A Singing Star (3 page)

‘Hello, Aunty Rainbow,’ said Stardust. ‘I was just introducing Pippa to Diva. Remember Pippa, the girl that found the eight missing horseshoes and saved Chevalia?’

‘Yes, yes,’ said Rainbow. She tossed her head impatiently. ‘And we’re all very grateful that you saved the island, but right now I’ve got a
concert
to save. This is Diva’s last rehearsal before the royal performance. It’s important we don’t distract her. I’ve invited the ponarazzi in to take some photographs and I’ve arranged an audience. The ponies from the Mighty Oaks Senior Ponies Stables are here.’ She nodded to the lower tiers of the amphitheatre, where a procession of older ponies were slowly taking their seats. The orchestra pit was also filling up with the musicians and their instruments. They all looked very smart, the boys wearing royal red sashes and the girls in silvery pink.

‘Can we stay and watch?’ asked Stardust.

‘As long as you’re both quiet as a pair of baby seahorses.’ Rainbow turned to Diva. ‘Have you done your warm-up scales?’

Stardust whispered to Pippa. ‘Let’s watch from the wings. I’ve often wanted to help backstage but Mrs Steeplechase says that it’s not a fitting place for a princess.’

Mrs Steeplechase, the royal nanny, was very strict and had old-fashioned ideas about the right way for a Princess Pony to behave. Pippa followed Stardust into the wings and they stood to the side of a huge screen decorated with pictures of Chevalia.

The orchestra finished tuning their instruments. The conductor waved a baton and silence fell in the amphi­theatre. Goosebumps marched along Pippa’s arms, making her shiver with pleasure. She loved the start of a concert or play, just so long as she wasn’t acting in it!

The conductor waved his stick again and the orchestra burst into life. Onstage, Diva took a deep breath, held her head high and began to sing. As her voice rose there was a commotion behind Pippa. A draught of air lifted her hair as someone rushed past her and on to the stage. Pippa gasped. She recognised the cloaked figure gallop­­­­ing towards Diva, who whinnied in fright.

The charging pony was none other than Divine.

A harsh cackle filled the air. There was a loud bang and thick, black smoke curled around Diva’s hooves. She shrieked but her scream was cut short. As the smoke cleared Pippa noticed Divine had a glass bottle hanging around her neck, containing a black liquid that sparkled magically.

‘Thought the show would go on without me, did you?’ Divine’s voice rose to a screech. ‘Well, think again. Diva can’t sing any more. My magic potion has captured her singing voice in this bottle.’ Divine’s hood fell away as she threw back her head and cackled again. She bucked wildly, kicking her back hooves high in the air, and jumped from the stage. Four guards tried to stop her but Divine dived round them, soared over the gate and galloped into the distance.

An eerie silence filled the arena. It was broken by Diva’s sobs. Stardust and Pippa hurried towards the stage but Rainbow got there first. ‘Stuff and nonsense,’ she said, crossly. ‘Start again, Diva, from the beginning. Lights, please.’

A spotlight snapped on, encircling Diva in a bright, white light. Diva opened her mouth then shut it again. Her lip trembled. ‘I can’t,’ she whispered.

‘Rubbish!’ said Rainbow. ‘Hurry up. We don’t have time to waste.’

Diva shook her head. ‘There’s no point,’ she said. ‘I won’t be able to sing. Divine has stolen my voice.’

Rainbow stamped her hoof. ‘The only thing she has stolen is three minutes of precious rehearsal time. Now sing!’

Diva opened her mouth but no sound came out.

‘I can’t,’ she sobbed. ‘My singing voice has gone. I’m just an ordinary pony now.’ Diva reared up dramatically then thundered off the stage.

Chapter 3

Stardust stared at Pippa. Her eyes were bright with alarm. ‘Poor Diva,’ she neighed. ‘We have to help her. Jump on my back, Pippa. We’ll chase after Divine and get Diva’s voice back.’

Pippa hesitated for a moment. Something was bothering her but each time she tried to remember what it was, the thought slipped even deeper into her mind.

‘Pippa, hurry!’ Stardust tossed her head.

‘We ought to go after Diva first,’ Pippa said, slowly. ‘She was very upset.’

‘Oh! I didn’t think about that. Yes, we must.’

Stardust barely waited for Pippa to land on her back before she set off at a gallop away from the Castle.

Pippa leaned forward to call in Stardust’s ear. ‘Where are we going?’

‘To Diva’s stables.’

‘Why would she go there? No one’s at home. They’ll all be on their way here to Stableside for the concert. And Diva seems like the kind of pony who needs an audience.’

‘That’s true,’ Stardust slowed down. ‘Then where would a star go when she’s lost her singing voice?’

Pippa thought about it for a moment. ‘To her unicorn?’ she suggested.

‘Of course!’ shouted Stardust. ‘Pippa MacDonald, you are so clever. I bet she’s gone to find her unicorn twin.’

For every pony on Chevalia there was an identical unicorn friend. The unicorns loved to sing and they had beautiful voices. If anyone could understand how Diva was feeling about losing her voice it would be her magical unicorn friend.

Stardust changed direction and cantered towards the Grasslands. Pippa leaned forward, sinking her hands into Stardust’s long, silky mane. The wind was behind them – it pushed Stardust along and blew Pippa’s curly hair over her face so she could hardly see where they were going. They crossed the Savannah and a while later Stardust slowed to a fast trot. ‘We’re nearly there,’ she whispered.

Pippa sat back. Ahead lay the Cloud Forest, home of the unicorns. Stardust stepped carefully as she entered the mysterious woods, shrouded in mist.

The trees towered over them, making Pippa feel as small as an ant. They hadn’t gone far when Pippa saw something moving ahead of them.

‘There she is,’ Pippa said.

Diva trotted deeper into the forest.

‘Diva, wait,’ called Pippa.

Diva was far ahead and didn’t seem to hear. Stardust hurried on. A low mist swirled around Pippa and Stardust’s legs so it looked like they were floating across a milky white lake. The ancient trees were hung with thick, rope-like vines and Pippa and Stardust had to push together to move them out of their way.

A dragonfly swooped overhead – its electric blue wings beat rapidly and long, red flames of fire shot from its mouth. Stardust stood very still and the dragonfly ignored her and flew on. The ground grew spongier. Water squelched around Stardust’s hooves.

‘Shall I walk?’ offered Pippa, as Star­­­­­dust’s hooves sank deep into the ground.

‘
Shhh
.’ Stardust stopped suddenly. Her ears swivelled forward and began to twitch. ‘Can you hear that?’

Pippa’s lips curled into a smile. ‘Singing,’ she said. ‘It’s so beautiful.’

Stardust walked on towards the sound of the music. She went around the trunk of a huge tree with massive green leaves and waited. They’d reached a clearing and there was Diva, listening to a small unicorn sing.

The unicorn was almost identical to Diva. She had a jet-black coat with a flowing, black mane and tail and a white blaze on her nose. She was much smaller than Diva and had a silver horn in the middle of her forehead.

Her voice was sweeter than a nightingale’s. She stopped singing as Stardust approached and curtsied so low that her long, black mane swept across the forest floor. ‘Princess Stardust, and Pippa, the human girl. What a wonderful surprise. My name is Harmony.’