Stardust and the Ivory Castle

Once upon a time there was a castle made of pure ivory. Pillars pale and barren, holding a surface of grace and elegance. This castle was the home of a mighty unicorn named Stardust. She also was pure white with three pink stars by each eye. An honorable princess was she... Stardust grew up in the outskirts in the harsh parts of the poverty-stricken village called Dark Province. She was abandoned by her mother during her youth and had to live on her own and fend for herself. No mother, no father or any family to call her own. One foggy day she was galloping through the forest and met a stray dog. A strong Golden Retriever. He was such a gentle giant. His coat softer than silk and his eyes deep honey with a splash of hazel. His name was Bo Bear. He had no family as well, and very quickly they became great friends. Around the time Stardust turned fourteen, a delicate maiden unicorn found her and took her in her home as family. Stardust wouldn’t go anywhere without Bo Bear, so he also lived with them. She became her mother. She was Queen of the Ivory Castle and her name was Cashmere. She also was covered in beautiful white fur except her mane was shiny silver and reached down to her shoulder bone. Stardust had become the Princess of the Ivory Castle. Cashmere taught Stardust the ways of the castle. She kept up with her chores daily and took lessons on how to race in the yearly games. These games were famous for seeing who was the strongest unicorn, and whoever won was then part of the castle. They became very close and Bo Bear fell in love with Cashmere as well. The male unicorn, King Ebony, had died in war deep in Dark Province. Cashmere was left alone to run the castle, until Stardust and Bo Bear came along. Every day the three of them visited the fairies in the emerald field in the back acres. The pixie dust fluttered around and created magical rainbows. The rainbows led to Fantasy Fairyland with fields of daisies and lilies. The damsel fairy, Missy Mae, brought so much harmony and balance to the land. Missy Mae, Bo Bear and Stardust went on adventures in the Fantasy Fairyland all the time. Each time they followed the rainbow they encountered a different world of utopia. There were day beams and streams of chameleon rivers drifting down toward the Mount of Slumber. That is where they pranced and danced forgetting all the worries life offered. One day they encountered a strange storm. “There are never storms in Fantasy Fairyland!” Missy Mae exclaimed. She threw up more pixie dust for another rainbow to follow. Just then lightning struck the dust and the rainbow disappeared! Missy Mae said, “oh no! This is the day that we have all dreaded for years!” Legend had it that when a dark storm hit the land, that meant the end of Fantasy Fairyland. “What are we to do?” Stardust asked. Missy Mae fluttered up the moist pixie dust and a spell book appeared. “All three of us must sing this verse out loud.” “Behold the beauty of Fantasy Fairyland, where harmony and balance go hand and hand may the dream of peace pour from Mount of Slumber strike away the lightning and thunder! For now, we stand tall and command you leave, so we may return to the land of make-believe” Stardust, Missy Mae and Bo Bear shouted this verse three times and still, the outpour of rain spread across the whole land. It was so wet the pixie dust melted in the air and turned into a pixie puddle on the muddy ground. Back at Ivory Castle, Cashmere noticed Stardust and Bo Bear had been gone a very long time. About two hours after searching she knew what she had to do. King Ebony left Cashmere a special wand. It had a spell cast on it to be able to enter Fantasy Fairyland without the help of a fairy. She knew something terrible had happened, Stardust was never late for her galloping lessons. She ran in the back through the acres and struck the wand and a rainbow appeared. “Wow, I can’t believe it actually worked!” Cashmere thought. Upon entering the muddy and flooding land, she saw the three of them hiding under a mushroom taking cover. Missy Mae’s wings were starting to disappear. Cashmere decided to try to use the wand again. She held it up high and struck it reading the verse from the spell book, but backwards. "So we may return to the land of make believe, for now, we stand tall and command you leave Strike away the lightning and thunder! May the dream of peace pour from Mount of Slumber where harmony and balance go hand in hand, behold the beauty of Fantasy Fairyland" Just then the storm receded and the sun came out with skies of azure. “Oh my, Cashmere, thank you so much! You saved us and you saved my land!” Missy Mae exclaimed. Cashmere ran and held all three of them with all her might. Missy Mae’s wings started to reappear and her pixie dust was dry enough to be used. So she threw up more dust in the air and the rainbow appeared to go back to the Ivory Castle. Missy Mae stayed in Fantasy Fairyland while Cashmere, Stardust and Bo Bear hurried back to their home. Even though Stardust never met King Ebony, she knew he was special. For he had saved them and Fantasy Fairyland. If only she could’ve met him before he died. Upon entering Ivory Castle, they couldn’t believe their eyes! There he was! King Ebony! “Oh, beloved, are you really here with me?” Proclaimed Cashmere. “Yes m’ lady, it is I, your beloved and I am home forever.” King Ebony didn’t really die in a war in Dark Province. He had planned this reunion all along. He wanted Cashmere to venture out and find Stardust knowing she never would’ve if he was there. So, they spent days catching up and getting to know each other as a father and daughter should. "Once upon a time in an Ivory Castle, Princess Stardust lived in no fear- she galloped and pranced all day with King Ebony, Bo Bear and Cashmere" -living happily... the end _____________________ 1.26.17 Let the Pens Flow Contest Jenish Somadas