Sweet Showdown

Princess of Aphida!

'Just a little more walking and we are at the bridge, which will take us to Aphida!' said Nio, walking quickly. Finally, they made it to the bridge, which was already old. With each step, they heard the planks creak. After a grim but doable walk across the bridge, they arrived at the kingdom of Aphida.

'Let's go to the castle; I'm sure we'll find Chloe there,' Nio said as he walked on quickly without glancing at Zane or Didi.

'Who is Chloe?' asked Didi, almost falling over an apple that had fallen from a tree.

'Chloe is the princess of this kingdom. This is the apple kingdom, but I'm sure you already saw that,' said Nio, taking a short pause to catch his breath. Suddenly, they heard music coming from the distance, to which Nio immediately got up and went to investigate to find out where the music was coming from. Zane and Didi looked at each other somewhat confused and immediately decided to follow Nio.

With each step, the music got louder and louder until they suddenly came to a large open grassy field. Near a large tent stood a girl, her long, brown hair falling like a wild waterfall. Her dress sparkled like diamonds, elusive and bright. Her eyes, ice blue and sharp as a winter sky, immediately radiated confidence.

'Chloe! What are you doing now!' cried Nio, running toward her.

In her hands, she held a graceful fan, as if waving away the chaos of the party with a simple motion. 'Helping out? What else do you think I'm standing here doing, being decoration?' said Chloe, looking at Nio a little dirty.

'We're organizing the Flower Festival, and of course I'm helping. Because that's how I am,' Chloe said, exuding self-assurance in everything she did.

'You're just walking around here; you're not doing anything, are you?' said Zane, looking at Chloe a little confused.

'Excuse me, who do you think you are? Of course, I'm busy; I'm giving instructions! Do you think I'm going to get my hands dirty in that... dirt?' Zane, Didi, and Nio stood there watching as she immediately started bossing people around again. Everything had to be perfect; she did nothing herself.

'That flower arch is allowed there, and those flowers in those vases are allowed there. No! What are you doing, you're not going to put that there! Do I have to do everything here myself!' cried Chloe, taking a clean handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

'Wouldn't it perhaps be nice if we helped now?' suggested Didi, standing a little anxiously behind Chloe. Waiting for an answer, Didi remained standing somewhat nervously for a moment, slowly backing away again. With each step, she felt a look of disapproval; Chloe saw how Didi felt a bit disapproved.

'Well, fine! But I want everything to be perfect, so when I say something, make sure it's done right the first time,' Chloe said, watching Didi let out a loud cry of joy. She felt happy too; she was happy that she could make Didi happy. For a moment, a small smile appeared on her face, but immediately she let it disappear again.

Everyone began to work hard; Chloe gave the instructions, and all the party was put together very quickly.

'Well, thanks for your help! The party will be perfect, of course, thanks to me. Oh, and yes... you guys too, I guess,' Chloe said, without so much as an ounce of emotion in her voice.

'Well, who are you guys anyway? I don't remember you guys introducing yourselves to me. Or am I mistaken?' said Chloe, briefly brushing through her wavy hair with her red-painted nails.

Zane and Didi introduced themselves, but soon they were interrupted by an unexpected scream. 'AAAHHH! She's back!' cried a girl who quickly ran away in fear. Immediately they looked up, and there she was flying again.

'Azura! What are you doing here!' cried Nio, turning his hands into fists.

'If you dare to make my party a flop, you will face the consequences. Trust me, you don't want to go through that,' cried Chloe as she looked at Azura with a scowl.

'I wouldn't dare!' cried Azura, and immediately she destroyed a vase of flowers. Chloe looked furiously at Azura, ready to destroy her completely.

'Do you find yourself funny? We'll see. Chloe! Princess of Aphida!' In a flash, she had changed: her long, brown locks had given way to brilliant, red wavy locks, as if the redness of an apple had taken over her hair color. Her bright blue eyes seemed transformed into a radiant emerald green. And her outfit had now been replaced by one just like in the fairy tales.

'What just happened? How did she change?' asked Zane, looking startled.

'Don't you guys know? You can transform! How do you guys not know?' said Chloe, rolling her eyes. With one big jump, she flew into the air and started attacking Azura.

'I can do this on my own, you know. So you don't have to bother me by helping, watch and learn!' Chloe said, giving a hard swat to Azura, which caused her to fly further away.'See? I told you I can do this just fine on my own,' said Chloe, who just got the chance to finish her sentence before Azura swatted her away, sending her crashing hard to the ground.

Azura started laughing hard, flying closer to Chloe. 'You think you can beat me, and your pathetic friends won't be able to help you anyway. Give up anyway; it's hopeless,' Azura said, holding Chloe by her chin.

'I might not, no, but Cidy did!' said Chloe, without Azura being able to ask who or what it was. A small apple deer emerged. Azura looked at the animal confused and started laughing. Chloe waited for the right moment.

'Now!' she shouted, and the little apple deer shot sour juice at Azura that burned in her eyes.

'Ah, just wait; you will hear from me!' she called, and without more, she was gone.

Chloe grabbed her deer and walked over to the rest, everyone looking in shock.

'Since when can Cidy do that?' said Nio, who watched in amazement as Cidy calmly settled back down next to Chloe.

'What a cutie!' cried Didi, who enthusiastically grabbed the apple deer. Immediately, Chloe took it back.

'I would appreciate it if you would stay away from him. He is precious to me, and I will do anything to keep him safe. In case you're curious: this is a baby "Apple Cideer," so hands off!' said Chloe, hugging Cidy.

She transformed back and placed him on a chair in front of the party. 'So what did you guys come here to do anyway? Keep it short; I have work!' said Chloe, searching for her fan.

Nio began to explain the whole situation, saying he wanted to come up with a plan. Chloe looked doubtful but decided to agree. 'Let's return to my kingdom; we can come up with the plan there,' Nio said.

Chloe immediately looked confused. 'Why can't we do it here? Is it not good enough here again or something?' cried Chloe, who looked at Nio with an angry look and crossed her arms.

'No, no. I just need books, and the info we need can be found in my kingdom,' said Nio, looking a little stressed to see how Chloe would react. A few seconds later, she decided to agree.

'You better see that I don't get dirty because these clothes are more expensive than what you can afford,' Chloe said, sliding her fingers through her long hair and walking ahead.