What's Inside

Summary: Cedric rescues Sofia from a freak snowstorm and gets quite the surprise when the princess's amulet activates in a completely new way. *Requested by Creepy-Pasta*

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Creepy-Pasta requested this story, and the idea was just so intriguing that even I became curious what could come of it. Lol. Hope you enjoy!

*Story*

You know how people tell you not to do something, because it could be dangerous? You know how sometimes you just don't listen, because you think it couldn't possibly be as bad as they said? Sofia found herself in that situation late one Saturday afternoon when she and Cedric were gathering ingredients for some upcoming potions in the Enchancian forest. So far, their baskets were filled with various jars labeled and sorted by category, and each jar was nearly filled to the brim. The last thing they wanted was to have to come back so soon just because they'd not gathered enough ingredients.

"Hey, Mr. Cedric!" Sofia called as she whirled around once, her ponytail swinging behind her as she grinned and held up her wand. "Look what spell I found today!"

Cedric frowned as she gripped her wand a bit more firmly. "I thought we agreed we'd stick to spells I teach you or the fairies teach you, Sofia," he remarked as she giggled. "You know as well as I do that magic can be dangerous. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Oh, Mr. Cedric, stop worrying." She shrugged. "It's just a little snow spell. How cool would that be? Snow in the spring?"

"Yes, I believe Queen Elsa did it first though…" He rolled his eyes as she waved her wand.

"Adventum tempestas nivis!" Sofia guided her wand through the air as the clouds above darkened and began pouring forth copious amounts of snow. She laughed in delight as the ground grew coated in the white precipitation.

"Sofia, I thought you were only going to call forth snow," Cedric recalled, "not a snowstorm!"

"It'll be fine!" she placated him sweetly before hurrying over to him and quickly tapping him on the arm. "Tag, Mr. Cedric! Bet you can't catch me!" She giggled and rushed off, her protector boots quickly finding the multitude of snow a bit difficult to cope with.

"Sofia, stop!" Cedric groaned in dismay as his vision grew hazy with all the blurring snow beating down on both him and the ground. "I've got to stop her. She has no idea how dangerous this weather can be." With a great deal of difficulty, for now he was fighting strong winds in addition to the blizzard, Cedric trudged forward through the snow.

Sofia panted as her body finally began to give out, exhaustion overcoming her. Her boots felt as though they weighed more than she did. Her clothing was becoming damp and as cold as the angry snow. Her hair was already soaked through, and her fingers were freezing. She shivered a bit before stopping beside a tree, sinking down to rest against it. "I just need….a little break," she assured herself, her breathing becoming more labored. Her blue eyes peered out at the snowstorm she'd caused. When did the forest get so white all of a sudden? "Maybe…Mr. Cedric was right…about that spell…" She sighed once, slowly, before feeling her eyes drifting shut and her head lowering against the bark of the tree.

"SOFIA!" Cedric called as he continued pushing forth, fighting against the tempest. "You'd think after all our years of training, she'd know not to foolishly pronounce spells like that." He frowned. His apprentice may have been wise beyond her years, but she was still young and apt to make silly decisions and mistakes. It didn't take long for him to come across the princess, rapidly becoming covered in a small mountain of snow. "Sofia!"

He knelt down and raked the snow from her, pulling her into his arms and flinching at how cold her skin was. She was breathing, but it was shallow and somewhat irregular. He untied his robe and draped one side of it over her, knowing full well that it would do little good since, like her outfit, it was quickly becoming damp and cooler. "Why didn't you listen to me?" he chided gently, cradling her. "Oh, Merlin, if your father finds out about this, it will be my fault… Progress or no, protecting you is the one thing we both had in common, and if he thinks I failed…" He closed his eyes and hugged her closer to him.

Sofia's amulet glowed immensely for a few brief moments before regressing, a few mere magical sparkles still hovering over it.

Noticing the strange warmth of the amulet's glow, Cedric opened his eyes and lifted his head, gaping at the sight before him. "Wh-Who are you?"

A young woman of indiscernible age—though she appeared quite young—stood before him. Her vibrant pink hair swept along her legs and nearly brushed the snow. Her eyes were a softer shade of pink, peering at him knowingly. Her long violet dress, accented with black lace details, whipped around her, revealing her bare feet nearly buried in the snow. Around her neck was a choker of the same black lace on her dress. She was probably the most surreal-looking person he'd ever seen, and he'd seen a lot of surreal things in his life.

"I think you know who I am," she responded mysteriously with a mischievous smile and glimmer in her eye. "I've been with Sofia ever since King Roland handed me over to her, and she's kept me safe and taken good care of me, for which I've returned the favor."

Cedric's mouth dropped as he looked from the slumbering princess back to the girl in front of him. "Y-You… You're the Amulet of Avalor?!"

She shrugged. "More or less…" She walked up to the two friends and placed one hand over Sofia's stagnant amulet and the other on Cedric's hand. "Now to fix this little problem, you'll have to do what Sofia often does: make a wish, and I'll grant it."

"B-But…I don't know what…" He glanced down at Sofia and sighed, understanding what he had to do. "I wish to break this spell and have Sofia safe and back to normal."

The girl smiled. "Wish granted." She snapped once, and the snow suddenly vanished—the coating on the ground, the falling precipitation, everything… She sifted her hands through the air, magic stemming from her fingers and surrounding the two Enchancians.

Cedric sighed in relief as he instantly felt warmer, the sun finally reaching them again. He was also even more relieved when he heard Sofia breathing normally, though she remained asleep. "Thank you," he told the woman before him.

"Hmm, now there's something I never would have believed I'd hear from you, at least back in the beginning." She smirked as he gulped, seeming to know what she was hinting toward. "If I had a ruby for every time you sneered in my direction and plotted to steal me from the princess, I'd have my normal shade of red back in my hair."

"Well, I—wait, what?" He frowned in confusion, shifting Sofia to his other arm for comfort. "What are you talking about?"

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes. "Once upon a time, I—the Amulet of Avalor—happened to be a beautiful red color. When Princess Elena's mother wore me, I was the feistiest little red gem the Kingdom of Avalor had ever seen. I was made to be red." She huffed and folded her arms. "And then Princess Elena got trapped inside of me—which, to be honest, was sort of…weird… We never actually made contact because…reasons." She put her hands on her hips. "Anyway, then the amulet turned purple, and so did my hair. Okay, fine. I like purple. I can deal with purple, and I looked good with purple hair." She grinned, reminiscing. "And then when Elena was released, for whatever reason, the amulet turned pink. PINK, Cedric. Pinker than a cliché bouquet of roses on an overly-dramatic first date." She gestured at her hair. "All I wanted was my red back, but no… I can grant wishes for others, but I can't do a thing for myself."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your rant, but what does this have to do with me?"

"Oh, it's always about you, isn't it?" She waved one hand flippantly. "Typical. You wanted to steal the amulet. You wanted to take over the kingdom with me. Hello! Ever heard of the failsafe? Besides, did you really think Sofia was going to hand me over so easily? Friend or not, her father told her to never take me off."

"This is the strangest conversation I've ever had," the sorcerer murmured before clearing his throat. "I—I apologize. I wasn't aware there was a…a spirit inside the amulet, or whatever you happen to be."

She shrugged. "Spirit works for me. And you know, I guess you did make up for your misdeeds." She smiled, finally being a bit more serious for a change. "I know a bit about you, you know. I know you plotted to take over Enchancia because of your past." She shook her head as he lowered his. "I'm not angry with you, Cedric. In fact, quite the contrary: I'm proud that you proved yourself worthy of Sofia's trust. Believe it or not, I actually care about you, Cedric, because Sofia does." She closed her eyes. "And I understand that you did what you did because you didn't want to live in your father's shadow."

He blinked in surprise. "Y-You know about that?"

She just smiled and offered him a meaningful stare. "Don't be Goodwyn, Cedric. Be better than him. Just be you. That's the person Sofia has come to call a friend—a sensational friend, if I remember correctly." She laughed softly.

"Yes…" He shifted his gaze back to his sleeping apprentice. "I disappointed her with my actions, and I've apologized profusely to both her and her father. While it's taken a while, I believe I've finally regained both of their trust." He looked toward the amulet's host. "Sofia's anger is something I never hope to encounter again, to be honest."

She laughed, returning to her mirthful ways. "I'm not surprised. My favorite part was Sofia scolding you last year when she found out what your plans were. The look on your face was priceless!" The girl grinned as he glared at her with a slight pout on his face. "What? I'm just saying…" She regained her composure and folded her arms. "Anyway, Sofia will be fine. By the way, sometimes it's not enough just to tell someone not to do something. If you sense she's going to cause trouble for herself, and she doesn't seem to be listening, intervene and make her stop." She frowned. "Sofia has enough she's dealing with right now, and I'd hate to see her get hurt any more than she already has—or will be."

"What are you talking about now? What do you mean, will be?"

The mysterious smile returned to the girl's face. "How should I know? This is your daydream."

"Huh?" He blinked, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden.

"Snap out of it, Cedric… Cedric… CEDRIC…"

"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia called, waving her hands in front of her mentor's face and smiling as he finally focused on her. "Thank goodness. I've been trying to get your attention for a few minutes now."

"Sofia?" he asked dazedly, grasping her arms. "You're all right?" He chanced a quick look around and realized they were in the Enchancian forest, and his basket of ingredients was still beside them, neatly organized.

She giggled. "Yes? I'm fine. You were the one suddenly out of it. I was trying to tell you about this new spell I found."

That snapped him out of it all right. He frowned. "Does it happen to be a spell about snow?"

The princess gasped. "How did you know?" She grinned and waved her wand once. "Advent—" She blinked when she suddenly found one of his hands covering her mouth and his other hand plucking the wand from her hand. She offered him a quizzical stare as he pocketed the wand. Once he lowered his hand, she asked, "What was that for, Mr. Cedric?"

"No more magic today, my dear," he responded, opting to dodge her unasked question. "I think I've reached my limit today. Let's just finish up here and get back to the castle, hmm?"

Sofia simply laughed. "Whatever you say, Mr. Cedric."

Neither noticed her amulet twinkle a few moments before returning to normal.

The end