Princess Ponies 2 (6 page)

‘We’ve found one of the golden horseshoes,’ Pippa said, pointing at the distant rocks. ‘But it’s almost under water!’

‘You won’t get there in time to retrieve it,’ Blossom said, galloping beside Stardust. ‘I’ll go for you.’

Relief swept through Pippa but it was quickly replaced with despair.

‘What about the race? You were in the lead.’

‘I pulled out. Chevalia matters far more than the race.’ Blossom snorted. ‘Besides, winning isn’t everything. Helping your friends is much more important.’

‘But how will you get the horseshoe off the rocks?’

‘With my hooves,’ Blossom said bravely.

Pippa shook her head. The whirlpool was already too strong. Blossom would need all four hooves on the ground to withstand its force.

‘I’ll come with you,’ she declared.

‘There isn’t time to stop for you,’ called Blossom, who was starting to pull ahead of Stardust.

If Blossom was making sacrifices and putting herself in danger then Pippa must too.

‘You don’t have to stop. Come closer and I’ll jump on your back,’ she shouted.

‘Pippa, no!’ shouted Stardust. ‘It’s too dangerous. And you’re scared of heights.’

But Pippa was too busy concentrating to answer. As Blossom moved closer she noticed that she was taller than Stardust. Could she manage to transfer herself from one pony to the other without falling of
f
? With a shudder, she ignored the pounding sound of Stardust and Blossom’s hooves.

Blossom matched her pace to Stardust’s until she was exactly alongside her, then she closed the gap between them.

‘Ready?’ Blossom called.

Pippa swallowed hard. She felt light-headed suddenly but there was no time to lose. She reached out for Blossom’s mane. It was still plaited from the dressage competition so there was little for her to hold on to. And how did she think she was going to get her legs over? Pippa realised that she would have to get into a crouching position to transfer herself from Stardust to Blossom’s back. Pippa stared at the ground tearing by. It seemed a very long way down.

I can’t do it
,
said a scared little voice inside her head. But Pippa had already done so much on Chevalia that she’d never thought possible. Gathering all her courage, she held tightly on to Stardust’s mane. She decided she would do it on the count of three.

One, two and . . . three.

Slowly, she leaned forward and brought her feet up behind her, on to Stardust’s back. Seeing the ground moving so fast beneath her made her feel a little bit sick. Pippa refused to think about that. She fixed her gaze on Stardust’s mane as she got her feet in the right position. Her heart was racing in time with Stardust’s hoof beats and her mouth was dry. Pippa took a long, deep breath. She pushed herself up so she was crouching on Stardust’s back. Now all she had to do was to jump over to Blossom. Pippa reached out for Blossom’s plaited mane.

‘I’m ready,’ she called.

‘Be careful,’ shouted Stardust.

Pippa hesitated. Her head was spinning.

‘Are you sure about this?’ called Stardust.

Pippa didn’t answer. She summoned up every last bit of courage – and leapt!

Her stomach dipped. She seemed to hang in the air for ever but it was only a few seconds before she landed with a bump on the other pony’s back. Blossom was broader than Stardust and had a much bouncier stride. Pippa was flung up and down for a moment then, losing her balance, slid sideways.

‘Help!’ she squeaked.

Pippa hung on, her legs gripping more tightly around Blossom’s sides. Blossom misunderstood this movement and, thinking that Pippa was asking her to go faster, she sped up. Lurching forward, Pippa desperately clung to Blossom’s unravelling plaits. She couldn’t fall off now – there wasn’t time! She hauled herself to the middle of Blossom’s back. She knew that she had been very lucky that nothing had gone wrong so far. Now that she had regained her balance, Pippa leaned forward and urged Blossom on.

‘Go, Blossom! Go, Pippa!’ Stardust called, as Blossom raced ahead.

Only the tops of the rocks were visible now. Blossom raced across the glistening, wet beach and into the sea, her steps slowing as the water deepened.

‘Careful,’ Pippa said, feeling Blossom strain against the current.

‘Look!’ cried Blossom. ‘The horseshoe!’

It was upside down, wedged between two rocks.

Just then a large wave crashed into Blossom, making her stumble.

‘Eeek!’ Pippa shrieked, as the wave soaked her too.

‘Sorry,’ said Blossom.

The seabed was uneven and covered in slippery seaweed. Pippa was amazed at how sure-footed Blossom was as she waded on.

‘Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you’re clumsy,’ Pippa told her.

‘I’m not now, am I?’ Blossom said delightedly. ‘It’s because I’m really concentrating and I’m not worrying that everyone is watching and laughing at me.’

When they were just an arm’s length away from the rocks, Blossom suddenly stopped and wavered.

‘Oh, horseflies!’ she exclaimed. ‘The current’s too strong. This is as close as I can get!’

Chapter 7

Pippa stared at the rocks. Beneath her, the water swirled and bubbled like a giant’s cooking pot. If she fell off
Blossom trying to reach the horseshoe she’d never be able to swim against the current.

I’m not going to fall
,
she told herself. But Blossom’s legs were buckling against the force of the whirlpool.

‘Blossom, can you stand very still while I climb up your neck?’

‘Yes,’ said Blossom, ‘but hurry! The tide’s coming in really fast and I can feel the whirlpool sucking at my legs.’

Pippa quickly pulled herself towards Blossom’s head. She clutched Blossom’s mane with one hand and leaned over to the rocks. If only she could stretch a little bit further . . . Growing red in the face, Pippa reached out until her fingers were brushing the horseshoe. It was almost in her grasp.

Almost.

But the horseshoe was wedged firmly between the rocks and just couldn’t be pulled free.

‘Please hurry,’ Blossom said urgently.

It was no good. The task needed two hands. Reluctantly, Pippa let go of Blossom’s mane and tried again. The horseshoe budged by the tiniest amount then stuck fast. Carefully, Pippa wriggled it backwards and forwards. It reminded her of wobbling a loose tooth. She rocked the horseshoe forwards and backwards, until it shifted a bit more.

‘Hurry!’ whinnied Blossom.

The water was still rising and was splashing around Pippa’s bare feet now. She yanked the horseshoe as hard as she could.

Over the roar of the whirlpool, Pippa thought she could hear Stardust calling her name from the shore. It made her feel braver to know that her best friend was cheering her on.

With all of her might, she pulled at the horseshoe again. She felt it grate against the rock then, suddenly, the golden horseshoe became free. The suddenness took her by surprise, and she slid backward, almost losing her balance. Wildly, Pippa grabbed Blossom’s mane. As she did so, the horseshoe slipped through her fingers.

‘No!’ Pippa snatched at it, trapping it against Blossom’s neck and only just preventing it from dropping into the churning water.

‘I caught it!’ she yelled.

Straight away Blossom swung round to face the beach and then froze in her tracks. Standing in the water a few hooves away were two scruffy ponies.

‘Night Mares!’ Pippa gasped, recognising Eclipse and Nightshade from the previous day and realising that they were the ponies she had seen at the edge of the Wild Forest.

‘Give that back,’ Eclipse said in a mean, shrill voice.

‘It belongs to us,’ said Nightshade.

The water was rising even higher by this point, and Pippa worried that they’d all be carried out to sea.

‘PIPPA!’ Stardust called from the beach.

Stardust’s cry gave Pippa an idea.

‘This horseshoe belongs on the Whispering Wall,’ said Pippa. Then she shouted to Stardust, ‘Catch!’

Pippa hurled the horseshoe into the air and Stardust galloped to catch it in her mouth.

‘NO!’ cried Eclipse.

‘Let’s get out of here,’ Pippa said to Blossom.

Blossom waded back towards the beach, and Pippa turned to see Nightshade and Eclipse still standing in the water, staring up at the headland. Pippa followed their gaze to see the mysterious cloaked pony looking down at them. The two Night Mares were just standing, as if glued to the spot, in the rising water.

‘You two!’ Pippa called, as Blossom pushed further towards the shore. ‘Get out of the water – it’s dangerous!’