//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Taanok // Story: The Mark of Eran // by Tofazz //------------------------------// Taanok         “Are you certain?” Moxie asked Athaal.         “Yes, this is the only option for us.” He answered.         She pulled her blanket tighter around her as she thought. She let her eyes wander slightly. The light from the flame outside bathed her husband in its glow from behind. It then split away from him and touched the gray walls of the small room she slept in. Athaal had awoken her and informed her about what Saif had discovered last night, and what his plans were. Moxie was still uncertain if it was the right choice for either. Once more she would be outside of the culture, feeling hidden away as she was as a foal. If she left, who would take care of her mother? She knew Ghalib was skeptical of any visitors, and to just mingle with the servants… what life was that for an old mare?         He took hold of her hoof and stroked it. “Look, I’m not going to decide for both of us, and I never would. But if the crown knows about this, and willingly lets them roam around for the profit of nobles, we will get executed the moment we bring up this evidence. It’s better to let the goddesses use their political ties and confront him, then we will be safer from any harm that might come our way.” He explained carefully.         “Can’t we just ignore it?” she carefully asked.         “No, I will not do that, I rather live homeless in Equestria than to let the lives of my fellow Saddle-Arabians fall because of greed.” He stated with a stern gaze fixated at her.         “If you think that is the best option for us, I’ll support your decision. If it comes to it, I’m sure we will be able to make a life in Equestria.” She said and smiled disheartened at him and found her once more trusting Athaal with a decision that would change her life forever.         He nodded, “Then that’s our decision,”         She stared out in thin air. Perhaps she could convince her mother to come along? That would most likely cause Ghalib to join as well, she could be without that. Now that she thought about it, there was only Afraa she didn’t want to leave behind, her friends had stopped seeing her the moment they’d come of age. Her only companionship was with Athaal and Saif. Not that she did mind, she often liked being alone. Her husband gave her all the company she needed. As for Saif…she wondered if their relationship would ever come to what they call friends?         A quick flash played over her eyes, and she saw a glimpse of Rishad’s memory again. It was rarely anything coherent and solid anymore, just a few seconds at a time. Even then, it was enough to remind her, and the stabs in her chest pained her to an almost physical level. She slowly pulled herself out of the trance, feeling the gentle touch of her husband stroking her cheek. As if sensing her distress, however slight, he smiled warmly at her. It was apparent that he worried, wondering when the memories of Rishad caused her harm and if there was anything he could do for her. It was all unsaid between them, but he didn’t need to say more for her to know that he was there for her.         She wanted to tell him how much she missed her old friend, how much it pained her. She wanted to tell him about the flashes that came to her, shattering her already broken heart anew. She wanted to tell him that she only needed him to stay with her just enough for the images to go away. She needed to tell him everything, from how she craved him at times when she lost control over her thoughts, to the thoughts about malice and murder, and finally her ties with Trixie. She feared what he would think of it. A deep voice within her told her to trust no pony, not even him. She knew it wasn’t true, yet she listened to it.         At his inquire of her comfort, she shook her head. She wasn’t okay, and he knew it. Everything that had happened the last week strained her, and her mind was not her own. However, she reassured him that she would be fine, even if her heart screamed otherwise.         He slowly rose, “We will travel again this coming night, so try to get some sleep. We don’t have a cart for you anymore.” His hoof touched her mane lightly, “I need to make everything ready, unless you want me to stay for a bit while you fall asleep?” he asked.         She shook her head in response and smiled proudly at him. He squinted slightly at that, as if he saw through her guise. She looked at him with half lidded eyes and kissed him deeply. As she did, her body warmed up again, her heart fluttered together with her small wing. A tingling sensation washed through her. Their lips left each other’s touch, and her cheeks got slightly warmer. She caught herself gazing lustfully at him, and he gazed in return. Then his ears flopped back. There was no time for it, no matter how much they wanted it. He smiled at her again and lifted her up from the floor, carrying her as he had the day they announced her pregnancy to Afraa. Placing her upon the bed, he pulled the blanket around her and pushed a strand of her hair to the side before he kissed her goodbye for now.         She furrowed her brows trying to force her thoughts away. Lying like that, she saw how the opal lit up weakly, barely touching the wall with its normally vibrant color. She sighed and closed her eyes, she knew that she didn’t have much longer to live, and she felt it to the core of her body. Each minute that passed, her mind let more of itself go, and together with it, the loss of her being. What pained her most was that she was fully aware of the changes, but no matter how much she screamed, the black thoughts controlled her, and stopped her from doing what she wanted. She was certain, if it had not been for Rishad’s serum, and lastly his sacrifice, she would already been gone. Never again be able to see her mother again, nor would she be able to see the smile of Athaal every time he got home, she would never have a chance to experience the feeling of becoming a mother. She would never be able to repay Rishad for it, and even with his sacrifice, it all stood at risk to fall apart.         The thoughts distressed her, she quickly peeled off the blanket and rose. It was almost like something within the temple called out for her to approach it. She donned the gown lying on the floor and wrapped it around herself. Exiting the sleeping quarter she resided in, she stopped and took a hoof to her stomach, feeling a faint tumble and a kick from within her. That feeling alone was enough for her to draw a slight smile. If not for herself, it was for the life that rested inside of her she had to continue to try. Breathing deep she continued, seeing the soldiers packing what equipment they had. The one called Sati barely offered her a thought as she sidled past, but the one called Morad stopped what he was doing and looked at her. His gaze reminded her somewhat of Athaal’s upon their wedding, dark eyes built up from anger and frustration. She averted her own eyes and shuddered as she focused her mind forward. No matter what, she would try to keep the brooding thoughts at bay.         She walked down the halls, marveling their size. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind, for between the pillars and hallways she swore she could see remnants of the ponies whom lived here so many years ago. She was certain it was a hallucination, but perhaps it was an effect of being in the place where the disease was created, like a connection. Wandering the halls, she saw acolytes talking to each other, discussing something in a foreign tongue, before vanishing. Each room she passed was different. In the rooms with cauldrons, she saw the ghost carefully mix the serum. While in the rooms with cages and other unspeakable devices, she saw ghosts tying down subjects for their experiments. She could not hear those being tied down, but she could imagine the screams echoing through the vast halls. They screamed for mercy, screamed for an end to their suffering, with faces twisting as immeasurable pain rushed through their veins. The further in she walked, the more atrocious things she saw. Ponies being killed before they turned mad, or held in place as black crystals bored through their bodies. And almost as she could feel the pain of the subjects, tears rolled down her chin. To think that the temple, filled with ponies such as Rishad could originate from a place such as this.         Reaching a large room, almost at the very end, she froze, feeling a shivering sense of terror crawl up her spine. Between a hazy fog she saw a large black unicorn standing over a dead acolyte. Crystals protruded through his skin, but he was still alive. The unicorn’s horn glowed, and the crystals over his body began to shrink, slowly creeping up towards the horn. Out came a black flame from its eyes, and in a flash, the crystals vanished and the tip of the horn glowed with crimson. The unicorn stomped the last speck of life out of the acolyte and began to walk towards the exit of the temple. Black jolts of lighting shot out as he walked, laying a cover of dark mist behind him. The moment the unicorn passed where Moxie stood, he stopped, almost like he knew she was there. All reasoning told her that that was impossible, but still her whole body trembled in fear. The unicorn stared intensely, right through her. She saw how the white of its eyes slowly became green, the iris turned red like a snake. His mouth gained fangs, only visible when he growled and snarled his teeth like an animal. She saw his face shift slightly then set a mask where all the pain he had experienced turned into hatred. He whispered something and snarled before leaving, the image of him vanishing with the fog.         She screamed, her voice echoing throughout the stone walls. It felt like her mind was exploding, pushing out through her skull. Her bones began to ache, expanding underneath her skin. Her eyes slowly began to burn, and her vision covered by a green tint with blackness at the edges. Falling to the floor, she clasped her hoofs over her head. She writhed in pain, letting go of howls as jolts went through her. She felt things grab hold of her, forcing her down to the ground. She didn’t recognize any of them, seeing only shadows with white glowing eyes manifesting over her. The form of a unicorn came at the end of the hall she lied in, and it moved towards her as her pain increased. Recognizing how the scene played out, she panicked and screamed, remembering the pain she felt each time the unicorn came close to her in her dreams. The more she struggled, the more it hurt. But seeing how it approached her panic took hold, only increasing as it came all the way to her. As the unicorn touched her with its horn, the pain sliced through her like thousands of serrated knives. Then, as quickly as the pain had come, it vanished, and she felt an uncomfortable pull in her core. She quivered and her bones ached no more.         The green fog over her eyes vanished and she gained clarity, seeing the worried eyes of Athaal hovering over her. To her husband’s side, she saw that the unicorn finally gained a form, an azure color together with violet eyes looking at her with certain worry. She still saw specks of black dust on the floor, and she knew what had happened.         “We must get away, it’s still here...” She croaked before passing out.         Moxie opened her eyes, slowly letting them adjust to the bright light that shone through the hole in the roof. She inhaled deeply and sat up with a jolt, panic striking her again as she saw the grey walls. Athaal quickly grabbed her shoulders from where he sat next to her bed. A brave smile, but saddened eyes looked at her.         “Relax, it’s fine.” He comforted.         “Why are we still here?” she quickly asked.         “We couldn’t leave with you being like you were, it’s soon night, we will leave then.” He answered, gently stroking her shoulder.         She opened her mouth to speak, freezing as she saw Trixie sitting in the corner of the room. In the back of her head, she almost screamed at herself to lunge at the unicorn and take everything wrong out on her, but she shook it off. She knew it wasn’t right because Trixie was not to blame for everything. She looked at Athaal, feeling a warm tug in her chest. It was best for him to stay here when Trixie was near she reasoned with herself.         “We need to leave, right away.” Moxie stated harshly.         Athaal looked at her with slight bewilderment over him. “We’ll leave as soon as night arrives, it’s better to travel then.” He answered.         Shaking her head, “No, we need to get out of here as fast as possible.” She objected and pushed Athaal away to rise up.         “What did you see, Moxie?” Trixie asked, training her eyes on the pegasus.         “There’s something here, I don’t know what.” Moxie tried.         Trixie rose and walked towards her, “No, what did you see?”         Moxie gritted her teeth together and glared towards the unicorn. Dark thoughts enveloped her like a blanket, clouding her vision. The more she was pushed, the harder she needed to fight to not act upon them.         Athaal stepped between them and turned to Trixie. “Do not approach my wife with disrespect.” He calmly warned, the tone and demeanor making clear it was no empty threat.         Trixie looked at him and sighed, “Could you please tell us what you saw back there?” she asked her.         At first hesitant, she managed to press away the black thoughts, “I saw ponies and animals being tortured, experimented on, and dying in the most horrible way I could imagine.” She began to shake as her mind went to the black unicorn, the feeling of despair and helplessness came to her again. “And… there was this black unicorn that survived it all, it killed every acolyte it could and left the temple in agonized rage. I only remember how the green eyes stiffened its stare to me.”         “Sombra,” Athaal plainly stated.         She turned her eyes on him, as a filly she had heard the stories of Sombra, how he emerged from nowhere and enslaved a whole kingdom, overthrowing the alicorn that resided there with overwhelming power. The story was used as a scare tactic to remind the mares that divulging too deep into greed and jewelry would corrupt one. The story never spoke of the Sombra’s origin, but the temples always shunned the name; like it was the bane of evil itself.         “I don’t know what he did when he left, but he left something in these walls, something we can’t see. I know for certain that it’s still here.” Moxie explained quickly, waving her hoof towards the door.         Athaal turned to Trixie, “Do you think…?”         Trixie shook her head, “I wouldn’t know; there’s limits to what I can obtain of knowledge from just one day of reading.”         They stood silently for a long while before Athaal spoke. “I’m not taking the chance, I don’t know how you’ve seen this, Moxie, but if you’re certain, we leave at once!” He loudly stated and marched out, barking commands to the ponies outside.         A hint of relief washed over her, instantly replaced by worry as her eyes landed on the unicorn in front of her. Trixie smiled the same presumptuous half-smile from when they first met back in Canterlot. Seeing it again tugged Moxie’s chest, the faint memory of their night together and how it had led to a rather disastrous wedding resurfacing. To have shared the intimacy she now only gives to Athaal to someone like Trixie confused her. But for what it was worth, she didn’t regret it.         Trixie took the few steps left between them and stopped muzzle to muzzle. They gazed at each other, one with a confused mind and the other with a certain adoration. Moxie took a step away and put a hoof up between them, and the smile upon the unicorn vanished. The violet eyes turned slightly away and they gave to a certain sad recognition.         “We’ve struck upon a sad fate, haven’t we?” she said.         “What do you mean?” Moxie asked, curious about the sudden change in demeanor.         “Isn’t it strange, our night at Canterlot was supposed to end it, none of us would see each other again, yet, here I am, indebted to you and your husband; almost like a trick of fate.” Trixie said and chuckled lightly.         “You are, just don’t tell Athaal anything about what happened between us.” Moxie retorted, weary about where the unicorn was going.         “I guess that’s for the best, if I were to believe what you’ve told me about your culture.” Trixie shook her head, then looked forward again. “Why are you so afraid of Athaal, you never mention anypony else, it is him you are afraid will figure it out, how come?” she asked.         She froze momentarily, “I’m not afraid of him. I just don’t want him to get hurt. I love him, and to see him hurt by my past…no, I would rather take it to my grave. And you yourself saw what he did to that monster when it attacked us.” Moxie explained and shuddered, “I never want to see that again, not aimed at anypony, and definitely not caused by my actions. It’s so far from the pony I know.”         An awkward silence fell between them, Moxie shifting her hoofs back and forth on the gray rock and scattering bits of dust. Eventually they broke the gaze, and Moxie wondered what had changed in the unicorn. Her demeanor and attitude had changed drastically since Rishad died; she knew something she wasn’t telling them.         “Listen…I know you blame me for your friend’s death, and…I can’t say I can blame you for that.”  Trixie took a hoof to her shoulder, feeling the material over her wound. “For what it is worth, I’m sorry for what happened to him, and I’m grateful to what he did for me, what you did for me.” She fell silent, her eyes boring hole into the stone floor they stood upon. “The lives it has cost to save me…if I could chose, I would not be alive today. Deaths for me is not something I admire; know that.”         Moxie’s hardened features softened, feeling her anger let go, bit by bit. “Trixie…”         The unicorn shook her head. “No, I’m grateful, I really am… at the end of this journey you will realize that. It might not seem so at times, but I wish the best for you, even if we actually don’t know each other that well.” She began to walk, stopping in the doorway. “Your husband, Athaal was it?”         Moxie nodded in response, looking towards Trixie with skepticism.         “I think you should trust him a bit more, I’ve read what the disease you have does to you, I think he has the right to know.” Trixie halted her sentence, a longing sadness emerging as she spoke. “You mean the world to him, the fact that you won’t tell him hurts him more than you think.” She said and quickly left the room. * * * *         Wrapping the cloak tighter around her, she turned her gaze up to the sky. It was another cloudless night and the stars shone brightly together with the large white moon. Around them it became clearer and clearer that they were getting closer to the border between Equestria and Saddle-Arabia. Flowers began to show their beautiful colors, even during the night standing out like red and yellow beacons. The grass slowly turned green instead of the gray cutting kind they occasionally passed near the temple, and became more frequent. The sandy dunes became less evident, replaced by trees and cacti.         Saif returned to them as they left the temple. He found a place which they could set up camp and guided them towards it by retracing his steps. The path they walked seemed untouched by any form of hoofs for centuries, the loose sand slipping underneath her hoofs as she walked making each step draining. She wanted to stop to rest, but she refrained from speaking up to avoid delaying them even more. She pressed her body forward, struggling with each breath to stay next to Athaal.         Saif lunged forward and took to the air. He flew forward and stopped near the entrance of an oasis. His black clothing made it almost impossible to see him against the black night. Saif landed without a sound as they reached the edge.         “This will grant us shelter from the harshest winds and cool us during the day. It also has a water hole so we can fill up on that, along with some berries and other things.” Saif said to Athaal.         “Great! Let’s find a place near the water to set up camp, we will try to leave at noon tomorrow, then we should reach the graveyard right before morning.” Athaal reasoned.         As he barked out orders to the soldiers, Moxie saw how some glared towards her and Trixie before fulfilling the order. What little resources they had left was easily carried by only two ponies, and most of it was water. She began to understand the mind of the soldiers. With nothing to eat for two days, it was easy to put the blame onto those whom made the decision to get out of their original path. She sidled closer to Athaal, an unnerving feeling crept up on her. She did no longer fear for her own life, but the life of Athaal, Saif and Trixie if the soldiers decided to leave them.         She looked towards Arien, silently hoping he would be able to keep the others in check just for another day. It was uncertain though. If the others knew he was a stallion stuffer, they would rather kill him than to take orders from him. She flinched, not liking the term at all, but they had no other words for those kind of ponies back home. It didn’t exist in their vocabulary in any other meaning than an insult.         Taking a deep breath, she sat down and scratched her eyes. They slowly began to burn, together with a numbness on her forehead. The sound of stone upon stone came as she scratched, and a jolt went through her spine down from her neck. The opal, drained of all color, almost as it was dead, had fallen from her forehead. She quickly picked it up and pressed it against her forehead, only to have it fall again.         Her eyes scurried over the ground and her chest tightened. “Athaal!” she croaked, feeling panic slowly encroaching upon her as the opal vanished from her sight.         Athaal quickly slipped down next to her, “What is it?” he asked.         She looked at him, “The opal, it won’t stick, and my eyes, they hurt.”         Athaal flinched back as she turned her face towards him, “Trixie!” He yelled.         “What is it?” Trixie responded.         “Help her!” Athaal barked in retort. *~*~*~*~*                  Saif carefully placed a log onto the campfire and prodded it with a large stick he had fashioned for it. At the other side of the fire Athaal was tucking the unconscious Moxie underneath a blanket. The orange light flickered, remaining the only light source they had this night. The moon was covered by black clouds, threatening to unleash heavy thunder upon them. A little away he saw Arien setting up camp for the soldiers. They sliced through thin branches with their swords and tied them up to create a light roof over them; just in case.         Trixie was sleeping next to him. The spell she had used to calm Moxie had drained her. At first she had wished to sleep alone, but upon Athaal’s request she stayed near Moxie. Saif leaned a bit closer to her, taking in the sound of her breath mixed with the crackle from the fire. He removed a strand of blue hair from her muzzle and smiled slightly as her snout wiggled slightly from side to side.         “I’ve been meaning to ask you, Saif.” Athaal said in hushed tones as he sat down. “What’s so special about her, and why did she call you Spectrum when she spotted you?”         “You wouldn’t understand,” Saif answered, not removing his eyes from her.         “Try me, we’ve gotten into a lot of trouble for saving her. The lives of those soldiers goes on my neck, as well as yours.” Athaal stated in a firm tone.         He sighed, “I introduced myself as Spectrum to her the first time we met, thinking it was best to not reveal my true name in Equestria.” Making sure she was a sleep, Saif turned to face his brother again. “I don’t know how to explain it; she’s got something I relish. She works hard for what she has in her life. She never lets anypony tell her what she can and cannot do. She sets her mind to something, and does it. It’s a trait I see so rarely in mares.”  Saif looked back at her form, making sure once more. “Most of all, I think her hard shell is to keep others out, from the way she smiles shows passion, but if you look close, there’s sadness in her eyes. It's a sadness that intrigues me. I don’t know what pulls me to it, but I want that sadness gone. More than anything, I want to see her smile sincere, just like Moxie does towards you.” Saif smiled meekly, then his heart skipped a beat as he thought Trixie moved. He breathed deeply when no more movement came.         “Why don’t you tell her that? She seems less inclined to answer your approaches every day. I think you got to come clean to her if you’re going to have any chance to get what you want.” Athaal suggested.         “I’m afraid it will scare her off.” He answered.         “Then it’s not meant to be. Tomorrow night we will reach the graveyard, and this will all be over.” Athaal sighed, “Then we’ll need to figure out what to do with this book for certain. I think it would be wise for you to come clean to her before we leave tomorrow, then you’ll know better where to stand.” He suggested.         “It’s easier said than done…I’ve killed ponies, I’ve killed linacs, and I have no qualms about doing it again. But opening myself up that much to anypony? It’s hard…” he said and shrugged lightly.         Athaal pulled himself underneath Moxie’s blanket and sidled closer to her. “Well, whatever you do, I’ll support you. Try to get some sleep. Arien keeps a watch this night, and tomorrow you’ll need to scout ahead before we travel.”         He turned his head and looked around, seeing the form of Arien guarding between them and the other soldiers. Saif knew that the general was doing his best to keep the morale of the other soldiers up, and strived to keep any conflict down. He also knew that Arien struggled with his decision towards what they had discovered in the temple. Saif knew that it strained the general, but he also knew having somepony with the reputation of Arien at their side would help their cause greatly.         Checking that the horn was close to him one last time, he began to make ready for sleep. He considered getting closer to Trixie but decided it would be an invasion of her privacy. He rather found himself comfortable enough to sleep resting his back towards a few branches that drooped down onto the ground. He took off his hood for the first time since they had left Ma’Galag, and felt a relished breeze touch upon him. Making sure his wristblade functioned properly, he rested his head upon the bundle and closed his eyes.         He heard some faint shifting close to him, and began looking around, wristblade half out. Satisfied that the sound came from nothing but a small critter nearby, he relaxed again and sighed. He stole another glance over to where Trixie slept, and froze as he saw the violet eyes look straight at him. He shifted uncomfortably to the side and tried a smile, then slowly looked away.         “Why are you trying to sleep like that?” Trixie asked.         “It keeps me alert, not allowing me to sleep comfortably.” Saif answered, looking into the dark night, almost afraid to look towards her.         “Isn’t Arien keeping watch?” she wondered.         “Yes…” he mumbled in retort, “but you sort of have my bed blanket.”         “I guess I do… we lost the rest before the temple, didn’t we?”         “Yeah, I couldn’t get any of those supplies with me when I traveled back to get the horn.” Saif answered and sighed lightly.         Saif’s heart skipped a beat as the unicorn pulled aside the blanket. Her cheeks hit a slight tint of red as she nodded for him to lie down. He rose slowly, and took a step forward. They had shared a bed before, but to him it felt somewhat different this time. She didn’t have her brash demeanor, she didn’t quip retorts to him. Rather, it seemed like she was seeking something. He wasn’t certain, so he treaded carefully. The events in the temple had changed all of them, and the course of their lives. But the mares had changed the most. Moxie had grown worse, the black mark fully embracing her forehead, and Trixie…he wasn’t sure what had happened.         He lowered himself down next to her and wrapped the cloth around him, turning his back to her. He felt a hoof touch gently on his shoulder and his heart threatenend to jump out of his chest. Not daring to turn around, he remained stiff as a board and silently cursed himself for his insecurity. It was never like this earlier or with any other mare he had been with, so why this time?         “Did you really mean what you said earlier?” Trixie asked meekly.         Saif’s chest constricted, “You heard that?”         “Yes…” she answered.         Saif carefully turned, swallowing hard as he met her hard gaze. He opened his mouth to say something, but no matter how much he tried, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish on land         “Why do you strive to change what worked so well between us?” she asked cooly.         “Things have changed, I have changed… you have changed, why should we keep pretending nothing has?” He tried         “It hasn’t changed between us. You just happened to stumble upon me. That doesn’t mean everything magically changes.”         “It does for m—“         “Stop it. You’re better off not getting further involved with me, you all are. You’ll just get hurt, and so will I.” Trixie turned her back to him. “We’re better off alone…both of us.” She lastly said in a tone signaling that it was nothing more to talk about.         Saif sighed, turning his back to her. He looked towards where he had sat before creeping in under the blanket. Sitting there alone, guarding, watching...he didn’t want that for the rest of his life. He thought he did before, but he knew he could have another life, and perhaps a family in the future. He also knew that it wouldn't matter unless it was with Trixie. With an unexpected flush of bravery, he rolled over to face her. He took a deep breath and placed a hoof onto her shoulder, pulling her around.         “I to—“ She began to say before he pressed his lips against hers, her head jolted back and she glared at him. “What’s gotten into you?”         “I don’t care what you think, you’re wrong. We’re not better off alone.” He said and gazed at her, feeling each fiber of his body yelling at him to stop what he was about to do. “Why do you think I continued to return to Canterlot? What you heard me say earlier, I meant every word of it, and I wouldn’t take a bit of it back. When I saw you lying in that cage, it changed. I realized that you wouldn’t always be there when I came to Canterlot, that one day you might be gone and I don’t want that. Something has changed in you to and I can tell. Why are you so afraid of it?”         Her eyes shied away from him, “I don’t want any more ponies to be hurt because of me, it’s enough.”         “I don’t care if I get hurt,”         “You will, there’s no if,”         “Then let me be hurt!” He quickly responded and kissed her deeply.         At first, she didn’t return his approach, taken aback by his sudden action. Then her hoof pressed his chin, pulling him as close as she could. Upon her touch small electrical sparks fluttered down his body, sending his stomach into a joyful dance. He let a hoof wander over her body, stopping at her mane, stroking through it. His lips began to move down to the groove of her neck, nibbling playfully as she arched her head back. She gasped slightly, and pressed him away.         Saif froze and looked at her, hoping to see what was wrong. She held a hoof over her muzzle and looked away from him up against the black sky, and he saw how she struggled to keep something at bay. He wondered if he had done something wrong. Perhaps he was too brash. Her eyes showed the same longing as he had seen before, a sadness he couldn’t describe. He carefully placed a hoof on her chin and turned her head. Over the last days it was like something had cracked inside of her, leaving her broken and scarred in ways he could never truly understand. And the way she looked back at him made him wonder, was there something she knew about the future she wasn’t telling him?         “What’s wrong?” He tried, running his hoof down her cheek.         “It’s just…I left you for Moxie back in Canterlot…just to avoid this. I can’t really say I didn’t want to hurt you, because I did, it would stop you from trying, I thought.” She shook her head, “Why aren’t you giving up?”         “I did, at first. I blamed Moxie for it, then I moved on, deciding to see what would happen next time I went to Canterlot. I knew there was more than coy tricks of fate that made me decide to go to the oasis and check. I just can’t ignore it.” He answered.         She remained silent, gazing at him with solemn eyes. Then, without any words, she stood up and pulled the blanket with her. She offered him a hoof to rise up with, and began to walk towards the thicker brush. She guided him forward, her hoof outstretched to him. The deeper they went, the more he shuddered as the cold water upon the petals struck him. When he thought it would be impossible for the brushes to get any thicker, it cleared. Like most oases, there was a gathering of water in the middle; and the trees stretched out like a halo around it. The clouds slowly began to clear, allowing the moon to grace them with its presence, reflecting almost perfectly in the midst of the lake and only broken slightly by the ripples of waterbugs that traversed over the surface. At the very edge of the water, a flower rarely seen anywhere in the desert bloomed. The bright blue petals were barely visible from afar, but the golden orb within them shone brightly in a magical luminescent light. Together, they made the lake look like a portal to what one would call heaven, a prismatic beauty with a sincere stillness and peace over it. Trixie made way towards a gathering of grass, close to the inkling light of the Januflowers; it was almost like she had been here before. Her magical aura, almost vanishing within the other lights, arranged the blanket. She took hold of his neck and pulled him close, kissing him passionately. He set her carefully down upon the blanket, beginning to undress as he watched her. He did not bother to check where the clothes landed, he could not care less at this moment, he crouched forward to her. Placing a hoof on each of her sides, he leaned over her, doing nothing else than to take in the sight of how her mane flowed like water out on the blanket. The light reflected gracefully in her violet eyes, and her cheeks slowly turned red. He kissed her neck at first, then he let his lips wander, exploring her body. Her breath became labored, heavy and deep. He extended his hoofs, rising over her again. The color of her tender lips beckoned him closer, and her slight smile became his. They had done this before, but yet it was different. There was something in the way it was; many things felt new. Everything was different from how she gently touched him, carefully running her hoofs through his mane; how her chest slowly rose with her breath; how her lips curled slightly different, just barely splitting open revealing the smile he so wished for. Everything felt new and exciting, except her eyes. No matter how much the rest of her said otherwise, he saw sadness in them; he couldn’t figure out why. Saif wanted to wonder, but the way she gently touched his fur pulled him away from the thoughts. Their lips met once more, and a sensation filled him as he joined in a careful dance with their bodies. He found the moment perfect, and he wished for it to last forever. If he could freeze time, he would. He would lay beside this mare under a wicked sky, and through the black of night. The feeling never escaped him, somehow feeling a sense of gratitude with each whimper that escaped her rose colored lips. A sense of excitement revelled as her scent played in his nose as he explored her through the late night. How much time passed as their bodies joined together was uncertain. He only knew he didn’t care for much else. He blocked out everything but her, bathed in the light of night, gently curving around her forms, making her shine slightly as beads of sweat pushed through her fur. He listened to her every subtle swoon, making sure he never lost it. She took him in her embrace, saying nothing as they lay there, both breathing heavily while gazing into each other’s eyes and lips gently touching. He felt how her heart beat together with his for just this moment. He pulled her closer and wrapped the blanket tightly around them, wanting to feel every inch of her body press against his own. She buried her muzzle into the groove of his neck and whispered, “I’m sorry, I truly am.” “For what?” Saif whispered in retort as he nuzzled her mane. “For everything I’ve done to you, and for what will happen…” she answered and closed her eyes again. “What do you mean?” he asked quietly. No answer came but the sound of her breathing together with insects flying around them. He felt the uncertainty fill up within him again. Loss of the knowledge to act properly stunned him. Wrapping his hoofs around her, he pulled her in even closer, afraid of letting go. Saif closed his eyes and did something he’d never done before: a silent prayer of safety to Eran.