“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 Palace.
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.
“Sounds like Ernest made another mistake,” Flash said, grimacing.
“What will we do?” Sunbeam asked.
“Well,” Breeze said, “Cressida says she has one last idea.”
All the unicorn princesses turned toward Cressida. She smiled and nodded. And then she said, “I do have a plan, but we’ll need Moon’s help.”
Moon shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I have to admit I really want the Blast to be canceled. I still have bad dreams about the time I fell off my kite. I don’t
