So, Hi all! Let me just say, I'm in love with Spirit Riding Free, and yes, I have watched the movie, and yes, I agree that its not as good, but they are both awesome in their own ways!
Anyway, this is just a little story thats been whirling around in my head, and I thought I'd publish it. Its rated M for the mention of people dying, but thats it, and no, its not the main characters!
Enjoy!
"Yah! Yah! YAH!" The sound of a galloping horse became louder as a horse appeared over a rise, louder, louder, hooves pounding on the ground, faster, faster, egged on by the feel of spurs in his flanks, and the worried tone of his rider. A young girl leant down close over the black stallion's neck, his mane flying in her face, but she wasn't worried about that. She took a quick glance behind her, to see that the six men were still following her, she needed to get more space in between them and her. "Faster, Thunder, Faster!" She squeezed him with her knee's, urging him on.
Thunder felt and heard her cue to go faster, and he began to gallop harder, wheezing for air, ignoring the pain in his lungs as he pounded his hooves into the earth, digging his heels in as they climbed a rocky hill, straining for every stride as he staggered up the loose ground.
The girl pulled her horse to a stop when they were at the top, looking around to see how far behind her pursuers were. She gave a satisfied smile to see that they had dropped a couple miles behind. She knew Thunder needed to rest, her stallion was exhausted. She gave the tired horse a pat as she dismounted, then got out her water bottle and gave her horse a drink. "Feeling better?"
Thunder made a little whiney as he licked up the last drops of water from her hand, then he raised his head, ears pricked, listening for sounds that would warn them of danger. He snorted as he watched the six approaching horsemen, and gave an impatient stamp of his hoof, alerting his owner of their presence.
"I see them, I see them boy." The girl gave him another pat as she put the water bottle back on the saddle, then felt for her horse's pulse. Satisfied that it was almost back to normal, she remounted and wheeled her horse around for the descent. As they slid down the side of the hill, she looked back to see that they had gained on her, and were now coming over the crest of the hill. She looked forwards again, nudging her horse with her spurs into a flat out gallop down into a canyon.
The ground raced underneath her as they thundered on through the canyon, jumping over rocks and fallen trees, the miles getting eaten up by her horse's speed. As they came out of the dry canyon, it opened up into a grassy landscape, and in the distance she could see a town. If she could make it to the town, it could buy her some time….
"And that is how sedimentary rock is made." Kate said as she turned from her chalkboard back to the class. She gave an exasperated sigh as she saw her students, most of them half asleep. She saw Snips raise his hand. "Yes, Snips?"
"When are we going to have some excitement?" He whined as he threw a piece of paper at her. "I'm bored."
"Snips!" Kate yelped as she ducked a ball of flying paper. "Stop!"
"No, this is much better then you taking about dumb rocks." Snips said as he threw another one, this at Abigail, giggling with excitement the whole time, the entire class erupting in an all out riot, paper flying everywhere.
"That's enough kids!" Kate said as Lucky threw a paper ball at her. "Stop." She gave a satisfied smile as the children stopped and looked at her. "I can see you guys need to go burn some energy, so I'll let you guys leave school early today." United, the kids gave a loud cheer. "But." She continued. "You have to clean up this mess first. Come on, it looks like a snowstorm in here." She picked up a paper next to her and tossed it in the basket. "As soon as this room is in order again, you can all go."
Lucky, Abigail and Pru looked at each other and winked. "I can't wait to get out and take Spirit for a ride." Lucky said as she cleared the area around her. "I wonder if Coco's had her foal yet."
"Well, that's the first thing we'll check." Pru replied as she picked up a couple of knocked over chairs. "Last time we checked the herd, it looked like she was getting close to foaling."
"I wonder if it will be as hectic as Governor's birth." Abigail giggled as she remembered Governor birth. "At least we don't have a ball to go to tonight, I couldn't stand the look on your aunts face if I ruined another dress."
Lucky laughed. "The stains did come out." She looked around the room, and gave a satisfied smile as she saw that the room was back in order. "All clean Miss Flores."
Kate made her own inspection of the room, and it passed her standards. "Alright, class dismissed." She went to open the door, when it was flung open and a young girl ran in.
Jenny looked at Miss Flores, then saw to her horror she had run into a school house full of children, but she didn't have time to hid anywhere else, the men where right behind her. She looked at the teacher as she slammed the door shut. "No time to explain, get to the back and get down."
Kate looked at the girl, then turned to the kids, not knowing what was wrong. "Children, up the back, now." She looked back at the girl who was looking out the front window. "What's wrong?"
Jenny didn't look at her as she replied, noting that Thunder had hidden himself behind the school house like she had told him. "Get back, this could get bad."
Kate heard something in the girl's tone that made her scared, and she ran to the back of the school herself, sitting down next to the group of kids.
"What is it, Miss Flores?" Lucky asked as the teacher came over. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know." Kate replied as she pulled over a couple of desks to provide them some cover. "I don't know."
"I'm scared." Snips finally admitted. "I wanted something to happen, but not this."
"Come here." Kate said as she placed her arm out, inviting him for a hug. "We're all going to be fine, nothing is going to happen."
"I hope so." Abigail said as she looked into the room. "My bag full of cookies is still under my chair."
Jenny ignored the chatter in the back of the room as she kept watch at the window, then she saw what she knew was coming. The six men galloped into town, stopping their horses at the school house. Jenny gave a frightened yelp as she ran away from the window, then she took shelter under a desk as the door opened, getting out her pistol. "Leave us alone." She yelled to the men as he came in. "I don't want to have to use this." She saw the men didn't listen to her warning, and she fired three shots at the three figures at the door, dropping them on the ground. "Now get, I don't want to use this again!" She roared as she looked up, then saw the three other men get back on their horses and ride back out of town. "And don't try again!" She waited till she couldn't see them any longer, then she stood up, shaking from fright. She dropped the pistol on the floor as the realization of what she had just done hit her. She'd just killed three men. Without another word, she turned and ran out of the building.
Jim was on his way over to the schoolhouse when he heard the shots. He saw the Marshal run out of his office, and they ran together to the schoolhouse in silence. He stopped as he saw the three men on the ground, then saw Kate with the kids and ran in. "Are you alright?" He took Lucky in his arms, then looked at Kate. "What happened?"
"I'm fine dad." Lucky replied as he let her go. "We're all fine."
"I have no idea." Kate replied as she stood up. "This girl came in, and then these men came, and she shot them."
Marshal Ben Flood walked over to Jim and Kate. "Can anyone explain what happened here?"
"There was this girl." Kate started to explain, then she saw that the girl had disappeared. "She came in, these men followed, and she shot them."
Ben nodded, then lowered his voice as the townspeople began to come into the school to make sure their kids where alright. "Well, there's three men dead at the door, and people are going to ask question's why. Did you get a look at the girl?"
Kate nodded. "She had long brown hair, brown eyes and she looked like she was about 12 years old, and she had weird scar on her arm, I saw it when she ran in."
Ben recognized the description. "I know her, she's been missing for a couple of months. I wonder what brought her here."
"A horse." Abigail remarked as she heard their conversation. "She was riding a big black stallion, bigger then Spirit." She picked up her backpack and opened it. "Ah, my cookies are still fine."
Ben chuckled at Abigail's comment, but it gave him a good lead. "I'll go take care of those three." He motioned with his head in the direction of the men. "I bet that girl would be halfway to California by now, on a stallion like Thunder Storm's Windsong."
Lucky's ears pricked up at the horse's name. "Windsong? The Windsong? The horse that won the first ever Pony Express Double Dash Challegne?"
"The same." Ben replied as he looked at her. "His owner was Thompson Benson, and I'm guessing that girl that was just here was his stable girl Jenny. He was killed when his house was hit by a tornado, and Jenny and the stallion have been missing for months. I wonder what she's doing here."
"Why do you think those men were after her?" Jim asked as he put his arm around Kate. "Do you think they'll come back and harm the town?"
"I don't think so. My guess is they want the horse. He's worth a fortune."
"We have to stop them." Lucky said as she looked at her dad. "That horse isn't theirs."
"How about we let the Marshal deal with it?" Jim said as he looked back at his daughter. "I don't want you getting in danger."
"But dad."
"No buts, we let the Marshal do his job."
"Your father's right Lucky." Ben placed his hand on Lucky's shoulder. "I'm going to go and see if I can find her, now." He looked at Jim. "I might not be back for a couple days, so till I get back, you are now sheriff." He threw him his spare badge. "Make sure I have a town here when I get back." He opened the door and walked out of the now almost empty schoolroom, the men already taken care of by the undertaker and most of children where off with their families.
Jim looked at the badge in his hand, ignoring the looks from Kate and Lucky, a little shocked. "Why me?" He pouted, then as he looked over at Abigail trying to carry her backpack out, he saw the pistol on the floor, and was about to pick it up when Snips beat him to it. "No Snips!"
"What?" Snips asked, not realising the gun was cocked, and he pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed over Jim's head as he ducked, and Snips dropped the gun in surprise. "Whoa."
Jim picked up the pistol before it could do anymore damage. "And that is why you don't play with guns."
"Sorry, Mr. Prescot." Snips apologized, then ran out of the school, making a beeline for Senor Carrots.
"Hmmm." Jim looked at the gun. It had a name engraved on the side, but the initials were M. J. "Interesting…."