by Pip Bird
The entrance to the forest was shrouded in sparkly cobwebs, and they began to pick their way carefully through them.
“Brave’s stopped!” called Raheem, still outside the forest.
Mira turned Dave around. “It’s okay, Raheem,” she said. “It’s not that dark and terrifying in here, I promise!”
It took a while but Raheem and Brave finally came trotting through. “It really was Brave, not me,” said Raheem grumpily. “He wouldn’t move.”
As they made their way through the forest, there was less birdsong and they could only just glimpse the sky through the thick branches up above them. Even though it was a little spooky, Mira couldn’t help but feel happy. She was on an actual QUEST (sort of), and Dave had been awake for hours!
“I wish we didn’t have to trek through this terrifying forest,” muttered Raheem. He was struggling to stay on Brave, who kept backing away from cobwebs and snorting wildly.
“I know what will distract us,” said Darcy, moving Star away from Brave, who was shaking his mane. “Let’s sing the school song!” She began to sing loudly and somewhat tunelessly:
“We love our unicorns, yes we do!
We keep them safe and glitter their shoes—”
Brave suddenly gave a strange, high-pitched whinny and Raheem pointed at the path ahead of them. It was blocked by three huge tree trunks.
“Oh no!” said Mira. “I’m sure we’re getting close to Class Red now.” She jumped off Dave and climbed up one of the tree trunks, brushing aside more of the sparkly cobwebs. “Yes! The path forks just up ahead, and the Glitter Glade should be down the hill on the left.”
“Let’s jump it,” said Darcy, backing Star up to get ready.
Brave started shaking. “I think he’s trying to tell us something,” said Raheem.
“He probably just wants to go first,” said Mira. “Brave by name, brave by nature!”
At that, Brave knelt down on the path and put his hooves over his eyes.
Raheem looked down at his unicorn and then up at the tree trunks. “Maybe he’s scared of heights?” Brave snorted indignantly and shook his head.
“Look, Brave, Star and I will go first,” said Darcy. “You’ll be fine!”
Star cantered up to the logs and jumped clean over them. Darcy let out a happy whoop on the other side.
Mira hopped back onto Dave and pointed him toward the trunks.
“What do you think, Dave?”
Dave ran straight at the trunks … and then scrambled through a gap at the bottom of the trees, scaring away spiders and cobwebs, with Mira clinging on to his back. It was a clever way to get through, Mira had to admit, even though she’d swallowed a cobweb or two.
Moments later Raheem and Brave came soaring over the trunks.
“It was the spiders!” said Raheem. “As soon as Dave scared them away, Brave was fine!”
The unicorns and the children all high-fived one another, though Brave still looked a bit shaky.
“It’s okay, boy.” Raheem patted his unicorn’s neck. “Spiders are harmless really. We got through it together!”
“Come on, Team Rescue Quest!” called Mira. She was still buzzing from getting past the tree trunks. NOTHING was going to stop them!
Well, until the unicorns’ hooves slipped and the friends found themselves tumbling down a steep, muddy, leaf-covered hill …
CHAPTER NINE
To the Rescue!
Mira opened her eyes, rubbing her sore head. She was at the bottom of a pile of Raheem, Darcy, and their three unicorns, at the foot of the steep slope. Then a big shape loomed over them. It said, “YOU are supposed to be in detention.”
“Miss Glitterhorn!” said Mira. “We found you! We’re here to rescue you!”
Their teacher helped Mira and the others up. Mira could see that they were in the Glitter Glade! It was a beautiful grassy clearing in the trees, with streams of glitter running down from the hills nearby. Everything sparkled. The unicorns were holding ornate-looking boxes in their teeth, which the students were filling with glitter from the sparkly piles on the glade floor.
But, Mira realized, no one seemed to be in any trouble. Everyone in Class Red looked … well, fine. They were all staring at Mira and her friends, mid–glitter scoop.
“Uh … we don’t need rescuing?” said Jake, making a face at them.
“But … you sent up a glitter flare to ask for help.” Mira was suddenly unsure of herself.
“A what?” Miss Glitterhorn crossed her arms. “Mira, that was a glitter cannon to celebrate the start of the quest.”
“But … we heard a moaning and wailing sound. We thought something terrible was after you!” Darcy said, pulling leaves out of her hair.
Freya stepped forward and rolled her eyes. “That was lunchtime. The unicorns wanted to sing karaoke.”
“That’s enough, Freya, you know the unicorns love to sing.” Miss Glitterhorn sighed.
As if on cue, Firework and Sparkles burst into a howl, and then Princess joined in with several bloodcurdling screams.
Mira winced. It sounded like the time she had accidentally sat on Pickles.
Miss Glitterhorn stared at Mira and her friends angrily. “You are all in BIG trouble. We will deal with this when we get back to the school.”
Mira’s heart was thumping. Could you get EXPELLED from Unicorn School?
Freya appeared at Mira’s side. “Don’t worry. The quest hasn’t been that fun. You didn’t miss much.”
They looked over at Freya’s sister, Flo, who was rolling around in glitter with Sparkles and laughing with joy. Seb ran past with an armful of glitter, shouting, “THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!!”
“Well, it’s a little bit fun,” admitted Freya.
“But Jake’s in a terrible mood because Miss Glitterhorn said we couldn’t collect the rainbow glitter from the edge of the Mystical Danger Cliff. It’s too dangerous for first years—you have to be Class Green or above.”
“Very sensible,” said Raheem.
Just then the glade darkened as clouds appeared in the sky.
Miss Glitterhorn clapped her hands and told the rest of the class to hurry up. “Almost time to return to school, children! Remember, we must collect enough glitter to fill the Great Horn so the unicorns can glitter their horns at the party. And there is an extra medal for whoever collects the most glitter!”
And then the rain started. It was the suddenest, heaviest rain shower Mira had ever seen. The children were all soaked through within seconds. Darcy and Star and Raheem and Brave sped over to the nearest tree for shelter.
Mira was about to follow when she heard a noise. She stopped, straining to listen over the rain. It sounded like someone calling for help …
Mira knew her teacher wouldn’t believe her, not after the rescue quest turned out to be—well, neither a rescue nor a quest. And Miss Glitterhorn was busy gathering the class and the glitter together. Mira looked over at her friends sheltering under the tree. She couldn’t risk getting them into even more trouble.
But what if she was right this time?
She looked around to check that no one was watching her, then gave Dave a nudge, and they both crept off down the path in the direction of the sound.
The path under their feet became rockier. Then they saw a sign that said, MYSTICAL DANGER CLIFF UP AHEAD. Then another one that said, CLASS GREEN AND ABOVE ONLY PAST THIS POINT. Mira and Dave looked at each other.
“Should we do it?” said Mira.
Dave trotted over to the sign and kicked it into a bush, and then looked back at Mira.
Well that was one way of dealing with it.
Then they saw it. An enormous cliff face covered in rainbow glitter. A narrow, rocky path led across the side of the cliff to the edge, which jutted out over a ravine. There had been some sort of landslide, and the path was blocked by a huge mound of glitter. Standing against the cliff edge, on the other side of the mound, were Jake and Pegasus.
“Jake? JAKE!”
“Mira?”
Jake took a step along the narrow path toward her. A few glittery rocks crumbled off into the ravine below.
“Stop!” yelled Mira. “Wait there, I’ll go get Miss Glitterhorn.”
“NO!” Jake backed up against the cliff. “I … I don’t want to get into trouble.”
Mira hesitated. Jake and Pegasus really were in danger on the cliff path, but she didn’t want to get him in trouble with Miss Glitterhorn. And Mira was in enough trouble herself already … She made up her mind.
“Jake, we have to get back to school safely. Just stay there and I’ll go for help.”
But Dave wouldn’t budge. He’d started eating the bottom of the rainbow glitter avalanche. Mira didn’t even know if glitter was edible. But that had never stopped Dave before.
Mira nudged Dave with her knees. “Dave, come on, we’ve got to get Miss Glitterhorn.”
Dave started chomping even more greedily. He was crushing pebbles in his teeth as he gobbled the glitter down. His bottom was wiggling as he moved forward, and he was making happy snorting noises. Dave and Mira were practically tunneling into the avalanche now!
“What’s happening?!” Jake sounded worried.
“We’re just … Dave’s just … eek!”
Dave took one last huge bite of glitter and backed away. Mira gasped. There was now a clear path to Jake and Pegasus!
“He’s just … rescuing you!” Mira stroked Dave’s ears and Dave gave a happy burp.
The rain stopped as suddenly as it had started. Jake and Pegasus tiptoed back down the cliff path.
“Are you okay?” asked Mira, as Jake stepped off the dangerous path.
“Yes, I’m fine.” Jake still looked pretty pale and shaken.
“Why did you come to pick more glitter when the class was going back?”
Jake shrugged and looked down at his feet. “Some of us have parents who actually expect them to be the best and not to mess absolutely everything up.”
Mira didn’t know what to say to that, so they trotted back up the path in silence. Except for Dave’s sparkly burps.
* * *
Mira and Jake caught up with their class on the other side of the tree trunks.
“Where on earth have you been?” asked Miss Glitterhorn, as she was counting the students.
Mira looked at Jake, who had an expression of panic on his face.
“Dave and Pegasus both really needed to poop,” said Mira.
“Right. Thank you for the detail, Mira. Now let’s get back to school.”
Once they’d made it through the forest and back to school, everyone hurried into the stables to dry themselves and their unicorns off. The unicorns settled into their stables for a snack and a nap. Mira, Raheem, and Darcy were told to write “I must not escape detention” one hundred times each before the quest party. The rest of Class Red went to change into dry clothes.
Mira could hear Jake boasting about how much glitter he’d collected as they made their way inside. She passed him in the corridor and Jake stopped talking and blushed.
“What was that about?” asked Darcy.
“Oh, I dunno,” said Mira. “Come on, let’s get ready for the party.”
CHAPTER TEN
Party Time
Mira was upset that she wouldn’t be getting a medal in her very first quest ceremony. But she couldn’t be too sad when the preparations were so much fun! The unicorns needed to be groomed and glitter-shoed, and the students had to put their rainbow T-shirts on.
That afternoon, Class Red filed out onto the paddock with their unicorns. The entire school was waiting and cheering for them. The knitted mural of the Great Quest of 1488 was back up and there were sparkly flags everywhere. Class Red sat down in a row at the front. The school staff were sitting on a platform, and there was something really tall and big hidden under a golden curtain.
Madame Shetland got up on the sparkly mounting block and clapped for silence.
“It is a very special day. Class Red has been on their first quest.”
The whole school cheered.
“They did a lot of glitter picking and successfully filled the Great Horn!”
Madame Shetland nodded to Colin the caretaker, who pulled the golden curtain away to reveal a giant, glittery, curved, upside-down unicorn horn. Everyone gasped!
“And I am thrilled to announce that the very special extra medal for Most Glitter Collected on Class Red’s first quest goes to Flo. She picked seventeen boxes of glitter AND brought back another two boxes’ worth in her hair and on her clothes. Such dedication to glitter picking,” said Madame Shetland.
The entire school burst into applause. Flo skipped up to the stage to collect her medal, leaving a trail of glittery footprints on the way.
Madame Shetland clapped her hands again. “Marvelous! Class Red, you may now come up to receive your medals for completing the first quest!”
Class Red got up to collect their medals from the stage. Freya, Tamsin, and Seb all whooped as they were presented with theirs. Jake even did a bow. Mira, Raheem, and Darcy stayed in the audience, feeling a bit gloomy. When Madame Shetland gestured to them to come and collect their medals, Miss Glitterhorn spoke loudly so that everyone could hear. “Madame Shetland, these three students left detention without permission to join the quest. Therefore, they will not be receiving any medals.”
Madame Shetland frowned. “That is very unfortunate. But the School Rules are clear: number 11…”
“No Quest, No Medal,” said Mira sadly.
Just then, someone coughed from the stage.
Mira looked around to see where the cough had come from. Then, to her surprise, Jake started speaking.
“Miss,” he said, softly at first, “they did escape detention—”
“All right, Jake, don’t rub it in!” Darcy shouted at him.
“They did escape,” Jake repeated, speaking louder now, “but it was only because they were worried about us. And actually, Mira saved me on the way back. I’d … gotten lost. They … they should get medals, too. Maybe just small ones.”
Jake’s cheeks were red and he was frowning and looking very uncomfortable.
Madame Shetland thought for a moment.
“This is very noble. But they did not complete the quest and they did leave detention without permission. That is very naughty.”
Darcy squeezed Mira’s hand.
“However,” said Madame Shetland, “their behavior ultimately enabled them to help a fellow student. So, Mira, Raheem, and Darcy, will you please come up to the stage to receive your medals for … Being Cautious and Concerned for One’s Fellow Students.”
The whole school started clapping and cheering. Mira even thought she could hear Rani yelling her name in the crowd.
They gave one another high fives as they got off the stage. “Medals for being cautious, hey? Your dad will be so proud, Raheem!” said Darcy.
“He really will!” Raheem beamed.
“I’m sorry I got us into more trouble,” said Mira. “But I had the best time with you guys. Friendship really is the best kind of magic.”
And I finally got a medal, Mira thought, as she stroked it happily.
The party was AMAZING. There were cupcakes and balloons and glitter everywhere.
There were bumper cars, a bouncy castle, and a ball toss. And a long line for the Great Horn. This was the highlight of the party for the unicorns, because it made their horns super sparkly, which is what makes unicorns happiest.
Each student and their unicorn stood under the upside-down horn, and when they were ready, Miss Hind pulled a rope and the horn released a shower of glitter onto the pair.
Speaking of unicorns, Mira hadn’t seen Dave since the medal ceremony. She started looking for him in the crowd. Then there was a snort behind her.
“Dave! There you are—oh!” Mira stopped, shocked.
Dave was wearing the chewed-up crown she had made for him. He’d put glitter in his mane and was wearing wha
t looked like … gold mascara?
He was carrying a picture in his mouth. He’d dressed up as Princess Delilah Sparklehoof! Mira felt like she might cry with happiness. Then she laughed and gave Dave a massive hug. “Oh, Dave! Did you throw up the crown and everything?”
He nodded.
Mira gave him a kiss. “Thank you.”
Mira led Dave to the cupcake table and held out the punch bowl for him to slurp. She looked around. She saw her new friends and their unicorns. She saw their quest medals and then looked at her own special medal. Nothing was quite as she’d expected at Unicorn School, but she wouldn’t change a single thing.
Dave did a big poop next to the treats table.
Well, she might change one or two little things. Mira quickly dragged Dave away before anyone noticed.
“Come on, Dave, you need some more glitter.” Mira led him over to the Great Horn for their photo. “You’re not what I expected, Dave,” she said, “but you’re one special unicorn.”
As the glitter rained down on them, Mira realized that she had had the best time. And she couldn’t wait to have more amazing adventures with Dave the unicorn!
WHO IS YOUR UNICORN BEST FRIEND FOREVER (UBFF)?
Answer these questions to find out who your UBFF is!
If you were having a unicorn sleepover, what would you and your unicorn BFF do all night? Sing karaoke, make up fabulous dance routines, and take selfies.
Go on a daring midnight adventure.
Make friendship bracelets!
Eat and sleep.
What would be your favorite class at Unicorn School? Drama. You like to be the star of the show!
PE. You like to be super fit and ready for quests.
History. You love learning about amazing unicorns of the past.
Lunch.
What makes you laugh the most? Surprises. BOO! Ha ha ha ha.
