The witches
Stella refused to let anyone else pay for the pizza, claiming that it was her treat since they were new friends. They shared to large cheese pizza, choosing not to add any toppings so that there wouldn't be any clashing in preferences – like Flora's aversion to meat. The conversation was light hearted and full of laughter as the group continued to get to know each other.
They were just getting through the last few slices when Bloom pulled out her phone and tried to phone her parents.
"Bloom, your phone won't work from here. You'll need to use one of the payphones." Onyx spoke up when Bloom frowned at her phone which was giving her a dial tone. It was a cheap brick thing that her parents had picked up for her three years ago when she started spending more time with Onyx outside of the house.
"Do you have a card?" Stella asked. "If you want to use an interstellar payphone you need a card to pay for the transaction."
"I haven't got a card; I've not had a need for one. And we've not had the chance to arrange one for Bloom yet." Onyx answered for Bloom.
"I'll apply for one in the morning. My parents will just have to wait a few days before I phone them." Bloom frowned in worry, sighing in disappointment as she put her phone away.
"You can use my card. I'm sure your parents are waiting for your phone call." Tecna offered.
"Are you sure?" Bloom asked with wide eyes.
"I'm sure. There's a phone two blocks away." Tecna insisted, handing the card over.
"Thank you." Bloom said gratefully before she headed back along the street. They'd passed the phone booths on the way to the pizza place so Onyx was confident that she would be able to find the phones without a guide.
"Hay Onyx you've been really quiet. I think those were the first words you'd spoken in nearly an hour." Stella suddenly realised, staring at the darkly dressed fairy who hadn't turned away from the direction that Bloom had gone.
"Bloom will tell you that I'm not very sociable. I don't like talking unless I have to." Onyx explained, turning her attention back to the group of young teens she was sat with.
"How did you and Bloom become friends? You don't seem to have a lot in common?" Flora asked curiously.
"We have a common interest in books." Onyx said simple, choosing to not elaborate any further even when the other girls asked.
"Come on, we should move to the fountain. The restaurant is closing." Stella interrupted the fruitless questioning.
"Bloom's in trouble." Onyx spoke the words with a calm certainty, her eyes staring in the direction Bloom had disappeared to. Ignoring the questioning of their new friends, Onyx took off at a run through the streets.
Over her years on earth, there had only been one Magix signature and it was one she had grown very familiar with. Because Magix was so closely linked with emotions, Onxy was able to tell when her friend was happy or sad or angry based on how her Magix was turning. In time, she had also been able to 'sense' Bloom at a distance. So far, the furthest Onxy had been able to feel Bloom's Magix was twelve miles. A distance they had only been from each other when the red head went on brief holidays at a beach.
Ever since Bloom had left her sight in order to speak with her parents Onxy had been keeping taps on her friend. They were in a place Bloom didn't know very well, and therefore it was a valid fear that she might get lost. And the day before she had been attacked in her home, with both the Ogre and whoever was responsible getting away. She didn't want to risk anything happening to her friend just because she wasn't paying attention – she would rather be paranoid then see her friend hurt.
At first, Bloom's emotions had been hesitant and then they had been happy – indicating that she had found the pay phone and managed to get through to her parents. This happiness had been replaced by shock and then curiosity. Emotions that weren't particularly worrying since it could have been that Bloom was simply told something by her parents. But then, while still filled with curiosity, Bloom had started moving away from the payphones and the group. When that curiosity turned to worry, with a touch of fear, and there was a spick in three angry Magix signatures, Onyx knew her friend was in trouble.
Onyx arrived in a back ally in time to see a Witch trap Bloom in a block of ice.
"Bloom." Onyx growled her friend's name with a furious worry. A fairy trapped in ice would be drastically weakened, especially for someone like Bloom whose magic had the feeling of fire to it. If she stayed in that ice to long, her internal flame would die out. Onyx could already feel Bloom's magic flaring trying to keep her warmed against the ice and break her free before it did damage.
"Oh look, another little fairy wants to join the party." The witch that felt like a storm mocked.
"Let her go." Onyx ordered, flicking her wrist and materialising her staff to her hand. These were senior witches, which meant they had control over what magic they could use and likely knew at least a little bit about fighting. With Bloom's health on the line, she didn't want to risk it.
"Now why would we do that?" the last witch asked, examining her nails without a care.
"I think you should join your little friend. What say you sisters?" the witch who controlled ice asked smugly.
"I'd like a go this time." The storm witch requested.
"How about you all have a go? I'm not an easy opponent." Onyx cut off their mocking conversation by sending a blast at the three of them. The browned haired one managed to shield while the other two witches were thrown on their back. Onyx followed through on her attack, charging the three of them. The Orge, which Bloom had likely followed to the alley, remained out of the fight.
"What kind of fairy are you?" The witch who used ice asked, getting to her feet with a glare.
"I'm the sort of fairy who you don't mess with." Onyx formed her sword in hand. "Now, I advise you to leave. I don't take kindly to my friends being harmed."
"Three against one," The brown-haired witch shook herself and channelled her power into her hands.
"Not for long," Onyx moved before the others could react. She forced the three witches immediately on the defensive as she used her sword to shield from their attacks while also using her own magic to push against them. Even while pushing them back, Onyx noticed the others arrive in the alley.
"Stella, get Boom out of here. I will follow after you." Onyx ordered sharply, throwing the witches against the wall.
"On it." Stella said, before calling out "Sun Power!"
With the others gone, Onyx put her sword away and left the witches to lick their wounds. Running through the streets, she homed in on Bloom. She was sat, shivering against a water fountain, with Stella pooling heat gentle in her hands to help her.
"Bloom," Onyx knelt next to her. "Why didn't you come to me? Witch's, they are taught to hate fairies and do the wrong thing. They could, and would, have killed you."
"I'm sorry." Bloom stuttered, bowing her head in shame.
"Just don't do it again," Onyx smiled. "You need help, contact me and I will come."
"Hay, Onyx where did you learn how to fight like that? You where amazing." Tecna asked, awe in her tone.
"I'm planning on being a Battle Fairy, I've been training for many years." Onyx offered Bloom a hand. "Come on, you'll feel better after a nice warm shower."
They travelled back to Alfea, but because of the confrontation they ended up late and missing curfew. The others were trying to sneak back across the grounds without getting caught. Onyx was trailing behind the group, walking normally since she didn't feel guilty about being out late. Missing the last buss wasn't by choice, and being forced to walk had added more time than they could have made up otherwise – especially since Stella couldn't use her staff to teleport them there. She had more then enough faith in her ability to talk herself out of trouble, that she didn't feel she had to walk in a suspect manor.
"I think I wanna tell Miss Faragona the truth." Bloom muttered to the others around her.
"We'll talk about it later, for now just follow me." Stella waved her quiet.
"Freeze!" the voice of Griselda proceeded a flashlight lighting up the other four girls. Faragonda and Griselda appeared in the courtyard with looks of disapproval. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Nine forty-five." Onyx stepped into the light. "It's exactly forty-five minutes past curfew. And you knew we weren't in bed because of the proximity wards which we crossed on entering the school."
"Wait, you knew they would catch us?" Stella demanded.
"Of course, we're under the protection of Headmistress Faragonda. You were attacked by witches, witches that are hunting Stella for some reason. Bloom, you need to see a healer who is experienced in treating fairies who have been frozen in ice, and they need to know about the threat to their students." Onyx reminded them.
"What do you mean, Stella's being hunted by witches?" Faragonda asked worriedly.
"Perhaps I can explain that to you in your office, while Stella takes Bloom to the medical room to get checked over and the overs go for a rest? I was there for both instances and so can fill in both Headmistress Faragonda and Madam Griselda," Onyx reminded them. "Now, get going. I'll handle this."
"Right, we're gone." Stella looked quickly at the disapproving Griselda before shepherding the others back into the school.
"Headmistress, perhaps we should move this to your office." Onyx directed the conversation, easily moving the two authority figures along without any protesting.
"Now what do you think your doing ordering us around like that?" Griselda demanded once they had reached the headmistress' office.
"I apologise Madam Griselda, but I've been protecting Bloom for ten years. Although she is now under your authority, she remains under my protection." Onyx informed them.
"Ah, I see. A battle fairy. I've not seen a true one of your kind in nearly two hundred years." Faragonda smiled kindly. "Bloom is probably the safest fairy under our protection." Faragonda turned serious. "Tell me about these witches and the threats to Stella."
"Yesterday, while Stella was coming to Alfea she was forced to earth and attack by an Orge and several ghouls. Myself and Bloom helped fight them off and took her to Bloom's home for treatment. While at Blooms that night, the Orge and a troll turned up with even more ghouls. We called in back up from the Red Fountain Academy and they took in the troll. Unfortunately, the Orge once against got away. Bloom spotted the Orge while we were in town this afternoon, and she followed him to a meeting between three witches. They realised that Bloom was there and attacked, intending to get Stella's location from her. I arrived just as she was frozen in a block of ice and fought of the Witches until Stella and the other girls arrived and got her out." Onyx gave them a quick run down of what had happened over the last two days.
"You successfully managed to hold off three witches on your own?" Griselda collapsed into a chair, shocked.
"I did. If I didn't want to check on Bloom's health, I would have detained them but I placed Bloom's health above that. I don't know the learnings of the others yet, so I was uncertain if they would now how to treat her." Onyx explained, taking a seat next to Griselda instead of remaining standing.
"Describe the witches." Faragonda requested.
"They appeared to be seniors. One of them uses ice, one uses lighting and the last I didn't see use anything specific. The one who used ice had white hair and wore blue, the one who used lightning had purple-blue hair and was wearing burgundy clothes. The last one had shoulder length straight brown hair wearing a purple cape and a blue body suit." Onyx gave the best description she could of their appearance.
"I assume that you have brought Bloom completely under your charge?" Faragonda questioned.
"I have. Where she goes, I will go." Onyx confirmed, bowing her head slightly to the headmistress to show how serious she was about this.
"Who taught you how to be a battle fairy? You already have much of mannerisms, the conviction and, to a degree, the training." Faragonda questioned seriously.
"I taught myself, using my own conviction. I have no guardian, no teacher and no support. I act, I learn and I do." Onyx locked eyes with Faragonda for a very long minute.
"Yes, I noticed the lack of guardian on your paperwork," Faragonda pulled out a file from her desk. "I assume that this was what you were going to talk to me about, your lack of guardian."
"It was. I am my own guardian. I was going to ask you if it was possible if I could find a job within the school since by moving here, I have now lost my only form of income. I am willing to cook or clean. Anything you want me to do." Onyx explained her situation.
"Well, we need help in the kitchen. We normally only have support in the kitchen on discipline matters. I'm sure our chef would appreciate the support." Faragonda hummed thoughtfully. "It would be £8 for every hour you worked. You'd have to talk with Chef Francis about the hours you work. Will you be able to get to the kitchen for six thirty in the morning? That's when Chef Francis starts working."
"I'll be there in the morning." Onyx promised. "Is there anything else you need to discuss with me?"
"No, I think you've had quite enough excitement for one evening. I think it's time you went to bed and got some rest. I trust, that you will always keep an eye on young Bloom?" Faragonda questioned in some amusement.
"Always. Bloom will have my protection, my sword and my shield until I can raise nothing more but my last breath for her. Always." Onyx vowed solemnly, standing and bowing to Faragonda and Griselda before leaving the office.
"That vow." Griselda muttered once Onyx was gone.
"I know." Faragonda said, her normal kind and gentle personality replaced by a serious and focused one.
"But there hasn't been a true battle fairy since…"
"I know." Faragonda cut off, a deep sadness in her gaze. "I know."