Best friends forever, p.1
Best Friends Forever, page 1
First published in Great Britain 2021 by Farshore
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF
www.farshore.co.uk
HarperCollinsPublishers
1st Floor, Watermarque Building, Ringsend Road
Dublin 4, Ireland
Text copyright © 2021 Farshore
Illustrations copyright © 2021 Farshore
Special thanks to Rachel Delahaye
Text design by Janene Spencer
With thanks to Speckled Pen for their help in the development of the series.
Source ISBN 978 0 7555 0124 3
eISBN 978 0 7555 0125 0
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner.
Stay safe online. Farshore is not responsible for content hosted by third parties.
For Georgie, who adores super cute characters and furry animals.
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Map
CHAPTER ONE: We’re Glowing to Charm Glade!
CHAPTER TWO: The Trouble with Tutus
CHAPTER THREE: The Blossom Festival
CHAPTER FOUR: Backstage Drama!
CHAPTER FIVE: Floods of Kindness
CHAPTER SIX: Talents and Tantrums!
CHAPTER SEVEN: And the Winner is …
CHAPTER EIGHT: A Magical Night
Exract from Super Cute: The Sleepover Surprise
CHAPTER ONE
We’re Glowing to Charm Glade!
Lucky the lunacorn had an invitation in her bag to a very special occasion. It was taking place on the other side of Charm Glade and she had been flying all night to get there! But when sunrise came, Lucky just had to stop. The World of Cute was waking up and it was an amazing thing to watch.
Lucky landed in the Dipsy Daisy Meadow and gazed happily as the golden beams tickled the multi-coloured grasses. Flowers lifted their sleepy heads, little creatures emerged from their dens and birds rose from the treetops, swooping and singing. The start of a new day was always enchanting. But today, as distant music drifted on the breeze, Lucky sensed something especially magical in the air.
‘I must be close to Charm Glade!’ she said to herself.
‘I must be close to Charm Glade!’ repeated a chorus of voices.
Lucky felt a bit confused. Then she spotted long ears and cotton tails in the grass around her. ‘Oh, it’s the funny bunnies!’ she said.
‘Funny bunnies!’ the bunnies giggled, springing one by one from the undergrowth like popcorn. They stopped in mid-air to do star jumps and cartwheels, before tumbling back down again. Lucky watched in awe.
A green bunny sprang forward. ‘Charm Glade is just a few leaps that way. Or flaps,’ it added, spotting Lucky’s wings. It looked down at Lucky’s hooves. ‘Or gallops … What kind of creature are you?’
‘A lunacorn,’ Lucky replied.
‘A lunacorn,’ gasped the bunnies. ‘Wow!’
‘I’m like a unicorn, but with a very special horn,’ Lucky explained.
The bunnies stared in confusion at the normal-looking horn on the top of Lucky’s head.
‘It’s not doing anything now,’ said Lucky. ‘But when the moon comes out, it glows!’
‘WOW!’ said the bunnies again.
Lucky had always known that one day her horn would glow and be ready to perform magic. She had waited so long for it to happen, she worried it never would! But that very night, as the moon rose high, her horn had dazzled for the very first time. Lucky had been so excited, she’d swooped through the air, twisting and turning like an acrobatic star. Her glowing horn was now guiding her through the marshmallow canyons toward Charm Glade.
Now that her horn had started to glow, it meant the magic was brewing. And surely it wouldn’t be long before Lucky discovered what that magic would be …
‘It will happen when the time is right,’ her mum had said.
Lucky hoped the right time would happen soon. And she REALLY hoped her horn would do something super cool!
‘Are you going to the Blossom Festival?’ asked an orange bunny.
Lucky nodded. ‘And this year I’m entering the Cuteness Competition.’
‘You are quite cute,’ said a white bunny, ears turning pink as she blushed.
‘Thank you very much,’ said Lucky. ‘So are you! But the Cuteness Competition is not about what you look like. It’s a contest to show everyone what makes you special.’
‘And what makes you special?’ the white-and-pink bunny asked.
‘My horn, of course!’ Lucky laughed. ‘I must be on my way now. Nice to meet you all. Bye!’
The bunnies tumbled like bouncy balls back into the grasses and Lucky took off into the sky, to continue her journey among the candyfloss clouds.
As the sun rose higher, the World of Cute burst into colour. Candy blossoms popped open in the heat. Lucky was flying above a Smiley Sunflower Field when she saw an irresistible sight – a crystal-clear pond.
‘Surely another quick stop won’t hurt,’ she said to herself.
She landed and dipped her head to drink. The water was sweet and cold, instantly washing away her tiredness.
I’m refreshed and ready for the competition! Lucky thought. Now to check the details …
Lucky pulled the slip of paper from the backpack and was opening her invitation when, all of a sudden, strange noises erupted behind her. Rustles, snuffles and whistles. They seemed to be coming from a single sunflower – a sunflower with its petals still closed. Lucky crept closer and saw a tiny snoring sushi-mouse cradled inside.
‘Hello, little –’ she began.
‘SHHH. Don’t wake Dylan! He’s v-e-r-y grumpy in the mornings!’
The owner of the voice sprang from nowhere and landed at Lucky’s feet. Actually it landed ON Lucky’s feet. She squeaked in surprise and dropped her invitation. It was … a pineapple! And it was wearing goggles!
To Lucky’s horror, the breeze snatched up her invitation and blew it towards the water.
‘Pip to the rescue!’ shouted the pineapple.
It back-flipped over the pond and then triple-flipped back. Then it did a forward roll and presented Lucky with the piece of paper, speared on its spiky green top. The invitation was only a tiny bit soggy.
‘Thank you. How did you do that?’ Lucky gasped.
‘Pine-ninja,’ said the pineapple. ‘Ninja training for pineapples. I’m Pip. And you must be Lucky.’
‘You’re a mind-reading pineapple too?’
‘No, I saw your name on the top of the invitation,’ Pip said with a giggle. ‘How exciting – you’re entering the Cuteness Competition!’
Lucky kicked her back heels with joy. It was exciting. The competition wasn’t big enough for the whole World of Cute to enter together, so invitations were sent out randomly. It was like a lucky dip. Eventually everyone would get a turn, but this was Lucky’s first ever invite.
‘What’s your cuteness trick?’ Pip asked, spinning on the spot and tripping over her feet.
‘I’m hoping my horn will perform some cute magic,’ Lucky said. ‘You should enter the competition too!’
Pip backed into the flowers, knocking some glittery pollen on to her head. She sneezed loudly. ‘I … I’m not … I don’t even have an invitation.’
‘There might be a free space,’ said Lucky. ‘Or just come along for fun!’
Pip lifted her goggles. Her little eyes were scared. ‘But I’ve never been as far as Charm Glade on my own before.’
‘You won’t be on your own if you come with me,’ Lucky said. ‘We’ll fly there together.’
Pip blinked three times, nodded, and did a backwards somersault on to Lucky’s back. She somehow managed to land on her head, rather than her bottom.
‘Ooh, sorry!’ she said with a laugh, turning the right way up. ‘I’m still perfecting my pine-ninja skills, you see. Let’s go!’
‘That’s the spirit!’ Lucky laughed. ‘Hold tight …’
‘Can we go fast?’ said Pip. ‘I don’t like being in the sun.’
‘But Pip, pineapples are tropical fruits!’
‘I know!’ Pip grinned. ‘But the heat makes me feel extra prickly.’
A little cloud suddenly descended from the sky and hovered right above them, creating a perfect puddle of shade.
Lucky cheered. ‘This is our lucky day! A cloud has appeared just for you, Pip, so it’s nice and cool. Charm Glade, here we come!’
The happy lunacorn spread her wings, but was stopped by a loud voice. It was slow and low, like a talking yawn.
‘WAIT!’
‘Who said that?’ asked Lucky, looking all around her.
‘Did-you-know-that-a-sunflower-head-can-have-as-many-as-two-thousand-seeds?’ It was the same deep voice, but it was now talking really quickly.
Lucky frowned at a bird fluttering out of the sunflowers and flying away. No, the bird hadn’t said anything. Then what had spoken?
A creature came rolling out of the flower field and on to the bank in front of Lucky and Pip. Its yellow fur quickly turned grass-green.
‘What is it?’ Pip asked. ‘My goggles are too dark to see.’
‘I don’t know,’ said Lucky. ‘It changes colour. It’s now rubbing it
‘That’s sounds like Sammy the Sloth,’ Pip said. ‘Always got an itch somewhere.’
Sammy pushed up his glasses and opened his mouth wide. Lucky was expecting a giant yawn (sloths were VERY sleepy creatures!) and was surprised when a sudden rush of words came out instead.
‘Did you know the Blossom Festival is inspired by the peach blossom at Wild Wood that dances on the wind? Did you know the Cuteness Competition is the longest-running competition in the World of Cute? One hundred years old, same age as my great-grandfather Sammy, who I’m named after. Boy, that sloth can talk. Now, where was I? Ah yes, the competition. It’s the best thing about the Blossom Festival, apart from the candied nuts stall. I remember the finest act I ever saw was a trumpeting cheese. Won it twice. But nobody has ever won it more than twice. So Clive probably won’t win again. No matter what he thinks!’
‘Who’s Clive?’ Lucky asked, trying to keep up.
‘Clive the chihuahua,’ Pip explained. ‘He wants to be the first to win three times in a row.’
‘He got an invitation three years running?’ Lucky said. ‘That’s incredibly lucky!’
‘It’s not luck,’ said Pip. ‘His ancestors first established the Cuteness Competition and now he claims the right to enter every year. We should talk quietly in case he hears us, because he’s v-e-r-y competitive and he can be quite mean.’
‘You can say that again,’ Sammy said, rolling his huge eyes. ‘He’s been known to noodle-ify contestants he thinks have a chance of winning.’
‘Noodle-ify?’ Lucky quizzed.
‘Tie up with noodles,’ Pip explained. ‘Ooh, and do you remember the time he cake-ified Plumpkin, Sammy?’
‘Ah yes, poor Plumpkin the puffer fish!’ said Sammy. ‘Clive surrounded his house with magic temptation cakes and Plumpkin ate himself silly. Couldn’t move for a week. Too puffed up. He missed the contest.’
‘So if this Clive hears us talking, we might be noodle-ified or cake-ified?’ Lucky gasped. ‘Well, that’s just mean. There’s no place for mean at the Blossom Festival. We won’t let his sneaky tricks scare us!’
‘Shall we get going, to be on the safe side?’ Pip said nervously.
‘Good idea, Pip.’ Lucky drew her hoof across the ground, preparing for take-off. ‘Sammy, why don’t you come with us?’ she said, looking at the sloth. ‘It’s the most exciting event in the World of Cute calendar. You don’t want to miss it!’
‘Wonderful idea,’ Sammy said brightly. ‘I have no intention of entering – competitions are not for me! – but I’ll come along if there’s room for another little one?’
He climbed on to Lucky’s back, leaned against Pip and promptly fell asleep.
‘Are we ready?’ Lucky called. ‘Next stop, Charm Glade!’
Off to the competition with new friends, she thought happily. This is going to be the best day ever!
CHAPTER TWO
The Trouble with Tutus
‘I’m f-f-flying!’ Sammy gasped, suddenly waking up as Lucky took off. ‘The record for the fastest flying creature without wings is the dilly toad, who once leaped at the speed of light after stepping on a drawing pin.’
Lucky laughed. ‘You’re full of wonderful facts, Sammy,’ she said. ‘I can’t fly at the speed of light, but I wish I could. After all our chatting, I’m worried we’ll be late for the Cuteness Competition.’
‘Come on, Sammy,’ Pip said, giving the sloth a squeeze. ‘Do you know a short-cut?’
Sammy yawned. ‘Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. Lucky, go left here!’
Lucky leaned to the left, laughing as her companions made whoa noises and held tighter to her mane.
‘Look, the cloud came with us!’ Pip said, looking at the little cloud still above their heads. ‘Hey, up there! Are you following us?’
The cloud stretched, puffed and wriggled. Out popped little eyes and a shy smile. ‘You said you wanted shade,’ she whispered. ‘And I was feeling a little lonely.’
Pip whispered something in Sammy’s ear. Sammy leaned forward and whispered something in Lucky’s ear. Then Lucky whispered something to Sammy, who whispered it back to Pip.
The pineapple looked up at the cloud and grinned. ‘We’d love you to join us on our journey,’ she said. ‘I’m Pip, this is Sammy and our pilot is Lucky the lunacorn. What’s your name?’
‘Cami.’ The little cloud smiled a bigger smile than before. ‘Do you mind if I stay close to your head? I don’t like heights.’
‘Not at all,’ Pip said. ‘But be careful of–’
‘OW!’ Cami cried as Pip’s prickly leaves poked her soft bottom.
‘I was about to say, be careful of your bottom on my spiky top!’ said Pip. ‘Sorry!’
Lucky and Pip chuckled. The little cloud filled up with big, fluffy happiness and floated at a safe distance above the pineapple’s head, joining in the adventure.
‘Now turn right!’ called Sammy.
Lucky leaned to the right. She only just managed to dodge a wobbly flock of jelly flamingos.
‘Whoa!’ everyone shouted again.
Sammy directed Lucky over Vanilla Valley – where they all breathed in deep and went – and through a swarm of bumble peas that swept and swooped in vast clouds, searching for sugar-bean canes. They then skirted the coastline, where a hug whale was bobbing below in the sea. Lucky slowed down overhead and they called out, ‘Hug us, hug us!’ and the hug whale blew them one of his very special hugs. It shot through his blowhole high in the air and covered them all in squidgy rainbow bubbles.
‘This is the best trip ever,’ Cami whooped, floofier than ever.
‘I’m a bit hot, actually,’ Pip panted.
‘Oh! It’s not the best trip ever if not everyone is happy,’ Cami said. She grew a bit bigger and a little blue around the edges, and then covered Pip in a cool ice shower. ‘Is that better?’
The pineapple shivered happily. ‘Cool as a pine-cumber!’ she said, doing a quick celebratory somersault and accidentally kicking Sammy in the bottom. ‘Definitely the best trip ever.’
‘And we’re nearly there. Look,’ Sammy said, rubbing his bottom with one hand and pointing to the horizon with the other.
‘Where are we actually going?’ Cami asked, her pretty voice like pattering rain. ‘I never asked.’
‘We’re off to the Blossom Festival on the other side of Charm Glade,’ said Lucky. ‘We’re all entering the Cuteness Competition. Isn’t that exciting?’
There was a short silence. Lucky looked behind to see what the problem was. Sammy and Pip were looking up at Cami. The little cloud had shrunk to the size of a sad puddle.
‘But you can’t enter the Cuteness Competition,’ Cami said softly.
Lucky sensed a lot of unhappiness in the little cloud’s voice. She came down to land on the top of a hill.
‘Why, Cami?’ she asked as the cloud floated to the ground as well. ‘Whatever’s the matter?’
‘As I was passing over a dingly dell the other day, I overheard Clive the chihuahua talking to his friends, the Glamour Gang,’ said Cami. ‘He was saying that no one who had a tutu with fewer than fifteen layers of sparkle-net would dare enter the Cuteness Competition.’
Lucky looked at her friends. Pip had cool accessories. Cami was a very special cloud. She had a magical horn. All of them had brilliant cute-worthy talents … But not one of them had a tutu, let alone a tutu with fifteen layers of sparkle-net. Her heart sank.
‘Oh no! I feel terrible,’ she said. ‘I persuaded you all to join me and for nothing!’
Pip triple-flipped into the air and on to the ground, Cami rained a little bit, and Sammy began scratching his –
‘Oi! Who dares wake Tom-Tom?’
Pip’s triple-flip had disturbed another sushi-mouse, curled up in a nearby tulip.
‘I’m so sorry, Tom-Tom,’ Pip said, peering at the little creature. ‘Are you related to Dylan?’
Tom-Tom nodded grumpily. ‘He’s my hundred-and-fifth cousin, twice removed. We go for a roll together sometimes, but that’s not important right now. What’s important is–’
‘Sleep?’ yawned Sammy.
‘No. What’s important is your attitude.’ Tom-Tom uncurled himself and stood on his little legs. He shook his tiny fists in the air. ‘First you wake me up, which shows me you have no respect. Then you say you won’t enter the Cuteness Competition because of a chihuahua’s tutu, which shows me you are wearing scaredy-pants.’
