Ruby walked around Cloud Tower, exploring the school so she wouldn't get lost in there, something that had happened too much in the last three days.
Usually you'd think exploring a whole castle was fun but, it wasn't fun. Every room she went was creepier than the last and she always felt watched. She knew the ghouls were almost always with her except when she asked them to leave her alone for a second like she did that day. They usually listened.
But, somehow, she knew it wasn't Greg, or Garry or Python. It was almost as if the castle itself was watching her.
The redhead stupidly walked down a set of stairs to a very dark hallway, using a flashlight she stole to light her way. The walls were filled with metal doors which had a little window of metal bars in the centre. It was the dungeons and those were the cellblocks.
She walked through the hallway and looked into the cells. They were mostly empty, apart from a few that had young witches inside. It was a very unsettling place and it gave Ruby the chills.
"Ru-by." A voice called feezing the girl in place.
It was an unknown voice, and even if it wasn't, she couldn't make out who it belonged to. The voice was very raspy and weak, almost as if the owner hadn't drank a drop of water for weeks and survived that.
Ruby waited, making sure she actually heard it and didn't just imagine it. After a while of silence she released the breath she was holding and relaxed.
"Ruby."
She turned around in a flash getting tense once again. She pointed the flashlight to the end of the dark hallway, her hand visibly shaking, but there was nothing there. Could she be imagining stuff?
"Ov-er here, Ru-by."
The redhead turned to the left where the voice came from, behind a celldoor. She approached it and tried to look through the little window. She saw someone sitting in the dark, close to the door. It looked like a woman but, she wasn't sure. It was a very skeletal figure, with long brown hair, dressing a worn out suit and high heels.
Ruby could swear she's seen that suit before but, where?
The woman started raising her head slowly, as if it was too heavy to lift faster. Ruby almost saw the woman's face but, in that moment a hand was placed on her shoulder, scaring the shit out of her. She screamed and dropped the flashlight, turning around to punch the person out of pure reflex. She regretted it immediately upon seeing Stormy laughing loudly and Darcy on the floor with her hand on her left eye.
"Now you know what it feels like." Stormy said laughing as Ruby helped Darcy off the floor in a hurry.
"Oh, my God, Darcy. I'm so sorry." Ruby said, cupping the taller girl's face. "It was an accident, you scared me and I was already on high alert..."
"Little one, it's fine." Darcy said, smiling reassuringly. "It doesn't hurt much, I promise."
"Now, that's a lie." Stormy mumbled. "Her punches hurt like a bitch."
"No one asked your opinion, Stormy." Said Darcy through gritted teeth. "Anyways, what are you doing here, little one?"
"I-I was exploring the castle and decided to come down here, but this place is fucking creepy."
"It's the dungeons, what were you excpecting?" Stormy said laughing making Ruby stick out her tongue at her.
"What are you two doing down here?" Ruby asked, letting go of Darcy's face.
"Tormenting Riven." Stormy answered happily before going away towards a window of metal bars.
The other two followed her and Ruby saw Riven sitting in the dark with his back turned to the window, looking really down in the dumps. It hurt her to see him like that.
"Look at that tripling idiot." Stormy mocked.
"Hey, Stormy." Darcy said smirking. "What do you say we play with his head a little bit. Just for laughs."
They laugh and Darcy casts some kind of spell on him abefore they went away. But Ruby stays behind and watches as Riven speaks with his own monster. A giant creature stood before him, towering and mimicking his every movement making it seem as if Riven was looking at a mirror. Trying to believe the monster was just and ilusion, the Specialist touched it and it was very real.
That's the phoenix power. My magic.
Riven falls back in fear and stares deeply into the creature's eyes.
"Alright big boy. I have no way of defending myself against you, but I won't panic." Said the scared Specialist. "I won't go down so easily, you know? There are many things I don't like about myself, but I'm far from being a monster ok? I have a heart and even though I can't be sure they'll ever be able to forgive me for all the things I've said and done, I have a few friends too. And even though we had our differences, I just hope Ruby was able to run out of here safe and sound. That's the only thing I want."
Ruby had tears going down her face once the boy was done with his speech and she had to restraint a sob from coming out. In that whole year Riven and her had done nothing but fight, argue and hate on each other but, somehow, he was still worried about her. He tried to save her and he was now thinking of her safety. He isn't the idiot Ruby thought he was, he was a good man that had his own issues but, who doesn't?
She raised her hands to her hair and took out a bobby pin from it. She dropped it on the floor gaining Riven's attention. They shared a look with each other and they didn't need to say anything for them to know what just happened. Whatever childish war they were having was officially done.
The redhead walked away cleaning her tears. She was so distracted that she bumped into someone.
"Hey, little one, what's going on?" Darcy asked cleaning Ruby's tears away. "Do you want to talk?"
"No, no I'm fine." The witch raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "I promise, I just remembered something but, it was a good thing. I'm not sad." Darcy nodded and kissed Ruby's forehead lovingly. "Now lets go, I have to take care of your eye."
Ruby grabbed the witch's hand and started dragging her up the stairs of the dungeon.
"I can take care of it on my own, honey." Darcy said chuckling.
"No, I'll do it, I was the one that hurt you." The witch chuckled again and let herself be taken to Griffin's office. "Now, sit on that chair while I go get ice. Do you know where Icy is?"
"She's busy on Cloud Tower's archive." Darcy answered sitting down on a chair with a smile. "But there's some in the kitchen."
"Right, the kitchen. I know where that is." Ruby mumbled, looking panicked which made Darcy laugh.
"One of the ghouls will lead you there."
"Garry at your service." Said the ghoul with a yellow collar who appeared suddenly behind Ruby startling her.
"Don't do that."
The ghoul led Ruby towards the kitchen to get some ice and then back to the office and he never stopped talking. He always had something to say and ask.
"Did you know that killing spiders gives bad luck?"
"What's your favourite Trix? I won't tell."
"Is it cool to fly?"
"I'm surprised the fairies haven't lost yet."
"Are you going to stay here forever?"
After three agonizing hours, which were in fact three minutes, Ruby arrived at the office where Darcy was still sitting, looking at the cristal ball on the desk which was a mean of spying on the Fairies and Specialists.
"Why do you look so tired?" Darcy asked standing up and walking towards the fairy. "It is not that far of a walk."
"I'm mentally exhausted and also a little bit out of shape." Ruby joked leaning her back against the desk.
Darcy rolled her eyes with a laugh approaching the redhead. She grabbed her by the waist and kissed her cheek. Ruby placed the ice bag on Darcy's eye and the witch flinched a bit at the sudden coldness but, quickly got used to it.
"You do know I have healing powers, right?" The brunette asked smiling down at the ex-fairy. "I can heal this."
"Yeah, well, I like the old fashion way where I can take care of you after punching you as a way of apologizing."
"There is other ways for you to apologize." Darcy said suggestively.
"Yeah, I could always say 'I'm sorry' but, I like this way better." Ruby teased, giggling at Darcy's annoyed face. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, go ahead."
"How exactly did you take Bloom's powers?"
"Well, we broke into your house and kept your parents hostage..."
"Whoa, what?"
"Chill, we always knew Bloom would save them, our intention was never to hurt them and we never did."
"Ok, continue."
"We did that and she tried to fight us so Icy trapped her in an ice prison and we had to rip the power out of her. It was rather easy, actually which also made it really boring."
"Ok, but, how did Bloom know our parents were in any kind of danger?" Ruby wondered.
"She was going back home because she gave up." The redhead tilted her head, confused. "She quit Alfea because she felt like she didn't fit in."
"You're kidding right? She's literally the most fairyly fairy ever."
"Fairly fairy?" Darcy asked laughing.
"Yeah, I know. It's easier to say witchy witch."
"It was fun to see her face when we told her about her past, though."
Ruby frowned and moved the ice bag away for a second before putting it back, remembering Darcy was injured.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked unsettled.
"Oh, I thought Icy told you."
"No, she didn't tell me anything."
"Well, then. I guess it's my job to tell you then."
"Darcy, you don't have to say anything. I don't care about my birth parents. They abbandoned me they didn't want..."
"Don't say that." Darcy interrupted. "I won't let you think your parents didn't want you because they did, ok? I'm going to tell you something and you need me to promise you won't freak out."
"Ok." Ruby said, those words already making her freak out on the inside. "Spit it out."
"You and Bloom are Daphne the Nymph's sisters." Ruby's eyes widened. "Which means you're the last princesses of Domino that was destroyed by my and my sisters ancestors 16 years ago. Your sister Daphne sent you and Bloom to Earth to protect you from the three ancestral witches who were trying to take away your powers to rule the magic dimension. No one knows what happened to your parents."
The redhead didn't say anything, didn't move, didn't react. She barely even breathed. She just stared at Darcy wide-eyed and speechless.
"O-Ok." She finally said trying to not freak out like she promised. "That is the last thing I ever thought someone would tell me. In fact, I never thought I would ever hear that."
"Are you, sad?"
"No."
"Are you mad."
"No."
"Are you happy?"
"Absolutely not."
"Than what are you?" Darcy questioned, worried about the redhead.
"Freaked out." Ruby joked, laughing slightly. Darcy also chuckled kissing the ex-fairy's forehead, to help her calm down, which worked. "But, what do you have to do with those witches?"
"We're just getting what they never could have."
Darcy continued explaining something but, Ruby stopped listening, more focused about what was behind the witch. Or rather who.
Ruby's eyes widened as she saw Riven entering the office with his sword drawn ready to be wielded. The redhead shook her head so slowly it was barely noticeable, silently trying to tell Riven to go away but, he didn't care. He was dedicated to kill Darcy and save Ruby.
"You have to run." He mouthed, no sound coming out of his mouth.
"No, go away." Ruby mouthed back, carefully so Darcy wouldn't notice. She didn't want the witch to die and it was obvious that Riven was going to kill her if Ruby didn't make him leave.
She shifted her eyes from the witch to Riven to make it seem as if she was still paying attention. However, the witch eventually noticed something was off about her.
"Ruby, are you alright?"
She hummed affirmatively and with a fake smile, warningly shifting her eyes towards Riven again, as he got closer and closer to the two. Unfortunately, Darcy noticed it and started to turn her head around, to look behind her.
Out of fear of Riven getting caught and killed, Ruby cupped Darcy's face and turned it to her, smashing their lips together, accidentally dropping the ice bag. The witch was shocked for a second but, very quickly kissed back.
Ruby opened her eyes to see Riven with his jaw hanging and almost dropping his sword. She sneakily signaled him to leave which he gladly did, having lost all of his blood thrist in a snap.
Once the Specialist was out of the room, the fairy finally relaxed which meant she also noticed what the hell she was doing.
OH MY GOD.
Ruby tried to pull away but, Darcy grabbed her by the hips and pulled her flushed against her making Ruby gasp which gave the witch the perfect opportunity to slid her tongue inside the redhead's mouth.
The ex-fairy released a content sigh, putting her arms around Darcy. The witch's grip on Ruby's hips tightened making her moan from both pain and pleasure. That seemed to do the trick.
Suddenly Darcy pulled away and threw everything that was on top of the table to the ground with one swift movement of her arm.
"What..." Before she could finish her question, Ruby was lifted from the ground and laid on top of the desk.
Darcy straddled her and grabbed both her wrists, pinning them next to her head with a strong and firm grip. As the redhead was about to speak the witch shut her off with another, hungry and dominant kiss.
They kissed until both their lungs were on fire, screaming for air, and that's when Darcy pulled away. They both took deep breaths while staring into each other's eyes. Ruby tried to sit up but, Darcy didn't let her. The redhead noticed purple magic surrounding her wrists, pinning them down instead of the witch. Ruby attempted to get free, but to no use. She didn't have powers anymore.
Looking up at the hungry look on the eyes of the witch on top of her, Ruby didn't have to ask anything to know what she wanted and the hand on her abdomen going higher and higher on her body confirmed her suspiscions.
Oh my God.