Dreams Come True Read online




  Contents

  Title Page

  Introduction

  Map of Aura

  Map of the Castle of Destiny

  Meet the Melowies

  Chapter 1: The Big Day

  Chapter 2: The First Day of the Rest of Their Lives

  Chapter 3: An Unexpected Meeting

  Chapter 4: The Entrance Exam

  Chapter 5: In the Maze

  Chapter 6: A Flower Made of Wings

  Chapter 7: A Surprise Student

  Chapter 8: Arrival Day Party

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Imagine a magical land wrapped in golden light. A planet in a distant galaxy beyond the known stars. This enchanted place is known as Aura, and it is very special. For Aura is home to the pegasus, a winged horse with a colorful mane and coat.

  The pegasuses of Aura come from four ancient island realms that lie within Aura’s enchanted oceans: the Winter Realm of Amethyst Island, the Spring Realm of Emerald Island, the Day Realm of Ruby Island, and the Night Realm of Sapphire Island.

  A selected number from each realm are born with a symbol on their wings and a hidden magical power. These are the Melowies.

  When their magic beckons them in a dream, all Melowies leave their island homes to answer the call. They must attend school at the Castle of Destiny, a legendary castle hidden in a sea of clouds, where they will learn all about their hidden powers. Destiny is a place where friendships are born, where Melowies find their courage, and where they discover the true magic inside themselves!

  Something very special was happening. Way up in the sky above the land of Aura, a magical trail had appeared in the clouds. It would only remain there for one day. Twenty-four pairs of wings fluttered in the cool air. Twenty-four silky manes sparkled in the morning light. Today was the big day. The day the Melowies were going to the Castle of Destiny for the first time!

  Maya flapped her pink wings. She’d left her home in the Spring Realm and was now flying with a bunch of other special pegasuses to the place they’d all dreamed about since they were little. She was so excited to finally find out more about her magic! It was just a shame that she was too shy to share her excitement with the others. But maybe, with a little effort …

  Maya spotted a group of girls giggling nearby. She took a deep breath, flew over to them, and summoned her courage. “Hi, girls! How are you?” she whispered. The words were so soft that the others didn’t hear. They glided away on a whistling air current without even noticing her.

  Feeling disappointed, Maya watched them flying off into the distance. But then she noticed a pegasus with a purple mane who was floating all by herself. Maya flew over to her with a flutter of wings. “HELLO! WHAT’S YOUR NAME?” she said, this time far too loudly.

  The stranger looked her up and down. In a flat voice, she answered, “Selena.”

  “I’m Maya. Umm … are you a Melowy, too?” Maya asked, trying to make con-versation.

  “Of course,” the pretty pegasus replied.

  Now Maya felt silly. Selena had to be a Melowy! Only Melowies, the pegasuses born with a symbol on their wings and a hidden magical power, could go where they were going.

  Selena gave her a sideways look. Did Maya know how important this journey was? Selena wasn’t trying to be nasty. But she usually liked to be alone and wanted to enjoy the special moment without distractions. Besides, Selena wasn’t used to being around other Melowies. At home, in her mother’s castle, she was the only one she’d ever known.

  Suddenly, an “Ooh!” echoed along the path through the clouds. The Melowy who had been flying at the front of the herd, Cora from the Winter Realm, suddenly seemed to lose her perfect poise. Her blue eyes grew wide with wonder as she gazed at what lay ahead.

  The Melowies saw an island floating in the middle of a sea of clouds! The island was crowned by a beautiful castle with soaring towers surrounded by homes and other buildings below. It was the Castle of Destiny, the school for Melowies. And it was just as Cora had always imagined it! She’d been waiting to come here since she was a tiny pegasus, and finally, her time had come. She wanted everything to be perfect.

  “Wings out, chin up, look proud,” she said to herself as she recovered her composure and followed the last stretch of the sparkling path through the clouds. She took a deep breath. “Wings out, chin—”

  “Coming through!” someone suddenly yelled from behind her. And before Cora could get out of the way, a Melowy with a fiery red mane flew right into her, knocking her—and all her perfect plans—upside down!

  Meanwhile, on the floating island of Destiny, a little pegasus named Cleo peered out the window at the crowded streets and sighed.

  “Cleo! Sweetheart!” called Theodora, the school cook. She held a cupcake covered with candles for Cleo’s arrival day. Ever since Gia, the school principal, found baby Cleo on the front steps of the castle, Cleo had celebrated that day with a sticky-sweet cupcake from the cook.

  “Make a wish and blow out the candles!” said Theodora, while Fluffy, Cleo’s adorable puppy, danced between her legs, hoping for a taste. As usual, Theodora had dressed Fluffy—she was covered from head to paw with little pink bows.

  Cleo snorted. Make a wish! As if anything could be that simple today!

  Theodora adjusted a runaway lock of Cleo’s hair. “What’s the matter, honey bun? Don’t you like the cupcake I made you? It’s double chocolate with three kinds of sprinkles, just the way you like.”

  “I’m sorry, Theodora,” mumbled Cleo. “The cupcake is wonderful. It’s just that … No, it’s nothing. I’m a little distracted today, that’s all.”

  The cook giggled. “You’re always a little distracted! Remember when you were little and went to play on the airfield during landing practice? Or the time you accidentally shut yourself in the cupboard of forbidden magic? But we like you just as you are. Now I’ve got to run! They need me in the kitchen. You finish that breakfast, young lady!” Theodora planted a big kiss on Cleo’s forehead.

  “Okay,” said the little pegasus, trying to smile. “See you at the party tonight.”

  Cleo had always loved her arrival day because it fell on the day that new students arrived at the Castle of Destiny. But this year everything was different. This year she was the same age as the new students. And no matter how hard she wished, she could never be one of them. Unlike the other Melowies, she didn’t have a symbol on her wings. She was the only one who didn’t know which realm she comes from. And that was all she could think about when she blew out the candles.

  Cleo didn’t know that sometimes impossible dreams can come true. And in the most unexpected ways …

  Cleo felt a little better after she finished her arrival day cupcake. She decided not to let bad thoughts ruin her special day. I’ll enjoy the welcome ceremony, like I do every year, she thought.

  Cleo looked up into the sky and admired the new students gliding gracefully toward the front yard of the school. Together, they looked like one big, rainbow cloud. She had to get a better view! So Cleo spread her wings and flew as fast as she could toward the top of the castle.

  From up among the clouds, the Castle of Destiny looked more beautiful than ever.

  “No,” Cleo said to herself. “I can’t possibly be sad today.”

  “Wow! I’m finally at the Castle of Destiny!” cried the Melowy with the fiery red mane.

  Cora fixed her long ponytail and glared at the bubbly Melowy behind her.

  The girl ignored Cora’s icy look and introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Electra, from the Day Realm. What’s your name?”

  “Cora. Winter Realm.”

  “Oh, that explains why you gave me that cold look!”
Electra answered, giggling.

  Cora gave her another frosty glare.

  “Sorry! I chose the wrong words,” Electra explained. “But I really wasn’t making fun of you! I was just trying to break the ice!”

  Cora shrugged. “Look, that’s Principal Gia over there. She’s about to give the welcome speech.”

  The principal rang a golden bell. Rays of bright light sprang out in every direction as it chimed. The Melowies looked on in awe.

  “Welcome to the Castle of Destiny,” said Gia. “Although it’s been many years since I was a student, and my mane is now almost completely silver, I still remember the excitement of my very first day at this school. Like me, you will learn to use your power and discover your place in the world of Aura. Please look around and soak in as much of this day as you can—the faces, the smells, the feelings, everything. In the future you will remember this moment as the first day of the rest of your lives!”

  “How thrilling!” beamed Electra. “But first we have to pass the entrance test,” she added. Electra tried to look brave, but inside, her tummy was doing somersaults.

  Selena stared nervously down at her hooves. Her mother was the queen of the Night Realm and expected Selena to follow in her hoofprints. She was scared to learn more about her powers and her future. What if her fate was not the future her mother expected of her?

  Maya started backing away and closed her wings tightly around her body, the way she always did when she was nervous. Not looking where she was going, she accidentally stepped on Cora’s tail.

  “Be careful!” Cora shrieked. “You’ll mess up my hairdo!” She wanted to look perfect on the first day of this journey! A journey that would lead her to the throne of the Winter Realm. She was sure of it!

  “Wh-what if I fail the test?” asked Maya with a bit of a stammer. “B-before I came here, everything seemed possible. Now I know I’ll never make it …”

  “Don’t count yourself out!” snapped Cora. “We don’t even know what kind of test it is yet!”

  Maya blushed and went quiet, her wings wrapping around herself even tighter.

  Riiiiip!

  The sound of tearing cloth caught all the Melowies off guard. Then suddenly a flag hanging from the top of the castle came falling down. Tangled up inside was a young pegasus with a rosy mane.

  “Who is that?” Cora wondered.

  The Melowies laughed as Cleo untangled herself from the flag and flew back up to the castle tower as quickly as she could.

  Maya sighed and shook her head. She wanted to tell the Melowies who were laughing to be quiet, but she was too shy. Maybe Cora will give them one of her icy glares, she thought. Maybe behind that snooty exterior, Cora’s not that bad.

  But it was Principal Gia’s voice that rang out. “Follow me,” she announced, then walked into the castle as though nothing had happened.

  The Melowies trotted after her with a mixture of curiosity and wonder. Their home realms were all beautiful in their own way. But the Castle of Destiny was different. It was more bewitching and majestic than any place they had ever seen before.

  Principal Gia took them on a quick tour of the school. She led them through rooms filled with globes, beautiful paintings, maps, and mysterious instruments. She walked quickly, and the Melowies scurried to keep up with her. “Hurry,” Principal Gia said, “you’ll have time to take a closer look at everything after the entrance exam.”

  But the Melowies couldn’t help peeking into every room. They were enchanted by the incredible stained glass windows that reached the ceiling and filled the whole school with colored light.

  For a moment, Maya forgot to be afraid and stopped to look up at one of the stained glass windows. It showed a pegasus soaring through a pink sky.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked. The room was silent—everyone had gone! “No,” she moaned. “I’m lost! I’m so silly!”

  Maya ran around the next bend in the corridor, but there was no trace of the rest of the group. Worse than that, there were three different paths in front of her and she didn’t know which one to take.

  A pegasus with a rosy mane poked her head out from behind a door.

  “Hey! You’re the one who … ,” Maya began but stopped herself. It wouldn’t be nice to say, “You’re the one who just made a fool of herself in front of everyone.”

  “Who got all twisted up in the flag like a pretzel?” the pegasus with the rosy mane said without a hint of embarrassment. “My name’s Cleo. After I untangled myself, I flew back here. And when I heard Gia and the other Melowies coming, I hid. I never expected to find a straggler!” she said with a smile.

  “It’s nice to meet you. My name’s Maya and I’m lost.”

  “But the test is about to start!”

  Maya closed her wings around herself again.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Cleo in a sweet voice. “Are you scared?”

  “I’m going to fail! I just know it!”

  “I’m sure you are going to do great! And if you don’t try, you won’t really know, right? Now go through that archway and down the corridor, and you won’t be lost anymore.”

  Maya smiled gratefully and flew off to catch up with the others.

  Cleo watched her speed away and wondered what to do with the rest of her disastrous day. She couldn’t just hang around the school all day, so she decided to go back to her room and read a good book. Cleo loved to read because she could disappear into a different world. She could be a brave hero fighting pirates, or an explorer of unknown lands.

  Clippety-clop!

  Cleo turned. The sound of hooves came from somewhere in the distance. “Theodora, is that you?” she called. No one answered. Feeling a little nervous, Cleo crept back into her hiding place behind the door.

  Just then, a figure in a blue cloak walked right past her. Curious, Cleo decided to follow.

  They walked for a long time, through corridor after corridor. Finally, they came to a door that led to one of the castle’s many gardens. The figure in the blue cloak slipped into the garden, but Cleo paused. She knew she was not allowed in because it was one of the areas used for the Melowies’ entrance exam. She looked around and thought about going back to her room. But she could not ignore her curiosity.

  “Anybody there?” she asked. She pushed the door open slowly, and when she saw what was on the other side, she gasped.

  Meanwhile, Maya had caught up with the others without anyone noticing she was missing.

  Principal Gia led the Melowies into the assembly hall. It was a beautiful room with a hanging garden in place of one of its walls. The Melowies were looking around in wonder when a shower of tiny crystals began to fall gently from above. The color of the shining glass ceiling changed from a soft yellow to orange, pink, and red. The colors kept changing and getting brighter and brighter, until the hall was filled with a wonderful rainbow.

  “Ooh!” everyone cried at once.

  Just then, four beautiful pegasuses appeared on the rainbow and flew together into the center of the room.

  “I’d like to introduce you to some of the teachers you will be working with here at the Castle of Destiny,” announced Principal Gia. The rainbow faded away as the teachers took their place next to her.

  “Meet Ms. Decorum, who teaches etiquette, and Ms. Magister, who teaches math and pegasus science.” Ms. Magister gave a little nod and adjusted her glasses, while the principal continued with the introductions. “Ms. Mercury will teach you aerobatics, and Ms. Bernice teaches pegasus literature.”

  “They all look so strict!” whispered Electra to another student.

  “It’s time for the most important part of your first day: the entrance exam,” continued Gia. “You will be divided into groups of four. When it’s your turn, you will go through one of the examination doors, into the garden. There you will have the chance to prove that the Castle of Destiny is the right place for you.”

  “Oh no … ,” moaned a little voice next to Cora. She turned to see Maya t
rying to hide in her own wings.

  “Are you okay?” Cora asked.

  “It’s just that … I’m afraid I won’t pass the test,” Maya whispered.

  “Come on! You’ll be fine!” Electra interrupted, nudging Cora aside.

  Cora snorted and tried to ignore her.

  “I think I’ll wait in the back so I can go last,” Maya said as the others began to form an orderly line.

  “I don’t think so,” cried Electra. “Come with me!”

  “Let her do what she wants!” snorted Selena.

  “Would you let me through, please?” snapped Cora, who hated not being first.

  A firm voice interrupted the squabble. “You four! What are you doing there?” asked Principal Gia. She didn’t wait for an answer. “If you are so eager for attention, perhaps the four of you should go first.”

  The four Melowies followed the principal into the garden. Four examination doors surrounded a square of thick, tall bushes. The doors were glittering magical barriers that shone like mirrors and hid the castle’s magical secrets.

  “Wings out, chin up, look proud,” Cora muttered as she walked calmly through one of the doors. The gate shook and changed color like a soap bubble, and then the filly disappeared.

  The other three Melowies gasped.

  “Come along, now,” instructed Principal Gia. “You, girls, too.”

  Maya, Electra, and Selena went to stand in front of the other doors.

  “Okay, here we go,” Maya whispered to herself, trying not to tremble. She took a deep breath and walked through the rainbow doorway.

  “Wow!” she cried a moment later. Maya was standing at the entrance to a garden maze made up of leaves in every imaginable shade of green. She timidly stepped into the leafy web. The branches formed an emerald roof over her head. “I guess you really can’t fly out of this one,” she said, growing more and more nervous.