by Emily Bliss
“It was pretty fun,” Cressida said, giggling.
“And now, I’m thrilled to sneak a peek at the Glow Library,” Feather said. “I was disappointed to miss the opening.”
Feather pulled open the door, and with Cressida still on her back, she galloped along a corridor, down a spiral staircase, along another hallway, and right up to a door with a sign above it that read, in orange gemstones, “WELCOME TO THE GLOW LIBRARY.” She kneeled, and Cressida slid off her back. Feather pulled opened the door, and for a few seconds she and Cressida admired the library. Firefly-shaped chandeliers hung from the ceiling, reading lights brimmed with fireflies, gigantic reading chairs sat in every nook and cranny, and floor-to-ceiling shelves held hundreds of books—even more books than had been there when Cressida last visited. Three fairies stood together in front of the Art and Artists section, and a dragon was browsing a new section labeled, “Cooking.”
“What an amazing library,” Feather said. “I’ll have to check out the Adventure section soon. Do you know where your book is?”
“I think so,” Cressida said, and she walked over to the Magic section. She read the titles on the spines of the books—Planting Magic Flowers in Five Easy Steps, Magic Wands: A Complete Guide, Unicorn Horn Care and Maintenance, and Top Spells for Gnomes—until she came to exactly the one she wanted: Spells for Human Girls and Boys.
Cressida pulled the book off the shelf and quickly turned to the table of contents. She read through the list of spells, smiling when she came to the one titled, “Returning Characters to Books.” She felt relieved and excited when she read the title of the very last spell in the book: “Traveling from One Realm to Another (Very Advanced).” Cressida grinned and bounded back to Feather.
“This book has just the spell we need,” Cressida said as she climbed onto Feather’s back. She tucked the book under her arm and grabbed Feather’s mane.
“Fantastic!” Feather said. She pulled open the library door and galloped through the Shimmering Caves and back out into the sunlight. “Let’s fly back at the count of three,” Feather said. “One. Two. Three!” Pink glittery light streamed from Feather’s horn, and she soared up into the sky as Cressida imagined flying as fast as she possibly could. Soon, they were rocketing through the air at lightning speed. After a few minutes, Feather said, “We’re here. You can stop flying now.” Cressida and Feather slowed down and landed right outside the Sky Castle.
“Phew,” Feather said. “That was exhausting and wonderful all at the same time!”
“I agree!” Cressida said. She felt tired and exhilarated in just the same way she had after the Thunder Dash.
Feather kneeled down, and Cressida slid off her back. She sat down on the Sky Castle’s front step, flipped to the last page of the book, and began to read:
Traveling from One Realm to Another
(Very Advanced)
INGREDIENTS:
Magic cauldron
Magic flute
Purple sand
Diamond gravel
Froyananas
Rainbow grass
Metamorflower petals
Flarpophone strings
Stalactite dust
Picture of the destination
METHOD:
Combine the sand, gravel, froyananas, grass, petals, strings, and dust in the cauldron. Cover the cauldron, and play the magic flute for several seconds.
When the cauldron begins to hum, stop playing and lift the cauldron lid. The potion inside should be bubbling, but it won’t be hot. Sprinkle the potion on everyone who wants to travel and the picture of the desired destination.
Cressida read through the instructions three times. She looked up to ask Feather how they might get all the ingredients. But before she could speak, she spotted Sunbeam, Flash, Bloom, Prism, Breeze, Moon, and Firefly leaping off Cleo and trotting toward the Sky Castle.
“Hello!” Sunbeam said.
“That was the longest cloud ride ever,” Prism said, rolling her eyes and smiling.
“It was so bumpy that I feel a little sick,” Bloom said, looking a little greener than usual.
“What are you reading?” Firefly asked. “Isn’t that a library book?”
“And why are you sitting out here?” Moon asked.
“Are we still having a sleepover?” Flash asked.
“I sure hope so,” Feather said. She quickly told her sisters all about the cold, miserable iguanas waiting to go home.
“You can’t say we didn’t warn you about Ernest’s magical mishaps,” Breeze said.
“How are we going to get the iguanas home?” Prism asked.
“What if they’re stuck here forever?” Flash asked.
“I have a plan,” Cressida said. “But first, Sunbeam, do you think you could make the sun over the Sky Castle just as warm as it is in the Glitter Canyon? That would make the iguanas comfortable while they’re waiting.”
“Sure thing!” Sunbeam said. Her yellow sapphire sparkled, and light poured from her horn. Suddenly, the sun shone much brighter, and Cressida felt like she was outside on a perfectly warm summer afternoon. Cressida heard cheering noises coming from the Sky Castle, and a voice that sounded like Ivan’s shouted, “Thank you!”
“Next,” Cressida said, “I’m going to need help from all of you. We need the ingredients on this page.” She held up the book while the unicorns studied it.
“I’d be glad to go get some purple sand from the Glitter Canyon,” Sunbeam said.
“I’ll get the diamond gravel from the race course back in the Thunder Peaks,” Flash said.
“I have some froyananas that are ripe back in the Enchanted Garden,” Bloom said.
“And I could get some rainbow grass from the Valley of Light,” Prism added.
“I’m sure the Night Forest raccoons would give me some strings from one of their flarpophones,” Moon said.
“I could get some metamorflower petals from the Windy Meadows,” Breeze said.
“And I can get the stalactite dust from the Shimmering Caves,” Firefly said.
“Let’s go!” Sunbeam said, starting to turn and gallop. But then she halted and the look of excitement vanished from her face. “It’s going to take us forever to travel by cloud all the way back to our domains.”
“It will take hours and hours,” Bloom said, grimacing.
“We’ll have to cancel the sleepover,” Feather said, as her eyes filled with tears.
Cressida put her hand on Feather to comfort her. And then she paused. Cressida leaned over to Feather and whispered, “Do you think this would be a good time to give your sisters their magic pajamas? Then they could fly to their domains, get the ingredients, and come back!”
Feather’s eyes lit up and she smiled. “Excellent idea!” she said. She turned to her sisters. “Wait here for just a second! I have a gift for you!”
Feather opened the Sky Castle door, disappeared for a few seconds, and returned holding the brown paper bag in her mouth.
Cressida grinned: She wanted to see what, exactly, unicorns wore to bed.
Feather dropped the bag on the front step of the castle and used her mouth to pull out a pink fleece one-piece suit with four legs, a zipper up the front, and a hole for a tail. Cressida giggled. It reminded her of the pajamas she wore to bed when she was a baby. She brought the pajamas over to Sunbeam and helped her step into them. Then, she zipped them up.
“Thanks so much for the pajamas,” Sunbeam said. “But why are we getting ready for bed now? Don’t we need to help the iguanas?”
“You’ll see,” Feather said, winking.
Feather pulled out another pair, and Cressida helped Flash put them on. Then, she helped Bloom, Prism, Breeze, Moon, and Firefly. Cressida giggled at the sight of seven unicorns wearing pink pajamas.
“These are such a thoughtful gift,” Prism said. “But will you please tell us why we’re getting dressed for bed? The sun hasn’t even set!”
“See what happens if you gallop and then jump,”
Feather said with a grin.
Sunbeam, Flash, Bloom, Prism, Breeze, Moon, and Firefly looked at each other and shrugged. Then, they all began to gallop.
“One. Two. Three!” Flash called out, and they all leaped into the air. Instead of landing after a second or two, they all soared upward.
“Whoa!” Sunbeam called out. “This is so much fun!”
“This is even better than running,” Flash said.
“This is amazing!” Prism said, doing a somersault.
“I get it!” Bloom said. “Now we can fly to our domains and get the ingredients we need super quickly.”
“We’ll be back as soon as possible,” Breeze said, as she and her sisters flew away.
“Great!” shouted Feather. “We’ll meet you in the Great Hall.”
Cressida took a deep breath. “Let’s go get the magic cauldron, the magic flute, and one of your pictures of the Reptile Realm.”
“Good idea,” Feather said. Cressida grabbed her spell book, and the two ran back into the castle, down the hall, and into the Adventure Room.
Feather found the picture with her sunbathing with the iguanas, and pulled it down with her mouth. Cressida rushed to the shelf below. She picked up the red flute and tucked it, along with her spell book, under her arm. Then she used both hands to lift the cauldron. “Wow!” Cressida said. “This is really heavy!”
“Tell me about it!” Feather said. “I flew the whole way back from the Witch’s Realm with it.” Then she smiled nervously and added, “I really do hope this works.”
“I think it will,” Cressida said. She had to admit, though, that she wasn’t entirely sure it would: She had never made a magic potion.
Cressida and Feather walked down the hallway and into the Great Hall. The iguanas smiled hopefully when they saw Cressida and Feather.
“Thank you for making it warmer,” Ivan said. “That really helped a lot.”
“I’m so glad,” Cressida said. “We’ll get you home soon.” Cressida put the spell book, the f lute, and the cauldron on the floor. Then she took the picture from Feather and put it right next to the cauldron.
“I sure hope so,” Ivan said.
Cressida heard the clatter of hooves on the hallway’s tile floor. The door opened, and in galloped Sunbeam, Flash, Bloom, Prism, Breeze, Moon, and Firefly, all carrying buckets in their mouths.
“Are you ready?” Cressida asked.
The unicorns nodded.
Cressida opened the spell book to the last page. She took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if she was qualified to do an advanced spell. She had never played a flute, let alone a magic one. And she certainly hadn’t ever brewed a potion in a magic cauldron. But, she told herself, there was a first time for everything.
Cressida took the bucket from Sunbeam’s mouth. Inside was shimmering purple sand. She emptied the bucket into the cauldron. Next, she poured in the crushed diamond gravel from Flash. Then she added the froyananas from Bloom, the rainbow grass from Prism, the metamorflower petals from Breeze, the flarpophone strings from Moon, and the stalactite dust from Firefly. Cressida put the lid on the cauldron.
“Here we go!” Cressida said, smiling nervously at her eight unicorn friends.
“Let’s do it!” Feather said.
Cressida picked up the red flute. She took a deep breath, arranged her fingers over the holes, and blew into the mouthpiece. To her astonishment, some of the most beautiful music she had ever heard came out. She lifted her fingers to play different notes. The unicorns closed their eyes and rocked back and forth. The iguanas gathered in a circle around the cauldron. Soon they closed their eyes and began to sway.
After a minute, Cressida heard a soft humming noise that grew louder and louder. She put the flute down and lifted the cauldron lid. Inside, a pink liquid bubbled. “I can’t believe that worked,” Cressida whispered. She dipped her hand into the liquid and sprinkled it on each of the iguanas’ noses.
“That tickles,” Ivan said, twitching his nose when the pink droplets fell on him.
Next, Cressida sprinkled the potion on Feather’s picture. Wind swirled around the room. A purple light flashed. And the iguanas vanished.
“You did it!” Feather exclaimed.
“Next time you come to the Glow Library, we’ll have to get you an advanced spell book,” Firefly said, winking.
“Now we can have our sleepover!” Feather said. “Thank you, Cressida! You saved the day!”
“It was my pleasure,” Cressida said.
“And now I can show all of you my pictures and souvenirs!” Feather said, hopping back and forth.
Feather led Cressida and her unicorn sisters down the hall and into the Adventure Room. Sunbeam, Flash, Bloom, Prism, Breeze, Moon, and Firefly, still wearing their magic pajamas, flew from picture to picture and souvenir to souvenir, asking Feather to tell them stories about her adventures.
After a while, Sunbeam sighed and said, “You know, I really do love seeing all your pictures, but the more I look at them, the sadder I feel that we can’t go on even one of your trips with you.”
“Me, too,” Flash said. “These are great stories. I’m so glad you’re sharing them with us. But now I want to go on an adventure, too.”
“I want to go somewhere right now,” Breeze said.
Bloom and Prism nodded.
Firefly frowned. “It would be so much fun to see something new,” she said.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t come with me,” Feather said. Her bottom lip quivered, and Cressida could tell she was trying not to cry. “But can’t we still have fun together tonight? Especially after all our hard work to help the iguanas.”
Cressida looked at Sunbeam, Flash, Bloom, Prism, Breeze, Moon, and Firefly. She could see that they felt awfully left out. And then, Cressida had another idea.
“How would you like to come with me on an adventure right now? My human friends and I were about to have a sleepover at my house when you invited me here. Would you like to join us?”
“Really?” Flash asked, looking excited.
“In the human world?” Prism asked.
“A sleepover with human girls? That sounds amazing!” Moon said.
“But we only have two keys,” Firefly said. “Remember?”
Cressida smiled at her friends. “I have a plan,” she said, winking. She skipped over to the magenta chair in the corner, by the window. She closed her eyes and remembered what her backyard had looked like just before she left. Soon the Imagibirds flew in through the window with a picture of her green lawn, her swing set, and her family’s picnic table.
Next, Cressida ran over to the shelf of souvenirs from Feather’s most recent trip. She picked up the bottle from the mermaids and the stack of pictures from her memories of the Rainbow Realm. She slid the pictures into the back pocket of her jeans, so she would be sure not to forget them. “I’ll be right back,” said, and she raced down the hallway to the Great Hall. She skipped over to the cauldron, unscrewed the bottle top, and dipped the bottle into the pink liquid until it was full. She put the top back on the bottle and returned to the Adventure Room.
“Are you ready to visit the human world for a sleepover?” she asked, grinning.
“Yes!” all the unicorns said at once.
Then Sunbeam blushed and said, “Well, I’m almost ready. Is there any chance you could help me take off my magic pajamas before we go? I’m getting a little hot!”
“Me, too!” Flash and Breeze said.
The other unicorns nodded.
“Sure thing,” Cressida said, and she helped each unicorn unzip and step out of her pajamas.
“Now we really are ready!” Firefly said.
“Great!” Cressida said, and she used the bottle to spritz the pink potion on each of the unicorns’ heads. She sprinkled a little on herself. And finally, she sprinkled some on the picture of her backyard. She had just enough time to put the top back on the bottle and push it into her pocket when a gust of wind raced around the room. Light fl
ashed. And suddenly, in the time it took Cressida to blink, she and the unicorn princesses were standing in her back yard.
For a few seconds, Sunbeam, Flash, Bloom, Prism, Breeze, Moon, Firefly, and Feather looked all around them with wide eyes. “What in the world is that thing?” Moon asked, using her nose to point to the swing set.
Cressida giggled. “It’s something human girls and boys go on to feel like they’re flying,” she explained.
“Is that your palace?” Bloom asked, looking at Cressida’s house.
“It’s sort of like a palace,” Cressida said, smiling. “Would you like to come inside?”
“Definitely!” Breeze said.
“We’d love to,” Flash said.
“I can’t wait to see where you live,” Feather said.
“Come right this way,” Cressida said. She walked to the back door, and opened it. Her parents were still in the kitchen.
“Hi, honey,” her mother said.
“Hello!” Cressida said. Then she turned to the unicorns and whispered, “My parents don’t believe in unicorns, so they won’t be able to see you.”
All eight unicorn princesses filed through the door and into Cressida’s living room. They walked slowly, mouths wide open as they stared at everything they saw.
“Look how small the couches and chairs are!” Firefly said.
“And look at this strange stuff on the floor,” Moon said, pushing a hoof gently into the light blue carpet.
“How odd that there are no chandeliers,” Breeze said, looking at the bare ceiling and then at the floor lamps.
“And there are no curtains,” Prism said, staring at the blinds.
Cressida giggled.
“What is that terrible smell?” Bloom asked, wrinkling her nose.
“That’s what my parents are making for dinner,” Cressida explained. “It’s spaghetti with tomato sauce and roasted carrots.”
“Cressida, did you say something?” her father called out from the kitchen.
“I just said that dinner smells really good,” Cressida said, winking at Bloom. Then, she whispered to the unicorns, “Come on! I’ll show you my bedroom.”