The Sugar Ball (5 page)

T
he five fairies watched Mogu sleeping. His mouth fell open, and he began snoring loudly. His chocolate-covered hands dangled off the hammock. With each breath he took, his big belly went up and down. Cocoa was right. The greedy troll's chocolate slumber had begun.

“Now Mogu won't eat all of Gummy Forest!”
Raina declared happily. She sent a sugar fly to Candy Castle with news of Mogu's appearance in the forest. The Royal Fairy Guards would safely fly the sleeping Mogu back to Black Licorice Swamp. The troll would not be eating any more of the Candy Fairies' candy for a while.

Meanwhile the five friends flew back to Raina's home. They needed a place to think and figure out what to do next.

“Before we start following clues all over Sugar Valley, we need to figure out a plan,” Berry said.

Cocoa knew her levelheaded friend was right, but she was anxious to sget out and see if there were more chocolate clues. She couldn't help but feel this chocolate mess was all her fault. The faster she found the wand, the faster this would all be over.

“Raina, maybe we should see if anything like this has ever happened in Sugar Valley before,” Melli said. “I know you said that you couldn't remember anything in the Fairy Code Book, but maybe we can help you look.” She glanced over at the wall of books in Raina's room.

“I'm thinking,” Raina replied. She was staring at her large bookcase. “There might be something in one of these books.” She flew up to the top shelf and then glided back down with three yellow books in her hands. “I remember some kind of chocolate storm. It's barely mentioned in the Fairy Code Book, but maybe the story is in here.”

“Why isn't the story in the Fairy Code Book?” Dash asked, peering over her shoulder.

Raina shrugged. “Sometimes there is more to a story than the Fairy Code Book records,” she
said. She opened up one of the yellow books. Dust flew from the covers. “Sweet sugar!” she said, blowing away the dust. “I guess I haven't opened this in a while!”

“Are these stories all true?” Cocoa asked.

“I believe that they are,” Raina said. “And I think I just found the chocolate storm story!”

Cocoa raced forward to sit next to Raina. All the fairies huddled around as Raina began to tell the story. The way Raina read the story, it felt as if they were all there.

“The sky was filled with dark clouds, and all the fairies in Sugar Valley knew that a winter storm was coming,” Raina read. “All the sugar flies were buzzing with the news of terrible weather. Fairies snuggled inside and prepared for the winter storm.”

“Yum. I bet they were all drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows!” Dash blurted out. “And the slopes on the Frosted Mountains must have been
so mint
!”

Cocoa smiled at Dash. Even at a time like this, Dash was happy to think about sweets and sledding.

“The snow that fell that day was different from other winter storms,” Raina continued to read. “The normal winter white snow that usually fell in Sugar Valley didn't come. Instead, the snow was a deep, brown chocolate powder and piled up in high drifts around the valley.”

“So they could just make hot chocolate by sticking their cups in the snow!” Dash interrupted.

“Shhh,” Melli scolded gently. “Let Raina finish.”

Raina looked over at Dash and winked. Then she read more. “The storm lasted for a week. No one knew what to make of the weather. But the fluffy sweet powder was nothing that anyone had ever seen before.”

Cocoa leaned over to the book and read the next line with a heavy heart. “Some said it was a gift,” she read. “And others said it was a curse. Sugar Valley was under a chocolate spell.”

“So mint,”
Dash said. “I would have had plenty to make out of chocolate snow! Peppermint and chocolate is delicious!”

“The chocolate snow stayed around for weeks,” Raina read, turning the page. “Many fairies were cooped up inside their homes. Most fairies learned how to make all sorts of chocolate treats using the powdered chocolate. They had
to use the snow. There was so much chocolate!”

“What happened?” Berry asked.

Melli inched forward. She bit her nails. “Go on, Raina,” she said. “Tell us what happened.”

“The chocolate snow started to melt,” Raina said. “There were great chocolate floods, and Chocolate River overflowed.”

“What a chocolate mess!” Melli muttered.

Raina nodded and continued to read. “The snow seeped into all the sugar soil.”

“Oh no,” Melli said. “The crops!” Her hand flew to her mouth.

“The spring and summer crops all had a hint of chocolate,” Raina read. “It took two whole years to rid the soil of the chocolate taste.”

“Bittersweet,” Cocoa said, shaking her head. “Too much chocolate is never a good idea.”

Berry stood up and walked around. “Do you think the chocolate syrup puddles we saw are going to ruin the candy crops?”

Melli shot Berry a look.

“What?” Berry said. “I'm just asking.”

Cocoa lowered her head. “Berry is asking a good question,” she said. She knew that Melli didn't like it when the friends didn't get along, but Cocoa couldn't be mad at Berry for stating the truth. The crops were in danger. This situation was more serious than the Sugar Ball being canceled. They had to fix this problem quickly before the chocolate spread all over Sugar Valley.

Raina closed the book.

Cocoa sighed. Now what were they going to do?

C
ocoa fiddled with her chocolate dot bracelet. No one said a word after Raina finished reading the story of the great chocolate storm. Cocoa lifted her eyes from her wrist and glanced at her four friends. Their worried expressions made Cocoa uneasy. The missing chocolate wand could ruin all the candy in Sugar Valley.
At that moment she almost wished that Mogu had stolen the magic chocolate wand. At least she had some idea how to handle the salty old troll. But now she felt helpless.

Just then Cocoa felt Melli's arm around her. “We need to find the wand, that's all,” she said quietly.

“Melli's right,” Berry chimed in. “This isn't a huge chocolate snowstorm. Chances are, these chocolate puddles will dry up quickly. The candy crops will be fine.”

“We don't know that,” Cocoa whispered.

“Let's see what we do know,” Raina said. She took out a notebook and started writing. “There's a missing magic chocolate wand. And chocolate from Sour Orchard all the way to Gummy Forest.”

“Someone has definitely gotten hold of the wand. Someone who is clearly not a Chocolate Fairy,” Dash said.

Melli flew over to Dash and gave her a tight squeeze. “That's it!” she shouted. “What we need is a Chocolate Fairy to make another wand to clean up the mess! A new magic wand could get rid of the chocolate spell.”

“She'd need the first wand to be able to reverse the spell,” Raina said, shaking her head.

“But maybe I could make something to help clean up the mess,” Cocoa blurted out. “I just can't sit here wondering what to do.” She stood up. “Send a sugar fly if you hear or see anything,” Cocoa told them. “I'm going back to Chocolate Woods.”

“Do you want company?” Melli asked.

Cocoa fluttered her wings. “Maybe in a little while,” she said. “For now I need to concentrate on chocolate thoughts.”

As Cocoa headed back to Chocolate Woods, she was saddened to see all the puddles of chocolate in Sugar Valley. Berry was right … whoever had the wand was not a Chocolate Fairy. A Chocolate Fairy would know how to
hold the wand with better aim and skill. She shook her head. But what Candy Fairy would want to steal her wand?

Before Cocoa went into Chocolate Woods, she decided to sit on Caramel Hills to think. She was happy to see that there was no sign of chocolate on the golden hill.

Cocoa sat and wondered what would happen to the crops and thought about how sad all the fairies would be if there was no Sugar Ball. A tear fell from Cocoa's eye. How could she even tell Princess Lolli? To think that she had once been so excited about her chocolate royal wand!

Out of the corner of her eye, Cocoa saw a flash of chocolate. At first she thought she was seeing things. But then she realized—there was a chocolate clue happening right in front of her!
She got up and flew toward the caramel tree dripping with chocolate. She touched the chocolate. The thin chocolate was like syrup.

How strange
, she thought.
The wand must be nearby
.

She flew up to the top of the tree and looked around. This had to be a fresh hit. The chocolate hadn't been there before. Her wings began to flutter. Was this the final chocolate clue? She scooted to the edge of the tree branch and scouted the area. She didn't realize it, but she was holding her breath. She was nervous and excited at the same time. Right beside a small chocolate oak tree she spotted her chocolate royal wand!

The sight took her breath away, and she gasped out loud. Cocoa saw the wand—and knew the fairy holding it!