"Lace." allowing the name to drawl out on her tongue like a delicacy Rei simply stated the name that she had wanted to know so badly. 'Spyder', hmpfff, what kind of name is that compared to Lace? she now scoffed at the name that she had given him. "I think that it suits you well."

"Much better than what I was calling you!" Rei's following laugh contained a tinge of anxiety, she was making progress with Lace it was not a "Mentally I was referring to you as Spyder. Because of well, the obvious reasons." Worried about how childish her statement sounded she ducked her head suddenly looking quite interested in the ground at her hooves.

The mare certainly had an air about her that could be taken as being childish. But in reality it was simply the untainted heart that she carried so openly. The world hadn't yet sunk its daggered truths into her hide. It was likely that even whenever the time came and it did have her in its clutches that she would stay as she was.

Rei was as bright and as true as her namesake.


"I waited to name her until you got back. I was thinking that we should call her Ray." Fondly the ebony mare watched her daughter at play; the spotted foal had been in relentless pursuit after a butterfly for some time now.

"Ray?" Herlov wrinkled his nose in a display of distaste for the name. He placed a heavy value on names, as the stallion believed that a character grew into a name. Herlov wanted to get her name right.

"Yes, Ray. She is our ray of light in this mess. Our daughter is an opportunity for Lytninia! If anyone is capable of possessing the outrageous degree of hardheadedness to convince everyone that we are all equal despite differences in color it would be your daughter." Leridana playfully nudged the few-spot stallion. Growing serious she went on, "That filly is the first glimpse of sun that I have glimpsed in a seemingly endless night."

The filly that their conversation revolved around made her was carefully making her way to her parents. Her small chest was about ready to burst with pride over the butterfly that now rested on her velvet nose. All of that persistence had paid off.

"Mffeet mah" the pegasus "daddy!" Unable to withhold her excitement at meeting her father the final word was a shout combined with a giggle. Sending the startled insect fluttering. Herlov extended his muzzle and held his breath hoping that the butterfly would land on him. Here was the first memory his foal would have of him. It had to be special. The stallion was disappointed as the butterfly flew past him.

With the sensitivity of a child Rei moved to comfort her crestfallen father. The speckled muzzle of a daughter brushed against the equally mottled muzzle of his daughter for the first time. They are hard to catch! I will chase another this way and then you can catch it!" Herlov felt every fiber of his being fall in love with the foal that was now in pursuit of a butterfly.

"'Ray' suits, but it is too common for her. She is something special." The breathless tone of a doting father had entered his voice, and was to never leave again, "How about like this?" Using his hoof Herlov made scribbles in the sand, he had picked up on writing some while watching Leridana's father do so, but his strokes were still quite shaky.

"R-E-I"

"Rei?" Leridana turned from Herlov and watched their daughter bounce on spindly legs towards them once again. "I like it. Rei it is."


"It must be nice to have purpose. Sometimes I feel no different than how those waves must feel. Constantly crashing against the shore, reaching for and yearning for more; yet they always find themselves where they started. I don't want to be a wave. I want to be the wind!" She tossed her head in the wind encouraging the ocean breeze to tussle her mane. Eyes closed in the bliss of feeling the salty breeze kiss her face Rei paused before saying anymore. "It is not the best of metaphors. But I don't know how to put it into words." Rei laughed at her own awkwardness but she left her words where they had fallen. She had promised herself that she wouldn't blow her second chance with Lace and she stayed with him, but also allowed him to have his space and moments of quiet.


@[Lace]