The Special Secret Read online

  A Magical Friend

  A Dream Come True

  The Special Secret

  A Unicorn Adventure!

  An Amazing Rescue

  Best Friends Forever!

  For Sidonie, a true pony lover

  With special thanks to Julie Sykes

  Contents

  The Pony Royal Family

  Map of Chevalia

  Early one morning

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Will Pippa and Princess Stardust find all the golden horseshoes?

  Copyright

  Early one morning, just before dawn, two ponies stood in an ancient courtyard, looking sadly at a 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-colored 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 don’t have much 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, 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

  “Look how blue the sky is this morning,” said Pippa MacDonald. She was admiring the pretty view of the island from a window high up in Stableside Castle.

  “It’s always lovely here on Chevalia,” Princess Stardust said, carefully braiding red ribbons into her long white mane.

  It might not be if you don’t hurry up, Pippa thought.

  It wasn’t Stardust’s fault that as a princess pony, and seventh in line to the throne, she was expected to always look her best. And it certainly wasn’t Stardust’s fault that the island of Chevalia was in danger.

  Pippa picked up a comb and started brushing Stardust’s tail. It was so long it hung down to the floor and Pippa had to kneel to reach it. She could still hardly believe that, while on vacation with her family, she’d been brought to Chevalia, a magical island where ponies can talk. Pippa had discovered that Chevalia was in grave danger. The eight golden horseshoes that gave life to the island had been stolen from the ancient wall in the castle courtyard. If they weren’t all back in their places on Midsummer Day, so that they could have their magical energy renewed by the Midsummer sun, then Chevalia would fade away.

  With Stardust’s help Pippa had already found two horseshoes, but now there were just four days until Midsummer, and six horseshoes were still missing.

  Placing the comb on the dresser, Pippa stood back to admire her work. Then she put on the pretty dress that had magically appeared overnight and was neatly laid out for her on a chair.

  “Can we search the Horseshoe Hills today?” she asked.

  “But it’s Harvest Day,” Stardust said, studying her reflection in a long mirror. “Everyone who attends Canter’s Prep School for Fine Equine is expected to go to the Grasslands to bring the harvest home. That includes me.”

  “Oh!” Pippa’s heart sank.

  Even though Chevalia was under threat, Stardust’s parents, Queen Moonshine and King Firestar, were determined that the Royal Family continue their many traditions so as not to worry everyone.

  “Harvest Day is fun,” Stardust assured her. “And it’s not all work. The best part is the picnic lunch—it’s like a party with all our favorite things to eat, like carrots dipped in linseed oil.”

  “I suppose we haven’t searched the Grasslands yet,” said Pippa.

  “Then we’ll do it today while we’re helping with the harvest,” Stardust said decisively.

  Pippa wasn’t sure how much searching they would have time for if they were expected to work, but it was better than nothing.

  “Let’s go then,” she said, eager to get started.

  After a quick breakfast in the castle’s huge dining room, Pippa, Stardust, and the four of her brothers and sisters who still attended Canter’s Prep School followed their nanny, Mrs. Steeplechase, down to the Grasslands.

  “Stop it,” Pippa whispered, trying not to giggle as Stardust imitated the way her teacher waddled.

  “No talking!” Mrs. Steeplechase said, turning around to glare at them.

  “Sorry,” said Pippa. She turned her attention to the lines of ponies who were approaching the Grasslands from every direction. There were lots of foals, their manes and tails braided with purple ribbons, trotting beside their parents.

  “They’re from Canter’s Nursery School,” Stardust explained. “The babies wear purple ribbons, the toddlers wear red ribbons like me, and the older kids wear blue ones. We should have braided ribbons in your hair too. When we get to the Grasslands, I’ll ask if anyone has any extra ribbon so you’re not left out.”

  “Thanks,” Pippa said absently, her mind on the missing horseshoes. She really hoped that they would find at least one today.

  The Grasslands were going to be difficult to search. The grass grew so tall that in places it was higher than Pippa’s head. It was like walking through a pale-green forest. Soon they came out of the grass and into a clearing. To Pippa’s surprise there was a small farmhouse with a large yard.

  “Mucker!” squealed Stardust. Breaking away from the group, she trotted over to a stocky dark-brown pony with a white blaze, four white stockings, and a black mane and tail.

  “Princess Stardust!”

  Stardust and Mucker brushed noses.

  “I’m so glad you’ve come to help with the harvest. I’ve heard lots about you,” he added, shyly nodding at Pippa. “You’re here to save Chevalia.”

  Pippa blushed as red as a strawberry. Everyone had such high hopes for her. She didn’t want to let Chevalia down.

  Stardust’s big sister, Princess Crystal, was standing in the middle of the farmyard putting ponies into groups. As first in line to the throne of Chevalia, she was expected to help supervise the younger ponies on Harvest Day.

  “No talking!” Crystal yelled as she looked at her clipboard. “Stardust and Pippa, you’re with—eeek!”

  Crystal let out a huge shriek and, dropping her clipboard, galloped full speed across the yard.

  Stardust snorted with laughter, then quickly turned it into a cough as Crystal trotted back, her nose in the air as if nothing had happened.

  “It was a horsefly,” Stardust explained to a puzzled Pippa. “Crystal’s terrified of them.”

  Crystal nervously batted the air with her clipboard in case the horsefly returned. She continued, “Stardust and Pippa are with Mucker.”

  Mucker’s face lit up. “Come on—I’ll show you both where to go,” he said happily.

  Mucker led them out of the yard to a muddy field full of tall grass with stems as thick as bamboo shoots. A group of ponies wearing red ribbons were already hard at work. Their legs and faces
were splattered with mud and their coats were steaming. As Pippa and Stardust trotted over to the group with Mucker, he explained that it was very hard work harvesting the grass.

  “It’s much thicker than usual,” said Mucker. “Dad can’t understand it. He didn’t do anything different this year.”

  The members of Mucker’s family were farm ponies, and he loved working with them on the land. He gave Pippa some tools and showed her how to harvest the grass.

  Pippa learned quickly and realized that she was beginning to enjoy the work. The grass may have been thick and strong but it made a soft, whispery noise as it was cut.

  The whispering grew more insistent. Suddenly, Pippa realized it was a voice.

  “What did you say?” she asked Stardust.

  “Nothing,” replied Stardust, who had a smudge of brown mud on her face.

  Pippa was puzzled—she was sure Stardust had said something. She continued cutting and after a while she heard Stardust speak again.

  “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that,” Pippa said.

  “Catch what?” asked Stardust.

  “What you just said.”

  Stardust looked strangely at Pippa. “I never said a word.”

  “But I can hear a voice. Listen!” Pippa added. “There it is again.”

  Stardust stood still, her ears twitching as she concentrated on listening. “Sorry,” she said at last. “All I can hear is the buzz of horseflies, nothing else.”

  Pippa couldn’t understand it. The buzzing voice was beginning to irritate her. Why couldn’t Stardust hear it too?

  “Well, look who it is,” a voice said loudly—a different voice, but one that Pippa knew. “It’s Princess Grunge and her best friend, Dirt Girl!”

  Pippa turned around and faced Cinders, the meanest pony in the Royal Court.

  Chapter 2

  “So now we know,” Cinders said loudly, her eyes narrowing.

  “Know what?” asked Stardust.

  “That you’re a fake.” Cinders gave a high-pitched laugh. “You can’t be a princess because a real princess would never get her hooves dirty. You’re just an ordinary farm pony like Mucker.”

  “Of course I’m a real princess,” Stardust said angrily.

  “No, you’re not,” Cinders replied. “That’s what my mom says anyway.”

  With that, Cinders swept past Stardust, taking great care not to step in the mud.

  Stardust’s brown eyes glittered with tears. “What did she mean?” she asked.

  “Ignore her,” Pippa said, stroking Stardust’s mud-splattered nose. “She was just being nasty to upset you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” Pippa said, even though she wasn’t convinced. Cinders had sounded threatening and as if she knew something, but Pippa didn’t want to frighten Stardust. She continued to stroke her nose, until she stopped shaking and calmed down.

  “Cinders is right, though,” Stardust said at last. “If I have to help with the harvest, then I should be given a cleaner job.”

  Mucker let out a snort of surprise. “Getting dirty has never bothered you before. We’ve always had a lot of fun together on the farm.”

  “Not anymore,” Stardust said firmly. “It’s time I started acting like a real princess.”

  To Mucker’s dismay, Stardust flatly refused to help further. Instead she tore up some grass and used it to wipe the mud from her face, legs, and hooves.

  “I’m going to ask Crystal for something else to do,” she announced. “Something cleaner and more worthy of a princess pony.” And she trotted off.

  “I’ll never get to see Stardust if she stops visiting the farm,” Mucker said sadly. “I’d love to visit her at the castle but that’s not going to happen—not when I come from a farming family. Besides, I’m too busy with farmwork to attend the Royal Court.”

  Pippa started to go after Stardust but quickly changed her mind. Poor Mucker was so upset—she couldn’t leave him now. Keeping one eye on Stardust, she continued to help with the harvest while also keeping a lookout for shiny objects in the mud.

  It was a long, hard morning. Pippa’s back ached and her hands grew sore from gripping her tools and from all the cutting work. In the distance she could see that Stardust wasn’t making much progress with her new job of collecting the cut grass. A cloud of horseflies was buzzing around her head, and each time Stardust swatted them away with her tail they just flew at her again.

  “Go away, you awful things,” Stardust shouted, angrily stomping a hoof.

  The horseflies were becoming even more agitated. Buzzing loudly, they flew in circles around Stardust’s head. Pippa ran over to see if she could help. But after swatting repeatedly at the horseflies with her hands, she realized that it wasn’t making any difference. She stood still and listened. The horseflies were making the same funny buzzing noise, like whispery voices, that she’d heard earlier. She decided to try something.

  “Anyone would think that the horseflies were trying to talk to you,” Pippa said.

  Stardust stopped being cross and whinnied with laughter. “Talking horseflies? That’s crazy!” she exclaimed. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all morning. Oh, look—there’s Mucker’s older brother, Trojan. He helps run the farm with Mucker’s dad. He must have come to check on us. Let’s say hello.”

  “Wait,” Pippa said, still trying to figure out if she was imagining things or if the horseflies really were trying to tell them something.

  But Stardust was already on her way over to the two brothers. Pippa followed.

  “Hi, Trojan. Have you come to help or are you here to boss us around like Crystal?” she asked.

  Trojan blushed at the mention of Crystal.

  “Mucker and I were just discussing the best way to harvest the grass,” he said gruffly. “But if Crystal’s here I’m sure everything is under control.”

  Trojan’s dark-brown coat still looked ruddy as he hurried away.

  “Did I say the wrong thing?” asked Stardust.

  “Well, Trojan really likes Crystal, but she barely notices him,” Mucker explained. “Don’t say I told you that, though!”

  Stardust giggled. “Poor Trojan, liking my bossy big sister!”

  “I think we should get back to work,” Mucker said.

  “He’s right,” Pippa said. “The Grasslands are so much bigger than I expected. We’re never going to get all the harvest in and look for horseshoes in one day.”

  “It doesn’t matter if the harvesting isn’t finished today, but we do have to find the horseshoes quickly,” Stardust said thoughtfully. “Let’s go down to the stream—we haven’t searched that area yet. The grass is much shorter near the stream, and we can have our picnic lunch there too.”

  “But I haven’t finished looking here,” said Pippa.

  “We can come back later,” Stardust replied.

  “We should finish searching this area first,” Pippa said firmly. “We should search each area properly before we move on to the next one; otherwise we might miss something.”

  A mixture of emotions flashed across Stardust’s face, but at last she said, “You’re right, Pippa. I’m so glad you’re here to help—I’m definitely not as organized as you are. Let’s search this part of the Grasslands thoroughly before lunch.”

  Pippa and Stardust slowly moved away from their harvesting group and put their efforts into searching for the horseshoes.

  “We shouldn’t make it too obvious that we’ve stopped harvesting,” Stardust said quietly. “Remember that Mom and Dad want us to carry on as normal so we don’t frighten anyone.”

  Every now and then Pippa heard Cinders’s voice across the field. She was even bossier than Crystal, ordering the younger ponies around and avoiding getting her own hooves dirty.

  “Anyone would think her mom was the queen and not jusssst a baronesssss,” a tiny voice buzzed in her ear.

  Pippa jumped with surprise. “Who’s that?” she asked, searching around the field.

&
nbsp; “Mmmmeeee,” hummed the voice.

  Thinking she must be imagining things, Pippa tapped her ear with her hand.

  “Careful! You nearly sssswatted meee.”

  A large horsefly darted in front of Pippa and hovered by her nose. She blinked in amazement.

  “You!” she exclaimed. “Was that you talking to me?”

  “Yesssss. My name is Zimb. Weeee’ve been trying to talk to Princess Stardust all morning but she just won’t lissssssten,” he said, waving his three friends over.

  “We neeeeed help,” the horseflies said. “Pleasssse say that you’ll help ussss or we’re all going to be in great danger.”

  Chapter 3

  “Two ponies came to see us out here on the Grasslands,” explained Zimb, the largest of the horseflies. “They told us the Mistresssss had sent them on behalf of every pony in Chevalia because she wants to make peace with us and to be friendsss forever. They gave us two golden horseshoesss to prove they meant what they said. We were ssso excited. We’ve been trying to make friendsssss with the ponies for ages. But then we learned that the golden horseshoesss had been stolen and that this put Chevalia in serious danger. The Mistressssss tricked us.”

  The Mistress! Pippa had no idea who she was, but each time they came close to finding a horseshoe her name came up. Pippa wondered whether this mysterious Mistress was behind the disappearance of all the horseshoes.

  “Who is this Mistress?” she asked.

  “You know, the hooded pony with the big cloak,” the horseflies said excitedly.

  As Pippa was taking this in, the horseflies continued, “We wanted to return the horseshoesss to the king and queen but we can’t find the place where we left them. The grassss has grown too long. Can you help ussss?”

  Something clicked in Pippa’s head.

  “That’s it!” she cried. “So there are definitely two horseshoes here in the Grasslands.”

  She quickly ran to Stardust and filled her in on what the horseflies had told her, adding, “That’s why the grass has grown so long—it’s because of the magic from the two horseshoes.”