The Special Secret (2 page)

“I suppose we haven't searched the Grasslands yet,” said Pippa.

“Then we'll do it today while we're helping with the harvest,” Stardust said decisively.

Pippa wasn't sure how much searching they would have time for if they were expected to work, but it was better than nothing.

“Let's go then,” she said, eager to get started.

After a quick breakfast in the castle's huge dining room, Pippa, Stardust, and the four of her brothers and sisters who still attended Canter's Prep School followed their nanny, Mrs. Steeplechase, down to the Grasslands.

“Stop it,” Pippa whispered, trying not to giggle as Stardust imitated the way her teacher waddled.

“No talking!” Mrs. Steeplechase said, turning around to glare at them.

“Sorry,” said Pippa. She turned her attention to the lines of ponies who were approaching the Grasslands from every direction. There were lots of foals, their manes and tails braided with purple ribbons, trotting beside their parents.

“They're from Canter's Nursery School,” Stardust explained. “The babies wear purple ribbons, the toddlers wear red ribbons like me, and the older kids wear blue ones. We should have braided ribbons in your hair too. When we get to the Grasslands, I'll ask if anyone has any extra ribbon so you're not left out.”

“Thanks,” Pippa said absently, her mind on the missing horseshoes. She really hoped that they would find at least one today.

The Grasslands were going to be difficult to search. The grass grew so tall that in places it was higher than Pippa's head. It was like walking through a pale-green forest. Soon they came out of the grass and into a clearing. To Pippa's surprise there was a small farmhouse with a large yard.

“Mucker!” squealed Stardust. Breaking away from the group, she trotted over to a stocky dark-brown pony with a white blaze, four white stockings, and a black mane and tail.

“Princess Stardust!”

Stardust and Mucker brushed noses.

“I'm so glad you've come to help with the harvest. I've heard lots about you,” he added, shyly nodding at Pippa. “You're here to save Chevalia.”

Pippa blushed as red as a strawberry. Everyone had such high hopes for her. She didn't want to let Chevalia down.

Stardust's big sister, Princess Crystal, was standing in the middle of the farmyard putting ponies into groups. As first in line to the throne of Chevalia, she was expected to help supervise the younger ponies on Harvest Day.

“No talking!” Crystal yelled as she looked at her clipboard. “Stardust and Pippa, you're with—eeek!”

Crystal let out a huge shriek and, dropping her clipboard, galloped full speed across the yard.

Stardust snorted with laughter, then quickly turned it into a cough as Crystal trotted back, her nose in the air as if nothing had happened.

“It was a horsefly,” Stardust explained to a puzzled Pippa. “Crystal's terrified of them.”

Crystal nervously batted the air with her clipboard in case the horsefly returned. She continued, “Stardust and Pippa are with Mucker.”

Mucker's face lit up. “Come on—I'll show you both where to go,” he said happily.

Mucker led them out of the yard to a muddy field full of tall grass with stems as thick as bamboo shoots. A group of ponies wearing red ribbons were already hard at work. Their legs and faces were splattered with mud and their coats were steaming. As Pippa and Stardust trotted over to the group with Mucker, he explained that it was very hard work harvesting the grass.

“It's much thicker than usual,” said Mucker. “Dad can't understand it. He didn't do anything different this year.”

The members of Mucker's family were farm ponies, and he loved working with them on the land. He gave Pippa some tools and showed her how to harvest the grass.

Pippa learned quickly and realized that she was beginning to enjoy the work. The grass may have been thick and strong but it made a soft, whispery noise as it was cut.

The whispering grew more insistent. Suddenly, Pippa realized it was a voice.

“What did you say?” she asked Stardust.

“Nothing,” replied Stardust, who had a smudge of brown mud on her face.

Pippa was puzzled—she was sure Stardust had said something. She continued cutting and after a while she heard Stardust speak again.

“Sorry, I didn't quite catch that,” Pippa said.

“Catch what?” asked Stardust.

“What you just said.”

Stardust looked strangely at Pippa. “I never said a word.”

“But I can hear a voice. Listen!” Pippa added. “There it is again.”

Stardust stood still, her ears twitching as she concentrated on listening. “Sorry,” she said at last. “All I can hear is the buzz of horseflies, nothing else.”

Pippa couldn't understand it. The buzzing voice was beginning to irritate her. Why couldn't Stardust hear it too?

“Well, look who it is,” a voice said loudly—a different voice, but one that Pippa knew. “It's Princess Grunge and her best friend, Dirt Girl!”

Pippa turned around and faced Cinders, the meanest pony in the Royal Court.

Chapter 2

“So now we know,” Cinders said loudly, her eyes narrowing.

“Know what?” asked Stardust.

“That you're a fake.” Cinders gave a high-pitched laugh. “You can't be a princess because a real princess would never get her hooves dirty. You're just an ordinary farm pony like Mucker.”

“Of course I'm a real princess,” Stardust said angrily.

“No, you're not,” Cinders replied. “That's what my mom says anyway.”

With that, Cinders swept past Stardust, taking great care not to step in the mud.

Stardust's brown eyes glittered with tears. “What did she mean?” she asked.

“Ignore her,” Pippa said, stroking Stardust's mud-splattered nose. “She was just being nasty to upset you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Pippa said, even though she wasn't convinced. Cinders had sounded threatening and as if she knew something, but Pippa didn't want to frighten Stardust. She continued to stroke her nose, until she stopped shaking and calmed down.

“Cinders is right, though,” Stardust said at last. “If I have to help with the harvest, then I should be given a cleaner job.”

Mucker let out a snort of surprise. “Getting dirty has never bothered you before. We've always had a lot of fun together on the farm.”

“Not anymore,” Stardust said firmly. “It's time I started acting like a real princess.”

To Mucker's dismay, Stardust flatly refused to help further. Instead she tore up some grass and used it to wipe the mud from her face, legs, and hooves.

“I'm going to ask Crystal for something else to do,” she announced. “Something cleaner and more worthy of a princess pony.” And she trotted off.

“I'll never get to see Stardust if she stops visiting the farm,” Mucker said sadly. “I'd love to visit her at the castle but that's not going to happen—not when I come from a farming family. Besides, I'm too busy with farmwork to attend the Royal Court.”

Pippa started to go after Stardust but quickly changed her mind. Poor Mucker was so upset—she couldn't leave him now. Keeping one eye on Stardust, she continued to help with the harvest while also keeping a lookout for shiny objects in the mud.