A Singing Star Read online

  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

  Epilogue

  Chevalia Now!

  In the middle of the Horseshoe Hills, far away from the Royal Court and Stableside Castle, lay the ruins of a smaller castle. Its crumbling walls were choked with ivy. Bats flew from the turrets and spiders scuttled along the empty passageways.

  In a damp room at the back of the castle, a chestnut pony with bulging eyes and a square nose, wearing a dark cloak, was bent over a glass container supported above a small fire. A gooey liquid, thicker than syrup, bubbled fiercely in the container, sending clouds of black smoke swirling into the air. The pony’s eyes watered and she coughed violently. She buried her nose in her cloak until the smoke thinned.

  ‘At last it is ready.’ Divine, the pony, carefully lifted the container away from the fire with a pair of tongs and carried it over to a sturdy oak table. She watched as the bubbles settled and then, when the liquid was still, she poured it into a bottle and sealed it with a cork.

  Divine spoke softly at first. ‘No one understands me. All I ever wanted was for the ponies of Chevalia to love me. And soon they will.’ She held the bottle up and her lips curved into a smile. ‘With this magic potion the ponies will all love me the most. Then Chevalia will be mine!’ Her voice rose to a shout and ended with a cackling laugh.

  With great care Divine tucked the bottle of black liquid into a pocket of her cloak. She turned to a cracked mirror hanging from a nail on the wall and pulled up her hood, arranging the material to cover her face. ‘Ponies of Chevalia,’ she whispered, ‘fear not. I have a plan!’

  Chapter 1

  Pippa MacDonald was helping her mum set up a picnic in the riverside park. It was a bright, warm Sunday afternoon, but Pippa’s mind was elsewhere.

  ‘I need to rehearse my lines for the school play,’ said Pippa. She reached over to the picnic hamper and picked up her script. ‘Can you help me, Mum?’

  ‘No, no,’ said Jack, Pippa’s little brother. ‘Mum said she’d play football with me, didn’t you, Mum?’

  Pippa sighed. Jack was always begging for Mum’s attention. ‘I did promise Jack I’d play with him,’ she said. ‘But I expect Miranda will listen to you.’

  Miranda looked up from her book. ‘Do I have to?’

  ‘You could play football with your brother instead,’ offered Pippa’s mum.

  ‘Not much of a choice,’ huffed Miranda. ‘Come on, Pip, let’s find somewhere quiet to practise your lines where we won’t get hit by Jack’s football.’

  ‘Great,’ Pippa handed Miranda the play script. ‘We could go under that big tree, away from the river.’

  Miranda sat under the tree and stared at Pippa from over the top of the script. Pippa’s stomach knotted and she shoved her hands in her pockets.

  ‘Stand up straight,’ Miranda said, bossily. ‘It says here that you’re a knight but right now you look more like a sack of dried pasta.’

  Pippa flushed as she took her hands out of her pockets and pushed her shoulders back.

  ‘Better,’ said Miranda. ‘Go on then, say something.’

  ‘Um . . .’ For one heart-stopping moment Pippa couldn’t remember her lines.

  ‘Dragons,’ prompted Miranda.

  Dragons, of course! In a rush Pippa said, ‘I will fight the dragon. Bring me my armour, and Jasper, go and saddle my horse.’

  ‘Slower,’ bellowed Miranda, ‘and much louder. I can hardly hear you.’

  Pippa’s face burned with embarrassment. She started again but she was so self-conscious that she muddled up her words.

  ‘Stop!’ Miranda cut her off with a wave of her hand. ‘You sound like a little mouse. Do it again, but more like a dragon this time.’

  Pippa tried again but with Miranda’s bossy comments ringing in her ears she couldn’t concentrate. Almost every time she spoke she either forgot her lines or she wasn’t loud enough. Her heart sank. She wondered if maybe she should stick to riding ponies instead of acting.

  ‘Go on, Pippa, you can do it.’ Mum ran past, chasing a football. ‘It’s like riding a pony – you just need to practise.’

  ‘I am practising and it isn’t working,’ Pippa said, desperately.

  Mum ran back. ‘You need to practise some more then. And more importantly you need to believe in yourself. You can do it.’

  As Mum went back to the game of football, Miranda held up the script. ‘Is there any point in trying again?’ she asked.

  Pippa shook her head. She felt hopeless at acting. ‘I think I’ll have a rest,’ she said. Biting back the tears welling in her eyes, Pippa wandered over to the river. As she stared into the blue-green water she thought how her best Princess Pony friend, Stardust, would never tease her for not being good at something. But she couldn’t tell Miranda that. She’d never believe her.

  Stardust, and her magical home of Chevalia, was her special secret. A month ago, on Pippa’s seaside holiday, two giant seahorses had taken her to Chevalia, an island where Royal Ponies reigned. Chevalia had been in danger but Pippa and Stardust had saved it by finding eight golden horseshoes. The horseshoes had been stolen from a wall in the ancient Stableside Castle by a mean-spirited pony who was called Baroness Divine. Divine had escaped but, with the horseshoes back in their rightful place, the Princess Ponies felt safe again.

  The bulrushes growing in the water rustled and began to sway and suddenly a pink, horse-like head with large, round eyes popped up.

  ‘Rosella?’ Pippa blinked. She couldn’t believe that one moment she had been daydreaming about Chevalia, and the next moment one of the giant seahorses was right here in front of her. When she looked again the seahorse was still staring back at her.

  ‘Pippa MacDonald,’ Rosella bowed her head. She was carrying a rolled-up scroll, tied with a pink ribbon, around her neck. ‘This is for you.’

  An icy feeling spread through Pippa. Was there trouble in Chevalia? Her hand trembled as she reached forward to take the scroll.

  ‘Don’t worry.’ Rosella’s dark eyes were kindly. ‘It’s a royal invitation.’

  As Pippa unrolled the scroll, silver musical notes flew into the air and a sweet voice sang out, ‘Pippa MacDonald, the King and Queen of Chevalia invite you to a royal performance by the Royal Pony Orchestra, accompan­ied by Diva, the Duchess of Savannah.’

  As the voice faded the invitation appeared in writing on the scroll. Underneath Stardust had added a note in pink writing. ‘Please say you’ll come. My cousin Diva has an amazing voice. It’s going to be a magical night!’

  Pippa smiled. How could the concert not be magical when it was taking place in her beloved Chevalia?

  ‘Yes, please,’ she said immediately. ‘I’d love to come.’

  ‘Good.’ Rosella trod water next to the bank. ‘Climb aboard, Pippa. Chevalia awaits you!’

  Pippa grasped Rosella’s long, pink spines as she climbed on to the seahorse’s back.

  ‘Hold on tight,’ said Rosella. ‘To Chevalia.’

  As Rosella swam to the middle of the river Pippa glanced back at her family. They were frozen like statues. Mum was in mid-run, chasing after the football, and Jack was in the air, halfway through a jump. Miranda was lying on her tummy on the picnic blanket, her nose buried in her book. Pippa waved, even though she knew they couldn’t see her. The moment she’d climbed on to Rosella’s back she’d entered a magic time bubble. Pippa could stay in Chevalia for as long as she liked but she wouldn’t be missed, as no time would pass in her own world.
/>   As Rosella sped down the River Thames, Pippa sat back and enjoyed the sights of London whizzing past and above her: the majestic Houses of Parliament, the massive London Eye, Tower Bridge, and the stern stone walls of the Tower of London. Further on they sailed past the shiny silver Thames flood barrier and into the open countryside until at last they were out on the choppy open sea. Pippa loved riding the waves with Rosella. Her curly hair streamed behind her and she tasted salt on her lips.

  Soon they arrived on the shores of a large island. The long, sandy beach was edged with trees.

  ‘Thank you, Rosella.’ Pippa patted Rosella’s neck as she jumped into the clear, blue water.

  ‘Enjoy the concert,’ called Rosella.

  As Pippa waded to the shore she wondered how much time it would take her to walk to Stableside Castle.

  She’d only ever made the journey on horseback. She stepped through the surf and on to the beach. Something was moving in the trees. Pippa’s heart leapt.

  ‘Stardust,’ she exclaimed as a pure white pony galloped across the sand.

  Chapter 2

  ‘You came!’ Princess Stardust’s hooves threw up clouds of sand as she stopped a horsehair away from Pippa. She whickered softly and nuzzled Pippa’s curly, brown hair.

  ‘Of course,’ Pippa threw her arms around Stardust’s neck and hugged her friend back. ‘I wouldn’t have missed the big concert and seeing you again for anything.’

  ‘I can’t wait for you to meet my cousin Diva,’ said Stardust. ‘She’s got an amazing voice and she’s so much fun to be with. You’re going to love her. Jump on my back and I’ll take you to her now.’

  Pippa put her hands on Stardust’s snowy white neck and vaulted aboard. Stardust took off, galloping across the beach and into the Wild Forest. She hurtled through the trees, leaping over the puddles of quick-stick mud. They passed a group of wild ponies playing in a clearing. Pippa waved and the wild ponies stamped their hooves and whinnied back. A short while later Pippa glimpsed the eight turrets of Stableside Castle stretching above the treetops.

  The woods thinned and Stardust slowed to a trot as she came out on to a grassy plateau. Pippa turned her head to get a look at Mane Street. Sparkly, star-shaped bunting hung from the lamp posts and the flower beds were bursting with colourful flowers and extra large carrots for the ponies to snack on.

  ‘I’ve booked us and Diva into the Mane Street Salon for some pampering before the concert,’ said Stardust. ‘Honey’s coming too. Miss Hoof­­­berry has a new glittery hoof polish that she’s desperate to try.’ Star­­­dust chattered on, filling Pippa in on everything that had happened since they last met. As they took the windy path up to the Castle Stardust said, ‘But that’s enough about me. What have you been up to?’

  Pippa didn’t want to admit to her best pony friend that she was nervous about the school play. ‘Nothing much. It’s been mostly school stuff,’ said Pippa.

  ‘Did you tell your school friends about Chevalia?’ asked Stardust. ‘I bet they are all so envious of you!’

  ‘Well, I wrote a story all about Chevalia and read it out to the whole class. My teacher said I had a brilliant imagination.’

  Stardust giggled. ‘Didn’t anyone believe it?’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Pippa said, sadly. ‘But I suppose that’s a good thing. Chevalia wouldn’t be the same if humans found out about it.’

  ‘Still, that was very brave of you to read aloud to the whole class. Didn’t you get stage fright?’

  Pippa fell silent. She’d been petrified when she’d read her story to the class. Performing in the school play would be even scarier because she’d have to act as well as speak in front of everyone. She was just gathering her courage to tell Stardust all about it when the pearly white walls of Stableside Castle rose before her and the moment was lost. A group of ponies, with cameras hanging around their necks, were waiting by the drawbridge.

  ‘The ponarazzi have been camped outside the castle there ever since Diva arrived,’ Stardust explained. ‘There are pictures of her in all the magazines and newspapers.’

  ‘Where are we going?’ asked Pippa, as instead of crossing the drawbridge Stardust had trotted around the side of the Castle.

  ‘Just wait and see,’ Stardust said, mys­­teriously.

  A few minutes later they arrived at the edge of an enormous amphitheatre. ‘Wow!’ Pippa stared at the huge, horseshoe-shaped stage in the centre. ‘I never knew this was here.’

  ‘It wasn’t – until last week,’ said Stardust. ‘We’ll be over there in the royal box.’ She nodded to a box in the middle of the amphitheatre. It was decorated with coloured rosettes and had an amazing view. A group of ponies were gathered on the stage.

  ‘That’s Diva, there,’ Stardust said, excitedly.

  Pippa looked and saw a tall pony with a shiny coat as black as midnight. Her dark eyes shone like jewels and she had a pretty white blaze on her nose.

  She was every inch the superstar with her sparkly, pink tiara, her head held high and her ears pricked forward. Her voice wasn’t so pretty, though. As they approached Pippa heard her complain, ‘Am I supposed to scrub my own carrots? How can I be expected to give my best performance when the food is unwashed?’ Diva stamped a hoof to drive home her point. ‘And the lighting is all wrong. It’s far too dark – no one will be able to see me! And I am the star of the show.’

  ‘How awful!’ called Stardust. ‘Have you complained to Dad? He’ll sort it out for you.’

  ‘Stardust, da . . . ha . . . ling!’ Diva swung round and her voice softened. She trotted over to Stardust and they rubbed noses. ‘And you brought your pet girl!’ she added.

  ‘Friend,’ said Pippa.

  ‘Yes. Diva, meet my best friend Pippa. Pippa, this is my hugely talented cousin Diva,’ Stardust said, proudly. ‘She’s the star in the family.’

  Pippa slipped from Stardust’s back. ‘Pleased to meet you, Diva,’ she said, shyly.

  ‘Da . . . ha . . . ling. Come here.’ Diva blew softly through her nose at Pippa then nuzzled her hair. ‘This is soooo exciting. I’ve been dy . . . hy . . . ing to meet you. I’ve heard so much about how you saved Chevalia. I’m going to dedicate a special song in the show just to you!’

  ‘That’s enough chatter.’ A plump pony with a blue rinse in her dark brown mane and tail promptly trotted on to the stage.

  ‘Hello, Aunty Rainbow,’ said Stardust. ‘I was just introducing Pippa to Diva. Remember Pippa, the girl that found the eight missing horseshoes and saved Chevalia?’

  ‘Yes, yes,’ said Rainbow. She tossed her head impatiently. ‘And we’re all very grateful that you saved the island, but right now I’ve got a concert to save. This is Diva’s last rehearsal before the royal performance. It’s important we don’t distract her. I’ve invited the ponarazzi in to take some photographs and I’ve arranged an audience. The ponies from the Mighty Oaks Senior Ponies Stables are here.’ She nodded to the lower tiers of the amphitheatre, where a procession of older ponies were slowly taking their seats. The orchestra pit was also filling up with the musicians and their instruments. They all looked very smart, the boys wearing royal red sashes and the girls in silvery pink.

  ‘Can we stay and watch?’ asked Stardust.

  ‘As long as you’re both quiet as a pair of baby seahorses.’ Rainbow turned to Diva. ‘Have you done your warm-up scales?’

  Stardust whispered to Pippa. ‘Let’s watch from the wings. I’ve often wanted to help backstage but Mrs Steeplechase says that it’s not a fitting place for a princess.’

  Mrs Steeplechase, the royal nanny, was very strict and had old-fashioned ideas about the right way for a Princess Pony to behave. Pippa followed Stardust into the wings and they stood to the side of a huge screen decorated with pictures of Chevalia.

  The orchestra finished tuning their instruments. The conductor waved a baton and silence fell in the amphi­theatre. Goosebumps marched along Pippa’s arms, making her shiver with pleasure. She loved the start of
a concert or play, just so long as she wasn’t acting in it!

  The conductor waved his stick again and the orchestra burst into life. Onstage, Diva took a deep breath, held her head high and began to sing. As her voice rose there was a commotion behind Pippa. A draught of air lifted her hair as someone rushed past her and on to the stage. Pippa gasped. She recognised the cloaked figure gallop­­­­ing towards Diva, who whinnied in fright.

  The charging pony was none other than Divine.

  A harsh cackle filled the air. There was a loud bang and thick, black smoke curled around Diva’s hooves. She shrieked but her scream was cut short. As the smoke cleared Pippa noticed Divine had a glass bottle hanging around her neck, containing a black liquid that sparkled magically.

  ‘Thought the show would go on without me, did you?’ Divine’s voice rose to a screech. ‘Well, think again. Diva can’t sing any more. My magic potion has captured her singing voice in this bottle.’ Divine’s hood fell away as she threw back her head and cackled again. She bucked wildly, kicking her back hooves high in the air, and jumped from the stage. Four guards tried to stop her but Divine dived round them, soared over the gate and galloped into the distance.

  An eerie silence filled the arena. It was broken by Diva’s sobs. Stardust and Pippa hurried towards the stage but Rainbow got there first. ‘Stuff and nonsense,’ she said, crossly. ‘Start again, Diva, from the beginning. Lights, please.’

  A spotlight snapped on, encircling Diva in a bright, white light. Diva opened her mouth then shut it again. Her lip trembled. ‘I can’t,’ she whispered.

  ‘Rubbish!’ said Rainbow. ‘Hurry up. We don’t have time to waste.’

  Diva shook her head. ‘There’s no point,’ she said. ‘I won’t be able to sing. Divine has stolen my voice.’