"Yikes!" exclaimed Stella as she hit the ground. She got up and tried to brush the dust off her clothes—unsuccessfully.
Shocked, she realized that part of her ridiculously expensive skirt had been torn off!
"No, no, no, no, NO! This can't be happening!" she said desperately.
Sadly, she looked around for the other Winx, but they weren't there. She was completely alone.
A beam of light dazzled her.
Stella squinted her eyes.
Only the sun of Solaria could be this bright... Had she been teleported home?
"Great. Now what? My clothes are ruined, the others aren't here," she whined, "...and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do here."
She looked around. She had never been in this part of the country before. She was on a dusty road leading to a small village.
Probably one of the outskirts.
There were only a few of those in Solaria, and Stella had never been to one. It was said that the people here earned their money by selling sun fruits.
But the village looked old and abandoned. Would there even be people around?
Still, her gut told her this was the right way. Even if she hated following it, as the dust and numerous cracks in the road threatened to ruin her shoes too.
Carefully watching where she stepped, she followed the road into the village.
It really seemed to be abandoned.
Strange.
Solaria was usually the prime trading hub.
Suddenly, Stella noticed movement—there—left between the old burlap sacks next to her.
"Hey!" Stella called out.
But whoever was hiding there seemed to ignore her.
She didn't like that and stepped closer: "Come out! I know you're in there!"
Finally, something stirred.
It was a thin, small girl. She was dirty from head to toe, and the burlap sack seemed to serve as her blanket. She had scruffy, mouse-gray hair that urgently needed combing, and her eyes were the color of mud.
Stella recoiled in disgust.
The little girl seemed used to this reaction."You're Princess Stella," she stated.
"...that's... right," Stella said.
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be wandering around a shiny palace?"
Stella suppressed her disgust and examined the girl. Her eyes looked defiant. And yet, at the word "palace," she seemed a bit dreamy.
"Where are your parents?" Stella asked, crouching down to be at eye level with the girl.
"My parents are dead, and my sister is in the gold mines. Only workers are allowed in because everything is at risk of collapsing, and sun gold is immune to magic. I can be glad if she survives the day," the girl said without batting an eye.
"Oh..." Stella said. She didn't quite know what to say to that.
"...what's your name?" she finally asked.
"I'm Kira," she said.
"...Kira, tell me... Have you seen a guardian around here?" Stella asked.
Kira shook her head: "What's a guardian?"
Stella sighed.
Great.
Here she was alone in the middle of nowhere with a dirty child and torn designer clothes. Could the day get any worse?
Kira seemed to read her thoughts: "The richer government districts are to the west."
Stella looked embarrassed.
How selfish of her! Here sat a poor child in front of her, and all she could think about were her clothes and her comfort!
Stella sat down: "I'm not going anywhere. Is there a store around here? Then I can buy you new clothes and something to eat."
Kira turned away in disgust: "I don't need your help, PRINCESS."
"Hey, I'm just trying to help you," Stella said, perplexed.
"You don't care about me. You just want to give me something to ease your own conscience!"
...
Stella was silent.
...
After a while, Stella gave herself a push: "...you're... right. I never imagined that anyone on Solaria lived in poverty. Maybe... that's why I wanted to close my eyes and leave."
Her honesty seemed to draw Kira out a bit: "What's it like to live in a palace?"
Stella smiled: "...well. Everything is big and bright. There are jewels and designer carpets everywhere. But there are also guards at every corner, and as a princess, you have to learn a lot. You have to be pretty, keep your mouth shut, and always be cheerful. When I was your age, though, I was clumsy, had a lot of freckles, and wore thick glasses. No one in my class was interested in me."
"...at least you went to school. There's not even one near here," Kira muttered.
"I can change that!" Stella winked at her.
"Why haven't you done that already? I thought the princess knew everything. At least that's what my mom always says."
"Well...uh..." Stella scratched her head, "I didn't pay much attention to stuff like that..."
Kira raised an eyebrow: "Is that why you didn't teleport back to the capital with your scepter right away?"
Stella gritted her teeth.
For someone who had never been to school, Kira knew a lot and was pretty clever.
"...how about it? Would you like to come along?"
Kira's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"Sure thing!"
Suddenly, a woman appeared behind them. Her face was covered by a dusty cloth, and her hair was hidden under a hood. She was gaunt and had dark circles under her eyes.
"Kira?"
Kira turned and ran to the stranger. She hugged her around the waist. Then she turned to Stella: "Can my sister come too?"
Stella nodded: "Of course!"
"Ainur! Princess Stella wants to show us the palace!" Kira said excitedly.
"Is that so? It's an honor to meet you, Princess Stella," Ainur said, bowing respectfully.
Stella smiled: "Nice to meet you too. Now come on—the palace awaits!"
With a wave of her scepter, she teleported herself and her new companions to the capital.
Kira's eyes grew wide. The splendor overwhelmed her. But her sister looked intimidated.
Stella noticed this.
She turned to Kira: "How about my ladies-in-waiting give you a magical makeover? Would you like that?"
Kira agreed and let the ladies-in-waiting lead her to a bath.
Stella looked at Ainur, who stood on the balcony, lost in thought, gazing over the city.
"And how are you?" she asked gently.
"...it feels wrong to be here."
"What do you mean?"
Ainur gave Stella a dark look: "My parents worked on the fields their entire lives and didn't even have money for decent clothes, let alone a doctor! And here we're being showered with running water just like that?!"
"...well...uh..."
It became quiet.
Ainur fought back tears.
"If...if we'd had just a bit of money, Kira's parents would still be alive..."
Now Stella understood. She hugged Ainur.
"So she's not really your sister?"
"She had no one else," Ainur said softly.
When she had calmed down, she even smiled a little: "Thank you for bringing her here. It was always her dream to be surrounded by beautiful things... Even if I don't count among them..."
"Oh come on, I'm sure you're beautiful too!" Stella said.
Then Ainur took off her hood.
Her face was gaunt, and a large burn scar ran from the right corner of her mouth across her left eye, which was blind. Her eyebrows were singed, and her hair was partially fallen out.
Ainur saw Stella's reaction and pulled her hood back on.
Stella needed a moment.
"...you don't have to apologize. I've never been beautiful," Ainur finally said. There was bitterness in her voice.
"...I...uh... We—we could give you a magical beauty treatment too!" Stella suggested half-heartedly.
"...it's no use," Ainur sighed, "...I wish I could be as beautiful as you just once in my life..."
Stella felt sorry for her.
Could she do something to make her feel better?
...She had an idea. At Alfea, she had learned a spell that could swap the appearance of two people for a day.
But...No. She would miss her own beauty too much! On the other hand...
She looked at Ainur.
Thought of her sister, for whom she did everything to get by. And made a decision.
"So...if...if you really want... I mean... I know a spell... But I don't know if it will work, I mean... - I-I can...swap your appearance with mine...for—for a day..."
Stella clapped her hand over her mouth. Had she really just offered that?
Ainur smiled a little: "...that...would be nice... But you don't have to do it."
"If it means a lot to you, then we'll do it!" Stella said quickly before she could change her mind.
Nervously, she spoke the incantation...and looked into her own face. She anxiously looked into a mirror... She had done it. She looked like Ainur!
It hurt to see herself like that. But Ainur beamed, which made her smile too: "Hey, I look really great when I smile!"
"And even better when your heart isn't consumed by vanity and selfishness, Princess of the Sun and Moon," Ainur said, suddenly glowing with a dazzling light that blinded Stella.
Her form changed—she took on the appearance of a beautiful woman. Her body seemed to be made of pure light, and her robe appeared to be the night sky itself.
Surprised, Stella realized she had also regained her old form.
"You have passed my test, Stella. I am Ainur, the Guardian of Solaria."
"Wait a minute – YOU are the Guardian? Why didn't you say so earlier?" asked Stella.
Ainur rolled her eyes.
"...the artifact that enables your Portix transformation is already in your possession. But only through my test will it unlock its hidden power."
Suddenly, Stella's ring, a family heirloom, began to glow. It transformed into a radiant scepter made of pure light, with a tiny moonstone.
"Oh wow! I didn't think it was actually good for anything," remarked Stella.
Ainur nodded: "You should go now. Alfea needs your help."
Stella nodded: "Okidoki. And then I'll make sure no one in Solaria has to live in poverty anymore. I promise."
Ainur gave her an approving look as Stella stepped through the portal.