The room in front of her was so dark that it looked bottomless. Bloom stepped out carefully since she had been assured that there was in fact a floor there, and she was surprised to see a walkway appear beneath her feet. Both she and Kiko were illuminated, as was Palladium in the control booth, despite the rest of the room being almost pitch black. If she hadn't been taking an exam she might have asked her teacher why that was.
"If you're ready," Palladium's voice came through tinny from an old sound system. "We'll start now, you have half an hour to show off your skills by making an impact on your chosen planet of Domino."
Bloom nodded, gripping Kiko's lead tightly, and the room vanished into bright light. She blinked furiously to protect her sight and when she opened her eyes she was in a completely different place.
She was in some kind of craggy highland with a delicate layer of frost over the barren landscape, Palladium long gone. She shivered in the cold wind and tried to get her bearings. Despite knowing that this was going to happen it was still jarring to just have been teleported somewhere completely different.
The sky was dark grey wherever she looked, no clear view of the sun that Domino orbited, and her view of the land surrounding the valley she was in was distorted by vague mist. It didn't help that what she could see of the mountains either side of her was covered in snow starting from about a hundred feet up. The white blanket made it hard to judge distance. What she could definitely identify, however, was a sharp drop at one end of her valley. It looked like a giant knife had been taken to the mountain range and a huge chunk removed.
Domino had once been a glorious, cultured world eons ago. It was famous for its precious metals and gems, and for exporting fine cloth to planets all across the magical universe, but there was nothing left now. Fifteen years ago there had been an expedition to try and reclaim it, something about reigniting the fiery core of the planet but it had failed. Bloom had tried to find out why, but there wasn't much documented on it and it didn't seem to be relevant to what she was trying to do anyway.
"Okay," Bloom said to herself. "I need dirt." First thing first; she needed to be able to start growing something. When she'd chosen this planet she hadn't realised how much more complex it would be than the other options, but she'd told Faragonda she was doing Domino so it was Domino she was going to revive.
If she had really been on the planet and not in a simulation she would be finding it harder to breathe - her research told her that the atmosphere was saturated with carbon dioxide and contained very little oxygen. That was why she needed to plant some of the seeds she had packed for this. She could spot a patch of soil in amongst the rocky landscape, just a little too close to the edge of the ravine for comfort but too conveniently sized to ignore, and broke into a light jog to reach it.
Kiko looked disappointed when they reached what turned out to be a very gravelly bit of mud, and turned his nose away from it when he failed to see what Bloom found interesting about it. The quality of the soil was truly awful but, since this was a huge part of her task, she had come prepared for this. She fiddled with her backpack to get out a jar of very gross looking worms and another filled with a fine yellow powder.
The worms were Linphean mountain worms that she'd bought from a gardening store, pale purple in colour with teeth like a lamprey. They secreted a lime green ooze that stuck to everything and could dissolved wood. Bloom had almost thrown up when the store assistant had just stuck their bare hands into the worm's tank to yank a few out for her. She'd brought tongs with her so that she didn't have to touch them herself.
Bloom unscrewed the lid and unceremoniously dumped them on the ground. The worms started chomping on the dirt immediately and she turned away so she didn't have to look at what was coming out the other end of them as they burrowed. It was all for a good cause; they'd break down the pebbles and inject important nutrients into the soil.
Next on her to-do list was the powder, a coffee-like stimulant that would encourage the worms to keep going longer than they usually would. She sprinkled it over the whole area (almost forty square feet) and splashed water on top from her flask to dissolve it. Bloom took a moment to catch her breath since she had been working herself up with anxiety during this first task before she moved on to the seeds.
She had selected a fast growing grass, one that most would consider more of a weed, that would spread easily and would be able to break into the rocky terrain once it took hold. Bloom got out her trowel and waited as long she could afford to for the worms to do their thing before she started digging small holes for planting. It still wasn't the ideal ground for growing foliage, despite all she'd done already, and it was hard work to get the little spade it. But that shouldn't have surprised her; if it had been that easy then life could have made a comeback here without help.
After sprinkling in the seeds she covered them back up and poured a few drops of the potion she had developed with Flora over each disturbed mound of earth. Bloom closed her eyes and hoped that it was going to work. When she opened them again she could see small shoots starting to poke up, if she gave it enough time it would start to spread and, hopefully, improve the soil quality too.
Now that she'd planted, she needed to improve the temperature for a while. It would help keep the young shoots alive and also melt some of the frost so that they had better access to water for a while. The hard part of this assignment was that she'd had to change her approach for reviving Domino so that she could showcase her potion work, problem solving, and use of basic skills such as the warming spell she was casting without reading it out.
Bloom was pleased to see that she was able to create the soft orange glow in the air that meant she was increasing the temperature for her grass. With that done, she could move onto the flowering plants (for insects) and the herbs (to show that edible plants were possible too) and she prepared to start digging the holes for those too.
There was a loud cracking noise and all of a sudden Bloom was thrown forward to the edge of the ravine as a small boulder of ice hit her back. There was a moment where she thought that maybe she'd been caught in the start of an avalanche and then Kiko started growling, and she knew that something was very wrong. She only had a second to look up and see who was attacking her before Darcy's psychic blast threw her off the edge of the cliff.
Bloom screamed as she went over and flailed her arms until she caught hold of a tiny ledge jutting out of the rock-face. She winced, tears filling her eyes, as some of her nails were bent the wrong way on impact. What were the Trix doing here? Surely the witches couldn't be part of the test, could they? That wouldn't make any sense.
Icy's cold laughter snapped Bloom into focus. Whatever was happening, she couldn't just sit by and let them do what they wanted. They were up to no good being here, and she had an exam to finish.
There wasn't any rule about not transforming so she called up the energy from within herself and her fairy from burst through. Having wings helped, and she was able to rise back up the same level as them and let off a streak of fire right at Darcy's face before they realised she was back up. Bloom was satisfied to see that, despite the witch dodging at the last moment, she had managed to burn her cheek and neck, singeing off some hair as well.
Not wanting to let them have any time to catch their wits, Bloom sent several more in their direction in quick succession while making sure not to stay still for too long. The three witches kept up with her, only moving out of the way despite being fully powered up. Like Icy had during their last encounter, they were each holding a glowing crystal that corresponded with their full-powered colour.
Darcy snarled as she clutched the burnt side of her face with one hand.
"I'm not getting anything off her!" She snapped. "If I got disfigured just for you to be wrong…"
Icy shook her head as she conjured a sheet of ice to block the fire aimed at her chest.
"She's just not using all of her power. We've got to make her angry again."
Bloom had no idea what they were talking about, but it sounded like they were targeting her specifically for some reason. She didn't have time to consider why the hell that would be because there were three of them to just her and they were starting to take things more seriously. Darcy especially was on the offensive, looking for revenge for her injuries, her copies encircle Bloom and forced her to fly upwards to avoid being hit from all sides, only for Stormy to electrocute her in the small of her back.
Bloom plummeted, and winded herself on the uneven ground. She opened her mouth but couldn't draw any breath in, and for a second she was convinced that she was dying.
"She's not getting angry," Stormy said sadly. "She's just in pain."
"Urgh, this is why I hate fairies." Icy alighted on the ground and started to walk towards Bloom, her boots clicking against the stony ground. "We'll have to keep going."
Bloom struggled to stand without air, only making it to her knees before Icy reached her and seized her neck. The witch's hand was painfully cold, almost like touching metal with bare skin in subzero temperatures, and Bloom's lungs were able to draw in one ragged breath before fingers and a thumb started to crush down on her throat. She started coughing in reflex and the panic from being strangled shook her into action.
She punched Icy as hard as she could in the stomach, igniting her fist just before contact and there was a hiss as fire met cold material and then cold skin. The hands left her throat and Bloom was able to suck it a gasping breath as she stumbled back to gain some distance. Icy was hunched over clutching a dark, bloody wound in her abdomen.
"Bloom!" All four of the girls were momentarily distracted by the sound of Palladium over the sound system, his voice distorted and fuzzy. "I'm trying to shut the simulation down, hang in there."
"The teacher's on to us," Darcy said, alighting next to her injured friend. "We're running out of time."
"The dog," Icy growled. "Get. The dog."
Bloom's eyes widened as she looked towards Kiko, huddled up as small as he could trying to stay away from the fight. She took off, as fast as she could, trying to reach him before any of the witches could. She was almost able to put her body between him and them before a streak of lightning shot past her.
Kiko let out a high pitched yelp as it hit him, the force of it sending him sprawling several feet before he went silent.
Bloom stared at his body. Time slowed down. Her heart sank. Was he dead? She wouldn't put it past them to kill a dog if it got them what they wanted. Tears blurred her eyes, and she couldn't bring herself to touch him. She didn't want to know if he was dead, she didn't know what she'd do if he was. Behind her, Stormy was laughing.
And then she was back in the moment. Rage was building in her and her blood ignited in her veins. Somewhere, deep beneath the crust of the planet she stood on, an intense spark of lava ignited in the core and Bloom channeled that burning hot flame through her body, taking the gift that the dimension of fire was giving her.
She was rising off the ground, swirling the heat and the sparks around her. The Trix were staring at her in awe and fear. Darcy and Stormy were backing away from her, banishing their crystals as they went. But Icy stood her ground, grinning maniacally and holding up her pointy blue stone as it glowed vividly.
That cruel smile snapped something in Bloom's mind and the dam that had been holding back the torrent of scorching flames broke. She unleashed everything she had down on that witch, the fire burning so bright that it hurt to look at it. Bloom didn't care about what this might be doing to the other three girls, she didn't care that she might have destroyed her chances of passing her exam or that she might be damaging a priceless piece of equipment, all she wanted was Kiko back, and safe, and well.
Bloom's body felt like lead. It ached to move anything and she realised she was lying on the ground. No, not the ground. The floor. She was no longer on Domino, but back at Alfea. She mustered all of her strength to roll over onto her hands and knees. Her vision went blurry for a movement and she let out a low groan that was met with a low yip.
A rough tongue flicked over her cheek and she burst into tears as Kiko tried to revive her. She pulled him into her arms and he whimpered a little when she touched his left side, where Stormy had hit him.
"Sorry," she whispered, stroking his head. "Sorry, sorry, sorry."
The door to the chamber burst open and Palladium ran in, his long hair getting into his face and sticking to his forehead sweat. Behind him, Bloom could see Whizgiz staring through the window and Griselda inspecting the controls. He stopped just short of Bloom and her dog, breathing heavily and flushed with panic.
"Are you alright? We're still working out what happened." He paused to breathe and then saw Kiko. "I'll call a vet… Griselda! We need a vet!"
Bloom didn't really pay attention to what the teachers were doing after they brought her and Kiko out to the waiting room. Faragonda was called, as was Ophelia, and the faculty all spent a lot of time discussing things without finishing their sentences properly. Bloom ignored them, focusing instead on scratching behind Kiko's ears and petting his head. He wagged his tail slowly and wiggled as much of his head and shoulders onto her lap as he could so that she could fuss him more.
She let Ophelia check her over and find that the only thing wrong with her was that she was suffering from mild magic fatigue, something that would be solved by rest and maybe a good cup of coffee. She just nodded mutely at her prognosis and waited for the vet to arrive. She was still crying but quietly and from relief now.
"Found it!" Whizgiz exclaimed and bounced to sit on the seat next to Bloom. In his hand was a small flash drive with a plain chrome casing, and she failed to see what he was so excited about.
"This is where the bug originated, or rather, the virus. It's only a bug if it's not intentional and this was certainly intended."
"Oh thank goodness," Palladium sighed and held out his hand for the drive so that he could inspect it. "I knew I contained it at its source but I was worried that that meant it was embedded somewhere vital."
"It means sabotage," Griselda said darkly. She had been hovering close to Bloom in a way that made the student think she was in trouble, but now she realised that the Deputy Headmistress was actually worried and acting protectively. "Someone not only had to write that code specifically for the chamber, but they had to smuggle it in and connect it to the chamber's main computer."
All the teachers went silent for a while, turning to look at Faragonda.
"We'll check the security crystals, it had to come in somehow. Ophelia, please take Bloom to the infirmary and make sure she rests. I'll send the vet to you when they arrive."
"But…" Bloom spoke for the first time and her voice sounded hoarse and raw. The teachers all turned to look at her and she went red from the attention. She coughed to clear her throat and then tried again. "Did I fail the exam?" She honestly couldn't imagine being able to go back in to retake it.
Faragonda chuckled a little and reached out to stroke her head gently. The Headmistress turned to Palladium with a soft smile on her face. He paused and then realised it was his job to reassure Bloom.
"I already saw that you prepared well and have a solid knowledge of the material, not to mention you seem very capable of using your fairy form when needed. All things considered I think you've passed with flying colours."
"My," Faragonda said. "It is astounding that that's what you are worried about Bloom, but no, you don't have to retake the exam. Let's make sure that this isn't because you're in shock." She nodded to Ophelia who stood and brushed her coat down.
Bloom followed the school doctor out, declining the offer for a levitation spell to carry Kiko, preferring to hold him in her arms instead as they walked. Ophelia walked with a determination that parted the crowded corridors on the way to the infirmary and Bloom made sure to stay close behind her so that she didn't get left behind. Plenty of her classmates stared after her as she went, she knew that she looked a mess with her hair all tangled and her face stained with tears.
"Bloom!" She heard Stella's voice from down the hall and didn't have much time to react before her friend was right next to her, Flora wasn't far behind her either. "What the hell happened? We heard a call from Palladium for other teachers to come to the Simulation Chamber, he was sounding pretty panicked and now you're here and you've been crying!"
"You can come with us to the infirmary," Ophelia said sharply. "But we're not going to discuss what happened until Bloom's had some care first." The other two girls nodded and Stella put a protective arm around Bloom's shoulders as they walked to Ophelia's office.