Ebony entered Gemstone Glade with a smile in his soul. As black as the night sky, he carried the magic black unicorn ray inside, the silence and secrets of a midnight star-studded sky in his heart.

He hoped a portal would open today. Four had opened so far, a black hole of possibility that led to another world, and new friends Cliff the Crow, Peter the Panther, Henry the Horse and Cara the Cow. All were likewise black and custodians of the magical black ray.

Slowly, Ebony drank from the magical fountain, immediately feeling invigorated. He looked up. A bubble of white and black appeared before him like a mirror to a lost world. Neighing softly, Ebony jumped in to the dim light.

He found himself in a sister woodland glade, a black and white stone fountain shimmering in a low sunlight. Crows circled above like avian angels. Then he heard a new sound …

… A cat’s meow. The song of soft fur and pristine purrs.

She came round the fountain on her tiny white paws, her black fur shining against the white of her neck and underside. A tuxedo cat, a perfectly calculated mix of black and white. Her white whiskers twitched as curiosity simmered in her golden eyes.

“I am Tessa,” she whispered in Ebony’s mind. “I am master of black and white magic.”

“And I am master of the unicorn black ray,” asserted Ebony.

“Let me give you some white wisdom too,” whispered Tessa.

She rubbed around his legs. Ebony neighed softly. He felt warmth flow through his body. He looked at his reflection in the fountain. His mane … it was turning white!

“You are now a black and white unicorn!” giggled Tessa in his head. “Have fun with your new powers!”

A white portal of light opened up before them. “Follow me!” cried Tessa. And then they were there … on a giant chessboard of black and white. Tessa and Ebony ran between giant knights and pawns, marvelling at the magic at their feet. Then the knights moved, turning in to unicorns! Ebony neighed a delighted greeting.

On the other side of the board, a small black and white cat and a unicorn with a white mane appeared. Their parallel selves ran towards them, disbelief dancing in their eyes. “I am Tessa!” “So am I!”

A portal of white light glimmered at the far side of the board. Tessa and Ebony ran towards it, and were in an alternate world. It was Gemstone Glade, but not as we know it.

A black and white stone fountain simmered softly under a bright white moon. From its centre rose a black unicorn statue. Ebony touched his horn to the statue in a unicorn blessing. He neighed softly.

The fountain stones began to sing. Then the statue moved its head. Golden eyes glowed in the moonlight. “Hello Ebony the first,” he stated in calm unicorn telepathic language. “I am Ebony the second, and have been waiting for you to set me free! We all know your legend in this glade, which is why I was created in your form. But perhaps you have not achieved all the amazing adventures yet, perhaps the fables are your future … and one I would love to join.”

Ebony looked in to the eyes of his soul brother. “Let’s explore this world together, and the forest beyond. Let us make the stories children will cry over … the fables to inspire a better future. Let us build the dream … and let us start now.”

Tessa purred in agreement. Then she saw it. The statue of a white cat beyond the fountain. She purred even louder.

Slowly, she placed a paw on the statue. It moved … like the unicorn statue, it was coming to life! “Hello Tessa! I have been waiting for an angel cat to save me, to make me real. I am Whisper, a silent secret, the statue of a cat in a world with no felines … until you arrived today. I would love to join your adventures, to bring feline magic to this forest.”

And so it came to pass that two unicorns and two cats ventured forth in to the forest before them, adventures in their hearts and a secret smile in their souls. What happens next? That is a story for another day …

Many portals away, in the Gemstone Glade we know and love, the fountain whispered in the moonlit light. Slowly, the statue in its centre transformed … in to a black and white unicorn. Princess Ebonia the Second appeared in ancient writing on a plaque at her feet. Her unmoving eyes stared at the moon. A timeless tale was born in her heart. Starlight wove its web of wonder above, as fairies slumbered below. Stories shushed each other in the air, secrets for tomorrow …

In another world, Ebony neighed at the starlit sky. Tomorrow would be the first day of a new fable, a future written in the stars and stamped on every unicorn heart. Destiny reached from the stars as Ebony rose on his hindlegs to catch it.

So dream big, dear reader, and create your own story, the one with the happiest ending ever. For tomorrow is waiting, like a secret statue ready to come alive. Let the stars shine down on you and light your way, and never look back.