The wind was slightly chilly, blowing straight from the depths of the ocean… It danced through the sky, it’s only witness a lonely paint stallion, standing in the sandy shores of the beach.

Why am I back here…?

The question lingered in the forefront of the stallion’s mind, his nostrils flaring slightly and inhaling the sickeningly familiar scent of saltwater that danced along the caressing fingers of the breeze. Honey-brown depths brimmed with melancholy as he stared out across the endless mass of waves and water, seeing everything and yet nothing at all. He was lost in his thoughts, and memories, of the last time he had come to this place. It was funny, in a way… Hadn’t he made a promise to himself that he would never step foot upon these white granules again? A scoff escaped his maw. Ironic…

What an adventure that had been…

A sardonic grin pulled at the stallion’s ebony lips, the corner of his eyes crinkling slightly. Loneliness seemed to radiate from his core, shining bright in the otherwise stationary dark stag. He stood motionless at the shoreline of the Endless Blue, staring out at sea. The wind licked at his mane and tail, dragging the ebony strands playfully in their wake… Yet for Apollo, he was feeling anything but playful. A deep, all-consuming sadness had filled his frame, his heart aching in questions regarding his new family. The Grey was his home, its members his brothers and sisters, and yet… The overo was still full of a bitter sort of loneliness.

He wondered where Phaedra was, for it seemed like so long since he had even laid eyes upon her. She always made him feel welcome and appreciated. His last visit to the ocean had been with her, where they had almost died at the hands of the sea-monster, and at the vicious jaws of the wolf-pack. They were dead now, the wolves, thanks to Lakota and Lupus’s help. And, of course, the sea-monster itself, who had demanded the remaining wolves as toys in exchange for Phaedra’s life…

Oh, Gods… What would he have done if she hadn’t survived? That was a question that Apollo truly didn’t want to answer. Since coming to Helovia, it seemed that he had centered his life around the Pegasus beauty. Everything that he did was for her, but no matter how much he loved her and cared for her, the only thing he truly wanted was for her to be happy. Even if that wasn’t with him, well… He hoped that they would still be friends.

As his thoughts raced, the winds continued to blow.

Giving a rough exhale, Apollo tilted his head slightly, mane shifting and strands sliding elegantly down his neck. The ice blue horn upon his head flickered in the offered sunlight, the rays sending soothing warmth across his ebony back. How long had he been standing here now? Too long, probably… Abruptly, the stallion gave his body a shake, freeing all of the sand that had collected in his painted hide due to the blowing winds. Lifting each hoof from the ground and giving each a shake, the stallion spared the depths of the ocean blue one last glance before turning his back on the sight. Some might call it breathtaking… To Apollo, it was a lingering, bitter memory of something he was beginning to feel he couldn’t have.

Did that kiss mean anything, Phae…? The stallion asked himself, torn between answers that he felt were unreachable. Or had it been a simple act of two souls taking solace in each other during such a tumultuous event?

Giving his head a rough shake, muzzle snapping to the right, Apollo gave a frustrated grunt. He was doing nothing but causing depression to set in, which was something that he had enough troubles with as it was. Normally, the stallion wasn’t this emotional, but the last couple of weeks had been stressful for him. The Grey was his only family, his only friends, and yet he was beginning to feel like… Oh, how could he put it… That Phaedra was his only purpose in the group of mercenaries. Did they consider him one of their own? Did they consider him a brother in arms, even though he was a poor soldier? Did they consider him the family that he so devotedly considered them?

“Oh, Gods, I need to stop this. I’m getting out of hand.” Honeyed eyes glanced up at the sky as the stallion continued his walk, turning to the left slightly so that he could enjoy some time walking along the beach. He was far from the water’s edge, however, and truly intended for it to stay that way. With each step he took, the black and white overo’s hooves sunk into the white granules of sand, and the feeling caused a somewhat genuine smile to spread across the unicorn’s dark lips. Ah, there it was… The sadness hadn’t beaten him down yet.

[ooc: Open to anyone, I suppose… XD I honestly don’t know where angsty-Apollo came from.]

I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."

As his slow, almost leisurely strides took him further along the coast side, Apollo was unaware of the fact that he was no longer alone. His thoughts muddled his mind, stealing any cognitive responses to the environment and those around him. It wasn’t that he was being rude, per se, just… Lost. It had been a long time since the overo had felt such an intimidating sadness, and it felt heavy and cumbersome upon his normally boyish heart.

His thoughts turned to Andreas, his beloved sister, and he wondered where she was right now, or what she was doing. It had been so terribly long since he had last seen her… Did she remain in his home, in a herd that would readily abuse and overpower than be kind and gentle? For her sake, the unicorn hoped that she had escaped their grueling clutches. Would they ever see each other again, though? It was hard to say… Perhaps fate could play a hand in their favor for once?

Once more, Apollo gave his head a violent shake, gritting his teeth in frustration. Oh, how annoying this was becoming. He was tired of the angst, the sadness, and the all-encompassing uselessness that he was beginning to feel. Yes, he was prone to fretting like a newly-made mother, but this was getting to the point of ridiculousness. Inhaling sharply through his nostrils, the male paused and stamped a hoof, sending granules of sand floating upwards in a small cloud of dust. Apollo watched in mild fascination, honeyed orbs taking in the raining particles before his ears caught a sound upon the breeze.

’Fancy seeing you on the same side of the sea. Apollo, is it not?’

Lifting his head and turning it towards the voice, Apollo’s forelock whipped to the side, obscuring his vision from the feminine voice that had beckoned him. With yet another furious shake of his head, the stallion tossed his head upwards, horn poised to the sky to throw the annoying ebony strands away from his face. It worked, if only for a moment, and the medic spotted who had spoken to him. A coat of fine alabaster nearly blended into the bleached white of the sand, and he admired her for a moment, simply trying to recall who she was.

Had they met before? Oh, yes… They had, in the Thistle Meadow. Nadira was her name, if he remembered correctly.

“Yes,” he said, clearing his throat and allowing a smile to tug at the corners of his dark lips. The stallion hesitated a moment and then turned his body towards her so that they were face to face, and the simple action helped keep the wind from tossing his mane into his face. “And you’re Nadira, right?” The stallion tilted his head, honey-brown eyes looking the other unicorn in almost a child-like curiosity. There were few in Helovia who he actually knew and befriended… Most of them had resided in the Grey, and once more, he was unsure of his relationship with them. Except for Phaedra, of course…

His smile curled his lips even further upwards, his eyes taking on a warm charm to them. “It’s nice to see you again, Nadira… I hope you’ve been doing good since our last encounter?” Through his smiles and forced chivalry, which never truly came naturally to the overo, it was clear to see that he was bothered. His tone was genuine, as he truly did enjoy seeing Nadira again… It was simply that he was bogged down by a lot on his mind.

I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."