Here, she had met Tingal, the kindly beast who would take her to his side only to end up the follower as she pushed through everything life threw at her. He would confess to her, and she would end up here, seeking solitude and an escape from her thoughts. Silver walkers tapped the scorched and scathingly hot earth, memories playing like an old phonograph in her head, every word clear despite the black-and-white movie silenced and sketchy in her mind.

"Is the wittle baby afwaid of some rocks?"

"We have no home. Living in a forest, is for bums. And I'm not a bum, are you?"

"Fine just come down! God's Ru. You always have to make such a big deal out of everything."

She had been so angry that day, though her mind had been so undeveloped and centered on loving her beautiful, perfect twin that she had never felt it. Raeden had pushed her around and made fun of her for so long, but Hotaru had loved her endlessly, from the deepest parts of the ocean and from horizon to horizon. Nothing could have made her stop loving her. Nothing would ever be able to. She may have said horrible, terrible things to her twin...but she still loved her twin.

Because...

"You can do this, Ru-ru. No problemo. You got yourself up there, right? You can get down."

"Common, just come down. We can go do whatever you wanna do."

...sometimes, maybe Raeden loved her too.

Looking back now she can almost see those two little children running around and exploring the hot rocks she stood on now. Like ghosts they ran past her, one skittish and hesitant, the other passionate and fearless. Who is the fearless one now, sister? But it was a bitter thought. Raeden would know what to do about Tingal's confession, about her own frozen heart. Raeden would awkwardly attempt to make her smile, seeing how her pretty pale face had turned so cold and motionless in the past few lonely seasons. She is too young to be so lonely, so hopeless and grasping for something she can't name. But...she doesn't think Tingal has that which she needs. Not right now. It would be wrong of her to try and figure it out at his expense.

His heart was far more fragile and open than hers.

She's sweating, it's so hot, and in her head she imagines Raeden complaining at the fact she didn't look pristine and perfect. It brings a tiny smile to her face. I miss you. But she'd never say it.

Everything is scorching, she feels as if she's being cooked and boiled all at once, breathing is hard, but she keeps moving at a slow, steady pace. Something calls her here, to this place of old memories and childhood dreams. Calls and calls like the broken song of an abandoned newborn, and she is helpless to deny the pull it has on her. Did Raeden ever regret how little time they spent, pleasantly, together?

But...something is wrong here.

The light is moving wrong.

Squinting her bitoned irises, she stops, watches. It continues to do it, flickering off a polished surface that moves at a moderate pace. Clearly it isn't the color-absorbing starch nature of the tall grasses, nor is it the seemingly invisible dark stones at her feet. Curious, even concerned, she moves forward again at a pace brisker than the one that had trailed her throughout her foalhood reminiscing.

Tangerine flames flicker over a shining surface, interrupted only by a few periodical, almost uniform lines. A...shell? And...a gasp escaped her as her eyes fell on a tiny, vulnerable form hidden in an orb of color. Beside it was a large form of coal, clearly another horse, with two horns sprouting in opposite directions on his head. But her eyes were locked on the little being curled inflamed upon the earth. How weak, how defenseless...Hotaru hurried over to the now-recognized creature, a turtle, and fell to her shins without a second thought. Wasn't an obstruction supposed to cool down the area surrounding you? But...the orb it was inside was on fire. Should she really be trying to make it cooler? Shuffling and scraping her knees on the rocks, she removed her shadow from the area she'd cast it over on the tiny creature and looked between the two nearest to her in confusion. Her own skin was burning, but all she could think about was how frail Takara had been, how she as well had been so small in the vast world around her. How fate had treated her so cruelly because of it. Nobody had been there to defend and protect her, inform her of the ways to handle pain. She didn't want to leave the little hybrid to suffer the same.

"Is it okay? Are you all okay? What happened, what can I do?" Gently she queried, but slightly anxiously as well. The turtle was not at blame, and clearly the other unicorn was just as worried, with how he had seemed to look over the little creature in concern, but Hotaru just wanted to take action as quickly as possible. "Is he...she...yours? I'll do anything to help, can you tell me anything? Either of you?" She extended her muzzle towards the earthy turtle the best she could without having to move again, trying to keep her cool when all she wanted was to somehow pick up both creatures and run until they were safely away from the magma making her sweat a river, threatening their lives and health should they take a single step too far in any direction. She directed the question to the other unicorn with the same motion, turning her crown towards him, face determined but unsure as to what to do next.

---
:: [Companion: Common Griffin | Zapping Jab]
But this works! :D

And RedGod I didn't realize you had posted, so it's crappy where I fixed it.

i am the designer of my own catastrophy;
an unbelievably orchestrated...
and beautifully choreographed...
illusion

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