Chapter 11- Shifting Alliances

"What in the universe…" Bloom whispered as she approached the remains of the Alfea school. Her blue eyes were wide as she took in the carnage. "So much destruction…"

Some Alfea students who were working on clearing a pile of rubble suddenly noticed her approaching and stopped what they were doing. They backed away slowly and Bloom stopped her stride and stared at them curiously. She glanced behind her and looked at the students again. 'They look afraid. What's got them so scared?' She cautiously took one more step forward and the students screamed and ran for the nearest intact section of Alfea. 'They're scared of me?'

"Leave them alone Bloom!" shouted a familiar voice. "You lay one hand on any more of my students and you'll regret the day you came to know the magical universe." Bloom turned and saw Ms. Faragonda being supported by Timmy and Tecna. Despite the fragile state she was in, Ms. Faragonda was staring her down, as though she were daring her to try anything at all. "Haven't you done enough to my school?"

'Haven't I?' Bloom blinked then frowned. 'What are they talking about?' "Where is it?" Bloom called out, deciding to err on the side of caution and not move toward her friends. "Where is the thing that's done this?"

"We're looking at her." Roxy said quietly. She looked tired and her eyes were red, as if she'd been crying. "Why, Bloom?"

'I did this?' Bloom's thoughts began to swirl and she felt a wave of confusion and fear run through her. 'I couldn't have… I was at Domino…'

You're that powerful thing that escaped the Death Realm. Mathias' comment echoed through her head. You need to be stopped before the balance is completely upset.

Mathias' voice was replaced by Ciaran's cold voice. The balance will never be achieved until your destiny is fulfilled little princess. Bloom covered her ears and closed her eyes tight, her pulse pounding in her ears. Many different futures have been foretold. In both the good and the evil futures, you are a key role. You could be the universe's savior like you've been thus far, or its bane like you were nearly two years ago now.

'Am I the universe's bane?' Bloom asked herself silently. She looked back at her friends, who'd surrounded her. 'Did I somehow do this?' Her gaze turned again to the ruins of Alfea. Then her gaze fell to her hands. Splaying her slender fingers before her, she stared at her hands and felt the energy hum within her. 'The balance between good and evil has been shifted…'

Stella's voice interrupted Bloom's train of thought. "Solar flare!"

Bloom looked up and a bright, shining arc of light energy came at her. With an instinctive roll out of the way, Bloom avoided the attack. She glanced up and saw the Winx were now in the air, fully transformed and glaring down at her. Layla raised her hands and threw a blast. "Tidal force!"

A wave of morphix energy rose up before Bloom and towered over her. Bloom threw up her hands as the energy fell upon her and with one calculated sweep of her arms the energy disappeared completely. She turned toward her friends again. "Don't try that again." She warned. Then she realized how her warning was to be taken.

"Call of Nature!"

"Sonorous scream!"

Musa and Flora's attacks came flying at her and Bloom concentrated her energy again and dissipated them easily. "Seriously…" Bloom began when she was cut off by the flash of a weapon swinging toward her. She barely dodged it and swung her foot around, making contact with Riven's stomach and sending him flying. Helia and Brandon closed in on her, with grim expressions and weapons drawn. Bloom leaped up as their weapons swung in to land blows. She landed lightly on Brandon's sword and pushed off his weapon to vault over Helia, landing with cat-like grace behind him. "I don't have time for this!" she snapped irritably.

Bloom whipped around to escape when hands clamped onto her wrists and held her fast. She looked up into Sky's intense blue eyes and almost cried when she saw the fear, doubt, and uncertainty reflected in them. "Sky…"

"Enough Bloom." Sky said resignedly. "You've done enough."

Anger bubbled up in Bloom then and she narrowed her eyes. She had done enough, and yet here she was being treated like she was unwanted and dangerous. "I know I have Sky. You should know too." She glanced coolly down to where his hands encircled her wrists. "You'd be wise to let me go and continue anyway."

"I can't let you continue." Sky said softly, his pain evident in his voice. "You've hurt the one's you love with all of this Bloom. Stop. Let us put an end to this."

Bloom's heart fell as she listened to Sky's words, but she retained her frustration and fury. 'How can you, of all the people in the magical universe think I've done this?' Bloom thought angrily. She fought her outrage and spoke in an even tone, "I need to stop whatever it was that came through the portal…" Bloom's own voice began to crack and her vision began to blur as tears formed. She was losing her anger to confusion and anguish. "…I need to stop it whatever the cost. Even if you all don't trust me, I still love you. And I'll do anything to protect you all." With that said Bloom drove her knee into Sky's gut and broke from his grasp as he crumpled before her. She turned from her friends and scrambled as fast as she could into the forests.

"It wasn't there."

Dropping out of his brooding thoughts, Mathias glanced up and saw Bloom approach him. Her demeanor suggested she was shaken and uncertain about something. Immediately he disregarded his observations and returned his focus to his purpose. "Then we return to the Death Realm." He turned and prepared to open the portal when she stopped him.

"No."

With a sigh, Mathias turned back to the young fairy. "We made a deal."

"I said I wanted to take care of the evil that came through that portal first." Bloom walked straight up to Mathias and looked him in the eye. "I haven't stopped it yet. I-I'm not sure what it is even." When she bit her lip and looked down, Mathias could have sworn she looked just like Daphne. "You have to understand, I'm doing this to protect Daphne as well as my friends."

"From what I understand, these are the same friends who broke you out of the Death Realm. I saw how they treated you at Alfea. They attacked you, said they wanted to put an end to you." Mathias said calmly. "Why help them?"

" Because they're confused! They think I attacked Alfea, but I didn't! I…" Bloom trailed off as uncertainty flashed in her blue eyes. "…didn't." She took a deep breath and looked at Mathias again. "Give me time. I will go back to the Death Realm… just give me time to hunt down this thing and stop it. Come with me if you have to, just give me the time."

Mathias examined Bloom. "You're very determined, that's for sure." 'Like Daphne.' he thought to himself. "What makes you think you're innocent in all of this, Bloom? How do you know you aren't doing this?"

Bloom was silent for a moment as she regarded Mathias. "I don't… but if you're with me and I do… do something, stop me. Drag me back to the Death Realm. I don't care, so long as I take care of everything for my friends and family."

'You're as selfless as your sister too…" Mathias chewed his lip in thought, then nodded in agreement. "Alright. I'll help you hunt down this thing. We'll take it and you back to the Death Realm." He turned and waved his hands to open a portal when her voice interrupted him again.

"Thank-you." Bloom said quietly.

Guilt seeped up in Mathias and he fought it down as best he could. 'She shouldn't be thanking me,' he thought as he opened the portal, '…I'm leading her to her doom.'