Jo-Ann shortened her reins. ‘Come on! Let’s have another go at the course! Why don’t we all go round together this time?’

‘OK,’ Lauren grinned. She clicked her tongue and Twilight leapt forward eagerly with the others.

After supper that night, Lauren helped her mum get the spare room ready for Hannah. They made up the bed and then Lauren put some of her favourite pony books on to the bedside table together with a china ornament of a rearing stallion. She placed the book for Hannah’s birthday, all wrapped up, on the bed. ‘I can’t wait till Hannah gets here,’ she told her mum.

‘It’ll be so good to see her again,’ Mrs Foster said. ‘I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since we saw her last.’

‘We’re going to have so much fun,’ Lauren said happily.

‘In which case you’d better get your homework done tonight!’ Mrs Foster reminded her.

Lauren sighed. ‘OK, I’ll go and do it now.’

She went into her room and got out her books. They were doing all about different types of rock in Geography and she had to answer a page of questions on rock formations. Lauren groaned as she picked up her pen. Rocks were so dull. Thinking about ponies was much more fun!

*

Twilight was waiting for Lauren when she crept out of the house that evening. He whinnied softly when he saw her.

Lauren quickly said the words of the Turning Spell:

‘Twilight Star, Twilight Star,
Twinkling high above so far.
Shining light, shining bright,
Will you grant my wish tonight?
Let my little horse forlorn
Be at last a unicorn!’

There was a bright purple flash and Twilight transformed into a unicorn. ‘Hi,’ he said, stepping forward.

Lauren hugged him. It always felt so good to hear him speak.

‘I wonder what’s in that chest Mrs Fontana gave you?’ Twilight said, nuzzling her. ‘It smelled of magic when you showed it to me before.’

‘I bet it’s something to do with unicorns,’ Lauren replied. ‘But what?’

‘When can you open it?’ Twilight asked.

‘That’s the thing. I don’t know. Mrs Fontana just said I wasn’t to open it until the time was right.’ Lauren frowned in frustration. ‘You know, sometimes I wish Mrs Fontana wouldn’t talk in riddles so much! She always does that if we ask her advice about magic too!’

Twilight nuzzled her shoulder. ‘That’s just her way. I think she likes making us figure stuff out for ourselves. Come on, let’s go flying,’ he said. ‘I want to jump over the treetops again!’

‘Me too!’ Lauren grinned. She got on to his back and they cantered upward into the starry sky.

CHAPTER

Four

‘Can I have the shampoo please, Lauren?’ Mel called the following morning. Mel, Lauren and Jessica were all washing their ponies’ tails to make them look as beautiful as possible.

Lauren chucked her the bottle of shampoo. As she let go of Twilight’s tail, he flicked it from side to side. Water droplets sprayed everywhere.