Moon took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to dance to the raccoons’ new music either,” she said, “but I think it would be fun to learn how. And it would make the raccoons so happy to get to play the songs they’ve written.” She smiled hopefully at her sisters.
Breeze and Firefly looked at each other and whispered. Then they both shook their heads. “If the raccoons play the new music, we might have to leave early,” Firefly said.
“Or we might not come at all,” Breeze said.
“It will ruin the ball,” they said at the same time.
“I just thought it might be fun to try something new,” Moon said. Her hopeful smile bent into a disappointed frown. She looked like she might start crying.
Cressida put her arm around Moon’s neck. She knew exactly how Moon felt: often, it was exciting to listen to new music or eat new food or read a new kind of book. But she also understood Breeze and Firefly’s perspective: feeling uncomfortable was pretty miserable, especially at a dance. “Maybe you need a little bit of time to think about what to do,” Cressida said to Moon.
“Yes,” Moon said, brightening. “I need some time to think about it.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she smiled, turned to Cressida, and asked, “Are you ready to help prepare for your very first ball?”
“Absolutely,” Cressida said. Moon kneeled and Cressida climbed onto her back.
“We’ll still plan on meeting you at the Night Forest ballroom an hour before the ball starts,” Breeze said.
Firefly nodded. “Just please tell the raccoons to stick to the traditional music,” she added.
“I’ll think about it,” Moon said. “See you soon!” Then, with Cressida on her back, she galloped across the front hall of Spiral Palace and out the door.
As Cressida held onto Moon’s silky black mane, the unicorn hopped along the clear stones that led away from the palace and into the surrounding forest. For a few seconds, Cressida turned and gazed back at Spiral Palace. She grinned as she spied a flash of silver and a sparkle of purple through the window of the palace’s top tower. She bet Ernest was up there, perfecting his tuxedo spell.
“Thanks for suggesting I take a little more time to make a decision about the music,” Moon said. “I think it would be so much fun to learn to dance to the raccoons’ new music. The traditional unicorn music is fine, but, to be honest, I get bored dancing to the same songs over and over again.”
“I love learning to dance to new music, too,” Cressida said. One of her favorite things about her ballet class was that she learned to dance to music she had never heard before.
“Well,” said Moon, taking a deep breath, “maybe if we get to the Night Forest in time to listen in on the raccoons’ final practice session, you can let me know if you think it’s possible to dance to their new music. And in the meantime, I can’t wait to show you the Night Forest!”
With Cressida on her back, Moon turned right on a narrow path that wove through a grove of cherry and maple trees, and then galloped along a thick hedge covered in thorny vines with bright yellow, crescent-shaped flowers. She stopped in front of a hole in the hedge that was just a few inches taller than the tip of her horn. “This is the entrance to the Night Forest,” she said. “Close your eyes!”
Cressida shut her eyes as Moon took several steps forward. Cressida heard crickets chirping and bull frogs croaking. Owls called out, “Hoo! Hoo!” In the distance, a wolf howled.
“Now you can look!” Moon said. Cressida opened her eyes. Above her, the moon, like a pale banana, hung amid more tiny silver stars than she had ever seen. In the light of the moon and stars, she could make out the shapes of a pond, a meadow, and what looked like it might be the edge of a dark forest. Even though she could see about as well as she could in her bedroom with her unicorn nightlight switched on, she had to admit she wished she had a flashlight.
“I can’t see very well,” Cressida said, gripping Moon’s mane more tightly.
“I had a feeling humans can’t see in the dark as well as unicorns,” Moon said. “Try putting on the glasses Ernest made for you.”
Cressida slid her hand into her pocket, pulled out her glasses, and put them on. Now she could see a pond with shimmering black water. Giant blue frogs with glowing orange eyes perched on the lily pads and croaked, their balloon throats bulging. On one side of the pond, a family of opossums lumbered through a meadow of thick, high grass. On the other side was a forest thick with trees and vines. White and silver owls perched in the tree branches, their glowing yellow eyes winking at Cressida.
“Wow!” Cressida said. “The Night Forest is beautiful.”
“I thought you’d like it,” Moon said. “Can you see well enough to walk?”
“Yes,” Cressida said. “These glasses are perfect. Thank you for thinking of them.”
“No problem,” Moon said, kneeling down as Cressida slid off her back. “Come this way.”
Cressida and Moon followed a path carpeted in spongy green moss into the forest. Soon the mossy trail disappeared, and thick vines, tree roots, and rocks covered the forest floor. It was difficult not to stumble or trip, especially while wearing a ball gown.
Soon Cressida and Moon stepped into a grove of gnarled cedar trees growing among vines and roots so thick and knotted Cressida wasn’t sure if she could keep walking without falling over. Moon paused, turned to Cressida, and smiled excitedly. “Want to see my favorite part of the Night Forest?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” Cressida said. Then she looked up from the forest floor to notice hundreds
