My hooves hit the ground and my wings immediately began to fold against my side as I trotted forward several steps before stopping. Before me stood the heart and the mouth of the cave system that had housed most of Helovia's population. I had been here only once before the darkness had taken over but I hadn't explored and when I'd come back as infected filth I had stayed near the entrance. I can't remember everything that I did, but I remember the cave and I remember taunting my own father and Gaucho to try and get them to leave it so I could attack them and turn them into infected filth. When I finally had decided to infiltrate the cave I didn't make it far before daddy and Alysanne, I think it was her- my memory is a little foggy, stopped and healed me. I'll owe them forever for that.

Sweat trickled down my shoulder that was scarred by the force of Roskuld's magic. I wonder what would have happened if my infected self had taken the hit to the chest. Would my blackened heart have exploded? Would she have killed me? I certainly would have deserved it, but I supposed I should be happy or even just relieved that my infected self had a sense of self preservation and allowed me to live, though I am constantly burdened by the guilt I feel for how I treated those I love. I haven't even tried to see any of them yet because I still don't feel like I could look them in the eye.

My legs carried me forward and I found myself looking at the ground, at the dried spots of blood that led toward the mouth of the cave. As I stopped I peered down into the cave then down at my own hooves and the puddle of dried blood and the image of cracked, bleeding hooves, ruined flesh, and the look of horror on my own father's face made me recoil. I snorted and my wings snapped open almost as if they had a mind of their own and were ready to take me away from this place of demons.

The sound of someone crying made me stop and I turned away from the cave. There, only a few feet away, was a colt laying on the ground and I wondered how I could have missed him. "Hello?" I called out, though I was fairly certain he was already aware of my presence, though I had been none the wiser of his. The cave was forgotten and pushed to the back of my mind as I began to walk toward the colt and I was surprised that I recognized him. "Roux?" At least I thought that was what his name was. It had been so long since I'd been a foal running on the beach and meeting my grandfather for the first time. But he had been there, I was sure he was the foal that had ran into my grandfather and fallen on the ground. How strange that both times I saw him he would be laying on the ground. This time was different, though, so I had to ask. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"."

@[Roux]