A Special Surprise Read Online Free Page B

when she saw an enormous spider dangling from the ceiling above her. Her heart was thumping so loudly she was sure Divine would hear it. Pippa clutched her hands to her chest to muffle the rapid thud. When they arrived outside Divine’s makeshift laboratory Pippa paused.
    ‘Ready?’ she asked.
    Stardust nodded. Pippa pushed on the handle and the door creaked open. Divine was still hunched over the table. She looked up, startled.
    ‘You!’ she screeched at Pippa and Stardust. ‘Haven’t you interfered enough? This is my castle. Get out!’
    ‘Hello, Divine,’ said Pippa. ‘We’re not leaving until we get the riding school ponies back.’
    ‘They’re mine,’ said Divine, putting a hoof around them. ‘And soon I’ll have more!’
    ‘They’re not yours,’ Pippa stepped forward. ‘You took them from my world.’
    ‘How did you get there? Did you follow me?’ asked Stardust.
    An evil smile spread across Divine’s face. ‘Of course I followed you. Silly little foal. I knew if I waited long enough you’d weaken and need to visit your pet girl.’
    ‘But how could you fly? Cloud would never have given you wings.’
    Divine threw back her head and cackled with laughter. ‘Have you forgotten my ancestors? I’m a direct descendant of Nightingale. She was a genius. I took her scrolls and notebooks from Volcanica. I know all her secrets. I can make flying potions, growing lotions, shrink drinks. Her science and magic make me the most powerful pony on Chevalia! There’s nothing I can’t do now!’
    ‘So you shrank the riding school ponies!’ Pippa stared at the six tiny horses cowering on the table.
    Divine gave a half bow. ‘I saved the riding school ponies. They didn’t want to stay in the human world, performing tricks for silly little girls and boys, so I freed them from their miserable lives. These ponies love me. They are the start of my new empire. I’m going back to the human world to collect more ponies.’
    ‘That’s not true,’ Pippa said, hotly. ‘The ponies love the riding school! Snowdrop’s always pleased to see me. She wouldn’t jump so well if she hated doing it. And Mrs Woods really cares for her ponies.’
    ‘Enough!’ Divine snatched up the satchel and hung it round her neck. With one quick move she flipped the end of the table with her nose. As the table tilted the six tiny riding school ponies slid towards her. Divine opened the satchel wider and caught the helpless ponies as they slid off the end.
    ‘Pippa!’ squeaked Snowdrop in alarm. ‘Help us. We want to go home.’
    Pippa lunged for the satchel. ‘Give me that.’ But Divine reared up, forcing Pippa to jump back.
     

     
    ‘Goodbye, interfering girl, goodbye Princess. Let’s not meet again.’ With an evil cackle Divine sprang through the door.
    ‘Quick,’ shouted Pippa, racing after her. ‘We can’t let her get away.’

Chapter 6
     
    Divine fled along a short corridor and burst through a door at the back of the castle. Once outside she kicked it shut with her back hooves. Pippa stuck her foot in the doorway just in time to stop it from closing.
    ‘Hop on,’ cried Stardust.
    Pippa vaulted on to Stardust’s back and the pony took off. The narrow path climbed steeply up the mountain. Pippa felt a rush of fear and excitement as they hurtled over the rugged ground.
    ‘She’s heading for the ridge,’ shouted Stardust. ‘We’ve got to stop her before she crosses over or we won’t see which path she takes.
    Pippa’s mind whizzed like a blender. There wasn’t enough room to overtake Divine, so how else could they stop her? Soon the path ahead forked. One way led up and the other down. In a low voice Pippa called to Stardust, ‘How can we make Divine choose the path down to the beach?’
    ‘Like this,’ Stardust whispered back. ‘Hey, Pippa,’ she shouted loud enough for Divine to hear this time. ‘Which path do you think Divine will take?’
    ‘Up,’ Pippa yelled back. ‘She’ll definitely go