Gravity Winx
By adventuremaker21
Chapter 12: The Flame Tested
Author's note: We are now officially on chapter 12, which is two-fifths of the way through the first season, so let's celebrate! With that out of the way, let's get started on the new chapter!
Outside Alfea on a school day, Bloom stared off into the sky, knowing that the skies here were different from the skies back home. She missed Gardenia, she missed the Californian air, and all the people she loved there. She missed her mom, her dad, Andy, Roxy, and many other people who meant a lot to her back home. If there was anything she had to be grateful for when coming here was that she finally got to get away from Mitzi and her posse. But Alfea wasn't so bad, either. She got to learn about magic, transform into a fairy, and make some incredible friends that she will forever cherish. Stella, the fashionista friend. Flora, the nature-loving friend. Musa, the musical friend, who was pretty short. Tecna, the tech-savvy one and clearly the brains of the group. Layla, the water-loving friend who was no stranger to fights. Dipper, the paranormal-invested friend who was the only guy in the group. And Mabel, the happy friend who always sees the value of others, even if they don't see them themselves. She loved each and every one of them. Without even a single one of them, who knows what would have happened? This group that she was a part of, who she was basically the leader of, is the Winx Club, a group of high-flying fairies who help defend their new home from dark intentions.
But why did this make her sad at the same time?
It was because of Daphne, the ghost who's been haunting her for the past few weeks. Every time she wanted to be with Brandon, Daphne inhabited her mind. Every time she's facing off against Icy, her witchy rival, Daphne distracts her. Ever since the break-in at Cloud Tower, the school for witches that is very close to Alfea, Bloom has had a lot of thoughts about the mysterious ghost lady since she appeared to her. And that's not the weirdest part. For some reason, Daphne has been haunting both Dipper and Mabel as well, which is weird because they're from Earth like herself. Ever since that, both of them have been helping Bloom figure out who Daphne is and what to do to track the info down.
"Bloom, Bloom..." a voice called out to Bloom, who was lost in thought. "Earth to Bloom are you there?" As the voice was calling Bloom, Bloom kept thinking about all that she did and started fantasizing about all she could do. At that moment, Stella started shaking Bloom gently. "Wake up, sleepyhead."
As she was being shaken, Bloom snapped back to reality and saw that the other Winx Club fairies were making sure Bloom was ok.
"Are you doing ok?" Flora asked. "Is this about Daphne again?"
"Well, kind of..." Bloom said as she sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "Between finals, a date with Brandon, the Trix being weirder than usual, and everything else, there's just a lot on my mind." As she said that, Mabel gave her a hug.
"Don't worry, Bloomy. You know we're always here to help with whatever you need," Mabel said. Bloom hugged back in response.
"Thanks, Mabel," Bloom said.
"And speaking of finals, you should see what we're gonna have today," Stella said to Bloom. "I think you and the twins are gonna like what Alfea has in store."
"Yeah, and I'll give you all a hint: this was graciously donated by my family," Tecna said as she boasted, something she had never done unless it involved her smarts or her strength.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mabel asked.
"Maybe considering her technological advancements, maybe it's some sort of training equipment for fairies?" Dipper analyzed.
"It is, but you will see when we get there," Tecna said, gleaming with excitement. "I'm usually not this hyped up unless it's a new breakthrough in science or a new food challenge for me to overcome."
"Wow, if Tecna is like this then it must be big," Flora said.
"I know exactly what she's going with here, and I'm not a fan of it," Stella said as the group shared a laugh.
"But I know we can get through it if we give it our all," Bloom said, cheering up Stella.
Over at Cloud Tower, inside the Trix's dorm, the four witches crowded over a crystal ball.
"I'll give them this, they sure know how to create a powerful group," Stormy said, analyzing the Winx's magic. "Especially now that Pacifica is dating Mabel."
"Speaking of, it's weird that Mabel and Dipper both have the Dragon's Flame like Bloom," Pacifica said. "But I'm not sure if they know it. They didn't even know that their great-uncle or whatever had a hidden twin brother until the summer. Which rules out their connection with Bloom."
"Connection or not, all 3 of them possess the Dragon's Flame, and they're heavily guarded by their five friends," Darcy said, mapping out all 5 of the others. "Not to mention their Specialist allies."
"If the three of you don't have magic when facing Wendy, I'd just pray for a happy ending," Pacifica said. "But is there a way we can use their magics without hurting them?"
"There could be, but for now, let's focus on the three of their powers," Icy said. "And I think we should double-check their magics, just to be safe."
"And what better way to do that than during their exams!" Darcy said. "And for their sake, I hope they've been studying." As Darcy's snickered, Knut worried about the four of them. Pacifica was fine, but the other 3 witches that he was hired by seemed to be possessed in some way.
"But I don't understand why you want the Dragon's Flame so badly," Knut said, worried. "What if you get expelled trying to do this? You know Pacifica will be lost without you."
"Trust us, Knut. Once we have what we need, we'll all have our big happy ending," Icy said. Although Pacifica and Knut did not know one another's thoughts, they agreed that Icy, Darcy, and Stormy's behavior was starting to scare them.
A short while later, Palladium showcased to his students a strange open room that none of them had been in before, proud of himself and what he could do with it.
"This, my students, is Alfea's top-of-the-line Simulation Chamber, graciously donated by the royal family of Zenith!" Palladium said, basking in its marvel. While some students, like Tecna and Dipper, showed interest, many others were very confused about its meaning.
"It's just... a blank room, professor," Francine said, questioning her professor's sanity.
"What could this have to do with our lessons?" Flora agreed, asking her elf professor.
"I'm not sure if you have seen any Earth media, Flora, but this Simulation Chamber is exactly like a Holodeck from Star Trek!" Dipper said as he was geeking out, earning a groan from Mabel.
"You are such a goddamn nerd, Dipper," Mabel said, clearly not enjoying this.
"Very keen observation, Dipper," Palladium, replied. "The Simulation Chambers were used by Zenithian culture to simulate real-world battle strategies, testing the latest gadgets, or full-fledged videogame experiences. And they may or may not have been showcased to earthlings back in the day when they were used to create the holodeck for your Earth Programming."
"Told you you'd like it," Tecna said, bonding with Dipper.
"What about you two?" Layla asked Bloom and Mabel. "Do you two know what this 'Star Trek' is?"
"I'm not into nerd stuff like Dipper is," Mabel replied.
"And I'm more of a fantasy girl than a science fiction girl," Bloom answered as well.
"But what does this have to do with classes?" Genesis, another fairy student, asked. "I'm not sure what this Simulation Deck or Holo-chamber has to do with class."
"Why it has exactly everything to do with our lessons," Palladium replied. "If you would all kindly follow me to the control room, I would be more than happy to elaborate on what this room has to do with your big midterms coming up." As most of them were confused about what was going on, they followed Palladium into the control room. "From here, students is where all the magic happens. Or in this case, where the technology happens." Most of the students groaned at the bad wordplay, but Tecna and Dipper were bonding over its glorious machinery.
"There it is, Dipper. A pride among the Zenithian people," Tecna said as she showed it off. "Fitted with the best of the best technologies, and if you really wanted to, can teleport you to anywhere in the known universe." Dipper was impressed with its technological beauty.
"Grunkle Ford would love to see this," Dipper said, in awe, but then got a thought. "But won't these things malfunction and make the holograms come to life?"
"Zenithian technology is far too perfect to have any defects like so," Tecna said, accidentally assuring Dipper.
"And even if that were to happen, you all can count on your trusty Professor Palladium to handle things," Palladium said, trying to seem confident.
"That's sure to raise confidence," Flora said, rolling her eyes. "But why are we doing our midterms in a room like this and not out there?"
"Because, Flora, you can make whatever you want inside the Simulation Chamber," Palladium explained as he pressed a few buttons on the control panel. "For example, you can simulate one of two scenarios that will be used for the midterm." With a few more buttons pressed, the first scenario appeared. "Scenario one is for each one of you to use your magic to counteract the unfortunate results of evil spells cast by a group of wicked ne'er do-wells." And with that, more buttons were pressed to showcase a different area, this time a barren land where not even vermin would tread ground. "And scenario two is for each fairy to be able to use magic to produce positive results on a damaged environment, such as this wasteland shown before you."
"Now that is something I can work with," Flora said as her eyes lit up. "No poor soul should be without the wonderful connection of nature. Especially for a certain cyborg."
"Way to throw me under the hover bus," Tecna said as some of the students giggled.
"I think either one would be better for me," Dipper told himself, but Mabel overheard him.
"It would, but watch me work my wonders for the first one," Mabel said as her personality gleamed. "And maybe I can fix the poor people up to be better than before. Fix their teeth, and clean their clothes. Even manage their sick symptoms."
"You'll have plenty of time to think this over before your test begins tomorrow," Palladium said, which shocked both Dipper and Bloom.
"WAIT, THE MIDTERM IS TOMORROW?!" Bloom and Dipper said together. "YOU SHOULD HAVE GIVEN US SOME MORE TIME!"
"Don't fret, you two," Palladium said, trying to display confidence. "I have seen all of you flourish this past few months, and I believe every one of you has the potential to pass with flying colors. Just practice well, rest well, and come back tomorrow and we can get this simulated show on the road!" While his wording was met with some applause, some students were nervous about the test for one reason or another.
A short while later, after lessons were over, Bloom visited Brandon at Red Fountain to spend some quality one-on-one time with a boy she liked. Brandon told Bloom a story, and Bloom was entranced by every word. Brandon's trusted dog, Lady, walked beside the two of them.
"And that's how I managed to ride a dragon today," Brandon said, proud of his accomplishments.
"That sounds incredible, Brandon," Bloom said, always wanting to ride a dragon like in those movies she loved so much. "To ride atop a mighty dragon while a powerful weapon is in your hands, ready to stop a dark lord!"
"If he can keep me on his saddle, that is," Brandon said, trying to soften the blow. "Turns out dragon riding is much harder to do than what the professor had described." Bloom can't help but chuckle at Brandon. He was tall, built, very soft in protecting others, and quite handsome to boot. "But what about you? How's Alfea been treating you?"
Bloom stiffened up as she was asked this. "Well, I just found out that we have a midterm tomorrow in the simulation chamber at Alfea."
"I never knew Alfea had one as well," Brandon said. "I know we had one for a while, and rumors suggest that Cloud Tower just got theirs in the other day."
"So it's not just fairies that have to deal with this," Bloom said out loud.
"Yeah, in fact, we did our test inside ours the other day," Brandon said. "Heck, I think Wendy called the chamber by a different name."
"A holo-deck, perhaps?" Bloom suggested.
"That's the one!" Brandon said, answering Bloom's question. "She said it's from a show both she and Dipper watch sometimes."
"I'm not that big of a fan of it, to be honest," Bloom said. "But back to the midterm, I think I'm going to do the one that we need to fix up a damaged environment with our magic."
"I know you'll be great at it, Bloom," Brandon said, trying to reassure her. Lady barked as well, trying to make Bloom cheer up. As both he, Bloom, and Lady went on their way, Riven was listening from a good distance away.
"A Simulation Chamber, eh?" Riven said as he dialed up Darcy as she picked up her phone. "Hey, Darcy, I got an opportunity for you."
"What is it?" Darcy said, clearly not in the mood. "I'm just so beat after today's midterms, acing it as usual."
"I just thought you'd like to know that Bloom's gonna take her midterms tomorrow inside the simulation chamber if you want some payback," Riven said, trying to make his girlfriend happy.
"Alfea has a simulation chamber as well?" Darcy asked as she started giggling. "Oh, this is just too perfect! As luck would have it, I am a bit of a brainiac when it comes to stuff like that."
"You're welcome, my dear," Riven said.
"And I would have never known about this if a certain specialist boy told me otherwise," Darcy chuckled over the phone. "I'll let you know how it went tomorrow." With that, Darcy hung up on Riven.
Meanwhile, at Cloud Tower, Darcy just got off the phone with Riven as all 3 Icy, Stormy, and Pacifica groaned.
"How's your dumb-as-bricks boyfriend been?" Stormy asked Darcy, who was then flipped off.
"Shut up, you chaotic windbag," Darcy said. "It just so happens that we can test Bloom and the Twins to see if they TRULY have the dragon's flame."
"That doesn't involve hurting them too much," Pacifica reminded them all.
"Of course," Darcy said, remembering the deal not to hurt Mabel or Dipper.
"I don't know who has it worse: you dating Mabel, or Riven dating Darcy?" Stormy asked as she was thrown pillows by the both of them.
"So what did Riven want?" Icy asked Darcy.
"So, it turns out that our fairy friends are taking the midterm tomorrow with their Simulation Chamber," Darcy said. "Combining it with my knowledge and my sneaking skills, I can sabotage their chamber so that way it makes the three of their tests so high in difficulty, that it forces them to use their full potential."
"Thus testing them if seeing if they have the Dragon's Flame!" Icy finished. "Not bad, sister."
"Wait, sneaking?" Pacifica asked.
"We've never had a chance to sneak, but one of my favorite spells is to sneak around... as if I were a shadow," Darcy said as she phased through the couch's shadow, her chuckles echoing throughout the room.
"She used to do this a lot when we first met a few years back," Icy said as she remembered her past. As she did that, Darcy's head poked out of the table's shadow.
"And I still got it!" Darcy said as she chuckled.
"Whoa..." Pacifica said, looking at her hands. "You think I can do something like that?"
"Like turn into metal?" Icy said as she turned her hand into ice. "Ohohohoho, Pazzy, I'd be honored to teach you."
"And I can turn into either wind, lightning, and sometimes water," Stormy proudly said. "It's an advantage witches have that we become our elements."
"Then by all means, while Darcy's busy, can you two teach me?" Pacifica asked as Icy turned her hand back to normal and placed it on her head.
"Absolutely!" Icy said.
Back at Alfea, Dipper and Wendy were just lounging at a bench outside, finally getting some alone time after all the chaos involving magic, classes, and whatnot. Dipper was resting on Wendy's shoulder and Wendy couldn't help but look at him and smile.
"I kind of missed what it's like to just have nothing going on," Dipper said, enjoying the moment.
"It feels nice, just relaxing," Wendy said. "Haven't done this since I was hired by Stan at the shack."
"And then I came into your life," Dipper teased as he chuckled. "I wonder what he'd think about us?"
"With Stan? I think he made a bet with Mabel on who you'd end up with," Wendy suggested.
"Oh that did happen," Dipper said. "Grunkle Stan had 50 dollars down on us, and Mabel had money down on me and Pacifica."
"You and Pacifica, huh?" Wendy said, thinking about it. "I can kind of see it forming, but I don't think it would have worked."
"It would have ended with me being assimilated into her one percent ways or dumping me because I'm a quote-unquote 'bumpkin'," Dipper explained. "But I'm glad she's making Mabel happy."
"Considering her string of failed boyfriends, you and me both," Wendy said, glad for those two girls becoming more than friends.
"And speaking of failed boyfriends," Dipper said as he was hugged by Wendy before he could finish his sentence.
"I know what you're going to say, Dipper, and I've already forgiven you for that," Wendy said, making sure to let Dipper's suspicions rest.
"The whole 'Robbie trying to brainwash you thing and immediately trying to rebound when I should have made sure you were ok' thing?" Dipper asked.
"Yeah, man," Wendy said. "I sort of calmed down after all that and realized you've never had a date before."
"That's still no excuse to treat you like that," Dipper said. "I should have known better back then."
"Do you know better now?" Wendy asked as Dipper thought about it.
"I do," Dipper said. "Thanks."
"Of course," Wendy said, accepting his thanks. "You've been like the best boyfriend I've ever had, and that's a high bar."
"Even though you're the only girlfriend I've ever had?" Dipper asked.
"If you don't count all those wannabe dates from the road trip," Wendy joked. "Sorry wasn't able to make it. Had the MOTHER of all flu's when you all shipped off. Turns out it needed a specific cure, and luckily your Grunkle Ford and I had our own adventure."
"You and Grunkle Ford had your own adventure?" Dipper asked.
"Yeup. It went as weird as you'd expect," Wendy said, remembering her adventure with Ford. "Honestly, I think he'd fit right at home here on Magix."
"Oh, he would LOVE Magix," Dipper replied. As Dipper and Wendy were chatting, they quickly turned minutes into hours with how well they'd gotten to know one another.
Later that night, Darcy used her dark powers to weave through Alfea's darkened hallways, avoiding suspicion as much as possible. She reached the end of the hallway and saw Alfea's simulation chamber control room.
"Jackpot," Darcy said to herself as she slipped through the door without opening it. "Why hello there, you magnificent system. It's weird how Alfea has a better system than Cloud Tower, but that's to be expected, given the current state of how people view fairies and witches and whatnot." Darcy then approached the system and started messing with it.
"Let's see... difficulty settings for Bloom, Mabel, and Dipper, along with everyone else in this dragon-forsaken excuse of a class is currently at a level 3," Darcy said as she started to adjust some settings. "Now all I need to do to give them a proper push is to raise those three specifically. Bloom and Mabel should get a level 7, while Dipper in particular gets a level 10 because fuck your brain clashing with mine!" As she does so, she also makes sure nobody is anywhere near her. Alfea is known to have some of the best security on the entire planet of Magix, but they are nothing when it comes to the shadows of darkness. "Good fucking luck, you three embers!" Darcy laughed as she quickly exited the room through the shadows.
The next morning, at the Winx's dorm, everyone was groggily awakened as they were trying to center themselves for the upcoming test.
"Mornings... are hell..." Mabel said as she was sitting at the table with some cereal, half asleep.
"You said it, bestie," Stella said as she tried eating a brush while trying to brush her hair with a banana.
"After this midterm, I will plug myself back into bed and try to sleep the day away," Tecna said, lying on the couch.
"Sounds like somebody shouldn't spend all night playing video games with mister stinkbomb," Musa said, trying to prep herself.
"That's enough out of you, pipsqueak," Dipper sassed at Musa. "At least I didn't spend all night fantasizing about Layla."
"She and I just became girlfriends, Dipper," Musa defended herself. "It's only fair I'd think about her, just like how a certain pocket of BO is currently thinking about a certain lumberjane." Dipper could only pout at that as Musa can't help but chuckle at him.
"Plus, I think it's sweet," Layla said as she kissed Musa's forehead. "After our midterms, I think we should go out on a date."
"Fuck yeah," Musa said as she kissed back. As she did that, Bloom was busy packing her backpack.
"Oh, let's see... do I need this? No, I think I might need that instead!" Bloom said as she was overanalyzing everything. "AH SHIT, I DON'T THINK I CAN DO THIS!" Bloom started freaking out as Stella headed over and pulled her into a hug.
"Yes you can, Bloomington, because I've seen you do the impossible!" Stella said as she tried to assure her best friend. "You even stood up to those bullies just before you left for Alfea!"
"Yeah, but I had you with me," Bloom said, trying to beat herself down.
"Oh pish posh, you would have done it anyway," Stella said, making sure this would cheer her up. "You, Bloom Peters, are the strongest person I know." Bloom smiled and made sure to pack slowly and only as much as she needed.
"Thanks, Stella," Bloom said, hugging Stella.
"Anytime, bestie," Stella said. As they hugged, Flora checked the time and nearly screamed.
"OH CRAP, WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" Flora yelled.
"EVERYONE, PACK YOUR THINGS!" Bloom ordered the others. "WE'RE LEAVING NOW!"
A very short while later, all the students were over at the Simulation Chamber's control room where both Palladium and Faragonda were both present.
"Good morning, dear students," Palladium said, clearly in a good mood. "Is everyone ready?" All the students groaned, clearly not in the mood to be tested so early in the morning.
"I know things might seem sluggish and irritating right now, as it's very early in the morning, but each and every one of you has shown great promise during these last few months," Faragonda began. "Just take a deep breath, students, and you'll be fine. Trust me, you'll all pass this midterm with flying colors. Get it, because we can all fly?" As she tried making that bad joke, all the other students groaned at it , but Faragonda still smiled at it as she thought it was good.
"Now here's how this will work," Palladium said, trying to get the class back in order. "Groups of 3 will pick either option I have explained yesterday, and they will enter the chamber. While they do the test, it's up to everyone else to make sure to keep a close eye on them. Just because you're not in there doesn't mean you can't use this to study up on what to do."
"Groups of three?" Genesis asked, not ready to hear this sudden twist.
"We'll, there goes my plan," Francine said, really not used to a lot of the students in this class.
"And to make things fair, I will make the groups," Palladium said, which seemed to make the students even more anxious. "For example, the first trio that will go in is Bloom, Dipper, and Mabel."
"Woo, the fire fairies are going first," Mabel happily said, secretly super nervous but hiding it well. Unlike Dipper, who was very nervous and visibly showed it.
"Wait, us?" Dipper said.
"Remember what Stella said, Dipper," Bloom said, trying to reassure him.
"Aw crap, my hair smells like bananas?" Dipper repeated, earning some laughs from the students in the room.
"Is that we are the strongest people we know," Bloom said as Stella gave them a thumbs up. "We'll be fine. Heck, this might actually be easy."
"Easier than punching a fake psychic in the face," Mabel added as that made Dipper smile. He did enjoy punching Gideon in the face over the summer.
"That might be the kick I needed," Dipper said as he held his knapsack close to him. "Alright, let's go!" As Dipper, Mabel, and Bloom all walked in, Palladium leaned into Faragonda to whisper something.
"Are you sure it's a good idea for them to do this together?" Palladium asked. "I would have done Bloom, Stella, and Flora as one group, and Dipper, Mabel, and Genesis as another group for the project."
"This is imperative that the three of them learn to get along, especially in the days ahead," Faragonda said, being cryptic as usual. Palladium did not know what this meant, but he trusted his boss to usually do the right thing. And if she says she wants something done, then who is he to question her?
Inside the simulation room, Dipper, Mabel, and Bloom were looking around, ready to get this over with.
"Alright, just let me know which scenario you want and we'll begin," Palladium said over a loudspeaker. "Remember, you have the option to do one of two scenarios. Reversing a curse caused by trouble makers, or repairing a damaged environment." As he said that, the trio huddled as they talked it over.
"What do you two think?" Bloom asked the two of them, unsure what to do here at their moment of truth. All three of them hail from Earth, a world that was known to be born from magic besides the occasional miracle or gem fiasco. But Dipper and Mabel have already agreed on what to do.
"Let's do the second one," both twins said in unison as Bloom couldn't believe that they synchronized like this. She always thought twins doing this stuff was only in movies.
"Of course!" Bloom said to them as she cleared her throat. "Professor Palladium, we wanna do the second one."
"An excellent choice," Palladium said as he then engaged the simulation chamber to appear to be a frozen wasteland, which caused the three of them to shiver. "A little background about this place. This is Domino, formerly one of the most beautiful planets in all the known universe. 16 years ago, this planet fell under attack from 5 beings so vile, that they cant be mentioned by name. Your job is to restore this area to what you believe to be normal, and you have 30 minutes to do so."
"Could you pick a warmer location?!" Dipper practically yelled.
"Trust me, fire fairy, you'll be fine," Palladium said. "Plus, if things start to malfunction, You have all of us to help pull you out."
Dipper then turned to face Mabel as both she and Bloom lightly glowed as they started to warm up.
"See, bro, weather like this is nothing thanks to our FIRE MAGIC!" Mabel cheered. Dipper then remembered this as he began to glow as well, warming himself up.
"Well, that's certainly an advantage," Dipper said.
"Alright you two, settle down," Bloom said as she brought her backpack down, and Dipper did the same with his knapsack. "Let's get to work."
Back in the control room, everyone was watching the twins and Bloom began to work on restoring the area. It was slow, but thanks to their established relationship, they were working pretty well with one another.
"Ooh, they're working with solar energy to help heat the area and making sure they have room to fix what was broken," Genesis summarized.
"Gee, thanks," Stella said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I AM the fairy of luminosity, after all," Genesis flaunted. "It pays to know what you can handle." The students laughed at Stella at that.
"Oh come on!" Stella said as she pouted.
"And I thought I was the fairy of laughter," Francine said.
"Alright, alright, that's enough," Palladium said, trying to calm his students down. Flora, who had stopped laughing, remembered something as she approached Faragonda and Palladium.
"Excuse me, professor?" Flora asked. "You said that the simulation is showcasing Domino, correct? As in Helia's homeworld Domino?"
"Indeed," Palladium said. "But truth be told, this was actually a request by Faragonda herself."
"Really?" Flora asked as she turned to face her headmistress.
"Even if the simulation chamber isn't the real thing, I just wish to see my homeworld once more," Faragonda said, sounding extremely homesick. This worried Flora so she decided to give her a hug. Faragonda, shocked by this, hugged her back. "Thank you."
Back inside the simulation chamber, Mabel was clearing the area as Dipper and Bloom were both looking through their respective bags on what they could use.
"We could try to use some plants to help freshen things up here," Dipper suggested. "Maybe repurpose the snow into water to help water the plants?"
"Oh, that's genius," Bloom said as she looked in her bag, but found one extra thing she did not mean to have. "Kiko? What are you doing in my bag?" And with that, Kiko hopped out of the bag angrily as Bloom realized he must have gotten swept up in her anxiety over her midterm. "I am so sorry for packing you in like that, but I can't play right now."
"Wait, Kiko?" Mabel said as she slowed down to take a look. "Aaw, he must have been worried sick for you."
"I don't think Kiko came here on his own accord, Mabel," Dipper said as he started making some plants grow, which was helping the area heal a bit. "Thank you, Flora and your after-class accelerated lessons." As the trio of fairies were making sure the area was getting more and more clear while Kiko was getting impatient with them, they soon heard chuckling from a distance. 4 different chuckles as the trio of fairies and even Kiko were worried about what was going on.
"Wait, sinister chuckles?" Mabel said as she tried to find where they came from. As she did, more ice started accumulating, and high winds were pushing back the fairies as Bloom started to hold onto Kiko.
"No, it couldn't be..." Bloom said as she looked up and saw what appeared to be all 4 Trix, Icy, Darcy, Stormy, and even Pacifica floating there, menacingly. "THE TRIX?! What are they doing here?"
"We meet again, Bloom Peters," Icy said, but in a blocky distorted voice.
"Wait a minute, they aren't really the Trix," Dipper said. "These are hologram Trix."
"I thought we were supposed to do scenario 2, not 1," Mabel asked, now a little frightened.
"Well, you're supposed to be bowing before us," Pacifica said as she fired some metal shards near them.
"Hey, watch it!" Bloom said as she held Kiko. "They could have hit Kiko, you simulated rich girl."
"She may not be Pacifica, but it doesn't mean we can't teach these glitches a lesson," Dipper said, charging his magic. "And where is Palladium with his help?"
Back in the control room, Palladium and Tecna were trying their best to try to get into the simulation chamber's systems and programming to see what could have caused this.
"Double check the scenarios again, Palladium," Tecna asked. "We got to figure out why there are hologram versions of the Trix attacking my friends."
"Rechecking the code now," Palladium said, scared for his students. A simulation chamber like this shouldn't break so easily, especially not during an important test like this.
"Despite the fact that this test is blowing up in their faces, I have hope that the trio will surpass this unwanted scenario with passing marks," Faragonda said, worried for the trio, but having faith. But some of the other students waiting couldn't share the same remarks.
"Why the Trix? Why now?" Musa asked as she grew pissed.
"Maybe it read their minds and their anxieties?" Layla asked.
"That's not entirely impossible," Tecna said, now thinking about it.
"No, it is," Palladium said, explaining himself. "I only had two of these set yesterday. There was no way anyone could have messed with them last night."
"Well, what about an off switch?" Musa asked as some of the other students agreed.
"I'm afraid they need to finish the simulation or wait out the 30-minute limit I have set in place," Palladium said, feeling super guilty about all this.
"Let's hope they figure something out before then," Stella said, worried about the three fairies stuck in the chamber.
Back inside the simulation chamber, Bloom, Dipper, and Mabel were facing off against the Trix as the three of them transformed into their fairy forms. Mabel even summoned a bubble around Kiko so he wouldn't be caught in the crossfire of the fight.
"FIRE SHIELD!" Mabel cast a light orange bubble around Kiko.
"Good thinking, Mabel," Bloom said, happy for her. "Now we can fight without worrying."
"Oh, I can't wait to see what I can do to Darcy's face," Dipper said as his hands glow with fire magic. At that point, all three of them flew up and were on the offensive, forcing the four witches to go on the defensive as if it were code.
"Defend, Defend," Darcy repeated as she got her shadow magic to shield herself from Dipper's fiery fury.
"What's the matter, Darcy-gram, am I too hot for you to handle?" Dipper said with a smug look on his face, blasting her once more. "FIRESTORM!" This forced Darcy back a few feet in the air as she collided with Pacifica.
"Hey careful," Mabel warned her brother. "She may be a hologram, but she's still Pazzy."
"That's just a Pazzy hologram, Mabel," Dipper tried to warn his sister. "She's not the real deal."
"But she looks like the real deal," Mabel argued. "It's just... hard." As she said that, Pacifica-gram tried to fire magic at Mabel but was blasted by Bloom.
"Let me handle both Icy and Pacifica," Bloom offered. "I don't know her like you two, so it should be easier for me to handle." Mabel thought about this for a second but then gave her answer.
"Alright, but no blasting her face," Mabel said, trying to compromise.
"Deal," Bloom said as the battle resumed. Mabel was trying to use her fires to keep Stormy-gram at bay, who was trying to shield herself with her lightning magics.
"You will pay, you brat!" Stormy-gram said, almost as if it was a triggered phrase from the program.
"Yeah yeah, shut up," Mabel said as she kept tricking the hologram. "I won't let anyone stand in the way of me and my destiny."
"Also our grades," Dipper yelled over as he was busy fending off Darcy-gram and her hologram magics.
"Our grades can wait," Bloom told them both. "We need to survive this ordeal first." Both twins nodded to that as the fight resumed, alongside the fact Kiko was trying to keep their bags and stuff safe from accidental misfiring. The 3 sources of fire were blasting 4 hologram witches as they were being watched by everyone in the control room.
Back in the control room, as the two geniuses known as Tecna and Palladium were working on the machine, the other students had some words to say about the three fire fairies that were trying to take their midterms.
"I never knew how powerful they actually are," Francine said, in awe of their skills.
"And you said they're all from Earth?" Genesis asked.
"Sure are," Musa said. "And if I know anything about Earthlings, it's that they won't stop until they make sure their goals are met."
Back inside the simulation chamber, the fight continued as the hologram witches are being pushed to their limit.
"Final formation, everyone," Icy-gram said as she, Darcy-gram, Stormy-gram, and Pacifica-gram assembled g next to one another as their magics were charging. As they were, for a brief moment, it looked like the simulation room started slowing down with as much nonsense as was going on, and Dipper caught on to that.
"Wait a minute, guys," Dipper said as he noticed it. "The Simulation, it's slowing down. I THINK I KNOW HOW TO GET OUT OF HERE!"
"You do?" Bloom said, happy that there's some hope.
"I think I know where he's going with this," Mabel said, seeing what Dipper was thinking of. "We just need to crash the program."
"And I think I know how to do so," Dipper said as he pointed to the four hologram witches. "We block their attack with all we got, and that should crash the chamber and get us out of here."
"That sounds very risky," Bloom said, worried about all of them.
"With high risk, comes high reward," Mabel cheerfully explained. "Grunkle Stan taught us that over the summer." Bloom still wasn't entirely on board with this plan, but it was all they could come up with. And with that, the three of them charged their magics together as they formed a spell unlike anything they'd cast before.
"Ready, you two?" Bloom asked them.
"Ready!" Both Dipper and Mabel replied in unison. Bloom still liked the fact that they're in sync, making her more relaxed as she knows she has true friends like these two by her side. As that happened, a giant fireball formed in front of them.
"INFERNO FIREBALL!" All 3 of them shouted as they fired the spell at the hologram Trix.
"PLASMA FULL FORCE!" The hologram Trix shouted as their voices started getting pixelated . And with that, they fired their spell and both orbs clashed with one another. As they were struggling, the environment around them started glitching and forming weird shapes around them, even replacing some stuff with other stuff that didn't make sense.
"Hey, it's working!" Mabel gleefully shouted. "The simulation is starting to crash."
"Told you it would work," Dipper said, proud of himself.
"But this isn't enough," Bloom said. "POUR IT ALL IN!" All 3 of them then started charging their spell with even more magic as the fire orb started growing in size, causing the room around them to crash even more.
"NNNNNNEEEOOOOOOHHHHH, this-is is impossiblelelelelelelelele," Icy-gram said as she started glitching out alongside the other hologram Trix, but she saw that all 3 fairies were glowing the very same way as they were when they rescued Musa from a massive misunderstanding. At that exact moment, the room shut down and returned back to normal. The door opened up as everyone in the chamber's control room ran up to the 3 fairies, with Stella, Tecna, and Flora leading the pack.
"Bloomy!" Stella said as she hugged Bloom.
"Sweetie!" Flora shouted as she gently hugged Mabel.
"DIPPING SAUCE!" Tecna roared as she pulled Dipper into a bear hug. "It is good to see you are kicking."
"I won't be if you crush me like a bug," Dipper said, thus getting let go. "Thank you."
"So what exactly happened?" Faragonda said as she got up front.
"Well, we were doing our task like good fairies, and then the simulation showed four witches from Cloud Tower and they started attacking us," Mabel began.
"Then I noticed that the simulation was slowing down due to how many things it was running, so we just decided to throw one giant spell at them," Dipper said next.
"And we never got to finish our test, which means... we failed," Bloom said as she looked upset. As she said that, Palladium came up to them with a happy face.
"No, you did not," Palladium said. "Despite the fact that the simulation accidentally ran both scenarios, you three were adept enough to showcase your skills to the fullest extent. You all cleared the area and dealt with wild hooligans in the process."
"Wait, does this mean-" Dipper asked.
"You three pass with the highest marks!" Palladium happily said. "Which you would refer to as an 'A+'."
"YES, AN A+!" Mabel said as the other students who weren't being tested started clapping for them.
"Hell yeah!" Musa said happily.
"Way to go!" Layla said, happy for her buddies.
"Congratulations!" Genesis said, proud of her classmates. "But wait, what about the rest of us?"
"This may be disappointing to some, but to others, this is a blessing in disguise," Palladium explained. "While the chamber is being repaired, the rest of you can prep your skills so when it is fixed, you can ace your project like the three of them."
"Heed his warning, students," Faragonda said, agreeing with Palladium.
"Hey guys, do you think you think you can delay Wizgiz's test until another day?" Stella asked as the rest of the class had a good laugh, despite the very eventful day Bloom and the Twins had.
Later at Cloud Tower, all 4 Trix and Knut were watching the replay of the test on their crystal ball, and they were impressed with the final results.
"Told you my plan would work," Darcy said, adjusting her glasses while smiling.
"Never doubted you for a second," Icy said as she was focused on the replay. "So it is true. These three really do have the Dragon's Flame."
"And they don't even know it," Stormy chuckled, but then saw Pacifica worried about all of this. Icy noticed this and put a hand on her back.
"I know this is hard, but I will promise you now that we won't hurt them," Icy said, promising Pacifica.
"Promise?" Pacifica asked. "Just taking their fire so we can make our dreams come true?"
"I promise," Icy said as she pulled her into a hug. Inside her head, Icy thought about that she truly meant what she said, but another side of her existed that knew she wouldn't uphold her end of the deal. Darcy and Stormy can't help but worry for Pacifica as well. They didn't know her for very long, but what they knew now was that they would go out of the way to help Pacifica out, no matter what.
That night, at Alfea, Faragonda, Griselda, and Palladium were all discussing what happened today with the simulation chamber.
"It looks to be a textbook case of sabotage, but Griffin swears that none of her students did it," Griselda said. "I don't trust her."
"I do," Faragonda said as she hushed her second-in-command. "Despite our falling out, I still have faith when it comes to her influence."
"Either way, the repairs of the Simulation Chamber won't be done for another few days as we try to debug what went on," Palladium said, hoping to steer the conversation. "Bloom and those twins barely found a way to stop whatever was the issue, and I won't subjugate any of my students into dealing with that kind of Omega-like conditions."
"The elf speaks the truth," Griselda said. "But we need it up and running sooner than later or else the midterms will be pushed back." As she said this, Faragonda had an idea and used this opportunity to pick up what appeared to be a transceiver and dial up a number. "Who are you calling?"
"An old friend," Faragonda explained as the other line picked up. "Stanford, this is Faragonda. I know it's been 16 years since Domino, but I would like to ask for your assistance once more. It's about a simulation chamber from Zenith. There was an accident and a few of our students almost got hurt from it. You'll be there to help fix it? Wonderful! See you in the morning." As she finished her talk and hung up, both Griselda and Palladium were shocked by what they had just witnessed.
"Stanford?" Palladium asked.
"As in Stanford Pines from the now-disbanded Company of Light?" Griselda added to that.
"Indeed," Faragonda said. "He should be able to assist in repairing the chamber ahead of schedule. Plus, I trust him with my life, so why not bring him back into the fold after all these years."
"Wait a minute, Pines..." Griselda wondered. "IS HE RELATED TO DIPPER AND MABEL PINES?"
"Why of course he is," Faragonda said as she smiled. "He's their great uncle."
Authors note: Sorry that this was a shorter chapter than usual, but I can assure you that you'll love what I got cooking for the next 3 chapters, up to the story's halfway point. Up to there, and then for the rest of the story. So hope you enjoyed what went on, and don't forget to review, follow, and favorite this story! And please, no more commission spam messages. Also I would like to give a special shout out to Genesis_sinclair on discord and the owner of her namesake OC that appeared in this chapter.