The Magic Spell

the paddock. Her heart was pounding in her chest. What would happen? Would the spell really work?
    Twilight was standing by the gate. He whinnied when he saw her. Lauren led him towards the far corner of the field. It was shaded by trees and hidden from the house by the stable block.
    As soon as they were out of sight of the house, Lauren carefully pulled a single hair out of Twilight’s mane, opened the book and took the flower out of her pocket. The gold spots on the petals seemed to glow in the last rays of the sun.
    She looked up. The final curve of the sun was just sinking on the horizon. Lauren’s eyes narrowed as she searched for the star. But there was nothing. Maybe she had missed it? Twilight whickered.
    ‘Ssh, Twilight,’ Lauren said. She turned and patted his neck. Then she looked back up into the sky, and she gasped. High above her, a star had appeared. It was time for the spell!
    ‘Please work,’ Lauren whispered. She took a deep, trembling breath and began to tear the petals off the flower. As she did so, she read the spell out.

    Twilight Star, Twilight Star,
    Twinkling high above so far.
    Shining light, shining bright,
    Will you grant my wish tonight?
    Let my little horse forlorn
    Be at last a unicorn!
    As she read the last word, she held her breath.
    Nothing happened.
    Lauren looked down at the petals in her hand and felt a wave of disappointment hit her. It was just a story after all.
    She looked at Twilight and felt tears prickle in her eyes. She had so badly wanted him to be a unicorn.
    Swallowing hard, she dropped the petals on the ground.
    There was a flash of purple light, so bright that it made Lauren shut her eyes. When she opened them again, she gasped.
    Twilight had disappeared!

Nine
    L auren swung around, looking for Twilight. A snow-white unicorn was flying in the sky behind her. Its hooves and horn gleamed silver and its mane and tail swirled around it.
    ‘Twilight?’ Lauren gasped.
    ‘Yes,’ the unicorn said. ‘It’s me. It feels a bit wobbly up here. This is the first time I’ve flown. Whoops…’ He flew down through the air towards Lauren, narrowly missing a low branch. With a kick of his hind legs, he landed on the grass beside her. ‘Hello,’ he said, walking over and nuzzling her.
    Although Twilight’s words rang out clearly in Lauren’s head, his mouth didn’t move.
    ‘You can talk!’ Lauren said in astonishment.
    ‘Only while I’m in my magical shape,’ Twilight told her. ‘And you’ll only be able to hear me if you’re touching me or holding a hair from my mane.’
    ‘I can’t believe you’re really a unicorn!’ Lauren exclaimed.
    Twilight laughed. ‘Well, I am. I was

    trapped in my pony body, but you freed me, Lauren, and that means you are my Unicorn Friend.’
    ‘Unicorn Friend?’ Lauren echoed.
    Twilight nodded his beautiful head. ‘Yes. Every unicorn is looking for a Unicorn Friend to do good deeds with.’
    ‘So everything in that book is true?’ Lauren gasped.
    ‘Everything,’ Twilight replied, merrily tossing his mane. He knelt down by bending his forelegs. ‘Climb on my back and let’s try flying together. You’ll have to excuse me if I’m a bit wobbly.’
    Lauren took hold of his mane and mounted. ‘What if I fall off?’
    ‘You can’t fall while I am in my magical shape,’ Twilight said. ‘Unicorn magic will keep you safe.’
    Lauren grabbed his mane and he plunged forward into a canter.
    ‘Whoa… hold on tight!’ Twilight called.
    Twilight’s hooves skimmed across the grass and the ground dropped away. ‘Here we go!’ he called to her.
    His back legs kicked down powerfully and with a jolt they flew up into the air, lurching from side to side.
    ‘Don’t worry, I’ll soon get the hang of this,’ Twilight said confidently.
    Lauren held on tight. ‘Wow!’ she gasped as she looked down.
    Twilight surged upwards towards the stars and the wind streamed through Lauren’s hair as they settled into a steadier pace. ‘This is amazing!’ she cried.
    She looked down. Below her she could see her house and the woods.
    Suddenly Lauren caught sight of a figure walking out of the trees. A white terrier dog with a black patch trotted at the person’s side. ‘It’s Mrs Fontana!’ she exclaimed.
    The old lady looked up and raised her hand in greeting. ‘Hello there!’ she called.
    Twilight swooped towards her and landed lightly on the soft grass.
    Lauren scrambled off Twilight’s back. ‘Mrs Fontana!’ she