Adventures in Magic

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First or any of the characters/locations affiliated with it. The original characters introduced in various chapters belong to me.

A/N: Okay, let me address a few things I saw in the reviews. 😊 I saw a lot of different things I figured I should clear up.

Mr. Shortman92: Yeah, I thought they'd be an interesting couple (Ivy and Greylock), albeit sort of strange. But those couples just seem to work for me. Lol. I was pretty sure chapter 7 was going to be one of those 'slower' chapters since I was finishing it while on my work trip (sorry!), so yeah, sorry if it doesn't seem like too much happened. With 25 chapters, there are bound to be a few slower ones. Haha. AND Queen Lorelei is now the official name of The Queen, according to Craig Gerber. AKA: Queen Genevieve Lillian Adeline (Gillie). Lol.

Royal Detective: I'm 99% sure you WON'T see Greylock in AIM, but yes, he WILL be in Beyond Enchancia. :D And yeah, it took a lot for him to give up Juliana, but he's processed a lot of grief over the years and finally moved on, which is what she would want. 😊

Navy Apocalypse 321: Nope, Cedric is still clueless about his first meeting with Ivy, aside from whatever Sofia may have relayed to him. He has no actual recollection of meeting her that time. He did meet her in a few of my own personal stories before, but those are different. And I agree. Elena has a weird way of handling curses. Haha.

And to the guest: I don't know *anything* about Ivy's sister and hadn't planned to bring her into the story… I'm sure someday, someone will though.

Meanwhile, thank you all for the kind reviews, on chapter 7 and all others. I'm always trying to input sweet moments with Cedric and Sofia (naturally), because as I said before, something BIG is going to happen by the end, and it's going to test their friendship. So I build up things prior to that time. :D It won't be happening any time soon. I'll give you the chapter number when it will though: 21. Won't say anything else though. Lol. Anyway, off we go with chapter 8! Poor Ivy is in for it. :P Short yet sweet, AND there's a nice little throwback in here for some of my longtime reviewers/readers!


Chapter 8
Poisoned Ivy

Summary: When Princess Ivy accidentally eats what appears to be a poisoned apple and falls ill, Sofia and Cedric seek out the culprit so that they can heal their friend.


"Good morning, Mr. Cedric!"

Cedric opened his eyes, only to throw one arm over his face as a glaring stream of light filtered in through the bedroom window. "Ugh, blasted sun…" He heard a giggle beside him and slowly lowered his arm to stare curiously at his apprentice, who was already dressed for the day. "Sofia, how long have you been awake?"

"About an hour, I guess." She shrugged before smiling kindly toward him. "Are you going to get up? Miss Nettle said she made breakfast for all of us."

"What exactly did she make?" he wondered cautiously, a residual effect of their prior not-so-wonderful encounter now several years ago.

The princess rolled her eyes before sitting next to him on his bed. "Pancakes, and she has fresh fruit and freshly-squeezed juice, too."

"Who is this woman?" He snickered at his joke as Sofia playfully swatted at his arm. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding…" He chuckled and gently grabbed her wrist, preventing her from smacking him again. "Keep it up and I'll take back that wand."

She glared at him lightheartedly. "I'd like to see you try, Mr. Ceedric." She smirked as he visibly flinched at the old unintentional nickname. She laughed as he released his hold on her, allowing her to stand. "Besides, I doubt you'd really want it back anyway…" She smiled fondly at him. "Not after all the trouble you went through to give it to me in the first place."

He hummed thoughtfully. "You're right, of course…" He then waved one hand toward her. "Go on ahead to breakfast. I'm going to get ready for the day and meet you in about half an hour."

"All right. See you soon, Mr. Cedric." She then turned and left the room, closing the door behind her on the way out.

"That girl," he murmured to himself with a small chuckle before pushing the covers aside and getting up to prepare for the day ahead.


"Pancakes incoming!"

Both Sofia and Princess Ivy stared in awe as the fairy used her wand to levitate the pancakes before magically floating the stacks onto their plates. Soon after, an enchanted cup emptied some syrup over the steaming cakes, which made them look even more appealing.

"Mm," Sofia giggled with a pleased smile. "Those look and smell just like some of the pancakes we get in Enchancia."

"Except they're much better," Miss Nettle informed her with a proud smile, "because I made them."

"That's to be determined," Cedric acknowledged as he walked into the dining room and sat next to Sofia.

The fair-haired woman grinned challengingly. "You dare question my pancake skills, sorcerer? Fine! Let's see who gets the last laugh." She used her wand to yet again transfer more pancakes onto Cedric's plate, repeating the process with the syrup. "Everyone, eat up, and we'll see who's right about this."

A few bites in, and Cedric instantly knew that he owed the fairy an apology…but he didn't really want to admit it.

Sofia happily ate her own pancakes before nudging her friend. "Mr. Cedric, I think there's something you need to tell Miss Nettle."

Princess Ivy smirked as she leaned against the table, her hands folded and her chin resting on top of them. "This should be interesting…"

The sorcerer rolled his eyes before sighing heavily, glaring at the grinning woman across the table from him. "I suppose I should thank you for creating something edible, Nettle."

"If that's the best compliment I'm going to receive from you, I guess I'll take it." She cackled jovially before beginning to consume her own breakfast. "Don't forget that there's some fruit I collected from the garden earlier. Help yourselves." She gestured toward the basket in the center of the table. "We have apples, strawberries, melons, oranges, and bananas, among other things… Good for Vitamin C and potassium."

Sofia shot Cedric a quick glare, causing him to shrink back. "Not one word."

He couldn't help smiling sheepishly, recalling her ban of the word 'potassium' a few years ago. "R-Right…"

Princess Ivy eyed the two friends, blinking as she reached for an apple. "I feel like we've missed something."

The younger princess flushed briefly before waving a dismissive hand. "You don't want to know. Trust me."

"I was just concerned for—" Cedric found a hand over his mouth, and he sighed heavily after gently taking Sofia's wrist and moving her hand. "Fine. Point taken."

"Good."

Miss Nettle chuckled in humor. "You two surely do have one of the strangest yet most endearing friendships I believe I've ever seen."

Princess Ivy bit into her apple as the other three continued talking.

"We've been told that before," Sofia giggled, nudging Cedric playfully, causing him to smile proudly. "We kind of aggravated all the bad guys, because they thought our friendship was annoying…"

Miss Nettle smirked. "Oh, it can get a little exasperating sometimes, trust me. As someone who's seen it firsthand, I tend to concur with those who've told you that."

The dual-tone-haired princess suddenly ceased her chewing of the apple and stared blankly ahead of her.

"You're just jealous," Cedric scoffed, shaking his head. "You're bitter about not having someone like Sofia around all the time. She's a great confidence-booster, I must say."

Sofia blushed modestly. "Mr. Cedric…" She blinked as she noticed that Princess Ivy seemed to be zoned out. That was odd…

"Maybe I should borrow the princess for a while then," Miss Nettle jested. "I could do with a little encouragement from a human for a change rather than from some flowers and little wildlife running rampant around here."

"You can't have Sofia," Cedric insisted, giving the fairy a pointed stare. "She's my apprentice, thank you very much."

"Oh, Cedric, you're such a—"

"Princess Ivy?"

The two not-quite friends paused their argument to glance toward Sofia, who was anxiously staring at the much quieter princess.

"Ivy, are you okay?" Sofia waved her hand in front of the other girl's face before frowning, realizing that she wasn't receiving a response. "Ivy?"

"Princess Ivy," Cedric attempted carefully, somehow managing to rouse her from her dazed state. "Are you all right?"

Princess Ivy blinked a few times before shaking her head, which seemed to do her no favors. She whined a bit and held her hands to her head. "So sweet… Ugh, make it stop…"

"Make what stop?" Sofia wondered, baffled.

"I feel like the world is spinning," the other princess answered, frowning.

Cedric glanced toward a confused Miss Nettle. "What was in that fruit?"

"It was just normal fruit I gathered from the garden, Cedric," she insisted, reaching over and clasping a hand over Princess Ivy's shoulder, frowning as she flinched a bit, seemingly in pain. "I've never seen her react this negatively to an apple before."

Sofia gasped, getting their attention. "What if it was poisoned? You know, like some of the other princesses in the past—Snow White, for example. She ate a poisoned apple and nearly died from it."

Miss Nettle huffed as Cedric tossed her an accusatory look. "I'm not a wicked witch! I would never try to harm Ivy. It's bad for business." She grinned as Princess Ivy made an annoyed sound amid her pain. "Just trying to liven things up, Ivy. We'll figure out what's going on with you, or who's responsible for this. Meanwhile, let's get you back to bed."

"Ugh… Poison Ivy… Poisoned Ivy… I hate puns," the older princess whined as her friend guided her back to her room.

"Who could have done something so awful to her, Mr. Cedric?" Sofia glanced toward her friend.

"While I didn't care for Nettle's little sarcastic quip, I don't think it was her. And it wasn't us." He frowned. "Is anyone else on this island?"

"You know, I have no idea…" She shrugged. "I've been here once before when my amulet summoned me, but aside from those two and some animals, I never saw anyone else." She gasped as she recalled an important detail. "I just remembered: Princess Ivy has a skunk friend named Roma. He may know something."

"Hold on a minute." Cedric watched as Sofia stood from her chair, a determined look on her face. "She has a skunk friend? As in one of the smelliest creatures on the planet?" He grinned at the teen's unamused look. "I mean, sure, the color scheme is similar, but wouldn't she prefer a more fragrant companion?"

"Oh, come on," Sofia sighed as she grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the table, inwardly smirking to herself as he yelped in surprise. 'Serves him right for joking at a time like this.'


Outside, the two friends noted the sun disappearing behind some dense clouds, darkening the area a little bit.

"So where is this skunk friend of hers?" Cedric asked as he followed his friend along the outer area of the castle.

"Usually, he'd be in the castle, but I didn't see him at all last night." She frowned thoughtfully, hoping he hadn't left or…something worse. "Maybe he's around here somewhere."

"Sofia, 'around here somewhere' could be just about anywhere. Have you noticed how huge this island is? We'll never find a little skunk in this vast expanse of land."

Sofia grinned as a thought came to her, her eyes darting to her Enchantlet. "Oh, yes, we will." She aimed upward. "Which Way Bow, show us the way to Roma the Skunk!" She watched carefully as the arrow darted through the air before disappearing into a cluster of trees and flowers in the distance. "That way!" She took off running.

"Well, that's certainly useful," Cedric murmured before hurrying after her. "Sofia, wait up!"

After a few minutes of running through the foliage, the two friends finally located the tree cluster that the arrow had singled out. There, curled into a bed of flowers, was a napping Roma. He seemed at peace enough, though both friends had to wonder why he was out here rather than in the castle like he normally would have been.

Sofia knelt beside the skunk and gently stroked his fur, whispering, "Roma, wake up."

Roma yawned before blinking open his eyes and smacking his lips. He then caught sight of a familiar face and beamed. "Princess Sofia!" He looked behind her at the curious sorcerer. "And…some tall guy!"

She giggled. "That's Mr. Cedric. He's my friend."

"I always forget you can talk to animals," Cedric muttered to her, folding his arms. "Suppose I'll have to get used to that on this trip."

"More like for life," she responded, smiling at him before glancing back to Roma, who was staring at her attentively. "So, we have a question for you."

He nodded.

"Two actually. One, what are you doing out here? I thought you lived with Ivy at the castle."

The skunk shrugged. "I still do, but I had to get away for a while." He grimaced as a thought came to him, and not a pleasant one, it seemed. "She gets kind of moody sometimes, and I just want a good night's sleep, so I decided to stay on my own when she gets like that. Other times she's the nice Ivy I've always seen, and things are fine." He tilted his head. "And what's the second question?"

"Do you know anyone around here who'd want to hurt her?" the princess asked bluntly, startling the skunk. "Like poisoned apples or something?"

"Hurt her?"

Cedric raised one eyebrow at the exchange between the princess and the animal. "I take it he didn't like that question…"

"Who would want to hurt Ivy?" Roma asked in shock. "Sofia, I can't think of a single person! She and Miss Nettle get along so well, and all the animals here just love her. Aside from that weird brown-haired guy who comes around every now and then, no one else lives on this island. And even that guy seems to like her, so I doubt he'd want to hurt her."

"Hmm…" Sofia stood and glanced toward Cedric. "Roma said no one would want to hurt Ivy. Besides her and Miss Nettle—and the animals and sometimes Mr. Greylock—no one else is around here. So, I'm thinking… Maybe it was an accident."

"Yes, I've heard people 'accidentally poison' people all the time," the sorcerer remarked sardonically with a roll of his eyes.

She shook her head. "Hear me out, Mr. Cedric. She only started acting sick when she began eating that fruit, especially once she bit into the apple."

Roma gasped, getting her attention. "Are you sure it wasn't a bapple?"

"A bapple?" Sofia echoed.

"What in Merlin's name is a bapple?" Cedric wondered. "And where did you even hear that word?" He then eyed the skunk. "Oh, right. Talking skunk. Got it."

Roma explained, "A bapple is a bad apple that looks like a perfectly normal one. They grow on the same trees. They smell the same as normal apples, feel the same, and everything. The only difference is the taste, so…you never know if you've got one until you eat it. Bapples tend to taste very sweet."

Sofia relayed all the information back to Cedric, who appeared perplexed.

"How on earth can even eating an apple on this island be safe then? That's rather strange."

"We've gotta tell Miss Nettle and Princess Ivy. And maybe you can create a potion to cure her?"

Roma hurried up to them and gently pawed at Sofia's leg until she picked him up, so that he could be level with them. "She doesn't need a potion to be cured. She needs a gapple."

"She needs a gapple, he said," she repeated to Cedric, who couldn't help smirking.

"Let me guess… A good apple?"

"Yes," the skunk answered, even though only Sofia could understand him. "But unlike bapples and normal apples, gapples are golden and grow on Miss Nettle's side of the island, where she's been tending to her own flowers and land. You know, the area you visited last time, Sofia, where she was growing the Wake-Upsy Daisies. Gapples are usually found about halfway up the mountain."

Again, Sofia told Cedric everything Roma was saying.

"Of course it's located at a lengthy distance," he mumbled, "and on the side of a mountain, no less." He sighed heavily as he shrugged. "Let's get moving so we can find it, then. I'd hate for Princess Ivy to get any sicker."

"She will," Roma lamented sadly, "if you don't find it fast. The effects of bapples seem harmless enough aside from causing headaches and nausea, but they'll steadily become more life-threatening if something isn't done."

"Then Mr. Cedric is right. Let's hurry."


After yet another long trek across a large expanse of land, the trio arrived at the mountain Roma had previously mentioned. About halfway up, as indicated, there seemed to be a solitary tree with some golden apples dangling from its branches.

"There is no way we're going to make it up that mountain safely," Cedric informed them seriously. "I'm sorry, Sofia. I simply cannot allow you to climb up there."

She laughed. "First, I'm impressed that you believed I was going by myself." She grinned as she placed Roma on the ground and held up her right wrist. "Second, don't forget, I come equipped with my own useful tools now. If our wands can't handle something, my Enchantlet can." She winked at him before creating a lasso and hurling it up the side of the mountain, smirking triumphantly as she seized a few of the golden fruits.

Cedric watched in admiration as his apprentice put her Protector skills to the test. A few years ago, she would have probably defied his orders and climbed up the mountain anyway, declaring that Ivy's safety was more important than her own. While she still had that mentality, she certainly had more capability to think things through as a teenager, with her problem-solving skills and better equipment to suit her position as a Protector. He had to admit: he was very impressed. "Is there anything you can't do?"

The princess giggled as she roped in the gapples, passing them off to her friend. "I still can't sing the Enchancian Anthem without fearing that I'm going to start croaking like a frog again."

He smirked at her. "That was your fault, my dear. I've never seen you get so full of yourself before."

"I was a child." She laughed as he rolled his eyes, and then she gathered Roma into her arms. "Let's hurry so we can help Ivy."


"Ugh, it's so bright in here!" Princess Ivy complained as she lay in her bed, her blankets piled on top of her. She whimpered as Miss Nettle placed a damp cloth on her forehead. "And that's cold!"

"You are the biggest baby when you get sick," Miss Nettle chastised with a scoff. "It's like dealing with a toddler."

"Excuse me for being poisoned. Ooh, when I find out who did this, I'm going to—" She couldn't even finish her thought as a wave of nausea swept over her, followed by dizziness.

The fairy pushed her friend back, making her lie down again as she draped the damp cloth over her eyes instead of her forehead. "Stop stressing yourself now, or it's going to get worse. We'll figure out what happened."

"We know what happened!"

Princess Ivy sat up quickly, the cloth falling from her eyes and into her lap. She groaned in misery, realizing instantly how awful of an idea it was. Her equilibrium was shot. "Wh-What are you talking about, Sofia?" She stared at the Enchancian duo and noticed that a familiar skunk was lying in the younger princess's arms. "Roma! I wondered where you went!"

Roma smiled happily and leapt from Sofia's arms onto the bed, moving over to snuggle with his friend.

"You said you know what happened?" Miss Nettle clarified, glancing at the other two.

"It was a bapple," Cedric told her. "And yes, that's apparently a real thing."

"I didn't think bapples were real," Princess Ivy said, stroking the skunk's fur.

"Apparently they are," Sofia informed her.

"If you have a bapple situation, you'll need a gapple to fix it," Miss Nettle told them. "It's an advanced enchanted gardening level, though. I don't even know if there are any around here."

Sofia pulled up a sack that she'd had tied around her waist and placed it onto the bed, watching as the golden fruit rolled out. She smiled. "You were saying?"

Miss Nettle grinned at the girl. "You would have the solution to the problem, Princess." She picked up one of the gapples and passed it over to Princess Ivy. "Eat this, and you should feel a lot better."

The older princess nodded and did as she was told, and instantly all the pain and illness went away. She sighed in relief, smiling at them. "Thanks, Sofia."

"Don't thank me. Roma is the one who told me about them." She giggled at the surprised look on the woman's face.

"Roma, you talk now?" Princess Ivy asked in shock as she looked down at her furry friend.

"It's my amulet," Sofia clarified. "It allows me to talk to animals."

"Oh, right. Of course." She giggled sheepishly. "It sure would be neat to be able to talk to him though."

Sofia exchanged glances with Cedric, who shrugged as he seemed to be reading her thoughts. "I wonder…" She held onto her amulet and said clearly, "I wish Princess Ivy and Miss Nettle could understand Roma."

The amulet flashed once, washing over the room.

The Enchancian princess smiled toward the baffled skunk. "Go ahead. Say something to them."

Roma hesitantly looked toward his friend. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Princess Ivy grinned and hugged the skunk, squealing. "Ooh, Roma! Thank you! And you can talk!" She looked toward Miss Nettle excitedly. "He can talk!"

The fairy smirked, shaking her head. "Yes, dear, we all heard him. Well…" She grinned toward Cedric. "Almost all of us."

He shrugged. "I think it is more important that you two understand him than I."

Princess Ivy gently stroked the skunk's fur. "We have so much to talk about! First thing." She looked toward him pointedly. "Where have you been the last few days? You had me worried sick!"

The skunk smiled sheepishly. "That's…a long story."

"One you guys can talk about privately," Sofia insisted as she grabbed Cedric's arm. "We'll leave you guys alone for a while. I hope you feel better, Ivy."

She smiled. "I already do. Thanks so much, Sofia, for everything."


That evening, Cedric sat on his bed, looking over his agenda. He smiled as Sofia hopped next to him, already dressed in her pajamas and her hair free from any bands or braids for a change.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously as she peered over his shoulder at the list.

"I'm planning our next visit." He glanced toward her. "Namile is next on the list."

Sofia gasped. "Namile… As in Dante the Delightful and his kingdom?" She grinned as he nodded. "When are we going there?"

"Tomorrow, if that's all right with you."

She nodded enthusiastically. "I can't wait. I've been curious how things turned out for him, especially since he's been a royal sorcerer for over two years now."

"Agreed. And since his wretched cousin is no longer a problem, things should be a great deal calmer for him now." He finished marking a few things before placing the agenda onto the bedside table. "Now, my dear girl, you better get some rest. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."

Sofia smiled as she gently grasped his arm. "I guess we'd better enjoy it, right? After all, you are the one who told me that the night before I graduated: 'Enjoy the journey.'"

"I guess you do listen to me sometimes after all," he chuckled softly as she hugged him. He gently stroked her hair as she sighed. After a few moments, he patted her back. "Best get to bed, Sofia. You'll need a good night of rest."

"You too, Mr. Cedric," she insisted as she looked toward him.

"I will. I promise." He smiled as she nodded before moving over to her own bed, snuggling under the covers.

"Good night, Mr. Cedric," she called sleepily before turning over and settling down to sleep.

"Good night, Sofia." He left the room and changed into his own nightclothes before heading to bed himself, dousing the lamp and plunging the room into a comfortable darkness once more.

To be continued…