Home For A Moment
"Home is where the heart is." -Pliny the Elder
"I'm not going back to Alfea."
Stella's mouth hung open. The Sun fairy had defied Faragonda's order and had appeared in the Peters kitchen less than a prior. "But. What did we do? Hurt you in some way? We all agreed to go to the Red Fountain party together."
"Please let me explain," Bloom pleaded when seeing the look of betrayal and hurt on Stella's face. Time to sell it the best I can.
Stella's facial expressions didn't change so Bloom pursed her lips and began.
"It all begins with the Trix..."
It was a long walk through the bustling streets of Magix City. Bloom kept her gaze down as she walked and refused to look anyone in the eyes.
How could I screw up so royally? Bloom bemoaned as her feet carried her through the streets. How can I ruin the best thing to ever happen to me?
She felt like a zombie, unable to go where she belonged and dreading where she was going. She stopped underneath a balcony of a shop and looked up at the Magix skyline. Memories of the last nine months at Alfea raced through her head causing her emotions to run wild. She tried to shove them away, but they refused to flee. She closed her eyes as shame, anger, and hatred burned through every inch of her body as she resumed her walk. Hoping for some peace she stopped in the small cafe' she had come to frequent throughout the year. The waitress, a short woman with blue hair who had gotten used to their visits came over to her.
"Are you OK dear?" were her first words.
Bloom looked over and saw the table that she and Sky used to sit at and eat when they would meet up for lunch on the weekends. Her heart felt like an arrow had been shot through it.
"No," Bloom admitted, tears leaking out of her eyes. "No, I'm not Miriam."
Miriam recognized the pain in her complexion. "The things we do for love dear."
"Love," Bloom said, not meeting her eyes. "The guy lied to me. Many times. Then I embarrassed myself in front of everyone and ruined my chances of finishing school at Alfea."
The waitress frowned, pondering on Bloom's troubles. She'd heard about the incident and what had happened at the Day of the Royals. "Sometimes things aren't always as bad as they seem. What are your plans now?"
"Home. Then I don't know."
The waitress pulled Bloom into a hug. Tears leaked out of Bloom's eyes, flooding into the woman's shirt. She wiped the tears off of the red-head's face, helping her to her feet.
"Here's some food for the trip home," the waitress said, passing some hot pizza slice into Bloom's hand.
Bloom packed it in her bag. "Thank you. You've been so kind, Miriam."
"I'll see you again dear," Miriam said, giving Bloom a hug.
Bloom hugged her back. As she left, she stared at her reflection in a window and saw...
"Darcy," she breathed, pretending not to notice.
Bloom watched the witch stop to watch to watch her. She knew it wasn't good, lacking half of her powers and without the rest of her friends to back her up.
"I'm being followed," she whispered to Miriam. "That witch. She'll soon bring reinforcements."
Miriam placed the plate she'd been carrying on the table. She put an army around Bloom's back and began talking to her loudly. "Yes, I can do that bulk order. When'll the rest of your friends arrive?"
"Tomorrow."
"Let me grab a pen," Miriam lied, turning around to grab a pen off a nearby table. She recognized Darcy as one of the witches who had been expelled by Cloud Tower. "I'll have it ready by tomorrow."
Miriam wrote some nonsense down onto a pad and placed it into her apron. She gave Bloom another hug but held it for a moment longer than usual.
"Keep moving. Stay in crowded places. Go through the east door. I'll follow you and get back up," she whispered into Bloom's ear.
Bloom broke the hug and nodded to the waitress. She left the small cafe' began to walk north, away from the teleportation center. Behind her, Darcy darted in the shadows, believing she hadn't been noticed. Bloom's mind was racing, weighing her options.
I can't take them on, I've lost half my powers. If I go back to Alfea and tell Farragonda she probably won't believe me. If she finds out I left again I could be expelled. I can't go back there.
Bloom tried to continue to look dejected. She looked around and saw a bus approaching a stop ahead of her. Head bowed she got on it, a route that went around the city. Once the vehicle was underway, she looked through the window and saw Darcy tracking the bus from above. Letting Kiko out of her bag, she risked another glance and saw Darcy was still there. Glad she had bought some more time; she began to weigh her options.
I know they'll follow me if I go to Earth. They may threaten it and my family. Wait, they don't know exactly where I live on Earth. What if they never find out? There are over seven billion people on Earth. How will they know which one to look for?
Bloom smiled but frowned immediately. She took another look at Darcy still above the bus, petting Kiko between the ears. She looked around, seeking for any sign of Miriam or the back-ups she promised. But Bloom only saw an empty street with the occasional car driving by.
Miriam might not get help in time. I need to throw the Trix off somehow. Get rid of them for just a moment in order for this to work.
Kiko suddenly began jumping up and down. Bloom was about to quiet him when her eyes alighted on the payphone she used when she had first visited Magix City. An idea occurred to her, a risky one. Okay Bloom, time to get yourself an Academy Award.
Bloom dismounted from the bus and prepared to put on the best Oscar-worthy performance of her life. She opened the telephone booth and stepped inside. She didn't dare look behind her, but guessed the witch was within earshot. Keeping the telephone door open she picked up the receiver and halfway inserted her phone card.
"Hello, hey Tecna. I know... expulsion from school isn't fun. I'm glad you managed to stay there. I wasn't so lucky..."
Bloom stole a peek at Darcy, who was drinking in every detail and listening attentively. "Well, I have to go home. Vallisto isn't as fun as Alfea I know...I'll miss you...The next red bus that leaves from this station is the one I'll be on. Sure...I can visit if I can convince Farragonda to let me back in. My parents are wealthy and magically powerful. Who knows, maybe I'll be like Stella, able to buy my way back in. I'll take the red shuttle here that should be arriving in about five minutes..."
Bloom saw a shadow fly overhead to the south.
"Kiko, get in the suitcase," she said. "It's urgent."
Kiko heard the change of tone in her voice and got into her red luggage bag. Bloom bolted out of the phone booth and across the street to a nearby balcony, attached to a residence, that shielded her from from the air. She crept along the outline of the building until she saw the bus stop. Bloom, saw the blue shuttle arrive that connected with Magix Travel Center. Arriving a second or two later, Bloom saw a red shuttle arrive that was the main line to Alfea.
Here goes nothing, Bloom thought as she crossed the sidewalk and climbed aboard the blue shuttle. CRAP!
She ducked dropping between the seats of the bus as she saw Icy, Darcy, and Stormy arrive. Bloom chewed on her fingernails as the witches hovered above the two shuttles. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, ready to transform if necessary. Come on, buy it! Buy it! Follow the red shuttle. Follow it.
Bloom peeked through the window and gasped as the witches were hovering right outside her window! She began to shiver with fear, hoping that the witches would take the bait and follow the red shuttle bus.
"We'll intercept her before she gets to Spacesport," Icy cackled.
"That Dragon Flame will be ours," Stormy added. "Once we get it out of the last heir of Domino."
Dragon Flame. I have it? Bloom thought. She had heard every word the witches had said before they flew off. The almighty power that Farragonda was talking about? What's Domino? Is that where Daphne is from? Are these losers lying?
Bloom breathed a sigh of relief when the witches flew away, following the red shuttle. She sat up and watched them go as the blue shuttle she was on merged with one of Magix City's main highways, away from the witches. Bloom chewed on the revelations the witches had spilled for the rest of the trip. Nothing her brain came up with though made sense to her.
When the red shuttle opened its door and Bloom descended to the platform, her jaw dropped to the floor.
"Miriam?"
"Are you alright dear?" Miriam asked. "We followed you the entire way here."
Behind her were two burly guys wearing Red Fountain outfits. Bloom stared, not sure what to make of this.
"I know," one of the guys said, flexing his muscles, causing the Earthling to roll her eyes.
Bloom was about to ask a question when Miriam turned serious. "Bloom move."
The redhead nodded, grabbed her suitcase, and ran for the platform. When she had reached it, she turned on the spot and saw that Miriam and her two bodyguards were gone.
"Earth," Bloom called out and vanished.
Stella listened to the story as her expression and intentions remained unchanged.
"We'll protect you," Stella sought to reassure Bloom. "If they find you here, we can't help you."
"I can't go back because I harbor the Dragon Flame."
Her announcement was met with a blank stare.
"The Dragon Flame. That is what the Trix are after. All I know about is it some great power. If it falls into their hands, who knows what could happen."
"How do you know?"
"The Trix. I heard them talking about it. I can't risk it being taken from me."
Stella saw her golden opportunity. "All the more reason to come back to Alfea, we'll keep you safe. You can learn there to wield this Dragon Flame."
Bloom wanted Stella to know everything. She wanted Stella to understand how much this cost her, how much she missed Alfea. "Stella. I want to go back. But this is the last place the witches would ever think to look. Even if they do, there is seven billion people they have to shift through to find me. Do you think I like this? No. I'd rather be at Alfea with you, Flora, Tecna, and Musa."
Stella could see Bloom's point. She shook her head, vehemently disagreeing with Bloom.
"It's a no-win situation. We'll discuss it further with Faragonda when she arrives."
"What? Faragonda's coming here?"
"She'll show up. Mom and Dad are sure of it. There is too much at stake here," Bloom insisted. "Whatever this Dragon Flame is, I intend to pry the answer out of her when she arrives. Anyways I'm hungry. Would you like some Earth food?"
Stella could see she was getting nowhere with Bloom, she relented and followed Bloom downstairs.
"Hi Vanessa," Stella said uncertainly, remembering their first surprise meeting nine months prior.
"Stella, how nice to see you again," Vanessa said, giving the girl an unexpected hug. "Lasagna?"
"Sure. Wait. What's lasagna?"
Vanessa smiled. "I'll show you."
She dumped some lasagna onto a plate and gave it to Stella. Stella picked up a fork and dabbed at it. Spearing it with her fork she put it into her mouth, her eyes lighting up. Stella promptly gulped down the rest of her lasagna.
"Can you give me more?" Stella asked.
Vanessa smiled. A couple of hours later Stella knew it was time to get back before she was discovered. She placed a pink phone on the counter and slid it towards Bloom.
"I can't take this," Bloom insisted weakly. She was sorely tempted knowing this was possibly the only way she could keep in contact with her friends.
"Well, I can't take it either," Stella said, pushing the pink phone back towards Bloom. "I deleted all my data from off of it except the contact information for all of us from it. It's a gift from my dad, a straight line no matter where you are at."
"But..."
"Bloom dear," Vanessa said. "It's rude to refuse a gift."
Bloom smiled, taking the intergalactic phone and pocketing it as Stella turned to her near the front door. "We'll see you soon Bloom."
"I'll see you even if I'm expelled," Bloom said, fingering the phone in her pocket.
"Count on it darling. We'll bring you back to Alfea one way or another."
Stella opened the door to go outside.
"Headmistress Faragonda," she said in a voice much higher than her own, knowing she was in deep trouble.
This will be a unique fanfict and will parallel the end of Season 1, possibly longer if enough people are interested. It changes the trajectory of Episode 18 of the first season when Bloom returns home and then comes back to Alfea. Many character arcs will change, including those of the Specialists, some of whom will have to work a little harder to get in the Winx's good graces. I plan to incorporate material from both the 4kids dub and the later RAI versions as long as they intersect and don't contradict each other.