A Unicorn Adventure! (6 page)

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Pippa said loudly.

“Then let us depart,” said the queen.

At first the royal ponies chatted noisily and there was lots of laughter as they trotted through the Grasslands and the Savannah. But as the Cloud Forest came into view, the procession slowed and the chatter died away. At the edge of the forest, Pippa, Stardust, and Honey waited for everyone else to catch up.

“Are we really going in?” grumbled Princess Cloud. “Hasn't the joke gone far enough?”

“It's not a joke,” Pippa said quietly.

Even bossy Princess Crystal's eyes were round with fear. Her voice cracked when she asked, “Does
everyone
have to go in?”

“The unicorns are expecting the entire Royal Court,” Stardust said impatiently. “Anyone who is too scared to enter can just wait here.”

Many of the ponies were scared, but no one wanted to look like a coward. When Pippa stepped into the forest, they all followed. The responsibility weighed heavily on Pippa. Would they be able to find their way back to the unicorns? And would Misty honor her promise to return the golden horseshoe when the royal ponies appeared and sang?

Pippa led the procession of ponies through the mist, retracing her steps from the morning's adventure. As the giant tree finally came into sight, Pippa stared up its thick, redwood trunk to the dragonfly nest, from which a fountain of flames could be seen shooting out every now and again. Seeing the tree once more made her appreciate just how high it was, and knowing she had scaled it gave her a burst of courage.

The royal ponies stopped close to the base of the tree to stare openly at the unicorns. The unicorns stared back in silence. It was hard to say which party was most surprised to see the other. The unicorns and ponies had more in common than they realized, and there was no need for them to be afraid of one other. Then Pippa realized something and her mouth fell open. It wasn't just Honey and Goldie, and Stardust and Misty, who looked alike. The ponies all seemed to have a unicorn double, identical in every way except for their horns and sizes.

Nudging Stardust, Pippa whispered, “Look—every pony has a unicorn twin.”

Princess Crystal had noticed this too. Soon she was moving around the tree, pairing the ponies up with their unicorn doubles. When everyone had a partner, Crystal and Petal, her unicorn twin, both raised a hoof and began to conduct. The unicorns sang first, one line at a time, then waited for the ponies to sing back to them. Their voices complemented each other's so beautifully that the sound was even more wonderful than that of the singing tree. Stardust sang to Misty, Honey to Goldie, and Queen Moonshine to a magnificent unicorn with a tall, golden horn. There were even stocky unicorn equivalents of Cinders and Divine.

“That's so beautiful,” Pippa said, swallowing a lump in her throat.

As the song ended and the voices faded away, Crystal and Petal bowed to each other.

Queen Moonshine stepped forward, curtsying to her unicorn double, who was wearing a tiny gold crown decorated with purple daisies.

“I'm Moonshine, Queen of Chevalia,” she said. “That was wonderful. We'd be honored if you would join us for the Royal Concert on Midsummer Day.”

“I'm Sunrise, Queen of the Cloud Forest.” The unicorn's voice tinkled like a mountain stream. “It would be our pleasure to host the concert here in the Cloud Forest.”

The sound of hoofbeats jarred in Pippa's ears. Turning quickly, she saw two scruffy ponies darting away through the trees. An icy shiver ran down her spine. The ponies running away were Night Mares!

She called urgently to Misty, “Where's the magical horseshoe?”

“Here,” Misty said, pointing her horn to a fallen log. Then she looked confused. “Where's it gone? I definitely left it there.”

Pippa noticed Cinders and Divine sharing a smug smile.

“Divine, have you seen the horseshoe?” asked Pippa.

“No, I'm afraid not,” Divine replied. “Are you sure there was a horseshoe here? Or did you just make that up to get attention?”

The watching ponies shifted their hooves as they muttered among themselves.

“It
was
here,” Stardust confirmed. “Maybe it fell off the log?”

“No,” Pippa said grimly. “I just saw two Night Mares running away through the forest. They must have stolen the horseshoe while we were singing.”

“More make-believe.” Divine shook her head.

“Quick,” cried Stardust. “Jump on my back, Pippa. We have to catch them!”

Pippa jumped onto Stardust's back and hung on tight to her long white mane as the princess pony galloped after the Night Mares.

Chapter 6

A thick mist enveloped Stardust and Pippa as they raced through the Cloud Forest. Pippa looked around her, ducking frequently to avoid being snagged by low-hanging branches. The Night Mares had a head start but Stardust was fast—and much quicker at turning. She began to gain on them.

“Stop!” shouted Pippa. “Stop, you thieves!”

In the distance Pippa could hear the roar of the river. If Stardust could reach the stepping-stones before the Night Mares, there was a good chance they could get the horseshoe back.

“Faster.” She leaned forward, urging Stardust on.

Mud and leaves were kicked up by Stardust's hooves. Her breath came out in snorts and her sides shook as she chased after the Night Mares. They were almost at the riverbank when she finally caught up with them. As she stopped, Pippa leaped from her back and ran toward the biggest of the scruffy ponies, who was carrying the golden horseshoe in its mouth. Its forelegs were in the water but it was hesitating.

“Which stone do I step on first? Lightning, can you remember?”

“Um,” Lightning said, stretching out a hoof, then quickly pulling it back. “Are you sure we crossed here, Thunder? The river's very fast-flowing.”

“Useless brother! Of course it was here,” roared Thunder. “Why did the Mistress pair me with you for such an important mission?”

“Take that back. I'm not useless—I spotted the horseshoe,” Lightning said, blocking Thunder's path.

“Get out of the way,” Thunder growled, shoving past him.

“No!” Lightning whinnied in fright as he slipped on the muddy bank and fell, taking Thunder down with him.

There was a loud splash as the Night Mares landed in the river. The two brothers struggled to their hooves, their dark manes plastered to their faces. Pippa and Stardust roared with laughter as Thunder and Lightning splashed around. But the current was too strong, and suddenly they lost their balance and were swept away downstream. Pippa and Stardust stopped laughing then.

“We have to help them,” cried Pippa.

“And save the horseshoe,” Stardust added.

They hurried along the bank after the Night Mares. Willowy trees grew next to the river, and their long branches trailed in the water.

“Grab the branches!” Pippa called. She didn't want the thieves to escape with the horseshoe, but she certainly didn't want them to drown.

The Night Mares listened to Pippa and swam to the opposite bank, where, grabbing onto the branches, they pulled themselves out of the rushing water.

Pippa and Stardust stopped and stared at them in dismay. Still clinging onto the willowy branches, the Night Mares stood in the shallow water while they regained their breath.

“You can't catch us now,” Lightning shouted excitedly.

Pippa heard hooves coming up behind her. Misty dashed past, stopping at the water's edge. She leaned down, dipped her horn in the water, then quickly stood up. Pippa's ears rang with a cracking sound as the river began to freeze over.

“What's happening?” she yelled over the creaks and groans of the water turning to ice.

“It's horn magic,” Misty explained. “All unicorns have a magic horn, and they can do one special thing with it. My horn freezes water and melts it again.”

Soon the river was a thick slab of smooth ice. The Night Mares were having trouble standing and leaned against each other for support. Thunder tried to climb onto the riverbank and lost his footing. He dropped the horseshoe, and it skidded across the ice into the middle of the frozen river. Each time he tried to go after it, his hooves slid in different directions.