An Amazing Rescue by Chloe Ryder Page A

seahorses, tell me that you’ve found five of the missing horseshoes.’
    Shame and failure washed over Pippa. She felt she didn’t deserve to be congratulated.
    ‘But there are still three missing,’ she exclaimed.
    ‘It’s not Midsummer Day yet,’ Peggy said calmly. ‘Maybe I can help you find another horseshoe. Come here, child, and I’ll take you on a tour of the island.’
    Pippa quickly dressed in the jodhpurs and horseshoe-patterned top that had appeared overnight especially for her, laid out neatly on a chair.
     

     
    Peggy hovered alongside the window, her feathery wings outstretched like a glider. Reluctantly, Pippa moved closer. Surely Peggy didn’t expect her to climb out of the window and on to her back? Pippa recoiled at the thought.
    ‘I can’t,’ she squeaked. ‘Stardust is still asleep. What if she wakes and finds me gone?’
    ‘Stardust will be asleep for ages yet. If you’re scared of falling then don’t be. I won’t let you fall off.’
    Pippa’s chest tightened. Scared didn’t even come close to how she felt. She was terrified of heights, even though she’d been learning to overcome her fear.
    ‘Come,’ Peggy said, her eyes gently encouraging Pippa.
    Pippa wavered – it was hard not to trust Peggy. Fixing her gaze on the flying horse’s silver chest, she edged closer to the window.
    ‘Don’t look down,’ Peggy whispered.
    Pippa concentrated on Peggy’s wide back, which was as comfy-looking as a sofa. Reaching out of the window, she took a handful of mane.
    ‘I can do this,’ she said firmly.
    Her hands trembled like feathers in the wind as she climbed out on to the turret’s window sill. Her thudding heart made it almost impossible to breathe. Pippa paused to fill her lungs with the chill dawn air. Then, with her eyes still on Peggy’s back, she steeled herself for her next move.
    ‘One, two, three,’ she whispered.
    Quickly, before she could change her mind, Pippa scrambled on to Peggy’s back. Once on it, she was too frozen with fear to move. Peggy turned her head to nudge Pippa’s foot with her nose.
    ‘Well done,’ she neighed. ‘Now hold on tight.’
    A warm feeling spread upward from Peggy’s touch, filling Pippa with confidence. She could do this!
    The sun was slowly rising behind them, bleeding red and gold across the dark sky, as Peggy soared up and over the Plateau. Pippa’s confidence gradually grew, until she was brave enough to look down. The island, surrounded by shimmering sea, was bathed in the soft gold glow of dawn. Even the dark Volcano was wrapped in a golden light that hung like a huge scarf around its craggy shoulders. Pippa searched for the peak of the Volcano but the wooded slopes disappeared into a summit of swirling mist. It was so beautiful that it made her heart sing.
    ‘How could anyone want this to disappear?’ Pippa knew that she would do anything to save Chevalia.
    Peggy skimmed over the treetops as she carefully swooped over the island. Pippa strained her eyes for the slightest flash of gold that could signal the missing horseshoes. As Peggy completed her first loop of the island, she climbed higher then hovered over the Plateau. Far below the tiny ponies, opening up their shops on Mane Street, reminded Pippa of the plastic ones in her brother’s toy farmyard.
    ‘Pippa.’ Peggy’s voice was low and urgent, and it cut into her thoughts. ‘I want to ask you something. Take your time before you answer me. Would you like to go home, to the human world?’
    A wave of homesickness washed over Pippa. When she stopped to think about it, she missed her family and home a great deal, even though they weren’t missing her since Chevalia existed in a time bubble. Pippa could stay for as long as she liked while no time passed in her own world.
    ‘I can’t leave now,’ she said.
    ‘It would be safer if you did. We might not find the remaining horseshoes and I can’t guarantee your safety.’
    Pippa felt as if her heart was being