I'm not 100% happy with this chapter. Something about the end... I might come back and re-write this chapter when I edit this one and the previous two.
Solving Problems Without Magic
The morning of the first day of the girl's punishment, Griselda met them right after breakfast and led them to her office. Onyx had excused herself from lessons so that she could tutor the other girls in the theory that they were missing, and she didn't want to leave the girls alone in their punishment; that would build resentment, which was the last thing she wanted considering her already fragile relationship with most of the girls.
"The loss of your powers was only the first stage in your punishment." Griselda informed them.
"Uh, what's the rest of it?" Flora asked hesitantly.
"You may not leave campus for the next two days." Griselda informed them.
"We have to veg out all weekend?" Stella didn't let Griselda finished what was clearly going to be a list of instructions they were going to be doing. "Not exactly a punishment, Miss G."
"Stella!" Tecna protested, recognising the seriousness of the situation.
Griselda clapped her hands, and a little glowing ball appeared, before separating and forming into cleaning supplies. "There will be NO vegging out. You will clean the entire school from basement to belfry using these cleaning implements. Here you are, Miss Stella." She handed stella mop. "Your new best friend!"
"What a curious looking remanent of primitive technology." Tecna opened her mini-computer and started typing. "Perhaps there's an online manual in my-"
Griselda closed her computer. "You won't need a manual, Miss Tecna."
"Oh, no manual?" Tecna looked honestly lost at the prospect of going forward without her manual.
"Don't worry, Tecna. It's not that complicated." Musa said reassuringly, grabbing her own mop.
"Yeah, the only manual we'll be using is manual labour." Flora agreed.
"Exactly, if we had a manual for the labour, we'd be more efficient and-" Tecna completely misunderstood what they'd been trying to reassure her off, causing the others to laugh. "What's so funny? I was not joking."
"That's enough!" Griselda shouted, causing the light hearted laughter to stop. "Leave no paperweight undusted. Now, yet to work!"
The girls decided to start in the Lecture Hall as a group, before splitting up and moving onto different areas. Onyx, as the only one with magic, was dusting the beams and corners while Flora and Tecna cleaned the chairs and Bloom and Musa cleaned the floor. Stella was simple sat on a table, cleaning her nails.
"So… I was wondering… what is a Battle Fairy?" Bloom asked Musa and Atella, unaware that Onyx's hearing was good enough to hear her despite being on the other side of the hall and up in the rafters.
"Battle Fairies haven't been seen for a while," Musa admitted. "They're different to most other fairies. They don't choose their occupation; they are born into it."
"Not much is known about how they know they've been chosen," Tecna abandoned her attempts at cleaning the chairs to join the conversation. "It's said that they just know. They'll see the name or the face of the person that they are to protect, and at some point, they'll leave to protect that individual in question. I heard off the Battle Fairy who stood for Princes Diana, she left her home when she was twelve and spent two weeks traveling in cargo ships across the galaxy in order to reach the Princess in time to save her from an assassination. And after that she never left the Princess side."
"I heard that battle fairies don't take on the looks of their people; they all seem to have a colour they naturally gravitate to. Which, now I think about, explains why Onyx chose such a dull and boring colour. She's naturally drawn to it." Stella laughed, cleaning her nails.
"And what… what do Battle Fairies do?" Bloom asked hesitantly, worrying her lip.
"They protect." Flora answered at once. "Life, nature, the right and wrong of things. But most of all, they protect their charge."
"And… and I'm Onyx's charge?"
"Yes," Tecna nodded. "It makes sense from what she has said, and the way she acts around you."
"Girls," Onyx hung upside down from the rafters, duster and natural cleaning spray in hand. "You are the ones who are supposed to be cleaning, not me."
"Right sorry." Bloom blushed brightly.
"And, if you have questions about Battle Fairies, I don't mind answering them." Onyx pulled herself up right and continued working her way through the rafters.
"Wouldn't it be quicker to chance transform and dust up there?" Musa questioned as she picked the mop back up.
"Probably," Onyx jumped to the next set of rafters which were three metres apart. "This is more fun."
"Are we ever going to see your fairy form?" Stella asked curiously.
Onyx paused in her cleaning. "If you see me in my fairy form," she looked back to make sure that all the girls knew how serious she was being, "Then it means things have truly gone to hell and lives are about to be lost."
With those ominous words she returned to the task of cleaning. If they could get their job done quickly, then it meant that they could spend the rest of the weekend relaxing. Once the rafters were clean, Onyx moved onto cleaning classrooms while Tecna and Flora took the hallways and Musa, Bloom and Stella remained together.
As lunch approached, Onyx returned to Bloom who had been feeling far too cheerful since not long after she'd left them. She found the three girls lying on the floor laughing and soaking wet, as a very confused Flora and Tecna returned.
"What happened here?" Tecna questioned, confused.
"Are you guys okay?" Flora asked, worried.
Onyx just sighed. She knew exactly what had happened, and why; Bloom had started a water fight, likely after Stella had refused to help.
"Bloom taught us a great Earth sport called 'water fight' and I won!" Stella laughed joyously.
"Oh please, you did not win. I did!" Musa disagreed, also laughing.
"It's not funny!" Flora protested as the girls continued laughing hysterically.
"What if Griselda sees this?" Tecna questioned.
"Indeed. What if?" Grisalda stepped into the doorway with her arms crossed, and a disapproving frown on her face.
"Busted!" Musa sat up from her reclined position, but didn't sound too contrite.
"I wanted to let you know that Charm Life is playing Magic Stadium tonight…" Griselda informed the group, causing Musa and Stella to quickly wipe the soap of themselves while Stella got to her feet, confused by the sudden excitement and energy. "…and all of Alfea will be there. Do you know this group?"
"I've got all their CDs!" Stella admitted, smiling happily.
"Good thing. Because since you have a lot of cleaning left, you won't be attending the show. Perhaps one of your classmates will pick you up a T-shirt." Griselda words caused Stella to deflate. "We'll be leaving in twenty minutes, and I expect the castle to be spotless when we return. Onyx, will you be staying?"
"Of course, miss Griselda." Onyx nodded.
As they happened to be into self-punishment, the girls went to the window in order to watch as the rest of the school bordered the busses.
"It's just us," Bloom sighed in disappointment as the last bus left the quad.
"That band's bunk, but anything beats cleaning duty." Musa sighed, slumping onto a chair.
"I've got an idea, let's call up the boys!" Stella proposed.
"Right." Flora said slowly. "I'm sure they'd just flip at the prospect of helping us clean."
"Well, we'll just say, uh, we need some Heroics and Bravery." Bloom suggested, liking the idea of inviting the boys over but not sure how to convince them to come.
"But won't Griselda be angry?" Tecna frowned worried.
Bloom shook her head. "She said 'no magic' but she never said we wouldn't get any assistance from our favourite heroes."
Stella discarded her cleaning supplies. "Yes! And we know they can't resist a call from damsels in distress."
"Quick!" Musa looked to Stella and Bloom – the only ones they knew to have their phone numbers. "Call 'em before they leave for the show."
"This'll be awesome!"
"This isn't going to end well." Onyx sighed.
If it wasn't for the fact that Faragonda, Wizgiz and Griselda would be able to sense any cleaning spell she used for up to five hours after being cast, she would have just cleaned the entire school and been done with this mess. Although, her using the cleaning spell would probably go over much better than the girls inviting the Red Fountain boys over for a little unauthorised party. As it was, it wasn't in her nature to protest this cause of action since it wasn't something that endanger the physical, emotional or mental well-being of her friend. Instead, Onyx opted to go to the kitchens and make something for the group to eat as well as ensuring that the area was put through a complete clean down while she was at it.
Since it was where food was kept and prepared, she felt better knowing that it was handled before the boys arrived, just in case they got side tract and their job wasn't done properly. Once the kitchen had been done, Onyx felt that she had done more than enough to elevate the majority of the burden from the girls and that they'd be able to handle the rest on their own in a reasonable amount of time – especially if the Red Fountain boys actually chose to help.
Onyx headed outside in time to see the boys arrive on their bikes, Sky in the lead.
"You guys didn't waste any time, did you?" Stella laughed as she ran over to greet Sky.
"So, uh, exactly what kind of heroics and bravery do you girls need?" Sky questioned.
"We'll show you," Bloom smiled, leading the boys into the school before explaining. Onyx dropped to the back of the group where Riven was following with a scowl, clearing noticing that they'd been tricked.
"Sorry about this." Onyx apologised to her friend. "But you don't have to actually do anything, and I've prepared food and drink."
Riven was glade for the out that she gave him when he realised that he'd been brought here to help them clean. He didn't particularly like the music that was being played out at the concert, but it was the principle of the matter. Missing the concert for work was one thing, missing the concert to do chores was another thing entirely. Especially when he'd been assigned to the stables for the last week, and would be in the kitchens the next week; Red Fountain felt that responsibility came in many forms.
"Oh, come on, it'll be a blast." Bloom smiled winningly. "Now take your weapons boys." She tossed Brandon and Sky a mop each, which they caught with ease. Timmy nearly dropped his mop.
"Riven!" Bloom went to toss the mop to Riven, but Onyx intercepted it so that it wouldn't clatter to the floor when Riven didn't catch it. his posture very clearly said he wasn't going to be part of this cleaning effort.
"Riven has kindly volunteered to assist me with preparing some food for you to enjoy when you're done." Onyx got Riven out of the cleaning without an argument ensuing.
With the sound of Musa's beat box playing, Onyx led Riven into the kitchen where there were several platters of bite sized sandwiches and cut up fruit already prepared and waiting.
"Doesn't look like I need to help you with much." Riven observed.
"Just making some jugs of drink to share, and bringing it up for everyone." Onyx agreed. "I prepared this while waiting for you guys to arrive."
"Good thinking."
"We can wait in our dorms living room, that's where the group will re-join us when they're done. Most of the cleaning has already been done, it won't take them long to finish." Onyx grabbed the platters while Riven picked up the two pitchers. A quick application of magic had the cups levitating behind them.
"Magic is very useful when you don't have enough hands," Riven glanced over his shoulder, amused at the floating cups.
"We could have just used a tray to carry everything at once," Onyx pointed out.
"True, or just take two trips." Riven shrugged.
"One problem, three solutions."
"This table a good place for them?" Riven motioned to the 'social table' which was in the open area before their bedrooms.
"Yeah, that's a good place. And you can take a seat where you like. Or that door leads out to the balcony, if you want to avoid socialising." Onyx put the sandwiches down next to the drinks, making sure the cups landed centre table.
"Which drink do you want?" Riven questioned.
"Orange."
Riven poured them both a drink each, and Onyx made a plate with a selection of sandwiches before taking them out to the balcony. They'd just closed the door when the others came into the living room.
"The cleaning is finite. It's time to get the party started. And DJ Musa is at the tables! Let's see… Hah!" they heard Musa cheer through the doors just as music started blurring from not only in the living room, but across the school.
"At least she's got good taste in music," Riven leant on the balcony, holding out the second cup for her to take. Onyx simple floated the plate between them so she didn't have to keep hold of it, or try and balance it on the arm of the chair.
"Musa regularly chooses the music we listen to for that reason," Onyx smiled, turning and looking back at the school so her back was leaning on the balcony.
"How's the bolas training coming along?" Onyx questioned.
"My accuracy is not consistent at a distance," Riven admitted reluctantly. "And I need practise using it against a close combat weapon, although I can get around shields now."
"Do you want me to practise more often with my sword, as my staff isn't exactly close combat?" Onyx offered.
"Fighting against your staff is doing us both some good. Perhaps, splitting evenly? I'll also split my own training evenly between bolas and phantoblade." Riven offered in turn.
"Making time for hand-to-hand in between, a bout not ending with a disarm?" Onyx returned.
"Sounds sensible." Riven hummed before turning around and leaning back on the balcony like she was. "Think we should go in there?"
"I'd rather not. It's all hormone city in there. Bloom's crushing on Brandon, Stella on Sky and Tecna on Timmy. And of course, Musa's crushing on you." Onyx took a sip of her drink.
"I'm not sure how I feel about that last one," Riven muttered.
"Well, is there a possibility that you might be attracted to her?" Onyx decided to offer relationship advice. Her friend was just as emotionally stunted as she was and, like her, would struggle to put name to the emotions he was feeling.
"Objectively, Musa is a very attractive girl." Riven admitted. "Other than that, I don't know. I don't feel a desire to get to know her to any closer of a degree than I do the other girls."
"Then don't treat her any differently than the others, and I'll do my best to stop her flirting with you and asking you out. Can't promise to make her stop completely, but I'll do my best."
"I'll appreciate it."
Onyx suddenly straightened up, frowning as she felt a magical search from within the school. The only people presently in the school were in the Winx' living room, so there shouldn't be anyone casting magic.
"What's wrong?" Riven questioned, hands drifting towards weapons.
"There's…" Onyx stopped as a second, darker search came from the same location. This time, a summoning spell. "Someone just summoned a creature from limbo."
"Well, looks like I get to fight something after all," Riven smiled at Onyx as her watch became her staff and Riven brought out his phantoblade in its long form instead of splitting it into the two, three-pronged, weapon.
They entered the living room, interrupting what seemed to be story time from the Red Fountain academy boys.
"Why do you have weapons drawn?" Bloom questioned, shocked.
"Someone's summoned a creature inside the school," Onyx informed them. "Boys, you're going to have to partner up since the girls don't have the magic to defend themselves. Groups of four: Timmy, Musa, Flora, Brandon and Riven are one group. Stella, Bloom, Tecna and Sky you're the other group. The creature was last in the entrance hall, so we head in that direction. Keep your eyes open for the people who summoned them as well, we start together. Only split up if necessary."
"Who put you in…" Stella started questioning just as the ground shook.
"Not the time to argue, Stella. Let's go." Onyx got them moving.
Onyx led the group through the school to where she'd felt the magic residue, but ended up diverting into a classroom which had been destroyed just off the wall.
"Half the wall is gone." Brandon frowned at the destruction.
"See anything?" Musa questioned.
"Onyx's is right, it's some kind of creature. A big creature." Tecna frowned at the floor.
"Can you determine what type?"
"It's three meters tall and weights close to a ton. Its fur is bristly, not soft, it walks upright, has horns in addition to multiple quad limbs and it gives off a foul, musky odor."
"Minotaur." Onyx identified.
"Resistant skin. It's going to be tougher to take down than a troll." Riven grumbled, "Timmy, your blaster isn't going to do much good. Did you bring the net with you?"
"Yeah," Timmy agreed just as the ground shook once more.
"Good, everyone else. Phantoblades out." Brandon instructed. "Let's go."
"Girls, stay back. We don't want you getting hurt, but wondering off is a bad idea because of the magical wondering around" Onyx warned her fellow ferries as they got moving.
"Any idea who'd summon a minotaur?" Sky questioned.
"The three witches," Bloom suggested.
"It would make senses." Tecna agreed.
"In which case. Stella, you stay with Bloom. And you both stay where I can see you." Onyx instructed. Whenever the witches were involved, Stella ad Bloom always ended up as the targets.
They followed the destruction caused by the Minotaur stalking the hallways, until they finally caught up with him in the hallway by the potion classroom.
"Girls, stay back; distraction only. Boys, lets go." Onyx kept it short and sweet. Strategizing in such small quarters, especially when she didn't know much about their group fighting, wouldn't do her much good. She could fight alongside Riven easily, and he could now fight alongside the others, but she didn't fit into their team fighting style.
"Timmy watch for an opportunity to use the net, Riven you're on left with Onyx. Sky with me." Brandon quickly rattled off a plan.
Riven launched high for the shoulders, while Onyx went low for the knees, giving the other two an opportunity to get around the Minotaurs right side. With two angles of attacks, they barraged the minotaur.
Sky got clipped by one of the minotaur's swings, sending him stumbling into Brandon. This left an opening for the Minotaur to charge at Timmy. Timmy stumbled back, grabbing his blaster and trying to use it but it wasn't slowing the beast down.
"Timmy," Riven launched himself between Timmy and the Minotaur, taking a blow which sent him through a wall.
"Riven!" Onyx shouted angrily, lunching herself onto the Minotaur's back and driving her sword into his shoulder – enhancing her muscles with magic so that she could actually get the sword in instead of it glancing off like it had been before.
The minotaur roared with pained anger, flailing and spinning in circles.
"Timmy, the net!" Sky called.
"Right." Timmy threw a corner to Brandon who used it to wrap around the minotaur, but was unable to get it's arms.
"Here, maybe this will help." Stella appeared with buckets of soapy water.
"Slips up." Bloom agreed, throwing the water down.
The minotaur slipped on the wet floor, landing on its face.
"Secure it's arms." Brandon called, tying the net together to keep the legs trapped.
"Right," Timmy pulled out some rope and moved to help tie the minotaurs hands together before tying them to the body with the help of Sky. Only then did Onyx remove her sword, banishing it until she could clean it, and jumping through the wall Riven had gone through. She found him lying unconscious in the piles of rubble.
"Is he okay?" Musa questioned as everyone else climbed through the wall to join her.
Onyx frowned as she placed her hand on Riven's head, focusing a she scanned him for injuries. Nothing was broken, but Riven had a concussion which was what had knocked him unconscious. And he was going to have quite a few bruises in the morning, but he'd be okay.
A pulse of magic had Riven awake, and another soothed the concussion. She wasn't skilled enough to heal a head injury completely, but she could reduce the damage done so Riven could function and think straight.
"Uh, I won't be doing that again." Riven muttered, accepted Onyx hand so he could get to his feet. "The minotaur's secured?"
"Very," Sky confirmed.
"Riven, thank you." Timmy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Meh, don't sweat it." Riven waved him off.
"Hey look," Stella pointed down the corridor where there was a purple duck stumbled to it's feet.
"A duck." Musa blinked.
"We all know who's being stalked by a duck: Icy." Bloom pointed out.
"So we know for certain this is the witches doing." Tecna frowned.
"Yeah, they must be after the Ring of Solaria again. But I know just how to trap them." Bloom announced. "Come on."
Bloom led the way to the headmistresses' office. "When they can't find the ring, they're bound to go to Faragonda's office to use the all-seeing crystal ball of Alfea."
"If they haven't already." Flora pointed out.
They entered Faragonda's office to find it untouched.
"Doesn't look like they have." Sky glanced around.
"They will, and when they do, we'll ambush them." Bloom said strongly.
"I'm not happy with that plan." Onyx frowned.
"I think they're coming." Riven tilted his head, listening.
"Oh, I don't know." Flora worried.
"It'll be fine." Musa reassured her.
"Everyone hide!" Bloom instructed.
Although the group dived behind various pieces of furniture, Onyx simple coated herself, Riven and Timmy in magic to hide them from sight. The others had managed to get out of sight in the dim light of the room, but Timmy hadn't and Riven hadn't bothered since he knew Onyx could hide him.
The three witches entered the offices, not even having the curtsy of glancing around to make sure they were alone.
"Interesting." Icy looked at the brightly glowing crystal floating in front of her. "The Whispherian Crystals are responding wildly. That means the Dragon Fire is in this room. But I don't see a thing, guess we'll just have to trash the place and do a thorough search cause I'm not-"
"You're not trashing anything!" Bloom announcing stepping out of her hiding place. "Hit the lights, Riven!"
"You are so surrounded!" Stella laughed as everyone came out of hiding.
"What are you doing here?!" Icy demanded.
"This is our school that you chose to attack. What are you doing here?" Onyx pointed out coolly.
"I think the question is, what are you all doing here?" headmistress Faragonda voice came from the doorway.
The three witches didn't hesitate, teleporting out of the room immediately. They knew that they were no match for the headmistress.
"There's a minotaur detained outside the potion's classroom, and quiet a mess in the corridors leading from their to the entrance hall." Onyx lent against the wall. "Sorry about using your office to set a trap."
"It's quite alright ladies. Although, might I ask what the boys of Red Fountain are doing here?"
"We sent a message asking for assistance dealing with the Minotaur when I felt it being summoned." Onyx lied quickly and believable. "As I was the only one with magic, and I was uncertain of the threat present in the school."
