Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 Lily and the others were settling into their seats for their Geography lesson, when the door opened and Ms. Tulip hurried in. She taught Riding, and Lily loved her cross-country lessons. "Girls! Boys!" She clapped her hands. "Ms. Rivers has sent me to tell you there will be no Geography class today. There have been reports of another tornado sweeping through one of the villages south of the academy. The damage is very bad, and Ms. Nettles wants all students and their unicorns to ride there to help with the cleanup. Put your books away and go to the stables. You will be out all day— a packed lunch will be provided for you." She left the room, and everyone began to talk in excitement as they put their books away. Zara turned to the others in Amethyst dorm. "This is our chance! We might find some clues in the damaged village that will help us work out

what's going on!" It was a cold winter morning. The academy buildings were covered with a layer of glittering frost, and Sparkle Lake glowed like a rainbow in the pale winter sunlight. The students cantered their unicorns in a line out of the grounds and toward the damaged village. Everyone carried a backpack containing an emergency repair kit of string, nails, and a hammer as well as their lunch. "I hope we're able to help," Feather said as her hooves pounded the hard ground. "Me too," said Lily, wrapping her hands in Feather's mane for warmth. "We must be nearly there," she added. The path they were on was covered with a fine layer of purple dust. As they got closer to the village, Lily gasped. There was so much damage! Windows were smashed, doors and roofs were missing, and nothing was where it should be.

Ms. Rivers pulled up, waving at the students. "Spread out," she said. "Help as many people and animals as you can, but do not put yourself in any danger. If you can't solve the problem, then find a teacher and ask for help!" "Where shall we start?" asked Feather. Her ears twisted. "Listen!" she exclaimed. "Can you hear that?" Lily heard it too, the whine of an animal— a dog, maybe. "It's coming from over there," she said, pointing to a sheet of metal roofing lying on the ground next to a smashed-up barn. "Something's trapped underneath." Feather picked her way over, treading a careful path through broken tiles and bricks. Lily jumped from her back, and using both hands, she tried to lift the metal up. "It's really heavy!" she puffed. Flexing her

fingers, she heaved with all her might. With a screeching sound, the metal moved a tiny bit. Through the gap, Lily felt the tickle of breath on her hands and heard the whining get louder. She bit her lip, holding the metal sheet steady but unable to lift it any higher. Feather used her muzzle to try to help, but it only moved a few centimeters. "Move, metal! Move!" Feather said, stamping a hoof in frustration. Pink sparks suddenly flew up, and Lily noticed the strong smell of burnt sugar.

Lily gasped. "Feather! What's happening?" Feather didn't speak. She was staring at the metal sheet. It started to lift into the air! Lily watched openmouthed as it slowly floated to a patch of nettles and came down to rest. With a grateful woof, the dog who had been trapped under it bolted away. "Feather! You've found your magic!" Lily cried. "I have!" said Feather, sounding equally surprised. "I've got moving magic, Lily. Just like my grampy." Aisha, Zara, and Phoebe came running over. "Did Feather just move that metal sheet by magic?" Zara demanded. "I did! I did!" Feather whinnied excitedly. "I've got moving magic!" "Bravo, Feather, you superstar!" Phoebe said. "Everyone!" she shouted. "Feather's found her magic and it's amazing!" Feather was the first unicorn in their class to get her magic. The nearby students crowded around, all wanting to congratulate her. Lily shyly stood to one side as Feather seemed to glow with the praise. "Let's see you move something again!" said Silver.

"Okay. Watch me move that chimney," said Feather, stamping a hoof and making a fallen chimney rise into the air. Feather turned it the right way up and set it down by the side of the house it had fallen from. Everyone cheered. Feather looked delighted. "Now watch me lift up that cart." "Shouldn't you rest first?" asked Lily anxiously. Her mom had warned her that when unicorns first started using their magic, they usually found it very draining. "I'm perfectly fine, thanks," said Feather. "You probably shouldn't do too much at first," said Aisha in concern. "Yes, your magic's amazing, Feather, but you don't want to overdo it. We should all do more cleaning," said Zara. "You can show us more later when we're back at school." The rest of the students nodded and hurried off, except for Skye and Amber. "Do something else!" Skye called. "Yeah, let's see what else you can move!" said Amber. Feather looked pleased. "All right." "No, Feather, you'll tire yourself out," said Lily.