Chapter 1: Glitter Alarm It was a beautiful day in Unicornia and the sky was filled with every shade of blue. Claudia, Pippa, and Sara were sooo inspired that they wanted to stay home and paint it--but nope, they had to go to school instead. Bleurgh! Of course, lessons at the Unicornia Academy of Magic weren''t like lessons at an ordinary school. Here, they studied things like Potions, History of Unicorns, and Unicorn Flying. But even though magical subjects could be super fun, they still took a lot of concentration and brain power. It''s never a good idea to mess up a magic potion! That day, in their Magical Theater lesson, the class was rehearsing for their end-of-year play. The girls waited nervously for their turn to perform, repeating lines in their heads as they listened to Mrs. Boards''s final tips.
"Remember, you can''t just say the words--for it to look and feel real for the audience, you have to show emotion too. Think about something in your life to help you get into character. If your character is meant to be happy, remember something that makes you happy in real life." All of a sudden, Pippa stopped paying attention. Why? Because out of the corner of her eye, she''d glimpsed something fluttering outside the window. Can you guess what--or who--it was? No? OK, here are some hints: They have wings, are very small, and come in all different colors--oh, and as they fly, they leave a trail of purple glitter behind them . Did that help? How about some more clues? They always travel as a group because what they deliver can be quite heavy--well, for them, anyway! Have you guessed? That''s right! They were . Magical Messenger Butterflies! The butterflies had stopped near Pippa''s desk and were trying to show her a letter through the window.
It looked like it was from the Unicorn Rescue Unit! Oh! A new mission! Pippa nudged Sara, who whispered to Claudia, and all three of them began bouncing up and down in their chairs. But there was just one problem . Their missions were top secret! Apart from their families, nobody was allowed to know that Claudia, Pippa, and Sara were Unicorn Rescuers. Can you promise to keep it super secret? "Oh no. Look!" Claudia exclaimed suddenly. The butterflies were flying away. Since they couldn''t deliver the letter through the classroom window, they''d obviously decided to try getting into the school another way. "They''ll give us away!" Sara whispered.
They had to think of a plan--and fast! How could they get out of class to collect the letter without anyone seeing them? They all thought as hard as they could. Suddenly, Pippa had an idea. "We need to find a way to interrupt the lesson." "But how can we do that?" Claudia asked. Claudia and Sara scanned the room anxiously. Time was running out, and if they didn''t act fast, the butterflies would burst into the classroom and reveal their secret to everyone. Their unicorn-rescuing days would be over! But Pippa knew exactly what to do. She raised her hand and waited for the teacher to call on her.
Claudia and Sara looked at each other in confusion. Had Pippa come up with a plan? "Mrs. Boards, please may I go to the restroom?" With their teacher''s permission, Pippa left the classroom. But instead of heading for the restroom, she turned down the opposite corridor and stopped in front of a round box on one of the walls. In this box was the fright detector that controlled the school''s glitter alarm system. What do you mean, you''ve never heard of a fright detector? It''s like a smoke alarm, but instead of beeping when it detects smoke, it detects when someone is really frightened. Pippa tried to set off the fright detector by making a scared face. But nothing happened.
She tried opening her eyes really wide, stretching her mouth, flaring her nostrils . but it was no use! Just as she was beginning to think her plan was doomed, she remembered what Mrs. Boards had said in their Magical Theater lesson. To bring an emotion to life, you had to remember it, to feel it. Of course! Quickly, she thought of the most frightening experience she''d ever had. It came to her immediately: their very first mission, when she, Claudia, and Sara had almost been eaten by sharks on their way to Mermaid Land! The moment she remembered the feeling, a fanfare of music began to ring out . and glitter started to rain from the ceiling of the Unicornia Academy of Magic. Whoosh! Whoosh! What better way to banish fear than with glitter? Soon, all the students and teachers had raced out of their classrooms to start catching the multi-colored sparkles that were falling here, there, and everywhere.
By the time Pippa caught up with Claudia and Sara in the main corridor, all three of them were covered in glitter. "That was such a great idea!" her friends exclaimed. With everyone else distracted, the butterflies found them at the perfect time. In a carefully choreographed dance, they dropped the letter into Pippa''s hand, then fluttered away again. The Magical Messenger Butterflies had accomplished their mission. Now it was down to the Unicorn Rescuers to complete theirs. What would it be this time?.