Show-Jumping Dreams (6 page)

It did the trick. Comet came to his
senses. But he stopped so suddenly that Alex lost her balance. She flew forward right over his head and crashed into the fence.

The fence’s rotten wood collapsed beneath her, breaking her fall. “Oh!” she gasped as the barbed wire tore into her jeans and pain shot through her leg.

Biting her lip, she tore herself free and stumbled to her feet. She limped toward Comet, desperate to make sure he was all right.

The magic pony’s sides were heaving, and he sucked air noisily through his flared nostrils.

“It’s okay. You’re safe,” Alex soothed gently. “It was only a trick of the light from the shadows moving across the hills.”

Gradually, Comet grew calm.

“You risked yourself to save me. Thank you, Alex,” he whickered fondly, lowering his head to gently nudge her arm.

“Anyone would have done the same thing,” she said, cupping his velvety nose.

“No, they would not. You are a very special friend, Alex.”

A soft cloud of his warm hay-scented breath enveloped her, and Alex’s heart swelled with love for her magic pony. She reached up and put her arms around
Comet’s neck. Closing her eyes, she pressed her cheek to his silky warmth. After a few moments of wonderful closeness that she would never forget, she drew back.

“Mom will have lunch ready. We’d better go . . . oh!” She winced. Now that the excitement was over, her injured leg began to throb horribly.

Comet’s eyes widened with concern. “You are hurt! I will help you!”

Alex felt another tingling sensation flowing down to her fingertips as violet sparks bloomed in Comet’s caramel coat and a glittering mist filled with hundreds of tiny stars rose into the air. It floated down and surrounded her leg, where it swirled briefly before sinking into her torn jeans and disappearing.

The sharp pain seemed to melt away
like the morning mist in the fields. As Alex watched, the edges of her ripped jeans drew together and fixed themselves.

“Thanks, Comet! I feel much better now.”

Comet swiveled his ears. “You’re welcome. Climb back on my back, Alex. Let us return.”

Alex did so. Thorn bushes and stone walls sped past, and soon they were approaching the winding lane that led to Scarp Hill Farm. Comet gave an excited neigh as he slowed to a halt. Stretching out his neck, he looked at the ground.

Alex peered over his shoulder to see what he was looking at.

She did a double take.

Stretching ahead of them and curving away out of sight behind a nearby
farmyard was a faint line of softly glowing violet hoofprints.

“What’s that?” Alex asked in wonder.

“It’s Destiny’s trail! She has been here!” Comet told her.

Alex gasped. Did that mean that the magic pony was leaving—right
now—to go after his twin? “Is . . . is she somewhere close?” she asked him anxiously.

“No. This trail is cold. But at least I know that Destiny came this way. When I am closer to her I will sense her presence and hear her hoofbeats.”

“Will I be able to hear them, too?” she asked, starting to relax a bit.

“Yes, if you are riding me or we are close together. But other humans will not be able to hear them.” His glowing eyes grew serious. “I may have to leave suddenly, without saying good-bye, to catch up with Destiny.”

Alex fought against a new feeling of dismay. She didn’t think she would ever be ready to lose her friend. “Once . . . once you find her, you could both stay
here with me, couldn’t you?” she asked hopefully in a wobbly voice.

Comet shook his head. “I am afraid that is not possible. We must return to our family on Rainbow Mist Island. I hope you understand, Alex.”

Alex nodded sadly. She swallowed hard as she tried not to think about Comet leaving and promised herself that she was going to enjoy every single moment spent with him.

“Ta-da! How about that for a water jump?” Alex said with a proud flourish.

She was in the lower field with Zoe and Saffron and their ponies. There was a large muddy puddle at the bottom of a slope. Earlier, her dad had helped her position a row of logs along its shortest side.

“Perfect!” Zoe said, smiling.

Saffron shrugged, unimpressed. “It’s not bad, I suppose.” Her matching helmet, gloves, and designer jacket were the color of limes today, and she held a dainty little riding whip.

Alex felt conscious of her muddy boots, old jeans, and battered body warmer. She was glad that Zoe was dressed in similar practical clothes.

They all lined up at the water jump.

Zoe and Maxi went first. The brown-and-white
pony landed well, picking up his feet as he cantered onto dry grass.

Alex went next: Comet jumped perfectly, leaping over the logs and splashing through the water. He even bucked playfully when he’d finished.

Alex laughed aloud. To herself she murmured,
Find fault with that, if you can, Saffron.

Princess, on the other hand, obviously didn’t want to get wet. As Saffron rode her toward the logs, the gray pony suddenly stopped. Taken by surprise, Saffron almost lost her balance. She only just managed to stay in her saddle as Princess stuck her nose in the air and pranced cheekily around the puddle.

Zoe and Alex laughed at the pony’s antics.

Saffron flushed bright red. “Come on, Princess. Stop misbehaving!” Pressing her lips together, she lined her pony up again.

Princess champed at the bit, threw up her head, and slowed down, about to refuse again. Saffron gave her a light tap on her back with the whip. The gray pony sprang over the log from a standing position and stopped dead in the middle of the puddle.

Alex was helpless with laughter. Princess was really putting on a show today.

Comet whickered, rolling back his lips as if he were laughing, too.

But Saffron was furious. “What’s wrong with you?” she grumbled to her pony. “You’re making me look really stupid!”

“Why don’t you just try talking to her gently while you squeeze her on?” Alex suggested reasonably.

“I know what I’m doing! Dad’s shown me how to deal with a stubborn pony!” Saffron retorted. She hit her pony on the back, but Princess still refused to move.

“I’d like to see how Saffron would
like it if someone hit her!” Alex whispered angrily to Comet. “Maybe someone should grab that whip!”

The magic pony’s deep-violet eyes glowed with purpose.

Alex felt a familiar tingling sensation flow down to her fingertips as Comet opened his mouth and huffed out a large breath, which turned into a tiny violet fireball. It shot invisibly toward Saffron and Princess trailing tiny bright stars. The fireball burst above them, showering them with violet glitter before dissolving harmlessly. Saffron gasped with surprise as the dainty riding whip flew out of her hand, whizzed through the air and landed two feet away.

At the same time, Princess lowered her head and began pawing at the water.
Saffron was still looking at where the whip had landed and didn’t seem to have noticed, but Zoe read the telltale signs.

“Oh no! Princess is going to roll! Watch out, Saffron!” she warned her cousin.

But it was too late. The gray pony sank to her knees as she lowered herself into the puddle.

“Ooh! Er!” Saffron lost her balance. She slipped forward, did an impressive somersault, and landed on her butt. As Princess rolled over, a wave of muddy water sloshed all over Saffron, soaking her from head to toe.

Princess stood up, shook herself, and calmly trotted to dry land.

Alex clapped her hands over her mouth. “Oh my goodness,” she said in a muffled voice, trying without success to stop the
laughter that was bubbling up inside her. “I didn’t expect that to happen.”

Her magical friend blinked at her with surprised long-lashed eyes. “I thought that was what you wanted.”

Zoe dismounted and ran to help her cousin. “Are you okay?”

“Does it look like it?” Saffron burst into tears. “My clothes are ruined! They were a birthday present.” Dripping, she
plodded through the mud and stopped in the field.

Seeing that Saffron was really upset, Alex abruptly stopped laughing. She felt an uncomfortable stirring of guilt.

Comet had only used his magic because she had grumbled to him about Saffron. Alex chewed at her lip, wondering what she could do to set things right.