Chapter Text
It was an early sunrise. It was an early start to the day. Normally, Bloom would not mind a little bit of sun in the morning. But only resting on a mere three hours of sleep will do a number on your appreciation for a grand entrance of the sun. Not only was Bloom exhausted from her royal duties, but also exhausted from carrying a baby for nine months! Bloom was forty weeks pregnant which meant childbirth could come at any moment. She’d hope it would come sooner rather than later, so she could finally move on from the nightmares of childbearing.
At least Sky’s enjoying himself, Bloom thought to herself. He had always been by her side through the challenges of childbirth. She was so grateful to have a husband who was caring, brave, and to her, someone incredibly handsome!
Maybe you’ll carry your father’s wits, little one. She’d go back to sleep if it weren’t for her husband, Sky, to walk into her room and greet her.
“Hello Sky, I see you’re enjoying this early sunrise,” Bloom yawned.
“Let me guess, you didn’t have much success sleeping huh?” Sky said to Bloom with a snarky tone.
“No, not at all. I’m exhausted. And can you tell the sun to turn off for five minutes? Or maybe even ten?”
“I don’t think I possess that kind of power, Bloom. Don’t feel bad if you sleep in today, I’ll be fine ruling Eraklyon by myself for today. But, if you want sweet pastries for breakfast, they’re downstairs in the dining hall. I had the baker make them just for you. Better get some before they’re cold!” Sky waved goodbye and left Bloom’s room.
There stood Bloom, questioning whether to go downstairs and eat freshly prepared sweet pastries or to stay in bed.
Well my bladder is full again, I guess sweet pastries and waking up early wins.
--
Far away in the realm of Madox, stood the evil and powerful witch, Matilda. She was alone in her potion’s lab, conjuring up the plan where she’d receive the greatest power of all,
“The dragon flame.”
It was all Matilda ever wanted. The dragon flame carried maximum power, power she could use to take over the world. Many other evil villains had tried to capture the dragon flame, but all had failed.
“I’ll be different,” Matilda said to herself, “I will be invincible!” From a young age, Matilda had always advanced quickly in her witchcraft. She had always dreamed to be the supreme ruler of Magix, her dream cut short by the Winx Club and their powerful allies. Specifically with Bloom, who personally defeated Matilda ten years ago.
“That ratchet Bloom! I’ll take my revenge on her for making me look imprudent and moronic in front of the witch community, in front of the whole world! She’ll pay for my demise and I will fight her with every bone in my body!”
Matilda would have let out her angers a little longer if it weren’t for her pot boiling over the surface. Her pot is swayed and controlled by Matilda's emotions, “That’s right. I’ll execute my revenge and my scheme to take over the world in a cunning way. It doesn’t just have to be dragon flame power or the revenge on Bloom. It can be both, it will be both. I will find a way.”
She carefully started to move her hands over her pot, “Show me the way to take revenge on Bloom and extract the dragon flame all at the same time.”
The liquid within the pot started to change colors and quickly showed Matilda an image of an infant, “Interesting. This infant seems to share the looks of Bloom; she has the same eyes as that fairy. Oh but what could this mean.”
The pot simmered a slight bit more and showed the image of a teenage girl with the tag Keeper of the Dragon Flame. “Keeper of the Dragon Flame. Who could that be?”
Matilda was getting all too desperate to find answers when the pot finally showed what she was looking for, “Oh, it’s a vision of Bloom… in the present. I see, why did I never get the notification she was expecting a child? By the looks of it she is about to explode with a nasty diaper brat. A brat who will grow to destroy all evil in the world, to destroy me. I must find that child and end her along with her silly mother and father.”
--
In the dinning hall of Eraklyon, there sat Bloom. She was half asleep, but still munching happily to all the sweet pastries the baker had made for her.
“I see that sweet pastries are more important than sleeping in,” Sky said to Bloom.
“For your information, I needed to go to the ladies room. And since I was already out of bed, I promptly came to the dinning hall where I have been eating these pastries ever since.”
“Well I guess this is a good time for you to see some old friends,”
There stood Stella, Layla, Musa, Tecna, and Flora, all waving at Bloom.
“No way! This is amazing!” Bloom exclaimed, “Girls! I missed you so much!”
“We missed you to Bloom!” said the girls.
“Man how’s forty weeks, Bloom? I’m only thirty weeks. Honestly, I’d kill to be finished with pregnancy. You are so lucky to be at forty!” Stella told Bloom. She and Brandon were expecting a child themselves.
“Stella!” groaned the group.
“Don’t get your hopes up Stella, I can tell you pregnancy does not get easier at all. And even after you finish pregnancy you’ll have to raise the baby. That’s probably even more tiring,” Bloom told Stella.
“Good luck with that! I’m not having a kid anytime soon,” Musa said. She was interrupted by Bloom, who appeared to be crouched down in pain.
“Ouch it’s happening again,” Bloom said.
“Oh no! Don’t tell me that was a contraction!” Stella exclaimed, "Those are the worst!"
“What do you mean again?” Sky asked, “We agreed that if you feel contractions you tell me immediately.”
“Oh oops, I forgot to tell you. Well I guess I can tell you now, I’m having contractions. Five minutes apart. Yay?”
Keeping calm, Sky instructed the Winx to bring Bloom to a safe place where she can rest. He told them that he would go to the perimeters of Eraklyon and secure the border,
“I’ll keep any threats out. Stay safe Bloom.”
“Well let’s get Bloom to a safe place,” Layla said.
The girls followed Bloom around the palace. Clouds were starting to form in the sky, covering all sources of light from the sun. It was still midday, but the presence of the clouds made the palace feel like it was night. As the minutes went on, each room and hallway they walked into started to get darker and colder. The girls eventually found a secret passage.
“Sky and I planned for this day, we know our child will be vulnerable to danger. This child will carry the dragon flame, they must be protected at all cost. We decided I’d give birth in this secret chamber, way beneath the castle where no one could find us,” Bloom told her friends, “Stella I need you to illuminate the stairway. Then we can—”
A surge of dark magical energy entered the castle, all the girls could feel it. It was a frigid feeling; a sharp and piercing sensation.
“What was that?” Stella asked.
“Something bad is happening. We need to go help Sky. Flora and Stella stay behind with Bloom and make sure she is safe,” Layla said, "Everyone else, follow me and I'll take us to the border of Erakylon's palace."
“I can alert the specialists that there is active danger. They came with us for our surprise to see Bloom. Good luck Bloom, we’ll make sure this evil presence gets nowhere near you or the baby,” Tecna said reassuringly.
While the three went to help Sky defend Eraklyon’s borders, Bloom, Stella, and Flora made their way towards the secret passage.
“It’s over here,” Bloom said, “All you have to do is pull the lever and the door opens.”
The door started to open, “Wow that’s a long way down,” Flora said. They were standing at the entrance of a long spiral staircase. It was dark and grim, and included cobwebs on the side walls.
“I can’t even see the bottom! This must go on forever!” Stella sighed as she walked closer to the entrance.
“I guess we’ll have to change the pace and start moving. The midwife should already be down in the chamber. We’ll be safe down there.” Everyone started to walk down the steps.
--
Meanwhile Techna, Musa, and Layla met with Sky at the castle's entrance. The outside was gloomy and cold. The animals were hiding, the flowers were wilting. Danger was near Eraklyon.
“Girls, what’s wrong? Is Bloom okay?” Sky asked.
“She’s fine but we felt a surge of dark magical energy and wanted to meet up with you. We want to help you keep danger away from Bloom,” replied Musa.
“What! Where is this surge coming from?” Sky said.
“We don’t know,” Layla said.
“None of my sources seem to have an answer for where this darkness is coming from or what it is,” Tecna said.
A blow of wind struck the gates and abruptly opened all that had been heavily guarded. Someone with a cape walked into the palace,
“A dark surge of magical energy you say.”
Everyone gasped, it was none other than the Witch of Madox.
“The Witch of Madox! You were supposed to be banished from all magical power! How are you here!” Layla said.
“Oh but why would I tell you. You see Princess, or should I say Queen Layla of Andros, there are loopholes to everything. I happened to figure one out.”
“You will get nowhere near my wife or my future baby! I will protect them at all cost!”
“If it isn’t King Sky of Eraklyon, I can tell you haven’t changed one bit. I’m sure you know why I am here, as you recall my past intentions. I seek the dragon flame, I seek maximum power. If I remember correctly, why it is your beloved Bloom who carries the dragon flame. She carries the power I will possess,” Matilda snaps her fingers and within a second a giant army of dark figures appear behind her.
“You will never get your hands on Bloom!” Sky persists.
“Oh but that’s where you are mistaken, sire. Either my army impales all of Eraklyon or you give me the location of Bloom,” she snaps her fingers again to show two images weld in front of his blue eyes, “Would you rather protect the girl you have loved since high school or the citizens you swore to defend from danger. The choice is yours.”
“Sky! Don’t let her fool you! She’s just playing you!” Layla told Sky.
“What is your choice, King Sky of Eraklyon. I don’t have all day.”
“Fine. You leave me no choice. I’ll lead you to Bloom.”
“Excellent,” Matilda snaps her fingers, and the army she created turns into dust.
--
In the secret chamber rests Bloom, Stella, and Flora, along with the midwife chosen to assist Bloom. Bloom was resting on a soft bed, surrounded by flowers Flora had made for her. Stella paced around the room while Flora sat in a chair.
“I hope the girls are doing okay, they haven’t been back in so long. What if they are—”
“Stella will you shut your mouth! Not in front of Bloom,” Flora barked.
“They’ll be fine right?” Bloom asked.
“Yes don’t worry Bloom, everything will be okay,” Flora said to Bloom.
--
“She’s this way.” Sky couldn’t believe what he was doing. Sabotaging the one he loves to protect the people of Eraklyon.
“Sky! You don’t need to do this! Bloom is vulnerable, she isn’t just your wife but she's also our friend!” Musa told Sky.
“I’m sorry Musa, but this is the only way to solve this conflict.”
“We better be close to Bloom, your royal highness. My legs are starting to get tired you know,” Matilda sighed to herself. This plan is working perfectly, in no time I will defeat Bloom and conquer the dragon flame!
“She’s in here, through this wing of the castle.” Sky signaled to the guards to let them through. They entered the West Wing, the traditional place for the queen to fulfill her royal duties. The entrance led to a long stairwell with a visible tower all the way at the top.
--
“A few more contractions and she should be ready to go into active labor,” the midwife said.
“I am not excited for childbirth. That’s just scary you know,” Stella told Flora.
“I’m with you. The only babies Helia and I are planning on having are plants!” Flora giggled.
--
“She’s in this door.” Sky pointed to a luscious door, bedazzled with jewels and art.
Wait a minute, this is not the entrance Bloom led us to. Sky is tricking her! Tecna thought. They were at the top of the tower of the West Wing which was in the exact opposite location for where Bloom had hidden.
“I shall enter alone if you don’t mind,” Matilda said.
“Nonsense. I am coming with you, to take one last look at my precious wife.”
“Fine lover boy, come meet your doom.”
Perfect. She fell right into the trap, Sky thought.
Matilda entered the room, only to find darkness and emptiness. “Sky! You told me Bloom would be here! Where is she?” she screamed.
“Bloom is not here. But the specialists are,” Sky told the old woman, “Guys take her down!”
The specialist immediately knocked Matilda off her balance. She was in complete shock of the ambush, My plan! It didn’t work! This can’t be, my plans always work! How could this be—
Before Matilda could finish her thought, she had been defeated, ended, and turned to dust. The world went blurry for her, darkness engulfed her.
“She’s defeated,” Sky sighed to himself.
The specialist walked out of the room, greeting half of the Winx Club.
“Is everyone okay? Is Bloom okay?” Musa asked the men.
“She should be fine, this was all a trap. Bloom was never in this room, Bloom is in a secret chamber far from this room,” Helia said.
"Yes, from my calculations, we are in the most opposite place for where Bloom was actually located," Tecna stated, "Very smart strategy."
"I guess Matilda was defeated then," Layla said.
"It's a good thing Matilda is no longer a threat, I wouldn't want her destroying the people of Eraklyon or destroying Bloom," Timmy said.
“Speaking of which, I suggest you should go see her then, Sky. She needs you the most now,” Brandon told Sky.
“Yes, you’re right.”
--
Sky made it to the room just in time. He could hear screams of Bloom’s pain and distress. All he wanted was to comfort her and be by her side.
And then, he heard the cries of a baby. He was a dad! Overjoyed, he rushed to Bloom.
“Sky! You made it, you’re okay!” Bloom said, “You’re a father now, I want you to meet your daughter.”
“She’s beautiful,” he said.
“Wow, congratulations you guys, you’re parents now!” Brandon told them.
“What will you name the baby?” Stella asked.
“Well, we were thinking of naming her, Elia,” Sky said.
“Welcome to the world Princess Elia.” Bloom told her precious daughter.
From that moment on, Princess Elia would be given the important task of protecting the dragon flame, and for one day to become the new leader of Eraklyon. She’d grow up around Stella and Bradon’s son, Frankie.
Elia had few ideas for the dangers she would face in her life. Luckily, she wouldn’t face those challenges alone. Though she did not realize it, Elia was very close to meeting those friends who would fight along her side as her time at Alfea was about to begin. Her journey as a member of the Future Generation was just initiating.