Darkness. There was darkness all around. Though there was a soothing silence that permeated this area. Soft taps every now and again as grey hooves tapped against a solid surface. The soft swish of fluid as she moved in it adjusting her position. However her confines had grown rather small in the recent days. How much time had passed there was no way of knowing how long she had been here. A soft warm light told her that everything was alright.

At a rather even pace however that light was now beginning to fade into darkness. A light panic began to set into the heart of the girl. Hooves scrabbled against the solid surface in an attempt to gain back that comforting light. Though it was to no avail. However in her panic the girl failed to notice the cracks beginning to form in her perfect little world. Hooves struck out against the solid surface again and again, each panicked strike causing the cracks in her chrysalis to only grow larger and large. Until finally the surface gave way unceremoniously dumping the girl from her warm tiny world out into a darkening strange world.

Silver eyes blinked as they gazed around the tiny cave like alcove she was in. Her little alcove was created by five large boulders, one on each side, one on top, one in the back and one in the front leaving a hidden opening. A loud sneeze startled the little girl as she was unused to even hearing herself make sounds. The little girl shook her head, her short mane sticking to her neck, she swished her small tail flicking droplets of chrysalis goop everywhere. Slowly the girl climbed up onto unsure hooves. She stumbled several times before she finally made it to a full standing position. Slowly the girl approached the opening to her little alcove of boulders. The small two horned head poked out gazing about curiously, before fully walking out into the open.

Every so often, he liked to come back here. Mainly to glance up and try to glimpse the remnants of his chrysalis amongst whatever debris littered the ledges. Of course, those shards could have been swept away by the odd trickle of water, but Fahl preferred to cling onto the hope that he'd see them; after all, they'd been his home for a time immeasurable to him. He'd been warm inside there, unlike the cold that now battered at his hide, and so nostalgia accompanied his thoughts despite his unhappy eviction.

There were still other reasons to be at this wall though, and that was due to the brighter thoughts associated with the place. While he had no desire to end up in the precarious position he'd been born into, a fair height above the ground, Fahl did find climbing up and down short distances to be a fun pastime that chased his boredom away. Maybe one day, with plenty of practice, he could climb his way to the very top and down without a single fear to plague his mind.

It was during one of these little test runs that he noticed the other Gembound. As one foot pressed against the stone, ready to hook on and start the upward trek, a noise caused him to jerk back. It reminded him of the snorting fits he was prone to after a long swim in the ponds. Twisting his head from side to side, he tried to locate the source of the sound. Nothing seemed to stick out as unusual to him; there were only the rocks, and he saw those all the time. But then something emerged from an arrangement of boulders: first two gleaming points, then a long face, and finally an entire body.

Fahl lowered his head and adopted a defensive stance. Trying to hide his startlement, he forced his limbs to absolute stillness—his tail, however, continued to lash over the cave floor in a blatant display of nerves.

"Who're you? What're you... doing there?" Since it took great effort for him to speak, any authority he tried to lace his voice with was lost in a halting monotone.

@Stormy

The little horse glanced back behind her looking at the remnants of her chrysalis. A silvery ear flicked behind her as soft brown eyes watched the world. She turned her head back to the wide world she had just found herself in. It was strange and cold. A light shiver ran through the still damp filly’s body. She looked up at the ridges that rose above her from the pile of boulders she had emerged from. Many small rivulets of water ran down cascading over the stones glimmering surface.

The little filly turned her head catching the movement of something lashing about on the ground near her. Giving a startled squeal the little filly stumbled back a few steps until her rump was pressed against the stone boulder behind her. Stopping she snorted again finding the creature that had startled her on the ground. It was a strange creature with four legs, two on either side of its body. A strange triangle shaped head and a flattish body. Running from the crown of its head were spines. The creature's tail lashed about behind it which had been what startled the poor girl in the first place.

Then came the creature’s voice asking who she was. That was a good question. She wasn’t even sure who she was. What was her name. She stood quietly thinking for a moment. ”Stormy. My name’s Stormy.” Came the soft hushed voice of the little filly. What was she doing? ”I’m… Standing here looking around.” Came the soft sweet answer from what was seeming to be a shy little filly. ”W-Who are you?” She dared ask in return, as she lowered her head and took a step forward to get a better look at the new creature speaking to her.


@Fahl

Incapable of reading expressions belonging to a face that loomed so far above him, the responding squeal could have meant anything to Fahl. Close to the ground, the being's clumsy retreat echoed loudly, and its impact sent vibrations up his legs. Although he had some experience with those larger than him, it was a rattling experience in the most literal of senses. But even so, the iguana continued to brace himself, unwilling to flinch in the face of possible danger.

Eventually the quakes subsided. And then the other creature seemed to just... stand there. He waited, and as he did so, his stance loosened as calm settled in. Once it became clear this would take some time, boredom swiftly followed. Claws drumming in a random fashion upon stone, his gaze roamed over the stranger's form.

She was tall. That much was obvious from how far he had to crane his neck back in order to properly see her eyes. Neither scales nor feathers adorned her. The feet possessed nothing to slash, shred, or hook; instead, they were solid and clacked with her steps. In short, the details all came together to create something difficult to comprehend for someone whose early life consisted of fishing, swimming, and climbing.

Her answers were equally perplexing. First, Stormy? Admittedly, it wasn't proper of him to judge, his chosen name being a mishmash of sounds he'd blurted out. However, he still did. As for standing and looking around? A mite obvious of a thing to say since he could see that well without being told so.

When this Stormy peered down, two things became clear: how annoying this height disparity really was for him and how sharp her horns appeared up close. Even though their owner seemed not inclined to harm, Fahl could not help but imagine their ability to skewer. Unbidden, the memory of a tale and fish eyes leapt to mind. Now was his time to scurry backwards, driven by childish fear.

Trying to cover his moment of weakness, he spoke his next words with as much conviction as he could muster and a defiant toss of his head. "I'm Fahl. This is my home." And by "this," he referred to the entirety of the cave with a hefty amount of possessiveness. Seizing the moment to sell his introduction, magic touched the surrounding area and cloaked him in heat. "Never seen you before. Why you look?"

@Stormy

The little filly watched the creature on the ground that had so suddenly appeared. It held its ground and didn’t move an inch in her clumsy faltering steps. Her sharp hooves clicked hard on the stone ground making loud clicking noises with each panicked strike. But the panic was gone almost as quickly as it came, when she realized that the creature wasn’t moving to make an aggressive display nor retreat itself.

The young girl watched as the creature settled when she calmed. Far more sure of what was going on and that she was indeed safe, the girl also allowed herself to relax. Soft brown eyes gazed down at the creature now more curious than panicked. The scent of fear that had moments ago been wafting off of her was now gone and she simply smelled of the fluid from inside her chrysalis.

For a few moments, it was obvious that the two creatures were inspecting each other, taking in what they both looked like. Not exactly sizing each other up but more wondering about the other than anything else.

After the creature had asked his questions, he sat where he was listening to her give the answers and ask her own. It was how conversations went, wasn’t it? Not that she would really know, this being the first time she had ever spoken out loud. Even more so this had been the first time she had ever been outside of her safe warm little shell.

As she leaned down she watched as the creature addressing her scurried back this time. Sher couldn’t help but wonder what it was that had startled them into backing away this time? Had she gotten too close for their comfort? Or had it been something else? In any case soft brown eyes followed the creature’s retreat. ”I’m not going to hurt you.” The girl tried her best to offer assurance that she meant no harm to anyone.

The girl lifted her head as he spoke proclaiming his name and that this was his. Her soft brown eyes gazed about in curious awe. ”You have a lovely home, Fahl.” The little filly admitted gently. She had no idea that she had been residing in someone else’s home while she had been in her shell. As he spoke of her she glanced behind her at the now empty chrysalis in the arrangement of boulders. ”I just broke out of my shell. This is my first time being outside.” The girl spoke gently answering his questions with a sweetness that was almost befitting of the storm cloud colored filly. ”I’m sorry for invading your home, I hope we can get along.” The little filly admitted kindly with a sweet smile resting on her horned muzzle.

@Fahl

The air faintly shimmered under the heat's influence. Already the chill familiar to Pisces had begun to seep past his magic's protective effect, but Fahl clung stubbornly onto the comforting press of warmth upon his hide. Hurt him? Not likely. He absolutely had not recalled a story of blindness caused by monsters he knew little of and backed away in momentary fright at an unlikely possibility. No, future masters did not succumb to such silliness.

In denial as he was under the situation, Stormy's assurance encouraged him only somewhat. No attempts were made to close the distance between them. However, even keeping back from her, he could not resist a pleased nod at her compliment to his home. As it belonged to him, he reaped the praise as if it'd been applied to him as well.

Her shell. Best as he understood it, that meant she'd been cast out from her chrysalis as well. What he knew as his original, smaller home. Certainly, it was obvious that others must have been shoved from encasement and into this vaster existence, but it was another thing to hear of this occurrence from another. Fahl dipped his head in sympathetic gesture. If experiences were similar, he shared in the disappointing loss of those stable surroundings.

"You lost home then. I did too and woke in greater home here." He considered her for a while, drawing up memories of his own emergence. "You hungry or just want to see? Can show things." Explain those things, not so much.

What food would she eat anyway? Fahl doubted it was fish, though he could be wrong. After all, he stomached them reasonably enough.

@Stormy

The young filly watched as the air shimmered between the two of them. A strange sight but not unwelcome. She couldn’t help but wonder what was causing it. However her gaze quickly fell back to focus on the creature in front of her. She wondered why the much smaller creature retreated from her, when she made no aggressive or angry movements or sounds. She simply stood curious watching.

She smiled when the creature made no move to get farther from her, now instead taking in the compliments she paid his home. ”You’re a very interesting creature yourself..” SHe paused for a moment thinking. ”Though I’ve never seen anyone other than you before, so I’m not sure if my opinion counts.” The little filly noted aloud. Though she did like the way he looked she wondered if he was warm or soft to the touch.

The little filly lifted all four legs in time as she shifted her weight about, her new legs not used to holding up her weight for so long just yet. Storm colored ears shifted forward listening to Fahl as he spoke. She nodded a bit acknowledging that she had lost her safe haven as well, not mere moments prior to their meeting.

Hungry? She wasn’t exactly hungry not yet, not after the trauma of accidentally kicking open her own home and being spilled out onto the ground. Honestly she felt a bit sick. I would greatly like to see more of your home, if it’s anything like this little corner I’m sure it will be awe inspiring. The little filly preferred at this point to be shown around her new and much larger home. Though she hoped Fahl would not mind sharing it with her.

@Fahl

Regardless of him being the first creature of his kind Stormy had ever laid eyes on, her comment had as positive an effect as the previous compliments. His mouth opened in an attempt at something vaguely like a grin. Incapable of large emotional displays that weren't launching himself at the object of his affections, he kept to bobbing his head as an expression of his joy.

"Only one and the best," he assured. Despite not knowing this for certain, Fahl saw no reason in lessening even the tiniest amount of praise to come his way. Why bother when it'd bolster his image and consequently his self-esteem? He'd gladly declare being unique if someone gave him the opportunity to say such.

Unused to the role of tour guide, Fahl awkwardly shuffled his feet before jumping into a stilted spiel. "This here. Where you entered my home. It's next to this wall. See ridges on the wall? They're good for climbing if careful. Very wet and can slip if not." Then he remembered how strangely the Gembound's feet were shaped. "You might not be able to climb. But it's fun if you can."

"There's water too. That noise is where lots of water fall. You can hear it, right?" The question couldn't have been more ridiculous. The waterfall's thundering was a distinctive sound. "Can see it all the way over there. It's very loud. Have to shout when there. I like to stay where the smaller pools of water are. Have to practice swimming before I try going closer. But it's beau... tiful. Yes?"

While he maintained polite eye contact on the outside, inside Fahl berated every aspect of his introduction. What sort of master couldn't explain his own home properly?

@Stormy

A light smile spread across the little filly’s muzzle, as her compliments were well received by the creature known as Fahl. His home and himself were the current object of her attention and praise. She was beginning to think that she kind of liked Fahl. He wasn’t mean and he was actually kind of interesting for a small squat little creature. She wondered how fast he could move with such strange little legs.

So he was the only one of his kind. How interesting. ”That's wonderful to be so unique! I’m not sure if I’m the only one of my kind. Though I’m sure I’m not that lucky.” The girl spoke with a gentle sweet voice and curiosity beyond what should have been natural. But she still couldn’t help but wonder, were there others like her? For that matter what was she? She had never thought about that, not even in her home. She had never questioned if she was the only one like her. But that would be a pondering for a later time.

Stormy smiled lightly as her gaze followed what Fahl spoke of. They were so tall, and glistened with wetness. She wondered if she could ever climb them. Then Fahl commented on her own hooves and she shifted awkwardly. ”I think you’re right. I don’t think my hooves will let me grip very well. Not like your wonderous flexible things.” She agreed to the fact that she probably couldn’t do it. But that as well would be a venture for a later date.

Water? What was water? ”What’s water?” She asked curiously though he continued to talk, she followed his gaze to the far side of the cavern where she could just make out the outline of the massive waterfall. Her jaw hung open just a bit as she stood taking in the sight of the enormous rush of stuff over a ledge that rained down in torrents into a large pool below. ”Swimming? That sounds like fun! The girl bounced a bit at the thought of doing something new. Though everything was new to her at this point. ”It’s amazing. It’s so tall.” The girl breathed almost breathless at the sight. It was a thing of true beauty and wonder.

The girl seemed utterly in awe of the place as her gaze fell down back to Fahl. ”Would you mind showing me the smaller pools? I am very interested in seeing them, also if you want you can ride on my back I’m sure my longer legs will probably out pace you. The girl offered herself as a mount if Fahl so chose to show her the small ponds.

@Fahl
Note:Sorry for the late reply. A few things have happened and my replies will most likely be a bit slow.

Fahl nodded as she spoke, observing how Stormy's hooves lifted slightly off the ground in her bout of anticipatory bouncing. If not for concealed shame at his poor speech skills, he might have contributed to the building excitement and awe as well with an energetic leap or shout. To witness this reaction—one well-known to him—from an outsider's perspective felt like an unusual gift. It was if he was reliving a brief altered moment in the past, the clarity of emotion unparalleled by any mere memory.

Was this something anybody could feel? Could, say, a mentor revisit happy moments through their student? Maybe a Gembound with thoughts that ran slow and deep could explore this phenomenon further; his thoughts zipping by fast and often skimming along the surface, Fahl was not that individual. Patience far from his reach, it'd likely take a few hard lessons for him to properly value its use.

So he continued to keep a composed face, stubbornly hiding a twitch of combined discomfort and embarrassment at his awkwardly handled explanatory role. He'd just have to talk more and hope that the stumbling words would straighten themselves out with time.

"It is fun. You go into the water and can see all the fish." And there was the other stuff: the algae, rocks, and whatever else resided beneath the surface for divers to discover. Considering which of those swam, though, fish was the best curiosity to start with. "They're slippery things. And shiny. A lot are small. But there's larger ones too," he clarified.

A moment of uncertainty passed as Fahl reviewed the offer of carrying him to the ponds. A part of him wanted to stubbornly refuse out of a need to appear self-sufficient and to ignore the drawbacks of his legs on land. However, the image of him clinging to Stormy's back, head high as his new station, was a tempting one. In the end, it came down to whichever tugged stronger at his ideal of what was striking and impressive.

"Yeah, can show. Ride sounds good." Ever quick to act, he sprang up to clamber aboard, not bothering to try a more strategic method of maneuvering his way to a seat.

@Stormy