Arriving in all the Sun-lit glory

[Skydancer]

My feet weren't prancing as I stepped on the terra. They were almost dragging, all the spirit I had held in my foalhood seeping away into the ground. What had happened to my life? Purewater Cove wasn't my family any longer-who did I know who resided there? Triton was dead. Niether Lament nor Sonata anywhere to be found, and mother had left several months ago. So here I am now, claiming this dukes territory. Another horse who dissapeared from this land. My heart ached with a pain I had never felt before. At three years old I was alone...alone with memories and grief, and confusion. How I wished to feel happy again. To prance and whinny at the sun, purely for mocking of its glimmer on my own golden pelt. Not that I was anything to rival the sun right now. I was dust covered and yellow-tassled. I gazed blearily at the water on my right. It was a small river, or a big stream. I wasn't sure which. I could smell the salt in it, no surprise, with the sea nearby. What was there to stay clean for? Several times I had caught myself slipping into a depression so deep I wouldn't have been able to climb out, but I had caught myself. I was NOT going to become my mother. I couldn't...do that. Become a lifeless shell that simply moved about with empty, terrifying eyes. Inhaling, I gathered what life was left in my and let out a call of determined, but false, victory. This land, I felt, was my last hope. I was going to make it grow. That last thought caused me to pause. I wanted my land to grow, which meant going out in the world...finding mares. I looked into the water, at my mud-stained coat. I wasn't the best or kindest looking stag at the moment. And I simply wasn't in the mood to go talk to frivilous fillies who would laugh and giggle and bat their eyelashes at me and at life. I sighed, then stepped into the water. Even if I wasn't going on a search for mares, I might as well clean myself up.

[x.Serenade]

Moonlight Sonata

Sonata had been wandering. Again. Her brother was missing, and someone else had taken over the light kingdom. She didn't want to come across any unknown being, stag or fae. She wanted her brother. She wanted Sunglow. Sonata paused. Sunglow? Where had that come from? He was an annoyance from her past, except when she saw him last at least. A smile flitted across her lips as she thought of the handsome, kind stag he had grown into in the span of years that she had been missing. Then she shook her head, a little mortified at that thought. No. No! He was annoying, bouncy, stupid, pain in the butt! And he always will be. Or will he? Again with the no! With a sigh, Sonata glanced around at where she was. Well. It was a beautiful land, that much was certain. And she could see no form of life, anywhere. Oh. No. That was a lie. There was a palomino stag, wading into a stream. He was familiar. Now where...? Oh crap. Not again. It was Sunglow, and her heart began to pound, while adrenaline pumped through her veins at the thought of seeing him once more. No, no, no! He was Sunglow for crying out loud! However, she did say how she wanted to find someone she knew. And if it wasn't Lament, who better? Now she didn't stop the smile, and instead raced towards the shining gold figure below her, her daggers pummeling the ground in her eagerness. As she neared, she realized she was going a little too fast to brake properly. That would happen. Frantic, and trying to slow herself down the hill, the plan backfired. Instead of graciously slowing to a stop beside Sunglow, just as she had imagined, the only thing she went speeding towards was the water. Headfirst, she slammed into the water, causing her to tumble before resurfacing in a sputter of water, and coughing from the liquid that she had breathed in. And now what to say. Sonata just stared, open-mouthed, at Sunglow, horrified at her clumsiness and trying not to imagine what he would say.

[Skydancer]

I had just stood up from a roll in the water and was re-entering it when there was explosion just to the side of me. I leapt back, and my hoof slipped on a stone, causing me to land hard on my rump, sitting like a wolf puppy. I snorted and stood up, glad that Sonata hadn't seen my clumsiness. The thought flickered through my brain almost before I realized who it was that had bombshelled the water. I stared silently as she rose up, spluttering and coughing. A peculiar tingle ran through my body, and surprise welled in me as I recognized it as amusement...mostly. I let out a rusty sounding chuckle, a noise that sounded very little like the laugh I had used to let out so often. The rustiness went away, however, after a few moments of near-hysterical gaffaws. I couldn't help it. The glee I felt at seeing Sonata(and just why WAS I so happy, it was kinda creepy) and the hilarity at her very...athletic...crash just completely sent me over the edge of control. Plus her expression...it was just perfect...another wave of laughter attacked me before I shook it off. I wondered if she'd be annoyed at me for laughing. If I recalled, she liked to consider herself a serious, more graceful fae. I smiled at her, trying to keep it from growing into a muzzle-splitting grin. I resisted commenting on her clumsiness...barely. Mostly what kept me from saying something was remembering the last conversation we had had...which reminded me. "Have you talked to Lament yet?" I asked. Then remembered I hadn't even greeted her. "Um," I said intelligently, "Hi. How are you?" I could have groaned. Why was it that I was absolutely incapable of intelligent speech around her?

[x.Serenade]

Okay, so she was a little indignant that he was laughing at her. That wasn't fair. She fell. Sort of. But before long, Sonata started chuckling with him, though she strove to keep her composure. While he was laughing, she couldn't help but watch him, a bit entranced by him. No! This was obnoxious Sunglow! Why did she have those thoughts about him? When he smiled at her, an odd tingling occurred in her chest, like a feather was tickling her heart. Weird. She shoved it from her mind and focused on Sunglow, though trying not to focus too much. Because that would seem awkward. Anyway. Sonata's mood sank rapidly when he mentioned her brother, and quickly averted his eyes, pawing the stream bed as she still stood in the water. She wasn't sure how to answer that, seeing as she hadn't gone to find Lament, and word had gotten to her that he had lost Pure Water Cove, because he was not there when the new challenger came in. Now a new queen held the throne, and she had no idea where Lament had gone. Did he know? Was he going to try and take it back, or would he submit and live without the burden of being the light king? She needed to find him. Sonata heard Sunglow speak again, and flicked her eyes up for a moment, a small, sad smile coming to her lips as he tried to retract what he had said and replace it with something more polite. He knew what had happened to her, and he was the only one she had told. Her eyes went back to the water beneath her as she replied. I'm fine, I guess. I haven't seen Lament, not that I haven't thought about it, and not that I haven't meant to. And she stopped speaking, instead watching the water flow about her knees before looking up at Sunglow with a lost look in her dark brown eyes. I don't know where he is. There is a new queen in Pure Water, and I don't mean that he's found a mate. A fae took over, and I don't know where Lament has gone. Sonata hung her head, her muzzle just off the water. I feel like I'm alone in the world, the last of my family. She didn't know what to say after that, a little surprised at herself that she had spilled something like that to Sunglow. What was she, a pansy? She was the daughter of Caspian of the Sea and Sweet Serenade, she should be stronger than this. But she felt so separated, her own fault of course, but still. But something about being around Sunglow made her feel not so alone, like there was always someone she could turn to. Looking up, she watched Sunglow a bit warily, wondering how he would react to what she had just said, how personal it was, and what he would say.

[Skydancer]

I was a little surprised when Sonata's expression changed from indignation to laughter. Somehow I just hadn't expected that, with everything the way it was in life right now. My smile faltered a little as she spoke, but I kept in in place without much difficulty-She was here, now, and it wasn't that hard to smile when she was around. Because she was familiar. Someone I knew from my foalhood days. That's why I smiled around her. I watched her shift her gaze down to the water at her legs. Something in her expression at that moment sent a jolt of some kind of sadness through my heart. When she looked back up at me it was still there. Some kind of lonliness that seemed to call out to me. I looked back at her as she spoke. I had heard that during Lament's dissapearance someone new had come, but another leader seemed unfathomable to me. I'd known Lament since I had first arrived at Purewater. In a very peculiar sense he could be considered my grandfather, though he had never very grandfatherly to me. He was too...poised? Reserved? I shook the thought from my mind. I wasn't sure I had ever understood him, aside from the fact that his and Triton's relationship had been flawed by something. It didn't matter now, so much of that was gone, in the past...nothing that could ever come back. A wave of pain caused me to close my eyes. I opened them again when Sonata continued, her words almost an exact echo of what was in my soul. I looked at her and sighed, wondering what on earth I could say to make her feel better, to make me feel better. "Sonata..." I murmured, "Life has changed recently. Almost too much, and yet in some perverse way, not enough. And maybe change would be a good thing, except...no matter how the present or the future changes, the past never will, and for both of us, I think the past is the thing we want to reverse-but we can't. You can't go back home to Purewater like these past months had never happened, playing with your brother, teasing him, placing him as a silver idol in your mind. I can't go back and pretend my mother and father will come running up, scolding me for running off again." I shook my head, then looked at her solemnly, "You aren't alone," It was the first thing that came to my mind. I didn't try to make myself smile. I knew I just couldn't at that moment. "Nor am I." This last I whispered almost silently to myself, cementing it in my mind. "You are here, with me. We've grown up, both of us. We have to make our own descisions now, no matter how strange or difficult they seem. I'll help you find Lament, if you wish. Perhaps by now he has returned to Purewater." Now I managed at least a small smile. The feeling of eternal hoplessness that had coated me only a moment before was evaporating again. "I know I'm not exactly family, but I..." Here my words faltered. I opened and closed my mouth, not sure what I was trying to say, not sure I would know how to say it if I did. I settled for, "I care about you, we've known each other a while. As I said, I would be happy to help you find Lament, or you could stay here a while." I cut off on my last sentence, realizing how much I had said. I gave a small laugh, a snicker aimed at myself. I truly never could be quiet, in any situation, could I? I just hoped somewhere in my speech I had said something right.

[x.Serenade]

His words struck home, more than she would have thought. Any other time, they probably would have been cheesy and cliche, but right in the moment, they were perfect. Absolutely perfect. Sonata just stared at him, just barely keeping her mouth closed as those words rolled off Sunglow's tongue. Did he rehearse that? It was perfect. And amazing. And sweet. And romantic. Wait, romantic? No, no. Well...maybe. No! She squashed those thoughts, focusing on what her response should be to that unnerving and wonderful speech. Sonata looked down, fighting a smile. Once she had gained her composure, she looked back up, a slight smile evident on her lips. I hope you don't mind me imposing on you. I want to recover in the company of someone I care about, too. At least until I'm ready to face my brother. Sonata shook her head, letting out a sad laugh. She could only imagine how Lament would react to seeing her. Anger would probably be foremost, fearful anger. She knew how much he loved, how much he tried to take care of her once their mother had died not long after her birth. Those had been scary times, especially once their father died soon after. But no need to dwell on the past now, not with her future looking her in the face. Wait, Sunglow? No, she meant, you know, in a different way. Not literally Sunglow looking at her. Mentally, she gave a tittering laugh, not showing it on her face, but wondering why her mind kept wandering back to Sunglow. Hauling her drenched bodice from the stream, Sonata shook herself off, spraying cold water everywhere. Now that she was out of the water, she was chilled, the cold air of fall freezing the water that was still dripping from her body. Looking at Sunglow, she cocked her head before questioning him. First off, is there anywhere warm enough that I can dry out and warm up? Cold water and cold air are not a good mix when on a body. Thankfully the sun was out, and in a prime spot, she would be able to warm quickly. Maybe some rocks set out in the sun, warm with its rays, something. Before he answered, Sonata moved involuntarily closer as the air chilled her even more, his warm, mostly dry body drawing her near, until she was leaning against his golden flank, trying to soak up his body heat. She leaned with a sigh, resting her head against him as well, not thinking about why she was doing this or what he would think.

[Skydancer]

While waiting for her response, I took a moment to bring myself under control. After speaking I had felt as if my heart was going to tremble and shake it's way out of my chest. Talking to Sonata like that, seeing her here, remembering anew her own scars seemed to rip the just-healing wounds on my soul open again. I never had truly accepted the happenings in my life. I had come to this terra depressed but telling myself I would move on. But the stupid cliche was true-to move on from something, you have to accept it first. I almost snickered. I was more than half-sick of this bizarre half-life I had been drifting around in. So I had problems-so did everybody. In fact, most people had life harder than I. My mother-how I hate to think of her as I last saw her, broken and in a state beyond repair. Triton-his life had been...oh I barely knew, but certainly his scars ran deep. Lament, I knew little of his past, but it seemed that all the horses of Purewater Cove carried scars, I could only wonder what his were. But right now the horse whose problems were foremost on my mind was the beautiful mare before me-hey, no-there was nothing weird in acknowledging the fact that she was pretty. I twisted my ears around to listen when she spoke. When she mentioned being chilled, I mentally smacked myself for being so careless. I opened my mouth to reply when she leaned against me. I half-choked on my breath, I was so shocked. I should've felt cool myself from the water transfering from her pelt to mine, but instead my skin felt as if it were afire. My first shocked reaction was to leap away, but I wasn't a skittish colt anymore. Gently but swiftly I touched the top of her head with my muzzle. Then I drew back and smiled at her, "Firstly, you could never impose on me." I paused, trying to think of something to say. For some reason the air around us felt thick with tension. I decided to blow it away. I grinned and arched my neck, "After all, you make the first addition to my haram. I've been here five minutes and already the gorgeous femmes are lining up. You're helping out my reputation!" I grinned, trying to lighten the atmosphere-to much solemnity! I turned inland, away from the chill air that blew in from the not-so-distant sea. "There's a sandy little peak not far from here. It's not exactly the cleanest place on the terra, but the sand warms quickly in the sun, even on the coldest days." I waited for her answer before I began moving.