by Chloe Ryder
‘B-b-best friend?’ she stuttered. ‘I thought I was your best friend.’
‘You are. Well, you were until Pippa arrived,’ Stardust said, unaware of Blossom’s distress. ‘Pippa’s my best friend now, but you can be my second best.’
Just then the announcer called for the start of the junior dressage competition.
‘Listen – they’re calling your class,’ said Stardust. ‘You’d better go.’
‘So are you coming to watch me?’
‘I’m sorry, Blossom, but Pippa and I –’
‘We’d love to watch,’ Pippa interrupted. ‘We’ll both cheer you on!’
Pippa felt very uncomfortable as they followed Blossom to the competition arena. It was obvious to her that she was upset, but Stardust didn’t seem to have noticed.
‘Blossom’s too clumsy to be any good at dressage,’ Stardust whispered. ‘It’s a shame, because she comes from a family of show ponies.’
When it was Blossom’s turn to perform she trotted stiffly into the ring. Her hooves were all over the place and she kept tripping up.
Cinders, an unkind pony who was always quick to criticise others, was in the box below the royal one. She laughed as Blossom stumbled around the ring.
‘Blossom’s got four left hooves,’ she whinnied. Some of the other ponies laughed and snorted with her.
That only made Blossom worse. She trotted around the show arena like a circus clown. She finished with a wonky curtsy and hurried from the ring in tears.
‘What’s wrong with her?’ asked Stardust. ‘She always does badly in dressage, so why is she crying about it now?’
‘Blossom’s crying because you said she wasn’t your best friend any more,’ Pippa said quietly.
‘That’s silly!’ Stardust exclaimed in disbelief. ‘We can still be friends, but how can I have two best ones?’
‘Very easily,’ said Pippa. ‘It’s good to have lots of friends. Imagine how you’d feel if I suddenly said I wanted to be Blossom’s best friend and not yours.’
Stardust’s face fell. ‘I thought you liked me!’
‘I do but that doesn’t mean I can’t like anyone else. I’ve got another best friend at home.’
‘But you like me at the same time?’
Pippa nodded.
‘Oh, I see,’ Stardust said slowly. ‘You can have two best friends.’
Now the junior dressage was over, Pippa wanted to continue searching for the missing horseshoes but she hated seeing Blossom so upset, especially when it was partly her fault. She decided to hide her impatience because she knew they had something to do first.
‘Let’s go after Blossom and tell her she can be your best friend too,’ Pippa said.
Stardust hesitated. Pippa climbed on to her back and stroked Stardust’s mane.
‘Having two best friends will be twice as much fun,’ Pippa said persuasively.
‘OK,’ said Stardust. ‘I will have two best friends. Let’s go and tell Blossom.’
Chapter 3
At first Stardust and Pippa couldn’t find Blossom. They searched everywhere, including the competitors’ area, but there was no trace of her. Then Stardust spotted her on the far edge of the showground.
‘Blossom’s going the wrong way!’ she said. ‘That path leads down to the beach.’
‘She’s fast!’ Pippa exclaimed, watching Blossom gallop into the distance.
Blossom was also very fit. She galloped all the way down the path and didn’t stop until she reached the beach. Stardust was hot and panting heavily by the time they caught up with her. Blossom stood staring out to sea with the surf swirling around her legs.
‘Hi, Blossom,’ Stardust said breathlessly. ‘You can still be my best friend if you want. Pippa says I can have two.’
Pippa slid from Stardust’s back and glared at her. ‘Say sorry,’ she mouthed silently.
Stardust tossed her head as if she might argue but Pippa kept glaring at her.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said at last. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.’
‘Really?’ Blossom continued to gaze at the sea.
‘Yes,’ Stardust said, giving her a friendly nudge with her nose.
Finally, Blossom turned round. ‘So we’re still friends?’ she asked.
‘Best friends,’ said Stardust. ‘It’s going to be twice as much fun having two best friends.’
‘Can I be friends too?’ Pippa asked, looking at Blossom.
‘Yes! A real, live girl for a friend would be amazing,’ said Blossom. ‘I’m sorry I ran away. I was upset and when Cinders laughed at my awful dressage performance it was the last straw. I try so hard but I always trip over my hooves.’
‘You’re brilliant at galloping,’ Pippa said kindly. ‘You should enter the Equestriathon.’
‘I’d love to, but Mum and Dad think that racing is for any old pony, not show ponies like us.’ Blossom sighed.
‘Traditionally Blossom’s family have always been prize show ponies on Chevalia,’ added Stardust. ‘She can’t just decide to be a racing pony.’
‘But we can’t all be good at the same things,’ said Pippa. ‘My mum says you should do the things that make you happy.’
‘Well . . .’ Blossom said hesitantly. ‘I do love to gallop – it’s my favourite thing. Well, that and being Stardust’s best friend.’
‘Pippa’s right,’ said Stardust. ‘You should do the things that make you happy. And even if you don’t win the trophy, every pony that completes the race gets a medal. But I’m sure you can win!’
Blossom fell silent for a while, then she said decisively, ‘I’ll do it. I’ll race the Equestriathon. And if I win the trophy, hopefully Mum and Dad will be so proud of me they won’t mind about the dressage. Will you come and support me?’
‘Of course,’ said Stardust.
Pippa bit back her frustration. She couldn’t hurt Blossom’s feelings by refusing, but she feared that at this rate they’d never find the missing horseshoes.
‘Thank you.’ Blossom’s eyes sparkled happily. ‘And one more thing, now that we’re all best friends – can Pippa ride me in the Equestriathon? Pleeeeeaase! You know how much I’ve always wanted to carry a girl.’
‘That’s a brilliant idea, isn’t it, Pippa?’ said Stardust.
Pippa hesitated. ‘Won’t you run faster without me, though?’ she asked.
Blossom’s bottom lip quivered.
Pippa couldn’t bear seeing her upset again, so she quickly added, ‘How about I just ride you to the start line?’
‘That would be wonderful! Thank you, Pippa. We’d better get going. I need to warm up on the practice gallops.’
As Blossom and Stardust trotted back up the beach, Pippa trailed behind, kicking up lumps of seaweed and checking behind rocks for the missing horseshoes.
When they reached the path towards the Plateau, she turned back for one last look. Something caught her eye away in the distance. Pippa squinted out to sea and her heart missed a beat. It was Rosella and Triton, the two giant seahorses who had brought her to Chevalia. She wondered if they would be able to help. Pippa ran straight back to the water’s edge, waving to get their attention. Gracefully, the seahorses changed direction and swam towards her.
‘Hello, Pippa,’ Rosella called.
‘Is there a problem?’ asked Triton, a green seahorse with dark freckles.
‘Yes,’ Pippa said breathlessly. ‘Princess Stardust and I have only found one of the golden horseshoes.’
‘Only one?’ exclaimed Rosella. Pippa noticed that the seahorses gave each other disappointed looks.
‘We brought you here, Pippa, because you are the girl who loves ponies the most,’ said Triton. ‘We hoped you could save Chevalia.’
Pippa felt awful. ‘I won’t let you down,’ she promised, ‘but I could use your help.’
‘What help do you need?’ asked Rosella.
‘Could you swim around the island and look at the places we can’t see or reach from the land, li
ke the rocks?’
‘If there are horseshoes on the cliffs or in the rocks under water, we’ll find them,’ said Triton.
‘Thank you,’ Pippa said gratefully.
Proudly dipping their heads, they swam back out to sea.
Pippa raced to catch up with Stardust and Blossom. The two ponies were so busy talking about how Blossom should compete in the Equestriathon that they hadn’t even noticed she’d been gone.
While Blossom warmed up for the race on the practice gallops, Pippa searched the scrubby ground either side of the race track for horseshoes. She wasn’t surprised when she didn’t find them, though – it was too open and flat to hide anything there.
At last it was time to ride Blossom over to the Equestriathon start line on the beach. A long blue ribbon marked the start of the race and a huge crowd had gathered all along the track. As Blossom approached it, proudly carrying Pippa on her back, the ponies began to whisper and stare. Pippa’s face burned with embarrassment when she realised they were talking about her.
‘Carrying a girl is cheating,’ said a large pony with a narrow face.
‘It’s not fair on the others,’ agreed an elderly black and white pony.
Pippa was very glad when Blossom reached her position on the start line. Sliding from her back, she stood close to Stardust, hoping the Princess Pony could protect her from the hostile looks. Once she was off Blossom’s back, though, everyone returned their attention to the competitors.
‘Good luck, Blossom!’ Stardust shouted, earning herself a cross glare from Mrs Steeplechase, who was also in the crowd. ‘Once you’ve started we’ll go to the headland to watch the rest of the race.’
‘Thank you,’ Blossom said, looking pleased. ‘I couldn’t do this alone.’
King Firestar stepped forward. ‘One hoof, two hooves, GO!’ he called, striking a horseshoe-shaped gong.
The blue start-line ribbon fell to the ground. In a thunder of hooves and flying turf, the competitors galloped away. Blossom kept pace with even the biggest and most powerful of the racing ponies.
‘Quick, Pippa,’ said Stardust. ‘Jump on my back so we can get to the headland faster. It’s the best place to watch from because you can see at least half of the race from there.’
As soon as Pippa had swung herself on to Stardust’s back, the pony set off at a gallop across the Plateau. The wind blew in Pippa’s face, catching her curly hair so that it streamed out behind her. She felt her anxieties slowly melt away. This was exhilarating – the most fantastic ride in her whole life. She wanted to gallop for ever. Leaning forward, she sunk her hands deep in Stardust’s soft, white mane.
‘Faster,’ she cried.
Stardust snorted. ‘Hold on tight then,’ she called, thrusting onward.
Pippa could tell that Stardust was enjoying the ride too. Her ears were pricked forward and she galloped with a joyous spring in her stride.
Pippa was so happy she almost shouted out loud. She felt so alive – and confident that everything would work out. Blossom would win the race, she was sure of it.
Chapter 4
They reached the headland quickly and Stardust stopped a safe distance from the cliff edge, her sides heaving as she caught her breath.
Pippa looked around. From this point, over half the island’s white beaches were spread out below her. The island was ringed by deep-blue sea that sparkled like thousands of tiny jewels. It was so quiet up here that she could hear the soft hiss as the waves crept up the shore. But the beaches were a long way down and it gave her a sudden shiver to be up so high. She clung on to Stardust’s mane and Stardust gently moved back two steps from the edge, sensing Pippa’s nervousness.
‘That’s much better,’ said Pippa. ‘Chevalia’s the most beautiful island ever, but it’s very, very high up in places!’
Pippa looked down the stretch of beach to watch the ponies racing across the sand. Even though they were so tiny from this height, it was still possible to pick them out. White sand sprayed from their hooves as they thundered along. The stocky chestnut in the lead was Blossom. In second place, and a long way behind, was a skewbald pony, his neck stretched and steam rising from his body as he struggled to catch up. Next there was a tight cluster of four ponies who were bumping and jostling each other as they fought to overtake. The rest of the racers were spread out behind, with a group of stragglers bringing up the rear.
‘Look – Blossom’s so far ahead of the pack!’ said Pippa.
‘No one can catch her now,’ Stardust whinnied. ‘I’m sure she’ll win.’
Excitement fizzed in Pippa’s stomach. She couldn’t wait to see Cinders’s face when Blossom won the Equestriathon trophy. And what would Blossom’s parents say? They might be show ponies but Pippa felt sure they’d be thrilled and proud of their daughter.
‘You can do it, Blossom!’ Pippa called.
Stardust joined in, chanting, ‘Blossom, Blossom, Blossom!’
She trotted on the spot, bouncing Pippa up and down. It was so much fun that at first Pippa didn’t notice that something was moving out at sea. Faster and faster, two shapes were swimming towards the shore, where they started dancing in the water. That got Pippa’s attention. She put her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.
‘The seahorses are back,’ she gasped.
But what were they doing? Suddenly, Pippa realised that they must want to speak to her.
‘Who are you waving at?’ Stardust asked, as Pippa threw both arms in the air.
‘Rosella and Triton,’ Pippa answered, sliding from Stardust’s back. ‘They’re calling me.’
‘I’ll take you down to the path to the beach,’ said Stardust.
Pippa hesitated. Riding Stardust would be much quicker than going by foot, but what about Blossom? They had promised to watch her race.
‘Thanks, but you’d better stay here. If Blossom gallops past when we’re on our way down the cliff path, she won’t see you cheering her on and she’ll be so disappointed.’
‘You’re right,’ Stardust said with a big sigh. ‘Why does being a best friend have to be so difficult sometimes?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Pippa. She climbed down from Stardust’s back and, stroking her softly on the nose, added, ‘But it’s worth it.’
‘Definitely,’ Stardust agreed, nudging Pippa’s hand.
‘I won’t be long. With any luck, I’ll be back for the end of the race.’
Pippa set off at a run, haring across the headland as if she were racing in the Equestriathon herself. The ground was bumpy and covered in long, spiky grass that whipped against her legs. She gritted her teeth and ignored it. She ran so fast, and with her head down, that she almost missed the path. Pulling up sharply, Pippa turned left and stumbled down the steep track. Stones rattled under her feet, and once she slipped and nearly fell. Throwing her arms out to save herself, she flushed hot with panic. Luckily, she regained her balance and carried on, more slowly this time.
Far away, the seahorses watched, bobbing up and down in the water so urgently that Pippa thought this must be an emergency. The path turned abruptly, catching Pippa totally unawares and causing her to trip up. One minute she was running, the next she was pitching head first down the path. She was so shocked that her heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, she curled into a ball. She tumbled to the ground, hitting the path with a dull thud and rolling a short distance, until she stopped.
‘Ouch!’
Now her heart was banging like a crazy drum. Everything ached. Gingerly, Pippa sat up and tested her arms and legs. She was amazed and relieved to discover that nothing was broken. Dusting the dirt and grit from her clothes, she took several deep breaths to steady herself then stood up slowly.
Out at sea the seahorses seemed to be still now. Pippa waved to show that she wasn’t hurt. But as she started off again something pinged against her ankle. Stopping, she stared at her foot.
‘No!’ Pippa said in dismay.
The strap of her sandal had snapped, leaving th
e shoe hanging uselessly off her foot. Pippa stared at it for a moment then quickly tied the broken ends together. The strap wasn’t long enough and kept coming undone. In desperation, she pulled a crumpled tissue from her pocket and wound it around the broken strap like a bandage. But as soon as she took a step the tissue fell away. Crossly, Pippa pulled the sandal off. Now what was she going to do?
Chapter 5
There was only one solution. Unbuckling the other sandal, Pippa slid it off then, holding a shoe in each hand, she bravely set off again. Dust oozed between her toes and tiny stones bit into her feet. Pippa ran on, wincing with pain and hobbling each time she stood on a really sharp stone. She was much slower without shoes, but she continued down the winding cliff path as fast as she could. She just hoped the seahorses would wait for her.
At last, the path flattened out and she could see the beach ahead. With an extra spurt of speed, Pippa ran on to the white sand, squealing with delight at its welcome softness. Faster now, she hurtled across the beach and splashed into the sea. The water was deliciously cold and soothing for her aching feet. She waded out until the sea reached her knees.
The seahorses met her, their enormous, curved tails brushing the seabed. Dipping their heads, they each touched their noses against Pippa’s.
‘Well done,’ Rosella said, her eyes sparkling proudly.
‘You were very brave just now,’ added Triton, his voice gentle and deep.
Pippa flushed. She didn’t feel brave – more annoyed that she’d fallen and broken her shoe.
‘Have you found something?’ she asked.
‘I believe we have,’ said Triton.
Pippa’s heart leapt with joy then instantly plummeted as she could tell from the seahorses’ anxious faces that it wasn’t all good news.
‘Is it a horseshoe?’ she asked.
‘We think so,’ said Rosella. ‘Something shiny and glittery is wedged in the rocks at the end of that jut of land. Can you see it?’