Hey, everyone! I'm back with another update! (It feels so good to be updating so often!)
Thanks to everyone who has clicked on this story so far! I send all of my love to you. You have all been such great readers so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
*If anybody is a new reader, you can find the most recent story summary in the previous chapter (chapter 6).
Reminders: I sometimes get confused between all of the versions of Winx (original, 4Kids, Nickelodeon, and Rai). No plots/characters/transformations/etc from the second half of season 5 and later will be included. I am aware there is now a Mythix transformation in the show - the Mythix transformation in this story was created before, therefore, it has no relation. I haven't watched Winx in a very long time, so some of my knowledge might be rusty. Please correct if you see anything wrong.
Thanks so much! Enjoy!
The Obvious Wishes
Sobbing.
Other than that, silence filled the cabin.
Bloom struggled to breathe.
Nick couldn't contain his tears and sobbed loudly.
"I loved Aisha, Bloom. She was so important to me, but she- she's gone!" he wailed. Nick gripped onto Bloom, pulling the stunned fairy into his arms.
"Aisha's dead?" Bloom muttered, still completely in shock. Nick nodded his head.
"It's been three years, but I-I can't. I can't let go of her. Something is keeping her inside of me!" Bloom pulled back from Nick.
"No," she insisted, shaking her head. This wasn't right. This couldn't be true.
"Yes, I do love her!" Nick insisted. Bloom shook her head, scrambling back from her brother.
"No. This can't be happening…" Bloom mumbled. "She's alive. I just seen her. She was at Alfea with us…"
"I don't know what's going on with you right now, but screw off!" he growled, anger surpassing his sadness. "You know how much I loved her – you know how much it broke me to see her dead! You know, Bloom, so don't pretend this still hurts for you! It doesn't!"
Bloom stared unblinking. Nick resumed his cries.
Aisha was dead.
She couldn't believe it.
There was no way that was possible.
She had just seen her in the flashback, just moments earlier! If she would have died three years ago, that would have been when they were only seventeen years old.
Shadow Haunt.
Bloom couldn't remember how to breathe again. Her head spun.
She felt like she was going to be sick. She turned to the side, just in time to empty her stomach one again. Her mouth burned from the acid that was in her empty stomach. She wiped her mouth on her shoulder and slammed her eyes shut.
"I-I gotta go," Bloom mumbled. She stood up from the floor and headed towards the area covered in morphix – objects could exit, but objects couldn't enter.
"No – wait!" Nick scrambled up from the floor and reached out towards Bloom. "I-I'm sorry. I just miss her and-" Bloom shook him off of her.
"Screw off," she growled. "Princess Bloom – Mythix!" she cried. She transformed into her new transformation and headed towards the morphix wall.
"Bloom, wait!" Nick chased after her once again, but she shook her head.
"No! I need to see her. I need to see Aisha. You're really messing with me right now, Nick," Bloom snapped. Nick narrowed his eyes at her.
"What in the Dragon is your problem!?" he questioned. Tears still streamed down his face, this time from both sadness and anger.
"My problem is that Aisha is my best friend! All of those girls are. If anything happened to them, I wouldn't know how to survive."
"Bloom, I have no idea what you are talking about, bu-"
"Goodbye, Nick." With that, Bloom jumped through the morphix and began flying towards the closest planet. She wasn't exactly sure which planet it was, but it didn't matter at this point.
She was trying to remember the instructions Nick told her earlier to do with transporting herself places, using fire.
"All you really need to do is feel the fire. Right now, there's a direct link that's fairly strong since they're both youthful fires. It's the best time to transport. You just stick your hand in the fire and you'll feel… I guess a rope type thing? You'll need to grab onto it and it'll bring you directly to the next fire. Just make sure you're always focusing on the other fire and the connection, just so you don't get lost."
Make a fire at the origin.
Light a fire at the destination.
Put hand in fire.
Grab rope.
Focus and transport.
Bloom focused on the steps ahead of her, trying her hardest not to pay attention to the whirling thoughts inside of her head.
As soon as she was trying too hard not to think of anything, all of her thoughts came swimming back at once.
Aisha is dead.
Bloom shook her head.
No. Not possible. She just watched her in the flashback. If she died three years ago, they never would have met and they never would have gone to Alfea together.
The flashback…
Bloom's heart thudded sharply as she realized that she faintly remembered that flashback from her previous life.
It wasn't a flashback after all.
It was a memory.
Bloom felt even more sick.
Her one piece of evidence that proved that Aisha could not have died wasn't even true.
That "flashback" was a memory from the time that Sky had stood her up for a date. It was by accident, of course, but it still hurt. The girls tried her best to comfort her, even though she was blowing the whole situation out of proportion. That had been from her previous life, not the life she had just been transported into.
What if Aisha had died?
Nick told her that she died three years ago – which would have made her seventeen. At that age, she hadn't been to Alfea yet and she was attacked by Lord Darkar. Bloom remembered when they first met – she had just escaped Shadow Haunt with her pixie. Her life was in the balance between life and death. If the Winx hadn't found her when they did, she wouldn't have survived.
So, what if the Winx never found her?
Aisha would have died that day.
Bloom's heart clenched at further realizations.
Nick and her family had no idea who she was talking about when she mentioned any of her friends or Winx.
Nick hadn't recognized Alfea.
Nick hadn't recognized any of the girls, except for Aisha.
The whole time the princess had been living in this new world, she had been thinking that her family was just forgetting who her friends were.
What if, all of this time, there was nothing for them to even remember in the first place?
Fear petrified Bloom. What if she never went to Alfea? What if she never became friends with her group? What if the Winx Club never came to be? What if she never met the guys? What if she never saved Aisha?
What had she wished for?
She touched down on the sandy ground of the planet. As fear coursed through her, she cleared an area and filled it with kindling.
No. Not possible. Aisha must still be alive.
How could her simple wish of being on Domino change her whole life?
Bloom refused to believe it.
She couldn't.
If she started to believe, then she would fall apart.
Bloom remembered Nick. How come he was so upset? What did he mean when he said he loved her? The pain on his face was real, which scared Bloom deeply.
She had to be alive.
Bloom lit the pile of dry twigs and focused on doing the same on Andros. She stuck her hand inside the dancing flames, wincing when her hand entered. As soon as she got over the shock of putting her hand inside fire, she focused of the water planet. She thought of the sandy beaches of Andros. She thought of the warm waters, filled with mermaids and other beautiful sea creatures. Bloom could almost smell the salty waters. Bloom visualized one of her best friends, as well as her parents – the royal family of Andros.
A rope materialized in Bloom's grasp. She gripped it tighter and, suddenly, she was gone.
Bloom emerged from the flames along the sandy coast on a beach on Andros. Bloom extinguished the fire in front of her, as well as the fire from her origin. She transformed back into her civilian outfit, leaving her in her training gear. She surveyed the area and tried to tap into her knowledge about Andros.
If she was correct, the main city was only a few minute walk to the North. After that, it would be pretty easy to navigate to the castle.
Bloom shivered when she focused on her thoughts from before she landed on the previous planet. What if Aisha was dead? What if she never met the Winx?
She shook it off, placing it in the back of her mind.
Her wish could not have changed too much of her life. Sure, it changed her family life majorly, but that was to be expected. Her wish directly impacted her family life – it made sense what happened!
Her friends though…
No. Not possible.
She had merely wished that she stayed on Domino. That couldn't have changed her whole life. It was impossible.
Her thoughts were interrupted with a high pitched beep. She fished out her phone from her pocket quickly.
"The heck?" she grumbled as she looked at the display.
Incoming call – Dee
The contact picture was one with a girl under a masquerade mask. The features that were visible were striking; platinum blonde hair that cascaded down her back in waves, and her amber eyes sparkled like a jewel behind the mask. Bloom rolled her eyes.
Of course.
The contact picture had to be a cryptic one! No, it couldn't show her actual face and connect the identity to the Dee.
She shoved her phone back into her pocket and continued her walk into city square.
The city was just like she remembered it. This thought sent a wide smile onto Bloom's face. It was just what she needed to get her mind into a happier state. Her day had been a disaster so far – nothing was the same. Nothing was how it should be. Seeing Andros was untouched sent a spark of hope through Bloom.
The spark was the only flash of light in the sea of darkness for the fire fairy. The darkness quickly snuffed out the light, and Bloom groaned internally.
Why did making wishes have to be so hard? How come she never though of the obvious consequences that came with her wish?
Her friends had tried to warn her, but she just brushed them off.
Now look where it got her.
Another shrill beep interrupted Bloom. She frowned and dug out her phone once more.
Incoming call – Dee
"Ugh, who in the Dragon is this!?" Bloom groaned. She stuffed her phone back into her pocket and continued to walk towards the city.
A beep came from the fire fairy's pocket once more.
She didn't even bother pulling her phone out. She already knew it was "Dee" calling her. She didn't want to talk to anybody, especially if she didn't recognize them. What was she supposed to say?
"Oh, hi, I have no idea who you are! My other little sister? Great!" Like that would go over well.
Another beep.
Bloom groaned, but continued walking.
Another beep.
Bloom's frown deepened. Couldn't people leave her alone!?
Another beep.
The princess had enough. She tore her phone out from her pocket and glanced at the blinking screen.
5 missed calls – Dee, 7 text messages
Just as she was putting it back in her pocket, it went off again. Before she could help herself, the phone was up in flames.
She winced as she watched the piece of technology burn. Bloom always had a good handle on her powers; not once did she accidently light something on fire. Except for right then.
All through the day, Bloom had been experiencing tingles of power in the palms of her hands. She thought those hums of power were just from adrenaline – what if it was actual power? What if she didn't have control over her new found powers?
What were they again?
Oh, yes, the White Flame.
Bloom felt fear while she watched her phone crackle and melt. What if she couldn't control these new powers because they were exactly that – new? Bloom remembered her struggle to control the Dragon Flame in her previous life. Would she have to reliving learning her new powers?
She shook her head. Those were questions for another day.
Bloom dropped the burnt body of the cell phone, extinguished the flames, and continued walking.
Was she ever done with the day already.
The red haired princess entered the city center. The market was open, and the smell of freshly baked goods hit her nose. She closed her eyes and let her senses get overrun by the aroma of the market.
She could almost taste the sourness of freshly picked berries. Her nose tingled from the salt water that was constantly in the air. She could feel the flames flickering from a candle stand across the courtyard. There were many adults talking around the vendors, as were there children laughing.
A sense of tranquility washed over her.
Yes, everything would be back to normal shortly. She just needed her friends.
Bloom was roughly pushed from behind.
"Hey!" she complained, spinning around to see who had pushed her. Her eyes connected with a young boy's. He had blood red hair and dark brown eyes which danced with excitement
"Sorry, miss!" he called, running past her. Bloom's annoyance melted away, being replaced by the feeling to joy once again. She smiled softly at the boy clearly pleased boy. She watched as he ran up to a toy vendor, quickly picking out his favourite from the pile. Bloom kept walking, heading into the direction of the castle.
That young boy reminded her of herself, in a way; all the way from his hair colour to his sparky personality.
Bloom chuckled to herself.
That young boy actually reminded her of her brother.
As soon as she thought of Nick, her smile fell.
Instantly, she was brought back to the moment she left him on their ship headed for Domino. The pain on his face nearly tore her to shreds. She barely knew this young man, yet she couldn't stand the thought of him in pain. His anguish was real, which made every step she took harder.
What if she should have believed him?
What if Aisha was truly gone?
Bloom quickly dismissed those thoughts. She could see the castle now – no need to get caught up in sadness.
She walked on the bridge that lead to the home of the royals, but stopped as something caught her attention. In the corner of her eye, she could see flowers resting against the cobblestone railings. Bloom's eyebrows pushed together in confusion.
What were the flowers doing there?
Bloom slowly took a step towards the flowers, curiosity overwhelming her. She took a few steps towards the bouquet, and, slowly, more flowers and tokens became visible.
Those items almost looked like a memorial…
No.
She dismissed her fear as being caused by her worries and her imagination and strode over to the bundle of objects on the ground.
Bloom froze when the whole area came into view.
It was a memorial.
Her eyes landed on a picture that was in the centre of the trinkets.
Chocolate eyes, dark brown hair, glowing skin, and a radiant smile.
Bloom's heart practically froze in her chest. Her breath got caught in the back of her throat.
Nick was right.
Bloom dropped to her knees at the base of the picture.
Aisha.
Bloom's heart broke when her eyes caught sight of all the items that were left in honour of her best friend; coins, toys, flowers, pictures, and letters.
'In memory of Crown Princess Aisha of Andros,' the scribble across the bottom of Aisha's portrait read.
She didn't know what to feel.
She couldn't feel anything.
She was completely numb.
The pieces of her heart that were left intact from the previous tragedies of the day shattered.
She hurt.
She closed her eyes and let a few tears escape from behind her eyelids.
What had she wished for?
It was so hard to write this chapter! Aisha is one of my favourite characters, so having her die really hurts me. When I was drafting this story, I really wasn't sure what to do with Aisha. I knew I wanted her to have an arranged marriage with Nick, but I couldn't decide if she should have been kept alive or not. In the end, I felt it would make most sense if she had died that day, at the start of season 2. She won't just be thrown to the side - she's a very important person in both of these royals on Domino! Expect to see her discussed some more in the upcoming chapters.
I apologize if this chapter came off rushed! I find it very difficult to write emotions when it comes to characters dealing with grief. I used to be able to do it well, but it's going to take some time for me to be able to get to the level of writing I was at before. Hopefully, this chapter came off with both of the characters dealing with anguish and heart break. I would also like to point out that Bloom is very confused and in a lot of pain this chapter - if she doesn't act exactly like herself, it is due to her pain. Anguish often makes people do things they wouldn't normally do/act unusual.
Some questions I pose to all of you reading - who is Dee? How did Nick and Aisha know each other?
I love reviews so, so, so much. I thank those that reviewed last chapter! Unfortunately, there weren't too many of you! I love seeing your opinions on what I write - even if it is simply one word. It just makes me extra sure that I am headed in the right direction with this story! It doesn't take too long to let me know what you thought of while reading. I accept any guest/anonymous reviews, remember! If you are reading this story, let me know that you are and what you thought! I love seeing how passionate you guys are. It makes me super excited about my writing. Plus, reviews are my fuel - they help keep me motivated.
Once again, a big thank you to those who reviewed my last chapter!
Thank you so much for reading! Let me know your thoughts in a review.
Much love,
Paw
P.S. I have the next chapter written. I can't wait for you to read it!