Disclaimer: I don't own Winx Club.

A.N. This has been in my mind for a while, and was decided on when I wrote What Price Loyalty. I liked the dynamic between the girls so much that I started to compose a plot revolving around them. However, a lot of people seemed to imply they wanted to write their own version of this with these characters, so I have had to push up my publishing of this story so that I won't be accused of copying those people.

Summary: Princess Krystal is having a hard first year at Alfea. She's alienated two of the Winx Club, doesn't feel like she fits in her. Her mother wants her to come home and she's failing classes because she has to go to war talks for an impending battle. She's also in love with a guy who only sees her as a sister. So when her mentor, the woman she's looked up to all her life, goes missing, Krystal decides that the universe really owes her one, and she's going to save Diaspro with a little help from her Princess Pals.

So here is the first chapter of Princess Pals and it's a fun story, don't take it too seriously. Have fun reading it and enjoy these four very different girls.


Princess Pals

By: Zadien


Chapter One

There was a statue in the middle of the courtyard in Domino and, for the life of her, Diaspro couldn't work out what it was. Obviously there was a man with a spear but why were there tendrils? Did it represent water or did Domino have a soothsayer/sculptor who predicted the rise of Tritannus through statues? Yet again, another example of Domino's oddity, and why it should not be in charge of anything – especially not her planet.

Closing the door to her temporary accommodation behind her, - and locking it, you never knew who could be snooping - she sent a quick look towards the statue; then briskly began to walk in the opposite direction. She'd gone three steps before she caught herself. Forcing herself to slow her pace, she took a calming breath and released. She was not freaked out by a statue. Noble ladies such as herself did not get 'freaked out' by statues. Though truthfully it wasn't the statue, it was this whole planet, the people, the issue with Tritannus… Bloom.

It was always going to be about Bloom.

It was because Bloom couldn't live without Sky that, once again, the Royal Family of Eraklyon was back on Domino. Personally, Diaspro could go a few years without ever needing to set foot on the reanimated planet. Half the time she expected ghosts to come zooming out of the walls or zombies to be plodding around the gardens.

She shivered. Not that she believed in such things.

Instead she had the Winx popping in and out like dryads, with their wishes, and their good feelings, and flower dresses - really, dresses made of flowers? Why would they wear things like that?

Well she could understand people of Lynphea having nature themed embellishments on their clothing; the Serene Sage of Lynphea made it look elegant, but the Princess of Solaria with a dress full of posies? Dragon save them all from her fashion faux pas; would she do the same when she was Queen? Would she install public holidays where everyone would be forced to wear strings of glitter twine?

All in all, it was enough to set her teeth on edge.

She stalked down the corridor and suppressed another shiver. There was something so hauntingly empty about the halls and passages of the palace of Domino. She preferred the staid atmosphere of Eraklyon's royal Chateau, with each door watched by knights, with their diamond markings, and stiff postures. Eraklyon's castle was home, and hopefully it always would be, but -

A sudden movement outside the window made her stop, her eyes locking on the object. A levabike?

The levabike driven by Prince Sky, with Bloom behind him, was soaring up into the clouds until it disappeared. Stunned, Diaspro spent a long moment staring at the sky, before she fisted her hands and let out a sound of frustration. There they went again, blowing off their obligations to go gallivanting off. How could either of them hope to be taken seriously when neither of them was willing to do their duty?

This could not be tolerated! Didn't anyone think she would like a break? She'd dedicated her entire life to the kingdom of Eraklyon, was it so impossible to expect the same from others?

'Oh, no, I'm not even going to bother right now,' Nova said; stumbling to a halt, she turned on her heel and left.

Diaspro watched the girl disappear back around the corner and had almost rolled her eyes before she stopped herself. She needed to calm down. She needed to breathe. Her fingers fumbled for her rocks and as soon as they closed around the smooth, cold, blue quartz, Diaspro blew out a long, steadying breath. She was not going to lose her temper. She was better than that.

'I am not Bloom,' she whispered, pushing away from the window and stalking towards the quarters of the King and Queen. Someone needed to talk to Sky, needed to get his head in the game. Eraklyon was like a field of lava and soon the Eraklyon people would run out of space. When that happened, they would lash out. There was no doubt in her head that the brief spell that the monarchy had deigned to spend on planet was not enough to appease the people. It wouldn't even surprise her if there were council members abetting the rebels.

Pulling out her phone, Diaspro checked her emails. She was expecting a message from her source within the palace, but he seemed to be operating on a no-contact basis. Perhaps he was ignoring her; perhaps he was digging up some dirt. She needed evidence if she planned to present her concerns to the King. She was not so naive that she believed that a pretty smile would win everyone to her side like some people.

She reached the chambers of the royal couple and quickly rapped her knuckles against the ornate, metal door. Despite her issues with Bloom, and the reanimated planet, Diaspro could admit that the palace was quite stunning in terms of architecture and decor, though she didn't know if they were new additions or had the spell preserved everything in such a pristine condition. And why was the alliance meeting on Domino anyway? She suspected that her King had agreed due to his lingering guilt about his actions that had led to the attack on Domino, but why would the King of Andros come to Domino? The King of Andros had more reason than anyone to be leading the alliance, though she supposed his loyalties were questionable. But why didn't King Radius wish to seize control of the talks? Just because King Oritel had been founder of the Company of Light, did not make him leader by default. This wasn't the Company of Light; it wasn't even remotely similar. She'd been intimately acquainted with Valtor - like having a slug with slimy feelers rooting through her mind - and Tritannus was not his equal.

She knocked again, slipped the warmed stone into her pocket, and then pasted on a smile when one of the maids pried open the door, her arms draped in gowns and her eyes brimming with frustration.

'May I speak with the Queen, please?' It wasn't a question.

The maid knew her place and promptly stepped aside, closing the door with her backside when Diaspro entered and quickly scurried to an open trunk.

Queen Samara stepped out of her bedroom. 'Ah Diaspro, how are you, my dear?'

'I am well, Your Majesty,' Diaspro greeted with a reverent bow.

Once upon a time, the elegant red haired woman would have been her mother-in-law. She'd been Diaspro's mentor when she'd been younger, a woman who had understood Diaspro's plight at being separated from her family and groomed to be the perfect queen. Diaspro had modeled herself after Queen Samara, imitated her perfectly, and now, now she was little more than a servant. Perhaps she should just accept defeat and go back to Isis.

'Oh good, good. My apologies for the state of our living quarters but I am to return to Eraklyon. It seems that the people suspect that if they cannot see us, we are not still their rulers.' The woman laughed, but it had a hard edge.

Diaspro breathed a soft, imperceptible, sigh of relief. 'Your instincts are admirable, ma'am.'

Samara dismissed a maid with a wave of her hand, and motioned for Diaspro to take a seat at the table. 'What concerns you, Diaspro?'

'Well Sky -'

'Yes, Erendor says he will talk to him.'

Realising she wouldn't get anywhere, Diaspro put her concerns with Sky on the back-burner, and instead confessed something she had been thinking of since the talks began. 'I am thinking that I should take a vacation when this,' she gestured with a hand to the room and the strange surroundings, 'is all over.'

'A vacation? You will be coming back? Sky is young and conflicted. You must not give up hope.'

Oh, Queen Samara. She really had hoped Diaspro and Sky would make a love match, but even as a young teen Diaspro had been aware of their lack of chemistry. The fact that a young man would prefer to play with his sword rather than kiss his intended spoke volumes. She'd all but laid out naked in a pasture for him once and all he had wanted to talk about was his thrusting and his sheath. Yes, yes, swords were fun, but one did not want to play with them all day. He could talk about his practices at length, ad nauseam. Suffice to say, she'd almost taken his sword and snapped it many times.

'I will visit with my parents. It has been quite a while since I've seen them, perhaps I shall visit the mines, focus my abilities and come back a stronger fairy.'

'Well, that might be for the best.' Queen Samara sighed, smoothing the white cuffs of her sleeves. 'I often find that when I am frustrated with Erendor, a small break can work wonders for us both.'

Yes, this was not in any way similar. Diaspro wondered if Samara was truly blind to Sky's feelings towards Bloom, or was it a willful ignorance. Neither would help the matter when the Crown Prince was allowed so many freedoms. 'Well, I will take my leave of you. Safe travels to Eraklyon and it is my greatest hope that I shall be returning there soon.'

'Indeed it is mine too,' the Queen replied, rising to her feet and accepting Diaspro's bow.

Closing the door behind her, Diaspro pursed her lips. Well that achieved nothing.


'My King, I have a most urgent duty to perform… fzzt… krrgg… can't… oh reception… fzzzt!'

Nova hung up her phone, shoved it in the pocket of her jeans - muted -, and shook her head at the giggling Princess of Melody. 'Don't laugh. I just committed high treason.'

'I just… what on earth possessed you?'

'Fear,' Nova hissed, as she sat on the four-poster bed in Galatea's quarters. 'Absolute fear. I am so glad he's fetching Queen Luna from the harbour. By the time he gets back, we'll have returned to Alfea. Also watch out, Diaspro is on the prowl, and she is not in a good mood.'

Galatea rolled her shoulders. 'Don't worry, I'm not looking for a run in with her.'

Sliding down on the bed, Nova studied her friend. 'Does Diaspro scare you?'

From her position on the window seat, Galatea leaned her head against the window and stared out at the Domino countryside, her fingers idly playing with her pale blonde hair. 'Yes.'

'But it's Diaspro. She throws hissy fits, she got chucked off a paper because her advice was too blunt, and she reduced idiotic princesses to tears… Oh,' Nova's smile faded, 'yes, I do see your point. She's a tad harsh. I grew up with Stella, we had some of the strictest matrons and governesses because Stella was just so flighty.'

'No,' Galatea muttered, refusing to look away from the scenery. 'That's not the reason, it's… Diaspro reminds me of Icy.'

'Icy, from the Trix? But Icy's evil, Diaspro's just a bit deranged, and extremely patriotic, with an emphasis on extreme.'

Galatea sighed. 'It's her attitude. I can't explain it. It's psychological.'

Oh. Nova nodded to show she understood. 'Your wings.'

Galatea hunched her shoulders and pressed a hand against the glass. 'I can't help it. For the most part I'm fine, but then Diaspro enters a room and I'm right back in that fire again with their fingers on my…' she broke off with a shudder, her free hand reaching for her spine before she dropped it. 'I'll never be an Enchantix fairy if I can't get over this fear.'

'Yes you will, I'll help you. If needs be, I shall transfer my citizenship to Melody for an hour, throw myself off the tower in Alfea, and you can come save me; then once you have your Enchantix, I'll go back to Solaria… if King Radius allows me.'

That at least drew a reluctant chuckle from the blonde. 'Well, if you help me, I'll help you to not gain your Enchantix.'

Nova nodded her head eagerly. 'Oh please do. I feel like every time I go back to Solaria, the people are putting themselves in constant danger. I'm tripping over Enchantix opportunities, and it doesn't help that Stella is constantly trying to save the world.'

Tilting her head, Galatea frowned. 'Does King Radius think you should be there?'

'Of course he does. My duty is protect Stella, but she told him that she wants a normal life while she's at Alfea, and if she even suspects that he's got bodyguards there, she'll run away with Brandon and never return.' Which was complete and utter hooey. Stella loved Solaria; she'd never leave it. Ever. Well maybe she'd hold out for a few weeks but she'd definitely return.

'Doesn't she know about –'

'No, and we're not saying that out loud because the walls have ears.' Or worse, there was a Diaspro lurking around the palace. If Diaspro even suspected that Radius had hid some important information from his daughter, she would ferret it out and use it to her advantage. It was that kind of attitude that made Diaspro great at her job, and really terrible at making friends. Nova wasn't even sure Diaspro had any friends.

'So why are you hiding here?' Nova finally asked, having let Galatea stew while she deflected Radius's requests.

'I'm not hiding,' Galatea said, plucking at a piece of embroidered thread that had come loose in her jacket. 'I'm just admiring the gardens. Domino's really pretty.'

'For a one-time frozen wasteland?'

'Don't get snappy with me.'

'Don't avoid my questions.'

'Privacy; respect it.'

'Friendship; understand it.'

The two girls stared at each other for a long moment before Nova sighed and gave up. While Diaspro was patriotic to the extreme, Galatea was stubborn to the extreme. There was no one in the Magix Dimension who was as stubborn as Galatea - though maybe not so much in a battle anymore. Having your wings broken, even though they'd been healed by fairy dust, left lasting psychological scars and nothing, except maybe time, would ease them.


Krystal blew out a breath and glanced at the clock on her bedside cabinet. Only ten more minutes and then the bus would arrive to take them to the 'port pad so they could return to Alfea. Thank goodness. She desperately wanted to go back to school. And that was a shock because while she enjoyed school, she was failing so terribly. She laid a hand on her quivering stomach and pressed her trembling lips together. She needed to get back. She could throw herself into studying; maybe compose a timetable to help her plan her days. Did she even remember that colour-coding spell? She'd ask Roxy. Roxy knew everything and as the unofficial den mother of their suite, the pink haired Earth fairy was always willing to help.

Krystal smiled, enjoying her thoughts. She'd also have to check on Genni, make sure everything was okay with her. She was not going to stand by and watch her friend's heart get broken by a senior Specialist, not if she could help it.

The knock at the door startled her and she was reaching for her bags and phone, ready to leave, when she caught sight of Diaspro slipping in.

'I do not wish to interfere but I heard shouting, I wanted to check that you were well.'

Oh how shameful. She hadn't thought that the fight would be heard outside of her bedroom. Her cheeks grew hot. She pressed her hand to her eyes and struggled to regain her composure.

'What did you hear?' she choked out.

'I didn't hear words but…' Diaspro shrugged elegantly.

Krystal sighed and flopped back on her bed, ignoring Diaspro's hiss of reproach. 'Mother wants me to return to Lynphea after the talks are over and Tritannus defeated. She doesn't understand why I want to go Alfea. I can learn everything I need from the Magi and healers on Lynphea. She was homeschooled and she turned out fine, her words, not mine.' Sitting up, she shoved her hair out of her face. 'I don't want to turn out fine. I want to be the best healer in Lynphea. I want to be a Healix Fairy, and Alfea is the very best school for getting a wide range of experiences. It teaches everyone from Guardian Fairies, to Godmothers, to Warrior Fairies.'

She surged to her feet, feeling the temper she'd suppressed during her mother's tirade rise to the surface. 'I have tried my best to be a good daughter but this is the one thing I'm taking for me. Think of all the good I could do as a Healix Fairy. I wouldn't just be able to diagnose people and offer them herbal remedies, I'd be able to do surgeries, and heal some of the most impossible wounds. People would come from other planets to gain my help and -'

'And that sounds wonderful, but you will be the Sage of Lynphea. Your priority must be to your people.'

Krystal slumped to the bed with a groan, drawing her knees together at Diaspro's not so subtle shove. 'I know. But… couldn't they do without me for five years? Doesn't matter anyway, I'm failing, so mother only has to wait a few more weeks and I'll come home with my tail between my legs. No use fighting destiny, I was never going to succeed.' And that was like bile in her gut, festering and corroding all her ties to her planet. 'Flora's a perfect fairy, she could rule Lynphea.'

Diaspro rose to her feet just as Krystal's phone began to flash. 'If you're going to act like a child, I shall leave you to it. I have other concerns.'

'Oh no, please.' Krystal shoved her phone under the pillow, ignoring the six missed calls. 'I didn't mean to be childish… it's just Flora's a Guardian Fairy. She's got everything.'

Pausing at the door, Diaspro speared her with a look. 'Including a boyfriend? I do hope you listened to my advice and have stayed away from Helia.'

Krystal's cheeks burned brighter and heat prickled over her nape. She ducked her head and studied her fingers.

'Krystal.'

'Okay, yes. Kind of. No.' She sighed. 'You didn't see how he was with me, so I thought I knew better.' She scratched her cheek and yelped when Diaspro smacked her hand down. Right, real princesses didn't scratch or fidget. Flora never did and she wasn't even a princess. Perfect Flora. 'But I was wrong. I won a volleyball match against the Winx and I was so pleased, I hugged Helia, but he just smiled, told me good job, and then went to look for Flora.' She fretted her lower lip and finally blurted out her deepest fear. 'He only sees me as a sister, doesn't he?'

'Yes, he does.'

'Oh.' Well that was blunt. Which described Diaspro to a T. There would be no sugar coating from the Fairy of Gems. 'What would you do?'

Diaspro scowled and sat once more at the vanity unit. 'I am not the best at giving love advice. My fiancé ditched me and now cannot even bare to spend a few minutes in my company - in fact I think being on the same planet with me is too hard for him to endure.' The words were spoken, hard and factual.

Stunned, Krystal blinked at her. This was not the Diaspro she knew, the one that had given such blunt, but good, advice in the column that sat at the bottom of her suitcase. Even before she'd met the woman, Krystal had asked herself: What would Diaspro do?

Rising to her feet, she tentatively touched Diaspro's shoulder, then sprung back when the older girl shrugged her off and stood abruptly.

'Talk to Helia - I assume that's who's been calling you and why your phone is lit like a glow bug.'

Blowing out a breath, Krystal sulkily answered in the affirmative. It wasn't like she was actively avoiding his calls. He just called when she was busy.

'Answer the phone the next time he calls, arrange a meeting, and talk to him. Explain yourself. Maybe he will suddenly have an epiphany that he liked you all along.'

Temper flashed. 'Don't tease me. I get it.'

'And study - study your hardest at Alfea.' Diaspro brushed her blonde curls over her shoulder. 'Ask for tutorials if you need them. You know that Lynphea will own you when you return, so make the most of your time at Alfea.'

A knock interrupted them and Nova poked her head around the door. 'Oh, hey Diaspro, what are you doing here?'

'None of your business, Nova.'

Rolling her eyes, the Solarian liaison winked at Krystal. 'But I so desperately want to know all about you Diaspro, you're so special, and you're so cool, and I just wish I could wear spikes on my shoulders - oh but Diaspro, don't leave. I'll miss you!' she called out jovially with a wave as Diaspro stalked off down the corridor.

Krystal glared at the red head and grabbed her bags. 'The bus is here I take it? Why do you have to push Diaspro's buttons? She's having a hard time you know.'

'Oh please, if I was nice to Diaspro she'd bite my fingers off. Come on Kryssie, let's get you back to Alfea in one piece.'

Jerking away from Nova's hand, Krystal locked the door behind her and headed down the corridor towards the exit where Galatea sat with her and Nova's bags. Krystal didn't know how long she'd be back at Alfea, but she was going to take Diaspro's advice and make every second count, starting with revision for Wizgiz's test.


TBC


A.N. Genni is the blonde girl that helps Riven learn the guitar. She's never given a name so Chibi Horsewoman and myself gave her the name Genni, short for Genevieve.

2. Also guys, just a quick reminder, I'm not American, I'm Irish, I use UK spelling, UK punctuation for dialogue the way my Creative Writing Editor told me to.

3. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm writing this just for the fun of writing something magical girl that's not going to be too intense. Don't judge it like the next great novel, just turn off your mind and enjoy! And please review, I love hearing people's thoughts.