by Emily Bliss
“Wow! I love it!” Cressida said, twirling around so the cape billowed.
Ernest grinned with delight. “It’s a special magic cape,” he explained. “If you fall off your kite, it will keep you from getting hurt when you land on the ground. It came out just a little larger than I expected. I hope you don’t mind.”
“It’s absolutely perfect. Thank you, Ernest,” Cressida said. Then she looked at Breeze. “How do I look?” she asked.
“Ready to fly!” Breeze exclaimed.
Cressida looked at her reflection on the marble floor and smiled: she thought she looked just like a superhero. She made a fist and extended her hand up into the air, as though she were about to fly up into the sky.
“What are you doing?” asked Flash.
“I’m pretending to be a superhero!” Cressida said.
“A superhero?” Breeze asked. “What’s that?”
“Well,” Cressida said, “a superhero is a human with magic powers who solves problems. They aren’t real, but it’s fun to pretend to be one.”
“Huh,” Breeze and Sunbeam said at the same time.
Then Breeze shrugged and said, “Let’s go!” She kneeled down, and Cressida climbed onto her back.
Breeze turned toward the other unicorn princesses and said, “We’ll see you in the Windy Meadows. Make sure you bring Moon!” And with Cressida on her back she raced out the palace’s front door.
Cressida gripped Breeze’s silky, light blue mane as the unicorn raced along the path of clear stones that led away from Spiral Palace and into the surrounding forest. Cressida turned, and for a few seconds she watched the tall, glittering white palace, shaped like a unicorn horn, fade into the distance.
“The only thing we really need to do to get ready for the Blast is to make sure the kites are lined up and ready to fly,” Breeze said, jumping playfully as she galloped. “That means we have time for me to show you my two very favorite parts of the Windy Meadows first.”
“What are they?” Cressida asked, feeling her heart beat with excitement.
“It’s a surprise!” Breeze sang out as she turned down a narrow path that cut through a thicket of pine trees.
“I can’t wait,” Cressida said, grinning. She loved surprises, and the Rainbow Realm was always full of surprises that were even better than anything she could imagine.
Breeze followed the path across a patch of blue mushrooms, up a fern-covered hill, and over to a grove of willow trees.
“We’re almost there!” Breeze said. “Close your eyes!”
Cressida squeezed her eyes shut as Breeze turned sharply to the right, slowed down, and stopped. “Okay! You can look now,” the unicorn said.
When Cressida opened her eyes, she saw that she and Breeze were standing right in the middle of a meadow so full of large orange ball-shaped flowers that she could hardly see any grass.
“Welcome to the Windy Meadows!” Breeze said, kneeling down as Cressida slid off her back. “This meadow is just our first stop. It’s called the Meadow of Metamorflowers.”
“Are these metamorflowers?” Cressida asked, looking more closely at the flowers. As they brushed against Cressida’s knees and the bottom of her cape, she noticed each orange ball was made of what looked like hundreds of tiny feather-shaped petals.
“Not only are they metamorflowers,” Breeze said, shuffling her hooves with excitement, “but they’re magic metamorflowers. I’ll show you!”
The unicorn pointed her blue horn toward the sky. The aquamarine on her ribbon necklace shimmered. Glittery light shot from her horn. And then a blue, comet-shaped gust of wind appeared. First, it bolted straight up into the air and did three somersaults. Then it plunged down to the flowers, where it circled Breeze and Cressida, faster and faster, until Cressida felt as though she were in the center of a small tornado. Thousands of orange petals lifted off the flowers’ stems and into the air, and soon Cressida felt as though she were standing in an orange blizzard.
Then the petals fluttered into a large pile right in front of Cressida’s feet and Breeze’s hooves. Cressida reached down and grabbed a handful of petals. To her surprise, they stuck together, almost like clay or snow.
“Now watch this!” Breeze said, and she used her hooves to roll a clump of petals into what looked like a snake. Then, with her nose, she tossed it upward. To Cressida’s amazement, in the air, it transformed into what looked like a real orange snake, slithering above them.
“Yikes!” Cressida said, jumping backward.
“Don’t worry,” Breeze said, laughing. “It can’t hurt you!”
As Cressida watched, fascinated and a little scared, the snake wiggled, slid, and hissed. And then, as suddenly as it had seemed to come alive, the snake turned back to a shower of petals that fluttered to the ground.
“My sisters and I can spend hours here at a time,” Breeze said. “The only problem is that since my sisters and I have hooves, the only things we can do are roll and flatten the petals. Since there aren’t very many animals that look like pancakes, we end up making a lot of snakes, eels, and worms. And once I even managed a caterpillar.” Breeze’s eyes filled with excitement. “But I bet, since you have fingers and a thumb, you could make all kinds of animals. Try it!”
Cressida picked up two handfuls of petals and smushed them together. Then, she shaped the petals into a rabbit with long ears, large paws, and a small, fluffy-looking tail.
“Throw it into the air!” Breeze said, bounding from side to side.
Cressida tossed it up, and the rabbit seemed to come alive, hopping, sniffing, and scratching its ears.
Then, right in the middle of a jump, it fell apart, and the petals fluttered to the ground.
“Wow!” Cressida said, laughing with delight as she grabbed more petals and sculpted a cheetah. “This is much more fun than regular modeling clay!” After she used her fingernail to give the cat’s body spots, she launched it into the air and watched as it sprinted in circles over her head.
“That cheetah is an even faster runner than Flash,” Breeze said with wide eyes. Flash’s magic power was to run so fast that lightning bolts crackled from her horn and hooves.
After the cheetah turned into a shower of petals, Cressida made an eagle that soared and swooped, an elephant that swung its trunk, a monkey that hung from its tail, and an alligator that snapped its jaws as it crept forward. Breeze rolled out five more snakes, three eels, and two earthworms.
“Guess what? I have an idea for an animal we could make together,” Cressida said.
“What is it?” Breeze asked, her eyes lighting up.
“It’s a surprise,” Cressida said, winking. “But if you make eight snakes, I’ll make the rest.”
As Breeze got to work rolling clumps of petals, Cressida used her hands to sculpt an elongated ball with eyes and a mouth. Then she attached Breeze’s snakes to the ball.
“An octopus!” Breeze exclaimed. “What a great idea!”
Cressida giggled and threw the octopus into the air. It glided above them, waving its tentacles as though it were underwater. And then it fell apart.
Just as Cressida was about to suggest they make a giant spider together in the same way, Breeze sighed and said, “This has been so much fun, but I think we’d better stop and tidy up. I want to make sure there’s time to show you one more thing before we check on the kites.”
“Of course,” Cressida said, feeling both disappointed to leave and curious about what else Breeze wanted to show her. “How can I help tidy up?”
“Thanks so much for offering,” Breeze said, “but I always just use magic to clean up the petals. Watch this!” She pointed her horn toward the sky. The aquamarine on her ribbon shimmered as glittery light shot from her horn. A gust of blue wind swirled around Cressida and Breeze. And the petals lifted into the air and returned to their stems, re-forming into the ball-shaped flowers Cressida had seen when they first arrived at the meadow. A gentle breeze riffled through the flowers, and once again they brus
hed against her knees and the bottom of her cape.
“Wow! That’s the quickest cleaning job I’ve ever seen,” Cressida said, wishing she could use magic to clean her room.
Breeze kneeled down. “Climb on up,” she said. “Our next stop is the Meadow of Melodies.”
With Cressida on her back, Breeze trotted under a canopy of green leafy elms and into another meadow, this one dotted with trees and shrubs. A gentle breeze blew, and Cressida heard faint, high-pitched music that reminded her of the sound her key to the Rainbow Realm made when the unicorns invited her to visit. Cressida looked at the trees and shrubs more carefully and saw that wind chimes hung from nearly every branch. Some were metal and some were wood. The large wind chimes played lower notes, while the small ones played high-pitched music.
Breeze kneeled, and Cressida slid to the ground.
“What song would you like to hear?” Breeze asked, grinning excitedly.
“Hmm,” Cressida said, trying to think of a song Breeze might know.
But before she could answer, Breeze said, “How about ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’?”
Cressida smiled. When she was younger, that had been one of her favorite songs. “Sure!” she said.
“I have to admit, it’s my favorite song,” Breeze said, blushing. Then she pointed her horn to the sky. Her aquamarine shimmered. Glittery light shot from her horn, and a star-shaped gust of blue wind appeared, this one smaller and gentler than the one that had appeared in the Meadow of Metamorflowers. The gust danced through the trees and shrubs, and as the branches swayed, Cressida heard the most beautiful rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” she could have imagined. No wonder it was Breeze’s favorite song, she thought. Cressida smiled with delight as the wind chimes played the song over and over, each time a little more faintly, as the gust lost its strength.
“That’s really neat,” Cressida said.
“I know!” Breeze said. “And now, I think we’d really better go make sure the kites are ready. When I fed them breakfast this morning, they promised they would be all lined up by now. But sometimes they get distracted by an especially good gust of wind, and they’re late.”
“Wait a minute,” Cressida said, smiling with delight. “The kites are alive?” She wasn’t sure why she was so surprised. After all, on other visits to the Rainbow Realm, she had met boulders and dunes that talked. And yet, the idea of a talking, laughing, live kite especially delighted her.
“Of course they’re alive,” said Breeze. “And not only are they alive, but they’re a little bit mischievous and wild. They love to fly upside down and in circles in the air. That’s why Moon fell off during last year’s Blast. Her kite, Kevin, was in an especially rambunctious mood, and he tried to fly too fast.” Cressida nodded. Worry flashed across Breeze’s face. “I sure do hope Flash has convinced Moon to participate in the Blast by now. Anyway,” the unicorn said, her face brightening, “come this way! The kites always line up in the Monarch Meadow.”
“The Monarch Meadow?” Cressida asked as they walked along a row of windmills. “Like the butterfly?” In school, they had learned the names of different butterflies, including monarchs, which were orange with black markings.
“Exactly!” Breeze said, looking impressed.
Cressida followed Breeze down a hill, through a cluster of willow trees, and into a meadow teeming with wildflowers and orange-and-black butterflies. In the middle of all the butterflies and wildflowers were eight of the biggest, bluest kites she had ever seen. And on top of each one slept a silver, furry animal that was twice the size of a unicorn. Each animal had shiny, folded wings and large, round ears.
“What are those?” Breeze asked, furrowing her brow.
“Are they giant flying mice?” Cressida asked, walking toward one. When she looked more closely, she saw two sharp teeth poking out from the animal’s mouth. “I think they’re huge bats,” Cressida said. She remembered that Corey had told her that very morning that bats sleep all day and search for food at night. “They must be sleeping because it’s daytime.”
“Huge bats?” Breeze said, looking panicked. “Where did those come from?”
But before Cressida could suggest that one of Ernest’s accidental spells might be to blame, a kite called out, “Is that you, Princess Breeze?”
Another said, “Help! We can’t get up!”
“Plus, it’s awfully hot under here,” a third voice added.
“It’s me!” called out Breeze. “What happened?”
“Well,” one of the kites said, “we had just finished practicing some of our stunts and tricks. And then we were lining up for the Blast when, all of a sudden, lightning flashed. There was an even stronger gust of wind than usual, and the next thing we knew, there was a giant bat sleeping on each of us.”
“How will we get them off?” Breeze asked Cressida.
“Well,” Cressida said, “Maybe we should start by just asking them to leave.”
“Will you do it?” Breeze asked, looking nervous. “I’ve always been a little afraid of bats. And these are the biggest bats I’ve ever seen.”
“Sure,” Cressida said. She walked closer to the bats. “Excuse me,” she said. The bats didn’t even stir. “Excuse me!” she called out again, this time much louder. The bats blinked and yawned. “I’m sorry to wake you, but I’m wondering if you might sleep somewhere else. Princess Breeze needs these kites.”
The bat closest to Cressida frowned. “The trouble,” the bat squeaked, “is that it is daytime and we are all very sleepy.”
“I don’t think,” another bat squeaked, “that there is any way that we can get up right now. You’ll have to wait until it’s nighttime.”
“Sorry!” a third bat squeaked.
And with that, all eight bats yawned, closed their eyes, and began to snore.
“Oh no,” Breeze said. “Could you possibly try pushing them off the kites?” Cressida looked again at the bats. “I think they’re probably too heavy,” she said.
Breeze looked as though she might start crying. “Would you be willing to try, just in case it works?” Breeze asked. “I don’t know what I’ll do if we have to cancel the Blast. All the dragons’ hard work cooking our feast would go to waste.”
“Okay,” Cressida said. “It won’t hurt to try!” She walked up to the smallest bat, took a deep breath, and used both hands to push as hard as she could on his back. The bat’s fur felt soft against her hands, like a rabbit’s. As Cressida shoved with all her might, the bat didn’t even stir or open his eyes, let alone move. It would have been easier, she thought, to push a car.
She dropped her arms and walked back to Breeze. “I’m sorry, but they’re just too heavy,” Cressida said. “But I have another idea. What if you created a gust of wind strong enough to blow them off the kites?”
Breeze smiled hopefully. “Good idea! I’ll try it!” she said. Glittery light shot from her horn just before a giant, comet-shaped gust of wind appeared. It bolted over to the bats, blowing hard against their heads, their bodies, and their folded wings. Some of the bats grunted and stretched. But they still didn’t wake up, let alone roll off the kites.
“Oh no!” Breeze said, as the wind died down. “That was my very strongest gust of wind ever.” The unicorn’s top lip quivered. “What if we have to cancel the Blast?” Breeze asked as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Cressida turned, put her arms around Breeze, and said, “There must be a way to get the bats off the kites before the Blast. Let me just think for a moment.”
And then Cressida had an idea. She jumped up and down with excitement. “I think I know what to do! But we’re going to need to get Moon to help us.”
“Let’s go back to the palace and get her,” Breeze said. “I’ll bet Flash and my other sisters have convinced her to fly in the Blast by now!” The unicorn kneeled down, and Cressida climbed onto her back. As soon as Cressida had tightly gripped her mane, Breeze galloped back through the Windy Meadows toward Spiral Palac
e.
With Cressida on her back, Breeze sped across the clear stones leading up to the front door of Spiral Palace. When they entered the front room, they found Sunbeam, Flash, Bloom, Prism, Moon, and Firefly standing in a circle.
“I’m not going,” Moon said, shaking her head. “Last time was just too scary. I never want to go anywhere near a giant kite again.”
“What if we made sure to give you the calmest kite this year?” Sunbeam asked.
Moon shook her head.
“Would it help if I rode right next to you?” Flash asked.
Moon shook her head again.
“If you want, you could share a kite with me,” Prism said. “Would that work?”
“No, but thank you for offering,” Moon said.
“But if you don’t fly with us, it will ruin the Blast,” Bloom said. “It won’t be any fun without you.”
Moon began to cry, and she stomped her front hooves angrily. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m too scared. I’m not flying this year. Please stop trying to make me change my mind.”
Breeze loudly cleared her throat, and her six sisters turned toward her. “We weren’t expecting to see you back here right before the Blast,” Flash said. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes,” Breeze said. “When we got to the Windy Meadows, we discovered gigantic bats sleeping on the kites. Cressida tried to shove them off. And I tried to push them off with a gust of wind. But they were too big and heavy. I’m worried we’ll have to cancel the Blast.”
“There are bats on all the kites?” Moon asked, suddenly grinning. She looked absolutely delighted that the Blast might be canceled. Meanwhile, all the other unicorns’ faces fell.
“Oh no!” Bloom and Prism said in unison.
“That’s terrible,” Firefly said.