Deep in the darkest depths of Helovia, I lingered. Why, you might ask? I don't rightly know but something or, rather, the memory of someone keeps me skulking within this new place. This Helovia. On the darkest nights - the ones lacking the softness of clouds or the brightness of the fullest moon - when the stars shine their brightest and most brilliant - I remember. On those nights, the stars serve as a strange yet lonely reminder of her - the younger mare with the swirling starry coat. She, too, had come from the rift but she hadn't been born there like I had. No. She'd come from a place that, in certain regards, was just as terrifying and corrupt as the rift had been. Her early years there had changed her, in ways that weren't so dissimilar to what I'd gone through and yet, somehow, she'd come out the other side far stronger than I've ever been.

It was the lack of strength (and explosive irritability from the withdrawals) that prevented me from actively seeking her out. She didn't need to see me at my worst, didn't need to experience any potential backlash from me for something that wasn't her fault. Seren had seen enough already. She'd been through more than anyone with a heart of gold should ever have to endure. So I actively avoided contact with anyone and everyone - keeping to myself while I fought against the raging war of withdrawal burning through my veins. At times it was crippling, rendering me absolutely useless despite the many years of training I'd endured and sometimes I thought for certain that I was going to die. I thought for certain that, in the end, the mineral would win. Somehow, I consistently managed to come out on top and as the desire eased its' death grip on my mind, heart, and soul so did the singing soften.

And though I'd made it past the withdrawal, the singing never completely went away - instead, it simply softened, becoming far easier to ignore. Yet as I stood gazing at my reflection in a pool of water somewhere within Helovia, it was difficult to ignore how much the crystals had grown since I'd been thrust through the portal by one of Helovia's 'gods'. Cringing at their size and the new gauntness of my appearance, I began to realize just how much I'd neglected my own self-care during those precious moments of mere survival. And yet now is the perfect time to remedy the situation. So as I raise my head once more, my crimson gaze sweeping cursorily over my surroundings to attempt to pinpoint my current location. I stand tucked amongst the trees, hidden and secluded - or so I thought. A glimpse of brilliant swirling stars - so familiar and so enticing - flashes in my peripheral vision instantly shifting my attention to that very spot but it disappears just as quickly as it comes and I'm left baffled.

"Seren..." I breathe, her name soft and sweet upon my tongue despite the roughness of my voice. In the chill of the winter air, my breath fogs as it exits my nostrils but the tiny puffs dissipate as quickly as the flash of stars. My brows furrow on their own accord and soon I'm quietly and tenderly picking my way through the forest completely engrossed in tracking her down. My own curiosity is the driving force (though, beneath the mask of my own pessimism, I knew I wouldn't find anything at all - it was simply my imagination playing me for a fool).

I'd almost confirmed my own suspicions by the time I saw her standing before a pool of water in the clearing near the center of the deep forest, forcing me to pause. My red eyes watch her carefully for a few moments as I stand quietly amongst the trees and once again I feel drawn to her. Perhaps it is simply due to our similarities or perhaps it is something else entirely unknown to me but I don't want to fight it. Instead, I circle around behind her and carefully, cautiously approach her left side - her good side. I'd forgotten so many things while battling the withdrawal but everything that she shared with me remains secure in my mind. "Seren." I say, as warmly as my roughened voice can manage, as I draw nearer to her feminine form. Doing my best to avoid crowding her, despite our past conversation, I slow to a stop and stand with enough of a gap between us that I couldn't possibly be encroaching on her personal bubble (no matter how badly I wanted to pull her close). "It's a pleasure to see you again. How have you been?" I ask, the barest hint of a smile curling my dark lips.

Oh, how I'd missed her.


"Talk."

we live, as we dream - alone