A. S.: Discoveries

The dark green coated Kirin had to avert his gaze for the light had become too bright for his eyes. As the light faded he was once more able to return his gaze to the statue. Something was different about the statue, at first he couldn't put his hoof on it. Finally it hit him the watchful amber eyes which had been open before where now closed. Had he not looked closely at the statue he would have thought he was simply imagining they had been open before the light.

He took a step closer to inspect closer, but as the sound the golden mare's ear twitched and her eye opened. She looked hard at the stallion in front of her, then shook her head blinking her expression changing to that of confusion. Before he could even get a word out the mare reared clearly disoriented and ready to defend herself. The Kirin backed away to keep from harms way watching the mare bring her front hooves back down on the ground with a snort. He readied himself in case she decided to take his presence as a threat.

To his surprise she raised her head holding it proudly and spoke. "Who are you?" It was a simple enough question but the green male was a little stunned that a statue seemed to come to life before his very eyes. Growing impatient at the lack of getting her question answered the mare pinned her ears back and frowned. "I asked who you are stranger." She commented making the Kirin before her blink as if he had just seen her. "Oh I am Emerald Flame and who are you?" Answered Emerald Flame getting a guarded look from the mare making him think she wasn't going to answer. After a moment she spoke. "I'm Shining Soul."

The Kirin smiled feeling more confident in the situation he decided to find out why the mare was here alone and frozen like a statue. "What were you doing here standing all alone?" He questioned wanting to know why she was the only one in the empty city. She blinked like she herself wasn't sure at first, but then she closed her eyes a flash of a memory. She had been wait for something, something that she needed to protect the city from. "I was trying to protect the city from something, but I cannot remember what that was." She answered not opening her eyes, hoping that if she kept them closed long enough the fractured memory would come back to her.

Emerald Flame looked confused at the mare what would be worth protecting in a place like this, that was completely devoid of life other then the one that had just awakened before him. "Why would you do that this place is completely deserted?" He asked with a frown, his words causing Shining Soul's eyes to snap open. "What?! There is no way this is a vibrant bustling city it can't be empty." She exclaimed in return looking at him in disbelief. The stallions gaze was so serious that his words could not be mistaken as some sort of jest. "No this can't be you must be mistaken." She said shaking her head stepping back not wanting to believe what this stranger had said to be true. "From what I have seen of this place so far no one has lived here for a very long time Shining Soul." Returned Emerald Flame his ears lowering in sympathy for the golden mare, she must have been stuck frozen for a very long time. The mare shook her head again.

"No you're wrong." Shining Soul bit out, before wheeling around on her hind legs racing towards the abandoned city, she would not believe a word until she had seen it with her own eyes. "Hey wait!" Called Emerald Flame as he raced after her, he didn't want to leave Shining Soul in this place alone any longer. He was determined that she would not be alone any longer since she seemed to had lost so much time frozen as a statue ever watchful of the city she had once tried to protect. Even after all this time Shining Soul's legs remembered the speed that she had once been known for, it didn't take long for her to loose Emerald Flame because of it and her familiarity with the city that had been her home.

Panting the Kirin stopped having lost the mare around a bend only to come out into an empty city square. Disheartened Emerald Flame looked around the square for any sign of where Shining Soul might have gone. Finally he had to concede that he wasn't going to be able to find her in the city which he knew nothing about. He hung his head and headed back the way he came, with the hope that she might have returned to place where he had found her. Even though he knew such a thing would be a long shot, Emerald Flame still felt a sting when he didn't find her on the path where she once stood.

The Kirin couldn't help, but wonder if he would ever see her again and was resolved to get a search party back in this hidden wonder beneath the Earth to find her. As his thought wandered about who would be best to bring up this situation to he found himself drawn towards the set of doors which he had entered in. To his relief there she stood just inside, right were he stood when he first arrived, taking in what had once must have been a beautiful sight. As he approach he could see the sadness etched in her features, she was lost in the memories of what had been and now what was.

Slowly he walked up to stand next to Shining Soul looking out at the city as it was now. "I'm sure it was very beautiful." He said softly hoping to lift the mare's spirits a little. She simply lowered her ears before responding in a flat tone. "That doesn't matter anymore I failed to protect them from whatever it was that befell my city." Emerald Flame frowned slightly then rested his hoof gently on hers. "Hey, you don't know what happened for sure. Perhaps you managed to buy everyone time to get to safety. I know this may not make you feel better, but I think you may have saved everyone. Look at the city it is almost completely unharmed other then what time has done." He replied smiling at the mare who was now watching him. She seemed to take his words as a bit of comfort as she returned his smile with a small one of her own.

"I hope they all found a safe place to restart their lives." She said her tone hopeful as she turned back to the silent city. Emerald Flame looked out at the city as well returning his hoof to the floor. "I know we hardly know each other, but this is now a place of the past and well..." Emerald Flame paused nervous about Shining Soul's reaction,"You have been given a second chance at life and there is a whole wide world waiting outside this place. I was wondering would you come with me?" He wasn't able to bring himself to look at her in case she was offended by the idea.

Blinking she looked over at the stallion by her side seeing the hints of a blush come through his dark scaled coat and she couldn't help but think he had a point. "You are right, there is and I hope to see it all with my friend by my side." She replied with a warm smile, her words drawing a smile from the stallion by her side. "Well then lets get living," he said warmly and headed back out the doors with Shining Soul in toe. She paused one last time as he reached the doorway looking back over her shoulder, to say her silent good-byes to her home. She then trotted to catch up to Emerald Flame and wondered about what the future held in store for her and if she would ever regain the memory of what happened on that day she became frozen.