He followed.

Ampere turned into the shadows with a smile, her hoofsteps beating out a rhythm beside Gaucho's as they vanished down the corridor, Sohalia's screech a dwindling whisper that Ampere shut out with her own voice.

"That's new," she gestured with her muzzle towards his flame engulfed feathers, in awe of the light that they cast, its rich hues dancing effortlessly around the cave as the moved. Yet, they were distinctly lacking any heat, and for that Ampere did not fear them, only admired them as one of the many impressive traits the stallion in her company boasted of.

He had something else new too, but Ampere hadn't noticed the pale serpent that had wound her way about his soul yet. For now, she could enjoy the bliss of her ignorance, if only it could last.

---

They arrived at the beginning of the Sanctuary cave's opening in short while. Ampere's sides heaved faintly as she slowed and finally stopped at cusp of darkness, tentative to hurl herself into the outside world so willingly again, even with someone as brave as Gaucho beside her. They both knew in their hearts that the wraiths could not be defeated by brute strength alone...

She also knew both of them would not stop trying though, and that scared her more than anything. She didn't want Gaucho to fling himself into harm's way for the sake of her lie. No one was here being attacked of course, but it didn't mean there weren't any wraiths lurking just outside.

Thinking fast, Ampere poked her head just outside, letting the majority of her body block him from exiting, although she knew when push came to shove he'd barrel right through her, but hopefully he hadn't sunken into the frenzy of war just by her words alone.
"There's no one here," Ampere gasped, a rising hysteria being coaxed into her words as each one left her lips. Her eyes rolled white, wide in their false fear. She withdrew her head back from Hell's opening, slumping against the nearest wall. It was cool against her flesh that had grown hot with the sprint and Gaucho's proximity. "They all turned," she whispered now, a sadness being injected into her tone. Would he comfort her, touch her, berate her? Any sounded appealing.

After a pause to wait and see Ampere continued, needing to keep him at her side longer or else he'd return to Sohalia. Now that she had him she could not let him go so easily. "I wasn't...strong enough," she murmured, honest now even if the context was not. This scene she crafted was an easy lie to tell because she had lived it countless times in her sleep. She wanted to grab onto hope and never release, but part of her always chewed on the worry that there was no hope to be found, that they were all just sitting here, waiting to die. Ampere needed a distraction, one that would be productive in draining the exhausting energy of pessimism from her body. She needed a light to guide her through this dark time.

The flickering from Gaucho's wings washed over her, blue eyes rising from beneath onyx lids, searching Gaucho's face with such a frantic passion that it was as if he was the hope she'd been looking for to hold so tightly. Lead me out of this mayhem...
"I let them all turn because I could not fight them." She spoke quietly at first, but the energy in her eyes was soon matched by her tongue. She shoved herself off the wall, bold and confident as she faced him. "Train me," she demanded, then took another step towards him. "Please train me! Right now, let's practice, for them! All of them."

For us too.