Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN As Star's hooves touched the ground, the rainbow dissolved, leaving a trail of coloured sparks hanging in the air. At the lakeside, Sophia slid from Rainbow's back. With Ava's help she carefully tipped both buckets of frogs on to the shore. "Go, frogs, go!" The frogs hopped and plopped into the water, croaking as they swam away. Sophia crossed her fingers and wished them luck. The waters fizzed and hissed, and sparks crackled off the surface. Several agonising minutes later, the stagnant

water was looking less yellow. "It's working," gasped Ava. "Well done, little frogs." "Sophia! Ava! How dare you defy me!" Ms Nettles puffed up. Her long nose was pinched and her glasses rattled furiously. "When I tell you to stop you do so immediately." She stabbed a finger at them. "Such behaviour will be punished––" "The lake!" Ms Primrose called, seeming to appear from nowhere and cantering towards them on Sage. "Look at the lake!" Sophia stared at the waters shimmering with every colour imaginable and her heart felt like it was bursting with pride. They'd done it. Not only had she cleared her name but along with Rainbow, Ava and Star, she'd stopped the lake from dying and the island being destroyed. "Yes, well done, girls," Ms Nettles said tightly. Ms Primrose turned to Sophia and Ava.

"What I don't understand is where you got the frogs from and how you knew that this particular type of frog can purify water? They're incredibly rare creatures." "We found some frogs hopping out of the woods one day," Sophia said, stretching the truth a bit so as not to get Billy and his friends in trouble. "We took them back and found the pond where they live. We carried them in buckets and noticed they cleaned the water in them. I know we shouldn't have gone into the woods but we wanted the frogs to be safe." Ms Primrose smiled. "I think we can overlook breaking the school rules on this one occasion." Sophia and Ava explained about the figure Sophia had seen tipping something into the lake that morning. Ms Primrose's face grew grave as she heard the story. "This is very worrying," she said. "We shall clearly have to be very vigilant from now on." She looked round. A group of

girls were running across the lawn. It was the rest of Sapphire dorm. "However, that is a problem for another time," she said with a smile. "What's been going on?" gasped Scarlett as she charged up. "We woke up and saw Sophia and Ava out here." "Your friends and their unicorns have managed to save the lake," said Ms Primrose. "Sophia and Ava can explain but don't be too long, girls, or you'll miss breakfast. I'll make an announcement to the whole school at assembly and make sure everyone knows how amazing you four have been." When their friends heard what had happened, they hugged and congratulated Sophia and Ava, and made a huge fuss of Rainbow and Star. Surrounded by her friends, warmth and happiness spread through Sophia and she was really glad she hadn't run away. "You're so lucky, having such an

adventure!" said Isabel. "We'll have to sneak into the woods and explore too," Scarlett told her. Ava grinned. "Just don't let Ms Nettles catch you!" Sophia realised she was starving. "You go ahead and save us a seat at breakfast," she told the others. "We'll catch you up once Rainbow and Star are settled." Sophia and Ava cantered the unicorns to the stables and filled up their feed bowls with sky berries. Rainbow took a long drink from his water trough, which magically kept refilling from the lake until his thirst was quenched. "Delicious," he said, shaking the last drops of multicoloured water from his lips. He turned to Sophia and breathed gently on her arm. "I've been thinking," he said. "I know you're missing Clover very much, so I won't stop you from leaving the school if that's what you really want to do."

Sophia threw herself at Rainbow, hugging him tightly. "I don't want to leave the school any more– and I couldn't bear to leave you. I just wish I could stop worrying about Clover. I've had him since I was tiny." "If only I could help you," said Rainbow, stamping a front hoof. He snorted with surprise as a shimmery purple light suddenly swirled up from the ground. Golden sparkles fizzed around the edges as the purple light formed into a circle and the sparkles danced across the surface. "What's happening?" he said. Sophia gasped as a picture appeared in the circle of light. "It must be part of your power. That's our field at home! Look, there's the stable in the corner. And there's Clover!" Her voice rose. "Look how plump he's getting. Doesn't he look happy?"