A.N.: So now the girls are in the Black Mud Swamp. Stella's having emotional breakdowns as she has flashbacks. The boys are dysfunctional, yet functional.
For this chapter, it's going to become a little AU from the real episode, as I want to explore more in-depth the girls and their traumas.
Also, I've been working on the next 'one-shot' for my fanfic Winx Club One-Shots. The next chapter for Winx Watches the Future & Fate Winx Saga will be up soon as well.
As always, plz enjoy.
X - normal text
X - text where Bloom is not present
'X' - thoughts
'#$X#$' - Parseltongue
Chapter : The Black Mud Swamp Pt.2:
Musa hummed as she rubbed furiously against the countertop. The beds were clean already--probably the only thing in here that didn't need to be cleaned. Everything else, including the floor, was covered in some mud and dirt. Also grime and grease.
Quite frankly, it was disgusting. But the Fairy of Music didn't mind, it was a step or two down from her own house.
She doubted she'd be able to clean a lot without the water tank getting fixed, and Tecna was a wizard with technology. Flora was better with nature, being a nature fairy and all. And Stella needed someone who would be more sensitive to her emotional needs right now, making Flora the best person.
Bloom was a surprise, especially how she took charge and divided everyone based on what they needed. Musa wondered if Bloom was secretly a mind fairy and if the flames she used were just illusions.
Bloom had mental defenses, and she was aware of them. Musa had never heard of a fire fairy with such shields before. They were so well made that with most of them raised, the music fairy had been unable to gleam a hint of the redhead's emotional state, her surface thoughts, memories, or her power.
Her aura had only grown at the dance when Bloom had removed two of her mind shields. Musa could only imagine how powerful her friend's aura was at full strength. She'd done some light probing, wondering if the redhead could even feel her presence in her mind.
Maybe, maybe not. Bloom hadn't confronted her or said anything, so Musa was inclined to believe the latter theory.
Still, Musa, Tecna, and Flora agreed that there was more to Bloom than meets the eye. She just seemed to know things that she shouldn't--especially about magic & its application--not unless she had been in the Magix Dimension prior to attending Alfea. That and she was always finding trouble.
Stella wouldn't hear a word against Bloom, and if the redhead had indeed saved Stella's life from the ogre, then it was likely that the blonde owed her a Life Debt. A rarity, especially with how selfish most magical beings were in this day and age.
Although, the rest of them technically owed Bloom a debt when she saved them from the Trix during their initial encounter too.
Stella was an interesting case in herself. She acted loud, annoying, and sometimes snobby. She put on this bright and happy front, as though she was viewing the world like nothing was wrong. Musa knew differently (apart from Stella admitting it herself on that hover bus).
Stella felt anger, jealousy, hurt, pain, fear, annoyance, and so many negative emotions that it was incredible that she could even transform. Being in close proximity to Stella always ignited Musa's anger, because she could feel Stella's like she was broadcasting them loudly. Stella might seem happy & go lucky, but she was anything but that. Quite frankly, the stark contrast made Musa blanch.
Musa suspected that Stella had issues at home, and she turned to fashion as a coping mechanism. It would explain why she never had issues buying new clothes, or why she only wore things once. She might be spoiled, but as Bloom had pointed out last week when Stella was acting extra snobby (when Musa could feel her rage), being a princess is not all that it's cracked up to be.
Musa was an empath. She wasn't like most empaths, however, due to the amount of mind fairies in her bloodline. Most empaths can only feel a person's emotions through physical contact, and send their emotions via touch in return. Musa could feel the person's emotions, hear their thoughts, and accidentally glimpse some memories, with or without touch.
Her mother, Vaylin Sung was a beautiful woman with one of the most incredible voices. She could sing any song she wanted and could alter her vocal cords to sing on any note that she wanted, high, or low.
She met Musa's father, Ongaku during her tours. They paired and performed across Melody, Solaria, and Magix for their thousands of fans.
In their late twenties, they had Musa. She'd been unplanned, but the couple made the best of their situation, which led Musa to become involved in the music life early on.
Her parents had showered her with love and affection, but when her mother had just turned thirty, they found out that she was pregnant again. Only this time, if Vaylin delivered, it would be terminal for her.
Musa was only six years old at the time, and she wanted to meet her new little baby brother or sister. Ongaku asked the doctors to save Vaylin. Musa wanted to see the baby.
The conflict over who to save ended violently. Musa still blamed herself to this day for the added stress she put on her parents. Her father grew angry near the end of Vaylin's life, until one day he overrode Vaylin, and requested for her unborn sibling to be killed so that her mother could live.
And...both her mother and her unborn sibling died.
The doctors later said that her unborn brother or sister's magic acted up, but due to her mother's fragile state, the magic killed them both.
Musa had been with her mother when it happened, using her empathy to send waves of calm and reassurance into her mother's mind.
Headmistress Dowling believed that her enhanced empathy was a side effect of the trauma she suffered witnessing her mother's death.
The shock of feeling her mother's death, feeling her last fears, thoughts, wishes, and griefs, shattered Musa.
It had triggered her dormant abilities and had nearly destroyed Musa's mind in her grief, her magic attacking her own brain. Melody's best mind healers had told her that she'd been very lucky to survive with her powers intact.
Her magic would occasionally act up, which was why she had the band on her arm. It was actually a device to weaken her volatile magic. If it was ever removed, her magic would attack her brain and leave her a husk, assuming she survived. Wearing the band was the only way to spare her mind. By this point, Musa was used to the handicap, but it meant that whenever she used magic she became exhausted faster than normal.
Her father became distant and withdrawn. He turned his anger on music, destroying all the instruments they had in the house, and hit the bottle in his grief. He was always angry, and though he never hit her, Musa knew that he blamed her for Vaylin's death.
She blamed herself. If she'd just kept quiet, her mother might've been here today, and her father wouldn't hate her.
Musa snapped out of her depressing thoughts and tragic memories when Tecna called out, "Musa, we've finished repairing the water tank. It would be logical to clean your rag before continuing to clean the cabin."
"R-Right." she shunted all thoughts of her past away, to the deepest, darkest pit of herself, where they wouldn't bother her, and made for the door.
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Flora glanced at Stella, who was staring glumly out at the muddy swamp. They'd taken the boat out, rowing with oars. They'd found out that they had to keep moving, lest the mud solidity around their boat and trap it in place.
The nature fairy's arms were tiring, and she could tell that Stella's were too, if the trembling of her arms were anything to go by.
"There's a sand dune coming up," Flora said quietly. "We'll row over there, and we can rest."
Stella didn't reply, other than a small nod.
The two girls worked in sync, pushing their oars into the resisting muddy sludge. They forced their protesting muscles to work harder, groaning (and in Stella's case, panting) as the sand dune came into view.
It was surrounded by trees and had a bit of grass on it. Their boat rocked as they stood, pushing their oars harder, faster. Their boat wasn't moving very fast, a slow glide through the mud, but it was at least starting to move a little faster.
"Brace yourself," Flora called. Stella let go of the oars (which reset into the hoops of the boat) and grabbed the edges tightly. Flora held onto her seat as the land came up fast.
'SCREEE'
'CARKK'
'ffffsrrrssshh'
The boat came to a stop, the bottom front buried into the sand. The girls both stood and moved to get out, wobbling slightly.
They took a brief moment to catch their breath before grabbing the sides of the boat to pull it up onto the land. They barely managed to move it an inch before the mud dried around the half of the boat that was still in the 'waters' of the swamp.
Both girls heaved and pulled, but they didn't manage to move it apart from a slight tilt.
"Well, at least we got it stuck," Stella muttered in annoyance, glaring at the sand that was now around the front half of the boat.
"We'll get it unstuck later," Flora said. "We're both tired and we need to rest."
Stella cast the ground a dirty look. "Right here?"
Flora sat in the grass and patted the spot next to her. "You don't have to lie down if you don't wish. Although I would braid your hair, it keeps it from getting more messy."
"But I like my hair free and wild." Stella pouted. Good to see that she was back to herself.
Flora shrugged. "It's your wish. But it's what the nature fairy is doing, as did Bloom." she hinted. Whispering a quiet apology to nature, she tugged a string of grass out of the ground and used it to bind her honey-colored hair into a long ponytail.
Stella huffed. "Fine." she crossed her arms, likely still feeling vulnerable, but presenting her back to Flora all the same.
Flora apologized again before tearing out another long blade of grass. The grass here was extra durable, stronger than fabric but weaker than rubber. As she began to run her hands through Stella's very soft hair, she heard and felt the blonde relax.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Flora asked quietly as she shifted her hands from the blonde's hair to knead her shoulders.
"Uhn--no." Stella moaned appreciatively, leaning into the other girl's touches. Flora remained silent, pressing her fingers into the princess's tense shoulders. There was a surprising amount of knots in her back, but with all the stress and long poses that Stella did, it shouldn't be a surprise.
Within a couple of minutes, the sun fairy's mind was nothing but utter goo. She'd been reduced to a state of utter bliss as every last knot in her shoulders and back was worked and undone by the nature fairy, who'd maneuvered the blonde across her lap.
She finished kneading Stella's lower back and then grabbed a fistful of her hair. She repeated this until she had all of the blonde's hair together, then wrapped the lower end and upper with two grass blades, making a bound ponytail.
Flora glanced at Stella's watch. It was eleven, they'd need to get back soon. She frowned. There had been no food in the cabin, they'd likely have to find their own. Luckily, she knew of several edible mushrooms and plants that could be found here from her uncle, who'd traveled here in the past for potion ingredients.
Stella groaned as she came around. "Huh? W-har am I? E-What time is it?"
Flora giggled. "An hour til noon. How do you feel?"
Stella realized what she was lying on and scrambled to her feet with a blush. "Uhm, fine. Thanks."
"Anytime. You looked stressed, and massages always help me." Flora said serenely.
"Uh, thanks." Stella glanced around awkwardly before clearing her throat. "So, what are we doing for lunch?"
Flora frowned. "Likely the professor expects us to gather our own food."
"Yuck." Stella made a face. "Where are we supposed to find food? The mud? The trees? The sky? Because nothing here is edible!"
Flora ignored her friend's ranting in favor of something else. It was like there was a presence, softly pulling, tugging on her senses. It tugged on her core, her essence, her very being. Her senses of nature were enhanced tenfold; at that moment, it was as though Flora was living and breathing nature.
She could feel all the plants, feel all the damage her classmates were inflicting on the swamp, feel Amayl getting snagged up by some vines, and their professor, who was calmly resting in the center of the swamp.
She got to her feet, ignoring Stella, whose tirade cut off as she realized that her friend was acting strange.
The caramel-skinned fairy walked towards the edge of the mud.
"Hey! What are you doing Flora? The mud's too deep!" Stella protested, moving to grab Flora's shoulder. Instead, Flora moved, and Stella accidentally took a deep step into the mud.
"Ew!" She shrieked. "Ew! Gross! Revolting and smelly! Yuck!"
Flora rolled her eyes before she continued, lifting one boot, then the other through the mud, which rose halfway up her shins.
"Flora!" Stella groaned. Muttering about stupid swamps and smelly mud, she forced her way through the sludge, following the nature fairy.
"Where. Are. You. Going?" Stella panted. Flora had walked towards another sand dune, where an abandoned nest of eggs lay. There were also some mushrooms growing on the edge.
"My skin is all itchy from stupid bugs, and my shoes have been ruined from all this icky mud, and--", Stella glanced down before her eyes widened. She hurried to get onto dry land, taking a moment to kick back and hopefully shake some mud off of her boots. "Gross," she muttered again before joining Flora.
"You were listening to Gaia's voice, weren't you?" she asked curiously as she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Flora.
Flora nodded. "It feels like a gentle pull, something pulling me, like a motherly, warmth in my ears, tilting my head."
"Kinda creepy when you put it like that," Stella commented before glancing down. "Mushrooms and eggs?"
Flora knelt and brushed a hand over one of the fungi. "They're not poisonous, and Gaia believes that the eggs are also safe to eat."
Stella made a disgusted face. "Uck."
Flora ignored her friend's squeamishness as she pulled off her top to reveal her coral-pink bra underneath. She then uprooted the mushrooms and collected the eggs, using her shirt as a makeshift sack.
"Well, that works," Stella commented, her eyes settling on Flora's curves and bra before nodding approvingly.
Flora turned back, cradling their newfound food supply gently. "So, ready to go back?"
Stella nodded, biting her lip. "Let's."
They began to move back, the swamp fighting them at every step. Their boots were nearly tugged off their feet several times, and the mud clung to their lower legs like a smelly, sticky paste.
After what felt like an hour but was only about ten minutes, they arrived at the small island that had their boat.
Flora set her shirt down carefully--so as not to crack the eggs--before joining Stella, who was currently giving their transportation back the stink-eye.
"Any ideas?" Stella asked.
Flora shrugged cheerfully. "I could ask nature to help us move the boat."
"Wouldn't that fall under using magic?" Stella protested. "As a nature fairy, you have a stronger link than us to the plant life of the environment, a part of your heritage, but also magic related."
Flora shrugged, seeing both sides of the argument but believing that they'd be fine. "I think we'll be ok. It's not like I'm going to grow vines to pull the boat out, just ask Gaia a favor."
"Never bargain with higher powers." Stella instantly said, her expression flashing with something fearful and dark.
Flora looked at her, confused. "What are you on about?"
"Solaria is the lightest source of pure magic left in the universe, with the seventh realm destroyed." Stella began her mini-lecture. "I might've purposefully ignored or forgotten much from my tutors, but even I remember that there are Olde Gods, Oni, Demons, and Wraiths still around. Each is dangerous, and each is very powerful in their own way. You should never make a deal with any of them."
Flora frowned. "But it's Gaia, not a dark creature."
Stella shook her head. "Oni, Demons, and Wraiths are on the lower end of the scale of higher powers, like Death, Fate, and Time, but they are all there. You don't make a pact, or ask for favors, as they will ask or demand for something in return that sees you pushed beyond your absolute limit."
"Gaia is not like that." Flora protested on behalf of the nature goddess, whose influence could be felt through all manner of plant life. "She's not like that. Her very nature is to guide and nurture, not to take."
"It's about balance," Stella said simply, unwilling to change her stance. "No matter what a powerful entity gives, they will expect something in return."
"You fear them, don't you?" Flora asked. "It's why you couldn't hear her voice, but I could."
"I don't fear them!" Stella said, giving Flora her full attention now.
Flora crossed her arms. "Then why does the swamp feel your fear?"
"It's a swamp." Stella dismissed. "They can't feel my emotions. They're just plants."
The grass the two were standing in suddenly wrapped around Stella's muddy ankles and pulled, the blonde's feet flying out from under her.
"Y-aip!" Stella yelped, before groaning as her back hit the ground.
"Nature doesn't like to be offended," Flora said in amusement.
"Noted." Stella winced, rubbing the back of her head. "Soooo, are you going to ask 'Gaia' for help?"
"You'll be a believer soon enough," Flora reassured, ignoring the blonde's whining about her hair.
They'll need to get back soon, especially since the others are working on cleaning the cabin up. Hopefully, Bloom and Tecna have finished fixing their water tank.
"Help me with this." Flora grabbed onto the upper right end of the boat. Stella grabbed ahold of the other side. They began to push, and Flora began to pray.
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I sighed in relief, moving to my feet to stretch, feeling the knots in my back pop and untense. Tecna and I had finished repairing the bloody tank and had moved to fix the sink.
Musa had cleaned the countertop and was now cleaning all of the tools and buckets that were on the racks, doing a much better job now that she had an infinite supply of water to clean.
Below me, Tecna tugged, pulling until she fell backward with a piece of pipe in her hand. Like everything else in this bloody place, it was covered in a layer of mud, probably the same on the inside too.
"Really wish I'd worn more layers underneath," I grumbled as Tecna held it up. Oh yeah, that thing was definitely clogged.
"Hindsight is 20/20," Musa commented as she finished rubbing dirt off of a set of wrenches.
"It would have been logical." Tecna agreed before getting up to head outside. Likely to use the water tank to clean off the pipes.
The door squeaked and groaned as she opened it to head outside. Dust and mud bits fell when the door swung.
"We have got to get that fixed," Musa said, sounding as annoyed by the noise as I was.
"Agreed." I turned to look at her. She'd been in my mind that morning, and Tecna would likely take some time cleaning that pipe. This was as good a time as any to confront her.
"So, I've been having some issues." I started off.
Musa glanced at me curiously. "Homework? Boy troubles?"
"No, nothing like that." I shook my head. I let my expression harden. "An annoying headache whenever someone tries to get past my mental barriers."
A flicker of fear (at being caught) and guilt flickered across her face. Musa's body tensed. "Oh?" she said lightly, but we both knew that this was dancing around the subject.
I huffed, was she really going to try and play dumb? I glared. "What are you doing trying to get inside my head?" There, it was out, on the table.
Musa froze. "How do you know that I'm even in your mind?" Good, at least she wasn't denying it any longer.
I rolled my eyes. "My mind is my own. I think I'd recognize a foreign presence in there." I drawled sarcastically.
Especially after having a mental link to a soul-splitting dark lord, as well as a headmaster and professor who routinely mind-raped me (the former to ensure that I was still his pawn, the latter because it was a sadistic pleasure to torture the son of his enemies).
Musa frowned. "But...you're a fire fairy. You shouldn't be able to use mind magic. Most mind fairies struggle to even create proper mind shields until they're older." She looked at me with suspicion.
Oops.
Shit. Ok, think Bloom, think, how do you get out of this?
Wait.
The Dragon Flame was known as the Fire Breath of Creation. Could it be that the Dragon Flame was actually used to create my mind shields? I thought that I had my own magic and the Dragon Flame.
Seeing her suspicious look, I gulp and make sure that my barriers are all raised, ignoring the slight pain as I shunt out the ambient magic.
"I've had these shields...as long as I can remember," I lie on the spot, a flicker of guilt passing through me.
"Unless a mind fairy placed those shields, you shouldn't have them. And even if a mind fairy did place them, you shouldn't be able to manipulate them." Musa countered.
I glared. "Look. I don't know why I have them, or how I can manipulate them. I just can. What I don't like is people going into my head."
Musa frowned. "But mind fairies--"
"No." I cut off, harsher than I meant to, if her flinching was anything to go by. I wasn't trying to be angry, especially with her, but I HATE people trying to get into my mind. After having a connection with a Dark Lord, is it any wonder why I secretly loathe mind magics? "I don't like people in my head. I don't want people in my head. Ever heard of rape?"
Musa pale skin turned to sallow white as she understood the context I viewed her intrusion as. "I--you--I---didn't--know--" she stuttered.
I shook my head, wanting to take back what I said, seeing how hurt and embarrassed she looked. "Look, we'll put this behind us, but don't go into my mind again."
Musa frowned, looking unhappy, but understanding. Then her expression shifted to confusion. "I'm sorry if it helps. I was just curious why I couldn't feel your emotions. You're like a blank slate to me. The only time I could feel anything was when you transformed, and I felt such anger, and protectiveness, and you release your fears, which was a lot for any fairy."
I raised my brows. "Are you an empath?"
Surprise flashed across her face before it became resigned. "Let me guess, Earth also knows about that?"
I nodded, not having to lie this time. "There's a lot of series with empaths, all of them being able to feel emotions."
Musa chuckled weakly, looking like she wished she was anywhere but here right now. "If I concentrate, like really, really hard, I can sense emotions. I pick up Stella's all the time, she practically broadcasts them like a beacon. But I never sensed yours at all, even with skin contact. I was curious, but I shouldn't have done it."
I nodded, my expression still stony.
"Stella's right." Musa laughed hysterically. "I'm just a nosy bitch."
My eyes narrowed. "When did she say it?"
"When does she not imply it?" Bitterness laced her words. "The moment she knew I was an empath she kept her distance. Even now, she still is wary around me."
"Stella has a lot of baggage." I countered. "There's a lot about her that she buries. I'm still struggling to get her to open up."
"Kind of hard to do that when you also keep secrets." Musa pointed out.
I shrugged, ignoring the pang of guilt and fear in my chest. "That's true, but neither her secrets nor mine are life-threatening."
Lie.
Well, technically no one's life would be in danger but my own once the secret of me being the Keeper of the Dragon Flame came out.
"Plus, realistically, we still barely know each other, despite going to classes for a month and fighting ogres, trolls, and witches together," I added. "We need more bonding time."
"Maybe after we get out of the swamp, we can watch one of those...movies as a bonding experience? Is that what you call them?" Tecna suggested as she walked back in, clean pipe in hand, her expression giving nothing away.
How much of our conversation has she overheard?
"I'd love that," I said, giving her a beaming smile. Seriously, if my friends could understand half of my references (Earth pop culture), they wouldn't look at me like I was an alien.
And I had several Transformers movies and seasons on my old phone (which I brought). So it would be perfect.
The moment was broken by Musa's stomach, which growled. I laughed and Tecna glanced at the time while Musa blushed.
"Someone sounds hungry." I teased.
"You would be too after cleaning up all this muck." She countered with a grin. I untensed my shoulders, the awkwardness evaporating from the air.
"Unless the professor portals in food for us, we will need to find it ourselves," Tecna said grimly, looking a little worried at the prospect.
Just then, the list began to glow. We gathered around, watching as some of the tasks written vanished.
Tasks (are finished as a group, not individually, though everyone is expected to complete a task):
Fix the crack in the roof.
Replace the door hinges.
Replace the faucet.
Find a swamp lily.
Spot a Saph Frog.
Unclog the sink pipe.
Clean the cabin.
Avoid a Trench Gator.
Extra Credit (help creatures who get stuck in the Black Mud Swamp)
"Looks like they saved the boat," Musa commented.
"And we fixed the water tank," I added, very pleased. We already had two tasks done, and lunch was right around the corner.
Although, that did bring up the question of what we'd do for lunch.
"Does anyone know how to hunt?" I asked.
"I can skin meat, but I can't hunt," Musa said sheepishly.
Tecna looked a little embarrassed. "I--I'm afraid I do not know how to gather resources."
"It's ok," I reassured, patting her on the back. "You're better suited to fixing tech than hunting and gathering. I have some experience with both."
"Camping?" Musa asked with a raised brow.
"There's more to camping than just making smores around a campfire and telling ghost stories with a flashlight under your face." I snarked.
"Yoooouuu hoooo!" We heard Stella call from outside.
"Guess they're back early," I said cheerfully.
I led the way outside to see Stella clumsily tying the boat to the dock. Flora was shirtless, her cute bra supporting her healthy bosom, her shirt being carefully cradled to her stomach.
Tecna went to help Stella. I moved to take the shirt from Flora, only to feel several familiar lumps inside. Musa helped Flora out of the boat.
I carried their find back into the top of the dresser, and the others finished up outside before joining me. I carefully undid the shirt to reveal dozens of mushrooms and eggs. Plus a couple of different kinds of leaves.
"Where'd you find these?" Musa asked in surprise.
"The voice of nature," Flora said with pride. She cast a look at a pouting Stella, who had more color in her face and more of a sparkle in her eyes. Good, seems like the trip helped her. "And Stella here didn't believe me."
"Well, getting your legs pulled out from beneath you by roots of all things kinda wakes you up." Stella scowled.
Tecna's lip twitched, and Musa and I giggled at the mental image of Stella telling a plant that it didn't have feelings, and then its roots tripped her up.
"Are you certain that these are safe to consume?" Tecna asked, sounding skeptical. Not that I blamed her.
Flora nodded, her stance firm. "The voice of nature--Gaia's call, lured me to them. She's known for nurturing, not deceiving."
"Mother nature," I said quietly, in understanding. Also, a bit of a surprise, considering that I thought that she was the goddess of Earth, not all of life that existed in flora and fauna.
Well, if a deity says so, who am I to object?
"Alright," I said, rubbing my hands together. "I can make a campfire, preferably nowhere near the cabin."
"We passed a sand dune back that way." Stella pointed her thumb in the general direction behind her. "We could set up shop there, although we'll need something to cook the food on."
Musa pulled out a medium-sized pot with two handles. "Let me fill this with water. We can stew everything together." She then hurried outside.
Hard-boiled eggs of an unknown species, magical mushrooms, and leaves the length of my arm and the width of my fist. Sure. Great stuff for soup.
It's certainly not the worst thing to eat, but there is a part of me that is still leery about trying food from the Magix Dimension. I mean, their version of pancakes is two loaves of bread with a waffle sandwiched in the middle for Merlin's sake!
I glanced at Flora's bra-clad chest. "Think Gaia would spare us some leaves to make clothes?"
Flora raised her brow at me in surprise, her cheeks slightly pink (she knew where I'd been looking). "I--I think she might. So long as we give back to nature what we take, there should be no consequences."
"Fair enough," I replied before heading outside.
Stella got into the boat first. Then I went next. Followed by Musa, who I helped lift the heavy pot of water into the boat. Flora added the bundle of food she found. Tecna untied the boat from the dock before she slipped into the boat with us.
Our boat was big enough to ship a dozen people (magically expanded) even though it was the size of a small 3-person canoe, fitted with oars on each side.
"Just so you know, I can't row," Stella said as she adjusted her hat.
"Why not?" Musa asked with a frown.
Stella huffed. "Do you have any idea how tiring it is to row?"
"It's easy." Musa scoffed. "I think you're just trying to get out of work."
Stella glared. "Thank you for your opinion, Ms. Sung. Now row, and prepare to eat your words."
"When you're wrong, you'll owe me." Musa challenged.
"Alright. Bet." Stella and Musa shook on it.
I shook my head in amusement. I slid into the seat behind Flora and grabbed ahold of the third set of oars. "Alright, Winx." I grinned. "Let's roll."
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At Cloud Tower, a magically expanded room suddenly lit up as purple halos and lighting filled the area. When the lightning ceased the glows dimmed, and three witches stood in a trinity.
"What a relief." Beatrix flopped backward onto her bed. "Bittersmoke's class is a total joke."
"Potions are more useful than you'd expect dear Bea, but you're right. We do have better things to do." Icy said cooly as she pulled her hair into a loose ponytail, letting her waves of soft white hair fall out behind her like a snowy avalanche, "Which is why we better hear why we were summoned."
"Knut! Where are you?" D'arcy called out.
They glanced around. "Where is that stupid ogre?" Beatrix growled, lightning flashing outside, a sign of her very limited patience.
"I'm in here." growled the ogre. The walk-in wardrobe behind them rattled. They spun, before Beatrix groaned, pinching the space between her eyes to fight off the building headache. "Uh oh."
D'arcy looked pissed. "No. No. No. I thought I told him not to hide in my closet again! Cleaning spells take serious power to remove an ogre's stench." she ranted as she walked up and opened the door to reveal the hulking body of their hired accomplice.
"Can I come out now? My foot has...has fallen asleep, and I got an itch I can't scratch." She couldn't tell if he was being sheepish or sarcastic, it was hard to tell with ogre growls mixed with the words. What she could tell was that he had indeed stank up her closet...again.
"Ugh." she waved her hand, fighting the urge to gag and choke on Knut's odor. "You stink, ogre."
"There's no ventilation in here," he growled apologetically.
"And why does he have to be in here? He is stinking up MY wardrobe." D'arcy complained.
"Just let him out already." Beatrix snarled. "We'll be missing Zarathustra's class if we don't leave within the next five minutes."
"We have to hide him somewhere." Isobel reasoned as she crossed her arms. "Especially if the Paladins come knocking. And school regulations state that we cannot bring beasts, pets, or any other creatures--especially fairies into Cloud Tower."
"Well, if he doesn't do something about his O.D.O.R., the whole school will know he's here." D'arcy snarked, glaring at Knut who was now at the entrance.
"Just. Get. Out. Knut." Beatrix growled.
The half-muscle, half-fat ogre stepped out of the closet, his foot stuck in one of D'arcy's shoe boxes, tearing clothes off their hangers and snapping other hangers. Some of D'arcy's clothes were stuck to his bulky frame.
D'arcy pulled a cardigan off Knut's sweaty shoulder and gagged. "Do you know how expensive that was!" she brandished the purple top at him. "Look at it! It's ruined! Disgusting! Wet with sweat and smells like a warf!"
"My apologies Mistresses, but you told me to hide. Someone was coming, so I jumped in here." Knut growled lowly.
D'arcy stomped to her bed, arms crossed, eyes glowing with anger.
"Just be a dear, Knut, and find a way to wash off your stench. I don't care--oh no you," Isobel sighed before groaning in annoyance.
'Mammy!'
The reason for her annoyance was the cute little duckling that hopped out of the closet with Knut. "That stupid duck again," Isobel complained, rolling her eyes as the duckling latched onto her leg. "Ugh!"
'Mammy!'
"Oh great. Why me?" She picked it up, watching it squirm in her hand as it squeaked. 'Mammy!'
"At least ducks don't reek," D'arcy fumed as she shut the doors of her closet, waving the air around her face.
"Focus ladies!" Isobel said (in annoyance that her sisters weren't taking the issue seriously) before tossing the duck into the wall, leaving an imprint after the little guy fell.
"We've got to be more careful," she said sternly. "Luckily our appearances are different outside of Cloud Tower and Magix, but Solaria is on a passive manhunt right now for the ones trying to steal their precious princess's scepter."
"Well, we need to find somewhere else for this yellow oaf," D'arcy whined, not really paying attention to what her sister was saying. "He's destroying my stuff! Those heels were one of a kind!" as she held up a pair of crushed purple stilettos.
"More like one of a mess." Beatrix joked.
"Focus! We break enough rules as it is. Skipping class--" Which they won't actually be punished for, unless they flunk their exams, "--bringing an ogre into Cloud Tower, attacking the deputy head of Alfea, attacking a Princess of the inner realms, trying to steal from the Solarian kingdom."
"It's all for the cause." D'arcy pointed out. "The Greater Evil."
"Yes. But we put a large target on our backs in the process." Isobel reminded.
"What's the point?" Beatrix said carelessly. "The targets are on Icy, Darcy, and Stormy, not Isobel, D'arcy, and Beatrix."
Isobel scoffed, tossing her hands up. She wasn't going to get rough her sister's thick skull unless she beat it in with a club of ice. The de-facto leader of the Trix wouldn't harm her sister though, so she turned her anger on the only other being in the room.
"And you." she rounded on the ogre, who took a startled step back. "What was so important that you left your post at Red Fountain? And couldn't communicate with us via the mental link? We have more important matters to attend to, so make this quick."
Knut twiddled his fingers. "Well, I was snooping around Red Fountain as you ordered." He began. "And I overheard a group of males while I was hiding in a closet."
"Or a bathroom?" Beatrix mocked, referring to a different time he'd been ordered to snoop around that school, only to forget where he was due to being unable to see.
Knut bared his teeth in response to her jab, "And I overheard a group of Specialists talking--the ones that I fought on Earth. They were given the assignment to bring our hunting troll to Malacoy's preserves to run more tests and get information on its rogue masters."
Beatrix instantly scoffed. "He was a useless beast, didn't even manage to defeat a group of barely trained swordsmen."
"He couldn't even tear the princess's arm off," Isobel said broodily.
"We don't care," Beatrix concluded. "Let them have it, they'll learn nothing."
"Wait!" D'arcy held up a finger. "They might uncover our plot."
Both witches turned to her. "Explain," Isobel commanded.
D'arcy frowned. "Look at it like this. They're going to interrogate him, despite his small pea-brain mind. Regular interrogations aren't going to work on him, and most of the tests will reveal nothing since we always concealed our magic around him. But, if they use mind-read or memory copying spells, or if they have mind wizards on hand..." she trailed off, seeing her sisters reach her train of thought.
Isobel's expression flickered to unease. "They might uncover our plan. We were a little loose with our tongues around the big blue beast."
"So, why don't we just find it and kill it?" Beatrix suggested.
Isobel did smack her this time. "Ow!"
The white-haired witch ignored her sister's whining. "Be serious, Beatrix. They'll likely be using one of their C-class aircraft to transport the ugly failure."
"Which has powerful sensors, and mid-grade firepower. We'd be detected a mile away." D'arcy mused.
Isobel nodded. "We'll need to find a place to ambush them."
"Uh, I also overheard one of the trainers mentioning that the Alfea fairies are on a field trip in the Black Mud Swamp," Knutt added.
Isobel's eyes narrowed, a plan forming in her frosty mind. "D'arcy, where is the Black Mud Swamp?"
D'arcy pulled out a map, spreading it out on one of the tables in their room. "Here." she pointed to a space of darker trees and land several miles north of Alfea.
"And Malacoy?" Isobel's voice was tinged with excitement.
"It's northwest of the swamp," D'arcy said, following Isobel's trail of thought. "Red Fountain is southeast of Alfea. Their trajectory would take them right over the swamp."
"Which means that the swamp would be our best bet to blast their ship out of the sky. The fairies' magical auras will disguise our own!" Beatrix cackled. "Sisters! You're brilliant."
"We know, sister," Isobel replied with a smirk.
"It's time we staged a little jailbreak." D'arcy began.
"We'll free the troll from its poor cage," Isobel added.
"And then we'll kill the sorry beast." Beatrix jeered.
"Forever." Isobel finished.
All three witches cackled madly before the clock chimed.
"Shit!" And then there was a mad scramble to get to class, leaving behind a bemused ogre and a squeaking duckling.
They were so worried about getting to class that they never noticed a tall, lanky figure shift in the shadows, with a vile glint in her eye. A fading glow of her hands saw a spell fade from the Trix's room.
"Now I've got you."
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I laughed with everyone as we sat around a fire with spoons in hand. Turns out that once you asked nature for help, they were actually pretty willing.
Both Musa and I had felt the 'voice of nature', or Gaia on our journey, with frequent stops where we found more eggs, edible mushrooms, and ferns. I'm just going to call her Lady Gaia and hope that she doesn't get offended.
Stella and Tecna both had yet to hear her call, but I'm guessing that the latter (Tecna) has trouble rationalizing this with logic and the former (Stella) is struggling to see beyond her own little world, her bubble.
We'd set up shop on another sand dune (a tiny island with a tree) near where Stella and Flora found the food at. After grounding our boat, we walked up to find that hundreds of dried sticks were at the edge. Mother nature really did provide.
I tried to show the girls how to rub the wood against each other to start a fire, but the wood here was too brittle and broke apart. Luckily, I'd found a flint in the cabin, and I'd brought along a hand-held shovel (fits right in your hand).
After some careful scrapes (so as not to break the flint), I had enough sparks created to ignite the wood pile we had. Unfortunately, because of how brittle the wood was, we'd had to replace it as it burned every couple of seconds, with the fire nearly dying on us once or twice.
We'd made a makeshift pot holder out of stronger sticks and fallen branches that Flora guided us to plant back in the ground.
We finished setting up and simply added the food to the water, and added more sticks to the fire. After about an hour of waiting, the food was ready. Musa, Flora, and I took out the eggs and peeled them before planting the eggshells (magical compost) at the base of a tree.
We didn't have bowls, but there had been a few utensils. We kept the fire going as we ate from the pot, chatting and comparing interests.
Musa and Flora were giving Tecna suggestions for music genres. Stella and I were also talking.
"As soon as we get back to Alfea, I will be taking a day's long shower," she announced through a forkful of boiled ferns. "Also, no offense to nature, but this place stinks."
"No, the smell is horrible." I agreed. "I'm also going to shower, probably for a week."
Stella tilted her head, glancing at me. "So, what were you up to in the library? You've been heading there an awful lot."
"I've been doing more research on your ring, to see why the Trix might want it," I said quietly. Not quietly enough, as the other girl's conversations stopped to listen to me.
"Go on," Stella glanced at the others before she turned back to me and encouraged, sounding a mix of serious and curious. "What have you found?"
"Apparently, it was made from Starlight and Blue Moon Netherite. The orange jewels that orbit the center ball of your scepter are cut-down Orange Sun Crystals. The scepter was made in close proximity to both of your suns, so it was able to soak up its energy. And it was supposedly all combined together with that fire legend...Dragon Flame."
"Did you know this Stella?" Flora asked curiously.
Stella shook her head. "I knew about the Starlight and Blue Moon Netherite, but I didn't know about the sun jewels or that it was made from the Dragon Flame."
"Isn't the Dragon Flame a myth?" Tecna protested. "Some great power or something?"
"Supposedly, it's a Domino power," I said, intentionally sounding dumb. After all, a girl from Earth was not supposed to have an invested interest in a legend of a cosmic fire dragon. "A Domino prince gave it as a wedding gift to a Solarian princess that was getting married to a king from Solaria's moon kingdom."
"Luna," Stella said quietly. "It's a tradition every three generations for one of Luna's royalty to be married into the Solarian royal bloodline."
"Wasn't that law repealed?" Tecna asked. "I thought I read something about Solaria repealing marriage laws and banning all marriage contracts."
Stella nodded, though she looked sadder. "Yeah, it was."
We were quiet for a moment before Tecna looked at me. "So, what else have you found?"
"Just that it was used in the past conflicts. It's also supposed to be used as a knighting rite of sorts to swear in new guards."
Stella burst into giggles. "That information is out of date."
I shrugged. "It was in Alfea's library."
Stella's lip twitched. "Sounds like Barbatea needs to update her stuff."
I shrugged. "There was also some stuff about the magic and the wielders it can have. Only people of the Solarian bloodline can wield it. And apparently, that scepter can channel all forms of light magic: light, moonlight, sunlight, blacklight, etc."
"That still doesn't explain how you were able to wield it," Tecna said in confusion. "Unless you're leaving something out."
I thought back to what I read, about the Dragon Flame's influence. It provided a backdoor of sorts, which was how Keepers of the Dragon Flame could wield the Scepter of Solaria.
"Nope." I shook my head, ignoring the growing pile of lies. "I still have no clue how I was able to wield it either."
"A mystery we can explore at a different time, especially once we're out of this swamp," Musa said before dipping her fork back into the soup.
"Sage wisdom." I teased before copying her.
Musa rolled her eyes before they lit up. "Say, Bloom, what kind of music are you into now?"
"Rock. EDM. Sometimes pop rock, heavy metal, or awesome rock." I shrugged. "Jazz, disco, and country don't do it for me."
"EDM? Jazz? Country?" She was confused. Duh. I smacked myself on the forehead. I need to stop making stupid references when I haven't given them crash courses into Earth culture. It makes me look like an idiot!
"Earth music genres." I elaborated.
"Oh," she said dumbly before shaking her head. "Well, we have hip hop here, we do have pop, and we have rock music."
"Sounds like I won't be able to get my fix." I pouted, which set off the other girl's laughter again, and I laughed along with them, unable to fight the grin on my face.
Yes, life was good.
My lip twitched downward.
Until the truth was revealed.
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The following day saw the Specialist team standing with the wizard from Malacoy, watching as two senior Specialists loaded the troll on board.
"Given the number of attacks on Princess Stella, we want you lot to stay at Malacoy until the tests are finished." Headmaster Saladin instructed. "King Radius has demanded that the troll be turned over to Solaria's custody for due punishment once the interrogation is concluded. Once they're finished, you'll be transporting the troll directly to Solaria."
"Will do sir." 'Brandon' said eagerly. The other boys nodded, before heading into the craft.
Adrien was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see that it belonged to Silva. "Sir?"
"Keep an eye on them." Silva's tone sounded like that of a worried father. "Please."
Adrien nodded. "Will do sir." He then joined the others on the bridge.
Riven, Brandon, and Sky had taken the main chairs, leaving the other two near the back consoles for Timmy and him.
Adrien sat down and strapped himself in. "So, how long will the flight take?"
Riven smirked before tapping the power grid. "It'll be done and over before you know it."
The ship hummed as it came to life. C-class ships had no wings, they were shaped like flattened dumplings. They had two cannons that protruded from the bottom, along with the landing gear. Their ship had two engines. It was painted in bright red, with a black underside.
Slowly, their vessel rose, spun 180 degrees, then shot out into the wilderness. "Whooo hooo!" Riven whooped. "Our first solo assignment!"
His energy was infectious, and the others were soon grinning along.
"Keep an eye on those sensors. The witches who used the troll could make a comeback." Timmy reminded the others, a tinge of worry and nervousness in his tone.
Riven scoffed. He set the course, switched on the auto-pilot, then kicked his feet up. "Relax. Everything's under control. Besides, even if there were any witches, we'd detect them miles away. Trust the captain."
"Captain?" 'Sky' said in amusement.
"Yes, your highness," Riven mocked cheerfully. "Unless anyone has a problem with that."
"None here." 'Sky' said, still amused.
'Brandon' spun in his chair to see Adrien. "Comfortable?"
"It's a joyride." Adrien grinned. "Not as free as a hoverbike, but it's a different kind of fun nonetheless."
'Brandon's lip twitched upward, despite his dislike of the wizard. "True."
"Wonder if we'll catch a glimpse of Lake Roccalace?" Timmy said after a moment.
"It's a myth, a legend." Riven scoffed.
"There's truth in every legend Riv." Adrien reminded.
Riven shrugged. "So? I don't have magic. I just beat down magical creatures--with my bare hands!"
"More like you got beaten down by that ogre, and slapped by the troll." Timmy countered.
Riven whirled around in his seat. "What was that?" He glared.
"Uh, n-nothing." Timmy stuttered.
"That's what I thought," Riven smirked before turning back to the controls.
There was an awkward silence before Riven cleared his throat and called out, "So, who wants to be the first guy to check up on our little package?"
Adrien frowned. "Why would we check on the prisoner?"
"To ensure that he's still locked up and passive," Timmy replied. "There have been cases of prisoners breaking out of their cells while in transit in the past. Tech can still be faulty, at the best and worst of times."
"I'll take the first check." 'Sky' volunteered, unstrapping himself before heading to the doors.
"I'll go with. Might as well learn protocol." Adrien said, unbuckling before slipping out of the seat.
"Have fun," Riven called after them.
He followed 'Sky' through the doors and down the hall to the one at the back, passing four other doors. One was labeled 'Engine Room' and the other was labeled 'Armory'. The latter two were the bathroom and a small medical table.
Adrien followed 'Sky' to the back room, where the troll was sitting, looking to be either meditating or asleep--probably the latter. The troll had giant cuffs on, with the entrance of the cell being giant lasers that would stun and paralyze any magical creature that attempted to pass through for days.
"So this is the guy that attacked Bloom's house, huh?" Adrien studied the creature. Certainly looked dangerous, especially for an untrained fairy. His fist clenched as he thought of Bloom facing off against the troll by herself.
"Yup. He was holding her when we arrived and kicked his ass." 'Sky' said with a dark grin as he glared at the troll.
"Was she hurt?" Adrien asked before he could stop himself.
"Naw, she looked fine. Maybe a little bruised from the fall, but I couldn't tell." 'Sky' said. "She's powerful though. Managed to take down an ogre with a single blast of fire."
Adrien raised his brows. "You'll have to tell me the full story later."
"Sure." 'Sky' turned to tap at a console in the room. After touching a few buttons on the interface, he tilted his head. "Yep, he's still stable."
He stood straighter. "Cool, we can go back."
"That's all?" Adrien asked, sounding amused. "Couldn't you just set up a security camera to watch the prisoner from the bridge?"
'Sky' hesitated, looking thoughtful. "Huh. You'd have to ask Timmy that, he'd know how. Although, it's surprising that the ship doesn't already come with one." he added as he left.
Adrien cast a look at the troll, noticing its eyes were opened. He glared at it, the troll glaring back, but not moving.
He turned his back and left, the armored door sliding shut behind him. Adrien reentered the front of the craft to find that 'Sky' was back in his seat, though he wasn't strapped in.
Adrien slid into his seat. "Hey, Timmy, is there a way we can set up a video feed in the cell?"
Timmy spun in his seat, his expression shifting from surprise to thoughtful. "Actually, there should be a camera feed, let me see here."
He tapped on his section of the controls, keys glowing as he pressed them. Schematics of their ship appeared, before he tapped a subsection, and moved stuff around on the hologram until he found what he was looking for. "Aha!"
He pressed down, and suddenly on the overhead screen appeared the image of the troll, whose eyes were closed again, now half-lying, half-sitting.
"Well, that'll make the security checks a lot more simple," Timmy said, leaning back in his seat.
"That it will, good call Adrien." Riven praised. Adrien responded with a salute.
The boys enjoyed their quiet moment of comradery before Riven gained a mischievous grin. "Hold onto your seats!"
He tapped the controls and steered. Brandon yelped indignantly as the ship started to spin.
"Yeee-haaa!" Riven shouted as he worked to make the ship go faster.
Timmy was starting to turn green from the spinning. "Easy on the flips, Riven! I just ate!"
"Next time, don't eat before the flight." he scowled at the ginger before turning back to the controls.
Adrien frowned as the landscape below them started to change. "There's Alfea," he commented.
"Wonder what the girls are up to, eh guys?" Riven teased, in a good mood.
"Knowing Stella, probably out on a shopping expedition again." 'Sky' said. 'Brandon's lip twitched upward. "Probably driving the rest of the girls nuts."
"Girls are nuts on a general principle, though their screams are the music in bed." Riven's casual comment turned the green shades on 'Brandon' and Timmy to furious reds.
"Maybe cool it down a little Riv, not everyone can cope with hearing the tales of the sexual prowess of the greatest man to walk the realms," Adrien said in amusement.
"Spoil-sport." Riven mock-scowled.
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The Trix appeared in a flash of lightning and purple light, each wearing their own catsuit, their faces covered with makeup.
"Ugh! It smells worse here than that ogre!" Darcy wrinkled her nose, fanning the air away from her face.
"It is rather revolting." Icy agreed. "Glad I'm not a pixie."
"I sense fairies nearby," Stormy growled, lightning dancing on her fingers.
"Looks like Knut's intel was spot on for once." Icy sneered, flaring her own aura out, parts of the swamp below freezing the mud.
"This could be our chance to take the Scepter of Solaria," Darcy suggested eagerly. "The fairies aren't allowed to use magic."
"No." Icy decided. "Today we tie up loose ends."
"How soon until the ship approaches?" Stormy turned to her sisters, her eyes maddened, full of savage hunger. "I want to blast those ickle heroes right out of the sky!"
"Patience." Icy reminded. She glanced at Darcy. "Sister?"
Darcy raised her hands, creating the illusion that removed everything from their sight bar the target. A small blimp on the horizon, heading their way. A small red dot, growing larger by the second, and faster too. Seems their pilot was in a hurry to deliver the Trix their prize.
Not that they knew it.
"Disguise us," Icy commanded.
Darcy's eyes glowed purple, and then reality shifted around them, back in the swamp. A second later, they were gone from the sight of everyone else, though they could still see each other.
The Red Fountain craft grew closer.
A dagger of ice formed in the white-haired witch's palm. "Let's move sisters. We have a troll to catch."
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The ground below them changed into thicker woods as they left Alfea behind. Riven looked bored as he watched the ground below them. "Ugh. You know what? Let's see how fast this baby can go."
He raised the levers, the ship rocking forward, leaving the other guys to be thrown into their seats. "Easy on the thrust Riven! A little forewarning would've been nice!" Timmy scowled.
"I did warn you." Riven tossed back without looking.
"Looks like our beefy boy is a little cranky." Adrien's comment piqued everyone's curiosity. They looked up to see the troll sitting up, glaring at everything in sight, quietly grunting and growling.
"I'm sure he'll be fine. The restraints will hold." Riven said confidently, maybe too confidently.
'Brandon' glanced out the viewport to see the landscape had changed again. "Wait. Is that the Black Mud Swamp down there?"
Adrien, Riven, and Timmy all looked out. "So it is."
"Are we sure we're going the right way?" 'Brandon' asked nervously.
"Yup." 'Sky' tapped his side of the controls, bringing up a map with several dots, including a blip that was supposed to represent them. Another tap labeled the dots. "Malacoy is northwest of Alfea, with some of the Gloomy Wood Forest and the Black Mud Swamp in between."
"Hey, are those cabins down there?" Timmy pointed. Surprised, the others got on the sensors. Riven tapped the controls, and 3D images of the swamp appeared in the center of the bridge, with the unnatural structures highlighted in red.
"Odd." Adrien frowned. "I don't recall Malacoy having any training sessions there this weekend."
"Could be another school, though it's definitely not Red Fountain." 'Sky' said.
"Which school though? Witches rarely leave Cloud Tower to go anywhere." 'Brandon' pointed out.
"Could be the Oscuria's sorcerers or Alfea's own students. Beta might be ambitious, but I doubt those ambitions include trading through waist-deep mud." Adrien speculated cheerfully.
"Arcadia knows I wouldn't willingly trudge through that muck," Riven added with a smirk. "I don't pity them, whichever school they are."
"Hey," 'Brandon' leaned out of his seat. "The camera's glitching."
Riven snorted. "So much for state-of-the-art tech."
Timmy glared. "There's nothing wrong with it. I'll go check it out." So saying, he unbuckled his seatbelt and went into the back to look.
After a bit, the glitchiness of the camera resided, showing the troll, which was now snarling at something.
Timmy entered with a frown. "I'm back!"
Riven spun. "You fixed the issue?"
Timmy nodded, still frowning. "It wasn't a glitch, that's for sure. It was almost like magic was hacking the system."
"That's impossible." Riven "I'm in charge, there's no way that the ship can--whoooaaa!"
The ship rocked, and 'Brandon's face slammed into the console. He weakly came up, his face bloody, nose busted. "Ooh." he moaned, falling out of his seat.
"Brandon!" 'Sky' helped him back into his seat.
Timmy nearly fell if he hadn't grabbed onto Riven's chair. "Keep your eyes on the sky Riven!"
"What was that?" 'Brandon' gasped.
"Don't know, but it came from outside the ship," Timmy said, pushing his glasses up.
"That's impossible." Riven dismissed. He tapped the controls bringing up a 3D hologram of the ship's surface detectors. "If you knew how to properly operate this thing, you'd know that there's nothing on the sensors--ack!"
He was thrown back in his seat as the ship lurched again.
"Guys! Look! All the panels are going haywire!" Adrien exclaimed as he looked at the control interfaces, which all started glitching and turning from blue & yellow to green & purple. Numbers and binary code flashed across the screen.
"The witches!" Timmy gasped. "They're hacking us!"
"Probably to jailbreak their troll," 'Brandon' moaned, pressing his cloak to his face in an attempt to stem the blood loss.
The ship's engines began to sputter. "No! No! No!" Riven punched the consol angrily. "The controls aren't responding!"
"We need to break their control fast." Timmy turned to Adrien. "Adrien, get over here. I can break their spell, but I need a wizard's magic to do it!"
Adrien unstrapped himself and hurried over. "What do I need to do?"
"Press your hand against that screen." Timmy pointed to a flickering blue hand scanner. The ginger knelt and opened one of the compartments, pulling out the wires. "I'm going to manually reset the ship. When that happens, you need to cast a canceling spell."
"Got it." Adrien's affirmation was followed by the ship rocking again.
Timmy unsnapped several wires, the ship starting to spin as it fell. "On three!" he yelled.
"One!" Riven moved his hand over the steering.
"Two!" 'Sky' held on tightly to 'Brandon's chair.
"Three!" Adrien cast the spell at the same time that Timmy reconnected the wires.
The ship wobbled, but Riven whooped as the ship's controls responded, and they soared upwards. "You guys did it!"
Their elation was cut short as another blast--this time they could see the lightning--slammed into their ship. A second one followed, this one blowing out one of the engines. Without the second engine to balance the first's thrust, the ship began to spin out of control again, heading straight for the ground.
"Get in your seats!" 'Sky' shouted at them as the world spun outside. He buckled in 'Brandon' before the antigravity failed and he was slammed into the windshield.
Adrien summoned the brunette, but his concentration was lost as Timmy's body was slammed into his chair, the ginger's hair flying in every direction. Adrien barely managed to hold onto Timmy as the world shook again.
The ground was coming up fast, faster. The ship slammed into two trees before the windshield shattered, glass fragments flying everywhere, Riven shouted as they peppered his face.
Prince 'Sky's beaten, bloodied body was slammed into another seat before he went flying into the door and crumpled.
"INCOMING!" Riven shouted, just before the ground was upon them.
And Adrien's world turned black.
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"Ha ha ha haa! Look at them fall!" Beatrix cackled, her hand still crackling with her power. "Crash, fall down, and go boom!"
Icy smirked, watching as the ship fell out of the sky to crash into the mud hundreds of miles away. It was a big swamp, to be fair.
"Good work sister." Darcy praised. "Now all we have to do is summon the troll out. You did leave a hole for it, right?"
"If the engine's explosion didn't make the hole first." Beatrix cackled madly.
"Well, let's wrap this up. Form a convergence circle, we'll make short work of this. Then, maybe we'll have time to go after Stella's heirloom again." Icy said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
How she loves when a plan comes together.