All eyes in the Melody Disco were glued to the stage as as Sophia's dance duel entered level 2.
"Wow… Sophia really knows how to dance." Stella said in surprise.
"It looks to me like she's not just reacting to the lights, she's predicting them." Tecna agreed.
"And she's got style." Aisha commented with a smile, watching as Sophia moved through the steps with grace. Her effortless movements made her seem weightless.
"Ha, I thought she just joined the contest for fun, but it seems like she might actually be useful." Icy remarked.
Most people's eyes were on Sophia, so they were a bit startled when Milos' gauge suddenly zeroed out.
"And the winner is… Sophia!" Galatea exclaimed. Sophia twirled slowly on one leg before other one behind it and holding her arms out gracefully.
"Well, well." Stormy said with amusement as Sophia walked back over, "Who would've guessed that the girl from Earth knew how to dance?"
"For your information, I've taken dance lessons since I was little." Sophia replied with a hint of annoyance, "It was my parents' idea, but I continued because I love it. The only thing I don't like is ballroom dancing, because you have to have a partner, which makes it feel restrictive in my opinion." She walked off towards the refreshment stand to get a drink, ignoring the slightly confused looks of those behind her.
望むの星
"…And now, Melody's Dance Contest continues!" Galatea exclaimed. Bloom and Icy were both upon the stage, moving quickly to meet the fast-paced demands of the contest. "Let's hear it for Icy and Bloom! Our challengers move on to the next round!" Her voice echoed throughout the disco as Bloom and Icy straightened their posture.
"You won't beat me, Bloom!" Icy insisted.
"Are you sure about that, Icy?" Bloom asked.
"Go Bloom!" Aisha cheered.
"If Bloom wins the contest, Princess Galatea will give us the crown of the Dancing Queen… and the Prime Star!" Flora said with excitement, prompting Tecna to look at the crown that Galatea was showing off with suspicion.
"…What did the Star Case say again?" The Fairy of Technology muttered. "'On the world of music, rough and soothing combine artfully and that perfect sound will yield the Star of Harmony…'"
"Right!" Aisha interrupted, pulling Tecna from her thoughts by placing her hand on her shoulder, "So if we dance in harmony with the music, we win the Prime Star. Simple enough, isn't it?"
"Maybe too simple, Aisha." Tecna said as she placed a hand on her cheek in thought, "We should keep thinking about the riddle. For now… let's just hope the Star Case meant this."
Sophia suppressed a scoff after hearing Tecna and sighed instead. "I'm gonna go sit down to rest a bit before my next match." She told Stormy as she turned and headed towards the back of the room. She found an empty booth and slid into the seat with a sigh before fiddling with the drink her hand. 'I shouldn't be so harsh… I'm just frustrated that even though I know the answer to the riddle, I can't say so. Even if I told the Trix, they can't do anything, and I can't pass the information on to the Winx.' She shook her head for a moment, 'It doesn't matter anyway. Whether she knows it or not, Musa is already in the right spot. I have a feeling that things will somehow work out even if she doesn't realize the answer on her own.'
"Both contestants are wracking up the points!" Galatea's voice broke through Sophia's thoughts, causing her to look back at the stage as Bloom and Icy's dance duel continued.
"Yeah!" Bloom exclaimed. The other Winx chanted her name as the music continued.
"It's Level 4, and both dancers are perfectly even. The first one that makes a mistake will be eliminated!" Galatea commentated. She almost seemed to be looking at Icy as she said that, and based on her expression, Sophia guessed that the ice witch had sensed it. She gasped as her hand slipped just after touching a dot and growled with frustration. A moment later, she missed a step entirely.
"No, no!" She raged at Bloom as the alarm went off, "You're not gonna beat me! Aah!!" Unfortunately, Icy had forgotten about the booby traps used to throw the losers offstage. Her platform had sprung up and launched her into the air, causing her to crash on top of Stormy. She and Stormy both groaned a bit as they got their bearings.
"I did it!" Bloom exclaimed, jumping up with excitement as her friends and the rest of the crowd cheered. Sophia was clapping, but also questioning how it was that Stormy couldn't manage to at least dodge Icy if not catch her as the Winx had Stella and Flora.
Icy growled angrily, her hand glowing as she attempted to attack Bloom, but nothing happened, causing her to huff in frustration as Stormy glared at her like she was an idiot.
"I'm sorry, Icy." Galatea said, "Have you forgotten that this place is protected against magic? No tricks in here!"
Icy glared at Galatea in annoyance. "I told you, didn't I?" Sophia said as she walked over to the two witches, "Galatea is a Fairy Queen of Melody. Her magic is supreme in this joint."
Icy crossed her arms, "How do you know so much about that anyway?"
"Around the time that magic was brought back to Earth, there was an… incident at Tir Nan Og." Sophia explained, "The queen of the Earth Fairies became trapped in a magical object used to imprison criminals. At that time, the ones responsible thought that it would be impossible for anyone to rescue her. Even the Winx, who had the power of Enchantix and Believix, couldn't do a thing. However, the queen revealed that there was one person who had the power to free her—her daughter. Even though she'd only recently awakened her powers, Roxy was able to rescue her mom. I learned about this from the two of them after the fact."
"Why are you so close with the princess of the Earth Fairies anyway?" Stormy inquired.
Sophia sighed, "It's… a long story… Like, centuries long, apparently."
"Centuries?" Icy asked with a raised brow.
"Don't ask." Sophia sighed before she turned and headed back to the booth where she'd been sitting. Bloom exchanged glances with the other Winx before following after her.
"…Are you okay?" The Fire Fairy asked as she found Sophia staring forlornly at her ring in its box. The teenager's head snapped up, and at the same time, she snapped the lid to the box shut.
"Huh? Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Sophia asked as she returned the ring box to her purse.
"Well, you seem a little… out of sorts today." Bloom replied as she sat across from Sophia.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, like being annoyed with Galatea and the way you snapped at Aisha…" Bloom explained before reaching out to touch Sophia's hand, "…Is something on your mind?"
"It's nothing…" The blonde insisted.
Bloom raised a brow, but then remembered something when Tecna signaled to her. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She pulled out a smartphone and set it on the table, "Here, Tecna upgraded your phone so that it'll work out here. Maybe you can use it to call your parents some time."
"Oh! Thanks! I really appreciate it!" Sophia said as she picked up the device.
"You said earlier that you have a horse back on Earth, right? Can you show me a picture?"
Sophia's face lit up. "Sure!" She fiddled with the phone for a minute before showing a photo to Bloom of a horse with a bluish-gray coat. "Here she is."
"Wow! She's beautiful!" Bloom exclaimed.
"Her name is Silver Shooting Stardust, Stardust for short." Sophia said with a smile as she looked back at her phone and swiped through her photos. She then sighed softly, "I hope she's not too lonely without me. Stardust is a lot like me after all."
"What do you mean?" Bloom asked.
"Stardust isn't a purebred. She's a mixed breed. Her parents are both prestigious purebred horses, but of different breeds and for different tasks. The fact that they bred together at all was an accident. Her mother's name was Silver Stardust and her father's name was Shooting Star. That's where I came up with her name, because she's fast like her father, but has her mother's blue coat." She hesitated before continuing, "…Earlier this year, I transferred to this prestigious college for girls in the Swiss Alps. It's a school for the daughters of nobles and diplomats and such. I'm a countess, but my parents are average Americans, so a lot of my schoolmates look down on me due to my 'lack of breeding.' Stardust is the same. People dismissed her abilities because she's not a purebred like her parents. That's why I was drawn to her. We make a great team." She sighed softly, "My teachers don't look down on me, but they're strict with me. They always tell me that the future of how fairies and humans interact with each other is on my shoulders, so I have to be careful in everything I say and do. That's why… it frustrates me to see a princess like Galatea acting so condescending. Especially towards another princess."
"What about with Aisha?" The redhead asked.
"That was just…" Sophia sighed, "I don't like when people act exclusionary because… I've always struggled to fit in with the people around me. People thought I was weird for believing in magic, so I stopped talking about it. Then when you guys brought magic back to Earth, everyone suddenly wanted to be friends with me, and it was all I could do not to tell them off for being so fake. And now I go to a school where no matter how perfect I am, I'll never be good enough."
"You're kidding, right?" Stormy's voice suddenly interrupted. Sophia and Bloom looked to see the witch leaning against the side of the alcove that formed the booth, looking irritated. "How could the person who beat me in getting the Prime Star of Confidence be so insecure? Why are you so worried about what other people think?"
"I hate to say it, but Stormy's right." Bloom stated, "Wouldn't it be better to just be yourself?"
"You don't remember what it's like to be a human teen anymore, do you?" Sophia asked Bloom rather bluntly.
"Oh please." Stormy scoffed. "What does that have to do with anything? Maybe you've forgotten, but the reason we took you with us back to Valtor had nothing to do with magic. Do you think just anyone would've been worth the effort?"
"Well…" Sophia began anxiously.
'Sophia…'
Sophia looked up as she heard the unfamiliar voice and her eyes were drawn to the Star Case that suddenly appeared beside Bloom.
"Huh? What is the Star Case doing here?" Bloom wondered aloud. Sophia didn't answer. She only stared at the object. In an instant, her surroundings faded as the Star Case transformed into a beautiful, silvery woman whose appearance was similar to Queen Durana of Lumenia.
'You're… the Wishing Star, aren't you?' Sophia asked.
"That's right, Sophia." The Wishing Star said with a nod. "Tell me, why do you doubt your own worth? Don't forget that you are the one who protected Earth's magic when it had all but vanished."
Sophia averted her gaze. "I didn't really do anything. You're the one who gave that power to my family."
"Sophia, the power I gave to your family only enhanced your influence over Earth's energy. You are the one who chose to believe. Even when others said you were wrong, even when you felt alone, you held that belief in your heart. The power you were born with… would've been useless without that."
Sophia's eyes widened, "It wasn't… something I did… simply by existing?"
"Of course not. It never could be." The Wishing Star said, "It was something you did by being true to yourself." She flew forward and touched Sophia's cheek. "It is the same even now. You passed the test of confidence because even when faced by your greatest fear, you believed in the choice you had made. Your keenness of mind, your trueness of heart… That is where your real power lies. Don't let anyone tell you that who you are isn't enough."
"…You're right…" Sophia said as the Star Case vanished from Bloom's hands.
"Huh?" Bloom said, looking at her hands in confusion before looking at Sophia.
"Bloom and Stormy, you're right!" Sophia said as she stood up with a smile. "I've been so worried about what other people think of me that I forgot that the only reason I've come this far is because of who I am!" She clasped her hands to her chest, "Being myself is enough."
Why be extraordinary
When you can always be yourself?
"Oh!" Sophia gasped in surprise when a brooch suddenly materialized on her chest, right where the jewel on her fairy form would be.
"Sophia, that's amazing!" Bloom exclaimed. "You've earned your Charmix!"
"Charmix?" Sophia echoed in confusion.
"It's… not another form, exactly." Bloom said, "It's more like… a power-up. You can activate it after you transform to gain a boost in power. There's a limit to how long you can use it though. Gaining Charmix is an important step in the process to becoming a real fairy!"
Sophia giggled, "Oh Bloom, don't be silly." She stepped forward and then smiled back at the older girl, "Even if I don't have Enchantix yet, I'm already a real fairy!"
You are a fairy, believe it!
"All right!" Sophia said as she pumped her fists in excitement. "No more worrying! I'm going to let loose and rock this competition!"
望むの星
"We've reached the semifinals!" Galatea announced with excitement sometime later. "Bloom against Stormy!"
Bloom looked at her teammates and then got on the stage with Stormy, the two of them glaring sidelong at each other.
"Stormy is the ace up their sleeve." Tecna worried.
"But it won't be a problem for Bloom… will it, Aisha?" Stella asked nervously.
"Let's stay focused." Aisha said, dodging the question, "Remember that Stormy is a Dark Dance contest champion."
'She might as well just say that Bloom is going to lose…' Sophia thought to herself.
"We'll start with difficulty level 3!" Galatea announced, "Music!"
Bloom and Stormy both began to dance in time with the music.
"Bloom! Are you ready to take me on?!" Stormy demanded after a few seconds, but Bloom was unfazed by her taunting.
"What do you think, Stormy?" The fire fairy asked confidently.
"Bloom can do it!" Flora said optimistically.
Both girls hit their finishing poses, and Galatea guided her hover disk toward the crowd. "Our competitors are tied with perfect scores!" She exclaimed, "They've activated the bonus round! Music!"
Stormy didn't seem too thrilled as she worked to keep up with the new difficulty. "After I win, Galatea will pay for this!"
"Shouldn't she just be enjoying herself?" Sophia asked in confusion, "I realize of course that the goal is to get the Prime Star, but isn't it more fun when you get to win by doing something you like anyway?"
"You'll never understand witches, Sophia." Icy said with a shake of her head.
Meanwhile, Bloom giggles as she bounced around on her platform, "This is fun!"
Stormy laughed a bit with satisfaction as she managed her finishing pose, though Bloom did as well.
"For the first time ever, both contestants passed the bonus round!" Galatea announced. The crowd cheered as both girls stood up. "From now on, things are gonna get tougher!" She declared. "Avoid the light beams! Music!"
"I gotta keep ahead!" Bloom said as she began dancing while avoiding the beams that fired between the blue dots that appeared. "I can't lose ground now!"
"Now that's dancing!" Stormy said with excitement as she kept up her own pace.
"Oh good, it would've been a pain if I'd reached this point myself with zero data!" Sophia said with excitement.
"'Data'?" Icy asked.
"Oh, er, nothing…"
"Oh!" Bloom gasped as she barely managed to dodge a beam.
"Bloom is in trouble!" Galatea said.
Bloom gasped. "I lost so many points!" She exclaimed while dodging another beam. "Ugh!"
"I almost feel sorry for you!" Stormy taunted as Bloom continued gasping with every last-second dodge. "No, I was kidding, I don't!"
"No!" Bloom exclaimed as she was struck by one of the beams and instantly vanished from the stage. She suddenly appeared in midair above the other Winx and all five screamed as they fell to the floor. "Ugh…" Bloom groaned, "I'm sorry girls. Hurricane Stormy hit again."
"You did great!" Flora comforted her as she stood up.
"Even if she beat you." Stella agreed.
"But we can't let ourselves be intimidated." Aisha said as she helped Bloom to her feet.
At that moment, Bloom noticed that Tecna seemed lost in thought. "What's up, Tecna?"
"The Star Case mentioned 'harmony', but 'harmony' also makes me think of collaboration." Techs explained.
"But the dance challenge is one-on-one." Aisha stated.
"We must've missed something." Bloom realized, "But what?"
'They're getting warmer…' Sophia thought to herself as she observed the Winx before turning to the returning Stormy, "So, you were just bored earlier?!" Sophia gasped.
Icy laughed. "Still think she's not having enough fun?"
Sophia shook her head, "No. If anything, I want to see what those Dark Dance Competitions are like if Stormy found this boring up until now."
"Uh, what?" Icy asked as the two witches looked at her like she had grown a second head.
"Hehe, I'll tell you later."
"Why not now?" Stormy asked.
"There's a time and a place for everything, and right here and now… is neither of those." The young fairy said with a grin before heading to the stage.
"Where exactly is her brain at the moment?" Icy asked as she and Stormy watched Sophia go.
"On to the second semifinal." Galatea announced, "Aisha versus Sophia."
Sophia smiled at Aisha, "Let's both do our best, okay, Aisha. I hope you know that I won't hold back!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Aisha agreed.
"As with the last battle, we'll start at difficulty level 3." Galatea announced. "Music!"
Both girls began dancing to the beat in their own style.
"You adapt pretty quickly, Sophia." Aisha noted.
"No offense, Aisha, but I prefer to not to talk while competing." Sophia wasn't being rude, but she knew she had to focus. That… and she had to make sure to breathe properly. That said, she wasn't having trouble keeping up.
"Double perfect!" Galatea announced, "It's time for the bonus round!"
Sophia counted the beats in her head as she moved. She could predict the lights, but she could that Aisha had a better sense of rhythm. 'I want to at least make it as far as Bloom…' She thought to herself.
"Double perfect again!" Galatea exclaimed, "Unbelievable! Time to step it up!"
Sophia and Aisha began dodging the light beams as they danced. 'I can do this. I can keep up with this.' Sophia assured herself. 'But for how much longer?'
"Wow!" Galatea exclaimed. "Double perfect again! This is unprecedented. Let's see how much longer they can keep this up."
"No." Sophia said decisively before jumping off the stage and landing gracefully in front of it. She stood up and looked up at Galatea. "I respectfully resign. I'm forfeiting the match to Aisha."
"But… why?" Aisha asked in confusion.
"Because I don't feel like getting thrown off the stage to who-knows-where, for one thing." The teen answered as she cast a sidelong glare at Galatea before looking back at Aisha, "Besides, I don't have enough stamina to keep up with you. I've mostly just been locked in a library for weeks. I haven't been able to exercise as much as I'd like to. I'm not exactly in top form right now." She smiled sadly as she tilted her head. "I had fun, but it's important to know one's limits. I'd like to do this again sometime, when I actually am at the top of my game."
Aisha smiled as she stepped off the stage and walked over to Sophia, "I'd like that too."
The pair shook hands, "You should check out the competitions on Earth sometime. We don't have the same kind of technology, but you'd be surprised just how well humans can bring it." Sophia said with a wink.
"You're giving up?!" Stormy exclaimed.
"It's important to know one's limits, Stormy. Knowing when to quit is also a part of being confident." Sophia said calmly.
"But what about the Prime Star?!" Icy demanded.
"As if you actually needed me for that to begin with."
They glanced at each other. Galatea was the most stunned of all, but she somehow recovered. "Uh… Congratulations, Aisha! You made it to the finals! Are you all ready for the Melody Dance competition finals?" The crowd cheered and Galatea continued, "Aisha will challenge… Stormy!"
"I'm gonna head out to catch up with Darcy." Sophia told Icy. Icy nodded and the young fairy walked out. Sophia sighed as she looked up at the sky. She wasn't particularly looking forward to leaving this place, since the moment she returned, she'd be right back in Valtor's library. Shaking her head to clear it, she transformed and prepared to take off, but then stopped and put a finger to her lip in thought. "Hm… I wonder…" She concentrated for a moment, "Charmix!" The jewel on her costume became the center of a brooch shaped like a five-pointed star. On her hand, a glittering indigo wristlet shaped like Saturn appeared. She giggled. "Sweet! Now let's try… this!" Concentrating on where she sensed Musa's magic, she teleported and found herself standing outside of a stilt house. Her ears immediately picked up on the sound of a beautiful tune. Smiling to herself, she walked up the stairs and stepped through the open door. She stood there quietly as she watched Musa and a boy she didn't recognize play a harmony harp. 'What a beautiful sound… I never thought such music could exist.'
After a few minutes, the duet concluded, and the boy—who Sophia presumed was the "Riven" that Musa had been fretting about earlier—looked up at the aforementioned Music Fairy.
"This instrument is truly amazing." He said to Musa.
"The Harmony Harp can only be played by two people whose hearts beat in unison." Musa told him. At that moment, a light like a comet appeared and Musa gasped as the glowing orb soared through the room before hovering above them. In a flash, the light dispersed, revealing the Prime Star within its orb. Riven gasped and looked at the Star in confusion and amazement. "The Prime Star." Musa said, though she seemed equally bewildered. "What are you doing here?" She gasped in realization, "The harp of harmony! Wait a minute… the Star Case said, 'that perfect sound will yield the Star of Harmony.'" The orb vanished and the magenta star floated down into Musa's hand. "Riven, our feelings are so strong that we brought the Star here."
"Yeah Musa, you're right." Riven said, giving the girl a starry-eyed smile.
Sophia watched the two for a moment, not wanting to interrupt too abruptly before she quietly knocked on the doorframe to announce her presence.
Musa and Riven both gasped as they snapped out of their reverie and looked over at her. Musa broke into a smile. "Sophia!" She exclaimed, running over to the younger girl and immediately noticing her new accessories. She gasped with excitement. "You've earned your Charmix!"
"Yes. I was finally able to clear away my doubts." Sophia said with a smile.
"That's amazing!" Musa exclaimed, "Most fairies only awaken their Charmix with the help of their bonded Pixie!"
"Bonding with a Pixie, huh? That would be fun…" Sophia said wistfully.
"But what are you doing here?" Musa asked.
Sophia smiled. "I didn't want to miss out on the sound of the Harmony Harp."
"Huh? How did you know about…" Musa began in confusion.
"I figured it out when Darcy mentioned it to me."
"Darcy?" Riven asked. He was immediately on his guard against the girl, but Musa stopped him.
"Sophia isn't friends with the Trix. They kidnapped her and now Valtor is forcing her to help them with the riddles about the Prime Stars." She explained before looking at Sophia, "But… if you figured out the answer… why didn't you…"
"Tell the Trix?" Sophia finished. "Even if I did, what would they do? They certainly weren't going to be able to play the Harmony Harp. Knowing them, they'd kidnap some random couple and hope they'd be able to do it."
"Yeah, that's true…" Musa said.
"Wait, but if you heard about the Harmony Harp from Darcy, that means you knew she was here!" Riven exclaimed, "Why didn't you warn the other Winx?!"
"Because I couldn't take the risk." Sophia said calmly as she met his glare, "If I get in their way, Valtor will attack my planet. I do what it takes to protect my planet and trust the Winx to protect the rest of the Magical Universe. That was the decision I made. Besides, I had a feeling that things would work out naturally. I guess you could say… that I trusted the Wishing Star. I even trusted you. I trusted that you and Musa would be able to beat Darcy together."
"Wow, Sophia." Musa said in amazement, "I can tell that you've really grown since this first started."
Sophia blushed in embarrassment and placed her hands on her cheeks, "What? Really?"
"Yeah, I can tell." Musa said, "Your magic is stronger than when you first became a fairy, too. At this rate, you might—"
Suddenly the house began to shake, causing Riven to look up as some debris fell from the ceiling. "Oh great. What's wrong now?"
Sophia sighed. "It's the Trix."
Musa and Riven ran outside into the yard and Sophia followed, although she didn't bother to go beyond the deck.
"Musa…" Stormy began. "That's my prize. The Star is mine."
Icy glanced at Sophia, "I thought you said you were going to meet up with Darcy."
"It's not my fault she left before I got here." Sophia said flatly.
"If you've been here the whole time, why didn't you take the Prime Star?!" Darcy demanded.
"Uh, hello? I only just earned my Charmix. Musa has how many forms? Even if I wanted to fight her, I would just get my butt kicked."
"She's got a point." Stormy remarked.
Icy switched gears. "On the count of three, blast Musa! One…" She held up one finger and Riven quickly combined his two weapons into some kind of X-shaped beam saber. "Two…"
Riven grunted as he hurled the weapon at the Trix. Stormy and Darcy yelped as they dodged it, but Icy casually moved to the side just slightly, not even flinching as it whirled just past her. Musa whimpered in alarm and Icy unleashed a blast of her magic. Musa flinched and Riven grunted with effort as he threw himself in front of her, taking the blast in her stead and winding up covered in ice.
"No! Riven!" Musa exclaimed, catching Riven in her arms as he collapsed with a groan.
"It's over. Give us the Prime Star!" Icy sneered, "You're alone now, Musa. You'll never beat us."
"Still wanna dance, Trix?"
Icy gasped and turned to see Bloom hovering behind her in her Cosmix form, along with Aisha, Tecna, and Stella.
Flora descended in front of Musa and Riven. "Rain of Petals!" Stormy and Icy quickly dodged the attack, but Darcy cried out as she took a direct hit. She screamed as she was thrown backwards, then grunted in pain as her back collided with a coconut tree before she dropped to the ground. The trio of fruits on said tree trembled for a moment, and then Darcy screamed in pain as one fell and collided with her forehead. She groaned in frustration when another suddenly fell and knocked her out cold.
"Cosmix Magic!" Bloom exclaimed as she created a dragon of fire that soared toward Icy and Stormy. Icy screamed as she dodged it, her cape briefly getting caught on her head as she tumbled through the air. She panted as she regained her bearings.
"No Winx is ever left alone!" Bloom said with a smirk as she and the others hovered protectively around Musa and Riven. "We're a team!"
Stormy narrowed her eyes and then smirked, "Well then…" She chuckled as she began to charge her magic, "We'll obliterate you all at once!" She prepared to launch her attack, but Icy held out her hand to stop her. "Huh?"
"Wait, Stormy." Icy told the other girl, "Our advantage is lost. It's over."
'That's unusually levelheaded of Icy…' Sophia thought to herself as she slung Darcy's arm over her shoulder.
Icy glanced at each of the Winx. Musa couldn't suppress an angry growl towards the witch. "It's too risky. We need a better plan. Let's get out of here!" The Ice Witch turned and soared off back toward the city with Stormy following.
"Ow…!" Darcy groaned, rubbing her forehead as she ascended into the air with Sophia. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Trix? Wait for me! Don't leave me here alone!" She turned and hurried after her teammates. Sophia sighed in resignation before following as well.
This chapter was a little harder, mostly because I wasn't sure how to handle Sophia's participation in the contest. But I eventually settled on having her cooly resign in between rounds, because she knows there's no shame in admitting that she's reached her limit.