Chapter 10

Chapter ten, Evie and Sunshine raced after their friends. "Are you OK?" Evie gasped to Sunshine. Magic was tiring for a unicorn when they first discovered their powers. "I'm fine," said Sunshine. "I've already had quite a bit of practice at blowing things up!" Evie hung on tightly to Sunshine's mane as they weaved through the trees. She could hear hooves pounding behind them. Glancing round, she saw Dr Briar coming up fast on Solomon with Sam and Flash a short way behind. "Hurry, Sunshine!" Evie yelled. Solomon reached Sunshine and pushed alongside her. Dr Briar leaned out to grab Evie's arm. "Give me the map!" she shrieked. There was a sudden flash and a flurry of blue sparkles. Dr Briar's hand froze a millimetre away from Evie, and Solomon stopped as if suspended in time. Evie's and Sam's eyes met for a fleeting second. He nodded, as if urging her on.

"Go!" yelled Evie to Sunshine. Sunshine's hooves thundered loudly as she galloped out of the trees. At the edge of the woods Evie glanced back. There was no sign of Dr Briar or Sam but she'd caught up with Misty, Sparkle and Flame. By the time they arrived back at the stables, all four unicorns were dripping with sweat, their sides heaving. Evie's legs were like jelly as she slid from Sunshine and threw her arms round her neck. "I thought Dr Briar was going to grab me back in the woods." "I can't believe Sam!" Sienna's eyes blazed. "He must have been in league with his aunt all along. He's a total snake!" "No, he's not!" Evie protested. "He helped me escape just now." She told the others what had happened. "If Flash hadn't frozen time, Dr Briar

would have pulled me off Sunshine." Lyra frowned. "When we escaped, it looked like Sam and Dr Briar were arguing. Maybe he was trying to stop her." "Hmm," Sienna said, not looking convinced. "I still think he's a snake." "Well, whoever's side he's on, the important thing is that we all got back safely," said Ivy. "Should we tell the teachers what happened?" Evie asked. "We'd get into really big trouble for sneaking out at night," said Sienna doubtfully. "And they'd make us hand over the map, and then we wouldn't be able to find the treasure," said Lyra. "Let's not tell!" they all said together. They grinned at each other. "So this stays as our secret," said Lyra. Evie nodded. "We'd better watch out for Dr Briar though. She's not going to give up that easily. Hopefully, she won't try anything here at school though, not with the teachers so close by." Lyra nodded. "We'll have to be extra careful. This next clue will lead us to the final piece of the map and then we can find the treasure!" She patted her pocket. "I'm not going to let any of the pieces out of my sight." The girls hurried into the stables and fetched their unicorns buckets of sky berries. Evie tipped the berries into Sunshine's manger then kissed her on the muzzle. "Goodnight, Sunshine. See you tomorrow." "Night, Evie." Sunshine blew her a kiss back, her dark eyes shining happily. Evie's heart filled with joy. She was so glad she and Sunshine had sorted everything out. Now she had found her magic and they had bonded, they would definitely be graduating at the end of the year and be together forever. "You know, I could always stay here in the stable with you tonight," said Evie, not wanting to leave. "You mean have a sleepover?" said Sunshine in delight. Lyra poked her head into Sunshine's stable. "A sleepover in the stables! That's a brilliant idea! We could all squeeze in here together." "But what about Dr Briar?" said Evie, frowning. "She might try and attack us." "Not with all the teachers' unicorns here," Lyra reassured her. "They'd

raise the alarm in no time. I bet she won't try anything now we're back at school." She called to Ivy and Sienna. "What do you think about having a sleepover here tonight?" The others agreed it was a great idea. While Ivy and Sienna fetched some warm rugs from the tack room, Lyra and Evie got some more straw and made Sunshine's bed super thick. Then they all squeezed inside. The unicorns lay down in the straw and the girls curled up next to them, covering themselves with the rugs and their unicorns' manes. "Night, everyone," said Sienna, yawning sleepily. One by one they fell asleep. Leaning her head against Sunshine's neck, and closing her eyes, Evie's heart swelled with happiness. She had the best friends in the world, a wonderful unicorn who loved her, and another adventure was waiting just round the corner. "I'm so glad you're my partner, Evie," Sunshine murmured. Evie smiled and snuggled closer. "And I'm so glad you're mine!"