Moon’s eyes widened. Relief, and then joy, washed over her face. “Really?” she asked, smiling.
“Really!” Cressida said.
“Are you sure?” Moon asked.
“I’m absolutely, positively sure!” Cressida said.
“I would love that,” Moon said. She paused, and furrowed her brow. “But how will we share it?”
“Hmm,” Cressida said. “That’s a good question.” Even though the cape was roomy enough to fit over both of them, a single kite didn’t look like it could safely hold both a girl and a unicorn.
“I can help with that,” Breeze said, bounding over. “Just hold up the cape in front of you, and watch this!”
Cressida took off the cape and held it up. It was as wide as one of her bed sheets.
Breeze pointed her horn at the cape. Her aquamarine glittered. Blue, glittery light shot from her horn and a tiny but fierce gust of wind danced above the cape before it plunged downward, ripping the cape in two.
“Voila!” Breeze exclaimed. “Two magic capes!”
“Perfect,” Cressida said, laughing. “Thank you, Breeze.”
“My pleasure,” Breeze said. She reared up with excitement and trotted back to her kite. Cressida draped one sequined cape over Moon’s back and tied it around the unicorn’s neck.
Then she put on the other one.
“How do I look?” Moon asked, twirling around with excitement.
“Ready to fly!” Cressida responded.
“I’m coming too!” Moon called out, and with her blue sequined cape flapping, she galloped over to her kite and climbed aboard. The other unicorns whinnied and cheered.
Cressida, thrilled her friend felt so much better, sang out, “Here I come!” as she skipped over to the remaining kite.
As soon as Cressida stepped onto her giant blue kite, the kite grinned and said, “Pleasure to meet you! My name is Kelly the Kite. We kites drew straws to see who would get to fly with the very first human girl to fly in the Blast. I was the lucky winner!”
“I can’t wait,” Cressida said. And then, realizing she felt just a little bit nervous, she added, “I’ve never ridden a kite before.”
“I promise to be extra careful so the ride isn’t bumpy,” Kelly said. “Just bend your knees a little, hold onto my reins, and you’ll be fine.” Cressida looked down and saw two sparkling blue strings. She grabbed them, bent her knees, and made sure her feet felt steady.
“Here we go!” Breeze called out. The aquamarine on her ribbon necklace shimmered. Blue, glittery light streamed from her horn. A gentle breeze riffled through Breeze’s mane and tail before it blew toward the Meadow of Melodies. Soon Cressida heard “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” playing once again. She smiled at the beauty of the wind chimes’ music. Then, as more glittery light shot from Breeze’s horn, the strongest gust of wind Cressida had ever felt swirled around Cressida and the unicorn princesses.
Cressida turned to Moon, who looked both excited and scared. “Just remember,” Cressida said, “I don’t think you’ll fall off, but if you do, you’re wearing a magic cape.”
Kelly and all the other kites lifted off the ground. They formed a line in the air and began to fly in circles, each one higher than the last, as though they were climbing a spiral of wind. She looked down at the Windy Meadows, and then, in the distance, at the other unicorn princesses’ domains: Sunbeam’s purple Glitter Canyon, Flash’s metallic Thunder Peaks, Bloom’s green Enchanted Garden, Prism’s rainbow-colored Valley of Light, Moon’s dark Night Forest, and Firefly’s glittery Shimmering Caves. Then she looked at each of the unicorns. All the sisters, including Moon, were grinning from ear to ear. No wonder Breeze and her sisters had been so excited to fly in the Blast.
When they reached the clouds, the kites—with Cressida and the unicorns aboard—flew upward through a long tube made of white fluff. At the end of the tube was an enormous floor made of clouds. They looked, Cressida thought, just like cotton balls. The kites landed, and Kelly said, “Hop off! And congratulations on taking your first kite ride up to the magic clouds.”
Cressida watched as the unicorns leaped off their kites and began jumping on the clouds and giggling. She dropped Kelly’s reins and stepped onto the white fluffy floor. It felt soft, like a combination of a bouncy sponge and a cotton ball, under her feet. She jumped and found that she went high up into the air. It was like jumping on the biggest, bounciest mattress she could imagine. “This is so much fun!” she called out.
Breeze bounded over and jumped alongside Cressida. Sunbeam and Flash quickly joined in. And then Bloom, Prism, Moon, and Firefly rushed over, so Cressida and all the princess unicorns were jumping and laughing together.
“I’m so glad I decided to fly after all!” Moon sang out, jumping the highest of all the sisters.
“And I’m glad it was your decision to come with us, and not anyone else’s!” Breeze said.
Just then, a voice chortled and then boomed, “The Blast Feast is ready!”
Cressida turned around and saw eight red dragons, all wearing white chef’s hats and aprons, stirring gigantic silver vats. She had been so excited by jumping on the clouds that she hadn’t even noticed the dragons before.
The same dragon that Cressida had seen carrying vats down to the palace kitchen stepped forward, smiled proudly, and announced, “We’ve cooked up stewed roinkleberries with creamed froyananas, roasted plums with froyanana sauce, avocado-froyanana soufflé, simmered corn and froyanana chowder, froyanana-oat-bragglenapple bars, froyanana-mango stir-fry, chocolate-eggplant pancakes with diced froyananas, and mushroom-froyanana tarts.”
Cressida’s stomach turned, and she grimaced at the thought of so many froyananas. Meanwhile, the
