An Amazing Rescue Read online

  For Ellsa, intrepid and adventurous

  With special thanks to Julie Sykes

  Contents

  The Pony Royal Family

  Map of Chevalia

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chevalia Now!

  Early one morning, just before dawn, two ponies stood in an ancient courtyard, looking sadly at a bare stone wall.

  ‘In all my life this wall has never been empty. I can’t believe that the horseshoes have been taken – and just before Midsummer Day too,’ said the stallion.

  He was a handsome animal – a copper-coloured pony, with strong legs and bright eyes, dressed in a royal red sash.

  The mare was a dainty yet majestic palomino with a golden coat and a pure white tail that fell to the ground like a waterfall.

  She whinnied softly. ‘We have so little time to find them all.’

  With growing sadness the two ponies watched the night fade away and the sun rise. When the first ray of sunlight spread into the courtyard it lit up the wall, showing the imprints where the golden horseshoes should have been hanging.

  ‘Midsummer Day is the longest day of the year,’ said the stallion quietly. ‘It’s the time when our ancient horseshoes must renew their magical energy. If the horseshoes are still missing in eight days, then by nightfall on the eighth day, their magic will fade and our beautiful island will be no more.’

  Sighing heavily, he touched his nose to his Queen’s.

  ‘Only a miracle can save us now,’ he said.

  The Queen dipped her head regally, the diamonds on her crown sparkling in the early morning light.

  ‘Have faith,’ she said gently. ‘I sense that a miracle is coming.’

  Chapter 1

  Pippa and Stardust were racing along a track in the Wild Forest. The trees grew close together, their thick branches keeping out all but a few thin rays of sunlight. The only sounds were the snorts of Stardust’s breath and the muffled thudding of her hooves on the leaf-strewn path. Pippa hung on to Stardust’s mane, concentrating on the trees, ducking to avoid low-hanging branches.

  Suddenly a slanting ray of sunlight lit the path ahead, revealing a fallen tree. Pippa gasped. The trunk was massive, wider than the Castle moat and taller than the Whispering Wall. But Stardust was going too fast to stop and there was nowhere to turn.

  ‘Hold tight,’ she snorted.

  She lengthened her stride and Pippa’s heart thumped in her chest. They were going to jump it! With trembling hands, Pippa gripped Stardust’s snowy white mane even tighter. Seconds later the Princess Pony jumped. Air rushed at Pippa’s face and, as they flew upward, her stomach plummeted. Images of a gnarled wooden trunk and a jumble of leafy branches jutting out in all directions flashed before her eyes. Surely the tree was too huge for Stardust to clear?

  As Pippa’s stomach turned to ice, a low, rhythmic noise sounded in the air. What was that? It sounded like an enormous pair of beating wings.

  ‘Stardust!’ Pippa’s breath caught in her throat. ‘Are we flying?’

  ‘Yes!’ Stardust’s voice was shrill with excitement.

  Pippa glanced down – and immediately wished she hadn’t. The tall trees below looked like little broccoli florets from up here.

  ‘Isn’t this wonderful?’ Stardust called.

  Pippa’s legs tightened around her friend’s flanks. Stardust felt reassuringly warm and solid. But how could she be flying? Pippa stared about her, but suddenly Stardust dived, pitching Pippa forward and over her head. She tumbled through the air, the breath rushing out of her as the ground sped closer in a kaleidoscope of greens and browns.

  Thud! Pippa landed on something soft. Her head jerked back and her eyes snapped open. Blinking in the gloomy light, she was surprised to see that she was in her own bed in Stardust’s turret room at Stableside Castle.

  ‘Oh, I was dreaming.’

  Pippa lay still while her racing heart slowed. It was ages before it began to beat normally. Across the room Princess Stardust snuffled and snored as she slept on. Pippa watched the first light of dawn nudge at the turret window. It was followed by a familiar, rhythmic beat. Sitting up, Pippa turned her head towards the window to listen.

  ‘Wings!’ she said, leaping out of bed and running to the window.

  Standing on her tiptoes, Pippa peeped outside. The sky was still dark, with a few stars twinkling in the distance. The beating sound grew louder and more urgent. It reminded Pippa that there was something she ought to be doing. Her head swam as she struggled to remember what. It came to her in a rush. It was the day before Midsummer and three of the golden horseshoes were still missing.

  ‘We have to find them!’ she whispered to herself.

  Pippa’s hands curled into fists. She had been brought to the enchanted island of Chevalia, inhabited by talking ponies, to do a very special job. The eight golden horseshoes that were supposed to hang on the ancient Whispering Wall in the Castle courtyard had gone missing. Without them the magical island couldn’t survive. Pippa had vowed to find the horseshoes and return them to their rightful home in time for their magical energy to be renewed on Midsummer Day.

  She stared out, searching for the source of the flapping sound. It was louder now and was making the window sill vibrate. Pippa looked out of the window and up to the right.

  ‘Peggy!’

  A huge, silver horse hovered in the sky. Pippa hadn’t seen Peggy since she helped them retrieve the first missing horseshoe from the foothills of the Volcano.

  ‘Hello, Pippa,’ Peggy said warmly. ‘Congratulations. Triton and Rosella, the seahorses, tell me that you’ve found five of the missing horseshoes.’

  Shame and failure washed over Pippa. She felt she didn’t deserve to be congratulated.

  ‘But there are still three missing,’ she exclaimed.

  ‘It’s not Midsummer Day yet,’ Peggy said calmly. ‘Maybe I can help you find another horseshoe. Come here, child, and I’ll take you on a tour of the island.’

  Pippa quickly dressed in the jodhpurs and horseshoe-patterned top that had appeared overnight especially for her, laid out neatly on a chair.

  Peggy hovered alongside the window, her feathery wings outstretched like a glider. Reluctantly, Pippa moved closer. Surely Peggy didn’t expect her to climb out of the window and on to her back? Pippa recoiled at the thought.

  ‘I can’t,’ she squeaked. ‘Stardust is still asleep. What if she wakes and finds me gone?’

  ‘Stardust will be asleep for ages yet. If you’re scared of falling then don’t be. I won’t let you fall off.’

  Pippa’s chest tightened. Scared didn’t even come close to how she felt. She was terrified of heights, even though she’d been learning to overcome her fear.

  ‘Come,’ Peggy said, her eyes gently encouraging Pippa.

  Pippa wavered – it was hard not to trust Peggy. Fixing her gaze on the flying horse’s silver chest, she edged closer to the window.

  ‘Don’t look down,’ Peggy whispered.

  Pippa concentrated on Peggy’s wide back, which was as comfy-looking as a sofa. Reaching out of the window, she took a handful of mane.

  ‘I can do this,’ she said firmly.

  Her hands trembled like feathers in the wind as she climbed out on to the turret’s window sill. Her thudding heart made it almost impossible to breathe. Pippa paused to fill her lungs with the chill dawn air. Then, with her eyes still on Peggy’s back, she steeled herself for her next move.

  ‘One, two, three,’ she whispered.

  Quickly, before she could change her mind, Pipp
a scrambled on to Peggy’s back. Once on it, she was too frozen with fear to move. Peggy turned her head to nudge Pippa’s foot with her nose.

  ‘Well done,’ she neighed. ‘Now hold on tight.’

  A warm feeling spread upward from Peggy’s touch, filling Pippa with confidence. She could do this!

  The sun was slowly rising behind them, bleeding red and gold across the dark sky, as Peggy soared up and over the Plateau. Pippa’s confidence gradually grew, until she was brave enough to look down. The island, surrounded by shimmering sea, was bathed in the soft gold glow of dawn. Even the dark Volcano was wrapped in a golden light that hung like a huge scarf around its craggy shoulders. Pippa searched for the peak of the Volcano but the wooded slopes disappeared into a summit of swirling mist. It was so beautiful that it made her heart sing.

  ‘How could anyone want this to disappear?’ Pippa knew that she would do anything to save Chevalia.

  Peggy skimmed over the treetops as she carefully swooped over the island. Pippa strained her eyes for the slightest flash of gold that could signal the missing horseshoes. As Peggy completed her first loop of the island, she climbed higher then hovered over the Plateau. Far below the tiny ponies, opening up their shops on Mane Street, reminded Pippa of the plastic ones in her brother’s toy farmyard.

  ‘Pippa.’ Peggy’s voice was low and urgent, and it cut into her thoughts. ‘I want to ask you something. Take your time before you answer me. Would you like to go home, to the human world?’

  A wave of homesickness washed over Pippa. When she stopped to think about it, she missed her family and home a great deal, even though they weren’t missing her since Chevalia existed in a time bubble. Pippa could stay for as long as she liked while no time passed in her own world.

  ‘I can’t leave now,’ she said.

  ‘It would be safer if you did. We might not find the remaining horseshoes and I can’t guarantee your safety.’

  Pippa felt as if her heart was being ripped in two. Suddenly she craved the safety of her family, but then again how could she leave Stardust and Chevalia when they needed her help more than ever? The seconds ticked by. Wordlessly Peggy glided in huge circles over the Plateau.

  ‘I made a promise to find the missing horseshoes,’ said Pippa finally. ‘I’m not going home until I do.’

  Peggy flapped her wings in double-time.

  ‘Pippa MacDonald, you are a true pony lover and a very special friend of Chevalia,’ she snorted.

  Chapter 2

  Peggy flew over the island again, swooping even lower to help Pippa search for the missing horseshoes.

  Keeping her eyes fixed on the passing landscape, Pippa asked her, ‘Why do you never land? Don’t you get tired, staying in the air for so long?’

  ‘I never used to get tired,’ said Peggy, ‘though recently my wings have been aching at night. But I can’t land. The magic that lets me fly will vanish if I do and I’ll become an ordinary pony.’

  ‘You’ll never be ordinary,’ said Pippa.

  Peggy’s laughter sounded like music.

  ‘A very long time ago, when Chevalia was just a small volcanic island, I was an ordinary pony. I was lucky enough to make a very special friend, a scientist-magician called Nightingale. This pony had amazing powers and a brilliant mind. She discovered the magical gold buried in the volcanic rock. Nightingale realised the potential of that special gold and she had it mounted on the Volcano. Over time the island grew larger and more magical, until it finally blossomed into the Chevalia that we know and love today. Nightingale had created a paradise, but that wasn’t enough for her. She wanted to share it with ponies from around the world.’

  Pippa listened intently to Peggy’s tale.

  ‘Nightingale knew that some ponies were badly treated and had unhappy lives. It was those ponies that she wanted to come and live on Chevalia. So she invented a magic flying potion. The potion was so strong that it allowed the pony who drank it to fly for ever, provided his or her hooves never touched the ground. And there was more – by drinking the potion, the pony could give the temporary gift of flight to any pony whose nose they rubbed. Nightingale asked me to drink the potion so that I could fly to the human world and rescue any unloved or mistreated pony who wanted a better life. The potion also kept me young, so for hundreds of years I flew around the world rescuing ponies in need and bringing them here to Chevalia. Once they arrive and their hooves touch the land, their wings vanish. Then they’re free to live here in happiness, as every pony deserves.’

  ‘That’s an amazing story,’ said Pippa. ‘What a wonderful job to have.’

  ‘Yes,’ Peggy sighed. ‘I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. But my wings are not as young as they were. When they ache I dream of a cosy stable with a deep, straw bed where I can rest my tired bones.’ She laughed softly. ‘But I still love to fly and help ponies in need. And as long as there are ponies to be helped I shall stay airborne.’

  ‘And I thought you flew because you were too special to walk on the ground,’ said Pippa.

  Peggy laughed again. ‘No pony is too special to walk and talk with others.’

  ‘It’s a big responsibility,’ Pippa said, full of admiration.

  ‘I made a promise to Nightingale and to Chevalia,’ said Peggy.

  Pippa nodded. She understood. She’d made a promise to help Chevalia too.

  After they’d flown in silence for a while, Pippa said, ‘I have to go back to the Castle soon. Stardust will worry if she wakes up and sees that I’m not there.’

  At once Peggy banked left then headed in a straight line to Stableside Castle.

  ‘Don’t worry, Pippa. I’ll continue searching for the horseshoes from the sky.’

  ‘And I’ll keep searching too – with Stardust, of course,’ said Pippa.

  When they reached Stardust’s turret bedroom, Peggy came to a sharp halt, sending Pippa flying through the air. It was just like her dream, only this time she sailed through the turret window before landing with a thump on her bed. She caught a flash of Peggy’s shiny hooves as she soared into the air, her silver tail streaming behind her.

  ‘What’s all the noise about?’ groaned the waking Stardust. Rubbing her eyes with her hooves, she struggled up.

  ‘You’ll never guess where I’ve been,’ said Pippa. ‘Flying around the island on Peggy’s back looking for horseshoes!’

  ‘Liar, liar, tail’s on fire,’ Stardust said with a giggle. ‘You’re still in bed, silly. You must have been dreaming.’

  ‘It wasn’t a dream,’ Pippa insisted, but Stardust said nothing as she combed out her mane.

  Pippa climbed out of bed and went over to the dressing table to help her.

  ‘We’re running out of time. We’ve got to carry on searching for the remaining horseshoes.’

  ‘I agree,’ said Stardust. ‘But breakfast first. I’m starving. You know I can’t work on an empty tummy.’

  Pippa let out a long sigh. She desperately wanted to continue her search but she knew that Stardust was right.

  ‘Breakfast first then,’ she agreed. ‘Let’s hurry.’

  Chapter 3

  Pippa and Stardust made their way down the turret’s spiral ramp to the dining room. Mrs Steeplechase, the royal nanny, was striding up and down between the feeding troughs, snorting out orders to the Prince and Princess Ponies.

  ‘Let’s go next to Cloud,’ Pippa said, concerned at how grumpy Stardust’s sister looked.

  The silver-grey pony was wearing a new tiara – gold, with pretty blue sapphires – instead of her usual wooden one that was decorated with acorns, but the sparking jewels couldn’t hide her mood.

  As Pippa and Stardust approached, Cloud tossed her head and walked away. Pippa’s face fell.

  ‘Don’t mind her,’ Prince Comet said, closing the book he’d been reading while eating. Comet was a serious-looking pony with a dark brown coat and a thick, black mane and tail.

  ‘Cloud can’t help being grumpy. It’s just the way she is,’ added S
tardust.

  Cloud stopped and turned back. ‘I’m not grumpy. I’m fed up. All everyone talks about these days are the missing horseshoes and how Chevalia will fade away if they aren’t found by tomorrow. Pah! Missing horseshoes, my hoof! It’s just a silly story made up to frighten little ponies into behaving.’

  ‘It’s not a story, it’s a myth,’ said Comet.

  ‘Same difference,’ argued Cloud. Irritably, she swished her long, grey tail as she hurried out of the dining room.

  Comet shook his head. ‘It’s not the same thing at all. Myths are so much more than make-believe – they originate from a popular belief. The ancient scrolls mention the power of the golden horseshoes. They’re the key to Chevalia’s survival.’

  Stardust took a mouthful of oats. She chewed them carefully before swallowing. ‘Cloud is always grumpy. Fact. That should be written in the ancient scrolls too.’

  Comet snorted with laughter.

  ‘Has anyone tried to find out why she’s grumpy?’ asked Pippa.

  Stardust stared at her. ‘There’s no reason. It’s just the way Cloud is,’ she replied.

  ‘Well, maybe someone should ask her,’ Pippa said thoughtfully.

  ‘Good luck with that. Don’t be surprised if Cloud snaps your head off when you ask her.’ Stardust took another mouthful of oats.

  Pippa reached for a bright red apple and polished it on her top.

  ‘Is Cloud going to school now?’ she asked.

  ‘Not today,’ said Stardust. ‘That’s one of the best things about the run-up to Midsummer Day – we keep having holidays.’

  ‘But that doesn’t mean you can run wild for the day,’ snorted Mrs Steeplechase.

  Pippa jumped as the royal nanny appeared beside them. She listened patiently while Mrs Steeplechase lectured them about behaving like proper Princesses. When the nanny finally moved on, Pippa turned to Stardust.