Hello, everyone! Welcome to my new story, An Unlikely Pair (AUP)! It will be posted concurrently with my other story, ATIS. I am very excited to share with you my rendition of Winx Club Season 3! This contains spoilers for everything up to the end of Season 3, so please don't read unless you've watched the first three seasons.
Unlike ATIS, this story is fairly straightforward, following the Season 3 plotline (with a few twists, of course) in a much more in-depth Winx Club universe. Please enjoy!
CHAPTER 1: THE OMEGA BREAKOUT
"School's out!" Musa called as they ran down the steps of Alfea. They wore their bikinis, looking forward to a final day together before they all parted for winter break.
"Hey, guys!" A voice called out. Flora looked up and saw a girl with bright red hair waving at them, her black halter-top contrasting against her pale skin. She waved at them all, but her smile seemed to extend especially towards Flora.
"Mirta!" Flora cried. She ran up to the girl and they both hugged tightly, as if they hadn't seen each other at all the past year. Mirta had gone with them on their trip to the Resort Realm, and it had been she who had helped Flora restore the Flower of Life. She pulled back slightly and gazed lovingly into her girlfriend's eyes.
She would have kissed her, had it not been for her friends behind, who didn't know a thing about Flora's sexuality. The only other people who know are Chatta and my parents, so let's keep it that way. She drew back and turned towards the other girls.
"Mirta, come join us!" Bloom called. "We're going to stop and get pizza, then we're going to the beach."
"Yes, let's go," Flora agreed. "I haven't seen you since the end-of-year party."
Mirta looked a bit hesitant, and Flora could understand why. Her girlfriend was rather insecure, especially around the Winx. It was not for nothing that the six girls were at the top of their class. Mirta, on the other wing, had just completed her transition from witch to fairy, and would only be starting at Alfea this upcoming school year, as a freshman. She was understandably nervous about fitting in with the new culture, and the comments she might get from other girls. She squeezed her girlfriend's hand.
"Don't worry," she said quietly, so only Mirta could hear. "The Winx aren't like that. We understand you. Respect you. Please come with us."
"Sure," Mirta finally conceded.
Just then, a golden chariot burst in through the Alfea gate, pulled by six white stallions. Bloom and Musa darted out of the way, and Layla cartwheeled to the side. The other four girls looked upon the chariot with fright. The chariot ground to a stop right in front of Stella, who was squealing her head off.
"What is the meaning of this?" Flora heard Griselda's outraged yell. The hook-nosed, ill-tempered woman stood on the steps to the school, her hands on her hips as she glared down at the chariot. "I was not informed of this. Who are you and why have you come?"
Stella finally looked up. When she did, her jaw dropped. "Sir Marco!" she cried.
"Stella, did you charter this chariot?" Griselda asked severely.
Flora craned her neck to get a better look. The man was tall and mustachioed, with hair just as golden as Stella's. He tipped his hat to Griselda.
"My apologies, signora," he said in a Solarian accent. "I am Sir Marco Vanzetti of Solaria, member of the Royal Guard. I was sent to deliver a message of utmost importance to Her Royal Highness the Princess of Solaria. I assure you she did not know I would come."
"Well, what is it?" demanded Griselda.
The man turned to Stella. "Greetings, Your Highness. As you know, your eighteenth birthday is coming up on Sextmensis 18."
"Unfortunately, during school," Stella muttered.
Flora recalled that Stella was the second-only Winx, second to her.. Her birthday was during the summer months in Magix, but that also coincided directly with school. Flora was the only Winx girl whose birthday fell during vacation; all others had birthdays during the school year.
"Under normal circumstances, we would celebrate your coming of age then," Sir Marco said. "However, due to the calamities that the Magic Dimension has been faced with for the last two years, your father believes that you should not return home on that day. Therefore, His Radiance the King of Solaria has decreed that your Princess Ball shall be held on Quadrimensis 13, approximately two months-and-a-half after you return home."
"Already?" Stella cried out, startling Flora. "This is so awesome!" She began to dance around.
"Umm"… Musa voiced what everyone else was thinking. "What the heck is a Princess Ball?"
"It's a tradition upheld in some kingdoms to signify the coming-of-age of a princess," Layla explained. "My realm has that tradition, too, though the age of adulthood in Andros is sixteen." She sounded forlorn. Flora remembered that, until she'd met the Winx girls, Layla hadn't had any friends. Must have been a dull experience, not having any friends to share it with.
"You've all got to come to this!" Stella exclaimed. "I can't wait to share it with you all! I'm going straight home now, so we can check out the Solarian fashions! You've all got to come home with me" –
"But I'm going home to see my parents," Bloom protested.
"And I was gonna hang out with Layla," Musa added.
Flora looked over at Mirta. Mirta was going to be coming with her home to Linphea, and spend the break with her.
"Okay, yeah sure," Stella said impatiently. "But you'd all better be there a week before the Princess Ball starts."
"Wait a second, I can't come," Tecna suddenly said. "I've got to go home."
"What?" Stella gasped. "Not even for the Ball?"
"I'm sorry, but I have to be home," Tecna said firmly.
"Tec," Stella pleaded, "you can't miss this opportunity! You've got to come! It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience! You" –
"No!" Tecna cut her off. "The answer is no." She began to walk off, the other girls staring after her.
"What's up with her?" Musa wondered.
"I dunno, maybe she really can't go," Layla answered. "You don't need to be so aggressive, Stella. Just let it go."
"I wasn't being aggressive!" cried Stella, stung. "I was just inviting her to my ball. If that's so wrong" –
"It's okay, Stell," Bloom said, putting an arm around her friend's shoulder. "I think we should just let it go."
"I'll go talk to her," Flora said. Not waiting for an answer, she ran towards Tecna, who was storming off.
"Tecna," she called, running up to her pink-haired friend. "Do – do you want to talk? You don't have to, but if you need someone, you" –
The girl turned around, her face carefully devoid of emotion. Flora knew Tecna well enough to know that it was a well-trained façade she put up whenever under stress. After all, she was from Zenith, a realm where efficiency was valued over emotion. Sometimes Flora wondered whether Zenithians were actually human, or if they were just duplicates of the robots they relied upon.
"I'm fine," she said, rather stiffly.
"No, Tec, you're not," said Flora softly. "Just tell me what it is. Why were you so upset? You" –
"I didn't mean to show that," said Tecna, a bit of color coming into her face. "I mean – I apologize."
"No Tecna, that's not what I mean," said Flora. "I just don't understand. We've been friends for so long – all of us. And yet, you don't want to come to the Princess Ball with us. You've never come to visit us in our home realms during any vacation. Why not?"
Now Tecna's face changed – from a colorless, expressionless façade to a sardonic mask. "You think I don't want to come?" She let out a bitter laugh. "Believe me, Flora, I would if I could. But I have to be with my family. It's simply not logical to go to the Ball when I have duties to attend to at home. I have to go."
"Tecna, why?" Flora pleaded. She didn't know why Tecna was acting like this. Ever since she'd confessed her feelings to Timmy that autumn, she'd become more open about herself. But it was times like this, especially when anyone started asking anything about her family, when she simply clammed up.
Flora knew nothing about Tecna's family. Even after all these years, it was a highly guarded secret, something Tecna couldn't talk about. It was kind of like how Layla had been so nervous initially, stuttering and apologizing for everything.
But Layla is different, Flora thought. She's scared of being left alone. Tecna wantsto be left alone. And she's always so secretive about everything. This isn't good for her.
"Look, Tec," she said, "I know things have been hard for you, even though you haven't as much as said so. But if you ever need a friend, well, I'm here. I'll always be here for you, Tecna."
For a moment, a surprised look appeared in Tecna's electric blue eyes, the eyes that always appeared so emotionless all the time. But it was quickly replaced by her usual expressionlessness, and she responded with barely a whisper, "Thanks."
"All right then," Flora answered. "Do you want to go back and join the others?"
"No." The response came back sharp and brittle, and Flora pulled back in surprise. "Sorry," Tecna muttered. "I mean, I have to go back now. My parents need me. I – I'll see you in Trimensis when school starts."
"Bye, Tecna," Flora called softly. She could've sworn she'd seen a tear in her friend's eyes as she pulled away.
The girls went to Kunti's Pizza, Bloom and Stella taking up the front. Stella was chattering nonstop about her Princess Ball, and the others followed, content to listen.
Flora was happy for Stella. She was always so cheerful; even though she could be insensitive at times, she did have her friends' interests at heart. She deserved something fun and relaxing after their long battles.
"This pizza totally rocks," Musa exclaimed.
"They make it so crispy and nice," Flora agreed. Since they came here so often, the man behind the counter already knew their orders without having to ask them. They usually got two pizzas between the other five Winx. Since Flora was vegan, she couldn't eat pizza; however, the pizzeria did have a flatbread with tomato sauce and olives. She usually got a slice of that, something Stella never ceased to laugh at.
"Hmm, you're hyping it up so much," Mirta said, eyeing Flora with a mock-glare. "It'd better be as good as you say it is."
"Order number 19032," the man called, giving them two boxes of pizza. Stella immediately walked up to him, and extended her arms to take it.
"Thank you," another voice said, and a short girl wearing a purple dress grabbed the boxes. Stella immediately turned around, enraged.
"Who are you?" she demanded. "That's our pie!"
"Not anymore," the girl said coolly.
Flora and Mirta exchanged uncomfortable looks. "Uhhh"… Mirta said, looking scared. "Where did she come from?"
"And why's she taking our pizza?" Flora added.
"I've been waiting here in line just as long as you," the girl retorted. "It belongs to me and my friends. The service here is so slow." She rolled her eyes disdainfully, the five girls behind her following suit.
"Yeah, because they make pretty darn good pizza!" Stella snarled back. "And it's ours, so give it back. I paid for that pizza!"
"Why don't we split it up?" Bloom asked the girl in the purple dress. "You give us one box, and you keep the other. We can eat that while we wait for them to make two more boxes."
It seemed like a logical solution – Tecna would probably be impressed, thought Flora, feeling sad as she thought of how Tecna had been forced to go home by herself. But Stella and Purple Dress weren't buying it. Stella glared at her, and lunged for the boxes of pizza.
But the other girl had a firm hold on them as well. The two of them fought, pulling with all of their might, neither one letting go. They pulled until the boxes flew in the air – the top one towards Stella, the bottom one towards Purple Dress. They screamed as they both fell to the floor, sauce, cheese, and pie on their clothes.
"My Spella McCarthy!" Purple Dress wailed. "I don't believe it!" She glared at Stella, and then stood up. "Banishus!" The red mass flew off of her dress and into the trash can.
"Stainus removus!" Stella shouted. The spattered imprint on her orange crop-top disappeared.
"What are you, Alfea girls?" Purple Dress asked disdainfully. "Is that why you're dressed so tackily?"
"You're not ones to talk about tacky!" Stella retorted, eyeing Purple Dress and her friends with disgust. "That dress is so last millennium. You look like a prude."
"Yeah, well, you look like a vamp," Purple Dress retorted. "And definitely from Alfea. We're from Beta Academy." The other girls nodded enthusiastically.
"Chimera's the top in the whole school," one of the girls said, pointing to Purple Dress. "Beta is where we learn the real stuff. Alfea is a dumping ground. You guys are just wannabe" –
"That's enough!" the man behind the counter barked. He had kept silent this whole time, but now he looked enraged. "You girls have spilt sauce all over my parlor. I'm not serving you any more pizzas the rest of this winter. Either get out or I'm calling the Magix Police to remove you by force. Are we clear?"
Flora and Mirta didn't wait. They both ran out the door, Musa, Layla, and Bloom following close behind. Stella was still there, arguing with a very furious pizza man.
"But that was my pizza!" she cried.
"STELLA!" Bloom yelled. "Come on!"
"Oh, all right," Stella grumbled, but not before giving Chimera a livid glare as she raced out.
"We'll find another pizza place, don't worry," Musa said. "For now, I say we go hit up that beach."
"Come on, let's hit the waves!" Layla called, racing towards the sea in her bright green bikini. Bloom and Musa followed suit.
Stella stared at the waves in distaste. "I'm gonna go and get a tan," she said. "This sun feels so nice and warm, and it's filling me up with so much energy. No icky water for me, no thank you."
She left. That left Flora and Mirta sitting under the shade of a tree, near the grass. Flora gazed towards the sea, where Layla was surfing effortlessly over waves, and Musa was unsuccessfully trying to join her. Bloom was swimming, grinning over at the other two as they both stood on their surfboards, one with more balance than the other.
Flora reached a hand over the tree and stroked it lovingly. Similarly to how the sunlight gave energy to Stella and the sea's motion gave energy to Layla, Flora absorbed her power from all plants and trees. She was Linphean, after all. She closed her eyes, relaxing on the exchange of energy that she gave to the tree and the tree brought her.
"You're really connected to them, aren't you?" Mirta's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Flora opened her eyes and looked back to Mirta. "Yes, I am," she said. "The same way I'm connected to you." She gazed down at Mirta's slender figure, her white skin under the black swimsuit with neon pink stripes. Reaching a hand back, she stroked Mirta's exposed back. "That swimsuit looks great on you, by the way."
Mirta blushed, her cheeks becoming red. Then her face became fearful. "Stop, someone might see." She pulled away from Flora.
"No one's looking," Flora whispered, tucking a strand of Mirta's neon red hair behind her ear. "There's too many people on this beach between us and the other girls, and they're too busy having fun anyways." She frowned at her girlfriend. "So, you're sure you don't want my friends to know, right?"
"I don't want to," Mirta whispered. "If we're open about it, everyone will hate us. In Whisperia, gay people are branded as perverts, and the government does nothing to stop routine discrimination. I don't think it's much better in Andros or Zenith. Besides, some of your friends come from very conservative backgrounds. I just want to keep it between us for now, okay?"
Flora nodded. "I won't do anything you're not comfortable with," she said, looking into Mirta's indigo eyes. Truth to be told, she had doubts about telling her friends, too; she didn't know how they would take the news. "Are you sure you're okay with coming home to Linphea with me? Speaking of which, what did your parents say?"
Mirta shifted uncomfortably.
"Well?" Flora pressed on.
"I haven't told them yet," Mirta admitted. "I can't have them know I'm a fairy, and I can't let them know I'm bisexual. They'll be furious if they find out either" –
"They don't even know you transitioned?" Flora was shocked. "Mirta, I thought you'd told them!"
"I – I didn't," Mirta looked ready to cry. "I knew if I told them, they'd do everything in their power to stop it. Headmistress Faragonda paid the medical expenses for the transition, with the promise that I'm going to work in the kitchen during the year. I have to work at Alfea anyways, in order to pay for my tuition."
"That – that's" – Flora breathed. The second part didn't shock her – she and Bloom anyways had to work in the kitchen, along with several of the other girls who weren't covered. But she couldn't believe that Mirta still hadn't told her parents. "Are – are you sure that they" –
"I'm sure," Mirta interrupted her. "They think I'm staying the summer on an internship with Griffin, just like last year. I'm so sorry I lied to you, Flo. I shouldn't have, but it was just so hard, and I didn't want to" –
"Don't worry about it," Flora said quietly, putting her arm around her shoulder. "You've been through so much one year, Mirta. The transition is so hard to make – you could've died through that process! But you're safe now, and alive. That's all that matters."
"I couldn't have done it without you," Mirta sniffed, leaning over and hugging Flora.
The action sent a tingle through Flora's back. She extended her hand over, gently stroking Mirta's half-exposed back. She's so sweet… She wanted nothing more than to kiss Mirta at that moment, to relieve all of her problems –
A shout pulled Flora out of her moment. The two girls pulled back, turning their heads towards the sea. Everyone around them was standing up, craning their heads for a look.
Musa was running into the sea, followed by Layla and Bloom. She was panting as she ran against the current of the waves, and called, "Are you alright? What's going on?"
"Let's go," Flora said, pulling Mirta to her feet. Mirta squeaked in surprise as Flora ran towards the waves, dragging her along. The two girls made it to the sea, and Flora stared down at the thing – or rather, the person – that Musa was pointing to.
It was a mermaid, clearly exhausted. She had a red tail and a suit of armor over her upper body, and her blue eyes filled with alarm. She was panting as she looked at Musa.
"Dame Chen?" Musa asked, while Layla turned the mermaid on her side so that she could rest in a more comfortable position. "What's going on?"
"Yeah, what's happening?" a voice called. Flora turned and saw Stella running towards them, her orange bikini bright against her skin. "What's going o" – She stopped as she saw Chen lying in the wet sand. "You poor thing! What happened? Are you alright?"
"I was sent to find you, Musa," Chen panted, ignoring Stella. "Harmonia's in trouble. I was told that you need to stay here, that" –
"What?" Musa's voice shook with shock, and Flora knew that she was barely containing her emotions. "Why didn't I receive a text from someone?"
"The entire Realm Wide Web is down," Chen explained. "They said that some portal was opened, and that it blasted a whole set of neural networks in the Harmonian region. You must stay here, though. That's why they told me to come and" –
"I'm coming," Musa interrupted. "Don't even try to stop me. If Dad's in trouble, I need to help him. I need to" –
"You're needed to guard the princess!" Chen protested. "Her Royal Highness is being sent to Magix for her safety. You need to be here to make sure she's all right" –
"Princess Galatea?" Musa gasped.
Flora recalled that Galatea was Musa's first cousin, as Musa's father, Hoe-Boe, had formerly been the crown prince of Melody. He'd given up his title in order to marry Matlin, a commoner who played rock music. At the time, rock had been a very shocking style to the conservative nobility of Melody, and they'd looked down upon it as Earthian-influenced music, music that they saw as primitive. Hoe-Boe and Matlin's albums had proved very popular amongst the common people, and were slowly starting to gain traction in other realms as well. Hoe-Boe's brother, King Jun, was the father of Princess Galatea, who would inherit Melody's throne one day.
"Yes," said Chen, urgently. "You need to stay here. This means no vacation plans as of now. I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay put."
"Okay," Musa nodded.
"I'll stay with you," Layla said. "The pixies will keep us entertained. Princess Galatea's parents have a hotel room booked, right?"
"Yeah, probably," agreed Musa. She turned towards Chen. "What exactly is happening in Melody?"
"The portal to Omega has been broken open," Chen said urgently. "We believe that a breakout has occurred. Melodian authorities are trying their hardest to contain it, as well as minimize civilian damage, but we do not know what the situation is as of now. And no one knows why or how it happened."
"Oh, no," gasped Musa. "That… that's horrible. What are we going to do?"
"Just stay put," Chen said. "We're doing our absolute best to have the situation under control."
"Thanks, Dame Chen," said Musa. "You'd better get back into the sea."
"Yes," gasped Chen, and Flora recalled that, while merpeople's gills lasted longer in air than fairy lungs did in water, it was always better for them to be under the surface. "Catch… you… lat"… She dove under the sea and turned around.
"What are we going to do now?" Musa asked worriedly.
"We have to go home," Bloom said. "All of us have flights booked back home, and we can't stay. But tell us how things are going, Musa. Update us now and then."
"Yeah," agreed Stella. "And they'd better find whoever it is who broke out."
"I sure hope so," agreed Flora. Fighting interrealm criminals was not high on her priority list. I just need to make sure Mirta is okay. She's been through too much stress already. She gazed at Mirta, who had a worried look in her eyes.
"Come on," Flora said, putting her arm around Mirta. "The plane departs in three hours. We have to be at the spaceport." Come, let's get you home.
I want to give CurlyValkyrie a shout-out; they are my beta-reader. Thank you very much, CurlyValkyrie, for helping me edit this story!
Updates will likely be on Sundays, along with ATIS. If anything changes, I will let you know. Often, I forget to update on Sundays, but if that happens, I'll post during the week.
Thank you very much! I hope to see people in the comments' section!