A Magical Friend (7 page)

The horseshoe was so well hidden that if it hadn't been for Peggy, Pippa and Stardust would never have spotted it. Nervously, Pippa rubbed her hands on her shorts. The ledge was over twice her height and she'd have to climb it to reach the horseshoe. The thought made her feel hot and shaky. She couldn't do it. The ledge was far too high.

‘Stand on my back,' Stardust said eagerly.

Pippa hesitated, for she had always been nervous of heights.

‘Don't worry – you won't hurt me. I'm really strong,' Stardust said, misunderstanding Pippa's concern.

 

 

Reluctantly, Pippa vaulted on to Stardust's back, sitting for a moment to work up the courage to go on.

Come on, you can do this
,
she silently urged herself.

Slowly, Pippa stood up. Her heart was racing and her legs trembled like a jellyfish. Stardust remained completely still and, gradually, Pippa relaxed. That wasn't so bad! Now all she had to do was stretch up to retrieve the missing horseshoe. But, frustratingly, it was just out of reach. Pippa stretched as far as she dared – any further and she'd lose her balance.

‘It's no good,' she called at last. ‘I can't get it. Can you move any closer?'

‘I'm as close as I can get,' said Stardust.

Pippa stared at the ground and immediately wished she hadn't. Quickly, she sat back down, clinging on to Stardust's mane until her head had stopped swimming.

‘Are you OK?' asked Stardust.

‘I'm fine,' Pippa replied, licking her dry lips.

She was going to have to dismount and climb up to the ledge instead. But as she slid down from Stardust's back, she saw a long, sturdy stick. Snatching it up, she waved it in relief.

‘I might be able to reach the horseshoe with this.'

Taking great care not to hit Stardust with the stick, Pippa scrambled on to her back once more. But as she reached up to hook the horseshoe, she froze. What was that? Above the ledge, to the right, was a large slab of rock where two scruffy-looking ponies, with thin, straggly manes and tails, were arguing loudly. Pippa's insides turned to ice.

‘They must be Night Mares!' she whispered.

 

 

Chapter 7

 

Hardly daring to breathe, Pippa listened to the Night Mares' argument.

‘How did you manage to drop a horseshoe, Nightshade?' the smaller pony whinnied crossly. ‘The Mistress said to hide it carefully so that the Royal Ponies wouldn't find it! It just goes to show that even though you're bigger than me, you're not smarter.'

‘Be quiet, Eclipse. Nagging me isn't going to help me get the horseshoe back,' Nightshade whinnied.

‘But how will we reach it from here?'

‘Use that branch behind you.'

As Eclipse turned to examine the branch, Pippa snapped into action. With trembling hands, she reached up to hook the golden horseshoe down from the ledge. It was very heavy and, although Pippa's stick was long enough to touch it, she couldn't drag the horseshoe towards her. Swallowing her frustration, she tried again.

‘What's happening?' called Stardust. ‘Have you got it yet?'

‘Ssssh,' whispered Pippa.

But it was too late.

‘Who's that?' asked Nightshade. She peered over the outcrop of rock and her eyes locked with Pippa's. ‘Eclipse, it's a girl!' she neighed. ‘And she's stealing my horseshoe!'

 

 

‘Prancing ponies!' cursed Eclipse.

Breathing heavily, Pippa blotted out Nightshade and Eclipse's frantic conversation and concentrated on getting the horseshoe. Using both hands to hold the stick, and hoping that Stardust wouldn't move a muscle, she dragged the horseshoe down. But Eclipse had also found a stick on the ground and tried to pull the horseshoe up. It was turning into a tug of war! Luckily, despite Eclipse's stick being larger than Pippa's, the pony was holding it in her mouth and having difficulty controlling it. Steadily, Pippa dragged the horseshoe to the edge of the ledge. As she reached out to pick it up, Eclipse brought her stick crashing down.

Just in time, Pippa snatched her hand out of the way. She sat down on Stardust's back and tightly clutched the horseshoe.

‘I've got it!' she said triumphantly.

‘Hold on tight!' Stardust said, turning sharply to gallop back down the Volcano.

‘That's
my
horseshoe!' Nightshade shouted after her.

As Stardust gathered speed, her hooves thumping on the ash-covered path, the Night Mares' voices faded away.

Pippa started to wonder who Eclipse had meant by ‘the Mistress'. She clung on to Stardust, wrapping her free hand around the white mane and gripping with her knees. Stardust didn't stop until she was safely at the bottom of the Volcano, where she pulled up under the shade of a tree. Pippa slid down from her back and fanned her friend with a feathery, green leaf. It was several minutes before Stardust got her breath back.

‘We did it,' Stardust said, trembling with excitement. ‘We found our first horseshoe. I can't wait to show Mum and Dad. They'll be thrilled!'

 

 

Pippa's smile was so wide it almost reached her ears, but her stomach churned nervously. That had been so scary.

‘So you were right – it
was
the Night Mares who stole the horseshoes!'

She hoped the other seven horseshoes would be easier to retrieve, but what if they couldn't find them?

‘What do you think?' Stardust asked impatiently, pawing the ground with a hoof.

‘Sorry, what did you say?' Pippa realised that she hadn't been listening.

‘Nightshade and Eclipse think we've gone home,' Stardust repeated. ‘We could sneak back and follow them. They might let slip where the other horseshoes are – or who this mysterious Mistress is.'

Pippa slid the golden horseshoe into her pocket.

‘I think we should take this one back to the Castle first and hang it where it belongs. We don't want to lose it again.'

Stardust sighed. Her new friend was very sensible.

‘You're right. The horseshoe needs to be back on the wall so that it can pick up the love from all the horse and pony lovers around the world. It's what keeps Chevalia alive.'

In silence, they hurried back to the Castle, entering by the back door and going straight to the Royal Court.

As the guard opened the large wooden door, Pippa pulled the horseshoe from her pocket and handed it to Stardust.

‘You take this,' she said.

‘No way!' exclaimed Stardust. ‘You rescued it. You can give it to Mum and Dad.'

The Royal Court was packed and noisy, but when the ponies saw the golden horseshoe they immediately fell silent. Self-consciously, Pippa followed Stardust over to her parents.

Queen Moonshine's eyes lit up with joy.

‘You've found one of our horseshoes!' she whinnied. ‘That's wonderful. I'm so proud of you both.'

 

 

‘This is fantastic,' King Firestar agreed, stamping a large hoof. ‘And now the horseshoe must be put back where it belongs.'

One of the Court's helpers trotted over, but the King waved him away.

‘Thank you, Conker, but I shall hang the horseshoe myself
,
' he said.