It has been too long since I have seen Note, though he has been ever-present in my mind. Even when I remind myself that I have been apart from him for only a short while, that I'm being silly, that I'm growing too attached at too early a stage, I miss him. Now, trotting through the Threshold, I shake my head. I truly am being ridiculous. I should get that under control, before I scare him away. I wonder, does he feel the same way about me? Do I invade his thoughts as he does mine? Does he go through his days wondering what I'm doing, if I would like the same things he does, if I would notice the same things he does, making lists of things to tell me at day's end? And does he forget it all once we are again in sight of one another? I am a lovestruck fool, I know, but I simply cannot help it. For so long, I have prayed that I might find a love like my parents had shared, and I feel like it is now within my grasp. Because of Note. Because of Phaedra.

Phaedra. I frown, lost in thought. She had come to me, not so long ago, and confessed her secret to my friendly ears: she is pregnant. I don't know what she's going to do, considering that the father is a part of the Aurora Basin herd, whose leader is a well-known racist. Not to mention, she is a part of the mercenary group the Grey, and I cannot imagine that they will take kindly to a foal in their ranks. I wish that I could help her, I truly do, but the only way that I can think of to offer my assistance is as a surrogate mother - and in order to do that, I, too, would have to get pregnant, to produce milk. And I don't think that Note and I are ready for that. Does he even want children? I wonder, and resolve to ask him soon.

Something catches my eye through the trees of the forest, and I look closer, finding an albino pegasus that is almost like my reflection. I whinny a greeting, pistons pulling me ever closer. My eyes are kind and my smile genuine, and I speak softly, though my words are strong. "Hello there. My name is Sohalia of the Dragon's Throat. Are you new to these lands?" I remembered my own entrance to Helovia, greeted not by kind words but the snarls of angry wolves. I remember Tor, the large draft mare that had run from them and Lace, the stallion that had so kindly stayed to fight them. I wonder what has become of them now.


"talk talk talk"

Live... I want to live on fire
Die... I want to burn out brighter
Brighter than the northern lights
Want to live to feel the daylight

Her voice is like a gentle melody, and I am glad to be met with a gentle soul that mirrors my own, just as her body does. What an oddity to find two ivory pegasi in the same place - how confusing it would be to walk into the scene! One might need to do a double-take, check twice to be sure they aren't seing things. Luckily, we seem to be alone, so we are spared that confusion. I smile again, hoping to portray kindness. There is something sad about this mare, some emotion that I cannot name. I wish that I could take away her pain, hers and everyone else's... Stop, I tell myself wryly. Don't you have enough on your shoulders?

The reminder of my friends' problems lies heavily on my heart, and my smile falters. If only I could take their pain from them, make it my own, or perhaps simply make them forget... but no. The burden would be too great. "Bahiya Al Hatal," she says by way of greeting, and I tilt my head to the side thoughtfully. Perhaps it is my scholarly side, but I am very curious. It is an odd name to me, though mine may be so to her as well. "You have an intriguing name," I say, no trace of mockery in my voice, only an honest curiosity. "Where do you come from?" A gentle breeze rustles the trees, flickering briefly through my banner before dying once more. It is a welcome thing, though we are not yet in the heat of Tallsun.


"talk talk talk"

Live... I want to live on fire
Die... I want to burn out brighter
Brighter than the northern lights
Want to live to feel the daylight

I remember my own past, and I think that in her own way, hers is just as terrible as mine. Sometimes in the night I can still hear the screams of my family as they were brutally murdered before my eyes, can still feel the branches ripping at my skin as I ran, can still see the bloodstains on the ground. It was everywhere, all around me, and yet I had escaped. For what purpose, I ask myself over and over again. Why am I still here when they are all gone? Is it but a cruel joke that the gods have played on me? Or am I bound to this world to serve a higher purpose?

Her story has left me with a heavy heart, and I listen solemnly to the end. This beautiful fae, surely not much younger than I, a plague? Who would think such a thing? I did not miss her glance at her wings - was that it? Were we pegasi doomed to be persecuted no matter where we were in the world? No, I assure myself firmly. Not here. Here, I live in a large herd of all kinds, but we are mostly pegasi. Here, I have a life, I have a love, I have safety... I have everything that I have gone so long without. I will not lose it to those who do not understand my species.

Bahiya smiles, and I can see that she has moved past her pain. Like me, she has overcome it, has moved on, has made the decision that her past will not rule her future. Or so I assume. I cannot read minds. I return her smile with one of my own. "Well, Bahiya Al Hatal," I begin, her name an oddity on my tongue, but one that flows smoothly. "Thank you for sharing your history with me. I will have to repay the favor one day. Rest assured, you will not be considered a plague here." I pause, then contiinue. "If it is a home that you seek here, I would be glad to escort you to mine. I live in the Dragon's Throat, and I am sure that you would be welcomed."


"talk talk talk"

Live... I want to live on fire
Die... I want to burn out brighter
Brighter than the northern lights
Want to live to feel the daylight