A Singing Star (4 page)

‘Thank you, Harmony. It’s lovely to see you too.’ Stardust curtsied back and Pippa slid to the ground and curtsied alongside her.

Diva hung her head low, barely looking up to see Pippa and Stardust. She looked terribly upset.

‘Did you hear what happened?’ Stardust asked. ‘Now that Diva’s lost her singing voice there won’t be a royal concert tonight.’

Harmony nodded. ‘Diva’s just told me how Divine stole it.’

‘There won’t be a concert,’ whispered Diva. ‘Not tonight, not ever.’

Harmony smiled. ‘But if you still have your speaking voice, Diva, then you’ll be able to sing.’

‘I can’t.’ Two large tears welled in Diva’s eyes and ran down her face. ‘My speaking voice can’t possibly be anything to do with my singing voice. It’s far too ordinary.’ Her voice dropped to an ashamed whisper. ‘It would be too embarrassing to sing with my normal speaking voice.’

‘It sounds to me that it’s not your singing voice that’s gone,’ said Harmony, ‘but your confidence.’

A memory sparked in Pippa’s head. The thing that had been bugging her earlier, it was something that Mum had shouted to her when she was rehearsing her lines with Miranda. What was it? Suddenly it came to her. ‘You can do it, Diva,’ she said. ‘You just have to practise and you have to believe in yourself.’

Diva stood stiffly with her front hooves crossed. ‘No,’ she said. ‘Unless Divine gives me my voice back I’ll never sing again.’

A loud buzzing sounded overhead and a horsefly flew into the clearing. He hovered just in front of Pippa’s face. ‘What’sss going on?’ he asked. ‘When did the concert get moved?’

‘Zimb!’ cried Pippa in delight. She’d been friends with Zimb since he’d
helped find two of the missing gold horseshoes in the Grasslands. ‘The concert is at Stableside Castle, only it might not go ahead now. Divine has stolen Diva’s singing voice.’

‘That’sss terrible,’ buzzed Zimb, darting around in the air.

Something was puzzling Pippa. ‘Why did you think the concert had been moved?’ she asked.

‘Well,’ said Zimb, ‘I was flying near the coastline when I heard shouting in the Echo Caves, ssso I went inside to sssee if anyone needed help. I sssearched the tunnelsss in the caves until I found Divine with a ssstrange glass bottle around her neck. She was talking to herself about how she’d taken away something more import­ant than Diva’s voice. I knew some­thing wasn’t right so I flew to Ssstable­side Castle to warn Diva, but on my way I sssaw you and Stardust trot into the Cloud Foressst. I think Divine is up to no good.’

‘That’s for certain,’ Pippa said, thinking about what to do next. ‘Where are the Echo Caves?’

‘Not far from here,’ said Stardust.

‘Can we go and get my singing voice back?’ asked Diva.

A look passed between Stardust and Pippa.

‘Of course we can,’ said Pippa.

Stardust lowered herself for Pippa to climb on. ‘We’ll be faster if you ride.’

Pippa jumped on to Stardust’s back.

‘Where are you going?’ asked Zimb.

‘To the Echo Caves,’ said Pippa. ‘To rescue Diva’s singing voice.’

Chapter 4

‘I’ll come too,’ said Harmony. ‘Follow me and I’ll show you a quick way through the Cloud Forest.’

Harmony took off at a gallop, followed by Pippa, Stardust, Diva and Zimb. She knew the Cloud Forest like the back of her hoof and led the group on a twisty route through the tall trees and hidden tunnels in between the vines and bushes.

‘Thanks, Harmony. We’d never have found our way out so quickly,’ Pippa said, blinking as they finally emerged from the forest.

‘I’ll lead from here,’ offered Zimb. He hovered at head height so that everyone could follow him.

Pippa’s heartbeat matched the pounding of Stardust’s hooves as they sped over the rugged ground. ‘Faster,’ she urged, loving the feel of the wind in her face and her hair streaming behind her.

They galloped around the base of the Volcano and finally Zimb slowed down to let everyone catch their breath. As they continued their journey the ground
grew steeper. Soon the ponies’ coats
were speckled with sweat and their sides were heaving again.

‘How much further?’ gasped Stardust.

‘We’re nearly there,’ said Zimb, as they approached the top of a ridge. ‘The cavesss are down there.’

Pippa’s stomach lurched as she looked down at the craggy cliff face and a large, bowl-shaped cove below. She’d mostly overcome her fear of heights but she still didn’t like them.
Be brave
, she told herself. Then she caught a sound on the breeze and her pinched face cleared. ‘I can hear someone laughing,’ she said.

‘It must be Divine!’ exclaimed Diva. ‘Quick – how do we get to the beach?’

‘The path isss there,’ Zimb said, flying towards it. ‘Careful, it’s narrow.’

Zimb wasn’t exaggerating, thought Pippa as Stardust picked her way down the winding cliff path. In some places it was only just wide enough for one hoof at a time. Pippa stared ahead and tried not to think about the sheer drop to the side. She was breathless with relief when Stardust finally stepped on to the soft sand of the beach.

‘The entrance to the cavesss isss over there . . .’ Zimb broke off, staring across the beach in dismay. ‘But the tide is coming in. Unless you can fly like me, you won’t be able to reach it.’

Pippa stared at the massive, dome-shaped cave. It was even larger than the cathedral not far from where she lived. ‘How high does the water come up when the tide’s in?’ she asked.

‘About halfway,’ said Zimb. ‘The tunnelsss flood at high tide. It’sss not sssafe for you to enter without a boat.’

Pippa fell silent as her eyes scanned the beach for driftwood. If they could find enough they could build a raft. But that was a crazy idea. Even with wood how could they make a raft without any tools?

Harmony sighed. ‘There’s no way in,’ she said, wishing that her horn had the power to freeze water like some unicorns could.

‘Maybe there is,’ said Diva. She walked in a circle, kicking up the sand with her hooves. ‘There!’

Triumphantly, Diva reached down and plucked a horn-shaped conch shell from the beach. The shell gleamed in the sunlight. Diva shook the sand from inside it. She lifted it to her lips and blew softly into the end. A long, deep note filled the air. Diva kept blowing until the cove seemed to shake with the mellow sound.

‘Look,’ shouted Stardust.

Sailing around the rocks at the mouth of the cove was an enormous boat with three masts, purple and gold sails and cannons lining the decks. Pippa stared at the top of the tallest mast. It was sporting a small, black triangular sail. Her mouth opened in surprise. ‘Look, a horseshoe and crossbones!’

‘Pirate ponies,’ Diva said, smugly, tossing her head. ‘They’re some of my biggest fans.’

As the boat sailed closer a chunky black and white horse with a cropped mane, wearing a pirate’s hat and a purple eyepatch over his left eye, came and stood at the bows. ‘Aaargh!’ he said. ‘Ahoy there, me hearties. Who did call for the swashbucklin’ pirate ponies?’

‘Pieces of eight, eight pieces,’ shrieked a blue and red parrot, perched on the Captain’s shoulder.

‘Shall I fire the cannon, sir?’ A chestnut pony with a blonde mane and tail muscled her way over to the Captain.

‘Don’t ye be doin’ that,’ said the Captain. ‘If I’m not mistaken, there be me favourite singer, the talented Diva. We were just on our way to your concert, lassie. Has the venue changed then?’

‘The concert is still at Stableside Castle, but there’s been a hitch.’ Pippa quickly explained to the Captain and his pirate crew how Divine had stolen Diva’s voice. ‘So we need to sail into the caves,’ she finished. ‘Please, can you take us there on your ship?’

‘Aye, Captain Rascal and the crew of the good ship
The Jolly Horseshoe
are happy to sail anywhere you ask,’ said Captain Rascal, ‘and all for the price of a song.’

Diva paled. ‘A song?’

‘Aye. “A Pirate’s Life for Me”. It’s me favourite pirate sea shanty.’

‘Oh! I think I know that one. It goes like this –
Yo! It’s a pirate’s life for me
. . .’ Diva trailed off when she realised everyone was looking at her.

‘
Yo!
’ Pippa shouted, enthusiastically. ‘Join in everyone.
It’s a pirate’s life for me
.’