Author's Notes (Disclaimer): I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor Winx Club. They are owned by Tetsuya Nomura and Iginio Straffi.
Chapter 3 – The Fall.
After they had finished watching the sunset, Bloom and Stella had returned to help Flora set up the tent which took one hour to do so due to the instructions being so frustrating.
Once it was set up, the three girls had their dinner and started a small campfire. Ghost stories and opportunities in the outside worlds were discussed to pass the time. Bloom had even brought in her guitar to sing a few songs...
Eventually, the girls decided to call it a night and go to bed in order to rest up and prepare for tomorrow. The dark starry sky was very peaceful and no clouds were in sight – everything was calm for now.
Bloom, Stella and Flora were all sleeping together due to this being the only tent that was brought from the main land of Gardenia Island. It was a little cramped, but nobody complained. The three girls were together and that was all that mattered.
Two hours later had passed since the three girls had fallen asleep – it was now midnight. So far, the dark blue sky wasn't showing any sights of breaking the peace.
It was unfortunately shattered when someone stepped out of the tent and onto the sandy beach of the play island – it was Stella whose face was one of fear and disappointment.
She couldn't get any sleep at all due to twisting back-and-forth in the tent and trying to block out Flora's snoring. Not to mention the dreams that she was currently having…
After waking up and sneaking out of the tent without alerting her two best friends, Stella decided to get some fresh air and clear her thoughts. She reached her destination, which was the docks and sat down to think.
Stella couldn't help but sigh at the fact that she and her two best friends hadn't figured out a way yet to get off Gardenia Island and explore the outside worlds. It was very frustrating!
Although she didn't want to admit it, Stella felt like a prisoner in this tiny world. She wanted to be freed from the shackles of Gardenia Island and go out in order to explore the rest of the universe.
She knew that there was a way off Gardenia Island… but where exactly? That was the question.
The blonde sighed. "Ugh… this is so unfair. Why are we stuck in this prison of an island when there's a whole universe out there to explore? I want me and my friends to be able to leave. If only there was a way…" She looked down at the calm ocean and rocked her feet.
"There is a way." An unknown voice came and reassured her.
Stella turned around and was surprised at what she saw – a mystery figure wearing a purple cloak with the hood raised, purple pants, gloves and boots. A silver zipper was in the middle along with two braided pull strings. Its' voice was that of a female speaking.
"W-who are you?" Stella asked slowly as the cloaked figure chuckled. "Me? I was once an islander just like you… that was a long time ago." She explained and looked at the dark blue sky with the stars.
Stella couldn't help but feel happiness – she was speaking to an outsider! A person from another world! The blonde couldn't believe that this was happening! It was like a dream come true!
The blonde had so many questions on her mind – where did this person come from? What brought them here? Is their home world still there? Stella couldn't hold it anymore – she had to ask!
The cloaked figure chuckled and looked at Stella. "You probably have questions about me, yes?" She asked to the shocked blonde who just nodded.
"Very well, then… allow me to explain – I, like you, was once a simple islander living a normal life with my two sisters. Unfortunately, as the years passed – I started to feel like a prisoner… I wanted to escape my home and see what was out there. My two sisters tried to convince me that nothing good would come if I left my world – I didn't bother to listen to them nor my parents. As the years passed and I grew older, I tried many methods to escape and explore… nothing worked unfortunately. Until one day when I made a big discovery that allowed me to leave my home. Hence the reason I'm here…" The cloaked figure explained.
"Why are you here exactly?" Stella asked with the figure replied immediately. "I'm here to help you leave the island – you'll be able to explore the outside worlds along with your two best friends." The blonde couldn't help but be intrigued by what her guest said.
"Hmmm… what exactly is the catch?" Stella asked suspicious.
"No catch, dear. I know what it is like to be a prisoner – trapped on this tiny island whilst thinking about all the things you can do if you ever escape to explore the mysteries of the universe. If you don't want to believe me, that's fine. I'm sure you'll be able to-" The cloaked figure was cut off by Stella getting up and grabbing one of its gloved hands.
"No! Wait, don't go please!" The cloaked figure didn't move and stood still like a statue. Stella sighed in relief and began to speak. "Yes, you're correct. The truth is… I do feel like a prisoner – always living on this tiny island and wanting to leave so I can explore the outside worlds. My friends and I tried so many times to think of ways to get off our home, but they haven't been successful at all. Don't get me wrong, I love Gardenia Island and the people. But it can get a bit boring around here. I would do ANYTHING to leave with my friends and see the outside worlds." Stella explained.
"Anything?" The cloaked figure asked.
Stella nodded. "Then, dear… my offer still stands – I can help you leave your home and give you all the things you need to explore the outside worlds along with your friends. Provided you do exactly as I say…" The figure said.
Stella contemplated on the cloaked figure's offer – if she agreed, then there was a chance that she would be able to leave the island and explore the universe. If not, then she along with Bloom and Flora would no doubt remain prisoners on this tiny island.
The blonde didn't want that – she was tired of being a prisoner on this small island! She wanted to be free and explore! Stella had made her decision.
"Alright, I'm game. What do I need to do in order to escape Gardenia Island?" Stella asked without a hint of hesitation in her voice.
The cloaked figure chuckled lightly. "It's really quite simple, love. All you need to do is tap the power that is hidden within your heart. Concentrate and channel it with all your might – think about how you want to escape Gardenia Island and explore. Now, focus and show me!" The figure ordered.
Stella closed her eyes and began to concentrate – she started to think about how she felt like a prisoner while living a normal life on the island. She imagined herself finding a way to leave Gardenia Island with her two friends. It was like a dream come true.
A dark purple aura enveloped Stella's entire body – suddenly, she felt stronger and more powerful. Desires of wanting to leave the island popped up in her mind along with being in the arms of Bloom and showing her different worlds.
Seconds later, the dark aura disappeared as Stella looked down with her eyes closed. "Well, dear… how do you feel?" The cloaked figure asked.
Stella raised her head and opened her eyes – surprisingly, she didn't notice a change in them. Instead of golden-brown irises, they were now dark purple. The blonde grinned. "I feel… wonderful. So strong and powerful…" Stella explained.
"Excellent work, love. You've just completed the first step in escaping your home. Now for your next task… follow me please." The cloaked figure extended a gloved hand for Stella to grab.
She did without hesitation and walked alongside her mystery guest. The blonde was in ecstasy! She was finally going to leave the island along with her two best friends! Nothing would get in their way…
(Later in the tent…)
"Bloom! Wake up! Please wake up!" A sleeping Bloom was currently being pushed by a scared Flora who was trying to wake her best friend.
The pushing paid off as Bloom gave a heavy yawn and opened her sleeping eyes slowly. She noticed that the culprit responsible for waking her up was Flora who had a scared look on her face.
Bloom placed a hand on her mouth to block out another yawn and then rubbed her eyes. "Fl-Flora… what's going on?" She sleepily asked that question.
"Bloom, thank goodness they didn't get you yet…" Flora said with a hint of relief in her voice to a confused Bloom who yawned yet again.
She blocked out the yawn and looked at Flora with her eyes half-open. "Who didn't get me exactly yet? Flora, what are you talking about?" She asked.
"Bloom, something is happening outside and Stella is nowhere to be found!" Flora yelled and that awoke Bloom completely with a look of shock on her face.
She looked at Stella's bed bunk and noticed that it was empty – the blonde was indeed gone! "W-where's Stella, Flora?" Bloom asked with worry in her voice.
"I don't know, to be honest! I was sleeping peacefully when I heard thunder coming from outside. I stepped to see what was going on and I was shocked – dark black clouds covered the night sky. There was no rain which was strange… I started to search the entire place for Stella when I saw that glowing yellow eyes were staring at me from the ground. I panicked and ran back to the tent so I can wake you up… I have no idea what's going on and Stella is still missing! Bloom, I'm scared to go out again!" Flora admitted along with tears falling from her eyes.
The orange-red haired girl smiled gently and wiped the tears from Flora's eyes. She then proceed to hug her friend. "Flora, don't cry please. I don't want to see one of my two best friends leaking tears. Right now, I need you to stay here and be safe. I'll go out and search for Stella… Once I find her, we'll come back and get you. Understand, Flo?" Bloom asked.
Flora nodded with a small smile on her face. "Please… stay safe, Bloom. I don't want to lose you or Stella. Be careful, dear… for me." The brown-haired girl pleaded.
Bloom giggled as she got out of her bed and slipped the yellow sandals on her feet. "Aren't I or Stella usually the ones who tell you to be careful?" The orange-red haired girl asked as she exited the tent.
Once making sure it was closed, she took one look at the sky and was shocked at what she saw. Flora was right – dark black clouds covered the starry night and thunder could be heard coming from them. Yet, no rain was visible…
Bloom was confused as to why there was a storm tonight – the weather report stated that in the next few days, the sky was going to be peaceful and clear with no clouds in sight. What a strange turn of events…
The orange-red haired girl shook her head – no time to wonder about why there's a storm right now! She had to find Stella and fast… but where was she?
Bloom looked around for any signs of the blonde and surprisingly she spotted her – standing still on the small island across the bridge. The orange-red haired girl wasted no time and ran towards her best friend.
Taking the short route through the small shack, she climbed up the stairs and opened the door leading to the bridge that connected the small and big island. Bloom was hoping that Stella would be able to answer a few questions as to why she decided to run off while there was a storm going on.
After making it across the bridge, Bloom stood in front of Stella who had her back turned and her eyes closed.
"Stella, there you are! Why did you run off like that? You scared Flora to death! What's going on? Why are you out here in this storm?" Bloom asked these questions immediately.
Stella didn't give her an answer and instead looked at the sky. "Our freedom is here, Bloom…" She simply said.
"What…?" Bloom was confused by what Stella said.
The blonde turned around and smiled at her friend. "I've found a way off Gardenia Island, Bloom! Now we can finally go out and explore the outside worlds!" Stella declared with joy in her voice.
"What are you talking about, Stella? How have you found a way? We need to go back and get Flora! This storm isn't safe for any of us!" Bloom argued as Stella opened her eyes and replied back. "Take Flora and let's go!"
Bloom couldn't believe what she was hearing – this wasn't the Stella she knew. Something was wrong… and it didn't help the fact that the blonde's irises weren't their natural golden-brown color. They were now dark purple…
"Bloom, I know that right now you are probably confused. But don't worry about it – once we step through the door, I'll explain everything. Don't you realize that this our chance to leave the island? We may never see our parents again, but this is the only way! We can't let fear stop or overtake us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Stella declared without hesitation as she extended her hand for Bloom to grab. A small smile was plastered on her face.
"Stella…" Bloom whispered quietly – what was going on exactly? This wasn't the Stella she knew…
Just then, Bloom was shocked to see the darkness had appeared beneath Stella. Tendrils began to wrap around the blonde's sandals and legs as the orange-red haired teenager stepped forward to save her friend. Unfortunately, Bloom was caught in the darkness as well.
"Stella… please grab my hand! I can't help you!" Bloom pleaded as she tried her best to grab Stella's hand.
The blonde continued to smile. "You shouldn't be afraid, Bloom… take my hand and together we'll explore the outside worlds along with Flora. I promised that I'd protect you after all." Darkness has wrapped itself around her entire legs, the skirt and the upper part of her body along with Bloom as well.
The orange-red haired girl tried her best to grab Stella's hand, but it was no use. Soon, the darkness engulfed both her and the blonde as their vision became black...
Soon, a small light came out of nowhere – it grew bigger and bigger. It was then that Bloom's vision had returned and she found herself on the small island yet again, but Stella was nowhere in sight!
The orange-red haired girl felt something heavy in her hand. Looking down, she was surprised at what she saw – a gigantic key-shaped weapon!
It resembled a long classical skeleton key with the blade being completely silver while the teeth formed an outline of a crown, its guard was bright golden while the rain-guard was blue. The handle was gray and its keychain that extended from the hilt was silver. Its token was a mouse head.
Bloom had no idea what this mysterious weapon was and how it landed in her hand, but she did hear a small voice whisper something in her ears:
"Keyblade… Use the Keyblade wisely, Princess Bloom."
The teen looked around for the source of the voice but didn't see anyone. She just looked at the object and sighed. "Keyblade, huh? Well… I guess I have to make good use of you."
Bloom put away her Keyblade and started feeling guilty about losing Stella to the darkness – how would she be able to tell any of this to Flora? The poor girl would be devastated to hear that one of her friends was gone…
"Bloom!" A familiar voice called out to her – it was Flora herself!
"Flora, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay in the tent!" Bloom protested.
Flora looked away. "You were gone for a while now and I was starting to get a little worried. Did you find Stella?" The brown-haired girl asked.
Bloom couldn't help but sigh. "Flo… I'm sorry, but… Stella is gone. She disappeared from the island." The teenager broke out the bad news to Flora who gasped in shock.
"Oh, no! Stella…" Flora looked at the ground and was about to cry when Bloom grabbed her by the shoulders. "Flora, don't worry about Stella. Even if she did disappear, I bet she's still alive and somewhere safe. Right now, I need you to follow me and do whatever I tell you to do – understand?" Bloom asked as shivering Flora.
"Bloom, I d-don't know… I'm scared. With this storm that's going on right now and Stella disappearing… I don't know if I'll be able to pull it through." Flora admitted.
"I know you're scared, Flo. Believe me when I say this – I'm terrified as well. But I need you to be brave and stick right behind me. I'll get out of this mess and we'll both find out where Stella is. Will you be able to walk through the darkness with me?" A brave Bloom asked Flora who was still being afraid.
Suddenly, she looked at Bloom and nodded without hesitation. Even in the deepest darkness, there is always a light to guide you. Right now, Flora needed to be brave – for both Bloom and Stella's sakes.
Bloom gave her best friend a smile and hugged her. "Alright, Flo… first things first – let's find a safe place to hide from this storm and fast. Any suggestions?" Bloom asked.
"Well… we can't hide in the shack or in the tent. Too dangerous and risky – I suggest we go and stay in the Secret Place until this storm blows." Flora suggested to Bloom who nodded.
"Good idea, Flo! Let's go!" Bloom wasted no time in grabbing Flora's hand and the two ran towards the entrance leading to the Secret Place. Once crawling and entering the large cave, the two girls sat down and took deep breaths.
"Whelp… we… made… it…" Bloom wheezed out her words very slowly. Flora nodded – she was also tired from running towards the Secret Place.
The two girls wiped the sweat off their faces and relaxed to gather their thoughts. Their plan was to await for the storm to pass and figure out what exactly they should do next in order to find Stella.
Everything was quiet as Bloom began thinking about what exactly was going on right now – first, a mysterious storm shows up out of nowhere and then Stella disappeared from the island after declaring that she wasn't afraid of the darkness. So much for a cool and calm summer…
The silence was broken by Flora who spoke. "Bloom…?" The orange-red haired girl looked at her friend. "Yeah, Flo? Something on your mind?" Bloom asked.
"I was just wondering… if we ever get off Gardenia Island, will we be able to find Stella?" Flora asked.
"We've got to find her, Flo… who knows what kind of trouble she is in right now. We can't just leave her – she's our best friend." Bloom told her.
"I know, Bloom… I just… hope she's okay." Flora said with worry in her voice about Stella.
"Me too, Flo. Me too…" Bloom hugged her best friend in order to comfort.
The sounds of thunder could be heard from the cave entrance – it seems like the storm was continuing to go on…
"Blasted storm… why hasn't it cleared up yet?" Bloom cursed with a hint of anger in her voice.
"I don't know Bloom… it's really strange – there was no mention of storms for the next couple of days. All they said was that it was going to be clear and peaceful…" Flora explained.
"All the more reason to believe that this wasn't just a coincidence. Someone brought this storm here and I bet the person responsible also made Stella act weird as well. We've got to find him/her and get to the bottom of this!" Bloom declared.
"But how will be able to do that? We don't even know where or who he/she is… how are we going to solve this mystery?" Flora asked.
Bloom sighed. "I don't know, Flo… but I do know-" A loud gust of wind interrupted the orange-red haired teenager as she and Flora got up to investigate.
What they saw shocked them – the wooden door that they had seen a hundred times was opened and heavy wind was blowing out of it.
"What's going on, Bloom? Why is the wooden door opened!?" Flora asked with full fear in her voice.
"I don't know, Flora! This wooden door was supposed to be locked, but now it isn't! I don't understand why!" Bloom replied as the heavy wind began to get stronger.
Bloom and Flora started to feel the wind's strong force push them back. They attempted to hold their ground, but it was no use.
"Flora, find something to grab and hold onto it quickly!" Bloom ordered her friend.
Flora nodded and was about to grab one of the rock columns when a large wind torrent threw the brown-haired girl out of the cave much to Bloom's shock.
"FLORA!" Bloom yelled as the wind torrent threw her out of the cave as well and into the sky. There was no sign of Flora unfortunately…
Bloom looked and gasped in horror – a huge ball of dark energy was being formed and she was flying directly towards. She attempted to escape but it was no use… the heavy wind torrent had caught her like an animal in a cage.
Seeing no other way out, Bloom closed her eyes and prepared for the inevitable end. Before she came into contact with the dark energy ball, she thought about her two best friends Flora and Stella who were no doubt lost and confused, her home that was going to be destroyed and her mother Vanessa…
Bloom's last thoughts before the contact came were these:
"Flora… Stella… Mom… I'll see you all in Heaven. I love you so much along with the people of Gardenia. Goodbye…"
And thus… the adventure of Princess Bloom – the Chosen Wielder of the Keyblade had begun.