The bathroom door of a dorm in Alfea slowly closed. A young girl stared into the bathroom mirror, tying her red hair into a low ponytail. Pale skin. Dark circles. Cracked lips. Dull hair. She barely recognized herself. The confusion, the doubt, the sadness in heart was winning. The girl rolled the sleeves of her shirt up to her elbows. She pulled a small shiny object out of the vanity drawer and closely inspected it before pressing it to her wrist. She barely felt the razor blade as it sliced through her skin.

The blood slowly dripped from the fresh opening on her wrist onto the white tiles of the bathroom. Two more of the ruby red cuts appeared next to that one. An almost cooling sensation went through her as she watched the red liquid flow. Finding out she was adopted... Shadow Haunt… the attack on Andros… Sky's party. The traumatizing memories swarmed through her mind as she slumped against the wall. One of them stood out the most:

Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce you all to the love of my life and future queen… Diaspro.

It was funny how a single sentence could hurt so much. The normally bubbly and energetic teen let out a humorless laugh, sliding the blade against her arm another time, finding relief in watching the scarlet drops rise to the surface of her skin.

After what she felt like was enough blood had fallen to the ground, she walked to the sink and cleaned the wounds and muttered a quick spell that hid the scars from the people around her and made the bathroom look as if she had never been there. She would have done more, but her magic was at a low pit because of the cuff that had been placed on her ankle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FLASHBACK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Faragonda had requested a private meeting with the redheaded fairy. When the girl had arrived, the headmistress had ushered everyone out of her office and locked the door. The headmistress had stared at the girl before finally speaking with a sigh. "Bloom, my dear, I know you have been through a lot, but you can't continue to do things like this."

"Like what, Ms. F?" The redhead had replied innocently.

"Do you know where Riven and his freshman training squad found you?" The girl shook her head, trying to play dumb.

"Hanging off a tree in Gloomy Wood Forest, almost dead." Ms. F replied darkly without hesitation. He carried you to Alfea and informed me of what you were trying to do. "Is it true, Bloom?" The girl's silence gave her the answer. The headmistress took the fairy's arm, noticing her wince as her hand made contact with the fairy's arm. She waved her hand over it, revealing the scars that coated the fairy's arm and wrist. Ms. F took a sharp inhale as she took in the countless scars on Bloom's arm.

"Bloom… we need to do something about this..." She said. "Griselda, I'd like to speak to you." Ms. Faragonda walked out of the room.

The redhead was straining her ears, but wasn't able to hear the conversation going on in the next room. She sat there for what seemed like forever, awkwardly twiddling her thumbs, her leg shaking with anxiety. Finally, the headmistress and Griselda walked back into the office with solemn looks on their faces. The brown-haired woman was carrying what looked like a bracelet in her hand. She walked over to the distressed fairy and quickly placed the thing around her right ankle before she could react. She immediately felt weaker and would have fallen if she was standing.

"What is the thing you put on me?"

"It is a monitor. It is for your protection. It will track your location and prevent you from harming yourself. It will immediately alert us if you try to endanger your life. We have also put a spell on it, limiting your powers so you don't break the cuff or cause yourself harm by having your magic go haywire. This is not…" When Bloom heard that she became lost in her thoughts, paying no mind to whatever the headmistress was going on about.

What am I going to do without my powers?

Almost like she had read her mind, Faragonda spoke, "… You will have access to a small amount of your powers, seeing as fairies cannot survive without their magic." Bloom let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"However, I regret to inform you that with your now low power levels," She said gesturing to the scars on her wrist, "and wounded state, I will have to pull you out of the fight against Valtor until further notice. When I see that you have healed and reached a better state of mind, you will be put back in if the war is still continuing."

"But I can't just sit here while Valtor is running around destroying entire realms!"

The headmistress nodded to Griselda, "Wipe the memories of Valtor. It is the only way we can keep her safe." Griselda stepped up and waved her hand in front of Bloom's head. All of a sudden, the girl felt dizzy like she was going to faint. Her head stopped spinning and she looked at Faragonda.

"I'm sorry, Ms. F, I didn't catch the last part of what you were saying."

"I was telling you that Valtor is now of no concern to you."

"Who's Valtor?"

"No one too important. You need some rest, dear."

"Yes, headmistress Faragonda."

"You are dismissed." The girl got out of the uncomfortable chair and pushed it into the desk and walked away with heavy footsteps, gently closing the door behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ END FLASHBACK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The teenager heard the dorm door shut with a click, signaling that the girls were here. She quickly composed herself and walked out of the bathroom, plopping down on her messily made bed. She picked up a book from the shelf and began to flip through it, trying to look like she had been reading it the entire time.

"Bye Stella and Bloom, we're going now!" Musa's voice echoed as the remaining girls left to get Musa's hair done so she could meet up with Riven.

"Bye," Bloom and Stella said.

"I still don't understand why Musa didn't let me give her my expert fashion advice." Stella grumbled. Her best friend giggled, even though it was fake.

Stella suddenly grew an overjoyed expression on her face. The redhead took her gaze off the book to look at her best friend.

"Guess who's going on a date tonight?" she said excitedly, digging through the closet, trying to find a dress to wear.

"That's great, Stella! I'm glad you and Brandon could find some time to be together, especially in this crazy year." Bloom said, trying to smile as wide as she could. It wasn't like she didn't care about her friend's happiness, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Bloom was genuinely happy for Stella, but the memories swimming in her head made it difficult for her express her happiness. However, Stella, being able to read her best friend like an open book, dropped the dresses she had been contemplating and rushed over to Bloom.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Stella. I'm fine." The redhead said, her voice cracking. She was biting her cheek to keep the tears at bay.

"You're obviously not fine. I am going to call Brandon right now to cancel." She said walking to grab her phone.

"No, no Stella, it's okay. I am fine, I swear. You don't have to sacrifice your date." I insisted.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"How do I know that you won't get yourself into trouble, seeing your track record." It was then that the redhead opened up a little to her friend. She told her about the tracker and what it did, leaving out the part about how she got it. Stella hugged her. They stayed like that for a while before Bloom got up and took a navy-blue dress from her closet and handed it to Stella with the best smile she could muster.

"This will look amazing on you." They worked together to get Stella ready and after two hours had passed, the blonde had been primped and pampered to the fullest extent. She looked stunning in the flowy navy-blue dress and brown wedges. Her makeup had been done incredibly well, thanks to a little magic and she looked and felt great. She got a text from her boyfriend saying that he was waiting outside.

"You know what, Brandon won't mind. You are coming with us." Stella said, dragging her friend to the door.

"Stella, I'm not going to third wheel your date. I'll be fine, I promise. You crazy kids go have fun."

"Bloom… I'll be back in a couple of hours. Before the protection bubble is activated." Stella said, walking out the door.

As soon as she was gone, Bloom's façade fell. As she thought about the events that had been happening recently, tears pooled in her eyes. She curled up in her bed, hugging Kiko, sobbing into his fur. The freshly made cuts on her wrist stung.

Good. You deserve the pain. You are a failure as a fairy, a friend, and daughter. You can't even get a decent guy. You aren't good enough for anybody.

The thoughts echoing through her head started to make sense and she found herself agreeing with every word. A knock on the door startled her and she jumped. The startled bunny jumped from her arms and onto the section of bed next to her. She got up to answer the door. Much to her dismay, it was none other than the prince of Eraklyon.

"Bloom, we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk, especially to you." She sneered.

She slammed the door in his face, but he stuck his foot in, making it impossible for her to fully close it.

"At least let me explain. Just please hear me out." He said exasperatedly, running a hand through his blonde mane. Bloom sighed and let him in. He sat down on the plush couch, declining her offer for something to drink. She sat down across from him.

"You've got 5 minutes."

"Come on, Bloom."

"Tick tock," she said, tapping at her wrist where a watch would go.

"You're serious? Okay, fine." She gave him a pointed look.

"Look. I know that you are still upset about what happened at the party, and you have every right to be, but I hope you will understand my point of view on it, so here goes: The night before the big announcement, I thought about everything and I felt that nothing in our relationship was fitting in anymore. It felt like you weren't really in love with me anymore. In a sense, I had fallen out of love with you, too, but I had no idea how to come out and say it. When Diaspro came along, I realized that I still had feelings for her and I wanted to pursue them. I will always hold you near my heart, Bloom, but Diaspro is the one I love."

"Sky, I…" She didn't know what to say. She had fallen in and out of love with him for the past few months on and off, but she didn't know how to break it to him. It had still hurt her when Sky had announced that Diaspro was the one for him, and she didn't really understand why. "… I feel the same way. I had fallen out of love with you and I didn't know how to say it to you. I want the best for you, Sky, and I know that you and Diaspro will make each other very happy." She said giving him a tight smile.

"I want you to be happy Bloom. Someday you're going to meet someone who you will mean the world to and I will be there for you, cheering you on."

They ex-couple hugged and said their goodbyes and Sky walked out the door.

"Why was Sky here?" Flora's voice startled the redhead out of her thoughts, probably for the better.

"He came to explain his decision at the party." The girl said solemnly.

"And let me guess, sweetie, you were still affected by it. You still love him, but you know that he is happier with Diaspro." Bloom was thankful that Flora had put into words what she could not.

"Yea."

"Hey guys. Why the long face, Bloom?" Layla asked as she came through the door.

"Layla!" Bloom said. Layla looked at Flora, who took Layla's hand and led her to the room she shared with Bloom. After a bit, the two girls came out and gave Bloom a hug, Flora offering to make tea, but getting declined.

"I'm going to bed." She yawned.

"Good night, sweetie."

"Night, Bloom."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE NEXT DAY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Girls, check out this new device Timmy and I made." Tecna said excitedly.

"What is it?" Stella asked, "and why did you have to wake us up so early on a Saturday to show it to us?"

Ignoring her comment, the fairy of technology said, "It is a device that can block any signal. It is so powerful that it can make a hole through Alfea's protection bubble for about 30 seconds."

"Wow," Musa said. "Do you have any plans for it?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. We are striking back tonight and this will be essential in our plan. Without it, we won't be able to get back into Alfea. I have created an elaborate plot as to how and where we are going to exit the school, how the plan will be carried out, and how we will get back in without alerting anybody."

"You really thought of everything."

"Naturally," she smiled, walking over to her desk and typing furiously on her laptop.

"Wait, girls, who are we striking back against?" They all burst into laughter.

"That's the spirit! That guy doesn't stand a chance!" Bloom didn't say anything after that.

"Hey, Tecna, can I use your device really quickly?"

The pink haired girl didn't even look up from her laptop, "Yes you may, but remember to put it back on its charger."

Bloom walked into the technology fairy's room and picked up the device, attaching it to the ankle cuff and activating it. The device beeped loudly, alerting her that it was finished. The tracker made a strange noise, it's light flickering out. Bloom focused her power. A ball of fire appeared in her hand, before fading from her palm. She tried again, but only sparks came out. Now she couldn't even cast simple spells. She only had enough magic to keep her alive. The tracker had been deactivated, but the spell on it keeping her magic in check had not, leaving her powerless against an attacker.

Wonderful.

She sighed, plugging Tecna's device back into its charger and leaving her room. The other fairy was still busy on her laptop and didn't notice the red-haired girl stalk out of the dorm.

Bloom wandered around Magix to clear her head before heading to the shuttle station. She eyed the departure schedule. It was around noon and the only shuttle leaving for a while was going to Andros. The planet was a beautiful one. The last time she had been there, the crystal waters and elegant landscapes of Layla's home planet were dazzling to her. The aura of the realm had the most amazing calming effect, and calm was exactly what she needed right now.

"Attention… The last shuttle to Andros for the day is now boarding… I repeat, it is now boarding. The next shuttle will not be available unless there is another emergency" A voice on the speaker called out. The ginger fairy took one last glance back at Alfea and got the departing shuttle. Usually the shuttles travelling to the stunning realm were jam packed. Bloom did not understand why she was the only one on the vehicle or why this one was the last one today.

"Are you sure you want to go to Andros, child? You still have a chance to back out. Once the shuttle starts, I can't stop it."

"I'm sure. Why else would I get on?" She snapped at the kind looking middle-aged driver, harsher than she meant to. The man flinched and sighed.

"Alright then, you may have a seat."

About 10 minutes later, the shuttle stopped at the broken-down station on Andros.

"Thank you." Bloom felt a tingling sensation, letting her know that he had cast a protection spell on her.

"Be careful and stay safe." The man said as she got off. The driver was quick to leave. She had barely stepped off the vehicle before he sped off, headed back to the central station. It took Bloom a minute to gather her bearings. She would never had guessed that this was the Andros from before. The water was all dirty and the once peaceful skies now had ominous looking clouds. No wonder the shuttle driver had not wanted to stay. The surroundings made her feel even worse inside. The girl wanted to leave but couldn't. She had been on the last shuttle to Andros for the day and the spell on the cuff restricted her magic, meaning she couldn't transform. She ran a hand through her hair, wondering what happened to Andros to make it look like a wasteland. Bloom half expected the driver to come back and laugh at her for thinking that this was really the resort planet that Layla called home.

She saw a woman hurrying along the streets. She approached her, wanting to ask her what happened here.

"Do you work for Valtor? Please don't hurt me. I have two little children waiting for me at home. Please let me go."

Bloom looked at the retreating woman confused.

Who's Valtor? Oh well.

She walked the streets aimlessly, eventually reaching what looked like a residential area. A door on her left opened and a woman that looked to be about 30 came rushing out. She had sun kissed skin dark brown hair that was cut into a bob at about shoulder length, her bangs reaching her eyebrows. The woman's hazel eyes reflected concern as she ushered Bloom into her house.

"Come in, child. You shouldn't be out where dangerous criminals like Valtor can get you. It isn't safe out here."

Who is Valtor?! Everyone is so scared of him, but who is he?

The woman, who Bloom soon found out was Sara, had a small but cozy home. It was well decorated with an assortment of paintings and decorations scattered around the living room. The woman sat her down on the couch and got her a cup of tea to drink.

My phone! I can use it to call for help or get a ride. But I don't want to seem rude in front of this nice lady.

After about an hour of talking to the kind woman, Bloom stood up. She didn't want to leave the seemingly lonely woman alone, but she didn't want to be a bother.

"I really must be getting home now. Thank you for everything, Ms. Sara."

"Oh please, no need for the formalities. Just call me Sara."

"Okay Sara."

"Be safe dear. Don't stay out too late. Visit soon."

"I will, thank you." And with that, Bloom walked back into the barren streets of Andros, thinking of how to get home. She loved the solitude here because it gave her time to be alone with her thoughts, but she wanted to get off of Andros. It was giving her a strange vibe and she didn't want to be near it anymore. She remembered her phone and quickly pulled it out of her skirt pocket, hoping it wasn't dead. Bloom sighed in relief as she saw the percentage: 40%. She continued to walk, focused only on her phone. She unlocked the device and a wave of notifications flew at her. The grand total: 35 missed calls from the girls, 1 text from Faragonda saying she couldn't locate Bloom on the tracker and that she should report to her office to get the cuff fixed, 1 missed call from a girl named Amelie from her potions class, and 12 new emails. She wondered how she could have missed that many notifications, but her question was soon answered as she noticed the icon alerting her that her phone was on silent. She went into her contacts, calling the first winx girl she saw, which was Stella. The line rang a couple of times…

"You have no service. Please try again when you are in a service provided location."

Bloom angrily hung up. This was Andros, one of the most powerful realms in the magical dimension, how could it not be a service provided location, dammit! She scrolled through her phone, looking for the Wings ridesharing app. Luckily, the service opened and she filed a request for a pickup. Her stomach sank as a notification popped up, telling her that the service had banned all commute to Andros because of the danger there.

Crap. What is going on?!

It was hopeless, Bloom couldn't go home. She shivered, the air was getting colder as the sun went down. As she looked around, she realized that she had no idea where she was. There were multiple openings to caves. The area was darker than the gloomy planet and it chilled the fairy to the bone. It was getting dark and who knew what was out there, so she decided to enter the cave, hoping it would be safer than the deserted streets.

She was expecting total darkness in that cave.

Instead she saw that the caverns had adequate lighting provided by glow crystals that were sprinkled around the walls. As she ventured further in, she began to get tired from the walking she had been doing. Her stomach growled, she hadn't eaten since he had left Sara's house hours ago. She didn't have anything to eat and the nearest restaurant was most likely closed because of whatever was going on. Eventually, she found a cozy looking spot deep in the cave. The sheer exhaustion made her eyelids droop. Bloom nestled herself in the corner until she was comfortable enough to sleep. She shivered from the cold, her eyes closing, the cuts stinging more than ever.