The painted queen was nothing but a hollow shell of her former self. Her beauty was faded and the familiar spark of life in her eyes all but gone. The Sunshower was shattered, the shards of her glass heart ripping at the flesh in her chest. She bled misery, the murky black substance filling her thorax and choking her with its ferocity, its darkness. She was a murderess, no matter how her herd and friends might paint the scenery around her, and she relived the terror of that moment- that one reflexive kick- each evening in her nightmares.

History is written by the victor, but even victory does not always lead to happily ever after.

Her herd duties taken care of for the moment, Kahlua decided she could not longer bear to wander the draconian forest. The sound of crashing waves in the distance was always too close, reminding her of the cliff side where Aurelia had called her name. The faces of her friends in the shadows of the trees, smiling and happy, were like daggers in her very heart. She did not deserve to be among them, was not worthy of the Qian's noble cause, but she was also selfish. She loved being queen, she (mostly) loved herding her flock about and striving for peace in Helovia. And besides... Kaj was there in the Edge. If she left... The queen sighed in frustration, depression, heart-felt misery. She turned her nose south and began to walk. She had no seer, but perhaps the Lady Moon would still be willing to offer her insight.

But by the time she arrived, it was a different world indeed. So many had gathered- Kahlua turned her gaze to each of them in time. The two foals, unknown to her. The beautiful peahen who, on any day, Kahlua would have run to alight with chatter, eager to make friends. The sky mare with her intriguing pelt. Miykael, who Kahlua wanted to be happy to see again but could not find the emotion within herself. In fact, she was about to walk towards him when she heard a different voice- a voice so familiar, a voice that had come to her so often, that the queen almost thought she was in a dream.

As her eyes turned slowly and settled upon the voice's owner, the painted queen froze in horror. Aurelia. Instantly, Kahlua began to choke over her words, the blackness in her chest spilling up and out of her. “Oh Gods!” she gasped, the sound high pitched and terrible. It was the sound of mourning, of terror, of sorrow, of disbelief. It was the sound a monster makes when she knows what she is and has come to face her fate. For that is all the painted queen could call herself any longer-


Tears did not come- the queen had no more tears to cry. Her eyes were dry, but not for lack of trying. She wanted to cry, wanted to break down on the stony ground of the Veins and profess her undying agony to Aurelia. Kahlua wanted to beg for more pain, for the fervid pegasus to assault her with her agonizing flames, to feel just a fraction of the awful, terrible, destruction that must have broken Aurelia's soul into two. For even though Kahlua did not believe that Aurelia's actions were smart or noble, the queen was chained to the pegasus in such a way that she would never be debt-free again.

Frozen to the ground, writhing under the pressure of a ball of emotions she did not know how to control, the queen hardly noticed or heard as the fire mare rose from the lava. Her blue eyes were fixated upon Aurelia- watching, waiting... when would her punishment begin?


OOC| Wants a dragon, just too busy moping to know it.