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“No no no.” When they all arrive, she pressed her face further into the dirt - wishing she could leave this place with the filly. Wishing they could both sink into the ground and disappear to somewhere where they could be happy, where they could live together and be free of this pain that was tearing her apart. Resplendence had poisons in the garden, it wouldn’t be so hard to follow her youngest - her last - and take care of her in the afterlife the way she failed to here… the way she always failed to take care of her children.

Brisa was the first to arrive, her voice soft, and Mikey brought a soothing song. But it was Arty, her sweet, sweet Arty that she had almost lost in pregnancy because she had been a fool. He came to her, he came and laid with her - draping a wing over her. “Arty please.” Her voice was next to non-existent and she didn’t know what she was asking him to do. ‘Arty please take away the pain’ ‘Arty please comfort me the way I failed to comfort you when I left’. She didn’t want to listen to Mikey sing any more.

But then, oh, when she had just accepted that she would never stand again - that she was too weak to stand up and continue to live after this blow - Brisa and then Mikey made their exclamations. Not dead? How could that be? The comfort and warmth of Arty’s wing was gone as he stood up, presumably going to go see if it was true. What if it was a trick, what if they were just trying to get her to stand up and move on.

She took a steadying breath, gasping at the air she had been denying herself as she cried into the earth.

Another and another until she pushed herself up on wobbling legs. They had the strength, even if she did not believe that they did. Her legs shook like the little girl’s would when she found them. “Alive…” Shaky step after shaky step, the rush of positive emotion now overwhelming her. She was too exhausted to even feel embarrassed over the situation if it was even called for. “Oh would you look at her.” Her eyes found them all, cheeks still stained with tears and new ones were threatening to well and she sent silent thanks to them all for being here. She loved them all so much, every single one of them. And she would find the time to tell them that with words later but for now, there was a filly that needed the attention of her mother.

Alysanne stepped forward, thankful that everyone had left enough room, and cleaned the little winged girl - noticing with no shortage of interest that small passion flowers were blooming around her where she lay. “Naerys, we’ll call her Naerys.”

And then, because she couldn't quite shake the fear, she looked at them - three of her family members - and asked them worredly. “Do... do you think she'll be okay?"

@[Brisa]