PRINCESS EVIE YOUNG FICTION 3 Read online

  “Of course!” agreed Rosa.

  Everyone raised their glasses of rose-petal lemonade and wished Corolla and her newborn foal good health.

  “We’ll have to think of a name for the foal,” said Violet.

  “I know,” said Magenta. “How about Blossom?”

  “Or perhaps Kaleidoscope!” added Rosa.

  “That’s a lovely name, but it might be too long,” said Violet. “We could call her Cherry.”

  “Or Rainbow,” suggested Azure.

  The Rainbow Girls had lots of ideas and the discussion continued as the girls tidied up the plates and the remainder of the picnic. Sparkles, bored by all this, played with a heart-shaped petal that had floated down from a branch above. A gentle breeze blew it out of his paws’ reach each time he got close to catching it. After a few minutes of chasing, the pretty petal landed on his nose.

  Violet and Evie began to giggle when they saw his cute little petal-nose. The other Rainbow Girls turned to see what was so funny.

  “That’s brilliant, Sparkles!” said Violet. “We could call the new foal Petal.”

  Everyone agreed that the name Petal was just right.

  “What a clever cat you are, Sparkles,” said Evie, giving her kitten a big hug and blowing the pretty petal away.

  “I think we should have the naming ceremony before you go,” said Violet.

  “What an excellent idea!” said Rosa.

  CHAPTER 7

  Rainbow Wishes

  Before they went to the field on the edge of Kaleidoscope Wood, the girls made little crowns and garlands using the pretty blossoms that were left over in the baskets.

  Evie and Violet took off Indigo’s harness. They wove cherry blossom into her mane and draped a garland of peach blossom around her neck. Rosa even made Sparkles a crown of tiny hawthorn blossom. Everyone looked beautiful, and soon they were ready to see Corolla and Petal.

  When they got to the yard, Violet went to the feed shed and got Corolla a scoop of oats to keep her strength up. Ginny took them to see the mare and her new foal. The rainbow foal’s coat shimmered and Corolla looked content.

  “They are doing really well,” the vet smiled.

  “We’ve come to perform a naming ceremony, Ginny,” said Violet. “Would you help us?”

  “Of course,” said Ginny. “What have you decided to call her?”

  “Petal,” said Violet.

  “Sparkles chose it,” said Rosa.

  “What a pretty name,” said Ginny. “It’s perfect for such a pretty foal.”

  The little foal was very inquisitive when she saw the Rainbow Girls and was especially interested in Sparkles. They touched noses and Sparkles purred while Petal whickered. Corolla was pleased to see everyone and neighed happily when Violet gave her the bucket of oats. Evie gently draped a garland of blossom around Corolla’s neck and tucked a little spray of flowers into Petal’s mane. Now they were all ready for the ceremony.

  Everyone stood around Corolla and Petal and, as if by magic, a rainbow appeared above them.

  “We are here today to celebrate the safe arrival of Corolla’s foal,” said Ginny. “A foal is full of promise and each one of us here will help to take care of her and love her. We give her the name Petal and will each give her a wish for her future.”

  “Petal, I wish you happiness in the Rainbow Kingdom,” said Violet.

  “Petal, I wish you fields full of fresh grass,” said Rosa.

  “Petal, I wish you many safe journeys through the sky,” said Magenta.

  Princess Evie hadn’t been sure what was going to happen but, after listening to Violet, Rosa and Magenta, she realised what she had to do.

  She looked at the little foal and thought about all the amazing things that had happened that day. She thought about returning to the Rainbow Garden to see her old friends, about finding the foal, and about Indigo pulling the jewelled chariot through the sky.

  “Petal, I wish you many, many wonderful adventures shared with friends.”

  Each of the Rainbow Girls and Ginny gave Petal a wish, while Corolla looked proudly on.

  “We’d better take Corolla and Petal back to the shelter by the yard,” said Violet, when they had all finished. “It looks as if it’s going to rain soon.”

  A dark cloud moved slowly towards them.

  “I think it’s time to make our way back to Starlight Stables,” said Evie. “Indigo could do with some rest after today’s excitement – we all could!”

  Sparkles rubbed up against Evie’s ankle and miaowed.

  “Thank you, Indigo, for coming back to see us,” said Rosa, stroking Indigo’s rainbow mane. “And for pulling our chariot through the sky. You saved the day!”

  “Well done, Sparkles, for choosing the perfect name for Corolla’s foal,” said Ginny, as she cuddled the kitten.

  “And thank you for helping me with Corolla,” said Violet, giving Evie a big hug.

  “That’s what friends are for,” smiled Evie. “We promise we’ll come back to visit you as soon as we can.”

  “We’d love to see you all soon,” said Violet. “You must come back for next year’s Rainbow Blossom Festival. Corolla and Indigo could pull the chariot together.”

  Everyone waved as Indigo trotted off to the tunnel of trees. They didn’t have far to go because the tunnel was just in Kaleidoscope Wood. Princess Evie knew that Indigo’s beautiful wings would disappear when they came out of the tunnel and were back at Starlight Stables. She stroked them one last time.

  “You are a very beautiful rainbow pony Indigo,” said Evie.

  Indigo shook her mane and happily went into the tunnel. When they came out, her coat had returned to its beautiful gold and, of course, her wings had disappeared.

  All of Princess Evie’s ponies called out to them, welcoming them back to the stables. Evie took off Indigo’s tack and groomed her, checking her for any strains or injuries.

  “Well done,” said Evie. “You worked hard today. You are such a strong pony – and a magic one too!”

  Indigo nuzzled up to Evie. She loved going through the tunnel of trees and having adventures with Evie and Sparkles.

  When Evie turned her Haflinger pony out into the paddock, Indigo rolled on the ground and then trotted around the field with her friends Silver and Willow. Evie and Sparkles went into the tack room to hang up Indigo’s bridle and saddle.

  “We’ll have to carry on with our spring-cleaning tomorrow, Sparkles,” said Evie. “There’s lots more tack to oil, but I’m just too tired to do it today.”

  Sparkles was sitting by the hook for Indigo’s bridle, looking up at something that was hanging from it. Princess Evie carefully put Indigo’s tack down and went over to see what it could be.

  “Well I never!” she said, smiling. “It looks as if Indigo is going to have lots of fun this spring. It’s a driving harness, Sparkles!”

  Evie took the harness down carefully. It was beautiful, with silver buckles and tiny gemstones sparkling along the reins.

  “Thank you Rainbow Girls,” said Evie. “What an unforgettable day.”

  Evie and Sparkles made their way back to Starlight Castle. They decided to walk through the fruit orchard and, as they did, they noticed something amazing.

  “Look, Sparkles!” said Evie, pointing up the branches.

  All the trees were covered with fluffy blossoms.

  “Miaow,” said Sparkles as he began to chase a pink cherry-blossom petal that was floating on the spring breeze.

  “I’m sure they weren’t there this morning,” laughed Evie. “I think that the springtime magic has really started!”

  Pony Facts

  &

  Activities

  Evie

  LIVES AT:

  Starlight Stables

  FAVOURITE PONY:

  Impossible to choose!

  FAVOURITE PASTIME:

  Going on adventures with my magic ponies

  FAVOURITE FLOWER:

  Violets

&nbs
p; FANTASY FOOD:

  Apple-blossom ice cream

  Indigo

  BREED:

  Haflinger pony

  FEATURES:

  Very strong, quick learners, very friendly, driving ponies

  HEIGHT:

  From 13 hands to 15 hands

  COLOUR:

  All shades of chestnut with light-coloured manes and tails

  Horse Tack

  Tack is the name for all the equipment you use with a pony. Can you guess what the piece of equipment is from the description?

  1. The rider sits on this

  2. This goes in the mouth and is connected to number 4

  3. The rider holds these in their hands and uses them to steer the pony

  4. This goes over the head of the pony and connects numbers 2 and 3

  5. The rider’s feet go into these

  6. This sits under number 1 to protect the pony’s back

  ANSWERS: 1. SADDLE 2. BIT 3. REINS 4. BRIDLE 5. STIRRUPS 6. SADDLE PAD

  Wordsearch

  Now can you find those answers in this grid. They can be read forwards, backwards, diagonally, horizontally or vertically.

  Birthstones

  The Rainbow Girls each have a special magic stone that they to help Indigo fly. Every month has a specific stone associated with it. Which one is your special stone?

  January – Garnet

  This red stone is a symbol of love and compassion

  February – Amethyst

  This pretty purple stone is said to help people have pleasant dreams

  March – Aquamarine

  This stone is often a pale blue-green colour and can help encourage bravery

  April – Diamond

  These very expensive stones are beautifully clear and sparkly.

  They are often used in wedding or engagement rings

  May – Emerald

  A beautiful green colour, these stones are quite rare and are said to bring wisdom if you wear them

  June – Moonstone

  A very lucky stone that is supposed to bring good fortune! These stones are a milky-white colour although they can look almost blue

  July – Ruby

  Another beautiful red stone, these are often used to protect against bad dreams

  August – Peridot

  This stone is quite unusual but is a very pretty green colour. It is supposed to help bring happiness to the wearer

  September – Sapphire

  This stunning blue stone helps you to think through difficult problems

  October – Opal

  These can be lots of different colours and often look transparent.

  It’s often described as a stone of inspiration and creativity

  November – Topaz

  A pretty yellow stone that is said to be a symbol of love and affection

  December – Turquoise

  This stone is bright blue and a symbol of friendship and peace

  Butterfly Cakes

  The Rainbow Garden butterflies helped guide Indigo through the trees in the blossom festival. Try this recipe for some yummy butterfly cakes and see if you can make your cakes as pretty as the butterflies in the festival.

  Remember to be careful when using an oven – always ask a grown-up to help you!

  Ingredients for the cake:

  100g butter

  100g caster sugar

  2 large eggs

  100g self-raising flour

  1 tsp vanilla extract

  1 tbsp milk

  To make the cakes:

  1. Preheat your oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5 and line a muffin tin with paper cases

  2. Mix the butter and sugar until it’s pale

  3. Add the eggs and 1 tbsp of flour and mix

  4. Mix in the flour, vanilla and milk then divide the mix evenly through the cases

  5. Place the cakes in the over for 15-20mins until they are golden brown

  6. Once they are cool cut a circle out of the top of the cakes, keep the tops to one side as you’ll need them later

  7. Scoop out a bit of the cake from the middle and fill the hole with buttercream

  8. Cut the sliced tops in half and arrange them on top of the buttercream to look like wings

  Ingredients for the buttercream icing:

  140g butter

  280g icing sugar

  1-2 tbsp milk

  To make the buttercream:

  1. Beat the butter until it’s soft

  2. Then add the icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of the milk until the mixture is smooth

  You could use food colouring to make the cakes and icing look extra pretty!

  Pegasus Facts

  Corolla is a very different type of pony to Evie’s, as she has wings! The most famous winged pony was Pegasus, who appeared in Greek myths. He was said to be a beautiful winged horse and the son of Poseidon, the god of the Sea. There were many stories told about him but one of the most famous was that he became the great friend of the King of the Gods, Zeus. They were such good friends that Zeus turned Pegasus into a constellation of stars so that he could live forever. Pegasus was supposed to have many magical powers including stopping a mountain from growing any taller by kicking it. As a friend of Zeus he also carried his thunderbolts through the sky.