Gotta be honest with yous… Miss Magix was a bit of a bump for me. It's not one of the episodes I care for (except for the scenes of the Trix dying of laughter. I live for moments of the Trix being normal teens). I think I did a decent job anyways and I'm so excited to be going onto chapter 13. Also, I'm back at work full time now so I've got a lot less time for writing, but I'm determined to finish this. Luckily, works been a bit (read: very) slow and because I have a (mostly) office job, I still manage to get some writing done at work (shhhh).
Also, I didn't end up doing much editing on the earlier chapters cause I didn't really have time.
thisCultMakesMeHappy: I strongly considered having Stella come face to face with Riven but decided against it for 2 reasons:
1. Riven and clubs just don't mix imo. I know he goes dancing with them in s3, but I think that's more Musa's influence than anything else.
2. Musa and Stella don't get a lot of scenes with just the two of them canonically, and I've mentioned them fighting a few times now so I thought it'd be nice to just let them have fun together cause, in my head, they're actually really good friends. They just happen to both be a little hot headed sometimes lol
Anyways, happy you're still loving it
Thanks Prodigiodragon. That's really sweet of you to say!
Guest: I have full intentions of doing season 2. It's my favourite Winx Club season and I'm bursting with ideas for it – especially where the Flora/Helia and Musa/Riven dynamics are concerned. And I can't wait to get to add Aisha in!
Ch 12. Miss Magix
"Do I really have to do this?" Musa moaned.
"Yes, you agreed to it."
Tonight was Musa's blind date – the one she'd been forced into agreeing to let Stella set her up on. Stella had found some guy called John who-knew-where and was insistent that Musa would fall head over heels for him.
"Trust me you'll forget all about Riven after you meet John" Stella assured her for the fifth time since she'd told Musa about the date. Ever since they'd gone out last week and had a very brief discussion about boys, Stella had seemed to have been determined to get Musa out on a date. "Now come on, let's get you changed."
"What's wrong with the way I'm dressed now?"
Stella eyed Musa skeptically. The dark-haired fairy wore torn skinny jeans and a baggy red sweater – there was nothing right about how she was dressed in Stella's opinion. "You're going to a nice restaurant. You have to look presentable. Also, John is the son of a duke and I sold him on this by telling him you're a princess."
Stella had rambled that last bit quickly, hoping to slide it past Musa who she knew would not be happy with that detail. Unfortunately, it had not worked and Musa now looked at Stella with a very unimpressed face. "Why would you do that? He's going to be expecting someone like you."
"What's wrong with being like me?" Stella replied indignantly.
"Nothing" Musa sighed, "but I'm not like you."
"Oh relax, Musa. You're pretty, you're funny, you're smart, what's there not to like?" she shrugged, pushing Musa onto her bed before she began to dig through the musical fairy's closet. "Besides, I didn't lie – you are a princess."
Stella rifled through the closet, pulling out anything that looked like a dress. She was surprised to see that Musa owned more than expected, though they were mostly party dresses. She was about ready to give in and put Musa in one of her dresses when finally, she came to one that would be perfect. "Wow! I can't believe you own something like this" Stella gasped as she pulled out a fitted knee-length black dress with a V-neck and long see-through balloon sleeves. "This is perfect."
"Really?" Musa asked skeptically, scrunching her nose. "It's not really me. And if you want me to date this person, shouldn't they meet a version of me that actually looks like me?"
"It's a beautiful dress, you're a beautiful girl. What more does he need to know on a first date?" Stella laughed. "Besides, why'd you bring it if you don't even like it?"
"In case anyone from my family came to Magix and I was forced to see them" Musa explained as she pulled the dress out of Stella's hands and put it on. "Why did you have to pick a Wednesday for a date anyways?"
Stella looked at Musa's back curiously "Didn't you say you were having supper with your aunt, like, two months ago?"
Musa's eyes went wide as she realised the mistake she'd just made. She had told the girls she was having supper with her aunt when she'd gone to Red Fountain the night they'd snuck into Cloud Tower. Thankfully Stella couldn't see her face. "I did say that, yes" Musa replied, keeping her voice level.
"You went in jeans – I remember cause I told you that jeans weren't appropriate for supper with a member of the royal family and you flipped me off. So where were you really?"
Musa exhaled. She'd been meaning to tell the girls that she'd been hanging out with the guys without them, but she just hadn't found the right time. And why was now the time Stella chose to remember things? "So, what shoes should I wear with this?"
"Don't try to distract me – where were you?"
Musa sighed – Stella was not going to let it go. "With Sky at Red Fountain."
Stella stared at her blankly, her eyelashes batting quickly. "You're hanging out with Sky alone?"
"It's nothing like that" Musa assured her.
"No, of course not. You'd never do that to me" Stella mumbled quickly.
"I wouldn't."
"Right." Stella tried to hide her jealousy. She wasn't Sky's girlfriend, so she had no reason to be jealous or upset, but she was a bit hurt that he'd wanted Musa there and not her. "So why were you and Sky hanging out without the rest of us?"
Musa let out a small laugh and shook her head. "We're friends – I think of him like a brother; I'm definitely not trying to swoop in and steal him from you. I'm the only one he asked that night because he wanted to ask me about you."
"About me?" Stella asked. Her eyes had gone wide and a light red had dusted her cheeks. "What did he want to know?"
"I can't tell you that, Stella."
"Why not?" the blonde pouted. She dropped herself onto Musa's unmade bed and crossed her arms. "You're supposed to be my friend."
"For fuck's sake" Musa groaned. "Stop acting like a child." Musa leaned against the closet door and rested her head against the wall. She looked over at Stella and noticed that the fairy had stopped pouting and was now twirling her thumbs and staring at the bed. She looked like she wanted to say something, but wasn't sure of how to phrase it or if she should even ask. It occurred to Musa that she'd never seen Stella this uncertain before. "Look, it was nothing bad. He just wanted to ask my opinion about something."
"Oh" Stella whispered. She had stopped twirling her thumbs, instead opting to bite her lower lip. She still looked like she wanted to say something. Musa waited with uncharacteristic patience; she knew what it was like to want to say something and not find the right words. Hell, that was half of her life. Eventually, Stella found the words and courage, and quietly asked: "but you're sure he likes me?"
Musa wasn't sure whether to find it endearing or annoying how worried Stella was about Sky liking her. It was painfully obvious every time the prince was around her that he was completely enamoured with her. Not to mention the fact that Musa had told her just last week that she was certain that Sky liked her. "Yes, Stell. He likes you. I'm completely positive about that."
"Ok."
"Ok?"
"Yeah" Stella nodded. She pushed herself up from the bed and looked at Musa intently. "Now which shoes should we pair with that dress? And what are we doing with your hair and makeup?"
Stella had decided to take matters into her own hands. She usually believed that the man should make the first move, but she wanted Sky and she was fairly certain he wanted her. Musa seemed pretty confident that he did, and the musical fairy had no reason to lie to her about that. Yet for some incomprehensible reason, Sky had not made a move yet. So she would.
She'd managed to convince Musa to tell her Sky's dorm number and before she knew it she found herself standing in front of Red Fountain. The beige building loomed tall and terrifying in front of her, but she wasn't backing down. She'd already come all this way – too late to turn around. Besides, there was no reason to be scared. Sky was just a guy – a wonderful, kind, funny, brave, handsome guy – he wasn't intimidating. And this was just a crush so if he didn't feel the same, she'd survive. Never mind that her heart fluttered every time she was around him or that he could stop her dead with a smile or a laugh, and it definitely didn't matter that he made her feel like she was walking on a cloud – weightless and fearless.
She would survive if he didn't feel the same.
She had to.
It would just hurt.
A lot.
But she'd survive.
Before she got to that, though, she should figure out what her battle plan was. But Stella being Stella – impulsive – she didn't. Instead, she marched into Red Fountain, head held high. It was only once she'd passed the threshold of the school that she realised she'd never actually set foot in Red Fountain and had no idea where room 317 was.
Musa entered the restaurant apprehensively – why had she let Stella set her up? She wasn't interested in dating right now – she didn't want a boyfriend or girlfriend. Not that Stella knew setting her up with a girl was also an option. She rounded the corner of the entrance hall of the sleek restaurant that either this John guy or Stella had chosen and came face to face with the hostess stand.
"Hello, welcome to Tulip. Do you have a reservation?" asked the hostess, a young dark-haired and dark-skinned woman that couldn't have been over twenty-five.
"I'm supposed to be meeting somebody. A, um, John. I don't know his last name."
"Are you Miss Oshiro?" Receiving a nod, the hostess indicated for her to follow. "Mr. Hopewell has already arrived."
Musa took in the elegant restaurant – the sleek black chairs, glass tables with slim, tall vases of minimalist flowers surrounded by candles. The chandeliers on the ceiling were dimly lit, just enough to say that they were there but not enough to help with the lighting in the restaurant. Instead, most of the light came from the candles on the tables making each table feel like it was its own little world.
Musa had always felt out of place in ritzy places like this. Sure, she knew how to behave properly – which fork to use for what and all that – she'd taken etiquette classes, after all. That didn't change the fact that she just wasn't an upscale type of person – she preferred a nice but low-key restaurant or a good old-fashioned greasy spoon.
The hostess led her around the water feature in the center of the restaurant to a table where a young man with dark brown hair sat sipping on a nearly empty glass of scotch. He wore a smart, but understated, dark blue suit that perfectly accented amber eyes that were hidden behind metal-framed round glasses. Knowing Stella, she had instructed him to wear something to make his eyes pop now that the blonde knew Musa had a weakness for eyes. And he did have nice eyes, though Musa preferred the jewel tones: greens like Flora's, Cecilia's and Micah's or blues like hers and Sean's or violet, which she'd only ever seen on Riven and that singer from the café.
"Musa?" He said, getting up from his spot to shake her hand. It was clear from the way he spoke and carried himself that he'd been raised in a noble family. "It's wonderful to meet you; Stella had said you were pretty, but you're even more beautiful than I'd expected."
"Thank you" she replied politely. "It's nice to meet you too, although Stella didn't actually tell me all that much about you."
A young woman wearing black dress pants and a white blouse came by to take Musa's drink order and ask John if he'd like a second glass. She wore her dark hair in a high ponytail and had vibrant blue eyes that shone from behind her large, dark-rimmed glasses. Musa laughed internally; the waitress, she thought, was more attractive than the guy Stella had set her up with.
"She didn't tell me all that much about you either. I know that you're pretty, your name and title – princess. Otherwise, you're just as much a mystery to me as I am to you" John said once the waitress had gone.
"Glad I'm not the only one that was under informed" Musa laughed, loosening up a bit now that she knew that Stella had left him more or less just as clueless. "So, fill in the blanks for me."
John told her about how he was studying to be an engineer – he didn't specify what field and she didn't ask, assuming she'd have no idea what he was talking about. He was an only child, born to wealthy parents who encouraged him to study hard and instilled a good work and study ethic. His parents had been a huge influence on his life, he explained. Musa wanted to joke that hers had been too, but not quite in such a positive way – at least not in the last 10 years. It wasn't the right time though – she didn't even know this guy, no point in sharing the stories of her bad family life. Though, even if she'd wanted to, she wouldn't have been able to as John kept talking, completely unaware that she may have said something.
Once she'd finally located room 317, Stella came to a second realisation – she didn't even know if Sky was here. She could be knocking on the door to a completely empty room – he could be training or studying somewhere else in the building. Or worse, he could be on a date with someone that wasn't her.
She leaned her ear against the door, thankful that the hall was deserted. She had been hoping to make out the sound of his voice, but she heard nothing. What she wouldn't give to have Musa's hearing at this very moment. Could Musa use her sonar hearing over the phone? Stella briefly considered calling her, but that would interrupt the date she'd worked so hard to organise.
"Whatcha listening for?" a deep voice asked from beside her.
Stella yelped, jumping up. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and considered making a run for it, but she was no coward. Slowly turning around, Stella looked up at the striking prince. He wore black shorts and a red sleeveless shirt, and he was drenched in sweat. His usually perfectly coiffed chestnut hair was slicked back, probably from him having pushed it out of his face. His face was flushed red, so Stella could only assume he'd been training. Despite his less than perfect state, he was still gorgeous. Stella knew had Sky caught her coming out of a training session drenched in sweat, she'd be mortified. He, however, was completely at ease and she was once again struck by how confident and comfortable he was with himself.
"Sky. Hi" she said, her voice a whole pitch higher than usual.
"Did you hear anything interesting?" Sky smirked.
It may have been his calm yet amused demeanor or how unbothered he was that she'd randomly shown up at his dorm, but Stella found herself relaxing instantly. "Not much – the doors here must be really thick."
"Well, that makes sense actually. Brandon and Timmy were studying in the library when I left for my run and I'm assuming they'll be there until late."
"So... You're the only person here right now?"
"Looks like it" he laughed. "Do you mind hanging out while I take a quick shower? I don't want to subject you to more sweat than you've already been subjected to."
"Yeah, sure" Stella replied happily, following him into the dorm.
It was only when the waitress came back with their drinks and asking if they were ready to order that John stopped speaking. "I'll have the filet mignon – blue please."
"Wonderful. And for you, miss?"
"She'll have the mahi-mahi" John informed the waitress, speaking over Musa. Musa's eyes narrowed, glaring at John. She was going to choose the mahi-mahi anyways, but she could damn well speak for herself.
The waitress turned her eyes towards Musa as if to ask if that was what she wanted and Musa nodded in confirmation. John noticed none of this; he had instead occupied himself unfolding the silver napkin and placing it in his lap. The waitress wrote down Musa's order and, as she was putting away her order booklet and picking up the tray she'd brought their drink on, was finally noticed by John. He didn't say anything but glared at her. Once the waitress was gone, he turned to Musa and scoffed. "Can you believe the morons they hire sometimes?"
Musa was completely taken aback. For someone who was, admittedly, temperamental, she was so shocked that all she could was stare at him.
"Anyways, where was I?" he asked before tossing back the rest of his glass of scotch. "Right, my parents. They really instilled good core family values in me – I believe wholeheartedly in the idea that a child should have a mother and father, and that a wife –" The waitress's passing had silenced him. He'd turned his head to look at her and stared at her as she spoke to the table a few feet away. As she made her way back towards them, he snapped at her.
Musa's mind reeled; how could Stella think she'd be okay with a guy like this?
"Did you not notice that my glass was empty?" he near-shouted as the waitress approached them.
"Excuse me?" she said, maintaining a polite demeanor.
"My drink is empty. Bring me another."
"Of course, sir" the waitress nodded and grabbed the glass before running off.
Stella sat on the couch awkwardly, taking in the plain room around her. Maybe she should refer her decorator to the guys; this room was in desperate need of a good eye. Or maybe she could do it – that would be a pretty good reason to spend more time around Sky. She started thinking of how she would spruce the place up. She assumed that, much like at Alfea, she couldn't get rid of the couch as it was school property, but she could work around it. Although the couch at Alfea was much nicer than Red Fountain's. Maybe she'd get some plants – something sturdy that the boys couldn't kill – and a few wall pieces. Something a little funky, maybe a nerdy piece for Timmy.
True to his word, Sky's shower was quick and within 5 minutes he was sitting beside her wearing a clean pair of grey sweatpants and a forest green t-shirt. "So how'd you know which dorm was ours?" he asked, not wanting to assume she was here to see him. Maybe she'd been looking for Timmy.
"I, um, guilted Musa into telling me."
Sky laughed. He'd already known that – Musa had texted him to tell him that she'd told Stella about movie night and how Stella had reacted. He didn't know she'd not given him all the details, opting not to tell him about Stella's insecurities.
Stella laughed too for the first time since he'd caught her and he felt his heart swell. He loved the sound of her laugh and the way her eyes lit up, like they contained a million tiny stars.
"So why did you show up at my dorm unannounced on a Wednesday night?"
How could Stella explain to him why she was here without sounding like an obsessive wack job?She wanted to see him? She wanted to see that he was here, not out with some other floozy? It's not like she was dumb, she knew what kind of reputation Sky had last year. He was well known for his ways with women and his, she supposed you could call them conquests though the idea of doing so made her stomach turn.
Coming here had been a terrible idea – she should've stayed at Alfea and hung out with the other girls. Or, at least, she should've come up with a plan first.
She looked up at the prince who watched her expectantly. Her amber eyes met his deep chocolate brown eyes and suddenly she found herself blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "I really like you, Sky."
His eyes went wide at how forward she'd been. The princesses he'd met in the past liked to be chased.
Stella realised a split second later what she'd said and began nervously rambling. She couldn't deny what she'd said because then she'd have to come up with another reason for being here. "I know you like me, well, at least I think you do and, well, I want to know why you haven't made a move yet cause I know the reputation you have with women and I just don't get it. Do you not think I'm good enough? Cause if it's that, I'd like to know why. I mean, Solaria is one of the richest and strongest realms in the dimension – a more than worthy ally for Eraklyon and I'm a great person – at least I think I am, but the girls seem to agree and –"
"Stella" Sky interrupted. He gave a small chuckle and watched with amusement as the blonde took a breath and tried to stop herself from blushing. He didn't know what to say. He liked her – a lot – but there was a whole complicated situation that he couldn't explain to her. He'd stopped dating and sleeping with other girls – none of them compared to Stella anyways. And here she was, the object of his attention, sitting on his couch admitting her feelings for him and he couldn't jump in, kiss her and tell her that he didn't want anyone but her.
But he couldn't flat out reject her either; he had hope that she'd still want him once this ordeal was over. Even if it was just for sex and he'd have to push back his feelings for her – he'd do anything to be close to Stella. "I do like you. It's just…"
"What?"
"It's complicated. I can't explain it to you – "
"Try. I'm not as dumb as people think I am."
"You're not dumb, Stella. And that's not why I can't explain it – and it's not that I don't want to. Believe me, life would be so much easier if I could tell you everything, but this involves other people and their lives and it's… it's not my choice."
"I don't understand… Are you in an arranged marriage or something?" Stella knew some places still did arranged marriages – maybe Eraklyon was one of them? Solaria would never be again; her father had promised her after he and her mother had separated.
"Me? No. No. Definitely not."
"Okay. So, it's complicated?"
"Yeah" he sighed.
"But you like me?"
"Yeah."
"As more than a friend?"
"Yes" he laughed.
Stella felt her heart surge with happiness at that confirmation – he liked her!
"Is it a complication that could change one day?"
"I really hope so. I know it'll change; I just don't know when."
Stella didn't reply – she didn't like when things didn't go her way. Being the crown princess of Solaria meant she pretty much always got what she wanted and right now she wanted him. But unlike the clothes and shoes and accessories and perfumes and whatever else she could want; Sky was worth waiting for. She was certain of that.
"If you're willing to, we could take it slow?"
Sky held his breath; he liked Stella but he was realistic about who she was. Occasionally impatient and spoiled, she probably wouldn't be willing to wait around for a guy when she could have anyone she wanted. When the princess responded with a nod, it felt like a weight lifted off him. And, yet, simultaneously another weight had replaced it. She thought he was worth the wait; hopefully she'd feel the same when this was over.
"Do you want to watch a movie or something? You know, since you're here."
"That sounds good" Stella nodded. "Do you think we could order something? I kind of skipped supper when I decided to come here."
Sky laughed as he handed Stella the take-out menus. He laid out the movies they had in the dorm for Stella to pick one. Once she'd selected a movie and he'd called to order their food, he sat back down on the couch, a foot between him and the princess.
Stella looked at the distance between them and, knowing that he felt the same she did, decided she didn't like said distance and that there was no harm in being closer to him. She scooted over to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the questioning look that Sky gave her. "Taking it slow doesn't mean we can't cuddle" she explained. He momentarily considered her logic and, deciding that she was right, brought his arm up around her as he rested his head on top of hers.
Musa so badly wanted to follow the waitress's lead and get anywhere that wasn't at this table, but she knew she'd never hear the end of it from Stella. She'd suck it up and then tell Stella that the next time she wanted to set Musa up, she would have to do it from beyond. Thankfully, their main courses should be out soon and then she'd be able to leave and never have to be around John again.
"So, what's studying engineering like?" Musa asked before John could speak. She did not want to hear more about his beliefs about families – she didn't need to know what they were; she'd never have one with him.
"It's great for the most part" he started. Musa didn't ask what he meant by that because she knew she wouldn't be able to, or even need to. "I love what I'm studying but I've noticed it has a few downfalls socially. Women don't want the smart, nerdy guy. All they want is a meathead jock who'll fuck them and then never talk to them again."
Oh, boy.
The waitress brought out their plates and informed John that his drink would be up shortly. He rolled his eyes at her, but didn't bother saying anything presumably feeling that acknowledging her was beneath him. Musa made a point of thanking the waitress, hoping to make up for his jackass behaviour.
"You know, it's like, all I want is a nice girl that loves me for me, but girls don't care about that. And, actually, it's not just girls" he said between mouthfuls of his filet mignon. He spoke with his mouth full – had he not been raised properly? How was this guy the son of a duke? Musa was never one for the etiquette rules, but she really hated when people chewed with their mouths open. "People in general look down on the smart, nerdy guy. It's just particularly bad with girls. I'm a nice, good-looking guy, I know that; I've got money and connections. By all means, I'm a catch, but the minute girls find out I'm a nerd, they lose interest."
Musa wanted nothing more than to smack John upside the head. What an obnoxious twat.
A young girl that was not their waitress made her way to their table with John's drink, amongst others, on a tray. She held the tray unsteadily, as if she were not quite comfortable with it (1). She was a mere foot from their table when she stumbled, sending the glasses crashing to the ground and, as it would happen, onto John.
Musa and John's faces dropped open in shock, but their reaction beyond that was worlds apart. She shut her mouth, using all of her will power to resist the overwhelming urge to laugh. He, on the other hand, began to shout at the young girl, who was apologising profusely.
"… Dumb fucking bitch! Why are you even fucking working here if you can't carry a tray with a few glasses on it? Who the fuck thought hiring your fucking useless ass was a good…"
Musa barely registered most of what he said as her fury rose. She could shut up and tolerate his whining and obnoxious personality for Stella's sake, but this was too much. "Would you shut the fuck up!"
"Excuse me?" he spat.
"It was an accident – although considering how you treated the waitress earlier; I'd consider it karma more than anything. There's no point in fucking going off on the poor girl." Musa glared at him for a second before continuing. "This is fucking ridiculous. You've been horrible to the waitress all night and you've spent a considerable amount of this farce of a date talking about yourself and complaining that girls don't like you."
"Well, they don't" he argued weakly, too shocked by Musa's outburst to react appropriately.
"You think girls don't like you because you're a nerd and I want you to know - no, I need you to know - that that's not true. It's because you're a fucking asshole." Musa picked up her purse and opened it, pulling out a small wad of cash that she'd brought with her and giving a fifty to the young girl who had just watched Musa yell at her date. "As an apology for this garbage person" Musa said, motioning to John. Next, she walked around the restaurant until she found her waitress. She settled her bill and gave the girl a more than generous tip and a sincere apology. When she left, all she could think about was going off on Stella for putting her through that.
Bloom knocked on Stella's door – it was almost time to get going for breakfast and the blonde had still not emerged from her room. Usually by now, she would be on the couch brushing her hair obsessively or shouting through the dorm that she couldn't find the right outfit or – rarely, but still occasionally – shouting at Musa, who may or may not still be in bed, that they were going to miss breakfast. Today, however, she'd yet to emerge from her room and had not made a peep. "Stella?"
"What?" whined a voice from the other side of the door.
Bloom pushed the door open to find Stella still in bed. She wore her pajamas, an unmade face and her hair was still tangled from sleep. Her eyes were closed, though Bloom knew she was awake since she'd responded just a second ago. "Stella, get up. We have to get going."
Stella made a noise that may have been a grunt, but Bloom couldn't be entirely sure; it could've also been a moan or a groan or, for all Bloom knew, she could have shrieked. It was impossible to tell as Stella had rolled over, stuffing her face into the pillow and making whatever sound she'd made.
"Stella! Come on, get up!"
"No" Stella moaned, accentuating the 'o' to last close to ten seconds.
"And why not?"
"I don't feel well" Stella muttered, curling herself up into a ball and pulling the blanket up to cover her chin.
"Is she coming?" Musa asked, poking her head into the room.
"No, she's not feeling well."
"Well that's not good" Flora, who stood beside Musa, said. She made her way over to the blonde and rested a hand on her forehead. "You're really heating up – you should probably head down to the nurse."
Musa was a bit annoyed. She'd not gotten to yell at Stella last night because the blonde hadn't there when she'd gotten back from her nightmare date and now she was sick. Had John called Stella to tell her what had happened? If this was Stella avoiding her hoping that Musa would be over it when they finally saw each other, it would backfire. Every time Stella avoided her it just fanned the flames of Musa's anger.
"That's probably a good idea, Flora" Stella replied.
"Do you want us to help you down to the infirmary?"
"No, I'm okay. You girls go ahead."
Palladium stood before the class in the newly repaired Magical Reality Chamber. He announced that the Chamber was operational again after two long weeks. "Half of you will take it today and the rest will go tomorrow. Now I don't think I have to remind you, but this is the most important test of the year, it will count as half of your final grade. I hope you're all ready."
Around the room, multiple girls commented on how unprepared they felt. Tecna rolled her eyes at their comments; these girls had had two extra weeks to study, how could they still not feel prepared?
"Let's see" Palladium said, picking up his pen. He closed his eyes and circled over the paper, landing on a random name. "Princess Stella is up first."
"Professor" Bloom said, raising her hand as she spoke. "She wasn't feeling well this morning and went to the infirmary."
"Very well. Please tell her I expect her to take the test first thing tomorrow. She must pass this test. Her grades in this class are already quite low. Next up would be -" he once again closed his eyes and picked a name at random, "Flora."
Bloom made her way to the infirmary at the back of the main hall. She walked along the short hall overlooking the school's back gardens before coming to the door of the nurse's office. The infirmary was quite large, though the nurse's office itself was small. Bloom could see through the open door at the back of the office to the rows of beds that would house sick and injured students.
The head nurse, Ofelia, was an older woman – though not as old as Faragonda – with orange-red hair and soft blue eyes. She looked at Bloom over half-moon shaped glasses. "Hello there. What's going on?"
"Oh, nothing ma'am," Bloom replied, closing the door behind her. "I'm here to check on my friend, Princess Stella; she wasn't feeling well this morning. Is she any better?"
"This morning? You're the first student to walk through that door today, which is kind of odd in itself because when there are exams, I normally have a crowd in here" Ofelia informed her.
"Oh, um, okay. Thanks" Bloom managed to spit out. She stormed back to the dorm, furious that Stella would lie to them. She entered the common room where Tecna, Flora and Musa sat on the couch. "Guess where I just went. The nurse's office. It turns out Stella was never even there! She totally lied to us. She's got to be hiding out, avoiding the exam. Right?"
The girls looked at Bloom in shock. Sure, Stella was a bit irresponsible and flaky, but she wouldn't put her grades at such high risk. Like Palladium had said, her grades were already dangerously low in his class.
"Well, we should tell her it wasn't that difficult" Flora suggested, "I passed it without much trouble at all."
"Yeah, you studied" Musa pointed out.
"Yes, Stella has been putting off studying for weeks now, even when Bloom got her an extra two weeks. She should be hiding out - the Magical Reality test requires real skill."
"You know what? She needs a magical reality check. I'm not leaving her room until she's learned every move, spell, and potion by heart." Bloom slammed open the door to Stella's room, not bothering to knock first. She found the room in complete disarray; it looked like a tornado had gone through. There were clothes scattered everywhere – on the bed, stairs, dresser, desk and floor; she didn't want to know what the mezzanine where Stella's closet was looked like. Stella, however, was nowhere in sight. "Stella! We need to talk."
"Are you looking for moi?" Stella's voice asked from behind her. Turning towards the blonde, who stood in the doorway to their dorm, Bloom took a breath. Seeing that Stella had spent the day playing in her closet made Bloom even angrier.
"Be honest, girls, how do you feel about this hairstyle?" Stella asked, flicking her long hair over her shoulder.
"Stella! You lied to us about being sick."
Stella moved past Bloom into her room and sat down in front of her vanity. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided she liked what Chrissie – the hairstylist she'd found in Magix last year – had done. She was not as good as Elisa, her stylist in Solaria, but she was still very good. She turned in her chair to face Bloom and the others, who had followed her into the room, "Have you ever had an oil treatment Bloom? It's like a facial for your hair."
"Are you listening to me? You lied to us and you skipped the test. You're failing this class, you know?"
Stella rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Apologies for the white lie. However, I had to miss the test. I had something far more important to do."
"And what could that be?" Flora asked.
Reaching into the drawer of her vanity, Stella pulled out a small pink flyer and handed it to the nearest girl, who just so happened to be Musa. The musical fairy looked at the flyer before looking up at Stella and saying: "seriously?" She passed the flyer over to Bloom who wore a confused expression – partially from Musa's reaction but mostly from the fact that Stella thought anything could be more important than passing the midterm of the class she would fail otherwise.
All she needed to know that Stella was out of her mind was to see the word 'pageant' written in big bold letters. "There's no way that a beauty pageant is more important than school."
"I knew you would say that. That's why I couldn't tell you."
"I just don't get it" Bloom replied, handing the flyer over to Flora and Tecna.
"I was the first runner-up last year. This year the crown is meant to be mine."
"That is ridiculous. Stella, how can you consider a beauty contest more important than school?" Tecna asked. She knew Stella was rather shallow – the princess made no effort to hide that – but to ignore your studies for it was a bit much.
"But it's not just about looks" Stella argued, "It's about grace and personality! And talent." She looked at the four girls who looked at her skeptically. Putting on her best puppy dog eyes, she got up and threw her arms around Bloom's neck. "Bloom, I really need your help with this. This is important to me, it's what I'm best at."
"Fine" Bloom replied shortly. "BUT! After this, you study."
"Yeah, if you don't pass this class Stella, they could kick you out" Flora added.
"Of course! If it's that important to you, I'll spend the next six million hours studying for you."
"You should study for yourself, not for us. We've already done the exam" Musa reminded her.
None of the girls had expected Magix Stadium to be as grand as it was – even Musa who'd home realm was the capital of the entertainment industry had been wowed. It was a modern building, built just a few years prior, and it was bigger than seemingly possible. The building was drenched in light, making it visible miles before they'd arrived. The plaza out front featured a giant fountain surrounded by more lights and the flag of Magix flew from the top of the fountain. A giant sign hung from the top of the building. The sign was the same shade of pink as the flyer Stella had shown them with a sash draped across it that read 'Miss Magix' and nothing more.
Several members of the staff were at the entrance where Stella presented herself as a competitor and the girls as her beauty team. They were escorted backstage where Stella and the other contestants were to prepare. The room was painted a neutral beige – a tad dull in Stella's opinion – with a large red couch and matching loveseat in the left corner. A vanity fully lit like Flora had only seen in the movies with a cushy-looking black stool took over the right side of the room, right beside a nearly empty clothes rack. The only think on it was a light pink dress.
Each contestant had her own room, something that made Stella like the Miss Magix pageant even more. She'd competed in quite a few during her early teens – never in Solaria as the judges might have crowned her simply because she was the princess and not because she deserved the win – and most only had a common area for the contestants to get ready, with changing rooms available for all. Magix Stadium was large enough to accommodate close to 40 dressing room, far more than enough for the 15 contestants of the Miss Magix competition.
Bloom, Musa, Flora and Tecna dropped their bags in the dressing room while Stella went to change into her opening outfit. Stella had loaded them up with so much stuff to bring: creams, lotions, make up, hair products, several pairs of shoes, outfit changes – including a heavy garment bag that contained her dress for the evening gown portion of the competition – and more.
Stella came out in a short, flared forest green skirt and a short-sleeved champagne top. She did a twirl, stopping to pose in front of the full-length mirror. "You like? I was thinking of this for the opening."
"Oh, cute!" Flora cooed.
"Stella, you have to wear the same outfit as everybody else."
"Yes, that is the rule."
Stella made a show of pouting and yanking the pink dress of its hanger for Bloom and Tecna before making her way back into the bathroom to change. Once she came out, Musa and Flora had fully set up the vanity with all the beauty products that Stella had packed. One of the advantages to Musa having princess training was that she had learned how to properly apply makeup and do hair – she just didn't care to apply any of that to her daily life.
Stella sat on the vanity stool as Musa began to do Stella's hair – they'd agreed on a high ponytail with curled ends and so much volume that you'd see the blonde's hair in another realm. As that was being done, Bloom conjured a chair to sit next to the blonde.
"So, Stella, what's the first thing you would do if you were crowned Miss Magix?" Bloom asked into an imaginary microphone, which she handed off to Stella.
"I would help underprivileged princesses. Mainly, what I'd like to -"
"What the fuck is an underprivileged princess?" (2) Musa interrupted.
"Princesses who aren't from rich realms, maybe they don't have -"
"Oh, fuck off with that crap" Musa interrupted once again, this time rolling her eyes with emphasis knowing that Stella could see her in the mirror. "Maybe try underprivileged people in general. No one is gonna like you if you tell them you'd like to help underprivileged rich people."
"Well that's just it, their realms are not rich."
"Sure, but they still are."
"Look Musa" Stella shouted, pulling her hair out of Musa's hands and turning on her chair to face the dark haired girl. "I am the contestant. Let me answer the question how I damn well please."
Musa glared at the blonde and crossed her arms. "I'm just trying to help" she snapped back. "Knowing you, I'm assuming you used the same answer when you lost last year –"
"I did. And I was first runner up!"
"Exactly! And you want to win this year, right? Well use something that doesn't make you seem like a fucking out of touch spoiled brat!"
"Would you two stop arguing?!" Bloom shouted, stepping between Musa and Stella. "Musa, your constructive criticism could be phrased a bit more constructively. Stella, Musa is right. Your answer does make you seem out of touch and spoiled."
Stella paused. She supposed she could pick another worthy cause to spend her time on once she won Miss Magix. She was about to ask if the girls had any helpful suggestions when a shrill cry came through their door.
"What the fuck is that sound?" Musa asked, blocking her ears. The fact that her hearing was much sharper than most people's was often a blessing, allowing her to eavesdrop on conversations, locate people and hear any comments muttered under one's breath. In fact, one of the main reasons Melodians were known to be very upfront was because they could not mutter during arguments since everyone had sonar hearing. Unfortunately, it was also a curse when it came to shrill, high pitched noises.
Bloom left the room to find the source of the sound. She didn't have to go far, coming face to face with two girls, one in the same dress as Stella and another in jeans and a t-shirt. The second girl was unsuccessfully trying to console her friend as Bloom walked up to them. "What happened?" she asked.
"She tried to cast a spell" the friend explained.
"But I got it wrong" the contestant – a beautiful dark-skinned girl with striking features replied in her painfully high pitched voice. "I said 'voice' instead of 'choice'. Maybe it's not that bad?" The girl looked up at her friend and Bloom hoping to get some reassurance. Unfortunately, this happened to be the moment that Stella, who -along with the rest of the girls minus Musa - had been listening to the conversation from the door, decided to say something.
The comment had been meant to be about the situation in general, but when Stella had said 'Gods, that's awful', the poor girl had taken it as a comment about her voice and ran off in tears. Stella, shocked by the outcome, had turned to follow her shouting that she hadn't meant it like that, but she'd been pulled back into the room by Musa who had cast a spell to block out all noise thus missing the conversation.
"Nice going, Stella" Bloom groaned as she closed the door behind her.
"I really didn't mean it like that. Do you think I should go apologise?"
"I don't think she's going to want to talk to you."
"Bloom's right" Flora said, "besides, we have to finish prepping you for the pageant."
"Welcome to the Miss Magix pageant, sponsored by Merlin's Magic Cosmetics. These young ladies will compete for the grand prize: a lifetime supply of Merlin's potions and lotions. We have one main rule: no magic, no charms, no spells, no incantations, no conjurations, no invocations, and no metamorphosis. Miss Magix will be chosen for her natural beauty; that means natural, not supernatural. And now our contestants. From near and far, you can see they don't need magic." The host, a tall, thin man with an exaggerated moustache, announced.
Musa, Flora and Tecna watched from a booth on the far right. None of them had ever watched a beauty pageant before – not that any of them had ever had much interest – so they were looking forward to seeing what all Stella's excitement was about. According to the program Tecna had gotten from ones of the hostesses, it would start with introductions, followed by the swimsuit competition, talent and finally evening gowns and questions.
"Number 1: Miss Loni"
A dark-skinned girl with sleek dark brown hair pulled up into an elegant high bun stepped onto the stage. She was followed by Miss Heidi, who's braided red hair and fair skin made her olive-green eyes pop.
"Number 3: Miss Lesta"
Lesta was a pale girl with dirty blond hair and nearly transluscent grey eyes; if she didn't have such a radiant smile, she would easily be considered plain. Number 4 - Miss Agween – was by far the most standout of the contestants. Not necessarily because she was the most beautiful, but because she hailed from an underwater realm. Her skin was a seafoam blue colour and she had shiny teal hair. Following Agween was Miss Bera. She had dark skin, much darker than Miss Loni's and dark chocolate brown eyes. While her red lips were very bright against her dark skin, her upbeat personality was what stood out the most; even in the introductions where she hadn't said or done anything other than wave, her good nature shone through her eyes and her smile.
When number 6, Miss Stella, was announced, a loud cheer could be heard coming from the right side of the room. Stella smiled wide knowing that her friends were cheering for her, though Musa's voice was the one that carried the most.
"Number 7: Miss Lee-Hona"
Miss Lee-Hona was a very pale girl, with short, curly red hair and glasses. Number 8, Miss Karen was a tan girl with light blond hair.
Musa felt her heart skip a beat when Karen walked on stage. She was a witch. She had been part of the crowd in Magix last month. Thanks to Flora, Musa's insomnia and nightmares had mostly subsided but every now and then, they would manage to slip through. Apparently tonight would be one of those nights Musa thought with dread. A light hand on her arm and Flora's voice asking if she was okay pulled Musa out of her fear-induced trance. "Yeah" she whispered to an unconvinced Flora.
"Number 9: Miss Sabatha"
Miss Sabatha had dark blue hair and dark blue eyes and, if it weren't for the fact that her hair was halfway down her back and she didn't have the same shape of eye, she could easily have been mistaken for Musa from far. Number 10, Miss Lucy, had long, almost floor length, dark purple hair and large green eyes. When the girl walked on the stage, the crowd went into a frenzy. Stella maintained her smile and fought down the urge to blast Lucy off the stage – the girl was ruining her chances of winning. If it weren't for her, Stella would easily be the most beautiful girl there.
Number 11, Miss Alyssa had short vibrant blue hair and blue eyes. Unfortunately, the poor girl looked like she had lost all confidence after Lucy's entrance. Number 12, Miss Jenny, had shoulder-length dark purple hair and an adorable round face. Unlike Alyssa, she didn't seem to be letting the audience's reaction to Lucy affect her.
"Number 13, Miss Ashanti"
Miss Ashanti had long, wavy dark brown hair in the same shade as her large eyes and just a shade darker than her skin. She walked out with the confidence of someone who'd been on stage a lot and Musa had a momentary thought that the girl would make an excellent performer if she could sing. Number 14, Miss Neoxis was the girl from the hallway. She smiled brightly as she walked on stage, but she was still clearly shaken by her spell misshap, though members of the audience may have mistaken that for nerves.
"And number 15: Miss Nadia"
Miss Nadia stood at the end of the line, the least remarkable of the girls. She had short black hair and small grey eyes and a common face.
"A warm round of applause for all our contestants!"
Bloom had stayed backstage to help Stella prepare for each segment. After the introduction, Stella and the rest of the contestants made their way backstage with the same feigned grace as when they'd walked on. As soon as Stella was backstage, she ran to Bloom's side and gripped the redhead's arms.
"Did you hear the audience's reaction when number 10 came out?! I'll never win!"
"Stella, it's just some silly contest" Bloom replied, prying the blonde's hands off her arms before they became bruised.
"To you, maybe. This is important to me."
"A beauty contest?" Bloom asked skeptically. Wasn't Stella the girl who, just a week ago, was telling her she was more than her looks? "You can't be serious."
"I am. I know you don't get it. You're wonderful in so many ways, but my looks are one of the only things I have going for me." Stella shook her head at Bloom and walked away. She should've known better than to think anyone would understand why this was so important to her.
Making her way through the backstage area, Bloom tried to think of what she would tell Stella when she got to the dressing room. The idea that Stella – bold, upbeat, supportive, friendly, funny Stella – thought that her only value was in her appearance was baffling to her. Stella needed to know there was more to her than looks – she had so much more to contribute to the world, even if she didn't think so.
Bloom rounded the last corner into the hall where the dressing rooms were and ran headfirst into one of the contestants.
"Oh, hey. You're Lucy, right?" Bloom asked the girl that sat on the ground before her. "Congratulations, the audience seemed to really love you" she continued, pushing herself to her feet and offering a hand to Lucy. Lucy looked at Bloom with disdain, before getting up, flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking away, not once bothering to say a word to Bloom.
"Jesus, what a bitch."
Stella stood in front of the vanity in her yellow-gold one-piece swimsuit. She turned to the side and eyed her stomach. She'd been watching her figure carefully ever since she'd signed up. Sure, she's indulged a bit with Sky yesterday, but she'd spent two hours at the gym this morning; that more than made up for the burger she'd eaten last night. Just as Stella was deciding that she was satisfied with her appearance in the suit, Bloom came barging into the room, slamming the door behind her.
"Bloom, please spare me whatever lecture you're about to give me."
"Screw that! You want to win this thing, we're going to win this thing" Bloom replied, forcing Stella onto the stool. She picked up the heated curling wand that Stella had left laying on the vanity'a counter and began curling Stella's hair into the perfect beachy waves.
Not a word was said the whole time Bloom was doing Stella's hair and once the redhead finally looked at Stella's reflection in the mirror, she could only laugh. Stella's face was still contorted into one of sheer confusion. "I ran into Lucy in the hallway – quite literally – and as I was offering a hand to help her up, I congratulated her since the audience seemed to really like her" Bloom explained.
"Okay…"
"Do you know what the bitch did? She looked at me like I was a week-old gym sock and walked away without saying a single word." Bloom imitated the look Lucy had given her and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "That does not deserve to win the crown."
The swimsuit competition went by more or less without a hitch. Poor Ashanti chose a swimsuit with a plunging neckline and a rather unfortunate false move resulted in more of her being visible than she'd anticipated. Stella, though, was wonderful. Between the loosely curled blonde hair, the golden swimsuit and Stella's wide, radiant smile, the sun fairy seemed to glow.
Stella waited anxiously for the host to call her on for the talent portion of the pageant. So far, every single girl who'd gone on had been injured somehow.
Heidi, who'd done a gymnastics routine, had had her landing mat malfunction and send her flying. Agween, who's talent had been dancing, had slipped and fell. Lesta, a juggler, had been battered by her pins. Lee-Hona had been attacked by her doves. Sabatha was mauled by her dogs. Neoxis somehow became trapped in her juggling rings and Karen had fallen through the stage. In fact, the only girl who hadn't gotten injured was Jenny, and even she'd had her talent go wrong. Jenny, a classically trained vocalist, had opened her mouth to sing and instead of the beautiful melody she'd been expecting, a horrendous squawking sound had come out.
Somewhere around the fourth girl to get injured, Bloom had texted the others to come backstage as Stella was getting more and more nervous. Flora had tried to reassure Stella that she'd be okay, but the blonde had just started to spiral instead.
"What if I slip and fall like Agween? Or my boots start to grow so large that I can't do that dance properly and I fall over and roll off the stage?"
"Stella. Calm down. You've been doing this dance since you could walk – you've got this."
"You're right, Bloom. I can do this" Stella said, faking a calm confidence that she did not feel in the slightest.
Lucy was the last contestant up before Stella. The girls watched from the wings as the dark-haired girl performed a flawless ballet routine. She got up from her finishing position and waved to the crowd with a wide smile. Then, before she knew it, Stella was being announced.
"Oh, fuck. That's me" Stella whimpered.
"Yes, it is. Now go kick some ass" Musa laughed, pushing the blonde onto the stage.
Stella waved to the audience, putting on an air of confidence that she'd perfected over the years. Her father had taught her that, as the heir to the throne, she could never let her audience see her falter; to maintain their confidence in her, she had to be – or at least appear – confident in herself.
"Does anyone else find it suspicious that Lucy is the only contestant that hasn't had any misshaps?" Bloom asked as she watched Stella dance.
"Very much so" Tecna nodded.
"Yeah. It's super fucking suspect."
Stella knew the traditional dance of the Great Western Moon of Solaria better than she knew her measurements – which she knew by heart, so this performance should be a walk in the park. Unfortunately, her walk in the park seemed to involve falling lights and cracks appearing on the stage. Still, she simply danced around them. When a crack appeared, she jumped or changes directions. When a light fell, she simply twirled away from it. The beautiful thing about the dance was that it wasn't rigid like a waltz; you could move freely as long as you hit certain marks. The most difficult part, honestly, was keeping an eye out for falling lights and cracking floors while facing the audience as much as possible.
Stella took a bow once she'd finished her dance. She didn't exhale the breath she'd felt like she'd been holding in since Heidi had been thrown from her may until she was backstage, though. "Did you see that?" she shouted as Bloom dragged her back to the dressing room with the other girls in tow. "I almost fucking died like 6 times!"
Tecna rolled her eyes at the blonde's dramatics. "Stella, tripping over the cracks in the stage would not have killed you."
"That may be, but being crushed by a giant stage light probably would've done the trick" Musa chuckled.
"Musa" Flora scolded. "Could you try not to make her panic more? She's practically hyperventilating as it is."
"Chill, Flo. We'll get her in her dress all prettied up and she'll be so focused on how good she looks that she'll completely forget about almost being crushed to death."
Her dress was a one-of-a-kind Amber Lauren creation. It was a form fitting nude dress with a sweetheart neck and off-shoulder straps. It would seem to be a rather simple dress until light hit it and the gold flecks throughout would shine, making Stella appear to be emitting light. Lauren, a Solarian designer, had been Stella's go-to whenever she needed a special dress for something important. Grand balls, royal court appearances, diplomatic visits or any other event that Stella deemed important enough and Amber Lauren would be called to serve her princess.
As it happened, winning Miss Magix was something Stella had deemed important enough to call upon her. Having worked with Stella for a few years now, Lauren knew exactly what to do when Stella said she wanted to embody the sun. At first, Stella had been rather unimpressed – a nude dress is not what she'd had in mind – but when a spotlight had been flashed on the dress and Stella saw it light up, she instantly fell in love.
Now she stood in her dressing room, observing the plain dress in the mirror. Behind her, the girls observed the dress with confused smiles. It's not that Stella didn't look lovely – she always did – the dress was just… not very Stella. When the girls thought of Stella, it was bright and bold, not beige and plain.
Stella chuckled at her friends faces; she could tell they weren't convinced. "Well, what do you think?" she asked. Her mood had reset the instant she'd put the dress on, just as Musa had claimed it would. Now that she was feeling more like herself, she thought she might as well have a bit of fun.
"It fits you very nicely" Flora replied honestly. Leave it to Flora to find something to compliment even when she wasn't fond of the actual dress.
"Yes. And it seems to be made of very breathable material which will be helpful under the stage lights" Tecna added.
"I love the neckline" Bloom smiled.
Unsurprisingly, Musa seemed to be the only one that wasn't going to find something positive about it, choosing instead to be brutally honest. "It's a bit plain."
"It is, isn't it?" Stella laughed.
To say that Stella's reaction had thrown the girls off was an understatement. The Stella they knew would have had a fit at Musa saying that her dress for a 'very important' contest was plain. Instead, she stood before them giggling away like a kid who'd just been told a funny joke.
"Is she broken?" Musa whispered to Tecna who simply shrugged in response.
"Just you wait" Stella smirked, "you'll love it when you see it."
"Stella, we're seeing it now" Musa replied flatly.
"You have n-"
A knock at the door interrupted Stella. One of the stagehands informed the blonde that she was to be in line for the evening wear category in two minutes. Stella graciously thanked the girl and made her way out the door. "Trust me, you've seen nothing."
The five girls that had gone before Stella had looked wonderful – or as wonderful as one could look when they had injuries on random parts of their bodies. The worst of them was poor Heidi, who had come out on crutches after being thrown from her landing pad.
"And now, Miss Stella. Miss Stella is native to the Kingdom of Solaria and an only child. She has a passion for fashion and always tries to see the sunny side in life. Miss Stella's friends would describe her as outgoing and funny."
"Who did they get that information from?" Tecna mumbled from her spot on the right side of the auditorium. Musa snorted at Tecna's comment causing Bloom to laugh as well.
"Would you three be quiet?" Flora shushed. "Besides, Stella is outgoing and funny."
"Sometimes" Musa muttered.
"I am not saying she is not, I am simply asking for their sources."
The bickering continued for a few seconds more, much to Flora's dismay, until the blonde walked onto the stage and the girls were awed into silence. The way the light hit the plain nude dress was like staring into the sun, and Stella was pure radiance.
In her awed stupor, Musa managed to snap a picture of Stella smiling out at the crowd. She texted the picture to Sky without a comment. He would know why she had sent.
"Miss Stella, what would you do if you won Miss Magix?"
"laitnetop lluf rieht esilaer slrig gnuoy pleh ot eb dluow laog ym" (3) Stella replied having taken to heart Musa's criticism. After some thought, Stella came to the conclusion that the musical fairy had been right, so she picked something that she wished someone had helped her with. Beyond being the perfect princess, she wished someone had helped her love herself and develop her passions, instead of having to learn those on her own. It was only when she looked at the host, proud of her answer, that her brain registered that she had spoken gibberish.
"What the fuck is happening?"
"I don't know Musa" Bloom responded, "but we need to fix it."
With some quick thinking, Flora spelled the host to understand what Stella had said, who in turn explained it to the audience. Stella, still unsure of what was going on, smiled widely at the audience and said nothing else.
Once the evening gown and question period was over, the contestants were assembled on the stage. Most had some sort of injury or bandage, except Stella and Lucy, and Jenny who had only wounded her pride.
"What a, um, special evening we've had. Please give it up one more time for our lovely contestants."
Stella waited anxiously as the host announced last year's Miss Magix, Miss Callie, to help him crown the new winner. Callie, a perky brunette with big brown eyes, was beautiful there was no doubt about that, but Stella still thought she'd been robbed.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for... It's time for the results." The host paused for dramatic effect before opening the envelope that Callie had brought him. "Your second runner up is Miss Heidi!"
Heidi walked up to the front of the stage with the assistance of crutches. It was logical that she had won 3rd place as, besides her unfortunate landing, she is the only one besides Stella and Lucy whose talent portion went well.
Heidi graciously accepted her sash and small bouquet of flowers. Then, as she was about to turn around, she realised that she couldn't hold the bouquet and use the crutches, so she handed the flowers back to Callie and walked back to her place in line. The whole thing was rather awkward and clumsy, causing Musa to giggle and Flora to nudge her in the ribs.
"Your first runner up, and the person who shall take the crown if Miss Magix is unable to complete her duties, is..."
Stella held her breath in anticipation. It was down to her and Lucy; there was no way anyone else was winning. She remained positive, trying to will the universe into making her win. She so very much wanted to win. After her conversation with Sky last night and the knowledge that she was probably going to flunk her exam tomorrow, she needed a real win.
"Miss Stella"
Her heart sank. Second place again.
Instead of throwing a fit like she wanted to after once again being robbed of the crown, she smiled and graciously accepted the second-place sash and bouquet. She waved and smiled like she was supposed to, but she just felt like crying. Then, all the anger she'd felt at first had quickly dissipated into disappointment.
"Finally, your new Miss Magix is Miss Lucy!"
Lucy strode forward, her mermaid-style navy blue dress training behind her. She bore a wide grin and her eyes shone with joy. Once at the front, she gently bowed her head to accept the sash and crown, the smile never fading from her face. It seemed impossible, but this may have been more important to Lucy than it was to Stella. Then, as Callie went to hand Lucy the large bouquet, a dark purple smoke began to encircle the newly crowned Miss Magix.
Confusion ran through the room as the smoke became thicker and thicker until it covered Lucy entirely and not a single flash of skin, dress or hair could be made out. The host and Callie began to cough as the thick smoke invaded their space and all 14 other contestants took a step back.
From the audience, Musa, Bloom, Tecna and Flora watched in confusion. None said a word other than Musa who, as she had multiple times since coming to Alfea, mumbled 'what the fuck' under her breath.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the smoke disappeared, and Lucy was freed of her prison. Only, the girl that stood before them now was not the same one that had when the smoke had appeared. Instead, a rail-thin girl with greasy hair, eyes too large and features too pointy to be considered traditionally beautiful stood before them.
"She's an imposter" a member of the audience cried causing the rest to boo her.
Lucy, taken aback by shock and fear, ran offstage before the crown and sash could be stripped from her.
"Well then" the host muttered. "I guess that means that Miss Stella is our new Miss Magix!"
Stella wasted no time in stepping forward to claim her new title. A stagehand that had managed to apprehend Lucy brought out the sash and crown and handed them to Callie to crown Stella.
Stella bowed her head gracefully as the stagehand removed the sash she wore and Callie replaced it with the pink 'Miss Magix' sash. She looked up at the audience and gave them a big smile and a ladylike wave before taking the new bouquet from Callie.
Stella was the last to reach her dressing room after her crowning. She hadn't even had time to register that the other girls were there when she was attacked by Bloom who hugged her tightly and spun her around. "You did it!"
Stella laughed as Bloom twirled her around and more arms joined their hug. "I know! I couldn't have done it without you. But it would've been more of an even competition if most of the other girls hadn't gotten injured during the talent portion."
"Nah" Musa replied "watching you dance in cowboy boots was more entertaining than anything those other girls could've done."
"Are you making fun of the traditional dance of the Western Moon of Solaria?"
"A bit" Musa laughed.
Stella rolled her eyes and began repacking her bags. She shoved the makeup and brushes in without much care. She was still on such a high from her win and she didn't want to waste that energy on packing. Once she was done, she handed the bag over to Bloom, who rolled her eyes at the princess's unspoken demand, and picked up her phone. Stella could swear her heart had done backflips when she saw a text from Sky.
Sky: You look beautiful!
Attached to the text was a picture of her in her Amber Lauren dress. "How did Sky get a picture of me in my evening gown?" she asked the girls, figuring it had to be one of them – likely Musa. Stella made her suspicion known by staring Musa down.
"Guilty" the dark-haired fairy replied with a laugh. "I thought he'd like to see you looking all hot and shiny."
Stella rolled her eyes and chuckled; she couldn't complain that Musa had found a way to get Sky to tell her she was beautiful. She took a selfie of her in her crown and sash and sent it back to him along with a quick text that said: thanks :) I think it works best with the crown tho ;)
She smiled wide – wider than she had when she'd won the pageant when a reply came immediately.
Sky: You're the fashion expert, but I think you'd look beautiful in a paper bag :)
Musa felt an arm brush up against her and saw a flash of blonde. Before she knew it, a pair of arns were around her neck and Stella had pulled Musa into a hug. "Thank you" Stella whispered. Musa put her free arm around Stella's waist – her other arm was holding one of Stella's bags – and returned the hug.
"For what?" she laughed. It made no sense for Stella to thank her just for sending a picture – at least she didn't think so.
"I don't know, everything." And she meant it. Bloom may be her best friend, but Musa was the one that would assure her that Sky liked her – and actually be sure of what she was saying – and Musa was the one who'd helped her prepare most for the pageant. She'd even watched Stella do her dance about twelve times, pointing out any parts she thought could use improvement.
"So girls," Stella said, pulling away from Musa and turning to face the group as they exited the building, "What do you say we go out to celebrate my victory? Musa and I found this great club when we went out."
Bloom rolled her eyes and coughed sharply. She had intended for it to remind Stella of their deal – they help her with the pageant and she studies for her exam tomorrow. What ended up happening, however, was that Stella looked at her curiously and asked if she was coming down with a cold or if she had lost her voice.
"Did you lose your memory?" Bloom snapped back, "Remember our deal? We can't celebrate! If you don't get home and study, you'll fail the test."
Stella groaned dramatically and slowed her pace, going from leading the girls to trailing behind them. She hated studying.
The girls sat in Palladium's class completely exhausted. All of them had stayed up late helping Stella study. Flora had been the first to turn in somewhere around 1 am, Bloom had been the last at 3:30. Stella herself had gone to bed at just past 4, getting a measly 4 hours of sleep. And that was only because she had skipped breakfast.
"Stella! You're here!" Palladium said, after having depressed the class by announcing that two people had already failed. "Why don't we start with you?"
"Why don't we?" she replied dryly.
"I do hope you have prepared for this."
"I couldn't be readier, Professor."
"Oh! Very good" Palladium replied happily, either not catching or ignoring Stella's sarcasm. "As you know, the chamber will randomly select a dead planet and you do your best to survive."
Stella made her way into the chamber. As she opened the door, she caught Bloom giving her a thumbs up and nodded gratefully. She probably wouldn't have survived this far without Bloom – both in school and life. In fact, she probably would've been ogre food back on Earth if Bloom hadn't jumped in.
She stood on the platform and watched as her surroundings slowly changed. The landscape around her was barren – not a tree or shrub or even a blade of grass in sight. She pulled out a vial of growing potion – courtesy of Flora – and let a few drops fall to the ground. Uncertain that that was enough, she flipped the bottle over and poured the whole thing out.
A burst of rain and a whole lot of sunshine later, the ground around her became green and luscious. Stella smiled as she watched the planet come back to life. Maybe Flora was onto something with this whole 'loving nature' thing.
The grass grew quickly. Very quickly. So quickly, in fact, that within minutes Stella was up to her waist in grass. She yelled for it to stop growing but, grass being grass and not being able to hear or care about her instructions, it continued to grow until Stella was screaming for help and staring up at the grass that towered a few feet above her.
A bright light shone around her and soon Stella found herself back on the platform of the Magical Reality Chamber. She was wet from the grass and had blades and leaves stuck in her hair. As if being exhausted wasn't bad enough.
"Stella, what happened?" Palladium asked over the speaker.
"I might have overdone it with the potion" she replied sheepishly. She conjured a ray of sunshine to dry herself off and exited the Chamber to rejoin her class.
Palladium was waiting for her with a towel and hairbrush, which was surprisingly considerate for a professor that had left his student in a swamp. "Your strategy was promising. I can tell you studied. It's a shame it ended like that."
Stella felt her heart drop. "A shame?"
"The chamber will take your entire performance into consideration and then choose your grade."
One of the worst aspects of the Magical Reality Chamber exam was the grading. It was not Palladium, who was known for being rather understanding when students had trouble, but the chamber itself that did the grading. Then, once the chamber had graded you, it was announced in front of the whole class. That meant that, should you fail like Jessie and Olive had, it was announced in front of the whole class.
Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest and fly out of the room. She could not fail this class. Stella knew that she should have cared more about her studies, but school was just not an area she excelled in and focusing on her educational shortcomings depressed her.
"Alright Stella, the Chamber has graded you. Are you ready?"
"I don't have much choice in the matter, do I?"
"No" Palladium replied matter-of-factly. "Here it is, Stella Saule (4), the Chamber has given you a 67."
"A 67? I passed?"
"That's right. You did."
Stella took her seat between Bloom and Flora, who sat next to Musa and Tecna. She breathed a sigh of relief. Palladium called up the next student, but Stella was so overcome with joy that she wasn't paying attention to the class anymore.
"We should celebrate!"
"What do we have to celebrate, Bloom?" Tecna asked seriously.
"Stella passed?" Musa replied.
"Barely."
"Stella studied hard, Tecna. You know school's not her thing" Flora countered.
"We all passed – we're celebrating all of us!"
"How about manicures and milkshakes?" Stella suggested with a small happy dance.
The girls sat at a table at a cheesy diner called 'Retro' just across from the boardwalk of the Jade River in East Magix. It was a tourist spot, using every single diner-like item of decoration that could be found – from the stuffed red pleather couches at the booths to the neon lights and the jukebox in the corner. But they also made some of the best milkshakes in the city.
"Musa, I've been meaning to ask: How was your date?"
Musa, who'd completely forgotten about ripping Stella's head off during the chaos of the pageant and the studying, glared at the blonde. She was about to unleash on Stella when Flora spoke. "What date?"
"The one Stella nagged you and Musa into agreeing to" Tecna informed her. "After Bloom came back from her walking date with Brandon."
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."
"Yeah, well, Stella didn't" Musa grumbled. "The date was shit, Stella."
"What? But John is -"
"A complete dick."
Stella looked at Musa uncertainly. The John she'd known – a friend of an ex of hers – had always seemed sweet; eager to please.
"He talked about himself the whole time, barely let me get a word in, ordered for me and was a complete dick to the waitress. Oh, and best of all, went on a rant about how women only want to fuck jerks and not 'nice guys' like him. Why the fuck did you think I would like someone like that?
Musa's voice had risen to a point where she was drawing confused and annoyed looks from the other customers, though the dark-haired girl didn't seem to care. Instead, she glared at Stella, waiting to see what the blonde had as an excuse.
"I'm so sorry" Stella replied honestly. "I didn't know he was a jerk. He's a good-looking guy, good family, smart, well-educated and every time I'd met him, he seemed nice. I just thought you deserved a good guy after..." Stella trailed off, not wanting to bring up Riven as that would be a whole other thing. "I just wanted you to be happy."
Musa sighed in frustration. She was pissed that Stella had set her with a jerk, but her motive did seem to be genuine. "Maybe just vet them better, next time" she replied sharply.
Stella nodded quickly, happy that Musa was apparently okay with her trying to set her up again. At least, until the musical fairy said: "Actually, no. Fuck that. Don't set me up again."
"Can I also request that you not set me up?" Flora asked meekly. The brunette had slid down in her seat, preparing for Stella to get loud.
"Oh come on! It was one screw up! I promise I'm a good matchmaker. I introduced Bloom and Brandon, didn't I?"
"Uh, yeah. By accident. You were trying to convince me to come to Alfea, not trying to set me up."
"You don't know that. Maybe I knew you'd have a thing for Brandon."
"Mhm. And what if I had developed a crush on Sky instead?"
Stella grumbled incoherently at that. She knew when to accept defeat, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it.
"Speaking of Sky" Musa said slyly. "He told me something about you randomly showing up at his dorm."
"Uh… yeah" Stella laughed.
"Wow, you and Sky are getting pretty close" Bloom commented. She didn't know what Musa and Sky's relationship was like, but if Musa was trying to get in the way of Stella and Sky getting together, Bloom might have to step in. She'd had a friend on Earth – Jessica – who's sister had started dating the guy she liked and it had been a disaster. There was little peace in their house for months after that, and Jessica and her sister had both been mild mannered girls. With Musa and Stella, it would be apocalyptic in their dorm.
"Yeah. He's great" Musa told her. "But he's not my type –"
"Yeah, he's too nice" Stella joked, earning an elbow to the rib from Musa.
"We're friends" Musa continued, ignoring Stella's protests that she had only been joking. "I see him as more of a brother than anything."
"Okay. Cause you know that if you get in the way of him and Stella getting together and eventually having the most attractive babies ever, I might have to murder you" Bloom laughed.
"We would have beautiful babies, huh?" Stella said dreamily.
"So, why were you at his dorm?" Flora asked.
Stella explained to them that she had gone to finally figure out what was happening between them – that she knew he liked her, and she wanted to know why he wasn't acting on it. When she told them that they'd spent the evening cuddling and watching a movie, the girls awed happily.
Tecna felt a hand squeeze hers under the table and looked over to Musa who sat beside her. The two shared a knowing look; Musa was happy for Stella – like she had been for Bloom when she and Brandon had gone on their walking date two weeks prior – but there was jealousy and sadness too. Tecna felt something similar, though she probably couldn't have identified it if she'd been asked to.
The rest of the evening was spent drinking milkshakes and talking about what their mid-year break consisted of. Tecna didn't have any special plans, she would go home and see her parents, but that was it. Musa's best friend was joining her in Magix and they were going to hang out here. Flora had plans with her family and best friend. Bloom was going to enjoy being back on Earth where things were 'normal', and Stella was going to try not to go insane dealing with her parents, though she did have a ball to look forward to.
The next week would consist of one or two more mid-terms; one was the Ethics exam so it should be easy and the other was the first aid exam that only Bloom, Flora and Musa would be taking. After that, they would be school free for a whole week, though not all of them were looking forward to it.
(1) I don't know if any of yous have ever worked in a restaurant but lemme tell you, carrying a tray filled with glasses ain't easy.
(2) Seriously.
(3) My goal would be to help young girls realise their full potential
(4) solar goddess in Baltic Mythology