Cold. Bright.

Everything was very cold and bright compared to that warm, dark place within her mothers womb. From the moment she left the crushing embrace of the birth canal and landed upon the hard, cold ground her existence became battered with senses.

Touch, cold and firm beneath her body, warmer where the muzzle of some giant being touched her forehead. Sight, blinded at first but gradually fading from nothing but light until shapes could be see, strange formations wherever she looked; rocks, trees, towering mountains in the distance beneath a very big, very very endless sky that flickered and waved. And a being not unlike her but much much bigger that smiled down at her. The creature was bright too, but not like the waving light-up-above. It was a kind of brightness that appeared both glowing and very real, in a radiant and welcoming way.

Maybe it was the voice that made her feel that way. It was soft and quiet, mumbling close to the small ears. Calling her, naming her. Nao. Was that her? Eyes looked up at the one who had delivered her into the world, one orb a pale blue while the other held a warm hazel brown tone; suddenly overwhelmed, because now there were not only one bigger thing but two. One bright that was home and warm and called her Nao, and another that was dark like the place within and gave off a feeling quite similar to the ground. Firm, cool, unyielding.

A small confused neigh escaped the small filly, and as if encouraged by the sound of her own voice she began to stir. The small whip-like tail slithered and thrashed over the ground as she began to wriggle back and forth, intent on forcing the long clove-footed pistons to obey.

It took some effort. She fell back to the earth once, twice, and as she grew frustrated with herself the attempts became increasingly frantic, all the more futile. Panting after the fourth flop back she was forced to rest, looking none too content with ears slicked back over the damp neck and tail slipping behind the rump like a cat stroked backwards.

The next attempt differed greatly from the rest. With a determined expression that wrinkled the tiny dark nose the girl slowly took command over one leg at a time, lifting them into position and placing them down as carefully as if they were made of glass. With a terrifying patience she didn't stop until she was perfectly content with the legs; and then she heaved herself up, every tiny muscle freezing as the weight was placed unto her cloven feet...

Standing. It wasn't so hard, now was it? With a sudden confidence clearly not based on reality the filly stuttered over to the pale side of her mother, searched her way across the warm hide and ducked in beneath her belly; the tail expressed contentment as she began to nurse, allowing warm, rich and life-giving milk to flow down into her belly.