by Lily Small
Coco was being so bouncy it made Poppy feel shy again, so she didn’t say anything else. She wrapped her tail around the kitten and lifted her onto her back.
“Ooh, this is so much fun!” Coco meowed, holding on to Poppy’s coat with her paws. “I’ve always wondered what it must be like to be a Petal Pony—to gallop so fast and fly so high. Now I’m going to find out!”
Poppy tossed her head. She couldn’t help feeling a little bit proud that Coco might want to be like her. “Let’s go!” she neighed.
Coco told Poppy that the picnic was happening near Dewdrop Spring. Poppy set off through the trees at a smooth trot. Soon they came out into Honeydew Meadow.
“Could we go a bit faster?” asked Coco.
“Are you sure?” Poppy said. “I don’t want you to fall off.”
“I’ll hold on tight, I promise,” Coco said.
Poppy stretched out her neck and began to race across the golden flowers.
“Wheeee!” Coco squealed as Poppy leaped over a fallen log. “Woo-hooo!” she whooped as Poppy kicked up her heels and jumped over a hedge.
Poppy’s hooves thundered across the golden meadow. When she couldn’t gallop any faster, she unfurled her wings and soared into the air.
“Oooooh!” Coco meowed.
Poppy felt the little kitten clinging to her mane as they floated high over a hill where lots of green bushes grew.
“Those are the Mulberry Bushes,” Poppy said. “That’s where the Misty Wood Rabbit Warren is.”
“We’re nearly there, then!” squeaked Coco. “Dewdrop Spring runs right by the rabbit warren. Look, there are my friends!”
Poppy glanced down. She could see the silvery thread of Dewdrop Spring winding its way past the warren. Then she saw three fairy animals spreading out a picnic blanket made of moss on the banks of the spring. There was a Bud Bunny, a Moss Mouse, and a Holly Hamster.
Poppy’s wings began to tremble. It was okay being with Coco. It was easy talking to just one little kitten. But what would happen if she had to meet three new fairy animals all at once?
CHAPTER FOUR
Picnic Time!
Poppy’s heart pounded as she glided toward Dewdrop Spring.
“Hey—look at meeee!” Coco called to her friends down below.
The three fairy animals were very surprised indeed when they looked up and saw Coco on Poppy’s back.
“How did you get to ride on a Petal Pony?” squeaked the Moss Mouse.
“That looks like fun!” chuckled the Bud Bunny.
“Come down and start the picnic! I’m starving!” shouted the Holly Hamster, rubbing his furry tummy.
Poppy’s blue wings glimmered as she circled in the air, looking for somewhere to land. She felt very shy with all of Coco’s friends watching her.
Next to the picnic spot there was a grassy bank covered with bright yellow buttercups. Poppy fluttered down toward it.
“I’ll drop you here, Coco,” she whinnied. As soon as her hooves touched the ground, she carefully lifted Coco down with her tail. “I’ve got to go now,” she explained hurriedly. “I’ve got loads of work to do and—”
But it was too late.
The Bud Bunny came hopping toward them through the buttercups. “Coco—who’s your friend?” she asked.
Poppy hid her face in her mane. If only she’d flown away more quickly!
Then the Moss Mouse scampered up, his long whiskers twitching. “Are you all right, Coco?”
“I got stuck in a tree!” Coco explained. “I was trying to pick some pears for our picnic, but my wing got caught. It was horrible.” Coco’s tail fluffed up like a feather duster at the thought.
“That sounds awful. Oh, look, here comes hungry Harry!” said the bunny as the Holly Hamster trotted up on his chubby little legs.
“Who said pears? Did you say pears?” he said to Coco, puffing out his cheeks. “I love pears. Did you bring some?”
Coco shook her head. “No, I was too scared to pick any. I thought I’d be stuck up there forever.”
“How did you escape?” asked the mouse.
“Poppy rescued me,” Coco purred. “She’s amazing!” The kitten twined herself around Poppy’s legs, rubbing them with her soft fur as she told her friends how the pony had freed her from the tree.
Coco’s friends all looked at Poppy in admiration.
“I’m Max,” squeaked the Moss Mouse, standing as tall as he could on his back legs and twirling his whiskers at Poppy.
“I’m Bobbi,” said the Bud Bunny, twitching her velvety pink nose.
“And I’m hungry—starving hungry!” said Harry.
Poppy looked down at the buttercups and tried to pretend that she wasn’t really there. Her heart was beating so fast, and she felt too hot. If only they would all stop staring at her!
Harry looked longingly over at the picnic blanket. “Let’s eat before my tummy gets so empty it starts to cry!” he groaned.
They all turned to the picnic. Poppy was relieved. Finally, she had a chance to escape. She spread her wings, ready to take off. But just then, Max looked back.
“Don’t go!” he cried when he saw her.
Poppy opened her mouth and tried to speak, but all that came out was, “Hm-hm-hm!”
Coco padded over and rubbed against Poppy’s legs again. “You must come to our picnic,” she purred.
“Please stay, Poppy!” Bobbi said.
“If you don’t all hurry up, I am going to faint from starvation!” Harry called, sucking his cheeks in as thin as they would go—which wasn’t very thin at all.
It was no good. Poppy’s voice had disappeared again, and she didn’t want to seem rude. All she could do was fold her wings back down and trot after the others to the picnic spot.
The mossy blanket was covered with conker-shell bowls full of nuts and seeds, bunches of tasty carrots with leafy green tops, and a basket of beautiful rosy apples.
Coco, Bobbi, Max, and Harry settled down and started eating. But Poppy felt much too shy to sit down with them. So she stood behind, shifting nervously from hoof to hoof. She was very glad that they were all too busy enjoying the food to notice her.
If I went back to the buttercup patch, she thought, I could wave my tail over the flowers to spread the perfume. Everyone would be happy, and they’d forget all about me.
She was just about to slip away when Coco looked around. “Would you like an apple?” she asked.
Before Poppy could even try to answer, the little kitten came padding over with a shiny red apple in her mouth. She put it down in front of Poppy.
Poppy licked the apple, but she didn’t bite into it. If she made a loud crunching noise, everyone would look at her again.
“Oooh!” squealed Coco suddenly. “What was that?” She wiped at her head with her paw.
Poppy felt a fat drop of water plop onto her mane.
Everyone looked up. The sun had disappeared, and a big black cloud was filling up the sky. It was starting to rain!
“Oh no!” squeaked Max, holding a carrot over his head as the drops began falling thick and fast. “Our picnic will be ruined!”
CHAPTER FIVE
Under the Oak Tree
“I’m getting wet,” meowed Coco, shaking raindrops out of her fur.
“Me too,” squeaked Max. “We’d better get out of here.”
“Never mind about getting wet—what about the food?” Harry cried. He started scampering about, gathering all the food in the middle of the mossy blanket. Then he folded the corners together and tied them tightly in a knot.
“Where can we go?” asked Bobbi, flicking the rain from her floppy ears. “There’s no shelter here.”
The rain was coming down really hard now. At least it will make the flowers grow, Poppy thought. But she felt very sorry for the four friends. Their picnic was spoiled and they were going to get soaked. If she was brave enough, maybe she could help …
She took a deep breath. “Jump on my back!” she whinnied. As s
oon as the words burst from her mouth, she felt so shy she had to look down at her hooves.
“Really, Poppy?” said Bobbi, her eyes shining.
“Come on, quick!” said Coco, scampering up Poppy’s tail and onto her back.
Bobbi did a giant hop and landed just behind Coco.
Harry and Max fluttered their little wings and floated up to join the others. “Don’t forget the food!” Harry shrieked.
“I won’t,” Poppy said. “Hold on tight!” She picked up the blanket bundle with her mouth and started cantering away from Dewdrop Spring.
“Wheeee!” squealed Coco. “Isn’t this fun?”
“Bouncing bunnies!” cried Bobbi. “It’s brilliant!”
Poppy’s tail streamed behind her as she galloped toward the trees. She knew just where to go. Right in the heart of the wood grew a tall oak tree with wide, leafy branches big enough to cover them all.
As soon as she spotted the tree, she slowed down to a gentle trot.
“This is perfect! We’ll be dry here,” squeaked Max as Poppy came to a halt.
Poppy carefully placed the blanket of food on the ground under the tree. Max and Harry fluttered down, and Bobbi and Coco both reached the ground in one big leap.
“Thank you, Poppy,” said Harry as he untied the blanket with his front teeth. “I was saving the biggest apple for me, but you can have it. You deserve it!”
This time, Poppy was so glad Coco’s friends were happy that she didn’t feel shy or embarrassed. She just took a bite out of the juicy apple and kept on crunching until it was all gone. When she’d finished, she noticed that Coco had disappeared.
“Where’s Coco?” she asked.
“I’m here!” purred Coco, scampering up to Poppy with a bunch of daisies. “Lie down, Poppy, and shut your eyes—I’m going to give you a wonderful surprise.”
Poppy lay down with her legs folded underneath her. She closed her eyes. She could feel Coco playing with her mane—it was lovely. Her whole body relaxed.
Finally, Coco tapped Poppy on the nose. “Okay—ready!”
When Poppy opened her eyes, she saw that Coco had woven a daisy chain into her mane. The little flowers looked like yellow and white jewels.
“Thank you!” she whinnied. “It’s so pretty!”
“Thank you,” replied Coco. “You saved us from getting soaking wet. That rain is heavy—listen.”
Poppy pricked her ears. Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat went the raindrops as they sploshed on the leaves of the oak tree.
Suddenly, there was a loud CRACK! from high up in the sky.
“Uh-oh!” Bobbi cried. “A thunderstorm!”
“Help!” squealed Harry. He covered his ears with his paws.
“I’m scared,” whispered Max as another CRACK! echoed through the sky.
“It’s all right,” said Poppy. “Hide under my mane, you two little ones. You’ll be safe there.”
“Wh-wh-what about all the f-f-f-food?” Harry stammered as he and Max snuggled under Poppy’s mane. “What if it gets struck by lightning?”
“It won’t,” Poppy said calmly as she gathered the remains of the picnic toward her with her tail. Coco and Bobbi cuddled up next to her tummy. Poppy felt very brave and strong as she swooshed her tail around to hug them close.
BOOM! went the thunder. Poppy could feel Max and Harry trembling. Coco and Bobbi were shivering, too. What could she do to make them forget about the thunder? Then she had an idea. She’d have to be very brave indeed, but maybe it would work.…
Poppy took a deep breath.
“Shall I tell you a story?” she asked. She gave a small sigh of relief. Her voice was still working!
“Yes, please!” said Bobbi.
Poppy cleared her throat. “Once upon a time,” she began in a strong, clear voice, “there was a baby Petal Pony called Pearl. Her legs were so wobbly she couldn’t stand up.”
“Why were they wobbly?” asked Max.
“Because she was only one hour old, and she hadn’t learned how to walk yet,” said Poppy. “It’s quite hard to get the hang of walking when your legs are as long as a Petal Pony’s.”
“I’d be very scared if that was me,” Harry said.
“Pearl wasn’t too scared, because her mom was with her,” Poppy said, “and her mom was very nice and kind. ‘Come on, Pearl—you can do it,’ her mom said. So Pearl put her front hooves on the ground and pushed until she was halfway up, and…”
BOOM! went the thunder. All the animals cowered back against Poppy.
“What happened next?” Coco asked in a shaky voice.
“Pearl pushed and pushed with her hooves, but her legs were still too wobbly. Bump—down she fell again,” said Poppy.
“Poor little Pearl,” said Bobbi. “I hope there’s a happy ending for her.”
“So do I!” said a gruff voice, and a Bark Badger pushed his stripy face through the bushes.
Then a graceful Dream Deer stepped out from behind the tree. “I’m sure there is,” she said in a soft, soothing voice. “But we’ll have to hear the rest of the story to find out.…”
Now there were rustling noises from all around. Lots of fairy animals were coming under the oak tree to take shelter from the rain. There were Stardust Squirrels and Hedgerow Hedgehogs, Bud Bunnies and Pollen Puppies—and they were all looking at Poppy and waiting for her to continue her story.
There were so many of them that Poppy began to feel a little shy again. What would she do if her voice stopped working and she couldn’t tell the rest of the story?
She spotted a patch of pansies growing from the roots of the oak tree. She swished her tail softly over the purple flowers, and a soothing perfume drifted out.
“Mmm!” sighed Max as he climbed out from under Poppy’s mane. “That smells nice. I’m not a bit frightened of the thunder now.” All the fairy animals who had gathered around were looking calm and happy, too.
Poppy went on. “Pearl’s mom said: ‘Come on, Pearl, you can do it,’ and she nudged Pearl with her nose. ‘I can’t!’ said Pearl. ‘My legs won’t work!’ ‘They will,’ said Pearl’s mom. ‘You’ve just got to believe.’”
Poppy paused for a moment. She looked around at all the animals. Their eyes shone as they waited to hear what happened next to baby Pearl. They’d forgotten all about the thunderstorm.
“Pearl stretched out her front legs,” Poppy continued. “‘I can stand up!’ she said, and she pushed and she pushed until she was almost up, but then her legs started wobbling again.…”
A whisper went up from the animals: “Come on, baby Pearl! You can do it!”
“Pearl’s mom reached out with her nose and she pushed against Pearl’s tail so she didn’t fall over again—and suddenly, Pearl was standing up!”
“Hooray!” cried the animals.
“Baby Pearl took one wobbly step, and then she took another. Then Pearl’s mom trotted away!”
“No!” squeaked Max. “What did Pearl do?”
Poppy smiled at him and carried on with the story. “‘Don’t go without me!’ Pearl whinnied. And suddenly she found that her legs were working! Faster and faster they went—until she was galloping after her mom! ‘I can do it!’ Pearl neighed as she cantered along at her mom’s side. ‘Yes, you can,’ her mom said. ‘And one day, you’ll be the fastest Petal Pony in Misty Wood.’ The end!” said Poppy.
“Yay!” A big cheer went up from all the animals.
They liked her story! Poppy tossed her head and flicked her long mane with its pretty daisy chain.
And the strangest thing was that although everyone was looking at her, Poppy didn’t feel the slightest bit shy.
CHAPTER SIX
Surprise!
Max fluttered his wings and flew beside Poppy’s head. “Was that story really about you?” he whispered.
“Yes,” Poppy whispered back. “My mom helped me to stand up when I was a baby. And one day, maybe I’ll be the fastest pony in Misty Wood!”
“I bet you will,” sai
d Max.
“The rain’s stopped,” said Coco, looking up at the top of the oak tree. “The storm’s over!” The little Cobweb Kitten fluttered her wings and flew back and forth over the ferns. “My wing’s healed!” she called. “Your story made me feel better, Poppy!”
Poppy swished her tail and neighed happily. Lots of other animals started coming over to talk to her. Poppy jumped to her feet, but there was nothing to be shy about. Everyone just wanted to be friendly.
“Your mane would make a great bark pattern,” said one of the Bark Badgers. “Come and pose for us sometime. Maybe you could tell us another story—and make everything smell lovely and sweet again?”
“Come around and visit us for snacks!” said a Stardust Squirrel. “We’ve got some tasty hazelnuts!”
“Hazelnuts? Who said hazelnuts?” Harry cried.
“Woof! Woof!” barked a Pollen Puppy. “How about a game of chase? Whenever you like, we’ll be ready! Woof!”
A Dream Deer blinked shyly at Poppy. “Would you like to come running through the woods with us?” she murmured. “You could spread the flower smells and tell us a story while we go!”
Max’s whiskers were twitching again. “I was just thinking,” he squeaked. “You might be tired after all that running around and storytelling. Drop by my burrow and we’ll make you a big comfy moss cushion to lie on.”
“I would love that! Thank you,” said Poppy.
Golden shafts of sunlight were shimmering through the branches now. The leaves and ferns of Misty Wood looked so fresh and green. All that was missing was the sweet smell of flowers. The rain had washed it away! It was time for Poppy to get going.
“I’ll come and visit you all,” Poppy said to her new friends. “And we’ll have loads of fun. But first I’ve got my special job to do. Good-bye for now—and I’ll see all of you very soon!”
As the fairy animals called their good-byes, Poppy twirled her blue wings and floated away through the trees. The leafy branches were covered in dazzling raindrops that glinted in the sunlight, and a rainbow twinkled softly in the sky.
Poppy glided down and swished her tail over the bluebells and buttercups, roses and lilies, until Misty Wood was filled with the sweetest smells once again. Finally, as the sky was turning pink and the sun began to fade, she galloped back to Sundown Hill.
