Fury of the Dragon Princess

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Prologue

Prologue

___________________________________________________________

“Ow! Fuck!” I growl, pushing myself up against the wall my head just banged against. “Seriously, is the bus driver half asleep or what?”

Today has sucked so far.

After my last workplace shutdown, I transferred to another site and today was supposed to be the start of my first week there, but there’s a rule in place that’s made me have to take the day off so I can follow it properly tomorrow, as it’s something you can’t just ignore and go about the day without having prepped for first.

And the driver of the bus I caught to go back home has either only just started or is trying to lose his license with the dumbass way he’s been taking turns, stopping suddenly and so on.

I wouldn’t even be in this scenario if not for that stupid rule not being told ahead of time.

How did my workplace expect me to know it had recently been put in place if they didn’t bother telling me ahead of time, like a quick text or email?

I mean, how was I supposed to know that… that…

Wait. What was that rule again?

Come to think of it, that surface I hit was kinda hard, more like rock. When was there rocks on the bus?

Opening my eyes, I am indeed met with a rocky surface taking up my field of vision.

Glancing around, I suddenly find myself very worried.

I am not on a bus. I’m in some rocky field, with what look like red veins viasble here and there.

“Where in the world am I?” I ask, glancing around. “And how’d I get here…? And what’s up with my voice?”

My voice sounds weird to me and… wait, why does my hair feel so long? I literally got it cut super short just yesterday because I was sick of having to deal with long hair and now, not only is it like I didn’t get the haircut at all, my hair’s even longer now, reaching just below my chest and… and who in the world dyed it red?

Getting up, I feel a little off balance for a second and look down to see what’s causing my feet to feel like jello… only for my eyes to bug out and my heart to stop.

I’m… I’m not wearing the same clothes I was heading for work. I’m wearing some kind of light-blue pants that open out towards the feet, yellow sandals… but what’s really grabbed my attention is the blue and yellow shirt that stops a little before my waist.

Or, rather, it’s what’s under said shirt, pressing outward from my chest, that has my eyes bugging out.

As if sight somehow triggered something, I’m suddenly able to feel what’s under my shirt, the signals my brain is receiving completely throwing me for a loop and telling me something is very, very wrong.

However, as if that isn’t enough to overload my brain right now, I’ve just as suddenly become very aware of a feeling where something is where something else should be, but isn’t.

“I… I… I’ve turned into a girl?!” I cry out, my hands, which I’m now realizing are far thinner and more delicate than they should be, covering my mouth, as if my instincts thought stopping the voice coming out might prevent this being real, but…

Nope. This is real. This is definitely, definitely real.

“What…? What in the world happened?” I hold out my hands, looking down at them with shock. “How did I change into a girl and… how did I even get out here, wherever here is?”

Standing up, I look around, frowning in confusion as something about the rocky terrain suddenly seems… familiar.

“Okay, you need to think—yah!” I cry out, having just gone to cross my arms and squeezing my new… ahem. Yes, well, you get the idea.

I growl, rubbing my forehead.

“Okay, Bloom. You just need to think. You were on a bus heading home from work and… wait. What did I just call myself?”

I frown, shaking my head, slapping my cheeks. “Come on, focus. You’re Bloom. You got… this?”

Okay, I definitely didn’t mishear that time.

Why in the world did I call myself Bloom when I meant to say Bloom and…

Huh?

I pause, my mind putting several things together at once.

The outfit I’m wearing, the long red hair, the more feminine voice… and the only name I can think of when I try to think of my name is Bloom?

“This can’t be happening,” I murmur, putting a hand to my throat. “I can’t have turned into Bloom from Winx Club. That shit doesn’t happen in real life, only stories on the internet and in anime.”

Not only that, I recognize which Bloom I’ve turned into.

If you’re just a casual viewer or someone who doesn’t actually care about it, there’s several different versions of Winx Club. There’s the original version by RAI, the 4kidz version and the Nickelodeon version… oh, and that shitty live action version, but we don’t talk about that abomination.

By the sound of my voice, thought… I’ve turned into 4kidz Bloom?

Well, if I’m honest, that’s at least one good thing. I always thought 4kidz Bloom was the superior out of all the different Blooms. I’d have hated turning into the RAI or Nick versions. And the less said about the live action abomination, the better.

I blink, shaking my head and hitting my fists against it.

“Listen to yourself. You’re debating which version of a fictional fairy is the better version for you have turned into instead of the fact you’ve turned into her in the first place!”

After several minutes of clobbering my cranium, I take a deep breath and sigh.

Well, this is certainly going to be interesting.

So, I’ve turned into Bloom and… judging by the rocky landscape surrounding me… I’m on that dragon world she unlocks her Enchantix powers on. Great.

“Help!” a voice cries out.

Looking around frantically, my eyes widen as a trio of young dragons come around the corner of the rock I’ve been keeping my back to, which I now realize is a small mountain.

Upon seeing me, the three try to skid to a halt, but fail.

They collide with my legs and I’m toppled over, the four of us ending up in a pile.

“Ow,” I say, pushing myself up, feeling them all slide off of me. “Could you dragons be a little more wary of where you’re going?”

Instead of an answer, I hear growling.

Turning to look to the trio, my eyes widen as they fall on the tallest of the dragons.

They have orange scales, those on the stomach being a lighter shade, a purple frill-like spike at the end of their tail as well as a purple frill on their head, a horn either side of her head…

I just stare, wide eyed. I… I know this dragon. She seems a little younger than I remember (though that could be due to how tall I am compared to her) and her being here just threw what I thought about where I am completely out of the window.

I’m not in the dragon world where Bloom gets her Enchantix powers. I’m in the Dragon Lands in freaking My Little Pony.

What the fuck?

My inner mental breakdown is halted with Smolder gives a loud snarl, pulling my mind back to the present.

Glancing behind her, I see two dragons I don’t recognize, one blue, the other green.

They both look somewhat similar to Spike did in that flashback Twilight has during Sparkle’s Seven, only these young drakes seem a little bigger.

“You strange creatures have already taken so many of us!” Smolder shouts, flames licking around her mouth. “I won’t let you take these little ones, too!”

I just blink. Um… okay, I’m lost. What’s she talking about?

I cry out as she releases a torrent of flames and I duck, barely avoiding them.

“Hey!” I yell, quickly getting up. “What’s the big idea, Smolder?! What did I do to deserve that?”

She pulls her head back for another shot, but pauses. “You… you know my name?”

I blanch. Whoops.

“Lucky guess,” I say quickly, before pointing. “Now, mind explaining why you just attacked me? I know seeing a fairy might confusion a dragon, but is attacking really your first instinct?”

Now she’s looking more confused. “Fairy? What in the world’s a fairy?”

I don’t get to answer her question as, suddenly, her face pales, her expression and eyes telling me there’s something behind me.

Glancing back, my eyes widen as what looks like an Alicorn made of shadows is stand atop the small mountain, leering down at us.

Its eyes pass over me, fixing on the three young dragons.

It lunges forward, spreading wings that billow like the wind.

I… honestly don’t know what happened next.

One second, I’m staring in confused horror, my brain questioning why some smaller version of the Pony of Shadows is in the Dragon Lands, the next, I’m running with all three dragons under my arms, Smolder under my left, the two little one my right.

“Hey!” Smolder grunts, struggling against my grip. “What’re you doing?”

“What’s it look like?” I yell, picking up the pace as I glance behind me to see the shadow pony coming after us. “Getting us as far away from that pony made of shadows as fast as possible.”

“No! Not this way!” Smolder yells as I leap over a small gap, where I can see lava flowing below and round a corner of a nearby outcrop of rocks… only to skit to a halt at what I’m seeing.

Dragons of different shapes and sizes are all held in cages made of shadow.

I just stare blankly.

What…? What in the world is going on around here?

“Look out!”

Smolder’s yell comes too late, as something slams me from behind, causing me to fall forward, the dragons tumbling out of my grasp.

Before I can react, the shadow pony from before swoops down from behind, concealing the three.

When it reforms, it’s holding the three, their arms and Smolder’s wings bound to their sides by a tendril of shadow.

“Enough!”

The booming voice causes my bones to shudder and I look up to see the hulking form of former Dragon Lord Torch hanging in the air, his daughter, Ember, holding the Bloodstone Scepter in her claw.

“Release all my subjects at once, you ponies of shadow!” Ember yells, thrusting the scepter forward. “I don’t know why you ponies are doing this, but it will not go unpunished!”

There’re cheers from all the dragons, but I feel worried.

The shadow ponies aren’t speaking. They all just turned their heads towards the two dragons and are just staring up at them.

“The Dragon Lands are our home,” Ember shouts firmly. “You have no right to come and take our young away!”

At her words, I glance at all the caged dragons again and, to my alarm, I realize it’s only young dragons.

I recognize most, like those who hung around Garble a lot throughout the show and those who were present when Torch gave up his role as Dragon Lord… but no adults.

“The elder dragons are on their way!” Torch booms down at the shadow ponies. “Release our young now, or you will feel the true fury of the dragons.”

Instead of saying anything, all the shadow ponies, save the one holding Smolder, fly into the air, turning into a swarm of shadow.

I watch on in horror as Ember and Torch circle around in the air, spewing flames, doing their best to fight back against the horde, but it’s not enough.

Within minutes, the two have been engulfed in the shadows and drop to the ground, where they become bound in shadow-like chains.

A clang to my right makes me jump and I see it’s the Bloodstone Scepter. Ember must have dropped it.

I return my gaze to the dragons as the shadows reform, before moving towards the bound Ember and Torch, each raising a foreleg, it turning into a scythe.

“No!” I yell, grabbing the scepter, it being so small to me that it’s barely a scepter at all and running towards them. “Leave them alone!”

I start swinging the scepter like a club, trying to push the shadows away, but they reform and several quickly start moving towards me, while the others prepare to strike.

“I said,” I growl, my worry and rage boiling, myself seeing red, “leave them alone!”

___________________________________________________________

Ember struggled against the strange shadow-like chains binding her.

She didn’t understand what was happening.

Who were these strange shadow ponies and why were they attacking the dragons?

Spike had made it quite clear ponies didn’t want to fight dragons, the few talks she’d had with their Princess Celestia even further proving it.

The white mare had a calm yet firm nature to her, giving Ember the strong impression that fighting her would’ve been quite the challenge if the pony ever got serious.

This being the case… why were these ponies attacking her kind and why did they all seem to be Alicorns and made of shadows?

Spike and the princess had confirmed there were only four Alicorns in the whole world, yet all of these shadow-like beings were clearly Alicorns. The horns and wings made it pretty obvious.

And why did they not say anything? It was honestly alarming.

She watched helplessly as several of the shadow ponies moved towards her and her bound father, each raising a foreleg that turned into what looked like a large single claw.

Her eyes widened. They were going to kill them. These ponies were going to kill her and her father and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

And, once they were dead, what were these ponies planning to do to the younger dragons?

She shut her eyes, bracing for death.

“No!” a voice she didn’t recognize yelled. “Leave them alone!”

Ember opened her eyes… only to be met by a very strange sight.

Some tall creature with pink skin with what Ember thought was blue and yellow fur, before realizing the blue and yellow were some type of clothes was running towards them, holding the Bloodstone Scepter over her head like a club.

The creature had long red hair they was billowing behind it as it reached the shadow ponies and started swinging the scepter around, trying to push the shadows away, but they quickly reformed and several started towards it, while the others prepare to strike her and her father.

“I said,” the creature growled, flames seeming to form from nowhere around it, its hair billowing around it, “leave them alone!”

At once, a tower of flames shot up from where the creature stood, before spreading out.

As the flames grew larger, all the shadow ponies caught in the blaze whipped out of existence, as if extinguished.

Even the chains binding Ember disappeared and she got up to see the figure had changed.

Now she was wearing different clothing. The shirt had no sleeves now and was all blue, save what seemed to be long light-blue gloves on the creature's hands that reached to its elbows and a small golden locket near its neck.

The long pants were gone, replaced by a blue skirt of some kind, both it and the top sparkling like gemstones.

On her back, stretching out from holes Ember assumed she couldn’t see, were wings of some kind. They weren’t dragon wings. They reminded her more of small bugs, only somewhat different and much bigger to fit this creature's size.

Atop her head was a small golden… tiara?

“It… it can’t be,” her father’s words made Ember turn, only for confused worry to settle in.

Her father was staring at the strange creature holding the scepter, which had somehow grown larger, as if he was seeing something amazing.

“Let those dragons go, now!” Ember returned her gaze to the creature as it pointed the specter at the remaining shadow ponies. “Leave now or I swear, you won’t live to regret it!”

If the shadow ponies cared about her words, they didn’t show it.

They all just stared at her, cocking their heads to one side.

Flames burned around the creature as it narrowed its eyes at them. “Leave. Now!”

As if it were a trigger, the moment she finished talking, every shadow pony shot forward, forming together into a mass of shadow and slamming down onto the creature.

A second later, a scream of rage came from within the mass of shadow, before it was blasted away by a bright light, a roar like a dragon, but like none Ember had ever heard, ringing out.

When the light faded enough, Ember’s eyes went wide as she saw the creature was floating in the air, the wings on her back fluttering faster than the eye could track… but that wasn’t what caused her mouth to hang open.

It was the long red dragon made of flames that was seemingly coming out of the creature.

The creature thrust the scepter forward and the dragon let loose a torrent of flames that scorched the land.

When the flames faded, all the cages and the shadow ponies were gone.

The creature nodded, before her eyes closed and she fell, her clothes suddenly changing back to what they were before.

Faster than Ember could blink, Torch shot forward, catching the creature in one claw.

He landed, having barely left the ground and stared down at the creature lying unconscious in his claw.

Ember and several other dragons flew up to him, looking down at the creature.

“Dad, what… what just happened?” Ember asked, turning to her father as he continued to stare down at the strange unconscious creature as if he’d found the motherlode of all gems. “What is this… thing? And why did a dragon come out of it?”

Torch only said three words, his tone awe and fear. “The Dragon Princess.”

___________________________________________________________

The pony sat in the darkness of the cave, her eyes wide with fury and confusion.

“What? How is that even possible? My drones were all snuffed out so quickly? The dragons aren’t meant to have that kind of power, not without my harnessing it first.”

She lit her horn, her bright blue eyes shining in the light cast by her teal green aura.

She levitated a scroll, scanning it carefully. “Once I have enough dragon fire, my spell will be complete and I will finally take my rightful place in this world.”

She glanced at the cave entrance, snarling. “Your days are numbered, Twilight Sparkle. I’ll show you the true might of the Alicorn race.” She sneered. “And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

Author's Note

So... for someone who says they want to get back to fics they've arleady got in the works, i have a bad habit of posting new stuff, don't I?

Yeah, this idea's been on the backburner for a few months now.

One day late last year i was rewatching the three season 1 4kidz WInx Club dvds i have and the fact Bloom's power comes from the Dragon Fire (yes, i know in the RAI and Nick versions it's called the Dragon Flame, not Fire, but I always felt 4kidz had the right idea calling it the Dragon Fire instead of Flame, as Flame kinda made it sound a lot weaker than it should be seen as it IS the very source of the magical universe itself) and, due to having watched a theory video about G5, the idea just slammed into me and, much as i've done my best to ignore it and set it aside for later, today, it just grew too much and i had to give in and at least write a prologue.

Can't say when i'll get back to it, but i hope you'll have fun speculating what might be going on. even if you guess the pony at the end of the chapter, you'll only be partly right.

How? That's for me to know and you to wait to find out :trollestia:

Sorry i haven't gotten much else out lately, getting used to my new workplace and the issues with travel to and from there have been way more stressful than i'd thought they'd be and i hadn't been very hopeful in the first place, so, a lot of my drive to write my existing stuff just wasn't there these last two weeks.

as i get more used to my new workplace and schedule, hopefully things will improve and i'll be able to get more done. I honestly hate making you all wait, but we all know the writing bug and IRL rarely like working together, so me must make due.

and, yes, if it isn't obvious, the reason the Bloom in this story is going to be 4kidz Bloom is because that is the one i grew up with and was the best of them, as far as i'm concerned.

4kidz, for all it's flaws, at least made Bloom believable as a teenager, something all the other dubs for some reason seemed to forget when it came to her dialogue. 4kkidz Bloom had the fiery attitude the keeper of the Dragon Fire SHOULD have.

that's all for now. can't really think of anything else to say without rambling, so i'll just end it here.

hope you enjoyed this new story and, til next time, stay safe, stay clean and see you later everybody

Chapter 1

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Bloom. Bloom!

I groan, glancing around.

I’m standing in some kind of black void.

Bloom. Bloom!

I frown, scanning the darkness. I know that voice.

“Daphne? Daphne, is that you?” I call out, noticing my voice echoing like Daphne’s did.

Suddenly, the darkness becomes a myriad of images moving too fast for me to see, the sudden change from black nothingness to the bright colours making everything blurry.

Bloom, you must stop her! The future is in great danger!

“What? Stop who? What future? Where’re the rest of the Winx? What happened to the real Bloom?”

You must stop her, Bloom! If you don’t the future that follows will be doomed!

Soon as Daphne finishes speaking, a cruel sounding laugh echoes around me as all the images return to darkness and a blue flame with glowing eyes appears in front of me, growing larger and brighter until I can’t see anything else.

___________________________________________________________

“Daphne!” I cry out, sitting up.

I blink, feeling very confused.

It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, before I realize I’m in crystalline room… that’s pretty sparse.

Aside from the bed I’m laying in and a small bedside table, there’s nothing else in the room.

“Oh my gosh! You’re awake!”

I glance down to my right to see there is, in fact, something else in this room.

Or, rather, someone else.

The young orange dragon is looking at me with awe, before she blinks and blanches. “Sorry. I’m supposed to tell the pony princess as soon as you’re awake. Wait right there, okay?”

With that, she moves over to a door I hadn’t noticed on the wall a little to the left behind her and rushes out through it.

I just blink… not entirely sure what just happened.

Glancing down at myself, I feel very uncomfortable as I realize I’m not wearing the clothes I was when I found myself in the Dragon Lands. I’m wearing a large white, puffy nightdress that’s too big for me.

Someone undressed me, while I was unconscious?

That is so many levels of wrong, especially now I’m not even in my own body anymore.

In my original body, well, it would still be bad if someone undressed me while I was unconscious, but in this body, Bloom’s body?

There are too many reason for why this is wrong.

After a few moments, I calm down, another thought occurring to me.

When… did I become unconscious in the first place?

Last thing I remember I was swinging the Bloodstone Sceptre at the shadow ponies who were about to kill Dragon Lord Ember and Torch and then…

My eyes widen. Ember! Torch! If I passed out, what happened to them? What happened to all the other dragons?! What happened to Smolder— ?

I blink.

Hold on. Wasn’t that Smolder just now? If I passed out, how is she okay? How am I okay?

My musings are cut short by the door to the room quickly opening, several beings rushing in.

“Miss, thank goodness you’re awake,” the purple pony known as Twilight Sparkle says, sounding both relieved and anxious. “We were so worried when we found you after answering Former Dragon Lord Ember’s summons for aid against those shadow ponies. You fought them? Can you give us an idea what they really were? How’d you get to Equestria without going through the portal? How do you know fire magic?”

“Twilight, stop!” Spike says loudly, pulling on her right wing. “She literally just woke up. Give her a moment to process before asking her a bijillion questions she might not even have the answers to.”

“Twilight is being a bit hasty, but she does have reason to, darling,” Rarity says, looking at me. “You are a human, yes? From the other world?”

It takes a moment, before a shake my head and look around at all of them. “What’s going on? How come I’m not in the Dragon Lands anymore? Are the dragons safe? What happened with those shadow ponies? Are Ember and Torch safe? And… wait. Did you say Former Dragon Lord Ember?”

THREE DAYS AGO

“Move it, will you, ponies?!” Garble shouted angrily, glancing behind him.

“We’re going as fast as we can, Garble!” Spike yelled from Twilight’s back as she, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Rainbow Dash flew behind him.

“Then go faster!” he shot back with a snarl. “If those ponies take my sister, I swear, there will be price to pay!”

Garble had arrived several hours ago in Ponyville, claiming Dragon Lord Ember had sent him to get help from Twilight and Spike, much to his disagreement.

According to Garble, shortly after five that morning, the Dragon Lands had been invaded by ponies seemingly made of shadow, that started attacking the dragons and capturing all the younglings.

The fact they were ponies made of shadows was alarming to the Alicorns, but it was the fact all of the shadow ponies were Alicorns too that puzzled and terrified them more.

How could there be so many Alicorns just suddenly in existence and none of them know about it? Why were they all seemingly made of shadow? And why were they attacking the dragons and taking their young?

The situation did not sit well with Twilight at all, hence why she’d immediately got in contact with the princesses and had them join her, Rainbow Dash volunteering to come along too because she could keep up.

However, upon arriving in the Dragon Lands, they were all met with a sight they had not expected.

Not only were there no supposed shadow pony Alicorns around, but all the dragons seemed fine.

It was a young dragon that turned out to be Garble’s little sister spotting them and hurrying over that clued them in on what had happened.

A strange creature Twilight immediately figured out to be a human had shown up suddenly and, somehow, a dragon made entirely of fire had come from out of her and obliterated all the shadow ponies in one strike.

When they were taken to where Dragon Lord Ember was, by the human’s side in a cave, they’d noticed something odd. The Bloodstone Sceptre was lying by the human, Twilight’s realized she was a girl’s side.

After some discussion, Former Dragon Lord Torch, who’d been waiting outside the cave, being too big to fit inside, had recommended Garble and his sister go with the princesses and that the Dragon Princess should go too, until they knew exactly what was going on.

NOW

I cock an eyebrow. “Dragon Princess?”

It’s only now, after Twilight finished explaining the events I was not aware of, that I see the Bloodstone Sceptre laying on the floor, previously out of my line of sight.

Smolder reaches down, picking up the sceptre and handing it to me. “It’s yours now, Your Highness.”

My eyebrow does not move. “Mine? I’m not the Dragon Lord. That belongs to the Dragon Lord, not a random fairy who’s for some reason in the wrong world.”

“Actually, you kinda are,” Spike pipes up. “The Dragon Lord, I mean.”

“See, normally, the Bloodstone Sceptre chooses who is Dragon Lord by if they’re worthy and earned the right,” Twilight explains. “However, ever since you took it and used it to defeat those shadow ponies, the sceptre hasn’t chosen any dragon else as Dragon Lord.”

I blink. “What?”

Smolder folds her arms, nodding. “At first, a bunch of dragons who hadn’t agreed with Ember being Dragon Lord tried to take it for themselves, but it wouldn’t accept any other them, even though they had managed to take the sceptre before she could get it back from you.”

“And, according to the reports, when Ember took it back, she and Torch could tell it no longer answered to either,” Spike continues.

“Torch then said something about how, as the Dragon Princess, the sceptre was rightfully yours and would never choose another dragon,” Twilight finishes.

Hesitantly, I take the sceptre from Smolder, at once feeling a rush of energy flowing through me.

I frown, looking down at the sceptre so small it’s more like a giant baby rattle in my hands.

“I don’t… understand. I might be the Fairy of the Dragon Fire, but why does that make me a Dragon Princess?”

I mean, yes, Bloom is the princess and heir to the dead (though not really, since there are still living creatures there) planet, Sparx, but… I’m just in her body. I’m not Bloom herself.

At once my vision flashes with a blue flame and I remember that dream I just had.

I shake my head, frantically. “We don’t have much time! I have to find out why I’m in Bloom’s body, why I’m here and what’s threatening the future!”

This is met with blanks stares.

I sigh, before quickly giving a very short summary of the history of Winx Club and Bloom herself, though I only go as far as what 4kidz dubbed of the series. Going into everything after that would just make matters more confusing right now.

By the time I’m finished, everypony and dragon seem more confused than anything else.

“Interesting,” Twilight scratches her chin. “So, this Daphne is Bloom’s sister, yet she spoke to you.”

“Well, I think she’s Bloom’s sister. It’s… kind of hard to explain, honestly,” I say, not liking how my uncertainty is clear in my voice.

Truth be told, it’s been so long since I was able to watch beyond the first three volumes of the first season of Winx Club that 4kidz dubbed, I can’t remember if it’s ever established in the 4kidz dub that Daphne is Bloom’s sister or if they just ignored that detail altogether throughout the three seasons.

Though, Twilight does have a point in that question. Whether or not 4kidz Daphne is Bloom’s older sister or not, the fact she was clearly trying to reach out to me in that dream is strange.

Does she not realize I’m not the real Bloom?

It’s so confusing and, unless the Winx can be contacted, I’m not really sure what we can learn.

With Daphne’s warning however, I’m certain whatever’s coming isn’t good.

For all I know, what Daphne warned me about could be what put me in Bloom’s body and brought me here, trying to get rid of Bloom due to her being an obstacle to its plans.

Author's Note

My apologies that this is so late and so short.

Not only has real life in general been making it hard to both find time to write but also have the drive to write, but recently my dad was involved in a car accident.

he's okay, mostly it's emotionally being shaken up that he's dealing with, but it's also been having an impact on me, so i've mostly just been trying to get through the day's without too much worry.

Plus, not too long ago, my cd player that i've had since 2019 started acting up, making it so i can't really listen to cds while going to sleep anymore, which, when you want to listen to specific songs while going to sleep because they help you imagine the scenes you want to write, makes things pretty tricky when you can't listen to them at all and it's going to be a while before i can get another cd player to replace it.

And, yes, if it wasn't obvious, i wrote Bloom not knowing whether Daphne is confirmed Bloom's sister in the 4kidz version or not is because i truthfully can't remember myself and google is being a butt about it and not giving me the proper information on it and just the general "Daphne is Bloom's older sister" info, which isn't helpful when i want the 4kidz version info only.

and i do not have the time and patience to watch all 3 4kidz dub seasons on youtube just to find out if Daphne is ever referred to as Bloom's sister during them, so, if anyone else knows for certain what episode in the 4kidz dub mentions Daphne as Bloom's sister, please let me know for the future of this story.

also, as this is the 4kidz Bloom, whenever you see Layla instead of Aisha, that's because they changed her name in the 4kidz version, plus gave a much more interesting explanation of her powers.

So, Daphne has warned Bloom about a danger that is represented by blue fire is coming and she needs to stop it from creating a doomed future.

What could it be? and what connection does it have to the Dragon Lands?

Will Bloom be able to handle this? Will the rest of the Winx help or can they not arrive there?

Why does having the Dragon Fire make Bloom worthy to the Bloodstone Scepter?

All these answer and more in the future.

Now, while i have managed an update to this now, don't expect another any time in the too near future.

My writing drive is proving surprisingly hard to get back up, so i'm going to be taking things as they come.

next update plan on specifically will be for Unexpected Aftermath as that one is long overdue to for an update.

til then, i hope this chapter is enough to satisfy your curiosity a little while also furthering piquing it.

til next time, see you later everybody

Chapter 2

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In the beginning, there was nothing, an empty void.

Then, suddenly, there was a great solar explosion and, from that fiery starlight, an Enchanted Dragon was born.

The dragon then used her fire to create all the different magical worlds and spread life and magic across the universe.

One world she touched upon personally, creating many in her image, imbuing them all with a fragment of her fire, granting them her protection.

At the end of her journey, the dragon landed on a distant world, whose name was lost to time.

She chose to make it her home and eventually became one with the very world on which she rested.

It is foretold, however, that she would have twin heirs to dragon, each chosen to guide their homes to great prosperity and protect them from a dark fire that would one day arise to claim all magic for its own.

Neither twin would ever meet the other, living their lives separate, for all time, never even knowing the touch of the other.

Each, however, would play key roles in the safety of many lives and will be called upon when in need.

When it is her time to rise, the dragons shall be protected by the might of the one who is a dragon, but look not like any dragon ever seen.

She will be known, however, by the will of the dragon within her.

Until that day, the Dragon Lord shall be chosen, from generation to generation, until the time the power is given to the one destined to rule all dragons.

She will be… the Dragon Princess.

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“For when the dark fire rises, only the light of the Dragon Princess shall be able to quell its hunger away and restore peace to the land,” Torch’s booming voice says from outside the cave.

I’m standing in a chamber deep underground, far beneath the Dragon Lands, at the very heart of its territory.

Upon the walls of the cave are depictions I recognize from Winx Club, in the episode where Bloom was told what of the Dragon Fire’s history Feragonda knew.

Some of the legend here differs creatively from Winx Club’s, but, that makes sense.

The legend not only would be so ancient now, parts of it would no doubt be misunderstood by the ancient dragons of old, but, parts of it happened outside this dimension.

The world whose name was lost to time? Obviously Sparx, Bloom’s home planet.

But… what’s this nonsense about the Great Dragon having two heirs?

I mean, I guess you could call Bloom its heir in some respect, since she did inherit the Dragon Fire, but that’s a huge stretch.

And what in the world is the part of two heirs?

It can’t be referring to Bloom’s direct family, as she only has one sibling, her older sister, Daphne and that’s provided she and Bloom still are sisters in the 4kidz version.

And, even then, regardless of whether it was the Nickelodeon dub or 4kidz dub, she was never referred to as an heir to the dragon, in any sense.

Hell, in both versions, her aspects are based around water, a Nymph in 4kidz, a fairy of Sirenix in Nick, so this second heir sure as hell isn’t her.

Not to mention, it said twin, implying Bloom and this second heir were born on the same day, which I know for certain she did not have a twin.

Unless it’s referring to Baltor, though he was created from a fragment of the Dragon Fire; he’s not Bloom’s twin.

The eerie part though, is… that mention of a dark fire?

I can only think of two beings from Winx lore who fit that manicure: Baltor himself, being a darker, more twisted version of the Dragon Fire due to being created by the Ancestral Witches and id try to take all magic for himself… and Lord Darkar.

Either is an unsettling idea, as both were mirror images to Bloom in a sense.

Baltor, born from a fragment of the Dragon Fire, giving him and Bloom a direct link to one another.

Darkar… he was the Dark Fire (something literally named in the legend), the evil version of the Dragon Fire… or, at least, from what I was able to gather.

I never exactly tried to be an expert on Winx Club lore… and now I’m kinda regretting I didn’t.

It’s obvious this information would’ve come in handy now.

Then again, how was I supposed to know I’d need to have this kind of stuff memorized for the day I got turned into Bloom?

It’s not like they prepare you for that kind of shit in school or anything.

Today class, you’ll learn all the things you’ll need to know on the offhand chance you get isekai’d into a universe of a fictional show with aspects of another fictional show within it.

One thing that makes me less anxious about whom the foretold Dark Fire is, is there’s an image of a quadruped and, while I do believe both Darkar and Baltor took on animal forms that could match that from time to time… the illustration of this quadruped doesn’t really give me their vibes, the more I look at it.

Some of the paint is faded from the countless centuries, possibly eons this legend has existed.

Heh. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it kinda looks like an Alicorn.

But, an Alicorn, taking Dark Fire as their power and attacking the dragons?

I may have joked about Celestia being able to wipe out the dragons in an instant by just thumping the sun down on the Dragon Lands, but, aside from Nightmare Moon, there’s never been, nor ever will be an actual evil Alicorn.

Corrupted by dark magic? Maybe, but outright evil?

Ha. Gimme a break.

This is MLP we’re talking about, here. Mixed with Winx Club, yes, but, still, MLP all the same. As if that would ever happen.

“Well, Your Highness?” Torch’s voice booms from up the pathways of the cave, him having been far too large to fit inside.

I turn and walk out of the cave.

Waiting for me outside are Torch, Smolder, Garble, Spike, Twilight and her friends and the other princesses.

“The legend does hold some truth, I’ll grant it,” I fold my arms. “But, nowhere does it say anything about how I’m specifically the Dragon Princess.”

“The Bloodstone Sceptre chose you, Your Majesty,” Smolder holds up the rod to me.

I hesitantly take it, looking it over, before scowling up at Torch. “So, what, I’m supposed to just drop everything, not bother trying to find my way back home, to become your leader? I wouldn’t know the first thing about ruling a kingdom, let alone a kingdom of dragons.”

“I can vouch that it takes a while,” Twilight says, stepping forward. “But, given enough time, you should find your way as a leader.”

“Again, what about my having to give up on finding my way home?” I turn to her, waving my arms in the air. “Twilight, I’ve a family back in my world. They must be worried sick. I doubt my having disappeared has gone unnoticed after all this time. Besides, that legend has some serious holes in it.”

“It… it does?” Garble looks worried.

I glance to him, nodding, holding up two fingers. “That legend said the Great Dragon would have two heirs, but I only know one, Bloom. And, I’m not really Bloom. I need to figure out why I’m in her body, get her back into it and then she can figure things out from there. She’s way more experienced in this kind of thing than me. And, she doesn’t have a twin. A sister, yes, but she was born multiple years before Bloom, so they’re certainly not twins.”

“You mean… you won’t stay and help us?” Smolder looks up at me sadly.

I give a growling sigh, rubbing my temples. “I never said that. I just… I’m going to help, but I feel like I’m in way over my head, here. I can’t figure out why I’m in Bloom’s body, what the looming danger to your future is and be your ruler at the same time! That’s just too much to pile on all at once.”

“But, you’re our princess now, um, princess,” Ember says, blushing slightly at her grammar flub. “We need a ruler and, now that you have been chosen by the Bloodstone Sceptre, no dragon will ever be able to claim it again.”

“I know, I know!” I rub my temples again. “But, can’t I…, I dunno, appoint you as Dragon Lord as my Regent or something, Ember?”

No sooner have the words left my mouth, the jewel on the end of the sceptre glows brightly.

Everyone cries out in alarm, Spike hiding under Twilight’s legs and Fluttershy hiding behind Rainbow Dash completely.

We all stare at the glowing red jewel for several moments, waiting for something to happen.

When it doesn’t, I look into the jewel, frowning.

It’s like… I can see something, but not anything with shape or form.

After staring for what feels like hours, my eyes widen as it suddenly becomes clear to me.

I turn to Ember, my expression firm. “Ember, daughter of former Dragon Lord Torch, kneel.”

At once, she does so, her expression one of willing respect, her head bowed, wings folded, resting a fist on the ground in front of her.

“Do you swear to guard my dragons with your life? To govern them in the ways of truth? To keep this land from falling to chaos? To be my voice in times when I am not here?”

“On my word as a dragon, you have my promise, Dragon Princess,” she nods. “I swear it on the fire inside.”

I hold out the sceptre, tapping it against each of her shoulders in turn. “Then, by the power invested in me by the Dragon Fire, I dub thee Ember, Dragon Lord and my vassal. Rise, Dragon Lord Ember.”

The jewel of the sceptre glows brightly, a red aura passing from it over Ember’s body, which shines brightly.

After several minutes, the light fades and Ember stands, looking at her claws in confusion.

“This… this doesn’t make any sense,” she says, glancing to her father. “Dad, I feel the energies I did back when I was Dragon Lord. But, I shouldn’t be able to do that, should I?”

Torch’s eyes go wide. “No, you shouldn’t. The legend clearly states we dragons shall only have a Dragon Lord until the Dragon Princess comes.”

“The thing about legends,” I say, turning to look up his hulking form, “is there are always details left out. I wouldn’t have been able to make Ember Dragon Lord again if that part was true.”

“Bu-but… But the Bloodstone Sceptre,” Garble stutters, pointing to it. “Does that mean it won’t answer to you now, only Ember?”

“Give it a try,” I toss the sceptre to Ember, who hurries and fumbling with it before grasping the rod in her claws.

At once, her eyes widen. “It… it doesn’t recognise me.”

“HUH?!” is the loud reaction from all gathered.

I nod, smirking as I fold my arms. “Thought so. Dragon Lord is more like a mayor, governor or president. The rank of a princess still hangs above it, but it’s a role that can be delegated by a higher power.”

I hold out my hand and the sceptre glows red, levitating out of Ember’s hold and flies towards me and I catch it with one hand.

“But, hang on a second,” we all turn to Dash, who’s wearing a frown of thought and confusion. “If that part of the legend wasn’t true, how much more of it is?”

“Well, the part of the radiant Dragon Princess is clearly true,” Rarity flourishes her mane, giving me a joyful, but predatory expression. “Darling, you must come to my boutique after this. Oh, the royal regalia I’ve been inspired for.” She giggles, clapping her hooves together like a school filly. “Oh, I can’t wait to get started.”

“Well, I… yes, thank you, Rarity,” I hesitate, quickly giving the princesses a look that screams “Help me!”.

“Sumthin’ Ah don’t get.”

We all turn to Applejack, who’s giving me an approving look.

“Princess Bloom here says the part o’ the legend o’ her havin’ a twin ain’t right. But, if’n that’s true, why would the dragons of the ancient past have put it in the legend ta begin with?”

I sigh, frowning at the sceptre’s jewel. “I agree, it’s vexing in the most frustrating ways, Applejack. Bloom had a sister, but she was her older sister and she was no heir to the Dragon Fire. It’s not like I understand any of this. It just doesn’t match what information I do know.”

“It would help if you could contact these of girls whom you claim are Bloom’s friends,” Luna says, frowning as she thinks for a moment. “The... Winx you said they call themselves?”

I nod, before scowling. “Contacting the Winx would help so much. Maybe they could let us know why Bloom ended up here in Equestria and why I’m in her body instead of her. Plus, if they don’t know what’s going on, we could at least ease some of their burden… while adding more.”

I finish that dejectedly, realizing that any communications we somehow might manage to have with the Winx would include having to inform them that, when it comes to her spirit, as far as I can tell, Bloom is dead.

Her body survives, but Bloom herself, her personality, her life essence?

Whatever put me in her body completely overrode or erased that.

“Would you tell them?”

We all turn to Celestia, confused, both by her question and the firm expression she’s giving me.

“Um, come again?” Dash asks, thought Celestia does not take her gaze away from me… and the firmness is really starting to unnerve me.

From Luna, it feels natural, but Celestia?

I feel like a child getting told off for trying to steal cookies before dinner or something. What the hell?

“If you were to find a way to contact the Winx, Bloom’s closest friends, would you tell them? Tell them that you have, unintentionally or not, taken over her form? That you are not truly the friend they know? Or, will you hide this from them? Keep them believing you are their Bloom, despite not being her at all?”

I blink, staring at her for a moment, before my expression firms. “Of course I’d tell them the truth, Celestia. For fuck sake, I’m not a monster! I’d never hide that from them! They’re too close for me to do that and it would be beyond cruel!”

“So, if there was indeed a point where we meet them, you will tell them the truth from the start? You wouldn’t hide anything from them?”

“Of course I wouldn’t!” I’m actually getting angry and offended now.

In the time they’ve known me, short as it is, when have I ever given the indication I’d do something like that?

I literally said, from the start, because I know something’s coming, I want to help them.

If I’m willing to do that, why would I be willing to hide from five of Bloom’s closest friends what happened to her?

“If you could speak with them, right this moment, you would tell them the truth from the very beginning, hide nothing of their friend’s fate from them?” Celestia says, her words seeming to carry some force behind them I can’t name.

Okay, I’m done with this shit.

“YES!” I scream at the top of my lungs, my hands feeling warm for some reason. “IF I COULD SPEAK WITH HER FRIENDS RIGHT THIS SECOND, I’D TELL STELLA, TECHNA, FLORA, MUSA AND LAYLA WHAT HAPPENED!”

Celestia’s expression changes to… a knowing smirk?!

“WHAT’S SO FUNNY, CELESTIA!” I demand, only to feel a small claw on my wrist.

I glare down to see Smolder, who winces, backing away slightly, before meekly pointing to her right.

Cocking an eyebrow, I turn… to see a swirling white energy hovering several metres away.

We all just watch in confusion, before the Bloodstone Sceptre suddenly shines brightly, a beam of red energy flying from its tip, crashing into the vortex.

It changes, almost looking between a mix of pink and red… hard as that is to imagine, and expands until it’s as big and tall as Torch’s head.

The energy changes colour in the centre, becoming a lighter shade.

As we watch, five silhouettes seem to form within the mass of swirling energy.

When that come into view, my eyes widen.

It’s the rest of the Winx! What the hell?

“No way! We found her!” Layla says, pointing.

“About time!” Stella says, hands on her hips. “That was taking way too long, far as I’m concerned.”

“We’re contacting a dimension that was born completely separate from the magical dimension eons ago. It’s not like we could look them up on the magic web or something,” Musa scolds her, before looking to me, smiling. “Yo, Bloom Two. You’re looking good. Nice glowing mike there.”

Bloom… Two?

“Bloom, it worked. It worked,” Flora says… looking off the side. “She’s alright. And she’s surrounded by so many animals.”

“Lots of them kinda look like ponies with human features. What’s up with that?” Stella says, giving the ponies and dragons a scrutiny eye.

No, wait. Why did Flora just call out to Bloom? I’m Bloom.

“Flora, you… you don’t understand,” I say, finding myself reaching out. “Bloom can’t be with you, because… because…”

Anything I was struggling to figure out how to say to put that delicately dies in my mouth immediately as a sixth figure comes into frame in the energy circle… and my jaw drops.

The girl who walked into frame and came into focus alongside the other five has long red/orange hair with bangs and blue-green eyes.

She’s wearing a blue and yellow shirt that stops a little before her waist, which is as much as the energy window lets us see.

I just stare, my mouth flapping as my brain fails to grasp what in the hell I’m seeing, because it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

It… it’s Bloom.

Bloom is standing right there with the Winx!

But, I’m Bloom! She can’t be Bloom, because I’m Bloom now. But, she is very clearly Bloom and right there with her friends.

I… no, but… I can’t…

WHAT?!

Author's Note

So... I'm actually surprised I got this out tonight.

After I posted the last update to another fic yesterday, while I'd intended to update this one right after, two things snagged me.

I realized I didn't really know how to move forward with the MC constantly worrying about what happened to Bloom for her to wind up in Bloom's body.
and 2. aside from the mention of the Dragon Lands' version of the Legend of the Great Dragon, I had no idea what else i could do.

Bloom giving Ember the role of Dragon Lord back while still being the Dragon Princes was definitely planned... but not much else.

Plus, it felt like i'd struggle to have the villain talked about or hinted at without giving it away too easily without going STUPIDLY vague, to the point it would basically be insulting the readers, so i was stumped there too.

Then, a couple hours ago, just as i was making dinner, I was hit with a bit of inspiration and this comes from it.

Of course, it helps that there's a song I've been listening to more again I found myself singing while cooking that feels like it works with this story really well: Find Your Flame.

Quite fitting, no?

If I had a nickel for every time there was a decent fight scene in My Little Pony that fit well with the Find Your Flame song, I'd have 2 nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?

Probably an ass move to leave the chapter on a cliffhanger like that, when I don't really know when I'll get back to this story in particular, as there are several i'm itching to get updates to, but, we'll see where the chips fall there, won't we?

There should DEFINITELY be an update to SOMETHING within the next couple of weeks though, as i should have the house to myself for about 5 days by then, which will make it much easier to focus on writing without anything else going on in the background.

Anyway, it's almost 9:30pm now, so i wanna wrap up here.

There's some movies and shows I wanted to watch before bed that I didn't get to last night due to Daylight Savings time starting this morning, so had one less hour yesterday and I'd totally forgotten that, so it threw off my whole rhythm for that evening.

So... Bloom didn't take over Bloom's body, because there's Bloom in the energy window? What?

How is that possible? What in the world is going on?

And, why was that energy vortex there to begin with?

They said it worked.

What worked? Were they looking for Bloom? Why? They've still got their Bloom... right?

Answers and more questions to come, so look forward to that.

I know I look forward to your speculations in the comments below. They should be quite entertaining.

Okay. Past 9:30pm now. I need to stop so I can move on with the rest of the evening so I can fully enjoy tomorrow's public holiday.

Hope you enjoyed this long overdue chapter, hope I haven't dropped the quality in any way and, til next time, stay safe, stay clean and goodnight everybody

Chapter 3

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I just stare ahead at the energy window at the girl I now share my appearance with, my mouth hanging open.

I… no, but… this is so many levels of impossible.

I’m not the only one shocked, either. Out of the corner of my eye, though I barely register it, Celestia’s smirk has completely washed away, replaced with a look of disbelief and utter bewilderment.

After what feels like hours (though, probably was only a few seconds), I snap out of my stupor and point at the red/orange haired girl.

“Bloom, how in the world are you there?! Aren’t I you?!”

“Oh dear,” Flora says, looking to the Bloom with them. “It seems your mother was right. She really doesn’t know.”

Her mother? The hell does Bloom’s mother on Earth have to do with anything?

The Bloom in the energy window sighs, with a look of sadness, before she looks to me. “Bloom, what do you last remember? Where do your memories before you found yourself in that world end?”

I’m… suddenly more puzzled than bewildered.

I cock an eyebrow. “Um, I was on a bus, heading home? What’s that got to do with anything?”

The reaction of the six fairies is not what I’m expecting… not that I actually know what reaction I was expecting to begin with.

They are the ones looking confused now.

“On a Bus?” Musa says, cocking an eyebrow. “How is your last memory being on a bus? Shouldn’t it have been on Pyros?”

Pyros? Wait, isn’t that the name of the Island of Dragons where Bloom awakens her Enchantix through sheer force of her own will?

“Um, I woke up in the Dragon Lands in this world… if that helps any?” I offer, though I know it doesn’t help at all.

The Dragon Lands and Pyros are very different places.

I blink, inwardly frowning. Or… are they?

No, no. They are. They definitely are. I’m the first humanoid to be in this world, that much has been made quite clear from my interactions since waking up in the Dragon Lands.

“Okay, Musa, so, why would you think my last memories before waking up in the Dragon Lands would’ve been being on Pyros? And, what does Bloom’s mother have to do with any of this?”

That last part just caught back up with me again and, in context, really doesn’t add up.

Bloom sighs, looking to me. “So, just to clear up any confusion, we’re not talking about my adoptive mother, Vanessa. We’re talking about my biological mother, Queen Marion.”

There’s a long pause as what Bloom says filters through my brain… before its implications hit me like a freight train.

Bloom didn’t find her parents in the 4kidz version of Winx Club! 4kidz lost the dubbing license rights to the show before they got to that point. Which means…

“You already freed Oritel and Marion from the Obsidian Circle?!”

That gets looks of shock from the Winx and confused glances from everyone dragon and pony else.

“How do you know about that?” Bloom asks, her eyes wide. “My mom said you should only remember up to Pyros.”

What? Queen Marion knows about me? How? What the hell is going on here?

I shake my head frantically. “Wait, wait, wait. Okay, back up. How does your mother know about me? And… wait. If you’ve already freed King Oritel and Queen Marion from Obsidian, does that mean you already know the truth about Daphne?”

“Truth?” Bloom looks to the Winx, before looking to me with a concerned frown. “What truth?”

Oh. Did… did that not come up for them?

I mean, I don’t think Daphne was ever referred to as family throughout the 4kidz dub, so… maybe, in this version of the Secrets of the Lost Kingdom movie’s events, it didn’t come up either?

Ooh, boy. I’m about to dump some major baggage on Bloom. Sorry, girl.

“Bloom,” I say, firmly, but carefully, “Daphne isn’t just the Nymph of Magix. She’s your older sister.”

The Winx all have looks of shock, Bloom most of all, her eyes wider than dinner plates.

“But, how is that possible?” Layla looks to the others.

Techna holds out an open hand in front of her, a holo screen appearing above it, texts flying up the screen faster than my eye can track. “There’s no mention of King Oritel and Queen Marion ever having a daughter other than Bloom. Daphne couldn’t possibly be Bloom’s older sister.”

Despite myself, I can’t help inwardly smiling.

Stereotyped for being the smart one or not, I loved Techna’s British accent in the 4kidz dub.

“Not to mention, just how young would Bloom’s parents have needed to be for that to be possible?” Musa points out. “Daphne doesn’t look close to Bloom’s age. She looks old enough to be her mother.”

I shake my head, waving my hands frantically. “I know the math doesn’t make sense, I do, but, I swear, I’m not lying. Daphne’s— Hold on. Gimme a second to check something.”

I pick up the Bloodstone Sceptre (I must have dropped it out of shock of seeing Bloom and not realized), holding it in both hands, staring deeply into it.

You showed me what to do about Ember and the Dragon Lord thing. Please let me see how far along these versions of the Winx go into the timeline.

If they went through the events of the movie, there’s no telling how far into Winx’s lore they are going to go.

The red jewel glows and my vision is obscured by flashes of images almost too fast to keep track.

From the few brief moments I can glimpse, however, I see fragments of the Believix and Sirenix arcs… then something that doesn’t look anything like what I can vaguely remember glimpsing now, including what I think was Skye and Bloom getting married, and then from past that point. Nothing about the Bloomix, Mythix or any other arcs after that.

I inwardly find myself sighing with relief.

Thank goodness. Not only would these versions of the Winx going through all that make no sense, it just made no sense in general.

“Are you done looking at that rock already or what?”

Musa’s voice pulls me from my thoughts and I look up to see the Winx and everyone else staring at me.

I shake my head, before looking firmly at Bloom.

“Bloom, why did you wonder why Queen Marion told you my last memories before waking up in this world should’ve been Pyros?”

She looks away for a moment, before sighing. “I’m guessing you know about Enchantix, right? And how my method to get mine was… different from normal?”

I nod.

Bloom sighs, looking at me sadly?

“It turns out, I’m not the first fairy in history to will their Enchantix into existence.”

I’m sorry, what?

“It hasn’t happened very often,” Bloom says, shaking her head. “But, in some royal families, it seems several fairies have done the same thing. Mostly those of the latter branches of the royal families who married into other families. Kinda hard to save someone from your home planet before you’re officially married to another planet’s Royal Family and had an heir, ya know?”

I… guess that makes sense.

“Anyway, while it’s even rarer, sometimes, when a fairy wills her Enchantix into existence instead of earning it the normal way, it creates a duplicate of that fairy, called a Fairy Fade.”

…

I’m sorry. Come again?!

“When the Fairy Fade duplicate is created, they have all the exact same traits as the fairy they were Fairy Faded from,” Techna says, a new holo screen appearing above her hand, this one displaying Bloom, both human and her original fairy form, with little boxes full of words too small for me to read at this distance, arrows attached to those boxes and pointing to different parts of Bloom. “Everything is exactly the same, height, weight, eye colour, even their biological clocks. Exactly the same in every detail… save one.”

“The Fairy Fade doesn’t and never will get Enchantix,” Musa says, shaking her head.

“I’m… a duplicate? A Fairy Fade?” I ask, blinking.

That… would somewhat make sense, I guess. It could explain why I don’t have any of Bloom’s memories. My body was duplicated.

“Wait. Are memories Fadeed too?” I ask, suddenly remembering how they talked about it being odd I knew about Bloom’s parents being rescued from Obsidian and my memories should’ve stopped at Pyros.

All six look uneasy, not meeting anyone’s gaze.

“Well… yes,” Techna says after what was probably only a couple of seconds, but felt like hours. “The families always try to figure out how to sort through everything. More often than not, the Fairy Fade decides to change their name and become staff in the Royal Family.”

“Though, there are a few times some have rebelled against their people, seeing it unfair they don’t get to keep living their original life that their memories tell them they have,” Layla says uncomfortably. “It’s happened twice in my family. It’s… one of the reasons the Omega Dimension was originally created. To keep the rebelling Fairy Fades from causing more damage, not just to their home worlds, but the Magical Dimension as a whole.”

“So… you can kinda understand why we’d be a teeny bit worried about your emotional state,” Stella says, looking to me. “Any regular Fairy Fade rebelling and going on a rampage would be bad enough, but a fairy with a Fairy Faded power of the Dragon Fire?”

“Wait, so, my Dragon Fire is real? How?” I look to Bloom, beyond puzzled now. “The Dragon Fire is… well, the Dragon Fire. There’s no other power like it. It’s the original source of all magic through the Magical Dimension.”

Bloom nods, uncertain. “That’s why my having a Fairy Fade worried my parents so much when they found out I originally willed my Enchantix into being,” she put a hand on her chest. “It never occurred to anyone that a fairy would hold a power like the Dragon Fire within her or that she would be in a position where she’d will her Enchantix into being. The idea the Dragon Fire would be duplicated too just didn’t seem like a possibility.”

“And duplicated the Dragon Fire has indeed been,” Techna’s holo screen changes the tiniest bit, somehow telling me it’s displaying me specifically. “Unlike Baltor, who held only a fragment of the Dragon Fire within him, you quite literally have a duplication of Bloom’s Dragon Fire in its entirety. For all intents and purposes, your Dragon Fire is as real as our Bloom’s Dragon Fire.”

“So, with that out of the way,” Musa says, her voice indicating something very important as she looks to me, “if Daphne really is Bloom’s sister, how come you know that and she doesn’t? And how did you know we’d freed her parents from Obsidian? Did the witches tell you?”

I scowl. “The Trix? Not a chance. I’d remember encountering those bitches.”

“Trix?” Flora and Bloom look to each other, sharing a confused expression.

I blink, before inwardly facepalming. “Right. They haven’t referred to themselves as that around you.” Do they ever? Guess I’ll never know.

I shake my head, thinking my words over carefully as I speak, keeping everything I’ve been told about Willed Enchantix Fairy Fades in mind as I do.

“Well, for starters, I don’t actually remember everything that you do, Bloom. I remember parts of it and not like I actually experienced them myself. Best way I can describe it is, I remember what I do of your life as if I’d watched a TV show.”

Thank God they know what TV is.

I can use the fact I only know of their worlds and lore because of TV without having to actually work around the fact that that’s how I know.

“That is… definitely not how it usually works,” Techna frown in thought. “Perhaps it could be because the Dragon Fire is involved? Could the magical properties of it have unintentionally interfered with the memory process?”

“So… with that concept in mind, how much of the show?” Bloom asks.

Okay, I need to be very careful with my word choice here. I’m not sure what I should and shouldn’t reveal, but, since they weren’t aware of Daphne being Bloom’s sister, giving them a few hints here and there shouldn’t be too bad in the long run if I am subtle enough.

“Well, I know how you defeated Baltor in the end and how you freed Bloom’s parents from Obsidian and, obviously, Daphne being Bloom’s sister,” I start off. “I think, as compensation for not getting all your memories or from your point of view, Bloom, I was given glimpses of your future too?” Suddenly, my eyes widen.

If Bloom’s freed her parents. That means the Coven of Ancestral Witches has escaped.

“Where’re Icy, Darcy and Stormy?!” I cry out, looking at them, my fear apparently worrying them. “Tell me they haven’t escaped yet!”

“Yet?” Layla’s eyes widen.

Crap.

I shake my head, before nodding… which, in hindsight, probably just confused them.

“Bloom, if you freed everyone from Obsidian already, that means the Coven are also free! They’re going to find their descendants and possess their bodies!”

“Oh, um, well…” Bloom looks suddenly anxious, glancing to the others… who all become just as awkward?

Any anxiety I’d had suddenly fades to suspicion. “What? What’s going on?”

“That’s… actually one of the reasons we had to contact you,” Bloom says, grinning sheepishly. “We’re already aware the Coven escaped because…”

“They’re… kinda in that dimension you’re in right now,” Musa says quickly.

There’s a very, very long pause.

“WHAT?!” I shriek, startling the dragons and ponies. “What? How? Why? When?! You couldn’t have opened with that?! If the Coven are here then…?”

My eyes widen and I look to Ember, who meets my gaze with equal shock and horror, even if she doesn’t fully grasp who the Coven are.

“They were behind the Shadow Ponies!”

Crap. They asked if the witches had been in contact with me when they were unsure if I can be trusted.

I thought they meant the Trix... but they meant the Ancestral Witches!

Holy crap!

“Shadow Ponies?” Techna asks, sounding skeptical. “Ponies made of shadow? Are you actually serious?”

“Don’t tell us what is and isn’t possible in our dimension, fairy!” Celestia shockingly snarls… and, man, is Techna lucky she’s not actually here. Celestia is pissed, her mane billowing more ferociously than normal. “Those monsters are in my dimension, putting the lives of my subjects at risk! Don’t you dare try to lecture us on whether we shouldn’t take the threat you all released into our realm, regardless of the forms they’ve taken, seriously or not!”

“I-I-I do apologize, Miss, um, Queen Pony?” she stammers, it clearly just clicking none of them know the names of any of the others present.

I quickly point around, naming each pony and dragon, including any title they have as well.

Suddenly, the energy window shudders and the image starts to distort.

“Damnit! Forgot this would only last a brief time!” Layla says, looking to Bloom and nodding.

Bloom nods back, looking to me. “I’m sorry, Bloom. But the Coven is in that world and they’ll likely come after you once they find out you have the Dragon Fire inside you.”

I shake my head. “It’s whatever. Bloom, while I have time, you need to find the last Earth Fairy!”

“Earth Fairy?” Stella looks confused. “Bloom’s the only fairy on Earth… isn’t she?”

I shake my head again. “Earth used to have magic, just like the rest of the Magical Dimension, as well as its own fairies. I can’t go into all the details now, but they were all lost a long time ago. The only remaining Earth Fairy is the daughter of the queen. Her name’s Roxy and she’s in Gardenia!”

“My childhood home?” Bloom cries out as her face becomes half completely distorted. “How have I never met her before?”

“Her father kept her hidden. Go to the Frutti Music Bar by the beach. She works there with him. You’ll know her from her pink hair and a dog that hangs around her.”

I inwardly pat myself on the back for remembering to mention her hair colour on such short notice. If I’d just said “look for a dog following her”, knowing the way luck messes with the Winx sometimes, they’d go after several girls with dogs before finding Roxy, leaving her at risk.

“The math doesn’t add up again, I don’t know why, but she’ll be a teenager around now. She’ll need the White Circle. Remember that: Roxy and the White Circle! And, after you’ve helped Roxy, remember to ask Daphne about Sirenix.”

“Whatix?” Stella cries, herself no longer visible.

“Sirenix!” I cry out. “Ask Daphne about Sirenix! Bloom, don’t forget the way you saved Skye’s life back at Red Fountain. Trust me, that’s important! And Layla, I’m sorry about Tritannus!”

“What was that about my cousin?” Layla’s voice cries out as the picture fully fades and the energy dissipates with a flash.

We all remain there for several moments, trying to process everything we’ve just rapidly had to learn.

“This… this Coven,” Luna breaks the silence, looking to me. “They are clearly not ones to be trusted. Who are they, Bloom?”

I don’t respond for a moment, before shaking my head and looking to the lunar princess.

“The Coven of Ancestral Witches are the ones who attacked Bloom’s home world, Sparx, years ago. They wanted the power of the Dragon Fire for themselves, so they could rule every dimension.”

“But they were stopped, obviously?” Twilight asks anxiously. “Locked away in… Obsidian, did you call it?”

I nod. “Think of it like Tartarus, only much worse.”

“And now they’re here, in our dimension,” Luna says ominously. “And, now that we also have the Dragon Fire here as well…”

“Since they know I’m here, they’ll come looking for me,” I clench the fist I’m not holding the Bloodstone Sceptre in. “But, if they think they can just take it from me, they’ve another thing coming.”

“Ah don’t think they do know yer here, Bloom.”

We all turn to Applejack, puzzled.

“What do you mean, pony?!” Garble says, holding up a fist. “The dragons were attacked. If this Coven weren’t looking for the Dragon Fire of our Princess, why would they attack her subjects?”

Applejack gives him a deadpan stare. “Are ya’ll tryin’a reinforce that horrible stereotype o’ dragons bein’ dumber than a sack o’ rocks?”

The red dragon bristles at that, but a glance from me makes him remain where he is as Applejack continues.

“Ya all heard Torch tell us the legend, right? When the Great Dragon touched down on our world, she gave a small piece o' her fire to all the dragons, givin’ them her protection.”

“If so, it’s likely that fire got passed down through the generations,” Twilight nods, putting a hoof to her chin. “And, if the Ancestral Witches had any grasp of the legend, once they heard that part of it…”

“Not aware the actual Dragon Fire was here, they’d target the dragons for the fragments within them!” my eyes widen. “The reason they were taking so many dragons was to steal as many fragments to put together into one.”

Holy crap. With that many fragments of Dragon Fire, they would have a force far more powerful than what they’d used to create Baltor.

If they could create him from just a single small fragment, what in the world could they do with that much more?

It’s too unsettling to really think about.

“Then, our task is clear,” Celestia looks around at all of us. “We must all work together, organize a plan to find this Coven of Ancestral Witches and stop them before they try to harm the dragons again.”

“Or learn that Princess Bloom has the real Dragon Fire within her,” Spike looks up at me.

I nod to the little drake, before turning to look out at the horizon, scowling.

We know you’re here now, Ancestral Witches. We’re not going to let you harm the dragons or steal the Dragon Fire.

I am not going to let you do to this world what you did to Sparx.

At the very least, you being here means the Winx won’t have to deal with how you nearly wiped out all magic.

___________________________________________________________

“BAH! This spell would be useless too!” the unicorn screamed in rage, crumpling up the parchment and throwing it at the wall.

“Don’t stop! We must have the power of the dragon’s fire,” the shadow of a humanoid on the wall said.

The unicorn scowled at the shadow. “I know! Don’t lecture me, witch! You wouldn’t even exist anymore if not for me!”

“Don’t flatter yourself, pony,” a second shadow said, appearing on the wall. “We’ve given you access to vast levels of magic you couldn’t begin to comprehend. You owe us far more than we owe you!”

“And yet, you are bound to me, unable to take over my body,” the unicorn shot back at them. “I know it’s what you want. You honestly thought, when you made that proposal to me, I’d just willingly let the three of you inhabit my form without safeguards? I’m not some stupid teenager who got too big for my shoes. Don’t underestimate me!”

“Nor you us, child,” the third shadow finally formed, before turning to look at the other two shadows. “Still, sisters, be more grateful. We needed a magically gifted being and, despite so many of the creatures of this realm having magic, few can be truly called gifted.”

“Aside from all those goody to shoes princesses,” the second shadow said bitterly. “Typical that we finally escape Obsidian, only to wind up in a world so full of friendship,” she spat out the last word.

“Indeed,” the first shadow said reluctantly. “Aside from our new partner, none of the magically gifted seem to have any true darkness in their hearts.”

“Had you come several months ago, Sombra might’ve been a good candidate, honestly,” the unicorn said, levitating a fresh scroll of parchment. “Too bad, huh?”

“Still, you are hardly lacking, child,” the third shadow said smoothly, moving closer. “Provided you figure out the right magical connections with the Whisperia Crystals, your desire should be within your grasp in due time.”

“And you yours,” she glanced at the shadow, grinning wickedly. “I won’t lie, having my body to myself again will be most appreciated.”

“As our having our own bodies for us,” the third shadow nodded, a grin visible.

“No blasted fairies, wizards or warriors to get in our way this time,” the first shadow chortled. “Conquering this world and claiming its power for our own will be quite enjoyable.”

“And, provided I’m not disturbed, I should then be able to find a way back to your original Magical Dimension,” the unicorn’s wicked grin grew maniacal. “Oh, the fun you’ll have while I enjoy my ruling of this realm.”

“Don’t bother us, we won’t bother you,” the third shadow nodded. “Our deal remains the same.”

“Then, by all means,” the unicorn gave a cruel cackle, “let’s get started. Absolute power is ours for the taking, after all.”

“No one else will go after it otherwise,” the second shadow sneered.

The cave was filled with the sound of four cruel cackles that echoed through the halls and out into the night.

Author's Note

Both felt a little bit bad about the cliffhanger and it actually started bugging me shortly after posting it, so, here's the next chapter.

So, our Bloom is actually a direct magical duplicate, a Fairy Fade, created when Bloom willed her Enchanticx to be forced into existence?

Interesting, no?

But she won't be able to awaken Enchantix herself? That's a bummer.

Though, not as much a bummer as finding out the Coven of Ancestral Witches is now in Equestria. Talk about sucking.

And it seems they found an evil unicorn willing to help them in the way Icy, Darcy and Stormy originally tried and failed to in the second Winx movie (that Nick never dubbed and I honestly don't blame them, it wasn't great).

Whom is this evil unicorn? Where does she come from?

What are her true motive and why?

Questions to be answered further on, so look forward to then.

Not that I know when that then is going to be.

Now that i've gotten this chapter out, i think i'm going to leave Bloom alone for a while and focus on other stories.

because i want to get back to those other stories
and 2. because I actually will need to think about where to go next from here.

I obviously need to get through more of the story of MLP itself, Bloom's inclusion every now and then meaning certain events won't go as badly as they might have, with the same lesson still being learned by those who need it, though, of course.

I'm particularly looking forward to a short Bloom vs Tirek battle in season 9.

He'll want to take the Dragon Fire, obviously, once he realizes it's a form of powerful magic, but he'll find that meal fights back.

And, obviously, Bloom will visit the EQG world from time to time, that's pretty obvious.

As for how the story will end?

The final villain is who you think it will be... but won't be... but will be... but won't be.

I'll leave you to figure out that likely confusing riddle and be on my way.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and, til next time, stay safe, stay clean and see you later everybody