Gravity Winx
By adventuremaker21
Chapter 9: Fortress of Light
Authors note: Hey everyone. AM21 here, coming back with another original chapter, this time it puts the Winx Club and the Trix on the back burner as it's the Specialists' time to shine. This does have some lore that originated from the Winx comics and mostly the books of the GF lore, but it'll be awesome. Trust me.
Out and about at the spectacular castle school of Red Fountain during a fine Saturday morning, no lessons were being taught. All the students, still in uniform, were hanging out with fellow squad members and their friends. Some fairies and witches were present at Red Fountain, but they were just visiting. It was a nice day of relaxation, and everyone intended to use it to their full advantage.
Especially for one such squad.
Brandon's squad was relaxing at a table outside, having breakfast together. They were chatting up a storm about what they were going to do when finals were over in a month or so.
"So what's everyone's plans for the break coming up?" Brandon said as he asked his group.
"Well, I will be spending this year's holidays at Tecna's place and hoping to win over her parents," Timmy said as he took a bite of his toast. "If all goes well, I should be allowed to marry her and become the next king of Zenith in 10 years."
"Look at you, taking the next step in your relationship," Riven said, and he was happy with him.
"Why thank you," Timmy said. "What about you, Helia?"
"For me, I think Grandfather and I might visit Earth this year," Helia said. "Every year, we take a week or two to visit a planet and learn their customs. It's a nice way to explore the worlds out there."
"Well I think that's very nice of you," Timmy said, liking Helia's answer. "What say you, Brandon?"
"Well, Sky and I are returning to our homeworld of Eraklyon for the break," Brandon said as Sky nodded. "It would be nice to catch up with our families again. We need to make sure that our relationship with the gem moon of Osiris is still good."
"Sounds boring," Riven snarked as Brandon shot him a look.
"What about you, Wendy? I know your world has a holiday during that time." Brandon asked Wendy, but Wendy did not pay attention because she was currently eating her third plate of pancakes. Wendy has always liked pancakes, which is stereotypical of her being a lumberjack. But there was something about these pancakes found on Magix that was truly exquisite. Was it the foreign ingredients not found on Earth? Or was it the person that made them? Wendy did not care, for she was having her first pancakes since before the Weirdmageddon a few months ago.
"Bwha?" Wendy said with her mouth full, causing the others to laugh.
"Oh you and those pancakes," Brandon said, amused with how well his squad got to know one another and became close like best friends. They were all glad they got to have some quality downtime like this.
Upstairs, Saladin was prepping for his work to start for the day. The students might have some time off, but the staff has things to do, and running the entirety of Red Fountain certainly means there was no time for this old man to rest. As he was starting his work, a letter materialized out of thin air and floated down at him.
"A letter?" Saladin said as he took it and opened it, reading the letter as he was distraught. "THEY WANT TO DO WHAT WITH MY BEST STUDENT?!"
Back down with Brandon's squad, they were all walking towards the hanger bay, hoping they could take a ship and head out to do a fun thing today. Possibly something like an arcade would do.
"Aah, that hits the spot," Wendy said, patting her flat stomach. "I haven't had good pancakes like those in months!"
"You ate 5 plates of that pancake stuff," Brandon said, scared at her appetite.
"Oh, that's nothing," Wendy said. "My record is 10 plates at a contest."
"It's astonishing how you're not a gigantic fatass by now," Riven teased her.
"There's nothing wrong with that," Timmy defended her.
"Says the guy dating a 400-pound cyborg princess," Riven said to Timmy.
"Thanks for defending me, Timmy," Wendy said, thanking her cyborg friend. As they were walking down to the hanger bay, they were all stopped by Saladin, and he was frightened.
"Wendy! Thank goodness I caught you before you left for the day," Saladin said as he approached the squad.
"What's the matter, grandfather?" Helia said, worried about his grandfather and Wendy as well.
"I received a letter from the Council of Light and they want to expel Wendy from my school just because some of their sons are students here and they haven't been doing well," Saladin explained.
"They can do that?" Helia said as the other specialists there were worried, but Wendy was confused.
"I'm sorry, but what's the Council of Light?" Wendy asked, a little angry and hoping to get an answer.
"The Council of Light are high-ranking magical folk who hold the balance of all the Magix Alliance within their meetings. Never getting involved unless it's dire, like the fall of Domino," Saladin explained to Wendy and the others.
"And they want to get rid of me just because I'm doing good and their own children aren't?" Wendy asked her headmaster. "As the only female student here, I find that to be sexist."
"It is extremely sexist, Wendy. So that's why the two of us are going up there today and appealing this," Saladin said as Brandon stopped him.
"And you're not doing that alone," Brandon said as the other 4 specialists stood by him. "If anyone messes with one of my squadmates and my friends, they mess with all of us."
"We're with you, Wendy. No matter what," Sky said, reiterating Brandon's statement.
"Nobody's gonna make you feel like crap except us," Riven said.
"You got us by your side, and nothing's gonna change it," Helia added on.
"So let's go show them you deserve to be here just the same as any of us, even if you didn't want it at first," Timmy finished. Wendy, upon hearing this, hugged the boys tightly.
"Thanks, guys," Wendy said, trying her best not to cry.
"That settles it," Saladin said as he charged up his magic. "Specialists, let's make sure Wendy stays here." As he said that, the floor beneath them turned into a portal and they all fell through.
Suddenly, all 7 of them landed at a majestic-looking room with a large round table around it, and there sat a few older men wearing multicolored robes.
"I take it we're with the Council of Light?" Brandon asked as he saw them, and they did NOT look happy.
"Which means we were just teleported to the Fortress of Light," Saladin said, feeling uneasy. "Where HE is imprisoned."
"Who's he?" Timmy asked as one of the council members noticed this.
"If you're referring to Valtor, do not worry," one of the council members said. "He's long since moved to the accursed world of Omega, serving his indecent sentence." Despite the news he just heard, Saladin did not relax after hearing that. Not only was the the Fortress of Light home to some of the best wizards and the Council of Light, it was also home to rehabilitating villains and such cruel people, but even its legendary reputation was apparently not enough for one such wizard. Valtor was a cruel wizard beyond what anyone could account for, and has a history with Domino and its fall, and was the one person Saladin could never truly forgive.
"So, why are you threatening my best student with expulsion AND going over my head to do so?" Saladin said, now super defensive. "It's not my fault your own children are such poor examples of my school's philosophy."
"In which we let you run, by the way," one of the councilmen said. "The only reason why you are still the headmaster of Red Fountain is because of your legendary run as a member of the Company of Light, which may we remind you that your company failed to protect Domino."
"DO NOT SPEAK OF DOMINO AS IF YOU KNOW IT!" Saladin roared. "You don't know the horrors we've been through or the losses we've endured. Maybe if you got off your asses and helped us, maybe Daphne would still be alive!" As Saladin and the council were arguing, Wendy leaned over to her group and whispered to them.
"Dumb question, but what's the Company of Light?" Wendy asked the others.
"The Company of Light was a group of hardened warriors that helped keep the Magix Alliance safe, bonded by friendship itself," Timmy answered her.
"My Uncle Oritel and Aunt Marion were part of this group, alongside both my grandmothers and grandfather," Helia counted. "Alongside a blacksmith named Hagen and a scientist from Earth, whose name is sadly lost to time."
"The group broke up once Domino fell into an eternal winter, filled with night and echoed with storms," Brandon finished it off. "There are rumors that say Oritel and Marion went into an exile to a far corner of the universe where they haven't been seen since."
"I don't believe it for a second," Riven said. "That's just a false hope used by optimists to showcase that Domino will return."
"Domino WILL return!" Helia said to Riven. At that point, the other old men saw them bickering with one another and the councilmen started chuckling amongst themselves.
"This is your best squad?" One of them says. "A deceptive prince, a lying squire, a shy cyborg, a furious samurai, your own grandson, and some underevolved earthling Neanderthal?"
"It's a shame such a well-disciplined school such as Red Fountain has been demoted to such a daycare," another one said as they all laughed at them as someone interrupted them.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Wendy yelled at them. "IF YOU THINK YOU CAN DO A BETTER JOB THAN SITTING HERE ALL DAY, I'D LOVE TO SEE IT! OH WAIT, YOU WON'T!
"Wendy, what are you doing?" Brandon asked her as Wendy ignored him.
"YOU THINK YOU'RE SO WISE, SITTING IN A CIRCLE AND TALKING ABOUT THINGS BUT NEVER DOING THEM. WELL NEWS FLASH, SALADIN IS THE BEST GOD DAMNED WIZARD ON THIS SIDE OF THE UNIVERSE, AND I RESPECT HIM WAY MORE THAN ANY OF YOU SELF-RIGHTEOUS PRICKS." Wendy yelled at them. "IF ANYONE NEEDS TO BE REMINDED TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT, IT'S ALL OF YOU!"
"HEY YEAH, SHE'S RIGHT," Riven said, agreeing with her act of rebellious nature. "It's no secret she and I don't get along, but the times that we do, she becomes a force of nature that even the gods themselves fear. She's ruthless, badass, and the best of us. Even if she's pretty fucking lazy when it comes to chores."
Even Saladin was surprised to see Riven stand up for Wendy because as he explained, Riven and Wendy don't get along. So seeing Riven stand up for her was a major shock.
"And I agree with Riven," Sky said, also standing up. "In all my years of learning to fight, I have never seen a more compatible weapon relationship than Wendy and an axe. She uses it in ways I can't begin to imagine. Those skills with her overall nature make her into one of the most feared specialists this school has possibly ever seen, and Saladin can vouch for this."
"And I CAN vouch for this," Saladin said. "Wendy Corduroy has proven time and time again that her skills are not only welcomed at my school, but she is also inspiring others to take up the axe. She has become a legend at Red Fountain in just her 2 months of being there. Get rid of her and you doom the school to obscurity. And we all know you can't let Red Fountain fall, not when both Alfea and Cloud Tower rely on us more than they want to admit."
The Council of Light was speechless at what they heard. There were people standing up for such an infringement that they had no idea what to do now. They were being disrespected under their own roof.
"Despite the fact that you're fighting for HER to stay here," one of the council members said. "We need to discuss why some of the others are here."
"But we don't need to hear it from the prince or his squire," another one said as he pointed to Brandon and Sky. "We know the reason why they're there."
"As for the others… perhaps they could be the reason why they're so keen on keeping Wendy here," another council member said. They chatted as Timmy, of all specialists, stood up first.
"You want to know why I'm here at Red Fountain? Fine, I'll tell you," Timmy began with his story. "It's because I've had enough of people telling me I'm weak. I came here to Red Fountain so I can try to prove people wrong, that I'm more than just a brain with limbs. That's why I even replaced some parts of myself with cybernetics so I can catch up with the rest of the group, despite never working out a day in my life. I wanted to prove people wrong. I want to prove that I'm more than just a nerd stereotype. I want to do this because I think it'll help me grow as a person. Yes, dating Princess Tecna is a positive, but it's not the only positive I needed. And while I still need to work on hand-to-hand combat, it's my gunplay that has saved this group time and time again. I would go as far as to say that I would actually die for these guys. and if I had to go back and do my life all again, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
Everyone in the room, both from Red Fountain and the Council of Light, was stunned by Timmy's tale of origin.
"Holy shit, we never knew," Brandon said, now understanding him.
"Yeah… from now on, only Dipper gets the nerd jokes," Riven said, also sympathetic to his buddy.
"Dude, you chopped off your own limbs?" Wendy said, worried for her friend's mental state.
"On my homeworld of Zenith, we were taught that flesh is weak, and machines make us strong," Timmy said as he looked at his prosthetic hand. "We need to upgrade in order to stand a chance. Some of us don't exactly have the strength to make it without upgrades, and the elite can be genetically modified into being some of the strongest among the races."
"You mean like Tecna?" Wendy asked. It was apparent that Tecna and Timmy were both from Zenith, but had different body shapes and advances of tech. "Trust me when I say that you're not weak. Even thinking about chopping off your limbs like that takes nerves of steel."
"My new nerves are actually a bio-engineered blend of silver and a few other minerals," Timmy answered her.
"What I'm trying to say is that you're already a badass," Wendy said as she patted his back. "But no more implants or anything like that. We just don't want you to lose sight of who you are." Despite not being from Zenith, Wendy was right. Too many upgrades can corrupt one's mind into being so overclocked that they end up living their whole lives in a single minute. Timmy smiled at Wendy, thankful he has a true friend who keeps an eye on him and the others, even if she doesn't exactly know the context of the universe at large.
"Anyone else wants to go next?" The head of the council said. As he said that, Helia stepped forward.
"I am Helia Sparx, son of Hirsch and Terrace Sparx, one of the last remaining Dominoans in the universe," Helia introduced himself. "And I attended Red Fountain so I can prevent exactly what happened to my homeworld to other worlds. Zenith, Andros, Melodia, Eraklyon, Magix, Osiris, Lymphia, Solaria, Mewni, and even Earth. I want to make sure no other world has to experience what Domino went through again."
"But you were only MONTHS old when Domino fell," one of the Councilmembers said to Helia. "How did you know if it's fall?"
"My grandfather raised me after the Witches, Darkar, and Valtor laid waste to the world and killed my entire race, including Daphne Sparks, the cousin I never knew," Helia answered, now getting just as annoyed as his grandfather. "He asked for your help and you did nothing. You let my world die. You let a good majority of my family die, and the rest won't even talk to each other. You could have made a difference, but chose not to." Helia was getting visibly upset at dumping all this out to the point where Wendy, Sky, and Timmy were ready to hold him back if he decided to act out, not that the old geezers hadn't deserved it already.
"As you know, we only interfere if things truly get bad," One of the Councilmen tried to explain.
"THEN WHAT DO YOU CALL THE DOWNFALL OF DOMINO? A MINOR INCONVENIENCE?!" Helia roared out as Sky, Timmy, and Wendy held him back as he was unbelievably angry at the so-called Council of Light. Saladin did not interfere as he believed his grandson was justified in his anger. He never got to know his homeworld and these men were dismissing it like it's nothing. If his grandson wasn't gonna yell at them, then he would himself.
"Whoa, man, just… step back for a second," Wendy said to Helia.
"Let the rest of us take it from here," Sky added on. "Yo, Riven. I think it's your turn to explain why you're here and why you vouch for Wendy."
"Alright, fine," Riven said as he stepped forward and the other 3 helped Helia back. "Yo, I'm Riven, and I'm born and raised here on Magix. I've never had a family of my own, but I don't let that stop me."
"But why are you even AT Red Fountain?" One of the Councilmen said. "What are your goals?"
"Nothing much," Riven said, trying to keep his tough-guy appearance up. "Just wanna get the degree and make sure I can make people hurt."
"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Another one of the councilmen said. "Perhaps you just want a family."
"WHAT!" Riven roared. "That's stupid!"
"Oh is it?" Another of the councilmen said. "Just look around you, Riven. Your fellow squad mates, including Wendy, have treated you with respect, love and admiration, even if you do act a certain way. You need them just as much as they need you." Riven was about to answer that as he sort of knew he was right. Riven never had a family. He never had any of the love they've had.
"And despite all of these various origins you have going on, do any of you agree with the fact that this… girl, deserves to stay here?" The head of the council says, confused by their devotion. Timmy looked at Helia and nodded, and Helia looked at Riven and nodded.
"SHE'S MORE OF A HERO THEN YOU'LL EVER BE!" All 3 of the specialists said in unison.
"SO YOU BETTER LEAVE HER ALONE!" Sky and Brandon said the same thing in unison. Saladin saw this and couldn't help but smile. Despite their overwhelming odds, Wendy was being protected by her fellow squad mates. He taught them well that if one is messed with, then all is messed with. Sure, they're a little rough around the edges, but that means they still have a long way to go for them to be the best they can be. This makes all the councilmen furious as all of their hands glow with magic.
"Wait, what's happening?" Wendy asked, now visibly nervous.
"We're gonna ask one more for their opinion," one of the councilmen said.
"And we choose to have the Great Axolotl, one of the gods of this universe, to represent our final speaker, and they will judge your fate," the head of the Council said as the table lights up as it forms a bit of a swirly portal. Wendy remembered the name of the Great Axolotl from the summer when she heard her boss's brother, Stanford, mention them once. She hoped that they'd be on her side. As the portal opened, a giant axolotl crawled out of the portal and hovered over everyone, like it was swimming in the air.
"So… you're a god, huh?" Wendy asked the giant axolotl that was floating in the room. The other council members were viewing it with grace and worship, almost looking like they were part of a cult, reminding her a lot of the Society of the Blind Eye.
"Hold your mouth, girl," one of the councilmen yelled. "This here is the Great Axolotl, and they are one of the gods of this universe. Equal only to the Great Dragon himself!"
"The elder wizard is correct," the Axolotl said. "I am a being of great importance and-HEY, IS THAT WENDY CORDUROY?!" They then get a better look at her and their eyes light up, excited to see her.
"You know this girl?" One of the councilmen said, surprised at this sudden new development.
"Of course, I know her. She's awesome," The Axolotl says as they shrink and rest on her shoulders like a scarf. "She assisted with the defeat of Bill Cipher as the Ice Bag of the Cipher Zodiac."
"SHE WAS PART OF THE CIPHER ZODIAC?!" All the councilmen said in unison, all afraid that their efforts were in vain.
"Yeah, sorry we didn't do the Zodiac thing like planned," Wendy apologized as she was then shushed by them.
"You don't need to apologize, Wendy. You all did great in defeating Bill Cipher," The Axolotl says, praising Wendy. "Did you know he's in therapy right now?"
"Oh that I would like to see," Wendy says, snickering at the idea of it. As she said that, the Great Axolotl pulled up a magical window and viewed Bill Cipher and a few other horrific beings forced into group therapy. Wendy can't help but chuckle at the sight of Bill Cipher being tormented in the worst way possible, by talking about his feelings.
"Ask and you shall receive," The Great Axolotl says. "If there's anything you want, just ask. You and the others on the wheel have earned it."
The other specialists in Brandon's squad are just surprised at this development.
"Why is a god being chummy with her?" Brandon asked the others.
"Perhaps her involvement with the Cipher Zodiac caused her to be a person of importance to the great Axolotl," Timmy guessed.
"She is just FULL of surprises, isn't she?" Riven said, kind of jealous that a being like them would be on good terms with Wendy.
"Either way, I can say that she's safe at my school," Saladin said, relieved that she has so much support.
"THIS IS ABSURD!" The head of the council said. "I knew you did something with the Great Axolotl. There's no way a being like that would EVER be so chummy with an insignificant mortal like yourself."
"Oh my god, please stop talking," Wendy said as she grew frustrated. "Maybe instead of taking your anger out on the best student, why don't you sit down with your own kids and talk with them? See what's going on and see if they even want to be there."
"Those are some wise words, Wendy," the Great Axolotl said, impressed with the advice she just gave to the Council of Light. "And they better take that advice because that will help them out in the long run." This made the Council upset, but they eventually accepted it.
"Fine…" the head of the Council said. "We'll give your advice a try, but don't think this is over, girly. For now… you can stay at Red Fountain."
"Thanks, and the name's Wendy. Don't forget it," Wendy said as she smirked as Saladin opened a portal back to Red Fountain, with all the specialists returning.
"Think next time before you second guess my judgment," Saladin said as he returned back to his school.
Landing back at the hanger bay of Red Fountain, Brandon's squad was relieved they managed to save Wendy from being expelled. Wendy, however, tightly hugged the entire squad all at once and lifted them up into the air.
"Thank you all so much for saving me back there," Wendy said as she couldn't help herself from shedding a few tears. "You guys rock."
"Least we could do, Wendy," Brandon said as he hugged back.
"Anyone else kind of freaked out at how strong she is?" Riven asked as he noticed her lifting 5 teenage boys into the air with one hug. "I bet she has the power of that god on her side."
"I have a name, you know," The Great Axolotl said, still resting on Wendy's shoulders. "For I am the Great Axolotl. But Wendy here can call me Axy."
"Thanks, Axy," Wendy said as she put down the guys and picked them up from her shoulders. "I'd be packed and on my way to juvie if they'd summoned another god."
"Don't mention it, Wendy," Axy said as they smiled brightly. "But were you and your friends going to do something before those rude men rudely interrupted your day?"
"After all that, you all deserve some downtime," Saladin granted them permission. "Just remember the rules of representing Red Fountain while on your downtime."
"Yes, headmaster Saladin," the six specialists said to him.
"Yo, you wanna come with us?" Wendy asked Axy.
"I appreciate the invite, but I must return to my duties soon," Axy said as they floated to Saladin. "But do let me know how your night is, though. I snuck my number onto your communication device."
"Well, that's not creepy at all," Riven joked as they all went into their assigned ship.
"See ya later, Axy," Wendy said as she waved them goodbye. The specialist ship then zoomed off as Saladin and Axy waved goodbye. Saladin then turned to face Axy, a bit confused.
"I assume the reason why you're still here was not just to see her off," Saladin said, now worried.
"I'm afraid not, Grand Wizard of the Company of Light. I also came to deliver a message," Axy said to him as they started to disappear. "The 8 stars of destiny have all aligned. From the world's afar, they're starting to show the signs. The path they create needs to be seen. The Flame will return, and when it does, the witches will burn." As Axy disappeared, Saladin kept those words in mind. The Great Axolotl was known to say poems, and this one was no exception.
Authors note: A special shoutout to Everstar on Discord (or FireDiamond on Tumblr) for helping me beta-read the chapter. They're pretty cool. When you can, please check out their stuff. Due to IRL events and to avoid coincidental naming, I've decided to rename a certain somebody's homeworld from Isis to Osiris. However, we will keep the Egyptian god theme going. Also, we take therapy seriously here. I just talked like that because Bill Cipher deserves what he has coming to him. Tune into the next chapter when Arc 2 begins: Ruffled Relationships.