Sugar Rush

Summary: Sofia and Clover discover a tree in her garden that has the ability to grow desserts. However, there's more to these delicious treats than meets the eye, as Sofia soon realizes.

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome show.

A/N: I guess it's easy to say I blame this story on my own sugar rushes. Lol. Hope you enjoy!

*STORY*

"Hey, Sof!" Clover called excitedly as he waved to his friend while she entered her garden. "Check it out! You got a new tree growin' over here!"

Sofia's eyes widened in excitement as she followed after her friend. "Really?" She paused before the large tree. It was a strange sight to behold: purple bark, numerous branches, and what appeared to be…desserts…dangling from the limbs? "Uh, Clover, I've never seen this kind of tree before…"

"Me neither. But uh, this has got to be the coolest thing ever, right?" He grinned at her. "Hey, think there's carrot cake up there?"

The princess appeared somewhat perplexed. "Hmm, I don't know, Clover… Sure, it's pretty neat that the tree has desserts on it, but could this be some kind of trick?" She frowned. "What if Slickwell planted it as a trap?"

The bunny gave her a humored smile. "Sofia… Let's face it. Slickwell is quite a character, but I don't think he's patient enough or 'gifted' in magic to plant something like this. Nah, this is just awesome…" He chuckled. "Wouldn't it be funny if Cedric was the one who planted it? I mean, magically, of course…"

"Hmm, yes, but I doubt Mr. Cedric would have planted it… He's been so busy lately." She sighed and shrugged. "I guess it's okay to try some, huh?"

Clover grinned and nodded. "Only one way to find out!"

Sofia giggled at his insistency and climbed a few feet up the tree, plucking off items like cupcakes, cookies, small pies, and even different types of candies. Each one she tossed down so it could land in a basket below, which Clover kept watch over. After several confections had made their way into the basket, the princess was satisfied enough to climb down.

Clover reached into the basket and pulled out a cupcake. "Ooh, this looks pretty good." He held it up to the girl and grinned.

She accepted the small cake and bit into it, savoring the sweetness. "Mm, that's good, Clover. Why don't you try one?"

"Nah. I'm kinda full from all those snacks earlier."

"You are full? That's unusual." She giggled again and ate the rest of her cupcake before reaching for a cookie. "Gosh, maybe I shouldn't have started eating these things… They're so good that I don't want to stop." The cookie vanished as she reached into the basket and grabbed a necklace that seemed to be made of candy. "Ooh! This is the neatest thing I have ever seen!"

Clover blinked in surprise as the princess stood up and started twirling about, her new purple and pink dress swirling out around her. "Uh, Sofia, you okay?"

Sofia laughed excitedly as she nestled the candy necklace beside her amulet. "Clover, I may never eat anything else again! This is the best! Haha!" She continued twirling until she finally became somewhat tired and dizzy, falling backwards onto the ground in a fit of giggles.

"Yeah, she's lost it…" Looking skyward, he saw a familiar raven flying nearby and seeming to circle the garden. "Hey, Wormy!"

Wormwood glanced down at the two friends and smirked before landing on the handle of Sofia's basket. "Well, well, isn't this a peculiar sight?" he asked curiously, seeing Sofia still giggling uncontrollably. "What is the matter with the princess?"

"I was hopin' you could tell me." Clover gestured toward the tree behind them, which Wormwood turned to see. "Sofia ate some of the sweets from the tree, and after that she just went bonkers."

"Hmm, that's rather strange." He blinked when the princess reached up and held a cupcake up to his visage.

"Wormwood, you've got to try this!" she insisted with her wide blue eyes sparkling excitedly. "It's ah-mazing!"

"Um, thank you, princess, but I'd rather not… And in any case, Cedric sent me to find you…as it seems you are late for your lessons."

"Oh, no! I completely forgot!" She stood wobbly to her feet and laughed breathlessly for a few moments before dusting her dress off. "How do I look?"

"Like a giggle-happy princess who needs to stop eating those sweets," Clover responded with a wince as she attempted to walk without tripping. "I'm kinda sorry I ever mentioned the tree now…"

"Oh, stop worrying so much, Clover. I'm fine!" She reached down to the basket and picked it up as Wormwood flew upward again. "Maybe Mr. Cedric would want a snack. He sure does love sweets!" She giggled once more and took off running from the garden.

"I never thought I'd say this," Wormwood began with a sigh, "but I miss the normal princess. This new hyperactive one terrifies me."

Clover scoffed. "If she's still like this tonight when she goes to bed, she won't be just dreamin' about sugar plums dancin' in her head; she'll be tryin' to eat them before they show up in her dreams!"

The raven blinked and tilted his head. "…What?"

"Never mind… Maybe Cedric can cure Sofia of her weird hyperactive state…"

"Merlin help him," Wormwood added almost solemnly.

"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia sang excitedly as she rushed into the sorcerer's workshop. She giggled happily and twirled around a few times.

Cedric blinked in surprise as he looked up from his spell book. "Sofia? What on earth has gotten into you?"

"Hmm." She stopped and pondered this, placing her finger to her chin. "A bunch of delicious treats!" She grinned and placed the basket of goodies on his table, inviting him to look. "Want some?"

The sorcerer raised an eyebrow at his somewhat hyper apprentice. "If it leads me to your current state, I'd rather not, my dear." He rolled his eyes as she twirled a few more times before hopping onto her usual seat and kicking her feet back and forth. "I believe you are suffering from what is known as a sugar rush."

"A sugar rush? What's that?" She reached for another cupcake before Cedric grasped her wrist, ceasing her movements. "Aw."

"No 'aw,' Sofia. You've eaten so many sweets with too much sugar, and now you're just being a little silly." He frowned at the sparkling confections in the basket. "Where did you get all of this anyway?"

"A magical tree in my garden," she answered simply before frowning as Cedric took the basket away from her. "Hey, I said I'd share it; I didn't say you should eat it all, Mr. Cedric." She pouted at him before yawning suddenly. "Mm…"

"Sofia, a sugar rush is when you eat far too many sweets and become hyperactive due to your intake of sugar." He knelt down to the bottom of his table, hiding the basket so his apprentice couldn't get to it. "Unfortunately, with a sugar rush usually comes a…" He stood up and paused when he saw the girl slumped onto his table, peacefully sleeping away. He sighed and smiled with a shake of his head. "…sugar crash…"

Sofia sighed in her sleep, the effects of the sugar rush finally worn away as she dreamed peacefully.

Cedric shook his head at the girl's state before picking her up. "Dear girl, you never cease to baffle me…" He turned to the door when he heard it open. "Baileywick?"

The steward raised an eyebrow at the sorcerer. "You two have been working so hard that Princess Sofia fell asleep for once?" he wondered in humor.

"Very funny. The poor girl had a sugar crash." He chuckled. "Never thought I would see that."

"I'll take her then, so she can get some sleep." He held out his arms as the sleeping princess was passed over to him. He glanced at Cedric in confusion. "And just where did she get enough sweets to make her crash this fast?"

"Some magical tree in her garden, she said."

"Interesting… Maybe we should encourage her to stay away from that particular tree for now, hmm?"

Cedric rolled his eyes. "Couldn't agree more." After Baileywick had left with Sofia, Cedric became a bit curious about this magical tree. "Peculiar…" He opened one of his books from his private library and skimmed the pages until he landed on something interesting. He read a few of the passages before blinking in surprise. He shut the book and sighed. "No wonder she became so hyper so quickly…"

The next day, Sofia visited Cedric in a much calmer state. She was no longer twirling around or giggling uncontrollably. She sat still on her seat as her mentor prepared their necessary items for the day. "Mr. Cedric?"

"Mm-hmm?" He grabbed a few jars from a cabinet and placed them on the table.

"I'm sorry about yesterday." She shrugged when he paused in his work and glanced at her. "I guess I got a bit carried away with those sweets."

"I'll say." He chuckled before continuing his chore. "You do realize why you came under the effects of that sugar rush so quickly, yes?"

The girl blinked and shook her head.

"The tree was enchanted, along with its sweets." He handed her the book with the necessary passage and continued explaining as she read. "Once every thirty-two years, a magical tree—called Dulce Lignum—appears in a random location. Anyone who eats the produce from the tree will develop a hyperactive reaction, though it's harmless. However, the tree vanishes the very next day."

Sofia smiled at his explanation and shut the book. "Magic is weird, Mr. Cedric."

"Oh, believe me, I know." He chuckled as he handed her wand to her. "Shall we begin our lesson?"

"Do you have any of those cupcakes left?" she asked playfully.

"Afraid not… In fact, if I remember correctly, your brother took them off my hands."

Sofia's eyes widened. "You gave them to James?"

Cedric sighed with a guilty smile. "Admittedly, not my best decision… I hear he was literally bouncing off the walls this morning."

The princess sighed and shook her head. "Oh, Mr. Cedric." She giggled when he laughed. "Well, at least he'll have a sugar crash soon…I hope."

While the two friends continued their lesson, James had literally bounced himself all over the castle before finally crashing on his throne. The boy was sleeping upside down in his chair with his arms draped over the sides.

"Mm, pass me another cupcake," he murmured in his sleep before grinning and becoming silent again.

"I'm not sure if this is the work of that magical tree or just his natural hyper self," Baileywick told Violet as he watched the prince sleeping, "but I suppose we should take him back to his own room before he falls and hurts himself." He sighed as the woman giggled. "Never a boring day in Enchancia, Violet."

The end