A/N - ok, so fun thing about my Winx Club journey. I found it after watching MLP:FIM on Netflix and at the time they had season 1 of the RAI dub available for streaming. After watching that I wanted to see more and went to watchcartoonsonline com where they had the rest of the show. I didn't know about the multiple dubbings at the time though so when I saw Winx Club RAI I thought it was like a spinoff. So I watched season 2 and 3 in the 4kids dub. I will be mixing the events of the two dubs for the early seasons, as well as the comics, and some of my own ideas to patch up the massive wreck that is the Winx Club world building. A list of changes so far, I introduce Familiars which are pretty much just what you would expect except for Blooms who is an OC named Marie. Helia is genderswapped. Diaspero will not be a psycho. Some slight Sky bashing will be a thing because he was two timing Bloom and Diaspero and he suffered no real consequences for it in the show which irritated me. Timmy is OOC because I hate his character in the original and he is terribly out of place. The schools are unisex with Alfea being a collage for Fairies, Wizards, and Sorcerers, Red Fountain being a school for Specialists (Essentially the galactic equivalent of an Interpol or FBI organization), and Cloud Tower being a school for Witches, Warlocks, and Necromancers. Nabu goes to Alfea because Red Fountain doesn't specialize in magic.
As night fell over Gardenia the Winx were gathered in the large shared area of their massive loft apartment above the Love & Pet shop, mattresses and cushions set out everywhere for people to lounge and sit on. The room almost looked like a giant pillow castle. Mirta was busy setting out bowls of popcorn and chips while Diaspero tuned the magical crystals above to give a soft glow, enough to allow them to see but not be irritating. Roxy was setting out a dish of food for Artu while Lucy and Saline came in carrying bags full of drinks from Magix and Earth. Stella was setting out more cushions and blankets while Musa was setting up the music. Layla brought in some platters of fruits and vegetables which were quickly deposited on the coffee table. Flora was charming some flowers to make the room smell like spring and Tecna was hurriedly going through all the devices of everyone who was going to show up and making them untraceable for the next few days. Griselda was just sitting back and relaxing, she wasn't here to do any work. Everyone was in sleeping clothes ranging from shorts and a tank top for Layla to an expensive silk robe for Stella. Faragonda emerged from the guest rooms followed shortly by Griffon, "the guest rooms are all set up."
A sudden flash of light heralded Bloom's arrival with Aurora and Nebula in their normal garb. The blonde ice fairy was nestled into the redheads side but let go after giving a soft squeeze and moved towards Flora. Layla and Stella had both moved to curtsey but Nebula almost immediately threw herself onto a pile of pillows and began to scream into it, "I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! I HATE IT! Screw this job! Screw being queen! Screw ruling a queendom! Screw you Morgana!"
Part way through her rant a second flash announced the arrival of another group of guests, Klaus and a heavily pregnant Morgana both dressed in robes, brought by Marie. The kitsune familiar's nine tails danced behind her as she stared down at the whining queen, her ice blue eyes dancing with amusement. Atop her head twin snow white ears rose from her silver hair and twitched a bit before her Zoomix wings glowed again and she flashed away. Bloom stuck around cause this was entertaining. Morgana raised an eyebrow at the Queen of Earth before stating, "given I am both happily married, and your mate's mother I find that statement highly inappropriate."
She continued with an archy smirk as Nebula shot to her feet, "besides, you told me just days before I stepped down that you hoped I could pass on the crown soon and focus on my family like I always wanted."
"I meant I hoped Roxy would be ready to take the crown soon!" Nebula snapped, "not that you would exploit a long forgotten law and toss the crown at me because I was able to wear it!"
"But now you know how to help Roxy when she finally is ready," Morgana countered as she happily rubbed her belly.
"We don't have a Major Fairy of Peace to fill in my vacancy so I'm doing both jobs right now Morgana!"
"Really dear, why haven't you filled that spot?"
"Cause no one wants the fucking job! Do you realize how tedious diplomacy is and how massive a bunch of zounderkite the humans are!? It takes a VERY specific kind of fairy to deal with the rantallions and most who could do the job don't want it!" Nebula turned to Roxy who had walked over to the blue haired girl during the exchange and threw herself on the younger fairy, wrapping her arms around the pinkets neck and burying her head into her chest, near invisible words on her left inner thigh began to glow pink when they touched, "Roxy! Love! Please take the crown soon so I can go back to being Major Fairy of Peace!"
"Aw, so you're not gonna help me with being queen?" Roxy asked as she embraced her mate.
Nebula looked down to the side and muttered, "well I wouldn't mind helping you. I mean. It would be part of my job as a major fairy anyways."
"You two are just precious," Bloom laughed before her wings glowed again and she vanished in a burst of light. Seconds later Marie reappeared with Riven, Helia, Sky, Brandon, and Timmy. The four boys were dressed in various sleeping outfits with Timmy being in a full sleep shirt and pants while Riven was wearing only pants, showing off his toned body. Sky and Brandon were both wearing pants and a tank top as a happy middle. Helia meanwhile was wearing an adorable cat onesie. At a glance they determined there wasn't anything to help with and moved to sit down. Riven went and sat near Musa, but not next to her like the tsundere he was. He didn't say anything as she scooted over and cuddled up against him. Timmy went over to Tecna and looked over her work as she was checking over everything for the third time. Noticing she hadn't made any mistakes he nodded and easily picked the Nymph of Technology up, eliciting a shriek of surprise as he carried her over to a plush couch where he plopped down, holding her tight against himself. Brandon sat down in a moon chair and held his arms open to Stella who happily jumped into her knights arms with a giggle. Sky and Helia curled up on one of the loveseats together, talking quietly as they waited.
Marie flashed out again just before Bloom reappeared with Daphne mid sentence, "..n't think I haven't figured out you planned this out! I know you too well to think you didn't intend for this exact outcome!"
"You mean how you're the crown princess again and inheriting the throne because even though you were frozen in time and didn't age you're still biologically older than me by several years and as a result I don't have to put up with the pain in the ass royal etiquette and formality?" Bloom asked with a smirk, "It never even crossed my mind."
With another flash she disappeared followed shortly by Marie appearing with Nabu, and a bundle of familiars and pixies. Her last trip done, Marie released her transformation leaving her in a yukata as her nine tails folded into one behind her. She plopped herself down in a beanbag and was quickly joined by Diaspero. Nabu was wearing a robe and quickly joined Layla on yet another loveseat while all of the familiars and pixies went to their various masters and bonded fairies. A few seconds later Kiko bound out of one of the side rooms and leaped at Marie who deftly caught her in midair and wrapped her into a tight embrace. A final flash heralded Blooms return with Mike and Vanessa, both wearing robes.
"We brought snacks," Vanessa announced in a singsong voice as she moved towards the table at the center of the room.
"You didn't have to do that," Mirta said with a smile, "We have plenty."
"So you don't want my spinach dip?" Vanessa asked innocently. Stella immediately sat up, forgetting whatever it was she had been telling Brandon as she said, "Now let's not be hasty. Thank you for bringing something and we would love to add your dip to the food spread."
Snickers came from several places in the room as Bloom transformed back, revealing she was still in her day clothes, "I'll be right back."
"Why was Bloom the one getting people?" Mike asked as he secured himself a nice recliner.
"She's the only one with enough magic to go zipping across the galaxy repeatedly, so her and Marie get the job," Selina replied as she joined Aurora and Flora on a large couch, waiting for Bloom. After a few minutes she emerged in a plain pj shirt and pants, "alright let's get this celebration started!"
Jumping over the back of the couch she came down between Flora and Aurora. Seeing a problem she immediately pulled the ice fairy into her lap so Saline could snuggle up to her side like Flora was.
"Well, first things first," Roxy said from Nebulas lap pillow, "since everyone is finally here at once I believe you all owe us a story."
"Oh, about what?" Musa asked as she played with Riven's messy hair.
"I believe it's finally time to hear the story of the Winx Club from the beginning," the baby of the group said, "I want to hear all about this 'crazy' first year you had. And since it's the end of this insane decade I figure now's a good time."
The twenty six year old redhead laughed nervously as a number of eyes turned in her direction, "well, I suppose we have been putting that off for a while. It might take longer than just one night to go over everything though. It all started on a summer day…"
The sun rose peacefully over the beautiful town of Gardenia, making the city's warm colored architecture seem to glow slightly. This was of little concern to the redhead lying asleep in her bed. Her room was a mess of books, and drawing supplies from the night before. Her mother entered her room with a sigh and made her way over to the window, grabbing the curtains and opening them, sending beams of light shooting across the room to land on the bundle of blankets on the bed.
Bloom curled into a ball to try and shield herself more from the light as she let out a deep rumbling growl. Her mom was quite used to this sort of thing and not afraid of the young woman at all saying in a sing-songy voice, "Get up Bloom the suns been up for ages."
Her only response was a sharp hiss and the bundle tightening as the bit of exposed red hair disappeared under the blanket. Snickering to herself Vanessa walked over to her daughter and continued, "You're late Bloom."
Bloom let out another growl but shifted so she could look out of her blanket cocoon at her clock. It took a few seconds for the sleepy girl to realize what her mom was telling her before she surged out of bed, throwing the blankets aside and began to frantically speak, get dressed, and try to make herself presentable all at the same time, "Oh no school! Why didn't my alarm go off!? Why didn't you wake me up before!? I can't…"
She froze for a few seconds as she desperately tried to simultaneously pull her pants on and tame her mess of bedhead, "Hang on, its summer… I didn't set my alarm last night because I don't have to get up early today. That wasn't funny mom!"
"Ah but you fell for it," Her mom replied with a smirk, "Anyway, finished getting dressed, breakfast is ready. I would like your help in the shop today."
As Bloom yanked off her pants and sleeping shirt she looked at her mom and bluntly told her, "No, I already made plans with Salina today. And I am not working in the shop the entire summer without pay again."
Her piece said she grabbed her towel and robe and went into her bathroom to take a hot shower to finish waking herself up. It was impossible for her to fully wake up without one and she would be cranky for hours otherwise.
Vanessa sighed as she looked at the door her daughter had just gone through. Looking around she picked up the outfit that Bloom had dragged out of her dresser and set it on the bed. She paused for a minute then picked the blankets up off the floor and threw them on the bed as well. She wouldn't make the bed or clean up the room for Bloom anymore but she refused to leave bedding on the ground. Shaking her head she left the room and went downstairs. Bloom had a point, she was sixteen now. She wouldn't keep working for free forever, she had grumbled a lot last year as well. In all honesty she should have expected this.
"How is our little angel doing?" Mike asked as she returned to the kitchen and set out Bloom's plate of steak and eggs. How that girl could consume so much food so early she didn't know but she practically lived for meat. Teaching her to eat it slowly had been a trial.
"Dissatisfied as teenagers tend to be," She replied as she joined him at the table. With practiced ease she dolled out their pancakes and eggs before returning the platter to the kitchen, "but I can't honestly say I don't see her point. I suppose I'll have to make her a time card for the shop so I can pay her for her help."
"Oh, do you think she's trying to save money for something? Maybe her allowance isn't enough?" Mike asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Perhaps," Vanessa replied, "But it's not like we give her an allowance anyway, we pay her for her grades, it's a big difference."
"It's a regular source of money, it just depends on how well she's doing.".
"I never said it wasn't, but it's not getting paid like a job. This way she can use me as a work reference. It's not a bad idea honestly. Besides, what if she is saving up money for something?"
"Well she could have just asked us."
"Mike, she was dropping hints for months about wanting a scooter, I honestly thought that's what you were setting money aside for!"
"But scooters are dangerous!"
"So's going outside! And even if she got into a crash it's Bloom. She would be fine. Let's set some money aside and maybe we can get her one for her birthday. Decembers, pretty close but if we both save we can get her a pretty good used one. And I get the feeling she's been dissatisfied from her last couple summer breaks and has had enough."
"What's wrong with how we spend our summers?" He asked, surprised and confused.
"We always go on the same beach vacation!" Vanessa sighed, "Maybe we should think about going somewhere else for once."
"What's wrong with the beach?"
"It's boring, sandy, and we go there every year," Blooms said as she walked through the door, her fiery orange mane more tamed than it was but still quite wild. They all knew there was no point in spending ages trying to tame her hair, it would require so much time and effort and only last an hour at most. Her willowy body was covered by a teal and yellow, skin hugging crop top with a heart on the chest and bellbottoms that seemed to be a size above skin tight. Now that her bright blue eyes weren't cloudy with sleep her unique catlike pupils also stood out giving her a feral beauty accented by her fang like canines and dangerously sharp teeth. Her blue bunny Kiko was riding on her shoulder happily, "And something always happens. Last year I got stung by jellyfish, the year before there was a sudden swarm of sharks, and so on."
"Well, I suppose there have been some incidents that happen, but it's a nice place!"
"Suuuure it is dad."
Bloom sat down and dug into her meal with glee. Nothing got that girl as happy in the morning as a hot shower and a rare steak for breakfast. Conversation was light as they ate and afterwards Bloom helped her clear away the dishes and clean them, "So what are your plans with Saline?"
"Not sure, she said she had a surprise for me but wouldn't say more," Bloom huffed in annoyance, she felt a flicker in her chest but a few deep breaths calmed it down, "have either of you seen Marie?"
"Not this morning. Speaking of surprises," Mike spoke up from the table, "We got you a little something to help you get around Gardenia."
Bloom's eyes lit up and Vanessa felt herself sigh internally, her little girl was going to be so disappointed, "Really dad!"
With a delighted smile she ran out the front door. Mike and Vanessa followed, the former smiling proudly while the latter gave a small sigh at the disappointment on their daughters face. In front of her was a bright red new street bike with a basket full of flowers on the front. No gears to be seen, it was a one speed, and there was even a bell on the handle bars.
"Thanks dad," Bloom unenthusiastically said, before she got on the bike and rode off, Kiko jumping from her shoulder into the basket. The bunny wasted no time in beginning to eat the flowers. Mike looked proud of himself before he turned around and saw the disappointed glare his wife was giving him. They were going to be having a long talk about this later.
"I can't believe him," Bloom sighed to herself, "No, actually I can. He's way too overprotective."
Knowing she had plenty of time she swung to the left at the next intersection, intent on stopping at the Frutti Music Bar to get a drink. The "bar" was the best hangout in town for people her age but at this time it would be mostly empty, the lunch rush wouldn't be for another couple of hours. Now if only she could make it by Mitzi's place without meeting the other girl.
As she rounded another corner it seemed she would have no luck today as the bitchy fake brunette was outside instructing two of their school's jocks how to load her stuff for whatever vacation she was going on this year. The girl had never liked Bloom for one reason or another and took every opportunity to make that well known. When she saw Bloom she immediately smirked and called out to her, "Hey Bloom! Vacationing in Gardenia this year?"
Bloom slowed to a stop and rolled her eyes, already feeling the flicker in her chest start up again, "Why do you care, it's not like you ever talk to me unless you want something."
"That's uncalled for," Mitzi said snidely, "but don't worry, I'll be sure to send you a postcard from my ski vacation. Then you can see something new for once in your life."
Mitzi turned back to the boys who were hefting a scooter for some reason, "Be careful, that's brand new! What do you think Bloom, nice isn't it."
"Mitzi, you really need to work on your acting, or are you that dumb?" Bloom asked looking at the other girl blankly, "You're going to a ski lodge. It's way too cold to use a scooter like that, which means you had them drag that thing out here just to show it off if someone came by."
As Mitzi spluttered indignantly Bloom rolled her eyes again, already tired of dealing with the queen bee, although the burn had the flickering in her chest thrum with glee before quieting down. Before the other girl could recover she started to peddle away, "Have a nice summer."
Making a few more turns she rolled up to the Frutti Music Bar and hopped off. Sliding her bike into one of the nearby racks she went into the bar, Kiko would make sure no one tried to steal the bike while she was gone so she didn't bother with a lock. She made her way up to the counter where a pink haired girl with tan highlights was bopping along to the pop song playing on the speakers around the place.
"Roxy my girl, one Dragonfire Sunrise please," Bloom said as she slid onto one of the stools at the counter, putting her money down as she did.
"On it Bloom," The girl said as she started preparing the drink. At first it looked like she was just making a strawberry banana Sunday until she reached under the counter and pulled out a box, gas mask and gloves. She put on the gas mask and gloves before opening it and pulling out a sealed vial containing half a cup of clear fluid. Carefully twisting the vial open she poured it into the blender and mixed the drink up. After a few seconds she pulled it off, poured it into a metal cup, added a straw, and screwed the cup tightly closed. She handed Bloom the cup before taking the blender to the back and throwing it into one of the sinks, pouring half a container of soap in just to be safe, and filling it to the brim. After that she took a red sticker, put it on the lid and stuffed the lid onto the blender.
Coming back out she finally removed the gloves and mask, putting everything back under the counter as she stared at Bloom, amused, "I don't understand how you drink that, honestly that's hot enough that daddy had to leave work early the one time he tried it and you do it without breaking a sweat."
"I'm just that awesome," Bloom said with a playful smile before she took another drink, "So how's my favorite future freshman? Any boys hitting on you?"
"Sis, I just started middle school," Roxy whined at the other girl.
"That still makes you a future freshman."
"Yeah, and because you and Saline tested out of school I'm gonna be all alone," The pink haired girl said with a pouting glare.
"Aw don't be like that, I'm sure Eldora can bribe the school board to let you test out early if you ask her, she did for us."
Roxy looked shocked at that, "Wait, Bribe? I thought she submitted a formal request."
Bloom blinked before realizing her blunder, "Ah, yes. Her formal request to have us test out of junior and senior year… and the six hundred thousand dollars she donated to the school to renovate the science building had nothing to do with it."
Roxy blankly stared at her before shaking her head, "I can't even be surprised with you girls anymore. Where does she get so much money anyway?"
"From what I gather Miss Eldora is fabulously rich," Bloom replied waving her hand as if it didn't matter, "and you know, Saline is her only relative so all she really has to do is ask, and provide a good reason."
"So, are you going to meet her later?" Roxy asked as Bloom paused to take a long drink from her liquid fireball. Bloom let out a satisfied sigh before replying, "Yeah. They have some surprise planned for me. They're being jerks and won't even give me a hint though. And don't think you can avoid the question, is any boy hitting on you?"
"Like anyone's brave enough to try, my dad aside all my schoolmates and every regular customer at this place knows who you guys are. No one is going to try and hit on me and risk dealing with you two," Roxy glared at her without any real fire in her eyes as she spoke.
"Good," Bloom replied with a smirk, "But look on the bright side, now that we aren't a constant presence at school you don't have to worry about that."
"True, if you're done with that I can take it. I have to wash the blender too," Roxy said as she held out her hand for the cup. Bloom relinquished it as she got up to leave, "I'm gonna head out, stay safe squirt."
"I am not a little kid anymore!"
"As your adopted big sister I reserve the right to call you squirt if I want to."
Roxy pouted adorably but Bloom would not yield as she walked out of the business and grabbed her bike, patting Kiko for a job well done. Hopping on, she headed off to the park.
Bloom loved the park, it was the heart of Gardenia in her opinion. The massive area bordered the harbor, downtown, and suburbs putting it almost smack dab in the center of town. The lush trees were lovingly taken care of, in some areas almost forming a small forest. Bloom quickly headed for one of these thicker areas as they tended to be quieter than the open fields and hilly areas that were full of picnicking people enjoying the summer sun. She was still early for her meeting with her friends so she would just relax for a little while. They were supposed to meet at the fountain but they hadn't given her any hints about what they were hiding from her, so if they wanted to find her they were just going to have to look. It probably wouldn't take Marie long, she could hunt down someone better than a bloodhound.
As she pulled an apple out from under the flowers in the basket on the front of her bike she absentmindedly wondered what her surprise was going to be. Leaving her bike propped against a tree she sat down and took a bite from the sweet fruit. After a couple of bites a muffled bang from inside the grove drew her attention. Standing up she put the apple back in the basket as Kiko bounded up her arm to her shoulder, and moved into the trees to see what that was. Maybe some idiot kids had gotten their hands on some fireworks or something and were setting them off. As she carefully made her way through the trees though the bangs and flashes of light didn't look like any fireworks she knew of. She snuck around a tree and looked into the clearing that the flashes and bangs were coming from. She nearly screamed at what she saw. A blond girl with fairy wings was wielding a staff against monsters.
The girl had twin tails and was wearing sparkly orange short shorts and a crop top that only looped over her left shoulder. In her hand was a silver staff with a circular head shaped kind of like a sun that seemed to glow with its own light. Strangest of all, the girls' ears were pointed and nearly six inches long like a character from Jak and Daxter. The girl's entire body was pulsing with an angry golden glow as she swung the staff, sending out an arc of blazing golden light with the cry "Coronal Flare!"
The blast slammed into the monsters, dissolving a good number of them but more emerged from the shadow of the trees around the big figure in the distance. The small ones were crimson, with massive clawed hands and glowing yellow eyes. They were hunched over, walking on all fours as their tiny back legs seemed unable to properly support them. Caustic black fluid dripped from their fanged maws as they began to surge forward. Their skin looked almost reptilian but without scales to speak of.
The girl was standing strong but it appeared she had been at this for some time if the frustrating grimace she gave as more of the beasts emerged and the shaking of her legs and arms were any indication. She was sporting several visible scuffs and bruises, including a massive one that spread all across her left side and a viscous slash running all the way up her back that seemed to come from one of the red beasts.
The monster in back pointed with one of its massive hands and the red beasts surged towards the fairy. She raised her staff high, the head glowing brightly as her body flared with light, before slamming its but into the ground, "SOLAR WIND!"
Bloom barely had time to close her eyes and duck behind the tree before a massive surge of light exploded out from the fairies body. After the light faded Bloom glanced around the tree again. The monster in the shadows emerged into the clearing along with what seemed to be the last score or so of his minions. It was massive, both in height and build, nearly three meters tall and a meter wide at its shoulders, with sickly leathery yellow skin, jagged black nails, and beady red eyes that were almost invisible due to nearly half of its head being made up by its huge mouth full of sharp teeth. It was clothed in dark overalls that were torn and burnt in areas from the battle it seemed.
"Go away you brute or you will face the wrath of the Sun and Moon fairy!" The blonde yelled at him, putting on a strong front but clearly on the verge of collapse as she struggled to raise her staff up again and lacked the glowing aura from before. The flicker in her chest surged at the girl's strength and defiance in the face of this monster, as the yellow creature let out a booming roar before charging at the girl, the beasts around it following behind slower, apparently content to let the stronger monster attack before joining in. The fairy seemingly tried to fire some form of spell as she raised her hand and created an orb of light, but the monster cleared the distance between them too fast, remarkably quick for something of its size and apparent weight. The beast crashed into her, throwing his entire body into the blow it carried through with the momentum, throwing her halfway across the clearing and into a tree. The girl hit hard and slumped down.
"Ouch, that's gotta hurt," Bloom winced in sympathy, she had taken a hard hit or two in the past and knew just how comfortable it was to hit a tree like that. She seemed to be struggling to even raise her head as the monster growled at her, "No hard feelings fairy. A job is a job. Ghouls, take the scepter!"
As the red beasts surged forward Bloom made a snap decision, she dashed back from the tree she was hiding behind before launching herself at it with all her strength. The crack sounded out like a cannon going off as the tree trunk gave way under the force of the impact, sending the tree crashing down into the clearing and on top of the monster and red beasts. Pushing herself up she saw the monster pinned under the tree but thrashing heavily and almost half of the red beasts were still there, trying to drag themselves out from under the tree branches as their brethren dissolved into ash. Bloom jumped off the tree and tried to rush over to the girl however she didn't get too far. One of the red beasts had gotten free and jumped at her, screaming as it made a slash for her chest. She barely managed to turn out of the way of its claws as a searing pain went down the side of her ribs. The beast landed behind her screeching in glee as the monster threw the tree off itself, killing more of the beasts in the process and stood up. Bloom grasped her wounded side, the flickering in her chest growing to a roar, as she looked down as a scarlet stain began to spread across her shirt. She looked back up at the monster as her world turned crimson.
"So we're really telling her?" Selina asked for the tenth time since they had met up at The Glade. The anxious girl was pacing back and forth in front of the fountain, waiting for Bloom to arrive. Marie glanced up at her before going back to looking through the pamphlet in front of her. She was sitting calmly on a bench in front of the fountain, looking through an informational pamphlet about the various services that Alfea offered, a similar one beside her told about the famous locations of the city of Magix.
"It's just… She is gonna be so excited… and probably angry at us for not telling her sooner… you know she's GOING to set something on fire right?" Selina continued to ramble on and on about her insecurities. With a silent sigh Marie closed the pamphlet and looked at her, "Then we explain to her WHY we kept this secret. I don't have a problem throwing Eldora under the bus for this, she made us swear a magical oath before we knew what they were. Besides, I got you both into the school two years early and without having to take any tests. Just… hope everything goes right for a change."
Any passers by might have found the sight of a girl talking to a fox odd, but a localized barrier was keeping everyone from noticing for now otherwise Marie would probably be drawing a lot of attention just by appearance alone. Marie was a stunning snow white fox with silver blue eyes. She towered over other foxes however, standing over knee height on Bloom and Selina at the shoulder, she was a colossal example of her species.
Selina nodded, her olive blonde hair shifting slightly. She was wearing a dark teal cardigan with a gray top, around her waist hung a short sea-green ruffled skirt with a dark teal belt. Her wrists were covered by silver bracelets that she had started wearing after dressing up as Wonder Woman for Halloween a few years back. Her legs were covered by grey tights and she wore knee high dark teal wedge boots. The fact that most of her clothes were always tailored to Bloom's favorite color was something that Marie teased her on endlessly and Bloom noticed but kept mercifully quiet about.
Before Selina could think up something else to worry about, a loud boom and a massive flash of light came from the wooded area near them. They both shot up and looked towards the sound as did many other people in the area. Selina quickly produced a small, flat river rock with a rune carved into it and charged the object to full power before returning it to her pocket. As soon as the rune glowed everyone seemed to lose interest in the sound, as well as whatever they had been doing before. They began to calmly gather up their things and leave the area
The two magicals ran into the wooded area, uncertain of what they would find. It didn't take them long to reach a clearing with a massive scorched area in it beside a toppled tree with its leaves burned off. Halfway across the clearing from the burnt area was another burnt location that looked like a starburst made of scorch marks. A yellow arm was lying, torn from its owner and discarded on the ground beside the felled tree. It was clear a battle had been fought here if the destruction, scent of smoke, and barely conscious blonde were any indication. Standing in the center of all that devastation was Bloom, fire rising from the center of her back like flaming wings as her hair danced in a nonexistent wind, her pants and shirt torn.
The two exchanged looks not even bothering with telepathy for their silent conversation. Marie moved towards Bloom while Saline went over to the blond who was feebly trying to pull something from her pocket. Before they could enter the clearing the magic dancing around Bloom faded and the redhead collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.
Kiko had run out of nowhere and was jumping beside Bloom as she panted and gasped on her hands and knees, watching her owner with concern. The redhead let out a puff of smoke before reaching out and patted the bunny softly. Saline quickly made her way over to the other girl and kneeled down. Gently grabbing her chin she raised the other girl's head, noting her unfocused eyes, she tried to communicate with the girl, "Are you alright? Do you need us to call someone?"
"Call… Specialists… Sky…" the girl mumbled out before her eyes rolled into her head and she slipped into unconsciousness, her clothes shifting back as she did. After making sure the girl's wounds didn't seem to be immediately life threatening she took the device the girl had been trying to remove from her pocket and used the blonds thumbprint to unlock it. Once she swiped through the contacts menu to find the name listed as Sky she got up and moved over to the severed arm. The blood flowing from it was deeper red than a humans and its size would have looked acceptable for the Hulk if not as muscular. After looking it over carefully she nodded her head and stood up. She would need the blonde to confirm but it seemed pretty obvious this was an ogre attack and something or someone hurt it bad. It seemed to have survived because there was no body and the arm was torn off, not burned off, but it wouldn't willingly come back quickly after a beating like the one it seemed to have received.
Bloom groaned as she grabbed Marie's shoulder and pulled herself up, "What… What happened?"
"That's a good question," Marie replied, looking around the clearing, "I don't think you did all of this but you definitely exploded."
Bloom groaned as she stood up, her legs wobbling a little under her own weight. Saline walked over to them, fiddling with a futuristic looking handheld device with one hand and holding a staff with the other. She pressed a few things before handing the staff to Marie. The fox grabbed the staff carefully in her mouth as Selina went back to fiddling with the phone. Kiko jumped onto the fox's back and snuggled into her fur just as a brunette young man's face appeared on the screen, smiling at first his face quickly turned dark, "Hey beautiful how… Who are you and why do you have Stella's phone?"
Selina arched an eyebrow at the greeting, "Stella... was attacked by what appears to be an ogre. She's safe for now but unconscious and injured, we don't know how bad. Before she blacked out she said to call you. We'll take her someplace for shelter but if you could provide medicine and protection we'd appreciate it. Our galactic coordinates are… what?"
Marie gave her a pointed look before repeating the coordinates, "They are… NTD64-PS2-GBA-DS-3DO-3"
"Can you repeat that again," The boy said as he rummaged for something off screen before reappearing with a notebook. Marie and Selina repeated the coordinates again in a big irritating word chain for everyone involved. The boy set his notepad down before returning to the screen, "I'll get my team there as fast as possible, please keep her safe until then. I don't recognize those coordinates so it could take several hours to reach that location. Once we get there I'll call again so we can trace the phone's location. Set it in the center of an empty space and step back, we'll use it as a teleport beacon."
The boy hung up the phone rather quickly, apparently in a rush to arrive. Selina looked between her best friends and asked the obvious question, "Whose place are we taking her too?"
Marie looked around before sighing silently, "The Grove might be a good place to hide but I don't want to explain this to Eldora. Not to mention it's on the edge of town. Bloom's place would be the closest. We have to explain things to her parents anyway."
Bloom tried to speak but Marie stopped her with a gentle growl, "We're going to your place Bloom. It has to do with what we were going to tell you earlier. Also you just exploded, you know that you need to rest afterwards."
Bloom sighed as she gave in, "Let me get my bike."
"I'll go with her to make sure she doesn't fall over," Selina said as the redhead moved towards the edge of the clearing. Before she could leave Marie called out, "Help me get Stella onto my back, she won't be able to move too quickly in her state but we need to hurry. How long will that barrier stone last for?"
"An hour tops," Selina replied as she moved to help the fox who was rapidly increasing in size, closer to that of a pony, "Let's hope it's long enough."
Knut howled in agony as he practically fell through the teleport spell he'd used to escape. His two ghouls jumped away from him, rushing to the edge of the cavern to hide in the shadows as the injured ogre thrashed about, trying to stopper the blood spurting from his jagged stump. After several minutes of booming roars and howls the cave fell quiet as the ogre's body began to heal his injuries and numb the pain. With a grunt he broke his hand free from the rock like scab, wincing as blood gouted forth for a second before hardening like the rest of the mass.
His wound no longer an issue, the Ogre growled at the ghouls who had survived, "Come here, bring what you pulled from the girl!"
The ghouls moved forward slowly, one of them blood dripping from its claws, a scrap of cloth held tightly in its fist. The small monster offered the fabric to the Ogre who snatched it away from them. He wandered deeper into his cave, intent on resting before his bosses arrived. It would take several hours for his arm to regrow and he was almost certain they would send him out again once it was. Why did he have to get found by those witches?
With a groan he rested on his bed, dropping the fabric on the slab of rock beside it that acted as a table. His troll would at least get a workout from the next outing.
The walk back to Bloom's house was done mostly in silence. Stella groaned a few times when she was jostled wrong, but other than that no one made a sound. Bloom was trying to conserve all the energy she could, each time she 'exploded' it would take a large meal for her to recover enough to act normal. She wouldn't fully recover for a few days though. She was focusing all her energy on walking by herself, using her bike as a support but trying to hide it. Marie's hackles were raised and her head snapped back and forth at any noise. The girls knew not to try and talk to her when she got like this. Salena carefully helped Marie make sure Stella didn't fall off or hit anything. Thankfully they didn't have to worry about cars or people seeing them, the barrier would see to that.
After the first half mile of walking Bloom was flagging pretty heavily, using her bike more and more as a crutch. Her breath was coming in short pants, growing more and more ragged each second. By the time they were a half mile away from her home Selina was half carrying the redhead. Fortunately the rune barrier held the entire way and they were able to safely make it inside the house and disable it before the stone broke down.
While Selina was disabling the near scorching hot barrier stone Bloom lurched towards one of the chairs and fell into it, almost asleep the second she touched down. Marie also moved towards the furniture, careful not to knock Stella's unconscious body on anything she waited for Selina to come help her. Once they got Stella onto the couch Selina laid her out and made sure she was in a comfortable position before shrinking to the size of a large dog and looking for a blanket to cover Stella with.
Hearing the sounds from the living room Vanessa called out, "Is that you Bloom? How was your day? I made up a time card for you at the shop, we can talk about your hours over dinner but you'll have to start at the same wage as everyone else ok? Bloom?"
The woman stuck her head around the corner to see Selina tucking a heavy blanket normally used for decoration during the summer months around the redhead's body with her nose, earning a soft purring from the girl while Marie dragged a blanket over Stella's body. Vanessa's eyes widened when she saw the giant fox and the blond on her couch, her face plastered with mud and scuffed up.
"What happened?" She cried, rushing in to check on her daughter while Saline moved into the kitchen.
"That's a long story, when will Mike be home?" Selina asked as she filled up a bowl with warm soapy water.
"He should be home in a few minutes, unless something came up," Vanessa replied as she carefully checked on Bloom. Selina came back into the room, bowl of water and towel in hand and knelt down beside the blond. Carefully she began to wash the girls face off, removing the dirt and trying to clean the wounds as best she could. Once she made sure Bloom was alright Vanessa turned to check on the other girl, "What happened to her?"
"She- Ogre attack," Selina started to try and explain as she continued to wash off the blonde's face and clean her wounds before Marie's psychic words cracked through the room sharply cutting her off. The other occupants stared at the white fox sitting calmly to the side as she stared at Selina, "Heal her, but don't forget to set up the phone out back."
Vanessa was staring wide eyed at the fox while Selina finished washing the blonds' injuries.
"Did she just…" Vanessa started to ask before stopping, unsure how to ask the question without sounding stupid. Saline understood thankfully, "Yes, she did. It's part of the stuff we need to explain, preferably with Mike here."
Vanessa nodded dumbly for a second before Selina's words registered in her head, "Did you say… part?"
"Yes, now watch." Selina instructed, making sure the brunette eyes were on her before she raised her hand about ten centimeters above Stella's head. Her palm began to glow with a pale green light, shining down onto the blonds head. Before Vanessa's very eyes the wound on the young woman's face began to heal as if they never were there to begin with. As the last injury healed she grabbed Selina's shoulder, "Can you do that for Bloom?"
"No, her magic is exhausted. If she were in a more magic rich environment it'd recover much more quickly but she has to make all the energy herself. If either Marie or I had used as much energy as she did we would have been in that state for at least a week, probably closer to a month, and we would likely be fully comatose," Selina said as she stood up, a little wobbly, just as Mike walked through the front door whistling cheerily, "Now, I believe you asked for an explanation."
"So this girl is some kind of fairy from another world who was attacked by an ogre. An ogre that Bloom then somehow fought off. And all three of you have magic of one form or another," Vanessa asked them calmly while carefully replacing the damp cloth on the unconscious blonds head. Seeming to want to confirm the explanation given by her daughter's best friend. Bloom was little help as the girl was busy wolfing down everything Saline was bringing to her from the kitchen, seeming to eat faster the more she consumed.
"Ridiculous," Mike muttered from where he sat in his armchair as Marie raised her head from where she sat on the floor, "Correct. We also got Bloom entered into a very prestigious boarding school in the Magix kingdom. She needs to control her powers and unfortunately we were sworn to secrecy for so long we aren't sure how to help her to do so any longer."
"Ridiculous," Mike muttered again as he shook his head. Vanessa looked at the snowy fox, "Sworn by who?"
"My grandmother, Eldora," Saline stated before moving to get the redhead more food, "Marie there, is what's known as a familiar. She was bonded to Bloom since before they can remember so Bloom's birth parents must have done it before they left her on earth."
"How do you know about that?" Mike asked in shock as he jumped up. Vanessa had frozen on her way to help in the kitchen staring in horror at Saline before looking over to see how Bloom reacted. The redhead froze her fork midway to her mouth as all eyes turned to her. Shrugging she opened her jaws so wide they seemed to unhinge before snapping the massive hunk of beef off her fork and swallowing the chunk without chewing. She at least waited for the mass to pass down her throat before replying as she had been instructed by Vanessa through countless hours of training, "I don't get why you're shocked about that. It's pretty obvious, I mean, neither of your families have any redheads in them. Grammy, Grampy, Nana, and Papa didn't have red hair, neither did any of your great grandparents or their other children. I figured it out in like, sixth grade when we learned about Punnett squares and genetics. I had suspicions before, you know, with the whole you being normal humans and me being anything but. For goodness sake, Marie has been following me around since before I can remember, talking to me like Jiminy Cricket."
"You aren't mad?" Vanessa asked carefully.
"Why would I be? It's not the easiest thing to talk about, heaven knows dad will never stop thinking of me as his little girl to be protected. I figured you would wait till I was eighteen to tell me, that's what most people I talked to online said their parents did," Bloom replied as she began to carve another slab of steak into pieces, "Besides, why would I be upset you adopted me? Can there be any greater act of selfless love than adopting a child abandoned in a burning building… although I probably was the one that set that building on fire."
"How do you know about THAT?" Vanessa squeaked out in shock as Bloom went back to eating. Saline jumped in to answer in her place, "I knew I was adopted and when, Eldora told me when I was seven and asked why I didn't have parents. Turns out I arrived in some kind of magical anomaly that drew Eldora's attention. She described it like someone had punched a hole in the fabric of reality and I was what came out the other side. I did some research and found out that that same night a baby and a puppy were pulled out of a burning building by a young firefighter and that the fire vanished without doing any damage the minute they got them out of the building. The newspaper said the firefighter and his wife had adopted them both. I had already figured it out but seeing that it happened December tenth just hammered it home that that was Bloom and Marie."
"So you think Bloom is some alien or something?" Mike asked, staring at them oddly.
"That's exactly what she is," Marie replied as she got up and shrunk down to about the size of a house cat. She walked over and jumped up onto the table before turning and looking at the man, "You and Vanessa are the only Terrans in this house right now. I don't know who any of our parents were, if they were alive, and why we ended up on earth. What I can tell you is that in most of the galaxy children are such a blessing that most wouldn't even think of just abandoning one anywhere. That means something happened and we were sent to earth for safety."
"You speak like you've been out in the galaxy," Mike noted as he stared at the fox, his eyes narrowed.
"I have! I have been to several different worlds over the last decade. Eldora happened to know my people so she got me in touch with them. I'm nobility amongst the Familiars but that holds no real power in most galactic affairs. It's like saying I'm a noble amongst butlers," Marie said with cackling laughter that made everyone's hairs raise, "I have seen enough to know that if someone capable of sending three infants safely to another world was forced to do so, whatever it was wont be stopped by earthly means. And if any of us were the targets then we stand no chance against it as we are, Bloom especially since she has no handle on her powers."
Mike and Vanessa exchanged a long look, having one of those silent conversations only soul mates can before Mike looked back at the fox, "This school you want us to allow Bloom to attend. Will she be safe there?"
"I can't guarantee she'll be safe anywhere, even in a flagship at the heart of an armada. What I can say is that she'll be on a planet called Magix, the capital of the Magix kingdom in the core of the Kingdoms of Magic. She will be attending a school run by one of the champions of the Company of Light, the heroes against the Army of Darkness in a war that tore apart the galaxy two and a half centuries ago, and that three of the other members of that company are on the same planet close at hand. Not to mention every teacher at the schools there is a veteran of that war," Marie stated as she curled into a ball on the table, "I can't think of any place that could be safer and still teach her how to use her powers so she can defend herself if need be. It's a school renowned for high profile attendants such as heirs to royal families and champions of realms. Famous for training kings and queens to be great. I don't know why, but literally all I had to do was mention that we were raised on earth and the headmistress was jumping at the chance to get us into her school. Apparently she wants us to get off of earth and to somewhere that other magicals can watch over us as soon as possible. I think she might have been on the verge of having an aneurysm from rage when she found out someone had just abandoned us there until I told her my suspicion that whoever did it did it for our own safety."
"So she's trustworthy?" Vanessa prompted as she cleared away plates from the table.
"I am willing to put our lives under her care," Marie answered, curling into a ball and covering her face with her tail, "I would say that speaks volumes about her trustworthiness."
"Ngh," The blond groaned as she came back to consciousness. Sitting up she looked around herself before focusing on the people around her, "Hello, would you happen to know what planet I'm on?"
"Earth," Mike replied watching the elfin girl wearily.
"Drat, that brute's master really knocked me off course," The blonde hissed out before standing up and giving a curtsey, "I am princess Stella Ghrian Von Solaria, crown princess of the Kingdom of Solaria."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Bloom," Bloom said as she made her way over to the blond, her plate empty.
"You're the girl that saved me from that ogre right?"
"Sort of," Bloom said with an awkward laugh before moving on with introductions, "This is Saline…"
"Hello," Saline replied with a light curtsey.
"...Marie…"
The fox didn't move and faint snoring could be heard from its snowy frame.
...and my parents, Mike and Vanessa," Bloom finished, indicating the humans. Vanessa smiled at the blond while Mike nodded in greeting.
"Nice to meet you. Thanks for the help earlier, someone interfered with the teleportation spell I was using to head to Magix and sent me right into the waiting arms of that ogre," Stella said with a radiant smile on her face, her ears twitching excitedly, "You were amazing out there Bloom, I'm no slouch but the way you threw that tree at them and then burst into flames! And the raw strength you demonstrated! You must be insanely powerful! Are you signed up for Alfea? You could probably get in on merit of your raw power alone!"
"Apparently I am," Bloom replied, "Although to be fair I didn't know about Alfea until a few minutes ago."
"Ohmygosh!" Stella squealed in excitement as she grabbed Blooms hands, "If you didn't know that means you haven't seen it! I have a magical postcard that can let us look at the grounds, although we can't go inside the buildings! Do you want to see what the castle looks like?"
As if hit by a ton of bricks Stella froze as she held Bloom's hands. After a second she collapsed to her knees.
"Are you alright!?" Bloom, Saline, Mike, and Vanessa all asked as the redhead crouched down to help her up and the others moved closer.
"Your magic," Stella panting and leaning heavily on Bloom as her legs were like jello, "It's so warm and strong! It feels like the Heart of Solaria. How can you even exist? That much magic shouldn't be possible for a living being."
Everyone froze in shock and confusion as the girl pushed herself off of Bloom and wobbled away for a few seconds before leaning against a wall gasping, "Gods, that's unbelievable…"
"Is it that bad?" Saline asked, looking at Bloom with concern, the redhead was starting to draw into herself like she did when she felt guilty or uncertain.
"Not bad necessarily," Stella replied, "But for her to be giving off that much magic without channeling is incredible. The fact she's alive is incredible as well, it means even with all that power flowing out of her she still has reserves to spare. You have an insane potential girl. You're gonna kill it at Alfea."
"Won't I hurt other people by being near them?" Bloom asked uncertainty.
"It probably won't have as much effect on others as it does on me. Our powers are fairly compatible, what with you being fire and me being celestial light. Not to mention on this world you're like an oasis in a desert. On Magix there's power every," As she caught her breath Stella's voice became more chipper again, "Maybe we can room together! Princess Veranda of Calisto isn't going to be there this year so I don't have a roommate! It could be so much fun!"
"Why don't you girls go upstairs and look at that postcard you mentioned while the two of us talk," Vanessa cut through the conversation, her tone saying it wasn't a suggestion. Bloom and Saline moved towards the stairs with Stella following close behind. Marie stood up and stretched before jumping off the table and following after them.
"I think we should let her go Mike."
The blonde man looked up the stairs, "I hate to say this but I agree. I just wish it didn't have to be so soon. The fairy bit doesn't really surprise me, but an alien… it's a bit hard to wrap my head around"
"Knut! What happened?!" The echoing voice of one of his three mistresses rang out through the cave he called home.
"I had the scepter! I swear! But then some girl appeared out of nowhere! She brought a tree down on top of me then when one of my ghouls hurt her she exploded with power!" Knut cried out as he groveled before the shadows of the witches as they projected their will through the darkness around him. His arm was almost fully regrown by now, the new limb looking skinny compared to his other arm but quickly growing in size.
"A girl!? What did she look like? What was her power?" Another of the witches asked, silver eyes narrowing.
"Ugh, um she was um…"
"Knut," the third witch growled, "where are your glasses?"
"Right here mistress," Knut said, cringing as he picked them up off his bedside and put them on, the hideous pink rims clashed horribly with his yellow skin.
"Damn it Knut!" The witch shrieked at him before the first one spoke in his defense, "Hey, how dumb is it for a brawler like him to wear glasses into combat? They would get broken."
"Just because you have to wear glasses..." the third witch started before the second interrupted her bickering sisters, "shut up! Knut! How do you intend to fix this mistake!?"
"Ah! One of my ghouls hurt the girl who interrupted us and managed to get a scrap of clothing from her!" Knut said, glad for the little silver lining, "My hunting troll will be able to track her down! I was planning on returning once my arm finished healing."
"Good! Now listen carefully. If you retreat because anything short of a group of serofiber wearing hero trainees show up then it will be your LAST failure! Now GO!" With that the shadows thinned and returned to normal, leaving the sweating and shaking ogre alone with his thoughts.
"So this is your room? Wow!" Stella exclaimed looking around in genuine amazement. She seemed intrigued by all of the drawings Bloom had scattered on and around her desk, "Did you draw all of these? You're amazing!"
She shuffled through them for a second before suddenly blushing as she looked back at the redhead, "Sorry I'm being so nosy."
"It's ok Stella," Bloom said with a forced grin, "Just, what do you remember happening in the park?"
"You used your powers to save me," Stella replied as she turned to look out the window, "You snapped that tree like it was a twig then burst into flame after that imp slashed you. I don't remember much after that, but you don't need to worry. From what you said you're new at this, it makes sense that you wouldn't have full control over your powers yet. You were never taught how to."
Bloom nodded, relief flashing across her face before she frowned, "That reminds me I have to figure out what to do with Eldora. She won't be getting off easy for keeping this stuff from me."
"Well, how about a simple exercise in reversing a spell?" Stella asked innocently.
"NO!/NO!" Marie and Saline cried, both shooting up from where they had sat on the bed. The other two girls looked at them, Stella confused and Bloom disappointed.
"She has uncontrolled fire power and enough magic that the excess could affect a royal! She needs either professional instruction, or a fireproof area to practice," Saline explained before grimacing, "Preferably both given how much power she apparently has."
"You're right," Stella said after a few seconds, a sheepish grin on her face, "That was reckless of me. How about we look at Alfea? That doesn't require any magic from any of us, just a magic item."
"That sounds great," Bloom agreed, jumping at the opportunity to see more magic.
"This is a bottomless postcard," Stella explained as she produced a folded up piece of paper from the pocket of her dress. She opened it and set it on the ground before crouching as if ready to jump, "Just follow me!"
With a small bound she jumped onto the postcard and seemed to be sucked into it, like water going down a drain. In a flash of light she was gone.
"Stella?" Bloom asked uncertainly as she and Saline approached the card.
They both jumped back with a yelp as a voice came from the paper, "What are you waiting for? Come on in!"
Bloom stepped forward first, surprised when her foot met no resistance and immediately fell into the card, bringing her body crashing to the ground as her entire leg disappeared inside. Bubbling laughter burst from both the other two in the room as well as from the inside of the card.
"Shut up!" Bloom growled as she pushed herself up to give her other foot room to get in. As soon as the last strands of her blazing hair disappeared into the card Marie jumped after her. Saline followed last, missing by mere seconds the sound of faint banging on the back door.
She landed in the post card just in time to see Bloom run face first into the invisible wall as she tried to move closer to the building. She could only stare in shock as Stella and Marie dissolved into giggles while Bloom picked herself up, "What?"
"This is just a pocket dimension with an image of Alfea," Stella explained through giggles. Looking around Saline was amazed to see the massive castle. It was different from a european or asian castle. The building was gigantic and made of a pink stone. The large courtyard was encompassed by a gigantic wall with a dozen towers all of which were made from the same stone. The roofs were a deep blue and the main building seemed to be made of three parts. The center keep was a four story affair with a large domed roof that had windows indicating a fifth floor. To the left and right were large tower buildings, each of which looked like a keep unto itself, that each stood at least twice as tall as the main keep The three keeps were connected by a double story building. The full structure formed a half circle inside the outer wall with a well at the center of the courtyard they formed, halfway between the two towers. The walkway leading to the keep was lined with lamp stands that seemingly had no lamps on the end of them.
"An impressive building, right?" Marie said as she walked to Saline's side, her head on a swivel, "It doesn't really translate from the flier but looking at it now I can see it should be easily defensible. The towers are properly built and I would wager there's probably magic defenses built into the stonework. The tower keeps provide good points for air defenses and the walls seem both tall and thick enough to hold off an attack."
"Are you serious right now? You see this amazing castle and all you think of is how it would hold in a fight," Saline sighed out as she looked around at the beautiful architecture.
"Of course, war is what I was born for," Marie replied as she moved over towards Bloom. The redhead looked at her familiar, confused, "What do you mean you were born for war?"
"Well since she can communicate she's at least a High Familiar. Most of them were bred specifically for the guards of royals and heroes or nobles of some sort. A lot were engineered to hold knowledge so they wouldn't need training. My bodyguards had some, but none quite as beautiful as her," Stella said as she walked over to pet Marie. As Bloom processed that Kiko burst into the postcard in a panic, squeaking loudly.
"Kiko? What's wrong!?"
"Something must be going on outside," Stella said as she glowed with magic, transforming back into her fairy form with its shining orange outfit. She jumped up and the object's magic drew her out of the postcard. Bloom and Selina exchanged concerned looks as Marie followed the fairy out of the card. Selina followed after with Bloom in last.
When they emerged they heard roaring from downstairs accompanied by shouts and screams. Stella was already out the door and flying with Marie following behind her, having grown to the size of a dog again. Bloom and Selina charged after them as Stella went over the banister into the sitting room below and Marie cleared the stairs in three bounds. They arrived on the scene in time to see a massive blue troll and a yellow ogre accompanied by dozens of imps tearing apart the living room.
"WHERE ARE THOSE GIRLS!" The ogre was screaming at Mike and Vanessa who were backed into a corner, Mike using his body to shield his wife.
"RIGHT HERE! SUN BURST!" Stella exclaimed as she leveled her staff at the ogre's back and fire a bolt of light at him. He spun around just in time to catch the bolt to his chest, causing him to scream in pain and bat at his now burning overalls. Marie wasted no time darting forward, slashing the imps with razor sharp claws of magic and crushing them within her powerful maw. As soon as the troll saw Bloom it let out a mighty roar and charged at her, taking her by surprise as it body slammed her into and through the wall and back into the sitting room. Selina let out a cry of shock and created a magic circle in the air, aimed at the troll, "ANANTA!"
A gargantuan snake, bigger than an anaconda and with seven heads, shot out of the circle and bit into the massive creature, dragging it off of Bloom. The redhead didn't stay down for long, she was up and pissed in seconds as the Troll struggled to get the jaws and coils of the snake off his body.
Marie was having trouble killing all the imps, they just seemed to keep increasing. She killed one and two more would take its place. As she darted through the living room, seemingly wreathed in shadows from her near continuous stream of kills she noticed that the imps seemed to have devoted their entire focus on her. She rapidly turned, bursting around the continuing battle between Stella and the ogre and shot towards the back door, intent on leading the nuisances outside so she could get a better grasp on their numbers.
Stella fired off rapid bursts of light at the ogre, staying in continuous motion as it tried to grab at and punch her. She couldn't use any of her more powerful spells, they required too much charge up time and focus, things she didn't have to spare right now as she avoided yet another punch that probably would have shattered her bones if it connected. She needed more space to move in, so she could get out of his range of attack. Seeing Maire burst through their battle, leading the imps outside Stella shot after her, intent on getting more space. The ogre managed to catch up just as she made it into the kitchen, its hand slamming into her back and knocking the wind out of her as it shot her towards the kitchen window.
In the sitting room Bloom and the serpent were struggling with the enraged troll, trying to contain or incapacitate it. The beast was dragging two of the serpents heads off of its body when Bloom struck with a vicious haymaker, the crunch of bone clear as its jaw broke. It let out another bellow and tried to strike the redhead but its arms were grabbed by a head each, restraining it enough to allow Bloom to dodge the attack. The redhead tagged back in as it turned its attention to the snake again, delivering a flurry of jabs to its gut before administering a sharp uppercut that produced more crunching bone sounds. The troll screamed in pain and rage before throwing its entire body forward, dragging the snake along with it as it slammed into Bloom and took her into and through the wall of the sitting room.
Marie was trying to contain the ever expanding number of imps when two things happened nearly simultaneously. Stella was thrown through the window, slamming into and killing a number of imps as she ragdolled across the backyard before tumbling to a stop on the grass, her staff landing nearly a meter behind her, embedded in the ground. At almost the same time the wall of the house burst outward as Bloom, the troll, and a rapidly dematerializing snake tumbled along with the debris through the hole. Selina tried to follow but she only made it about halfway across the room before collapsing to her knees in exhaustion, her magic spent. Everything stood still for a second before the ogre emerged from the back door, his face, chest, and arms covered in burns and the top of his overalls mere ribbons of cloth that thankfully still held the bottoms up.
As the troll shoved itself up to rejoin the fight a red dot appeared on its forehead. Seconds later its head disintegrated into red mist as its body collapsed. Two shadows fell from the sky as a pair of young men landed in the yard, one had blonde hair the other burgundy, both wore skin tight blue bodysuits with white accents and a teal cape and held transparent weapons in their hands. They both burst into motion, eviscerating imps at a rapid pace, the blonde using a blue sword and shield while the other fought with a purple cutlass in each hand. The ogre let out a surprised yelp as a third boy landed, this one the brunette from Stella's phone with a massive green zweihander. He brought the blade slashing down towards the beast who threw up an arm to defend itself, the blade sunk into its forearm nearly halfway through before stopping. The ogre twisted its body, throwing the brunette who didn't release his sword out towards the imps just in time to dodge another shot from the sniper that impacted the brick wall where its shoulder had just been. The brunette twisted in midair and slashed through three imps to clear his landing area, going into a roll and coming up in a fighting stance.
Marie was helping Stella get up when the troll stood back up, half its head regrown but clearly enough for it to fight. Before it could jump into the fray though Bloom's leg smashed into its knee in a viscous low kick that sent the joint bending in the wrong direction and the beast crashing to all fours. Less than a second later its head and a massive portion of its back were mulched as another sniper round tore into its body, bringing the beast down again as the golden bolt stayed embedded in its torso. With the troll downed again Bloom rushed over to Stella to help her. Almost as soon as she reached her the blonde grabbed her wrist, "Aim your palm towards the ogre and hold your hand flat like you're going to push a door shut."
Bloom did as instructed and felt a rush of… something. It reminded her of that feeling she got whenever she managed to cause something to explode or burst into flames. This time instead of something random happening though an orb of orange light burst into existence in front of her palm, growing bigger and brighter by the second. The feeling didn't go away either, it continued to flow, slower and more measured than the normal rush she was used to. After a few seconds Stella whispered into her ear, "Now let go."
She shouldn't have known what the blonde was telling her to do, she had no practice or experience with magic. If anyone had asked her that morning how to release a spell she would have said she had no idea. Now, it seemed like the simplest thing in the world as she breathed in and pulled that slow seeping feeling running down her arm back into her body. As soon as she did the orb shot forward, slamming into the ogre's face and sending him ass over teakettle.
"So that was magic..." Bloom said as she stared at her hand. Stella smirked before wincing and clutching at her ribs, "Awesome right?"
As it stood up the ogre looked around quickly, taking in his troll defeated and the imps benign slaughtered faster than the multiplication magic could recover and finally at the green sword wielding warrior moving back towards him. With a growl the ogre brought up its hands to clap them, it didn't get the chance. Its right arm was torn off, a golden bolt stuck in what remained of its humorous bone. It let out a roar as it fell on its back, blood gouting out of its stump. The beast seemed to recognize that the swordsman was still approaching; however as it raised its remaining hand and slammed it into the ground, a burst of inky black smoke engulfed its body as the zweihander swung down towards its chest. The blade struck the stone of the patio and sliced through it, revealing the ogre had vanished.
"Damn, this one got away," The brunette growled as he pulled his blade out, "Timmy, bring the ship over, we need to get the troll into containment before it regenerates."
"On it." A second voice cut in as the gem on the brunette's cloak holder glowed. The brunette turned to help his companions only to see the blonde slice the last imps head off with the edge of his shield.
"I got thirty three," The burgundy haired boy said proudly as he stowed his swords away.
"It's not a competition," The blond said as he deactivated his shield and stowed his sword. He was silent for a second as the redhead glared at him, clearly about to say something before the blonde continued, "But I got thirty five."
"BULLSHIT!" The redhead growled as the blonde laughed.
"Guys, guys, relax. We all did great on our first mission," the brunette said as he stowed his own blade.
"Not to interrupt your little party or anything," Bloom said from where she now stood by the trolls body again, her hands on her hips and a clearly annoyed tone in her voice as she brought her foot down on the trolls back, caving its chest in to interrupt its regeneration as the bolt had been ejected by its rapidly healing flesh, "and it's not like I'm not grateful for the help but, who the hell are you guys?"
"They're the specialists Bloom," Stella said as she limped over, leaning heavily on Marie so as not to put pressure on her left leg. She was holding her ribs which were rapidly bruising as was much of her back, "An order of fighters who work to maintain peace and stability across the galaxy. They work kind of like a police force that acts independently and sometimes alongside planetary police forces."
"So like the FBI?"
"Something like that or Interpol," Marie affirmed before Stella began introductions, "The brunette here is Prince Sky of Eraklyon, the blonde is his squire Brandon, the redhead is Riven, and their sniper is Timothy."
"We call him Timmy for short," Brandon said as he walked over to Bloom with a smile, drawing his blade again before plunging it into the troll's back and wiggling it back and forth to enlarge the wound.
"Nice to meet you all. I would invite you to sit down but the troll sort of wrecked my sitting room," Bloom said, glancing into the room in question just in time to see Mike rush over to help Selina stand and Vanessa came running out and glomped onto her, crushing her in a tight hug. A sudden wind storm seemed to blow up causing everyone to cover their eyes as chunks of plaster and wood flew through the air. After a few seconds the storm stopped and a door opened from nowhere three meters off the ground. A ramp extended out as another blonde, this one with glasses on his face, descended, a massive crossbow like weapon slung on his back and a box in each hand, "The barrier is active so no one should notice anything odd in this area."
"Thanks Tim," Brandon said as he walked over to meet the other blonde who handed over one of the boxes he was carrying.
"I'll take the medkit," Sky said as he approached, reaching out for the other box which Timmy readily passed over.
"Where's the repair tools?" Riven half demanded as he walked past Timmy up the ramp.
"Second chest after your locker, grab me one two," Timmy replied as he moved to see how he could help.
Brandon rapidly constructed a dome around the downed troll, Once the pieces were assembled he pressed a button on the box activating the device. The cage levitated itself and the troll before fully encasing the troll within its confines. Pressing several buttons on the box he began to direct the cage to the ramp and up into their invisible ship. Sky was meanwhile administering aid, and the occasional peck on the cheek, to Stella who looked quite happy in spite of her wounds. Once he was done he moved to see if any of the others needed treatment. Stella's bruises were already beginning to fade as the magic and advanced medicine went to work on her body. Riven emerged from the ship after Brandon had gotten the troll inside, a strange gun like device in each hand. He tossed one to Timmy, who fumbled the catch but managed to grab it before it hit the ground, and began to use the device on the back door. The device scanned the door and after a few seconds began to shoot out rays of light, rapidly repairing the cracked out entryway. Timmy was doing the same to the shattered wall of the house while Mike, Vanessa, Selina, and Bloom looked on in shock.
"Are you sure you don't want to come back with us Stella," Sky asked as the others returned to the ship, the repairs on the house done.
"I'm sure hero. The Peters were kind enough to invite me to stay with them and I intend to take them up on that offer. I can get them to Magix quickly tomorrow after all and Bloom and Selina need rest," Stella replied with a soft smile.
"Alright, I shall count the hours until we meet again," he whispered before kissing the back of her hand and departing. Their ship took off and it was like nothing magical had happened at all that night.
"Hurry up Bloom, we have to go!" Stella yelled up the stairs. She was impatiently tapping her foot as she waited. Marie was stretched out on the carpet while Selina combed her fur, "She wasn't aware we were leaving then she didn't have time to pack yesterday. Cut her some slack."
"But we have to make it in time for orientation! I will not be spending the first evening of school in Griselda's office getting lectured."
"Are you sure we can't come see the school?" Mike asked from where he sat in his chair, twiddling his thumbs in worry.
"No, Marie was right. You won't be able to get in. We'll have to arrange a meeting at a later date with Miss Faragonda," Stella replied as Bloom came rushing down the stairs with her suitcase stuffed as full as it would go, "Sorry!"
"Alright! Let's go!" Stella exclaimed as she raised her ring overhead and teleported the three girls, fox, and luggage away.
"They'll be alright Mike."
Mike stared at where they had been just seconds before, "I hope you're right dear. Cause there is absolutely nothing I can do if you aren't."
"You wanted to speak to us, Faragonda?" Griffin asked as she materialized out of the room's shadows, her body still partially made of the intangible darkness. On the other side of the room Saladin had emerged from a door of light which had appeared on her bookshelf then vanished.
"Yes, I felt I shouldn't keep this from you anymore given they will start arriving soon," Faragonda said calmly as she sipped her tea.
"You mean your students?" Saladin asked as he sat down, helping himself to the cup of tea set out for him.
"Yes, but more specifically who will be among those students," The Headfairy replied, a smile on her lips.
"You don't mean…" Griffin started before Griselda cut her off, "Five of their names have been confirmed as attending Alfea this year."
The Headwitch glared at the younger looking fairy who simply glared back. After several seconds of the deadlock Griffin turned her attention back to her old friend and rival, "So, it begins again. Just like you said."
Faragonda smiled at her over her teacup, "It was never a question of if it would, only when my love."
