Magic Ponies

Sue Bentley’s books for children often include animals, fairies and wildlife. She lives in Northampton and enjoys reading, going to the cinema and watching the birds on the feeders outside her window. She loves horses, which she thinks are all completely magical. One of her favourite books is Black Beauty, which she must have read at least ten times. At school she was always getting told off for daydreaming, but she now knows that she was storing up ideas for when she became a writer. Sue has met and owned many animals, but the wild creatures in her life hold a special place in her heart.

Sue Bentley

Showjumping Dreams

Illustrated by Angela Swan

PUFFIN

To Beauty – who helped me gain confidence

PUFFIN BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

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First published 2009

Text copyright © Sue Bentley 2009

Illustrations copyright © Angela Swan 2009

All rights reserved

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-0-141-93784-7

Prologue

Comet folded his magnificent golden wings as his shining hooves touched down on the grassy plain. The magic pony gave a whinny of excitement. It felt good to be home on Rainbow Mist Island.

But his happiness lasted only a moment as he thought of his twin sister. Destiny had been lost for so long. Surely she must have returned safely by now.

The scent of the sweet grass reminded Comet that he was very hungry so he lowered his head and began eating. Sunbeams slanted through the swirling multicoloured mist that gave the island its name. They gleamed on his cream coat and gold mane and tail.

Chewing, Comet looked up, scanning the landscape for signs of any of the other horses that belonged to the Lightning Herd. His large deep violet eyes widened as he caught a movement.

There, behind those scrubby trees!

Comet could see a long shadow stretching across the grass. His pale coat twitched with nerves as he stiffened. Was it another magic pony or one of the fierce dark horses, who wanted to steal the Lightning Herd’s magic?

Comet hesitated, weighing up the danger. ‘Destiny?’

The magic pony’s lonely heart quickened with longing as he thought of his twin sister who he missed so much. He snorted, deciding to take a risk, and cantered towards the trees.

Just as Comet reached them, the low branches parted and an older horse with a wise expression and calm gold eyes stepped out.

‘Blaze!’ Swallowing his disappointment, Comet bowed his head before the leader of the Lightning Herd.

‘I am glad to see you again, my young friend,’ Blaze said in a deep neigh. ‘But I am afraid that Destiny has not returned to us.’

Comet sighed deeply. ‘She must still think she is in terrible trouble for losing the stone.’

The stone of Power protected the Lightning Herd from the dark horses. Destiny had accidentally lost it when she and Comet were cloud-racing. Comet had recovered the stone, but Destiny had already fled.

Blaze nodded gravely. ‘I do not think she will come back, unless you find her and explain all is now well.’

Comet’s beautiful violet eyes flashed with purpose. ‘I will go to the other world and search for her!’

‘We must ask the stone’s help to find where she is hiding.’ Blaze stamped his foot and pawed at the grass. A fiery opal appeared, which swirled with flashes of multicoloured light.

The magic pony looked down and peered deeply into the rainbow depths. The stone grew larger and rays of dazzling light spread outwards.

An image formed in the glowing centre. Comet gasped as he saw Destiny standing beneath a spreading tree in a world far away.

‘I will leave at once!’ he whinnied.

There was a bright flash of dazzling violet light, and rainbow mist surrounded Comet. The pale cream pony, with his flowing golden mane and tail, and gleaming gold-feathered wings, disappeared. In his place stood a handsome palomino pony with a warm caramel-coloured coat, a sandy mane and tail and glowing deep violet eyes.

‘Use this disguise. Find your twin sister and return with her safely,’ Blaze urged.

‘I will!’ Comet vowed.

The magic pony’s caramel coat bloomed with violet sparks. Comet snorted as he felt the power building inside him. And the shimmering rainbow mist whooshed into a whirlpool as it drew Comet in…

Chapter
ONE

‘Go on, Alex! Go for it!’ Zoe cried.

With her best friend shouting encouragement, Alexandra Judd gritted her teeth and concentrated hard as she rode towards the final fence. If Pasha soared over this one too, it would be a clear round.

Her mum and dad were in the crowd watching the horse trials event. She hoped she could make them proud. It would be great to win a rosette to take home.

Alex sat tall, looked straight ahead and kept her heels down. Strands of her shoulder-length brown hair blew out from under her riding hat.

‘One! Two! Th–’ she said under her breath. ‘Oh!’ At the last moment, her chestnut pony seemed to miss a step.

Pasha swung her hind legs sideways, just avoiding banging into the fence. But with a whinny of pain, the pony sank on to her haunches. Alex only just managed to stay on as Pasha scrambled to her feet and stood with her head hanging down.

Alex gasped with dismay as she realized that something was badly wrong.

Dismounting quickly and trying to fight down panic, she led her pony away from the course. ‘Poor girl. Have you hurt yourself?’ she said gently. ‘Come on, slowly now. Let’s get the vet to look at you. She’ll make you better.’

As she led the limping pony to one side, her mum and dad were already racing towards her. Alex gave up all pretence of being calm.

‘Mum! Dad! Something’s happened to Pasha!’ she wailed.

‘All right, love. You’re doing all the right things.’ Her dad took over. He bent and swiftly ran his hand down the injured pony’s back leg. Pasha flinched and tremors ran over her chestnut coat. ‘I hope it’s just a sprain and not a torn ligament.’

A torn ligament was serious. A feeling of dread jolted through Alex as she saw her parents exchanging serious looks. She’d had Pasha for three years and loved her to bits. She couldn’t bear to think of the plucky little chestnut pony being in pain.

A voice came over the loudspeaker. ‘Vet to showjumping, please. Right away.’

It seemed like hours before the van arrived and the vet was examining Pasha with her expert eye. Alex stood with her arms round her pony’s warm neck, trying hard not to cry. ‘Don’t be scared, Pasha. The vet’s a kind lady. She’s going to help you,’ she said gently.

Mrs Judd put a hand on her daughter’s arm. ‘Why don’t you go and wait with Zoe, love? She looks worried to death for you over there. We’ll take care of Pasha. I’ll call you over the moment the vet’s finished.’

Alex didn’t want to leave Pasha, but she nodded miserably. She walked over to her best friend who was standing a few metres away with Maxi, her brown-and-white Welsh pony.

Zoe looked close to tears too. ‘Poor Pasha. What an awful thing to happen. Is she going to be OK?’ she asked.

‘I don’t know. The vet’s still examining her,’ Alex gulped, grateful that Zoe was there. They lived a few kilometres away from each other up at Denton Moor and had known each other since they were tiny. Both pony mad, they did everything together.

Alex swallowed, blinking away unshed tears. A horrible thought was preying on her mind. ‘Was… was it my fault? I’m not as good at jumping as you are. I… I might have done something wrong and it made Pasha land awkwardly.’

Zoe shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. Everything looked fine from where I was.’

Alex nodded slowly, hoping that Zoe was right and not just saying that to make her feel better.

The wait was almost unbearable, but eventually the vet was finished. The moment the vet dusted off her hands and rose to her feet, Alex rushed back.

‘What’s wrong with Pasha? Her leg’s not broken, is it? She’s not going to have to be…’ She couldn’t say the awful words.

‘No,’ the vet said quickly, banishing her worst fears. ‘But it’s a bad sprain and she’s split her heel. Your pony’s going to be out of action for a while she rests that leg.’

Alex was so relieved that Pasha wasn’t more seriously hurt that it took a few seconds for the news to sink in. ‘But… she is going to get well again?’

The vet nodded. ‘There’s no reason why she shouldn’t make a full recovery. I’ve given her some medicine, so she’ll be more comfortable on the journey home.’

Alex felt faint with relief. She turned and gave Zoe a thumbs-up. Zoe waved back, beaming.

With the vet and her dad helping, they managed to get Pasha safely up the ramp and into their transporter. The big truck-sized horse lorry hadn’t been new when they got it recently and there was a dent on one side. Inside, it had room for four ponies and loads of space for equipment.

Once Pasha was tethered in her stall, Alex gave her a handful of oats. ‘You were so brave,’ she crooned, patting her. ‘You have a good rest now.’

Back outside, she felt at a loose end. Zoe was grooming Maxi and her mum was making lunch. Her dad suggested they have a mooch around the show’s stalls, which sold everything from riding boots to the latest saddle soap.

Alex didn’t really fancy it. Pasha’s injury had cast a shadow over the day for her. ‘Thanks, but do you mind if I go for a walk by myself instead?’ she asked him.

‘Course not, love. It’ll do you good. Don’t be too long.’

‘I won’t.’

She wandered across the lorry park. Riders on ponies and horses passed her on their way to and from the showjumping and dressage enclosures. It was a warm spring day; families were enjoying picnics on the grass as they watched the cross-country.

Alex went through a gateway that led into a small copse. Flame-shaped yellow crocus flowers glowed against the dark soil next to shy purple violets. One or two people were walking their dogs, but the place was mostly empty. The rich smells of bark and grass surrounded her.

Alex paused on the shore of a small lake. She noticed a patch of mist hovering above the water. It seemed to be drifting towards her.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of violet sparkles and a shimmering cloud filled the entire clearing. Alex saw rainbow droplets glistening on her skin.

‘Oh!’ She narrowed her eyes, trying to peer through the strange multicoloured mist.

As it began to fade, Alex saw that a pony was walking towards her. It was a palomino with a glossy caramel-coloured coat, a sandy mane and tail, and bright deep violet eyes.

‘Can you help me, please?’ it asked in a velvety neigh.

Chapter
TWO

Alex froze. She stared at the pretty pony in complete astonishment. She must still be feeling so upset about poor Pasha that she was imagining things! Whoever heard of a pony that could talk?

‘What are you doing in here? I wonder who you belong to,’ she murmured to herself.

The pony lifted its head proudly and flared its nostrils. ‘I belong to no one. I am Comet of the Lightning Herd. I have just arrived here from far away.’

Alex’s jaw dropped. ‘Y-you can talk? But-but how come?’

‘All the other magical Lightning Horses in my herd can talk,’ Comet told her. ‘What is your name?’

Alex swallowed, still not quite believing that this was happening. She felt like she’d stumbled into a real live fairy tale.

‘I-I’m… um, Alexandra Judd, but everyone calls me Alex,’ she found herself stammering. ‘I’m… here at the horse trials with my parents and my best friend, Zoe…’

Comet dipped his head in a formal bow and his pale sandy mane swung forward. ‘I am honoured to meet you, Alex.’

‘Um… me too,’ Alex said, feeling as if she ought to curtsy or something. ‘Did you say that you came from far away? Like a different country?’

‘Much further. I live in another world on Rainbow Mist Island with my twin sister, Destiny.’

‘Really? Wow! Is she here too? Where is she?’ Alex asked, fascinated, looking around for another talking palomino.

Comet shook his head. ‘Destiny is here in your world, but she is in hiding. She fled here after the Stone of Power was lost during our game of cloud-racing. This stone protects our herd from the dark horses who want to steal our magic. It has been found, but Destiny does not know this. I have come to find her and take her home.’

Alex blinked at the handsome pony. What he had told her was so magical and strange. She wasn’t sure that she could take it all in. But one thing in particular was puzzling her.

‘Cloud-racing? What’s –’ she began.

Comet’s violet eyes widened. ‘Stay back, please,’ he snorted.

Alex felt a strange warm tingling sensation flowing down to her fingertips as violet sparks ignited in Comet’s caramel-coloured coat and more shimmering rainbow mist swirled around him. The palomino had gone and in its place was a pale cream pony with a flowing gold mane and tail that sparkled like spun silk. But it was the wide-spread gold-feathered wings that sprang from his shoulders that stole Alex’s breath.