Scarlet’s Wish Mission is the fifth of twelve wish missions to take place in the Star Darlings book series. Scarlet's mission takes place in the fifth book Scarlet Discovers True Strength.
Story[]
Preparation[]
Selection of the wish granter[]
After Vega and Cassie heard from Gladiolus Rose that the bouquets contained negatite, they both got a message that a new wish orb had been discovered. Although Scarlet wanted to go with them, her friends dissuaded her from coming. Afterwards, Scarlet learned that Ophelia had been chosen, which shocked her. During Lighterature class, Scarlet was struggling with keeping up. Noticing her distress, Leona flipped Scarlet to the right page for her to read out loud. After class, Leona tried to convince Scarlet to return to the band, but Scarlet did not want to. During the conversation, Leona got an urgent message about Ophelia and went to the Headmistress' office, so Scarlet followed.
The second chosen wish granter[]
Unnoticeably, Scarlet slipped into the room and squeezed into a corner just behind a bamboo tree growing in a pot. She heard Lady Stella say Ophelia was in trouble. Her orb had blackened, which meant the mission was failing, and she could lose the wish. The headmistress said that the wish orb would choose the one that would help her. The wish orb slowly passed each Star Darling and eventually began moving around the platform and finally came to a stop in front of Scarlet.
Journey[]
Before she reached Wishworld on a shooting star, she had time to change her appearance. The outfit consisted of denim pants, a maroon hooded sweatshirt made of dense and rather stiff fabric, and a black down vest. She wore new boots on her feet, which she had gotten from Lady Stella and would henceforth be her wish pendant.
Mission[]
Search for the wisher[]
After landing on Earth and adjusting her clothes to the prevailing temperature, Scarlet used her star-zap to find Ophelia. The younger friend was glad to see her. Scarlet learned that Ophelia wasn't able to change her appearance or find her wisher because her star-zap and wish pendant did not work. When Scarlet helped Ophelia change her outfit, she couldn't believe her ears when she heard that Ophelia let her shooting star burn out.
After a while, they came to school and noticed that the students were heading home. Hiding behind buses, Scarlet watched her friend's pendant until they finally stood next to a group of girls. They heard one of the girls - named Arden, saying that she could not do a project with them because she had to help at home, and her stepmother was not the most pleasant. Scarlet assumed Arden must be the wisher, but Ophelia's pendant did not shine. When they both approached, however, Arden noticed that Scarlet's buckles were glowing instead of Ophelia's cuff.
Arden's Wish[]
Scarlet and Ophelia followed Arden, wanting to discover her wish. After a short conversation, Arden offered to show them around the town. During the tour, Scarlet tried to guess Arden's wish by asking a series of questions Scarlet and Ophelia had heard from her talking to Chloe and Sydney. Arden then admitted that she had not told them the truth. Arden explained she admired those girls very much and wanted to be friends with them, which is why she joined their group for a research project. What she didn't know, however, was that their research would be on butterflies. Ophelia guessed that the girl was afraid of them.
Arden expressed she attempted to change the research subject but to no avail. She also tried to tell them about her fear, but her friends thought she was joking. She confessed that she would like to stop being afraid of butterflies.
Overcoming her fear and granting the wish[]
Scarlet instructed Ophelia to speak to Arden about why she is afraid and that the butterflies are harmless. The three of them went to the park, which had a playground nearby. On the spot, Scarlet noticed that Ophelia did not have a key ring, to which she replied that she had not received it. After a short break at the swings, at Ophelia's urging, Arden revealed the reason for her fear. Ophelia stated that she probably exaggerated her fear, and the butterflies could not bite her but tickle her.
After talking, the three decided to visit the nearby butterfly exhibition. Along the way, Ophelia (with her strange questions for Arden) successfully preoccupied Arden from her fear. Scarlet and Ophelia grabbed Arden's hands for support and came together to the entrance, where they realized the exhibition was closed. Suddenly, Ophelia noticed something that made them not need the sanctuary; a small butterfly was sitting on Arden's shoulder. Both girls calmly persuaded her to look at it. After a while, Arden expressed that she was not afraid anymore - her wish granted. Before Scarlet and Ophelia left, they discovered that Scarlet's pendant had gathered all the wish energy.
Aftermath[]
Scarlet and Ophelia returned home on one star. In the office, the headmistress congratulated her and admitted that Scarlet was undoubtedly a true Star Darling. She then presented Scarlet with the wish orb, which turned into a Punkypow - her wish blossom. Within her wish blossom emerged a Ravenstone, her power crystal.