Desreal: But there is one constant: change.

Wish upon a shooting star;
For dreams and things that never are.

”Thank you, Delilah.”

It is sincere as it slips from her somber lips. Courage is consumed in her sadness as the waves of tears fall from her features yet again. She trembles against the night, and even her child seems to stop and comfort her by not kicking her insides around so much. As the lightning mare comes closer, the spark of electricity runs along Courage’s water, but in all honesty she does not tremble as her fire soon squanders around her water and the two interact once again in a sympathetic gesture. Everything about Courage should be happy. She has great friends, a wonderful lover in Kratos and she was the very thing that she had wanted to become. She was beautiful, proud and angelic in every way. Courage should be happy. But she is not. Broken, she stands so still along the shadowy depths of Desreal. Well, maybe she’s not completely broken; she is Genesis’s daughter after all. The great warrior mare’s lines traced thoroughly throughout her lithe and nimble body. Gracefully the flames flickered with their bright glowing aura, and those oceanic eyes shed one last, silent tear of emotion as she whispered in a hushed voice that shook – no, it trembled – as it made its stroke down her golden angelic cheek.

”Fantome.” Her voice whispered and she straightened with clarity, trying to put on a brave face like she had been forced to do all that time ago. ”His name is Fantome.” Her clairvoyance whispers to her to let it tell her a secret, but her ethical decision to not pry into another’s mind continues to push it aside. She will not listen. ”And he’s going to be a grandfather.” A brief pause could be inserted here as she looks down to the ground and sniffles away her tears. ”Not that he cares.” In a world full of war and hatred and sin, where the world grows darker and darker with every passing second, Courage had been forced to grow up when she hadn’t even been a year old. She is lost in thought when her mind strays, and finally her clairvoyance shouts at her so loud she is unable to distract herself from the truth, the reality as it came crashing down on her soul. Her eyes darted to the stranger’s gaze, and immediately she regrets having said anything. Her mouth gapes open, eyes rounded with the shock as they watched the other mare with a tearful expression. Courage could feel the guilt of the situation beginning to wander into her body like a cancerous invasion, but before Delilah could respond, the golden mare is quick to react.

”I do not blame you, Delilah,” she said, hoping the sincerity of her voice would let the other believe she was telling the truth. Look into her eyes, Delilah; you will see the honesty, the brutal honesty that has now laid itself at your feet. Courage stared into her eyes as she repeated, with more conviction through the tears. ”I have not ever blamed you or your son. I only wanted to be part of your lives.” Courage doesn’t know what to say at this point, and she wants to stretch her muzzle to Delilah for both of their comforts. But she doesn’t. Instead the silence reigns supreme while the two linger in limbo together. Please, Delilah, don’t hate Courage. But at the same time, don’t hate Fantome, either. Courage can barely stand herself for him not liking her. If she were to cause him any unhappiness, she would not ever, ever forgive herself.

AP: C O U R A G E

Water III | Fire III

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