An Amazing Rescue Read Free Page A

of wild ponies ran past. They raced through the forest, leaping over fallen branches, jumping on top of tree stumps and running up tree trunks to hurl themselves out of trees.
    ‘That looks dangerous,’ gasped Pippa.
    ‘It’s called free-trotting,’ said Stardust. ‘I’ve always wanted to try it but Mrs Steeplechase won’t let me. Look at that! Oh my goodness, they’re never going to jump that ravine!’
     

     
    The trees abruptly gave way to an enormous ravine with steep, craggy sides. Pippa’s stomach fell to her toes as Stardust trotted closer. It was a very long way down and a river roared fiercely at the bottom. Stardust stopped closer to the edge than Pippa would have liked but the free-trotting ponies were speeding up. Pippa covered her face with her hands, only managing to peer at the ponies through a gap in her fingers. There were loud snorts of laughter as, in groups of three, the wild ponies hurled themselves over the edge of the ravine. As the ponies jumped, their tails and manes streamed out like multicoloured flags in the wind.
    Pippa couldn’t breathe when she realised that Cloud and Cinders were jumping with them. Time seemed to freeze as Cloud and Cinders launched themselves across the gaping chasm. There were two loud thuds and thick clods of mud flew through the air. Pippa blinked, and when she looked again Cloud and Cinders were safely on the other side, blowing through their noses and laughing with the wild ponies.
     

     
    ‘Awesome,’ she breathed.
    Stardust danced on her hooves with excitement. ‘That was amazing. Did you see Cloud and Cinders jumping together? I’d love to try that,’ she added longingly.
    ‘I bet they had lots of practice first,’ Pippa said anxiously.
    Stardust giggled. ‘Don’t worry. I’m not about to give it a go. That sort of jump must take ages to perfect. But how did Cloud and Cinders learn to do it?’ Stardust’s eyes twinkled. ‘Unless that’s what Cloud does when she goes off in a sulk. I bet she comes here to practise. No wonder she’s so good – she’s always going off in a huff!’
    Stardust edged even closer to the ravine.
    ‘Hi, Cloud,’ she called. ‘That was amazing.’
    Cloud wheeled round in surprise and her face darkened with anger.
    ‘Stardust!’ she exclaimed. ‘Go away. This is my special place. Anyway, you’re not allowed to play here.’

Chapter 5
     
    Cinders turned back to her friend, her eyes full of suspicion.
    ‘Cloud,’ she groaned, ‘what did you invite them for?’
    ‘I didn’t,’ Cloud snorted, flushed with annoyance. ‘They must have followed me here.’
    ‘We didn’t follow you!’ said Stardust. ‘Well, only a little bit. We came to the Wild Forest to look for the missing horseshoes but we found you instead.’
    Cloud stamped her hoof. ‘Great! And now you’re going to tell on me.’
    ‘No,’ exclaimed Stardust. ‘I’m not a sneak!’
    ‘We saw your free-trotting and it was incredible,’ Pippa said, changing the subject. ‘It must have taken you ages to learn how to do it.’
    ‘Not really,’ replied Cloud. ‘The main thing is confidence. If you’re not scared to try then it’s really quite easy. The wild ponies are brilliant teachers. They’re patient and kind, not like grumpy old Mrs Steeplechase.’
    ‘The wild ponies sound amazing,’ Pippa agreed.
    Cloud’s eyes twinkled. ‘They’re very good friends of mine,’ she said. ‘Not everyone likes them but that’s because they don’t know them. You’ve got to look past the outside – just because a pony is scruffy that doesn’t make them bad. My wild pony friends are caring and generous. And they like me for who I am. They’re not interested in titles – no one cares if I’m a Princess here. This is the only place in Chevalia where I can be my real self. Free-trotting is part of that. It makes me feel alive. It makes me feel like I can fly and I love that.’
    ‘I love flying too,’ said Pippa. She didn’t add that