“We’re not falling, we’re hang gliding!” called Jasmine from nearby.

Ellie realized that something was wrapped around her body, keeping her safe. She looked up and saw a huge red leaf, fluttering delicately above her head in the wind. Vines descended from it, looping safely around her waist.

“I think I can see all of Unicorn Valley,” called Summer, who was drifting toward Ellie underneath a huge yellow leaf. In the center of the valley was an enormous tree that towered over all the others.

“That’s the Great Apple Tree,” said Trixi, who was flying along beside them on her own magical leaf. “It was the first tree that ever grew in Unicorn Valley.”

“Um, it’s lovely,” said Ellie, a bit nervously. “But how do we land?”

“There’s a patch of moss just down there,” said Trixi. She pointed to a corner of a field filled with flowers. “That will work as a nice soft landing pad. Careful now!”

Flapping their arms and giggling, the girls steered their leaves down to land on the bouncy blue moss. Their leaves settled on top of them with a soft flump sound.

“Whew!” said Ellie from under her leaf, which had covered her like a collapsed tent. She pulled it off, but it caught something on her head. Ellie put up her hand to free it and realized she was wearing the beautiful tiara King Merry had given her at the end of their last adventure! She grinned and scrambled about, calling, “Trixi! Are you there?”

“I certainly am,” said the little pixie.

Ellie climbed out from under her leaf, and nearly fell over in shock at what she saw. Two white unicorns were galloping gracefully toward them. Their manes flowed in the wind and their horns sparkled in the sunshine — one silver and one gold. Ellie turned to look in wonder at Summer and Jasmine. Their tiaras had appeared magically on their heads, too, and they were both staring openmouthed at the beautiful creatures.

The bigger unicorn had a lovely wreath of braided leaves and berries resting on her mane. When she reached the girls, she stopped and gently touched the tip of her horn to each of their heads.

“That’s a special sign of greeting,” Trixi whispered to them. “You should curtsy.”

Hastily, Summer and Ellie picked up the edges of their skirts and curtsied clumsily. Jasmine, who was wearing jeans, had to hold out the edges of her top.

“Welcome to Unicorn Valley,” said the unicorn in a regal voice. “I am Silvertail, leader of the unicorns, and this is my daughter, Littlehorn. You are the first humans I have seen in a long time.”

The smaller unicorn whinnied. “I’ve never seen a human before,” she said. She trotted around the girls, looking at them closely. “You haven’t even got tails!” she said in disbelief.

Ellie and Jasmine giggled, but Summer was too awestruck. “I can’t believe we’re talking to real, live unicorns!” she whispered to Ellie.

Trixi flew her leaf around to hover in front of the girls, and cleared her throat. “Jasmine, Ellie, and Summer are honored guests of King Merry,” she explained.

“We know,” said Silvertail with a smile. She turned to face the girls. “We can tell from your tiaras that you are Very Important Friends of his. Everyone in the kingdom is talking about how you saved King Merry’s birthday party from Queen Malice’s nasty thunderbolt!” She shook her mane and harrumphed at the thought of the wicked queen.

“We think that another thunderbolt might have landed here in Unicorn Valley,” Ellie told her. “We have to find it before it causes any damage.”

Silvertail whinnied anxiously. “My orchard keepers did say that there was something strange near the Great Apple Tree. I was on my way there when you arrived. Perhaps you should come with me?”

“Of course we will,” Jasmine agreed.

“It’ll be faster if you ride,” Silvertail said, looking sideways at the girls’ legs. “I will summon my strongest unicorns to carry you.”

The three girls exchanged excited glances.

“We’re going to ride on unicorns?” cried Jasmine.

Silvertail turned toward the fields and tossed her head. At once, three sturdy unicorns came galloping up. One was a minty green, one was a deep midnight blue, and the last was a charcoal gray. All of them had long, dark manes and tails, and swirly, golden horns. Silvertail introduced them as Fleetfoot, Sleekmane, and Graycoat.

“We’ll have a wonderful view from up here,” said Jasmine, climbing onto Fleetfoot’s mint-green back.

“But we’re not too high!” said Ellie, settling onto Graycoat. “Just how I like it!”

“Thank you for carrying us,” said Summer to Sleekmane. “This is the first time I’ve been on a unicorn.”

“Hold on tight!” replied Sleekmane with a friendly whinny.

With Trixi hovering beside them, the friends followed Silvertail across Unicorn Valley.

“Have the unicorns always lived here?” asked Ellie.

“No,” Silvertail explained. “Unicorn Valley was founded by a unicorn called Snowmane thousands of years ago. Back then, this whole area was covered with poisonous prickles and carnivorous plants. It was the wildest place in the whole kingdom. But then Snowmane touched a thornbush with her horn and turned it into a lovely magic apple tree. The tree spread its beauty out across the land, and all the awful plants disappeared.”

Littlehorn swished her tail, cantering between her mother and the unicorns who carried the girls. “We look after the orchards and keep Unicorn Valley a magical place,” she neighed happily.

“Those are the stables, where we sleep,” said Silvertail, nodding toward a golden building that was set back from the road in a meadow full of flowers. “And up ahead you can see Happyhooves Academy, our school.”

“Oh, the baby unicorns are so cute!” exclaimed Summer.

The group slowed down to admire the unicorn school, which was a big field divided into lots of open-air classrooms. Riding on their strong unicorn friends, Ellie, Jasmine, and Summer were soon close enough to see a teacher showing some very young unicorns how to write their names. Concentrating hard, they moved their horns through the air and glittery, floating letters appeared in front of them.

“Those little unicorns have silver horns, like you,” said Summer to Littlehorn. “But all the big unicorns have gold horns.”

“Our horns stay silver until we’re grown up,” explained Littlehorn. “Then we take part in the Golden Games and the elders turn our horns golden. You’re here just at the right time — the games are this afternoon! I’m competing in the Great Race. The winner gets to be one of the king’s royal messengers and carry urgent letters around the kingdom. It’s a huge honor!”

“I’m sure that’s why the Magic Box has called us now,” Jasmine whispered in Ellie’s ear. “Queen Malice’s thunderbolt is going to wreck the Golden Games!”

“Not if we can help it!” Ellie replied with a grin.

After a short trip, the girls trotted into the orchards, where hundreds of neat trees were being tended by older unicorns.

“This is the Royal Apple Orchard,” Silvertail explained, “where all the apples in the Secret Kingdom grow.”

“Oh, I wish I had my art supplies so I could draw it!” cried Ellie. “The orchard is so lovely… . Or I could draw the stable… . No, the baby unicorns!”

Silvertail smiled. “Come with me just a little farther,” she said, “and I will show you the prettiest sight in the whole valley.”

Fleetfoot, Sleekmane, and Graycoat cantered between two rows of neat trees and came out in a clearing.

Right in the center was the enormous tree the girls had seen as they glided into the kingdom. It was even bigger close-up.

“Its trunk is as big as my house!” gasped Jasmine.

The unicorns knelt so that Ellie, Summer, and Jasmine could jump down and walk over to the tree. Its ancient branches stretched out above them, heavy with gleaming apples.

“This is the Great Apple Tree that Snowmane created,” said Silvertail. “Without it, Unicorn Valley would turn back into a wild and dark place.”

“It’s amazing!” breathed Ellie.

“This is where the orchard keepers said they saw something strange,” said Silvertail. “Maybe the thunderbolt is hidden nearby.”

The girls started looking all over the trunk of the tree. Trixi flew her leaf high up into the branches. But they couldn’t see any sign of Queen Malice’s thunderbolt.

Suddenly there was a whinny of alarm from the other side of the tree. Trixi gave the girls a worried glance, and they all ran around to see what was the matter.

Silvertail was there, staring at something stuck deep in the earth between the roots of the Great Apple Tree. It was a hard black shard that glistened horribly — the tip of Queen Malice’s thunderbolt!

“Oh no!” Silvertail neighed urgently. “Queen Malice’s nasty thunderbolt is stuck in the roots of the Great Apple Tree! If the tree is hurt, its magic will disappear, and the whole valley will go back to being a wasteland!”