So Much for Paradise

[Swede]

The desert had been the scene of her ruin in the past, but she didn't blame the dust and the heat; no, it was another horse who had caused her such trouble, and this place was still safer than most for the likes of her. At least in autumn it was a little cooler, though there was not a drop of water to be found, except for small hidden puddles beneath rock ledges high in the hills; hopefully it would snow soon, so she could at least keep herself hydrated. It was a wretched landscape, one which nobody would actually want to live in if they could help it. Hopefully, that meant she would be left alone.

Yes, Nirvana was alone again; her own sister had betrayed her, but she supposed she shouldn't have expected any different. After all, Amaranth didn't owe her anything. Nirvana had taken her under her wing when the family abandoned her, and for a while had thought they shared some sort of solidarity in their mutual fate, but all that hadn't mattered when a charming snake-tongued stallion came along. No, but it was Nirvana's fault; she should have known better. Amaranth would learn her lessons the hard way in due time, and it was foolish of Nirvana to expect to be trusted more than a stranger. Solitude was best; how could she trust strangers when even her own family betrayed her time and again?

Taking a deep breath, Nirvana stepped forward into the shadows and out of the blazing sun. A harsh landscape, but one which she could still trust to behave the way it always did. The desert was not deceitful; if she let herself be upset a while, it wouldn't stab her in the back for it. A little peace, a little quiet, a little loneliness; but it was better this way.

[Deleted]

Adept chose to wind his way into this place of red stone and sand. His white tail swished behind him as he kept his head low, in search of food or drink or anything interesting really. But a new scent caught his attention. It was another horse, a mare by the scent of it. Slowly his head rose up, white ears raising in acknowledgment of the horse that was there.

He was not one to pry or to ask too many questions. In fact, he would most likely continue on his way from here if a word was not said. He was just passing through really, in search of nothing more than comfort and quiet.

[Swede]

Winter was harsh even in the desert lands; snow might not fall so thickly, but the frosty air felt like needles in her lungs. Nirvana was well adapted to tough situations though, at least due to her stubborn constitution if nothing else. Above all, she was alone; that was what mattered. No stallions to harass her, no mares to annoy her, no family to stab her in the back.

Or so she thought; but the scent of a stranger invaded her nostrils, and she swung around sharply to face the intruder. A stallion? Of course... what else would it be. What else would she ever run into but the bane of her existence? Nirvana stared at him, tense and guarded. She wondered what the best escape route was; to lose herself in the hills, but perhaps risk being cornered, or to dash across the desert where she was easily followed? Stallions were less of a threat in winter, but that didn't mean she could just ignore their presence entirely.

[Deleted]

Adept seemed to smile softly, his ears twitching against the wind as he noticed the mare standing there. He nodded once and went back to searching for the food that remained hidden in the sands of the desert and the slight snowfall there. His tail swung behind him as he seemed to ignore the mare standing there.

He snorted softly, his eyes raising to look towards the horizon once more. Should he be continuing on or should he weather another day here in this quiet landscape? The mare that was off slightly in the distance seemed to be rather quiet and of course, he would not disturb her at all. It was not in his nature to be one that would harass or torture a quiet mare. No, he would leave that to the stallions that were horrible in their own way. A soft sigh left his lips, he knew plenty of horrible stallions and those that seemed to get happy when they tortured their mares. His own father was one of those horrible stallions and he wanted nothing to do to be like his father. So he just grazed.

[Swede]

The stallion knew she was there; and yet he kept his distance, apparently ignoring her entirely. Nirvana narrowed her eyes, flicking her tail warily. While such behavior might be considered less offensive than other things she could think of, it struck her as deeply suspicious. What stallion saw a mare and then promptly ignored her? Surely he had no business in this location... he didn't seem particularly motivated by anything in particular, at least. But he made neither a move to approach nor to leave. Perhaps she ought to quietly disappear into the hills... but why should she be the one to go away? Nirvana snorted softly to herself, and lowered her head to nibble at the dry sparse weeds that had thrived for a few short months in the wetter spring, before shriveling up and leaving their corpses here for whatever starving soul could be bothered to taste them. She was far from relaxed, however; any movement on the stallion's part, and she would be aware of it.

[Deleted]

Adept seemed to smile to himself as he watched the mare with eyes that remained on her, but his head was lowered to the ground grazing. He had seen mares like her before, nervous around stallions. But maybe that was not her case. He snorted softly, and continued grazing, head down and chewing thoughtfully on the sparse and spare weeds.

His tail lashed behind him as he continued, but it was a noise from behind him that made him raise his head. A stick broke as a small palomino pony wandered into the area. She was dirty and matted, her mane hanging in dreadlocks and her hooves chipped and broken. Her ribs stuck through her dingy gold colored hide and her hip bones sprung from her body like wings. She was a tiny little mare, starving and cold. He looked towards her and snorted softly, then his eyes went back to the other mare. But Adept continued grazing.

[Swede]

With the coming of spring weather, the creek would soon be bubbling with water, at least until the summer heat arrived and dried it back up to a muddy ditch. Still, this land didn't become much more pleasant beyond that, and Nirvana had hoped that perhaps the terrain' inhospitability would keep strangers at bay. That did not seem to be the case, however; every desperate soul had the same idea, and in the end the desert was teeming with the lost and the lonely.

Nirvana looked up abruptly at the scent and hoofbeats of another unfamiliar equine. This one, however, was a mare; a small, scruffy-looking mess of a horse. Well, perhaps she was not something to be alarmed over. But she had been betrayed by seemingly harmless mares before, here in this same wasteland, back when...

No. She wasn't going to think about that time now; it was past. This was present. Once again, the silent stallion took notice of the newcomer as well, but otherwise had no reaction. Bizarre fellow. Keeping an ear flicked warily in his direction, Nirvana studied the yellow mare, wondering vaguely what had driven her to such a state. Probably some harsh experience or another, everyone had a story to tell. But Nirvana was more interested in keeping herself alive than in taking pity on others.