Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Valtor sighed as he rolled a dark purple flame from finger to finger. It lasted a few rounds before sputtering out pathetically. He stared at his fingers, and reignited the spark contemplating his situation. Seventeen years. For seventeen Omegan years he was frozen in that accursed dimension. Who knew how much time had passed for the rest of Magix? Only being able to see and hear but never able to do anything. An eternal stasis. 

Fortunately for him, three particularly ambitious witches had stumbled across him. Valtor immediately recognized them for what they were and what blood sang in their veins. His creators were formidable and their magical signature unforgettable. Though their blood was diluted, and their power weakened, he could still feel their distinct innate magics. 

Part of him immediately cowered in fear. The three ancestral witches were not kind. They were confident and had the power to back up said confidence. They stopped at nothing to get what they want and he was only a means to their goals. From the beginning, he knew he was expendable and everything they did reminded him of that miserable fact. Valtor’s life was created by their hands and they drilled it into the very fiber of his being that they could take it away at will. But the Trix were nothing like them. They had ambition, yes, but nowhere near the cruel streak that the elder witches possessed nor the perpetual power they held. 

Their rap sheet was definitely something to look at considering they were only teenagers. However, their presence only screamed lackey to him. A trio that survived and licked the boots of the more powerful and did whatever is necessary to be within arms reach of power, while also furthering their own agenda. Valtor chuckled at the irony, the bootlicker of the three eldest has become the one who had his boots licked. 

The dark purple flame yet again spluttered and sparked, singeing his sleeve. He tsked and continued his exercise. His magic had been woefully reduced to a mere ember of its former glory. Born from the dark side of the Dragon Flame, he was part of one of the forces that breathed life into Magix. His power was only able to be matched other source magic wielders. The nymphs that guarded the gates of dimensions, powers unknown and inaccessible, or the terrestrial fairies if they were still in existence. Granted, the other wielders of source magic had been either snuffed out or had faded from existence even before his time. He supposed he was probably the last magical to wield ancient magic in its rawest form. The flame spluttered again but he persisted, straining himself to control the willful magic into submission. Suddenly, it grew in size and rebelled, launching from his hand and into the doorway, where three witches had scattered to avoid the blast. 

“A little warning would be nice!” Icy snapped, as she got up from the ground, dusting herself off and launching a shard at him in annoyance. He easily swatted it out of the air and waved his hand in a mockery of an apology. 

“Do you have any news on what’s going on in Magix?” Valtor drawled, knowing he would no longer have any more time to himself. 

Icy huffed before reclining in an armchair, Darcy and Stormy taking the arm rests. “After you took control of this place, the other dimensions really didn’t spare Andros any concern. I doubt they even know if it's you. However, that pesky Winx fairy came back here to fight. We barely managed to escape her notice on our way back.” 

“Winx fairy?” Valtor perked up, interested. The sheer venom that Icy spat out with that sentence was uncharacteristic. She usually kept a calm head about her, and didn’t often give into any emotional response, reminiscent of her ancestor. 

“They’re the ones that landed us in Omega in the first place, after ruining our plans with the army of decay and our little team up with Darkar.” Stormy groused, electricity dancing between her fingertips. Valtor hummed thoughtfully, these witches were decently powerful yes, but they had nowhere near the energy needed to raise the Army of Decay on their own. He remembered this particular pet project the ancestral witches had. It lasted a good while before they ultimately shelved the spell as it needed both life and death in order to operate. And none of them were adept in light magics nor did they want to waste time hunting for a light magic source. It made him wonder how exactly these three did it.

“The princess of this realm is a part of their little group and she returned from Alfea.” Darcy continued, her voice in an apathetic tone.

“Are these Winx going to pose a problem?” Valtor questioned as he looked over a map of Magix. 

“They always poke their disgusting little fairy wings into everything we do. But as far as we’ve seen their powers aren’t even close to yours.” Icy dismissed, getting up from the chair and leaning even closer into his personal space, trailing a finger down his arm. “I’m sure you can take care of them quickly. Though... I do want you to save their pathetic ring leader for us. We have unfinished business.” Icy’s voice purred before ending in a sybillant hiss that her ancestor often preferred when issuing a threat. 

Yet again he’s reminded of how much these witches both resembled and differed greatly from his creators. Belladonna would have never pandered to the whims of a man’s ego. Beautiful as she was, she stood on her own feet and never went as low as seducing a man. The few times she had done that, the person in question was usually killed as soon as the witch was satisfied. Icy, however, seemed to have no qualms as she hung on to his arm, chest pressed as close as she could get to him. She never backed down her advances, and he was slowly getting tired of them.

“Tell me about them.” Valtor stated, shrugging Icy off of him and continued to rifle through some books. 

If Icy was annoyed by his rejection, she didn’t show it, simply leaning on the table and scowling as frost danced in the air around her. “There’s six of them, and they’re all dominion fairies.”

As soon as the statement registered, Valtor's head snapped up in attention. Dominion fairies were neither in abundance nor rare. Many magicals drew their magic from a specific source and channel that magic into spells, but the dominion of the magical made all the difference. A minor dominion such as the west wind or the process of invention resulted in powers that weren’t as great and it takes much longer for them to produce enough energy to advance transformations. The same goes for witches, though they often draw upon the darker counterparts of the dominions of fairies. An icy gale instead of the west wind or the process of destruction in countenance to invention. He knew that dominions were slowly becoming less abundant, even in his time, and magicals had to draw upon the ambient magic that lingered in their surroundings. It isn’t nearly as powerful, but it did the job. Most magicals don’t even enter combat, so it was inconsequential for them. But to hear that all of the Winx were dominion fairies was both impressive and cause for concern. 

“What are they?” Valtor snapped the book closed, giving his full attention to Icy.

“Stella and Aisha are from royal lineage. Aisha is the princess of Andros and her dominion is of the waves. Stella is the princess of Solaria and her dominion is light, specifically from stars. There’s definitely a difference between fighting her indoors and at night vs outdoors in the day.” 

Valtor hummed, two powerful domains, but it was to be expected. Royal lineages often bred the strongest magicals due to the connection the families had with their realm. His attention was momentarily caught as Darcy and Stormy exchanged a look behind Icy, but didn’t make an attempt to speak up. He filed away the interaction for later deliberation and motioned for Icy to continue. 

“Tecna is from Zenith, Musa from Melody, and Flora from Linphea. Technology, Music and Nature.” Darcy filled in for Icy, sending a questioning look to Icy before relaxing and returning to her cool demeanor. Interesting.

“And the last?” Valtor prodded.

“Bloom, their goody two shoes ringleader. She’s from... Earth and she holds the dominion of fire.” Icy snarled. At this point, Valtor knew the three were keeping something from him. Their shifty glances and roundabout way of speaking made that all too clear, but it didn't matter. He’d figure it out sooner or later. The more pressing matter at hand is the powerful dominions these fairies held. 

“That’s a strong group of dominions, all encompassing and large. These six have much to draw energy from, enough for me to believe they're the threat you make them out to be. I thought you said these fairies weren’t a big deal? Though it is odd that the last one, Bloom you said, is from Earth. Last I heard of the terrestrial fairies was that they were hunted down by another band of sorcerers. It’s even odder that her dominion is fire. Fairies don’t typically wield a destructive force such as fire.” Valtor mused while observing the three. It was minute, but he caught the shift in their demeanor when he mentioned Bloom’s powers. Very Interesting.

Icy merely chuckled, “She’s about as destructive as they get. Her magic might be light, but she has a temper and vengeance that is rarely seen. When you do see it however, it’s quite a sight.  Her little stint with Darkar was truly something to witness. It didn’t take that much work to turn her magic dark, and what a powerful magic it was.” Icy murmured.

Valtor hummed thoughtfully, a total change in the nature of her magic. That was bound to have consequences. Consequences he knew fairies weren’t equipped to deal with. There was a reason why both fairies and witches existed, to keep the balance. He wondered how exactly she reverted back to her natural light magic. 

 “She would’ve made a good witch.” Darcy said, seemed reluctant in admitting that piece of information. “The Winx are really not that big of a deal. They’ve only recently reached their Charmix and we’ve already got our Gloomix to match them. With you they really don’t have a chance.” 

Valtor didn’t bother to respond to that. Powerful dominions and royalty. Truly a gifted generation, but it’s not sounding fortunate for him. He’s only just starting to regain the control he had over the dragon flame and his energy reservoirs are pathetically small due to the lack of practice with his magic. A saving grace was that the fairies were still at Charmix, it would still be some time before they could even think about reaching Enchantix. He would need to start acting, and fast. Starting with more power and knowledge, and he knew exactly where to go. After the fall of Sparx, Solaria was one of the remaining few realms with a limitless source of energy. Namely their three suns, not to mention their vast magic library. 

“We need to go to Solaria, I need energy and Solaria’s three suns are good enough of a boost until I regain my strength.” Valtor stated, turning to face the Trix.

“Well I heard an interesting rumor during our little scouting session. Seems our Stella is having her princess ball soon.” Stormy cackled.

Valtor smiled, “Well that’s just an invitation, don’t you agree?”

Chapter Text

Bloom gasped in wonder at Stella’s home. Solaria was a very bright and tropical planet, and the grandeur of the palace gave it the same shine that Solaria’s suns had. Every wall, banister or arch was decorated with ornaments, jewels and elaborate tapestries, and the Earth fairy hadn’t seen anything like it. Attendants weaved through the palace, in crisp, pressed uniforms, busy preparing things for the upcoming princess ball. Stella didn’t even bat an eye at the coordinated chaos as she handed her luggage off and started talking to Bloom about Solaria and its suns. 

As Stella showed her around, Bloom couldn’t help but think if Sparx had looked like this in its heyday. If the halls were filled with as much energy and joy as Solaria before the kingdom had been brutally extinguished by the three ancestral witches. Her thoughts had started to take a dark turn, and she immediately noticed a slimy sensation trying to take a hold of her magic. Bloom paused and forcibly shoved the slimy feeling and her magic down as far as she could. 

Darkar’s disgusting spell still hadn’t quite been purged from her system, an unfortunate consequence of being gradually poisoned by dark magic. Ms. Faragonda had done all that she could, but the curse had taken root, and it would be up to Bloom to purge the rest of the magic on her own. It didn’t pose a problem until recently, when Bloom could feel violent urges creep up more and more often, goading her into reverting back to dark magic. Her bouts of irrationality and anger started to worry her, but before she could dwell on it, Stella opened a grand door that had a sort of model solar system that took up the entire space. 

“This is the Hall of the Universe. All the galaxies of the Magix dimension are in here. It was my favorite place to go as a kid.” Stella stated, reminiscing as she watched the model spin. 

“I think it’s great that you get to spend time here with your people.” Bloom trailed off as she thought about her own home planet, and the desolate state it’s in. Stella immediately picked up on the change in Bloom’s mood and went to comfort her friend. 

“Oh honey, don’t worry. You know we’ll do everything in our power to bring Sparx back. So chin up okay? Today’s a day to par-tay!” Bloom smiled weakly as Stella twirled her around. “Now it’s time for the best part! Presents!” Stella cheered, trying to lighten the mood as she drew Bloom away from the Hall. 

Bloom was grateful for the distraction as she let herself get dragged away by the wrist to yet another corridor in the palace. While they walked, she felt an odd sensation that spread through her and her magic. Something tickled the edge of her awareness and coaxed her to find and embrace it. The presence made her feel so whole and warm, but before she could even think about it, it seemingly blipped out of existence. Distracted, Bloom almost walked into a pile of presents before Stella caught her wrist again to tug her back.

“Careful Bloom, you don’t want to get buried in this mess!” Stella laughed while flicking her lightly on the forehead in response to her absentminded behavior. That’s when Bloom noticed the state of the room she was in and how many presents covered every inch of floor and wall space.

“Wow! I haven’t seen this many presents in my life!” She gasped, reverently opening a box to reveal a gorgeous pair of earrings that glimmered in the sunlight. She hastily closed the box and set it down in fear of dropping it.

“I know right! There are four more rooms just like this!” Stella beamed, enjoying the luxury she lived in. Before more gifts could be opened, they were interrupted as a blonde woman walked in. 

“Princess Stella, how lovely to see you.” She remarked, strutting closer to the pair.

“That’s Countess Cassandra, a Lady In Waiting at the royal court” Stella whispered to Bloom before turning her attention to the woman. “Countess, it’s a pleasure to see you as well,” Stella returned, both women dropping into a curtsey. Bloom started as she looked between the two, unsure of how she should greet the noblewoman. She attempted to lower herself in a curtsey but stopped halfway realizing that she probably looked odd. She straightened herself quickly, hoping her action didn’t look too awkward and raised her hand in a wave. “Hi?”

“Oh here’s the present I got for you. I hope you like it.” The Countess remarked, ignoring Bloom’s greeting as she flipped open a necklace case, blinding both fairies with its luster.

“I think I'll need to get a new pair of sunglasses if I want to wear those,” Stella joked before the Countess closed the case and set it down again. 

“My daughter chose it. She’s in the Advanced Sorcery Program of the esteemed Beta Academy. Have you met Chimera?” The Countess remarked before waving a familiar girl into the room. Both Bloom and Stella gasped, and Bloom looked nervously at Stella who was already grinding her teeth. 

“Ah, yes we-” Bloom hesitantly started before getting interrupted by Stella who immediately started a fight. The verbal sparring match resulted in the two girls storming off in opposite directions, and Bloom could hear objects shattering and people yelling as they were pushed out of the way of the steaming girls. 

She chuckled nervously, “I’m sure that this is the start of a very beautiful friendship?” She glanced toward the Countess, only to find that the cordial expression was gone. In its place was apathy and a hint of disgust that had Bloom feeling whiplash. The Countess merely glanced at her and left without a word, and she suddenly had a bad feeling about the entire situation. Eager to find Stella, she too, left the room before she caused a political disaster of some sort. 

Valtor cracked his neck as his teleportation completed, finding himself standing before a magical wall that shielded Solaria’s palace. Just before he could take a step, he noticed his magic reacting spontaneously, apparently excited and bursting at the seams to lead him somewhere. Irritated, Valtor pushed it down until his presence was completely masked, and stepped through the walls that led to the palace. 

Navigating through the corridors while dodging some guards on the way, he reached the royal chambers. Valtor watched as mother and daughter schemed by the room the Solarian princess was in, their ambition and greed would make it all to easy for him to manipulate them. He could use these two to gain control of Solaria without ever having to get his hands dirty. Perfect. 

His planning was interrupted by the dragon flame which was positively screaming at this point. A dull pressure had started to extend from the back of his head, the ache becoming slightly intolerable. Once again, he reined in control of his magic and forced into submission, waiting as it finally got quiet. Turning his attention back to the wicked mother, daughter duo, he caught the dark haired girl storming off, violently cursing the princess of the sun.

It was quite the show to see her try and sabotage Stella, thwarted at every turn of the way, building rage so violent he could practically taste it. The wizard chuckled as the newest sabotage resulted in the jealous little brat getting covered in cake. He followed her angry stomps through the palace before arriving at her mother’s quarters where he made his presence known. “Anything you say?” He drawled, stepping through the wall, interrupting their conversation.

“Who are you? What are you doing in our room!” The Countess demanded.

“I’d never ignore a damsel in distress,” Valtor crooned, as he cleared the girl of the food that clung to her. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Valtor and I can give you both the power to make all of your dreams come true. True power. Unlimited power.” He preached, sweeping his arms in a bow. 

“Are you buying this mother?” The girl questioned, disbelieving. 

“Quiet.” The Countess snapped. “And what do you want in return…Valtor?” 

“Just a ray of sun my lady. I simply wish to bathe for a moment in the magical light that illuminates Solaria. With the power I offer you, you will be able to rule over King Radius, and you Chimera, can become princess of Solaria. Just lead me to the spire of the sun and all of this will be yours forever.” He persuaded, holding out his hand. 

The Countess gazed at him for a moment before stepping aside, rejecting his hand. “Follow me,” she stated bluntly and walked away. Her daughter turned her nose up at him and followed her mother out of their chambers. He clenched his open hand into a fist and smirked darkly. All of these people are inconsequential, and yet they dare place themselves above him? Laughable. 

He donned a disguise spell that would make him appear different to everyone who saw him and walked out of the ladies’ chambers. As Valtor followed them through the corridors, the countess ran into the red haired fairy he saw briefly with the princess. 

She seemed startled, but quickly stood straight and gave them a friendly smile that made him laugh internally. The poor naive girl didnt know a thing about palace politics, did she? “Oh, Countess! I was just looking for my room-” The Countess merely walked past her. The red haired fairy seemed put off by that and watched her go.

“Some people clearly aren’t meant to be in palaces,” Chimera threw out before trouncing up the stairs. Valtor rolled his eyes before making his way up with them, passing the girl. For a brief moment, their arms brushed and Valtor felt his magic rejoice as it rushed to the surface. It had felt so good that he almost lost himself and his control within that moment. 

Extremely disconcerted, he fought to regain himself and schooled his expression. She clearly felt something as well, as she glanced at him before turning back around to continue her journey. Noticing that he had lagged behind the Countess, Valtor mentally filed away the phenomena to explore later as he caught up. 

Just as he rounded the corner, he spotted the guards that guarded the sun of solaria. The Countess glared at him and jerked her head in a motion to stay hidden. Backing away, he waited until the guards passed before revealing himself and walking through the open doors. 

“Alright Valtor, here is the sun of solaria,” Cassandra stated, motioning toward the ball of light.

Valtor hummed and walked toward the energy source. “The source of life for this world. I feel the heat, the light and energy.” He plunged his hands into the ball, feeling his pathetic magic stores fill and expand as the dragon flame ate and grew stronger. Magic surged through his being, leaving him feeling revitalized. “I am Valtor once again!” He shouted, releasing a spell into the air to test his power. 

How long has it been since magic came so freely? So readily? Feeling the high of the energy boost wear off he grounded himself and smirked at the women. “And now my ladies, it’s time for me to keep my promise.” He launched a familiar servitude spell towards them, watching as his mark formed on their necks. 

The spell was originally the ancestral witches’, but he had taken quite a liking to it and adapted it toward his own needs. This version of the spell allowed them to retain their own consciousness while simultaneously bringing out their darkest natures. Much different from the full servitude spells he cast on the mermaids on Andros. 

 As his magic settled into them, he watched as Chimera tried to touch the mark, only to get burned by the dark magic. The Countess snapped out of her daze, “The party, and the guests are arriving.” 

“Then I’ll leave you to your festivities,” Valtor bowed, backing into the teleportation spell he readied. “But I'm sure we’ll see each other very soon.” He felt the spell activate and he left Solaria, with power and thoughts of a young fairy.

Chapter Text

Bloom felt her head spin from the complete whiplash she experienced that day. The princess ball had started out normal. Sky and the rest of the specialists had arrived with the rest of the girls and they enjoyed the party until Stella made her entrance. And what an entrance it was. She was gorgeous, decked out in a glimmering pink dress with a shining smile. Escorted by King Radius, she looked every bit the princess she was. Brandon was struck dumb and Bloom couldn’t help but laugh at him. Everything seemed to be fine but King Radius went and shocked them all as he announced his engagement to Countess Cassandra. 

From there, everything became a bit of a blur. Stella had obviously been upset and while she was talking to her father, she suddenly turned into a monster. King Radius immediately called for the guards and the Winx were somehow the bad guys as they were chased out of the palace. 

They had just barely made it out of there safely due to Stella’s knowledge of a secret passageway she used as a kid and the specialists’ help. The solarian princess was devastated and couldn’t face anyone in her state. By the time they got to Alfea, she had cried out all the tears left in her and had run, locking herself in her room before anyone could see her. 

The Winx explained the situation to Mrs. Faragonda and she had taken a look at the curse afflicting Stella before concluding that they needed to visit the Mirror of Truth for Stella to turn back into her normal self. It took quite a while to convince Stella to come out of her room, especially to face Brandon. But Flora told Stella that she had put an illusion spell on her so she appeared normal to others. Of course, that was a total lie, everyone had already seen her transformation. But no one really cared and all of them decided to pretend for Stella’s benefit. Which led them here, in a barren, icy wasteland, fighting against Griffins attacking the red fountain ship they took to find the Mirror of Truth. 

“No! We shouldn’t attack the mother! She’s only trying to protect her babies!” Flora shouted over the wind. 

“Then what are we going to do?” Bloom shouted.

“I have an idea! Musa, can you keep them busy for a bit?” Tecna swivelled to a stop facing the approaching ship with the Griffin attached firmly on top. 

“I’m on it!” Musa flew back and gripped the bottom of the ship before launching a loud sound wave spell. Bloom winced, she could hear the piercing whine even at the distance she was at. 

“Ok girls, lets try a convergence relocation spell. All of our put together should be enough to send them away, while we get out of here.” Tecna explained, already starting up the spell. Everyone nodded before starting up their own spells, merging them into a large mass of energy. Just as the ship approached, they let it go and watched as the griffins got displaced. 

“Alright, we only sent them a small distance away. So we don’t have a lot of time. Let’s get out of here!” Tecna said, as she flew back into the ship.

The team eventually made their way to a large ice cave where massive icy pillars stood. “So what exactly are we looking for?” Brandon asked.

“Something called the Mirror of Truth. All Faragonda said is that we’d know it when we see it. Cryptic.” Flora explained.

“I just hope it works.” Stella stated, waddling alongside Brandon. “I would do anything to be myself again.” Stella buried her face in her hands, while Brandon put his hands on her shoulder for support.

“Just a little further and the tunnel should widen out. I think we’re almost at the ice spirits location.” Just as Tecna finished her sentence, the cave opened up and revealed 5 glimmering icicles with frozen faces. 

“Search no further. You were looking for us? State your business.” A voice boomed, echoing throughout the cave.

“I uh- sorry to bother you all, but are you the ice spirits?” Bloom started.

“We are the ones who wait in eternity. Speak!”

“We need your help, please?” Bloom continued, nervous. Flora slowly backed away and hid behind the others. The statues were silent for a moment and the Winx felt an energy wash over them. 

“You overcame great dangers to find us. The frozen winds of the barrier, the fierce talons of the griffins. Your motivation must be strong.” Stella stepped forward then, lowering her hood so the statues could see her cursed visage. “Ah, dark magic, an evil spell.” The statues hummed, considering her situation.

“Please can you help me break it?” Stella implored meekly, waiting for their verdict.

“You must seek the mirror of truth. You will find it as soon as you find yourself and it will break the spell only if you touch it’s heart.” The ice spirits informed before their energy faded away.

“What does that mean? Does the mirror have a heart? Please tell me more. Please help me.” Stella cried, walking further into the cave.

“Stella!” Brandon yelled, making a move to follow her.

“Maybe it would be better if you waited out here with the guys. Don’t worry. We’ll make sure she’s okay” Bloom reasoned, holding him back. Together, they walked deeper into the cave, through a maze of corridors and tunnels. Before they knew it, Stella had split from the group. 

“Hey where did Stella go? Stella!” Bloom called out, chorused by the other Winx. Brandon heard their calls and immediately ran ahead, determined to find Stella. He moved about for a while before coming across the familiar pink gown.

“Stella! Be careful! You don’t know what that-”

“No Brandon! This must be it! This must be the Mirror of Truth that can break the spell!” Stella interrupted before he could get a word in otherwise. “Mirror of truth please I beg of you. Make me me again. Please. Please!” Stella cried into the glowing water. “Why isn’t it working? What am I doing wrong!” She sobbed, collapsing onto the cold floor. 

“Stella…” Brandon trailed off.

“Don’t look at me.” Stella turned away from him, tears steadily dripping down her amphibian face. 

“Why not?” Brandon gently said, trying to coax her into facing him.

“You don’t understand, I’m a monster. I look hideous. You just can’t see it because Flora put a spell on me.” She sobbed.

“Stella, please don’t freak, but I see you completely. Green skin and all. Flora never put a spell on you.” Brandon admitted, wiping some of her tears away.

“What? And you still stayed? Even when I look like a swamp thing? You didn’t run away?” Stella sniffled, scrubbing at her face.

“Stella, why would I run away? I don’t love you just for your looks. I love you because you’re beautiful inside and out. My brave and kind princess.” Brandon gently caressed her face before planting a soft kiss on her forehead. “Girls tell her.”

“ I see an awesome person who isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind.”

“Someone who is loving and light-hearted and fun.”

“A totally great fairy who makes me laugh.”

“I see a warm and wonderful friend,” Bloom finished, walking closer to the pair.

“Is that really how all of you see me? I thought everyone just thought I was pretty.” Stella stated, looking back into the pool.

“Everyone loves you for who you are. Here this is for you. For your birthday. I meant to give it earlier but everything kind of went to hell in a handbasket there and you were upset. So I thought I'd hold onto it.” Brandon said, passing a pink wrapped box to Stella. “It’s nothing big, but it was passed down in my family. I hope you like it.”

Stella immediately opened the box and opened up the bejeweled compact. The mirror reflecting her cursed face. “I love it thank you. This was the most precious gift anyone has given me” Stella cried, tears of joy this time. 

The pool of water suddenly started glowing, Stella’s reflection changing back to her normal beautiful self. The fairies gasped as the real Stella switched back. They swarmed her, excited and joyful that their friend had returned. All except one. 

Bloom stood shell shocked as she saw her reflection in the pool. It was her fairy form, but different. Her wings were sharper and a darker royal blue instead of their usual sky blue. The same dark blue curled around the edges of her outfit, fading into the regular blue. Her tiara was pointed and her makeup more bold. It wasn’t her dark form, but it wasn’t quite her light form either. The only reassuring part was that this version of Bloom was still happy and smiling. Her smile leaned a bit into smirk territory but it looked genuine. Bloom stepped back hurriedly and turned away making her way to Stella. It was alright. Bloom is still a light fairy and there was nothing wrong with her. She was okay.

Chapter Text

Valtor stepped through his portal, entering the interdimensional space within the portal to Omega. His magic was still flickering at the edges, yearning for something. “Trix, come here.” He ordered, getting ready to place a servitude spell on them. While he didn’t really want to waste any of the energy he got from Solaria, he needed the trio to have at least some power to go about collecting spells and causing distractions while he gathered the material he needed. 

“What is it?” Icy questioned.

Valtor merely sent the spell towards them. The spell had started working initially, giving them the power he intended, but when it came to marking them, the spell suddenly fizzled out and failed to complete. He could feel the half formed bonds but they were essentially useless. He tsked, of course, the ancestral witches put in failsafes for themselves and their blood. It was no matter, it wasn’t like they were a match for him anyways. He could always dispose of them when the time came. 

“Ooh, that felt good . Stormy cackled, her hair standing even more on end. The temperature dropped as Icy flexed her fingers and Darcy smirked as she levitated things about. 

“Now that that’s over with, tell me about her.” Valtor motioned to the image he conjured of the red haired fairy. 

Icy’s mood immediately dropped as she scowled fiercely. “That’s Bloom.” She said shortly, unwilling to say anything more than that. 

“There’s something you are not telling me about her. Something important.” Valtor drawled. But the three resolutely looked away from him, not parting with their secrets. “But I suppose I can figure it out for myself. I’m afraid Icy dear, that your wish to have Bloom to finish off will no longer be possible. This fairy...is mine. And mine alone.” Valtor purred, a strange sense of satisfaction curled up against him when he thought of the fire fairy.

“I’m sorry, what?” Icy stated, flabbergasted. “What’s so special about her? And why all of a sudden?”

“That’s nothing for you to worry about. She’s simply... powerful and I want to play with her for a bit.” He stated plainly, but his eyes danced with a certain curiosity that the Trix easily saw. Icy ground her teeth in jealousy. The pathetic fairy hadn’t even done anything and she had this powerful wizard wrapped around her finger already. She could feel her magic spiraling out of control, “I’m going out.” She said shortly, frost trailing behind her as she stalked out of the lair, her sworn sisters following. 

Finally getting some time alone for himself, he started sorting through the spellbooks and grimoires he’d nicked from Solaria. Anything that seemed relevant to the ancestral witches and the curse they placed on his powers. While he was born from the dark side of the dragon flame, it didn’t actually make him evil, contrary to popular belief. All forces of nature are pure and exist for different purposes. His nature is intrinsically dark but he also had light, as sparse as it was, to balance him out. No magical being was purely light or dark, they wouldn’t be able to use magic if they were. No magic was entirely purely of one affinity. 

No, the evil came from the way they created him. He was a homunculus brought forth by the creation powers of the dragon flame and certain rituals that required a lot of sacrifice, usually of the innocent. In order to make sure he always stayed loyal, they cast a curse on his dragon flame much like how they cursed sirenix. Without the witches, he was very prone to losing himself to the dark nature of his body. While his form was human, the homunculus he was born from was fashioned from the corpse of a demon. He didn’t even know if he could call himself human. All it took was one momentary lapse in control or a single spell to knock the little remaining light magic in him astray. That was when he would truly lose himself and without the elders even in this realm, there would be no way for him to return. 

He slaved away like this his entire life. A lapdog to the ancestral witches, who had enjoyed shifting him between his forms to pillage the villages and realms. No. He refused to have this leash on him any longer. He would grow powerful until even the three witches didn’t hold a candle against him. Then, he would destroy them and their leash. 

While his situation was less than ideal, it by no means made him a nice person. He reveled in the chaos. Thrived in it even. Every drop of blood spilt, every life snuffed out only fed his bloodlust. He had no guilt over what he did nor did have any remorse for his actions. He would do whatever it meant to ensure his survival. Whether it was to serve the ancestral witches or to destroy them, he would live for himself. It was what the ancestral witches lived by and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

Valtor sighed as another book led to a dead end. He conjured up a few bookshelves and cataloged the new grimoires, shelving them for future reference. As he did the menial task, his thoughts strayed back to the red haired girl. Bloom. 

She was nothing more than a naive, teenage fairy he knew. But he also knew there was more to this situation and the answer was just out of reach. The Trix are stubbornly silent, and while he could easily “persuade” them into giving him the answer, he’d rather not go through the trouble. Besides, he needed them to be a little more compliant and if that meant playing a little nice, then so be it. 

The reaction he had to her was still very odd. The nature of his magic made it very difficult for it to resonate with pretty much anything. Many of the magics used in his creation were definitely obsolete or not even existent anymore. He doubted any olde magic was even put into practice anywhere. The last of the dragon flame had been snuffed out alongside Sparx and the girl was definitely not a demon. Though he did sense the traces of lingering dark magic around her, but considering the frequency she fights against it, some residue was to be expected. 

Valtor groaned, massaging his temples. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about children. He had more pressing matters. He expanded his magic “muscle” so to speak, the reservoirs he created by using Solaria’s sun would now naturally fill on their own when he ran low on energy. But he was still woefully lacking in information and spells. His current repertoire would do nothing against the ancestral witches. He needed more, much more. And to do that, more kingdom’s needed their magic vaults emptied by him.

Chapter Text

Bloom laid on her bed, hugging a pillow to her as she stared up at the ceiling. Stella was ranting about Countess Cassandra and Chimera to the rest of the girls in the common room. But that wasn’t really her concern. Enchantix. The final base stage fairy form. The transformation that acknowledged one's status as a full fledged fairy. And the only way to get it is to sacrifice yourself and perform brave acts to save someone from your own planet. 

Bloom turned, the sadness and frustration making tears cloud her vision. It had been centuries since Sparx was destroyed. When Bloom was sent to Earth, she was also sent forward in time in an attempt to keep the ancestral witches from finding her. It had worked, but at the expense of her people. Practically all information on Sparx had been lost to time and the planet itself was uncharted. Anything that remained from her past was gone and there was very little she could do in order to find out more. 

Daphne was still around, residing as a nymph in Lake Roccalucce. She was technically from Sparx, but she was also very dead. The rest of her people were god knows where, if they were even alive. Daphne didn’t remember much of how their kingdom fell, only remembering what she did to get Bloom to safety. Passing on the dragon flame to her little sister and sending her off as far as possible.

Bloom felt rage encompass her as she thought about the ancestral witches. She wanted to destroy them and tear their magic to shreds. A heat wave spread throughout the room as her anger simmered. All of a sudden, Bloom felt a surge as though she was transforming and her fairy form held for a few seconds. Bloom tried to dissipate her energy, to return back to normal but it wasn’t working. That’s when she noticed what was happening. A dark blue color slowly was creeping across her clothes, and felt her wing tips extend a bit. 

“No. No no no no.” She breathed, rushing toward her mirror. It wasn’t a huge change but Bloom definitely saw that her form had changed ever so slightly. She felt her power grow out of control as she panicked. As a last ditch attempt, she shoved all her magic down into a mental box, locking it away. Her form stubbornly stayed for a few moments before finally fading. Bloom hugged herself as shivers wracked her body. 

“You’re not a dark fairy. You’re not in realix. You’re not with Darkar.” She chanted, trying to calm herself down. 

“Bloom, is everything alright?” Flora peeped her head in, concerned for her friend.

Bloom smiled weakly, “I’m fine Flora, just thinking about Enchantix. That’s all.” 

Understanding dawned in Flora’s eyes and Bloom hated the pity that flooded her expression. “We’ll figure something out, Bloom. I promise we will. Aisha wanted to tell everyone something.” 

“Yeah, I'm coming.” Bloom looked toward the mirror again and tried to fix herself up as much as possible to make sure she didn’t look like she was crying. Stepping out of her room only to step into another dangerous situation that threatened all of Andros. The Winx listened shell shocked as Aisha explained what had happened to her people at the hands of Valtor. How they were turned into monstrous creatures and how her calm waters had turned tumultuous. How she was powerless to help as the wizard wreaked havoc. 

“No. I will not let Andros become another Sparx.” Bloom swore. “We have to help you!” 

“She’s right,” Stella affirmed, resolute. 

“Wait, wait, wait. It’s not like Faragonda is going to give us a hall pass to go save another planet.” Tecna reasoned.

“You clearly have no experience in this field, do you?” Stella mocked, going to her closet to pick out a hat and scarf. She put them on before miming a phone with her hand and putting on a sick look and hacking out a few coughs. “Uhm, Ms. Faragonda? It looks like -*cough* we came down with the flu *cough cough* and it’s highly contagious. We won’t be able to make it to class today.” She acted out.

“It’s not really an Oscar worthy performance, but it’s worth a try.” Bloom sighed, out of options.

“Don’t worry, I'll cover your backs while you guys go out there and kick some bad guy butt! The pixies will help. Right guys?”

“You got it hun!” Amore squeaked, flashing a thumbs up. The rest of the pixies voiced their own confirmations.

“Wait, you're not coming?” Flora asked.

“Sorry guys, but I need to stay here and figure out how to save my dad.” Stella replied, anger burning in her eyes.

The rest of the Winx acquiesced and looked to each other. “Then let’s get going Winx!” Musa exclaimed, jumping to her feet. 

“Thank you guys!” Aisha cried, holding their hands and bringing them into a hug.

“Alright, I rigged up a portal to send us to Andros. It won’t stay for long, so let’s get going!” Tecna spoke, a green and black gateway opening up behind her. Stella waved them bye as the rest of the girls walked through. 

They were greeted by Aisha’s parents and Bloom was hit with a pang of envy as she watched them comfort each other. She pinched herself lightly to get the thoughts out of her head. The king and queen of Andros debriefed the Winx on what was happening and directed them toward the portal to Omega, where Valtor was hiding out.

It was one thing to hear about what happened and one thing to see it for themselves. The clear blue waters of Andros had turned murky, an imbalance of dark magic destroying the properties of the magical water that gave a home to countless creatures. Monstrous mermaids leaped at them when they got too close to the surface of the water and the tide was irregular and violent. It was nothing like they had ever seen. 

“Alright Winx, let's try breaking the spell on the mermaids.” Bloom commanded, launching fireballs to keep their enemies back. But it was of no use, every spell they threw to reverse the curse had done nothing. Even their most powerful convergence spell only reversed the transformation for a scant moment. “Guys this isn’t working,”Flora stated.

“Maybe we take the big baddie down first? Then the spell might not hold on the mermaids.” Musa reasoned. 

“That’s a good idea! We need to keep the element of surprise. We’ll attack from the east and catch Valtor off guard. Tecna can you create a diversion?” Bloom commanded as they flew toward his lair.

“I’ve been working on holographic spells just for situations like these.” She affirmed, readying a ball of magic in her palm.

“Let’s crash this party!” Musa yelled, speeding up a little.

“Oh, but why crash the party? We were having lots of fun without you!” A familiar voice cackled. 

“You can’t be serious,” Bloom growled as they watched the Trix approach them. “What are you three doing here?! You’re supposed to be locked up in Omega!”

“The Omega dimension is so boring in the off season,” Icy drawled. “We just decided to break out and cause some havoc, and just maybe destroy a few old friends” She finished, launching ice at the fairies. Her sisters followed, catching the Winx off guard as they dodged and weaved, trying to regain their bearings. 

“So we’ve got this new friend Valtor. Maybe you’ve heard of him. He’s only the strongest sorcerer in the universe.” Darcy bragged, sending another attack their way.

Suddenly, Flora got hit by a stray shot and had started plummeting toward the water where the monster mermaids were waiting. “Flora!” Bloom cried out, immediately turning to catch her.

“Go ahead Bloom, catch your little BFF. But you might have to take care of that ice first!” Icy gloated as she froze Bloom’s wings partially. 

Bloom had enough. She gave a scream as her power exploded outwards, melting the ice on her wings and shrouding her in the power of the dragon flame. Tecna and Musa caught Flora just before she hit the water, slowly bringing her back up. Making sure her friends were alright, she went on the offensive. Lobbing fireballs at Icy only to get countered. She reached further into herself, bringing every bit of strength out, putting all of her frustration and anger into a singular spell that sent Icy flying. “You’d think you’d know how it ends when the Trix meet the Winx!”

“I’ll give you a hint. The Trix go blubbering back to mommy” Flora giggled, as she recovered.

“You mean back to Valtor,” Musa laughed as she watched Icy plummet. 

“Girls! Let’s send a message to Valtor!” Aisha cried, launching  a morphix spell that tangled Darcy and Stormy up. They argued, struggling to get free and the Winx took that time to regroup.

“Yeah, when you mess with the Winx you get burned!” Bloom growled “It’s time to pay Valtor a visi-” Bloom was cut off as an icicle slammed into her back, knocking her out of the air and into the water. She struggled against the waves, the pain stabbing at her shoulders and spine made it hard to do anything to keep herself afloat. The water has also doused her wings, rendering them useless as they weighed her down.

“Bloom!” The girls cried as they tried to fly towards her.

“Uh uh uh!” Icy snarled, as she threw spells at them to keep them busy from her little ice platform atop the water. Unable to find an opening, they could only watch as their friend slowly sank while they fought for their lives.

***

Valtor watched the chaos unfold in his lair. The Trix weren’t half bad he supposed. They weren’t exactly upto his standards but there was always room for improvement, and it wasn’t like the Winx were anything special either. All of them were clearly young and it showed in their combat experience. 

 His interest perked when he saw Bloom launch a large spell at Icy, knocking her down. That was decidedly dark magic. He’d seen enough spells in his lifetime to know that spell wasn’t a light one. Well, wasn't that interesting? The dark energy he felt near her in Solaria wasn’t just residue. He squinted at the mist screen as something caught his attention. Was her form different as well? It wasn’t that apparent but her wings definitely looked sharper and darker. 

Valtor chuckled darkly, this little fairy wasn’t as pure as she let on. Did her friends know? Their friend was teetering on the edge of light and dark and the rest probably had no idea. He watched the rest of the fight, grimacing as Darcy and Stormy got caught. Just as he was about to call the Trix back, an icicle slammed into Bloom, sending her plunging into the polluted waters. 

Well if they were going to practically hand deliver her to him wrapped in a nice little bow, he might as well figure out what was so special about the red head. Summoning her out of the water and into his lair, he watched as she landed softly on the ground. Her wings twitched, ice gathered along the edges and the fairy dust that allowed them to work was washed away by the water. 

He observed her for a moment. She was certainly beautiful, but still young. Soft delicate features that she still had time to grow into. Plush lips, tinged a little blue from the frigid waters and rosy cheeks. He knew when she opened her eyes, he would be greeted with a startling sapphire blue. Her features hadn’t come into full maturity yet but there was something about them that rang an alarming bell. He couldn’t quite remember who they reminded him of, but his gut told him that it was the key to solving the puzzle known as Bloom. 

She was as scantily dressed as the rest of the fairies, a short skirt and crop top keeping her modesty. Her form was different, he mused, noting the dark blue that was present in her ensemble and the sharp edges of her wings that cut him when he brushed some ice aside. Her long red hair was wet and matted, clinging to her face and arms. 

Valtor called forth a bit of his flame forward in an effort to dry her. Just as he let the careful lock he kept on his magic go, he felt that strange connection to her again. This time, it practically forced him to knees as he gasped, trying to reign it back in. He quickly dried her off and summoned the water out of her lungs, before backing away a few paces. The distance did nothing to quell the burning desire of his magic that screamed for him to touch her. 

Bloom coughed, groaning and slowly sitting up. Just as she started to recover, a violent burst of magic raced through her body. Her form flickered, completely changing to a black version of her outfit with razor sharp wings before returning to her original form. She groaned and writhed in pain as the same thing happened a few times. Valtor felt his magic urge him to help her, to make sure she was okay. He crouched down in front of her as she opened her eyes, panting, clearly unfocused. He snapped his fingers in front of her face in an attempt to refocus her attention.

 “Who?” she asked weakly, sitting up completely with a hand pressed to her chest while the other supported her. 

“Do you know about the dark magic inside of you?” He asked bluntly, ignoring her question. 

“Hurts,” was all she croaked out as another wave hit her, causing her to hunch over. Valtor grit his teeth as his magic surged in response. He was getting tired of feeling so overprotective of a fairy he knew nothing about. But his magic wouldn’t have it, and fought viciously against him. And against his better judgement, he listened to the dark flame for once.

Clearing a fairy of dark magic wasn’t a hard task. He knew how to infuse and rid darkness to and from pretty much anything. It was one of his first lessons under the Ancestral Witches and it came as easy to him as breathing. Which is why he expected to be done with it quickly when he placed a hand on her shoulder to absorb the darkness for himself. What he didn’t expect was the instant connection that seemed to form between them. Something was seriously wrong. Valtor felt his magic slide alongside hers, a morbid dance of purple and crimson flames as their power filled the cave. 

The realization slammed into him with the subtlety of a freight train. He couldn’t help his hysterical laughter as he stabilized the fairy, the sound echoing throughout the cave as he pulled away. This is what the Trix hadn’t wanted to tell him. This was that last hidden piece of the puzzle that brought the whole picture together. He gazed down at the fairy who finally relaxed, her transformation settling into her semi-light form. The fairy who held more than just the simple dominion of fire. The fairy who held the counterpart to his own dominion. The fairy of the dragon flame. The lost princess of Sparx.

***

Bloom regained consciousness as agony ripped through her. She knew it was a bad idea to use the dark magic, but she was desperate. She never wanted Andros or any other planet to become Sparx 2.0. Her train of thought screeched to a halt as she felt the dark magic fighting for control, the pain sending her into a state of delirium. Bloom vaguely saw a blur in the shape of a man in front of her. She tried to ask who he was but only a strangled “who” escaped her mouth. 

She groaned as the dark magic fought against her again. It felt just as bad as when Darkar initially turned her. She could feel herself slipping as the pain grew too much to bear. The man was saying something to her but she couldn’t make out what it was. But as he drew closer, her magic seemed to feel stronger, and more complete. It fought against the curse much better. It had felt like Bloom just took a night’s rest and was fully refreshed. 

“Hurts,” she gasped out, reaching towards him, hoping he could do anything to make it better. Bloom could see him better now, with him crouched down close to her. His eyes were the color of molten gold, shining in the light. Long strawberry blonde hair framed his angular face, with some short hairs in the front that could have been bangs of some sort. His cheekbones were sharp and his features aristocratic. If Bloom weren’t in so much pain, she might have even thought of him as handsome. His clothes were a bit outdated, with a victorian style maroon and burgundy coat and vest. 

He had said something to her again, but that didn’t matter. Not when he touched her and her magic had reacted so powerfully, driving the curse out and leaving her feeling so complete. There was a faint buzzing in her ears as she rode the high of her magic resonating. Bloom felt the curse recede and her transformation settle, and she finally relaxed. Faintly she heard laughing as the handsome man pulled away, immediately feeling the loss of the connection. 

When she recovered enough for her sight to settle and her magic to settle, the man that helped her was gone. Looking around, she saw a portal that led out back to Andros. 

“Hello? Are you here?” She called out, determined to thank the one who saved her and also to get some answers on why her magic acted that way. She stood on shaky legs and walked a little further into the cave but stopped when she hit a magical barrier. Knocking against it a few times, she let out a defeated sound before turning to go where she came from. Bloom gave one last look around for him before flying through the waiting portal to reunite with the rest of the girls. 

She was close to the portal to Omega, she realized. Flying around for a bit, she saw a small stone platform jut out from the ocean. Vaguely she could make out colorful blobs that could only be the rest of her friends. Overjoyed, she flew as fast as her weak wings would take her to them. 

“Bloom!” Flora shouted, “You’re alright!” 

Bloom landed a little clumsily, falling into Musa who already had an arm out to support her. “Someone helped me when I fell in the water. I don’t know who it was-” she cut herself off when she noticed the mood. “What’s wrong?” 

The Winx shuffled quietly, unsure of how exactly to break the news. “Valtor was here a moment ago, and he-” Tecna started, not quite able to finish. Aisha who had been standing behind the rest of the girls stepped forward, looking up but not quite at Bloom. Milky white met sapphire blue and an anguished cry echoed through the open ocean.