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You have never been particularly shy, but somehow you can’t help but feel as if you are intruding. When Kahlua had invited you to join her family, she had taken you straight to the Edge from the Threshold, but Bucephalus had told you to meet him…so where was he? However, you are not waiting long before a dark shape appears in the sky. Copper head darts up, and for a moment your breath catches in your throat…but no, it is not Bucephalus—you can tell by the flying. While his movement is seemingly always punctuated by sudden dives, spirals, and barrel rolls, the figure approaching you is graceful but direct. You shift your weight nervously as the unfamiliar pegasus draws closer, revealing a small but muscular mare whose dark body is accented by a beautiful electric blue.
“Hi!” she calls out just before landing, and you start to feel a little better when she adds in a friendly tone, “I’m surprised you didn’t use your wings to come over.” You duck your head, a little unsure. Should you have waited at the shores of the island instead? “Or were you just looking?” the stranger continues. “Either way, welcome to the Dragon’s Throat, what can we do for you?”
Encouraged by the mare’s smile, you offer a tentative one of your own. “Hello…I’m Nasreen,” you begin by way of introduction. “I didn’t know where the border was…but I’m looking for Bucephalus?” His name, like so many other things about him, is a question. “I thought we were supposed to meet here—but maybe I was wrong,” you add quickly, feeling uncertain and more than a little embarrassed. Grey eyes seek the mare’s blue ones, wondering if you appear as lost as you feel.
You are so focused on the dark mare that you do not notice the figure in the distance until he comes screaming out of the sky in that trademark way of his, startling you backward as he pounds into the ground. As the dust settles and your heartbeat slows, flinty hooves kiss the sand as he prances toward you, grinning. “You’ve kept me waiting,” he drawls, pausing for a moment to dip his head to the black and blue mare. Your mouth opens wordlessly, defensive, before you realize that he is teasing. “You’ve been well?” he asks, lowering his voice. And though perhaps you should be more gracious considering the circumstances of your arrival, you shrug slightly in response, brushing away the question since you are unable to answer it in the affirmative. “Bucephalus.”
Suddenly, the grin slips from his face, and he appears slightly nervous, gaze darting between you and the other mare. You don’t know what has caused the shift, but when it becomes apparent that he doesn’t intend to speak, you realize that you’ll have to take things upon yourself to explain your presence. You clear your throat uncomfortably and address the dark mare once more. “Bucephalus has offered me a home here,” you tell her. “I came wondering if the offer still stands?” Though you’re looking at her, the last question is pointed at the stag between you. Did he intend to make good on his promise?
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