Free Moonlight: Star of the Show by Belinda Rapley

following.
    “Well, if he can’t disguise the talent, he’ll have to disguise the pony !” Mia cried.
    “How will he do that?” Alice asked, getting off the bike with Rosie and collapsing on the grass verge for a proper breather. The others joined her and they became lost in thought as the warm evening sky turned dusky pink.
    “Boot polish?” Charlie finally suggested. “Something like that maybe?”
    “Yuk! Poor Moonlight!” Rosie exclaimed. “So, what are we going to do about it?”
    “We need to come up with a plan to expose Mark at the show, right in front of all the crowds. And Poppy,” Mia said thoughtfully.
    “Only not this evening,” Rosie said with a huge yawn.
    Now they’d worked out the hard part of who had stolen Moonlight and why, the next step would have to wait until they’d all had a good night’s sleep. Wearily, but with a glow of triumph as warm as the sinking sun, they picked up the bikes and started to pedal the rest of the way back to Blackberry Farm.

Chapter Seven
    A S much as Alice enjoyed doing lots of detective work, she was secretly relieved the next morning that she was free to do her own thing for a bit. The Fratton Show was drawing ever closer and she still hadn’t schooled Scout. She’d got up extra early to go to Blackberry Farm. Charlie had said she’d do the same, only she overslept, and leaned out of her bedroom window to tell Alice she’d catch her up.
    Scout was waiting for Alice as always by the paddock fence and whickered softly as she cycled into the yard. The other ponies wandered over to the gate, and Alice slipped on Scout’s and Wish’s headcollars and led them both in before heading back for Pirate and Dancer. After she’d put themin their stables she quickly mixed their small feeds while Dancer kicked her stable door demandingly, the deep whicker getting louder and louder as Rosie appeared sleepily from the farm door and carried over her feed bucket.
    After the ponies had finished eating, Rosie and Alice tied Dancer and Scout up outside their stables in the cool, early morning sun. While Rosie faffed about sorting through her grooming kit, Alice gave Scout a thorough brushing until his dappled grey coat shone. Scout nibbled and pulled at his haynet and every now and again he turned his head, watching Alice with his soft, friendly dark eyes. He stood solidly while she brushed all around his legs, and as she lightly pulled his feathers, he lifted each hoof in turn for her to pick out.
    Then she decided to tidy his mane, backcombing it and gently pulling out the longer strands until it was shorter and all the same length, making it easier to plait. Scout held hishead low, so that she could reach all the way up to his ears, his eyes half closed and his lower lip drooping.
    Once she’d finished and was happy with his neatly hanging mane (apart from the bit by his ears, where she’d got carried away and it was sticking upright), Scout nudged her arm and she found a carrot for him in her pocket. He lifted one front hoof and waved it as she held the carrot out to him. His soft lips hoovered it up, and he crunched noisily and happily while she went to fetch his tack.
    Mia and Charlie had arrived at the yard by then, and they joined Alice and Rosie as they headed to the well-worn track in the small schooling paddock. After they had worked the ponies in, Alice turned Scout towards one of the pairs of faded wooden jump wings with the flaking cross poles that was set up in the middle of the paddock. Scout felt confident and strong in Alice’s hands going into the fence. She softenedher reins as they got to it and he cleared it easily.
    While Mia walked Wish to one side (“I’ll judge your jumping,” she’d announced to the others before turning her face towards the sun and closing her eyes), the rest of them slid off their ponies and mapped out a course as they hauled their collection of rickety poles and barrels about the field, building an upright, spread and