Penny the Pony Fairy

  Fairies with their pets I see

  and yet no pet has chosen me!

  So I will get some of my own

  to share my perfect frosty home.

  This spell I cast, its aim is clear:

  To bring the magic pets straight here.

  The Pet Fairies soon will see

  their seven pets living with me!

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  A Pony Ride

  Magic in the Meadow

  Hiding the Ponies

  An Icy Escape

  Feathered Friends

  Perfect Pets for Everyone

  Teaser

  Also Available

  Copyright

  “Let’s go, Jet!” Kirsty Tate shook the reins and Jet, the black pony she was riding, set off along the forest trail. She grinned over at her best friend, Rachel Walker, who was sitting on a chestnut mare named Annie. The two girls had come to Bramble Stables for a fun afternoon pony ride. “This is the perfect day for riding,” Kirsty said happily, feeling the warm sun on her face.

  “And the perfect way to end our visit together,” Rachel agreed.

  The girls exchanged a secret smile. Rachel had been staying with Kirsty’s family during school break, and they’d had an exciting time helping the fairies of Fairyland! Jack Frost had stolen all of the Pet Fairies’ magical pets. He was angry because, in Fairyland, pets choose their owners themselves. No pet had ever chosen Jack Frost! In a rage, he had taken the Pet Fairies’ magic pets to his ice castle.

  Luckily, the clever pets had managed to escape. But they then got lost in the human world! Rachel and Kirsty had spent their vacation rescuing the pets before Jack Frost’s sneaky goblins could capture them again. So far, the girls had found six of the seven missing pets.

  “We still need to find Penny the Pony Fairy’s pet pony,” Kirsty said thoughtfully. “I really hope we can rescue her before you have to go home, Rachel.”

  Rachel nodded. “Well, we’re definitely in the right place to spot her,” she said. “This is pony heaven!”

  Bramble Stables was located right on the edge of the beautiful Green Wood Forest.

  As the ponies ambled along the path, the girls could smell the fresh scent of pine trees, and hear birds singing high in the branches.

  One of the stablehands, Jessica, was leading the ride. Behind her rode another little girl and two boys. Kirsty and Rachel were at the back of the group. They guided their ponies next to each other and chatted as they trotted along.

  After a few minutes, the trail took the riders past a large pond with a few white geese bobbing on its surface.

  “Those are snow geese,” Jessica called to the group. “See their black wing tips?”

  Kirsty gazed at the geese as they drifted along on the water. Just then, a sudden movement caught her eye. “Look, there’s a rabbit,” she said, pointing it out as it scuttled behind a bush.

  “Oh, and there’s a squirrel up in that tree!” Rachel added. She showed Kirsty where it was perched on a branch, watching the horses go by with bright eyes.

  Suddenly, Kirsty spotted a flash of green disappearing in the trees. “What’s that?” she murmured, peering through the leaves. But then she gasped. “Oh, Rachel, look,” she whispered. “It’s a goblin!”

  Rachel could see one of Jack Frost’s goblins peeking out from behind a tree. Then she noticed that there was another one sitting high up on a branch!

  “If the goblins are here, they must think Penny’s magic pony is nearby,” Rachel said. A determined look crossed her face. “And if she is, we have to find her before they do!”

  Kirsty nodded, and the girls rode on. Both kept a close lookout for more goblins and the magic pony.

  Suddenly, a few loud bangs that sounded like fireworks echoed through the air. The ponies at the front of the group neighed in fear and reared up. Jessica controlled her horse expertly, but the riders behind her panicked as their ponies bolted. They didn’t know what to do!

  Kirsty’s pony, Jet, whinnied nervously and broke into a gallop. Rachel’s pony, Annie, followed close behind.

  “Stay calm!” Jessica shouted to the group. “And hold on tight!”

  Rachel and Kirsty clung onto the reins as their ponies galloped along the path. “Do you think the goblins caused that noise?” Rachel called over to Kirsty.

  “I don’t know,” Kirsty called back, “but whatever it was, these ponies are really spooked!”

  The ponies thundered on, and the girls could see that the trail forked up ahead. The ponies in front of them swerved down the right-hand trail without breaking their stride. Just as Jet and Annie approached the fork, two goblins suddenly popped out from behind some bushes. They set off two more loud bangs!

  The noise scared Jet and Annie. The two ponies bolted down the left-hand trail.

  “Oh no!” Kirsty cried. “Now we’re going in the wrong direction!”

  Rachel did everything she could think of to soothe her frightened pony. “It’s all right, Annie,” she said. “Don’t worry!”

  She was trying to sound calm, but she couldn’t help feeling scared. The ponies were racing along at breakneck speed now, and Rachel had to concentrate hard to keep her balance in the saddle.

  Don’t panic! she told herself, sitting down into the saddle and pulling back steadily on the reins. She glanced over at Kirsty to see her friend doing the same thing. At last, both of the ponies slowed down. Moments later, both girls brought their ponies to a complete stop in a clearing.

  “Phew!” Kirsty gasped shakily, sliding off Jet’s back. “That was exciting.”

  “But scary, too,” Rachel confessed, slipping down from Annie’s back and giving her a reassuring pat. “Good girl, Annie.”

  Kirsty gazed around the pretty green meadow. “I wonder where we are. Do you think the ponies will know the way back to the stables?”

  But Rachel was only half-listening. Out of the corner of her eye, she’d spotted something glittering on the other side of the clearing. It looked like fairy magic! “Kirsty, look!” she said, pointing, but the glitter vanished before she could say anything else.

  Rachel rubbed her eyes and stared hard, but everything looked perfectly normal now. “I’m sure I saw something magical,” she told Kirsty, quickly tying Annie’s reins to a nearby tree. “Let’s take a closer look.”

  Kirsty tethered Jet next to Annie and followed her friend. Both girls began searching around the meadow.

  Then it was Kirsty’s turn to spot something — a glimmer of fairy dust near some rocks!

  “Rachel, over here!” she called, crouching down to see where the fairy dust was coming from. And then she smiled. “Oh, Rachel!” she whispered. “Come and see. She’s so sweet!”

  Rachel knelt down next to Kirsty and smiled, too. There, shyly poking her head out from underneath a dandelion, was a tiny, white, sparkling pony. “This must be Penny’s magic pony!” Rachel breathed. “She’s really cute!”

  “Hello, little pony,” Kirsty said in a soft voice, stroking the pony’s tiny nose gently with one finger. “Can you help us, please? Our ponies were scared by Jack Frost’s goblins. They ran and ran, and we got separated from our group. Now we’re lost!”

  The magic pony gave a tiny whinny, as if she understood exactly what Kirsty had said. She trotted toward Jet and Annie. Then, in a flash of fairy magic, she became a full-sized pony with the brightest, whitest coat the girls had ever seen. The pony touched noses with Jet and Annie. A stream of silvery fairy dust swirled around all three ponies. Jet a
nd Annie seemed to calm down at once.

  Rachel grinned at Kirsty. “Fairy pet magic to the rescue again!” she said happily.

  The magic pony whinnied a second time and nodded her head toward a path that led out of the clearing. She trotted that way, then turned back and whinnied again.

  “She’s showing us the way out,” Kirsty guessed. “Come on, Jet.” She untied Jet from the tree, took his reins and patted his glossy black coat. “Are you all right now, boy? Is it OK if I climb up onto your back again?”

  Jet nuzzled Kirsty’s shoulder and nickered softly. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Kirsty said, putting her foot into the stirrup.

  But before she could pull herself up into the saddle, Rachel grabbed Kirsty’s arm.

  “I can hear voices!” Rachel whispered.

  Kirsty stood still, listening. “You’re right. Someone’s coming,” she hissed. “It’s the goblins! Quick — hide!”

  Rachel looked around quickly. “Where?” She gulped. The clearing was surrounded by trees, but none of them were big enough to hide the girls and all three ponies.

  Before Kirsty could reply, both girls heard a voice behind them exclaim, “Glitter! You’re safe!”

  Kirsty and Rachel turned around quickly to see a squirrel scampering down a nearby tree. Penny the Pony Fairy rode on his back! The little fairy fluttered off the squirrel’s back and thanked him politely. Then she happily flew over to her pony.

  Penny had long, golden hair that tumbled past her shoulders. She wore purple knee-high boots, jeans, and a pretty purple-and-white shirt.

  “Thank you for finding Glitter!” Penny cried happily, landing on her pony’s nose and kissing her.

  “Hello, Penny,” Kirsty said in a low voice. “Unfortunately, the goblins will find her, too, if we don’t get out of here quickly. They’re coming this way!”

  “And there’s nowhere to hide!” Rachel added. She glanced over her shoulder. The goblins’ voices were getting louder. Rachel was sure she could hear their footsteps now. They were sure to spot Glitter at any moment!

  Penny quickly waved her wand over the nearest tree, a tall oak. As the silvery fairy dust from Penny’s wand swirled around it, the oak became a weeping willow, with long, leafy branches.

  “Perfect!” Kirsty grinned, quickly leading Jet under the willow tree. “It’s a great hiding place!”

  Rachel led Annie under the tree, too, and Glitter and Penny followed — just in time. The girls held their breath as they heard the goblins coming closer and closer.

  “We scared them good with our party poppers!” one goblin boasted.

  “That magic pony is sure to come now,” another one jeered. “Don’t those magic pets always come to help frightened animals in the human world?”

  “Well, let’s hope it gets here soon,” a third goblin said. “This is our last chance to get a pet for Jack Frost. If it goes wrong again, we’re all going to be in big trouble!”

  Very carefully, Kirsty peeked through the willow branches. She could see that some of the goblins were holding party poppers. One goblin even had colorful paper streamers dangling over his big green ears!

  “I can’t wait to get my hands on that pony,” the first goblin said, grinning.

  “It doesn’t stand a chance with all seven of us after it!” another goblin chuckled.

  Then the goblins started arguing loudly about which of them would get to ride the magic pony first. Kirsty, Rachel, and Penny exchanged worried glances.

  “We have to get Glitter away from here,” Rachel whispered to Penny. “Maybe now would be a good time, while they’re all arguing?”

  Penny nodded. “If you and Kirsty ride Jet and Annie, I’ll ask Glitter to lead us back to the trail,” she said in a tiny fairy whisper.

  Kirsty and Rachel quietly swung themselves back into their saddles. Penny fluttered up to one of Glitter’s ears and whispered into it. Glitter nodded, and when they were all ready to go, she stepped silently out from under the willow tree and away from where the goblins were arguing.

  Rachel held her breath as Annie pushed her nose through the willow fronds. She edged out of their hiding place, and Jet followed. The ponies were silent. They seemed to know instinctively that they had to be quiet to protect Glitter.

  But then, just as Kirsty was thinking that they might escape, Jet stepped on a dry twig. It snapped with a loud crack!

  “What was that?” shouted one of the goblins. “Is somebody there?”

  All the goblins turned toward the girls. “Oh! The magic pony — it’s right here!” cheered a goblin, hopping from one foot to the other in glee.

  “Run, Glitter!” Penny urged. Glitter broke into a gallop and fled from the goblins. Jet and Annie followed close behind, with Kristy and Rachel on their backs.

  “After them!” bellowed the goblins, charging toward the ponies.

  “Come on, Jet!” Kirsty said, crouching low over his neck as he and Annie raced after Glitter. The trees were a blur as the ponies galloped through the forest. Then they were on the trail! Kirsty felt her spirits rise. There was no way the goblins would be able to keep up with the ponies at this pace.

  “We lost them!” Rachel cheered after a few minutes. “Great job, Annie. We did it!”

  “We must be near the end of the trail by now,” Kirsty said, as the ponies slowed to a trot again. “Maybe we’ll come out near the stable yard soon.”

  “Can you imagine Jessica’s face if we rode back in there with Glitter and a bunch of goblins?” Rachel laughed.

  Kirsty was about to laugh, too, but then she looked up ahead. There, blocking the path — and looking furious — was Jack Frost himself!

  Kirsty gasped as Jet reared up. Annie neighed in fear and backed away.

  Jack Frost just gave a horrible cackle and chanted a spell. A rope of ice snaked through the air and looped itself around Glitter’s neck.

  Jack Frost laughed triumphantly and pulled the pony toward him. “Now you’ll be my pet!” he declared.

  “No!” cried Penny, waving her wand desperately. A stream of silvery fairy dust whirled all around Glitter. Kirsty and Rachel watched hopefully. But Jack Frost’s magic was too powerful for Penny, and her fairy dust fizzled out uselessly around Glitter’s hooves.

  “Oh, yes,” smirked Jack Frost, as he leaped onto Glitter’s back. “Your new name is Icicle,” he told the little pony. “And you’re all mine now. Let’s go!”

  The girls stared in horror as Jack Frost rode away on poor Glitter’s back.

  “Penny, why don’t you ride in my pocket?” Kirsty suggested. “Come on, Rachel, we have to try and catch up with Glitter!”

  The little fairy dove gratefully into Kirsty’s shirt pocket. Kirsty could feel her there, quivering with fear, as the ponies galloped after their new friend.

  To Rachel’s surprise, they seemed to be catching up to Glitter faster than she’d expected. “I think Glitter’s trying to hang back,” she said to Kirsty. “I’m sure she’s not galloping as fast as she can!”

  Penny had a smile on her face as she peeked out of Kirsty’s pocket. “You’re right,” she told Rachel. “Clever Glitter — she wants us to catch up with her!”

  Jack Frost rode past the sign that pointed back to the stables and headed off down the trail. By now the girls’ ponies were closing in on him. Jack Frost was just about to ride past the pond when he glanced over his shoulder, and saw the girls right on his tail.

  Narrowing his eyes, he grabbed his wand and shouted a spell. The pond froze over, and Jack Frost guided Glitter toward the ice. “Come on, Icicle!” he urged. “Faster!”

  Glitter took a few tentative steps across the ice. Then, with a wicked smile, Jack Frost leaned back and waved his wand over the icy stretch she’d just passed. Instantly, that part of the ice melted back to water.

 
“He’s making it impossible for us to follow him across the pond!” Kirsty realized. “We’ll have to go around, instead.”

  “But we can’t,” Rachel said. “There’s no path. We’ll have to —” She broke off suddenly as a flock of snow geese flew overhead. They swooped down toward the far side of the pond.

  The girls and Penny watched as the biggest snow goose landed first, not far from Jack Frost and Glitter. The goose pecked at the ice, looking confused, and then gave an annoyed honk. The other geese honked, too, as they realized their pond was frozen.

  As soon as she heard the honking, Glitter pricked her ears up. She refused to go any closer to the noisy geese. Jack Frost climbed down and tried to pull her along the ice with his rope, but the little pony stood her ground. She wouldn’t take another step.

  “Good job, geese! They stopped Jack Frost in his tracks,” Rachel said. Then a thought struck her. “And I have a great idea!”

  “Maybe if Penny turns us into fairies, Kirsty, we could all fly over to the geese,” Rachel said, her words tumbling out in excitement. “And maybe they can help us rescue Glitter!”

  “Great idea!” Penny said.

  Rachel and Kirsty quickly tethered their ponies to a nearby tree. Penny waved her wand again and used her magic to change them both into fairies. “And here’s some extra fairy magic, so that the geese will understand what you’re saying,” she said, sprinkling more fairy dust over the girls.

  The geese were still making a lot of noise as the three friends flew toward them.

  “He did this!” Rachel called out to them, pointing at Jack Frost. “He froze your pond!”