herself dreaming of winning the Cup one day.
“Well, I think it’s pretty clear who’ll take first place,” Mia remarked matter-of-factly, crunching on a carrot stick. “Poppy Brookes. She’s bound towin again. Moonlight’s totally amazing. They’ve won for the last two years in a row and I can’t see anyone beating them.”
“Not even Tallulah Starr?” Rosie asked. “She’s got a whole string of good jumping ponies. She must be one of Poppy’s biggest rivals.”
“The Starr ponies are good,” Mia said, thinking about Tallulah’s team of grey ponies and the entourage of grooms she had to help keep them sparkling. “But they can’t quite match Moonlight over a fence. And Tallulah isn’t anywhere near as skilful as Poppy in the saddle.”
“What about Mark Tickle, then?” Charlie suggested. “He was runner-up to Poppy both times so he’ll be desperate to win this year. You know what he’s like – he’s so competitive, it’s almost unsportsmanlike. I bet he’s sitting in his yard right now trying to come up with a plan to topple her.”
“No,” Mia replied sitting up. “Poppy and Moonlight are in a league of their own. I betyou my favourite pink jodhpurs that Poppy wins again this year, no matter what Mark or Tallulah do.”
“Oh no, she won’t!” Rosie gasped, inhaling a crisp the wrong way by mistake. She started to choke, and in between big gulps of air spluttered, “She can’t!”
“What are you on about?” Charlie asked as she thumped her on the back.
“Look!” she whispered hoarsely, jabbing a greasy finger at a photo in the classifieds at the back of her magazine. “It’s Moonlight! There, in the ‘Missing’ section!”
They all stared in silence, unable to take it in. Up until now it had been as if the ponies in the ‘Missing’ photos were somehow not real. But they knew Moonlight. He was stabled not that far from Blackberry Farm and was a celebrity on the local showjumping circuit.
“Read out the ad,” Mia said as they all leaned in.
Rosie cleared her throat and put on her serious voice: “Piebald showjumping pony stolen from paddock. 14.2 hands high, twelve years, answers to name of Moonlight. Please call Poppy if you have any information.”
They tried to imagine coming into the yard one day and finding that overnight their ponies had mysteriously disappeared, the awfulness of seeing a stable door open and no pony inside. The worst would be not knowing what had happened, or how their ponies were being treated and wondering if they’d ever get to see them again. It was terrifying and impossible. And with the Fratton Show coming up, the timing couldn’t have been worse – Poppy must be shattered.
Rosie suddenly perked up.
“Ooh, I wonder if they’re offering a reward?”
The others all glared at her.
“I was just saying!” she added huffily, turning back to her magazine and flicking the page.
“Well, that’s it then,” Charlie sighed. “Mark willfinally get the first place he’s so desperate for in the Cup.”
“Ooh, ooh, ooh!” Rosie said, her blue eyes wide. “Maybe he stole Moonlight so that he could win. I wonder if I should call Poppy and suggest that. Then I could ask her if there’s a reward going at the same time.”
“Maybe Rosie’s got a point,” Alice said suddenly.
Mia and Charlie looked at her as if she were mad.
“I don’t mean about the reward, or calling Poppy – but her yard isn’t far away,” she explained. “Moonlight might’ve been stolen by someone near here. I know! Why don’t we try to find him? I mean, imagine if it was one of our ponies – I know I’d feel terrible, and I’d want everyone around to be searching for Scout if he went missing.”
Charlie frowned for a second; it sounded like a crazy idea. Then suddenly her eyes lit up as sherealised what looking for Moonlight might involve. “Yes! We’ll get to gallop all over the place, checking every paddock and every stable for possible
“Well, I think it’s pretty clear who’ll take first place,” Mia remarked matter-of-factly, crunching on a carrot stick. “Poppy Brookes. She’s bound towin again. Moonlight’s totally amazing. They’ve won for the last two years in a row and I can’t see anyone beating them.”
“Not even Tallulah Starr?” Rosie asked. “She’s got a whole string of good jumping ponies. She must be one of Poppy’s biggest rivals.”
“The Starr ponies are good,” Mia said, thinking about Tallulah’s team of grey ponies and the entourage of grooms she had to help keep them sparkling. “But they can’t quite match Moonlight over a fence. And Tallulah isn’t anywhere near as skilful as Poppy in the saddle.”
“What about Mark Tickle, then?” Charlie suggested. “He was runner-up to Poppy both times so he’ll be desperate to win this year. You know what he’s like – he’s so competitive, it’s almost unsportsmanlike. I bet he’s sitting in his yard right now trying to come up with a plan to topple her.”
“No,” Mia replied sitting up. “Poppy and Moonlight are in a league of their own. I betyou my favourite pink jodhpurs that Poppy wins again this year, no matter what Mark or Tallulah do.”
“Oh no, she won’t!” Rosie gasped, inhaling a crisp the wrong way by mistake. She started to choke, and in between big gulps of air spluttered, “She can’t!”
“What are you on about?” Charlie asked as she thumped her on the back.
“Look!” she whispered hoarsely, jabbing a greasy finger at a photo in the classifieds at the back of her magazine. “It’s Moonlight! There, in the ‘Missing’ section!”
They all stared in silence, unable to take it in. Up until now it had been as if the ponies in the ‘Missing’ photos were somehow not real. But they knew Moonlight. He was stabled not that far from Blackberry Farm and was a celebrity on the local showjumping circuit.
“Read out the ad,” Mia said as they all leaned in.
Rosie cleared her throat and put on her serious voice: “Piebald showjumping pony stolen from paddock. 14.2 hands high, twelve years, answers to name of Moonlight. Please call Poppy if you have any information.”
They tried to imagine coming into the yard one day and finding that overnight their ponies had mysteriously disappeared, the awfulness of seeing a stable door open and no pony inside. The worst would be not knowing what had happened, or how their ponies were being treated and wondering if they’d ever get to see them again. It was terrifying and impossible. And with the Fratton Show coming up, the timing couldn’t have been worse – Poppy must be shattered.
Rosie suddenly perked up.
“Ooh, I wonder if they’re offering a reward?”
The others all glared at her.
“I was just saying!” she added huffily, turning back to her magazine and flicking the page.
“Well, that’s it then,” Charlie sighed. “Mark willfinally get the first place he’s so desperate for in the Cup.”
“Ooh, ooh, ooh!” Rosie said, her blue eyes wide. “Maybe he stole Moonlight so that he could win. I wonder if I should call Poppy and suggest that. Then I could ask her if there’s a reward going at the same time.”
“Maybe Rosie’s got a point,” Alice said suddenly.
Mia and Charlie looked at her as if she were mad.
“I don’t mean about the reward, or calling Poppy – but her yard isn’t far away,” she explained. “Moonlight might’ve been stolen by someone near here. I know! Why don’t we try to find him? I mean, imagine if it was one of our ponies – I know I’d feel terrible, and I’d want everyone around to be searching for Scout if he went missing.”
Charlie frowned for a second; it sounded like a crazy idea. Then suddenly her eyes lit up as sherealised what looking for Moonlight might involve. “Yes! We’ll get to gallop all over the place, checking every paddock and every stable for possible
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