Instant Besties
“Mom! Dad! We’re going to be late!” Bella called up the winding staircase. She shook her head, sending her wavy brown hair across her shoulders.
“Bells, don’t worry,” Lyssa said. “You’ll make it in plenty of time to pick up Violet.”
Lyssa was Bella’s handmaiden. But that sounded like a stuffy title.
Lyssa, who was fourteen years old, was really more like an older sister. Since last year, Lyssa had helped Bella with getting dressed, doing homework, and, today, carefully curling Bella’s straight brown hair into waves.
“Are you sure?” Bella asked. “What if the Rainbow Rail Express gets here early?”
The Rainbow Rail Express was a fairly new mode of transportation. It allowed passengers to travel to the other sky islands. Each morning someone important at the station had to cast a spell to connect one island to the next. Rainbow Rail was so new that even Bella hadn’t been on it yet.
Lyssa smiled. “If it does, I’m sure Violet will call or message you.”
Bella walked away from the staircase. “Mirror,” she said, snapping her fingers.
A mirror appeared in front of Bella. The princess eyed her hair and clothes. Lyssa, who usually took weekends off, had come to Crystal Castle this morning to help Bella get ready for Violet’s arrival.
“Do you think this dress is right, Lys?” Bella asked. The princess scanned her reflection in the mirror. The sleeveless soft-pink dress had a full tulle skirt and a rosette at the waist. Bella turned and looked over her shoulder. A satin tie was looped in a pretty bow at the back, which buttoned up.
“I think it’s perfect,” Lyssa said. “You tried on four other dresses before deciding on this one, remember?” The older girl walked over to Bella and hugged her.
Bella squeezed Lyssa back, glad that she had Lyssa’s help to choose today’s outfit. “I’m so nervous!” Bella admitted. “Isn’t that silly?”
She walked over to a red velvet-covered bench and sat down. Lyssa sat beside her, turning so she faced Bella.
“It’s not silly at all,” Lyssa said. She tucked a strand of shoulder-length honey-blond hair behind her ear. Her green eyes were kind as she looked at Bella.
“It feels silly,” Bella said. “Violet’s my cousin. We talk all of the time. I want to make this week the best for her. I don’t want Violet wishing she had stayed home.”
“Hosting a houseguest makes anyone nervous,” Lyssa said. “You’re a little scared because you care so much. Like you said, you want to make this visit great for Violet. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t be nervous.”
“Really?” Bella looked up at Lyssa. The older girl somehow always knew what to say to make Bella feel better.
Lyssa nodded. “Really. I bet Violet’s nervous too. She probably wants to be a good guest and not make you wish she had stayed in Foris.”
“Never!” Bella said. “I wish she could stay here forever.”
Lyssa and Bella laughed, and the prickles of nerves evaporated from Bella’s body.
There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and King Phillip and Queen Katherine descended the staircase.
“Thank you, Lys,” Bella said, hugging the girl again.
“Anytime! Have fun!” Lyssa said. They stood and Lyssa dipped her head as the king and queen approached, before she exited the room.
“Ready to go, Bells?” King Phillip, smiling, looked down at his daughter. Queen Katherine, in a flowing hunter-green dress, stood next to him.
“Yes! Yes!” Bella exclaimed. “Let’s go!”
The guards opened the doors, and the royal family stepped outside and headed for the Royal Carriage. The giant orb-shaped carriage extended stairs and opened its doors so Bella and her parents could climb inside.
The Royal Carriage was solar powered and required no driver. King Phillip and Queen Katherine were the only voices the Royal Carriage listened to for directions. Bella settled herself on the cushy seat across from her parents.
“Please take us to the Rainbow Rail Station at the Foris Kingdom platform,” King Phillip commanded the carriage. “At the fastest speed.”
Without hesitation, the carriage glided forward. It moved over the gravel driveway and passed the guards who stood like statues on either side of the drawbridge. The guards’ armor had the Crystal Kingdom seal: a diamond with two rearing unicorns below. The words CRYSTAL KINGDOM ran under the unicorns.
The carriage turned onto the road and then zipped through the countryside toward the Rainbow Rail Station. Trees, fields, and houses whizzed by. “What are you going to do first with Violet?” Queen Katherine asked Bella.
“Introduce her to Glimmer,” Bella said. “I can’t wait for them to meet!”
She had barely finished her sentence when the carriage started to slow. Rainbow Rail Station came into view. The station—with signs pointing to different rails to various sky islands and kingdoms—wasn’t crowded. A line of five or six people, suitcases trailing behind them, walked away from the platform as one of the silver bullet-shaped trains left the station. It was daylight, so the train followed rainbow paths. When night arrived, moonbows would be cast to take over.
Bella followed her parents out of the carriage. Together, they walked to a concrete platform with a sign above that flashed FORIS. DEPARTURES AND ARRIVALS. As they walked, people who caught their eye bowed their heads or smiled at the royal family. No one snapped photos or gawked. King Phillip and Queen Katherine had worked very hard to make sure their family was approachable and normal—just like every other resident in Crystal Kingdom.
“Violet’s train should be arriving at noon,” Queen Katherine said. “The schedule says it’s on time. See?” The queen pointed to a large board above the platform. It listed all the current train schedules and whether or not a train was delayed. A clock next to the board read 11:59 a.m. Violet would be in Crystal Kingdom any second!
Bella craned her neck and stood on tiptoes, looking down the rainbow for the train. She blinked and a silver train, sunlight glinting off the roof, raced toward the platform.
“Mom! Dad!” Bella said, hopping up and down. “She’s here! That’s Violet’s train!” The speeding train halted silently, and the doors slid open at the front of the train. A handful of people were now standing around the royal family as if they were waiting for someone too. Bella tried to look inside the train through its windows to see if she could spot Violet, but there were too many people moving around. A line of people began exiting the train and spilling onto the platform.
“Do you see her?” Bella asked her dad.
“Not yet,” King Phillip said. “Stay still and let Violet find us.”
Bella’s view of the train exit was blocked as a group of people stopped and gazed around. Where was Violet?
“Uncle Phillip! Aunt Katherine!”
A small figure pushed through the crowd and stopped, grinning, in front of the princess and her parents.
“Violet!” Bella said. “You made it!”
All of Bella’s earlier nerves disappeared the second she saw her cousin. Violet dashed toward Bella, her long red curls bouncing, and they hugged. Violet’s powder-blue dress looked pretty against her red hair, and she had on silver ballet flats that were almost identical to Bella’s.
“Violet, darling, you look beautiful!” Queen Katherine said. She wrapped her arms around Violet, and King Phillip was next in line for a hug.
“I’m so happy to be here,” Violet said. Her hazel eyes sparkled with excitement. “I was practically counting the seconds on the train ride.”
“Let’s get off the platform and start the journey home,” King Phillip said. He snapped his fingers at Violet’s sparkly suitcase. “This way, ladies.”
Bella’s dad helped his wife, daughter, and niece maneuver through the crowd. The townspeople respectfully stepped aside to allow the royal family to exit. The king and queen got a few paces ahead. Violet grabbed Bella’s hand, and the girls grinned at each other. They skipped forward but slowed when they couldn’t get by a family that was shuffling along, their luggage floating alongside them.
“Excuse me!” Violet said with a huff, then rolled her eyes.
Violet pulled on Bella’s hand, pushing them past the group. Bella looked back over her shoulder as the family frowned and watched them walk away, whispering to each other. The princess’s face turned bright pink. That was so rude! Bella thought. Violet had never done anything like that before.
“Vi,” Bella said. “They had a lot of stuff—”
Violet sighed. “I know. I haven’t slept much lately! I’ve been too excited and I guess I’m kind of cranky.”
That made sense. Bella smiled at her cousin and kept going toward the carriage.
Once they reached the carriage, everyone settled in, and King Phillip requested that it take them home.
Bella, sitting across from Violet, caught her cousin’s eye. There were a few moments of silence. “Omigosh—” Violet started.
“We have—” Bella said at the same time.
They burst into giggles.
“You go,” Bella said.
“No, you go!” Violet said.
“Oh, girls. Come on now,” Queen Katherine said. “Don’t you have anything to talk about? Why all the silence?”
Everyone in the carriage laughed.
“I’ve been counting the days until you got here,” Bella told her cousin. “I was going a little crazy this morning. It felt like noon was never going to come!”
Violet nodded. “I know! I felt the same way. On the train, I asked the conductor twice if we were going to arrive on time, because I was sure the train was moving too slow.”
“You’re here now, and that’s all that matters. I have the best week planned.” Bella smiled. “Friday is going to be so much fun. You’ll get to meet everyone in my class.”
“I can’t wait. But I’m dying to meet Glimmer,” Violet said. “I feel like I know her already after everything you’ve told me.”
“She’s so excited to meet you, too,” Bella agreed. The carriage pulled away from the station and headed home to Crystal Castle.
Bella and Violet chatted the entire way home. They didn’t stop as the carriage glided back across the drawbridge and approached the castle. Violet had seen Crystal Castle before. Her attention was on something else: the unicorns.
“Look at them!” Violet pointed, climbing out of the carriage. She shielded her eyes with a hand and looked toward the pastures dotted with grazing unicorns.
“Violet,” Queen Katherine said. “Are you tired from traveling? Or hungry? You can come inside and rest for a while if you would like.”
“Thank you, Aunt Katherine,” Violet said. “But I’m way too excited to be tired! Can Bella show me Glimmer?”
“Please?” Bella added.
“Go have fun,” Bella’s mom said, smiling.
“Come on! This way!” Bella grabbed Violet’s hand. Giggling, they ran to the stable, and skidded to a stop when they reached the entrance.
“Frederick is the stable manager,” Bella said. “Don’t run in the stable unless you want to get in trouble.”
Violet nodded, eyes wide.
As they moved closer, Bella could see a unicorn tied to a stall. But it wasn’t just any unicorn.
“There she is,” Bella said, looking at Violet. “That’s Glimmer!”
Someone walked around Glimmer’s far side, brush in hand.
“Ben, hi,” Bella said.
Ben smiled and waved the brush as the girls walked down the stable aisle.
“Ben is Frederick’s nephew,” Bella explained to Violet. “He’s from Foris too. He goes to school with my friends and me and works at the stable before and after class.”
They reached Ben, and Violet shyly shook his hand. “I think every other word I’ve heard for a week has been ‘Violet,’” Ben said, then laughed. “Bella, I hope you don’t mind. I took Glimmer out to groom her so she’d be extra shiny for company.”
“Mind? Not at all! Thank you,” Bella said.
Glimmer wore a lavender-purple headpiece attached to a matching rope so Bella or Ben could lead her. Ben stepped away from Glimmer and stood next to Bella. The unicorn turned her head, looked at Violet, and let out a snort.
“She’s saying hi,” Bella said. “What do you think?”
Violet didn’t move or speak. She just blinked for several seconds.
“She’s beautiful,” Violet finally said. Bella wasn’t going to disagree. Every inch of Glimmer’s coat sparkled like fresh snow. Her purple-tinged mane and tail were combed straight. Glimmer strained against her rope to reach her muzzle closer to Violet.
Violet’s eyes shifted to Bella’s.
“It’s okay,” Bella said. “Glimmer’s so friendly. She wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
Violet took a tiny step forward, and Glimmer slowly lowered her muzzle into Violet’s open hands. The princess of Foris laughed.
“Her whiskers are tickly,” Violet said. She ran a hand up Glimmer’s forehead and petted her cheek. “Wow. She is so soft!”
Glimmer blinked her big brown eyes and leaned into Violet’s hand. Bella couldn’t help the grin spreading across her face. Her favorite cousin and her favorite unicorn had already become friends.
“I’ve never seen Glimmer so friendly with anyone new,” Ben said. He folded his arms, smiling. “She really likes you, Violet.”
Bella’s cousin grinned. “I really like her. She’s perfect, Bella.”
Bella reached up and scratched behind Glimmer’s left ear. “I know she is. You’re going to have so much fun with her all week.”
“Can I brush her?” Violet asked. She looked from Ben to Bella.
“Sure,” Bella said. “She loves it.”
“I’ll show you how,” Ben said, handing Violet the blue-bristled brush he held. “But be careful of your toes.” He picked up another brush and nodded toward Violet’s ballet flats.
“We will both wear boots next time,” Bella said. “Violet was so excited to meet Glimmer that we came straight from the carriage.”
“Bella said you’re from Foris,” Violet said to Ben. She mimicked him as he stepped up to Glimmer’s side and flicked the brush lightly over the unicorn’s coat.
“My family is still there,” Ben said. “Except for my uncle. He is allowing me to be his apprentice and learn everything about unicorns.”
Glimmer blinked slowly and peeked through her big eyelashes. Bella knew that look well. The princess leaned against the stall door.
“You guys are spoiling Glimmer,” Bella said in a teasing tone. “She has not one but two grooms. Glimmer’s so relaxed she’s starting to fall asleep.”
Violet threw her arms around Glimmer’s neck and hugged the unicorn. “Get your beauty sleep, Glimmer.”
Something pulsed inside the right pocket of Bella’s dress. She pulled out her Chat Crystal—a quarter-size stone. The stone changed colors and vibrated depending on who contacted Bella. She had cast a spell on the stone to become a vibrant purple when Queen Katherine messaged her.
“It’s from my mom,” Bella explained, letting the crystal lie flat on her palm. “We better go up to the castle, Violet.”
“Oh, fine,” Violet sighed, sticking out her bottom lip. “We will come back, right?”
“Only all the time!” Bella said. “We can visit Glimmer after dinner, I bet.”
Violet smiled and slid her arms around Glimmer’s neck. She squeezed the unicorn tight, and Glimmer leaned into the hug. “I don’t know how you ever leave her,” Violet said.
Bella stood on her tiptoes and kissed Glimmer’s cheek. “I’m only able to leave because I know I can come right back,” she replied.
The girls said good-bye to Ben, Violet gave Glimmer a final hug, and the girls left the stable.
“Aren’t you so excited that you’ll have a unicorn just like Glimmer soon?” Bella asked.
Violet nodded. “I can’t wait. Glimmer is so special—you’re lucky, Bella. I want to spend the whole break in the stable!”
“We can do that,” Bella said. “But it’s even better with Clara and Ivy—my best friends that I’ve told you about.”
“Meeting Glimmer and now your friends—yay!” Violet said. She looped an arm through Bella’s. “This is going to be the best vacation ever!”
“It so is!” Bella agreed. “And speaking of Glimmer, I am so excited to tell you all about my Pairing Ceremony! It’s going to be so much better in person than over Chat Crystals.”
“Yeah, me too,” Violet said slowly. She looked over at Bella. “Race you!” Violet tore off toward the castle, laughing as she ran. Bella sprinted after her, giggling so hard she could barely walk.