Magic Ponies: A Special Wish Read online

  Sue Bentley’s books for children often include animals, fairies and wildlife. She lives in Northampton and enjoys reading, going to the cinema and watching the birds on the feeders outside her window. She loves horses, which she thinks are all completely magical. One of her favourite books is Black Beauty, which she must have read at least ten times. At school she was always getting told off for daydreaming, but she now knows that she was storing up ideas for when she became a writer. Sue has met and owned many animals, but the wild creatures in her life hold a special place in her heart.

  Sue Bentley

  A Special Wish

  Illustrated by Angela Swan

  To Champion – wonderful and steadfast

  PUFFIN BOOKS

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

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  (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)

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  Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  puffinbooks.com

  First published 2009

  Text copyright © Sue Bentley, 2009

  Illustrations copyright © Angela Swan, 2009

  All rights reserved

  The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted

  Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

  ISBN: 978-0-14-196157-6

  Prologue

  Comet tried to squash a small flutter of hope as he flew back towards his magical island home. ‘Destiny must be home safely by now!’ the young magic pony cried. His twin sister had been lost for so long.

  Spreading his gold-feathered wings, he soared downwards, speeding across the wide sea and galloping over the crests of the waves. Soon, Rainbow Mist Island came into view. Its mountains and forests were almost hidden in softly shimmering, multicoloured clouds that gave the island its name. Comet’s heart lifted. It felt good to be home.

  The magic pony drifted over the shore. Rainbow droplets gleamed like jewels on his cream coat and flowing golden mane and tail. Moments later, he touched down on to the grass of a small clearing.

  Tossing his head, Comet looked about warily at the huge trees that grew all around, their glowing leaves tinkling faintly. He could feel no trace of the dark horses who wanted to steal his magic.

  As the magic pony snorted with satisfaction, there was a movement and an older horse with a wise expression stepped forward.

  ‘Blaze!’ Comet bent his neck in a bow before the leader of the Lightning Herd.

  Blaze’s dark eyes softened with affection. ‘I am pleased to see you again, Comet. But where is Destiny?’ he asked in a deep gentle voice.

  ‘She is not here? Then she is still in danger!’ Comet whinnied sadly.

  Destiny had playfully borrowed the Stone of Power, which protected the Lightning Herd from the dark horses, but the stone was accidentally lost while the twin magic ponies were playing cloud-chase. Comet later found the stone but before he could tell Destiny, she ran away, thinking she was in lots of trouble.

  ‘My sister still thinks she has put the Lightning Herd in danger and cannot forgive herself,’ Comet explained to the older horse. A lump rose in his throat as he realized that his twin sister was still alone and in hiding far from home.

  Blaze shook his wise old head slowly. ‘You must go after her again, my young friend. Find Destiny and tell her that the Stone of Power is safe and bring her home.’

  Comet’s deep violet eyes flashed. He lifted his head. ‘I will leave at once!’

  ‘Wait!’ Blaze ordered. Stamping his foot, he pawed at the grass. A fiery opal, swirling with flashes of rainbow light, appeared. ‘The stone will help you to find her.’

  The magic pony drew closer to the Stone of Power. A tremor passed over his pale silky coat as he peered deeply into the rainbow depths. The stone grew larger and rays of dazzling light spread outwards.

  An image formed in the centre. Comet gasped as he saw Destiny galloping across a green hillside beneath an open blue sky, in a world far away.

  ‘I have to find her!’ he whinnied.

  There was a bright flash of dazzling violet light, and rainbow mist surrounded Comet. The cream-coloured pony, with his flowing golden mane and tail, and gleaming gold-feathered wings, disappeared. In his place there stood an elegant Connemara pony with a dapple-grey coat, a darker grey mane and tail and glowing deep violet eyes.

  ‘There is no time to lose. Go now,’ Blaze urged. ‘Use this disguise. Find your twin sister and return with her safely.’

  ‘I will!’ Comet vowed.

  The dapple-grey pony’s coat ignited with violet sparks. Comet snorted as he felt the power building inside him. The shimmering rainbow mist swirled faster and faster and drew Comet in…

  Chapter

  ONE

  Marcie Locket felt her heart beat faster as she stood at the bottom of her garden, looking over the fence into the adjoining field. There was a big old shed to one side – just perfect for a stable and storeroom. Her new pony was going to love its paddock!

  Marcie beamed as she imagined all the fun she would have looking after a pony of her own. It was going to be brilliant to go out hacking whenever she liked. She might even get her dad to help her put a course of jumps up in the field.

  ‘Marcie! Where are you?’ her mum called impatiently. ‘We need to go. I’ll be waiting for you in the car.’

  ‘Just coming!’ Marcie answered.

  Whirling round, she headed up the garden and into the house. The front door slammed shut behind her as she hurried out to the front drive.

  ‘Sorry, Mum!’ Bouncing into the front seat, Marcie dumped her school bag in the footwell and fastened her seat belt.

  ‘Hmm. I don’t need three guesses to know where you’ve been,’ Mrs Locket said, smiling sideways at her as she waited for a gap in the traffic before pulling out. Marcie smiled back, her eyes glowing with happiness. ‘When’s Dad going to hear about his job promotion?’ she asked. He had promised that Marcie could have her pony once his new job was confirmed.

  ‘I think he should be hearing by the end of the day,’ her mum replied.

  ‘Great! We can start looking at ponies for sale. It’s Friday today, so we’ve got the whole weekend,’ Marcie said excitedly. But then she sighed as she thought about her best friend who had recently moved away. ‘I wish Lara was still here. She had loads of pony magazines. We could have looked through them to help me decide what sort of pony I want.’

  ‘You’re really missing her, aren’t you? It’s a shame she had to move so far away. But you both promised to keep in touch by phone and email
, didn’t you? And Lara can always come to stay in the school holidays,’ Mrs Locket added.

  Marcie knew her mum was right, but at that moment it didn’t make her feel much better.

  It wasn’t going to be the same without her best friend living just around the corner. Marcie and Lara had known each other since they were in Reception class and had always sat together as they moved up the school. They used to spend every weekend together, taking it in turns to ride Lara’s pony, Tramp.

  ‘Lara’s bound to forget all about me,’ Marcie said glumly. ‘She’ll be busy making friends and riding ponies with them.’

  ‘I’m sure she’ll remember her old friends too,’ her mum chided gently. ‘And don’t forget, there’ll be a brand-new reason why Lara will be delighted to come and visit.’

  ‘Oh yeah! My new pony!’ Marcie exclaimed, starting to cheer up a bit again. ‘Lara will want to know everything about it and she’ll be dying to ride it.’

  As they drove through the busy streets, Marcie let her thoughts wander, picturing ponies of every breed and colour imaginable. There were so many gorgeous ones out there. Where would they buy hers from? What was she going to call him or her?

  They reached the school and Mum dropped her at the gates. Marcie gave her a kiss and waved as she drove away.

  Marcie wandered into school in a daze – all she could think about was her new pony!

  When she got to her usual desk by the window, she found Jessica Evans already sitting there. Jessica looked up and smiled as Marcie sat down. ‘Hi, Marcie. Miss told me to sit here. I’m your new desk-buddy!’

  Marcie smiled. ‘Um… hi, Jessica. Fine by me.’ She didn’t mind Jessica at all but no one could ever replace Lara.

  As the rest of the class filed in and took their seats, Jessica began telling Marcie about the new computer game she’d had for her birthday.

  ‘It’s got a brilliant console. I was playing games with my brother all last night and I got a really high score! He was dead jealous. What did you do?’ she asked.

  ‘I put a bits ’n’ bridles poster up in my bedroom. It’s got all the different types, like snaffle bits and flash nosebands,’ Marcie began enthusiastically. ‘I’m getting a pony of my own really soon, so I’m thinking about getting new tack for it…’ She stopped as she noticed a glazed expression settle on Jessica’s face.

  ‘I just don’t get ponies and riding at all,’ Jessica commented. ‘I mean, what’s the big deal about galloping through muddy fields and stuff and getting freezing cold? Then you have to get up early to clean out pongy old messy stables and build muck heaps, don’t you?’

  ‘Well, yes,’ Marcie admitted. ‘But I like the smell of horses and there’s other stuff to do that’s lots of fun. It’s all part of looking after your pony.’

  Jessica widened her eyes incredulously. ‘Fun? I’d rather hang upside down in custard. I’ll stick to my computer games, thanks.’

  ‘Right.’ Marcie didn’t know quite what else to say. A small wave of loneliness washed over her and she realized that she was missing Lara more than ever.

  The rest of the day seemed to drag on forever and Marcie was relieved when the bell went for the end of lessons. The moment Miss Slater dismissed the class she grabbed her school bag and raced outside to meet her mum.

  ‘Did Dad text you?’ she asked eagerly as they drove home.

  Mrs Locket shook her head. ‘There’s no news yet. You’ll have to be patient for once. Although I know that’s not your strong point!’ she said, laughing.

  Marcie grinned. ‘Impatient? Me?!’

  When they got home, Marcie skipped upstairs to change out of her school clothes. She was just doing up her jeans, when she heard the front door. Her dad was home! Dashing out of her room, she shot back down the stairs, two steps at a time.

  ‘Hi, Dad!’ Marcie sang, looking up at him excitedly. She stopped; why did he have such a serious look on his face? Today was a good day for all of them!

  ‘Hello, love.’ Mr Locket hung up his jacket and then ran his fingers through his short brown hair. ‘Where’s your mum?’

  ‘Um… in the kitchen making supper, I think,’ Marcie said, starting to feel that something was wrong.

  She went and stood next to her mum as Dad sat down at the table and began speaking. ‘I’m afraid it’s bad news. We were all called into a meeting late this afternoon, and told that the company’s closing down,’ he explained. ‘I’m going to have to find another job. And to be honest, as things are at the moment, that could take some time.’

  ‘Oh dear. That’s quite a shock.’ Mrs Locket sank on to a kitchen chair next to her husband and took his hand. ‘Well, we’ll manage. We’ll just have to make cutbacks,’ she decided firmly.

  Marcie’s heart sank. Something as expensive as a pony would definitely be one of the cutbacks her mum was talking about. But she bit her lip as she looked at Dad. He seemed pale and tense, although he was trying hard to put on a brave face. She felt really bad for him.

  Marcie went and gave both of her parents a hug. ‘I’m really sorry about your job, Dad. And I can wait a bit longer for my pony.’

  ‘Thanks, love. That’s my grown-up girl.’ Her dad hugged her back and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. ‘And don’t you worry. You mum and I will work this out.’

  Marcie nodded. She could tell that they had lots to talk about. ‘I think I’ll… um… go and sit in the garden… or something,’ she said.

  Her mum nodded absently.

  Marcie went outside and trudged down to the paddock. She sighed as she thought that it could be empty for quite a while. If only Lara was here. Marcie could have gone over to her house for a long comforting talk.

  Suddenly, there was a movement from over near the old shed.

  Marcie’s eyes widened in surprise as a dapple-grey pony with a darker grey mane and tail appeared from behind it and began walking towards her.

  ‘Can you help me, please?’ it asked in a velvety neigh.

  Chapter

  TWO

  ‘Oh!’ Marcie did a double take.

  She swallowed hard as she gazed at the pony in utter astonishment. What was going on? Had her mum and dad bought it as a surprise?

  But how could they have done, when her dad had just lost his job?

  Marcie couldn’t work out why there was a pony in her paddock. And her imagination was obviously working overtime, because she’d just imagined that it had spoken to her!

  As the pony leaned forward, Marcie reached a hand towards it. It had a short elegant head with a slightly dished nose and unusually large eyes. They were a stunning deep violet colour and glowed like amethysts.

  She had never seen or heard of any pony with eyes like that before.

  ‘Hello,’ she breathed softly, letting it snuffle her to get her scent. ‘You’re absolutely gorgeous. You look like a Connemara pony. But however did you get in here?’

  ‘I have just arrived from far away. My name is Comet of the Lightning Herd. What is yours?’ asked the pony.

  Marcie dropped her hand in shock and took two paces backwards. This pony really had just spoken to her. This couldn’t be happening! Talking ponies only existed in fairy tales!

  But the beautiful pony twitched his ears forward and stood looking at her calmly as if waiting for a reply to his question.

  ‘I’m Marcie,’ she gulped when she could speak again. ‘Marcie Locket. I live here with my parents.’

  Comet dipped his head in a bow. ‘I am honoured to meet you, Marcie,’ he said politely.

  ‘Um… me too,’ Marcie blurted out. She recalled something the pony had just said. ‘What’s… the Lightning Herd?’

  ‘We are a family of horses who live on Rainbow Mist Island,’ Comet told her proudly. ‘Our leader is wise and strong. He is called Blaze. A Stone of Power protects our herd from the dark horses who would like to steal our magic.’

  Marcie listened hard, still having trouble taking all this in.

  ‘So why are you
here?’ she asked him.

  Comet gave a soft blow. ‘My twin sister, Destiny, lost the Stone of Power when we were cloud-racing. I found it and it is safe again, but Destiny does not know this. She thought she was in terrible trouble for losing the stone, so she ran away to hide in your world. I have come here to look for her.’

  Marcie’s curiosity seemed to be getting the better of her shock. ‘You and your twin sister were cloud-racing? But how…’

  Comet backed away from the fence. ‘I will show you. Stay there,’ he neighed gently.

  Marcie felt a strange warm tingling sensation flow to the very tips of her fingers as violet sparkles bloomed in Comet’s dapple-grey coat and a veil of shimmering rainbow mist surrounded him.

  The grey pony disappeared and in its place stood a magnificent young cream-coloured pony, with a flowing gold mane and tail. Springing from his shoulders were powerful wings, covered with gleaming golden feathers.

  ‘Oh wow!’ Marcie gasped, absolutely spellbound. The winged pony was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She caught her breath. ‘C-Comet?’

  ‘Yes, Marcie. It is still me,’ Comet said in a deep musical whinny.

  But before she could get used to the sight of Comet in his true form there was a final swirl of glittering rainbow mist and Comet reappeared as a handsome dapple-grey Connemara pony.

  ‘That’s a really cool disguise! Can Destiny use her magic to disguise herself too?’ Marcie asked.

  Comet nodded. ‘But that will not save her from the dark horses if they discover her. She is in danger. I need to find her and take her back to the safety of Rainbow Mist Island. Will you help me, Marcie?’

  Marcie saw that Comet’s deep violet eyes were shadowed by worry for his sister and her heart melted. ‘Of course I will. Oh, just wait until I write to my best friend Lara about you.’