Amelia Fang and the Unicorns of Glitteropolis Read online

Fabio looked at her blankly.

  “She’s going to give us away!” Amelia whispered to Grimaldi and Tangine.

  They waited in anticipation as Fabio continued to stare at Florence. Then his face broke into a grin.

  “Well, I do like a strong, independent unicorn,” he said.

  “AWFUL ABOUT THAT ANGEL-KITTEN’S DISAPPEARANCE,” Florence continued, licking the last of the five Cuddly Custard Pies. “AND STILL NO SIGN OF FAIRYWEATHER AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.” She sighed loudly. “ANY IDEA WHAT’S GOING ON?”

  Amelia put her head in her hands. Subtlety was not Florence’s strong point.

  “It’s tragic,” Fabio said. “When Fairyweather disappeared I was very young, but I remember it well….” He trailed off. “Still, don’t you worry about it.” He looked at Florence seriously. “We unicorn lords have everything under control. My father has a plan!”

  “YOUR FATHER?” Florence said.

  “Alpha Unicorn,” said Fabio, raising his glittery eyebrows.

  Amelia gulped and sat up straight. “This is perfect!” she whispered. “He’ll definitely be able to help us find Fairyweather!”

  Suddenly, Amelia caught a whiff of something sickly sweet. It was a scent she had smelled before. It was coming from behind the FairyGround, where the Unicorn Horn Tower stood. As Amelia looked toward it, she spotted a wisp of glittery pink mist float delicately up into the clouds.

  “The pink mist!” she gasped.

  “What are you talking about?” Grimaldi whispered.

  “It’s the pink mist I saw in the Fairy Forest just before Adonis was kidnapped!” Amelia said. “And I recognize that sickly smell.”

  “Ergh!” said Grimaldi, sniffing the air.

  “Veryyyyy odd,” Tangine said, stifling a yawn.

  “Grimaldi, you stay here and keep an eye on Florence and Fabio,” Amelia said. “Tangine and I will investigate!”

  Amelia and Tangine weaved in and out of the market stalls that lined the park leading to the Unicorn Horn Tower.

  As they approached the tower, Amelia noticed Creatures of the Light snoozing on benches and curled up in the middle of the cobbled path.

  Tangine dragged his feet. “Hurry!” Amelia urged.

  “I’m trying,” Tangine said, “but I’m super sleepy….” He yawned again.

  Amelia spotted another wisp of mist rising from behind the tower.

  “This way!” She and Tangine made their way around the side of the tower until they reached a huge gate.

  She heard shuffling, but she couldn’t see what was going on through the mist.

  Tangine slumped headfirst into a nearby bush, bottom up. “What’s wrong with you?” said Amelia, pulling at his leg.

  “I waaaant thaaaaat ooooone,” Tangine slurred, and yawned.

  Amelia shook her head and groaned. The mist was getting thicker still.

  Suddenly, Amelia spotted movement through the gate. She could just make out the outline of a cage. It looked like something was inside.

  Then she saw it: the silhouette of a kitten—a kitten with a ruffled collar.

  Amelia gasped, but she swiftly covered her mouth as she glimpsed two unicorns wearing hooded cloaks walking toward the gate. Dark masks covered their noses, which meant their voices were muffled, but she could just make out what they were saying.

  “Put him in the candy chambers with the others,” said a deep voice. “And hurry. We only released ten minutes’ worth of slumber smoke! Fabio won’t be happy if we’re seen!”

  “Of course!” said the other masked unicorn, bowing and walking away.

  Amelia heard the creaks and turns of wheels on cobbled ground, and the silhouette of the kitten in the cage disappeared.

  The candy chambers? Amelia wondered. Whatever they were, they didn’t sound good.

  “Fabio…,” she muttered angrily.

  Dragging a sleepy Tangine behind her, Amelia ran as fast as she could back to where Grimaldi was hiding. The pink mist was clearing around them. Tangine slowly began to perk up and began jogging behind Amelia.

  Florence was still standing by the Cuddly Custard Pie stand, munching through yet more pies.

  Fabio was nowhere to be seen.

  “Where is that rotten sprout?” Amelia growled.

  “FABIO HAD TO LEAVE, BUT HE PAID FOR THE WHOLE STAND OF PIES, SO WE CAN EAT THEM ALL!” Florence said happily.

  “I bet he had to leave,” Amelia said crossly. “Did he happen to mention where he was going?”

  “SAID IT WAS AN EMERGENCY. BUT HE INVITED ME TO THE UNICORN BANQUET TONIGHT IN THAT BIG TOWER!” Florence said.

  “Come on,” Amelia said. “I need to tell you something. Somewhere we won’t be overheard.”

  The friends gathered in the haunted-house ride, hidden behind a broken-down coffin-cart to the side of the tracks. Amelia knew nobody would hear them above the screams.

  “I think I know where Adonis is! Which means Fairyweather and the other kidnapped creatures might be there too,” Amelia said. “I think Fabio and the unicorn lords are behind the whole thing! They’ve been using something called slumber smoke to cover their tracks.”

  “Is that the pink mist? It must send Creatures of the Light to sleep,” Tangine said. “It even made me drowsy. I guess I didn’t fall completely asleep since I’m only half Creature of the Light.”

  “You’re right, Tangine!” Amelia said. “And that would explain why McSparkle was sleeping while we collected firewood in the Fairy Forest…and why the unicorn lords I saw were wearing masks.”

  “Clearly it doesn’t affect Creatures of the Dark,” said Grimaldi, jumping at the sudden appearance of the spinning yeti robot.

  “BUT WHY WOULD THE UNICORN LORDS KIDNAP OTHER CREATURES OF THE LIGHT?” Florence asked.

  “Maybe they found out about my mom and dad?” said Tangine, twiddling his thumbs.

  “HMMM, THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE,” Florence said. “SOUNDS LIKE THE UNICORN LORDS LIKE BEING IN CONTROL. THEY PROBABLY WOULD HATE THE IDEA OF THE TWO KINGDOMS TALKING TO EACH OTHER.”

  “Oooo, oooo!” Tangine said. “Because that would mean they’d find out the truth about each other!”

  Amelia frowned. “And if the Creatures of the Light weren’t scared of the Creatures of the Dark anymore, the unicorn lords wouldn’t be able to control them.”

  “To be honest, if I were scared and I didn’t know any better, I’d look to the unicorn lords for comfort,” Grimaldi said. “They’re always promising to keep the Creatures of the Light safe from danger.”

  Amelia nodded, deep in thought.

  “Florence, you said Fabio invited you to the unicorn banquet tonight?” Amelia said. “I’ll come with you. Adonis was sent to the candy chambers, which must be somewhere inside the Unicorn Horn Tower. Hopefully that’s where we’ll find Fairyweather and the other missing creatures.”

  “UMM, BUT FABIO TOLD ME IT’S UNICORNS ONLY AT THE BANQUET,” Florence said.

  “Well,” said Amelia. “Time to put our creative skills to the test!”

  * * *

  Somehow Amelia, Florence and Grimaldi managed to transform Amelia’s fairy costume into a unicorn outfit. Tangine rolled up the flyer Fabio had given him to make a cone-shaped horn for Amelia to place on her head.

  “Squashy, you’ll have to stay with Grimaldi and Tangine, okay?” said Amelia, hugging him to her chest. Squashy squeaked and waggled his stem bravely.

  “THE BANQUET BEGINS WHEN THE DAILY PINK PARROT SINGS,” Florence said.

  The friends stared at Florence blankly.

  “THAT’S WHAT FABIO TOLD ME, ALL RIGHT?” she huffed.

  “Well, good luck!” Grimaldi said. “We’ll wait here in the haunted house for you!”

  “We’ll get your mom back, I promise!” Amelia said to Tangine.

  “WE GOT THIS,” s
aid Florence, giving Tangine a friendly nudge.

  Tangine nudged her back and then threw his arms around Florence’s hairy belly. “Thank you for being a lovely furrrriend,” he said.

  Florence patted Tangine on the back awkwardly and then cleared her throat. “ER, THAT’S ALL RIGHT.”

  Amelia and Florence crept out of the comforting dark of the haunted house and into the daylight.

  FAAAAAA LA LA LAAAAAAAAAAA! sang a pink parrot as it flew across the bright blue sky.

  “It’s time!” Amelia said. “Let’s go!”

  Amelia and Florence joined a stream of extravagantly dressed unicorns making their way to the Unicorn Horn Tower. Huge iron gates stretched high into the sky.

  The gates creaked open and two unicorn guards stepped forward.

  “NAMES?” one guard shouted.

  “FLORENCE AND…ERRR…” Florence paused. “FLORENCE’S LITTLE SISTER.”

  The unicorn guard unraveled a scroll, which fell to the ground and kept on unraveling. He looked at Amelia and Florence suspiciously.

  “I don’t see your names on here,” he said.

  Amelia sensed Florence’s whole body stiffen.

  “FABIO INVITED ME,” Florence replied.

  The unicorn guard went on scanning the guest list.

  The other guard leaned over and whispered something. Amelia wiped her damp palms on her unicorn suit.

  “Oh…you’re right, Ricky!” He pulled out a pair of half-moon glasses from his top pocket and popped them on the tip of his nose. “Can’t see a thing without these!” He laughed. “Oh, look. There you are, Florence!” he said, then pulled out a pink pen with a pom-pom on the end and crossed the name off. “No mention of your sister, though.”

  The unicorn guard named Ricky glanced at the scroll. “You’re right, Graham.”

  “REALLY?” Florence said. Then she leaned toward the guards. “IT’S MY SISTER’S BIRTHDAY. SHE’S BEEN SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS.”

  Amelia looked up at the unicorn guard named Graham and gave him her very cutest smile.

  “Aww,” Graham cooed, “happy birthday, little one! Go on in and have fun!”

  With sighs of relief, Amelia and Florence walked through the gates and made their way into the Unicorn Horn Tower.

  Inside, Amelia and Florence were led into the Hall of Horns. A table ran along the front of the hall, with a large, imposing throne at its center. Careful not to draw attention to themselves, Amelia and Florence sat down at one of the smaller round tables near the back of the hall.

  “Florence!” Fabio galloped over, wearing a long, glittery cloak. “Oh, and you are?” he said, looking at Amelia.

  “THIS IS MY LITTLE SISTER,” Florence said. “SHE WANTS TO BE A UNICORN LORD WHEN SHE GROWS UP.”

  “How nice. You never mentioned you had a sister,” Fabio said. “You do look strangely familiar, though,” he said to Amelia, frowning.

  “THAT’S ’CAUSE SHE LOOKS LIKE ME, SILLY!” Florence laughed nervously.

  Fabio didn’t look convinced. But then, luckily, they were saved by the bell.

  DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG!

  “Let the banquet commence!” yelled an old bearded unicorn at the front of the hall.

  Loud cheers rang out as five unicorn lords in glittery cloaks strode to their seats. They were followed by a huge purple-haired unicorn with a long jeweled cape.

  It was Alpha Unicorn. Fabio made his way to the front and stood next to his father.

  “Greetings!” Alpha Unicorn began. “It is a pleasure to have you here at a very special unicorn banquet!” He looked slowly around the room. “I have some marvelous news…. The Rainbow Rail will be closed for good after tomorrow’s midday ride from Vivid Valley, and the citizens of Glitteropolis WILL BE SAFE FOREVERMORE!”

  The whole room cheered.

  “Glitteropolis is almost impossible to find. But with the Rainbow Rail, there’s always a tiny chance an unwanted creature might find its way in. Without the Rainbow Rail, we’ll be safe from the rest of the world…safe from the evils of the Creatures of the Dark!” Alpha Unicorn yelled.

  “It’s about time!” an orange-maned unicorn shouted.

  Fabio gazed admiringly at his father and the crowd erupted into clapping and hoof pumping.

  Amelia shuffled closer to Florence for comfort.

  Alpha Unicorn suddenly looked serious. “Those vampires will suck your blood! Those vultures will tear you to shreds! Those BEASTS WILL CRUSH YOUR BONES!”

  Florence stood up so quickly her chair nearly toppled over. “I AM NOT…” She paused. The room went silent. Amelia felt her heart almost stop.

  Florence swallowed. “…GOING TO PUT UP WIV THAT ANY LONGER!”

  “Yeeeeahhhh!” the crowd rumbled.

  Alpha Unicorn bashed the table with a polished hoof and the room went silent. “I, Alpha Unicorn, will keep you safe,” he said. “The sun will never go down in our city, and all of the Creatures of the Light will prosper! GLITTEROPOLIS. NEEDS. YOU!”

  The crowd was stomping, cheering and clapping. One unicorn fainted with happiness.

  “We’re going to have to join in the celebrating,” Amelia whispered to Florence.

  “BUT IT FEELS SO WRONG.”

  “Everything about this is wrong, but if we don’t pretend to be happy, we’re going to give ourselves away!” Amelia said.

  “WHOOP WHOOP!” Florence shouted—but just a little too late. The crowd had already calmed down, and now every eye in the room looked at her.

  “Is that your guest, Fabio?” Alpha Unicorn asked.

  “Yes,” Fabio said. “Father, meet Florence.”

  “Hello, Florence,” Alpha Unicorn said. Amelia could feel her cheeks burning as everyone stared at them. “I am so delighted that you could join us tonight. And do tell me, Florence, what is your unique talent?” Alpha Unicorn raised his eyebrows. “As we all know, every unicorn has a unique talent.”

  Amelia felt a flicker of panic run through her bones. A unique talent? she thought. She wasn’t entirely sure what Alpha Unicorn meant by this, but she was quite certain pit digging wouldn’t be an acceptable answer.

  Florence didn’t react. The silence in the hall was deafening. Amelia couldn’t read Florence’s expression. She had no idea how they would get out of this sticky situation….

  “SONG,” Florence suddenly blurted out.

  “Song?” Amelia repeated.

  “Song?” Alpha Unicorn said. “Very well. How about you demonstrate your song?”

  This is it, Amelia thought. This is the part where they find out who we really are…. Florence stood up and cleared her throat. Amelia couldn’t bear it any longer. She lifted her knees up to her chest, hugged them tight and closed her eyes. I’m so sorry, Tangine, she thought. We tried…. We really tried.…

  Then Amelia heard a sound so pure and hypnotic, all her troubles seemed to drift away. The sound filled the hall with a mesmerizing melody. She lifted her head slowly and saw Fabio’s eyes widen and Alpha Unicorn straighten. The sound was every beautiful thing you could imagine all rolled into one. It was as if a spell had bewitched the whole room.

  And this sound was coming from Florence’s mouth.

  It was the most exquisite song Amelia had ever heard. It seemed every unicorn in the room was in a trance, captivated by its magnificence.

  Amelia’s mouth gaped open. She’d had no idea that Florence could sing so beautifully. But she couldn’t stay and listen any longer—this was her chance to find Fairyweather and the other kidnapped creatures! She needed to slip away while the crowd was distracted.

  As she tiptoed out of the room, not a single unicorn looked in Amelia’s direction. Keep singing, Florence, she thought.

  Amelia stood in a long corridor lined with framed portraits of unicorns staring into the distance. A sign on the wal
l read CORRIDOR OF THE COURAGEOUS. Amelia cautiously made her way down the corridor until she spotted another metal sign, engraved with the words CANDY CHAMBERS. But the sign was underneath a painting of Alpha Unicorn standing on a cliff looking thoughtful.

  That’s odd, Amelia mused. She couldn’t see a door or any way in.

  Suddenly, she heard voices that seemed to be coming from behind the wall. Amelia looked from side to side for a place to hide. Spotting a door labeled PRINTING ROOM, she quickly slipped inside.

  Peering through a small crack, she saw the painting of Alpha Unicorn swing forward. The two unicorn guards she’d met at the entrance gate emerged.

  “Alpha said the Memory Flush is ready, so we can test it first thing tomorrow morning,” said the guard named Ricky.

  What in Nocturnia is a Memory Flush? Amelia wondered.

  She held her breath and waited until the clip-clopping of their hooves disappeared.

  She was about to step back in to the hall, when she turned to take a quick look at the room she’d been hiding in. In front of her sat hundreds upon hundreds of coverless textbooks on conveyor belts connected to a huge printing press. Amelia picked up a book and her breath caught in her throat.

  “The Wrath of the Angel-Kitten,” she read. It was one of the books studied at Catacomb Academy that warned them about how scary and dangerous Creatures of the Light were. On the other side of the room she saw another pile of books, which included Vicious Vampires: Volume 1, The Beast That Lurks and The Grueling Truth About Ghosts—no doubt full of horrible lies about the Creatures of the Dark.

  Every single book had the same author: Dr. Alfayewny Kawn.

  “Dr. Alfayewny Kawn,” Amelia read aloud. Then she paused and repeated slowly, “Dr. Alfayewny Kawn…Yewny Kawn…Unicorn! Alpha Unicorn!” She gasped. “He has been creating all of the books about us—and spreading all the lies.”