A Unicorn Adventure! Read Free Page A

water roared past with an angry hiss.

    â€œIt’s easy,” called Honey, who had already reached the other side.
    Carefully, Pippa stepped off the branch and onto the first stepping-stone. She wobbled as she landed, but using her arms, she managed to regain her balance. After that it was simple. The stepping-stones were bigger than she’d thought, and she quickly made it to the other side.
    â€œThat was fun,” Stardust said, jumping onto the bank beside her.
    The mist was starting to thin out even more. Pippa stared around her, marveling at the beauty of the ancient woodland and the huge trees soaring above her. As Goldie wove through the forest, the singing grew louder. It rang in Pippa’s ears and made her want to dance and skip. Goldie led them on, until she finally reached the biggest tree Pippa had ever seen. It had a tall, redwood trunk that was dented and grooved like a muddy track. Its branches stretched stiffly out with a fan of whispery green leaves. Circling the tree was a herd of tiny unicorns, their golden horns gleaming in the darkness. Their heads were held high and they were singing loudly.
    Pippa gulped back tears. The music was so special it made her want to cry.
    â€œListen,” Stardust whinnied softly. “Can you hear that?”
    Pippa nodded. “The tree’s singing back to the unicorns.”
    Every line the unicorns sang, the tree sang back to them like an echo.
    â€œIsn’t it marvelous?” Stardust’s face glowed with excitement.
    The unicorns clearly loved it too. They sang on, their voices high and pure.
    Squinting, Pippa looked up the huge, red tree trunk. She was sure one of the golden horseshoes must be hidden in the branches, but where was it?
    Suddenly she noticed that one of the singing unicorns was watching the ponies curiously. Pippa smiled, and the unicorn snorted and looked away. A few seconds later it looked again. Pippa stood very still. The unicorn stared at her; then, breaking the circle, it cautiously trotted over. Pippa caught her breath. In the same way that Goldie and Honey were very similar, so were Stardust and this unicorn. The unicorn planted her hooves in the ground, swishing her snow-white tail as she stared up at Stardust.

    â€œYou’re funny,” she said.
    â€œExcuse me?” stammered Stardust.
    â€œDid your horn fall off? You look really silly without it.”
    Pippa tried not to laugh. That was just the sort of thing that Stardust often blurted out without meaning to. But Stardust wasn’t laughing. Hanging her head, she pawed at the ground.
    â€œI don’t look silly, do I?” she whispered to Pippa.
    â€œOf course not,” Pippa replied.
    â€œI’m sorry,” the unicorn said quickly. “My name’s Misty and I’m always putting my hoof in it. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
    But Stardust was too upset to listen and began trotting away.
    â€œCome back,” Pippa said, hurrying after her. “Just because you don’t look exactly like someone else doesn’t mean you’re funny or strange. It’s not nice to tease others about the way they look, whether they’re people, ponies, or unicorns. But I’m sure Misty didn’t mean to be unkind. We all do things without thinking about the consequences. You know, like laughing at someone when she doesn’t sing very well.”
    Stardust started to blush. “I understand,” she said.
    Pippa wrapped her arms around Stardust and gave her a big hug. As she pulled away, she noticed something shining in the branches above her. Pippa squinted at the redwood tree. Was she imagining things or . . . ?

    â€œStardust,” she said, her voice squeaking with excitement, “what do you see up there?”
    Stardust looked up to where Pippa was pointing and gasped. “A horseshoe!”
    â€œIt’s the fifth one,” Pippa said happily.
    The horseshoe was resting on