I must have napped for a while, for when I next open my eyes, my thoughts are clouded with colours that could not possibly have come from my surroundings. A certain darkness pervades my former peace, and I take a deep breath to steady myself. Of course, on a day as lovely as today, I would find myself in the midst of a nightmare! A long sigh falls from my lips as I close my eyes again, willing my heart to slow its pace, forcing my mind to fall into order again. The colours, the brilliant red of violence and the darkest black of death, are but memories, of that I am sure; for it has been so long since they found their way into my waking hours that I ought not be surprised to see them intruding on my sleep.

At least their shapes do not come back to haunt me. Not today.

My lids lift, revealing my pupil-less violets to the lovely blue sky, my fitful sleep all but forgotten in the beauty of the day. Calmer hues are stroking my retinas now, taking the place of the more vibrant splashes from my nightmares. A gentle salmon caresses a baby blue; a finch and a robin - no, two robins - bickering back and forth over their respective territories. My orbs flit upward, watching. I assume that they are both males, as robins defend territory as a mated pair. I wonder where the mate is, and consider the possibility that the eggs have hatched, and she is off finding food. It feels quite early in the breeding season, but I suppose more time may have passed than I had bargained for in those gods-forsaken caves.

One of the robins flitters to a nearby tree, the other male jumping a few branches over, his wings flared and his chest puffed out in defense. A small smile played across my lips as I watch the challenger's obvious dismay. "Better luck next time," I call softly, startling the pair. The challenger leaps into the air and away; the defender disappears into the branches, rustling leaves in a splash of green. I chuckle, shaking my head - and then my gaze lights on our Czar, and I freeze. How fitting that he would stumble across my talking to birds that can't understand our language, like a truly insane individual. I may see colours, and I may have ghosts - but there are those in our Asylum that are far crazier than I.

In any case, I find myself unable to look away. I tilt my head curiously, my gaze falling along the muscled lines of him, wondering just what kind of pegasus has a such a pure, gold voice. I long to see the rise and fall of my song, to see if it can match his perfect hue - of course, he would need to be injured for that to happen, and I desperately hope that I will never need to heal our leader. He is handsome, standing in the trees like that. "Hello," I say finally, fidgeting slightly in an uncomfortable silence. Does he assume me to be like the others, so far gone in their own unique afflictions to find him an outsider? Or would he be so kind as to give me the chance to prove that we are not all bad?

"Talk talk talk."