SURVIVALIST
Um, why did I feel nothing? I know I heard that sickening crack of hoof and bone! thought Spiritstorm. She looked up and saw Redray’s surprised and enraged expression. Spiritstorm saw a petite bay pinto filly. “No!” she screamed and leaped toward her friend. Autumnberry tumbled off Death Rock. She galloped toward her and fell, hoping to grow wings before she hit the ground. 25 winglengths . . . 20 winglengths . . . 10 winglengths . . .
She was two winglengths away from hitting the ground when suddenly, white wings exploded out of Spiritstorm's back. The moon was slowly creeping toward the magical star.
Spiritstorm gripped the air current and pushed down. She rocketed toward Autumnberry and landed, examining the wounds. Autumnberry’s neck was twisted the wrong way. Her legs were bent and broken. She was bleeding from her mouth. “No . . .” Spiritstorm muttered, her lips trembling. “Please, you can’t leave me! I need you! I don’t know what I’ll do if you die!” she sobbed over her friend.
“You can’t save her,” said Echostar with evil delight on her face. Spiritstorm cried. “Get away from the filly!” yelled Redray and his lead captain, Flamefire. They flew down and shoved the mare into the ground. “Spiritstorm, go! Get your immortality and save my daughter, please!” yelled Redray. This was one of the twenty times the stallion had ever said the word ‘please’.
Spiritstorm nodded and wiped her tears. She flew up toward the star that would give her the power of immortality. The moon moved in front of the star, and it glowed. The light from the moon reached Spiritstorm and her wings fell to her sides.
Every steeds’ jaw dropped in awe and terror. The magic shot into Spiritstorm, and she recoiled, slightly scared. Once she finally felt unbothered by death, she flew back to Autumnberry and hovered over her twisted, ruined body. “Get back everyone, I don’t know what I can do with my power yet,” said Spiritstorm, her wings quivering. She got all of her magic and lifted Autumnberry off the ground.
The foal’s legs straightened and cracked into place, one by one. The blood flow stopped, and slowly, her neck twisted back to normal. She slowly opened her eyes and sucked in a breath of air. It took her a few minutes to adjust to the scene, but then she saw Spiritstorm. “You’re alive! Oh, my stars, I thought you were dead!” exclaimed Autumnberry. Redray walked to Spiritstorm and dropped his head in the form of submission.
“I apologize for trying to kill you, I hadn’t thought that you could turn out to be good after Riverlight was born,” he said, and then he dared a glance up. Riverlight was a stallion who had grown up in Shadow Herd. He’d killed his lead stallion and had taken over the herd, and then he founded Spring Herd. He’d fled Drakonia, and now nobody knows where he was.
Spiritstorm was shocked but also thankful for an apology. “Stand up, please,” she said. Redray stood up and glared at her. Spiritstorm reached up her shaking wing and rested it on his shoulder. “It’s alright, don’t worry.” she nickered softly, like a mother to a terrified foal. She glanced around her and saw many steeds backing away, refusing to believe that she was good.
Spiritstorm raised her head a little and set her jaw. “If any of you wish to leave, you can. No one is forcing you to stay here,” she said, raising her voice so that everyone could hear. Many of the steeds, including Fernheart, turned around and cantered away.
Spiritstorm lifted off into the air. “I’ll be right back, everyone,” she said, and then flew in the direction of Fernheart. Fernheart saw her and blasted her out of the sky. Spiritstorm got back up and blasted Fernheart. What neither of them knew was that everyone had followed Spiritstorm. She shielded herself from some attacks with her steel wings, but then the magic failed her.