"Morning Sophia." Stormy said in with a smirk as she, Icy and Darcy entered the library.
Sophia raised a brow at them. "What are you doing here this early?"
"Valtor told us to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't try to practice whatever the Winx are doing in class." Icy said nonchalantly.
"Oh yes, because attempting to use magic I haven't learned without proper supervision is totally something I would do." Sophia said sarcastically.
"By the way, I'm done reading this." Darcy said as she held out the book that Sophia had lent to her. "I didn't realize that humans could be so dark."
"These were literally written during a time period on Earth known as 'The Dark Ages.' Not a whole lot of happy literature was produced." Sophia said as she took the book back and put it in her purse, "Besides, Earth was so unbalanced for so long that, trust me, it has darker stories than these that don't even have magic in the plot."
("Good morning, my esteemed students." Came the Irish accent of Professor Wizgiz as the dark hologram opened, "And nothing rounds out a good morning like a good surprise test!" He rubbed his hands together with a cunning grin. The various fairies in the classroom, the Winx included, all gasped in alarm.)
("No way!" Tecna exclaimed, "I-I'm not prepared at all!")
("Same here, Tecna." Musa worried.)
("This is not fair!" Aisha whined.)
Sophia scoffed with amusement from where she was sitting behind the desk she'd been using. "You would think after all these years, they would have learned to expect surprises from Professor Wizgiz. How is it unfair when this is just par for the course with him?"
"Say what?" Stormy asked.
"Er… Earth… analogy." Sophia said, realizing she'd once again referenced something the others were unfamiliar with, "It means that this is normal with him."
(Meanwhile, Stella—who probably should've been the most concerned of all—was abruptly distracted by a basket of apples and carrots on Flora's desk. Without Flora noticing—because she wasn't paying attention—the Light Fairy snatched the basket and began munching happily on a carrot.)
("Don't worry." Wizgiz said in a voice that was cause for worry in itself. "It'll be simple." He leapt up onto his desk, "Animal Metamorphosymbiosis." He announced with a flourish. "All you have to do is turn into an animal of your choice. Like this." He transformed into a mouse, "This." He said in a high pitched voice before changing again, this time to a dachshund. "Or this." This time, his voice was much lower as he transformed into a hippo before returning to his normal form.)
Sophia's brows made a bid for her hairline. "That was the smallest hippo I have ever seen. And how did his desk not break under the weight? Was he using some kind of antigravity magic on top of that?"
"That's what you're focused on?" Darcy asked.
"Hey, I've seen him do this more times than I can count, okay?" Sophia replied, "I know he's fully capable of transforming to a creature's actual size and weight."
(Wizgiz plopped into a sitting position on his desk with a thump, "Show me what you can do with this spell.")
("I hope I don't miss anything." Tecna said with concern. "It's a complicated spell.")
(Behind her, Stella was still munching happily on the carrots from Flora's basket.)
("Stella, I haven't been practicing." Flora fretted, "How can you be so relaxed?")
"Easy. That's not Stella." Sophia said without a hint of doubt as the blonde in question murmured and shrugged at Flora.
("Can I get a volunteer to go first?" Wizgiz asked.)
("Ooh, I'll do it, Professor Wizgiz." Bloom piped up as the others reeled at the thought.)
("All right, Bloom." Wizgiz told her with a thumbs up as she walked over to him. "I knew I could count on you. What do you have for us?")
("Well, I…" Bloom said before suddenly transforming into a cat. "I'm a kitten!")
("Ah!" Wizgiz exclaimed, laughing lightly as Bloom jumped onto the desk and rubbed up against him. "Excellent." He told the fire fairy as she jumped back down and returned to her normal form.)
(Seeing Bloom succeed gave Aisha the courage to go for it. "Hm." She said as she transformed into a butterfly.)
(Wizgiz gave her a thumbs up. "Mm-hm.")
(Tecna walked forward and then turned into a lamb. Musa followed her lead and turned into a bird.)
("Mm-hm." Wizgiz said as Bloom giggled and clapped while Musa flew over them, chirping as she did.)
"Huh. She looks like a blue lorikeet…" Sophia murmured. "But… how is it she can't speak? Birds are the only animals known to be capable of mimicking human speech without magic…"
("My turn!" Flora said enthusiastically before transforming into a tiger. She placed a paw on Stella's desk, "So, what do you think?" To her surprise, Stella screamed and ran off… or more like hopped off. "Huh?" Flora said in confusion as Stella began bouncing up and down in front of Bloom. "Stella! What's wrong?!" Flora asked, leaping over, only for Stella to bounce away, "It's just a metamorphosymbiosis." Stella paid no heed as she started hopping around on people's desks. "And it's still me, Flora!")
"Yes, because Stella's voice always sounds like that." Sophia said with an amused smirk.
("Hm…" Wizgiz mused, "Something tells me that this is not Stella. Reveliosymbiosis!" His magic surrounded the panicked "fairy" to reveal…)
("Oh! Kiko?" Bloom asked in confusion. Her bunny whimpered at her nervously.)
("I am very, very disappointed." Wizgiz said in annoyance as he shook his head and crossed his arms.)
"Okay, how did you call that?" Stormy asked Sophia as Icy closed the dark hologram.
"Before Wizgiz, even." Darcy added.
"Professor Wizgiz probably just wasn't paying attention, since there's not particularly unusual for Stella to be snacking during class." Sophia said, "For me, the telltale sign was her lack of reaction to the news of the test. Stella is a chatterbox and usually says whatever pops into her head. It was odd that she was not only unconcerned, but wasn't even talking at all before going after those carrots." Sophia explained as she stood up. "Anyway, let's head to the throne room. Something tells me that to day is the day we'll learn about the last Prime Star."
Back at Alfea, Bloom and the others walked into their dorm room after class, each with a large stack of thick books and a frustrated expression. Stella was sitting on the couch, scribbling in a notebook, seemingly without a care in the world. "Stella!" Bloom exclaimed harshly when she saw her best friend.
Stella gasped in surprise, having apparently not heard them come in.
Bloom set down her stack of books and glared at Stella sternly, "Having Kiko take your place was not a good idea, Stella." As if to emphasize his master's point, Kiko let out a series of enraged squeaks at the blonde.
"Don't tell me." Stella groaned, "You got busted." She looked up at her friends, who were all glaring at her and growling in irritation. "Sorry." Stella said as she stood up, "I didn't want to skip class, but I had to catch up on my homework! There's so much to study…!" She groaned.
Aisha was not appeased in the slightest, "As punishment, Professor Wizgiz gave us a lot of homework." She pointed at the books for emphasis.
"Now you'll have to study twice as much." Tecna added.
"Seriously?" Stella asked in disbelief before slouching in exasperation and sighing dramatically. "I wish I was somewhere else, far away from here." She moaned.
As if responding to her words, the Star Case suddenly appeared amongst them, causing the Winx to gasp.
"If that is your wish, young fairy, it shall soon be granted." Came the Wishing Star's voice.
"The Star Case!" Bloom exclaimed as they walked over to it.
"She must have something for us." Flora added.
("Well, she's certainly not there to save you from your homework." Sophia mused to herself.)
"What you seek is a world frozen and battered." The Star Case began, "The place where an ancient bond was shattered. This realm is called Dyamond, to be precise, covered with crystal and mysterious ice. There, you will find the seventh Star you've awaited. Follow the secret of a sister separated."
"Sister?" Stella asked, "Whose sister?"
"Whoever completes this final haul will get the Stars and keep them all." The Star Case finished.
"We're tied with Valtor." Aisha said, "We have three of the Stars, so does he."
"It sounds like whoever gets the next one gets them all." Bloom added. "We have to do it!"
"What secret was it talking about?" Stella asked.
"The Star Case didn't make it clear, but we'll solve one puzzle at a time." Bloom said.
"First of all, let's get to Dyamond." Tecna said, tapping away at her phone once the Star Case had vanished. Her phone projected a holographic image of the realm in question. "It's a world of crystal, and the surface is covered in magical ice."
"Let's hurry." Bloom said, "We have to stay ahead of the Trix.")
Icy glared at the Dark Hologram as the Winx departed before turning away with a conflicted expression on her face. "Dyamond…" She murmured quietly.
"What are we waiting for?" Darcy said, "We can get there first!"
"We'll put together a little surprise for our favorite fairies." Stormy agreed.
"No!" Icy exclaimed firmly.
"'No?'" Stormy and Darcy echoed in confusion. For her part, Sophia was standing to the side quietly and observing.
"We're not going to Dyamond!" Icy said decisively as she closed the Dark Hologram and stalked past Darcy and Stormy. "It's too dangerous."
"But we have a mission." Stormy reminded her, "The last Prime Star is there."
"So we'll let the Winx risk it all and find it." Icy told her with an apprehensive expression.
"Huh?" Darcy gasped quietly in confusion.
"And once they get the Star," Icy continued, "We'll take it."
"Huh?" This time it was Stormy who was gasping in confusion.
Darcy, meanwhile, sighed in exasperation and slumped her shoulders, "I was hoping to lure them into one of my traps." She said.
"And I wanted to take them on, face-to-face!" Stormy said in annoyance.
Neither statement did anything to erase the anxiety that was written on Icy's face. "We'll stay here and track their movements in the Dark Hologram." She insisted before crossing her arms, "That is all."
Suddenly, Valtor came flying in through a hole in the ceiling, "I hate to remind you, but… I'm the one who gives the orders."
Icy gasped in alarm, "Valtor!"
"What are you afraid of, Icy?" Valtor asked her.
"I'm afraid of nothing!" Icy insisted.
"Then you are going to Dyamond immediately." Valtor told her as he flew over to his throne, "The Winx must not get their hands on the last Prime Star. That Star will change everything… and I want it here, along with the others." At this, he gestured to the magical cage where he kept the three that were currently in his possession.
Icy clinched her fists, growling in frustration. Sophia bit her lip and averted her gaze, troubled by the fact that she had obtained two of those Stars.
"What are you still doing here?" Valtor demanded, "Did you not hear my words?" He held up his hand, "Or need I remind you that I can return you to your prison in Limbo if you do not obey?" At this, his mark on the Trix's hands began to glow. Icy gasped in alarm and Darcy groaned. Valtor glared at Sophia, "And need I also remind you, Sophia, of what will happen to your parents and your planet if you don't do your job properly?"
Sophia didn't realize that she was now biting her lip so hard that it was bleeding. She hung her head with her gaze fixed upon her own hand.
"As you wish." Icy said as she bowed to Valtor, "We'll leave for Dyamond."
The girls all sighed as Valtor's mark vanished from view. "Have a safe trip, girls." Valtor told them, "And don't let me down."
Sophia transformed into her fairy form and followed the Trix to the exit, but when Icy suddenly stopped by the door, Sophia paused and looked at her in confusion. She had bypassed the ice witch due to her momentum, but Darcy and Stormy—who had also stopped to look back at Icy—were still ahead of her. Even so, Sophia was fairly certain that she was the only one who caught sight of the resigned look on Icy's face before the witch suddenly waved the other three off.
"Go on." She told them bitterly.
"Hmm?" Stormy shrugged as Darcy crossed her arms, both wondering what in the world was up with Icy.
Icy turned her back to them and crossed her arms. "I'll catch up in a sec." She assured them.
Darcy and Stormy only hesitated for a moment before flying off. Sophia lingered slightly longer, but decided she'd best catch up to the other two while she could."Hey! Stormy, Darcy! Hold on a sec, I need to talk to you two."
"What is it, Sophia?" Darcy asked in annoyance before blinking. "Wait, why is your lip bleeding?"
"Huh?" Sophia said in confusion, prompting Darcy to hand her a mirror. She grimaced when she saw her lip and sighed. "I was biting it earlier, but I must've been doing it too hard…" She summoned her purse and pulled a handkerchief out of it, using it to wipe away the blood. She then applied some lip balm to soothe the wound before she put her purse away and sighed. "Listen… When we get to Dyamond… let Icy take the lead."
"What do you mean by that?" Stormy asked.
"Remember what happened with the Prime Star on Melody? Several of the riddles given by the Star Case, including the one for the Compass, were devised such that only the person they were meant for could solve them. I think that's the case this time too." Sophia told her.
"What's that got to do with Icy taking the lead?" Darcy asked.
"You heard what Tecna said." Sophia told her, "The surface of Dyamond is covered in magical ice. Icy is the Witch of Ice; she'll be able to sense danger there better than anyone else." Sophia explained, "That's why the safest option is to follow her lead."
"You might be right, but she seemed pretty determined to get out of going there." Stormy pointed out.
Sophia shook her head, "Whatever her reason for that is, it doesn't matter. Icy knows that she can't accomplish anything if she's imprisoned again. She'll definitely come. …We should go. She'll wonder why we're just lingering if we aren't at least heading that direction… Wait, come to think of it… do either of you know which way Dyamond is?"
望むの星
Sometime later, Sophia found herself following the Trix across the surface of Dyamond. 'There's no trace of life anywhere…' She thought to herself before glancing up. 'The sky looks unnatural. It's as if this planet is surrounded by a cage of ice. I sense dark energy all over the place. There's no doubt about it. This planet was cursed… but by whom?' In the corner of her eye, Sophia could see that they were passing something at regular intervals; however, Icy was shooting through the terrain like a bullet at the head of the group, so Sophia couldn't make the objects out clearly. It was all that the young fairy could do to not fall behind.
"Ugh! So where did the Winx go?" Darcy asked, smirking in anticipation.
"Yeah, I want some action!" Stormy agreed. "This place is so boring." The Witch of Storms failed to notice the annoyed glance that Icy was giving her as she said, "Give me something to hit with my lightning!" At that moment, a small, white fox appeared, darting across the terrain beneath them. "Oh, that critter will do." Stormy said as she pointed at the fox.
Icy gasped when she saw the fox. "Huh?!"
"Let's spook her a little bit." Stormy said as she stopped in midair and held her hand up to summon her lightning.
Icy stopped and turned as she looked back at Stormy. "No!" She exclaimed, using her own magic to encase Stormy's hand in ice.
"Huh?" Stormy gasped in surprise before screaming as the weight of the ice pulled her to the ground. Sophia, who had just barely managed to avoid taking a nosedive when Stormy had stopped, took the opportunity to land as well. She immediately fell to her knees and struggled to catch her breath. Stormy groaned in annoyance as she looked at her frozen hand while Icy and Darcy landed next to her. Darcy was looking at Icy like she'd lost her mind.
"Icy, what's your problem?" Stormy asked as she stood up and used her own powers to free her hand.
"Leave that fox alone." Icy said with an angry glare.
"Huh?" Stormy and Darcy both said as they looked at each other in confusion. Sophia rolled her eyes as she stood back up and dusted her skirt off.
Icy growled at Darcy and Stormy, but then noticed that the fox was approaching her. "Huh?" Her eyes met those of the fox and her expression changed to one of heartbreak.
"An arctic fox?" Sophia murmured, "…No, her ears are too large. So… that must mean…" The young fairy trailed off and looked at Icy, who was on the verge of tears.
"Who cares about that fox?" Darcy asked in frustration, "Valtor wants his Prime Star!"
"Move it!" Icy said, having been brought back to reality by Darcy's voice. "We're on the hunt!"
Sophia face-palmed. "…They are so dense…" She muttered before fluttering upwards to follow the three witches. "Hey! Don't go speeding off this time! My wings aren't that big, you know!"
A short while later, the four of them stood on a cliff overlooking a frozen waterfall, watching as the Winx walked beneath the arcs of the frozen flow.
"We finally found them!" Darcy exclaimed.
"This is the perfect place to attack!" Stormy enthused, "Let's finish them, now!"
Icy, however, was focused on something else. "No, wait!" She told her comrades as Sophia walked forward to get a better view.
"Icy, what is it now?" Stormy asked in annoyance. "That was our best shot. What's wrong with you?"
"I'll decide when it's time to strike." Icy replied.
Stormy growled. "I've had enough of your floundering, Icy!" She exclaimed, firing a bolt of lightning toward the mountain.
Icy gasped. "No!" She screamed in horror. Sophia, however, had anticipated Stormy's actions and had already begun to move. She flew off of the cliff at the same moment that Stormy unleashed her attack before quickly summoning her own magic to catch the attack in a barrier. Unfortunately, it didn't make much difference, for although she had blocked the strike itself, the loud crack of thunder still created an avalanche that sent snow tumbling down the mountain.
Icy gasped in terror before glaring at Stormy, "What have you done? What have you done?!" She cried in despair.
Suddenly, a small whimper echoed through the air. Icy gasped and looked toward the cliff side. The fox was on the outside of the snow drift that had been created, but she was struggling because her paw was caught beneath a large crystal.
"Hold on, little one." Sophia said gently as she landed next to the fox before creating a barrier around the two of them and waiting for the dust to settle. When there were no more large chunks of crystal in danger of falling on them, she lowered the shield. "Phew. I'm glad you're so swift." She told the fox, "If I'd had time to consider that blocking the lightning wouldn't actually help, I would've just gotten you out of the way instead. Now, let's get you free." She used her powers to lift the crystal just enough that the fox was able to get herself free. She then carefully released the crystal and scooped the pup up before flying back over toward the Trix. In the process, she failed to notice Sky, who had tried to come help out, and wound up leaving him behind. "You're safe now." She told the fox, "But I think enough is enough, don't you? Let's get you to Icy."
"Stop!"
"Huh?" Sophia turned and looked behind her to see Sky standing on the cliff.
"You're Sophia, right?" Sky asked, "The girl that was kidnapped by Valtor? I know you're being forced to help them, but there's no need for you to take that fox with you to the Trix. Give her to me. I'll take her to Bloom. I'm sure she'll like her, and she'll have Kiko to play with."
Sophia glared a bit at Sky, "My best friend is—"
"…No!" Icy screamed from above them before diving towards the pair.
"Uh-oh!" Sky exclaimed.
"Don't touch that fox!" Icy exclaimed while launching a blast of her ice magic at Sky, freezing his jetpack. She then hurled another blast towards Sophia.
"Whoa!" Sophia yelped as she dodged the blast with the fox in her arms, "Icy, calm down! I wasn't going to give her to him!"
A pillar of ice had risen up from where the blast had hit the ground. Icy turned and glared at Sophia, "If you don't want me to freeze your wings, then put her down on that pillar right now."
"Geez…!" Sophia muttered as she put the fox down like Icy had said. She then yelped as Icy trapped her within her Rings of Energy. "Really Icy?! Come on!"
"That's to keep you out of the way!" Icy scorned before firing another blast at the mountain. The resulting avalanche crashed through the frozen surface of the water below, taking Sky's one-man ship with it. The ledge that Sky was standing on also gave way, and he just barely managed to grab onto the newly formed leedge with his hands.
"Bloom! I'm over here! I need help!" Sky called desperately.
"Sky?!" Bloom exclaimed in surprise as she rushed forward to help him. "You should not be here!"
"I agree, but, can we talk about this later?" Sky asked with an awkward grin.
"You'll have all the time you want to be together." Icy told them, "Buried forever!" With a grunt of effort, she created another avalanche. Stella hurried and pulled Bloom out of the way, while Sky was knocked off from the ledge.
"No!! Sky!!!" Bloom cried, hearing Sky screamed as he fell into the water below.
Meanwhile, Icy released Sophia before she scooped up the fox and cradled her in her arms.
"Huh?" Darcy said.
"Hmm?" Stormy murmured at the same time as the two of them looked on in unison.
Icy paid them no mind as she flew past, heading off for someplace else. Sophia groaned a bit in pain before she followed with Darcy and Stormy.
"Geez, that was completely unnecessary." The teen muttered quietly, keeping her distance from Icy. "I was never going to hand her over to Sky in the first place. He just assumed that he understood the whole situation, but the fact is I know more about this place than he and the Winx do."
"What do you mean?" Darcy asked, but Sophia only shook her head.
"I think we'll hear it from Icy soon enough. Besides, I'm sure she knows the whole story."
I've had this written for a while, but it was done in a rush, so I needed to go back and clean it up a bit before posting