Puzzle: The Runaway Pony by Belinda Rapley

Phantom. As Blackberry Farm finally appeared through the dusk she was seriously relieved to still have him at the end of the reins.
    “Right, let’s get his box ready,” Mia said, as the other four raced around putting their ponies away, untacking them and rugging them up. Then they quickly cleared all the mucking-out tools and wheelbarrows from the last spare stable, swept it out and laid a deep, fresh straw bed, then filled a haynet and a water bucket.
    Phantom sniffed the stable suspiciously, then rushed in. Finally, exhausted after all their stable chores, the girls got ready to leave the yard.
    “Thanks so much for leading him back, Charlie,” Pixie said, coming over to where Charlie was standing leaning over Phantom’s stable door. “You handled him brilliantly.”
    “Thanks.” Charlie smiled, feeling worn out but strangely captivated by the black horse, who was lingering in the shadows of his box. “I bet he’s awesome to ride.”
    “Terrifying more like,” Rosie chipped in.
    “He terrified me all right, but I’ve never seen anyone else try,” Pixie sighed, “so I’ve got no idea how good he is. I’d love to know, though.”
    She looked up at Charlie. Charlie noticed that the others were staring at her too.
    “Is anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?” Pixie said, starting to smile.
    Charlie looked round. Everyone was nodding and she broke into a grin.
    “Looks like I’d better bring my back protector tomorrow in that case,” Charlie laughed, spooking Phantom, who tossed his head in the depths of his box.

    The next evening, after school, Charlie noticed her fingers were shaking slightly as she tried to do up the buckle of Phantom’s noseband. The black horse was electric beside her, an awesome dark force. He was standing still as she worked around him but she was aware of his sense of power, aware that she didn’t know what he was thinking, as if they were a million miles apart even though she was there, standing next to him. She patted his silken neck and he tossed his head, irritably. She felt butterflies flutter as she opened the stable door and led the tall, commanding black horse out of his stable, feeling nervous about riding for the first time since she could remember.
    As soon as Charlie swung her leg over the saddle it was obvious that Phantom had star quality. He was so much taller than Pirate, his neck stretching out in front of her and his withers narrow in front of the saddle. He immediately walked forward, head up, ears flashing backwards and forwards as he felt his new rider. His stridewas all power but still light, and was enormous compared to Pirate’s choppy pony-sized one.
    “There is no way I’d get on him,” Rosie whispered to Pixie. Alice and Daisy nodded vigorously in agreement as he strode past. “I don’t blame you for being scared!”
    They ran along ahead of Charlie as she lifted one leg in front of the saddle and tightened Phantom’s girth. He started to jog, pulling at the bit anxiously. Pixie held her breath, but Charlie just sat quietly with a long rein while he danced about beneath her on the way to the paddock.
    “Just start off at trot once you get here,” Mrs Millar called from the middle of the ring. “He’s too hot to keep at walk, and we need to get him working.”
    Mia had called Mrs Millar as soon as they’d found Phantom, and again later to ask her to be there while Charlie first rode him. Charlie knew that calling Mrs Millar had been the right thing to do, especially when Phantom started to put hisweight into his haunches and half-rear before she’d even reached the schooling paddock.
    Charlie felt herself tense. She was used to Pirate going up a bit when he was really excited, but this was something else. She swallowed hard, determined not to be scared by him. As Pixie watched Charlie, she gripped Daisy’s arm, almost as nervous as if she were back on top of Phantom herself.
    “Get him moving forward, Charlie, nice soft hands,”