How curious the tidepools were. Each one was like a whole world in itself. I resumed my exploration of them, lowering my antlered head to the water and sniffing it curiously. A tiny tree-like plant waved its branches directly below my whiskered muzzle. The fluorescent tendrils curled up toward me and I stretched my snout closer to touch them. Suddenly, the sticky arms shot forward from the water, tiny suction cups grabbing the tip of my nose. I leapt back in surprise, shaking my head until I was free of the strange plant. 

Amidst the crashing of the waves against the rocks, I heard a voice. I swung my antlered head around in the direction of the sound but saw nothing. Scanning the rocks more closely, I spotted a figure a short distance away. Whoever it was hadn’t come too close, but did not stand too far away either. Close enough that she had to shout a little so that the sound of her voice was not drowned out by the crashing of the sea. This made sense. I could be someone dangerous after all. But lucky for the unicorn standing a short distance away from me, I wasn’t. My emerald eyes scanned the figure. She appeared medium-built, a buckskin appaloosa with a dark face and many white markings that were recognizably different in nature from anything else I had seen before. Protruding from her forehead was a spiraled horn that curved back slightly toward her ears. Her icy blue eyes shone back at me. A large white bird circled in the sky above her. The Rift sure was full of surprises, and I welcomed them with intense and eager interest.

Her odd patterns and colors made me wonder if the mare was a Riftian native. "Hello." I called back to her, raising my voice a little so that it could be heard above the wind and the waves. "Are you from around here?" She might be able to teach me more about this place. I knew so little. Slowly, I was learning more, but anything or anyone who could help me to speed up the process would be greatly appreciated.   

"Talk."

She appeared to strain to hear my returned greeting. I watched as the spotted unicorn stepped toward me, eying me a little cautiously at first. Which was completely understandable, because for all she knew I could be a threat. But I wasn’t. I was just Rixen, a newcomer who had been plopped in this land presumably like everyone else, a weary wanderer in search of a new life. The first step to that, of course, was to find others who could teach me about the Rift, and who I might eventually be able to call friends. 

Helovia. This mare was also from Helovia. Why was I not surprised? She spoke of Kisamoa, too. I had never seen him, but from what I had experienced his name was known and frequently spoken of across the land. "No." I reply, "Neither am I." Thus far, I had yet to meet a native Riftian, although I had been convinced that this mare was one. Even though she was not a native Riftian, with all of her stripes and spots, I thought she certainly could pass as one. There was a kindness to her that I immediately found myself drawn to. 

My gaze shifted from the mare to her bird, and I watched the winged beast circle above, searching for prey. They appeared to share a connection unlike anything I had ever seen before or that I imagined possible. Where I came from, there was no such thing as a horse having an animal companion. We simply could not talk to them, for they were animals and did not speak our language. Immediately, I was curious about how the whole thing worked, but I refrained from asking about it just yet. I had so many other questions to ask, and it was already difficult enough to choose just one. 

"I am Rixen." I gave Kiada my name with a friendly bob of my head. "It is a pleasure to meet you, and Khairi." I did my best to acknowledge the bird swooping about in the air above us. Although it felt rather awkward talking to a bird, I did so out of politeness. A brief gust of wind blew a large chunk of my upper mane into my face, and I tried to toss it out of my eyes as gracefully as I possibly could. Still, pieces of hair were left tangled among the vines in my antlers. I left them there, not wanting to make too much of a fuss. I continued, "I was just looking at the plants in these tidepools. They’re almost like entirely different worlds… much smaller ones." I observed, shooting her a kind and pleasant smile. Fortunately, she was closer to me now, so I did not have to raise my voice quite so much. Gesturing to a fluorescent plant, I inquired, "Do you know what they are?"

"Talk."

"I would imagine that they would not mind, considering they already live near so much water." I suggested, returning Kiada’s laughter upon listening to her remark. With my vine-covered antlers, I gestured in the direction of the vast ocean that stretched out before us, as far as the eye could see. As it was a sunny day, the sun’s rays reflected off of the waves, causing the water’s surface to shimmer and sparkle.

Never before had I realized how much I enjoyed the sea. As a foal, I had never spent much time near it. My herd had dwelled deep within the forest, and as you can imagine, there was no sea nearby. Travelling to the seaside was a day’s trip, and as such, the event was reserved for special occasions. In peaceful times, I was sure I might have gone once or twice, but I was very young then; too young to remember much more than splashing about in the water with my sister while my mother looked on. Of course, I remember enjoying the waves lapping at my ankles and the salty air, but as I was so young, that enjoyment could have been attributed to anything. At that age, I had not experienced the dangers the world held. Most anything I saw or did would have been new, exciting, and to the liking of a young colt such as myself. Now that I came to think of it, this Riftian sea was not too different from the one that I always remembered. 

Feeling a little nostalgic, I let my green gaze rest upon the expanse of water. My thoughts left the tidepools to reminisce about my childhood. How different my life was now, in a way that I never could have fathomed even in my wildest dreams. Coming to terms with my past was one of the biggest challenges I had faced in my life. It was one of the simplest and most difficult of all endeavors, one that seemed impossible until I was thrust into the Rift. It was then, as I lay on the damp, cold forest floor, that I knew I could not start my new life here without accepting where I had already been.

Without turning to look at the mare beside me, I spoke, "I’m sure that even if one was to be in their most attentive state, it would take a long while to understand how everything around here works. I hope to myself, one day, if it is even possible." The words flow from my lips as smoothly as brown velvet, "Healing the Rift is first and foremost, I suppose, although I have yet to find someone to share my orb with." My mind wandered to the underlying task at hand, and how I happened to notice that Kiada possessed an orb similar to mine. I wondered if she had any information to share on the matter.

"Talk."

The slapping of water against rock roared in such ferocity yet offered a sound of rhythmic tranquility. "That is a difficult question, one that I’m not quite sure how to answer. Not even I know exactly how I managed to get here." I began, trying to think of how to explain my arrival in the Rift to the mare. It had been a while since I tried to recall that night in detail, and the memories came back to me in fragments. 

My mind was flooded with images of walking in familiar land, a meadow, if I remembered correctly. The soft grass crunched down beneath the weight of my hooves, then sprung back up again behind me as I went. It must have been night, for I was surrounded by darkness, save for the moon. The moon was full and the land was bathed in moonlight. The cold beams of light shone down upon my pale skin, illuminating my shape in the darkness. For some reason or the other, I had not been able to sleep, although I wasn’t sure why. The reason could have been because I was unable to find a sheltered place to rest, but it was most likely because my mind was restless. My herd had been destroyed several months earlier, and I had taken to wandering in hopes of finding a place to call home. Though I longed for the sense of belonging that a herd brought, I was also afraid. I feared that the same fate would befall me if I found another herd, and for that reason, part of me hoped to stay alone. My mind was filled with troubling thoughts, as it had been every day since I lost everything that I knew, and what was left of what I loved. I was restless. And so I walked.

Eventually, the grassy meadow came to an end, and the forest began. I don’t know why, but something within my said to keep going and I followed my instinct. The trees swallowed me whole. They were tall, and so densely packed that they blocked out the comforting light of the stars and the moon. It was dark, so, so dark. Not to mention cold. The biting air made my skin tingle, as if it were being pricked by thousands of pins and needles all over. It was not painful, instead quite ticklish and pleasant. A moment later and the blood was rushing through me, bringing a wave of warmth and energy with it. I remember feeling very strange, dizzy even. 

I could remember the voices. 

Eerie voices whispering in my ears, flooding my mind. Though I tried desperately, it was impossible to discern what they said or who the words belonged to. The whispers beckoned me closer and I could not help but follow my ears. It was as if there were invisible strings attached to each of my legs, slowly dragging me closer to the origin of the chilling sounds. I lost all control of my body but my hooves were still moving. The trees cleared up to reveal a moon-bathed clearing. In the center, illuminated by the moonlight, I could see that the ground parted to reveal a black teal mass. The whispers were louder now. They rang in my ears, but still I could not make out what they said. This may be grasping at straws, but I do believe that they were saying "come closer." 

Then I was falling. The world spun around me and I could not begin to describe to you what it felt like to fall without knowing where you were going; without even the reassurance that at some point, you would hit the ground. For all I knew, I could be falling forever. My mind spun. Was I dying? I lost track of my senses. I lost track of time. I lost touch with my body, unable to feel my limbs, unable to cry out in shock or fear or whatever indescribable way I was feeling. Everything was a rush. A blur. A stillness. All I perceived as the world fell away behind me was ...darkness. 

The next thing I knew, I lay covered in scrapes and bruises, surrounded by luminescent trees that I had never seen before. I was in the Rift. "Some kind of portal brought me to the Rift." Was the only explanation I could offer. That was so much easier than trying to explain how the events of that night had unfolded. If Kiada's journey to the Rift had been anything like mine, then she might understand. Continuing to gaze across the water, my eyes resumed their thoughtful expression. How captivating the ocean was. It was the great unknown that fascinated me so. The unfathomable deep... dark and dangerous, foreboding and unconquerable. On the surface the sea was beautiful and even graceful, but beneath its shimmering surface contained immense mystery.  

"Talk."