by Chloe Ryder
Pippa leaned in. “I’ll never stop loving you, Stardust, even if you can’t love me back. Just remember that. We’re the best of friends.”
“Thank you.” Stardust sounded happier. “I promise to remind myself how much I love you, too, even when I’m feeling mean.”
“That’s the spirit,” said Pippa, hiding her concern. They had to find Divine’s spell book quickly, before anyone’s feelings got hurt, including her own.
As Stardust picked her way through the forest, Pippa caught glimpses of the wild ponies. Instead of playing and having fun, as usual, they were stomping their hooves and arguing.
“Whatever is that noise?” Stardust slowed to listen.
“Someone doesn’t sound happy,” Pippa agreed.
Moments later, the steep hillside leveled out into a clearing. A wild pony with a mud-splattered coat and matted tail and mane was engaged in a strange pony tug-of-war with himself.
“Stop your staring!” he shouted. Catching sight of Pippa and Stardust, the pony’s nostrils flared with annoyance. “Go on. Find your own place to play.”
Pippa gasped. The pony was standing in quick-stick mud, and it was already up to his knees. “You’re stuck in the mud,” she said.
“Don’t call me a stick-in-the-mud!” shouted the pony.
Pippa rolled her eyes, but wasn’t going to let the pony’s bad manners get in the way of her saving him.
“Just don’t move anymore. The quick-stick mud has got hold of you, but Stardust and I will pull you out.”
“Huh! I’d like to see that!” he replied.
Pippa ignored the snarky comment. “What’s your name?”
“Cupid.”
“I’m Pippa and this is my friend Princess Stardust. Stand still and stay calm while we look for a branch or something.”
“There’s no time,” said Stardust. “Look how fast he’s sinking.”
The mud was already touching Cupid’s belly.
“I’d like to see you stay calm,” Cupid bellowed.
Pippa’s mind whirred, and suddenly she had an idea. She unclasped Stardust’s ruby heart necklace.
“Hey, that’s mine!” she whinnied in protest. But Pippa was not going to be deterred. Keeping hold of one end of the chain, she threw the heart to Cupid.
“Catch!”
Cupid missed as the necklace landed at the edge of the mud. “You didn’t throw it hard enough,” he grumbled.
Snatching the necklace up, Pippa tried again, gently tossing the heart at Cupid. This time the pony caught it with his mouth, but he sank farther into the mud. Now only his neck and head were above the dangerous quick-stick mud.
“Hold tight,” called Pippa, wrapping the chain around her hand while clutching Stardust’s mane with the other hand. “Now, Stardust.”
Stardust took a step backward and Pippa pulled on the chain. It bit into her hand, but she gritted her teeth and held on tightly as Stardust continued to walk backward. Cupid clamped his jaws together. A vein bulged in his neck as he gripped the ruby heart. Pippa pulled with all her might and hoped the chain wouldn’t snap.
“Pull,” shouted Stardust.
“I AM!” bellowed Pippa. “I am pulling,” she added in a more friendly tone, determined not to let Divine’s spell get to her too. “We can do this . . . together.”
Suddenly there was a sucking noise like yogurt being sipped through a straw. Hoof first, Cupid catapulted from the quick-stick mud. He tottered across the clearing and collapsed against a tree.
“Thank you,” he muttered breathlessly. “You are too kind.”
“You’re welcome,” panted Stardust.
“Would you like to stay and play?” asked Cupid.
“We can’t,” explained Stardust. “We’re on an adventure, a treasure hunt to find a spell book to bring back love.”
Stardust turned to set off into the woods.
“Princess,” called Cupid. “You forgot your necklace.”
Stardust stopped, then turned her head. “You keep it,” she said.
“Really?” Cupid was surprised. “That’s two nice things you’ve done for me. Thank you, my new friends! You’ve made me feel happy again. From now on, I’m going to be kind and helpful to every pony I meet and hope it makes them as happy as you’ve made me.”
“Did you hear that?” asked Pippa. Hope sparked in her heart. “We’ve reminded Cupid what love is.”
“I know. We can do this, Pippa. We just need to find that spell book and reverse Divine’s spell; then Chevalia will be full of love, just like it was before.”
It took ages for Pippa and Stardust to search the Wild Forest. They saw plenty more wild ponies, mostly arguing and bickering, but they didn’t find the spell book.
“Now what?” asked Stardust as she stopped at the river to drink.
Pippa slid from her back, and kneeling down, she drank beside Stardust, cupping her hands to catch the water. When she’d had enough, she put her arm around Stardust’s neck.
“Stardust, I know how much the spooky old castle frightens you, but it’s the most likely place for Divine to keep her spell book. Please can we look there next?”
Stardust stayed silent for ages. When she finally spoke it sounded as if she was arguing with herself. “You’re right, of course. I don’t want to go there. We have to search it. But it’s so scary.” Finally, she took a deep breath. “We have to go there, don’t we?”
“Yes.” Pippa nodded. “But we can face it together.”
Stardust let out her breath in a determined whinny. “Let’s get started.”
Chapter 4
As Stardust and Pippa neared the edge of the Wild Forest, Pippa caught glimpses of the eight tall towers of Stableside Castle rising out of the tree canopy. From each tower a flag rippled in the breeze, the different colors making a rainbow. Pippa wished they were headed there, to Stardust’s bedroom at the top of the smallest tower, flying the pink flag, instead of Divine’s crumbling castle.
“I wish we could go home,” said Stardust, echoing Pippa’s thoughts. “I’ve got a new mane-braiding set. We could be braiding each other’s hair with miniature horseshoes and stars instead of chasing after Divine!”
They crossed the field and entered the Grasslands. In the distance a stocky, dark-brown pony with four white stockings was pulling a seed drill across a field.
“Mucker!” Stardust was pleased to see her farmer friend and broke into a trot. “Hello, Mucker. You look busy.”
Mucker glared at Stardust and Pippa. “Out of my way,” he ordered. “There’s no time for idle chatter. I’ve got lots of fields to seed or there won’t be any wheat to harvest.”
Mucker usually had lots of horses to help him on the farm. “Where are all your farm ponies?” asked Pippa.
“They wouldn’t stop arguing with me, so I sent them home,” said Mucker. “Get out of my way, will you! There’s work to be done.”
“We’ll help seed your fields, won’t we, Stardust?”
Stardust hesitated so Pippa slid from her back. “It won’t take long. Remember how much fun we had helping out at harvest time?”
Stardust tilted her head as she tried to remember. “Yes!” she agreed at last. She smiled at Mucker. “Please let us help you, Mucker.”
“Really? You’d do that for me?” Mucker’s lips twitched and then he smiled back. “Stardust, you take this seed drill. Pippa, come with me and we’ll get a couple more from the barn.”
Drilling the fields was hard work and it made Pippa’s legs ache. But then she’d look back at the newly drilled soil behind her and imagine the seeds snuggling down in their cozy earth beds as they prepared to grow. The happy feeling it gave her was enough to spur her on until the job was done.
Mucker was delighted and invited them back to the farmhouse to share a tasty trough of warm carrot juice with oat croutons.
“This is delicious,” said Pippa, sipping from the special mug that Mucker kept for her.
“You’re welcome,” s
aid Mucker, wiping his mouth. “Your kindness means a lot to me. It’s made me realize how unfriendly I was. I’m going to invite my farm ponies to lunch to say sorry for arguing with them. Would you like to stay? There’ll be honey-dipped oatcakes.”
Stardust sighed. “That sounds yummy. I wish we could, but it’s Divine’s fault that everyone is being unkind and grumpy. Everyone has forgotten how to love each other. Pippa and I are trying to find her spell book and put things right before she ruins Chevalia.”
Mucker walked Pippa and Stardust to the edge of the Grasslands. “Good luck,” he called. “If anyone can beat Divine, it’s you two.”
Pippa jumped onto Stardust’s back, holding tightly to her mane as they made their way along the rugged paths through the Horseshoe Hills. The hills were steep and the pathway windy. The higher they climbed, the colder it got. Snowflakes whirled in the air and landed on Pippa until she was as white as Stardust. Her hands were turning blue and her teeth chattered loudly.
“It’s not far now,” called Stardust. “Your hands feel icy. Put them under my mane.”
Stardust’s silky mane was just the thing to warm up Pippa’s hands, and she sat back and enjoyed the ride as the path widened and climbed a hill. At the top, Stardust stopped. “Divine’s place doesn’t look as bad in the snow,” she whinnied.
The snow softened the castle’s jagged walls and made the massive front door seem smaller. Pippa stared at the chimney, shielding her eyes from a bright ray of winter sunlight with one hand. “There’s no smoke,” she said, her heart lifting with relief. “Divine’s not here.”
Carefully, Stardust made her way around the side of the building, picking up her hooves to avoid tripping over the trails of ivy half buried in snow. Pippa stared through the dirty window slits, but all the rooms were empty. There was nowhere to hide a spell book.
As they passed the kitchen, Pippa’s heart thumped against her chest. What would they find in Divine’s laboratory? Might Divine be working on another evil spell?
Stardust stopped at the largest window. “Can you see anything?” she asked.
Pippa wiped the glass clean with her sleeve and peered into the room. On a large oak table, a set of round-bottomed glass flasks were connected together with rubber tubes, metal stands, and clamps. The flasks were stained gray and there was a trail of gray liquid that ended in a puddle in front of a tall fridge. Pippa shivered. Was that the potion that had caused the love to leave Chevalia? Her eyes fell on a bookshelf mounted on the wall and she read the titles aloud: “Reign or Be Reined. Tails of Magic. Frogs, Snails, and Foal’s Tails.” Pippa spotted a gap between Reign or Be Reined and Tails of Magic. “Look at that big space.”
“I bet that’s where Divine keeps her spell book!” Stardust exclaimed. “She must have taken it with her. So where has she gone?”
Pippa racked her brains until her head ached. Where else on the island was Divine likely to go? “I know!” she yelled. “She might have gone to her old laboratory in the Volcano.”
Stardust was doubtful. “The Volcano ponies would never allow her back. Not after she tricked them into thinking that she was trying to save Chevalia.”
“But if Divine has cast her spell over the whole island, then the Volcano ponies will be as grumpy and miserable as everyone else. They might be too busy arguing with each other to notice if Divine sneaked back in.”
“You’re so clever, Pippa!” said Stardust. “Let’s try the Volcano next.”
Spinning on a hoof, Stardust set off for the Volcano. Pippa leaned forward, loving the feel of the wind in her wavy hair as Stardust galloped faster. If the situation weren’t so serious, then the hunt for the spell book would have been great fun.
Chapter 5
The Volcano was at the far end of the island. To reach it, Pippa and Stardust had to pass through the Cloud Forest, home to the unicorns. Pippa hoped they’d see some of their unicorn friends there, as Stardust picked her way through the ancient trees and thick vines.
“What’s that?” Stardust stopped suddenly, with a vine draped over her mane. Her ears swivelled to the side. “Can you hear voices?”
Pippa let out a sigh. “Oh no!” she said, hearing hard, angry voices instead of the unicorns’ usual soft, musical tones. “Even the unicorns are arguing.”
“That’s bad!”
“Should we try and stop them?”
“No time. Better to find the spell book and reverse Divine’s magic.” Stardust picked up her pace, eager to reach the Volcano.
They left the Cloud Forest and wound their way up the treacherous mountain path. The falling snow sizzled as it fell on the hot path and turned into a slippery black sludge. Stardust delicately picked her way uphill until the path turned sharply. Ahead lay a giant river of molten lava.
Stardust called to Pippa as she slowly approached it. “Ready?”
“Ready,” said Pippa, warming her face in the heat of the fiery red river.
For a second Stardust faltered. “I’m scared.”
“I know,” Pippa said as she ran her hand down the pony’s neck. “But you’ve cleared it before so this time it’ll be easier.”
“Yes,” said Stardust. “Yes,” she repeated, with more conviction. “Hold on tight, Pippa.”
Pippa gripped Stardust’s sides with her knees as she took off, hurtling toward the lava. “For Chevalia!” Pippa yelled, her nose wrinkling at the volcanic stench of rotten eggs.
“For Chevalia!” Stardust echoed, and arching her neck, she sprang at the lava.
It was like flying, thought Pippa as they soared over the bubbling red river to land safely on the other side.
“Well done.” She patted Stardust. “I knew you’d make it.”
Stardust increased her pace as she continued up the Volcano. Her warm breath came out in snorts that made white clouds in the freezing air.
Pippa had forgotten how big the castle was at the top of the Volcano. She gasped in surprise as they rounded a bend and it bore down on them. The castle had solid walls and multiple ebony towers with tall slit windows that made Pippa think that she was being watched by rows of eyes. A moat of orange-red lava swirled around the castle and lapped against the massive front door.
“What if the Night Mares have gone back to serving Divine?” Stardust asked.
Pippa corrected her friend. “It isn’t nice to call them Night Mares, and I think the Volcano ponies would never do such a terrible thing again.”
The drawbridge was down and Stardust thundered across it, her hoof beats tapping on the wood. Two Volcano ponies wearing coal-black sashes, who should have been guarding the door, were too busy arguing to notice they had visitors.
“If you didn’t eat the sugared carrots, then who did?” demanded the taller one.
“You did, of course!” the other Volcano pony screamed back.
“Excuse me.” Pippa slid from Stardust’s back and rapped on the door to get their attention.
“What? Oh, it’s you again,” said the smaller pony. “What have you come to accuse us of this time?”
Pippa flushed, but of course the ponies hadn’t really read her thoughts. They were just grumpy! “We’re sorry to bother you,” she apologized. “But we need your help. Please can we go in?”
“What’s in it for us?”
“Just let them in, Ragwort,” interrupted the other pony. “You know what that royal lot is like. If you refuse, they’ll only start whining.”
Ragwort eyed Pippa and Stardust suspiciously. “Will you whine?” he asked.
“No . . . ,” Princess Stardust started to say.
“Of course we will,” said Pippa loudly.
“In that case, in you go,” said Ragwort.
Pippa hid a smile as he hurriedly unlocked the castle door.
Side by side, Pippa and Stardust stepped into a large castle that was almost identical to the one at Stable-side but without the Whispering Wall. The courtyard opened up into a magnificent stone balcony with a view into the heart of the
volcano. Pippa went over and stared into the boiling pool of lava far away beneath her. At first it made her stomach feel squishy and she glanced away, but after taking several breaths she was able to look again. The lava hissed and steamed like an overfull kettle as snowflakes drifted into it from the cold blue sky above.
“Look,” said Stardust, pointing with a hoof to a figure carved into the rock that encircled the volcano’s center. “Over there, by the stone pony gargoyle. It’s Nightshade and Eclipse.”
“Where? Oh, I see them. Nightshade, Eclipse!” Pippa yelled. “Over here.”
Nightshade and Eclipse broke off from a fierce discussion and glared at Pippa.
“If you want to speak to us, then you come here,” said Nightshade. She turned her back on Pippa and Stardust and continued arguing with Eclipse.
“Oh dear,” said Pippa. “The effect of Divine’s spell is everywhere. Looks like we’ll have to go to them.”
Pippa and Stardust picked their way along the black stone walkway. It led them on a winding trail through many caves of all shapes and sizes, carved with archways and stone pillars. Pippa wanted to walk slowly, to take it all in, but Stardust pushed on at a fast trot until they finally reached Nightshade and Eclipse. Nightshade narrowed her eyes, but before she could start being horrible again, Pippa jumped in and explained why she and Stardust were there.
“That explains everything!” exclaimed Eclipse, her face brightening with relief. “I woke up on the wrong side of the straw this morning! I’ve tried to cheer up but everything I do makes just makes me feel grumpier. What is love, though? Have you heard of love, Eclipse?”
Eclipse frowned. “No, I haven’t. Can you eat it? What does love taste like?”
“You can’t eat love!” said Pippa, too shocked to laugh. “Love is something you feel. It’s an emotion. It fills you up with warmth and happiness. Sometimes it makes you want to sing.”
“Or dance on the sand,” added Stardust.
