Don't you feel lonely living in your own little world?
Dusk had tightened its grip on me. The soft hues of daylight as it faded to night consuming my waking moments. Thus far my time in Novus had been completely directionless. Before me, I had countless choices - each one influenced only by my mind and desires. Easily I could have left behind Terrastella. I had no ties there, no emotions to cloud my judgment with its bias. There were many new corners of this land waiting to be discovered. Kept on a tight leash throughout my life, such freedom should have seemed appealing. Instead, I felt my soul balking- pulled towards the easternmost reach of Dusk.
I'd heard many stories of the sea - seen the waves rolling into the bay where the kingdom's docks resided. Never, however, had I laid eyes upon the full vastness of it. Luvena had done her best to educate me on the many different landscapes found within Novus. At the mention of the sea, my interest had been piqued.
Leaving the malnourished mare behind had been more difficult than I'd imagined. Since the moment she had rescued me from my lonely wanderings, I sensed that she understood my pain. Careful, as always, I did not find it easy to discuss the intricate happenings of my past. Complicated and confusing, I knew that I'd been privileged. I'd never gone without a meal, or suffered pain at the hands of my father. Treated like a ceramic doll, mine had been a shell cushioned with silk sheets. Hardly waiting for a single thing. Spoiled. The jewels I was forced to wear upon me were all the evidence anyone would need to this fact.
The muck and the mud of the swamp were behind me, and I followed the salty scent of the coast. The heaviness of it filled my lungs - almost making it hard to breathe as I climbed the slightly inclining path. For a moment, I imagined the raucous sounds of the shipyard that would waft through the open windows of the Palace Sanctuary. There were many days that I would sit and watch, my mind dreaming up the many different lands the sailors could visit. They had been limited only by the loads they were charged to transport. Below, they were a reminder of a life I would never possess. Then, I knew I would never be free enough to spread my wings and fly as they could. Unbridled and unchained, the tables had now turned. Drastically my life had been altered - even despite the golden collar that remained tight around my neck.
Slipping past towering rocky outcrops, wind-whipped all around me. The long flowing locks of my mane danced wildly in the air about my face. Clove and nutmeg was an assault to my nostrils - a faint reminder of the Emperor's chosen perfume. Never again would I bathe in the expensive soaps provided to the Emperor's many wives. The scent of it was now nauseating. Absently, I began to contemplate what my next perfume might be. Rose, perhaps - or jasmine. My options were now limitless, the concept that I was free to make my own choices still shocking.
Beneath opal encrusted hooves I marveled at how the terrain had shifted. From the slippery sogginess of the swamp to the now dangerously rocky footing I faced, it was almost impossible to imagine such diversity within one kingdom. With every step taken, loosened pebbles rolled free and downward. All around me, gorges were cut from the green - creating dangerous cliffsides that would happily swallow me whole. Unsteady, my leonine tail whipped wildly about in an attempt to maintain my balance. I should have stopped, spun around, and returned to the comfortingly flat grounding I'd grown accustomed to. The sound of waves crashing against stone, however, echoed in my ears and kept me moving forward.
For a moment, it sounded as if I had reached the end of the world. Even the air around me felt as if it wished for my demise as it battered violently against me. Almost without realizing it, the ground disappeared in front of me - sufficiently halting me. I should have been afraid as rocks crumbled at the sudden influence of my weight. There was no way of knowing whether or not the ledge where I stood was capable of holding me, but I also didn't seem to care. Stone still, my muscles remained taught as I stared out at the endless blue that stretched out below. I was small in comparison to the vastness I now beheld. Tears pricked at my eyes - pure emeralds dripping diamonds. I was nothing but a speck, a moment in time. Insignificant and unimportant.
I'd heard many stories of the sea - seen the waves rolling into the bay where the kingdom's docks resided. Never, however, had I laid eyes upon the full vastness of it. Luvena had done her best to educate me on the many different landscapes found within Novus. At the mention of the sea, my interest had been piqued.
Leaving the malnourished mare behind had been more difficult than I'd imagined. Since the moment she had rescued me from my lonely wanderings, I sensed that she understood my pain. Careful, as always, I did not find it easy to discuss the intricate happenings of my past. Complicated and confusing, I knew that I'd been privileged. I'd never gone without a meal, or suffered pain at the hands of my father. Treated like a ceramic doll, mine had been a shell cushioned with silk sheets. Hardly waiting for a single thing. Spoiled. The jewels I was forced to wear upon me were all the evidence anyone would need to this fact.
The muck and the mud of the swamp were behind me, and I followed the salty scent of the coast. The heaviness of it filled my lungs - almost making it hard to breathe as I climbed the slightly inclining path. For a moment, I imagined the raucous sounds of the shipyard that would waft through the open windows of the Palace Sanctuary. There were many days that I would sit and watch, my mind dreaming up the many different lands the sailors could visit. They had been limited only by the loads they were charged to transport. Below, they were a reminder of a life I would never possess. Then, I knew I would never be free enough to spread my wings and fly as they could. Unbridled and unchained, the tables had now turned. Drastically my life had been altered - even despite the golden collar that remained tight around my neck.
Slipping past towering rocky outcrops, wind-whipped all around me. The long flowing locks of my mane danced wildly in the air about my face. Clove and nutmeg was an assault to my nostrils - a faint reminder of the Emperor's chosen perfume. Never again would I bathe in the expensive soaps provided to the Emperor's many wives. The scent of it was now nauseating. Absently, I began to contemplate what my next perfume might be. Rose, perhaps - or jasmine. My options were now limitless, the concept that I was free to make my own choices still shocking.
Beneath opal encrusted hooves I marveled at how the terrain had shifted. From the slippery sogginess of the swamp to the now dangerously rocky footing I faced, it was almost impossible to imagine such diversity within one kingdom. With every step taken, loosened pebbles rolled free and downward. All around me, gorges were cut from the green - creating dangerous cliffsides that would happily swallow me whole. Unsteady, my leonine tail whipped wildly about in an attempt to maintain my balance. I should have stopped, spun around, and returned to the comfortingly flat grounding I'd grown accustomed to. The sound of waves crashing against stone, however, echoed in my ears and kept me moving forward.
For a moment, it sounded as if I had reached the end of the world. Even the air around me felt as if it wished for my demise as it battered violently against me. Almost without realizing it, the ground disappeared in front of me - sufficiently halting me. I should have been afraid as rocks crumbled at the sudden influence of my weight. There was no way of knowing whether or not the ledge where I stood was capable of holding me, but I also didn't seem to care. Stone still, my muscles remained taught as I stared out at the endless blue that stretched out below. I was small in comparison to the vastness I now beheld. Tears pricked at my eyes - pure emeralds dripping diamonds. I was nothing but a speck, a moment in time. Insignificant and unimportant.
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