A present from me to you on my very special day. A little backwards, but it's a gift for me too to wrap up one more story.

Enjoy the story.

"No hard feelings, Guardian. But this is too much for me to refuse."

Bloom placed the necklace on Faragonda's neck, unbothered by the bright light that was emitting from the butterfly pendant, even as it turned brighter and began to unleash a beam of blue light. Yes, she heard in her head, a deep, soothing and most importantly persuasive voice, urging her to fasten the clasp around the Guardian's neck and get it done with. "Yes," she murmured softly, her hands fumbling faintly with the clasp to secure it around Faragonda's neck.

No. This wasn't right! Her hands slowed, stopping as she gritted her teeth, pulling her hands apart from each other. Golden eyes widened as they flickered between gold and blue, her body trembling as she fought against the control of Darkar, trying to force herself to take the necklace off before she ended up messing up again. Messing up, like she did with just about everything. Tears built up in the corners of her eyes as she continued to fight the control, lowering her head to try and hold back her sobs. "I can't... I can't..."

"Bloom! You can do it!" Roxy's voice was so distant, so, so distant in her ear, but it was reaching her nonetheless, urging her to fight the control that was warring with her will to control her body. "You can't let this Black Circle-reject control your mind and body! I know you're stronger than that, Bloom!" The pink-haired girl lunged forward, shaking the bars of her cage with a cry, her violet eyes wide and dilated. "Fight it!"

Flora joined her, the dryad fluttering desperately near the top of the cage to try and get free. She managed to force a tanned hand through the bars and she cried out to the redhead, her green eyes watering. "Bloom, please! I know you're in there, Bloom! You have to remember that he doesn't control you! You control yourself! You're strong, Bloom, I know you are!" The brunette reached out a hand desperately, reaching towards Bloom despite the cage being on the opposite side of the room.

Her pixie pet — her beloved Kiko — squeezed towards the bars on the cage, unable to get past them, but his little face was heavily scrunched together in worry as he cried out a high-pitched babble. His wings buzzed anxiously as he pushed himself further against the bars, trying to get through to her.

They've only known you for so long. What do they know about what's ever happened to you? the dark voice that had found its way into her head sneered menacingly. They've never been without their wings. They've never had to suffer the disdain and bullying that comes with it, never had to suffer being abandoned by their own families!

Bloom dropped the necklace before her fingers could fasten the clasp around Faragonda's neck, and the dark blue butterfly necklace slid down from her neck to clink on the floor, the bright glow dying away immediately. Her hands gripped her head tightly as she sank onto her knees and collapsed onto the ground. She screamed at the voice to shut up even as everyone else cried out to her to fight. Three of the voices were silenced almost immediately as the voices of the three witches moved to shut up the trio in the cage.

I'm your friend, B. It's what friends do. Besides, I'm your friend and I'm not going to leave you behind.

You, dear child, are destined for many, many great things.

I know you're stronger than that, Bloom!

You're strong, Bloom, I know you are!

But the voice — the voice that kept trying to convince her to listen — was wrong. These people cared about her, and while her family — her birth family — hadn't, she had a family, a real family. Alfea, Stella, Kiko, and everyone else she had met on this trip. If she went through with this, if she let him control her into doing this, she'd destroy them and their lives. She'd never be able to forgive herself if she did it, so for their sake... for their sake, she had to— Her fingers curled into a fist as she slowly pulled herself back up again.

"I'll never let you win," she whispered as she got to her feet, standing with her feet firmly apart. Her dark navy clothes faded in colour to a bright, shimmering turquoise that sparkled brightly under the light. She raised her head, her eyes going from a feline gold to a bright, saturated blue that they originally were, fire burning bright and vivaciously in her eyes. Her wings — the wings he gave her — shattered like a mirror, and she glared at Darkar, who was still on his throne, seemingly unconcerned. "Never!"

Surging fire shot up around her in a ring, swirling around her into the form of a dragon, wrapping protectively around her. Bloom narrowed her blue eyes, oblivious to everyone else gasping and whispering. "Take this! Dragon Fury!" she screamed, feeling the fire inside of her burst out in a raging inferno. The dragon that curled around her shot out with her hands, roaring as it zeroed in onto the armoured being on his throne.

"Fool! You'll never be able to defeat me!" Darkar roared, standing up menacingly. "I am the Shadow Phoenix, and petty fire won't be able to defeat me!"

"But this isn't normal fire!" Bloom shouted, her red curls billowing in a wind that hadn't been there before. "I'll use the Dragon's Flame to save this world! For what you've done, you're going to pay!" The flames that surrounded her burned brighter as Bloom poured more power into the attack with a determined scream.

Darkar sneered and fired a blast of dark fire at the dragon, but when it dissipated as it hit the fire dragon head on, he took a step back. "No! No! That's impossible!" he roared. The dragon smashed right into him and his red armour burst into red-hot fire, corroding away at his shadowed being as he unleashed a pained roar that echoed in the throne room until he was entirely gone.

The flames began to die down around Bloom, and she slowly slumped down in her place, gasping for breath as she used her hands to prop herself up. Her red curls spilt over her shoulders as Bloom closed her eyes, a faint smile on her face. She slowly sank onto the floor, her breathing shallow and erratic as she laid there, her lips tugging into a satisfied smile.

I did it, everyone... You're safe now...

With that final happy though, Bloom sank into unconsciousness and drifted off into the blissful darkness of sleep.

"Where are you three going?"

Icy gasped as she turned around mid-way through her planned escape, her two sisters beside her also pausing in fear and surprise as the trio turned to face five of the seven angry Fairy Guardians. "Darcy?" the white-haired ice fairy asked slowly, backing steadily away from the angered glares of the five winged Guardians. "Let's make a break for it!" she yelped, shooting away in the other direction.

Palladium's hand shot out with blasts of orange light that weaved into a wall, cutting off escape routes and Wizigz, in the form of a hawk, intercepted Icy as she was making her escape, and Griffin clapped her hands together, shackling the ice witch's hands together at the wrist behind her back. The other Guardians proceeded to take down the other two fairies, with DuFour using an electrified lasso to hold Darcy and Zarathustra using a circular sphere of water to hold Stormy without fear of her escaping with her lightning.

"You three are going straight to Light Rock Monastery," Griffin told them, waving her hands in the air to summon a circular portal. The purple Guardian gave them an almost sickly sweet smile as she clicked her fingers, causing many muscular guards in the blue and white uniforms of the Monastery guards to pour out from the portal. "You'll be in special confinement, girls, I assure you, and once the Enchantress is recovered, she'll personally be seeing to your trials."

The ice fairy groaned as she was forcefully shoved into the portal, falling flat onto her face in a bright, light-filled courtyard. Her sisters joined her soon enough, falling on top of her with a heavy-sounding thud. Icy just let her head thump onto the sandy ground of the monastery courtyard in defeat as the rest of the guards appeared around them. They were going to be here for a long while.

"Guardian, is Bloom going to be alright?" Roxy asked with concern in her voice as Griselda broke the cage that held them open. The animal fairy's big wings fluttered anxiously before she flew over regardless of what the brunette Guardian could have possibly had the chance to say.

The brunette fairy grunted irritably as the pink-haired fairy asked her a question and proceeded to completely ignore her response. She turned her attention to helping the dryad inside — one she recognised as the dryad Wizgiz had taken under his wing long ago — and the pixie pet out of the cage. "Are the two of you alright?" she asked gruffly, eyeing the two with a critical brown gaze.

Flora, the dryad, nodded her head, scooping up Bloom's pet bunny in her tanned arms as she bowed hastily in respect and gratitude to the yellow Guardian of Magic Meadows. "Yes, Guardian Griselda," she said meekly. "Thank you for rescuing us."

Griselda sighed softly. How had she ever thought this child could have done what she did on purpose? Blinded too much by rage and anxiety, she had made a ridiculous jump of logic, as had the other four Fairy Guardians. "Flora. I humbly apologise for what I said back then," she said, looking downwards at the green-eyed dryad. "I misjudged and believed, contrary to evidence, that you were the traitor. I hope that you can accept my apology and allow us to make amends."

The brunette smiled shyly and ducked her head. "It's in the past, Guardian... I just want to go back to my old life... I hope that's not too much to ask." Her green eyes darted over to Bloom, cradled by Faragonda and Roxy as the redhead began stirring. "But for now, I need to see to my friend. Thank you for your apology, Guardian. It means a lot to me," she confided in a low voice as she bowed again, flying off to join the other two.

The yellow Guardian flew over to the dark blue Guardian and the trio with her. "How is her condition, Faragonda?" she asked her senior, lowering herself to the ground to assess Bloom's condition. Thankfully, she didn't find anything discouraging with the redhead's condition.

"She will wake up in time," the elderly fairy replied with a warm smile. "I'm very proud of you, Bloom," she told the unconscious and sleeping redhead. "You've done something very great indeed." Rising, the dark blue Guardian levitated Bloom into the air. "Now then, I believe it's time for all of us to return to our homes. We should congregate another time to discuss all of this, but I believe all of us are sufficiently tired."

"I'll agree to that," Wizgiz called as the diminutive Guardian flew over and transformed back from a hawk. "I've missed my Apprentice, Flora," he told the dryad. "Do you want to come back with me to Linphea Gardens? Miele misses you a lot."

Flora's green eyes lit up and she reached over to take Bloom's hand, giving it a light squeeze before she shot over to Wizgiz. "Yes!" she cried, pulling the shorter Guardian into a tight hug. "Thank you, Guardian!"

Griselda smiled at the sight and looked over at Faragonda as the older fairy passed over Bloom's levitating form to her. "I'll see you at the council meeting, Faragonda," she said with a smile as she turned to the redhead. "Miss Roxy, you should go back with Faragonda for now. I'll be in touch with you," she added to the pink-haired fairy, who blushed a bit. "I have some words for you, young lady."

Goodbyes were said between the Guardians, and with a small bit of effort expended to destroy Shadowhaunt and the Shadowlands for good, the Guardians were on their way, some alone, some with friends, and in Griselda's case, with the single most important girl she'd seen since meeting the Enchantress.

It was all finally over. Darkar was gone. Magix was safe.

"She's awake! Bloom, Bloom! B, can you hear me?"

Bloom groaned as she turned around in her bed in Alfea, pulling the soft sheets up over her head. "Not so loud, Stel," she mumbled sleepily, throwing her arms over her eyes to block out the extra lights in her beloved home— Alfea? Stella? Wasn't she in Shadowhaunt? The redhead's blue eyes snapped open, and as soon as she saw Alfea's pink inner walls, she shot up in her bed, wincing a little when her head pounded in protest. "Stella?" she gasped, eyes wide. "Alfea?! H-how— what?"

The blonde sun fairy zipped over to envelop the redhead in a tight hug. "Oh, B! I'm so glad you're awake!" she cried, her face glowing with health and her wings buzzing anxiously, allowing Bloom to sigh in relief when she realized that her best friend had recovered from the poison she had breathed in while in the Forbidden Forest. "When the Guardian returned with you and Kiko, I was so worried that you were hurt!"

Bloom smiled, hugging her best friend back as she got to her feet. "Hey, I made it, didn't I?" she asked with a smile. "How is everyone else doing?"

Stella beamed. "Great. And you've got some guests waiting to see you outside, you know. I'm kind of jealous that you've made so many new friends on your trip!" she teased, reaching her hands to take Bloom's. "Do you think you're ready to go outside? I can ask them to come inside if you want."

The redhead shook her head, a small smile playing on her face as she moved to the other side of her bed and slid her feet into her usual blue boots. Stella hadn't changed a bit, and for that, the fire fairy was glad. After all that had happened to her in the past few days, she was more than thankful for some normality in her life. "I can get up, I hope," she said with a bright smile, pushing herself off the bed and standing up. She took a step forward, almost stumbling, but it was thanks to Stella's quick movements that she didn't hit the floor face first.

A laughing babble let her know that Kiko was indeed near her and unharmed.

"Thanks a lot, Kiko," Bloom threw out with a laugh as Stella helped her walk outside.

Alfea opened a doorway for them to exit and the redhead was forced to blink a few times to get used to the bright sunlight outside. She rubbed her eyes and glanced up, beaming in delight at the sight of the two girls she saw in front of her. "Flora! Roxy!" she called, leaning forward to hug the dryad and the animal fairy, who carried Artu in her arms.

"I'm so glad that you're alright, Bloom!" Roxy said with a smile, returning the hug one-armed.

Artu barked in agreement, the pixie puppy nodding.

Flora laughed. "The Guardians send their regards," she told Bloom, her green eyes sparkling. "And we also have a special guest coming for you. She told us that she'd like to come to meet you herself." She pulled back from the warm hug Bloom had given her, taking Bloom's hands in her own and giving them a tight squeeze. "I'm just glad you're alright, Bloom."

The redhead smiled, stepping aside. "Stella, this is Flora and Roxy. Roxy, Flora, this is Stella, my best friend," she introduced with a bright grin. As she stepped back, letting her best friend get familiar with her two friends that she'd met on her trip to save Magix. The fact that they seemed to be getting along just made her happier. A bright light appeared from behind her, and Bloom turned around to see someone she'd never have expected to see, ever. "Lady Enchantress," she whispered in awe, staring up at the tall, slender form of the fairy in question.

Daphne's long blonde hair was cascading down her back, her large golden wings fluttering behind her as the Enchantress finally descended onto the ground next to her. Her well-known mask graced her face perfectly, lightly framing her brown eyes. It was hard to reconcile the idea of the two of them being siblings at first, but the longer Bloom looked up at the graceful woman, she could make out shared details in their features — the shape of their eyes, the way the Enchantress' lips pulled into a smile.

"Hello Bloom," Daphne greeted warmly, extending a long, slender hand to the redhead. "It's so nice to finally meet you." Her tone was sad, almost, but it didn't show past her kindly expression. "It's lovely to finally see you in person. Thank you and all your friends so much for what you've done for the sake of Magix. I owe you a great debt, Bloom, and I believe that you've earned the right to receive a gift."

Bloom didn't bring up what Darkar had said to her as she looked up at the Enchantress. She didn't feel like it was important, anyway. If her birth family didn't want her, she had her own family already. "Thank you, Enchantress," she said humbly, "but I don't need a gift. I'm happy with my life as it is."

The Enchantress chuckled warmly and clasped her hands in front of her chest before she revealed a heart-shaped pin in her hands. "If that is what you believe, then, Bloom," she said gently. "But nevertheless, take this. I think you will appreciate it." She leaned in and affixed the pin to the redhead's top, in the middle of her halter-top.

A bright glow emanated from the pin and lifted Bloom into the air above everyone as they watched. Tongues of fire burned behind her, swirling into patterns that solidified into a pair of wings that began fluttering eagerly behind her, keeping her in the air. The redhead gasped and clasped at the brooch at her collarbone, slowly flying down to the ground. "Enchantress, I... thank you!" she breathed, looking behind her to watch her new wings flutter. And this time, she realised with growing elation, they were real wings, her wings.

Daphne smiled, folding her hands in front of her politely. "I'm glad to see that you enjoy it," she said gently. "You deserve it, Bloom. Now enjoy your new wings. I must go to attend to my duties now." With a gentle smile, the Enchantress turned to fly off, leaving a stream of light in her wake.

"Oh, that's awesome, B!" Stella called with a smile, flying over to take Bloom's hands.

Roxy beamed as she took into the air and flew behind the redhead, placing both hands on Bloom's shoulders. "Want to take a flight?"

Bloom smiled, and watching Stella and Flora take to the skies, she too joined them, flying after them with a feeling of elation, the air under her wings a feeling that she could get used to. As the redhead flew through the air with her friends, she smiled. She was happy with her life now, and she was sure she'd always be.

The wings were just a perfect bonus.

"Stella, wait up!" Bloom called with a brilliant, beatific smile, laughing as she glided through the air to join her friends — her family.

Read, review and provide constructive criticism.

And with this, Fairytopia is done! I hope you all enjoyed the trip!