[OOC: Tried to steal Aure. Failed. :( ]

Please tell me you didn't hurt him more, or I swear…

The dark mare's words couldn't be farther from the truth - if they had, they might have stung the sooty pegasus, for now she truly understood what it meant to love someone, and what that entailed. She would die before seeing Tolio hurt, and her actions that day on the Steppe, while still justified in her mind, still caused a pang of regret and shame within her. But how to begin? If Faelene truly didn't know - hadn't spoken to Tolio - then likely she thought they were still at odds. Phae couldn't help the smile force its way into her lips. Ever since that night in the grove, the very thought of Tolio immediately filled her with butterflies and a sense of longing. Forcing herself reluctantly out of that memory, she focused her sea-green gaze on Faelene once again.

"No…Nothing like that. Actually…" The hint of a secretive smile appearing on her lips again, "I think he'll be overjoyed…" Blinking, she imagined his sweet cinnamon-y face when she would tell him the news - she imagined his giggle, him bouncing about as he did, his soft sweet smile…Of course, she wasn't thinking about all of the other implications of the foal that they would have - where it would grow up, whether their relationship would be allowed to continue given the racism of the Basin. "Faelene, I'm pregnant." She said finally, her voice joyful and excited. Other than Sohalia, Faelene was the only other Helovian who knew of the life growing in her belly - and while she didn't expect any warm congratulations, she couldn't help but feel airy and bubbly speaking the words out loud.

Sohalia had told her that she needed to make Tolio choose between Faelene and herself, but standing before the dark mare now, she wasn't so sure. The pain and inner torment it would cause the stallion outweighed her prideful resentment of Faelene. Besides, if the foal was a unicorn, it would stay in the Basin, would it not? And as a high-ranking member, Faelene could offer…a watchful eye, if nothing else. She would do that for Tolio, if not for Phaedra, wouldn't she? Or would she turn against the foal, and denounce Tolio as a traitor for being with a pegasus? Phae didn't think so - she was loyal to the unicorns, yes…but Phae believed that she truly did love Tolio as a brother, and would not abandon him in that way.

Looking up at the mare with a wary smile, she sighed. "Tolio doesn't know yet…We weren't…planning it or anything…" Phae chewed her lip, realizing she was talking merely for the sake of avoiding the larger issue; the issue of Phae and Faelene.