Moblization
Bloom and Tecna had practiced for three hours before Vanessa called it in. When they returned to the Peters' home the two teenagers had to drag themselves in the front door. When dinner had concluded Vanessa shooed both of them upstairs to get some for an early bedtime. Kiko meet his master and bounced up and down, trying to get her attention.
"Easy Kiko," Bloom said.
She picked up a bowl and threw some rabbit food into it. Kiko followed her downstairs to the kitchen where she put the bowl down. Kiko dug in as the redhead went back up the stairs.
"I need sleep," Bloom said as she trudged up the stairs to her room.
"I can't sleep," Tecna protested, who was standing at the top. "I need every hour available to me. I must make calculations, come up with battle plans..."
"You are going to sleep," Bloom said, gripping the tech fairy by the shoulder and guiding her into her bedroom.
"Yes you are," Vanessa said, coming in behind them. She had several towels in her hands and placed them on Bloom's bed. "You can borrow some of Bloom's clothes or mine if you need."
Tecna wanted to protest that she could take a stimulant or two and she could stay up a couple more hours. Vanessa and Bloom both glared at the tech fairy, daring her to disobey. Outnumbered, Tecna hung her head and gave in. She took the towel that Vanessa offered her and went into the bathroom. Vanessa was coming down the stairs when Mike came in through the front door.
"I thought you wouldn't be off for another 36 hours," Vanessa said, surprised.
"I called in some favors to spend more time with our daughter," Mike said. "I'm off till Saturday."
"Let's spend some time together first."
She grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him into the master bedroom.
10:00 P.M. Bloom's Room
"This is way different from my room," Tecna said.
Tecna had been disturbed by the lack of computer equipment. While her room was full of digital devices, Bloom's didn't have a single monitor. Most of the space was dedicated to the profession of art. Paintings and drawings dotted the walls and art supplies were stashed around the room. In one corner stood Bloom's drawing desk, which was crowded with pencils, paints, and half finished potraits.
"Your room lacks electronics of any kind!" Tecna exclaimed. "How do you function without technology?"
"Tecna relax," Bloom said. "It may be hard for you to hear, but there was a time when technology didn't exist."
The two girls had dressed for bed. Bloom was wearing light blue sleepwear she wore on a regular basis. Tecna (for some reason unknown to Bloom) had picked the ugliest pair of pajamas the Earthling had. They were the ones she had bought for a Halloween sleepover a couple of years prior. Colored a deep purple and patterned with mini fairies, they made Tecna look ridiculiuis. Bloom kept breaking out into uncontrollable giggles, earning swats from Tecna. Once the redhead had herself under control, the two teenagers sat facing each other on Bloom's bed.
"I underestimated you Bloom," Tecna admitted.
"What?" Bloom said, taken completely by surprised.
"Your family gives you strength. You don't need technology or powers to give you an advantage. I envy that."
"Okay," Bloom said, unsure what triggered this.
An awkward moment prevailed between the two fairies. Neither was sure how to continue the conversation or follow up.
"I'll take the couch. Good night."
Tecna left the room and closed the door. Bloom pondered Tecna's observations as she turned off the light and pulled the covers over herself. Tecna is right. My family does give me strength. Her eyelids closed and she fell into the world of sleep.
9:00 A.M. Thursday
The next morning proceeded similar to Wednesday. The difference was that everyone got a decent night sleep and woke up around 7:00. Shortly after breakfast had concluded, Tecna's laptop lit up like a Christmas tree.
"They're coming," Tecna said. "My screen says they are past the orbit of Pluto."
"Stella didn't press the wrong button after all?" Bloom quipped.
"Nope."
Silence pervaded the kitchen as the Peters knew what this meant; separation. Bloom frowned and exchanged an unhappy look with her mother.
"When will they arrive?"
"Noon your time."
"We'd better get ready."
The next few hours were chaotic in the house. Everyone was nervous and on edge with the impending departure of Bloom and Tecna. Bloom shut herself away from the others until Mike forced his way into his daughter's bedroom. She found her only child staring out the window at the city of Gardenia. Kiko was at her side, trying to comfort her owner. Bloom absentmindly rubbed him between the ears, her attention elsewhere. Through her window, Mike could see Gardenia Park.
"Are you alright Bloom?" Vanessa asked, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"I'm fine," Bloom said with a fierceness that surprised her father. "If we don't stop them there they will come for Earth. It's the only way."
Mike sighed. He knew his daughter was growing up before her very eyes.
"You've grown so much. Are you ready for this?"
Bloom nodded as he sat down on the bed next to her. She nodded at Kiko, who'd been sleeping at the foot of her bed. He leapt into his owner's arms.
"I need you to stay here," she said, as Kiko pouted. "It's too dangerous. Once everything is calmed down I'll send for you."
"Time to go?" Mike said.
"Almost."
Bloom put Kiko down onto the floor and then hugged her father, taking the stoic man by surprise. She tightened it, feeling an aura of safety sweep over her as he returned the embrace. She wasn't sure how long the embrace lasted, but to the teenager it seemed like an eternity.
"It's time to go," Bloom said with some trepidation.
She knelt down and petted Kiko one more time before leaving her room with Mike. Everyone gathered their things and they left the house around 11:00. An hour later the Peters pulled into an abandoned miles from the city's outskirts. Around them farm fields stretched as far as the eye could see.
"Good," Tecna said as her bee returned from scanning the surrounding area. "No one is close."
A few minutes later the roar of engines could be heard. A black dot appeared on the horizon and increased in size as it came closer. A red ship came into view and approached at breakneck speed. The craft began to circle and cut it's speed as it came closer to the ground. Thrusters on the bottom of the red craft fired, slowing the craft to a hover. Three landing struts deployed from the bottom of the craft as it settled down in the alfalfa field. The space craft landed, smoke pillowing from holes on the bottom of the ship. As the Peters climbed out of their car, a door opened on the side of the craft. Before a landing platform could descend to the ground, three fairies flew out of it.
"Crap," Bloom said as they sped towards her.
Musa, Flora, and Stella all reached Bloom at the same time. They enveloped her in a group hug so tight she could barely breath. Their voices deafened her as they screamed with delight at being reunited. Bloom threw a pleading look at her father and mother who quickly leapt into action. Vanessa and Mike ran up to the group hug and began taking the hug apart.
"Everyone easy," Mike said, stepping in. "Let Bloom breath."
"Sorry," Stella said as they all let go. "We can't help ourselves."
Their collective gaze then settled on Tecna, who'd been hiding near the car. She tried to flee but couldn't escape the Winx group hug. For fifteen minutes it was tears, swapping stories, and greeting Bloom's parents. When all the exchange of pleasantries were done it was Stella who spoke up.
"Come on let's go," she said, gesturing to the spacecraft. "Alfea is in danger. We have no time to lose."
"Excuse me, I'm in danger," Bloom said, keeping her temper in check. "Last I checked they are only attacking Alfea because I'm not there."
Stella cupped her hands over her mouth appraising her best friend. The Earthling had changed in the week that she'd been suspended from Alfea. She's was more assertive and there was an air of confidence about her.
Bloom turned to her parents. "I...welll...I..."
Mike and Vanessa both hugged their only daughter. It was one of the most heartfelt gestures that Bloom had ever experienced. She feasted on their auras, feeling the strength of a united family. She let it soak into her bones and deep into the heart. I'm ready.
"Be safe," Vanessa said. "Remember what we taught you."
"Put out those fires Bloom," Mike said.
"I will."
Bloom frowned and then had an idea. "Keep an eye on that teleportation portal. I'll activate it as soon as I can."
Mike smiled. His curiosity about Bloom's world had been infectious as he watched Bloom struggle with her schoolwork. "Activate it and we'll be there."
Bloom turned to her friends who had been watching the scene unfold before them. Stella and Flora had dreamy looks while Musa was giggling uncontrollably. Tecna was tutting, her focus on on her computer. The redhead rolled her eyes as she walked towards them.
"Yeah, yeah, come on, no commentary until this is over," she said.
The rest of the Winx Club sprung to attention like a military brigade. They followed her into the craft and took their seats. Tecna took over the controls and punched a series of buttons. The engines roared to life and the red craft rose into the air.
"Okay, we'll need to punch out of here as fast as we can or someone might see us. Buckle yourselfs in girls."
She pushed the steering column forward and the engines roared to full power. The craft shot off into the sky and was gone in less than a second. On the ground the Peters watched the craft and their daughter go. Vanessa hugged herself, unable to stop the worry from consuming her heart. Mike put an arm around his wife as he escorted her to the car.
"Nothing to worry about. She'll be back before you know it."
"I know," Vanessa said. "But worrying is a mother's prerogative."
The girls mostly sat in silence as the ship finally achieved orbit. Once they had left Earth orbit chatter broke out among the group.
"So what happened while I was away?" Bloom asked.
Each of the girls took a turn to tell the Earthling what had happened. From the fight that landed most of the student body in the infirmary to the commandering of the ship. The Winx Club spared no details in telling Bloom what had happened.
"So when was this ultimatum given?" Bloom asked for clarification.
"Tuesday," Stella informed her.
"So we are almost twelve hours over the deadline," Tecna chimed in.
"Do you know if the witches were serious?" Musa questioned.
"They did defeat the entire school in like five minutes. I'd say that was pretty serious," Flora added.
The teenagers fell quiet pondering on what might be happening at Alfea. The threat that their school might not be standing when they returned hung over the Winx. It clung to their emotions like a fog, clouding their moods and dampening the reunion of the Club.
It was then that Bloom hit upon an epiphany. "Why are we going there by ourselves?"
"What do you mean?" everyone said.
Bloom didn't answer immediately. She stood up and began to pace as she pondered her idea, turning it over in her mind. She even chastised herself for not thinking of it sooner. If we could pull it off, we could even turn the tables on the witches. But would the realms respond to our pleas? If not they could even takes their princesses back. My friends. Wait, we don't have a choice.
"Stella, does your father have a royal guard of some sort?"
"Yes we do. The Solarian Royal Guard," Stella proudly informed them. "The best in all the realms?"
"Why don't we call them to help us?"
Bloom's words hit like the impact of a nuclear bomb. Every member of the Winx Club swiftly latched onto it like ants finding a chocolate cake. Tecna opened the navigational tool.
"It's a good idea," Tecna said, summarizing the collective thought process of the Winx Club. "Which realms? Remember girls we're already over on a ticking clock."
"Solaria," Stella said.
Tecna punched a few buttons on the console and the Solarian system appeared on the ceiling. The ship's computer drew up a course showing their current position and their eventual destination. Stella let out a cheer when she saw it was on the way to Magix City. Tecna pulled up the other realms the other girls hailed from. Each one was out of the way and would require additional time to travel to.
"We can stop there and get the royal guards. Daddy wouldn't turn me down," Stella declared.
"Will he let you come back?" Bloom asked.
"I'm not abandoning you, You've all been there for me and I won't let you down. Especially after you helped me win Miss Magix."
Bloom, Musa, Flora, and Tecna all mentally facepalmed. While Stella had many redeeming qualities, she had her moments where her motives were less than noble.
"Okay," Bloom said. "Solaria first then we'll head for Magix. We can't waste anymore time.
Alfea, 9:00 P.M., Thursday
The deadline had expired, but it took the witches another twelves hours to conjure enough soliders to enforce it. As a result the Army of Decay that marched with them was small compared to what it had been a thousand years prior. Even with this reduction, the three watched their minions go to work. The monsters roamed over Alfea's campus, engaging students and faculty in hand to hand combat.
"When Bloom arrives there won't be a school left to come back to," Icy cackled.
Below the three cackled as a large monster set it's sights on one of Alfea's towers. It smashed it's boulder like hands into the building's foundaitons. The tower collapsed, it's wreckage scattering the fighters around it's base.
"Where is Bloom?," Stormy declared. "What if she doesn't show up?"
"Easy ladies," Darcy said. "Miss goody goody is to loyal to not show. When she does, we'll ambush her from behind and take the Dragon Flame from her. Then nothing will stand in our way."