally forgot, wasn't she going over to Red Fountain to work with Timmy."
"Oooh," Stella cooed, grinning wickedly. "Is that the kids are calling it these days?"
But Bloom ignored the innuendo because Musa was frowning slightly. "I know she was planning to, but I don't know if she ended up going. I didn't hear her leave. Why? What did you need?"
"Flora needs a spell to fix my clothes," Stella put in quickly.
"Doesn't the nocturnal ivy have restorative abilities? Musa asked.
Flora looked up from one of Tecna's books that she'd been looking through, eyes bright with an idea. "That's brilliant, Musa," she said. "And if I boil it and combine it with a couple of drops of parsley oil, the clothes should return to their original forms." She hurried over to Musa and Tecna's wardrobe. "I've been keeping the nocturnal ivy in here, since it likes the dark and this room gets the least amount of light," she explained over her shoulder as she swung open the door.
Flora turned back to the wardrobe and gave a little shriek as she saw what was waiting for her. Standing inside the wardrobe, wrapped from head to toe in vines was Tecna, looking very unimpressed and red in the face.
"Oh, dear," Flora said, while Bloom, Stella, and even Musa gaped behind her.
Tecna tried to say something but the vines across her mouth made a makeshift gag and all she could do was make a muffled, disgruntled sound. Sparks flew from Flora's fingers and the vines slithered away, releasing Tecna and leaving her to scramble out of the wardrobe, rubbing her sore wrists.
"Did you not hear me?" Tecna said furiously to Musa.
Musa shrugged, looking vaguely apologetic. "I had my headphones on."
Tecna turned her outrage on Flora. "All I wanted was the blueprints for mine and Timmy's computer and this psycho plant grabbed me."
"See what Flora is doing to our living conditions," Stella was quick to say. Bloom nudged her sharply, muttering to her that she wasn't helping. But it seemed Musa and Tecna were already firmly on Stella's side.
"That's not cool, Flo," Musa said, finally abandoning her study. "Not cool at all."
"My blueprints are gone," Tecna interrupted. "Is there any way to get them back?"
Flora paled. "Uh, get them back… not really."
"What about a spell?" Tecna asked, voice rising. It was clear to them all that she was struggling to keep her cool.
"The ivy is really good at restoring other things, but anything it eats has to be caught straight away or it's pretty much gone."
Tecna's control snapped. "Great," she yelled, stomping over to her bed. "That's a month's worth of work just gone."
Flora ran a distressed hand through her hair. "I really didn't think it would grow so fast! I'm so sorry!"
"What am I supposed to tell, Timmy?" Tecna bit out. "He already thinks I blew him off. Now I have to tell him all our work is gone."
"Oh, Tecna," Flora said, eyes brimming with tears. "I'm so sorry. I really am."
But Tecna wouldn't meet her eye, and busied herself with her phone, where she was presumably texting Timmy an apology.
"It's all well and good to say sorry," Stella spoke up. "But this is our dorm and we shouldn't have to be dealing with these issues here."
Flora swallowed visibly and inhaled sharply as though she was resolving herself, before nodding. "You guys are right. I'll clear out all my plants and take it all over to Black Mud Swamp until the exam is over."
"No!" Bloom insisted vehemently. Stella, Tecna, and Musa shuffled around her but none of them agreed with her. "You can't move to the swamp."
Flora tried to smile reassuringly, but Bloom could read the hurt in her eyes. "It's fine," she insisted even as her voice wavered. "The dorm really isn't suited to all my study, I know it's a lot. Besides Professor Palladium will have the chamber up and running in no time, and then I can move back." Flora chuckled wetly. "Well, I'd better skedaddle, lot's to do, you know?" With that she hurried from the room without a backwards glance, shutting the door gently behind her.
There were a few thumps audible from the next room, the Nocturnal Ivy abruptly vanished, then they heard the door to the dorm open and close again, and then finally silence. Throughout it all the other four stared determinedly away from each other; Tecna was fiddling idly with her phone, Stella was steadily ripping one of her nails to shreds, and Musa was 'reading' her study notes, but her eyes remained in one place the entire time.
"You guys are unbelievable," Bloom said coldly to the other three once Flora had left. "I can't believe you just let her go like that."
"There are plants everywhere, Bloom," Tecna pointed out, sounding uncomfortable.
"So what?" Bloom exclaimed. "You know how nervous she's been for this exam. She thinks because she's from Linphea that she has to ace this exam. And yeah maybe the plants and the study have been a little over the top, but we're her friends, we should be supporting her, not yelling at her."
"She said it was fine," Stella muttered, but she didn't sound too sure of herself. "And my makeup…"
"I don't care about the stupid makeup," Bloom yelled, surprising everyone including herself. "Flora is our best friend, not something you can buy more of in some store."
"We know, B," Musa sighed. "And we love Flo-"
"Could have fooled me," Bloom cut in coldly.
Musa had the decency to look scolded. "We love Flo," Musa repeated. "But this is our dorm, we have to be comfortable."
"How many hours have you all spent helping me study, or understand some spell or bit of history that I couldn't get."
"But that's different-" Tecna tried but Bloom cut across her.
"How about all the nights Musa has kept us up playing her instruments? Or when Tecna dismantles the television or the stereo looking for some part she needs? Or when Stella leaves the bathroom a mess with all her makeup and beauty products? Did we ever complain about any of that stuff?"
Tecna, Musa, and Stella ducked their heads, cheeks hot with shame.
"We're supposed to be best friends, and best friends don't kick each other out because they're slightly uncomfortable. Best friends love each other despite all that stuff, and when they know their best friend is struggling with something, they do everything they can to help."
There was a long minute of silence in which Bloom just waited, puffing slightly from her rant.
"You're right," Musa finally said. Her voice sounded small, and her shoulders were hunched. She looked to Bloom reluctantly and she saw that Musa's eyes were dark with regret.
"Flora's our friend and we acted like complete bitches," Stella agreed. "We should…" she trailed off for a moment before visibly bracing herself for whatever she was going to say. "We should go down to the swamp and apologise."
The others looked at her, knowing how much she hated that swamp. Stella managed a weak smile in return.
"And ask her to come back to the dorm," Tecna added.
Bloom nodded satisfied. "That's better. Let's get going."
It seemed that even in November, with a winter chill in the air, the swamp was a warm, muggy place. As the girls waded further in, searching for their friend, they stripped off the jackets and scarves they'd piled on, fanning at their faces. Eventually, they found her with a camp already set up beside an offshoot of the lake behind Alfea, the area cluttered with a tent, small chemistry station, and many familiar-looking plants.
Flora glanced up from a row of ferns and a look of surprised crossed her face, quickly chased away by hope and relief.
"Guys?" she asked, standing and stripping off her dirt-caked gardening gloves.
Tecna stepped forward. "We behaved poorly, Flora," she said, concise as always. "And we'd like to sincerely apologise for the way we acted and hope you can forgive us."
"Yeah," Musa agreed, scuffing the toe of her sneaker in the dirt. "We acted like real bitches, Flo, and we want you to come back to the dorm."
"Can you forgive us?" Stella asked.
Flora didn't even hesitate. "Of course," she grinned and practically skipped over to throw her arms around the other girls. "And I get it," she continued, voice muffled by Musa's shoulder. "My plants were really starting to get crazy-"
"No, we overreacted," Stella jumped in quickly. "I overreacted."
"Besides," Tecna said. "Bloom made some good points about our own bad habits so we had no right to get mad at you."
The five broke away, all relieved to have sorted out their fight. Stella, it seemed had other things on her mind as well however, judging by the way she looked around furtively.
"Not that I'm not glad that everything's peachy with us again but can we move this little reunion back to the castle. Where's there's less mud." Stella glanced mournfully down at her mud-splattered wedges. "And bugs," she added, slapping an offending insect away from her thigh.
Bloom suppressed the urge to remind Stella that they'd told her to wear responsible clothing and use the insect repellent Tecna had offered; she too, after all, didn't want to stay in the stinky swamp longer than was necessary.
"Can we help you carry this stuff," Bloom asked, gesturing to the plants.
But Flora bit her lip and shot them a hopeful smile. "Well, actually I was hoping to go look for a Cheerful Gladiolus. If you plant them they ward off nearby creatures with malicious intent," she continued quickly, when her friend's smiles started to droop. "I thought I could use it in my exam, you know as a defensive measure." When her friends still didn't say anything she went in for the kill, "I think it could really boost my marks."
A sigh travelled through her four friends as they exchanged glances. This was what best friends did for each other, after all, and so with only a little reluctance they nodded grimly.
"Ok," Musa said. "How do we get this Cheerful Gladiolus?"
Flora dug a book out of her backpack, and flipped it open to a marked page, flipping it around so the girl's could get a look at it. "That's where it gets tough," she explained. "There aren't many of these flowers left, and so they've gotten really skittish and won't let themselves get picked. But I'm hoping if I show the local Junior League my newest invention, they'll help us catch the flower. Check this out."
Flora beckoned them all closer and untwisted the lid of the vial. Then, with the others watching closely, Flora used the stopper to drip a single drop of the potion onto the leaf of a nearby fern. The drop glimmered on the leaf for a moment before sliding off and splashing to the ground; and where the drop landed another fern, identical to the other suddenly sprang into existence. Gasps of amazement echoed around the friends.
"I call it my vegal cloner, and with it, I'm hoping that it will convince the Junior League to let us have one of the flowers."
"It's awesome, Flora," Bloom praised, still staring at the two ferns in amazement. "Should we get going?"
"Speaking of," Stella said suddenly, as the others made to move off. "Maybe I should stay here, you know take care of Flora's stuff."
Four pairs of eyes narrowed at her dangerously.
"Get your butt moving, girl," Musa growled.
Stella pouted and sighed, but started walking with the others right behind to make sure she didn't try to sneak back to Flora's campsite.
"I just have this really bad feeling," Stella sighed, head whipping back and forth.
"Any place more than fifteen minutes away from the mall freaks you out," Musa snarked, pushing her onwards. The others trudged after them, wrinkling their noses at the stench of the swamp and trying to stay as mud free as possible.
Eventually, they all began to tire and Stella began to drop behind, wedge heels after all not being the ideal footwear for swamps. It wasn't easy to traverse the swamp, the mud stuck their feet to the ground, the sun was hot beating down on them, and it seemed no matter how much repellent they slathered on, the insects zoomed to them like bees to honey.
"Flora," Stella sighed, trying to keep the whine out of her voice. "You do know where the Junior League lives, right?"
"Of course," Flora replied patiently. She knew this was as far out of Stella's comfort zone as you could go, and Flora was beyond grateful that she was in the swamp at all. "They live in a little grove just off the main body of the lake. We're almost there," Flora promised.
"Okay," Stella panted, scraping her sweaty hair back from her face. "Oh god," she muttered, as she took another step and her foot sunk straight into a deep puddle. "Why...," she said through gritted teeth, bending down to work her foot free. "... are swamps so…" Finally the mud released its grip on her shoe and she straightened with a sigh.
"Swampy?" Musa asked, finishing Stella's half-hearted complaint.
"Not," Stella said, pointedly ignoring Musa. "That I can't handle a little swamp."
Musa gave a bark of laughter. "You couldn't handle a kiddie pool if it was in the garden of your castle."
Stella whirled on her heel, ready to let Musa have at it and tell her exactly what she could handle, but the mud was slippery beneath her, and her feet went skidding out from beneath her. She toppled over with a loud scream, and went from being completely clean, if only a little hot and bothered, to being plastered in cold mud in a matter of seconds. While Stella laid there, blinking up at the sky in shock, Musa gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. But Musa didn't stay shocked for long and was quickly fighting off laughter while the other's hurried over.
Bloom's mouth twisted at the sight of Stella, still lying soaked on the ground, as she tried not to laugh. "Oh, Stella," she tried to say sympathetically. "Are you okay?"
"No," Stella sobbed. "I'm tired, sweaty, my feet hurt, and now I'm covered in disgusting mud."
Bloom bit her lip, hard, while Musa had no such reservations and let out a loud snort of laughter. Tecna shook her head at Musa scoldingly, while Bloom and Flora each grabbed one of Stella's hands each and hauled her to her feet.
The poor blonde stood there, shivering and covered in dirt, while Bloom, Tecna, and Flora did their best to use cleaning spells to get the worst of the mud off before the sun dried. Musa meanwhile was distracted trying to control her laughter.
"Well," Tecna finally said after a few minutes. "You'll probably want a hot shower when we get back to the castle, and your hair will definitely need a wash," Tecna said, with a sympathetic glance at the blonde locks, now a dull brown. "But the worst if off now."
"Thanks Tecna, Bloom, Flora," Stella sniffed, before shooting Musa, a pointed, acidic glare.
"And good news," Flora said quickly, when it looked like a fight was going to erupt between the pair. "The Junior League's headquarters is just over there. It, like most Junior League's all over the universe, is run by the undines. Water nymph's," she added when she got a few blank looks.
Flora pointed out a small stream clustered with water lillies and what looked to Bloom like silvery-grey fish. The girls moved closer and Bloom realised that the fish weren't fish at all but little water nymphs. They had the faces and torso's of a regular human, with hair that fell in waves over their shoulders, but from the waist down they had a tail, making them look similar to the mermaids from Bloom's children's books. The same webbing that connected between the nymph's fingers also connected the nymph's wrists to torso, creating gliding type wings. Upon closer inspection Bloom saw that the nymphs weren't silver at all but were actually coloured in pale greens, blues, and purples. All in all the little nymph's were about the length of the girl's forearm.
Oblivious to their sudden audience, a small group of nymphs raced along the water, disappearing for minutes at a time under the surface before bursting up to catch the wind and gliding around their little glade, before diving back down into the water. Their delighted laughter as they played sounded like a chorus of chiming bells.
"They're so little," Bloom whispered, not wanting to disturb the nymphs yet.
"They're like little mermaids," Stella added, also in a low tone.
Bloom was distracted momentarily, wondering how she'd been at Alfea for almost four months and she'd never known there was such thing as mermaids.
"Is that their crib," Musa asked, pointing to a cluster of large bubbles visible through the surface of the lake.
"Looks like it," Tecna said, peering at the bubbles curiously.
"It's really cool," Flora told them. "Each bubble is a personal sleeping pod that houses one nymph."
Their quiet conversation was interrupted then as one of the nymphs noticed them. Most of the group didn't seem too concerned or interested by their appearance but two of the nymphs came swimming over. They folded their arms over the bank of the pond and smiled up at them, and he girls hurriedly knelt before them so they weren't towering over them.
"Hello," one of the nymphs said in a high-pitched voice. "Welcome to the Black Mud Swamp Junior League Headquarters. Are you interested in getting tickets for the Literacy for Butterflies High Tea?"
"There aren't many left, you know," the other added. "Follow us."
Before the girls could protest or explain that they weren't actually interested in purchasing tickets for the high tea, though Flora looked tempted, the nymph's swam away, cutting smoothly through the pond water, leaving the girls no choice by to follow them. The nymph's stayed close to the edge, leading the girl's around the bank and further into the grove. They came to a halt in a little alcove off the main pond, shielded from sight by a thick curtain of willow fronds. There they found a regal looking nymph sitting on a throne set into the base of a tree sitting close to the water's edge.
"Her Royal Majesty, Queen Edhelnim," the first nymph, who'd introduced herself as Mitriel, declared proudly before pulling herself out of the water to sit on a chair to the regal looking nymph's right, while her friend, Thalne, took the seat to the left.
"She's their queen," Flora murmured to the other girls as they settled cross legged on the ground across from the queen.
"Welcome to our headquarters," the queen said warmly.
"They're interested in the Literacy for Butterflies High Tea," Mitriel told her.
"Oh, this benefit will be an event to remember," she told them excitedly. "It's already predicted to be even bigger than our annual swamp tours."
"The thing is, Your Majesty, that's not really why we're here," Stella said smoothly, and Bloom was suddenly intensely grateful that at least one of their group had been taught how to speak to royals.
"Oh," the queen said, her excitement dimming. "Are you here to volunteer for our Pollywog Playground Improvement Project?"
"Actually we're here to ask if you would help us catch a Cheerful Gladiolus."
The queen's eyebrows rose slightly, the only indication that she was surprised. "A big request," was all she would say for a moment. "May I ask why you need one? They are very rare, you know?"
"I'd like to use it in my exam," Flora said earnestly.
"Now that's interesting," the queen said, before Flora could tell her about her vegal cloner. "Because we might need something from you. Please excuse me if this is unladylike, but please tell them Mitriel."
"Our community is in very dire straits," Mitriel said, sunny disposition melting away. "Are you any good at dealing with monsters?"
"A monster's after you guys?" Bloom asked. The girls glanced around at each other wondering how the seemingly peaceful community could possibly attract the attention of a monster. Or perhaps, Bloom reconsidered, it was because they were peaceful and defenceless that a monster was coming after them.
"Yes," Mitriel said mournfully. "You see that island?" the nymph said, pointing to an island on the border of the swamp and the actual body of the lake. The small island was just visible through a haze of fog surrounding it. "That's Black Mud Island, and it's the one place in the lake that our food, the Xylith leaf grows. We had full access to the island up to a couple months ago, when a giant water creature began to attack us anytime we tried to get close."
"But why is it suddenly attacking you?" Tecna asked.
"We don't know," Thalne spoke up. "For as long as we have been here the creatures have been living in harmony. It is why we are here, it's part of our mission, we help nourish the swamp, and facilitate peace between its inhabitants. But that's all changed now."
"And we try to put up a brave front but the reality is we're in terrible trouble. When we lost access to the island we preserved all the leaves we had in our possession, but even with rationing our supplies are dangerously low."
"I haven't made this public yet," the queen said, voice lowering. "But even with our rationing, our supply of xylith leaves won't last more than two more weeks. But the nymphs know something is very wrong; just a few nights ago, a member of the league got so desperate that they snuck over there all by herself, and she hasn't returned. "I hate to impose, but perhaps in return for the Cheerful Gladiolus, you could help us."
"Of course," the girls chorused together. They certainly weren't going to let the little nymphs face the monster on their own.
"I have to ask," Stella said, sounding hesitant. "Why didn't you go to Alfea for help, surely Miss Faragonda would be happy to help?"
"Oh no," the queen said firmly, while Mitriel and Thalne shook their heads. "It is the undine's responsibility to provide help and care not the other way around. When a bargain must be made, it must be an equal one, for example, the junior league ensures the safe passageway of Alfea students in the swamp, and in return Miss Faragonda uses her magic to strengthen our own protective enchantments. A fair trade," the queen repeated. "It is the only way it can be."
The fairies frowned at each other but didn't push it; the nymph's seemed particularly set in their ways on this subject and they didn't want to risk offending them.
"We'd be happy to help you, Your Majesty," Musa said.
"And in return we'll help you catch a Cheerful Gladiolus."
The girls scrambled to their feet, and transformed into their fairy forms. Instantly they began to shiver in the shade of the glade as the shadows fell on their exposed skin.
"Good luck," the queen said, and watched them gravely as they pushed through the curtain of willows.
As if sensing they were doing something important, the nymphs quieted as they passed, all watching as they walked to the bank of the river before, as one, surging into the air and heading for the island.
Just as the nymphs had been quiet, so were the five friends as they flew. Bloom couldn't be sure of the others, but after her last encounter with the Trix, Bloom felt different, not on edge exactly, but definitely alert, as if all her nerves were focussed on the task at hand. The magical reality test had changed her, Bloom thought as they sailed over the murky waters of the swamp, growing clearer the closer they got to the lake; before, she hadn't exactly brushed the Trix aside, but their encounters had been mild skirmishes, inconveniences, their quest for the Dragon Flame something for them to research and ponder on when life at Alfea hit a lull. But the Trix attacking her had had an effect on her, because no more was this some fun mystery, not a game she could stop playing when she grew tired of it, whatever the this was, it was real for the Trix, and as she was beginning to realise, real for her and her friends. This was her life now: battles with witches, flying off to face some unknown threat, this was what she'd signed up for when she'd come to Alfea. Oddly enough this didn't unsettle her, didn't frighten her, but rather settled her, as if she'd just come to some realisation that part of her had been waiting for.
Stella's voice, sounding slightly uneasy interrupted Bloom's melancholy. "You know, girls, I was thinking. You know how the nymphs said this monster was gigantic? Well the nymphs are pretty small themselves, and even we must seem pretty big to them, so maybe this monster is really only average -sized and we could take it easily? That makes sense, doesn't it?"
She turned to her friends hopefully, but they were already staring at her, mouths agape.
"What?" she asked, put out. "You don't think I'm right?"
"Stella," Tecna whispered, staring over the blonde's head. "Don't move."
Stella frowned, thrown by their odd behaviour and it was only then that she realised the swamp had gone completely silent around them and she could no longer feel the sun, hot on her back. She whipped around before her friends could stop her and came face to face with the monster. As if triggered by her movement, the monster let out a horrific screech, opening it's mouth to reveal rows of gigantic, razor-sharp teeth. The rest of what was visible of the monster was oddly reptilian, and looked to Bloom like it could have resembled an overgrown lizard. It had brown scales, patterned intricately, and heavily lidded eyes that were a murky red. The rest of Bloom's analysis was cut off by the monster ducking back under the water, making it lap and splash at the girl's feet.
"Don't separate," Flora ordered, and the girl's obediently flew into a huddle, pressing their backs together.
It was a good strategy, Bloom thought, as the five of them scanned the still restless water for any sign or shadow in the clouded water. If they were seperated, it would be much easier for the monster to snatch one of them out of air with it's gigantic mouth. The only con, of course, was if it happened to emerge from the water directly underneath them.
Which, of course, it did.
Bloom looked down, a moment too late, and out of the corner of her eye she saw that Tecna had had the same thought as her, but neither of them had a chance to call out a warning before a large, brown head collided with their cluster, sending them all sprawling.
Her friend's echoed in her ears, while Bloom's muscles in her back and wings strained to keep her out of the water and the right way up. As soon as she got her bearings, Bloom swung back around to see that both she and Flora had been knocked behind the monster, Tecna and Stella to the sides, leaving Musa in danger directly in front of it. Musa looked disoriented in the air, shaking her head before looking side to side evidently looking for the monster, and not realising it was behind and above her, looking ready to lunge.
"Watch out!" Bloom screamed, amidst the other's own warnings.
At all the noise, Musa twisted in mid-air giving them all a chance to see the horrified look cross her face right before she disappeared between the monster's huge jaws. Gasps echoed all around, and Bloom felt her heart leap into her throat and her stomach twist painfully as the monster ducked beneath the water. Flora went to throw herself into the water after the monster, Stella and Bloom right on her heels, but Tecna was suddenly in the way, catching ahold of Flora and hauling her back.
"We can't just give up on her," Flora wailed, thrashing in Tecna's arms, but she held firm and flew them both up into the air, out of reach of the monster if it reappeared. Stella and Bloom, both feeling numb, followed.
"Why did you stop me?" Flora screeched, still trying to wriggle out of Tecna's grip. "I could have-"
"You were going to get yourself killed long before you ever got to Musa," Tecna said, shaking the brunette harshly. "We need to be smart and fast about this if we're going to save Musa."
Finally Flora calmed, but Tecna waited for her to concede a nod before releasing her. Panting and blotchy, Flora pushed her hair back from her face.
"So what do we need to do?"
"We need an underwater spell," Tecna said. "We have no idea how far down the monster went."
"There was that one we learnt in Charms the other day," Stella recalled, and they instantly remembered. The class, Charms, seemed dedicated to teaching them useless spells that they would 'definitely find a use for one day' or so their teacher, a squat, ancient fairy, told them.
Tecna nodded. "That'll work."
They got to work instantly, Musa's waning time at the forefront of their minds, and performed the spell. A bubble of air encased each of them, and Bloom wrinkled her nose as her ears popped. Another quick snap of their fingers and the bubbles were illuminated for when they went into the dark water.
"Remember, these won't protect you from physical attacks," Tecna reminded them shortly, as they flew down to the water.
They dived into the water without any more discussion and immediately began swimming for the bottom, all having assumed that's where the monster would reside.
"There," Flora finally said after what felt like hours of swimming, pointing ahead.
Down at the bottom, the same amount of the monster was visible, it's neck and head, the rest of it shielded by the cave it was lying inside. The monster's eyes were closed.
"It's asleep," Flora added, voice lowering.
"Or just pretending," Bloom frowned.
The monster suddenly sighed slightly, mouth opening to reveal Musa lying on it's tongue.
"It hasn't swallowed yet," Stella said in relief.
"Some creature's do that," Tecna replied. "Keep food in their mouths for a while to make it more tender and easier to digest."
The other's shot her a look, not wanting to think of digestion while their friend was in a monster's mouth.
"I'll go in," Bloom said, knowing that their friend wouldn't be able to survive much longer without air. "You guys cover me."
The others knew there was no time to argue, the monster's mouth could close any second and Musa was quickly running out of time. Bloom swam through the water, in an easy freestyle, and after a quick gasp of apprehension, slipped between it's looming jaws.
She didn't know if the monster felt her zooming past, or the added pressure on it's tongue but something made it close it's mouth, shutting them in with the darkness. Her bubble still gave off a faint glow, but that wasn't exactly a good thing as it illuminated all the teeth surrounding her. Trying not to look at how the light made their edges glint, Bloom pulled Musa into the bubble where her friend immediately gagged and began coughing up water. Bloom helped her onto her hands and knees, banging on her back to help bring up the water, all the while considering how they were going to get out of there. Finally when it looked like Musa had gotten all the water out of her lungs, Bloom summoned her magic to palm and hoping it wouldn't make the monster swallow, touched her charged hand to the roof of the monster's mouth, zapping it.
Fortunately, it worked like a charm and the monster snarled in protest, opening it's mouth and allowing Bloom to swim back out again, dragging Musa along behind her.
Not so fortunately, the shock woke the beast up and it's eyes somehow seemed madder when they opened to glare at the five fairies. It let out another inhuman shriek, and immediately began wriggling out of it's cave, dislodging loose debris and sending it raining down on the girls.
"I'd say it's time to go."
They needed no more encouragement and immediately began kicking for the surface, Bloom slower than usual because of a still groggy Musa slumped against her. She chanced a look over her shoulder once, and was glad to see the monster seemed to be slowed down itself by the debris blocking it's way.
They resurfaced right by the bank of the island and without needing to discuss they surged into the air, snapping the water from their wings with a few flutters, and headed the short way for the island. In their haste they didn't seem to notice that the haze they'd seen around the island was even thicker here, cloying and stifling in the air.
Bloom helped Musa to the ground who coughed a few times and wrung out her limp pigtails.
"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Flora asked her, kneeling beside her.
"I'm okay, I think," Musa said, voice sounding a little raw but otherwise okay. "Other than drinking half the lake, of course. Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix."
Satisfied, the other's helped her to her feet before glancing around at the island. Trees rose up on either side of a path they stood on, but there was something off about them to Bloom, like something was missing. Shaking away the concern she turned back to her friends.
"So, what do we do now?" she asked.
"I don't think we should confront the monster again, until we have a solid plan," Tecna said, in her usual calm, logical way. "I think we should also take some time to dry off, and recuperate," she added, with a not so subtle look at Musa, who despite her reassurance still looked paler than normal.
"We could collect some xylith leaves for the nymph's," Flora suggested quickly, when it looked like Musa was going to argue. "Then we could take some back to them after we deal with the monster."
"Good enough for me," Stella said. She glanced around before pointedly back at Flora.
"Oh right," Flora said, and looked around at the foliage, eyes scanning for the xylith leaves. "It's weird," she said after a moment, walking towards a clump of black shrubs. "They're dead," Flora said, fingering the decayed leaves, voice blunt with surprise.
The others quickly joined her and Bloom's eyes were immediately drawn to the leaves of a plant nearby. She recognised the black spots, a sign of sickness in the plant that Flora had told her to look out for in the plants in their room.
"They're all dying," Bloom said.
Flora frowned and stood, touching the leaves. "She's right," she said, looking around again. "All these plants are dying."
"How-" Stella broke off to yawn. "How could they all be dying?"
Rubbing at her eyes, Flora could only spin on the spot, looking lost. "I don't know."
"A systematic search is in order then," Tecna said briskly, fighting back a yawn. "Let's go."
Lacking a better plan, and the monster temporarily driven from the girl's mind, they started to wander along the path, which seemed to spiral in towards the centre of the island. The only sounds as they walked was the dying leaves rustling in the breeze and the girl's yawning. Bloom's brain felt painfully sluggish as she rubbed at her eyes and forced herself to take step after step; no matter how many times she shook herself mentally and tried to wake herself up, her brain just felt slower and slower.
The closer to the centre of the island the girl's got, the thicker the haze in the air grew, until it took on it's own distinct scent.
"That smells really nice," Stella said, with a sleepy smile. "Like designer perfume."
"Nuh-uh," Flora shook her head, before being temporarily overcome by a powerful yawn. "It smells like roses."
Bloom didn't know what either of them were talking about; it smelt like a sharp mixture of paints, turpentine, and canvas, the way her room did after a long day of painting. Something about this struck her as odd, but she felt much too tired to puzzle it out then.
Following their noses, the girls hurried onwards. Tecna was the only one who seemed apprehensive, falling behind slightly, as she eyed the fog with a suspicious curiosity.
"That trip in the water has me so seriously exhausted," Musa complained, literally dragging her feet as she walked.
"I could go for a power nap myself," Stella agreed, then stretched.
"It's very quiet here," Tecna said suddenly, voice sounding much too loud to Bloom after all their sleepy murmurs. "Hear the birds?"
"Actually I don't," Stella replied.
Bloom didn't hear Tecna's sharp response because she was too busy wondering what it was they were looking for again. She glanced lazily to the side and was surprised by the wall of black that looked back; there wasn't a single living thing left in the foliage.
Distantly she heard Tecna's voice, tight with worry say something about "air composition" and "analysis" but the fog, which seemed to be in her brain now made it too hard to make out the actual words.
Up ahead of her, Bloom saw Stella sink to her knees, still mumbling happily and curl up on the ground in a ball. Almost immediately after, Musa and Flora were following, Musa splaying out like she always did when she slept. Tecna appeared out of the corner of her eye, hurrying to each of her friends and shaking them in turn; but there was something wrong with her face, Bloom realised, it was shielded by a transparent, green mask. Frowning in confusion, Bloom took a lurching step towards them, and nearly fell to the ground. It was only by clutching at the blacked bark of a nearby tree trunk was she able to stay on her feet.
Bloom's eyes caught on something in the distance, and saw that they had all but reached the centre of the island, marked by a large clearing. And in the very centre of that clearing, where the fog was the thickest, was the only tree that wasn't dead in the area; instead it was deep red willow, it's branches barren, and it's trunk twisted and gnarled. Some deep and instinctual fear made itself known in the pit of Bloom's stomach. She blinked blearily, once, twice, and then she opened her eyes to see Tecna had appeared before her, face worried through the mask.
"Tecna?" Bloom forced out through her dry mouth. She pushed away from the trunk and tried to take a step only to have her knees collapse from under her.
"Bloom!" Tecna's arms came around Bloom and helped lower her to the floor.
"I've never been so tired," Bloom sighed, staring up at the sky. Unconsciousness was creeping up on her, and she knew she wouldn't be able to resist it's call for much longer. "Look at that ugly tree, Tecna," Bloom yawned. She wanted to point, but her hand felt too heavy so she settled for turning her head to look at it. This time, though, she noticed something else. "Look at all the sleeping birdies. And look, the little nymph. She's taking a nap."
Tecna glanced over her shoulder at the tree, and dark understanding passed over her face. She whipped back around. "Stay awake, Bloom!" Tecna said, shouting now.
But sleep had Bloom in it's clutches, and it wasn't letting her go.
Bloom knew immediately, in that instinctive way, that she hadn't slept for very long. The sun was still overhead, blinding to her eyes, and the dirt was hard beneath her.
"Welcome back," a familiar voice said.
Bloom forced herself upright and caught sight of Tecna, hands raised, and obviously directing the bubble that encased them. Straight away, she noticed that there was no fog inside the bubble, but she could see it outside, where the other girls still laid, pushing at and swirling around the dome.
"What happened?"
Tecna ignored the question, and gestured to the bubble with a jerk of her head. "We need to make this bigger."
Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Bloom forced away the questions and together they got to work, Bloom making the bubble bigger until it encased the other girls, and the edges of the clearing, while Tecna evaporated the deadly fog.
"That tree," Tecna said, nodding at the scary looking tree in the middle of the clearing, as she shook Stella awake. "Is called somnus-mortiferum, also known as the Red Willow, and is a pest. If left to grow unchecked, it takes control of an area using it's gas to choke the life from nearby plants. The gas, deadly to other plants, makes other living things fall asleep."
"Good morning," Musa said sleepily, interrupting their conversation and blinking awake. "I could really go for some pancakes right now."
Stella meanwhile was grumbling. "Turn off the light," she whined, turning over and throwing her arms over her head. "The alarm hasn't gone off yet."
It wasn't only the girls waking up however, and soon the area was noisy with the awakened birds chirps and singing. Tecna quickly repeated her explanation to the other girls.
"I should have known," Flora said, shaking her head angrily. "We have Red Willows on Linphea as well. The government is always trying something new to get rid of them for good."
"Never mind, Flo," Musa said comfortingly. "We're all good, now."
"So what first?" Stella asked.
"How about we make the bubble even bigger," Bloom suggested, eyeing the animals, and nymph who still laid outside the bubble's limits. "Then maybe the nymph can help us work out how this all happened."
"We'll power converge," Musa said. "That should give us enough power."
The girls obediently linked hands, and sent their winx into the bubble, stretching it until it covered as much of the clearing as they could without touching the willow. The animals, stretched and rolled to their feet, already trotting off while the nymph, yawned and stretched.
"Hey, are you okay?" Flora asked, as the fairies kneeled around her.
The nymph blinked at her, and then around at the rest of them. "Oh, yes," she said politely. "Please excuse my appearance," she continued, running a flustered hand through her silvery hair. "I just woke up, and am feeling a bit out of sorts."
"You're part of the Black Mud Junior League aren't you?" Bloom asked.
"Yes. My name is Lusiz," the nymph - Lusiz - offered her little hand to them, and they each took a turn shaking her hand. "Oh, my friends must be so worried about me. I wonder what day it is."
"It's only been a day," Stella told her. "We offered to go look for you."
"Oh, thank you so much for waking me up," Lusiz said. "I went to look for food, you know, we've been running so low. But I noticed the Red Willow's gas immediately and went to investigate, and by the time I realised what it was, I was caught and fell asleep."
There was a great rumble from beneath them, followed by a familiar roar from the monster, and the girls looked to each other warily. In the chaos with the Red Willow they'd temporarily forgotten about the monster they were sent to deal with.
"Poor thing," Lusiz said, clucking her tongue, and thoroughly surprising the girls.
Again they looked to each other, this time in surprise.
"Are you talking about the monster?" Musa asked uncertainty.
"Yes, and that is no monster, my dear. Here, let me explain. Just before I fell unconscious, I was able to have a brief conversation with a bird that lives nearby in the swamp. This island isn't really an island at all, but rather the shell of a gigantic slow-moving turtle. The turtle used to wander the swamp in peace until the willow began to grow and caught the turtle in it's gas. Now the turtle sleepwalks and is forced to do the willow's bidding."
Thinking back, Bloom remembered the strange red murkiness of the monster's eyes.
"The protective barrier will vanish when we leave and doesn't cover all of the island anyway," Tecna said, thinking hard.
"Which means we'll have to get rid of the willow," Bloom said decisively.
That was apparently the wrong thing to say, because the willow suddenly struck, it's branches stabbing at the barrier, until it shivered, and vanished all together. Immediately, the noxious gas overcame them, and the itch of sleepiness began.
"Quickly," Lusiz cried. "We'll be asleep in minutes, if we don't get rid of the willow."
The winx and Lusiz flew into the air, while the willow returned to its original position, looking as still as any of the other trees on the island. The girls knew better however, and were careful to stay out of reach of its branches.
"I'm against deforestation, but in this case we don't have a choice," Bloom quipped, and threw a ball of fire at the tree. But the fire seemed to have no effect on the tree.
"It's bark is very strong so it can resist attacks," Flora explained. "But I've got a spell that'll make it burn from the inside out. You attack it once more, Bloom, and leave the rest up to me."
The pair raised their hands together and each shot an energy ball, Bloom's red and crackling like fire, Flora's green and tangled with vines. The magic collided in mid-air and flew at the willow, and at once the bark turned black and the tree started to die. Flora brought her cupped hands to her mouth and blew into them, green sparkles flew from her fingers and settled on the branches of the willow, which disappeared into thin air, taking with it the noxious fog.
"Ladies," Lusiz said. "Do you hear that sound?"
It was like someone had clicked unmute on the island, for the air was suddenly filled with bird calls and songs, the clicking of crickets and cicadas, and the rustle of other mammals moving about.
"That's the sound of nature awakening."
Acting on some instinct, they all closed their eyes for a moment and just listened to the cacophony surrounding them. Then inevitably Flora's attention was drawn to the blackened trees and she walked to the nearest one, pressing a gentle hand to it's bark.
"The trees," she said mournfully to Lusiz.
But Lusiz smiled, surprising them. "Don't worry, my friend. Me and my friends at the Junior League will make sure to take care of the plants, and with a little care, the plants will flourish again."
Placated, Flora nodded. The girls and Lusiz began to prepare for the journey back to the grove, the nymph eager to see her Queen and friends again.
Lusiz's reunion with the nymphs was a heartwarming one, with many of the nymph's crying with joy at her return, and even some of the fairies tearing up at the sight. After several minutes of hugging, during which Lusiz was passed around the league, the Queen finally began to usher Lusiz towards her private throne. Wiping their eyes with the collars of their shirts, the five friends, as well as Mitriel and Thalne followed.
"I can't ever thank you enough," the Queen once they were all settled again. Lusiz sat close to her side, and the queen kept glancing at her, as if to ensure that Lusiz was still there. "The Red Willow is a pest we have been lucky to have never encountered until now. But you have restored harmony to the swamp, and for that we are all eternally grateful."
"I feel bad for the turtle," Stella spoke up. "The spell gave her such a bad rep, it'll be hard to recover from that."
"The turtle will be just fine," the Queen assured her. "No one will hold a grudge in the swamp. It is only unfortunate that we will have to move on."
The girls gaped in astonishment.
"Move on?" Bloom asked after a moment. "Why? You can't move on. You're the Junior League of the swamp."
"At least temporarily," the queen said, trying to placate them, but they could see her unhappy expression. "We have to find another food source. Perhaps when the xylith plant population replenishes we can return." Mitriel, Lusiz, and Thalne all looked equally unhappy at the prospect, but not surprised, as though they'd already resigned themselves to this.
"I think I have a way you can stay," Flora said suddenly, thoughtful look on her face. "You only need a temporary food source until you can grow more xylith plants, right? How long would that take?"
The queen, looking skeptical, considered the question. "If we put all our attention on the plants, perhaps two weeks?"
"And I assume you wouldn't need very many leaves to feed the league in that time?" Flora continued, still looking lost in thought.
"No," the queen said slowly. "The leaves are quite large and can last us a few days. What are you proposing?"
"It would probably be best if I showed you," Flora said, fishing a familiar-looking vial from her pocket. "Can you show me a xylith leaf?"
The queen looked at Flora for a long time before turning to nod at Mitriel and Thalne, who slipped off their chairs and into the water without a word. They swam away and returned only a few minutes later, towing a large leaf, which they offered to Flora. Flora dripped first one drop, and then another onto the xylith leaf and two identical leaves materialised beside it. For good measure Flora added one more drop and a third clone of the leaf appeared.
The queen gasped at the display, while Mitriel, Thalne, and Lusiz burst into enthusiastic applause.
"How marvelous," the queen said, beaming. "That's truly spectacular. And they are completely edible?" she asked, glancing at Flora.
"Yes, of course. I can make enough to tide you over until you can grow your own."
"Ladies, we could never thank you enough," the queen said, looking at each of the girls. "You've done so much for us, much more than we could ever have expected. And so we have a special gift as a symbol of our gratitude."
Mitriel and Thalne produced a dusky mauve blossom and offered it to Flora, who took it from them so gently she might have been handling a diamond.
"I had Mitriel and Thalne go pick this while you were gone, and now it is yours with our gratitude. I'll also send word to Ms Faragonda, of how you have helped us."
"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty," Flora said as the five girls stood. They attempted to execute curtsies, which ranged from perfect (Stella and Musa), to fair (Flora), to wobbly (Tecna and Bloom), before excusing themselves and heading back to the castle.
Hours later, Bloom stood at the glass doors to her balcony and watched the sun set, cup of coffee warming her hands. She'd stand actually on the balcony but winter had well and truly hit Alfea and it was freezing outside. This part of Magix didn't get snow very often apparently, but that didn't stop it from getting freezing cold, especially at night, and the howling wind and creaking groans of the moving trees made Bloom feel lucky to be inside in the warmth.
She'd gotten off the phone with her parents some time ago, who, after hearing of her disastrous exam, had returned to their nightly phone schedule, having letting it lapse after the first month. It was hard talking to them, after the realisation she'd made today. It was hard, telling them about her excursion to the swamp and dealing with the monster, when they were still struggling to come to terms with the fact that they were no longer parents with normal concerns like school-work and where their daughter would go to college. Bloom hadn't told them much about the monster, but still they'd sounded shaken when they'd said goodnight.
"You okay, B?"
Bloom half-turned to find Musa hovering in the doorway of her room in a rare show of uncertainty. A tired smile worked it's way onto Bloom's face before she glanced back at the sunset.
"You've been quiet since we left Faragonda's office," Musa continued, and Bloom heard her soft, approaching footfalls on the carpet.
True to her word, the nymph Queen had said word to their headmistress who had tracked them down to offer her own thanks and praise.
"You okay?" Musa asked again, coming to stand beside Bloom.
"Yeah," Bloom sighed. "Just coming to terms with the fact that near-death experiences are becoming a normal part of my life."
"And you're not running and screaming, yet?" Musa joked, but Bloom could feel her worried gaze on the side of her face.
"No," she replied simply, trying to explain it. "I should be scared," she continued. "But instead I feel… I don't know, right? Like this is how it should be? Is that crazy?" Bloom finally pulled her eyes away from the horizon and glanced at Musa, who looked back at her sympathetically.
"I don't think any response to all this is right or wrong because you are literally the only person to go through this. Finding out you aren't human would have been enough, but then to also be thrown into this lifestyle where everyday is a risk? I think you're holding up pretty well. And if this feels right to you? Well, I don't believe in destiny and all that stuff but maybe something in your blood or your body or whatever knew this was what it was meant to be doing; you do have fairy blood after all."
Bloom blinked at her friend, stunned. She hadn't thought of it like that and it was comforting to think she wasn't crazy for not going crazy.
"Musa, thank you," she said, before surprising both of them by pulling Musa into a hug. It was clear her friend wasn't expecting it, nor was she used to it because she stiffened right away. But after a long moment, she relaxed and slid her arms around Bloom's waist, returning the embrace.
"No worries, B," she murmured into Bloom's shoulder. "That's what friends are for, right?"
"Right," Bloom sighed as they pulled apart. "Come on," she said and indicated the common room with a nod of her head. Musa followed her agreeably out, where they found Flora and Tecna, and were soon joined by Stella, grumbling at having her nightly routine interrupted.
"What's up, Bloom?" Tecna asked, pushing away her laptop and giving her full attention, the others following suit.
Bloom shifted from foot to foot, where she was standing in front of the tv. "I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past week, and today. And I've realised that a large part of me has been treating all of this," she accompanied the word with a large hand gesture as if to encapsulate all of Alfea, "as something out of a dream or something. It's all so unbelievable that I've been subconsciously acting like I can't get seriously hurt, or like it will be like a movie or something. But when the witches attacked me in my exam I realised that I can and will get hurt."
At the mention of the witches the girl's faces grew grave and even Stella stopped her moisturising to look up.
"This is real life," Bloom continued. "This is my life. And I can't keep acting like the good guys will always miraculously win, or that help will come swooping in at the last minute, because if I do I might not make it out of the next battle alive."
The girls nodded, understanding and accepting.
"So, what are we going to do?" Tecna asked.
"We've got to stop hoping that the witches don't attack us again, or don't find the Dragon Fire. Because they are looking for it, and as they proved in my test there isn't much they aren't willing to do to find it. We've done all that research, and there's still so much more to do, so I think we keep looking into it."
"Can't we just go to Faragonda?" Flora asked. "Surely she can do something about this?"
Bloom shook her head but to her surprise it was Stella who answered.
"No," the blonde said in a rare show of seriousness. "They won't believe us. Look," she continued when the others showed signs of arguing. "Most of you grew up away from witches, Linphea, the Harmonic Nebula have both banned witch populations-"
"Zenith is a completely integrated society," Tecna reminded Stella curtly. "And Solaria isn't."
"Yes, Zenith is completely integrated, but your people are so knowledge and fact driven that conflict just doesn't happen, it's a phenomenon. And yes, Solaria is majority fairies and heroes, but I also spent a full year on Magix last year. The point is, the teacher's can't go looking into every single argument between fairies and witches-"
"Dude," Musa protested. "I think it's been more than proven that this is more than an argument. They've broken into our school, they almost killed Bloom-"
"We've also broken into their school." It was Tecna who interrupted this time. "And Bloom's test could be argued as a prank that accidentally went too far; witches can be master manipulators. Besides, even if Faragonda did believe us that the Trix were really out to get us, she doesn't have the authority to do anything about it. Add in our theories about the Dragon Flame and Sparx's lost Princess, which would instantly become a council issue-"
"Wait, Council?" Bloom asked.
"The Council for the Protection of Peace in the Magical Dimension," Tecna explained patiently. "Following the first dimension war, it was decided that in order to minimise the chance of more conflict, a council would be formed with the specific goal of maintaining peace in the dimension. It's made up of hundreds of planets, but not all, mostly because those with all or majority witch and wizard populations refused to join. Some did, because they too suffered losses in the war, but most didn't. They don't meet very often because they only meet to discuss issues that affect the entire universe."
"Which the Dragon Fire is sure to be," Stella added. "Because Sparx has been destroyed, and because the dragon flame is so powerful it would fall on the Council to make a decision about what to do about it. But the Council could take months to come to a decision, especially about something as powerful as the dragon flame."
"Doesn't seem very effective," Bloom commented.
"It isn't," Musa said darkly. "It would be a massive waste of time that the Trix would use to their advantage to find the Dragon Flame first. Because we would be forbidden from acting until the Council made a decision."
"So we all agree that telling the Council, and Faragonda, who I'm assuming who would insist on calling the Council together, is not an option."
They all looked at Flora who had been the main objector. She held up her hands, surrender style. "Agreed," she said. "But if we can't tell Faragonda or the Council, what are we going to do about the Dragon Flame."
"Simple," Bloom said, putting her hands on her hips. "We're going to find it first."
Hey guys this was never my favourite episode but I hope you like the chapter anyway. Also, I've talked about this before but a guest reviewer asked so I'm putting the answer here, Flora is bisexual, her and her girlfriend will most likely break up before the end of the fic, and yes I will be introducing Helia in the next installment.