Chapter 1: A Wandering Headband If there''s one thing Unicornia has, it''s SPARKLE. Everything here sparkles with more magic than you''ll find in any other place. But right now there''s even more sparkle than usual, because today is no ordinary day. Today, Unicornia is celebrating a super-special event! I''m sure you''re bursting to know what it is . What super-special day could it be? -A Day of the Unicorn -Upside-Down Day -Kids Make the Rules Day -Do Something Totally new Day -Everyone Can Fly Day OK, OK, I won''t leave you waiting any longer! Today is the day of . The Magical Unicorn Show If you haven''t heard of it, don''t worry--I''ll explain. The Magical Unicorn Show is an amazing event that happens once a year, when the unicorns of Unicornia prepare a special show full of music, acrobatics, multicolored lights, and glitter galore! Lots of unicorns perform, but can you guess which three unicorns I am most excited about? That''s right--ours! My unicorn, Chai, and my friends'' unicorns, Pippo and Sam, will all be there. We can''t wait to see the performance they''ve prepared.

Now you can see why today has a super-special sparkle--and in more ways than one! There''s the shine from the stage lights, of course, but there''s also the light from all the unicorns'' magical horns. So as the unicorns perform, Unicornia will shine even more brightly! Our teacher, Florrie, handed us our tickets at the Unicornia Academy of Magic yesterday. We all got so giddy that she had to finish the lesson early! Nobody could hear what she was saying over our whoops of excitement. How were we supposed to concentrate in Magical Potions class with the promise of prancing unicorns to look forward to? Since then, my friends and I haven''t been able to think of anything else. To add to the excitement, it''s my first time seeing the show. Everyone has told me lots about it, but I can''t wait to see it with my own eyes! Pippa, Sara, and I have arranged to meet at the flying-bus stop so that we can travel to the show together. (We don''t have our unicorns today because they are getting their hooves ready!) But uh-oh . I''m running late! I should be at the bus stop already, but I haven''t even left the house.

The problem is, I can''t find my super-duper-special unicorn headband, and there''s no way I can go without it. You must know the one I mean; I''m always wearing it. Well, except when I''m in bed or in the shower, obviously. I''ve looked absolutely EVERYWHERE and it''s nowhere to be seen. Where on earth could it be? I try asking Mom, but her reply isn''t much help. "Well, have you tried tidying your bedroom?" Can you believe it? What use is that to me right now?! To be fair, she might have the teensiest point. My socks have all escaped out of their drawer, I have a tower of bowls on my bedside table, and it''s been ages since I sorted through all the scraps of paper and notebooks and things on my desk . and on the floor .

and under the bed. Oops! But right now, I just need someone to tell me where I left my headband last night so I can put it on and bolt out of the house. "Have you checked the attic? And the bathroom? And your wardrobe? And under the pile of clothes on your chair?" Mom asks. I need to leave NOW, but I can''t! Do you know that feeling when you''re doing something you shouldn''t be doing, but you keep doing it anyway because you can''t stop yourself? Well, that''s me right now: I know that my friends are waiting for me, but at the same time, I can''t bring myself to stop searching because the headband is really important to me, and how could I not wear it, today of all days? So I keep on looking . Things I keep doing even though I shouldn''t: -Brushing my teeth for less time than the Tooth Fairy recommends -Jumping in puddles without my rain booths -Picking up books with sticky hands after eating chocolate -Leaving glitter pots open on the carpet -Not keeping my bedroom tidy In the attic, I stumble upon my rainbow-striped flying roller skates. I''m dying to test them out! I got them as a present from my parents a few months ago and still haven''t had the chance. Maybe I could slip them on now? Ooh, I''m really tempted . Just as I start taking off my shoes, I hear Mom calling me from downstairs.

"Have you found your headband yet?" Ah! I''d almost forgotten! I need to find my headband NOW! I leave the roller skates for another time and get back to searching everywhere . I look in the bathroom, in the wardrobe, under my bed, in the trash can, inside all my drawers . But the headband is nowhere to be found. Where is it? Suddenly, a memory flashes through my head. I think I know where it is! I remember taking it off yesterday while I was drawing at the kitchen table before bedtime. What do you think? Will I be in luck? I look through the heaps of colored pencils and drawings in the kitchen and I find so many things I haven''t seen in a long, looong time. Look! There''s the rainbow scrunchie Pippa gave me at the start of the school year. And the special bracelet Sara gave me on Friendship Day.

I slip it on straight away--I love it so much! I just had no idea where it had gone. But do I find my headband? Nope! It''s disappeared! Things I never expected to stumble across today: -The book I''ve been desperate to read -The scarf I though I''d left on the flying bus -My missing super-toasty slipper sock -The best pencil ever I refuse to admit my headband is lost for good, but I''m starting to wonder if it might have sprouted teeny-tiny legs and wandered off somewhere. Can you imagine? Maybe it''s taking a dip in Rainbow Lake or strolling through Giant Sunflower Meadow? I head back to my bedroom, feeling gloomy, but then . "Ta-da!" Mom appears holding the headband and beaming from ear to ear. Her grin makes me a bit suspicious, because I bet I know what''s coming next. "You can have it, but only if you promise to tidy up this mess when you get home," she tells me, nodding toward my bedroom. What choice do I have? "Thanks, Mom! I promise I''ll tidy. Where did you find it?" "In the fridge!" When I put the headband on, it does feel a bit chilly.

But how did it end up there? Could it truly have sprouted legs? After giving Mom a big thank-you hug, I race off to where I''d arranged to meet my friends . half an hour ago!.