Best Friends For Ever! (3 page)

‘That was close,’ Stardust said, carefully stepping backward. ‘We’ll have to find another way round.’

Pippa considered the bubbling lava which stretched as far as she could see in both directions.

‘That could take ages,’ she said. ‘It would be much quicker to cross it.’

Her brain whirred with images as she tried to work out a solution. Luckily one came to her.

‘Misty, could you freeze the lava with your magical horn?’

‘I’ve never frozen something so hot before,’ Misty said doubtfully. ‘But I’ll try.’

Bravely she stepped right up to the edge of the flowing lava.

‘Careful,’ Pippa warned, as a shower of sparks cascaded to the ground.

Misty lowered her head until the tip of her horn touched the lava. She winced then shied away.

‘It’s not working,’ she said sadly. ‘It’s too hot and it burnt me. Plus I can sense that the lava has a magic of its own. My magic would never be strong enough to freeze it.’

As if the lava river was aware of its audience, it began to hiss. Bubbles rose to the surface, rapidly growing to the size of balloons before popping. They smelt of rotten eggs.

Stardust wrinkled her nose.

‘Pooey! That’s disgusting.’

‘We’re going to have to jump it,’ Pippa said at last.

‘I can’t! It’s too wide,’ Stardust squeaked.

‘But there isn’t another way round.’

Stardust edged away from the hissing lava.

‘I’m sorry, Pippa, but I can’t. It’s much too wide.’

‘I bet you could if you tried. You jumped much further than this yesterday when the wild ponies taught you how to free-trot.’

Stardust stared at the molten lava rolling across their path. ‘Did I?’ she said in a small voice.

‘Yes, you did,’ Pippa said encouragingly, stroking her mane.

‘But I’m scared!’

‘I know,’ said Pippa. ‘But I’ve been scared so many times during our adventures and I always knew you’d help me. Why don’t we practise first? My mum always says
practice makes perfect
. Look – there are lots of boulders to jump over in preparation.’

‘All right,’ Stardust said finally.

Turning away from the lava, she began to hop over boulders, starting with the smaller ones. Each time she cleared one Pippa cheered loudly. Misty joined in, stamping her hooves enthusiastically. Stardust’s confidence grew, until soon she was jumping large boulders, clearing them with ease.

‘Faster!’ urged Misty. ‘The faster you run at the jump the easier it is. Watch me.’

Misty galloped towards a boulder almost twice her height. She cleared it with a triumphant flick of her hind hooves. Stardust stared in amazement. Singling out a boulder almost three times her height, she pawed at the ground then took off at a gallop.

‘Brilliant!’ Pippa shouted, as Stardust cleared the boulder with half a metre to spare.

Stardust pulled up, her sides heaving as she struggled to catch her breath.

‘I’m ready,’ she said when she was breathing normally again.

A shiver of fear ran down Pippa’s spine. Now that the moment had come to jump the lava river
she
didn’t want to do it.

Swallowing back her panic, she said, ‘Let’s do it for Chevalia!’

Stardust circled away from the lava river. She went so far away from it that for a second Pippa wondered if she was running away. Then she turned on her hind hooves. Taking a deep breath, she put her head down and galloped flat out towards the lava. A stride’s length away she sprang, muscles bunching as she launched herself skyward. Pippa’s face and arms glowed in the fiery heat beneath her. She held her breath, hardly daring to look down. Stardust hit the ground with a thump and galloped several strides before she was able to pull up.

‘We did it,’ she gasped.

‘
You
did it,’ Pippa corrected her.

‘We!’ Stardust shouted to make her voice heard over Misty’s triumphant cheers. ‘That was teamwork. I could never have done it without your help.’

‘We help each other all the time,’ said Pippa.

‘I know,’ Stardust said happily. ‘It’s what best friends do.’

‘It’s my turn now,’ called Misty.

Stardust turned to watch the little unicorn run at the lava. Her golden horn bobbed up and down as she pounded towards the molten river. There was a determined glint in her eye as she took off. She cleared the lava in one giant leap and her smile was brighter than the morning sun as she landed gracefully.

Pippa and Stardust cheered but there was no time to rest. The three friends continued steadily up the Volcano.

‘How much further?’ Stardust asked.

‘We’re nearly there,’ said Misty.

As the climb became steeper, Stardust and Misty fell silent, saving their energy for the ascent. Sweat trickled from Pippa’s scalp and ran down her forehead into her eyes. Her curls felt limp, like seaweed stranded on the beach. She pushed them back from her face. What would they find at the top of the Volcano? With the hungry, red flames belching skyward it was hard to imagine anything existing up there at all. The path continued to twist until, rounding another bend, Stardust drew up sharply.

‘What’s that?’

‘It’s a castle!’ Pippa said, her heart thudding against her ribs.

Ahead of them was the biggest castle she’d ever seen, built into the face of the Volcano. Its turrets loomed above them, with their tall, slit windows staring out like all-seeing eyes. Ebony towers and turrets spiked upward from behind a solid jet wall. A massive drawbridge was drawn up, preventing intruders from crossing a moat of bubbling orange-red lava and reaching an enormous, coal-coloured door.

The whole place had a forbidding look. Even the craggy stone walls seemed to shout, ‘
Go away!
’

Stardust gave a huge, sad sigh.

‘I don’t believe it. We’ve come all this way and now we can’t get in.’

Chapter 3

Pippa squinted, scanning the Volcano Castle for a way in. She spotted guard ponies peering down over the walls.

‘Look,’ she said, pointing. ‘The guards have seen us. They’re lowering the drawbridge.’

Two stern-faced Night Mares, wearing black sashes encrusted with diamonds, were letting the drawbridge down.

‘Why would they do that straight away,’ Pippa mused, ‘unless they’re expecting us?’

‘You mean it could be a trap?’ Stardust asked, her voice squeaky with fear.

‘Maybe – perhaps Divine guessed that we’d come after her.’

‘We don’t have to go in,’ Misty said, taking dainty steps backward.

‘We do,’ said Pippa. ‘It’s our best chance of finding the last horseshoe.’

As the drawbridge clanged down over the moat, the guard ponies motioned for them to cross it and come up. Stardust stepped forward and, after a hoof beat’s hesitation, Misty followed. The flapping of wings made Pippa look up.

Something soared overhead and was gone in a flash. She gazed at the sky but there was nothing there. She gripped on to Stardust’s mane as the Princess Pony trotted across the rattling drawbridge.

‘Welcome, strangers,’ neighed the guards.

‘Hello,’ Stardust whinnied back. ‘Please can we come in?’

The Night Mares exchanged a grin.

‘Of course,’ said the taller one. ‘It’s a pleasure to have you here. It’s not often that we get to welcome visitors.’

Pippa could feel Stardust quivering beneath her. Taking a deep breath to steady her own trembling hand, she patted Stardust’s neck. Bravely Stardust stepped up into the castle, which appeared to be the home of the Night Mares. Having passed through the enormous door they found themselves in a courtyard.

‘It’s just like the one back home, only there’s no Whispering Wall,’ exclaimed Stardust.

‘There’s no wall at all,’ said Pippa.

The courtyard stretched away and opened out into a long, stone balcony that overhung a huge pool of bubbling lava. Tearing her eyes away from the smouldering pool, Pippa stared upward and glimpsed the blue sky dotted with fluffy, white clouds.

‘This must be the heart of the Volcano,’ she whispered.

Her eyes widened as she took in their surroundings. The lava pool was indeed the very centre of the Volcano, with a whole world carved into the rock around it. Pippa saw caves of all sizes linked by walkways of black stone. There were spires decorated with scary, stone pony gargoyles that spat rivers of molten lava into the pit below. There were graceful arches and stone pillars all elaborately carved with the heads of ponies. The lava pool lit the caves, turrets and arches with a soft red glow. Pippa shivered despite the heat.