Note

Note was not one known for feeling lonesome or wishing for the company of others, unless that 'other' was his precious Sohalia. He had been thinking about her a lot recently. The stallion often found himself wondering if the mare was safe and unharmed, although it was usually a foolish thought. She was very good at taking care of herself, but now the mare was carrying a foal in her belly. Having a foal was a risky game, no thanks to Note's overprotective habits.

A nice fly would sooth anyone's nerves, especially if you were a pegasus born to sail through the winds that roll and tumble in play above our heads. The activity had never been one Note has taken much fondness to, but he had found it was a good way to relieve stress. He beat his massive, hawk-like wings against the wind, gaining altitude. The air was hot and dry, though colder in the airs he had ended up in.

Note wasn't going anywhere in particular, it was just a leisurely fly at relatively slow pace, though he still longed to check up on Sohalia. They hadn't seen each other in quite sometime, and he figured it was time to seek the mare out. He quickly assessed his position in the sky, scanning the area below. Note couldn't tell his exact position, but he knew it was somewhere up north, between the Heavenly Fields and the Frozen Arch.

Wings straining to keep the stallion in the air, Note decided he'd have more luck finding Sohalia farther south, but his muscles were aching with the amount of time he'd spent in the air. He decided to head to the Heavenly Fields, and if she wasn't there, he'd rest in the fields anyways until he could continue his search.

He wasn't sure how long he spent in the air, or how much distance Note had even gone, but the Heavenly Fields was in sight, and his wings could barely take much more of the torture of flight. At first, Note saw no signs of life in the fields, but a glimmer of white caught his eye. Standing alone was none other than Sohalia with her muzzle touching her enlarged stomach. A smile leapt to Note's face, his sharp green eyes softening, partly due to relief from seeing Sohalia safe.

Note dove once he was a few meters away from the mare, slicing through the air as he tucked his wings, opening them in time to land with his front hooves pressed cleaning to the ground followed by his hind legs. He trotted eagerly towards Sohalia, taking in her appearance with slight shock.

"Sohalia," Note greeted her with a warm tone, realizing his rumpled appearance from flight and flipping his mane in an attempt to control the wild locks, "I saw you from above, and I thought it'd be nice to say hi." He gave her a weak, nervous smile. 'You idiot. That sounded incredibly lame,' Note thought to himself. He had become tongue-tied on what exactly he should've said. 'Hey, how's it going? I got you pregnant, how's the baby?' No. The words he had said in the first place seemed much more appealing now.

Note

At the gentle touch of Sohalia's velvet muzzle on his own, Note relaxed. Nothing had changed, not really. He smiled at the white mare, admiring her beauty for a moment. It wasn't everyday you met a mare so pretty as the one had acquired, and for that, he took pride in the family he was starting with her. Sohalia was always timid, but in an irresistibly adorable way. Though her looks were stunning, they were not the only reason Note was so drawn to her.

"I missed you, too," Note murmured, pulling Sohalia close and drinking in the smell of her pristine coat. "Have you been okay? I've been so busy as of late; I feel like I've been leaving you all on your own," Note said, his voice trailing off, heavy with guilt. His sharp green eyes rang with sadness and worry.

The dusty bay was not particularly known for letting people down, though he felt as if he had abandoned Sohalia. It was an awful feeling to be leaving the pregnant mare on her own, especially considering how absent his own father was. The thought of being as neglectful as Note's father to his family sent a shudder up his spine. He couldn't do something like that to them...

Or could he?

Note

Relief floods through Note, smiling at the thought of her and Rowan together and safe. Rowan was scarce in the herd, but she was a good friend for Sohalia. He could easily see them together, chatting and doing...well, whatever mares did when they were together. He had never had much experience with mares, with the exception of the prisoners he sometimes captured all those many years ago. They often took in mares, but they were for the stallion's use only, any old soldier like himself were not to touch the mares. Then he was appointed to general and often found himself escorting the mares around their old camp.

Note pushes the thought away, interest sparking in his eyes when she told him to feel her stomach. Curiosity takes over and Note moves to brush his velvet muzzle down her plump side. A soft pound came from within. Their foal was kicking already?! His eyes widened, looking from Sohalia's face to her stomach, then back again.

"I felt..the child kick," He grinned, feeling lightheaded, but blissfully happy. He knew not if the child was to be a little girl or boy, so he chose his words carefully, though it wasn't just any child. It was their child. The child that Sohalia and Note had created together.

Note

A soft nudge on his shoulder, the kick of his child...Note could stay here forever, just like this. The world was so much simpler in the meadow. No training, no Tio, nothing. It was just him, Sohalia, and their unborn child.

Note nodded his head and smiled, looking back at Sohalia. "Yes, it is. Our own little foal," Note laughed a little in disbelief, his muzzle still pressed to her enlarged stomach.

He had never thought much of the future, Note had always lived in the present, but now, he couldn't get his mind off the future. Would their foal look more like Sohalia or Note? Or would it look like another relative? Or would it be a blend? The questions swarmed his mind, but Note remained quiet. For once, he tried to focus on what was happening.

Their foal was just that much closer to being born, to being alive.

Note

The smile that adorned Note's muzzle faded, a puzzled look crossing his face at her words. He twisted his head around to look at Sohalia, concern glowing in his bright green eyes. It wasn't the words themselves that had caused his blissful moment of happiness to evaporate, it was the way she had said them. Hesitant. Like she knew something he didn't.

"No, I don't believe so," Note spoke, gazing into her bi-colored orbs. Everyone had a secret, even Sohalia must have one. But secrets must be told at a precise time. Was this the time?

Note had quickly become anxious for her reply, but did his best to keep his composure. It was something he had found himself doing often, though it was a skill he had mastered long ago. So why did his equilibrium state crumble when he was with Sohalia?

Confusion muddled the stallion's thoughts and eyes. Curiosity seeped in as well, but wasn't quite as intense as his other feelings. He wouldn't let himself be overrun by a word with such an overused meaning such as curiosity, he couldn't. Not when she was going to tell him something so important.

Note

Note's head nodded slowly as he listen to the horrors Sohalia had gone through at such a young age. His sharp green eyes never left hers, but they were without emotion. He had suspected she had gone through quite an ordeal, but not one as terrifying as this. His own past didn't seem as daunting anymore, for at least he had never lost anyone so close to him. Of course, Note's mother had disappeared, but she was just as quiet and desolate as himself. They had never had the same bond a mother and child should've had, even though Note had come to respect her greatly for the legacy she left behind.

As Sohalia neared the end of her story, a smile started to cross Note's tenebrous muzzle. His eyes once again lit up, shining with faith and an emotion he had never had much experience in: love. If this wasn't love, he wasn't sure what it was anymore.

"I love you with every fiber of my being, Soh," Note spoke, touching his muzzle to hers tenderly, "I promise to do my best to make your dreams a reality." Truth was evident in his voice, the same glittering feeling echoing in his eyes. Note was a horse who kept his promises and this was not one he was going to break anytime soon.