Lauren dismounted. Twilight looked at her and then touched his horn to one of the rocks. ‘Mrs Fontana,’ he said.

There was a faint purple flash and purple smoke covered the stone. As it cleared, Lauren could see that as usual the surface of the rock had begun to shine like a mirror. Her breath caught in her throat as she leaned forward. What were they going to see…?

Nothing.

The mirror shone but all that they could see was a swirling pinky-purple haze. There was no sign of Mrs Fontana.

‘What’s happened? Why’s it not working?’ Lauren frowned. They’d never tried to look at Arcadia before. ‘Maybe we can’t see into Arcadia.’

‘Or maybe Mrs Fontana has gone somewhere else where even unicorn magic can’t see,’ Twilight said.

They both stared at the rock. The pinky-purple haze moved. Lauren felt a sudden urge to touch the rose quartz. She reached out. As her fingers touched the shining surface, she gasped. A wave of warmth seemed to flood out from the stone. It wrapped around her, making her feel safe and loved.

Twilight snorted.

‘Can you feel it too?’ Lauren said in a trembling voice.

He nodded. ‘It feels like… like Mrs Fontana’s there.’

‘Watching over us,’ Lauren breathed. ‘Caring about us.’

Twilight lifted his head. The rock stopped shining and Lauren felt the strength of the feeling fade but she was still left with a warm glow inside. She looked at Twilight.

‘Even if we can’t see her with your magic, Mrs Fontana’s still there somewhere,’ she said.

‘And she’s with her unicorn,’ Twilight said. ‘I felt it so strongly.’

An image of Mrs Fontana hugging her unicorn the night before filled Lauren’s mind. She remembered the look of joy on the old lady’s face, and the way she had looked so free from pain and worry. Lauren knew that she and Twilight would never see Mrs Fontana again but suddenly the thought didn’t make her feel so sad. Mrs Fontana had been right. Things did change – it was the way life was – but change wasn’t always bad. Mrs Fontana had gone but now she was with her unicorn again and this time they would never be parted.

And I’m a Keeper of the Unicorns’ Secrets, Lauren thought. Excitement flickered through her at the thought. She and Twilight had so much to do – so many people to help, so many adventures to have. She remembered something Mrs Fontana had written: your time has come. ‘It’s our time now, Twilight,’ she said softly.

Twilight nodded. ‘We’ve got to help other secret unicorns and their friends.’

Lauren looked up at the sky. The stars glittered brightly overhead. ‘We’ll do our best, Mrs Fontana. I promise,’ she declared.

An echo of Mrs Fontana’s wise voice seemed to float through her head. ‘I know you will, my dears. You always do.’

Lauren felt calm and happy. She put her arms around Twilight. Life changed. People changed. But there was one thing she knew for sure – she and Twilight would always love each other and be there for each other. That would never change.