While she was here in Helovia, Alysanne was determined to make the most of it. Unwilling to set out for Nocturne and spend years looking for it, she would stay here – explore. Perhaps she could make this place her home. She had seen how much Kahlua loved World’s Edge – it was the same love she had seen from Phoebe in Ferraden. Such pride in the land they lived in. Aly had felt that about those she knew and wondered if it was possible for her to feel loyalty to a place.

There was so much more to Helovia still to see – so she had left World’s Edge just before dawn. The last time, she had turned to the north and found herself in the Tundra – with Aleksandr. This time, she turned the other way – following the coast for a little bit before turning inland. She always preferred to walk than fly – enjoying the ground level view.

While the sun was still low in the sky she came across the most beautiful lake, rivalling the one back in Nocturne. The summer vegetation rustled in the morning breeze, willows letting their long limbs brushings the ground and the surface of the crystalline water.
She found a spot on the shore, sheltered from the already-warm sun by the boughs of trees and the bright foliage they were sporting at this time of year. Oh, the land was so beautiful. Feeling completely at peace, she folded her legs and wings and lay there on the shore – enjoying the simplicity of the moment.

It was chance that her eyes, matching the leaves around her, drifted to the opposite shore and spotted him.

Could it be? Could she really be that fortunate?

She laughed, a bright – delightful laugh that would have carried all the way across the lake. Quickly she scrambled to her hooves. In her excitement she started to walk into the water – absolutely dancing with joy as she pranced forward – but wading and swimming across the lake would take too long. So with a leap she took to the air, coming low to skim across the surface of the pool with a hoof as she aimed for the opposite shore. Right to him. She landed in the water, where the refreshing liquid came just below her knees – splashing as she raced herself to get to the shore.

“Mikey!” There was such delight in her green eyes as she finally found her hooves on solid ground and was embracing him. First Aleksandr, now Miykael? If this this trend continued, would all those she cared for end up in Helovia? Already there were fewer reasons for her to miss Nocturne – though she could never forget those that remained. Her sister, son, nephews and friends.

But now, one of her dearest friends was standing right in front of her and that was not a gift to be wasted. “I can’t believe it’s you!”

Her heart beat wildly as she approached – the happiness she felt was so overwhelming – and it only calmed when they embraced, breathing in his scent once more. She knew that some day she would see them all again, but that it was so soon was more than even she had hoped for. And here! Oh she was so fortunate. First Aleksandr and now Mikey – the two stallions she loved were now here with her. Loved that is, in ways as different as the two stallions were from each other.

It was an embrace she never wanted to end, everything about it so perfect. The serenity of their surrounding soothing her even when he pulled back so that they could look at each other. Oh she missed him so much.

He mentioned, almost sheepishly, the storm and how he had tried to find her. Touched as she was, she looked at him with concern – “Did you?” and looked him over, checking for wounds where he might have hurt himself. That storm was bigger, dangerous. It came so late in the year that none of them had been prepared. She should have stayed in the jungle of Ferraden that day, not gone travelling.

In her examination of her friend, she did not find anything obvious. Had he followed her here? That would be just like him, wanting to make sure she was safe. She owed him so much – more than she knew, those memories long since erased. “Oh Mikey, always my guardian angel.” Her tone turned teasing then and she reached out again to nip lightly at his mane with affection. “I was so foolish to go out in the storm, I would have never forgiven myself if you’d been hurt.”

Now that she was close, she was unwilling to step away from his familiar form – enjoying the warmth of his presence despite the heat. It was more than physical heat – he made her feel safe. He was a familiar face in an unfamiliar land. Helovia was beautiful and in time, she knew, she might grow to love it. But there was still so much that her heart missed. "Do you know if my son is alright? I tried to get back..." Her shaky voice cut off. Was she a terrible mother, standing here in Helovia and growing attached to the land, rejoicing in the faces she recognzied, while somewhere a colt was growing up without his mother.

If there was no news, she would leave soon. Perhaps even within the day. Maybe it would take months to find Nocturne again, it would be a risk, but it was her son.

Yes, much to miss - but the presence of Mikey was comforting. Her best friend! Here with her again. She would move from him if he wished – for now she could not yet make her legs do any such thing. Those emerald eyes took him in, from those kind sky eyes to his brilliant white wings… wait, his wings had not been that magnificent before. They had been singed. She had changed upon leaving Nocturne, feeling the dryad part of her disappear – the flowers in her hair, the wooden quality of her hooves – how did he change? “There’s something different about you.” She pointed out in a murmur, trying to figure what it was exactly. He seemed… healthier. The singed edges to his wings gone, and in his eyes – a sadness that had always been lurking there in Nocturne was smaller.

Then it dawned on her - eyes widening. “Mikey are you…” How could she phrase it? The word, what he was, had never suited the dunskin stallion. He was so unlike the other demons she knew, she doubted there was any darkness in him at all.

It had never mattered to her. He had been honest with her about what he was right from their first meeting and if it were still true she would never turn him away. But wouldn’t it be wonderful for him? To be free? Unable to figure out how best to end her sentence, deep green looks into bright blue and looked for the answer.

Her relief was palpable as he reassured her about her son – spending time with his twins. Oh the trouble they would get into! “I miss him so much. And Iona.” Guilt bubbled to the surface as she thought of her family. So many of them were still in Nocturne. She had Aleksandr here, it was true, and now Mikey, but her blood existed somewhere else. In all her years she had never been this far from Iona – she could put off that feeling for a while, distracted by Helovia and all the new and wonderful things, but it always returned. After all, her sister and her son were never far from her mind. And her nephews! That ache in her heart was real. The comfort of having Mikey so close was something but even her best friend could not make her feel better. She should have turned around at so many points, even now.

But how could she leave what was here? She was back with Aleksandr, close to him for all the time they actually spent with one another. The new friends here and the feeling that maybe this could be her home – that she had gone to Nocturne so that she might find her way here. All she wanted was peace, somewhere she could grow old with her friends and family all around her. A simple life.

Her heart was torn and for all her joy there was no denying that.

The change of subject was welcome and he mentioned the flowers in her mane and their absence and she was touched by the sadness in his voice. She missed them too, but all things considered it wasn’t all that terrible of a loss. What she missed most of them was the connection they tied to her father. She was an ordinary Pegasus now – finally something her mother could accept. Not that it mattered anymore. “I don’t think there are such things as dryads and demons here. We make a perfect duo – friends that don’t exist.” She whispered to him with a laugh, breaking herself out of the sadness for another moment.

And then when he produced the flower, Aly laughed in a lighter way – her usual, delighted, twinkling laugh and quickly nodded her approval. He could make even the closest sadness feel a little farther away. “It’s perfect Mikey.” It was tangled in her hair, where it would stay for as long as it could. The yellow reminded her of Iona, of the beautiful little daisies that grew in her hair, and it gave her more comfort than he imagined the stallion before her could probably realize.

It was nothing short of remarkable, the fact that he was standing before her – offering soft touches. Oh she might ache if she knew what were behind those touches on his end – but Aly was blissful in her ignorance. They were different than those she shared with Aleksandr, when he occasionally forgot himself or decided it was okay to care for a moment, so she did not think anything of it.

Yes, the fact that he had reverted to a Pegasus instead of something… else when leaving Nocturne was remarkable. Hadn’t he died, after all, to become a demon? Some time long ago before she had known him, in another life and another age when he had parents.

But he was here, he was healthy and whole, and everything else did not seem important. He teased her about being careful around him – and while she was momentarily confused (had Mikey ever healed her before?), it passed quickly. Of course he would want her to be safe. Her skin tingled where he nipped at her neck and she playfully pushed him away with her head - with no real effort into the motion. “Always my guardian angel.” She repeated again with a grin before promising, more seriously: “I’ll try my hardest.” She certainly had no intention of taking part in dangerous, potentially harmful activities.

Now she pulled back from him, missing the closeness but the heat of the summer replacing his body heat in full force. “Come, I want to explore more of this lake.” There was so much about Helovia she did not yet know – and this lake was beautiful, reminding her of the first time they met. She wanted to go for a swim, but perhaps later in the heat of the afternoon.

Turning away, she waited for him to join her – but could not wait to continue to satisfy the curiosity about him. “Have you met any others since you came here?”

Sometimes she swore her dear friend could read her mind – perhaps they were just that similar. She knew that eventually she would have to return to Nocturne, for however long. Whether permanently or not, the things there called to her. “Really?” Of course she could not forget that she was not the only one with family back in that land. If only Helovia had been where they had started off. Without the threat of demons, this place was a verifiable haven. “That’s a great idea. I’ll have to let Kahlua know first, of course.” He hadn’t mentioned going right this moment – just soon and she was glad. Although she had more attachments in Nocturne at the moment, she had developed some here as well. She wasn’t entirely ready to leave. Kahlua and Sasha were here and she had already started to make new friends – with Dust, Brisa and Blitzen. She rather hoped to have a chance to see them all again. If they were to leave, and in the chance that they wouldn’t return, she would want to do so before they left.

Though she imagined she wouldn’t be leaving for good. Not while Sasha was here… not while this place was safe.

She could try not to worry, for his sake, but that did not mean the thoughts would not invade her. Busy as she tried to stay with exploring and learning what she could during the day – but at night as she tried to find sleep they always resurfaced. Every night she wished that Arty would be safe, that Iona was happy with her children, that Mikey would find happiness. Well, she knew that Arty and Mikey at least were safe now – but it would be hard to make the worries completely melt away.

Just as she was looking forward to walking around and exploring, as exhaustive as it would be in the heat, Mikey went and did something so completely surprising she paused with her one foreleg still in the half-motion of a step. She cannot recall seeing him so carefree, but perhaps that was what Helovia gave him. He threw himself quick recklessly into the water of the lake – his laughter brighter than the sunshine around them (though certainly less stifling). For a second she was content to just watch him, her chuckle brightening her face. At first she moved slowly, approaching the edge of the water carefully. A couple tender steps were taken into the cool water and she paused with just her forelegs in, closing her eyes and simply enjoying the peace.

But with a laugh she shook her head and charged in, using little grace as she tried her hardest to douse the buckskin stallion with as much water as possible. Once it had settled, she added with a laugh. “You’re right, it’s quite nice.” She moved deeper into the water, the temperature cooling as she walked, until her legs were just touching the bottom. Using her wings to help keep her afloat, it was as she turned around in a circle – half swimming, half walking - she thought back fondly on those she had met so far. “Well, I met a few in the Threshold as well. There was a colt named Dust, and Blitzen was from somewhere called the Windtossed Foothills.” She had no idea where it was, but there were mountains to the north and she imagined they might be around there.

Now facing Mikey properly again, she continued. “Then Kahlua, who brought me to her home in World’s Edge where I’ve been welcomed for as long as I care to be.” If for nothing else, she wanted to linger in Helovia to repay the kindness she had been shown. “They have the most curious names for things, but everyone’s so nice here.”

She cannot deny him the joke he makes on the expense of her sense of direction. Birds could migrate across the world, almost every animal could find it’s way to it’s home, but not Alysanne. “Well you’re not wrong.” She responded with a chuckle. “I found this place trying to get back to Nocturne once, who knows where I would end up the second time!” Another land, another potential home, and another distance between her and where she truly wanted to be.

She did not anticipate that it would be difficult to leave Helovia. It was wonderful, that much she could say was true, but could it ever feel like home? Could she grow to love it as much as Kahlua did? It would take time and she was not sure how much time she could devote to staying here to find out. And what if she left and never returned? Faded to nothing but a memory in the minds of those that she had met here. Perhaps it would be a little sad but she rather felt better about the whole idea now that it was decided that she and Mikey would leave.

But that was still off in the future – at least put off for a day, as she would have to find Kahlua first – and right now she was happy to be there, swimming in the beautiful waters with her dearest friend in the world.

She felt rather satisfied with the amount of water she had managed to soak him with – and soaked he was. Any regret over her actions had been dismissed immediately. After all, he did not appear the least bit angry or annoyed. But then, when had she ever seen those two emotions displayed by him? He was as good-natured as she, a foundation that had started their friendship.

And there was an answer she could have given Sasha. She did not need the warmth that was generally associated with relationships from him – she got that elsewhere, platonically. Alysanne wanted for nothing; so complete did those in her life make her feel. Perhaps that was selfish of her, perhaps she was not as kind as she believed herself to be, but it did not seem harmful to get so much joy out of having such friends. She could only hope that she could somehow share that joy with them – that Mikey enjoyed her company as much as she enjoyed his.

But then, he would not be here if he did not!

With their wings floating on the surface of the lake, Alysanne rather fancied that they looked like a pair of patchwork swans. His wings suited the part rather wonderfully but hers – they were more gull-like. A joke, surely, for the gulls seems to be among those birds that spent a great deal of time in flight – while Alysanne was rather the opposite.

Her attention drawn from the daydream as the angelic stallion explained further how similar their beginnings in Helovia had been. They had both met someone from the Foothills! And that wasn’t even the strangest part – he had been living in the very same land as her. Surprise overtook her delight and her eyes widened. “Oh Mikey, really?!” She could not help but laugh, of course. “Isn’t that funny!” They had been so close, probably since a couple days since she had arrived! She did not imagine he had been that far after. “You’re always nearby even when I don’t realize it, aren’t you?” But of course, she had already pegged it: he was her guardian angel!