I'll respond to the reviews I got on the Chesterfield chapters at the end of this different story chapter

NOTE: This is in a setting DIFFERENT from the one than in the Chesterfield story; it's in Spirit's homeland, in the Old West.

CHAPTER 1

As Spirit walked to the lake to get a drink, he couldn't help but remember all what had happened to him since he had returned to his homeland.

It'd been a year since he had fought that mountain lion, escaped from those men looking for wild horses to break, got caught by them within a few minutes after, resisted being broken by the Colonel, escaped with the help of Little Creek, met his beautiful mate, Rain, spent time with her in the Native American, and eventually fell in love with her and felt a connection to the Lakota camp, as well as even Little Creek, then him seeing Friend, the bald eagle who raced with him, and found that he was torn between where Rain belonged, and where he belonged, then he had to save Rain, who'd been shot by the Colonel, then thinking she had died, leaving his heart completely empty, but then hearing his homeland's voice telling him to remember who he is, freeing the caught wild horses or Native horses, outrunning the wildfire, Little Creek helping him yet again, running through the canyon with him to escape the Colonel and his soldiers again, then the Colonel finally granting his freedom, finding that Rain was alive after all, having a heart-aching goodbye with his favorite twolegged in the world, returning home, to his herd, his mother, his freedom.

He had fought for not just his freedom, but for all the horse herds', and had succeeded. No wild horse had done such a heroic thing.

But all that's needed is a wild, strong heart and spirit.

That's why Little Creek had given him the Native American name, "Spirit Who Could Not Be Broken".

Even though he knew the right thing to do is let go, Spirit couldn't help but keep remembering his Lakota friend, as while as crying when he did.

Spirit grunted and shook his mane, trying to erase the memories, and stopped at the edge of the lake. He looked around to make sure no predator or danger was near his herd, and put his nose to the water.

He returned back to the herd after a good drink, and halted abruptly when the two yearlings raced by him, whinnying. He shook his head. Those knuckleheads. He approached his mother and she extended her muzzle to rub noses with her son and he did the same, and they nuzzled. He grinned at her then walked through the herd, saying occasional "hellos" or greetings to some of the horses who felt a bit chatterey lately. He reached his red-and-white Paint mare and she smiled her sweet smile at him, her pretty, blue eyes bright… and looking like she had to tell him something?

Spirit tried to mentally shake it from his head. He already had a lot on his mind from the two foals growing up to older yearlings and there being another birth by a mare in his herd, and that mare was his cousin, the light gray one with the dark gray mane and tail and lighter muzzle. Her mother was Honey, the tawny-colored palimino, his aunt, who's gray-and-white- Paint husband died from a cliff fall, trying to save her from a mountain lion. Spirit respected his dead uncle for that, promising he would always do what his uncle did, for all loved ones, do the opposite of what his father did….

"Spirit?" Rain's soft voice interrupted his reminiscing thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Spirit lifted head up, eyes crossed, and looked around, a bit confused. "What, who?"

Rain giggled, amused. "Spirit," she nudged his shoulder gently with her velvety nose. "Wake up, dear. Come back to reality."

Spirit stepped back and shook his head and let out a small groan. He looked at Rain. "I seem to be wandering off into daydream land more than I should lately" He grinned a little.

Rain let out one of her pretty chuckles. "I can't blame you. I've been doing almost the same a bit lately."

Spirit's gaze turned soft and he gave his mate a warm smile, reached forward with his nose, and nuzzled her gently, with her doing the same. He slowly pulled his head back and, after looking into her crystal eyes again, started to graze, planning his border scouting as he did.

Rain's sweet grin turned into a unsure frown and her eyes became troubled as her eyebrows furrowed. She had to tell him something important. She looked to Spirit's lowered head, then to her small hooves, trying to figure out how to break it to him.

Spirit could feel Rain's uneasiness, so he lifted his head and looked at her. "What is it?"

Rain jumped a wee bit, surprised. She looked at Spirit, "Oh, um, well…" She rolled her eyes to the grass, sort of lifting her right forehoof up, looking nervous.

"Rain?"

She looked back to him, only to be alarmed when her eyes met his, making her very uneasy.

Spirit couldn't understand Rain's behavior. What on earth was she trying to say?

Rain lightly clenched her teeth together. "Um, Spirit, I think… um, l-let's go for a walk…" She faced herself to the south.

Spirit was very confused. "Um, sure." He started walking with Rain at his side.

They had walked for three minutes before Spirit finally stopped and asked Rain, who'd been dead silent the whole way, to please tell him what was wrong.

"N-Nothing's wrong, I-I just have to tell you something very, very important…" Rain glanced down.

"Then tell me!" Spirit almost yelled.

Rain shrunk back, bowing her head and looking down.

Spirit didn't mean to frighten her, so he sighed and softly lifted her face up with his nose and looked into her raindrop eyes, his voice tone turning quiet and soft. "Rain, please, my love, tell me." As he looked into her eyes, his brown ones shone with love.

Rain took a shuddering breath and let it out. "Promise you won't get angry?"

"I promise," Spirit very lightly nipped at her creamy-tawny forelock affectionately.

Rain closed her eyes, took in a deeper breath, let it out more slowly, to calm her now racing heart, and fluttered her eyes open and looked into her handsome mate's ones again. "Spirit…"

"Yes?" He could see that she was about to tell him.

"I'm pregnant."

"…"

"Are you sure he's okay?"

"Well, he should be!"

"Well, I certainly, never expected him to faint!"

"What Rain said must've quite alarmed him!"

"I guess it did, or else he wouldn't be on the ground."

"The guy had a right to faint, I would've, too if my old gal told me something a male doesn't like to be heard."

"Oh, shut up!"

"… He doesn't like it?"

"Rain, don't you listen to him!"

"What's wrong with what I said?"

"Just BE QUIET!" Esperanza neighed at that top of her lungs.

Everyone fell silent, too shocked by the normally soft-spoken Esperanza's scream.

Esperanza nudged her son's cheek. "Come on, dear, wake up."

It was true, after Rain announced she was pregnant, Spirit dead fainted.

Esperanza saw that he would have to be revived with the water. She lifted her head up. "Dasher, Nix, bring it over."

A light brown stallion with a darker mane and tail, Dasher, brought the water over with his sibling, Nix, who looked like a reflection of him, except for a small, seemingly glowing white snip, helping him. Then, they dumped it onto Spirit's face.

Spirit squalled and leaped up in alarm, definitely quite revived from his fainting. His mane was a mess from being rumpled and darker than his tail from being wet, and his face and neck were a darker golden than from his coat from being wet as well. Not to mention his eyes were as wide as a Clydesdale's hoof and his pupils were small as large dots and his stance was identical to when a newborn foal would get on its feet for the first time.

The herd laughed in amusement from how silly he looked.

Spirit glared daggers at everyone, snorted, and shook his mane. How shameful he must've looked!

After most of the laughter died down, Rain stepped up to Spirit and nuzzled him lovingly.

Spirit breathed out and looked at her. "I-Is it true? Is it really true?" He looked into her eyes hopefully.

Rain smiled one of her overbearingly sweet smiles. "Yes, Spirit," she answered softly.

Spirit smiled widely, and looked at his herd. "I'm… I'm going to be a father!" He said quietly, processing what it would be like in his mind.

The herd smiled, nodding.

Spirit looked at Rain, then back at his herd. "I'm going to be a father!" He cried, rearing up, and neighed loudly with happiness.

His herd, including Rain, reared up as well and neighed with happiness, too.

Spirit could hardly believe it.

He was going to be a father!