Chapter 11: Fairly Odd Heroes

Roxy stretched as she walked outside the Frutti Music Bar, found a bench where the ocean breeze would hit her and waited. The fairies had been visiting every day to make sure she was alright and the Earth fairy had no doubts that they, or at least one of them, would come by today. They had sorta adopted the collective role as her psychiatrist, since any actually trained professional from Earth would conclude she was either faking or completely delusional. Either way, not good.

With all that in mind, it really wasn't a surprise that one of them showed up. The surprise was more who showed up.

"Musa?" Roxy began, as the black-haired musician sat down on the other side of the bench.

"You sound surprised," she noted.

"Well, it's just... You know, out of all of you girls, we haven't really talked much," Roxy noted. "Last time we really talked, you were mostly yelling at me."
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," Musa replied. "This whole Black Circle thing has just put me on edge. I get pissy when people do what they do."

"Why?" Roxy asked. "What's is it that is so bad about losing access to your magic?"

The Harmonian fairy paused. "Well, for most of us who have grown up with it, it would be like losing a limb. No, more than that, actually. Magic is often closely tied with who you are as a person. It would be like losing a part of yourself." She paused, a contemplative look on her face. "But that's not the only reason I get angry, of course. Your planet has mostly forgotten what magic is. It's become relegated to myth and legend. The energies are so stale, that every time we've been doing anything major, we've spent days recuperating. It's just... A shame. Magic can make life so much easier in so many ways. Imagine, doctors able to heal fractures with a touch, gardeners who can make entire fields sprout on command and everything else like that." She sighed. "You all just seem to be missing out. If the people of Earth don't want magic, then... Well, I won't get it, but I could at least respect it. But they don't get the choice. The Black Circle has robbed them of that. And that pisses me off. So whenever you say that you distrust us equally, I kinda feel like I've been put on the same shelf as them."
"Look, I never meant anything bad about you as a person when I've said that," Roxy clarified. "I just want to be careful. My entire world-view has been thoroughly flipped upside down."

"Yeah. I shouldn't have lost my head like that. But now, things will chance. I've convinced the others that we have to reintroduce Earth to magic."
"Sounds like a tall order."
"It is. We'll just have to start locally. With a superheroine gig."
Roxy raised an eyebrow. "What, you're going to be jumping around town in colour coordinated spandex?"

"Ehm... Well, hopefully not. I handed the costume design over to Techna, with Flora instructing her to make it practical," Musa explained. "And she's just barely agreeing to this as it is, so I think she will veto anything that comes out too ridiculous."

"And if not, I could always use a good laugh."
"Oh, yeah, that reminds me of why I'm here to begin with," Musa noted. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Still the occasional bad dream, but its slowly fading, thank God," Roxy remarked. "And the ring?"
"Nabu has it locked down in a little forcefield in the corner of the boys' apartment," Musa remarked. "Even if you were to come visit, it wouldn't be able to do anything." She paused, folding her arms behind her head. "But we also haven't made any progress on uncovering anything. And we have to be careful not to end up, no offence, like you did."

"None taken. I goofed," the pink-haired girl admitted.

"Right. And I imagine you'd have told us if you had any more dream messages." Musa groaned with frustration. "It's annoying. I honestly feel like we aren't getting anywhere. Like we're just stuck waiting for something to happen. I suppose that is also part of why I suggested this operation to make people believe again. It feels like we're now doing something to undo what the Black Circle has done. Besides that, we can only wait for somebody to get a breakthrough with the ring or for you to have a dream, because we're out of clues in any other regard."

"Well, if I get any messages, I'll be sure to tell," Roxy remarked as she got up. "Anyway, excuse me for a moment. I need to go check on Artu."

...

When Musa returned to the girls' apartment, she found them standing around in the living room as if expecting something. "Hey girls. What's up?"
"Techna said she finished her designs for how we can hide our identities while assisting around town," Bloom informed her.
"Oh, cool," Musa remarked, as she took her jacket off. "So what is the plan, that two of us will be using the wingpack and the rest go on foot?"
"That does seem to be the initial idea," Aisha remarked.

The black-haired musician looked around. "Where is Stella?"

Bloom shrugged. "Not sure."

"Alright everyone, now we're cooking," Techna said, as she pushed a wheeled and cloth covered table out from her room, alongside a beaming Stella.

"Stella? What where you doing in there?" the Dominian princess asked both surprised and a little worried.

"Why wouldn't I be in there?" the blonde asked. "Techna has long recognised my artistic abilities and asked me to help give the helmets and accompanying jumpsuits a touch of colour."

Most of the girls turned to stare at Flora.

"Do not look to me. I stopped involving myself after I had approved the basic template," she stated.
"Oh no," Musa groaned. "We're done for."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Stella asked angrily while pouting.

"Well... You just have a very unique style that sometimes clashes with our personal taste," Mirta tried diplomatically.

"Yeah. It usually kinda looks... Off," Bloom tried.

"Oh really. Feast your eyes upon this," the Solarian princess said and pulled the tablecloth that hid the helmets off.

"That feast is poisoned," Flora muttered.

"What is that?" Musa asked, face stuck between revulsion and fascination. "How did you make those colours? No, scratch that, what are those colours? I feel seasick just from looking at them."

"I've designed them with an eye towards beautiful Earth animals," Stella continued and picked up a strange teal mess of a helmet. "This one, for example, was inspired by the lovely hummingbird."
"After it was run over by a truck, I imagine," Musa commented, causing Bloom to snicker.

"Hey, cut that out. They're not that bad."
"My professional education in colour composition is currently screaming," Aisha remarked. "That part of me might actually die if I physically touch them."

"They are very... Vivid," Mirta tried, doing her best to be nice. "Very heavy on... Contrast. And it's all very... Eye catching."
"Only because you'd want to rip them out after seeing those," Musa snarked.

"Hey, I for one think they're just fine," Techna insisted. "We will definitely stand out with these."
"And cause every person in the vicinity to think they're on acid," Bloom remarked. "Listen, they aren't painted on the inside too, right?"
"Duh, of course not," Stella replied, rolling her eyes. "Who would see it?"
"We would. Right before our heads would detonate," the black-haired musician continued to snark.

"Well, I will say this. You have refrained from adding any unnecessary elements to them. And considering camouflage is not part of this operation, I do suppose that there is no direct harm in wearing these... Very vivid uniforms," Flora commented.

"See. I knew you'd all come around," Techna said with a smile. "You hear that, Suntop? They're going to wear them."
"Yes, the enthusiasm really makes me feel like my hard work is tots appreciated," the blonde grumbled.

"Hard work? What, did you slam dunk them into a couple of paint buckets?" Musa asked. "Or did you use them as a shield to fend off an angry painter? Seriously, those things are covered in more pain than paint."
Stella looked like she was about to flip out. Then she suddenly breathed out and began to smile. "Alright then. Since you think I'm such a bad artist when I make something I like, I'll get you the uniform I thought ended up wrong." She grabbed one of the colourful helmets and uniforms, before stalking off.

"Now you've done it, Cacophony," Techna chuckled. "She's bringing the ugly one out just for you."
"Please, I sincerely doubt that SPIRITS!" she exclaimed, as Stella came back and placed a helmet on the table. "What... What did you do to that poor helmet?"
"It's, like, quite the disaster, right?" Stella said. "I was trying to go for a moth motive, but it tots didn't work."
"It looks like you patched it together from a hobo's corpse," Musa insisted. "Did you make this by grabbing spare parts at the local morgue? It looks fucking unholy, that's what it does."

"It does kinda have that... Sickly sheen of dead flesh," Flora agreed, tilting her head.

"I feel like someone should say klaatu barada nikto before removing it from the table," Bloom remarked. She paused as the others glanced at her. "Sorry, Earth pop culture reference."
"Anyway, I'm not wearing that," Musa insisted.

"Does anyone else want it?" Stella sweetly asked. A variety of insistent nos were heard. "Well, I guess you don't have much choice then."
"That can't be right. What about the one you took out?" Musa asked, sounding a tad bit desperate.

Stella's smile became a degree more predatory. "You will never find it."

...

Once the uniforms had been taken back to their storage closet and Musa had given up begging for mercy from a merciless Stella, most of the girls split up to do their own thing. Seeing an opportunity, Techna took a moment to ask Flora: "Can we talk for a moment? Got a couple of things I want to go over."

"Sure. We can sit over here," the brunette said, as she headed over to a corner of the living room, sitting down in two of the varied chairs they had. "What can I help you with?"

The magenta-haired girl looked around. "Hey, where did Pumpkin go? She was here not two seconds ago."
"Oh, she went to help Helia. They are still looking for spells. Some of them look very promising," the Limphean noble explained. "So far, our greatest issue is finding opportunities to train them. These are not spells we want to try to improvise."

"So I gather. At least we've made some progress with that there blink around spell. Anyway, she and Helia are really getting along," Techna continued conversationally.
"Indeed. He is a very supportive person," Flora confirmed. "We are lucky to have him with us."
"Right. And you have also been spending a lot of time with him," the scarred girl noted. "In fact, you two also seem to be getting close. Going out shopping, studying spells. Mirta talked about getting Bloom to help her get some cinema tickets for the three of you."

"Indeed. Is there a point you are trying to make?" Flora asked wonderingly.

"Well, I guess I'm just curious," Techna said and shrugged. "He's a nice guy, don't get me wrong. Very reserved and shy though. Good artist. But Mirta hangs out with him a lot and you have begun to match that. I guess I'm just wondering why."
"You make it sound so weird," Flora remarked. "Helia is a good man with a noble soul. I may not agree with his philosophy of pacifism, but I respect it. He is kind hearted, supportive and has an artistic side that I cannot help... But..." Flora paused as her eyes widened. It was as if a light switch suddenly flipped on with fearsome force, causing the usually very restrained noble to blurt out: "Oh, fuck me."

Techna winced. "Yeah, sorry. I figured as much, but you seemed kinda... You know, out of the loop. Didn't mean to sweep your legs away, Flowergirl, but it was getting kinda dumb."
"I... I do not understand," Flora said with a worried look on her face, as she got up from her chair and started pacing. "How could I overlook it? I... And Helia..."
"Yeah, seems like it," Techna remarked. "Look, I don't blame ya for not noticing. Seems like it very much snuck up on you. It happens, don't worry."
"Don't worry?" Flora echoed, as she turned around. "How could I not worry? I don't know what to do."
"Oh, wow, cool down," Techna quickly said, as she held up her hands. "That was two abbreviations in so many sentences, girl. Take a deep breath, alright."

"Yes. You are right. Loss of self-control will do little to remedy the situation," Flora agreed and took a couple of deep breaths. "I should not panic." She paused. "But then what should I do?"
"Listen, I'm not an expert, but I do know a few things," Techna started. "First of all, love is not a finite resource. Don't be afraid that this thing will eat away at what you and Pumpkin have. B, take a while to sort your feelings out. You are just about ready to freak and even you could end up making some real bad choices if you don't take a moment to breathe. And part three, once you have had time to think, talk with them. You are all adults, aren't you? You should be able to figure this out."

"Right. Those are indeed sound advice." Flora looked contemplative for a moment. "Though I must admit, I am very nervous. While not comparable to real life, common tropes in my romance novels do suggest that these situations rarely pass by without some drama."
"Drama and emotions go together like guns and bullets," Techna remarked with a shrug. "And often cause just as much damage. But really, just don't be a baby about it and you will be fine." She paused. "I know, it's a lot easier said than done, but try to keep it in mind, alright?"

...

The next day after work, both the boys and the girls gathered together to go over the details of the plan.

"Alright then. Let us go over this one more time," Brandon started, standing before the assembled people. "The goal is to create awareness of magic without risking us becoming a target. To do so, we have whipped up some disguises for the girls."
"So, why are only they getting some?" Riven asked. "Unless we're planning on not helping."
"Well, I suppose you could always demonstrate the power of magic by getting run over or something," Brandon remarked dryly. "But no, the reason is that a combination of our uniforms and aircycle helmets should be enough. Bloom has assured me that the uniforms don't resemble any well-known organizations, so we don't risk misunderstandings. Furthermore, since most of us have as much magic as your average teaspoon, we have to let the girls get the spotlight." He paused, looking over the group. "Unless you're hankering for said spotlight, Nabu?"

"No, I believe I shall demonstrate solidarity and remain as anonymous and unknown as my good friends here," the dark-skinned magi declared nobly. "It would simply be too much for them to also see their good friend leave them in the dust. I shall sacrifice the opportunity for their sake and remain in the sidekick squadron."

"See, if we dropped a house on him and had the girls heal him, that would demonstrate magic," Sky insisted.

"Sky, quit plotting the demise of your team-mates," Brandon casually ordered. "Alright then. On another note, Bloom mentioned that the police will most likely see what we do as a form of vigilantism. And no doubt the Black Circle will figure out what we're up to pretty quickly. So speed will be of the essence. Fortunately, thanks to our research team and Nabu, the rings that store your uniforms also work as a gate ring, allowing you to quickly warp back to the apartment when necessary. But also make sure to stick around long enough to give people an impression of what is going on. Hopefully, that will diffuse some of the rumours going around."
"Eh, sounds easy enough. Beat up some bad guys, do some PR, vanish. We've been doing that for ages," Techna brought up.

"Well then. Seems like everyone is on the same page," Brandon remarked. "Dismissed."
"I still think this situation has become truly ridiculous when this is the best plan we have," Flora dryly noted, as they all got up.

"Well, without further clues, it's the only way we have to fight the Black Circle's influence," Aisha mentioned. "We could of course just not do anything, but I suspect that would just lead us to be on the defensive with the Black Circle taking all the initiative, which seems equally as bad."

"It would be easier if Roxy would just come with us back to Alfea," Musa mentioned. "But she doesn't want to. So this is the best way to keep her safe."

The Limphean brunette sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I am supposed to be a fourth year fairy in training. Instead, I am running around on a foreign planet battling an ancient conspiracy. I do confess that sometimes I feel like I have lost control of my life."

"Don't worry, Flora. We'll make it," Mirta said encouragingly. "We've handled worse problems so far."

Flora stared at her for a moment with a weird mixture of discomfort and joy, before smiling and saying: "You are right, deary. We have. Still does not mean I enjoy it. Anyway, if you will excuse me, I need to go get some water."
The three girls followed her with their eyes as the brunette hurried to the kitchen.

"Did she... Seem a bit strange to you two?" Mirta carefully asked.

"I think this messy situation is stressing her," Musa remarked. "I don't blame her. It's a mess, alright."

Techna made an effort to seem interested in a nearby painting.

...

The next day, Flora and Stella walked down one of the streets of Gardenia in silence.

"Ugh," the blonde finally sighed. "Like, what's got you so quiet today, Flora?"
"First of all, I am considering some things. Private things that I am not yet inclined to discuss with others," Flora made clear. "Second of all, I feel like I am spending my free time rather unproductively with this superhero idea."
"Still not convinced?" the Solarian princess inquired.

The brunette shook her head. "Look, I get why. The ignorance that the people of Earth suffer from is an injustice that should be corrected, Black Circle or no. But this seems silly. Calling in a press conference or TV crew would be more productive. The only reason we are avoiding that is that we do not want to get swarmed with journalists." She rubbed her chin. "This whole thing seems very contrary. We want to dispel the ignorance, but not get known for it. I am not convinced this disguised vigilante shtick is not just going to result in more misinformation, if we are even lucky enough to stumble across a crime in progress. Furthermore, there is a certain feeling of arrogance to it."
"Arrogance?" Stella asked.

"Yes. Quite frankly, it is beginning to bug me that we may have started to let our past accomplishments get to us," the Limphean noble clarified. "Think about it. Why should we run around committing vigilante justice? Earth has policemen, fire-fighters and doctors. Sure, magic makes many of those things easier, but to presume we should just waltz in and do this... Is that not what we agreed on was the Black Circle's problem? That they took on such authority with no oversight. Yet here we are on a non-sponsored mission, one which none of us have been trained for, ready to waltz around and show them non-magical Earth citizens how it is done. And why? Purely because of what we have accomplished so far. It reeks not only of arrogance, but of hypocrisy."

Stella sighed. "You're right, you know. It does. But, like, I have to agree with Musa. What else can we do? I don't think Bloom was joking when she said that any more hounding by the press would make her start setting fire to people. And we still have to keep Roxy safe." She folded her arms behind her head. "Frankly, like, if you have found some magical solution to all these issues, I'd love to hear it, because I'm totally blank."
"I do acknowledge that it is not so easy," Flora commented. "But still..."

Suddenly, there was a loud ringing alarm sound and both girls looked across the street at a jewellery store. Its doors burst open and five men and women in black clothes stormed through, before spreading out.

"STOP! THIEVES!" an older man yelled, as he ran out of the door too.

The masked robbers vaulted over cars and crawled up fire escape ladders, quickly vanishing into the urban environment.

Stella blinked. "Uhm, like, that happened. That would be our cue, right?"
"I cannot believe I am subjecting myself to this," the brunette mumbled, as she grabbed her phone and called. "Flora here. We have a situation. Five parkour artists have just robbed a jewellery store." She paused. "No, I am serious."

"So, we go into an alley and transform then?" Stella asked, as the brunette put the phone away.

"I suppose that is indeed what we have to do," the Limphean noble sighed with resignation.

One of the thieves vaulted over a trash bin and ran down an alley. The plan was simple. Spread out after the robbery to minimize the chance of being followed, change clothes at predetermined drop-off points, then meet up to drive out of the city. It seemed to be a fool-proof plan.

He rounded a corner and was immediately blinded by a bright light.

Turns out, it wasn't a fairy-proof plan.

He blinked as he tried to focus on the two helmeted girls in strangely coloured jumpsuits who stood in front of him.

"Alright, criminal, halt it right there," Stella declared while posing.

"Must you?" Flora inquired.

"Of course, that's part of the fun. Come on, live a little," the blonde insisted.

"Alright missies. You two better scram, or I'll..." the parkour artist tried as he drew his gun. A long string of plant matter shot out of the side of the alley and pulled his arm to the side, before attempting to pry the weapon out of his hand. "What... The fuck is this?! LET GO, YOU STUPID WEED!"

"I am just saying, doing poses and yelling catchphrases would make me feel unprofessional," Flora continued, as the thief struggled with the plant. "More so than these ludicrous outfits do."

"Come on, at least you get the wingpack," Stella replied.

Finally realising the plant was not going to let him get the gun back, the thief let it go. "Alright. Now I'm pissed." He charged forward, when two thick vines wrapped around his ankles. The wind was knocked out of him as he fell to the asphalt. He coughed a couple of times, before eyeing the plants that had tripped him. "Wha... The Hell is this?" Suddenly, more and more plants started wrapping around him. "WHAT, NO, STOP! GET OFF! GET UFMEHUSTUPTFLANT!" he yelled in a muffled voice as he was gagged.

"Don't tell me you've, like, never wanted to wear a cape while swooping in and saving the day," Stella said, as they approached the robber.

"I suppose I just never had those superheroine fantasies," Flora admitted, while the two fairies picked the struggling man up.

Elsewhere in Gardenia, a woman was running through the park. She knew the point where she could change was nearby and hoped she could get there unseen. That would hinder the police's efforts at tracking them. She leapt over a bush and landed on the dirt road, before turning. She stopped. Two people were standing in her way.

"Hey, you look like one of those parkour thieves we heard about," Bloom said.

"Oh..." the woman replied surprised. "Well... I'm not."
"Really?" Techna asked sceptically. "'Cause you look like one. But if you really are innocent, you won't mind waiting here for the police with us, right?"
"N-no. Of course not," the woman replied, as she slowly moved her hand towards her holster.

"She's going for it," Techna mentioned.

The Dominian redhead sighed. "Please don't. Or else..." She pointed her finger in the air and a massive gout of fire spewed out.

The woman froze. "Wha... What? Ho-how?"
"Magic," Bloom stated.

"Magic?"
"Magic," Techna confirmed.

Elsewhere, Musa stood with a defeated expression, shoulders slumped, as Aisha tried to coax the terrified robber out of the dumpster he had jumped into with a piercing shriek of pure panic upon spotting the Harmonian musician.

"She's not going to hurt you if you just come with us," Aisha tried. "So please come out. It's very unhygienic in there. A what? I'll ask." She turned to her companion. "Musa, are you a sinobyte?"

"I have no clue what that is," the musician mumbled.

"We don't know what that is, so I'm reasonably certain she isn't one," the princess of Tides informed in a calming tone. "So please come out. We just wanted to prevent you from getting away with your ill-gotten gains." She paused. "No, we will not torture you. So please, do come out."

The pale, still shaking robber slowly climbed out, always keeping an eye on Musa, who really wanted to question Stella why she had a suit that matched the ugly helmet.

Shortly thereafter, the girls met up by the park, each bringing a robber. The woman who had been captured by Bloom and Techna eyed her wrapped up companion and terrified comrade, before turning to Bloom: "Seriously, magic?"
"Magic," the redhead confirmed again.

"Looks like I got off easily," the parkour robber muttered.

"So what now?" Aisha asked.

"We wait for the police to pick them up," Musa stated. "Then we go home and get me a new suit."
"Oh, I didn't know you could make clothes," Stella said innocently.

The Harmonian musician sighed. "How much longer are you going to subject me to this thing?"
"Well, I don't know. I mean, you have only been mocking my hobby for three years," Stella said nonchalant. "I guess I don't know when I'll be up for making something new again after all those harsh words."

"Face it, Cacophony, she's got you by the ovaries," Techna commented in a tone of voice indicating just how wide a grin she was wearing.

"Excuse me, ehm, is this some sort of show?" a man asked, as he walked over to the group. "What's going on?"
"We're heroic fairies, helping deal with the villains of the city with our fabulous magic," Stella declared while posing.

The man blinked. "So it's a show?"
"I feel like I have lost control of my life," the female robber mumbled.

"That seems to be a running theme," Flora commented.

"Oh, there's the cops," Aisha mentioned, as two cars stopped by the park entrance. "I guess we better scram."

"Looks like it. Remember to tell all your neighbours," Stella said to the man, as the girls focused on the rings they wore. Suddenly, they all vanished in a series of bright flashes.

"What the heck?" a police officer exclaimed, as he and his partner ran up to the spot. "Where did they go?"
"Magic," the woman said.

"Magic?"
"Magic," she insisted.

...

That evening, everyone gathered in the girls' apartment, eager to see what people would say on the news.

"Let's hope this worked," Bloom mumbled, as Sky turned the TV on.

"...and in other news, more weird events in Gardenia," the newscaster said. "Today, a gang of five robbers, who goes by the name of the Flying Fearsomes, robbed the Frozen Earlobe jewellery shop."

"The most fearsome thing about them was their choice of name," Musa commented dryly.

"Sounds like you missed two," Brandon stated.

"Hey, it's a sixty percent job well done," Techna replied. "I'll stay satisfied with my efforts, thank you very much."
"Didn't you mostly just stand there and let Bloom intimidate the woman into submission?" Nabu asked.

"Yes. And I am very satisfied with that."

"Three members, however, were apprehended by..." The woman paused, as she reread the script. "By six girls in helmets and tight suits. They brought the three to Gardenia Park and a witness reports that they claimed to be faeries. Police showed up afterwards, but the girls vanished into thin air. Apparently literally. The three members are now in police custody and a search for the mysterious vigilantes is under way. We will follow up on this story and bring you the latest news as we seek to find the answers to the ongoing mysteries of Gardenia."

"Sounds like she couldn't believe what she was reading," Aisha noted, as the newscast changed to the subject of local sports.

"Well, as Bloom has told us, fairies aren't a thing around here," Timmy said. "Well, not anymore, at least. For comparison, it would kinda be like going to Limphea and running into a treant."

"Treant?" Bloom asked.

"Old legend," Flora explained. "It is about a group of knights who tried to tame Limphea and for their hubris, were turned into great walking trees that were made to guard the forest."
"That's the really short version," Mirta noted. "It's actually a pretty long tale of good intentions, pride and fall from grace, with a central message of not placing oneself above the powers of nature."
Helia blinked. "You're very familiar with that tale."

The ex-witch blushed slightly. "I just like fairytales. That's all."

...

The next day a very resolute Musa marched through the Gardenia shopping mall, followed by Flora and Aisha.

"You sure you have the necessary skills for the project you are now subjecting yourself to?" Flora inquired. "Otherwise, I do not doubt Stella will use it as an excuse to heap further mockery upon you."

"Look, I'll get Helia to figure out a design and then all I need is to be able to paint," Musa replied. "I'm not going to go out in that suit again. It was humiliating."
"I actually thought it was rather effective, in its own way," Aisha mentioned. "Though I confess that I did feel slightly uncomfortable standing near you."
"I'm not waiting for Stella to be done having her fun. If she won't hand me the other finished suit, then so be it." The black-haired musician looked around. "Now where is that...?"

Suddenly a scream rang out through the mall and the girls could hear lots of noise up ahead.

"That does not bode well," Flora muttered, as she hurried ahead, the two others right behind her.

Several people had backed up against the wall, away from the scene in the middle. Two people, one man and a woman, in masks and tight clothes were waving around guns.

The man held a blonde and quite terrified teenager, as he gestured to one of the other shoppers. "You there. Do you have a phone?"
"Ehm, ye-yes," the elderly man nervously replied.

"Good. Call the police. Tell them that if they don't release the three members of the Flying Fearsomes they are holding, I will blast this teen's brain all over the overpriced garbage you have here."
The teen started crying as the shopper punched in the number as quickly as he could manage.

"I'd like to complain about having to put on that suit again," Musa muttered, as the three fairies looked around for a place to shift clothes. "But right now, we should probably talk about saving that poor kid instead."
"Agreed," the Limphean noble stated.

"The-they said they are on their way," the elderly shopper said. "It'll ta-take them a few mi-minutes to get here."
"Tell them they better bring those three, or they'll be picking this girl's head up with a spatula," the leader of the Flying Fearsomes continued to order. "And they better be the first thing I see coming out of those police cars, you hear?"

"You should have skipped town when you had the chance, asshole," Musa loudly declared, as she stepped forth on the balcony above. "Now let that girl go."

"Ew," the female Flying Fearsome commented as she saw Musa's uniform. "What the fuck is that?"

"Oh, I know," the leader replied with a grim grin. "You're one of those pixies that captured my friends, aren't you?" He pointed his gun at her. "Well, guess it's my lucky day. I get to..." A mild splatter of blood hit the teen's surprised head.

As Musa had been taking all the attention, Flora had gotten into position. As the musician had traded words with the leader, the noble had coaxed out a dangerous plant from its seed. And as the leader had removed his gun from the hostage, she had struck out. A flying, razor sharp leaf had easily closed in and went straight through the guy's wrist, cutting off his hand with one swift move.

The leader paused, all threats dried up, as he stared at the now profusely bleeding limp. He let go of the teen as he started to scream, desperately cradling his ruined wrist.

"BOSS!" the other Flying Fearsome called, but then Aisha attacked. The sprinklers and pipelines above burst open and several gallons of water struck her to the floor. She screamed in a panic as she was then picked up and smacked against the wall, where a considerable amount of it turned to ice. She was stuck.

It was at this moment that five police officers burst into the mall, weapons drawn and ready to command everyone to get down on the floor. They had intended to negotiate for the hostages, but the moment the screaming and noise began, they had though the remaining Flying Fearsomes has started hurting people and decided to charge in, hoping to save as many as possible. Now, they paused at the bizarre scenery of dozens of scared but safe people, the handless leader of the robbers and his now slightly frozen associate.

"Hey. You okay down there?" Musa asked the teen, who had stumbled away from the leader's grasp.

"Ye-yes," she stammered.

"Hey, you," one of the officers said, surprise evident in his voice, as he pointed his gun at her. "You're one of those vigilantes. Come down here, now. That goes for you two, too. Don't think I haven't seen you over there."

"Sorry, I'd love to stay around and chitchat, but we fairies are very busy, you know," Musa replied and waved. Then she and her two friends vanished.

The police officer looked around, his confused gaze going from the now empty spots on the balcony to the members of the Flying Fearsomes. "How? Why? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"

...

"...and once again these mysterious girls who call themselves fairies showed up, this time to apprehend the remaining Flying Fearsomes and put an end to a hostage situation," the newscaster reported. "Witnesses to the event ascribe these girls with superpowers, including the ability to control water. While police can neither confirm nor deny these alleged abilities, it is worth noting that one of the robbers was frozen to a wall, while the leader had his hand cut off. More on the story as it develops."

"Did you guys hear that? Our alleged abilities saved the day," Techna cheerfully commented, as the TV was turned off.

"It's not much, but it's a start," Musa said. "I'm just annoyed I didn't get to buy clothing supplies from the mall."
"Oh, preparing to take up a new hobby, are we?" Stella innocently asked. "Just so you know, clothing design is totally a harsh and cruel world, where people will, like, put you down remorselessly."

"I'll just do what you seemingly do and colour it by juggling some paint cans over it."

"Sounds like someone doesn't want a different suit any time soon."

As they continued to sling comments at each other, a surprisingly timid looking Flora walked up to the group. "Mirta. Helia. I would like a word with you both in private if at all possible."

The two looked at each other, surprised at the uncharacteristic behaviour.

"Are you okay?" Mirta asked concerned. "Is something wrong?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. Again, I request that we talk about this privately."
Techna eyed the three as they left. "Well, here goes nothing."
"You know something 'bout that?" Riven inquired.

"Yeah. I know it's none of my fucking business," the magenta-haired girl replied with a chipper smile. "And neither is it yours."

The magenta-haired soldier switched his gaze from her to the door the three had just left through and back again. Then realization. "Holy shit. Those three? Are you fucking serious?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Bloom inquired.

"We'll tell you when you get older," Riven replied and ruffled the princess' hair.

"Riven, stop patronizing me or I will hand you a royalty signed ass kicking."

Inside the room, Mirta and Helia had sat down in the bed and a chair respectively.

"Alright. What is it that's worrying you?" Helia asked.

Flora took a deep breath. "Right. I apologise for not bringing this up sooner, but I had to consider this for a while. I have failed at finding the optimal way of handling this and I am therefore forced to just go with the flow, as they say. Now, Helia, you have gotten a lot closer to both me and Mirta. I am not going to be presumptive about your motivations for doing so, but what I just stated is the truth, yes?"

"Ehm, well, yeah. You're both good, you know, friends," Helia nervously tried, suddenly unable to look her in the eyes.

"Well, as a result it has recently become painfully clear to me that I am very attracted to you," Flora admitted in one quick sentence.

Helia started coughing loudly as he almost choked on his own spit.

"Now let me state immediately and without doubt," the noble began, turning to the shocked Mirta. "That this by no means indicates that I am less in love with you. My affection has not diminished. It is simply aimed at two people now."

As he calmed, Helia added in a somewhat shaky voice: "I must admit that I-I first began... You know, began hanging out with you two because..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Because I found that I really liked you, Mirta. You were cute, sweet and very kind to me. But I didn't say anything because... Well, because I didn't want to get in between you and Flora. I was happy that you were happy. But as we hung out, I admit I... I started to develop feelings for Flora too. I-I didn't know what to do about it." His head was now the colour of a tomato. "I'm... I'm really sorry for having made this so awkward. I never meant for that to happen."
"No, no, it's okay," Mirta quickly said. "You, well, both of you are just admitting what you are feeling. There's nothing wrong with that." She paused. "But... I don't know what I feel about this. I like you, Helia. I'm just not certain I... Like you like that. I've been so focused on my relationship with Flora that I hadn't really thought about if I had feelings for anybody else." She paused. "I really don't know how I feel about this, if I have to be honest."

Flora took another deep breath and said: "For now, I think the best we can do is take some time to consider our feelings. Now it is out in the open and we can deal with it from there. We do not have to make any choices tonight and there is no time limit. We all just need to be honest with ourselves and each other." She took another deep breath. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom and blast myself in the face with a showerhead full of cold water."

"I think I will go back to our apartment and do the same," Helia mentioned as he quickly got out of the chair.

As the two left her behind, Mirta stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out what she was feeling about all of this.