"Hey Sophia—Uh, what are you doing?" Darcy asked with a raised brow as she spotted Sophia standing on top of the reading desk, perched on her tiptoes as she desperately tried to reach the book on top.

"Valtor made this stack of books for me to read too high!" Sophia complained, "I can't reach it!"

Darcy sighed. "Get down from there before both you and the books fall over. I'll rearrange them." Sophia obeyed her and got off of the desk, whereupon Darcy easily rearranged the books into multiple smaller stacks. "You could've just done this yourself, you know."

"Oh, and you don't think Valtor would notice the sudden usage of fairy magic in his palace?" Sophia quipped.

"She has a point." Icy stated.

"Anyway, Roxy told me that levitation is hard at first." Sophia remarked as she picked up a book and skimmed its contents.

"Roxy?" Stormy asked with a raised brow.

"The crown princess of the Earth Fairies. She's a good friend of mine. I was the very first person to figure out that she was a fairy. Of course, nobody believed me back then, Roxy included." Sophia turned a page absently, "You've probably seen her. She's pretty close with the Winx too. But when I think about it, most of the times when she's been heavily involved in their missions were times when you guys weren't around." She closed the book with an air of finality and set it aside.

"All that and you're not going to read it?" Darcy asked.

"I already know the subject matter of that book, so I'm moving on to the next one." Sophia replied as she picked up the next book from the stacks and opened it. "The Winx have potionology later today. Should be fun to take notes on. I never studied potionology back on Earth since you can't use it without powers."

"Witches learn about that too, but I get the feeling that witch potions and fairy potions are pretty different." Icy remarked with a smirk.

"Yeah, I'm sure they are..." Sophia replied somewhat absently as she became absorbed in the book.

望むの星

"Good morning, girls." Palladium told his students a little while later at Alfea. "Today's lesson will be a very special one, which I'm sure will intrigue many of you."

"Obviously not Bloom." Sophia muttered to herself as she watched. While the other Winx—even Stella—were raptly paying attention to their instructor, Bloom was absentmindedly sketching something on a sheet of paper. It was clear her mind was elsewhere.

"You will learn how to make... a 'perfect hair and makeup' potion!" Palladium told his anticipative students.

Stella gasped, "Yay! I adore cosmetic potions!"

"What is even the point of that?" Sophia wondered to herself as she scribbled the name down in her notes, "They can literally just wave their hands and make their hair and makeup look however they want. For that matter, they could take the form of someone else entirely if they wanted to."

"Fine." Palladium acknowledged as he walked back to his desk, "Now, for the demonstration, I'll need an assistant."

"Ooh!" Stella exclaimed, standing up and waving her hands wildly, "Me! Me! Choose me!!" The girl got so excited that she fell over her desk and face-planted on the other side. Sophia sweat-dropped as the blonde quickly stood back up and pointed a finger straight in the air. "I'm the one for the job!"

Palladium cleared his throat awkwardly, "Thank you, Stella, but these potions are very delicate. They require maximum concentration... and minimum excitement." At this, Stella groaned, realizing that that meant she was completely out. Sophia jotted down "maximum concentration, minimum excitement" on her notebook as Stella walked back to her seat. "Perhaps I'd better choose..." Palladium began thoughtfully, "...Bloom. You, I can trust."

At this, Sophia snorted. "Bloom? The girl who's doodling and not even aware of what's going on? Who's paying less attention here, the student or the teacher?" She sighed as Palladium looked at Bloom in confusion when she didn't respond.

"Hey, Bloom, are you offline?" Tecna asked, since she was sitting right next to Bloom.

"Huh?" Bloom asked as she looked at Tecna with clear disinterest. The answer was obviously, "yes".

"You have to go to the front." Tecna told her, and Bloom gasped as she noticed Palladium glaring at her.

"Here I am, Professor Palladium!" Bloom said as she scrambled over to him, "You want me to review yesterday's lesson in front of the class?" Sophia face-palmed as Palladium looked at Bloom with irritation and a hint of worry.

"No, Bloom. We're preparing a perfect hair and makeup potion." He explained as he put the supplies in front of Bloom.

"Oh for crying out loud! Send her back and pick Tecna!" Sophia exclaimed in annoyance as Bloom looked at her instructor cluelessly, "If she wasn't listening the first time, then this is obviously going to be a disaster!"

"You'll need... five drops of liquid beauty." Palladium began, Bloom quickly grabbing the ingredient in question, and Sophia hurriedly scribbled the recipe in her notebook as Bloom added exactly five drops. "Three petals of a young lily..." Palladium continued. Bloom let out a slight whimper of concentration as she added the flower petals and stirred them in, "...And a teaspoon of lunar essence."

"Where do you even find most of this stuff?" Sophia wondered as Bloom measured out a teaspoon and added it to the pot before stirring it again.

"Very good." Palladium told the redhead, "Now Bloom, close your eyes and concentrate. Visualize the final effect, and if you do so perfectly, the result should be..." At that moment, the pot exploded in a cloud of brown smoke, startling Sophia as she looked up from her notes. She grimaced in sync with Bloom as the other girls stifled laughter at the sight of Palladium's long hair twisted into the shape of a nest, complete with an egg. He cleared his throat with a openly frustrated expression, "Definitely not THAT." He said with irritation as a pair of birds flittered up out of nowhere and landed on his head. Now even Sophia couldn't help but laugh as Palladium gasped and groaned with frustration.

Bloom, the only one not laughing (and rightfully so), gasped in horror. "I'm so sorry, Professor! I must've messed up some ingredients!"

"I don't know if MY excitement was the problem here." Stella said grumpily, causing Musa to giggle.

Sophia absently wondered if she'd been correct in thinking that Bloom had used rose petals instead of lily petals, or if the mixup had been elsewhere, being that she knew nothing about the other ingredients. She shrugged to herself as she closed her notebook and set it aside before contacting Darcy via the telepathic link that the witch had insisted on establishing for the sake of convenience. 'Darcy, can you ask Valtor to open a portal to the throne room? I have a feeling that we're about to go on another Prime Star hunt, and I'm tired of getting yanked through portals without warning.'

'Sure. Hang tight.'

'Like I have a choice.' Sophia replied, crossing her arms as she waited. A moment later, a portal opened beneath her feet. "Huh?" She yelped as she fell through the sudden hole in the ground, but managed to land on her feet when she exited the portal. She turned to glare at the Trix, who were all laughing. "Really?!"

"You said you didn't want to be 'yanked in.'" Darcy pointed out.

"Ugh, I should've expected that." Sophia said with a sigh as she took her hairband off of her wrist and tied back the front part of her hair into her usual side twists.

"So, Sophia, what makes you think that we'll learn the location of the next Prime Star today?" Valtor asked as Sophia finished securing her hair.

"Bloom was majorly distracted in Potionology class and accidentally turned Professor Palladium's hair into a nest, complete with birds and an egg." The girl explained, and Stormy laughed.

"Wow. That sounds like something a first-year at Cloud Tower would do!" The Witch of Storms exclaimed.

"Yeah, but Zarathustra wouldn't be as nice about it as Palladium." Icy said with a smirk.

"And what does this have to do with the Prime Stars?" Valtor asked, ignoring the Trix's laughter.

"After retrieving the Star of Confidence, I've come to the conclusion that the Star Case is most likely to appear when at least one of the Winx is troubled by something." Sophia explained, "It's like the Wishing Star is trying to teach them something that they need to learn in each scenario."

"Interesting…" Valtor replied, "Let's see if your theory is correct." With that, he opened a dark hologram that displayed a live-feed of the Winx, just like the one Sophia had been watching in the library.

"Can you tell us what's bothering you, Bloom?" Aisha asked as the six girls walked through the courtyard after class. "You've been pretty distracted lately. Head-in-the-clouds level stuff."

"I'm not really sure Aisha knows what 'head in the clouds' actually means…" Sophia muttered to herself as Stella walked over to stand on Bloom's other side.

"You aren't still thinking about Sky, are you?" The Light Fairy asked, and Bloom sighed.

"Yes I am." Bloom admitted, "He hasn't answered a single call or Emojix in days now."

"But the Specialists told you he's on a top secret mission, didn't they?" Flora asked as Sophia wondered what in the world an Emojix was.

"That's just it, Flora!" Bloom exclaimed, "I keep asking myself if he's okay or if he's in danger? I just can't stop thinking about it, and..."

"Wait a second…" Tecna began with realization, "So, when we were in class…"

"Yeah…" Bloom admitted with embarrassment as Stella and Aisha giggled, "I was worrying about Sky getting caught by Eraklyon's royal condors."

"This explains the nest on Professor Palladium's head." Musa remarked, causing the others to giggle.

"Why would that even be a concern for the prince of Eraklyon?" Sophia asked of nobody in particular.

"So he's either in trouble and not able to message me, or he's choosing not to?" Bloom wondered as they resumed walking.

"Bloom, don't think about it." Flora said as she placed a hand on Bloom's shoulder, "I'm sure Sky will be back soon, and—"

Flora was cut-off by a high pitched squeal, followed by an adorable voice. "Make way!" Twinkly exclaimed, shrieking with laughter as she dived-bombed straight toward Bloom. The redhead gasped as the Lumen crashed into her so hard that Bloom was knocked onto her butt, Twinkly face-planted spread-eagle against her chest as the others giggled. Bloom smiled in amusement as she pulled Twinkly off of her, and the little creature smiled and giggled as she waved at Bloom.

"What are you doing here?" Musa asked as Bloom got up, Twinkly floating up beside her.

"Did something happen on Lumenia?" Aisha asked with concern.

"Oh, no! I just came to see you!" Twinkly said happily as she flew into Bloom's arms, sitting there contentedly as the fire fairy cradled her. "I missed you girls so much." She added as she snuggled against Bloom's hand.

"We missed you too, Twinkly." Bloom assured her.

Sophia paled, suddenly fearing that the little Lumen would ask about her, and the Winx would inadvertently reveal her new status as a fairy to Valtor. However, at that exact moment, the Star Case appeared, causing the teen to let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Ooh! It's the Star Case!" Twinkly cooed as she flew out of Bloom's arms.

"Winx, the Third Prime Star waits on Monoceros, not far." The Star Case began, "Look beyond the clouds and higher. You'll find the trust you desire."

"Sorry to cut your visit short, Twinkly, but we gotta leave for Monocerus right away." Bloom explained as Twinkly glared at her cutely after the Star Case had disappeared.

"So… where is this 'Monocerus' anyway?" Stella asked thoughtfully, and Twinkly's face lit up in excitement.

Sophia face-palmed. "Monocerus is the name of a star. You would think the 'Fairy of the Shining Sun' and Princess of Solaria would know this."

"Why do you know that?" Stormy asked.

"Astronomy is my hobby, and was before magic was brought back to Earth." The younger girl explained. "I uh, asked my teacher to tell me the names used by most other realms for some of the stars…"

"Let me come with you!" Twinkly said to the Winx. "Oh, they're so beautiful! Their coat is so soft and silky!"

"Uh, what is she talking about?" Tecna asked in confusion.

"I'm talking about unicorns, of course!" Twinkly exclaimed.

"Unicorns?" Flora echoed.

"The star of Monocerus is home to winged unicorns!" The Lumen explained. "See? You can't go alone! You absolutely need a guide! Like me!"

"Okay, Twinkly. You win." Bloom said, unable to resist the little lumen's cuteness. "Lead us to Monocerus."

"Starsome!" Twinkly squealed.

"I get it…" Sophia murmured, "'Mono' means 'single' and 'ceros' means 'horn'. It's basically Latin for 'unicorn.'"

"Once again, why do you know that?" Stormy asked.

"You spend way too much time studying. What, do you live in a library at home too?" Icy asked.

"For your information, I learned about basic Latin in English class in middle school." The teen replied with annoyance.

"That's enough, girls." Valtor interrupted from his throne. "Your prediction turned out to be right, Sophia, and now we know that the next Prime Star is on Monoceros. You must leave immediately."

Darcy groaned in irritation, "This whole 'chasing the Winx all over the Magic Universe' deal is getting annoying!"

"The Star Case riddle is about trust." Stormy pointed out as she flew into Darcy's view. "Well I trust myself, and I work better on my own."

"Hey Stormy." Icy said icily, "Finding one little Star doesn't make you the strongest witch in the Magic Universe." Sophia face-palmed as Valtor looked on in annoyance. The girl had no intentions of reminding them in front of him that it was actually her that got the Star of Confidence.

"Why not?" Stormy asked.

"We're ready to go, Valtor." Icy told the wizard. "This time, the Prime Star won't escape me."

At that, Darcy laughed, "Won't escape you, Icy? I wouldn't be so sure about that, since I'm gonna get it!" The Witch of Darkness cackled at this and Stormy laughed sarcastically.

"Very funny." The Witch of Storms began as Sophia massaged her temples with one hand, "I'm seem to recall that I'm the only one who's gotten a Star so far."

"You got lucky." Icy remarked, and she meant that in the truest sense. Apparently, she did remember who the true winner of the last round was.

"Silence!" Valtor said in annoyance as he stood up, "I don't care who retrieves the Prime Star, I just want it. It'll be a fine addition to my collection." He added, as the container being used to hold the Star of Confidence appeared. Sophia bit her lip, frustrated by the fact that she had given him that Star, regardless of the reason why. At Valtor's declaration, the Trix turned to leave, and the young fairy called after them. "Um, hello? Ground-bound down here!" She reminded them.

Valtor raised a brow at her. "I thought you lent her some of your magic so she could fly?" He asked the Trix.

"Uh, we did. But it wore off." Icy lied as she flew down toward Sophia.

"We'll give her more when we get to Monoceros." Darcy added as she and Icy picked up Sophia and flew through the portal that Icy had opened.

"A word of advice." Sophia began as they set her down after exiting the portal. "If you don't want a repeat of the Star of Unity incident, I suggest you stop bickering and work together this time. You guys are a solid team—when you're not trying to compete with each other. Oh, and Stormy, just to remind you, I'm the one who got the last Prime Star. And I didn't even have powers at the time."

"Yeah, yeah." Stormy said in irritation.

"Any ideas on the riddle yet?" Darcy asked.

"Mm… sort of." Sophia replied, "But I don't really know enough about this place to know what our course of action should be." That wasn't actually the case, but if she had said that she'd solved it before they'd even left, she would've gotten left behind in the palace, and she was desperate for fresh air.

"Well, hurry up and transform." Icy told her. "We are not carrying you all over this place."

"With pleasure." Sophia said as she placed her hands over her heart, "The Heart of a Fairy!" Within moments she was once again wearing her sparkly blue and purple dress, and she followed after the Trix as they flew off. However, it wasn't long before her excitement got the best of her. "This... is... amazing!!!" She exclaimed with glee as she twirled in mid-flight. "I'm actually on a star! A real star! And it's unlike anything I could have ever dreamed!"

"Will you calm down?" Icy said as she and her sisters watched with slight irritation as Sophia continued flying around in elation. "You're going to attract attention!"

"I can't help it!" Sophia exclaimed happily. "Starlight is the source of my powers, and it's all around us! This must be what Roxy feels like when she's with animals."

"You know, we could always send you back to Valtor." Darcy pointed out. At those words, Sophia finally came back down to Earth and calmed down.

"Fine..." She pouted.

ウィンクズクラブ

"I can't believe you've been on a mission with Diaspro all this time." Bloom said angrily some time later.

"Ergh... I've already told you, Diaspro tricked me. I was convinced we were on a mission for my father." Sky replied.

"Then you could have told me that!" Bloom exclaimed, "Unless… you had something to hide."

"Huh? I thought you'd be mad if I told you." Sky admitted. "I tried to answer your calls, but every time I did, Diaspro got into trouble." He saw that his girlfriend was not convinced. "You have to trust me, Bloom. I swear I couldn't wait to see you again."

"Me too." Bloom replied from over her shoulder.

"Then let's make up for lost time." Sky enthused. When Bloom turned to glare at him again, he explained, "Now I'm on a mission with you! I'll help you recover the Prime Star."

"Okay, but that doesn't solve our problem." Bloom told him. "You could've told me about Diaspro, and you didn't." She crossed her arms and turned away from him again.

"So you don't trust me?" Sky asked in disbelief.

Bloom answered him with a glare before the two of them suddenly turned to the other Winx and said in unison: "Let's get going."

"Well, well…" Icy as the group flew off. "Looks like someone has trust issues."

"Yeah." Stormy agreed, "That'll come in handy, once I get the Prime Star."

"You, you! Always you!" Darcy exclaimed in annoyance. "Don't you think you're a bit of an egomaniac, Stormy?"

"If you three are any indication, then I'd say that goes for all witches." Sophia remarked, "I think I recall being told that witches are 'slaves to pride.'"

"Quiet down!" Icy said in annoyance. "The Winx will lead us right to the Prime Star, as long as they don't hear you bickering." She leveled the three with a glare, and Darcy and Stormy groaned.

"You guys go on without me. I'll only slow you down." Sophia told them.

"Wait, what?" Darcy asked.

"Remember what Asteria told the Winx earlier when they first arrived? Just being able to fly isn't enough to pass through the barrier. You need the help of a unicorn." Sophia reminded them, "If you fly close enough to theirs, you should be able to fly through on their slipstream, but I can't fly that fast yet. So I'll stay behind and out of the way. Not like I'm going to be much use in a fight anyway."

"She has a point." Stormy admitted.

"Fine, but we have to bring you back when we're done, so if you're going to go explore, we should decide on a place for us to find you after we get the Star." Icy told her.

"In that case…" Sophia looked thoughtful for a minute before nodding to herself. "Meet me at Monoceros Star Core. I want to check it out anyway. I'm the Fairy of Starlight after all."

The Trix nodded to her and then went on her way. Sophia grinned once they were gone and flew off, heading straight for the core, and staring in awe when she found it. "So this is the Star Core. It's so... beautiful..."

"Hold it right there!" A voice exclaimed, and Sophia stopped to look over at the Lumens of Monoceros with their leader Asteria at the lead. But alongside Asteria was...

"Sophia?!" Twinkly cried out happily, and the next thing the young fairy knew, she'd been knocked to the ground by the little Lumen, just like Bloom had been.

"Oof! Hi Twinkly." Sophia said with an awkward smile, hugging Twinkly back with one hand as she sat up.

"Wow, you look starsome!" Twinkly asked as she took in Sophia's new appearance. "What happened to you? You became a fairy?"

Sophia giggled, "Yep." She answered as she stood up. "The Wishing Star did this. Well, sort of. I was the one to pass the test for the Prime Star of Confidence, so she rewarded me by giving powers of my own. I'm the Fairy of Starlight now."

"That's amazing!" Twinkly said happily, but Sophia's smile was tinged with sadness.

"It would be even more amazing if I hadn't had to give the Star to Valtor..." She lamented.

"To Valtor?!" Asteria exclaimed suspiciously, so Sophia held up her left hand in explanation.

"Even though I'm a fairy now, I'm still bound by Valtor's Mark. My powers aren't strong enough yet for me to break it." She sighed as she lowered her hand, "Valtor said that he would destroy my world if I didn't help him. My only choice is to do what I can to protect my home and trust the Winx to get the Stars on their own merit."

"Are you helping Valtor today again too?" Asteria asked.

"No, not really." Sophia said with a shake of her head, "The Trix have gone after the Winx, but truthfully, I don't think they'll be able to get the Star. I think that the riddle for this Star was meant for Bloom and Bloom alone."

"Then what are you doing here?" Twinkly asked, and Sophia grinned cheekily.

"Oh I didn't actually tell the Trix that this Star was a lost cause. I came here with them and then convinced them to ditch me so that I could explore. Beats being in Valtor's Palace by a long shot." Twinkly giggled and the other Lumens smiled, deciding that Sophia wasn't a threat. "Sorry about the intrusion, but as the Fairy of Starlight, I couldn't help but want to see the Core up close."

"It's natural for a fairy to be drawn to the source of her powers." Asteria agreed with a nod.

"I thought as much." Sophia said, "Roxy was always obsessed with animals. That's how I knew she was the fairy of animals, even before she knew it."

"What do you mean?" Twinkly asked.

"Oh, it's a long story." Sophia replied with a shake of her head before frowning slightly. "Listen Twinkly. I need you to not tell the Winx that you saw me here, or at the very least, don't mention that you found out that I'm a fairy now. They already know about my powers, but I can't risk Valtor finding out."

"Okay Sophia!" Twinkly said with a nod.

Sophia smiled, but then looked up with a frown as the sky turned dark with purplish clouds. "Ugh. Stormy just had to let the whole star know she's here…" Lightning flashed around the group, frightening the unicorns and startling the Lumens. Sophia looked around with concern. "This is getting dangerous... Asteria, I—" The teenager was cut off by a high-pitched scream, and she and the Lumens looked up to see Diaspro of Eraklyon clinging to the black unicorn Aryo as he desperately worked to dodge the random bolts of lightning.

"Oh no!" Asteria exclaimed, more concerned for Aryo than Diaspro. Sophia quickly turned to the Lumen.

"Asteria, ask the unicorns to try and get Aryo to land down here!"

"Understood!" Asteria nodded before turning to the unicorns and relaying Sophia's instructions. Much to the group's relief, Aryo heeded his fellow unicorns and landed nearby, albeit, somewhat ungracefully, due to the struggle of dodging the storm.

"What do we now, Sophia?" Twinkly asked nervously, and the teen turned her attention to the core nearby.

"Starlight is the source of my powers, and we're right next to the core. In theory, I should be able to draw strength from that." She turned to Asteria, "And the source of starlight is stardust. If your tribe can give me some stardust, I think I can combine it with my powers to create a strong barrier around this area. Stormy's powers are a much higher level than mine, so this is our only chance at protecting the core and the unicorns."

"Wait, you think?!" Diaspro demanded as she stood up, "Does that mean you have no idea what you're doing?!" Sophia ignored her.

"We'll give you all of the stardust that we can!" Asteria affirmed before flying into the air with her fellow Lumens to generate the dust Sophia had asked for.

Sophia took a deep breath to calm herself. "What's important isn't the size of the feat… it's how positive the action will be." She said to herself, recalling the things she had learned from Roxy and Morgana. She spread her hands out above her, ribbons of rainbow light spiraling out of her hands and wrapping around the stardust, forming a sort of glob or bubble. When it had grown large enough, she spread her hands out farther and the glowing orb of rainbow and stardust spread out into a dome that covered the area that she, the Lumens, the unicorns, and Diaspro were in.

"Do you think it will hold?" Twinkly asked nervously.

"We can only hope." Sophia told her, "That's literally the first spell I've ever cast."

Now Diaspro looked worried, though she quickly hid that expression beneath her usual antagonism. "Okay, seriously, who are you?"

Sophia curtsied politely in response, "I am Sophia, Fairy of Starlight and Countess in the Earth Fairy Royal Court of Tir Nan Og. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Diaspro of Eraklyon."

"Huuuh??" Twinkly said in confusion, wondering why Sophia was being so nice to Diaspro.

"Oh. Uh... likewise..." Diaspro said awkwardly. It has been a long time since somebody had treated her like she was actually a noblewoman.

"So... this is... kind of awkward, but... what exactly is the story with you, Prince Sky, and Princess Bloom of Domino?" Sophia inquired, "I... kind of happened to see what happened earlier."

"Sky was my fiancé, until Bloom stole him from me!" Diaspro exclaimed, glaring at the ground as she crossed her arms.

"...I see..." Sophia replied uneasily, "Pardon my asking, but... was it... an arrangement made by your parents?"

"Yeah, why?" Diaspro asked.

"I see... so it's possible that Sky never had feelings for you..." Sophia said thoughtfully.

"That's not true! We used to be friends! We played together all the time as kids!" Diaspro informed her.

"I meant romantic feelings." Sophia amended, holding her hands up to placate the older girl.

"Oh. M... Maybe..." Diaspro admitted, averting her gaze as she did. Sophia sighed sadly.

"Look, Lady Diaspro, I get it. Even if you didn't make the choice yourselves, you were promised to each other, and it hurt when he broke things off. But... if I may be honest... don't you think you deserve better?"

"Better?!" Diaspro asked with disdain, "He's a prince and heir to the throne! What could be better than that?!"

"You misunderstand." Sophia said with a shake of her head, "I wasn't talking about wealth or status, but something more valuable... the heart. I was taught that if a boy can't love me for who I am, then he isn't good enough for me, and if I can't love a boy for who he is, then I'm not the right person for him. We all have our flaws... and sometimes, there are things about ourselves that we need improve upon, but fundamentally, we should be loved for the things that make us who we are. We all deserve that."

"So you're saying... that because he doesn't love me as I am, he's not worthy of me?" Diaspro asked.

"Basically, yeah." Sophia replied with a nod, "And I think that Prince Sky thinks that too. I don't think he meant to hurt you. Rather... he wanted you to be happy. He felt that you deserved someone who loved you for you and that he couldn't be that person. I once heard, 'Joy's not found in things such as necklaces and rings, but in love that's always there. That's the jewel beyond compare.' I've heard that you're the Fairy of Gemstones, so surely you would prefer that 'jewel' to any other."

Diaspro looked down sadly. "I'm not sure you can even call me a fairy anymore... I haven't been able to transform in a long time..."

"That's because you've lost your confidence." Sophia said gently as she placed a hand on Diaspro's shoulder before giving her an awkward smile, "And, also, maybe because you keep doing things that generate negative energy instead of positive? I... will admit that I've heard about the incident at Princess Daphne of Domino's coronation."

At that, Diaspro frowned, furrowing her brow before glaring up at Sophia. "But what about Bloom?!" She demanded, "Isn't it her fault for stealing my fiancé?!"

"I don't think it was intentional." The new fairy said thoughtfully, "I've... come to learn that Bloom has some trust issues with regards to Sky. Things like that are usually the result of somebody hiding something in a relationship. I'm guessing that when Bloom first fell in love with Sky, she didn't know that he was betrothed, and when she found out, she felt just as betrayed as you did when he called off the marriage."

Diaspro frowned thoughtfully, "Come to think of it, she kept saying that I was lying and that I was a witch trying to trick her."

"See?" Sophia said pointedly, "It was never Bloom's intention to wrong you. I do think Sky was wrong not to be upfront with either of you, but I also think that ending the engagement was for both your sakes. Did you really want to end up married to someone who only saw you as a friend, and who wished to be with someone else?"

Suddenly Diaspro buried her face in her hands, "Oh! What have I done?!" She cried, "Forget marrying me, he's never going to want to be friends with me again!"

Suddenly Sophia took Diaspro's hands in her own. "You don't know that for sure. Perhaps he also misses the 'you' he used to know. But you can't hope for reconciliation by remaining as you are."

"What should I do?" Diaspro asked, and Sophia smiled gently at her.

"Work to become a true fairy."

"You mean... earn my Enchantix?"

"Mm-mm... It's more than that." Sophia said. "There was once a fairy who had not just Enchantix, but Sirenix. She was even a Nymph. However, she allowed jealousy to darken her heart and that eventually destroyed her. Being a true fairy... is about more than how powerful you are. It's about your heart." She directed Diaspro's attention over to Aryo. "I think Aryo chose you because he could sense that you had felt the same pain as him. And that's why I believe that there is still good in your heart, Diaspro."

"That's easy for you to say." Diaspro replied while gesturing to the barrier. "You're a natural."

"Actually, I'm not." Sophia said with a wry smile.

"Huh?"

"I wasn't born a fairy. These powers were given to me... This is my first time being away from Earth... and I didn't leave by my own choice either. I have no idea if I'll ever even see home again." Sophia smiled bittersweetly as she turned toward the core. "Just about everything's different." She sang softly, "How to dress and how to dance." Her gaze turned distant as she recalled the roller coaster of new experiences. "Within this new world... I am all on my own." She turned back to Diaspro with a serene smile, "But I will not get disheartened, Because the one thing that I believe is... That I truly have... the heart of a fairy in me." She held a finger up to Diaspro, like a teacher instructing a student, "The thing that's important for a fairy... Is not something like appearance." She gestured to the barrier above them, "It is simply doing what's right. Making a habit of being kind. A true, loyal, and pure heart. That is what a true fairy is."

Diaspro looked thoughtful, "You know, I think you're right... The reason why you could make this amazing barrier on your first try... is because you know what being a fairy means." She looked up at Sophia and smiled softly, "Even though you know how I have been—You have shown to me so much kindness. From the very start, you've had true strength inside your heart. The reason why you are radiant—Comes from inside you, not from a lesson. It's easy to see—why you received those fairy wings."

The two of them joined hands as they smiled at each other in understanding. "The thing that's important for a fairy... is not something like appearance." They sang together.

"It is simply..." Sophia began.

"Doing what's right." Diaspro finished.

"Making a habit..."

"Of being kind."

"A loyal, true, and pure heart." They sang together. "That is what a true fairy is." A soft light filled the area as Diaspro transformed for the first time in nearly two years. The two smiled as they sang one last line. "You're a fairy..."

Diaspro smiled at her new friend, but then sighed sadly again. "But how am I ever going to fix things between me and Sky? I've given him no reason to trust me."

"Trust is something that has to be earned, Diaspro." Sophia replied as she sat down upon a rock, "It will take time and effort. The first step... is to apologize to Sky and Bloom for how you've acted, and then from there... hm..." The teen looked thoughtful for a moment as she considered how Diaspro could make amends, "Bloom won't trust you to be alone with Sky... and given past incidents, I doubt that Sky will trust you to be alone with Bloom, so... Why not ask them to both hang out with you at the same time? Or even ask about going on group outings. You won't feel as lonely if you have other people to interact with, and it will give them a chance to see that you're sincere."

"I'm afraid I'll still feel lonely." Diaspro admitted, "All of the Winx have boyfriends."

"Hm... point taken." Sophia replied. "It would be better to bring along only Stella's boyfriend in that case. Just explain that you don't want to feel like the odd one out. I'm sure they'll understand. Or see if the Winx are willing to hang out with you without any boys around. That'll help with the matter of getting over Sky."

"Yeah, I guess that's true..." Diaspro said, though she still seemed uncertain.

Sophia looked up as she saw the clouds parting and lowered her barrier. "Looks like I'll be leaving soon. You might wanna get out of here before my 'escorts' show up. Oh, one more thing..."

"Yes?"

"Aryo is such a beautiful unicorn, it's a complete shame about his horn. I feel really bad for him." Sophia admitted, "Find the Winx and ask if they'll help you take him to Roxy, the Fairy of Animals, on Earth. If there's anyone who can restore his horn, it will be her. You can tell them that it was my suggestion, but uh, don't mention that I'm a fairy, okay? They already know."

"Oh, okay." Diaspro agreed.

"He's gorgeous as it is, but just think how beautiful and majestic he'll look once his horn is restored." Sophia said, "A unicorn stallion as black as the night sky."

Diaspro smiled, as if she was just seeing Aryo for the first time. "He is really majestic, isn't he? Taking him to see your friend will be my first priority." She said decisively as she leapt onto Aryo's back. "Thanks Sophia!" She called as they flew away.

Sophia smiled to herself, "I hope she's able to make up with them." She turned and looked where Asteria and the other Lumens had been, along with the other winged unicorns, only to find that they had all vacated the premises. 'Just as well. Not like they don't know who will be looking for me.' She thought to herself as she turned and looked again at the glimmering core.

"Ugh. There you are." Darcy said in annoyance, forcing Sophia to turn back around to look at them.

"When we get back, you are so taking the blame for us not getting the Prime Star this time." Stormy accused.

"Do that, and I'll tell Valtor who really got the Prime Star on Solaria." The teen countered, causing Stormy to cringe.

"Oh whatever." Icy remarked, "Let's just head back. We've been on this nightmare of rainbows and unicorns long enough." Sophia reverted to her normal form as Icy opened a portal back to Valtor's palace. With a sigh, she walked through ahead of the three witches, only to feel as though the ground had disappeared beneath her feet.

"Whoa-oa-oh!" She screamed before grunting as Valtor caught her using the mark on her hand just before she hit the ground. He let her dangle like that for a moment before lightly tossing her the short distance to the ground. "Oof!" The teenager gave an aggravated sigh and glared up at where the Trix were coming through the portal. "When will you remember to open the portal at ground level?!"

"Sophia." Valtor said coldly, "Care to tell me why you didn't accompany the Trix to advise them about how to get the Prime Star?"

Sophia sighed heavily as she stood up, carefully brushing herself off, "There was nothing to advise them on. The riddle was intended specifically for Bloom. I realized that from the very beginning. Honestly, what was I going to do once the battle began anyway, aside from get in the way?"

"Wait, it was meant for Bloom to start with? What do you mean?" Darcy asked.

"'Look beyond the clouds and higher—You'll find the trust that you desire.'" The girl quoted, "It was a pun. In general, what do you see if you look beyond the clouds?"

"The sky!" Icy realized before groaning and smacking her forehead.

"Exactly. The riddle was about more than just the physical location of the Prime Star. It was about Bloom's trust issues with Prince Sky." Sophia replied. "I could've told you that, but it didn't really seem necessary. Those two were having plenty of trust issues without any of us doing anything. I figured either they'd get through it and get the Star, or they wouldn't and you guys would. Regardless, there wasn't much for me to do." She said with a shrug.

"And now the Winx have gotten their hands on the third Prime Star." Valtor remarked as he summoned the cage that he was keeping Sophia's Star in. "But I suppose it doesn't matter. There are still four stars remaining."

Finally got around to finishing this chapter. The song is an English translation of the Japanese version of "A Princess True" from Sofia the First, with a few words swapped out. Yes, I translated the Japanese version of a song that was originally in English. It's the best way to do these kinds of things since I own the actual translation... and besides, it's good for my studies. With this particular story, I try not to make so much use of songs since they are awkward to write with, but I did it here because I often feel that music can express things better than I can. Perhaps just because I sometimes have trouble putting sentiments into words.

As for why I chose this approach with Diaspro... although she certainly is selfish and a snob, I can identify with her feelings regarding Sky ending their engagement. I also felt that there must've been a reason why Aryo, a unicorn who'd had his trust betrayed in the past, would be drawn to somebody like Diaspro, and my conclusion was that he sensed she was a kindred spirit. Somebody who acts prickly and aggressive because she's been hurt. I'm not saying that it's an excuse for her behavior, but I wanted to explore her side of the matter, since it was really Sky's fault to begin with. At the same time, I don't think that Sky meant to hurt Diaspro or that he was only thinking of his own happiness when he called off the marriage, because in general, Sky isn't selfish like that. And, in all fairness, he and Bloom were not technically dating when Bloom and Diaspro met. He still should have been upfront with both of them though.