The Guardian Herd by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

spread his wings andglided through the narrow, hot canyons. The air in front of him rippled, and his sweat dried instantly as the sun scorched his back. “There’s no one left,” he whinnied to Frostfire.
    The white stallion cruised beside him, trying to comfort him. “We’ll find them, Star.”
    Star leaked tears, and a trail of white flowers sprouted up through the dry, solid ground. Frostfire stared at them, almost crashing into Star. “That’s incredible.”
    Star shook his head. “Not really.” He could grow flowers and heal wounds, but what use was that against Nightwing?
    â€œCome on,” said Frostfire, trying to distract Star. “I think it’s time I washed these ashes out of my hide.” He veered left, and Star followed, soaring over the flat desert at top speed. Soon they were descending into another, much smaller canyon. Star drifted over the ridge and sucked in his breath at the sight below his hooves. After miles and miles of flat, brown terrain, the river ahead was an oasis of lush, green foliage and clear, rushing water.
    The stallions landed on the shore.
    â€œThis is the Tail River,” said Frostfire. “It travels from the Black Lake through the Wastelands, and then dumps into the Sea of Rain.”
    â€œDo crocodiles live here?” Star asked, thinking of the jungle.
    Frostfire nickered. “No, this water is safe.”
    The two plunged into the cool, wide river that ran through the divide. Star heard the distant roar of a waterfall and inhaled the comforting scent of damp soil that drifted from the shore. He ducked under the surface and swam with his eyes open. Large trout flitted past him, unafraid. He dived to the bottom, and then he cruised just over the small pebbles and plants on the river floor, swimming upstream so as not to end up tumbling down the waterfall.
    Over his head, Frostfire kicked his hooves, paddling against the current. Star glided underwater, remembering his daily swims in Crabwing’s Bay when he was a weanling, and then he popped up next to Frostfire, speaking the thoughts that had been on his mind for days. “What will I do when we find Nightwing? My shield and invisibility might help me survive him, but they won’t help me defeat him.”
    Frostfire floated on the surface with his wings tucked high on his back, like a swan. Star lifted his wings and folded them in the same fashion. They mirrored each other, he and Frostfire, but they were opposites—oneshimmering white and the other shining black.
    â€œMaybe you should focus on who you are and not who he is,” said Frostfire, preening his feathers.
    Star jolted at his words.
    â€œWhat is it?” the stallion asked.
    â€œSilverlake said almost those exact words to me in the north.” Tears filled Star’s eyes as he thought about Silverlake, wondering if she was alive.
    Frostfire looked away, whistling softly. “I’m beginning to understand why your guardian herd isn’t afraid of you.”
    Star pricked his ears. “No one should be afraid of me.”
    Frostfire slapped Star gently on the shoulder. “Nightwing should.”
    Star huffed and wiped his eyes. “We’re done searching the west. Take me to where you think he’s going.”
    Frostfire nodded, and the two lifted straight out of the water and surged into the sky. “Head east,” said Frostfire.
    They traveled in a pattern, zigzagging across the sky, covering as much ground as possible and scanning the terrain for signs of the missing herd of pegasi—trampled grass, droppings, or molted feathers. After passing over towering mountain ranges, they came upon a dusty plainthat spread for miles and seemed absent of all life except for a long, winding river.
    â€œWe’ve reached the Wastelands,” said Frostfire over the wind.
    A bright splotch of color caught Star’s eye. “Look, feathers!” He dived toward a