"Twinkly, did you happen to hear who it was that took Sophia?" Bloom asked as she and the Winx glanced around the girl's eclectic bedroom a couple of hours later.
"Hm... Oh! I heard that two of them were named Darcy and Stormy! Does that help?" Twinkly asked.
"The Trix!" Stella exclaimed.
"But how?" Aisha asked.
"It doesn't matter." Flora said, "What's important now is finding some clues about what they were after and why they took Sophia with them when they left."
Tecna looked around and spotted Sophia's phone on the dresser next to her closet door. She picked it up and was immediately greeted with a photograph of a unique object. "Twinkly, is this the object that was chasing you?" She asked while holding up the phone.
"Yes! That's it!" Twinkly exclaimed.
"Whether it was on purpose or a coincidence, it's lucky for us that Sophia set this photo she took as her background." Tecna remarked, "She must've done it while the Trix were thinking about what this thing was."
Musa looked over her best friend's shoulder, "Looks like it's related to the stars somehow."
"We'd better show it to Queen Dorana." Tecna agreed.
望むの星
"Winx, my friends! I am so happy to see you!" Dorana greeted when the group arrived at hers and her brother's palace. Argen flew over to the group of fairies.
"I am too, girls!" He exclaimed cheerfully.
"Um, Bloom, who's this guy?" Stella asked in confusion.
"Ah... nice to meet you." Bloom said as she waved at Argen. "I'm Bloom, and these are..."
Argen chuckled, "Hey, hey. Have you forgotten me already?"
"Hmm?" Stella replied, her brow furrowed.
"Take a closer look." He chuckled as he spun around. The Winx chuckled awkwardly, still having no idea who he was.
"This is Argen, my brother." Dorana finally stepped in and explained.
"Argen? You came back?" Bloom asked.
"Yes, but you can call me 'Obscurum' if you prefer." He said playfully.
"Huh?" Said Stella in confusion.
"I'm back to being Argen. The one I was before I let Valtor corrupt me." He explained with a smile.
Bloom smiled, "This is a huge surprise, Dorana."
"Unfortunately, our visit isn't a social call." Tecna cut in. "Queen Dorana, can you tell us what the item in this photo is?" She asked while holding up Sophia's cell phone to display the photo.
"Oh my!" Dorana gasped, "I remember that object! That is the Star Case! It contains the essence of the Wishing Star."
Unbeknownst to the Winx and their companions, they were currently being watched by Valtor, the Trix, and Sophia.
"Wow. You really called that one." Stormy said to Sophia.
"It's not my fault that magical objects rarely have original names. I just called it how I saw it." Sophia replied.
"The Wishing Star?" Tecna asked in surprise, "Faragonda told us all about it in one of her cosmo-magic lessons. Remember?"
"Uh... ooh... um... I'm afraid I missed that one, Tecna." Stella said sheepishly.
Sophia face-palmed. "She's the Fairy of the Shining Sun. Shouldn't Cosmo-magic be her area of expertise?"
"Stella was never one for hitting the books." Icy remarked in amusement.
"It's the most powerful of all stars in the magic universe." Argen explained.
"And it's made out of Sparx, a magical radiance that is the source of all fairy powers." Tecna added.
"And witch magic..." Bloom remarked with concern.
"But why did it come to Lumenia and then chase—or follow—Twinkly all the way to Earth?" Flora asked. "Shouldn't a star shine freely in the universe?"
"Flora is right." Musa agreed. "What is a star doing in a box?"
"I heard the Trix say that the Wishing Star turned into that when they tried to capture it." Twinkly told them.
"In other words, the star had to defend herself from a magical attack, and split herself into the seven Prime Stars." Durana surmised. "But her essence remained inside that case, and she found her way here, to Lumenia, to Twinkly."
"Man, you called that too." Stormy said. Sophia sweat-dropped.
"But where is the case now?" Dorana asked, "Why do you only have a picture of it?"
"When Twinkly fled to Earth, a human girl helped her by catching the Star Case, but then the Trix came after it." Tecna explained, "Sophia helped Twinkly to hide, but she couldn't stop the Trix from taking the Case, and when they realized that Sophia had figured out what it was with only minimal information, they took her with them too."
"If the Trix are back, it can only be the work of Valtor..." Argen remarked while turning to his sister.
"I agree with you, Argen." Tecna said, "He's the only one who could free them from the limbo where they were trapped."
"This is quite concerning." Durana agreed. "Only if the seven Prime Stars can be found and kept inside the case will the Wishing Star form again. Winx, to find the seven stars will require the Star Compass, which is kept inside the case itself."
"How are we supposed to do that when we don't even know where the case is?" Stella asked.
"We're going to go inside the Star Case using our Enchantix powers!" Bloom exclaimed.
"Good luck, Winx!" Argen exclaimed, "We're counting on you!"
"Hmph!" Valtor said as he closed the magic window they'd been using to spy on the Winx. "Hmph. Don't get your hopes up." He turned his attention to the Trix. "Icy! Darcy! Stormy! I want you to find the Star Compass... before the Winx!" The Trix grinned with excitement and immediately vanished. "I must admit my dear," Valtor began as he landed in front of Sophia and cupped her chin. "You really do have a unique talent. You guessed everything exactly right only by hearing of what happened and examining the Star Case itself. Even without magic, you possess a special power. A rare gift indeed."
Sophia pushed Valtor's hand away, "A gift?" She asked indignantly, "All it's led to is me being trapped here as your prisoner! I could not be more literally in the middle of nowhere! What part of this is good for me? I just want to go home!"
Valtor smirked as he stroked her cheek, "Now, now. There's no reason to think like that. I told you, once I obtain the power of the Wishing Star, I'll let you go. If you want, I'll even grant you magic powers of your own."
Sophia pushed his hand away again, "And be bound to your will for life? No thank you! In fact, 'normal' seems pretty good right about now!"
Valtor smirked in amusement. This girl was indeed interesting. It wasn't that he was particularly interested in Sophia as a woman, but her personality amused him. The Trix were easy to manipulate, but Sophia was defiant and seemed to see right through everything he said. Watching her get frustrated by everything he did was amusing, largely because she couldn't do anything to defend herself, and they both knew it. Although she had pushed him away twice now, she was obviously watching her step. The wizard would enjoy breaking down the girl's courage and will to defy him. He grabbed her hand and dragged her towards his throne. "Come my dear. Let's keep an eye on the Trix's progress." Sophia struggled helplessly to get free from his grasp, and when he finally released her hand, she sat down on the step in front of him in a defiant manner. She refused to let Valtor think he that owned her. Valtor was determined to prove that he did.
望むの星
The Winx appeared within the Star Case in a flash of light and giggled as they flew through the intricate space they found themselves in.
"That's the inside of the Star Case?" Sophia asked in disbelief.
"You could say that the Star Case contains another dimension inside of it." Valtor explained to the baffled human.
"And here I thought it was already complicated..." Sophia remarked, more to herself than to her captor.
"Wonderful!" Flora exclaimed as she and the other Winx came across a statue shaped like a ballerina.
"Going by Sophia's photo, on the outside, the Star Case was beautiful, but the inside is absolutely incredible!" Bloom agreed.
"Yes." Aisha agreed, "But where's the Star Compass?"
Flora fluttered down to the mechanism below them. "It looks like a music box." She said with interest.
"I had one just like it when I was a kid." Musa said nostalgically, "The ballerina moved to the rhythm."
'Huh.' Sophia thought to herself, 'I guess some things really are universal...'
Bloom giggled, but all the girls let out a surprised gasp as the end of the musical scroll suddenly fell open.
"Huh?" Flora said in confusion.
"Look! There's the Star Compass!" Bloom exclaimed, pointing to the object sitting within the lid that had fallen open.
"Achievement unlocked, Winx!" Tecna exclaimed, and the six fairies moved forward to take the item.
"I didn't think it would be so easy." Aisha said, almost suspiciously.
Suddenly, the ballerina began to turn as a freezing wind blew. The Winx all groaned with effort as they struggled not to be blown away.
"This magic chill! I have a bad feeling!" Bloom exclaimed. Suddenly, the sound of Icy's laughter filled the air. "This laugh sounds familiar..." Bloom said with a shudder. The Winx all gasped as they turned to find the Trix floating behind them. "The Trix!"
"I hope you like this place... cause you're never leaving here!" Icy exclaimed. She chuckled as Bloom growled while glaring at her. "Surprised Winx?" The Ice Witch asked with a smirk, "We're here to take the Star Compass!"
"And like it or not, we are going to get it!" Darcy added.
"Ugh. I was sure we got rid of them for good last time!" Stella said in annoyance, "And why haven't they updated their look? Don't they know that fashion evolves?" She taunted.
"Haa... That's because we have more important things to do, Stella." Stormy said smugly. "Like getting the Star Compass!" She added as she flew toward the item.
'What's sad here is that Stormy is totally right. Worrying about fashion trends is a waste of time.' Sophia thought.
Aisha gasped and quickly launched a blast of power at Stormy, knocking her back. "Ugh! Hey!" Stormy growled in annoyance.
Bloom growled, still glaring at Icy. "Where is Sophia, the girl that you took from Earth?!" She demanded.
"Oh don't worry. She's sitting tight with the Star Case back outside." Icy assured her.
"Then we'll just have to get her back along with the Case after we get the Compass!" Bloom exclaimed before flying forward with a grunt, reaching for the Compass.
"Hah!" Stormy exclaimed as she unleashed a bolt of lightning at Bloom.
"Aah!" Bloom exclaimed as she was knocked back.
Icy growled as she flew toward the compass, only to be knocked away by a combo attack from Tecna and Flora. "Oh! Where do you think you're going?!" Icy asked as she recovered and launched a blast of ice at Stella, who dodged with a gasp, and Icy chuckled.
"Trix! Who freed you from your prison this time?!" Bloom demanded.
"This time?" Sophia asked rhetorically, "Just how many times have they escaped from being imprisoned?"
The Trix chuckled as they exchanged looks with one another. "Do you really wanna know, Bloom?" Darcy asked, "Why don't you ask him yourself?" She suggested while pointing behind them.
The Winx turned and looked at where Darcy was pointing to see Valtor standing above them and they all gasped as they heard Valtor laugh.
"Valtor!" Bloom exclaimed. At the sound of Darcy's laughter, the Winx looked back at the Trix, then back at where Valtor had been to find that he had vanished.
"Watch out! It's one of Darcy's illusions!" Bloom exclaimed before she and the others all launched their attacks at the Trix, who were practically at the Compass.
"Too late, fairies. Sorry." Stormy taunted as Darcy and Icy created a shield to block the attacks.
"You didn't even flinch at that, my dear." Valtor said with interest, having noticed that Sophia hadn't seemed the least bit confused by his "appearance" within the battle.
"If I'm able to see what's happening in there, then you're obviously still behind me." Sophia remarked without turning, "And I already knew that Darcy could create illusions." She added. "Come to think of it, if she can mess with people's minds like that, then I should've realized that she's a telepath..." She muttered under her breath.
Just as Stormy nearly reached the Compass, the music scroll began to turn, and Sophia winced as it did, causing Valtor to raise a brow at her, though his attention was quickly recaptured by the battle as the Star Compass went flying off.
"I'll get it!" Stella exclaimed, flying forward to grab the Compass. Just as she was about to reach it, a panel suddenly sprang up and sent the orb containing the Compass flying in a different direction.
The two teams watched as the Compass bounced over the gears before Tecna and Flora pursued it. "Hey!" Flora exclaimed when a piston suddenly shot out and launched the Compass in the opposite direction. "You've got to be kidding!"
"It's all mine!" Icy exclaimed as the Star Compass came flying toward her, only for it to smack her in the face and fly off again. "Aah! Hey!"
Sophia burst out laughing, "That's what she gets for not keeping her eyes on the flying object!" She declared with amusement. Valtor wasn't sure whether to reprimand the girl or not, because while the incompetence Icy had just shown was a tad annoying, seeing her get smacked in the face by a flying object was amusing. So he just let Sophia have her laugh.
"Come on Winx! Together we can do it!" Bloom said as she flew to meet the Compass head on, only for it to literally dodge her in mid-air.
The nine girls watched as the orb spun through the air without any guidance, forcing the Trix to duck lest they get smacked again, and Sophia raised a brow. "I think that Compass has a mind of its own."
The Trix whimpered in unison as a random trapdoor opened up and the Compass dropped through it.
The Winx gasped as they flew toward the door, the Trix just ahead of them, but all of them stopped as the musical scroll began to rotate again and Sophia once again winced at the sound.
"I am the Wishing Star." A voice said when the melody stopped, "The Compass is the key you need, but wishing for it is not enough. Run, fly, or chase after it, but remember..."
"Uhh... who's talking?" Stella asked in confusion.
"Shh! Stella!" Tecna scolded.
"Only the one who can listen will get the Compass." The voice finished.
"So that's it..." Sophia said quietly, and Valtor raised a brow at her, wondering what she was thinking. "Huh... that Compass really does have a mind of its own." She added absentmindedly.
"Quick! We have to get that Compass!" Icy said, and the three of them quickly flew through the trap door, though not before Icy unleashed a blast of ice to slow the Winx down.
"Well they weren't paying attention at all..." Sophia remarked as she watched the ice form.
"Come on, Winx! We can't let the Trix get their hands on the Compass!" Bloom said as she and the others dove after the Trix.
"...And neither were they, apparently." The human sighed.
"Hey Musa, are you offline?" Tecna asked, stopping as she noticed that Musa was distracted by something.
"It's like... It's like there's a note off-key. Can you hear it too?" Musa asked.
"We can deal with that later." Tecna told her. "We've got something kind of important to do now." She insisted while pulling Musa through the trapdoor
Sophia face-palmed. "Out of all of the Winx, I would think that Tecna would be capable of putting two-and-two together. She should just let Musa listen to her instincts. She is the Fairy of Music."
Valtor smirked, "You've already figured it out, haven't you?"
"I noticed that the melody was off from the beginning. But even if I was in there myself, I couldn't fix it. Lack of magical power aside, I don't know enough about music for that. I can identify which note is off, but I have no idea what said note should be instead." Sophia remarked. "But screw understanding music, none of them even have the ability to listen to what they were told. The Wishing Star essentially said that chasing that Compass is pointless, but that's exactly what they're doing. The first part of listening is hearing, but the second part is thinking about what you've heard." The teenager sighed and rested her chin upon her hand, "I think we're gonna be here a while..." 'And I doubt the Trix are gonna be the ones who get that Compass in the end.' She added silently.
The second chapter of my story, which is actually fully plotted out! Rare, I know. XD