The Peppermint Princess Sun Dip Surprise Dash the Mint Fairy fluttered her silver wings. She was enjoying sweet treats with her Candy Fairy friends on the shore of Red Licorice Lake. The sun was sliding down behind the Frosted Mountains, and she and her four friends were happy to be together. Cocoa the Chocolate Fairy, Raina the Gummy Fairy, Melli the Caramel Fairy, and Berry the Fruit Fairy were watching the colorful Sun Dip sky. "Doesn't the sky look like a delicious painting?" Cocoa asked. Dash swiped her finger in the air. "If I could eat a Sugar Valley Sun Dip sky, it would taste so sweet!" "I should try to make some gummy flowers in sunset colors," Raina said. Berry clapped her hands. "Sweet strawberries! I would want one of those gummies." "Me too!" a voice said from above. The five fairies looked up to see Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop. The royal couple landed next to Berry's blanket. "Any leftover treats for me?" Prince Scoop said, smiling. Melli jumped up and opened her basket. "Try some of my new caramel squares," she said. "I just made this batch today." Prince Scoop licked his lips. "I knew this was the right place to come for some sweet Sun Dip treats!" He took a bite. "These are delicious!" Raina made room on her blanket for Princess Lolli. "Thank you," Princess Lolli said as she sat down. "I told Scoop that if he wanted to find you five fairies, this would be the spot." She looked over at the prince. "And if he asked nicely, he might even get a special snack." "We're happy to share," Cocoa said. "Nothing is better than good friends at Sun Dip." "And some candy treats!" Dash added. "I agree," Prince Scoop said. He popped one of Dash's candies in his mouth. "Dash, these treats are minty good." Dash beamed. "Cocoa and I made them together," she said. "They are fresh chocolate mint drops. Have another!" She grinned as Prince Scoop and Princess Lolli tasted the new minty chocolate treat. She could tell from their expressions that they both liked the candy. "Mint and chocolate are a good pair," Cocoa said, winking at Dash. "You two work together well, and so does your candy," Prince Scoop told them. Princess Lolli straightened out her legs and looked around at the fairies. "You five fairies always work so nicely together," she said. " Scoop and I were wondering if you'd help us with a project." "Sure as sugar!" all five Candy Fairies shouted. "Wait," Prince Scoop said, holding up his hand. "You might want to know what the project is first." Raina shook her head. "We'd be happy to help you two," she said. "That is supersweet of you," Prince Scoop said. "We need all the help we can get." "Some royal business?" Berry asked. Prince Scoop nodded. "The project is in Ice Cream Isles," he told the fairies. "Ice Cream Isles?" Dash shouted, rubbing her hand in a circle on her stomach. "Delicious!" Prince Scoop laughed. "Yes, there are many frozen treats for you, but also some hard work." He took Princess Lolli's hand. "We are preparing to build a new castle." Princess Lolli added, "We want to remodel the old Hall of Records. No one uses the old building anymore." "Wow!" Raina exclaimed. "The old Hall of Records? Imagine all the books and information!" "Most of the records and books have been moved to another place," Prince Scoop said. "We can't ask my parents to clean out the building, and Lolli and I have to go to Cake Kingdom for a few days. We need fairies we trust to help us. It's an old building and we have to be careful with the cleaning." Dash knew Prince Scoop's parents, Queen Swirl and King Cone, would not volunteer to help clean out an old building. They were superfancy royals, and that was not their style. "Sure as sugar, we'll help!" Dash exclaimed. "Wait, a new castle?" Berry asked. "Are you moving?" "We will still live part of the time in Candy Castle," Princess Lolli told them. "But we need a bigger place of our own in Ice Cream Isles." "It is going to be sugar-tacular!" Prince Scoop said. "Princess Lolli and I have been planning this for a while now." "Do you have any drawings of the castle?" Cocoa asked, leaning forward. Princess Lolli took a scroll from her bag. She carefully unrolled the plans for the new castle on the blanket. "I thought you might like to see these drawings," she said to Cocoa. "So mint!" Dash exclaimed. She peered over Princess Lolli's shoulder. "I love the shape. It reminds me of a swirled ice-cream cone." "Just the look we were going for," the prince replied. "We wanted it to fit in near my parents' palace and keep the shape of the building." "This is beautiful," Berry said. "And the inside will be superfun to decorate!" "But remember, first we need to clean out the old hall where this cone castle will be built," Prince Scoop said. "Scoop and I need to go to Cake Kingdom for a special cupcake dedication for Princess Sprinkle," Princess Lolli said. "If you would please get a head start on the cleaning, we will join you in a couple of days." "Sweet!" Dash exclaimed. All the Candy Fairies loved Princess Lolli's sister, Princess Sprinkle. She was a true friend to them. "You can count on us," Raina said. "We'll be very careful," Melli said. "And we will ask for lots of ice cream," Dash said, giggling. Prince Scoop stood up. "We definitely have lots of ice cream for you," he said. "Tomorrow morning we will send Butterscotch to take you. She will meet you at Red Licorice Lake." "Nothing is sweeter than a ride on a royal unicorn," Berry said. "Or faster," Dash added. Princess Lolli nodded. "Yes, you will be in the Isles by lunchtime, and Scoop's parents, Queen Swirl and King Cone, will host a royal meal for you." "Sounds like we are getting the royal treatment," Raina said. " Yes, you are," Princess Lolli said. "We appreciate your helping us out." "We're glad to help," Dash said. She knew that she was speaking for all her friends. The sun was past the top of the Frosted Mountains, and the colorful Sun Dip sky was now getting darker and darker. The Candy Fairies cleaned up their picnic and folded their blankets. "We'll see you soon," Princess Lolli told the fairies. "Safe travels." "Enjoy the ride," Prince Scoop called as he flew back to Candy Castle with Princess Lolli. "We will!" Dash called back. When the royal couple was out of sight, Dash turned to her friends. "We should get a good night's rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a very big day." "A royally big day!" Raina exclaimed. "And we'd better all be ready," Dash said. "Oh, we will!" Melli said. "This is going to be royally fun!" The five friends flew off to their beds with promises to meet back at Red Licorice Lake first thing in the morning. They knew Butterscotch would be waiting. It was the start of a royal adventure. Excerpted from The Peppermint Princess: Super Special by Helen Perelman All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
