Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN They landed, with a jolt, in a dark pit. "Are you OK?" Sophia asked Rainbow. "I think so. Are you?" "Yes," said Sophia, checking the frogs weren't hurt. "But where are we?" As her eyes adjusted to the gloom she could just make out Ava and Star a step away. "The person we were following must have set this trap for us," said Ava. "If only we could see more." A green spark flashed above Rainbow's head then fizzled away. Sophia stared around. Where had the spark

come from? A second later, a flash of silver lit the air. "What happening?" she said. "I don't know." Rainbow shook his mane and more coloured sparks swirled around him. "It's you!" said Sophia. "You're making the sparks!" "Am I?" Rainbow tossed his head, creating more flashes of light. "You're right. It is me! I feel all tingly!" "It's your magic powers!" said Star in delight. "Can you use the sparks to light everything up so we can see?" asked Sophia eagerly. "I can try." Rainbow drew breath and held his eyes tight shut as he concentrated. There was a crack, and a ray of white light cut through the darkness. "Rainbow, that's brilliant!" Sophia was thrilled. She had wanted Rainbow to have healing powers but being able to create light

was amazing. A bright white beam shone from Rainbow, illuminating everything like an enormous floodlight. Sophia saw they were trapped in a pit with steep sides. "What's that hissing sound?" asked Ava suddenly. "Snakes!" squeaked Sophia in dismay, spotting several pythons hissing furiously at the far end of the pit. Their bodies writhed and they began to slither towards the girls and the unicorns. "Get back," said Rainbow, his voice wobbling. He shone his light at the snakes and they reacted angrily, tongues flashing, muscular bodies constricting. Rainbow trembled. "I… I don't like snakes." His light got fainter. Sophia breathed deeply, taking control of her own fear. She could feel his sides starting to heave with panic. "Don't worry. I'm here," she said, frantically

wondering what they were going to do. She kissed Rainbow and stroked his neck. "I won't let the snakes hurt you." Suddenly the smell of burnt sugar filled the air, followed by a sharp crack. Magic!

Sophia recognised the smell from before, when Cherry had found her power. Rainbow's light beam flared, then a rainbow arched from the top of his head to the top of the pit. Sophia reached out and touched it and realised it was solid– a rainbow bridge! "Rainbow!" squealed Sophia in delight. "That's amazing." "Go! I don't know how long I can hold it," Rainbow panted, touching his head to the ground and anchoring the end of the rainbow there. Star galloped on to the rainbow bridge with Ava hanging on to her bucket of frogs. Rainbow followed hot on her heels. The pythons hissed with rage and tried to follow them but the moment Rainbow's hooves reached the top of the pit, the rainbow disappeared. The snakes spat with fury as they fell back into the pit. "Hurrah for Rainbow!" cheered Ava. "I'm so

glad you found your powers before we ended up a snakes' breakfast." "Are you OK, though? Do you need a rest?" asked Sophia. Rainbow stood up tall. "I feel amazing! Let's get these frogs to the lake now, before it's too late." The four friends galloped back through the woods and on to the school grounds. As they neared the lake, Sophia saw a figure hurrying towards them, arms waving angrily as it tried to cut them off. For a second, she thought it was the masked figure from before but then she realised her mistake. "It's Ms Nettles," she said. "And she looks furious." "Stop!" shouted Ms Nettles, arms spread wide, blocking the path. "You know the woods are out of bounds. What were you doing in there?" "There isn't time to explain!" said Sophia.