Descending from her little cave and into the snowy valley of her home, the ocean blue mare trots steadily forward, her slender legs lifting high in order to carry herself through the thick white powder that blankets the ground. Although the sky is flat and pale with the spread of her sister clouds, pregnant and lowering with the promise of another winter storm this night, at the moment the weather is favorable. The sun’s luminescent light filters through the cloudy boughs in soft rays, falling slowly to the earth below and leaving the Aurora Basin in a hazy, blushing light.

If there is a heaven, Tiamat is sure that it must look something like this. The mountain valley has been silenced by Frostfall’s cold breath, tucking Helovia into its snowy blanket and hushing its sounds until the quiet of day stretches over them like a mother hen to her chicks.

With the soft whiteness that surrounds her—the feathery ground, the sides of the mountains as they rise to the sky, their peaks piercing into the white of the firmament above and blending the line between the sky and the horizon until it is nothing but an impalpable blur—it as if the Gods have taken their Aurora Basin with them to the paradises of an otherworldly place.

The blue mare closes her eyes for a long moment, nostrils curling and chest expanding as she inhales, opening her eyes again before she exhales slowly in a sighing, wispy breath that billows around her pretty features and bright eyes. She is honored to call this place her home, her pride swelling within her breast as she gazes out at this beautiful wonderment—a winter wonderland of the mountains. She understands nothing else but its beauty and kindness, but perhaps that is all her gentle heart wishes to know.

A bright smile spreading across her lips, Tiamat tosses her head joyfully, the seaweed and seashells in her hair rustling and chiming against one another. Tucking her muzzle in towards her chest, the unicorn throws her weight forward, picking up an easy canter. Snow is tossed up by her cloven hooves, and she feels as though she is parting the very mists of heaven—and she, so pure and naïve in her innocence, not unlike an angel.

Her gaits skipping and buoyant, the ocean mare eventually slows to a gradual halt, the thin skin of her nostrils flaring with each heavy breath. Steamy vapor rises lazily from the heat of her body, but she hardly notices the aching pull of her muscles after plowing through the dense snow. White eyes glance blissfully about, her dainty ears rotating and her slender body erect, searching for no one in particular but always eager to make a new friend. When she sees no one within her proximity, she huffs a sigh to herself and walks forward. Lowering her muzzle to the snow, she pushes the icy flakes around, eventually gathering some into a little circle.

She might as well make the most of this beautiful day!

And at last I see the light.