‘Hold tight!’ Comet shot forward like a rocket and Alex felt a glow of excitement.

Tiny rainbows glimmered in his mane as his shining hooves ate up the ground. She felt a warm tingling feeling flow to the end of her fingertips and his magic swirled round her, keeping her safe as they galloped as fast as the wind. She knew that she’d never get tired of riding the magic pony.

‘Yay! Go, Comet, go!’ she shouted, her voice ringing out across the expanse of moorland.

Comet raked the landscape with his keen eyes, looking for any signs of his lost twin. Alex kept her eyes peeled too. They explored the rock formations and hidden spaces. But all they saw were three walkers climbing a stile and a farmer on a tractor checking his flock. There was no sign of any ponies.

The ground sloped gradually upwards and the soil became thin and stony. Pink and purple heather clothed the ground and grew in cracks in the stones. Comet galloped on tirelessly, but they found no trace of Destiny.

Alex suggested that they search lower down among the winding lanes and farm buildings. The sun came out, turning Comet’s caramel coat and sandy mane and tail to molten gold. Cloud shadows rippled across the sloping moors.

Suddenly, Comet stiffened. Catching a movement from the corner of his eye, he laid back his ears.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked him.

‘A dark horse is close!’ he neighed in panic.

Alex couldn’t see anything but, before she could catch her breath, Comet bolted straight for a gap in a broken wooden fence. He was going to barge through it!

Alex caught sight of the dull sheen of metal. There was barbed wire strung across the gap, but Comet hadn’t noticed it.

‘Stop!’ she cried, pulling on the reins.

But Comet pounded on, blinded by his terror of the enemy horses from his world, who wanted to steal his power. The dangerous fence was right in front of them!

One step. Two steps. Three…

In desperation Alex sawed at the reins. ‘Stop, Comet!’ she begged. ‘There’s nothing there!’

It did the trick. Comet came to his senses. But he stopped so suddenly that Alex lost her balance. She flew forward, right over his head and crashed into the fence.

The fence’s rotten wood collapsed beneath her, breaking her fall. ‘Oh!’ she gasped as the barbed wire tore into her jeans and pain shot through her leg.

Biting her lip, she tore herself free and stumbled to her feet. She limped towards Comet, desperate to make sure he was all right.

The magic pony’s sides were heaving and he sucked air noisily through his flared nostrils.

‘It’s OK. You’re safe,’ Alex soothed gently. ‘It was only a trick of the light as the shadows moved across the hills.’

Gradually, Comet grew calm.

‘You risked yourself to save me. Thank you, Alex,’ he whickered fondly, lowering his head to gently nudge her arm.