Gravity Winx
By adventuremaker21
Chapter 15: Secrets and Snowfall
Authors note: At long last, chapter 15. The halfway mark of the story! This means so much to me and I hope you get to stick around and see the other half through. Now this chapter will have some more Gravity Falls elements in store as most of this chapter takes place back on Earth as everyone celebrates the holidays.
Part 1: Gravity Falls
Back in the wilderness town of Gravity Falls, Wendy was back with her family at her house, impressing her brothers with all the new stuff she had brought home and all she could do. Dan could only smile, knowing her daughter was growing stronger by the day and was becoming a better person, even if it was in small bits.
"I can't believe you survived schooling on another planet," Kevin, one of Wendy's younger brothers, said as he was inspecting some of the unusual gear.
"Hey, we Corduroy's can survive just about anything," Wendy said with confidence. "Heck, if we can survive the end of the world, then we can survive anything else."
"Including the fact that you have another boyfriend?" Gus, another of Wendy's brothers, teased his older sister, which made her turn red.
"How did you know I have a new boyfriend?" Wendy asked as the brothers laughed.
"Oh come on, it was obvious," Kevin said, snickering as Dan came over.
"Ok, that's enough out of all of you," Dan said, parenting his kids. "We got to prep for the next few weeks."
"Great, just what I need: more training," Wendy said as she complained. As if Red Fountain was bad enough, now she's got to go through her yearly apocalypse training.
"Actually, no," Dan said as he got a box of old decorations. "Since we survived the end of the world together, it's about time I reward you by celebrating the holidays this year." This caused the kids to cheer for their dad, as he never lets them celebrate Christmas.
Not since Samantha left.
"Are you serious?" Kevin asked.
"YEAH! CHRISTMAS TIME!" Marcus, the third brother, shouted happily. As they stopped cheering, Dan saw Wendy and smiled.
"Why don't you see your friends?" Dan suggested. "The boys and I are going to try to find a tree, so relax."
"Thanks, Dad," Wendy said as she hugged him, put her things together, and left. "See you soon!" As Wendy left, Dan cracked his knuckles and neck.
"LET'S FIND US A TREE AND CHOP IT DOWN!" Dan said as he got his sons hyped for the task at hand, who cheered for their dad.
Out in town, Wendy was bundled in her normal outfit plus a coat she liked wearing during the winter months. It'd been a short while since she got back home and nearly everybody was getting ready for the holiday season. This made Wendy happy as she then sees a few familiar faces hanging at Greasy's Diner. They were currently hyped about one of their own's latest update in his life.
"THOMPSON! THOMPSON!" Everyone in the group - Lee, Nate, Tambry, and Robbie were cheering for their friend Thompson. Wendy smiled as she saw her old group and decided to join them.
"Did anyone order a badass returning home?" Wendy said as the others were shocked, but then were happy at the sight.
"WENDY! WENDY!" The whole group chanted.
"How was military school on an alien planet?" Lee asked.
"Thank goodness you came back alive," Nate said.
"This calls for a pic," Tambry said as she shot a surprise selfie between her and Wendy, who anticipated this.
"Guys, guys, it's me we're talking about," Wendy said as she played it cool. "Of course, I'd survive a place like Red Fountain. And guess what?" Wendy said as she rolled her sleeves back to showcase her new muscles, which made the guys cheer.
"MUSCLES! MUSCLES!" The boys chanted as Tambry then took another pic. As they were chanting, Helia noticed this and walked over to them.
"Wendy?" Helia asked, curious to see her here.
"Helia? What are you doing here?" Wendy said as she was shocked, and the others in the group were confused.
"A friend from the boot camp?" Thompson asked, kind of nervous about the new guy.
"Yeah, actually," Wendy said as she smiled. "Guys, this is Helia, who's part of the same squad I'm assigned to. Helia, meet my group from home. There's Lee, Nate, Thompson, Tambry, and my ex-boyfriend Robbie. We're cool now."
"So these are her group from home..." Helia said as he thought about something. "Which means all of this is a coincidence."
"Wait, what?" Thompson said as he did not have any context.
"Once a year, around this time, my grandfather and I try to head to a new planet to learn its customs, blend in, and relax before the new year comes," Helia elaborated. "And it just so happened that Earth was next, so we picked a quiet town, not knowing it shares the same hometown as Wendy here."
"Whoa..." Lee and Nate said together. "Real aliens..."
"Come on, guys. it's not that impressive," Wendy said, trying to make him feel welcome.
"Easy for you say, space warrior," Robbie said. "Meanwhile the rest of us are stuck here."
"Guys, knock it off," Thompson said, trying to break up the argument, and to Wendy's surprise, Robbie stopped.
"Sorry, man," Robbie said. Wendy was surprised as Thompson was usually at the bottom of the rung in their group. She must have missed a lot if this were to happen.
"Whoa, look at you. Leading the group?" Wendy said as she was impressed with this.
"You better believe it," Thompson said. "I went from being the group punching bag to the group's most respected member while you were gone."
"Yeah, that's awesome," Wendy said as she then looked back. "Look, I don't know if the others apologized, but I want to say I'm sorry for how I've treated you for all those years."
"It's alright," Thompson said, understanding that Wendy had changed for the better and was genuinely sorry. "Let's leave those bad memories in the past and make new ones." The group then cheered as Helia waved at them. "Oh, Helia, was it? Why don't you come along with us?"
"You want me to accompany you with your group?" Helia asked.
"If Wendy trusts you, then that's good enough for me," Robbie said while Tambry, not looking up from her phone, gave her a thumbs up.
"Hell yeah, aliens!" Nate cheered as everyone piled into Thompson's van.
"Then it would be an honor to accompany you to fun activities ahead," Helia said as he got in the van and sat in the back with Tambry and Robbie, the couple of the group.
"Hope you like mayhem, Helia," Robbie warned him as Helia was both excited and nervous at the same time.
"Wendy and I are part of a squad of highly trained specialists who risk our lives on missions. How hard could this be?" Helia said as he would soon regret his choice of words.
"So, are you and Helia dating?" Nate asked as Wendy grew both red and annoyed.
"No way," Wendy replied back. "Besides, he has a girlfriend of his own."
"Princess Flora Hanover is her name," Helia said, informing the new friend group of who he was dating.
"A space princess, eh?" Lee said, teasing him.
"Sounds a bit farfetched," Robbie said as he grew suspicious.
"It's true," Wendy said as she pulled up a picture of Flora on her phone. "See? This is Flora, a nature fairy."
"A fairy? Aren't they supposed to be tiny?" Tambry asked in curiosity.
"Real fairies are more like anime magical girls, actually," Wendy replied in a way that would give the rest of the group some context on what she meant. They nodded in understanding. "Plus, I've started dating another guy recently, and he's super sweet to me. Heck, you might actually know him."
"It's Dipper, isn't it," Robbie said without a second thought. Wendy blushed again and unexpectedly, Lee, Nate, and Robbie all paid Tambry 20 dollars each.
"I'll pay when we get there," Thompson said as he was the one driving.
"Wait, did you all make a bet on me and Dipper?" Wendy said, surprised at her friends. "Even you, Robbie? I thought you didn't like him."
"Yeah, but even I saw that he made you smile," Robbie said. "But I'm over it. I got Tambry now."
"Growth," Tambry said, not looking up from her phone.
"You guys are very interesting," Helia said as he observed their behaviors.
"Welcome to Earth, buddy," Wendy said. "Where friendships are weird yet wholesome, the towns are grey, and the potential to grow is slim to none. But it's home."
After a long day of catching up with the crew and making new memories, Wendy and Helia were dropped off at the Corduroy cabin.
"Thanks, guys," Wendy said as she waved at them.
"Yeah, this was actually quite fun, despite running into some gnomes," Helia added on.
"Don't be a stranger, Wendy," Thompson said to her. "And Helia? You're welcome to be with us anytime."
"Glad to be aboard," Helia said as Thompson drove off. "You have some great friends."
"Tell me something I don't know," Wendy said as she and Helia went inside and saw that Saladin was sitting with Dan and his sons, talking about the importance of Christmas.
"So that's how it happened," Saladin said as he took another sip of his drink.
"Yeah, but now it's about buying lots of things for people and giving instead of getting," Gus said.
"Wait, grandfather? What are you doing at Wendy's home?" Helia asked as he did not see this coming.
"Ah, Helia, right on time," Saladin said as he smiled. "I found Wendy's family chopping down one of their magnificent trees and decided to help out."
"So you've been hanging out with my dad all day?" Wendy asked.
"While you were with my grandson and showing him Earth from your eyes," Saladin finished as Wendy knew he was right. "Why don't you tell us all about it?"
"Of course, grandfather," Helia said as he and Wendy sat down and began to tell Saladin about today's escapades, which only made the old wizard chuckle.
"Sounds like you two had fun," Saladin said.
"It's pretty average for what we do," Wendy said as he got herself a drink from the fridge.
"Oh yeah, before I forget, Saladin and his grandson are going to stay with us for the entire break," Dan told Wendy as she nearly spat out her drink.
"Relax, I won't make you do any more exercises," Saladin said. "We are on break, after all."
"Oh thank god," Wendy said as the brothers laughed.
"Not like she could do it anyway," Kevin said, snickering.
"Lazy pants!" Marcus said to Wendy as it made her annoyed.
"Ok, that's enough out of all of you," Wendy said, now pissed at her brothers.
"Back to before, but I am excited to learn how this holiday works. This 'Christmas'," Helia said as he started getting interested in this holiday. He was going to enjoy the break he had with Saladin, Wendy, and her family. No missions, no threats, no Trix, none of Riven's nonsense, just good old-fashioned family fun between the Sparks and the Corduroys.
Part 2: Gardenia
Inside Bloom's house in Gardenia, both Bloom and her mom Vanessa were working on cooking some food in the kitchen. It's been a few months since Bloom was on Earth, so she was enjoying her time with her mother to the best of her abilities.
"Alfea must have been a magical place, " Vanessa said, happy to be spending time with her daughter.
"Oh trust me, it's incredible. Even the friends I've made are just as magical as I am," Bloom said as she was mixing cookie dough in a bowl. She then used her magic to pull out a pic of the Winx Club and gave it to her mom. "You know Stella, my first fairy friend who showed me all of this."
"Couldn't forget her even if I tried," Vanessa said, thinking about Stella.
"There's also Flora, she's a nature fairy with a love of potions. Musa, the music fairy with a short temper. Tecna's a tall cyborg who's both brain and brawn. Layla, the water fairy who's keeping us all together. And there's even the twins Dipper and Mabel, who as it turns out, have the same element as me, and they're from Earth as well."
"Those two are awfully young to be attending there," Vanessa said as she inspected the picture. "Are they those geniuses who skip grades?"
"In a way, yeah!" Bloom said as she couldn't help but smile at the picture. "But I love these fairies like they're my own family."
"I'm just glad my daughter is feeling happy at fairy school," Vanessa said as she saw Bloom's progress with the food. It was slow-coming, and it was also sloppy. "Here, let me help with that."
"Oh?" Bloom said as her mom took the spoon from her. "Sorry, mom. I guess I was never good at working with food."
"We all got our talents, Bloom," Vanessa said. "I can cook a mean meal and help sell people wonderful flowers, while you can fly and use your amazing magical skills to help people out."
"Come on, Mom, it's not a competition," Bloom said as she blushed a bit. "I just wish Alfea had a home ec class. It has everything else like math, sciences, and literature, but sadly no home ec."
"Well then, it's important to pay attention to your mom because you're about to have your own private home ec class," Vanessa said as she cheered her daughter up. Bloom smiled, as she liked the idea of spending time with her mother.
Later, Bloom rode her bike through Gardenia, enjoying the sights of the city she had missed while attending Alfea, and Kiko rode in the front basket as usual. It was nice of them both to visit this old town of theirs as Mike saw her while in a fire engine.
"Hey, Bloom," Mike waved at her.
"Oh hi, Dad!" Bloom replied back.
"Hey, Bloom. Welcome back," Another firefighter said as she waved at her.
"Hey Debbie, Good to see you," Bloom replied.
"I heard Mom's making tomato soup for dinner, so don't stay out too late," Mike said as he drove off. As he did, Bloom suddenly encountered Mitzi, Sally, and Brooke, and boy, were they not happy.
"Oh god, not you three again," Bloom said, dreading their inevitable conversation.
"Well, well, well, look who it is," Mitzi said as she scoffed at Bloom. "Having fun at magic camp?"
"Oh you damn well know why I switched schools, Mitzi," Bloom said as she tried leaving, but was stopped.
"Thanks to your mishaps with that fairy princess, and Andy spreading rumors about us, we all got kicked off the cheer team," Sally said, furious.
"It's your fault we aren't as popular as we once were," Brooke said, clearly annoyed with Bloom.
"It's not my fault in the slightest," Bloom said. "If anything, you have had this coming for a long time now." The 3 bullies were pissed at what Bloom said.
"What was that, you bitch?" Mitzi said as she grew furious at her. "Just because you go to another school for magic, doesn't mean you can look down on the rest of us as inferiors."
"You've been doing the same thing to me all my life," Bloom said to them, which caused them to get even more mad. Bloom noticed this and quickly zoomed away, not wanting to confront them. "Phew, that was a close call, right Kiko?" Kiko made some noises saying that he agreed with Bloom. As they went off in their own direction, Bloom saw something weird coming out of a person nearby. It was like a blue ghost of the same person as below them. But as the real man was happy, the ghost man that was connected was anxious.
"Aw crap," The ghost man said. "Tonight's the big event, and I am nowhere as ready as I should have been."
Bloom could not believe what she was seeing. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, but the ghost was still there.
"Oh my god, I think I can see into people's souls," Bloom gasped while hoping that she didn't sound crazy. "Why can't I do this back on Magix with the rest of the club, or heaven forbid the Trix?" As Bloom kept walking down the street, she went to her mom's flower shop and saw that her mom was talking to two strange men in business suits, a rare sight around these parts. "I wonder what's that about?" Bloom went over and saw that the two men were leaving the flower shop with angry looks on their faces. "What was that about, mom?"
"Oh them? They were businessmen who wanted to buy out my store and make it into part of a chain," Vanessa explained.
"I think you dodged a massive bullet there, Mom," Bloom said. "I just unlocked a new power while walking down the street. I can see into people's souls."
"Really?" Vanessa said as she was shocked. "That's remarkable."
"And I saw a glimpse at the two men who walked out," Bloom said. "They wanted money and nothing more. They looked cruel and apathetic."
"Good thing I turned down their deal before I had the chance to sign," Vanessa said as she relaxed, knowing she avoided a bad thing. "It's so nice to be right on the money."
"That it is, mom," Bloom said. "That it is."
Throughout the break, Bloom was hanging with her parents as they were all relaxing and doing fun activities. From self-care from all the nonsense from Alfea and the neighboring schools, to going to the movies with her parents, to even just having a nice family meal with her parents and even her rabbit Kiko. Bloom even helped her mom out with her flower store as an extra worker. Life was good for Bloom and she wished she could keep that forever. One morning, as Bloom and her mom were walking to the store, they both saw that the store was trashed.
"Holy shit, my store!" Vanessa squealed out as she saw the damage. Vases were destroyed, cameras were snapped, glass was shattered, and flowers were scattered everywhere.
"It's gotta be those two businessmen," Bloom said as she saw the damage. "It has to be Mr. Brown and Mr. Bonner."
"I can't tell for sure," Vanessa said as she pointed to a camera remains. "They snapped the cameras so we can't tell who did it." Bloom then checked the register and saw that nothing was missing.
"And what kind of burglar doesn't take any money," Bloom said as she told her mom. "I saw their auras, mom. Mr. Brown and Mr. Bonner are nothing but bad news."
Later that night, Mike was sitting at the counter as he was frustrated that someone would attack his wife's place of business.
"We got to call the cops," Mike said. "I got a buddy on the force who owes me a favor. He could put these pricks away."
"But we have no evidence that it's them," Vanessa said back. "They destroyed the security footage."
"Looks like we need to set up some cameras first thing in the morning," Mike said as he grew frustrated. "Right now, I want to head to bed."
"It's probably for the best," Vanessa said as she joined her husband.
Around later that night, Bloom was tossing in her bed, mumbling about fire as she was having a nightmare. She then woke up in a cold sweat and screamed loudly, almost immediately, both parents came in, worried for their daughter.
"Bloom!" Vanessa said, worried for her daughter.
"Are you alright?" Mike said.
"THE SHOP!" Bloom said. "SOMETHING BAD'S HAPPENING TO MOM'S SHOP!" And right on cue, Mike's phone started to ring as he picked it up.
"MIKE, COME QUICK! YOUR WIFE'S SHOP, IT'S ON FIRE!" The voice on the other line said.
"WHAT?!" Mike yelled. "I'll be right there!" As he hung up, Vanessa overheard it and gasped.
"MY SHOP!" Vanessa said as she rushed downstairs. They all got their things and rushed over to Vanessa's flower shop, and sure enough, it was on fire.
"Jesus Christ," Mike said as he grouped with his fellow firefighters. "ALRIGHT, WE GOTTA PUT THIS FIRE OUT!" As they were fighting the fires, Bloom heard voices inside the burning building.
"HELP!" One of the voices said.
"WE'RE TRAPPED!" The other voice said. Bloom narrowed her eyes as she started rushing in.
"Bloom, what are you doing?" Mike asked her daughter.
"I'm going to save those people, Dad!" Bloom said as she went in. "I can't let people burn to death." Mike tried stopping her, but the flames were too intense as Bloom went into the fiery store. Inside, Bloom saw that both her and the clothes she was wearing weren't set ablaze, a very useful power to have to face the fires. Bloom, still amazed at her new power, went in further into the store as she saw visions. Visions of another burning building, and her dad was in it. In the vision, her dad was rescuing a baby, which was strange. Bloom looked around and saw that her dad was still outside with his men and trying to contain the fire. Bloom made a note to bring it up and kept moving forward and saw that two familiar men were in the back of the store, near the storage area. It was Mr. Brown and Mr. Bonner, caught hand-deep in the cookie jar, or in this case, the matchbook. "SO IT WAS YOU GUYS!"
"We're sorry!" Both men said as they were scared out of their minds. Bloom grunted, not wanting to save them, but grabbed both of their arms.
"You two are in so much fucking trouble!" Bloom almost growled at them and took them outside, not letting them burn. As Bloom returned outside, the other firefighters were in awe at Bloom.
"Holy mother of God. Bloom's unharmed," One firefighter said.
"It's a miracle..." One passerby said.
"Bloom, is that?" Vanessa asked.
"Yes, they are, Mom," Bloom said. "Mr. Brown and Mr. Bonner set your store ablaze because they were pissed you didn't take their offer."
"And they would resort to arson?" Mike said as the firefighters were angry with them, but the cops came and they did their jobs, arresting the duo. Bloom almost fainted, not from the rescue, but from what she saw from her latest vision. One that needed answers.
"In a shocking term of events, a local girl, Bloom Peters, has rescued two men from a burning store, which turns out were the ones that set the store on fire. David Brown and Mike Bonner, both high-earning businessmen in charge of B&B Inc., were caught red-handed by Bloom. Both men have been arrested for arson and are awaiting trial."
This was the news report on TV reporting on the fire, and unfortunately, was being viewed by Mitzi, Brooke, and Sally, all of whom were in Mitzi's room for a sleepover.
"SHE DID WHAT?" Sally yelled out.
"Why does she get to have all the popularity?" Brooke asked.
"This bitch will pay," Mitzi grunted. "Mark my words, she will PAY!"
The next morning, the Peters family were having breakfast and were making the best of it.
"Luckily, the insurance has more than fully paid off the damages to the store," Vanessa said. "And if we play our cards right, we can sue the living daylights out of those rich arsonists and become rich. Then we'll use their money to help reopen the store better than ever!"
"With the best security money can buy," Mike added as Vanessa made a note of it. As the two of them were planning their upgrades, Bloom barely ate a thing as she sighed.
"What's the matter, Bloom?" Vanessa asked. "You barely ate anything."
"Are you ok, sweetie?" Mike asked as well. Bloom sighed and spoke.
"I saw another vision inside the burning building last night," Bloom said. "I saw Dad running into a fiery building, and rescuing a baby, even when I saw him putting out the flame on mom's store." Both parents were worried. "Mom... Dad... Am I adopted?"
Both of her parents sighed as they knew the truth would come in time, but never like this.
"It's true. It's all true," Mike said. "I saved you from a burning building 16 years and 6 months ago. It was one of my earlier days as a firefighter. There was this call about a building on fire, and I came in looking for survivors. Then I saw you crying, but the flames weren't burning you. I brought you out and tried to find your parents or anyone who knew you, but there was nothing. So, your mom and I did the paperwork and decided to adopt you as our own, naming you after the name on your blanket."
"Bloom..." Bloom said as she was surprised at the story. "I can't believe it. I'm adopted?"
"We're so sorry you had to find out this way, sweetie, but you know your father and I love you very very much," Vanessa said as she held Bloom's hand.
"We're so proud of you, Bloom," Mike said. "Confused with the whole magical system thing, but proud nonetheless."
"Thank you," Bloom said as she smiled. She knew part of who she was, but it only raised other questions. This was something that could wait, though, as this time was supposed to be spent with her family, not alone and moping around.
Part 3: Piedmont
At a house in Piedmont, California, a man was getting some decorations out while his wife, using magic, rearranged the contents of a Christmas tree, which was stacked with other goodies that showcased other holidays.
"Here we are, dear," Oritel said. "Another Earth winter is here, and the first one with our kids having magic."
"I know. It's just wonderful to have things finally look up," Marion said as the door was knocked on. "Could you get that? I'm handling the ornaments."
"Alright, sweetie," Oritel said as he put down his stuff and went to the door. Dipper and Mabel were there with some of their stuff, as were their pets Waddles and Furball. "Well, look who we have here?"
"DAD!" Both twins said as they hugged their father.
"We missed you so so much!" Mabel said as she kept hugging him.
"But you and Mom do owe us some explanations, like fairies, fire magic, and everything in between," Dipper said, concerned for everything as Oritel hugged them both back.
"Trust me, this was for your own protection," Oritel said as they all went back inside and saw Marion finish setting up the living room for the holidays. The Pines weren't really religious, but they did celebrate all the holidays so Mabel could be happy. Plus, to the parents, this was a nice way to learn about Earth customs.
"Hi, Mom!" Mabel said as she set her things down and went over to her.
"Mabel! Dipper!" Marion said as she hugged her kids. "Oh, we've missed the two of you so much!"
"Yeah, I think this might be the time where some more truths get revealed," Dipper said as his mom chuckled.
"Come on, we said everything we could," Marion said as she was ruffling his hair.
"Plus, it's the holidays," Oritel said as he backed her up. "There's gonna be time for that later."
"There better be because I don't like my own family withholding secrets from me," Dipper said as Oritel knew he was right. He and Mabel were led on for years about what was false being true and having to understand what was new was difficult, especially for them learning about Stan and Ford, and now their Dominoan heritage. At that exact moment, the doorbell rang.
"Now who could that be?" Marion asked as she got up and answered the door, revealing that it was Pacifica with two suitcases. "Why hello there."
"Hey, is this the Pines residence?" Pacifica asked as Mabel saw her.
"PAZZY!" Mabel said as she went up and hugged her as Dipper followed suit. "What brings you by?"
"Wait, Pacifica Northwest?" Marion asked. "The witch who's dating my daughter?"
"Why are you here?" Dipper asked.
"Turns out my parents got arrested back home, and I got nothing left there anymore," Pacifica said. "And since my sisters can't take me to any of their places, I need a place to stay for the holidays."
"Why of course you can stay here!" Marion said as she brought her in. "We got a spare bedroom upstairs."
"Thank you..." Pacifica said, momentarily frozen by the Pines family's hospitality. She then walked in and was taken upstairs by Marion.
"My daughter tells me you're a student over at Cloud Tower," Marion said, smiling at her. "She also tells me that you make her happy."
"Y-yeah," Pacifica said, talking to Mabel's mother, who was intimidating her for some reason. "So you know all about Magix? Fairies and witches and all that?"
"Of course," Marion said. "It's how I got to be such a powerful fairy, and it's how I sent my kids over to Alfea."
"But this early?" Pacifica asked. Marion knew she was smarter than she led on, and sighed.
"I'll tell you and the others later," Marion said as she talked to her. "But please don't use your powers in public. For our safety."
"Alright, I won't," Pacifica promised as she was hugged by Marion.
"Thank you," Marion said as she and Pacifica went back down as Dipper and Mabel were hanging out with their father and they were showing them what they could do now.
"Incredible, and you say you both have fire magic?" Oritel said as he was in awe.
"Yeup!" Mabel said as she summoned a small flame that only she could control. "See?"
"It's also weird that there's another Earthling at Alfea who's also from Earth and had fire magic," Dipper said as he pulled out a photo of the Winx Club. "It's the redhead in the pic." As Dipper gave the photo to his dad, Marion and Pacifica came back and sat with them.
"Are these your roommates?" Marion said as she glanced at the pic from over her husband's shoulder, but then both Oritel and Marion looked closer at it and silently gasped.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Mabel said as she was proud of the group. "We even have a name for the group. We're the Winx Club!"
"Wasen't exactly the name I would have gone with, but it grew on me," Dipper honestly said as Pacifica rolled her eyes.
"I'm... not exactly on good terms with the other fairies in their little group," Pacifica said, not wanting to talk about it further.
"Yeah, this looks pretty cool," Oritel said, shocked at what he and his wife were seeing.
"Should we tell them about the rest of their family?" Marion telepathically told Oritel.
"Not yet," Oritel telepathically said back. "Not until we have more information that she is indeed who she really is."
"Ooh, Mom, Dad, is it ok if we get a frame for this?" Mabel asked. "I have ideas on how to make it pretty."
"I'm sure you do, Mabel," Marion said, giving her a smile, but then remembering something. "There is... Something your father and I have to tell you about."
"And here we go," Dipper said, expecting something like this.
"Relax, son," Oritel said. "It's nothing bad."
"It's about why we sent the two of you to Alfea," Marion said as she took a deep breath. "2 years before you were born, your father and I were ambushed by a group of wizards, who called themselves the Order of the Black Circle."
"They hate fairies more than anything," Oritel said as he remembered that day. "And their leader, Orgron, almost got your mother." Hearing this deeply scared the twins and even Pacifica.
"Why would anyone hate fairies?" Mabel said as she became upset.
"Fortunately, we both drove them off," Oritel said. "But your mother was unable to use her powers on that scale again, in fear that it could attract the wizards. If they came back, it would not end well."
"So that's why we were sent to Alfea," Dipper said as he thought about it. "And these wizards would have gotten us if our magic was used outside of home?"
"Correct," Oritel said. "That's why we had to send you two to Alfea, so you two could flourish without fear of being kidnapped by the wizards."
"So you're preparing us to face the wizards instead?" Dipper said, finalizing the story. He didn't want to bes further suspicious of them or anything, but he was.
"More like so we can stand together as a family when the time comes," Oritel offered, trying to lighten the mood. This worked for Mabel, but both Dipper and Pacifica were not buying the whole thing.
"Anyone here feeling like there's more to this than they're letting on?" Pacifica whispered to Dipper and Mabel.
"Absolutely," Dipper whispered back.
"It was like this when we were told we have powers back when the summer ended," Mabel said, adding on to that.
"Trust us, kids, we're telling the truth," Oritel said, trying to make sure things weren't as bad as they seemed.
"Enough about us," Marion said as she tried changing the topic. "For the next few weeks, we are going to have loads of fun and celebrate the holidays together!"
And the Pines family, plus Pacifica, did just that. They went out shopping for one another, hoping to surprise one another during Christmas. They also hung out and did some ice skating, saw a movie, and went to build a snowman. They wanted to build 2, but they were unable to due to the lack of snow. And finally, Christmas Day came and all 5 of them, plus Waddles and Furball, were huddled around the living room as they were opening presents, all with amazing results.
"Is this a new phone case?" Pacifica asked as she smiled. "All the others I've gotten were from super high-end designers. But it's nice to have a commoner one for a change."
"Makes you less like your awful parents," Dipper added as he remembered.
"Thanks, dork," Pacifica said as she was given another present by Mabel.
"Now open mine!" Mabel said, excited for her gift. Pacifica then opened it up and saw it was one of Mabel's sweaters. The gold one with the llama on it, to be precise. "It's the sweater you wore back before we fought Bill Cipher."
"It's my symbol," Pacifica said as she put on the sweater. "Thank you." Mabel then kissed her on the cheek as a way of saying you're welcome. As that was happening, Oritel and Marion noticed that their kids were really close to Pacifica and were happy.
"Thank you for being really good friends to my kids, Pacifica," Marion said.
"Well, Mabel is my girlfriend, but you're welcome," Pacifica replied back to her, hoping she would let them keep dating. Marion chuckled as Oritel smiled.
"If she makes you happy, then I can only approve of this relationship," Oritel said as he made sure Pacifica was welcomed by the parents.
"Don't mention it," Pacifica said as through the past few days she's gotten to know them quite well, despite spending most of her time hanging out with her girlfriend and what she would call her best friend. At that moment, Mabel then remembered something very important.
"I'll be right back!" Mabel said as she rushed upstairs, then came back down with a laptop and opened it up. "They should be calling soon!"
"Oh crap, I nearly forgot," Dipper said as he then remembers.
"Who's calling?" Pacifica asked.
"Oh you'll see," Mabel said as the screen suddenly rang, and on the screen was Stan and Ford on their boat.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Both of the older men said.
"GRUNKLE STAN! GRUNKLE FORD!" Dipper and Mabel said at the same time.
"Wait, Uncle Stan?" Oritel said as he looked at this screen. "It's been a while. And you must be Uncle Ford. Dipper and Mabel told us about you."
"Greetings, Alexander," Ford said to him. "It's finally nice to meet you and your wife."
"Yeah, lots of reunions happening this year," Stan said. "How's the kids been?"
"They've been wonderful since the summer," Marion replied. "They even scored high grades on their latest tests."
"I swear, this whole family's filled with dorks," Stan joked.
"Good to see you two are still yourselves while out at the seas," Mabel said as she was happy for them.
"What about you?" Dipper asked. "Did you two find anything during your time at sea?"
"Sure did, kiddo," Stan said. "You know the Bermuda Triangle? Turns out it's an interdimensional gateway to something called the Infinite Ocean."
"It's a long story about what that all means, but in the short of it, it connects to every ocean in the whole universe," Ford explained. "Most of them are civilized societies."
"Sounds... interesting..." Pacifica said, but she was clearly bored.
"Wait, is that the northwest brat?" Stan asked as he saw her through the screen and groaned. "What is SHE doing here?"
"She didn't have anywhere else to go," Dipper defended her.
"Yeah, her parents got arrested for child negligence, fraud, tax evasion, and tons of other crimes," Mabel said as she held her hand. "So we're giving her a holiday in the house before she has to go back to boarding school."
"Boarding school?" Ford asked.
"It's super secretive," Pacifica said, looking away. "Outsiders can't know about it."
"Sounds like the school your great uncle Stan and I are gonna teach at once winter break is over," Ford explained.
"Wait, you two got teaching jobs?" Dipper asked.
"What about the Sea Grunkles?" Mabel asked.
"We'll still sail the seas during our off time, but we also need money to keep our ship afloat," Ford explained. "And Stan conning our money isn't exactly helping."
"I thought it would work," Stan whined. "Anywho, we can't say the name of this school due to an NDA or some nonsense, but if you ever need us, we're a phone call away."
"Thanks, guys," Mabel said as Dipper nodded.
"Thank you," Pacifica said as she was thankful for these two old men. As they kept talking, Oritel and Marion were in the other room, taking notes on a certain someone.
"I can't believe Ford doesn't remember us," Marion used her telepathy to Oritel.
"I'm sure he does, but to be fair, it has been 16 and a half years since Domino fell," Oritel thought back. "Maybe he doesn't remember us."
"Or something else," Marion thought to her husband. "At least he's good to the kids."
"Yeah, they seem to love them both," Oritel thought. As they discussed with telepathy, the trio were still talking to the Grunkles.
"So you and Wendy finally got together, eh?" Stan said as he was proud of him. "Atta boy."
"Come on, Grunkle Stan," Dipper said as he grew embarrassed.
"Treasure her, Dipper," Stan said as he gave his advice.
"I will," Dipper said as he smiled at the advice. Usually, his advice was crap, but a broken clock is right twice a day, and Stan hit his mark. Right then a loud noise was heard from the other side of the call.
"What was that?" Mabel asked, worried for her great uncles.
"Sorry to cut this short, but Stan and I have been tracking down a sea monster for days and I think we might have found it," Ford said as he pulled out a harpoon gun.
"Next time we meet, we're definitely having seafood!" Stan said with excitement. "See you kids soon, especially you, Northwest!"
"Bye!" Mabel said.
"Don't get killed!" Dipper said.
"See you old men later," Pacifics said as she said goodbye. As the call ended, the parents came back in.
"So while they're hunting a squid or something, why don't we go out for burgers for lunch," Marion suggested.
"Burgers!" Mabel exclaimed.
"I've never had a burger before," Pacifica said. "At least not one from Earth."
"So what are we talking here: local diner or fast food joint?" Dipper asked.
"Up to you three," Oritel said as he wanted the 3 kids to have some control over this: his son, his daughter, and his daughter's girlfriend.
"Let's get the worst possible kind of burger," Pacifica said as she was now craving burgers. "The greasier, the better."
"Now we're talking!" Oritel said as he agreed with her.
Part 4: Alfea
After winter break had concluded, the Winx Club happily reunited in their dorm room's living room at Alfea as they were all telling their tales about what happened while back at their homes.
"I can't believe that Pacifica spent the break over at your place," Flora said in disbelief.
"Yeah, but she had nowhere else to go," Mabel said, defending her girlfriend. "Her parents got arrested, and she didn't really have any relatives to go with."
"That and the Trix were unable to take her to their separate homes due to personal things," Dipper added on. "But it was kind of fun ringing in the new year with her."
"As long as you two are ok, then that's all that matters," Musa said, seemingly protective of her twin friends. "Like how I know my cousin's safe with her friends."
"Same here, actually," Layla said as she chimed in. "My cousin calmed down before he did anything stupid, so that was a good time."
As the rest of the club was catching up with one another, one among them was not exactly in a talking mood. Bloom was deep in thought about what she heard from her folks. About the truth that she was in fact adopted. Bloom then had flashbacks over some happy moments in her life, like the times she spent with her parents and the time they let her pick out Kiko. Bloom thought of this and sighed. Stella saw this, went over to Bloom, and sat next to her.
"You good, bestie?" Stella said, not liking the fact she was upset.
"I found out I was actually adopted over the break," Bloom said as everyone stopped talking and became worried for her.
"It's ok to be upset, but you got to remember that despite the truth coming out, your parents still love you for who you are," Flora said, trying to cheer her up.
"It is the truth," Tecna said. "I was made in a lab, but my parents still love me for being me, and they won't change a thing about it."
"Plus, you got us by your side, so you won't be alone," Layla said as she gave Bloom a big hug.
"Layla, too tight!" Bloom said as she wheezed for air. Layla then let go of Bloom and apologized.
"So what are you going to do now?" Dipper asked.
"Same thing as before, Dipper. I'm going to try to get some answers about who I am, why fire won't hurt me, and who my birth parents are," Bloom said with confidence.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Musa said as she grew worried for Bloom.
"I have no choice," Bloom said. "Painful or not, I don't think I can rest again without finding out the truth of who I am."
"And we'll do it together," Mabel said, trying to cheer Bloom up. "We'll find out the truth together so you won't have to worry alone."
"Mysteries are always done better if you got a group by your side," Dipper added on, making Bloom smile.
"You'd all really help me out?" Bloom asked of her fellow fairies.
"Of course!" Stella and Mabel said at the same time.
"Anytime you need something done, I'm your guy to do so," Dipper replied.
"We're with you, Bloom," Flora said.
"Through the thick of it, to hell and back!" Musa said as she got hyped up.
"Always," Layla said as she brought her hand to the middle as everyone else joined as well. "For we..."
"ARE THE WINX CLUB!" Everyone said at the same time, solidifying the fact that Bloom's journey has become everyone else's journey.
Authors note: And that's chapter 15 done and in the books. Now we can begin the second half of the story, filled with secrets, fights, and truths to be revealed. See you all next time, and remember to leave a review.
