A Unicorn Adventure! Read Free

ponies either. On Chevalia it seemed that just about anything was possible.
    Pippa was amazed by the tiny unicorn, her golden horn shining brightly in the patchy light of the forest. Pippa’s gaze flicked to Honey. There was no denying it. Honey and Goldie were almost identical.
    â€œI’m so glad you came today,” Goldie continued in her sweet, tinkling voice. “Strange things have been happening here in the Cloud Forest. This morning when we sang our waking song, a tree sang back to us.”
    Honey was puzzled. “A tree sang back to you?” she asked.
    Goldie nodded, dipping her head. “The others are still singing to it.”
    â€œA singing tree,” Pippa wondered aloud. It sounded like magic—the sort of magic that might come from a very special horseshoe. “Where’s this tree?” she asked. “Can you take us there?”
    Goldie looked uncertain. “I could, but it’s in the very heart of the forest. And my family might be surprised to see you—they’ve never seen a real live girl before. Are you sure you want to make the journey?”
    â€œYes,” said Pippa. Turning to Stardust, she explained her thinking about the magical horseshoe.
    Stardust whinnied with excitement. “We must look at this tree!” she exclaimed. “Please, can you take us there?”
    Goldie gracefully sprang down from the branch. “Yes, follow me.”

Chapter 3
    The deeper they went into the Cloud Forest, the scarier it became. Sometimes the mist swirled around them so thickly that it was impossible for Pippa to see her own feet. Shivering a little, she wondered what the royal ponies thought about their sudden departure from singing practice. Would they come looking for them if they failed to return?
    The ancient trees were enormous, and branches brushed against her like gigantic spiderwebs. But with Goldie leading the way, her horn shining brightly in the gloom, Pippa’s courage came back.
    After a while she heard the roar of water. The trees thinned and they came to a huge, raging river of muddy brown water. Goldie stopped on the squishy bank and waited for everyone to catch up.
    â€œWe’re not going to cross that, are we?” Stardust asked nervously.
    â€œIt’s quite safe if you know how.” Goldie tried to reassure them. “Follow me closely and only put your hooves where I put mine.”
    Stardust nudged Pippa’s arm and asked, “Would you like to ride on my back?”
    For a second Pippa was tempted, but it wasn’t fair on Stardust to make her carry extra weight. She shook her head. “Thanks, but I don’t mind walking.”
    â€œThis way,” Goldie said, moving upstream.
    She stopped at a slender tree branch that had fallen into the river. Pippa eyed it carefully. The branch only reached halfway across the river.
    â€œThere are stepping-stones from the middle to the other side,” Goldie said, easing her concern. She gracefully jumped onto the branch and walked to the middle. “Follow me,” she called.
    Honey went first, and Stardust made Pippa go next.
    â€œSo I can jump in and rescue you if you slip and fall in,” she said, smiling.
    â€œWhat if
you
fall in?” asked Pippa.
    â€œI won’t.”
    â€œThen I won’t either,” Pippa said.
    She took a deep breath, then stepped onto the tree branch. It was slippery with spray from the river. Pippa hesitated. Then she remembered a PE class she’d had at school in which the teacher had asked them to walk along a low beam in the gym. “Find something to look at straight ahead,” the teacher had told them. “Focus on that and don’t look down.”
    With the teacher’s words ringing in her ears, Pippa inched her way along the branch until she was balanced over the middle of the river. The next part was even scarier because Goldie was expecting her to step down onto a rock in the river. The