‘I know!’ Twilight snorted. ‘Why don’t you pretend you’re sick, Lauren?’

‘Yeah!’ Lauren looked at him in excitement. ‘Perhaps I could pretend to be ill tomorrow morning. I know it would be a lie – but it would only be a little white lie and it might help.’

‘I could wake her up by whinnying from my field and you could say that you don’t feel well enough to get up and feed and groom me and Magpie,’ Twilight put in. ‘Then she might offer.’

‘And if she does all that stuff, she might just realize how much she likes being round ponies!’ Lauren exclaimed.

Mrs Fontana laughed. ‘Sounds like you two have a new plan. You don’t need me to think of anything after all.’

Lauren smiled in delight. ‘Oh, Mrs Fontana, this might just work!’

Mrs Fontana coughed and her face creased with pain. ‘Are you all right?’ Lauren asked anxiously.

‘Here, can I help?’ Twilight said, reaching out with his horn.

‘No, Twilight.’ Mrs Fontana stepped back. ‘I am old. That is all.’ She coughed again. ‘Go on. You two go now,’ she said, her hand on her chest as if it was hurting her. ‘I’m sure you want to be having fun, flying.’

‘But…’ Lauren began.

‘Go,’ Mrs Fontana insisted.

Lauren could tell there was no point arguing. She took hold of Twilight’s mane.

‘Good luck helping Hannah,’ Mrs Fontana said. ‘I hope you can remind her of how much she loves ponies.’

Twilight tossed his head, his silver horn glinting in the starlight.

‘We’ll do our best,’ Lauren promised.

‘I know you will. You always do. That’s what makes you both so special.’ Mrs Fontana smiled, but her eyes seemed sad and clouded. She put a hand lightly on Twilight’s mane and nodded gently at Lauren. ‘Goodbye, my dears.’

Lauren looked at her in surprise but Twilight was already plunging into the sky. Lauren suddenly had a strange urge to stay with the old lady and not leave her. ‘Goodbye, Mrs Fontana!’ she called uneasily.

Mrs Fontana lifted one hand and then turned away and stepped into the trees with Walter at her side.

As Lauren looked at the suddenly empty path, her heart clenched and a hard lump of tears formed in her throat. Unhappiness swept over her in a wave.

Don’t be silly, she told herself quickly, Mrs Fontana’s only stepped off the path and gone to walk among the trees like she always does.

But something seemed different.

‘Are you OK?’ Twilight asked as her fingers tightened in his mane.

‘Yeah,’ Lauren said slowly. ‘I… I just feel a bit strange.’ She glanced down at the empty path again. ‘I don’t really know why.’

‘I feel odd too,’ Twilight admitted. ‘Do you think our plan for Hannah will work?’

‘I hope so,’ Lauren replied. ‘I bet she’ll offer to help if she thinks I’m ill.’