26. The Great Battle

Bloom fell to the ground, her face sliding up against the grass and she lay still, her whole body aching from her fifth fall but she could still hear the battle continue around her.

Than hadn't used his gargoyle creatures this time and was taking on three schools completely on his own, the worst part, however, was that he was winning.

"HARMONIC ATTACK!"

"TECNO SHOT!"

Tecna and Musa both sent two large bursts of power towards the wizard who was about to finish of a very scared group of senior witches. He immediately spun around, and sent a charge from his scepter towards the beams, bursting them apart in midair before sending two long purple beams towards the two fairies.

"SHIELD OF SIRIUS!" Stella cried, pushing through Tecna and Musa and putting up a strong shield, deflecting the energy which burst up into the sky and exploded into a giant purple and yellow fireball of light, sending all the fairies and witches in the air towards the ground.

Than laughed loudly, the only person still flying.

"Your little wings are pathetic!" he exclaimed, laughing louder.

Flora was the first to stand up, with Layla soon after, the two fairies bursting up into the sky as Than started running in the air, ready for their attack.

"Come on ladies, let's dance," he grinned, angering the two fairies.

"MORPHIX BLAST!"

"SUMMER THUNDER!"

Than deflected Layla's attack with a quick brisk of his hand, however Flora's managed to hit him in the chest as he was recovering and he was thrown back, regaining composure and seeming impressed by the flower fairy.

"Seems I've underestimated you flower," Than said, Flora glaring at him.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Helia yelled from below and Than looked down at him, before sending three beams of light towards him, hitting Helia and throwing him back towards Alfea, the Specialist tripping and flying through a window.

"HELIA!" Flora screamed, before Than threw another beam of light towards Flora, the fairy falling to the ground, landing a few meters from her boyfriend.

"FLORA!" Layla yelled, as Stella, Tecna and Musa re-joined her in the air and continued to battle with Than.

On the ground, the Specialists were trying their best to send as many attacks towards Than as they could, Timmy had even led the aerial assault in the Specialists ships before, however Than deactivated them with one sweep of his scepter and they all crashed into each other, the specialists inside parachuting out just in time.

The other fairies and witches tried as best as they could to help, but the only ones who could even scratch Than were the teachers or the Winx Club in their Belevix transformations, and even that didn't seem to be enough.

If The Guide had been still around, there would be no way anyone could have survived this battle.

Bloom sat up as Sky ran over to her, helping her stand.

"Are you okay?" he asked, quickly.

"I'm fine, for now," Bloom said, as a rouge Morphix ball landed a few meters from where they were standing. "We have to end this now, we HAVE to get the scepter."

"But how!? He's too strong!?" Sky cried.

"I don't know, but we have to try," Bloom said, kissing Sky lightly before flying up into the air just as Musa and Tecna were tied together by Than's purple power and they fell to the ground, landing with a very loud thud.

Bloom flew up behind Than and caught Stella's eye. She nodded at her best friend and Stella somehow understood what Bloom meant.

"Hey Than, have I ever told you how ugly you are!?" Stella exclaimed, causing Than to laugh. "No really, I've seen Stink Bugs more attractive than you!"

"Stella, what are you doing!?" Brandon hissed from below.

"Dearest Stella, when I take over the universe, you can be my court jester," Than proclaimed, loudly.

"Nah, all you have to do is look in the mirror!" Stella retorted, and Than laughed even louder.

Bloom took her chance and zoomed over, wrapping her hands around the scepter and tugging tightly.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" he roared, Bloom pulling a hard as she could however bolts of purple energy burst out of the top of the scepter, the beams going everywhere and the fairies in the air having to dart aside to avoid being hit.

In one movement, Than kicked Bloom square in the stomach, the fairy being pushed back before Than charged an incredibly powerful attack and hit her from close range, the purple essence pulsing around her before she fell to the ground again.

"BLOOM!" Layla and Stella cried as Bloom plummeted towards the ground, the battle having taken place quite high over Alfea.

Bloom fell further and further down, Sky seeing and leaping forwards to try and catch her. He stretched out his hands, Blooms falling into them with Sky falling to the ground as well, the two landing hard on the ground.

"ANDROS HURRICANE!"

"SUN STORM!"

The attacks flew towards the wizard, who quickly put up a purple shield and deflected them both, the attacks re-bounding onto the two fairies and the final Winx members fell to the ground as well. Than laughed loudly before flying off towards the other side of the school, beginning to pick off the rest of the students one by one.

Bloom opened her eyes, looking down at Sky who was laying practically under her.

"Sky?" Bloom whimpered, sitting up and shaking her boyfriend who wouldn't rouse. "SKY!"

His face was battered and his arms looked unnatural, as if they had almost twisted around.

"SKY!" Bloom shrieked, but her screams were nothing compared to the various others that rang out across the school.

She saw an injured looking Brandon and other specialist heaving an unconscious Stella and Layla off a pane of broken glass that had fallen out of a window, the two fairies whole bodies cut with glass. She saw Flora and Helia, looking very weak and in pain, they had crawled to each other but now weren't moving. She saw Musa and Tecna, sat up against the Alfea wall, their faces bruised as someone wrapped Musa's heavily bleeding arm with a magical bandage. Atop of that, there were thousands of others crumpled across the grounds, barley able to move but still not able to die.

This had to end, now.

"Bloom," Sky managed, Bloom suddenly beginning to cry. "You have to… stop him."

"I have to help you first-"

"No, I don't matter."

"You matter to me Sky," Bloom stammered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "And to the people of Eraklyon!"

"There won't be an Eraklyon if you don't stop him," Sky reminded her, his eyes closing and he started breathing heavily, struggling for air.

Bloom knew Sky was right, but she didn't want to leave him. She leant down and kissed his forehead, before Brandon rushed over and called for someone to help Sky.

Bloom stood up, clenching her fists together and walking forwards, taking a few deep breathes and wiping her tears, discovering blood as well as she had developed a few cuts across her face. She was about to fly up into the air before someone grabbed her wrist.

"Desdemona?" Bloom asked, looking to the fairy beside her who was currently in her fairy form. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you may need some help," Desdemona said, smiling slightly and Bloom nodded.

The two fairies flew up into the air, spying Than over by the western fence picking on a group of sophomore fairies. Desdemona nodded at Bloom, who flew down and out of sight, waiting for Desdemona's next move.

"Hey Than!" Desdemona yelled, and Than quickly turned around, grinning broadly at the sight of his old companion.

"Des, Des, Des, Des," he grinned, snapping his fingers and releasing the sophomores before soaring over to the last two fairies. "I should have known you'd do this. Stupid fairies, you're nothing like you used to be, so weak."

"I'm strong enough to know when you've gone too far," Desdemona answered, sternly.

"You brought me here DESDEMONA!" Than snarled.

"And now I'm going to send you right back where you came from!" Desdemona proclaimed, before creating a large red confusion ball and sending it towards Than, "CONFUSION BURST!"

Than dodged the attack, sending a beam of dark energy back towards Desdemona which hit her in the arm and pushed her backwards, the manipulation fairy beating her strong wings in order to fight it off.

The battered and bloody crowd below watched as the two previous allies battled in the air above Alfea, Desdemona getting a few powerful shots in, however Than was very much beating her.

"FIRE HATRED!" Than bellowed, the ball of dark energy sending Desdemona flying backwards and thumping up against one of the walls of Alfea, the fairy falling to the ground and whelping in pain.

Than lowered himself to the ground, pointing his scepter right up close to Desdemona, ready to deliver the final attack.

"When I rule the world, you will be locked in the deepest, darkest pit I can find," Than proclaimed.

Desdemona nodded subtly, before a red haired fairy suddenly appeared behind Than, her Zoomix wings returning to normal before she yanked the scepter out of the startled Than's hands, the wizard quickly wrapping his hands around Bloom's neck and the fairy dropped the scepter as he lifted her off the ground.

"THAN!"

The voice boomed across the school, everyone who was still standing being thrown to the ground including Bloom and Than.

Bloom sat up and was immediately overwhelmed by a bright light. She shielded her eyes before the light subsided and a tall, beautiful fairy slowly landed on the ground. She wore an illustriously long strapless white dress and had giant angel type wings, her hair was long and enchanting and she wore a majestic crown on her head, her eyes a dark black. She was one of the most entrancing people anyone had ever seen, and suddenly Bloom released who it was…

"Mara," Bloom breathed.

The crowed gasped before Than started to scream.

Mara looked over to the wizard, lifting her hand and raising Than into the air as he started to wail uncontrollably, kicking and thrashing and no longer looking angry, more terrified.

He was lifted over to Mara and she dropped him to the ground, the wizard looking up at her and panting, petrified.

"You did this!" she boomed, her voice sounding nothing like the sweet little freshmen from before.

"I-I-I…" Than blubbered.

"You will pay," she hissed. "Break the scepter."

Bloom quickly looked beside her, the scepter just out of her reach. She lent up and picked it up, standing and nodding at Mara before placing the scepter back on the ground and sending a large fireball towards it.

"NO!" Than screamed, reaching towards it but Mara pulled him back, dragging him right up to her face and he looked deep into her swirling black eyes.

"Time to go home, Than," Mara hissed.

Black mist began to flow from Mara's eyes, the mist erupting around Than as he kicked and struggled, screamed and wailed but nothing helped. Suddenly he began to stretch, his body being twisted and turned around as if he was being pulled from the very world itself. The black mist covered his entire body, before it dispersed the shrill screams of the one great wizard the only thing that remained, until they themselves disappeared.

Bloom looked around to Desdemona, however she wasn't moving.

"Desdemona?" Bloom asked, leaning down and shaking her however she wouldn't wake. "Desdemona! DESDEMONA!"

Bloom looked around, however no-one else was moving either. The entire three schools, teachers, five Specialists and five Winx girls lay on the ground, not moving, or breathing.

"NO!" Bloom screamed, flying immediately over to Stella and Layla who were the closest to her and feeling their pulses.

There was nothing.

"NO! NO!" Bloom yelled again, flying over to the others and eventually Sky, none of them with any response. "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! NOT NOW! NOT AFTER ALL THIS!"

She heard running and looked around as Roxy arrived on the Alfea grounds, Mara was still standing nearby looking straight ahead, only moving when she saw Roxy.

"Bloom!" Roxy yelled, running over to Bloom and hugging her crying friend.

"They're dead! They're dead! They're all dead!" Bloom wailed, Roxy beginning to cry when she saw the lifeless bodies of their friends on the ground.

Bloom suddenly looked to Mara, who was now watching them, emotionless.

"How could you take them!?" Bloom roared walking over to her. "After all they did for you, they protected you! We worked to help get you like this, and this is your way of saying thanks!"

"It's not up to me, they were not strong enough to withstand the burst of energy," Mara answered, plainly. "I'm death Bloom, I van only come when people die."

A tear escaped her eyes, however it wasn't black like her others, it was clear.

"What do you mean it's not up to you?" Bloom asked, calming down a little. "Mara, you may be death, but you're also life. You make things, be! If it weren't for what you do, none of us would be here. You take people when it's their time, do you honestly think any of these guys should die right now? You determine the rules Mara, you're stronger than you think, you always have been, and you can be now! Please, give them back."

Mara looked down to her hands, clenching her fists together before lifting her arms up, chanting something incomprehensible and her whole body began to shake as her eyes now turned white, white mist erupting out of them instead of the black mist before. The mist flew up into the sky before dropping down, landing into each of the lifeless bodies at the same time, each of the once dead suddenly taking in a deep breath.

"Mara! You did it!" Roxy cried happily, as Bloom ran over to Sky, her fiancée's blue eyes fluttering open and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Sky! You're alive!" Bloom cried and Sky laughed.

"Wait, that's an option now?" he asked, before spying Mara and gasping a little.

Bloom helped him stand, the rest of the Winx Club and Specialists bolting over to her and Roxy, hugging them all happily, each of them not even remembering having died and Stella boasting about how she had now died twice and survived.

"Mara?" Roxy asked, suddenly noticing her friend looking sadly at the ground. "What is it?"

"I have to go," Mara said, Roxy walking over to her and looking confused. "Being The Guide isn't a part time thing Roxy."

"But… but we were going to do this together?" Roxy said, starting to cry again. "What about school, your family? You can't leave, you just can't. You're my best friend."

"And you are mine, and always will be," Mara said, sadly. "But where I go no-one else can follow, but know I will be watching over you, all of you. It's the least I can do for what you've done for me. I will see you all one day, on your last, but it will be in a very long time. Thank you, all. Oh and Layla, I have a present for you."

Mara waved her hands over the Alfea gate, and the gate entrance became covered with a bright white light before a figure began to walk out of it, towards the others. The light dimmed and Layla gasped.

"NABU!" she yelled, running over to the slightly confused looking boy and wrapping her arms around him, Nabu seeming to recognize Layla immediately before all eyes returned to Mara.

"You will need all the help you can," Mara said, "because your most terrifying battle is yet to come. Goodbye."

And in a bright beam of light, Mara was gone.

Now quick, read onto the next chapter... x