Hello readers, a quick note before the new chapter.

First: more than one person has asked me whether I will write every single episode of Winx in Bloom's POV. The answer to that is NO. The first handful of chapters will follow the first four episodes because I considered them important, not just to the storyline but also in writing the developing friendship between the girls. Afterwards we will take bigger jumps and the story will progress similar but also differently. You will see.

Second: fair warning, I do not consider myself very good at writing action scenes. There, I said it! Don't expect too much alright.

Third: I've made some changes which I will further explain at the end of the chapter.

Enjoy the new chapter and thank you all for following, favoriting and reviewing this story!

Usual disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club or the story cover I'm using.

"No peeking," ordered Tecna me as she led me off the bus. "I want an authentic reaction."

"Tecna, I swear if you let me trip or walk into something I will…" I huffed. "Well, I am not sure what I will do, but rest assured it will be nasty." I could hear the other girls around me chuckle, even Tecna, but that did nothing for my mood. The moment the girl from Zenith learned I had never seen a magical city before, she insisted I close my eyes so she could observe me carefully when I finally caught sight of Magix. "Why do I have to be the guinea pig?"

"What's a guinea pig?" asked Musa's musical voice from close-by.

"This is going to take some time to get used to." I scoffed, crossing my arms in front of my chest. "It is an animal from Earth. Humans refer to it because it is an animal they frequently use for experiments."

"Oh, now I understand the phrase." I almost laughed at the delight in Tecna's voice, but the humour quickly left me as I stumbled, my toe catching on something. "You wonder why you have to be the test subject."

A warm hand gently grasped my hand and steadied me a little. "I think I like Bloom's phrase better."

I smiled into the direction. "Thanks, Flora." Finally we stopped walking. "Can I open my eyes now? This darkness combined with the magic energy is making me nauseous."

"Open up."

I squinted at the light that instantly reached me, let alone the endless streaks of colour. And what I saw was not what I expected.

I scowled. "This is it?" I crossed my arms again. "London is way more impressive."

Musa chuckled from beside me. "What did you expect? Dragons, magic shops, trees with little houses in them?"

"Oh, we have those in Linphea." Flora bounced beside me. "If that is what you want to see, you should visit."

I shot her a quick smile in thanks before answering Musa. "No, but I expected something more. Taller and more impressive buildings." I gazed around. The colours which flashed by were cars, but the buildings were a dull grey and all looked the same. "And where are the trees, the plants? The…" I tried to find the word but couldn't. Instead, I settled on waving my hands through the air in frustration. "Where is the magic?"

Stella draped an arm over my shoulders. She seemed to be in a better mood now that the initial awkwardness between all five of us was gone. "If you pay close enough attention, you will find it running over your skin just like you did in the lecture hall."

I rolled my eyes. "That is not what I meant."

"This is only the station," informed Tecna me. "The city centre is a lot more impressive. But I don't see what is wrong with it. The buildings are solid and liveable, they can withstand attacks and any type of weather…"

"I think Bloom means that they lack character," offered Musa.

"Exactly." I nodded eagerly. "That is what they lack. Character. And for a realm that has been the capitol of the Magic Dimension for ages, there aren't a lot of old buildings to be found. I mean, Alfea blew my mind. Why don't I see more of that here?"

"Because it was all destroyed." Stella shrugged carelessly. "Most of what you see is barely twenty years old. They had to rebuild the city from scratch. Only the schools were lucky enough to survive practically unscathed, but then again that was where all the refugees ran to. The magic shields keeping the schools safe were basically impenetrable."

Something nagged at the back of my mind, as if I should know this. "When was this?"

"About eighteen years ago."

"Seventeen years, eight months, and two weeks to be precise," corrected Tecna Stella. She shot her a glare in return.

"Eighteen years…" I repeated. "Any chance this was done by the man Faragonda mentioned earlier? The one who was on the wrong side of the law?"

Stella shot me a dazzling smile. "See. You are already catching up. We will have you up to date with the history of the Magic Dimension in no time."

"Valtor…"

The air seemed to crackle around me and I almost hummed at the power it radiated. The pull beneath my midriff was back, though this time it felt more like curiosity than annoyance.

"Careful with that name," warned Tecna. I blinked at her. Careful with what? "Authorities haven't quite gotten over their fear of him yet. They tend to arrest anyone who even speaks it a little too loud, on the charge that they are supporters of his cause."

My stomach turned. "Did I just say that out loud?"

"Yes." Stella eyed me oddly, almost suspiciously. "How do you even know that name?"

"I don't know…" I quickly ducked my head, biting my lip and cursing myself. "Way to be obvious, Sybil." "I popped into my head when Faragonda mentioned him earlier."

"Hmm…" I didn't dare to glance up. "That supports my theory that you are originally from somewhere in the Magic Dimension." My head snapped up at Stella's cheerful voice. "You must have heard it as a baby."

"That theory has some serious flaws in it. Research shows that the earliest memories anyone can recall are usually the ones made at the age of four."

Stella seemed on the brink of arguing with Tecna when Flora cut in. "Shall we find somewhere to eat? I am starving."

Instantly Stella's mind was distracted and she led the way, babbling about the finest restaurants in all of Magix and how we simply had to try this particular one. Musa and I both protested that it sounded way too fancy and too expensive. Naturally our personal princess then waved all those protests off by insisting she would pay.

"See it as my start-of-the-year present for you."

"That money is no objection with her has absolutely nothing to do with it," I whispered to Musa, who giggled in answer.

I had to give it to Stella, though, she sure knew how to pick the right spots. The food was entirely unfamiliar to me but absolutely delicious and by the time dessert was brought, my stomach was threatening to spontaneously combust. Something that Musa also seemed to struggle with. We were both leaning back in our seats, eyes half closed and with a dazed smile on our lips. Oh, yeah, we were definitely on a food high.

Stella was finishing up on the story about our fight with the troll the day before and how I had gotten accepted to Alfea, having picked up the tale once I got too engrossed with the food. The girls were eagerly listening, Tecna even taking notes, and if the chairs turned our way were any indication, they weren't the only ones.

"And that is why Faragonda asked us to be on our guard," she finally finished with another dramatic hair throw that made me snort.

"Have you considered becoming an actress, Stella? You would make a pretty good one."

"I have, actually." She shot me a dazzling smile. "But I love fashion more."

"You were the two Faragonda asked to stay behind after her welcoming speech." Stella and I nodded in confirmation to Flora's observation. My roommate chewed her lip hesitantly. "I thought you were already in trouble…" If that did not confirm that Flora was the epitome of kindness, then I would eat Stella's entire shoe collection.

"If you want I can make you a list of books which will help you learn everything about the Magic Dimension there is," offered Tecna. "I have this program…"

"Oh, yes please!" I interrupted, beaming at her. "Thanks, Tecna!"

She blinked, startled. "Uh… You're welcome." Then a frown nestled on her face.

Flora instantly leaned closer, worry written all over her face and her hand half reaching towards her. "Is something the matter?"

"No…" But more she was unwilling to say.

"Hmm." Flora sat back in her seat, shooting Tecna a worried look, before turning to Stella and I with a smile. "I can hardly believe you two only met yesterday. When I saw you enter, I was sure you were long-time friends."

Stella and I exchanged a laugh. "We feel as if we have known each other a lot longer, but I guess that is what you get when you face death together."

"How are you going to follow classes if you aren't allowed to use any magic yet?" wondered Musa. "I mean, we all came to Alfea to learn how to be proper fairies and that kind of requires the use of magic."

"I am not sure myself," I admitted with a shrug. "But Faragonda alerted the other teachers of the fact as well. I guess I will just have to wait and see."

"Oh, I am so excited for tomorrow." Flora stared into the distance with a dreamy smile. "I have always wanted to go to Alfea. I can barely wait to start."

"Don't you start as well," huffed Stella annoyed. "You should have seen Bloom when Faragonda confirmed she was accepted to Alfea."

I simply rolled my eyes, pulling my phone out of my pocket. It was poking me uncomfortably and since I was still half high on food, I wanted only comfort. "You can make fun of me all you want, but if you wanted to have powers all your life but always heard that they didn't exist, only to discover you are a fairy, you would react exactly the same."

Beside me Tecna choked on air. "What in the name of all technology is that?"

I laughed at the disgust on her face, as if my phone was a personal insult to her. "It is called an iPhone. They are pretty popular on Earth."

"Well, get it out of my sight," demanded Tecna, her face pulled away in what I could only describe as agony. "That thing needs to be destroyed and never be spoken of again."

"It is the only phone I have," I protested, trying to suppress my smile at how absolutely disgusted she was by my phone. "How else am I supposed to call Mike and Vanessa?"

"I am not sure you can call them with it, Bloom." Stella combed her fingers through her hair, using the glass behind me and Tecna as mirror. "First of, you need the magical code of Earth and second, you will need a magical phone plan. And I'm not sure if your Earth phone even has the technology to make a call to a different Solar System."

"We still have some time before we need to head back to Alfea. We can go get you one," suggested Musa.

"Oh, yes!" Stella bounced in her chair, her hair instantly forgotten. "There is plenty of time to do some shopping. I insist to buy all four of you something spectacular for your rooms."

I sighed, pinching the bridge my nose. "Why do I feel like our little bounding trip has suddenly turned into a Stella and her pack mules shopping spree?"

"What are pack mules?" echoed four voices. I slammed a hand against my forehead. "When will I learn?"

Stella got her wish, though, because she was Stella and that meant she tended to get her way. She dragged us into a ton of stores to see the new collections of designers that I wouldn't be able to reproduce even if she had me at knifepoint.

Musa and I eventually sneaked away. Now that I had gotten a phone plan and Tecna had given me the magical code to make communication between Magix and Earth possible, I was desperate to give Mike and Vanessa a call and let them know I was alright. Musa wanted to check something out that she had spotted a few stores back and therefore went with me.

Luckily there was a phone booth – I voiced my astonishment that they still had them here in Magix – that I could use just opposite of the restaurant Musa wanted to visit. I had no idea why, but it wasn't really my business. We agreed to meet up here at the booth once we were done before going our separate ways.

"Oh, if only I remember everything right…" I fidgeted as I held my phone plan in front of a digital scanner. "Tecna said to keep it in front of the scanner, then when the lights turn green to enter the number…"

The phone let out a long beep before speaking. "Caution, the realm you are trying to reach uses outdated technology. We cannot assure our usual quality."

"Yeah, yeah, just patch me through, you annoying wom…"

"Bloom?"

My heart leaped in my throat, my eyes stinging at the sound of the voice. "Mom!"

"Oh, sweetie!" I swallowed hard at the emotion in her voice. "We miss you."

"I miss you too." I melted a little, rubbing at my eyes to keep the tears at bay. Enough with the crying already. "Which is weird because I still saw you this morning."

"It feels like you and Stella left ages ago," lamented Vanessa. "But how are you? How is the school? Tell me everything!"

I had barely scratched the surface, being in the middle of describing the inside of Alfea castle, when suddenly the booth opened and my arm was grabbed. I yelped, twirling around to punch whoever grabbed me when I saw it was Stella. The other girls were standing behind her.

"Stella!" I protested. "What the hell?"

"Come on!" She tugged urgently at my arm. "We've got to go!"

"Go? Go where?" Vanessa's worried voice spoke in my ear, asking me if everything was alright. "Uh, just a moment, mom." I placed the horn against my shoulder. "What is with the sudden rush? We still have plenty of time to get back to Alfea, don't we?"

"No, not that." She pulled the horn out of my hands and I protested once more. "Hi, Vanessa. I am sorry to cut in like this, but something came up. She will call you back another time. Bye." And then she hung up before hauling my ass out of the booth.

"Stella!" I pulled harshly on my arm, my temper rising. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?! Let go of me!"

"Stella," protested Flora, half running to keep up. "Slow down. You have to explain."

Stella abruptly stopped and I crashed into her. She wasn't even bothered by it, instead turned to face me with a type of fury written all over her face that made my stomach clench. "We saw him."

I frowned. "Him?"

"The ogre."

"Oh, shit." It slipped straight out, along with the content of my lungs.

"He was spying on us," continued Stella, her eyes practically burning. "And then we saw him sneak off. We are going after him."

"No!" My heart leaped to my throat. "He is going to meet up with the Trix!" I violently shook my head. "No, we are not. Absolutely not."

Stella practically growled at me. "Yes, we are."

"Stella, think about it," I pleaded, perching my hands on my hips. "What good will it do?"

"I want answer, Bloom!" snarled Stella, mimicking my stance. "And he is going to give them to me!"

"It is five against one," added Tecna. "The odds are in our favour."

I almost laughed. With Tecna's pale skin and weird hair colour, she would make a wonderful Effie. And Stella would be Katniss. All she had to do was yell: "I volunteer as tribute." How fitting that if we went through with this, we would all find ourselves in a fight to the death as well.

"Except you forget that I am no help." I clenched my fists. "I can't do magic."

"Four against one then," corrected Tecna with a shrug. "I still like those odds."

"I am in," piped Musa in with a passion that momentarily worried me. "Let's return the favour and show that ugly beast that messing with fairies will always come back to bite you in the ass."

"Oh, lord almighty." I turned my eyes to the sky in desperation before turning to the girl I hoped would at least side with me. "Flora?" The sheepish smile I got was answer enough. "Oh, for the love of…" I threw my hands in the air. "No! This is a bad idea! I have a bad feeling about this. A really bad feeling! And my feelings are usually right."

"That makes no sense." I suppressed the urge to give Tecna a good shake.

"We are wasting time. If we don't hurry, we will lose him." Stella turned on her heel and marched off. "Stick close, Bloom. That way nothing will happen."

"This is a bad idea," I muttered while trailing after the furious blonde and her three Musketeers. "Oh, this is so going to end absolutely horribly." And I wasn't only sure about that because I knew what was going to happen. My gut was screaming at me to knock the girls out and drag them back to Alfea. "Yeah, and just how will I get that done? I couldn't even get Stella home on my own."

Following Knut proved to be easy. His personal odour was pretty easy to pick up after being exposed to it. With her nose stuck in the air and reminding me of a Beagle, Stella led the way. Soon enough we had left the square we had been shopping at far behind and found ourselves in a less than friendly-looking neighbourhood. We were about to follow Knut's scent – we still hadn't caught sight of him – around a corner when voices reached us.

"The fairy is in the square with her friends." I ran into Flora when all the girls in front of me came to a standstill, letting out a "oomph". Four heads turned to me and they all raised a finger to their lips. I scoffed in response. As if I could have helped that.

"Finally." An ice-cold voice answered and instantly all my hair stood straight up. Danger. That voice screamed danger. "Well, Knut. You proved not to be entirely useless."

"Let's go get that sceptre." My stomach twisted at the second voice, this one giving me visions of eternal darkness. "I grow tired of these illusion spells."

"Yeah," crooked a final voice. I curled into myself at the high pitch of it. It was almost as high as that sound bats made. "No matter how nifty this trick is, I want my eyesight back. Let's get that sceptre and be rid of that meddling brat."

"You are not getting anything!"

"Stella," I gasped. I had been so focussed on listening that I hadn't noticed Stella had marched straight into the alley where the voices were coming from. "What are you doing?" Musa, Tecna and Flora followed her. I turned to the sky again, groaning. "Why is nobody listening to me?"

I inched to the corner and peeked around. Knut was there at the end of the alley, and before him stood three women.

I gasped in horror at the sight of them. If I hadn't known Knut worked for them, then I would never have recognized them as the Trix. Where were the beautiful young witches from the cartoon? What the hell happened to them? Had they been through all nine circles of hell?

The tallest of the three stood in the middle, dressed in black mail with over it a skin tight catsuit that seemed to be made of ice. She was all skin and bones, her skin a deadly shade of pale, and bleached hair tangled up in a tail on top of her head. On her waist she wore a belt with an I as clasp, and a cape was attached to her shoulders with similar clasps. While the cape was gently blowing in the wind, it seemed to be made from the same material as the mail she wore.

On her right stood what I could only describe as a vampire. She was about Stella's height but that was where the comparison ended. Her skin was ash-grey and her green eyes stared at my four friends with a lifeless yet hungry gaze. Her hair was dirty-blonde, greasy and completely tangled together, as if she hadn't showered in weeks. She had no cape and no belt, and only the skin of her face was visible. The rest was all hidden behind that thick black armour that seemed to be made out of the darkness surrounding us in the alley. I honestly had no other description for what she was wearing.

The last witch was the smallest of three and just a little taller than I was. Three things instantly stood out about her: she was tanner than all of us, she had a short-cropped head of dark-grey hair, and she had two pale unseeing eyes. Unlike the other two, her hair did not look as if it needed a wash. Instead, I feared it would turn to ash just by looking at it. Her outfit was similar to the first witch: black mail and over it she wore a lightning coloured suit. She too had a cape and a belt, but those clasps had a S on them rather than an I.

"Bloody hell." I couldn't swallow it back. "They look like they are on death's doorstep."

The three heard me and bared their teeth into the direction of my friends. Stella wasn't intimidated. Quite the opposite, she threw her head back and laughed loudly. "Good one, Bloom."

"You will pay for that." The tallest witch – she had to be Icy – growled. "Hand over your sceptre, princess, and we might go easy on you."

"In your state, I am shocked you can even perform magic." I groaned at Tecna's voice. Now was not the time, but she just couldn't seem to help herself. "Judging by your appearances and your auras, all my calculations claim that the dark magic you use should have claimed your lives by now."

"Dark magic?" My eyes widened. "I thought they only started using dark magic after obtaining the Dragon Flame? In what fucked-up alternate universe of Winx Club did I end up?"

"Well, they sure look like walking corpses," snarked Musa.

She shouldn't have said that. The smallest witch – Stormy, I decided – jumped forward and shot lightning straight at my four friends. I screamed at them to move, already inching forward to help them.

My friends let out something of a squeal themselves and rolled out of their way. Almost simultaneously light surrounded them and when it faded, my jaw landed on the floor. They had transformed, and like Stella's transformation, the other girls resembled warriors, rather than the fairies I was used to.

Flora was now wearing sparkling light green mail that resembled leggings and a long-sleeved under-shirt. The mail seemed to be engraved with swirling flowers and leaves, and was attached to her ring fingers with golden rings. Over it she wore a reddish pink dress with thin straps, and a belt with flower clasp around her waist. Her hair was pulled up in a masterpiece that was held up with little flower pins. And her wings! She had a double set of bee wings. How perfectly fitting.

My eyes hurt just by looking at Musa. She seemed to be fully clothed in pure white sparkling mail that fit her like a glove. Over it she wore a short jumpsuit that also seemed white, but depending on how I held my head it turned into every colour of the rainbow. The sleeves of it fell open on her shoulders and flowed in the wind. As I tilted my head a little to the side I noticed to my astonishment that her entire outfit was engraved with music bars, bass and treble clefs, and notes. And they moved, swirling together and forming an actual piece of music. But most astonishing were her wings. I had grown more used to the insects wings that Stella and Flora seemed to have, but Musa's wings were made out of transparent feathers, like those belonging to a songbird.

And finally, there was Tecna. She was clad in a skin-tight cat-suite made of out black mail but with sparkling swirls of light blue on it that seemed to be made up out of zero's and one's. On her shoulders was a form of armour that I could only describe as a digital masterpiece of connecting dots that ran all the way down her arms and made sturdy looking gloves on her hands. The weird thing was that the gloves were neon-blue and faded into black the further they ran up her arm. The exact same design was used to create a belt around her waist. Her wings did not resemble those of an animal, but that of a plane except they were transparent. Transparent plane wings? Did those even exist? Well, they certainly seemed to in this world. Her wings did not move and when I squinted, I swore that they were made up out of zeros and ones, just like her belt and the swirls of blue.

The girls did not pause to take a dramatic stance. I barely even had the time to fully observe them before the fighting started. Spells were thrown back and forward with a speed I simply couldn't keep up with.

Musa put Knut in a disco ball that had him swearing and screaming. Icy threw ice crystals at the girls which were blocked by a shield Tecna summoned. Stormy was sent flying into a wall as Stella hit her with a blast of sunlight. Flora was clawing at her own eyes as Darcy put a spell on her. And on and on it went. Icy and Stella battling, Flora keeping Knut out of the fight by wrapping ivy's around him, Musa flying through the air with a scream as Stormy created something of a tornado, Tecna entrapping Darcy in a holographic ball and bouncing her around the alley. I couldn't help but laugh at the latter.

"ENOUGH!"

Icy's voice pierced through the sounds of the fight. With one powerful blast, my friends were suddenly pushed back. Knut – I pitied him for a moment – was sitting at the end of the alley and looking more than a little dazed, his eyes rolling around in his head.

Stormy and Darcy landed beside Icy and before anyone could stop them, the three began to chant. All light seemed to be sucked out of the alley as the words floated through the air. I could feel everything grow colder, the alley darkening until even the moon above us seemed to fade. The Trix themselves paled and withered, as if they were flowers of snow on a sunny day.

Stella let out a scream. I gasped, watching as she crumpled to the ground while clutching her head. Flora was next and fainted with a horrid cry that tore through me like a knife. Musa fell limp to her knees, sobbing and begging for death. Yes, actually begging for death! Tecna stumbled back and tripped over nothing, landing on her back and remaining motionless.

I watched in horror as all of them seemed to grow paler and paler. Their breaths turned shallow and their limbs twitched violently. But the Trix… They were changing, their bodies were filling out, their hair grew more natural, more alive…

"They are killing them, draining them!"

"NO!" I jumped into the alley, running to my friends. "LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

Icy, Darcy and Stormy just cackled, evilly. Truly evilly. Their voices were deep and low, menacing and dripping with darkness. They sent cold shivers down my spine, forcing tears into my eyes and giving me the urge to fall to my knees and beg for mercy.

While Darcy and Stormy continued to chant, Icy's hands grew white. My heart leaped to my throat. She was going for the kill!

All thoughts on Faragonda, Alfea and magic disappeared from my mind, all fear of the Trix and my potential death floating away on a gust of wind the moment I realised they were going to kill the girls.

"They are not killing my friends! They are not taking anything from me! Whether or not I was born as Bloom, I AM the guardian of the Dragon Flame and they are FUCKING MESSING WITH THE WRONG PERSON!"

I screamed in fury and jumped forward, spreading my arms to protect the girls on the floor, just as Icy threw her attack. Burning heat surged through me, from the tip of my fingers up my arms and then through my entire body. Power danced around me, obeying my every command and lifting me off the ground. Through a red haze I stared at the three witches. They had stopped chanting and were glaring daggers at me. If looks could kill, I would be ten feet under.

"Bloom!" The panic and awe in Teca's voice made me glance over my shoulder. She was sitting up, leaning half over an unconscious Musa and Flora. Her eyes were as big as sausages. "You earned your wings!"

"I earned my what?"

I almost fell out of the sky when I noticed that I wasn't staring directly at her, but through something like bat wings that blazed like fire in the faint light. I stared down at myself, finding myself clothed like my friends in mail rather than my earlier clothing. And I was floating above the ground.

Icy screamed something again. Instantly my head snapped back up and I growled low in my throat. The red haze wasn't my anger. It was a shield, or should I call it a bubble? Well, it was a little bit of both and it surrounded the girls and I.

The Trix attacked it with all their might. Each hit felt like a thousand needles were jabbed into my fingertips. I gritted my teeth, keeping the shield up with all my might and biting through the pain. "If you drop it, you are all going to die," echoed over and over in my head. "Whatever you do, do NOT drop it." The tips of my fingers grew numb. I glanced at them and saw they were paling as well. "As if I have frostbite…" My wings struggled to keep me in the air, each movement sending utter agony down my back. "I can't keep this up…"

"Yes, you can." I almost scowled at the nasty voice. And just when I had a relatively peaceful day without hearing it or my mother too often. "Unleash your anger. No limits, no regards, no survivors."

"Last time I listened to you I lost my hearing," I snarked back.

"Only because you hesitated. Because you doubted yourself. Doubt is your enemy. Feel that power flowing through your veins. Use it and you are invincible… Unleash it all and you will never have to worry about the Trix again. One mighty attack and…"

"I am NOT a murderer!" I imagined giving the nasty voice a big shove, grimacing as I felt my shield tremble. "But I can't keep this up." I glanced back at my friends. Three were still completely out cold, their skins paler than mine. Tecna was barely hanging on herself, half sitting and half lying. "I have to save them… I have to get them away… We have to get back to Alfea." I gritted my teeth, closing my eyes and focussing on the magic surrounding me with everything I had. "I have to save them. I have to save them. I have to…"

My knees hit the ground as my wings gave out, my stomach turned as a force I had never experienced before knocked into me. All air left me, and my dinner with it. Still I struggled on. "I have to save them… I have to save them… I can't let the Trix win… I can't let them have the Dragon Flame… I can't… I have to… I can't…"

I clenched my teeth tightly onto one another as pain rushed through my bloodstream like acid – no, like fire. An all-consuming fire that burned everything in its path. There was no numbness this time, only that liquid fire that burned and caused hot tears to run down my cheeks.

"Save them… Save them… Save them…" I was still repeating it when the familiar grip of darkness washed over me. "Please… Save them…"

The darkness was deep, sucking me in like a blackhole. I was falling, tumbling through the air for what seemed like forever. I tried to use my new wings, to keep me up, but no matter how hard I fought and struggled, something was pulling me into the abyss. Deeper and deeper I tumbled, the air growing harsher, colder, more biting. The darkness surrounding me turned to utter pitch black. How was that even possible? Was darkness able to darken?

An "oomph" escaped me as I landed. The ground underneath me was soft like a pillow and fell apart under my fingers. Almost like snow.

"Oh, bloody hell." My teeth clattered, the cold catching up with me and the softness turning to wetness at my touch. "It IS snow."

I tried to get up but everything hurt. When I failed after the third try, I decided to crawl on all fours in search of something – anything! – to help me to my feet.

"Where the fuck am I now?" My voice seemed to echo into the endless darkness. I couldn't see a damn thing, but something told me I was in unfamiliar territory. Again. "Hello?! Higher being or whatever?! I am growing real tired of your shit!" Something that sounded an awful lot like a deep chuckle – or was that a rumble? – echoed through the darkness. Great, it was amused. "For once, just for once, I would like to wake up and not find myself somewhere unfamiliar. Is that really too much to ask?" The rumble was back and I scoffed, giving up on my crawling. I probably looked ridiculous. "With my luck, it will be a freaking earthquake and the sky will be falling down."

I scoffed, sitting down and crossing my legs. I waved a hand in front of my face, or I thought I did. I couldn't see a damn thing. "Jesus F. Christ." I rubbed my hands over my arms. "It is bloody freezing here! Where did you drop me? The bloody Omega Dimension?" A rush of cold air almost knocked me back, I glared into its direction. "Hey! Watch it! You're the one who dropped me here, so you don't get to be moody when I complain!" I shuddered at the cold that seemed to take over my entire body. "Seriously, why couldn't you have picked a better spot to drop me in?!"

Something tugged at my hair, almost as if someone was playing with it, and I yelped, jumping to my feet and balling my fists into the direction. "Who is there?" Nothing, no answer, no chuckle, no touch. Had I imagined that then?

I lowered my hands again when all that greeted me was long-lasting silence. Yeah, I had to have imagined it. After all, who would be here in this darkness? Besides me, of course.

"And now you can stand," I grumbled to myself. "Where were you before, when I humiliated myself in front of this mighty fine audience, huh? There goes my dignity." I wrapped my arms tightly around myself in a desperate try to keep warm. Not that it helped any. No matter what I tried, the cold continued to win. "Oh, if only my mother could see me now…" I chuckled darkly. "She would probably like it here. This cold matches her heart…" I snorted at my own joke.

So did someone else.

I hadn't imagined that touch then! There was someone here with me!

"Hey!" I yelled into the complete darkness, twirling around in search of something. Anything! "Hey, jackass! I know you are there!" Nothing and I gritted my teeth, still a frustrated scream found its way into the open. "You don't scare me, tough guy! I have come face to face with a horny troll and let me tell you, I don't care who you are but you have nothing on that!"

This time a laugh rumbled through the darkness. Deep and powerful. Hot… It sent shivers down my spine and not the unpleasant ones.

"Bloom…" I frowned as a voice called out. It was somewhat familiar, but very far away. Too far away for me to catch it, to place it. "Bloom…"

I froze at the sudden warmth that tingled over my skin, as if someone was directly behind me. Almost as if they were touching me…

Fingers brushed the hair out of my neck, an equally hot breath slithering over the now exposed skin and leaving a wake of goosebumps in its track. "Interesting…" murmured a deep voice in my ear.

I jerked around to whoever was behind me and…

Found myself lying on my back and staring right into Tecna's face? With a night sky and canopy of leaves above her? Huh?

"What the fuck?"

"You're awake." Her face relaxed somewhat. "Uh…" She swallowed. "I don't know why but I have this urge to embrace you."

The oddest feeling was washing over me. It didn't burn like the earlier fire, but instead wiggled around in my stomach, tickling me. I had to suppress the urge to start laughing like a madman.

Above Tecna's head the stars danced, like those floating lights at Alfea. Tecna stood out against it, something of a halo surrounding her. It was weak, flickering like a lamp that was screwed tightly enough.

"What?" I had to blink a few times to understand what she was saying, too occupied with the brown, green and blue glow that swirled around her flickering halo. "Uh, go for it. It is called relief." But she didn't. Of course she didn't. We had only just met and I guessed it would take a while before Tecna was ready to show such emotions.

I tilted my head slightly, observing the glow. "Fascinating. It changes constantly…"

Tecna frowned at me. "What are you staring at?"

"I am going to sound crazy but there is this light…" I waved a hand over her head but it passed right through the colours. I had barely spoken a word before the colours turned a shade darker. I giggled. "What is it?"

"Bloom, do you feel quite alright?"

I blinked, trying to shake off the feeling of fatigue and cheerfulness. "Yeah… I think so. I feel like that time I tried some pot…" The giggles abruptly spilled out and I couldn't hold back anymore. "Oh, my mother was so furious."

Tecna glanced over her shoulder. "Is this normal for her?"

I smiled brightly when my blonde friend appeared in view. "Hey, Stella." Stella too had a halo surrounding her, but hers was shining like a moon. I had to squint my eyes to get a good look at her. "Wow, can you tone it down a little? You are like a damn Christmas tree."

"No…" Stella's colours didn't come quite as clear to me as Tecna's. I had to narrow my eyes and truly focus. Ah, there they were! They matched Tecna's, though Stella's were even darker. "Bloom, do you remember what happened?"

I giggled louder as the memories came back. "I was arguing with a higher being. He sounded sexy. I think he dropped me off in the Omega Dimension."

Stella and Tecna exchanged a look while I smiled happily. I hadn't felt this good in years. Not since I had gotten high with some friends…

"Oh God." I laughed. "I am stoned, aren't I?! What did they put in our food? It is some seriously good shit!" I giggled as my tongue tripped over the words. Had I said that correct? It didn't sound like it, but I liked the sound of "seriously good shit".

Stella knelt down beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "It is alright, Bloom. Hang in there. Help is on the way."

My eyes found a bunch of fireflies that seemed to be attracted to Stella's halo. "Pretty…"

"What is wrong with her?" wondered Tecna. "I can't get a good reading on her. All my scans claim she is fine, but she doesn't seem to be…"

"I don't know…" Stella's face was twisted in worry. "But Faragonda will have answers…"

"Oh, don't cry." I pouted when I saw the hazy glance in Stella's eyes, it matched the deep grey colour surrounding her. "I don't like it when you cry. I am supposed to keep my friends safe and happy. If you are crying, then I am not doing it right." I tried to get up to hug her, but my arms refused to cooperate. Instead, they dangled about as if they were the arms of an octopus. I burst out into laughter, the tickling growing worse. "Oh, this is simply wonderful!"

"Stella! Tecna!" called a voice in the distance.

Tecna instantly rose to her feet. "Over here!"

I hummed, my head lulling from side to side as the fireflies danced above my head. "You would not believe your eyes if ten million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep…"

Stella's face appeared in my view. "What?"

I giggled. "I love that song." I swatted her away. "You are blocking the fireflies."

Stella glanced up at the sky. "What fireflies?"

"Them." I pointed to them, giggling as they started to dance above my head. "Pretty…" I continued to hum "Fireflies". They were dancing on the tune, just as the song said. Stella stuck by my side, holding one of my hands and sometimes asking something, but I found myself unable to respond. Just giggle and hum.

Soon enough the dancing fireflies made my eyes droop, the fatigue returning with a vengeance. "Hmm…" I murmured happily, giggles still slipping past my lips. "Tired…"

"Bloom, no," protested someone. "You cannot fall asleep."

"Get her up," said someone else.

"No," I protested weakly, darkness tugging me under again. "Comfortable…"

And just before I went tumbling back into the embrace of darkness, I wondered if I would find myself back in the Omega Dimension. I almost hoped I would. I had some unfinished business with that jerk of a higher being.

I hated the word interesting, and men who thought they were permitted to touch me without my consent.

Oh, I was definitely going to give him hell.

Alright, I promised an explanation on the different transformations. Not just the colors, but also the wings and the mail. I have good reasons for that, most importantly to have their powers be more represented in their transformations.

Okay, the mail is pretty easy. I started thinking: when do witches and fairies transform? When they are battling someone and during a battle you will want to protect yourself. Therefore the transformations are just that. They protect as much skin as possible - hence the mail - and block attacks.

The wings change is something I can't take credit for. On Pinterest I came across this feature which angels and fairies to have different types of wings, just to change things up. I really liked that idea, which is why I incorporated it here. The wings once again represent the source of a fairy's powers.
Stella has the wings of a Monarch Butterfly because I associate butterflies especially Monarch Butterflies to lots of sunshine and summer. Musa has the wings of a Blackbird, a bird famous for its beautiful song. Flora has the wings of a bee, since bees are vital for nature and flowers to survive. And since Tecna is from the realm of technology, I chose not to give her animal wings. And for those who caught on, Bloom has dragon wings, for obvious reasons.

The colors also represent the powers. Darcy's transformation is black because her domain is darkness. Icy's transformation has white touches because her power is ice, and Stormy's outfit is partly purple because lightning is her domain. Why I kept their mail black is simply to differentiate between witches and fairies. The black is not a sign they are evil, but more that they draw their energy out of negativity.

The fairies are a lot more colorful because they represent positivity. Stella's colors are yellow, orange and gold: the colors of the sun. Flora's colors are green, red and pink to represent nature and flowers. Tecna's colors are black and blue, to represent technology once more.

Now for Musa I did something a bit more tricky. To me music is universal, a language everyone knows and understands even if you can't understand the language being sung. I cried the first time I heard the soundtrack of Schindler's list and anyone understands the emotion behind it, no matter which language we speak. To represent that, I made Musa's transformation white because white is basically all colors together. That is why Bloom notices that the color is different depending on the way the light falls onto it.

I haven't written more on the transformations yet, not in this story, but I will at one point give a description of Bloom's transformation.

I hope that has cleared everything up. If not, let me know. And if you notice some mistakes I've made, please let me know! I appreciate feedback a lot! Thank you for reading!