“That pony vanished!” another person cried.
Daisy looked over at her classmates. They all looked shocked, too.
“Daisy, where did you go?” Skydancer asked, looking around.
She ran back to the center of the field, but people in the arena were still standing, looking for her.
Daisy lifted her hoof. She couldn’t see it, either! How did that happen? I wished in a rhyme, Daisy realized. And I really, really wanted to disappear!
She stopped running and closed her eyes again. I wish my friends could see me again, she thought. Not quite a rhyme but maybe close enough?
Then the crowd roared. “What an incredible Glitter Gift!” someone cried from the crowd. “She can turn invisible!”
“That’s the pony I want to choose,” a little girl said.
“I’m going to pick that pony next year,” said another child.
“No, I am!” shouted a boy.
Her friends started chanting once more. “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!”
Daisy wasn’t sure she could make it happen again. So she closed her eyes and wished again she could disappear. And she did!
The crowd gasped.
Daisy trotted over to her classmates and wished she could reappear. The crowd cheered when she became visible once more among her friends.
Skydancer nudged Daisy with her nose. “See? I told you that you’d have a wonderful Glitter Gift.”
“I can’t believe it,” Daisy said, breathless. Her magic wasn’t weak, after all! For fun, she tried levitating a rock nearby. If she could turn invisible, certainly she could raise a rock, right?
She stomped the ground and thought to herself, That rock over there, fly into the air!
The rock shot up off the ground.
Daisy laughed and reared her front legs. I just had to really want to do it. I had to believe I could do it.
After Headmaster Elegius invited the children to come down to the field and visit with the ponies, he walked over to her with a huge grin.
“Congratulations, that’s a fine gift. One we’ve never seen before at the academy.”
“Really?” asked Daisy.
“Really. And now we know why your hooves don’t make glitter. You wouldn’t be invisible with a trail of glitter behind you.”
Daisy’s ears perked up. “That’s true!”
“You’d be a perfect guardian pony,” Headmistress Valincia said, walking over to join them. “It’s an incredible gift. It’s like the magic seen years ago. Strong magic.” She looked at the headmaster and raised an eyebrow. He nodded thoughtfully.
“So is that going to be my study group?” Daisy asked. “Guardianship?”
“Turning invisible would also be suitable for tricks, but you’d be quite an asset as a guardian,” the headmaster said. “It’s your decision.”
“If you think guardianship would be best, that’s what I choose,” Daisy said, a bit overwhelmed by the responsibility of helping a queen or king rule someday. But deep down, she now had no doubt she could do it.
The children rushed over to Daisy, stroking her mane and patting her back. “I’d love to have you as my pony,” one little girl said. “Then I could disappear with you when it was time for school.”
Daisy laughed.
“I’d sit on you and we’d disappear and I wouldn’t have to be a princess for a little while,” said another girl with long red braids.
“Well, I won’t be in the selection ceremonies this year, but I will be next year.” Daisy’s heart swelled with pride as she saw the excited faces of the children gathered around her.
Once the princes and princesses left, it was time for the celebration feast. Everyone cheered when Daisy walked into the banquet hall.
Headmaster Elegius walked up to her. “Get used to all the attention, Daisy. I hope you’re feeling better now.”
“Oh, I am. I only wish I could let my family know I discovered my Glitter Gift. I had them pretty worried when I left for the academy.”
“We have a day off classes tomorrow so we can clean up from today’s festivities. Why don’t you pay them a visit?” he asked.
“Really?”
He grinned. “Yes. You’ve earned it.”
The next day, Daisy trotted down the rainbow staircase and ran the entire way to her family’s farm.
Her father looked up and his eyes widened. “Daisy, is everything all right?”
Daisy’s mother stepped out of the barn. “Oh, sweetheart. We told you that you’d always have a place at our farm.”
“So you didn’t have a Glitter Gift?” her father asked quietly.
Daisy kicked up her front hooves. “No, I do! And the headmaster says he’s never seen it before.” Daisy closed her eyes, stomped her hooves, and wished she could disappear.
Her father gasped. “My word! That is remarkable.”
“Oh, honey. That’s incredible,” Mother said.
Daisy closed her eyes again and wished to be seen.
Her parents cheered.
“The headmaster let me come down to tell you the great news,” Daisy said. “I have to go show my brothers.”
Daisy saw them grazing in the field. She wished herself invisible and quietly walked over. They both looked up, ears pricking.
“Who’s there?” Buck asked.
Daisy couldn’t hold back her giggle. “It’s me. Daisy.”
“Where are you?” Aggie asked.
Buck looked confused. “I can’t see you.”
“Exactly,” she said, wishing herself to be seen. “I can turn invisible.”
Their mouths dropped open.
She turned herself invisible again. “Turns out to be a good thing my hooves don’t make glitter, don’t you think?”
She trotted in front of them and reappeared. They reared up, kicking their front legs in excitement. “That’s amazing!” Buck shouted.
“I’m sorry we used to tease you so much,” Aggie said, flicking his tail sadly. “We should have believed in you.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t believe in myself, either. But now I do! Come on, let’s go eat lunch.”
They trotted back to the barn, where their parents had a delicious dandelion salad waiting.
After they’d eaten and Daisy had shared all her stories from school, her family walked her back to the rainbow.
“I love the academy so much,” Daisy said. “I’m so glad I got to go, even though I was scared at first.”
“Me too,” Dad said.
“We’ll miss you,” Mother said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll write! I can levitate a quill!”
“Awesome!” Buck said.
She nudged noses with her parents, playfully flicked her brothers with her tail, then galloped to the rainbow and disappeared. She pranced up the stairs and shouted, “Thank goodness my hooves don’t make glitter!”
Then she climbed through the clouds and trotted back to the Enchanted Pony Academy. She went straight to the library and took out her favorite books on the history of the school. There were certainly more secrets and facts she could learn to help her friends. Just because she’d found her Glitter Gift didn’t mean she was going to stop working hard and doing her best.
And most important, believing in herself—no matter what.
It’s time for you to shout out a thank-you to my daughter Riley, because without her, you would not be reading this book. (But shout it quietly if it’s bedtime!)
I hadn’t planned to write chapter books or books about ponies until I was teasing her one night. She was ten years old at the time, and loved, loved, loved ponies. I told her that I was going to write a book about mean, grumpy ponies who don’t share, and she got so mad! She told me that if I was going to write a book about ponies, they had to go to a special school and be magical and wonderful! I thought, Hey! That sounds good to me. (It was a great fit since I spent half of my childhood drawing pictures of unicorns and reading books about them. I still have my unicorn bed sheets from when I
was little!) So Riley and I started talking and planning, and we created the fabulous world of Enchanted Pony Academy. Together, we came up with the story you just read.
Publishing a book takes a while, and Riley will be thirteen when the books come out. Maybe she’s not quite so in love with ponies anymore, but she is still the most fabulous, inventive, artistic, interesting child I can imagine, and I can’t wait to see what she continues to create as she gets older. Riley has a very special Glitter Gift indeed. I love you, kiddo! Thanks for sharing this journey with me.
The magic continues!
Read on for a sneak peek at Skydancer’s story …
Skydancer rustled her wings in excitement as she listened to plans for the Homecoming celebration. It was her first month at the Enchanted Pony Academy, the magical school hidden beyond the clouds. At the academy she and the other Glitter Ponies worked on their magic to become pets for the royal children of the hundred kingdoms.
“Homecoming is our first competition between the four barns,” explained Belissima, the lead pony of Skydancer’s barn, Earth barn. There were four barns at the school: Earth, Sun, Sky, and Water. “Homecoming is so much fun!”
Skydancer’s best friend, Daisy, swished her tail and smiled. Every pony had a Glitter Gift, but Daisy had one of the most incredible ones. She could turn invisible! And she was a wonderful friend.
“We must have the best float for the school-spirit contest,” Belissima went on, pacing up and down at the front of their barn. “We’ll use our magical talents to create an amazing float and then enter it in the parade around the exhibition field. Earth barn almost always wins, but we need some great ideas. Anyone have something spectacular in mind?”
“I could put on a fireworks show,” said Stone, stomping his hooves. His Glitter Gift was making sparks shoot from his horn and he loved playing tricks and surprising other ponies. “Turn my sparks into fireworks!” A few pops fizzled from his horn.
“Your spell didn’t rhyme. Of course it didn’t work!” said Lavender, making a row of posies bloom at her feet. She loved showing off her cool Glitter Gift. “I can certainly provide some flowers for the float!”
Skydancer swished her tail. “I will ask my bird friends if they can fly along with the float and sing.” Since her Glitter Gift was talking to other winged creatures, she knew she could get them to help.
“Great! We have to work together to create something amazing,” Belissima said. “But the student who works the hardest and contributes the most out of all the students in the four barns will be named Grand Pony Marshal of the Homecoming parade. The marshal even gets to pull the golden chariot around the track, leading the floats! All our former students will be returning to the school with their royal children for the celebration! Your families can come, too. It’s a wonderful day.”
The ponies started whinnying and chattering.
“And you get to wear this.” Belissima levitated a beautiful medal in front of the group. The rare gems from each barn were embedded in a gold circle. “This medal has been worn by the Grand Pony Marshal at Homecoming for hundreds of years. Usually, second-year ponies win that honor, but you never know! Maybe it’ll be your turn next. Pass it around for a closer look at it. But be careful. It is very old and very precious.”
The ponies took turns admiring the incredible piece. Skydancer could imagine it shining brightly on her chest as she pranced around the exhibition field. Her parents would be so proud! She was their only pony, and they expected big things from her. That medal would prove she was as special as they hoped she’d be. And wouldn’t that be a great way to prove she’d be a perfect pet for the royal children someday? She was going to work her hardest on the float so she could be named Grand Pony Marshal.
“Let’s get busy. Homecoming is in less than a week.” Belissima took back the medal.
Skydancer couldn’t wait to talk to her bird friends for some float ideas. Maybe she could lasso a cloud and make it look like the float was … floating? Skydancer chuckled, amused by the funny thought.
As the ponies started leaving, Belissima stopped Skydancer. “Could you fly this back to Headmaster Elegius? He wants to put it away for safekeeping. We’re lucky he even let us look at it.” She gave her the medal.
“No problem.” Skydancer liked being helpful, especially here at the academy. Someday, she’d be helping her future owner, one of the royal children of the hundred kingdoms. She and the other ponies had to practice being of service.
With the medal hanging around her neck, Skydancer flew toward the castle. The headmaster’s office was in one of the tall turrets. Skydancer soared through the air feeling positively majestic.
I don’t have to go straight to his office, do I? she wondered. I’ll take it back in a little while. I’m going to enjoy this a bit longer.
She swooped through the air over the training fields, then above the apple orchards. She had to be careful not to leave school grounds. That wasn’t allowed.
She flew over the river, wondering if she’d see one of the seaponies rising to the surface. Skydancer and her friends had ventured out to spy on them when they’d first arrived at school. Later, Daisy befriended a seapony named Marina, trading apples for their delicious seaweed that grew in great forests underwater. Marina loved hearing about the Enchanted Pony Academy and comparing it to the school the seaponies attended to become helpers for the royal mer-children.
Wouldn’t Marina be impressed if Skydancer became Grand Pony Marshal? Her parents would be, too. Everyone would be impressed. She was only a first-year student.
She flapped her wings in the breeze, closing her eyes as she imagined the cheers she’d receive as Grand Pony Marshal.
“Skydancer! Skydancer!” everyone would chant. She could almost hear her name ringing out across the field.
She opened her eyes. She really could hear her name being called. Several bird friends were flying alongside her trying to get her attention.
“Skydancer!” a bird called. “Stop!”
Lisa Ann Scott is the author of School of Charm. A former TV news reporter and anchor, she currently works as a voice-over artist and writer. She lives in Upstate New York with her husband and two kids. For more about Lisa and her books, visit LisaAnnScott.com.
#1: All That Glitters
#2: Wings That Shine
#3: Let It Glow
#4: Dreams That Sparkle
Text copyright © 2017 by Lisa Ann Scott
Illustrations by Heather Burns © 2017 Scholastic Inc.
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Cover art by Heather Burns, © 2017 Scholastic Inc.
Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll
First printing 2017
e-ISBN 978-0-545-90888-7
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