The Special Secret (5 page)

“Cinders, what's wrong?” she asked.

“I . . . I . . . I'm sorry,” said Cinders. “It wasn't my fault. I only left it for a minute. A foal came and told me that you needed me urgently, but I couldn't find you and when I came back the horseshoe was gone.”

“What?” shrieked Stardust. “You left the horseshoe unguarded? How could you be so careless?”

Pippa was so shocked, it was as if all the breath had been squeezed out of her. But she knew that getting upset with Cinders wasn't going to help.

“We all make mistakes,” she said kindly. “How long ago did it happen?”

A strange look crossed Cinders's face, and for a fleeting moment Pippa thought she almost smiled, but then Cinders's brown eyes seemed so full of remorse.

“Not long,” Cinders answered.

Pippa realized that they had to be smart if they were to have any hope of recovering the horseshoe.

“Right, let's organize a search party,” she decided.

She looked around to see who was available. Prince Storm, Prince Comet, Trojan, and Mucker had come over to see what all the noise was about. But there was no time to organize them into proper groups, because Pippa saw something else.

At the far end of the field were two scruffy ponies who were behaving very strangely. They were sneaking away on hoof tips from the Grasslands. Pippa recognized them instantly.

“Night Mares,” she said, pointing. “Although they're not Nightshade and Eclipse this time.” Seeing something shiny, she added, “And they've stolen our horseshoe.”

Stardust gave the fourth golden horseshoe to Mucker to keep safe.

“Quick,” she shouted. “After them!”

Chapter 5

“Jump on!” Stardust turned around to stand by Pippa.

Grabbing a handful of mane, Pippa jumped onto Stardust's back. She was barely astride her when Stardust took off at a fast gallop. They were almost across the field when the Night Mares realized they'd been seen, and they took off with a whinny of surprise.

Storm and Comet had already galloped off toward the Savannah, hoping to catch the Night Mares as they made their way back to the Volcano.

“Hurry,” Pippa urged, leaning forward like a jockey on a racing pony.

The mud was slowing Stardust down. Pippa could hear it squishing under her hooves, and some of it flicked up, splattering her own hands and face. Stardust struggled on, not caring about the mud, and slowly they began to catch up with the Night Mares.

“Go, Stardust!” Pippa yelled encouragingly.

“Hang on,” Stardust shouted back. “I'm going to take a shortcut.”

She changed direction, veering to the left and heading for a track. Pippa clutched Stardust's mane and gripped her flanks hard with her knees. She knew she had to concentrate on her balance. They couldn't risk losing sight of the Night Mares.

Pippa felt sick with excitement. If Stardust could keep this speed up, they would be able to cut the Night Mares off. She hunched low over Stardust's neck, her wavy brown hair flowing behind her.

Away to her left Pippa could hear a rattling noise. At first she ignored it, but the noise was growing steadily louder and was making Pippa uneasy. What was it? She looked around and gasped in horror. A cart, stacked high with cut grass and drawn by four enormous horses, was heading toward them. The stocky chestnut who was leading the horses hadn't noticed Stardust and Pippa, and at this rate Pippa knew they were all going to collide.

“Watch out, Stardust!” she screamed. “Cart to the left!”

Stardust turned her head, then slowed down in fright, unseating Pippa, who was forced to slide far up Stardust's neck.

“Sorry,” Stardust said as she composed herself.

“Don't stop!” Pippa called, trying to push herself down Stardust's neck.

“But you might fall off,” replied Stardust.

“I won't.”

Gritting her teeth, Pippa clung on with all her strength. The ground raced by as Stardust's hooves carried them along at a frightening speed. If Pippa fell off now, Stardust might tread on her. Worse still, Pippa might even trip her friend up. She hung on tightly and pushed herself down Stardust's back. The cart was terrifyingly close.

“Out of the way!” Pippa screamed.

Frustration bubbled in her stomach. Couldn't the leading pony see the Night Mares and realize that they were chasing them? As they drew nearer, Pippa got a proper look at the leader. She recognized that square nose and those big eyes.

“Baroness Divine!”

The baroness didn't seem to notice the Night Mares and was smiling, apparently without a care in the world.

“What's she doing? Why is she here?” Stardust was confused. “She doesn't usually help with the harvest.”

If they kept going, there would be a very nasty accident, so they had no choice but to slow down. Snorting angrily, Stardust pawed the ground. They watched in frustration as the Night Mares galloped away.

“Afternoon,” the baroness said, pulling up next to them. “My goodness, look at you both! Have you been having fun in the mud?”

Pippa eyed her suspiciously. It wasn't like the baroness to be so friendly.

“Yes, thank you, but we're too busy to stay and talk,” Pippa replied.

Stardust darted behind the cart and broke into a gallop.

The Grasslands stretched ahead of them, flat and open, dotted with farm buildings, a forest in the distance. There was no sign of the Night Mares at all.

“They must be hiding,” Stardust panted, dropping back to a canter. Her white coat was lathered with muddy sweat.

“Should I walk?” Pippa asked, running a hand down the pony's damp neck.

“I'm fine. We'll be quicker if you ride,” Stardust said.

“Which way do you think they went?” Pippa asked as Stardust cantered on.

“It's got to be this way if they're going back to their home at the Volcano. We'll head toward the farm—it's the only place they can be hiding.”

As the farm drew nearer, Stardust and Pippa whispered. Stardust placed her hooves carefully so that she was as quiet as possible.

“Over there,” Pippa said suddenly, “by the small barn—I saw something move.”

Stardust switched direction. They'd almost reached the barn when there was a scuffling noise and the two Night Mares darted across the farmyard. One of them had the golden horseshoe in its mouth. Its eyes were wide with fear as it ran behind another barn.

“There!” called Stardust.

She chased after them but was too late—the Night Mares had disappeared.

Stardust stood very still, her ears swiveling as she tried to figure out where the Night Mares were hiding. Pippa listened too. At first all she could hear was her own heart pounding. Then a soft clatter grabbed her attention.

“Behind the grain store,” she hissed.

Her stomach fluttered as Stardust went over to the building on hoof tips.

“Well, they're not here now,” sighed Stardust.

Pippa stared in disbelief at the empty space. Some stones crunched behind her. Stardust turned around just in time for them to see the Night Mares run across the farmyard. The golden horseshoe shone tantalizingly as they jumped over a fence and galloped away.

Chapter 6

“Hold on,” said Stardust.

Pippa's hands shook as they cantered toward the fence. It was bigger than anything she'd jumped before. A shiver of fear ran down her spine. Stardust leaped at the jump. Just in time Pippa remembered to lift herself up off Stardust's back and grip with her knees. The wind whipped past her face and for a second she felt as if she was flying. All her fears vanished—the jump felt fantastic. Then Stardust's front hooves hit the ground with a loud thud, and she raced after the Night Mares. The two scruffy ponies thundered on ahead, but they kept changing direction suddenly. Pippa quickly lost all sense of where she was. She was surprised when Stardust pulled up.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yes,” panted Stardust. “And I've had an idea. If we stop chasing the Night Mares, then they'll think we've given up and are heading home. I know another shortcut. I'm going to take it and hopefully we can cut them off.”