Chapter 26: Broken Circle

A cold wind blew through the frozen tunnel, briefly causing Morgana's garments to billow. She fought off the urge to shiver and turned, observing the assembled fairies. The remnants of her generals' grand armies. Now reduced to a tired, shivering mob. She could see it in their eyes. Hope was dying out. Belief in the cause was faltering. She stared at her hand, feeling her energy flow.

She could help them. She could fix them.

"My Queen," Sibylla said, shaking Morgana out of her thoughts. "We have lost all contact with Aurora's group. And our scouts are reporting that we have been followed."

"Troublesome," the fairy queen muttered. "We are after all following her plan."
"That's exactly my point," Sibylla continued. "Recently, Aurora has done a number of things that... Has made me question her dedication. Are we certain that she hasn't become sympathetic to the cause of the rebels?"
"Aurora is fully dedicated to our cause," Morgana said certainly. She paused. "Still, it is not like her to disappear. What has happened?"

"I do not know, My Queen. But given that we have been pursued, I suggest we..." Sibylla began. A series of loud noises cut her off, as a sudden onslaught swept over their guards. Bullets and spells hammered the front-line of the White Circle, wounding or killing the faerie soldiers. The redhead scowled. They had been found.

"Queen Morgana!" Ogron called as he strode in, soldiers marching in on both sides. "Surrender immediately or we will use all possible force to stop you. One way or the other."
"My Queen, they must not get to you," Sibylla pleaded. "Head out through the tunnels. We will hold them back."
"Thank you, Sibylla. Your sacrifice will be remembered," the fairy queen informed her, before making her escape.

"Morgana is legging it," Techna observed, as her and her friends entered the battlefield.

"I'm not gonna let that bitch run off," Riven growled.

"Well, they're not going to make that easy," Timmy remarked, aiming his rifle and firing.

"Alright, everyone, forward," Brandon ordered, as they began crossing the frozen cave.

Fragments of ice, shaken loose by the conflict, rained down upon the battlefield. Powdery piles of snow exploded into cold clouds, as they were blown apart. All around the group, the White Circle was being decimated.

On one side, Jonas charged forward, a magical barrier blocking the enemies' attacks, before he swung his great mace at them.

On the other, Gantlos barged through a hastily erected barrier, before unleashing one of his punches into an opponent's stomach, liquefying their organs.

On a third side, Anagan charged forward, punching an opponent in the face as his maximum speed, snapping their neck instantly.

The group had almost reached the exit, when Sibylla got in their way. "ARROGANT WRETCHES!" she screamed at them. "I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"

The group paused and readied their weapons, preparing to take on the infuriated fairy general.

Then Flora stepped forward.

"I have neither the time to deal with you, nor the inclination to risk the well-being of my friends and loved ones," she coldly stated. "I warn you, Sibylla. Surrender now or I will kill you."
"Big words, little girl," the fairy general said, a snarl on her face. "I will rend you apart!" She unleashed a furious yell, storming forward.

Then halfway forward she suddenly fell, tumbling to the ground. She did not get up again.

"Uhm... Okay, what?" Sky asked in shock. "What in the name of the Dragon did you just do to her?"
"Well... Killed her," Stella confirmed, after a cursory inspection. "She's tots dead."
"How did you... Do that?" Roxy asked, feeling a bit queasy.

"Simple. She is unfamiliar with Limphean plant life. Those seed pods I used on her back in Italy were still in her system. She might have tried to get them out, but proud of her abilities as she was, she did so herself, without someone like me to sense the plants. There were several dormant ones in her body. I shifted them to her brain, caused them to bloom, killing her instantly and painlessly." She focused her gaze forward. "Now let us go. We have to pursue Morgana now while there is still a trail."
"Agreed," Brandon said. "Everyone, move out."
As they left the battlefield behind, Techna turned to Helia. "Look, no way you were planning to, but that's gotta be extra incentive not to cheat on her, eh?"
"Yes. She can be... Quite terrifying," the artist replied.

"So, what do we do about her mind powers?" Musa asked Brandon. "Last time, she left us completely paralysed. And from the way Aurora spoke, it seemed she had enough juice left over to mind rape us into servitude. Do we have any way to counter that?"

"Techna and I went over that," Timmy stated. "We managed to build a disruptor. Once placed, it will make casting magic near impossible. That means we will have to rely more upon force of arms than magic if she decides to be difficult."
"I can live with that," the musician replied, checking her fans.

The tunnel in front of them terminated, opening op into another great cave. Surrounding them were many great ice crystals, their reflective surfaces mirroring them all many times over. Even the floor seemed like a giant sheet of ice. At the other end stood the leader of the White Circle, desperately searching the wall for a way out.

"Morgana!" Brandon called. "It's over!"
The queen seemed to freeze, before spinning around with a determined look on her face. As she did, Timmy activated a strange circular device and threw it to the ground.

Roxy took a deep breath, fearing that any second now she would feel the shiver inducing touch of Morgana's intrusive magic. She let out a sigh of relief as the intrusion failed to manifest.

"What... What have you...?" the fairy queen tried.

"We have disrupted your magic," Riven said. "There're no exits except through us."
"The White Circle is done for," Bloom said. "Surrender, or..."
"Or what?" Morgana replied. "Roxy, would you really let them hurt your mother?"
"To quote Nebula, not any more than necessary," the pink-haired fairy coldly replied. "So, how necessary is it going to be, Mom?"

Morgana hung her head and slumped her shoulders, seemingly defeated.

"I hoped she would fight back. Give me an excuse to kick her teeth in," Musa grumbled.

"Alright, get her cuffed so we can bring her back," Brandon instructed.

"Right, right, on it," Sky replied, reaching for his backpack. His hand suddenly froze. "What... What the..." The blond prince tried to move his hand, then his anything. But his body had suddenly decided to rebel against the idea moving.

"So, I guess you are all wondering now," Morgana coldly said, as she looked up. "How did it all go wrong?" She smiled. "Well, you all thought it was Sibylla who turned Dumon into an undercover agent, right? It wasn't. I did it. And when we met in the throne room, I managed to get a sense of you all. Managed to plant a few ideas. Brandon and Flora." She focused her eyes on the two. "You seemed like the leaders of the group, so I implanted the idea of going after me no matter the cost. I knew it would isolate you from the rest. Timmy and Techna." She turned to those two. "I implanted the idea of the device. It is completely pointless, a piece of junk with blinking lights. But I made you think it would work, to give your comrades confidence in pursuing me."

"You... Bitch..." Riven strained himself to say. "When I get my... Hands..."
"You won't," the fairy queen cut him off. "After all you have done, the least you can do is help me rebuild what you have destroyed." She smiled, almost warmly, as she stepped closer. "You all have shown great initiative, power and strength of will. You will all make for fine members of the next generation of generals. Through you, the White Circle will be reborn." Her smile grew even fonder as she advanced, which only served to add to the palpable aura of menace. "And you will finally see the light. And you, Roxy, will be at my side, as you should have been from the start."
"No..." the Earth fairy forced herself to say. "I'd... Rather... Die."
Morgana seemed to consider her options. "I'll of course need to send someone back. To tell the brave story of how so many of you died trying to take me down and how I finally fell. It will make for a good story and give me some undercover agents." She advanced again. "But first, we need an attitude adjustment."
Aisha gritted her teeth. She couldn't move. None of them could move as Morgana closed in, ready to turn them into her minions. She found warm tears slowly trickle down her face, as she tried to fight the queen's control.

"Ah, the princess of Tides," the leader of the White Circle remarked, as she noticed the struggling girl. "Yes, you must be in such pain, having lost such a close relation. It wouldn't do for you to know that the White Circle contributed to his tragic demise. In fact..." Morgana stepped closer. "I think it would be better if you forgot about him entirely."
Aisha's eyes opened wide, as the implications of her words sunk in.

"You... Sick... Twisted... Cunt..." Techna growled.

"We... Will... Not... Let... You..." Flora forced herself to say.

"From now on, you will what I say," the fairy queen replied, turning to them.

The princess of Tides found her mind racing to come up with a plan. And as the leader of the White Circle returned her attention to her, a desperate idea formed. With as much force as she could muster, she bit down on her tongue. Crimson, warm liquid exploded into her mouth, as did pain. She could feel the shock loosening her muscles. And as Morgana got close, she took a deep breath. She spat, splattering the blood directly into the queen's eyes. As she stumbled back in shock, Aisha felt the control fading. She stumbled forward, pulling her hand back for a punch. She had no experience fighting up close, but her impression was that neither did Morgana, as she plunged her fist into the older woman's stomach. Her next punch hit her face, knocking off her crown and sending the golden object hurtling through the air. Her third attack was interrupted, when Morgana lashed out with a vicious backhand. Still weakened, Aisha was knocked aside, stumbling over the ice and falling to the floor.

"ENOUGH!" the queen yelled, as she tried to re-establish her dominance. "I am in control. You will obey."
"Don't... Count on it," Brandon said, forcing a step forward.

"I will... Fucking... Murder you," Riven stated, as he slowly drew his blade.

"You're... Going... Down," Stella hissed, as she tried to focus her magic.

"STOP!" Morgana yelled, focusing all her energy on holding them in place. "You... YOU WILL OBEY!"
"You're on thin ice," came a cold voice.

The fairy queen turned to Aisha, who still lay on the frozen ground. "Your threats are of no use," the White Circle leader sneered.

"Actually," the princess said while looking up, her eyes devoid of mercy. "I was stating the obvious." With a surge of magical power, she dug all her fingers into the ice under them. Immediately, a wave of cracks fanned out from them, as with a terrible grinding the floor began falling apart. "This is for Nabu!"

Morgana tried to step back, almost stumbling in her long dress as she did. The entire floor under her wavered and buckled, causing her to waver as she tried to keep her balance. She reached out with her magic, desperately trying to force the group to come to her aid.

She swayed again, managing to catch a glimpse of them.

They were all pulling back, keeping their distance. There would be nobody to save her. Nobody to help her.

She was alone.

The ice gave in, shattering into a million pieces.

Morgana locked eyes with Roxy one last time, before she plunged into the darkness.

The rumbling ceased. Silence enveloped the frozen cave.

"Did that... Do it?" Bloom asked. "Is it... Is it over?"

"I... I guess," Brandon tried. "That was... Too close for comfort."
"Hey, there you are," Anagan said angrily, as he appeared in a blur. "What the Hell happened? You all just ran ahead without back up. What's..." He paused, noticing how the group looked. "Oh," he slowly said, before more gently inquiring: "Okay, what happened?"

"I think it is best if we head home first," Flora replied, as she and Mirta helped the very drained Aisha get up.

...

"Tea?" Gantlos offered.

"Thanks," Aisha weakly replied, taking the steaming mug, before sipping of its content. A beneficial side-effect of her powers that she had discovered was that she didn't have to worry about scalding herself with water.

"So, it's starting to look like clean-up is over," Brandon mentioned, eyeing another group of White Circle prisoners being teleported in. The group had situated themselves in the throne room, enjoying the brief respite. "Can't be many more than that."
"Doubtful," Gantlos drawled. "Excuse me, I need to go make a phone call."

As the blond left, Jonas made his way over instead.

"So, how's it going?" Sky asked.

"We've managed to take down or take in all the members of the White Circle we could possibly find. A few stragglers might have fled into the tunnels, but there is little we can do about that." The paladin shook his head. "Unless they can make their own portals, they are condemned to die on that frozen planet. Wish it wasn't so, but I cannot risk my men combing through every nook and cranny."
"What about Morgana? Are we sure she's really dead?" Roxy asked.

"As far as we can tell, yes. We couldn't fully explore the chasm, but there were no signs of her making her way out," Jonas reported. "At this point, I consider this matter officially closed. I will be leaving soon, to inform the realms. With the forbiddance effect annulled, it shall be much easier than our initial arrival."

"Well, then," Brandon said, nodding. "It has been an honour serving under you."
"Likewise, it has been an honour working with you," the paladin replied with a bow. "Good day to you all." Then he turned around and left.

"So... It's really over," Roxy said, almost as if she didn't dare believe it. "Isn't it?"
"The White Circle is as dead as can be," Techna said. "So, yeah, we're done. Add another one to the tally."

"The tally?" Bloom asked.

"Yeah, I mean, the list of great threats we've defeated," the scarred girl clarified. "The Usurpers, Darkar, Valtor, the Ancestral Witches and now the White Circle."

"Like, I'd tots appreciate it if there was less of that stuff in the future," Stella groaned. "Otherwise, I think I might get grey hair."
"I'm just glad all this... Violence is over," Mirta said and shivered. "I don't think I'll ever be able to forget this."
"And this is why I wanted you to stay home," Flora remarked, almost admonishingly.

"I didn't say I regretted coming," the redhead replied. "I helped keep you safe, didn't I? And..." She glanced at Helia, before blushing. "And, well, stuff happened. So it's not all bad."

"That's the spirit," Helia agreed. "Let's try to focus on the positive. And if we can also stay out of warfare and such in the future, that would also be great."

"Agreed," Mirta sighed.
Brandon looked up. In the distance, Riven was staring out the window. Musa had been observing the same painting for twenty minutes.

"You think they'll be okay?" Sky asked.

"I dunno," Brandon sighed. "I really don't know."
"Hey, I've been looking for you," Anagan said, as he suddenly dashed by. "Ogron wants you to know that he'll secure transport for you all as soon as possible. Until then, you can stay here."
"How generous," Flora said. "Very well, we accept the offer."
"Yes. I look forward to see if you can find a room that hasn't been shot to shit," Techna remarked, glancing at a nearby fallen wall. "This place got banged up harder than I've ever been."

"I see," Anagan slowly replied. "No, there are plenty of rooms that were spared heavy fighting and Jonas left some magicians to help us recover. We should be able to get this place up to snuff in no time." He paused. "Well, hopefully. Ogron gave you guys the best rooms, so the one I'm sleeping in... Well, let's just call it draughty."

...

A couple of days passed by. Isolated from most of the news, the group was left to ponder how the world was reacting. But in its own way, it was also peaceful. Slowly, the base was repaired and the island around them healed, the scars of conflict slowly being replaced with new life.

Still, it was with a certain eagerness that the group met up with Ogron, Anagan and Dumon in the great throne room.

"We have managed to secure you all transportation back to Gardenia," Ogron started. "After that, those of you who need to go to Magix will be picked up."
"Well, that's a relief," Bloom sighed.

"So, how's everything going?" Sky began. "With the world and all."
Ogron sighed, as Dumon said: "There's lots of paperwork in our future, that's for sure."
"Yes. America has been grumbling. Unsurprisingly, any agreement made when the country was still a bunch of colonies aren't considered binding," Anagan noted. "Plus, the fact a number of members of both police, the military and congress were undercover agents of ours. I think we're safe since we did help protect them from the White Circle, but you know how people are."
"Other countries like France were very surprised to find out that yes, there was indeed an agreement on paper allowing us to operate," Dumon continued. "It just predates their democracy, so that's now being debated."

"All in all, we might see our operational powers reduced," Ogron finished. "But that is a price we're willing to pay to enter the light once again. Hiding has cost us all too much and it is not a mistake I care to repeat."
"As for the realms... Well, they are in a bit of a furore as well," Dumon added. "I gather you've all gotten even more famous for this. Revealing the truth of the White Circle, recreating contact with Earth, that sort of stuff."
"Great. Can't wait to fend off even more journalists," Musa groaned. "Because that was so fun."
"And what about the members of the White Circle?" Brandon asked. "I haven't seen them since a couple of days ago."
"They will be judged by a proper court, although we will have to engage the international community to figure out how we'll arrange for that," Ogron said. "Until then, we will keep them in custody."
"The same goes for me." The group looked up to see Klaus walk into the room, escorted by Gantlos.

"Dad?" Roxy asked.

"Hey, it's okay," the blond reassured her. "But... Well, I'll most likely be locked up for a while. I mean, I've been through worse, but..." He sighed. "I'll miss you."
The Earth fairy paused for a moment, before quickly stepping forward and enveloping him in a hug. "I'll miss you too, Dad," she softly said. "I promise, I'll write or call or... Something."

"I'm sure you'll be allowed to do that," he replied, gently holding her.

"But what about the juice bar?" Helia asked. "Wasn't that your source of income?"
"Well, we're currently in talk with the state government of California as part of our talks with the country as a whole," Ogron explained. "We're not entirely sure how everything will be settled yet, but rest assured, no matter what, we will find some way to keep Roxy afloat."

The pink-haired fairy let her father go. "Then... I think I'm ready to go back."
"Excellent. A vessel will be waiting for you at the beach. They have been granted permission to land in California, so that shouldn't be a problem," Ogron explained.

"Well, then we'll see you around," Bloom said, as she and the others walked out.

The four members of the Black Circle and Klaus waved their goodbyes, as the groups exited.

"Well... We're finally going home," Sky said as they exited the fortress, warm sunlight bathing the group.

"Home... It's been too long," Riven sighed.

"I concur," Flora commented. "I look forward to getting home and taking a long, warm bath."
"I think I'll be joining you for that," Mirta commented. "I think it's been weeks since I last got a proper one of those."

...

The vessel closed in on the coast of California. Bloom took a break from the small talk that passed around in the cabin and gazed out the window. Gardenia still looked like a mess, with toppled buildings, collapsed houses and ruined streets. Yet in many places, she could also see that restoration had begun. It would be years at the very least before the city would fully recover. But it would recover. That, the redhead was certain of.

The skycraft touched down on a field just outside of town, holding just long enough to let its passengers out before flying off for its other errands.

It didn't take long for the group to make their way to the nearest road, where Murray, Mike and Vanessa were waiting with their respective cars.

Bloom walked up to her adopted parents, before the three of them came together in a group hug. "I missed you both so much," the redhead said.

"We've missed you too, Bloom," Vanessa said, stroking the redhead's hair.

"And we can finally move home again," Mike said. He paused, before adding: "Well, to the devastated crater that used to be our house. But we're kinda getting used to that."
There was a short pause as the two others absorbed his words. "Dad, you're ruining the moment," Bloom flatly commented, as Vanessa started laughing.

"You all look like you could use a proper vacation," Mitzi's mom remarked, as the group filtered into the cars.

"With all due respect, your world has run us ragged," Sky said, leaning back in the seat. "How's Gardenia?"

"Recovering," Murray replied. "So, how long before you go home for real?"
"We were given a couple of hours. We'll be home before the day ends," Timmy explained. "I guess they wanted us to have a little bit of time to say goodbye."
"How considerate," the black-haired woman replied. "Anyway, I'm taking you to Gardenia Dance Hall. They've just about got it all fixed up."

"Sounds perfect. I could use a drink," Brandon said. "If there's any left at this point."

About half an hour later, the group streamed out of the two vehicles and into the Dance Hall. Soft lounge music was playing and the place was mostly empty.

"Ey, you're all back. Awesome," Jason commented as he saw the group. "Heard you guys were stopping by before moving on. How are you all?"
"Tired," Brandon said, sitting down on a bar stool. "I'm officially off duty for the rest of the day. You got anything?"
"Sure. And since you just saved my planet, it's on the house," the Suits leader replied with a smile. "So, how about your ladyfriend?"
"I'm still tots unfamiliar with all of these Earth things," Stella said, sitting down next to Brandon. "You got, like, anything juice based?"
Not far from them, Bloom allowed herself to sink deep down into one of the sofas.

"So, is it always like this?" Roxy asked, sitting down beside her.

"Ever since I showed up, yes," the redhead replied. "I swear, I'm cursed."
"I know. It's almost unreal," the pink-haired fairy replied. "Never was a chapter about Harry Potter going to a therapist to get treated for PTSD."
"I presume it happened off screen," Bloom said, shrugging. "So, I imagine you'll be staying on Earth. What about your magic?"
"Oh, I talked about that with the Black Circle. They'll do their best to make sure that I'm tutored," she replied. "Anyway, I'm still coming with you, to say goodbye."
"Thanks," Bloom replied with a smile.

Not far from them, Musa looked around, trying to spot where Riven had gone. She caught a glimpse of his legs on the spiral staircase going upstairs. She paused, before hurrying after him.

She found him standing by the great window, overlooking the city. "You okay?" she softly asked, as she approached.

At first, she wasn't even sure he had heard her. But then he quietly replied: "No." He turned around and leaned against the glass. "I just... I feel so... Frustrated. He's not here and... It feels so wrong, you know."
"Yeah. I know," Musa replied.

"And... And I was so angry at the White Circle," Riven continued, as he started marching back and forth. "But now they're gone and... I'm not even sure who I'm angry with anymore. It just feels so... So unfair." He leaned against the railing overlooking the room below. "Brandon says we have lost comrades before. And that's true. But Nabu..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "He was our friend. I will never get him back. And that angers me. It's like, every time I look around, I almost expect him to be there, cracking another stupid comment about how beautiful Aisha is or something like that."

The black-haired musician paused. "You know, I think he'd be honoured that you'd remember him that way."

"Yeah, he probably would," the magenta-haired soldier replied. "And then he'd say something like, 'I always knew that our deep bonds would unite us, comrade Riven'."
Despite the mood, Musa couldn't help but giggle. "That's awful," she chuckled, trying not to laugh.

"'Blood brother Riven, our passionate defence of everything binds us tighter than a knot'," Riven continued.

"Stop, please," she chortled, trying to stop herself from laughing.

"'Dearest Riven, I would kiss you had I not promised my... My..." Riven tried, before he too began chuckling.

The two of them kept laughing and laughing, before finally collapsing in the available seats.

"I think..." Riven wheezed. "I think I needed that."
"Yeah," Musa replied breathlessly. "I think we both did."

"I'm going to miss that dumb idiot," Riven sighed. "You know, I haven't had much in my life. I've always been grateful for the friends I gained at Red Fountain. But losing people..." He paused. "Not so used to that." He sat up, determination on his face.

"You look like you've decided upon something," Musa noted.

"Yes. I'm going to train to become the best I possibly can," the magenta-haired soldier said. "I'm going to work my ass off, so that when those I care about are in danger, I'll be able to give one hundred percent effort."
"I'd say you shouldn't worry about us being in danger, but with our luck..." Musa trailed off, letting the words hang in the air.

...

Aisha sat by one of the Dance Hall's open windows, enjoying the cooling wind that seeped in.

"May I join you?" Flora asked, as she approached.

"Oh. Sure, of course," the princess of Tides replied.

"How are you feeling?" the Limphean noble inquired, taking a seat opposite the princess.

Aisha fell silent for a while. "I've been thinking a lot," she finally replied. "About Nabu. About this situation. About everything."

"Anything specific you want to share?" Flora asked. "If it is none of my business, you are free to say so. I will not mind."

"No, no, it's okay," the princess of Tides assured her. "It's just... I didn't know Nabu for long, but... Even though losing him hurt, I won't let it keep me down. It's like Brandon said, Nabu wouldn't want that. He sacrificed himself so that we could live. And he'd want us to live our lives to the fullest. He was never afraid to say his opinion or do what he thought was right. He'd want me... All of us, to move on. To find happiness." She paused, looking out the window again. "But I'm not certain what that means for me. For most of my life, I've been told how to be, what to say, what to do. It's only after meeting all of you that I've really thought about all of these things. I thought my future was to be married to Nabu, but now... That's not going to happen. I mean, I'm sure my parents have replacement plans, but..." She fell silent.

"You are no longer sure you would agree with those plans I take it," Flora remarked.

"I used to think they knew best. Now... You're right, I am no longer sure of that." Aisha shook her head. "If I'm going to be happy... If I want to move on and live my life to its fullest... Then I need to find out what I want. But I'm just not certain what that means yet."
Flora contemplated her words for a moment. "Aisha, no one ever figured these things out in one day," she finally said. "I think the thing to take away from all of this is that you are ready to begin this journey of self-discovery. It is an important one and I cannot promise it will be easy."
"To be honest, I didn't expect it to be," the dark-skinned princess replied. "I just wonder what my parents will say. Especially if what I want doesn't align at all with their plans."
"Well, your parents will hopefully accept you for who you are," Flora said. "And remember, we are your friends. We will support you."
Aisha was quiet for a moment, before a small smile appeared on her face. "Thanks. I really do appreciate that."
"Hey, am I interrupting something?" Techna asked, walking over.

"No, I believe we had just concluded our discussion," Flora replied. "Is there an issue?"
"Wouldn't call it an issue," Techna replied. "But Firetop just got a phone call from Granny. She'll pick us all up in the park, so we're moving out."

...

Gardenia Park was still a mess of overgrown plants, broken pathways and mossy ponds. In fact, it looked more like an abandoned plot of land far out in the wilderness than anything that would be in the middle of a city. Yet, it was here that the group found a waiting Faragonda.

"Hey, Miss Faragonda," Stella cheerfully exclaimed, as they walked up to her. "Dear Solaris, am I happy to see you again."
"And I too am very happy to see you all," the headmistress of Alfea replied. Her smile faltered. "I... I've heard about Nabu. And I am so sorry that you all have had to go through that."
"It's okay," Aisha said. "I think..." She paused, looking around at the others for a moment. "I think we're ready to try to move on," she finally said, returning her attention to the headmistress. "We'll honour his memory by living our lives."
"I'm sure he'd be happy to hear that," Faragonda softly replied. "His family has been notified. They are of course saddened by the news. But they were also very proud of him."
"He went above and beyond to keep us all safe," Brandon said. "I couldn't have asked for a greater person to have joined us."
"Well said." The headmistress paused. "Well, ready to go back?"
"Yes. Well, except for Roxy here," Bloom noted, turning to the pink-haired girl. "Will you visit someday?"
"Only if you promise to do the same," the Earth fairy replied. "Just don't bring as much trouble with you next time."
"I very much agree. My poor heart can't take much more," Faragonda said. "Well then, let's..."
"HEY, WAIT!" came a yell. The group turned around to see Jason running towards them, followed by Andy and Mitzy. "Don't go just yet!"
The group paused, trying to catch their breath.

"Why... Why didn't... You say you were... Leaving...?" Andy gasped.

"I'm sorry," Bloom replied. "I just... I just figured what with everything..."
"That'd we'd be busy, yeah, yeah," Mitzy interrupted while stretching. "You're an idiot, Bloom."
"I know," the redhead sighed, a smirk on her face. "Thanks for coming. Seriously, I'm sorry, I really did figure you were busy."
"Not too busy to say goodbye," Jason replied with a grin "Not proper at all, no."
"You will be coming back, right?" Andy asked. "You're not going to vanish like last time."
"You better not," Mitzy grumbled.

"Heh, well, it might take some time before America figures out how to handle interdimensional travellers," Bloom replied, scratching her neck. "But sure, I'll see what I can do. So, what will you all do now?"
"Well, school's out for now obviously," Jason said. "So I'll focus on making the Dance Hall run as smoothly as possible. People will need places to hang out and relax while we get things back in order."
"And Mr. Queen has gotten my band a gig as warm-up for another band in Phoenix," Andy said. "We'll also be joining some charity plays to help gather more money for those people affected by the war. We've had some real success with that."
"And I'm mostly going to hang around, maybe annoy Mom a bit," Mitzy said. She fell silent, biting her lip.

"Is something wrong?" Bloom asked.

The black-haired girl sighed. "I don't want to add more for you to worry about, but I'm not going to keep this secret. I think we've seen how bad that can go." She paused and took a deep breath. "It's Selina. She's gone missing."
"Missing?" Bloom echoed.

"What? You've checked in with her parents, right?" Jason asked, brows furrowed.

"Of course I did. In fact, they are the ones who told me," Mitzy replied. "I mean, I met with her after the attack on Gardenia. She was shaken, but otherwise fine. But now she has vanished into thin air. I hope it's nothing serious, but... I have no clue why she'd leave."
"Neither have I," Bloom said, looking at the ground. "Please, contact me if you find out anything."
"I will," Mitzy replied.

The redhead nodded and turned around, rejoining her friends. She took one last moment to glance back at Gardenia. And then, with a flash, they were gone.

Whew, that ended up taking a bit of effort. Well, that's it for season 4, folks. Thanks for reading, you have all been a lovely audience. As usual, we'll be doing a Q&A thing, so feel free to ask us about the project. Also, to my surprise, I've actually stumbled upon a few pieces of fanart here and there. So, thanks for that too. Stuff like that makes me and my co-author very happy :)
Also special thanks to Warlord1, Fluttersniper13 and Rhanar for helping beta read these things.

Now then, just so none of you worry about this, yes, we will do future seasons and movies. But it won't be our next project. Me and Givenea have been talking and we've decided we need a change of pace, so we'll soon begin working on another project we've wanted to do. So after we've taken a bit of a break, we'll return with that and hopefully, you people will enjoy it. Now, I'm not going to say what it is, but I can say that it is another rewrite and it's another long series. And we think we'll be able to do a lot of fun, exciting and interesting stuff with the material given. So we'll be back in force after our little break. Believe it ;)

Best regards

ArachCobra and Givenea