Shamrock's Stable Sleepover
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For lovers of sparkles, rainbows, and magic
1 Up and Away!
Shamrock peered through his thick, black-rimmed glasses at his space-themed backpack. Sprinkled all over the pack were tiny glow-in-the-dark stars, which matched the rest of his room. Bright orange, red, and purple planets hung from the ceiling on strings, and a telescope was arranged by his window, pointing toward the sky. Shamrock was always reading about the discoveries of famous unicorn astronomers, and dreamt of making his own discoveries one day. He loved facts and wanted to know how the whole universe worked.
Tapping his front hoof, Shamrock tried to think of what else he’d need for Sapphire’s sleepover party. Should he bring the telescope with him? He’d never been to a sleepover before, but he had read about them in books and was pretty sure he knew how it would go. Sapphire lived at the beach, so they would probably explore the seaside caves during the day and study the stars at night. Comet and Twilight, Shamrock’s other best friends, would also be there. Knowing Comet, she would bring delicious treats that she had baked herself. Still, Shamrock couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. He knew the other three unicorns had been to sleepovers before. He hoped he wouldn’t be terribly out of the loop.
Shamrock decided they would take turns with Sapphire’s telescope, so there was no need to bring his own. But he did pack his brand-new, very favorite book. Using his horn, he grabbed 1,000 Incredible and Astonishing Facts from his book hook. When in doubt, he knew he could dazzle his friends with new facts.
“Shamrock! Time to go!” Dad called out.
“We don’t want to fly this thing in the dark, remember!” he heard his Pop add.
Shamrock and his dads lived high up on a mountain and used a hot-air balloon for travel. Otherwise it would take weeks to get anywhere!
“Coming!” Shamrock yelled back. At this point, he could only hope he was prepared.
He zipped the pack up with his mouth, slipped his head through the long loop, and hurried toward the front door. Through the door’s window, he could see that his parents were already waiting on the lawn. Even though he was used to it, Shamrock was still impressed by the bright rainbow colors of the balloon. It billowed and waved in the wind, looking eager to rise up into the sky. The huge basket was held in place by large ropes attached to spikes in the ground.
Shamrock trotted out to join his family. His dads walked into the basket and started undoing the ropes. Shamrock followed, closed the door behind him, and made himself cozy. Pop, who was always thinking ahead like Shamrock, had loaded the basket with blankets and pillows to make the journey comfortable.
Dad untied the big ropes, and they were off. Floating high above Sunshine Springs, Shamrock watched the mountains get smaller and smaller as they made their way over little towns and winding roads. To the north, he could spot the hill that Unicorn University, his school, stood atop. But they were headed south to the ocean. They passed fields that looked like his patched-up quilt back home, and they passed by cotton-candy clouds. Shamrock felt his heart soar. He looked up to see Dad adjusting the flame above their heads. Shamrock knew that the flame heated up the air inside the balloon (which he also knew was technically called the envelope) and that hot air was lighter than cold air, which was why hot-air balloons could float! Shamrock smiled at himself. The science of the hot-air balloon was really magical. He loved flying.
Soon enough he could see the sparkling, deep blue ocean waves whooshing and washing over the beach that Sapphire lived by. It was time for Shamrock’s first sleepover. A seaside sleepover!
2 Good-Byes and Hellos
The white sand was nearly below them as Shamrock’s dad turned down the flame enough to lower the basket over the beach. The sun was low in the sky, painting the clouds different colors, like a big bowl of rainbow sherbet.
“Okay, Shamrock, we’re going to dip low on the sand, and you jump out,” his dad was telling him. “We’ll be back on Sunday to pick you up.”
“Have so much fun, Son!” Pop said with a smile. He gave Shamrock a good-bye nuzzle. “We can’t wait to hear all about it. And look, there are Comet, Sapphire, and Twilight now!”
Shamrock’s heart leapt when he saw his friends running down the beach to meet him. Finally the basket got low enough for Shamrock to jump out to a chorus of good-byes from his dads and hellos from his friends.
Shamrock tried to tell his friends an awesome sunset fact he’d read about in 1,000 Incredible and Astonishing Facts when he landed on the beach, but everyone started talking at once. Comet was shouting about a new pumpkin cupcake recipe she’d recently tried, Twilight was trying to tell them about her new art project, and Sapphire was attempting to herd them to the tent. It was a happy, confusing reunion.
Even though fall break had just started a few days before, Shamrock felt like he hadn’t seen his best friends in ages. He was so excited to be with them, it felt like he was still floating in the hot-air balloon. His face almost hurt because he was smiling so big.
“You guys won’t believe the tent Sapphire put together,” Twilight said when everyone quieted down. Twilight had a jet-black coat, and today her hooves were a sunshine yellow. She painted them different colors all the time, and Shamrock always admired them. She lived much closer to Sapphire than the others did and must have walked over with her parents earlier in the day.
“Let’s go now!” Comet, a rose-colored unicorn, cheered. She was floating with anticipation. Really! Comet had the power of flight. When Shamrock asked how she had traveled, Comet told him that she and her uncle had flown over and arrived just before Shamrock.
“Follow me,” Sapphire said with a proud grin. The four of them trotted down the beach to a grassy bank where a large, red barn stood.
“That’s where we live!” Sapphire said, pointing to the barn with her horn. “But this is where we’ll stay!” She trotted over to a big blue tent. Her blue coat matched it so well, she almost blended in.
Wow. Shamrock was impressed by what his friend had done. String lights were hung up around the tent, and brightly colored rugs and pillows were arranged to make a sort of outdoor living room. In front, she’d made a firepit and even put out sticks and buckets of marshmallows. Shamrock only wondered where the telescope was.
“This is so cool,” Comet said. “I’ve never been camping before!”
“I’m glad you like it. I’ve been working on it all day,” Sapphire said. “But the best part is that my uncle Sea Star is in town. He’s taking my sisters out on his ship right now, but they should be back any minute. He tells the best stories. You’re all going to love him!”
Just as Sapphire finished speaking, a large, gray unicorn came rambling over. He wore his mane in loose braids like Sapphire’s and had one large, gold earring and a red bandanna tied around his neck. He chuckled. “Are you talking about me?”
“Uncle Sea Star! You’re back!” Sapphire said.
Shamrock noticed that four miniature versions of Sapphire had followed Uncle Sea Star over to the tent. They were all talking at once about their boat ride, and it was hard to hear what anyone was saying. Shamrock smiled. This was way different from how it was at his home. He and his dads were usually pretty quiet. Sapphire introduced Uncle Sea Star and her siblings—Ruby, Amber, Opal, and Gem—to her friends.
“Okay, everyone! Come inside for dinner,” a voice called from the red barn.
Shamrock looked up to see a light blue unicorn with a white mane standing in the open barn door, an apron hanging from her neck.
“Coming, Mom!” Sapphire shouted before turning back to her friends. “Come on! You’re going to love my mom’s famous seaweed soup.” Sapphire was saying that they were going to love a lot of things, and
Shamrock believed her. His first sleepover was off to a great start.
The barn’s kitchen was huge, with big windows in the ceiling that you could see the first few stars of the night shine through. Everyone was gathered around a long, wooden table that looked like it was made of driftwood. They were so close to the ocean that you could even hear the waves. Well, only when everyone was slurping their soup and not talking. The soup was salty and delicious and unlike anything Shamrock had ever had before.
Comet licked up the last drop from her bowl and leaned back happily. “I have to have this recipe!”
“I know,” Shamrock agreed. “Is this a special seaweed?”
“It’s from the bay right there. I gathered it this morning,” Sapphire’s mom told them. “Seaweed is always better when it’s fresh.”
“You know, I once knew a unicorn who traveled the world and never went anywhere without a jar of salt water from the bay where she grew up,” Uncle Sea Star said, pushing his own bowl away from him. “Said it kept her mind fresh.”
From there, Uncle Sea Star’s story about the unicorn with the saltwater jar took many twists and turns that Shamrock did not find very believable, but he tried to be polite and listen without interrupting. Shamrock couldn’t help himself, though, when Uncle Sea Star said the unicorn had lived to be a thousand years old because of the water.
“That’s impossible!” Shamrock burst out, surprising everyone at the table.
“Perhaps,” Uncle Sea Star said with a grin. “Though, sea legends can have more truth to them than you might think.”
Shamrock didn’t know what to think, so he looked over at Sapphire, who just shrugged and smiled admiringly at Uncle Sea Star.
After dinner, Sapphire’s younger sisters went up to hear a bedtime story from their mom, and Shamrock and his friends went outside to roast marshmallows. Uncle Sea Star built a roaring fire and asked them if they’d like to hear a ghost story.
Comet and Sapphire gave an enthusiastic “YES!” Shamrock thought Uncle Sea Star’s stories seemed too fantastical, like they were tales for Sapphire’s younger sisters, not older kids who knew things about the world. But when everyone settled on the grass, Shamrock kept quiet and sat down next to Twilight.
The young unicorns waited as Uncle Sea Star gazed into the fire, clearly deep in thought. Probably making up a story on the spot, Shamrock said to himself. It was a cloudy night, and the stars peeked through the dark gray wisps in the sky. The waves washed ashore, creating gentle background music, and the peeping bugs got quieter, as if they were getting ready for the story too. The fire glowed brightly in the center of their small circle and crackled here and there. Shamrock had to admit, it was the perfect setting for a story. If only it were true, he thought.
Uncle Sea Star leaned back against a large boulder. “All righty. This is the oldest sea legend I know,” he began. “I think I first heard it when I was your age.”
Here we go, Shamrock thought. Uncle Sea Star must think we’re a bunch of little ponies.
“Legend has it that for as long as there’ve been unicorns living by the ocean,” Uncle Sea Star said, “the Glowing Horn has been floating along our shores, protecting an unknown treasure. Many, many unicorns have seen it when they’ve been out at sea. Even I have seen the Glowing Horn on a misty night—”
“Oh, come on!” Shamrock grumbled, unable to keep quiet any longer. “You did not really see a ghost.”
“Shush, Shamrock,” Comet said. “He’s telling the story!”
Shamrock felt his cheeks flush. That wasn’t very nice of him to interrupt Uncle Sea Star. “Sorry,” he said softly.
“It’s true, I really did see it,” Uncle Sea Star continued. “It was at night, when the moon was but a sliver and the water was as black as ink. At first I didn’t believe it either. I thought it was just my eyes getting tired, but I blinked and I rubbed and—sure as seashells—there was a bright Glowing Horn bobbing in the waves. I knew then, as I know now, that the old story says that whoever reaches the Glowing Horn will find unknown treasure.”
Uncle Sea Star paused for a moment and looked out to the ocean. The silence stretched on for what felt like forever. Sapphire whinnied impatiently.
“Tell us more about the treasure,” Comet blurted out. Even Twilight looked interested.
Shamrock wasn’t sure why, but it made him mad that Uncle Sea Star was pretending to tell the truth when this was all make-believe. He couldn’t help but push back. “Well, where’s the treasure now?” he asked.
Shamrock was pretty sure that was rude too and felt a little bad about it. Uncle Sea Star was being nice, after all. But Shamrock couldn’t stand hearing a story so clearly not based in fact. Uncle Sea Star just looked at him and smiled. “I never went after the horn.”
“What? Why not?” Comet almost sounded mad.
“Because every unicorn that has been lured into the sea by the Glowing Horn’s treasure has never been seen again!”
All four unicorn friends jumped back. Even Shamrock! Then they giggled at themselves. Uncle Sea Star chuckled along with them. “All right, time for bed, kids. I’ll be out in the morning getting some new supplies for my next sea voyage, but I’ll see you for dinner tomorrow.” With that, he walked back to the big barn. Even if the whole thing was made up, Shamrock had to admit that Uncle Sea Star could tell a good story.
Shamrock was too tired to even suggest looking through a telescope, and he could tell his friends were sleepy too. So he followed Sapphire to the tent, where everyone settled into their blankets and pillows. The others kept whispering about treasure and ghosts. Shamrock was a little annoyed by how they all seemed to believe Uncle Sea Star’s story, when he knew they were smarter than that. Soon enough, their conversation ended, and he could hear Comet’s soft snores. Shamrock snuggled in with 1,000 Incredible and Astonishing Facts to read some true stories before falling asleep.
3 Beach Day Blues
The next morning, Shamrock woke up to the sounds of his friends laughing. He sat up, seeing that everyone was still in tangles of blankets and pillows. The morning air was crisp and cool, so Shamrock snuggled back into his own cozy blanket.
“I dreamt about ghosts all night,” Twilight was saying, her eyes big. “I kept thinking there was a Glowing Horn in the tent!” She shuddered.
“Out of everyone, I thought you would be the least afraid of ghosts, Twilight,” Sapphire said.
“What do you mean?” Shamrock asked, sitting up. He yawned and put on his glasses. Maybe Sapphire will be reasonable about this ghost business.
“Well, Twilight’s ability is sort of ghosty. When she’s invisible, we can’t see her, but we can hear her!” Sapphire explained.
“It is not the same!” Twilight screeched.
Comet laughed. “Of course it’s not! ’Cause you’re aliiiiivve!” Comet said the last part like she was telling a scary story of her own, and all the friends started laughing.
One of Sapphire’s sisters came in to tell them that breakfast was ready. They followed her into the barn for a breakfast of kelp muffins topped with melting butter. Shamrock ate four.
“I’m going to look for the Glowing Horn today,” Comet announced as the four friends walked down to the beach.
“Don’t do it!” Twilight warned as they wove their way through the tall grass. “I mean, you don’t want to be lured out to sea forever, do you?”
“She’s right,” Sapphire agreed, and looked back at them. She was leading everyone to a special secret beach she’d told them about at breakfast. “All the treasure stories around here always lead to bad things. Trust me, I’ve heard a lot of them.”
Shamrock took a deep breath. “Guys, there is no evidence that ghosts are real. In fact, these stories usually hide real scientific truths. So they’re kind of dangerous. I’ve been meaning to show you this new book I have, 1,000 Incredible and Astonishing Facts—”
But Comet didn’t let him finish. “Actually, I have a theory about the ghost.”
“The story says you can’t go after the ghost,” she continued, “but what about inviting the ghost to shore?”
“Guys!” Shamrock yelled this time. “Ghosts are not real. We know this. However, I’ve done research on the caves here, and there are stones in there that are way more interesting than any ghost. Some of them even sparkle in the dark, without sunlight! Why don’t we go rock hunting instead of ghost hunting?”
Shamrock looked around at his friends, expecting to see their faces lighting up with excitement. But they didn’t seem to get it. He felt his heart sink with disappointment.
Sapphire said, “Let’s hang on the beach for a little while. I brought a blanket and a hoofball.” Sapphire held up her basket so he could see. “There are some cool shells around here, though!”
Shamrock was bummed, but Comet and Twilight were already helping Sapphire set up the beach blanket, and at least this did not involve silly ghost hunting.
“Ooh, and your mom packed us some more of the kelp muffins,” Comet said, bringing out her own basket. “I’m pretty sure I’ll eat ten today.”
They lounged and laughed on the beach, and Shamrock had to admit that it was fun, even if there weren’t any special rocks around. He got out his copy of 1,000 Incredible and Astonishing Facts and showed it to Sapphire.
“This is so cool, Shamrock!” Sapphire was as excited as he was about it. “Actually, I kind of wonder what it says about ghosts.”
Shamrock groaned.
“I can tell you about a ghost,” Comet told them. “Once, when I was staying at my great-aunt Jupiter’s, I was sleeping on the couch, and I swear I saw an old bathrobe dancing on its own in the middle of the night. Just swirling around the living room!”