paint roses red

RIXEN i have late night conversations with the moon; It was the first time I’d wandered back to this place. The first time since my arrival in the Rift, that was. So many things had happened since then, too many to count, and it was impossible to recount everything that had happened to me over the course of my time here. I was beyond grateful for it all; for the places I’d discovered, adventures I’d gone on, and more importantly the friends I’d made. It seemed like in the blink of an eye, I’d gone from a weary wanderer to the leader of a herd, the Rift’s first herd, granted the position by Hope alongside my dear friend Roscorro. My homeland was but a distant memory now, and considering my past, I did not mind that in the least. The Rift was my home now. It felt more like home than ever before. And I was proud to call the Rift as such.  I’d almost forgotten how eerie the Rift’s entrance was. The stillness of the air seemed to suck even the sound of my hoofbeats into the portal’s black nothingness. Even the trees seemed not to rustle as if they were tense with nerves for what was to come. Then again, this wasn’t a place I visited frequently. But now that I’d explored more of the Rift, it was becoming increasingly apparent that this shadowy place was indeed a misrepresentation of the Riftian world. For it was no longer a wasteland, not since we’d spread the hopelights from the Riptide Isles to the Frozen North. Should one dare to wander beyond its shadowy entrance, it would soon become clear that, as a matter of fact, the Rift could be a beautiful place. Halyven was the first location to come to mind, but the crumbling spires were only one of many examples.  Moving forward, the forest grew thicker around me, the trees and swirling mist swallowing my tiger-striped body whole. Despite the sun being out, it was not long before I was engulfed in utter darkness, save for the bluish light of the fluorescent plants that made it somewhat possible to see where I was going. Though engulfed in blackness and foreboding, there remained a sort of peace in its sullen ambiance. Walking beneath the dark tresses of the trees, my hooves caressed the velvet flesh of the forest ground. My emerald eyes flickered over the thick, dark trunks of the trees that rose steadily into the sky, each tree's branches interlocking with its neighbors like giant’s arms linked together to protect their home. The trees were densely packed together, leaving just enough space to allow someone to maneuver through. A musty scent, like that of leaves after rainfall, hung in the air, intermingling with a hint of damp soil, and of things in different stages of blooming and growth. The silence around me brought my thoughts to the question of what brought me back here in the first place. Was anyone else here? Did horses return to this place?  As always, my silver-tipped ears swivelled to and fro, a visible display of my eagerness to find out. And naturally, I did.  The pegasus was barely visible between the trees, but pale as the girl was, she was no apparition. She was looking around, examining her surroundings carefully as any newcomer might, although I was fairly certain that there was no danger lurking in the trees surrounding us. Not wanting to surprise the stranger, I proceeded to reveal myself slowly, stepping into the clearing with a small knicker to alert her of my presence in case she had not yet caught sight of me. "Greetings," accompanied by a tip of my vine-decorated antlers, upon speaking my lips turned up in a friendly smile. I formulated my assumption based on two observations: first, the mare did not seem to be traveling in a particular direction. She appeared to be wandering about, absorbing all the forest had to offer with the expression of caution and curiosity only a newcomer might wear. Second, well, I'd simply never seen her before. Perhaps there wasn't enough evidence to warrant my asking, but there seemed not to be any harm in doing so. "You look lost. I take it you are not from around here?"  "Talk." he tells me about the sun — and I tell him about you.

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