Pixel could feel her faith and hope begin to falter as she moved away from the portal and more importantly, from Otem. She didn't do so well on her own, and any confidence she may have felt at the end of the strange encounter she had had was mostly gone. Now, her legs felt shaky as she set off towards the east. This was the direction that would lead her to the meeting spot for those who had the balls of hope. She glanced at hers, feeling a small amount of comfort just from the cheery looking light. She could do this.
As she went, she noticed the altitude of the land was rising. In front of her, she could soon see the jagged rock jutting up into the sky. It was hard going, and she found herself pausing to catch her breath often. But she could smell the lingering scent of other horses, and that drove her forward. She couldn't see it, but her muzzle had turned grey, showing her exhaustion.
The pulsing blue light was worrisome, but that was where she was being led. The back of her neck prickled as she picked her way over, worried that there was some horrible thing nearby, lurking. After all, this world did not seem nor sound safe, and so far, Pixel hadn't run into much unpleasant. Soon enough, she spotted several other horses of various shapes and appearances, and a little smile crossed her face. She never thought she would be the type to be happy to see such strange creatures, but she was. Especially when she saw the floating balls of light around them.
The Protector, however, did not inspire such warm feelings within the white mare's chest. She was a bit frightened of him, to be honest, though she had no clue who he was or what the group was even doing here. When she heard the riddle, she frowned. What sort of game was this? She hung back a few steps, ears pricked forward to attempt to hear any and all conversation. Still, she felt quite separate from the others. Had she been able to more clearly hear Ruwin's answer to the riddle, however, she would have agreed. It certainly sounded like hope to her.
"Talk."
The Pinnacle
