by Emily Bliss
Cressida nodded. She wanted to stay and dance in the hollow tree for at least another hour or two, but she also felt excited to see the ballroom. “Thank you so very much for introducing me to your instruments and playing your new music for me,” she said.
“Our pleasure!” Ringo, Roland, Rita, and Renee all said at once.
“See you at the Starlight Ball,” Moon said.
And with that, Cressida followed Moon out the door and down the steps that spiraled around the tree trunk to the ground.
“I can’t wait to show you the ballroom,” Moon said as she stepped off the spiral staircase and into the grassy meadow. “The raccoons, wolves, owls, opossums, frogs, and I all designed and built it together out of rocks, tree branches, twigs, and pine cones.”
Cressida followed Moon past more oak trees and through a jungle of tall, white diamond-shaped flowers. “The ballroom is just around this corner,” Moon said as the path jutted sharply to the left.
As soon as they turned, Moon stopped short. “Oh no,” she gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Cressida asked, looking all around for the ballroom. All she could see was a clearing with a large, muddy circle littered with rocks.
“Something happened to the ballroom,” Moon said, dipping a hoof in the mud and frowning.
“It was here?” Cressida asked, trying to imagine how a ballroom—even one made of rocks, tree branches, twigs, and pine cones—could just suddenly disappear.
“Yes,” Moon said, her voice wavering. “I bet it’s another of Ernest’s magical mishaps. He means well, but he really is pretty terrible at magic.” A tear slid down Moon’s cheek. “Well, I guess we’ll have to cancel the ball. We certainly can’t dance in this mud.”
“I’m so sorry the ballroom is gone,” Cressida said, putting her arm around Moon. “But let’s see if we can think of a way to still have the ball.”
More tears slid down Moon’s cheeks. “It took us months and months to build the ballroom,” she said, her voice shaking. “I don’t think we could possibly make another one in the next hour or two. I’m sure we’ll have to cancel it.”
“I’m not quite ready to give up,” Cressida said, smiling sympathetically at Moon. “I would be pretty disappointed not to get to go to my very first ball.”
As Cressida tried to think of a way to save the Starlight Ball, she gazed out again at the circle of rocks and mud. And then she noticed something shiny right in the middle of where the ballroom had once been.
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing to the shiny thing.
“I’m not sure,” Moon said, sniffling. “Why don’t we go see?”
Cressida pulled up the skirt of her ball gown as she walked toward the center of the circle, but she still managed to splatter mud all over her dress and her unicorn sneakers. She didn’t mind. Life wouldn’t be much fun if she spent all her time trying not to get dirty.
“I just polished my hooves this morning to get ready for the ball, and now they’re getting all muddy,” Moon said. “I guess it probably doesn’t matter now.”
In the center of the muddy, rocky circle where the ballroom had once been, Cressida crouched down to discover the shiny thing she and Moon had spotted: a crown made of thin gold wires, meant to look like vines, that twisted around bright pink, star-shaped sapphires. The sapphires, Cressida noticed, were exactly the same shade of pink as her ball gown. “It’s beautiful,” she said.
“It’s gorgeous,” Moon agreed, though her voice sounded sad. Then, with one of her muddy black hooves, she tried to move the crown. It wouldn’t budge. Next, she tried to pick it up with her mouth. It still wouldn’t move. “That’s weird,” Moon said. “Maybe it’s stuck to a rock. Do you want to try?”
“Sure,” Cressida said. She reached out and put her hands on the crown and pulled up, expecting she wouldn’t be able to lift it. But to her surprise, it came right off the ground. As she held it in her hands, the crown began to glow and hum.
Moon gasped. “How on earth did you do that?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Cressida said, feeling puzzled. “I just picked it up.”
Moon tilted her head to the side. “How strange,” she said. “Why don’t you try putting it on?”
Cressida grinned and put the crown on her head. It felt light and comfortable, as though it belonged to her. For a moment, the humming noise got louder, and then a magic wand, made of a long, gold vine with a pink, star-shaped sapphire at the end, appeared in Cressida’s hand.
“Wow!” Moon said, looking at the crown and the wand. “Now you look like Princess Cressida. And not just Princess Cressida, but Magic Princess Cressida.”
“You don’t think this wand really is magic, do you?” Cressida asked, turning the wand over in her hand.
“It might be,” Moon said, brightening. “Try waving it and see what happens.”
“Okay,” Cressida said, shrugging. She looked at a brown rock by her feet and waved her wand at it. She didn’t expect anything to happen, but to her amazement, the star-shaped sapphire at the end sparkled, and light poured out. Then the rock disappeared and in its place grew a small, pink vine. Cressida giggled with delight and waved the wand at the vine again, this time holding the pink sapphire above the vine and lifting upward. The vine grew!
“I have magic powers!” Cressida sang out, jumping so that even more mud splattered all over her dress, her shoes, and Moon. Her unicorn friend smiled, but Cressida noticed her eyes looked even sadder and more disappointed than before.
“I’m so glad you have a new crown and a magic wand,” Moon said, “but I have to confess I was hoping your special magic power would be to make a new ballroom appear.”
Cressida put her arms around Moon and gave her a hug. “That would have been wonderful,” Cressida agreed. And then, suddenly, she had an idea. “I think my new magic power might be the next best thing. I have a plan for how to build a new ballroom.”
“Really?” Moon said, looking doubtful. “In just an hour?”
“Yes,” Cressida said, looking at the pink vine for several seconds. “But we’ll need some help from Breeze and Firefly.”
“Well then, we’re in luck,” Moon said, smiling hopefully. “Look behind you.”
Cressida turned around to see Breeze and Firefly galloping toward them.
For several seconds, Breeze and Firefly stared at the circle of rocks and mud. Then Breeze asked, “Where’s the ballroom?”
“What happened?” Firefly asked.
Moon told Breeze and Firefly the story of how they had come to finish decorating the ballroom, only to find a giant circle of mud and rocks. “But look what Cressida found in the middle of all the mud,” Moon said, pointing her horn toward Cressida.
Breeze and Firefly noticed Cressida’s crown and wand and grinned.
“I call her Magic Princess Cressida,” Moon said. “Especially because she says she has a plan to save the Starlight Ball.”
“If anyone can save the Starlight Ball, it’s Magic Princess Cressida,” Breeze said.
“Definitely,” Firefly added.
Cressida blushed. “It’s true that I have an idea,” she said. “But I’ll need your help.”
“Of course,” Breeze and Firefly said at once.
But then Breeze paused and looked at Moon. “Did you make a decision about the music?” she asked.
Moon grinned. “Yes,” she said. “Cressida and I visited the raccoons during their practice session, and we had an amazing time dancing to their new music. It turns out it’s even easier to dance to than the traditional unicorn music! I’ve decided that if Cressida can find a way to save the ball, I’m going to ask them to only play their new music. And then Cressida and I will teach everyone to dance to it.”
Cressida felt surprised, but she had to admit she wasn’t disappointed. The most fun she had ever had dancing had been in the hollow tree.
Firefly frowned.
Breeze sighed and shook her head. “Please, Moon,” she said
. “Let’s not risk ruining the ball. Let’s ask the raccoons to stick to the traditional music.”
Firefly nodded. “I’ve been practicing my traditional unicorn dances all week. I don’t want to spend the entire ball standing by the wall watching everyone else dance or feeling awkward and silly on the dance floor.”
“But—” Moon began. She looked down at her hooves. “I really think we could all learn to dance to the new music together. It will be fun.”
Breeze sighed and shook her head. “I don’t really feel like helping to build a new ballroom knowing that I probably won’t even want to stay at the ball.”
“Me neither,” Firefly said, frowning.
Suddenly, Moon, Breeze, and Firefly all looked like they might start crying.
Cressida took a deep breath. “I have an idea,” she said. “I can completely understand that Breeze and Firefly want to have a great time at the ball, and that they’re worried the wrong music will ruin it. And I can also see why Moon wants the raccoons to play the new music. She and I had a fantastic time dancing to it together just a few minutes ago.” The unicorns all nodded. “So,” Cressida continued, “why don’t we compromise?”
“What does ‘compromise’ mean?” Firefly asked.
“Is that the name of the dance you made up to the new music?” Breeze asked, turning up her nose.
Cressida laughed. “ ‘Compromise’ means we make an agreement with each other where we all get some of the things we want, but not everything,” she explained. “Instead of one of you getting your way, we could come up with a solution that takes all of you into consideration. My brother and I have to compromise all the time when we don’t agree on what games we want to play.”
“That sounds good,” Moon said.
“Let’s try it,” Firefly said.
Breeze nodded.
“How about,” Cressida said, “we ask the raccoons to alternate between old songs and new songs at the ball? That way, if there’s a song one of you doesn’t want to dance to, it won’t be so bad because you know you’ll like the next one.”
Moon thought for a few seconds and said, “I’d be willing to do that.”
Firefly shrugged and nodded. “I’d agree to that.”
Breeze paused and sighed. “I guess that would be okay,” she finally said, still sounding unsure. “But I’m still worried I’ll have a miserable time. I’m not very good at dancing to the traditional unicorn music, and I’ve been doing that my whole life. I’d hate to have to sit out for half the ball if I just can’t learn to dance to the new music.”
Just as Cressida tried to think of another suggestion, Moon said, “I have an idea for another compromise.” She turned to Breeze. “How about if you agree to try your hardest to dance to the new music? And in exchange, I’ll promise that if you try your hardest, and you still can’t do it, I’ll ask the raccoons to stick to the traditional music for the rest of the dance. What do you think?”
Breeze thought for a moment. And then she grinned and nodded. “Yes,” she said. “I can agree to that.”
Cressida smiled at her unicorn friends. “Do we have a plan that’s okay with all of you?”
“Yes!” Moon, Breeze, and Firefly all said at once.
“Well done!” said Cressida. “It usually takes my brother Corey and me a lot longer to reach a compromise. I’m impressed.”
The unicorns grinned.
Moon looked at Cressida. “Magic Princess Cressida, I think we’re ready to build a brand new ballroom.”
Cressida smiled and gripped her magic wand.
Cressida walked to the edge of the circle of mud and rocks and waved her wand at the ground. The star-shaped sapphire at the end sparkled, and light poured out. Instantly, a thick, pink vine sprouted. This time, Cressida held the wand over the vine and lifted upward as far as she could, until the vine was nearly as tall as her mother. Then, still holding up the wand, Cressida took a step to her right. To her relief and delight, more vines instantly grew from the ground.
Cressida slowly walked around the edge of the muddy circle, growing a longer and longer circular wall of vines with each step. When she was only a few feet away from the place where she had begun, she made an arcing motion with her wand to form a doorway. Then Cressida stepped back and smiled at the pink, tangled vines that enclosed the new ballroom.
“Ta da!” Cressida said.
“I’m glad there’s now at least a ballroom,” Moon said, “but what about the floor? Do we have to dance in the mud?”
“I hope not,” Cressida said, though she had to admit dancing in the mud might be at least a little bit fun. She looked at Breeze and asked, “Do you think you could send a giant gust of wind to bring all of Moon’s Midnight Stars to the new ballroom?”
“Excellent idea!” Breeze said. The aquamarine on her ribbon necklace shimmered and blue glittery light shot out from her horn. Then a comet-shaped gust of wind appeared. It danced in circles above the wall of pink vines and then bolted away toward the thick part of the forest where the Midnight Stars lived. A few seconds later, a swirling cyclone of gray stars twisted toward them and entered the ballroom through the arched entrance. Inside, the wind turned into a blizzard that filled the air with stars. Then, with one final gust, they fluttered downward into a pile on the floor.
“I know what to do now!” Moon said, grinning. She pointed her horn toward the sky. Her opal shimmered as sparkling light poured from her horn. Suddenly, everything went pitch black. After a few seconds, the stars began to glow again, brightening as they turned from white to yellow to orange to red.
“Midnight Stars, make a dance floor, please!” Moon called out.
The Midnight Stars lifted off the ground and swirled above the mud and rocks. Then, they dropped down to form a perfect red, glowing floor for the ballroom.
“Excellent work, Breeze and Moon,” Cressida said.
When she turned to her unicorn friends she noticed that Breeze’s gust of wind had left their tails and manes a frizzy, windblown mess. She reached up and touched her own hair. It felt like a bird’s nest that was even more tangled than the vines that formed the ballroom’s walls.
“I guess we’re all going to have messy hair for the ball,” Firefly said.
“We’ll start a new fashion trend,” Cressida said. “We can call it the Breezy Look!”
Breeze laughed. “It’s special style that’s just for dancing to the new music,” she said, winking at Moon.
Cressida grinned. “Now I think we need just a little more light,” she said, turning to Firefly. “Do you think you could create a swarm of fireflies that will hover above our new ballroom?”
“What a fantastic idea,” Firefly said. She pointed her horn toward the ceiling. Her gemstone, an orange citrine, shimmered. Orange light shot from her horn. And then a cloud of fireflies appeared above the new ballroom so the inside glowed a warm yellowy red.
“I love it!” Moon said. “I think this new ballroom is even better than the old one! Thank you, Magic Princess Cressida!”
“Yes, thank you,” Breeze and Firefly said at once.
Cressida slid her magic wand into one of her pockets and paused to admire their hard work. Just then Sunbeam, Flash, Bloom, and Prism arrived for the ball. For a moment, they stared in surprise at the new ballroom, with its pink vine walls, red star-tiled floor, and firefly ceiling. And then they smiled.
“I absolutely love the new ballroom,” Prism said. “But what happened to the old one?”
“And what happened to your manes and tails?” Bloom asked, giggling.
“And why are you absolutely covered in mud?” Flash asked.
“And Cressida,” Sunbeam said, rearing up with delight, “where did you get that crown?”
Moon and Cressida told Flash, Sunbeam, Bloom, and Prism the story of the missing ballroom, the magic crown and wand, the compromise, and the new ballroom. “We’ve given Cressida a new name,” Breeze said. “Now we call her Magic Princess Cressida.”
&n
bsp; “Anytime you need someone to make pink vines grow, you know who to ask,” Cressida said, giggling.
“And,” Firefly added, “we’re calling our messy hair the Breezy Look. It’s a special style that’s just for dancing to the new music.”
“Well, in that case,” Sunbeam said, smiling playfully, “don’t you think we all need to have the Breezy Look?”
Flash, Bloom, and Prism looked uncertain.
“I just spent hours getting my mane and tail ready for the ball,” Flash said. But then she shrugged, smiled, and said, “Oh, why not?”
Bloom and Prism nodded.
“Four more Breezy Looks coming right up!” Breeze said. The aquamarine on her necklace twinkled, blue glittery light poured from her horn, and then a little blue gust of wind appeared. It swirled in circles around Sunbeam, Flash, Bloom, and Prism until their manes and tails looked even messier than Moon’s, Breeze’s, and Firefly’s.
“How do I look?” Bloom asked. Her green mane was so tangled Cressida could hardly see her emerald crown.
“Absolutely breezy,” Cressida said.
“Is that mud part of the style for dancing to the new music too?” Bloom asked, looking at Cressida’s ball gown and sneakers and Moon’s hooves, legs, and cape.
“Not really,” Moon said.
Cressida shook her head. She didn’t really mind the mud. But she supposed that if she were about to go to a ball, it might be nice to have a clean ball gown.
“Allow me to help,” Bloom said. Her emerald glittered. She pointed her horn at a large mud stain on Cressida’s gown. Glittery light shot out, and the spot of mud shrank until Cressida couldn’t see it. Bloom kept shrinking the splattered mud until Cressida’s ball gown looked as clean as it had when Ernest first made it. Then she shrank all the splatters of mud on Moon.
“Thank you!” Cressida and Moon said at the same time.