Show-Jumping Dreams

by Sue Bentley

  “I know, but I can’t help it. I’m really going to miss her.”

  “’Course you will. That’s normal. So will I.” Her mom gave her a hug. After a while she said, “Are you hanging out with Zoe and Saffron today?”

  Alex shook her head. “They’re going out for the day with Zoe’s aunt and uncle. But we’re meeting up here tomorrow so we can do some more jumping. I thought I might go out for a ride in the fields by myself,” Alex told her.

  “Good idea. That’ll take your mind off things.”

  Mrs. Judd stood by as Alex tacked up Comet and then mounted him. As she rode out into the yard, her mom reached up and patted the palomino pony’s neck.

  “Look after her, won’t you, boy? She’s my special girl.”

  Comet whickered softly and pricked his ears.

  “I could swear he understands everything you say to him,” her mom said, smiling.

  Alex smiled back. “He does!” If only Mom knew.

  “See you later!” called Mrs. Judd over her shoulder as she went toward the farmhouse.

  “Bye!” Alex answered.

  As they trotted out of the yard, she spoke to Comet. “Destiny might be hiding among the rocks and crags. We can search for her.”

  His sandy tail flicked up. “Thank you, Alex.”

  At the end of the winding lane, Alex pointed him toward one of the stony tracks that led up to the high fields. Soon they found themselves in a stark landscape under huge open skies.

  Alex loved it up there. Drystone walls snaked across the hillside, where sheep and their lambs grazed on the scrubby grass. Here and there, enormous jagged gray stones thrust upward from the bare soil like sleeping giants. Some of them were grouped together, forming natural shelters and hiding places.

  “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 ends of her fingertips and his magic swirled around 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.

  “Yea! Go, Comet, go!” she shouted, her voice ringing out across the expanse of the fields.

  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 hill and a farmer on a tractor checking his flock. There was no sign of any ponies.

  The ground sloped gradually upward, 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 hills.

  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.

  “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 pulled 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 toward 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 okay. You’re safe,” Alex soothed gently. “It was only a trick of the light from the shadows moving 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.

  “Anyone would have done the same thing,” she said, cupping his velvety nose.

  “No, they would not. You are a very special friend, Alex.”

  A soft cloud of his warm hay-scented breath enveloped her, and Alex’s heart swelled with love for her magic pony. She reached up and put her arms around Comet’s neck. Closing her eyes, she pressed her cheek to his silky warmth. After a few moments of wonderful closeness that she would never forget, she drew back.

  “Mom will have lunch ready. We’d better go . . . oh!” She winced. Now that the excitement was over, her injured leg began to throb horribly.

  Comet’s eyes widened with concern. “You are hurt! I will help you!”

  Alex felt another tingling sensation flowing down to her fingertips as violet sparks bloomed in Comet’s caramel coat and a glittering mist filled with hundreds of tiny stars rose into the air. It floated down and surrounded her leg, where it swirled briefly before sinking into her torn jeans and disappearing.

  The sharp pain seemed to melt away like the morning mist in the fields. As Alex watched, the edges of her ripped jeans drew together and fixed themselves.

  “Thanks, Comet! I feel much better now.”

  Comet swiveled his ears. “You’re welcome. Climb back on my back, Alex. Let us return.”

  Alex did so. Thorn bushes and stone walls sped past, and soon they were approaching the winding lane that led to Scarp Hill Farm. Comet gave an excited neigh as he slowed to a halt. Stretching out his neck, he looked at the ground.

  Alex peered over his shoulder to see what he was looking at.

  She did a double take.

  Stretching ahead of them and curving away out of sight behind a nearby farmyard was a faint line of softly glowing violet hoofprints.

  “What’s that?” Alex asked in wonder.

  “It’s Destiny’s trail! She has been here!” Comet told her.

  Alex gasped. Did that mean that the magic pony was leaving—right now—to go after his twin? “Is . . . is she somewhere close?” she asked him anxiously.

  “No. This trail is cold. But at least I know that Destiny came this way. When I am closer to her I will sense her presence and hear her hoofbeats.”

  “Will I be able to hear them, too?” she asked, starting to relax a bit.

  “Yes, if you are riding me or we are close together. But other humans will not be able to hear them.” His glowing eyes grew serious. “I may have to leave suddenly, without saying good-bye, to catch up with Destiny.”

  Alex fought against a new feeling of dismay. She didn’t think she would ever be ready to lose her friend. “Once . . . once you find her, you could both stay here with me, couldn’t you?” she asked hopefully in a wobbly voice.

  Comet shook his head. “I am afraid that is not possible. We must return to our family on Rainbow Mist Island. I hope you understand, Alex.”

  Alex nodded sadly. She swallowed hard as she tried not to think about Comet leaving and promised herself that she was going to enjoy every single moment spent with him.

  “Ta-da! How about that for a water jump?” Alex said with a proud flourish.

  She was in the lower field with Zoe and Saffron and their ponies. There was a large muddy puddle at the bottom of a slope. Earlier, her dad had helped her position a row of logs along its shortest side
.

  “Perfect!” Zoe said, smiling.

  Saffron shrugged, unimpressed. “It’s not bad, I suppose.” Her matching helmet, gloves, and designer jacket were the color of limes today, and she held a dainty little riding whip.

  Alex felt conscious of her muddy boots, old jeans, and battered body warmer. She was glad that Zoe was dressed in similar practical clothes.

  They all lined up at the water jump.

  Zoe and Maxi went first. The brown-and-white pony landed well, picking up his feet as he cantered onto dry grass.

  Alex went next: Comet jumped perfectly, leaping over the logs and splashing through the water. He even bucked playfully when he’d finished.

  Alex laughed aloud. To herself she murmured, Find fault with that, if you can, Saffron.

  Princess, on the other hand, obviously didn’t want to get wet. As Saffron rode her toward the logs, the gray pony suddenly stopped. Taken by surprise, Saffron almost lost her balance. She only just managed to stay in her saddle as Princess stuck her nose in the air and pranced cheekily around the puddle.

  Zoe and Alex laughed at the pony’s antics.

  Saffron flushed bright red. “Come on, Princess. Stop misbehaving!” Pressing her lips together, she lined her pony up again.

  Princess champed at the bit, threw up her head, and slowed down, about to refuse again. Saffron gave her a light tap on her back with the whip. The gray pony sprang over the log from a standing position and stopped dead in the middle of the puddle.

  Alex was helpless with laughter. Princess was really putting on a show today.

  Comet whickered, rolling back his lips as if he were laughing, too.

  But Saffron was furious. “What’s wrong with you?” she grumbled to her pony. “You’re making me look really stupid!”

  “Why don’t you just try talking to her gently while you squeeze her on?” Alex suggested reasonably.

  “I know what I’m doing! Dad’s shown me how to deal with a stubborn pony!” Saffron retorted. She hit her pony on the back, but Princess still refused to move.

  “I’d like to see how Saffron would like it if someone hit her!” Alex whispered angrily to Comet. “Maybe someone should grab that whip!”

  The magic pony’s deep-violet eyes glowed with purpose.

  Alex felt a familiar tingling sensation flow down to her fingertips as Comet opened his mouth and huffed out a large breath, which turned into a tiny violet fireball. It shot invisibly toward Saffron and Princess trailing tiny bright stars. The fireball burst above them, showering them with violet glitter before dissolving harmlessly. Saffron gasped with surprise as the dainty riding whip flew out of her hand, whizzed through the air and landed two feet away.

  At the same time, Princess lowered her head and began pawing at the water. Saffron was still looking at where the whip had landed and didn’t seem to have noticed, but Zoe read the telltale signs.

  “Oh no! Princess is going to roll! Watch out, Saffron!” she warned her cousin.

  But it was too late. The gray pony sank to her knees as she lowered herself into the puddle.

  “Ooh! Er!” Saffron lost her balance. She slipped forward, did an impressive somersault, and landed on her butt. As Princess rolled over, a wave of muddy water sloshed all over Saffron, soaking her from head to toe.

  Princess stood up, shook herself, and calmly trotted to dry land.

  Alex clapped her hands over her mouth. “Oh my goodness,” she said in a muffled voice, trying without success to stop the laughter that was bubbling up inside her. “I didn’t expect that to happen.”

  Her magical friend blinked at her with surprised long-lashed eyes. “I thought that was what you wanted.”

  Zoe dismounted and ran to help her cousin. “Are you okay?”

  “Does it look like it?” Saffron burst into tears. “My clothes are ruined! They were a birthday present.” Dripping, she plodded through the mud and stopped in the field.

  Seeing that Saffron was really upset, Alex abruptly stopped laughing. She felt an uncomfortable stirring of guilt.

  Comet had only used his magic because she had grumbled to him about Saffron. Alex chewed at her lip, wondering what she could do to set things right.

  Saffron had caught up with Princess. She grasped her bridle in a muddy hand. “Dad’s going to be really mad if I take her back looking like this. She’s filthy!” she wailed.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll tell Uncle Tim it was an accident,” Zoe said.

  “It won’t make any difference. He’ll still blame me. You know how strict he is. He’s got this saying: ‘It’s always the rider’s fault.’”

  “But that’s not fair!” Alex exclaimed.

  Unexpectedly, she felt herself starting to feel sorry for the older girl. It couldn’t be much fun having a dad who was so strict. She thought hard and a plan began to form in her mind.

  “I have an idea. Let’s go to my house . . .”

  “Oh, dear!” Mrs. Judd exclaimed when she saw Saffron standing miserably in the mud room, dripping mud and water everywhere.

  To Alex’s relief, her mom didn’t waste time asking for explanations.

  Mrs. Judd rolled up her sleeves. “Okay. Let’s get you out of those wet clothes and into the shower. Alex, can you get me—”

  “Sorry, Mom. I’ve got something super important to do,” Alex interrupted swiftly. “Zoe will help. Won’t you, Zoe?”

  “Um . . . sure.” Zoe frowned, puzzled.

  “Towels are in the bathroom. And take any dry clothes from my bedroom,” Alex called over her shoulder, dashing outside before anyone could protest.

  She ran over to the stables where all three ponies were tethered. Comet whinnied a greeting when he saw her.

  Alex looked at Princess in dismay.

  The once elegant gray pony was covered with patches of smelly drying mud and streaked with grass stains. Her tangled mane and tail looked like frayed rope.

  “Wow! She looks terrible, doesn’t she?” Alex found herself wondering whether there would be time to put her plan into action. But she had to try.

  First though, she had a confession to make to her magical friend.

  “I’m . . . I’m sorry that I encouraged you to use your magic when I was upset. It was wrong of me, Comet. I know that now. Can you forgive me?”

  “Of course. Everyone makes mistakes,” the magic pony said. “It is what you do to fix them that is important.”

  Alex felt a bit better. “Thanks, Comet. You’re the best. I’ve got an idea. This is how I can make it up to Saffron . . .”

  The magic pony swiveled his ears and listened carefully as Alex told him what she had in mind. “But we’ll have to hurry before Zoe, Saffron, or my mom come out here.”

  Comet nodded. “I will help you. But are you sure that this is what you want?” he asked, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

  Alex didn’t hesitate. “This time—definitely!”

  She felt a familiar warm tingling sensation flowing down to the tips of her fingers. Large violet sparks ignited in Comet’s caramel-colored coat, and a cloud of tiny bright lights like busy worker bees fluttered into the air. The glittering little helpers spread out, gathering everything they needed before they got to work. Alex watched in astonishment.

  Splash! A hose sprayed warm soapy water over Princess, washing the mud from her coat, mane, and tail. Swish! Towels swept back and forth drying her. Rustle! Brushes buffed her coat, and combs gently untangled her mane and tail.

  Princess sighed with contentment, enjoying being pampered. She even lifted each hoof in turn for it to be picked out, brushed, and oiled. Finally she was finished. Her coat gleamed like silver, and her mane and tail were brushed to a glossy silkiness.

  “She looks wonderful. Thanks, Comet!”

  “I am glad that I could help,” Comet neighed as every last little glowing bee disappeared, and the deep-violet sparks faded from his coat.

  They were only just in time. Zoe and Saffron were leaving the house and cro
ssing the yard.

  Saffron’s eye widened when she saw Princess. “Alex? What . . . wow! I can’t believe it!” she gasped delightedly. She was dressed in a pair of Alex’s overalls and a spare pair of jodhpurs, which were tucked into a pair of her mom’s old riding boots.

  “How did you manage to get Princess looking like that?” Zoe asked.

  You wouldn’t believe me, even if I could tell you! she thought. “I love a challenge! Anyway, I didn’t want to hang around and get bored, while everyone fussed over Saffron,” she lied happily.

  While Saffron was admiring her perfectly groomed pony, Zoe leaned close to whisper to Alex. “You can’t fool me. You did it to stop Saffron from getting into trouble, didn’t you?”

  Alex shrugged. “Well, I did feel a bit sorry for her. I didn’t want her to get in trouble with her dad.” She would have loved to tell Zoe the truth, but she couldn’t do that without giving away Comet’s secret. She knew that she would never tell anyone about her magical friend.

  Comet seemed to know what she was thinking. He tossed his head and gave a soft whicker of approval.

  Saffron turned to Alex. “Thanks, Alex. I won’t forget this,” she said warmly. “I . . . I know I can be a pain. It’s the way I am, but I don’t mean anything by it. Friends, okay?”

  Alex flushed. “I guess I haven’t been that easy to get along with, either,” she admitted honestly. “It’ll be different from now on.”

  “Yeah!” Zoe did a little dance of triumph. “Does this mean we can all concentrate on having fun and getting ready for the Pony Club fund-raising event?”

  “You bet!” Alex and Saffron exclaimed happily.

  Comet’s warm magic swirled around Alex as they paused on the heathery hillside a week later. His sides were heaving after a thrilling gallop, and as he looked out across the wide expanse of the land, he caught his breath.

  Alex relaxed in the saddle, full of the afterglow of another exciting ride on the magic pony. If she lived to be a hundred, she would never forget the joy of riding him.