AN: When Sofia says "I'm a human" there really isn't room for anyone to doubt her. She doesn't look like any other kind of animal.

Question: Which Sofia song is your favorite? I personally love For One and All.

Part 2

Sofia and Cedric helped Buster prepare the props and costumes he wanted to take with them. "Okay, first we need to go get a friend and then we'll go to the bus stop."

"What's a bus?" Clover asked.

Princess, Bunny and Sorcerer followed Buster to a boisterous nightclub. The three of them weren't used to the noise level and had to cover their ears.

"You should stay out here," Buster told Sofia. "The nightclub could get in trouble if a child went in."

Sofia nodded. "It's okay. I wouldn't want anyone to get in trouble because of me."

A few minutes later, the koala came out with a crested porcupine wearing a red leather jacket. The porcupine was giving the door a rude gesture. "See ya, sweetheart! Oh! Moon, you didn't say you brought new friends."

Buster smiled excitedly. "I'll explain more when we get to the depot but for now, Sofia, this is Ash. Ash, this is Sofia."

Ash regarded the newcomers briefly. "Nice to meet you." She tried not to focus on how different they were.

Sofia curtsied. "It's very nice to meet you."

Buster nodded. "Great! Let's go meet up with the others."

—————————————

At the depot, the others waited patiently. They all looked at Sofia and Cedric curiously. "Guys, this is Sofia." Buster introduced her.

Sofia smiled and curtsied as always. "It's such a pleasure to meet all of you." She admitted.

"Hello, sweetie, I'm Rosita," the pig said with a warm grin.

Johnny gestured. "I'm Johnny."

"Meena," the elephant held up her hand in greeting.

The larger pig bounced. "And I'm Gunter. I love meeting new friends!" He danced in place, earning a joyful giggle from the child.

Sofia hugged Clover. "This is my best friend, Clover. And this is our royal sorcerer, Cedric the Great."

"Royal?" Johnny asked.

Sofia nodded. "I'm Princess Sofia. My dad is king of Enchancia."

Buster nodded. "Alright, now that we've done the intros, I'm going to get our bus tickets."

"Mr. Moon, should we really be going?" Johnny asked. "I'm seriously having second thoughts."

The elephant nodded morosely. "Yeah, that talent scout said we're not good enough."

"Don't listen to her!" Sofia commanded. "I saw your show. You all were terrific. You were the perfect Alice."

Meena hid her face in embarrassment at the praise. "You really think so?"

Sofia nodded. "She's totally wrong. You're more than good enough."

"She's right! Our show sells out every night for a reason!" Buster declared. "We can do this. Her boss will love our show!"

Cedric pointed at the long, horseless carriage that everyone was boarding. "That wouldn't be the bus, would it?" He shook his head. "Oh this won't do at all."

Rosita cocked her head. "Well, how else can we get there? We can't afford to fly?"

Cedric held up his wand. "Summonis Equinis Flycus!" He cast his spell and a big pink and gold carriage with four beautiful EverRealm flying horses appeared. They neighed and stomped their hooves while the troupe struggled to process what they'd just seen. "Well, do you think this will impress?"

Meena looked over the carriage and the horses. "These are horses? With wings? How is this possible?"

Sofia smiled. "Magic, of course. Cedric is the greatest sorcerer in the whole world!" She praised her friend. "These are what horses are like in our world. Hello…" she addressed the horses.

"Redshore City, please. Come on everyone!" She got into the ornate carriage.

Rosita laughed. "Well, Norman did agree to babysit for the next 24 hours so… Come on. We have nothing to lose. Besides, when are we going to get another chance to ride in a flying carriage?"

No one could argue with her logic. It was like something out of a fairytale.

In the carriage, the troupe looked to Sofia. "So, Sofia, what made you decide to come join us?" Rosita asked.

Sofia held her amulet. "In my world, the EverRealm, I have a very special job. I'm the Storykeeper and it's my job to bring happy endings to all the stories in the library. The Library told me about your story and I want to help. I can sing and dance. And I had the best theater teacher, Miss Elodie."

Johnny ruffled her hair. "I'm sure you did." How could this child possibly help them? Sure, she had magic but she was a child. Her experience was children's theater in school.

Meena rolled her eyes at Johnny's lightly sarcastic tone. Thankfully, Sofia didn't pick up on it. "Can you sing something for us?" She asked.

Sofia nodded and thought for a few moments. "I was a girl in the village doing alright. Then I became a princess overnight. Now I gotta figure out how to do it right, so much to learn and see." In the space of a sixty second song, she told them the nutshell version of her story.

————————————————

James Crystal used to love his job. He used to get a kick out auditioning new acts and putting his own creative spin on their ideas to create big productions. He was successful at it too. He had built up his multi-trillion dollar company with great pride.

He didn't know what was wrong with him anymore. None of the shows he saw inspired him. He couldn't see the fun in any of it anymore. It didn't help that he was always working. Always working, always on the phone or in some meeting with some yahoo who didn't know the difference between a musical and an opera.

His daughter was seventeen now and he barely had any time with her. He barely knew her and he couldn't get out of working long enough to even have a conversation over dinner. Too many nights, they supped separately.

It didn't seem fair. He was one of the richest men in the world. He shouldn't have to work so hard. He should be able to relax. However, the board never stopped reminding him of how much was at stake. How many people depended on him to keep the company running.

So yet again, for the third straight day that week, he sat in the studio watching act after act perform. None of them measured up to his exacting standards.

He groaned and leaned back before smacking the big red button on his chair. He didn't even pay attention to his assistant throwing the flamingos out of the studio.

He stood up and yelped as his foot caught the cat. "Ahhh! What the! What are you doing? Where's the next group, Jerry? Be useful or be gone!" He ordered as he went to brew another cup of espresso.

His phone rang and he answered. "Mr. Crystal, sir, I think you should come up to the roof," Suki advised him. "Now."

Crystal cocked his eyebrow. "O…kay…" His curiosity piqued, he went up to the rooftop, followed by Jerry. Just as he stepped out into the sunshine, he saw Suki looking up at the sky. "What is it?"

She pointed and he followed her finger to where she was looking. A fairytale carriage trimmed with gold was coming in for a landing. The door of the carriage opened and the koala from Calatonia jumped out. The rest of the group got out with him.

"Mr. Moon, what are you doing here?" Suki asked. "I told you…" Her words trailed off when she saw the strangest little girl and man she'd ever seen. Furless except for their heads and the child seemed dressed for a fancy party.

The little girl approached Crystal and curtsied. He tilted his head. "Hello…" he said. Her smile made him flashback for a brief second to when his daughter was that small, offering him a flower she had proudly picked for him with an identical grin.

"Hi. I'm Princess Sofia of Enchancia. These are my friends from the New Moon Theater," she gestured to Buster.

Crystal looked at the koala and then back to her. "And I suppose they want an audition?"

Sofia nodded. "We would really appreciate the chance."

He scratched his chin. "Alright. Follow me to the studio. You can put the carriage in the hangar with my helicopter."

Cedric pulled out his wand. "Not necessary. Dismissus!" The carriage and the horses all vanished.

Buster smirked up at Suki. "Sorry for going behind your back but we believe in our dream, even if you don't."

She stood up straight, glaring after them as they followed her boss. Cedric came up to her. "They don't understand. Crystal is very picky and hard to please."

He nodded. "No one is harder to please than my father is. He thought I wasn't good enough either. Until Sofia convinced him to give me an honest chance to earn my family wand. Forgive me, I am Cedric the Great, the royal sorcerer of Enchancia."

"Uh huh…." She scoffed.

Down in the studio, the troupe prepared for their audition. Crystal sat in his chair while Buster explained. "This is the story of an ordinary high school girl who…"

Crystal sighed and hit the button. "Stop. Ordinary? Really? Ordinary? That is one word I will never be associated with." The troupe looked dejected and started to leave the stage. He felt his own disappointment. He had hoped he was about to get his next big idea.

"Wait!" Sofia called after them. "I have an idea." She looked at Crystal. "I want to tell you about an evil sorceress and how my family and I defeated her…" He nodded at her, intrigued by her boldness. "Mr. Cedric, can you help me please?"

"It would be my pleasure, Princess Sofia." The sorcerer held up his wand and cast a spell, changing the backdrop to show how Enchancia looked from the boat on that fateful night and a tall mast appeared in the middle of the stage. Another spell changed her purple dress to the pink dress she wore.

"They taught us to always be royal, but what do those words really mean?" She began the song. "When you're a prince or a princess, when you're a king or a queen. We have to look out for our family but our family is bigger than this. It includes everyone in the kingdom. Every boy, girl, mister and miss. I have to take a stand. A stand for one and all. Even if I'm the one who takes the fall."

Despite himself, Crystal found himself intrigued by her song. For the first time in a long while, he found himself imagining the story before him.

She began climbing the mast as she continued to sing. "Being royal means being loyal to those who count on us. For the kingdom, I must fight. For in me, they placed their trust. For one and all, I'm standing tall. For one and all…"

She came down as he stood up. "Hmm, you have gained my interest. Come. Tell me more about this story of yours. I'm assuming this story is about you. Jerry, you get these fine people a room at the hotel. The finest suite!"

Buster stood with his equally shocked troupe as Sofia and Cedric left with Crystal. "Oh did she do that?"

Clover sneered. "That's Princess Sofia. She can make friends with almost anyone. She's the best princess. She was the first one who could talk to us and she gave us food." His stomach gurgled. "Speaking of… I could go for a big salad right now."

Suki sighed in defeat. "We have a salad bar down on floor seventeen. That's where the food court is." Even she had to admit, the child's song had left her curious.

AN: So Sofia has impressed Crystal and Buster didn't have to lie to him about Calloway. Now I need a way to get him in this because I do love that lion but without the lies that set Crystal off. The implication is her singing is slightly magical. Slightly because it can't conjure magic carriages or make you big or small or turn her into a mermaid but it can calm and inspire.