A Special Surprise Read Free Page A

the sun-spangled water, while she got her breath back.
    ‘Triton, Rosella.’ Pippa shouted the names of the giant seahorses that had first carried her to Chevalia. ‘Triton, Rosella, I need your help.’
     

     
    She touched her tiara and felt the magic of Chevalia fizz through her fingers. Seconds later there was a whooshing noise. The sea reared up in a huge wave, in the shape of the head and forelegs of a galloping horse. Relief flooded through Pippa as two giant seahorses exploded through the motionless wave and stared expectantly at her.

Chapter 4
    ‘Triton, Rosella,’ Pippa reached out to stroke Rosella’s pale pink face and Triton’s freckled green one. ‘Something terrible has happened.’
    Pippa quickly told her story. She was coming to the end when she heard the muffled thud of hooves on sand. She spun round to see a white pony galloping along the sand.
    ‘Stardust!’ The relief made her heart soar. ‘You’re safe.’
     

     
    Stardust blew through her nose at Pippa. ‘Yes, because I didn’t sleep in that horrible stable. I was halfway through my story of how we saved Chevalia when I realised that Snowdrop was snoring. Snoring!’ Stardust repeated in disgust. ‘She wasn’t the only one. All of the ponies had fallen asleep. I tried to get comfortable but the straw was scratchy, the ground too hard and there was a funny smell.’ Stardust gave a dainty shudder. ‘I need my beauty sleep or I get saddlebags under my eyes. That’s when I decided to sleep outside in the field. It was a bit like the time I went camping with Honey and Comet, except that the horseflies here aren’t as friendly as the ones back home.’
    ‘Where are the riding school ponies?’ Pippa interrupted.
    Stardust’s eyes were huge with fear. ‘I was just getting to that part. Divine took them. I’m sure it was her. I was woken by the sound of hooves. Then I heard a cackling laugh. There was a lot of grey smoke and a very bad smell. It made my eyes water. When the smoke cleared the riding school ponies had gone.’
    Pippa’s blood turned to ice. ‘But what would Divine want with a stable full of ponies?’
    ‘Maybe she’s lonely,’ said Stardust.
    ‘Perhaps she needs new ponies to do her dirty work, since the volcano ponies discovered how mean she was,’ suggested Triton.
    ‘I knew it was Divine,’ said Pippa. ‘I’m going back to Chevalia to find the ponies. That’s if you’ll take me there?’ Pippa looked at Triton and Rosella.
    ‘Of course we will.’
    ‘What about me?’ Stardust wailed. ‘I lost the wings that Cloud gave me when I landed here. How am I going to get home?’
    Triton put his nose inside his pouch and brought out a small blue bottle that glowed mysteriously.
    ‘Can you keep a secret?’ he asked.
    Pippa and Stardust nodded.
    ‘This bottle contains a powerful growing potion. It’s made to an ancient formula that was invented by Nightingale.’
    ‘Nightingale, the horse who made the golden horseshoes?’ asked Pippa.
    Triton nodded.
    ‘Yes, she’s the pony that changed the volcanic rock into the island of Chevalia,’ added Rosella. ‘Long ago my seahorse ancestors took messages from Chevalia to the human world. We’re still needed to take messages back and forth between the worlds. The work can be dangerous, especially if the weather is stormy. Every pair of seahorses has a supply of magic potions, just in case we need help. ’
    Pippa’s eyes widened. She thought she knew everything about Chevalia but it still continued to surprise her.
    Triton flicked up a shell from the seabed with his tail. He sprinkled two drops of the potion on it. The lilac-coloured drops sparkled and the shell began to grow until it was twice the size of Stardust.
    ‘Climb aboard, Stardust,’ called Rosella.
     

     
    Stardust trotted through the surf, splashing water everywhere as she jumped on to the shell.
    ‘Ready, Pippa?’ asked Triton in a kindly voice.
    Pippa nodded mutely then scrambled onto