Look down, the ground below is crumbling
Look up, the stars are all exploding
Africa watched with growing interest as Midas looked down at the gem, trying eagerly to extract something from his ever-confident, faultless expression; something which might validate the simmering excitement reeling through her veins, as always seemed to when she was so close to it. The smile had faded from her twitching, storm-grey lips and she was focused so intently on the situation that she was taken quite by surprise when, (what she could only visualise as a supernatural, platform of sorts, made of the very rust-red sand her hooves were sunken into) forming beneath her treasure, holding it securely above its grainy surface, and lifting it closer towards the General’s bottomless, golden eyes.
Unsettled, but not afraid of the phenomenon apparently stirred to life before her absorbing stare, the one-winged mare took a cautious step backwards; the curve of her toned, muscular thigh colliding with a gentle thump into the cool wall of the den behind.

She had not witnessed magic often. The first time, and perhaps freshest memory of such a spectacle was when Midas himself had shaken the ground beneath the unsuspecting hooves of the Plague Unicorn, Crash course- his wretched face still frequently slipped in to terrorize her deepest sleep. The thug had been thrown down, allowing Africa to make her escape. The only other occasion, which she chose not to remember, was a mistake- her biggest mistake; Deimos’s death magic which had claimed the life of her herd-sister. Naturally there were other occasions which she did not put down to magic, but had witnesses all the same during her countless wanderings throughout Helovia.

As Africa watched on- from her dreamy, curious perspective, the sand’s spilling arm began to twist and fuse together into something quite beautiful, even where the light could not reach it. Around and around, the astonished horse watched the chain circle, moving as it did as high as her face- enough so that as her wonder-filled eyes smothered it, she could make out delicate links all bound together, the ends welded to a tiny setting which in turn clasped the translucent, moss-green stone itself.
It was a necklace- and quite a beautiful one, she thought admiringly.

Midas spoke then, and Africa’s eyes diverted towards him as he did, their concentration broken; long ears leaning forward to listen with stewing fascination.
The stallion paused for a moment and the chain split apart before sliding around the sweaty dark circumference of her neck, resting so gently amongst the wiry mass of mane oozing from the lowest section of her crest. Respectfully, she heeded the counsel which followed- many lessons had been instilled in the dappled mare by the black and white stallion, and she absorbed his words carefully.
"Thank you." Africa all but gushed, trying to process all that had unfolded just then. Perhaps on another occasion she would ask him about magic, those abilities which continued to astound and captivate her whenever she was allowed to be their witness. "Thank you, so much Midas." She whispered through a broad, grateful smile.


Ooc: thank you so much <3333 I don’t mind if you want to wind this thread to free up your time/muse for other threads either ;)