Spirit Riding Free: Abigail's Diary Read online

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free © 2018 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

  Cover design by Ching Chan.

  Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Little, Brown and Company

  Hachette Book Group

  1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104

  Visit us at LBYR.com

  First Edition: October 2018

  Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  Library of Congress Control Number 2018945404

  ISBNs: 978-0-316-41356-5 (paper over board), 978-0-316-41357-2 (ebook)

  E3-20180822-JV-PC

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Diary Entry

  Chapter 1

  Diary Entry

  Chapter 2

  Diary Entry

  Chapter 3

  Diary Entry

  Chapter 4

  Diary Entry

  Chapter 5

  Diary Entry

  Chapter 6

  Diary Entry

  Chapter 7

  Diary Entry

  A Sneak Peek of Spirit Riding Free: The Adventure Begins

  Diary Entry

  I’ve never had a diary before, but thanks to Lucky and Pru, the best PALs ever, I do now. What a nice present! They said I should write down everything about the Frontier Fillies Jamboree because I am so excited.

  Wait, hang on a hot minute… maybe they got me the diary so I’d stop talking to them about the Jamboree?

  Oh, what am I even thinking? That can’t be! That’s impossible. Pru and Lucky love hearing me talk about the Jamboree and all the things we are going to do there.

  I mean, who wouldn’t want to talk about the Frontier Fillies Jamboree?!

  It’s going to be the best Frontier Fillies event the frontier has ever seen. At the Fillies Jamboree, everyone can earn badges with their horses!

  My brother, Snips, says he’s going with us, but he’s wrong. He says he doesn’t want to be left behind, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Little brothers are not invited, especially not ones like Snips. Only Fillies are invited to the Jamboree.

  It’s gonna be three whole days of fun with other Frontier Fillies herds from all over. We’re going to make friends and eat s’mores and giggle and earn those badges! Lucky is already practicing shooting arrows from Spirit’s back for the Boots and Bows mounted archery badge. She’s really good at it, too, and never misses the target.

  Pru’s gone crazy about the talent show badge, which is called the Saddle Showcase. She’s been practicing some cool tricks with her horse, Chica Linda. Pru’s amazing. I saw her juggling apples while riding Chica Linda over a big jump. She didn’t drop even one apple!

  I can’t wait to earn the Majestic Mare badge. It’s about pretty horses. Of course, all horses are pretty to start, so really, it’s about prettier horses. Sure, some girls will just groom their horses, clean their tack, and make their horses look nice, but my horse, Boomerang, likes to be way spiffier! I have ribbons, bows, and lace to braid into his mane and tail. I haven’t decided what kind of braid would be the best for Boomerang. I can do hunter braids or rosette braids or banded plaits. There are so many choices! This badge was made for Boomerang and me!

  The truth is that while I hope to earn all three of the Jamboree badges, there’s a bigger pie in the sky: a peach pie with extra whipped cream, and maybe some chocolate baked into the crust. Yeah, the Boots and Bows, the Saddle Showcase, and the Majestic Mare badges are great, but I really want the Hungerford Heart.

  I’ve been dreaming about it ever since we heard about the Jamboree. I’ve explained the Heart about a hundred zillion times to Pru and Lucky. I told them about it so many times that they suggested I write it all down in my new diary. Wait, now I’m suspicious again. I mean, how many times is too many times to talk about the one thing I dream about?

  The answer is clear: Too many is never enough! I know that my friends love hearing about the Heart. And I’m happy I get to write about it here, too.

  So here goes:

  The Hungerford Heart is as amazing as it sounds. Ms. Ginger Hungerford—who, by the way, was the one who made us the official Miradero herd—is the founder of the Frontier Fillies. She created the Hungerford Heart award, named in honor of her grandmother, as a gift to the one very special herd that stands out from all the others.

  The entire Jamboree votes for the winner of the Hungerford Heart. So that makes it hard to earn. No one can vote for her own herd, so I gotta figure out how to get the others to vote for us.

  There’s nothing I want more in all the frontier than for the Miradero herd to take home the Hungerford Heart.

  The trophy itself is a metal sculpture, forged in the blacksmith shop where Ms. Hungerford’s father worked. It’s rumored that she forged the metal herself, heating and pounding a long silver bar and then bending it into the shape of a perfectly proportioned heart.

  The statue represents the Heart of the Fillies and sits on a cherrywood base that is said to come from the same tree as President George Washington’s teeth. Engraved in the base are the four noble virtues of the truest Frontier Filly. Ms. Hungerford’s grandmother is said to have been very virtuous and displayed all these best qualities, which is why the award is named for her.

  I have the values memorized:

  Honor

  Compassion

  Valor

  Honesty

  I remember them by HCVH and then thinking of a few of my favorite things: H—Hot dog, C—Cake, V—Vegetables, and H—Hamburger.

  See? Not only is the Heart a list of noble virtues, but if I could eat it, it would also be delicious! And that is just one more reason I think the Miradero herd deserves to take home this year’s Hungerford Heart. I mean, I like cooking, so it all makes sense.

  I’ve studied everything I can about the Heart. The descriptive pages in my guidebook are wrinkled and dotted with oily food stains since I like to read and snack at the same time. It’s great for focusing and absorbing brain nutrients.

  Here’s what I’ve learned: To take home the Hungerford Heart, the Miradero herd must stand out because of our Hot dog, Cake… I mean, Honor, Compassion, Valor, and Honesty.

  We’ve got this. No problem! There’s no herd in all the frontier with more HCVH than Pru and Lucky and me! We are the PALs—Pru, Abigail, and Lucky—the worthiest friends.

  I have no doubt that after three days at the Frontier Fillies Jamboree, we will earn all three Jamboree badges AND prove to everyone that we deserve the Hungerford Heart.

  Did you know the base of the Hungerford Heart is made from the same tree as—”

  “George Washington’s teeth!” Pru and Lucky exclaimed at the same time. They grinned at each other a
s they turned their horses down an overgrown path along the dry riverbed.

  “Oh.” Abigail’s eyebrows knitted together. “I guess I already told you about the teeth.” Her eyes lit up. “But did I tell you about the silver?”

  Pru and Lucky giggled.

  “Did you write all about it in your dairy?” Pru asked, turning her head back to Abigail.

  “That’s why we got it for you,” Lucky said, giving Spirit a friendly pat on the neck as the mustang stepped over some large rocks.

  “A blank page is the perfect place to share all the good information you know,” Pru added. “You know so much about the Frontier Fillies.”

  “I’ve got it right here.” Reaching down along Boomerang’s side, Abigail touched her saddlebag. The diary was tucked inside.

  “I already wrote all about the trophy in the diary.” She thought for a long moment and said, “In a few hours, we’ll be at the Frontier Fillies Jamboree. There will be four other herds there. I bet there are a lot of people who don’t know about the engraving at the base of the Heart!”

  “And you’ll be there to tell them all about it,” Lucky said.

  “Yes, I will,” Abigail said proudly. “I can’t wait!”

  The rest of the ride was quiet and smooth. The girls turned into a canyon and up a steep mountain trail.

  They took two rest breaks on the mountain path to feed and water Chica Linda, Spirit, and Boomerang. Then, at the top of the trail, they made a left at a leafy tree, a right at a cave, another left at a mossy boulder, and finally… the PALs found a spot that looked down on the wide valley where the Frontier Fillies Jamboree was getting underway.

  From this view, they could see the dots of colored camping tents. Some tents were up, already billowing in the wind. Others were just being set up. They could see little shadows of Fillies as they moved around the edges of the tents before popping them up for the night.

  “Wow.” Abigail breathed a long, happy sigh. An open space in the center of the tents caught Abigail’s eye. “Let’s put our tent there. It’s right in the middle, where we can meet all the other Fillies and be friends with everyone.”

  “I like the way you think,” Lucky said, raising her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. “I can’t wait to meet the other girls.”

  Pru was a little more reluctant. “I hope they like us.”

  “Of course they will!” Abigail assured Pru. “And the more friends we make, the more votes we’ll get when we show everyone that we are the most deserving herd.”

  “Yes, we are!” Lucky cheered.

  “Before we get too into meeting people, we better get the horses settled first,” Pru reminded the others. “I bet they’re hungry and tired.” Beyond the tents, there was a temporary riding arena next to a big field. Eight horses were roaming around already, eating the grass in the field. Pru gave Chica Linda a rub on the neck and said, “You’re going to make new friends, too, Chica Linda.”

  Chica Linda whinnied. Boomerang and Spirit picked up the pace, galloping at full speed until they reached the field.

  Once Boomerang and Chica Linda had their saddles removed, Spirit led them into the grazing area.

  “Have fun, Spirit,” Lucky called out.

  “We’ll see you real soon!” Abigail blew Boomerang a kiss.

  “Adiós,” Pru said as she gathered up the camping supplies.

  The spot they’d picked to put their tent was perfect. Abigail couldn’t believe that no one had set up a tent on the wide, flat area.

  While laying out supplies, the PALs said a quick “hi” to the girls on their left, who had put up a sign saying:

  WE’RE PROUD TO BE

  THE FILLIES FROM BATTERSEA

  “We should have made a sign,” Pru said. “What rhymes with Miradero?” She considered it as they rolled out the tent.

  “I got it,” Lucky said. “‘We’re the herd from Miradero! And we’re as sharp as an arrow!’” She laughed so hard at her own rhyme that she snorted.

  “Now I got one,” Pru said, kneeling next to Abigail to hold a tent peg. “Wait… no… it wasn’t anything. All I got was the word sparrow.”

  Abigail said, “It doesn’t rhyme, but maybe we can write: ‘We Hope You’ll Vote for Miradero.’” She added, “I could write, ‘Please, please, please, please’ at the bottom if that’s not too much.”

  “Are you begging for votes?” Suddenly, a tall figure blocked the sun and cast a shadow over where Abigail was about to hammer in Pru’s peg.

  “If it works,” Abigail replied, staying focused on the peg so she didn’t hit Pru’s thumb by accident.

  “Begging never works,” the shadow said. Then it asked, “What are you doing?”

  “Setting up our tent,” Abigail said, raising the hammer.

  “Not here, you aren’t.”

  “Huh?” Abigail lowered the hammer and stood. The girl who faced her wasn’t as tall as her long shadow looked. They were, in fact, about the same height. Where Abigail had short blond hair, this girl had long dark hair, braided back with a bandanna tied around her forehead.

  “Oh. Hi!” Abigail greeted cheerfully. “We’re from Miradero.” She quickly introduced Lucky and Pru. “All together, we’re the PALs.”

  “I’m Jimena,” the girl told them. She tipped her head toward three girls who also had long hair in braids and wore matching bandannas. “We are the Golden Valley herd. This is Ana, Olivia, and Riley.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you!” Abigail put out her hand for a welcome shake, but the girls didn’t step forward. They stayed behind Jimena.

  “You’re in our space,” Jimena said.

  “What?” Abigail didn’t understand. She looked around; there was plenty of room for other tents in this one area.

  “The herd that has the Hungerford Heart gets the center,” Jimena told her. She held out one hand, and Ana set the famous heart-shaped trophy in her palm.

  “Oh, oh, oh…” Abigail gasped. She reached out to touch it, but Jimena pulled back the trophy. Abigail shook that off and said, “Did you know the silver came from Ms. Hungerford’s—”

  “Own town and she forged the metal herself,” Jimena finished.

  “And the wooden base—”

  “Came from the same tree as President Washington’s false teeth,” Jimena said.

  Abigail nodded. “Look, Pru and Lucky!” She pointed to the base. “That’s where the Frontier Fillies’ values are—”

  “Etched.” Jimena tapped her finger against the words as she and Abigail recited them together.

  “Honor. Compassion. Valor. Honesty.”

  Pru and Lucky looked at each other, mouths wide open.

  “Jimena is the Golden Valley’s own Abigail,” Pru said.

  “I’d never have guessed there was another girl in the world like Abigail,” Lucky said. “But here she is.”

  “You’re still in our spot,” Jimena said. “You’re going to have to move your tent.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Pru told her. “We’re almost done here. It’s a lot of work to move everything.”

  Jimena didn’t say anything. She simply held the Heart up toward Abigail.

  “Right, then,” Abigail said, turning to Lucky and Pru. “Pack it up. We’re out of here.”

  “What?” Lucky said. “You’re going to let some girl push us out of our prime camp spot simply because she has a bent piece of metal?”

  Abigail gasped. “Lucky, it’s not bent metal. It’s the Hungerford Heart.”

  Lucky quickly apologized. “Sorry, I know how important that statue is to you. I don’t mean to make fun. I just don’t think we should have to move.” She pointed at an open area near some thick trees. “Golden Valley can have that spot over there. It’s more private, anyway.”

  Abigail looked at the trees and then at Jimena holding the Heart. She looked back at the trees again. “That’s where we’ll go,” she said, starting to roll up the tent on her own.

  Pru and Lucky held back for a mome
nt, then decided they couldn’t let Abigail do all the work.

  “This is so embarrassing,” Pru whispered as they stuffed the tent back into its carry bag.

  “I know,” replied Lucky. “How do we know they were even telling the truth?”

  “Honesty is one of the values that got the Golden Valley their votes.” Abigail spoke softly to make sure that Jimena and the others couldn’t hear them. “There’s no reason to doubt them. If they say that’s a rule, it’s a rule, even if I didn’t know that one. And if the herd that has the Heart gets to pop their tent in the middle of all the others, well, then that’s just one more reason that we gotta get it!”

  Lucky picked up the tent and they started to walk away. “Yes. That’s what we’ll do!”

  “I’m already working on being more valorous,” Pru declared as they reached their new spot near the thick trees. “Whatever that means.”

  “Thanks,” Abigail told her friends. “With you both in my herd, there’s no doubt we will get that trophy.” They set down the tent in their new spot, ready for a fresh start.

  Suddenly, a voice came from the thick trees. “Trophy? Did I hear trophy? I love trophies.”

  Abigail’s eyes went wide. She knew that voice!

  Her brother poked his head out from among the leaves of two grand old trees. Next to him, his donkey, Señor Carrots, poked his head out as well.

  “Oh no!” Abigail groaned at seeing her brother at the Frontier Fillies Jamboree. “Snips! What are you doing here?”

  Diary Entry

  Dear Diary,

  Snips has to go home!

  I am going to admit the truth, but, dear Diary, please don’t tell anyone—the thing is, I was honestly a little embarrassed about the whole “tent set up in the wrong place” thing. I know that it’ll all work out, and that it was a mistake, and it wasn’t a really bad thing, but I’d been hoping for a better start to the Jamboree. Now we have to prove ourselves even more if we want to earn the votes for the Hungerford Heart.

  BUT!

  Snips will ruin everything if he stays. No, seriously… this is a matter of survival.

  Snips says he left a note for Mom and Dad so they won’t worry. Snips says he’ll stay out of the way. Snips says Señor Carrots can stay hidden in the big trees. Snips has a lot of things to say. But I say… Snips is a pest. Snips will get in the way. And Señor Carrots might be hidden, but he’s a noisy donkey and always hungry, too.