Progress

  ( Winterwish )

  The search continued in teams over the next week. During that time, Winterwish found herself in a cyclical routine of relentless busyness. Each day seemed swifter than the last, like a runaway wheel accelerating down a hillside.

  Every morning, she and Merrymint would pack breakfast and rush down to Candy Town to squeeze in as much magical practice as possible before sunrise.

  Dollymop's fabrication proved to be a blessing. Its textiles reacted as soon as the deep, dark chill spread from Winterwish's core, engulfing her in toasty snuggliness. The nullseams granted a sense of control too. Before, manifesting magic had felt recklessly self-destructive, as if she was little more than an ice bomb, but with their help, she was actually able to enjoy her power. The moment she started to strain, there was immediate and increasing resistance. She doubted she could reach the limit Dollymop had warned her of even if she tried. At least, not yet.

  One thing the sparkling ensemble didn't help with, however, was directing the output. The first few dozen attempts she could do nothing more than ice whatever she was in direct contact with. Most often, the ground beneath her feet. For almost the entire week she stood before the same pair of marshmallow stools with hands outstretched. Time and time again she tried to frost up one but not the other. She tried distances ranging from inches to feet, until she'd gathered enough clues to make baby steps.

  The key, it seemed, was controlling the cold from its very source. The instant it roused, she tried to limit its escape routes. First she had to stop it from spreading down her legs. Next she'd try and force it toward one shoulder, so it could creep through a single arm and eventually radiate from her palm. Guiding the magic after it'd left her body, though, was a whole new level of challenge.

  By the end of the week, she was able to fully frost one of the stools whilst only half-chilling the other. It was slow progress, but enough to make her giddy. Given enough time and practice, she was certain she could tame the winter within.

  She wasn't alone in training, either. In addition to observing and advising, Merrymint worked hard on her own abilities. Ever since the night she returned from the Enchanted Forest carrying Puddingpuff, she'd taken training more seriously. Whatever had transpired must've shaken her. It was almost as if she'd started to doubt herself, though Winterwish couldn't fathom why.

  According to Puddingpuff, Merrymint had defeated some poor, mutated resident of Thornweald that had slipped away before Titania's purge. Whenever Winterwish tried to ask Merrymint about it, she'd change the subject. Perhaps she would talk when she was ready, or perhaps it was an experience she just wanted to forget. Either way, Winterwish was immensely proud of her.

  Together they'd theorise about different ways they could combine their magic. It was in these optimistic moments that Merrymint let her fun-loving self slip back out to centre stage. She'd flick her spectacles and suggest names like Sub-Zero Storm and Icicle Cyclone. Winterwish couldn't quite decide whether shouting such things before unleashing duo attacks would be cool or cringe-inducing, but she was happy to play along if it meant seeing her Mentor smile again.

  As the first rays of dawn climbed over the horizon, Cutiehorn and Sunshine would join them in Candy Town, completing the day team. Cutiehorn was always eager to see what progress Winterwish had made, and offered her full support even on the days the improvements were barely noticeable. Sunshine, on the other hand, would keep her distance. Winterwish still hadn't talked with her since the training against Splishsplash. Things had been so hectic and the angelic princess so evasive that at a certain point, she'd simply come to accept the divide. If anything, the separation granted a somewhat guilty sense of safety.

  Not long after, the night team would return from the Enchanted Forest. Comprised of Splishsplash, Cherrychomp, Bubblebun, and Titania herself, it was a swifter, more combat-capable ensemble, and understandably so. The enemy encountered during the day had fled, whilst the beast engaged at night had fought until its bitter end.

  Despite Winterwish, Merrymint and Cutiehorn's slow yet steady efforts seeming almost token, they refused to lower their guards. It was during these long, tense hours that Merrymint truly changed. Any hint of the jolly and jestful fairy Winterwish thought she knew would harden like faesteel.

  The trio patrolled between local villages, asking the same questions and receiving identical answers. No one had seen or heard anything since that first night. While initially disappointing, Cutiehorn suggested they take solace in the lack of findings. She'd claim no news was good news, and the longer the uneventful peace lasted, the better.

  Sunshine did not share that opinion. Each time she smashed down from the skies to check in with them, her wide gaze grew twitchier with the lack of action. She raced relentlessly above the canopy long after signs of physical exhaustion became painfully obvious. Winterwish worried that she might keep pushing herself until her wings failed entirely, yet the feathered fairy persisted, day after day.

  When evening loomed, the day team would head back to the palace. On their way to feast, they'd pass the night team once more, and be granted a few minutes to engage.

  Cherrychomp would rush over to Merrymint and Winterwish to receive hair ruffles and scalp scratches, always making the same request, "Wintywish! Are you gonna make it snowin' for us tomorrow?"

  To which Winterwish would reply, "I'll try my best!"

  Meanwhile, Cutiehorn and Bubblebun would exchange whatever brief words time allowed, whilst Sunshine and Splishsplash remained awkwardly apart. Twice daily, wrathful saucers seethed toward placid pools that barely seemed to notice.

  After another tough day, the day team sat in the cinnamon-scented dining room and picked away at their evening feast.

  Winterwish pushed a lone pea around her plate. She watched as the tiny green ball rolled toward the edge, as if trying to escape, only to be redirected by the rim's curve each time. So long as she only nudged it with the gentlest of taps, the squishy seed would remain trapped, doomed to spin circles until a greater power took mercy.

  Merrymint reached across and pierced the pea with her fork, before popping it into her mouth and swallowing.

  "Oi!" cried Winterwish. "That was mine!"

  "Not anymore. That's what you get for toying with your food," said Merrymint.

  Winterwish frowned playfully.

  "Now, now. There's plenty more!" Merrymint pointed her fork to a large bowl containing a mountainous heap of peas glistening with butter.

  "Sure, but they're not mine," said Winterwish. "You took my pea."

  "They could be yours," said Merrymint. "Every single one. You just have to take them."

  "Well I don't want those peas," said Winterwish. "I wanted my pea. I demand recompense!" It felt nice to joke around after hours of humourless searching.

  "If it helps, you can have one of my peas, Winterwish," said Cutiehorn. The silver knight stood from her chair and held out her plate.

  "Very well." Winterwish nodded. "I accept your allegiance in pea politics." Yet when she raised her spoon toward Cutiehorn's plate, she discovered it wholly barren of peas.

  "Ah. Sorry. One moment." The horned princess scooped some peas from the shared bowl and presented the plate once more.

  Winterwish looked up at the silver knight, then to the offering, to the bowl, and finally to Merrymint. The three of them laughed.

  Bang!

  The trio jumped, their amusement ceased by the fourth member of their team.

  A turnip rolled from Sunshine's plate, bumping against one of her balled, post-slam fists. "...Is this what you clowns do all day?" she hissed through gritted teeth. "What a waste of time."

  Cutiehorn returned to her seat. "Calm yourself, Sunshine. We're just enjoying dinner."

  "Yeah. Relax, Sunny," said Merrymint. "We've earned some chill."

  "We've earned nothing. We've found nothing," said Sunshine.

  Cutiehorn gave a clunky shrug. "We can't find anything if there's nothing out there. Think about it, if you were an enemy and you saw Queen Titania blazing through the sky, you'd get as far away as possible, right?"

  Ominous orbs swept the room to lock upon Winterwish. "It would help if someone gave us a proper description of exactly who or what we're looking for."

  Winterwish hung her head.

  It's not that simple...

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  The only piece of information she did have, she wasn't supposed to share. She'd considered it, of course. Perhaps even a hundred times. Especially now that she was all but certain that those who'd come before them had met grisly ends. The thought that one of her sisters might get hurt because they lacked the knowledge they were up against another Fairy Princess haunted her.

  "Winterwish..." started Cutiehorn. "You said you didn't get a good look at the enemy, right? Well, I'm not saying I doubt you, but, if there's a different reason that you can't talk... If you've been ordered to keep quiet, for example, then, that's ok too. We get it. We understand." She gave a reassuring smile.

  "Right!" chirped Merrymint. "Don't beat yourself up."

  Winterwish winced and dug her fingernails into the arms of her chair. Her sisters' understanding only made her all the more conflicted.

  I can trust Merrymint. I'm certain of it. Cutiehorn hasn't done anything to earn my distrust either.

  The scars of Sunshine's palms were hidden along with the handles of clenched cutlery.

  Keeping it from Sunshine alone seems unfair. We're supposed to be a team, and she already has enough reasons to dislike me...

  Winterwish sighed. "...Have any of you ever been issued an order you didn't want to follow?"

  Now, it was the others' turn to be silent. Merrymint looked to the knife in her hand and frowned. Sunshine stared at the wave-carved throne seated opposite her. Cutiehorn flexed armoured fingers.

  "...I believe Queen Titania knows what's best for the queendom and its people," said the unicorn knight. "Even if that isn't always what we want as individuals."

  "Then what does that make those who go against a command?" asked Winterwish. "Selfish? Villainous? Disloyal, at the very least..."

  "Loyalty is a complicated thing," said Cutiehorn. "It's only virtuous so long as those it's sworn to are themselves of pure heart. Titania's will might not always make sense to us, but she's kept this queendom safe for centuries. There's no one else I'd sooner serve."

  Winterwish buried her face in her shimmering gloves and groaned. One day the answers might all be so obvious, but right now she felt lost.

  I hope Puddingpuff will be ready to meet again soon. There's so much we need to discuss...

  "Dammit," growled Sunshine.

  Winterwish peeked between fluffy fingers to see the honeyed chasms still fixated upon Splishsplash's chair.

  "We can't let them get ahead..."

  "It's not a competition, Sunny," said Merrymint.

  "Right," said Cutiehorn. "Besides, if it were, then by my count there's only one victory between the two teams, and that champion is sat right here with us."

  It'd been said with the best intentions, but that wasn't how Merrymint reacted. Her chair screeched back. "Sorry... I'm going to bed."

  Winterwish rushed to her feet. "I'll walk with you."

  "No," said Merrymint. "You've hardly eaten. Fill your stomach first. You'll need your strength for tomorrow. Candy Town first thing again, ok?"

  "Sure..." Winterwish watched as the emerald princess left the room devoid of theatrical energy, then slumped back to her seat and huffed at her empty plate. She didn't feel like eating, even as her stomach grumbled loudly.

  "I'm sorry," said Cutiehorn. "I forgot it's a touchy subject..."

  Then came a second screeching of oak on marble. Sunshine launched to her feet and stamped around the table, her expression stern. She picked up the bowl of buttery peas before smashing it down in front of Winterwish, completely shattering the plate beneath. An explosive eruption of slippery, squishy seeds soared into the air before raining down all around.

  Through the leguminous shower, gold glared. "Eat your fucking peas!"

  “R-right!” yelped Winterwish.

  The walls of the dining hall quivered with the force at which Sunshine swung the door behind her.

  Shaken and covered in buttery pods, Winterwish looked to Cutiehorn who was almost as stunned as she.

  "Well..." said the knight softly. "Look on the bright side, I suppose. Puddingpuff said she'd take cleaning duty for as long as the searches continue."

  A Bump In The Night

  ( Candy Dandy )

  Candy Dandy was almost ready for his butterscotch bed. The Fairy Princesses had been busy recently. Too busy for evening training. That didn't mean he was left without work, however.

  Two royals in particular had been arriving before sunrise to practice their magic. Both Princess Winterwish and Princess Merrymint were polite enough, but the latter's billowing winds would undoubtedly wake him pre-dawn once more. As such, he'd been sure to sleep earlier than usual.

  Candy Dandy admired himself within the reflective sheen of his hard boiled mirror.

  Splendid. Most splendid. A true gentleman remains dapper at all times. Even whilst resting.

  With a flick of the striped Candy Cane, glimmering particles swirled into the air. The sweet suit and bow tie crumbled away, before a spiffy set of pajamas took shape upon his gingerbread body.

  "Ho-ho! A handsome devil as always," he chuckled to himself.

  Beyond the window of his candy cottage, the night danced.

  "Ho-ho?"

  He waddled over and peered through the sugar glass. Iced eyes scrutinised the gloom to no avail. It wasn't all that uncommon for curious folk, especially whippersnappers, to sneak into Candy Town after sunset. Many of them watched the Fairy Princesses train from high above in Rainbow City, or told tales of their exploits in the local forest villages. It was only natural that some would seek a closer look from time to time, but that didn't mean he could allow it.

  While some citizens mistakenly believed exploring the royal training grounds to be harmless fun, it in fact put them in great danger. Not only could damaged structures he'd yet to repair collapse, but the fairy royals had a habit of dropping by to practice their abilities unannounced. If a human were to be present without anyone knowing, the consequences could be most dire.

  Certain special individuals, such as himself and Lady Dollymop, could repair themselves using basic materials. Most humans were not so lucky. Their delicate skin could not be healed from a quick wave of the Candy Cane, nor their intricate organs replaced with simple cotton stuffing. As such, Candy Dandy was always quick to react whenever he became aware of intruders.

  He opened the front door and stepped out onto the chocolate street. With a swish of his stick, the pole of the closest lollipop lantern bent like a drooping flower. The glowing sphere lowered until it was within range for him to pluck it free from its stalk with a most satisfying sound.

  Pop!

  "Ho-ho! Mister Mordy, that better not be you again!" Using the confectionery lamp to light his way, Candy Dandy began to patrol the streets.

  The more he searched, the more his suspicions grew. He'd follow a dark shape down an alleyway, only to be met with a dead end. He'd open a door after hearing a noise, just to find the room empty. Over the centuries he'd grown quite proud of his skills at such incidents of hide and seek, but this time it almost felt as if he were being toyed with.

  Humans rarely move this quickly and quietly...

  He wobbled his way into the central courtyard and held his lollipop lantern high. All was quiet, except for the deep, dull blubs of the caramel fountain. He was certain he'd been following someone, but once again found only the vacant calm of night.

  "Ho-ho! I say, Princesses, is that one of you?"

  No one answered. Any other time he might think the sisterhood were playing some kind of prank, but with things as they were, the Fairy Princesses were far too busy for such juvenile japes.

  Then he heard it. An odd repeating sound. Perhaps a clicking and clacking, or maybe even a chittering and chattering. Like the knocking of a hundred marbles, only regular and rhythmic. One moment it emerged from his right. The next from his left. He'd turn in its direction, only for it to suddenly silence.

  "Ho-ho! Reveal yourself!"

  Candy Dandy thrust his cane high, summoning dozens of additional lollipop lanterns. They sprouted all around the courtyard, bathing every inch in bright vibrancy and leaving not a single shadow to skulk in.

  Cuk-cuk-cuk-cuk!

  It was behind him. He turned just in time to see row upon row of chaotic, clustered teeth, clashing and mewling with mania.

  Crumbs!