Twilight, Say Cheese!

by Daisy Sunshine

“You have to send us a copy of the picture!” Stella said. She and Celest burst out laughing again.

  The fillies joined in with them. It was a silly plan, after all. Twilight might have been just an invisible unicorn with an odd plan, but, she suddenly realized, she had made some wonderful friends on this strange day. And with that thought, she wondered if going home was quite the right thing to do after all.

  * * *

  The three fillies borrowed some rope from Celest and Stella before they left the kitchen. By tying the rope to the bag and then around their waists, Sapphire and Comet were able to drag the large bag of powdered sugar behind them. Twilight wanted to help, but everyone agreed that a rope hanging in midair would cause suspicion.

  On the way back, Twilight smiled as she listened to her new friends laugh and chat. Unicorn U didn’t feel scary anymore. It was actually really fun. And Twilight couldn’t stop thinking about how she wanted to be a student here after all.

  But then Twilight remembered she was still invisible. What if she was like this forever? Would the school even allow her to stay? Her heart pounded at the thought.

  “We’re almost there, guys,” Sapphire said, interrupting Twilight’s spiral of worries. “Operation Visible is almost complete.”

  Twilight smiled. “Thank you for all your help, you guys. This day has been way better than I thought it would be. And I really want to stay here at Unicorn U.”

  Comet and Sapphire whooped and cheered. They bounced so much that some powdered sugar escaped in little sparkly puffs.

  “But I don’t think they’ll let an invisible filly hang around…,” Twilight admitted when they’d calmed down. A few invisible tears fell down her invisible checks.

  “It’s going to be okay, Twilight,” Sapphire said, still as confident as ever. “If the sugary mind trick doesn’t work, then we’ll just tell Professor Sherbet. She’ll know what to do.”

  “You’re not going anywhere, Twilight!” Comet said.

  * * *

  They met up with Shamrock, who was pacing back and forth under the rainbow banner.

  “Shamrock!” Comet called out to him.

  Twilight could see a look of relief fall over his face when he saw them. Then he saw at the bag of powdered sugar, and his face scrunched up again. “You guys! I thought you were going to get enough sugar for everyone?”

  “Well, turns out that’s a lot of sugar, and Stella and Celest couldn’t part with all of it,” Comet told him with a shrug.

  The group paused. Twilight realized that the three fillies had just been happy with the experience of getting the sugar. They hadn’t even thought of how this would affect the overall plan. Twilight, of course, started to panic.

  “Oh, don’t worry. I have a way better plan!” Sapphire said.

  12 Sugar Time

  Okay. You ready, Twilight?” Comet yelled from the top of the hill.

  Twilight waited at the bottom of the hill next to the blueberry bush, just as they had planned. She breathed in and out slowly, preparing herself for the next step. “Ready!” she called back.

  Comet ran down the hill, and then—suddenly—a rose-colored blur flew right over Twilight, showering her in sparkling powdered sugar. Twilight giggled as the sugary sweetness covered her completely.

  “Oof!” Comet landed just beyond her with a hard thud. “Did you see that?” she bellowed. “I totally made that landing! That was the coolest! Should we do it again?”

  Twilight chuckled. “You’re fearless!”

  Sapphire and Shamrock came cantering down the hill, whooping and hollering with glee. Just as they reached the sugary mess at the bottom of the hill, a loud bell rang out, followed by a chorus of birds chirping, “End of class! End of class!”

  Sapphire laughed. “Professor Sherbet was right. You really can’t miss that bell. Hurry, guys. We still have to finish getting ready for the picture!”

  * * *

  The class assembled on the library’s front steps. Shamrock had done a good job spreading the word about the change in plans.

  Ms. Sherbet came galloping over to them, neighing in her joyful, merry way. “Well, everyone! I think this is the most impressive class picture I’ve ever seen. You guys have really done something unique.”

  The class giggled together and shared secretive looks.

  “Can you guess the theme, Professor?” Sapphire asked.

  “Well, hmm…” Professor Sherbet thought for a minute before shaking her head. “I have to admit, I have no idea! Will you tell me?”

  “We’re in disguise!” Comet yelled.

  “We call this the Mystery Picture,” Twilight explained, smiling wide. She was so happy, she could burst. She felt like a totally different unicorn from the one who’d played the name game earlier that day.

  Professor Sherbet neighed merrily again. “Wonderful! Wonderful!”

  Twilight looked around at her fellow classmates. “Mystery Picture” described the scene perfectly. Everyone had covered themselves head to toe with something different. Comet had flown up to pull down the branches of a newly blooming tree and covered herself with bright yellow pollen. She looked like a ray of sunshine. Shamrock was dressed as a gnome. He’d used a red blanket for a cape and had found a red cap that a gnome had left behind, and he’d topped it off with a fake beard. Sapphire had woven a blanket out of vines and leaves and thrown it over herself. She’d copied one of the easier designs from a library book. And all the other classmates had creatively disguised themselves as well. Despite being hidden, it still felt like everyone’s personalities shone through. It was the coolest.

  After the picture, Ms. Sherbet told them it was time for dinner and then it was off to bed. Comet, Sapphire, and Shamrock tossed off their disguises and trotted away in the direction of the Looping Lawn.

  Twilight watched them leave. She felt frozen. She couldn’t toss her disguise off so easily. If she washed off the powdered sugar, she would be invisible again.

  There was nothing left to do. It was time to talk to Professor Sherbet. Twilight would tell her all about the invisibility, but after the day she’d had, Twilight knew she belonged at Unicorn U with her friends. Thinking about everything that had happened made her feel like she was drinking a cup of cocoa with extra marshmallows and whipped cream. She just had to tell Ms. Sherbet the truth. The professor would understand. Twilight wiggled and wiggled and let the powdered sugar fall off.

  “Twilight! Twilight!” Sapphire called over.

  Twilight looked up and saw that Sapphire, Comet, and Shamrock were looking over at her, waiting for her to join them. But wait, Twilight thought. They’re looking right at me. How do they know where to look?

  Twilight looked down and started jumping for joy. She could see her purple-painted hooves shining through the leftover powdered sugar! And her jet-black coat, too! Twilight couldn’t stop laughing and dancing.

  “Whoa! Why so excited?” asked the unicorn who’d taken the class picture.

  Normally Twilight would be embarrassed and would fade out. But she was so happy that she didn’t care who saw her crazy dance moves.

  “I think I can finally see myself,” she told him. Then she had an exciting idea. “Hey, would you mind taking another picture? One of me and my friends?”

  “Sure can!” the photographer agreed.

  * * *

  A week later Twilight added one more thing to stall number twelve. It was a wooden frame that held the photo of her with Shamrock, Comet, and Sapphire. The four unicorn fillies and colts smiled broadly, powdered sugar smudged on all their faces.

  Twilight took a step back to admire the scene. I’m so lucky to have friends like these, she thought. I can’t wait for all the adventures to come!

  More from this Series

  Sapphire's Special Power

  Book 2

  Shamrock's Seaside…

  Book 3

  Keep reading for a preview of

  Sapphire's Special Power

  by

>   Daisy Sunshine

  Sapphire's Special Power

  Sapphire was so excited that she couldn’t stop moving. It felt like her hooves were filled with dancing beans. She dashed among her fellow first years of Unicorn University, making sure everyone was ready to go. They were all gathered together on the Looping Lawn, under the two tallest oak trees. The large knobbly branches stretched out far above them, covering the rainbow cluster of unicorn students.

  Sapphire noticed that the sun was lower in the sky. She straightened her shoulders and shook her long, braided blue mane. “Okay!” she shouted to get everyone’s attention. “Let’s get into our places. Shamrock, Firefly, you guys head across the field to make sure the banner is high enough so that Fairy Green can see it when she flies in.”

  Shamrock, a mint-green colt and one of Sapphire’s closest friends, nodded so enthusiastically that his large, black-rimmed glasses went crooked. Using her horn, Sapphire straightened them for him and then held out a large conch shell on a string. “I borrowed this from gym class. Just yell into it, and we’ll be able to hear you from across the lawn.” Shamrock slipped his horn through the string and straightened his neck so that the string fell down around his shoulders.

  “Wow, cool, just like Coach Ruby!” said Firefly, a red-and-gold unicorn.

  Sapphire watched Shamrock and Firefly run across the field. She still couldn’t believe they were all going to meet a real fairy tomorrow. Fairies lived throughout the five kingdoms, but as royal messengers they usually only appeared to deliver important notes or news. So you didn’t meet them unless you were someone super important. But when Sapphire’s teacher, Professor Sherbet, had heard that her close friend Fairy Green was traveling through Sunshine Springs for the annual Fairy Gathering, the professor had asked if her friend could stop by to talk to the first-year students.

  Ever since she was little, Sapphire had wanted to travel the five kingdoms. Growing up by the ocean, she’d seen ships travel by from all over the world. She would spend hours at her bedroom window, wondering where they were going and why. But the ships were always just out of reach, close enough to dream about but too far away for Sapphire to talk to anyone on board. So she couldn’t help but feel like this meeting with Fairy Green was the start of something very big. As her good friend Twilight would say, it felt like pixies were dancing in her stomach.

  It was time for stage two of the Welcome Plan. Sapphire turned to a snow-white unicorn with a red-and-white striped mane named Peppermint, and to a three-legged gray unicorn named Storm. “Okay. Is the banner ready?” Sapphire asked.

  The banner certainly looked ready. Sapphire marveled at how Peppermint and Storm had managed to arrange the flowers so that they spelled out WELCOME TO UU, FAIRY GREEN! They used bright flowers for the letters and green plants for the background. Sapphire noticed that all the flowers had the same shimmer. Curious, she leaned in closer.

  “I used my ability with weather to make it shine like that,” Storm said proudly. “I protected the morning dew so it wouldn’t dry up with the sun.”

  “Great work, Storm,” Sapphire said with a nod of approval.

  Peppermint scoffed and flipped her mane. “Well, I used my weaving ability to knit the flowers all together. We wouldn’t even have a banner without me,” she whined.

  “Oh, it’s really glitter-tastic! You guys make a fantastic team!” Comet assured her. Sapphire nudged her rose-colored friend with her flank. Comet was always so positive and encouraging. She always made everyone feel like they were part of things, like they belonged. Sapphire loved that about Comet.

  “It’s absolutely perfect,” Sapphire agreed.

  Peppermint and Storm grinned and tapped their horns together in a high-U.

  “Okay, Comet,” Sapphire said. “You’re up next!”

  Comet had woven fairy’s thread through her mane, and it glittered in the bright afternoon sun. But despite all the sparkle, Comet suddenly seemed rather dull. Her eyebrows were scrunched and her mouth twisted to the side. It was a look that was certainly unusual for cheerful Comet.

  “What’s wrong?” Sapphire asked, her own eyebrows arching with concern.

  Comet hoofed the grass beneath her. “It’s just, well, I’m nervous about my part. I’m sure I can fly up to the top of the trees, no problem, and I bet I can manage to tie the ropes to the trees. Just… what if I can’t get back down again?”

  Comet had the gift of flight, but she was still learning and had a hard time with her landings. She almost never made it back down without a teacher to help. But they had all agreed to enact the Welcome Plan on their own, no grown-ups allowed.

  Sapphire smiled at her sparkly friend. She knew just what to do.

  “Peppermint!” Sapphire called—perhaps a little too loudly. Peppermint was right next to her, after all. “Could you weave some ivy around Comet?”

  “Um, totes. That’s so easy,” Peppermint said with her signature mane flip. The red-and-white strands of her mane twisted and twirled together like a bunch of little candy canes. Sapphire couldn’t help but admire it.

  “Great,” Sapphire said. “How about you wrap ivy around Comet’s waist, and leave a lot of extra so I can hold one end while Comet flies up to the trees. Then, Comet, when you’re ready, we’ll just pull you back down again!”

  A huge smile with bright pink dimples immediately replaced Comet’s frown. “Let’s do this!” she cheered.

  Continue Reading…

  Sapphire's Special Power

  Daisy Sunshine

  About the Author and Illustrator

  Daisy Sunshine writes books and dreams of unicorns by the sea in Santa Cruz, California.

  Monique Dong is an illustrator whose passion is creating images that encompass light, life, warmth, and color. She had her start in animation before making the jump into the world of illustration. She lives in South Africa with her husband and two very busy little boys, Felix and Bailey.

  Aladdin

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Daisy-Sunshine

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Monique-Dong

  Also by Daisy Sunshine

  Sapphire's Special Power

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin paperback edition February 2021

  Text copyright © 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Illustrations copyright © 2021 by Monique Dong

  Also available in an Aladdin hardcover edition.

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com.

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  Book designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena

  The illustrations for this book were rendered digitally.

  Cover design by Laura Lyn Disiena © 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Cover illustration © 2021 by Monique Dong

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Sunshine, Daisy, author.

  Title: Twilight, say cheese! / by Daisy Sunshine ; illustrated by Monique Dong.

  D
escription: First Aladdin paperback edition. | New York : Aladdin, 2021. | Series: Unicorn U ; [1] | Audience: Ages 6 to 9. | Summary: A shy unicorn who magically becomes invisible when nervous tries to navigate her first day at boarding school.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2019056182 (print) | LCCN 2019056183 (ebook) |

  ISBN 9781534461659 (paperback) | ISBN 9781534461666 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781534461673 (ebook)

  Subjects: CYAC: Unicorns—Fiction. | First day of school—Fiction. |

  Boarding schools—Fiction. | Schools—Fiction. | Anxiety—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.S867 Tw 2021 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.S867 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019056182

  LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019056183