by Chloe Ryder
‘Talking, when something upsets you, is always a good idea,’ said Pippa. ‘Goodbye, Stardust,’ she said and threw her arms round Stardust’s neck and buried her face in her mane. It was soft and silky and Pippa never wanted to let go. Swallowing back her tears she said bravely, ‘See you soon, Stardust.’
‘It’s a promise,’ Stardust replied.
Pippa slid to the ground. The riding school ponies joined her, their wings disappearing as they landed. When the last pony touched down Stardust and Cloud flew away. Pippa waved until the sky was empty. She turned to Snowdrop.
‘Shall I ride you back to the stables?’
Snowdrop stared silently back. Pippa touched her tiara. It was cold. Now she was safe and didn’t need to get to Chevalia, the magic was sleeping. She looked into Snowdrop’s eyes. They seemed to be saying, yes please.
Pippa placed her hands on Snowdrop’s neck and vaulted on to her back. ‘Come on, ponies. It’s time to go home.’
As Pippa rode into Barley Field Stables Mrs Woods ran out of her office.
‘Pippa? Oh my goodness, look at you.’ Her mouth opened in surprise as she helped Pippa dismount. ‘What . . . where . . . I don’t understand . . .’ Mrs Woods moved along the line of horses, touching each one on the neck as if to check it was real. ‘Brave Snowdrop, prickly Rose, princess Petunia, sunny Sunflower, bumbling Bramble and Hawthorn – you’ve got seaweed in your tail. Where have you all been?’
Pippa took a big breath. She knew she should never fib to adults. ‘They were magically shrunken by a mean pony and taken to a special island called Chevalia.’
But of course Mrs Woods didn’t believe her. ‘Oh, Pippa, you have such an active imagination! The important thing is that they’re back!’
Mrs Woods pulled her mobile out of her pocket. ‘I’ll have to phone the parents and tell them the gymkhana is on again. I’d better phone the police and let them know the ponies are safe too. This is marvellous news. Thank you, Pippa.’
‘It was nothing.’ Pippa smiled as she went to the tack room to get Snowdrop’s grooming kit.
Pippa brushed Snowdrop until her arms ached. She plaited her mane and tail and then she oiled her hooves. ‘You look perfect,’ she said, standing back to admire her handiwork. Snowdrop stared back and Pippa knew from the jaunty way that she held her head that the pony thought so too!
The gymkhana was a huge success. Bramble and his boy, Harry, won the sack race and Sunflower and Billy won the egg and spoon. Rose and her rider, Jess, won the ‘Chase Me Charlie’, a jumping competition where the jump keeps getting higher. Petunia and a little girl called Florence won ‘Best Turned Out’. Pippa had to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling as Petunia trotted past, carrying herself like a proper Princess Pony.
To Pippa’s delight she and Snowdrop won the jumping competition. The watching parents gasped then clapped loudly as the pair sailed over the wall together. Afterwards, Pippa and Snowdrop cantered around the ring in a lap of honour, showing off their big red rosette. When they’d finished Mum, Miranda and Jack came over.
‘You were marvellous,’ said Mum. ‘What a lovely end to the holiday. You can pin the rosette on your bedroom wall when we’re back in Burlington Terrace.’
Pippa dismounted and gave Snowdrop a big hug.
‘Thank you for being brilliant and brave,’ she whispered.
‘Isn’t Snowdrop adorable?’ said Mum. ‘Wouldn’t it be brilliant if we could just shrink her, so you could pop her in your pocket and take her home?’
Pippa smiled at Snowdrop. ‘I think Snowdrop’s very happy, right here.’
I caught up with Princess Stardust at her dazzling birthday ball, following her amazing adventure to the human world.
TI (Tulip Inkhoof): I’ve always dreamed of going to the human world. Is it true that all of the humans can talk there?
PS (Princess Stardust): Oh yes, Tulip! Their world is very funny because the humans talk but the ponies don’t. Well, not unless someone from Chevalia is around. Our magic lets the ponies talk. It’s amazing!
TI: I’m sure it is! Ponies that don’t talk – it just seems so unnatural. Did you go there for a special reason?
PS: I was upset when I thought my family had forgotten my birthday. I missed my best girl friend, Pippa, and thought visiting her would cheer me up. So I rubbed noses with Cloud and flew there!
TI: Oh yes! Your sister is the famous flying pony. So what’s it like to fly?
PS: At first, it was very scary, but then I got used to it and it was wonderful. I soared through the clouds and then above them! I flew over the sparkling sea below and followed the magic of Pippa’s tiara all the way to the coast of the human world.
TI: What kind of adventures did you have when you got there?
PS: Pippa’s bedroom wasn’t big enough for me, so she took me to a riding stables! Although they were fllthy and unsuitable for a Princess Pony, the ponies boarding there were very nice, just not accustomed to royalty. So I trotted out into the fields to sleep under the stars, and that's when something terrible happened.
TI: Oh no! Tell us more.
PS: Divine followed me to the human world, then she magically shrunk the stable ponies and took them back to Chevalia.
TI: How frightening!
PS: Yes, but Pippa and I returned to Chevalia to find the missing ponies!
TI: Stardust, you’ve truly become one of the bravest ponies on Chevalia.
PS: Not the bravest?
TI: Alright, the bravest. Happy Birthday Stardust!
is delighted to reproduce this special letter from Pippa, received via Princess Stardust.
Dear Stardust
I’m writing to you from the backseat of my mum’s car. We’re driving home to Burlington Terrace and I can’t believe our time at the seaside is over. Snowdrop and I did really well in the gymkhana. Mum was so proud of me and Miranda even gave me a high five, which is just like a medal
coming from her. Even my little brother, Jack, said he wants to ride ponies now. I am really looking forward to coming back next year! Mum says we can. I can’t wait to spend time at Barley Field Stables and ride Snowdrop, but what I want more than anything is to see you again.
Will I ever return to Chevalia? It’s such a magical place, and I’m going to miss it so much. Sometimes at night I dream of galloping over the plateau, or jumping over fallen branches in the Wild Forest. School starts very soon and I don’t know if anyone will believe the adventures we’ve had. I hope you know that you can always come to me if you ever need help again. I’ll keep my tiara close, just in case.
Your best friend
Pippa MacDonald
PS I’m going to put this letter in a bottle and throw it into the river. I just know it will float out to the sea and find its way to Chevalia.
Bloomsbury Publishing, London, New Delhi, New York and Sydney
First published in Great Britain in March 2014 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
This electronic edition published in March 2014 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Text copyright © Awesome Media and Entertainment Ltd 2014
Illustrations copyright © Jennifer Miles 2014
The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted
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eISBN 978 1 4088 5420 4
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