Ivy's True Colors
In their room, Sofia and Madeline approached Clover, who was sleeping on the window seat. Madeline was carrying a tray of vegetables.
"Clover, wake up." Sofia tickled him.
Clover laughed in his sleep, just as Robin and Mia entered through the window.
"Sofia, what are you doing?" Robin asked.
"We got a snack for Clover, but he won't wake up from his nap." Madeline declared.
"Come on, Clover." Sofia tugged at his paw. "Don't you want your snack? Fresh veggies!"
Clover stood up in his sleep, sniffing the vegetables, then collapsed.
"Clover isn't waking up for food?" Robin frowned. "Have you been trying long?"
"Yeah, for a little while." Madeline nodded. "He usually wakes up if we just walk in the room with veggies."
"What's wrong?" Sofia frowned.
"Oh no!" Mia gasped. "It's come to Enchancia!"
"What has?" Madeline asked.
"The Deep Sleeps!" Robin declared.
"It's a mysterious sickness that just makes animals fall asleep." Mia shuddered.
"Fall asleep?" Sofia asked. "For how long?"
"No-one knows for sure." Robin shrugged.
Suddenly, James ran into the room.
"Hey, I can't get Rex to wake up!" He announced.
"Oh, no." Madeline frowned. "He might have the Deep Sleeps too."
"I heard dad say something about that." James mused. "He said there's a fairy working on a cure, but she hasn't found one yet. I'd better go check on the horses!"
James ran out of the room.
"We have to do something!" Robin declared. "It really spreads fast!"
"Okay." Sofia nodded, just as her and Madeline's amulets started to glow.
"Our amulets are glowing!" Madeline pointed out.
"But why?" Sofia frowned, as Whatnaught jumped on her shoulder.
Sofia and Madeline suddenly disappeared in twin clouds of smoke, Sofia taking Whatnaught with her.
"Oh, no!" Mia frowned. "There they go again. Well, I guess it's up to us to-" She suddenly fell asleep.
"Mia!" Robin gasped. "Well, now I guess it's up to me to-" She also fell asleep.
Sofia, Madeline and Whatnaught appeared on a colorless island.
"What happened?" Madeline asked. "Where are we?"
Whatnaught pointed to the amulets.
"Our amulets." Sofia mused. "Whatnaught's right. They did this once before."
"Oh, yeah." Madeline nodded. "When it sent us to help Princess Charlotte find out why she turned into a hairy beast."
"We must have been sent to help a Princess." Sofia surmised. "But who?"
"What a strange place." Madeline looked around. "Everything is in black and white."
Whatnaught started chittering, pointing out that someone was approaching. Someone dressed in black and white.
"No..." Sofia gasped. "It can't be..."
"Princess Ivy!" Madeline yelled.
"Sofia? Madeline?" Ivy gasped, a skunk by her side. "It wasn't enough that you sent me here? You had to see for yourselves?"
"Your sister banished you, not us!" Sofia replied.
"It was you two." Ivy scowled. "All I wanted was a kingdom of my own, but you ruined everything."
"By stopping you from taking over Enchancia?" Madeline pointed out. "Because we had to!"
"Well, because of you, I'm stuck back on this horribly colorful island!" Ivy pointed to a more colorful area close by. "So why are you even here?"
"Our amulets sent us." Madeline declared. "To help a princess."
"Well, I certainly don't want or need your help!" Ivy scowled.
"Truth be told, she could use some help with her butterflies." The skunk announced.
"What about your butterflies?" Sofia asked Ivy.
"They're fine." Ivy frowned. "Why would you even ask that?"
"Her butterflies are missing." The skunk whispered. "But she's too proud to admit it."
"What do you mean they're missing?" Madeline asked.
"How did you know that?" Ivy growled.
"Our amulets." Sofia declared. "It lets us talk to animals."
"Those amulets." Ivy snarled. "They're infuriating!" She turned to the skunk. "Roma, don't tell them anything! You're being a very bad skunk!"
"You're the only princess here, Ivy." Madeline declared. "And I can't believe I'm saying this, but... we must have been sent here to help you."
"Well, that's a shame, because I don't want your help." Ivy sneered. "I want the both of you off my island."
"Well, that's a shame, because we can't leave until we help you." Sofia retorted. "And we need to leave so we can help our animals back home."
"What's wrong with the animals"? Roma asked.
"They have the Deep Sleeps." Madeline answered. "So Ivy, you're stuck with us until we help you."
"Fine." Ivy sighed. "If it's the only way to get you to leave, then yes, my butterflies are missing."
"What happened?" Sofia asked.
"I let them out this morning to deal with that horrid patch of green." Ivy pointed out the colored area. "But instead, they flew off, and now I can't find them. I need them back!"
"Whatnaught, would you go up in the trees, and see what you can see?" Madeline asked.
Whatnaught nodded, and climbed up a tree. He then looked around, and spotted several of Ivy's butterflies. He pointed to the girls, and flapped his paws.
"I think he sees... butterflies." Sofia declared. "On the... far side of the island?"
"Well, I have to go there and get them back." Ivy stated. "You helped. Now you can go away."
"Wait, Ivy!" Madeline yelled, as she and Sofia gave chase.
"She's really not so bad." Roma told them. "She's just worried about her butterflies."
"If you say so..." Sofia frowned.
As they followed Ivy, they passed through a gate, and saw Ivy enter a black and white castle, shutting the door behind her.
"Wow." Madeline gasped. "This is where Ivy lives?"
"Pretty nice, huh?" Roma smiled. "I live here, too. See, Princess Ivy took me in when I was hurt. She fed me, put a roof over my head, scratched that part on the back of my neck that I couldn't reach myself... I mean it, she's just swell."
Ivy emerged from the castle, carrying a small cage
"Move out of the way, Roma." She ordered. "What are you two still doing here?" She asked Sofia and Madeline.
"It's not that simple." Sofia declared. "We have to really help you."
"And isn't that cage a little small to hold all those butterflies?" Madeline pointed out.
"It's enchanted." Ivy revealed. "It can hold thousands of butterflies. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
"We're coming with you." Sofia insisted. "The sooner we help you, the sooner we can go home and help our animal friends."
"Do as you like." Ivy sighed.
A short time later, they were walking up a mountain pass when they came across a bear. The bear was pushing against a gray tree with orange fruit.
"Bear! Move yourself, or face the consequences!" Ivy demanded, conjuring up one of her dragonflies.
The bear growled in response.
"Don't you growl at me!" Ivy snarled, creating another dragonfly.
"No!" Madeline jumped in front of her. "What are you doing?"
"This is the only pathway to the other side of the island." Ivy revealed. "I'm going to stun this bear so I can get around it. So move aside."
"Not a chance." Madeline declared.
"I'm with you, Maddie." Sofia agreed, so they both walked over to the angry bear. "There's always a better way."
"I'm warning you two!" Ivy yelled.
"Wait, wait!" Madeline told the bear.
The bear swiped his claw angrily.
"Leave me alone, little girls!" He threatened.
"Hi, I'm Madeline." Madeline curtsied.
"And I'm Sofia." Sofia added. "What's your name?"
"It's Gruff." The bear stood up.
"Gruff, our friend thinks stunning you is the best way to get by." Madeline announced.
"But we think there's a better way." Sofia added.
"I'm hungry." Gruff declared, pushing against the tree again. "I just want to get to that cakefruit up there."
"Oh, is that all?" Madeline smiled. "We can help with that."
"How long is this going to take?" Ivy made her dragonflies vanish and crossed her arms.
"Just a second more." Sofia replied. "Whatnaught, will you please climb up that tree and get the cakefruit for Mr. Gruff?"
Whatnaught climbed up the tree, picked some cakefruit, and, joined by a puffin, started throwing it down to Gruff, who started laughing joyously.
"Thank you!" Gruff smiled, eating some of the fruit. "Sweet!"
Gruff gathered as much of the fruit in his arms as he could and sat down by the tree.
"See?" Madeline told Ivy. "You get more flies with honey."
"Ooh, you have honey?" Gruff asked.
"No." Sofia chuckled. "It's an expression that our mom taught us. It means if you're nice, you'll make more friends."
"The bear was just hungry." Madeline pointed out.
"Try some of this, guys." Gruff peeled some fruit and gave it to Sofia and Madeline. "It's good!"
"Thank you, Mr. Gruff." Sofia smiled.
The girls both tried some.
"Wow." Madeline smiled. "This is really good!"
"It tastes just like cake!" Sofia added.
"Well, I suppose that's why it's called 'cakefruit'." Ivy frowned. "Now can we go? I just want to get my butterflies back. And if you'd let me stun that bear- wait!" She saw one of her butterflies on Gruff's arm. "Look, there's one of my butterflies! It's Aloysius! Ally, Aloysius! Come here right now!"
Ivy caused after the butterfly, who seemed determined to let her catch him.
"Come on!" Madeline told Sofia, Whatnaught and Roma. "That butterfly may lead us to the others!"
"And then we can get off this island and go home." Sofia added.
Stopping only to wave goodbye to Gruff, they followed after Ivy.
Eventually, they reached a field covered in colorful flowers.
"Oh, the color!" Ivy covered her eyes.
"Down there!" Madeline pointed to more butterflies, who were perched on the flowers. "Can you see them?"
"But... why aren't they turning the flowers black and white?" Ivy asked. "Turn those flowers black and white!"
Ivy walked over to them, holding up the cage.
"My lovelies, come!" She called. "...Butterflies, come!" The butterflies didn't listen. "I'm not asking, I'm ordering!"
"Look!" Sofia pointed. "The butterflies are changing color!"
The butterflies were taking on the colors of the flowers they landed upon.
"Oh no! It can't be!" Ivy gasped. "Get in this cage right now, please!"
"Come on, guys!" Madeline urged. "We're supposed to help!"
They all tried to catch the butterflies. As Sofia looked the flowers, she got an idea.
"Do as I do, Maddie." She picked a flower, and waved it in the air. "Butterflies, follow me!"
The butterflies started flying Sofia's direction.
"Good thinking, Sof!" Madeline smiled, picking up a flower of her own.
Together, they led the butterflies into Ivy's waiting trap.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Ivy cheered, as the cage expanded to fit all the butterflies. "Finally, you are back! Ta-daaa!" Her face fell slightly. "Huh. I suppose I should thank you, girls. Using the flowers that way was clever."
"I suppose you're welcome." Sofia shrugged.
Whatnaught started chattering.
"Whatnaught, I think that means we're done here." Madeline picked him up. "The amulets should send us home."
"Nice to meet you, Roma." Sofia declared, as Ivy walked away. "We have to get home and help our friends."
"Good luck!" Roma smiled, following Ivy.
"And... here we go!" Madeline nodded.
Nothing happened.
"...Here we go?" Sofia frowned. "Any minute now... Oh, come on! Send us home!"
"We have to help our friends!" Madeline told her amulet. "Come on!"
"Why are you two still here?" Ivy asked.
"No idea." Sofia shrugged. "It should've sent us home as soon as we helped you."
"So... what are we supposed to do now?" Madeline frowned.
"Ah, yes, see, that's what I call a 'not me problem'." Ivy smirked. "Which is another way of saying it's your problem." She walked away. "My sweet butterflies. I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
"Bye, princess Sofia, princess Madeline!" Roma called. "Good luck!"
"The amulets sent us here, we helped a princess..." Sofia mused. "So what are we missing?"
The puffin from earlier suddenly fell onto a flower.
"Hey, we saw this guy earlier!" Madeline noted.
As they came closer, they saw that the puffin was asleep, with sparkles flowing out of his beak.
"Oh no, the Deep Sleeps are here too?" Sofia gasped.
Whatnaught tried to point out an approaching form. It was Miss Nettle.
"Princess Sofia? Princess Madeline?" Miss Nettle frowned.
"Miss Nettle?" Madeline frowned. "You're here too?"
"But you were in Freezenburg." Sofia recalled. "Tending to your Nettledrops."
"That's right." Miss Nettle nodded. "And now I'm tending to these beauties!" She pointed out the flowers. "Why are you here, dear princesses?"
"Our amulets sent us." Madeline declared.
"Oh?" Miss Nettle smiled. "Did they send you to admire my soon-to-be-renowned Wake-Upsie-Daisies? It's my greatest creation. My Wake-Upsie-Daisy cures the Deep Sleeps."
"These cure the Deep Sleeps?" Sofia gasped.
"Yes, they do indeed." Miss Nettle nodded.
"You're the fair they said was working on a cure?" Madeline mused.
"Yes, I am." Miss Nettle bowed.
"Ohh!" Sofia squealed. "We're so glad you decided to be good!"
"Yes." Miss Nettle beamed. "Good and famous!"
"Well, as long as it cures the Deep Sleeps." Madeline shrugged. "Because look!" She pointed out the sleeping puffin. "It's here now!"
Miss Nettle examined the puffin. She then plucked a Wake-Upsie-Daisy.
"Observe." She announced, pouring some of the flower's nectar into the puffin's beak.
The puffin instantly woke up.
"Amazing!" Sofia gasped.
"It's amazing, alright." Miss Nettle agreed. "But..." She looked around. "Where are my butterflies?"
"Your butterflies?" Madeline asked.
"I didn't pick this island out of all the islands in the Ever Realm just for the climate." Miss Nettle nodded.
The flowers suddenly lost their color, and drooped over.
"Oh no, the flowers are wilting!" Sofia gasped.
"They need the magic of those butterflies to bloom." Miss Nettle declared. "Where did they go?"
"Princess Ivy took them." Madeline told her.
"Who?" Miss Nettle asked.
"Princess Ivy." Sofia repeated. "She lives on the other side of the island. The butterflies belong to her."
"We thought our amulets sent us here to help her get them back." Madeline added. "But they must have sent us for something else."
"Well of course it's something else!" Miss Nettle frowned. "Because no butterflies, no cure!"
"Then we have to get them back." Sofia nodded.
"I'm coming with you!" Miss Nettle announced.
They quickly returned to Ivy's castle.
"It's all black and white." Miss Nettle remarked. "Strangest thing I've ever seen. And I've seen some pretty strange things."
"Ivy doesn't like color." Madeline shrugged. "Wait here."
Sofia knocked on the door, and Ivy opened it.
"Are you still here?" Ivy frowned. She spotted Miss Nettle, and cringed. "Ugh! What is that hideous splash of color?"
"That's Miss Nettle." Sofia told her. "A very well-known enchanted gardener."
"How wonderful for her." Ivy scoffed. "But I don't see what that has to do with me. So I will say goodbye." She made to close the door. "Goodbye!"
Madeline stopped her.
"The butterflies were helping Miss Nettle's flowers grow." She declared.
"Without them, my beautiful flower will die." Miss Nettle added.
"And the flowers are the cure for the Deep Sleeps!" Sofia finished.
"Why would I care about that?" Ivy asked.
"It's come here, to your island!" Madeline declared. "Soon, all the animals on the island will be asleep. You have to help!"
Whatnaught suddenly fell asleep.
"Oh, no!" Sofia gasped.
"Oh, the Deep Sleeps!" Miss Nettle frowned. "But we can't cure it until someone lends us her butterflies!" She glared at Ivy.
"And someone keeps trying to make this my problem!" Ivy yelled.
"Princess Ivy, you have to help us." Madeline pleaded.
"This is my island, and I don't have to anything!" Ivy declared. She went back inside, slamming the door behind her. She then opened it again, picked up Roma, and went back inside.
"What are we going to do?" Sofia sighed.
"If she won't give them to us, we'll just have to take the butterflies." Miss Nettle announced.
"But... they don't belong to us." Madeline declared.
"Don't you want to help your little squirrel friend?" Miss Nettle pointed to Whatnaught.
"Of course." Sofia nodded.
"He wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me." Madeline added. "Wait... we don't even need to take the butterflies. What if we just set them free?"
"Good thinking, Maddie!" Sofia smiled.
"Right! Yes!" Miss Nettle nodded.
"For a good cause." Madeline reminded her.
"Don't ruin this for me." Miss Nettle grumbled.
Shortly after, Sofia, she and Madeline perched on one of Miss Nettle's vines peeked through a window.
"I don't see anything." She declared. "How are we going to get inside?"
Miss Nettle looked up, and saw an open window. Waving her wand, she made the vine grow higher, bring Sofia and Madeline to the window.
"Okay, we're in." Madeline smiled, as they entered through the window. "Now where are those-?"
"Hide!" Sofia pulled Madeline to one side as Ivy and Roma walked below them. Unbeknownst to them, Roma stopped, watching them.
"That was close." Madeline noted. "Okay, send us down."
Miss Nettle waved her wand, making the vine stretch down to the floor. Roma walked over to meet them.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"We're trying to help Whatnaught." Madeline whispered.
"Oh, okay." Roma smiled. "Follow me then!"
Sofia and Madeline followed Roma as he scampered away.
"You're gonna need Ivy's butterflies." He declared, leading them to a large greenhouse where the butterflies resided.
Sofia opened the doors, letting the butterflies out.
"Thank you, Roma." She smiled.
Sofia and Madeline rushed out of the front doors. Madeline picked up Whatnaught as they drove the butterflies back to the flower field.
Meanwhile, Ivy approached the greenhouse. Roma hid himself.
"Feeding time, my lovelies." She called, then saw that the place was empty. "My butterflies! No!" As she looked around, she saw the giant vine. "It was Sofia, Madeline, and that... that gardener!" She growled.
Roma tried to sneak away, but Ivy spotted him.
"Did you... help them?" She asked. "What, after I took you in? Gave you a warm bed? Fed you? I thought you were on my side, but you're not. You're a bad skunk!"
"I am on your side, miss Ivy!" Roma called as he followed her outside. "Wait!"
As they continued on their path, Sofia, Madeline and Miss Nettle found Gruff sleeping against a tree.
"Oh no!" Madeline gasped. "Mr. Gruff has the deep sleeps too!"
"We need to hurry!" Sofia declared.
They finally reached the field.
"The flowers look terrible." Madeline frowned.
"It's alright." Miss Nettle assured her. "They just need the magic of the butterflies. You'll see-"
Miss Nettle was cut off by two dragonflies flying toward her.
"Oh!" Miss Nettle tried to escape them. "Shoo! Shoo, dragonflies!"
Ivy had arrived.
"Ivy, we just need the butterflies for a little while." Sofia pleaded.
"Just let us-" Madeline started.
"No, girls." Ivy growled. "Get them back in the cage right now, so I'll send my dragonflies after you too."
"What's going on?" Sofia asked, as several butterflies headed toward them, Roma in front.
Roma brought Ivy one of the butterflies, and she placed it in the cage.
"I'm sorry, girls." He apologised. "But Ivy takes care of me. I owe her this. Bye!"
"Dragonflies, come!" Ivy ordered.
The dragonflies stopped chasing Miss Nettle, and vanished into smoke as they reached Ivy. Miss Nettle landed on a rock, exhausted.
"Oh, Roma, thank you so much." Ivy smiled. "I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier, but... Roma?"
Roma suddenly fell asleep.
"Roma?" Ivy gasped. "No, no. No, no, no..."
"It's the Deep Sleeps." Madeline told her.
"But... how long will he be asleep?" Ivy asked.
"We don't know." Sofia sighed.
Ivy placed her net in a nearby tree, then knelt down by Roma and started crying. She felt the wetness on her cheeks, and was surprised.
"Oh... wh-why is my face wet?" She asked.
"Well... you're crying." Madeline answered.
"What?" Ivy stood up. "What is this lump in my throat? What's going on here?"
Ivy: Why's a tear running down from my eye?
I've never felt quite like this before
And I don't know why it makes me cry
To think he might sleep forevermore
Oh, what is this I'm feeling?
What is this ache inside of me?
Everything is reeling
Through these misty eyes
I just can't see
What is this feeling I'm feeling in me?
Sofia/Madeline: You are feeling this way cause you care
That's why it seems like your world may end
It feels new
But you shouldn't be scared
You're aching because you miss your best friend
Oh, we know how you're feeling
Losing a friend will make you blue
So help us with his healing
And you'll feel a whole lot better too
Embrace that feeling you're feeling in you
In your black-in-white world
You can no longer hide
If you care for your friend
Won't you please let some color inside
At least won't you try
Ivy: I'll embrace this feeling
Let go of the way I used to be
Friendship is revealing
And it makes me see a brand new me
I like this feeling I'm feeling
Sofia/Madeline: We know the feeling you're speaking of
The feeling that you're feeling is love
"Now I understand why you let the butterflies go." Ivy realised. "This feeling..."
"Yes!" Sofia nodded. "We were worried about Whatnaught and the other animals!"
"Like Roma?" Ivy asked. "I thought it wasn't my problem, but... I care about Roma."
"So his problem is your problem." Madeline declared.
Ivy gave Miss Nettle one of the flowers, then opened the butterfly cage.
"Go!" She urged. "Go quickly! We have to help Roma!"
The butterflies flew over and perched on the flowers, restoring them. Ivy picked one of the flowers, and handed it to Madeline.
"For the squirrel, Madeline." She declared. "He's been asleep the longest."
"Thank you, Ivy." Madeline nodded.
"I'll hold Whatnaught." Sofia instructed.
"Here we go." Madeline declared, tilting the flower over Whatnaught.
A drop of nectar splashed onto Whatnaught's nose waking him up. As he looked around, he saw Ivy, and clung to Sofia in fear.
"It's okay, Whatnaught." Sofia assured him. "Ivy's helping us now."
"Here, Ivy." Madeline passed the flower to her.
Ivy repeated the procedure with Roma.
"What?" Roma sat up. "Where am I?"
"Oh, it worked!" Ivy picked Roma up and hugged him. "Welcome back, my little stinkbomb! I'm so glad you're all better!" She held Roma up. "Well, what are we waiting for? We have a whole island full of animals to cure!"
Back at Ivy's castle, Gruff and Roma were carrying baskets full of Wake-Upsie-Daisies. Ivy approached Sofia and Madeline.
"I would like to... apologise to you, girls." She announced. "You see, I never had a friend before Roma, so I never knew how it would feel if they were in trouble. Now I'm going to help Miss Nettle with her Wake-Upsie-Daisies. Oh, it made me feel so good to help him..."
"But what about the color?" Sofia asked.
"Oh, look." Ivy put on some tinted glasses. "Miss Nettle made these for me."
"...Miss Nettle, have you two become friends?" Madeline smiled.
"Don't make a big deal out of it... but yes." Miss Nettle admitted. "I suppose we are."
Roma whispered something into Sofia's ear.
"Ivy, I think the animals made something for you." Sofia announced. "To say 'thanks'."
Ivy gasped in surprise as Gruff brought over a wooden throne with flowers blooming on it.
"It's... beautiful." Ivy smiled. She sat down on the throne, Roma leaping onto one of the armrests. "All I ever wanted was a kingdom of my own, but I guess I had one all along."
"Even better? You have friends." Madeline declared.
"Maybe that's why our amulets sent us." Sofia mused. "To help you see that."
Their amulets starting glowing.
"Look!" Madeline realised. "Time to go, Whatnaught!"
Whatnaught leapt into Madeline's arms.
"Thank you, girls." Ivy smiled.
"Good luck... again!" Roma waved.
"So long, princesses!" Miss Nettle handed Sofia some Wake-Upsie-Daisies.
"Goodbye, everyone!" Sofia waved.
Both girls vanished in a cloud of smoke.
Shortly after, they tended to their animals friends. Sofia woke Robin and Mia, while Madeline woke up Clover. As Clover opened his eyes, Whatnaught offered him some carrots, which he gladly accepted.
"He's fine." Robin smirked.
"Totally fine." Mia agreed.
"Oh, Clover!" Madeline smiled, as she and Sofia hugged him.