Show-Jumping Dreams (2 page)

“Use this disguise. Find your twin sister and return with her safely,” Blaze urged.

“I will!” Comet vowed.

The magic pony’s caramel coat bloomed with violet sparks. Comet snorted as he felt the power building inside him. And the shimmering rainbow mist whooshed into a whirlpool as it drew Comet in . . .

“Go on, Alex! Go for it!” Zoe cried.

With her best friend shouting encouragement, Alexandra Judd gritted her teeth and concentrated hard as she rode toward the final fence. If Pasha soared over this one, too, it would be a clear round.

Her mom and dad were in the crowd watching the horse show. She hoped she could make them proud. It would be great to win a trophy to take home.

Alex sat tall, looked straight ahead, and kept her heels down. Strands of her shoulder-length brown hair blew out from under her riding hat.

“One! Two! Th—” she said under her breath. “Oh!” At the last moment, her chestnut pony seemed to miss a step.

Pasha swung her hind legs sideways, just avoiding banging into the fence. But
with a whinny of pain, the pony sank on to her haunches. Alex only just managed to stay on as Pasha scrambled to her feet and stood with her head hanging down.

Alex gasped with dismay as she realized that something was really wrong.

Dismounting quickly and trying to fight panic, she led her pony away from the course. “Poor girl. Did you hurt yourself?” she said gently. “Come on, take it slow. Let’s get the vet to look at you. She’ll make you feel better.”

As she led the limping pony to one side, her mom and dad were already racing toward her. Alex gave up all pretense of being calm.

“Mom! Dad! Something happened to Pasha!” she wailed.

“All right, honey. You’re doing all the right things.”
Her dad took over. He bent down and swiftly ran his hand down the injured pony’s back leg. Pasha flinched and tremors ran over her chestnut coat. “I hope it’s just a sprain and not a torn ligament.”

A torn ligament was serious. A feeling of dread jolted through Alex as she saw her parents exchanging serious looks. She’d had Pasha for three years and loved her to pieces. She couldn’t bear to think of the plucky little chestnut pony being in pain.

A voice came over the loudspeaker. “Vet to show jumping, please. Right away.”

It seemed like hours before the van arrived and the vet was examining Pasha with her expert eye. Alex stood with her arms around her pony’s warm neck, trying hard not to cry. “Don’t be scared, Pasha.
The vet’s a nice lady. She’s going to help you,” she said gently.

Mrs. Judd put a hand on her daughter’s arm. “Why don’t you go and wait with Zoe, sweetie? She looks worried sick for you over there. We’ll take care of Pasha. I’ll come get you the moment the vet’s finished.”

Alex didn’t want to leave Pasha, but she nodded miserably. She walked over to her best friend who was standing a few feet away with Maxi, her brown-and-white Welsh pony.

Zoe looked close to tears, too. “Poor Pasha. What a terrible thing to happen. Is she going to be okay?” she asked.

“I don’t know. The vet’s still examining her.” Alex gulped, grateful that Zoe was there. They lived a few
miles away from each other up at Denton Moor and had known each other since they were little. They were both crazy about ponies and did everything together.

Alex swallowed, blinking away unshed tears. A horrible thought dawned on her. “Was . . . was it my fault? I’m not as good at jumping as you are. I . . . I might have done something wrong that made Pasha land awkwardly.”

Zoe shook her head. “I don’t think so. Everything looked fine from where I was.”

Alex nodded slowly, hoping that Zoe was right and not just saying that to make her feel better.

The wait was almost unbearable, but eventually the vet was finished. The moment the vet dusted off her hands and rose to her feet, Alex rushed back.

“What’s wrong with Pasha? Her leg’s not broken, is it? She’s not going to have to be . . .” She couldn’t say the awful words.

“No,” the vet said quickly, banishing Alex’s worst fears. “But it’s a bad sprain and she split her heel. Your pony’s going to be out of action for some time while she rests that leg.”

Alex was so relieved that Pasha wasn’t more seriously hurt that it took a few seconds for the news to sink in. “But . . .
she is going to get all better?”

The vet nodded. “There’s no reason why she shouldn’t make a full recovery. I gave her some medicine, so she’ll be more comfortable on the trip home.”

Alex felt faint with relief. She turned and gave Zoe a thumbs-up. Zoe waved back, beaming.

With the vet and her dad helping, they managed to get Pasha safely up the ramp and into their truck. The big horse truck wasn’t new when they got it recently, and there was a dent on one side. Inside, it had room for four ponies and lots of space for equipment.

Once Pasha was tethered in her stall, Alex gave her a handful of oats. “You were so brave,” she crooned, patting her. “Take a nice nap now.”

Back outside, she didn’t know what to do. Zoe was grooming Maxi and her mom was making lunch. Her dad suggested they take a walk around the show’s booths, which sold everything from riding boots to the latest saddle soap.

Alex didn’t really feel like it. Pasha’s injury had cast a shadow over the day for her. “Thanks, but do you mind if I go for a walk by myself instead?” she asked him.

“’Course not, honey. It’ll do you good. Don’t be too long.”

“I won’t.”

She wandered across the truck park. Riders on ponies and horses passed her on their way to and from the show-jumping and dressage enclosures. It was a warm spring day; families were enjoying picnics on the grass as they watched the different competitions.

Alex went through a gateway that led to a small wooded area. Flame-shaped yellow crocuses glowed against the dark soil next to shy violets. One or two people were walking their dogs, but the
place was mostly empty. The rich smells of bark and grass surrounded her.

Alex paused on the shore of a small lake. She noticed a patch of mist hovering above the water. It seemed to be drifting toward her.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of violet sparkles, and a shimmering
cloud filled the entire clearing. Alex saw rainbow droplets glistening on her skin.

“Oh!” She narrowed her eyes, trying to peer through the strange multicolored mist.

As it began to fade, Alex saw that a pony was walking toward her. It was a palomino with a glossy caramel-colored coat, a sandy mane and tail, and bright deep-violet eyes.

“Can you help me, please?” it asked in a velvety neigh.

Alex froze. She stared at the pretty pony in complete astonishment. She must still be feeling so upset about poor Pasha that she was imagining things! Whoever heard of a pony that could talk?

“What are you doing in here? I wonder who you belong to,” she murmured aloud to herself.

The pony lifted its head proudly and
flared its nostrils. “I belong to no one. I am Comet of the Lightning Herd. I have just arrived here from far away.”

Alex’s jaw dropped. “Y-you can talk? B-but how come?”

“All the magical Lightning Horses in my herd can talk,” Comet told her. “What is your name?”

Alex swallowed, still not quite believing that this was happening. She felt like she’d stumbled into a real live fairy tale.