You're the only North Star I would follow this far...
"I can talk the talk"
And walk the walk
But I'm always in deep thought.

He had been brought here- dragged, really, by an impulse that even now seemed foreign to him. He had been in the depths of the underground caverns, and had found an orb of blue-white electricity. Others had come, and even though in his heart he had felt like the orb was meant for him, it had chosen another worthy. Far from feeling bitter, the stud felt strangely free and somewhat baffled, to find himself underground in a system of caverns. It felt like he was waking from a trance and could not remember where he was or how he had gotten here. He explored the caverns for sometime, attempting to find a way out and eventually getting so turned around and lost that he was not sure, should he turn around and go back the way he came, if he could find the cavern with the granite pedestal a second time.

His hooves clicked against the stone, the tips of the feathers hanging around his hooves were wet and clumped from the slick, dampness of the cavern floor. The grullo traveled in silence, his ears pricked for the sound of others, and even though the silence was almost pressuring him, it was broken by the thin trickling sound of water running and dripping into pools on either side of the trail that he followed. His only companion was the warmth of the volcanic earth, and the sound of his own breath billowing from his nostrils.

It was the breathing that alerted him- he stopped as he became aware of the scent of horses, and it was one in particular scent that sent a spark through his mind and heart simultaneously. Foothills. Artemis! okay sure, he may be dreaming- after all, he had already told her his feelings and she had brushed it off as though it were nothing. He had accepted that she may not feel the same for him, although he would NEVER stop worrying about her, caring for her, and wondering if she was alright.

The need to see her face again is what made him pick up his pace, his hooves slipping a bit on the slick stone floor. He trotted to the opening that led into a massive chamber. Horses lined the walls in groups of four or less, and Tharos stopped once more with his front half standing in the chamber and his back half still in the chasm behind him. Mismatched ears pricked forwards as he saw a new group of horses enter into the chamber, the stallion in the lead sent chills through Tharos and he could almost feel the scar on his chest tingling as the memory of how it had gotten there and what had almost happened to him, flashed through his mind.

The second stallion to meet the first caused Tharos to pin his ears. Both of them. Together. Here. Why now? Tharos did not have time to cry out or do much more then hesitate. (Would they attack him again?) A mare came and pressed herself against the overo's shoulder, even from this distance, he could see her shaking. The poor lass was pretty shaken about something. The cavern worked to amplify their voices so that he could hear what was being said. Monsters and darkness had stolen over the land and had changed Ktulu into one of them.

He did not know Ktulu personally, so the news that she was now one of the infected did not phase him by much. What spurred him to approaching the group was fear. Artemis was in the Foothills. If she wasn't with the group that came here, then where was she? By the gods, let her be alright! He thought. Suppressing an involuntary shudder, he approached the group gathered and silver-blue, pupil-less eyes blinked as he stared directly at the Overo who was now the chief of the Foothills. He was so worried for Artemis that he could almost swallow his dislike of Sultan and Chief gathered in front of him.

"Apol-lo." His voice broke, betraying the emotion that was filling his stomach with dread and gripping his heart in an aching agony. He regarded the unicorn with a look of contempt, but kept his speech respectful for the sake of the situation. He paused to recollect his thoughts, getting emotional was no way to make an impression, and in these dark times, he would be no help to anyone if he broke down. He searched the faces of the horses that had followed Apollo in, and when he could not find Artemis's beautiful face amongst the crowd, he glanced once more at Apollo expectantly.

"Where is 'Missy? .... Where is my beloved?"

780
^^;