A P O L L O

And how can you say that your truth is better than ours?
Shoulder to shoulder, now brother, we carry no arms

"There is always light after darkness. You only need to look for it, Apollo."

Something struck and settled within the stallion's breast at Sabiya's words, and for a few moments he could only stare at her. Throughout this entire ordeal, the entire event of such a dark, tumultuous time, no one had said such words to him. He had always known that there was hope amongst the occupants of Helovia, that he had hope, but... This, this was something new entirely. Sabiya spoke with such confidence in her words, such gentleness, such wisdom that far exceeded her years. It was like she had lived through such dark times and had seen the light at the end of the struggle.

"Your words are wise, miss Sabiya," Apollo murmured softly, his pools of honey-brown lingering upon the sharp, electric green of her own eyes, "If only the rest of the world could act as though you do, I feel we would all be better off."

Unknowing what else to say to such wisdom, Apollo merely smiled, almost goofily, at the painted mare. She went on to explain just what had drawn her to Helovia in the first place, and he dipped his head in a slight nod. A wanderer, then? A soul free to roam, free to follow the course of the wind? Apollo, who had only suffered through terror and oppression, couldn't imagine living such a free lifestyle.

When she turned, jade horn glinting in the brief light, and beckoned him to follow, Apollo did just that. The Merciful followed the mare, his steps light, tail flicking, knees picking up high to avoid the foliage that grew within the Threshold's forest. A skill he had carried from his time spent in the Deep Forest, certainly.

"What will you wish to do now that you've come here, Sabiya?" Apollo inquired after a few moments, his eyes flicking from the path ahead of them to the green eyes of his companion, "If you're searching for a home, I can offer you that." Despite the fact that they have only just met, and that they barely knew one another, the overo couldn't imagine Sabiya residing within the Foothills. They were too... Militaristic. A humorless chuckle nearly left his lips. It was a wonder he managed to live there, but... The Grey was his family.

"Or, if you would rather... I can show you around Helovia?"

Still, it seemed that their stroll was destined to be interrupted. Before they could venture much farther, a voice made itself known, and Apollo pulled up short. Head turning, the Merciful eyed the mare who stood a ways off, giving a snort of warning before recognition grew. It was Harmony, Antheia's adopted daughter. My, how she had grown. He smiled warmly at the youth, but then paused, for something had changed drastically within the brown and white creature. He couldn't place it, but immediately it made him wary.

She had grown, yes, into her body and turned into a young woman... But her looks were lost on Apollo. There was a haughtiness now that Harmony sported, and quite frankly, it reminded him too much of Phaedra. The thought caused him to grimace. She attempted to sport her looks, but Apollo found that he much enjoyed the modest honesty of Sabiya than this child parading around in a woman's body.

"Good to see you again as well, Harmony. We were just on our way, however, so I do beg your pardon." The Chief's smile remained, and he glanced towards Sabiya with dancing honey eyes before looking back to Harmony. "Perhaps we'll meet up again in the future. Please, send your mother my regards, hmm? I hope she is well."

Looking back to Sabiya, Apollo's warm, cordial smile remained. With that, he continued on at a slow walk, his muzzle tipping inwards towards Sabiya.