Dreams Come True

  Mel turned Shadow towards the jump. His ears pricked up and he quickened his stride.

  ‘He’s going to jump it!’ Lauren whispered to Twilight in delight.

  Shadow got nearer and nearer, his hooves thudding on the grass.

  Then, a metre in front of the jump, he suddenly stopped.

  Other books in the series

  THE MAGIC SPELL

  Linda Chapman

  Illustrated by Biz Hull

  PUFFIN BOOKS

  PUFFIN BOOKS

  Published by the Penguin Group

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

  Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia

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

  www.penguin.com

  First published 2002

  24

  Text copyright © Working Partners Ltd, 2002

  Illustrations copyright © Biz Hull, 2002

  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

  British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  ISBN: 978-0-14-191625-5

  To Iola – dreams really can come true

  One

  ‘It’s almost time, Twilight,’ Lauren Foster whispered to the grey pony beside her. She looked down at the star-shaped flower in her hand. At the tip of each purple petal, a golden spot glowed. The pony stamped one of his front hooves and pushed at her hand impatiently.

  ‘Just a few more minutes,’ Lauren told

  him. She looked up. The sun had almost set. This was the moment she’d been waiting for all day. As the last of the sun disappeared behind the mountains, a bright star shone out overhead.

  A thrill ran through Lauren. Now!

  Gently, she began to crumble the petals of the flower between her fingers. As she did so, she whispered the secret words of the Turning Spell.

  Twilight Star, Twilight Star,

  Twinkling high above so far.

  Shining light, shining bright,

  Will you grant my wish tonight?

  Let my little horse forlorn

  Be at last a unicorn!

  Almost before the last word had left Lauren’s mouth, there was a bright purple flash.

  The patch of grass where Twilight had been standing was empty. Lauren looked up. A snow-white unicorn was cantering in circles in the sky.

  ‘Twilight!’ Lauren exclaimed in delight.

  With a kick of his back legs, Twilight swooped down and landed beside Lauren.

  ‘Hello,’ he said, putting his nose close to hers and blowing out softly. Although Twilight’s words rang out clearly in Lauren’s head, his mouth didn’t move. Lauren remembered what he had told her when she had first turned him into a unicorn the night before – as long as she was touching him, or holding a hair from his mane, she would be able to hear him speaking.

  Lauren hugged him and then looked down at the petals still clutched in her hand. ‘But I didn’t throw them on the ground,’ she said.

  Twilight tossed his flowing silver mane. ‘You don’t need to any more. The moonflower petals are only needed the first time the spell is said. You don’t even need the light of the Twilight Star. From now on, all you need to do is say the magic words.’ He pawed the grass. ‘Come on, Lauren. Let’s go flying.’

  Lauren didn’t need to be asked twice. In a flash, she had scrambled on to his back.

  Twilight plunged upwards and Lauren laughed in delight as the wind whipped through her hair. She held on to Twilight’s long mane.

  ‘I’m getting better at flying,’ Twilight said, cantering in a smooth circle.

  ‘Definitely!’ Lauren agreed.

  The day before, Twilight’s flying had been quite wobbly and she’d been very glad that special unicorn magic had stopped her from falling off! Now she looked down at the fields and woods below.

  ‘Let’s fly over the woods,’ Twilight said. ‘And jump over the treetops.’

  ‘OK,’ Lauren agreed. ‘But I can’t stay out too long in case Mum and Dad start wondering where I am.’

  Twilight turned in the air and headed for the forest that covered the mountains behind Lauren’s house.

  Lauren could see the nearby farms spread out beneath them. One in particular caught her attention – a white clapboard farmhouse with red barns that hugged the mountainside at the edge of the forest. ‘That’s Goose Creek Farm,’ she said. ‘Dad met the man who owns it today. He’s called Mr Cassidy. He’s got a daughter called Mel who’s the same age as me and she’s got a pony. Dad’s arranged for me to go and visit them tomorrow and you’re coming too!’

  ‘Sounds like fun!’ Twilight said.

  Lauren suddenly looked anxious. ‘What if Mel’s pony guesses you’re a unicorn?’ she said. She knew that it was very important no one discovered Twilight’s secret. Lauren had been given the spell to turn Twilight into a unicorn by an old lady called Mrs Fontana, and she had told Lauren that she must never let anyone find out Twilight was a unicorn. It might put him in great danger!

  ‘He’ll know,’ Twilight said, ‘but it’ll be OK. Horses and ponies understand that a unicorn’s secret must be kept.’

  ‘Do all animals know about unicorns?’ Lauren asked curiously.

  Twilight shook his head. ‘Just horses and ponies, though sometimes other animals will sense I’m different.’ He swooped down so that his hooves were skimming the treetops. ‘Now, are you ready to do some jumping?’

  ‘You bet!’ Lauren exclaimed.

  ‘Then here goes!’ Twilight galloped forward through the air and carried her over the top branches of a tall pine tree.

  They leapt from one treetop to the next, giddy with excitement. At the far edge of the forest, Twilight cantered into the air and turned a loop-the-loop. Lauren whooped out loud in delight.

  All too soon, Lauren realized it was time to go back home. ‘If we’re much longer, Mum and Dad might start getting worried,’ she said to Twilight.

  He nodded and they flew back to Granger’s Farm.

  Twilight landed in his paddock. Lauren dismounted and said the Undoing Spell. There was a bright purple flash as Twilight turned from a unicorn into a small, grey pony.

  ‘See you tomorrow,’ Lauren whispered. She gave him a quick hug, then raced back to the house.

  Her dad was in the kitchen. He glanced at the kitchen clock. ‘You’ve been out a long time,’ he commented.

  ‘I was just playing with Twilight,’ Lauren said, her heart pounding.

  To her relief, her dad smiled. ‘I’m glad you’re enjoying having a pony so much,’ he said. ‘Life here in the country sure beats life back in the city, doesn’t it?’

  ‘Totally,’ Lauren agreed happily. It was only a week ago that her family had left their house in the
city to move to Granger’s Farm, so that Mr Foster could follow his dream of becoming a farmer. But already Lauren felt completely at home.

  As Lauren passed her brother’s bedroom, she heard laughter. She pushed the door open. Her brother, Max, was in bed and Buddy, Max’s Bernese mountain dog puppy, was standing on his hind legs with his big white front paws on the covers. His pink tongue was hanging out and he seemed to be trying to lick every inch of Max’s face.

  ‘Honestly, Max, I think he’d get into bed with you if I let him!’ Mrs Foster exclaimed as she pushed the black and tan puppy down. ‘Buddy, you’re a pest,’ she scolded, but she smiled as she spoke.

  Buddy came gambolling over to Lauren. Not managing to stop in time, he skidded into her legs.

  ‘Oof!’ Lauren exclaimed. ‘Buddy! You weigh a ton!’

  ‘You wait till he’s fully grown,’ Mrs Foster said with a laugh. ‘Now you’d better get ready for bed too, honey. You and Dad are expected at the Cassidys’ house at nine-thirty so you’re going to have to be up early to get Twilight fed and groomed in time.’

  Lauren nodded.

  ‘I hope you and Mel Cassidy get along,’ Mrs Foster went on. ‘It would be great for you to have a friend to go riding with.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Lauren agreed. ‘I hope Mel’s nice.’

  As she went to her bedroom, she thought about the next day. Would Mel want to be friends with her? Would she want to be friends with Mel? She hoped so.

  She got her pyjamas out from under her pillow and walked to her bedroom window. She could see the Blue Ridge Mountains towering up behind the house and, best of all, she could see Twilight’s stable and paddock.

  ‘Goodnight, Twilight,’ she whispered, looking at the little pony’s shadowy shape grazing by the gate. ‘I hope tomorrow’s going to be OK.’

  Twilight looked up. Lauren was sure she saw him whicker. Blowing him a kiss, she smiled and closed the curtain.

  Two

  ‘Buddy! Here, boy!’ Max called, crawling under the kitchen table as Lauren ate her cereal the next morning.

  Mr Foster was standing by the door talking to Hank and Joe, the two farmhands who helped look after the Fosters’ herd of dairy cows and the ten pigs. ‘I want to move the calves to the bottom pasture this morning,’ Mr Foster was explaining.

  Mrs Foster was on the phone. ‘Yes, we’re finally getting sorted out,’ she said, one hand pressed to her ear to shut out the noise in the kitchen.

  Lauren got up and put her empty cereal bowl in the dishwasher. ‘I’m going to get Twilight ready,’ she announced.

  The April sun was shining as she stepped outside and the new leaves on the trees looked green and fresh. Lauren breathed in deeply and ran down the path that led from the house to the paddock. Twilight was waiting at the gate. He whinnied when he saw her.

  ‘Hi, fella,’ Lauren said, climbing over

  the gate. ‘I bet you’d like some breakfast.’

  Twilight nuzzled her. Snapping the leadrope on to his head-collar, Lauren led him up to his stable and fetched him some pony nuts in a bucket. As he ate, she looked at her watch. Eight-fifteen. That meant she had an hour to groom him before she and her dad had to leave for the Cassidys’ house.

  Half an hour later, Lauren stepped back to admire her handiwork. Twilight’s scruffy grey coat was looking much cleaner, his hooves gleamed from the hoof oil and his newly washed tail was almost dry.

  ‘You look loads better,’ Lauren declared. He whickered in agreement.

  ‘Buddy! Come back!’

  Hearing her brother’s cry, Lauren looked round. Buddy was galloping down the path towards her, his black ears flopping, his enormous white paws thudding on the grass. Max tore after him.

  ‘Buddy! Careful!’ Lauren gasped, as the puppy headed straight for the bucket of water. Buddy tried to stop but he was too late. He crashed into it, sending the dirty suds flying up into the air.

  Twilight snorted and jumped back to the end of his rope, but the contents of the bucket splashed all over him.

  ‘Buddy!’ Lauren exclaimed. She swung round to Max. He was standing on the path, his hand fixed to his mouth, his blue eyes wide with shock. ‘Max!’ she cried.

  ‘I’m sorry, I’m really sorry,’ Max said. ‘I opened the back door and Buddy just ran off down the path. I couldn’t stop him, Lauren.’

  Lauren sighed. It was no use getting annoyed with Max. It wasn’t his fault that Buddy was so clumsy. ‘It’s OK,’ she said. ‘I guess I’ll just have to groom Twilight again.’

  ‘I’ll help you,’ Max offered.

  Lauren took a towel from the grooming box and handed it to Max. ‘Thanks,’ she said.

  ‘Look at Buddy,’ Max said suddenly.

  Lauren looked at the puppy. He was crawling on his tummy towards Twilight, his ears pricked up, his tail wagging like crazy. ‘Woof!’ he said, jumping back. ‘Woof! Woof!’ He sat up and cocked his head on one side.

  ‘What’s he doing?’ Max said in surprise.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Lauren said with a frown. She tried to move the puppy away, but Buddy just kept staring at Twilight. He seemed fascinated. Lauren felt worried. Could Buddy somehow sense that Twilight wasn’t a normal pony? She got hold of Buddy’s collar again. ‘Here, Max. Maybe you should take him back to the house. Twilight might stand on him by mistake if he gets too close.’

  ‘But what about helping you?’ Max said, looking disappointed.

  ‘I’ll manage,’ Lauren replied quickly. She saw Max’s mouth open as if to argue. ‘We don’t want Buddy to get hurt, do we?’

  ‘No,’ Max said, taking Buddy’s collar.

  As he dragged Buddy back to the house, Lauren bit her lip. If Buddy acted like that in front of her mum and dad, they were bound to get suspicious. She looked at Twilight. He was staring after Buddy, and Lauren was sure he looked concerned.

  At nine-fifteen, Lauren rode out of Granger’s Farm with her father walking beside Twilight. They headed for Goose Creek Farm. It wasn’t far and they were soon walking down the drive towards the house. The back door opened and a tall man with black hair came out on to the veranda.

  ‘Mike!’ he said, coming forward to greet Mr Foster. ‘Hi. And this must be Lauren. Mel can’t wait to meet you. She’s with Shadow at the moment – that’s her pony. Come on, I’ll show you round to the paddock.’

  Lauren rode after him. As they reached the back of the house, she saw a paddock with two jumps set out. A dapple-grey pony was tethered to the paddock fence. A girl with black curly hair was standing beside him, brushing his shiny coat.

  ‘Mel!’ Mr Cassidy called.

  The girl turned. Seeing Lauren, her face lit up with a friendly grin. ‘Hi!’ she called. Throwing her grooming brush down, she jogged over. ‘I’m Mel.’

  ‘I’m Lauren,’ Lauren said rather shyly.

  ‘Your pony’s gorgeous,’ Mel said. ‘What’s he called?’

  ‘Twilight,’ said Lauren, dismounting.

  ‘Twilight.’ Mel frowned thoughtfully, patting him. ‘Did he used to belong to Jade Roberts?’

  ‘That’s right,’ Lauren said in surprise.

  Mel nodded. ‘I thought I recognized him. I go to Pony Club with Jade.’ She smiled at Lauren. ‘My pony’s called Shadow. Do you want to come and meet him?’

  Lauren nodded eagerly.

  ‘We’ll leave you two girls to get to know each other then,’ Mr Cassidy said. ‘We’ll be in the house if you want us.’

  Lauren and Mel nodded. ‘So, how long have you had Shadow?’ Lauren asked, as she led Twilight over to say hello.

  ‘Six months,’ Mel replied. ‘I couldn’t believe it when Mum and Dad bought him for me. I’d wanted a pony for… like forever. I think I was born pony-crazy.’

  ‘Me too!’ Lauren agreed, grinning at her.

  Shadow turned his head to look at Twilight. Lauren held her breath. What if he acted as strangely as Buddy had?

  But, after staring at Twilight for a moment, Shadow simply snorted softly
and stretched out his muzzle to say hello.

  Twilight blew down his nostrils in reply.

  ‘They like each other!’ Mel said. She beamed at Lauren. ‘It’s going to be so cool being neighbours – I can just tell!’

  Happiness welled up inside Lauren.

  ‘I’ll get Shadow tacked up,’ Mel said. ‘Then we can play catch in the paddock.’

  Lauren and Mel had great fun. Shadow was fast and could turn very quickly, but Twilight was also pretty speedy. They chased each other round the paddock, trying to tag each other, and then they had an egg-and-spoon race, a trotting race and a race where they had to canter around poles stuck in the ground in a line. ‘This is loads better than riding on my own!’ Mel said as they finished in a dead heat.

  ‘Shall we jump next?’ Lauren asked, looking at the fences.

  Mel’s face fell. ‘There’s no point,’ she sighed. ‘Shadow doesn’t jump. I took him to a Pony Club mounted meeting last month but he wouldn’t even go near a jump. Watch.’

  She cantered Shadow away from Twilight and turned him towards one of the fences. He slowed to a trot and then to a walk. Mel kicked his sides but it made no difference. He stopped a metre away from the jump.

  ‘He does it every time,’ Mel said, riding back to Lauren. ‘And I don’t know what I’m going to do. There’s another mounted meeting this Saturday and Jade Roberts and her friend Monica were really mean about him when he wouldn’t jump last time.’

  ‘Maybe he’ll follow Twilight over a jump,’ Lauren suggested.

  But even when Twilight jumped, Shadow refused to follow. As soon as Mel turned him towards the fences, he slowed down, his ears back.

  ‘It’s no use,’ Mel sighed. ‘He’s not going to do it.’ She patted Shadow. ‘It doesn’t matter, Shadow,’ she said. ‘I love you whether you can jump or not.’

  Although Mel tried to smile, Lauren could see the sadness in her new friend’s eyes. ‘I’ll try to think of some other way to help,’ Lauren promised. ‘If I come over tomorrow after school, maybe we could try again then.’

  ‘That would be great,’ Mel said, looking more cheerful. ‘Between the two of us we must be able to think of something.’

  They untacked the ponies and turned them out into the paddock to graze. Then Mel showed Lauren around Goose Creek Farm. Just up the track from the barn with Shadow’s stall was an enormous red hay-barn. In it was Mel’s cat, Sparkle. ‘She’s just had two kittens,’ Mel said to Lauren. ‘They’re only three weeks old.’