Picture It started with Meredith out in
a field in an ATV and Squirrel the horse looking at her. When they
got back to their barn, Summer was was there writing a note. Summer
finished the note, got on her pony and galloped away. The note warned
that Pongo the appaloosa foal was missing in the Darkwood forest.
Meredith found Squirrel the horse, tacked up and loped out to Darkwood
forest.
In the forest, Meredith heard a strange noise, looked for it and
then saw two girls on a piebald and a dapplegrey pony. One girl
was named Sunshine and her pony's name was Piddles. More girls arrived
on ponies that were chestnut, dun and white. It was the Pony Pals
on Lightning, Acorn and Snow White.
At the sound of frightened whinnies, all the girls rode to where
they thought the sounds were coming from. They found Pongo the foal
stuck in quicksand. The girls and the Pony Pals had some ideas about
how to rescue Pongo but there were no boards nearby. Pam,
Summer and the other girls try to put a halter on Pongo. Pam waded
out in the quicksand and got a halter on him. But scary sounds in
the forest made Pongo shy and the rope broke! Summer had an idea
and reached into her saddlebag....
Pam Crandal writes
...A
folding saw for cutting brush and wood.
"I
know what we can do! Let's put branches all around Pongo and he'll
have something to stand on!" yelled Summer.
Everyone
got off and tied their horses. The thunder was louder now and it
sounded like rain. They all hurried and pretty soon the quicksand
around Pongo was covered with twigs and small branches.
Pongo
was so tired he didn't want to move, even when everybody encouraged
him. He just put his head down on the branches and looked sad.
Meredith
had an idea. She told the Pony Pals "Everybody get on their
ponies! Follow me!"
Lulu, Anna, Meredith, Summer and all other girls got on their ponies
and began to ride away. Lulu even lead Lightning away towards the
road while Pam stayed with Pongo.
"Noooooooooo!"
Pongo neighed as his pony herd began to leave. "Waaaaaaaiiit!"
But
the Acorn, Lightning, Snow White, Squirrel and the other ponies
all went where their riders asked them to. Pongo struggled mightily.
He got one foot out on top of the branches, then another.
"Whinnyyyyyy!!!!"
Pongo screamed as he got another leg up, then finally the fourth
one and he was on top of the branches. The quicksand was still sucking
at him, but the branches gave Pongo enough support so he jumped
out of the swamp!
Pam
grabbed Pongo's halter and clipped another lead on next to the broken
rope.
"He's
out!" Pam yelled and all the other Pony Pals and friends rode
back.
Pongo
looked a little shy. He was so muddy nobody could see any of his
spots, he was hungry and very tired.
Anna
pulled out a bag of Mrs. Pastures horse cookies and gave some to
Pongo, who gobbled them gratefully. When they were gone he nickered
for more.
"I've
got more at the barn," Anna promised. "We have to get
you home."
With
Pam leading Pongo, all the riders began the long trek back to Meredith's
farm to take Pongo home.
____________________________________
