After flying over Dyamond for a considerable length of time, Icy finally landed in an open space and set the fox cub down. The two of them walked over to the base of a frozen tree. Icy placed her hand on the trunk and then chuckled softly as she looked down at the cub.
"Remember this place?" She asked as she sat down with her back against the tree. The fox sat beside her and Icy gently placed her hand on the cub's head, "I'm… just happy to be with you again... Sapphire." She said in a bittersweet tone. Icy closed her eyes and seemed to lose herself in a painful memory. When she finally opened them again, she smiled weakly at Sapphire and held out her hand to pat her head again, only to be surprised as a green glow surrounded her sister. "Huh?" Icy watched as Sapphire slowly returned to her original form and the older girl laughed softly. The two reached out their hands to each other, but the next moment, Sapphire became a fox again. Icy gasped in disappointment and hung her head, struggling not to cry. "The truth is… I'm still not strong enough to break the spell of the Shaman Witch." She lamented as Sapphire walked over to her and rubbed her head against Icy's hand. "I didn't want to come here. I didn't mean to get your hopes up. Forgive me, Sapphire." She said in quivering voice as her tears began to flow, "I was forced to come back to Dyamond. But I'm not ready yet." Icy's voice broke as she said this, and Sapphire whimpered and whined at the sight of her sister's tears. Icy took a breath and smiled weakly as she wiped her eyes. "But I'll catch up with you soon." She assured, "And you'll be returned to normal, my sister."
"Sister?" Darcy asked suddenly. Icy gasped in surprise as Darcy, Stormy, and Sophia landed behind her. Darcy placed her hands on her hips with a frown, "What's the matter, Icy?" She demanded, "I thought we were your sisters?"
"Companions…" Icy began as she stood up, "Allies, friends, maybe…" She walked over to her fellow witches, "We call ourselves sisters…" She said as she placed her hand on Stormy's shoulder, "But we're not." She then pointed at Sapphire. "She's the only real sister I have." She continued in a pained voice, "Sapphire."
"I thought there were no secrets between us?" Stormy said in surprise and disappointment.
"This was my kingdom a long time ago." Icy explained as she rose into the air, "But a merciless witch conquered it." She looked back at the others, "My family… the people of Dyamond… everything has been turned into ice!" She flew further and gestured to one of the totems looming nearby. "Those totems are the work of the witch. They're symbols of her dark power." She landed in front of the others again, "Eternal and unbreakable. The guardians of her frigid spell!"
"I knew something was up with those things…" Sophia murmured thoughtfully.
"I guess that's why you didn't want to come here." Darcy said in realization. "Too many bad memories."
"Too much pain…" Stormy realized before placing her hands on her stomach, "Blech! All this sadness is making me sick!" At that, Sophia cast the storm witch a quizzical look.
"You already knew, didn't you?" Icy asked as she looked at Sophia.
"I've been putting the pieces together along the way." Sophia answered as she walked forward, "The way you reacted when you heard our destination was Dyamond made me realize that this must be your home planet." She explained, "Which meant that the 'sister separated' was either you…" She looked down sadly at Sapphire. "…Or your sister." She knelt down next to Sapphire, "When we first ran across Sapphire, I realized pretty quickly that she was under a spell. Her ears are too large be those of an arctic fox, but besides that, she's cloaked in a dark energy that is not her own… nor yours." She stood back up and walked over to the tree. "I just didn't say anything because you seemed pretty set on keeping it to yourself. Charmix!"
"What are you doing?" Icy asked suspiciously.
"One of the properties of light is the ability to reveal truth." Sophia told her. "I want to know what this place would look like in its natural state, but the spell requires a little extra power."
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Darcy asked.
"Relax." Sophia said, "You should know well that spells rooted in one's source of magic are a lot easier to use than generic ones." She placed her hands on the trunk and closed her eyes. "Like the light of star seen for years after its end, reveal to us all that once had been." Her magic spread out from both her hands and feet, blanketing the surrounding area and revealing the beauty of the past. The tree blooming with crystal flowers, a bubbling brook, and large crystals sparkling in the sun. Even Sapphire looked normal. "It's so beautiful…" Sophia gasped, "It's like a world from a storybook… Why would anyone have wanted to destroy this?"
"Ahem!" Icy said in irritated voice, causing Sophia to glance at her. "Do you mind?!"
Sophia looked at Icy and sweat-dropped. "Oops. I guess 'that once had been' included how you looked before all this…"
Icy groaned in annoyance as she glared at Sophia. She currently looked like a twelve-year-old girl with an abundance of fine, blonde curls wearing a blue gown and pink jewelry. Sophia laughed nervously and released her spell, returning everything to its current appearance.
"You used to be blonde?" Stormy asked.
"What does that matter?" Icy asked irritably before changing the topic. "Once we recover the last Prime Star, Valtor will grant us new powers, and then, maybe I'll be strong enough to bring life back to Dyamond."
"Do you really trust Valtor?" Darcy asked.
"If he doesn't keep his word, we will challenge him and free ourselves from his control!" Icy said determinedly.
"That… is a terrible plan." Sophia said in exasperation.
"It doesn't matter." Icy said decisively, "My most important battle is here. The reason I became the witch you know, I did it for her."
'Her logic has some serious holes…' Sophia thought to herself, 'I admire what she's trying to accomplish in the long run, but is her head on straight? She's going about this all wrong.'
Unaware of Sophia's concerns, Sapphire scampered over to Icy and grabbed the corner of her cape in her mouth, growling with effort as she tried to pull her sister along.
"Where are you taking me?" Icy asked. Sapphire yipped quietly as she released her sister's cape, "Do you want me to follow you?"
'I wish Roxy were here right about now…' Sophia thought to herself. Her best friend's animal magic would've come in handy at a time like this.
Meanwhile, Sapphire turned and sat down before gesturing with her head. Icy gasped in understanding. "The Star! You know where it is." Sapphire nodded in confirmation.
"That's actually not too surprising." Sophia said thoughtfully. "Considering how quickly she was able to get around earlier, Sapphire clearly knows this area well. The Star's been here for weeks, so it's not a surprise that she would've found it during that time."
Sapphire smiled and then scampered off. Icy's face lit up. "Here we go Trix!" She exclaimed before following her sister. For some reason, Sophia was quicker in following the ice witch than Darcy and Stormy, but she didn't bother to question it. Sapphire smiled when she saw that the group was following her before leaping nimbly into a crack in the ice and making her way down. "She went in there." Icy said, "Let's follow her."
'Well what else would we do?' Sophia wondered as she followed Icy's lead.
"Lead the way, Sapphire." Icy told her sister when they reached the bottom and Sapphire led them further into a cavern of ice. She then exited onto a narrow bridge of ice that led toward the castle of Dyamond. Sophia noticed that the entire area was encased in a large dome of ice. The ice bridge led to the top of one of the castle towers. Sapphire nimbly leapt down from it and made her way along the wall to where the Star was. "The seventh Prime Star!" Icy exclaimed, her voice echoing slightly within the dome. She flew down to where her sister was and gasped with delight, reaching forward to take the Star. As she did so, however, the sphere containing the Prime Star began to glow, and Icy was knocked back by the energy. She yelped in alarm, but Sophia quickly used her own magic to catch Icy before she could collide with a spire of ice.
"Huh?" Stormy and Darcy said in confusion, too surprised by the fact that Icy had been knocked back to even register that Sophia had helped her out.
"That would've smarted…" Sophia muttered as she released the spell she had used to catch Icy before noticing the Prime Star floating away.
"The seventh Prime Star." Stormy said eagerly, watching as the Star flew into a nearby tunnel. Sapphire yelped in confusion before jumping down. Sophia, Stormy, and Darcy landed behind her with Stormy at the head. "It's ours now!" The Witch of Storms exclaimed as she summoned her magic. "Let's widen the opening and grab it!"
Sophia gasped, "No!" She exclaimed, but she was too late. The sphere reacted with another blast of energy, and only Sophia, who had created a barrier to protect herself, managed to avoid getting knocked back. Though perhaps due to her small size, the blast had missed Sapphire altogether.
Both Darcy and Stormy groaned after they hit the ground, but Stormy was quick to get back up. "Wanna play rough with me, huh? It'll be my pleasure, little Star!"
"Don't do it, Stormy!" Icy exclaimed in terror as Stormy unleashed her lightning again, but this time, Sophia managed to react, creating a sphere of light to absorb the lightning and trap it.
"Huh?" Stormy said, ceasing the current and looking at Sophia in annoyance as the teen struggled to contain the energy. "What are you doing?!" Stormy asked.
"I'm the one who should be asking that…!" Sophia exclaimed as she strained to prevent a repeat of the last time. "Are you crazy?! The vibration could destroy the dome around us. Are you trying to get us all killed?!" She groaned with effort and hurled the sphere back out the way they'd come, releasing it once it was out in the open. She then gasped in relief and panted to catch her breath. "I cannot keep doing this…" She moaned.
Icy sighed in relief before grunting as she picked herself up. "Stormy! You wanna bring the whole mountain of ice down on us?!" She asked in frustration. She stalked over to the door of the castle and summoned a small amount of her own magic as she placed her hand upon it. "Look. This place is filled with the magic of the Shaman Witch." Her magic rippled through the castle and revealed the magic she had spoken of.
"I could've told you that." Sophia said, equally annoyed with the Witch of Storms.
"We gotta be careful." Darcy agreed.
"So how do we get to the Star, Darcy?" Stormy asked.
"Well, not your way, that's for sure." Sophia said, "At this rate, you're going to be the death of us all, Stormy."
Sapphire whined softly and then whimpered as she headed toward the tunnel to retrieve the Star herself.
Icy's eyes widened in alarm. "Sapphire! No! Come back!" She cried in terror as she ran after her sister, "It's too dangerous!"
"Oh dear…" Sophia murmured as Darcy and Stormy knelt beside the tunnel and peered inside to watch Sapphire.
"Your sister has got the right idea, Icy!" Darcy exclaimed.
"Get the Star, little fox!" Stormy encouraged. Suddenly Sophia gasped and turned around.
"You'd better get away from there." Bloom said.
"Winx?" Icy asked.
"Attack, Trix!" Stormy said eagerly.
"Stormy, no!!" Sophia exclaimed, quickly creating a barrier around Stormy, "Not in here! Why do you keep trying to get us killed today?!"
Stormy quickly overpowered the girl and freed herself. "Knock it off, Sophia!" She exclaimed. The teenager was knocked over by the backlash, but Stormy paid this no mind as she fired a bolt of lightning at the Winx. Tecna flew in front of the group and created a shield that safely absorbed the attack.
Icy let out a cry of effort as she shot a barrage of sharp crystals at the Winx. Tecna and Musa dodged this, and then Sky appeared in front of others with a Phantoblade in each hand. "Let me handle this!" He exclaimed as he expertly deflected the crystals.
"Your parties are always so boring!" Stella complained, "Good thing we're here to liven it up!"
"No… Not in here…!" Sophia called as she picked herself up, but Stella didn't hear her as she fired a ray of sunlight at Darcy. The Witch of Darkness grunted and dodged the attack, which resulted in it bouncing off of the ice behind her.
"You were not invited, Stella!" Darcy said as the light beam ricocheted off a castle spire, past her, and into the dome above.
"Wow!" Stella exclaimed, heedless of the rumbling that had begun, "I'm stronger than ever! Huh?" She finally noticed as cracks began forming within the ice, causing ice to come raining down. Stella and Darcy both dodged the large chunk that fell between them. Aisha created a shield and protected herself and the others. Icy flew down to the entrance of the tunnel, but was quickly cut off by several pieces of ice landing in front of it. She gasped in horror.
"We'll take care of the Winx!" Darcy said as she and Stormy landed behind Icy, "Tell your sister to hurry. This place is about to collapse!"
Icy gasped as the other two flew away. "But…"
"And whose fault is that…?" Sophia muttered in annoyance before creating a barrier around herself and Icy, making sure to accommodate the entrance to the tunnel as she did. "I'll prevent any more ice from blocking the tunnel or crushing us, but that's all I can do." She told Icy. "Once you're ready, I can teleport us out."
Icy nodded in understanding and turned back toward the wall that the tunnel went through. Meanwhile, Stormy and Darcy sped toward the Winx. Both witches unleashed a burst of their respective powers, destroying two of the spires. Flora and Aisha yelped as they dodged Stormy's attack. Stormy chuckled and fired another shot of lightning, and Bloom, Musa, and Tecna dodged it with a shriek. Bloom looked back at the resulting impact and made a decision.
"Let's get out of here, Winx!" The fire fairy said. They and Sky flew back out the way they'd come in with Stormy and Darcy following. In the meantime, Sophia continued using her barrier to shield Icy and herself from the debris.
Icy watched the others leave, and then turned and began trying to clear the ice that was blocking the entrance to the tunnel."Get out of there, Sapphire!" She called, "Please!!" Instead of answering her, Sapphire inched closer to the Star, but cringed when the rumbling around her increased. Icy gasped as she looked up and saw a chunk of ice and stone fall on the inside of the tunnel, further blocking it. She yelped in alarm as a boulder-sized piece came crashing down on Sophia's barrier. The teenager flinched, but managed to maintain the barrier. However, the boulder remained directly on top of it.
"Ugh! Running out of time and power here, Icy!" The fairy warned.
Icy nodded and looked through the gap that remained. "Listen to me for once!" She called to Sapphire, "Forget about that Star! It's not that important!"
Sophia glanced at Icy out of the corner of her eye. She fully agreed with the witch for once, but said nothing. She only watched as Icy growled in frustration and clenched her fists in determination. The next moment, Icy held out her hand and slowly let out a beam of her own magic energy, stretching it into the tunnel and using it to grab hold of Sapphire. Sapphire let out a whimper of surprise and struggled as Icy's magic lifted her up. Regardless of what she wanted, there was nothing she could do as Icy used the magic beam to pull her sister out of the tunnel and back into her arms. Icy cradled Sapphire and nuzzled her, then gasped in alarm as she noticed the debris that was about to rain down on Sophia's barrier. Having seen this coming thanks to her powers, Sophia grabbed Icy's hand and pulled her and Sapphire out of the way as she released her barrier.
Meanwhile, Darcy and Stormy were still hurling their attacks at the Winx. Stella dodged Stormy's lightning and Bloom avoided Darcy's darkness orb before the rumbling beneath them suddenly died away.
"Huh?" Stormy gasped.
"Sophia…? Icy?" Bloom gasped, wondering whether the two had made it out. She had, at some point, realized that the younger fairy had stayed behind in the cavern instead of evacuating.
In that moment, Sophia, Icy, and Sapphire appeared nearby within a shimmer of light, the result of the teleportation spell that Sophia had used to escape with the two sisters. As a result, her Charmix faded from view, but it seemed that she still had enough energy to at least maintain her fairy form.
"Got it?" Darcy asked as she and Stormy flew over.
"Tell me you got the Star." Stormy said in irritation.
"No." Icy said with a soft smile, "But we saved what really matters." She smiled warmly at Sapphire as she cradled her in her arms. Sapphire also looked happy and Sophia couldn't help smiling too. Bloom gasped as she realized that Icy had prioritized saving the fox cub from earlier over retrieving the Prime Star. It was a shock, but she also now understood why Sophia had chosen to remain behind with the ice witch.
It was in that moment that everyone sensed something unexpected.
"Huh?" The Trix said in unison. Sophia's smile grew as she saw the Prime Star floating up from within the gorge that had once led to the cavern.
"I knew it wouldn't be destroyed so easily…" She said quietly.
"You knew?" Icy asked in confusion.
"I'll explain later." Sophia said with a grin as she put a finger to her lips.
The Prime Star rose up until it was floating between the two groups. "Huh?" Bloom and Stella both said in surprise as the Star Case suddenly appeared in front of them.
Stella giggled with excitement, "Here we go!"
"Behold, the seventh and final Prime Star revealed." The Star Case said as it orbited around the Star, before stopping directly beneath it. "Holding a greater power than all the others wield. The Star of the bond that lasts forever; the love of two sisters who stand together."
"Huh?" Bloom and Stella said in confusion as the Star Case suddenly vanished, leaving the Prime Star behind. The orb around the Star vanished as well, and the two fairies gasped as the Star began floating over to Icy.
"Huh…?" Stormy said in confusion. Darcy also gasped in astonishment. Icy likewise looked shocked as the Star settled into her hand, and Sapphire let out a sound of confusion. The only one who didn't seem surprised in the slightest was Sophia. She placed a hand on Icy's shoulder and smiled at her sincerely.
"Ha, ha!" Stormy chuckled as it finally clicked in hers and Darcy's minds what had just happened."We win."
Sophia cast Stormy an annoyed glance, "We're fine, by the way. Thanks for asking." She said sarcastically.
The Winx looked on in stunned confusion. Icy narrowed her eyes at Bloom, and the fire fairy growled. Sophia was somewhat relieved when the ice witch simply opened a portal and flew into it with a chuckle. The teenager quickly followed her, having no desire to endure any more crossfire, and Darcy and Stormy brought up the rear. Stormy waved briefly to the Winx before vanishing, along with the portal itself.
As the group passed through the other end of the portal, Darcy and Stormy were confused to find that they had only come to another area on Dyamond. Icy landed on the ground with the other three quickly following and set her sister down.
"Why are we still here?" Stormy asked in annoyance while ignoring Sophia, who had returned to her normal form and fallen to her knees in exhaustion. "Valtor is waiting for us." The Witch of Storms reminded.
Unlike Stormy, Darcy actually looked a little concerned about Icy… although she was also ignoring Sophia, who was glaring at Stormy in irritation.
"He's been waiting all this time, he can wait a little longer!" Icy said firmly as she panted lightly, "I need to know if the Star can help me. It's very powerful."
"I'd imagine so…" Sophia murmured, "The Star of Confidence gave me my powers, and the Star Case said that this one is more powerful than all of the others." As she said this, the Star glowed above Icy's hand.
"What…?" Icy gasped as Valtor's mark appeared on her hand again, and then was suddenly erased.
"No way!" Darcy exclaimed with excitement as Icy chuckled. Stormy and Darcy both held out their own hands and their marks also vanished.
"What did I tell you?" Icy said happily, "Valtor's mark has disappeared!"
"Of course…" Sophia gasped quietly as she managed to stand up, "Valtor's power is incompatible with the Prime Stars… Huh?" The teen was mildly surprised when Icy held the Star out to her, but she quickly smiled and accepted the gesture by holding out her own hand. She gasped with delight as the mark on her hand faded as well.
"We are… free!" Stormy exclaimed as Sophia was erasing her mark.
Stormy and Darcy squealed and hugged each other, dancing around in a circle. "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" They both sang.
"Finally…" Icy said as she knelt in front of Sapphire with the Star, "It's time for you to be free, Sapphire." The Star began to glow and Icy smiled in anticipation as a green light surrounded Sapphire. When the light faded, she had returned to her true form. Icy gasped happily as she was met with her little sister's face.
"Icy!" Sapphire exclaimed happily.
"Sapphire!" Icy cried in relief, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Thank goodness!" She sobbed as she embraced the child, "It's really you!" Sapphire hugged her sister back, but it only lasted for a moment. "Huh?!" Icy cried in alarm as Sapphire began to glow again and stepped away from her. A moment later, the younger girl fell to the ground, a cub once more. Icy gasped, her breath shaking before she sighed in disappointment. Sophia knelt next to the older girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, her face full of concern. "Hmm…" Icy murmured in frustration. Sapphire let out a distressed yelp, and Icy sighed again as she met her sister's eyes. The little one was gazing up at her sadly. "No!" Icy cried in despair, "No, no, no, it's not fair!" She wailed, shaking her fists in fury before looking at her sister in heartbreak once again. "Sapphire!" She fell to her hands and knees and began to sob as Sapphire slowly walked over to her. "Not even the last Prime Star could break the spell." Sophia looked on with concern as Icy got back to her feet. "But I'm not giving up, Sister." The Witch said with determination as she took the Prime Star in her hands again, "And when I'm the strongest witch of all… I'll come back… and I'll save you." She reassured. "And finally, we'll be together… forever."
Sophia and the Trix gazed up at the cage like ice that encased Dyamond.
"…Ah-choo!" Sophia suddenly sneezed. The Trix blinked and looked at her as she sniffled while wiping her nose.
Stormy noticed that the girl was shivering and scoffed. "Can't handle the cold, Sophia?"
"Shut up." The teen growled back in irritation. "In case you've forgotten, I'm not as strong as the Winx. I'm only at Charmix level, and even that is unusual, no longer than I've had my powers." She sighed and looked at Icy, "No offense, but I can't just stand here in the cold forever. What's the plan?"
"Plan?" Icy asked in confusion.
"Yes, the plan. The Seventh Prime Star is yours now, and you're free from his power, so you don't have to give it to Valtor." Sophia pointed out. "If you plan to do it anyway, then open a portal out of here. If not, then at least open a portal for me. I have to go back either way."
"I can't open a portal now." Icy told her, "That was something I did using Valtor's mark."
Sophia blinked, then reached into her purse and took out her phone. "Well, in that case, we need to find a place to spend the night. The Prime Star restored my magic energy, but I don't particularly fancy the idea of flying all night without sleep." She said as she began tapping at the screen. "You probably need time to think about things anyway."
"Can't you teleport back with your own powers?" Darcy asked.
"My magic isn't strong enough to teleport such a vast distance." Sophia explained without looking up, "Not at my current level, anyway."
"Why go back to Valtor at all?" Stormy asked, "Couldn't you just go home now?"
"If I do that, he might attack my parents and my planet." Sophia answered, "At the same time, if you guys decide not to go back to him, then… I guess I'll head back alone…"
"That's crazy." Darcy said.
"Perhaps, but it's the only choice I have." The teenager replied, "If he asks why I didn't bring the Star, I'll just tell him I didn't have the power to take it from you… which is true. I can't take on Valtor, but I can't take on you guys either. I'm well aware of my limits." She found what she was looking for and created a small hologram in front of herself to show them. "The nearest star is Syderia. It's probably the star of Dyamond. Apparently, it has a climate similar to the Arctic back on Earth, but the Lumen town there should be warmer than here. Of course, if you want to spend the night here with Sapphire, you can. But that's where I'll be going."
"Where did you get all of that?" Darcy asked.
"Tecna made a few upgrades to my phone." Sophia said as she returned the device to her purse. "One of those was a database of the stars and a stellar positioning system to help me navigate."
望むの星
With Sophia leading the way, it didn't take long for the four girls to reach Syderia. The Lumens there had been a bit skeptical of them at first, but for some reason, Darcy took a liking to them and vice-versa, so they had quickly assented to letting the group remain in their town for the night.
After settling in, Sophia headed off on her own. She found the place where Syderia's core had once been and looked up at the remains of it before sighing sadly. She then looked at her hands and gathered her powers, creating an iridescent rectangle in front of her. The colors swirled for a minute before settling into an image of her parents. "Mom… Dad…" She sighed softly and dispelled the image. It was nothing more than a photograph crossed with a hologram anyway. She would've liked to see her parents in real time, but she didn't know any spying spells, and she wasn't about to ask the Trix to teach her one.
Meanwhile, Icy was staring up at the aurora-illuminated sky of Syderia. Sophia was probably right about this place being the star of Dyamond… for all that that mattered. The light of the stars hadn't reached Dyamond since the day she'd left. She couldn't help thinking of Sapphire, and how lonely she must be. Not to mention bored. Icy would've taken Sapphire away from Dyamond a long time ago if she could have, but… the Shaman Witch's spell kept her sister chained to the planet. She didn't eat, she didn't age… it was if she had been frozen in time and was likewise wandering in a world that was frozen. It was like… being in limbo. As much as Icy had feared going back there, how had it been for Sapphire for all of these years?
She looked at the Prime Star she'd received. Giving it to Valtor… there was no way she would do that. She had no reason to now. She didn't need the Wizard to grant her new powers. The Prime Star alone hadn't been enough, but the Wishing Star…
She frowned slightly in thought. Trying to take the Prime Stars from Valtor would be dangerous. She knew that. But if it was for Sapphire… she was willing to take that chance. …But what about the Trix? Could she really ask Darcy and Stormy to take this risk with her? Would they even agree? And… what about…
"I can't see what tomorrow will bring to me—But I know I'll be here to fight for a better future."
The soft singing caught Icy's attention and she looked out from the edge of the cavern. There on the ice, not far from the town, was Sophia. She was wearing a strapless, ice blue dress decorated with snowflakes, a matching necklace, transparent gloves with small blue crystals, sheer, ice blue tights and a pair of white ice skates. Her champagne blonde hair—which Icy suddenly realized had grown longer since they'd met—flowed behind her elegantly as she danced on the ice while continuing her song.
"You can bring all the magic back in your life—all you need to do is close your eyes and—Remember the first time you felt alive!" The teenager spun and twirled as she continued, "I… am… only a girl—trying to save… the whole universe." She moved into an arabesque spiral as she continued. "It's my mission…!" She leapt and twirled on her blades, "It's a magical life." She abruptly stopped with a flourish, "But sometimes I wish…" She spun her arms gracefully as she moved on her toes to the side. "I could live for one day…" She spun and kicked off with her back leg, "Just like anyone else." She transitioned to an Ina Bauer, "Within my fairy world… I've seen things I've never seen before." She straightened and twirled gracefully. "The adventure never ends…" She hopped and began skating, spinning, and twirling around the ice again. "I… am… only a girl—trying to save… the whole universe… It's my mission…! It's a magical life—but sometimes I wish… I could live for one day. Just like anyone else…"
"Heh. I didn't expect that you could skate." Icy said as she approached Sophia. The teenager was startled, but not enough that she lost her balance. "I thought you didn't like the cold?"
"I didn't say that. I just have my limits, that's all." Sophia said. "The place where I go to school actually gets pretty cold in the winter, so a lot of us pick up winter sports to maintain our fitness. I chose ice dancing for mine."
"Heh, you really do like dancing, don't you?" Icy asked in amusement, recalling how much fun the younger girl had had on Melody.
"When I'm just messing around like this, sure." Sophia said, "I don't like dancing with a partner though. It restricts my freedom too much."
"That's a bit unexpected coming from the dutiful countess of the Earth Fairies." Icy said in amusement.
Sophia smirked in amusement, "I like my freedom when I'm being creative. It's how I let loose."
"Point taken. You seem anxious."
"Not anxious, exactly, I just… miss my parents." Sophia admitted as she looked at the sky. "To be honest, this whole time, I was afraid that when I got back to Earth, they wouldn't want me back. That they would hate me for helping Valtor." She smiled wryly as she looked down, "Now I realize I was being foolish." Icy tilted her head in a questioning manner, so Sophia continued. "After seeing you and Sapphire today… I realized that when you truly love someone… when you truly care for them… that feeling doesn't go away or change. No matter how long you are apart or what choices they might make, you will always love them. Love… is something that lasts forever." She chuckled softly, "I've learned to trust others… and my parents have never given me a reason not to trust them… so that's what I'm going to do." She laughed at herself somewhat derisively, "I can't believe I've been having these stupid thoughts all this time…"
"…Trust, huh?" Icy said quietly as she looked up at the Aurora again. For once, she wasn't making fun of the concept. "…You said that, no matter what I do, you'll go back to Valtor? …What if I was thinking about going back to take the other three Prime Stars from him?"
"In order to acquire the Wishing Star for yourself, you mean."
"Yeah…" Icy said, turning to look at Sophia, "If I did that… what would you do?"
"Is that even a question? I'd help you." Sophia said as she met Icy's eyes, "Although I will point out that it would be faster to just wish for the spell on Dyamond and Sapphire to be broken than to ask for the power to break it yourself. You'd have to learn how to control that power, which would take time."
"You aren't worried about what I'd do?" Icy asked.
"It's has to be better than whatever Valtor plans to do." Sophia said with a shrug, "Saving your planet—and your sister—seems a whole lot better, in fact. …Have you told Darcy and Stormy?"
"…No." Icy paused for a moment before making up her mind. "But I will tomorrow!"
As with Cursed Crystal Planet, I've had this chapter written for quite a while, but it was a rush job. Originally, the two chapters were combined, but I decided to split them because it was so long.