Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE "Quick! We've got to warn the others!" Phoebe cried. Phoebe and Zara leapt on to their unicorns and thundered back up the cliff path, yelling loudly to wake their friends up. "What's all the noise about?" Aisha said as she and Lily stumbled from their tents, pulling on clothes. "Phoebe! Your hair!" Lily gasped. "You've bonded with Shimmer." "Yes, and he really does have his magic– energy magic– but that's not important right now," Phoebe said. "What matters is that everyone is in danger!"

The words tumbled out of Zara and Phoebe as they explained about the sea. "What can we do?" asked Aisha. "Nothing," said Lily, ashen-faced. "There is absolutely nothing that can stop a tsunami. The only thing to do is get as far away as possible." "We need to warn everyone before it hits," said Phoebe frantically. "Let's go!" said Lily. "Wait!" cried Zara. She pointed at Lily. "There is something that can stop a tsunami! I read about it in one of the books last night. Scientists have a new theory. There are special types of sound waves called acoustic waves that can move really fast through the ocean, and scientists believe that if these waves of energy could be shot right into a tsunami, they could break it up and weaken it. They haven't found a way to do it yet, it's just a theory." "Well, how will that help us?" said Phoebe. "If the scientists don't know how to fire acoustic waves into a tsunami then what can we do?" "Use magic!" said Zara, her eyes gleaming. "If Shimmer shoots the tsunami with pure balls of

energy, it might just have the same effect as firing acoustic waves. It may break up the tsunami before it hits the coast." "Could it work?" said Lily. "I don't know. But it's our only chance." Zara looked at Shimmer. "Would you try, Shimmer?" He glanced uncertainly at Phoebe. "Do you think I can do this?" Phoebe stroked his cheek. "I think you can do anything you set your mind to." He seemed to grow several centimetres taller. "Then I'll try!" he declared. "You'd better be quick!" whinnied Moonbeam. Phoebe gasped as she looked out to sea and saw a huge blue wall of water rolling towards them. It seemed to blot out half the sky. We're doomed she thought, but then she realised she had a very important job to do and she had to stay calm. She didn't speak her thought out loud. "You can do this, Shimmer," she told him fiercely. "I know you can." "We believe in you, Shimmer!" cried Zara, lifting her voice above the thundering of the

water. "Try, please try!" begged Lily as their unicorns whinnied encouragement. Shimmer reared up and stamped both front hooves on the ground as hard as he could. A massive blue ball of energy exploded from his hooves and shot through the air, towards the incoming tsunami. Phoebe held her breath as it smashed into it. "Again, Shimmer!" she cried. Zara whooped. "We're combining magic and science. This is amazing! Go, Shimmer!" Shimmer stamped his hooves over and over again. Huge balls of energy bowled through the air, hitting the tidal wave one after the other. Shimmer's sides heaved and his legs began to buckle, and still he kept on. "The wave is slowing down!" yelled Lily. "I'm sure of it." "Keep going!" shouted Aisha The gigantic wave had slowed but was still approaching. The thundering was so loud, Phoebe could hardly hear herself think. Her heart thumped for the villagers who wouldn't have time

to run for their lives– for her school friends on the clifftops, for the teachers and all the unicorns. Shimmer was their only hope. Her throat tightened. "Keep trying, Shimmer! Don't give up!" she begged. "You can beat the wave!" The wave peaked, cresting in a huge curl of white froth. It's over, thought Phoebe. But… wait… was that a wobble? The giant wave teetered as if it no longer had the strength to carry on. Gaps appeared in its body, holes breaking through the

thick blue wall as the water splashed back into the sea and the wave slowly shrunk. "Fire again!" gasped Phoebe, giving Shimmer a kiss. His body trembled with tiredness but he cracked his hoof down on the ground, sending the largest bolt of pure magic yet spinning into the centre of the wave. The wave folded over as if it had been punched in its gut. As the wave teetered, a man's voice could be heard bellowing furiously above the fading roar of the water. "You think you can stop me but you can't. I will return, and next time, chaos will reign." The tsunami collapsed into the sea, shooting a jet of water into the air. "We did it!" Shimmer panted. The frothing sea calmed to a gentle swell. Shimmer swayed too, exhausted from using so much magic. Hearing shouts, Phoebe looked round. The teachers and other students were galloping towards them and Mr Longnose was running from the opposite direction, from the coastal path by the village. "Is everyone safe?" asked Ms Nettles as