A Twinkle of Hooves Read online

  ‘Oh!’ Steph just about managed not to jump out of her skin. ‘Oh, right. Cool!’ She gave Judy a huge cheesy grin. ‘I mean… um… The ponies are all cool. I can’t decide which one to ride.’ She pointed hastily towards a large grey pony in the nearest box. ‘I… um… think I’d like to ride that one, please.’

  ‘Good choice,’ Judy said, grinning at her enthusiasm. ‘Misty’s just the right size for you. You’ll find her very responsive. I’ll show you where her tack is.’

  Steph followed Judy into the tack room and emerged a few moments later carrying a saddle, with a bridle looped over her arm. Judy had led the grey pony out and secured her to a metal ring in the wall.

  As Steph began tacking up Misty, Judy stood by. She nodded with approval. ‘You seem to know what you’re doing.’

  ‘I started riding when I was five years old,’ Steph said. She caught a movement from the corner of her eye and only just managed to suppress a gasp. Comet’s head was pushing through the loose-box door. His neck, front legs and the rest of him followed and then he stood waiting calmly, while Steph buckled on her riding hat and mounted Misty.

  She bit back a grin, not sure whether to laugh or pinch herself to see if she was dreaming.

  Judy hadn’t noticed anything unusual. ‘You can take Misty along the bridle path that leads down to the canal. Do you know it?’

  Steph nodded. ‘I used to ride Fleur, my old pony, along that towpath beside the canal. It’s a lovely ride.’ She felt a wave of sadness as she thought again about riding Fleur

  ‘Yes, it is,’ Judy agreed. ‘You’ll know the pedestrian bridge then. Cross over the canal there and then come back to the stables. OK?’

  ‘All right. Thanks, Judy. See you later.’ Steph patted the grey mare’s neck as she used her heels to nudge her forward.

  As she, Misty and Comet trotted out of the stable yard and headed for the bridle path, Steph smiled to herself.

  She was glad that her dad had persuaded her to try out the new riding stables in an attempt to cheer her up. She hadn’t forgotten about Fleur, like he seemed to hope she would, but Steph had a sneaking suspicion that this amazing magic pony might turn out to be a very special friend!

  Chapter

  THREE

  Misty was a lovely smooth ride and Steph relaxed in the saddle as she continued along the bridle path with Comet at her side. The sky was bright blue and bees buzzed among the colourful wild flowers that dotted the grass on either side.

  Comet looked around, scanning the countryside with keen bright eyes for any sign of Destiny. Steph peered into the bushes and hedgerows as they passed, keeping her eyes open too.

  The bridle path followed the contours of a valley on its way down to the canal. Fields of vivid yellow rapeseed were on one side. A bit further on, they passed acres of dusty-green ripening corn and then came to some clumps of trees.

  Comet saw a movement in a thicket of birches and galloped off to investigate. Steph halted Misty. She was deciding whether to leave the path and follow him when Comet appeared through the trees and came back towards her.

  ‘It was only someone walking their dog,’ he told her sadly.

  Steph could see that his deep violet eyes were shadowed by disappointment. ‘I’m sorry you didn’t find Destiny,’ she said gently. ‘But there are loads more places to look.’

  Comet nodded, so that his black mane swung forward. ‘At least I can be certain that Destiny did not pass by this way.’

  ‘How can you tell that?’ Steph asked curiously.

  ‘Destiny and I have a special bond because we are twins. If she is close, I will sense her presence. Also, if she has passed by at any time, she will have left a trail.’

  ‘Do you mean like broken stalks and stuff?’ Steph guessed.

  ‘No, Steph. There will be slowly glowing hoof-prints, which are invisible to most people in your world.’

  ‘Will I be able to see them?’

  ‘Only if you are riding with me or we are very close,’ Comet told her. ‘I think because you are special enough to see me that you will be able to see Destiny’s hoof-prints too.’

  Steph smiled. She was growing very fond of Comet.

  The magic pony pawed at the grass with one front hoof. ‘Are you ready to go on, Steph? I would like to keep searching.’

  ‘Sure. Let’s go!’ Steph squeezed Misty on.

  They reached the part of the track that led to the canal. Steph turned Misty on to the old towpath. Comet followed, his mane and tail stirring in the warm breeze.

  Brightly painted houseboats with cheerful rose and castle designs were moored alongside the canal. Some of them had window boxes and pots filled with red and orange flowers. Longer black barges slid through the greenish water. People called out and waved as Steph rode along.

  Steph waved back, feeling a surge of happiness. It was a perfect day for doing what she loved best in the whole world. Riding! Especially with the magic pony who had chosen her to be his special friend.

  They passed fields and then some buildings and a yard filled with lorries. Some time later, they rounded a bend. ‘There’s the bridge,’ Steph said, pointing ahead. ‘We have to go across it.’

  Comet pricked his ears eagerly. ‘It looks high up.’

  Steph nodded. ‘It is. You can see a long way from up there.’

  The bridge was very old, with painted cast-iron railings. Misty’s hooves clip-clopped on the wooden boards, but Comet’s made no sound.

  ‘I can’t see any ponies in the fields, can you?’ Steph asked Comet as they paused in the centre to look out over the canal.

  ‘No, I cannot.’ Comet turned his head to look towards the marina on one side, where the masts of many sailing boats seemed to prick the sky. In the other direction were houses and a dark-green forest behind them. His eyes lit up with interest as he looked at the thick trees. ‘That would be a good place for Destiny to hide,’ he neighed.

  ‘I’m supposed to go back to the stables now,’ Steph said. ‘But I could try to sneak out and meet you later, and then we can go and look together.’

  Comet nodded. ‘You could ride on my back. We would travel more quickly that way.’

  ‘Oh wow. Really?’ Steph felt a thrill of excitement at the thought of riding the magic pony. She was surprised to realize that she couldn’t wait.

  They picked up the bridle path again after crossing the bridge. As the riding stables came into view, Steph had a sudden thought.

  ‘Where are you going to stay?’ she asked Comet. ‘You can’t live at the riding stables. They’ll probably put another pony in that empty loose box.’

  Comet flicked one ear as he turned to look at her. ‘You are right, Steph. I will come home with you,’ he decided.

  ‘Really? Oh, I’d love that,’ Steph cried. ‘You can stay in Fleur’s old stable.’ Steph was sure that Fleur wouldn’t have minded. ‘It’s perfect! And I can spend loads of time with you and we can go out looking for Destiny together –’ She broke off as she realized there was a snag in her plan. ‘Except that I don’t see how I can get you to our house. You don’t know the way. And you can’t gallop behind the car, it’s too dangerous. I know! I’ll phone Dad and tell him I’m walking home. It’s not all that far. Then I can ride you.’

  Comet nodded, looking pleased.

  ‘That’s settled then,’ Steph said happily.

  But as she reached the stable’s car park, she groaned. ‘Oh no! Too late. There’s our car.’

  Mr Danes saw her ride up. He got out of the car and stood waiting as she rode Misty into the yard. ‘Hi, Steph!’ he called, waving.

  Steph forced a smile as she waved back. ‘Now what are we going to do?’ she murmured, looking sideways at Comet.

  The magic pony flicked his tail and gave her a mysterious smile. She felt faint tingles flowing down her fingers. Before she could ask what was going on, her magic pony had gone, leaving only the tiniest shower of violet sparks.

  Chapter

  FOUR
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br />   ‘So did you have a good time?’ Steph’s dad wanted to know as they drove home.

  ‘Yes, thanks. It was… um… great. Judy was really friendly and Misty’s a lovely pony,’ Steph said, mustering up all the enthusiasm she could. It had been really kind of her dad to arrange the surprise for her and she didn’t want to seem ungrateful. His plan had worked in a way; she was starting to feel better about not having Fleur around. But now she was worried about Comet. Where had he gone so suddenly?

  Maybe she would never see him again.

  He’s probably changed his mind about coming home with me and decided to look for his twin sister all by himself from now on, she thought glumly.

  Steph shifted uncomfortably in her seat. A lump in her jeans pocket was pressing into her leg. What could it be? She didn’t remember putting a tissue or anything in there. Puzzled, she slipped her hand into the pocket and felt her fingers close round something very small and soft.

  Steph drew the tiny object out and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw what she was holding. It was a miniature soft toy pony. As she gazed at it, the fluffy little black-and-white pony shook itself and blinked at her with bead-bright violet eyes.

  ‘Comet!’ she gasped, and then quickly turned it into sneeze. ‘Ah-choo!’

  ‘Bless you,’ her dad said, grinning.

  Comet stretched his neck to look up at her. ‘I found another way of coming home with you!’ he told Steph in a miniature neigh that matched his new size.

  She smiled down at him delightedly. Comet was unbelievably beautiful as his real winged self, and handsome as a black-and-white pony – but right now he was the sweetest, most gorgeous fluffy miniature pony she had ever seen.

  She suddenly realized that her dad was watching her in amusement. ‘Cute toy. Did Judy give you that?’ he asked.

  Steph thought fast. ‘Um… yeah! They’re giving them to all the new customers. It’s to… um… to help advertise the new stables,’ she improvised madly.

  Her dad nodded slowly. ‘That’s a great idea. Very enterprising.’

  Steph realized that Comet’s magic must be working again; making sure that only she could see that the tiny toy was real.

  The moment she got home, Steph said a quick hello to her mum and then made an excuse about having to clean some of Fleur’s tack. She rushed straight outside to the stable. Once there, she gently put Comet on the floor, where he seemed even tinier in the empty stall.

  Steph felt a stronger warm tingling flow to the very tips of her fingers. The toy horse’s black-and-white fur glittered with miniature sparkles like violet fairy lights. A faint rainbow mist spread outwards and suddenly Comet appeared as a normal-sized black-and-white pony.

  Steph went forward and threw her arms round his neck. ‘That was amazing! You’re full of surprises!’ she said, laying her cheek against his warm satiny skin. ‘I’m so glad you decided to come home with me. I think it’s best if you stay invisible, so Mum or Dad don’t see you and ask awkward questions.’

  Comet gave a soft contented blow. ‘I think so too.’

  As Steph lowered her arms and stood back, Comet raised his head and swivelled his ears. He peered intently towards the open door.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked him, turning to look down the side of the house. From here she had a restricted view of the culde-sac.

  ‘I hear hoof-beats approaching,’ he told her in an urgent little neigh.

  ‘But I’m the only person in Porlock Close who owned a pony.’ Steph caught her breath as a thought struck her. ‘What if it’s Destiny? Maybe she’s found you!’

  ‘I do hope so! I have missed her so much.’ Comet’s eyes glowed like amethysts. He trotted outside eagerly.

  Steph followed more slowly. If it was Destiny, maybe Comet would take her straight back with him to Rainbow Mist Island. She felt a pang as she realized that she’d barely got used to having Comet for a friend. She certainly wasn’t ready to lose him so soon.

  As Steph and Comet reached the front drive, a girl on a stunning dark bay pony rode up to them.

  Comet’s head drooped slightly and his eyes lost a little of their colour. ‘That is not Destiny,’ he whinnied sadly.

  ‘I’m sorry you’re disappointed,’ Steph said soothingly, feeling guilty at her sense of relief that he would be staying with her. ‘Don’t forget we’re going to check out those woods we saw from the canal bridge.’

  Comet nodded, his eyes glistening with renewed hope.

  The girl drew her pony to a halt. ‘Hi! Found you at last!’ she said with a friendly smile. She looked at Steph, unable to see Comet, who stood next to her. ‘I’ve noticed you riding past our house a few times on your chestnut pony and wanted to meet you. I don’t know anyone else round here who owns a pony. I’m Ellie Browning.’

  ‘Hi, Ellie,’ Steph said. ‘I’m Stephanie Danes, but everyone calls me Steph.’ She looked admiringly at the elegant bay. ‘Your pony’s gorgeous. What’s his name?’

  ‘Turpin,’ Ellie said proudly, tossing back the long dark-red hair that streamed out from under her riding hat. ‘He’s an Arab. I haven’t had him that long.’

  ‘Hello, Turpin.’ Steph held out her hand, so the pony could get her scent. He was the colour of strong coffee and his mane and tail were almost black.

  ‘Would you like to come over to my house?’ Ellie invited. ‘We can put the ponies through their paces. It’ll be fun. We’ve just moved into the old vicarage, near the village green.’

  Steph knew that Ellie was referring to Fleur, as she couldn’t see Comet. She tried not to feel too sad and she hoped the little chestnut was settling in with her new owner.

  She knew Ellie’s house. It was very large, with a stone porch and pillars beside the red front door. A row of small trees, clipped into triangles, lined the smart drive. There were usually expensive cars parked there.

  ‘I’d love to come, but I haven’t got a pony now.’ At least, not one I can tell you about, she thought. ‘I’ve just had to sell Fleur. I got too big for her,’ she told Ellie.

  ‘Oh, that’s a shame. You must be feeling awful,’ Ellie said sympathetically. ‘Turpin’s my first pony. At my old house, I always rode riding-school ponies. But we’ve got loads of space now, so Mum and Dad bought me my very own pony. Look. Why don’t you come over anyway? We can take it in turns to ride Turpin.’

  Steph smiled, liking Ellie more and more as she hoped they might become friends. She felt excited by the idea of riding the little Arab pony. ‘I’d love to. When shall I come?’

  Ellie put her head on one side. ‘Let’s see. Tomorrow’s Sunday, so I have to visit my gran, who lives hours away. How about Monday? It’s the school holidays, so we can have the whole day together.’

  ‘Great. I’ll look forward to it,’ Steph said.

  They fixed a time and then she stood by as Ellie clicked her tongue to Turpin and squeezed him on. Steph watched until they rode out of Porlock Close.

  ‘She seems really nice, doesn’t she?’ Steph said to Comet.

  ‘I liked her too.’

  Steph thought he sounded a little sad after the false alarm and was probably thinking about his missing twin. She reached up to pat his shoulder as they walked back to the stable, promising herself that she’d get up extra early the following morning, so they could go out searching for Destiny.

  Chapter

  FIVE

  Sunday morning dawned bright and clear.

  It was only just light when Steph woke and dressed quickly in her jeans and T-shirt. Padding downstairs, she grabbed her riding boots and hat from the utility room and then hurried outside to the stable.

  Comet whinnied a soft welcome as soon as he saw her.

  ‘Are you ready to go? I reckon we’ve got a couple of hours before Mum and Dad get up. We can check out those woods we saw from the canal bridge.’

  The magic pony pushed his velvety nose into her hand, his deep violet eyes sparkling with affection. ‘Thank you, Steph. Climb on to my back.’


  Steph mounted. She twined her hands in Comet’s thick mane as he leapt forward and galloped down the side of the house.

  The streets were quiet and almost empty and Comet sped along, his hooves making no sound on the pavement. He was exciting to ride and as fast as the wind.

  Steph bit back a gasp of excitement as she crouched low on his back. Houses, shops, the canal and hedgerows all whooshed past in a sparkly blur and then they were out in the open countryside.

  Faster, ever faster, Comet raced. His magic seemed to spread over Steph like a warm cloak and she felt safe and secure astride him – almost as if she was surrounded by a protective bubble of rainbow magic. Comet slowed his pace as they entered the woods and began to weave along the paths through the trees.

  Steph looked from left to right, searching for evidence that a pony might have taken cover there, but there was no sign of Destiny or any trace of glowing hoof-prints.

  Comet had stretched his neck and was raking the bushes and tangles of undergrowth with his keen eyes.

  After carefully searching every metre of the woods, they had to admit defeat

  ‘The morning mist has dried and the sun is high in the sky,’ Comet pointed out to Steph as they stood at the top of a steep bank. ‘I will take you back now.’

  Steph could have gone on riding Comet for hours. ‘OK.’ She patted his neck reassuringly. Steph knew that her mum and dad would be getting up soon anyway. ‘We can go out searching again tomorrow, when we go over to Ellie’s house.’

  Comet wheeled round and was about to retrace his steps, when a gust of wind blew up out of nowhere. Suddenly, a white plastic bag flew out of a bush and wrapped around his front legs. With a squeal of alarm, Comet reared up, kicking out and trying to dislodge the scary thing he thought was attacking him.

  ‘Oh!’ Taken by surprise, Steph lost her grip on his mane. She slid down his back and luckily managed to land on her feet.

  ‘It’s OK, Comet. It’s only a bag. It won’t hurt you!’ she cried.

  In his panic Comet didn’t seem to hear her. He snorted and edged backwards until he was in danger of slipping down the side of the bank.