A Harvest Moon

The brown mare surpressed chuckle, watching the golden mare - Path - and Dart interact. It was clear she was missing something between them, but she wasn't one to pry and simply smiled amiably as Path mentioned the water, letting Dart's comment of 'Miss Mud' slide right over unnoticed.

"That someone was very wise," she noted. "People constantly search for miracles, and yet they never stop to look enough to see that miracles are everything. Existing is a miracle.

"It's good to meet you Path. I am Harvest. This is my first time outside in the meadows."

And once again, a chuckle worthy moment at Path's snide comment to the unruly stallion. But she kept it inside, only allowing the smallest of smiles to quirk the corner of her mouth.

He snorted and rolled his eyes, "That's such a niece welcome Path," he said in his normal smarty voice. He swished his tail a little because he was getting board of this. He still wanted to settle things for the way she had gotten away with treating him, but he could not help but pick on the awkwardness coming from her. "So, Miss Sun, you are becoming softer like an egg middle and not so much as hard and fiery as the giant star." He looked at her, lets see what this gets me.

He then turned his attention back to the other mare, "Yes, miracles and nature spectacles are all fine and dandy. They just hide and create a cover up for the worlds shadows. Undernearth all that lovey dovey stuff and bright colors, the darkness lies in wait, waiting to make it's move on the unsuspecting. So just because it looks beautiful doesn't mean it isn't deadly poison," he said looking at both of the mares.

"The stars may be great and feirce, Dart, but they glimmer softly in the night sky."

It was that easy to brush him off, something she found vaguely amusing. He didn't bother her, not as he once had. He was petty, immature.. And not worth the air he breathed.

"I suppose he was wise," Path murmured, tossing her short mane as she returned her attentions to the other, the one called Harvest. "He didn't quite realize it, and to be honest neither did I, but there was a great deal of wisdom in the male even then."

She paused a moment here, sniffing at the quietly shifting water as they sat under the weight of the full, pregnant moon, waiting for whatever it was that was meant to come, and smiled. She had never thought herself stiff before, but it seemed that's how she had behaved. Now, with so few walls in place, she had gentled.

Some day she would have to ask Pixie how he had managed to demolish those protective walls of hers.

"The shadows dance wonderfully as well, my bonded would say. They have their own beauty, deadly though they are. The very nature of such things is beautiful, as one can never have light without darkness, darkness without light. They dance together, back and forth, keeping the balance."

Snorting, she lifted her head again, wondering when it was exactly her bonded had told her as much. She remembered the words, even remembered being told that she would ignore them while they were first spoken, but that she would understand when it was time.

Balance, then. Balance was what she had found. The same character lay within her, the same strength and protection. There was no real change, no softening. She had merely balanced herself.

"Perhaps this is what you wait for?"

Even as she spoke it the sky brightened, making her lift her head as the dancing, weaving light rippled through the sky. What was it called? The aurora.. Something. She had been with her strange bonded long enough that she simply thought of it as the wee folk dancing, having heard the phrase often enough.

Harvest watched them with curiousity. Dart's arrogance was grating, but in it he had found some form of wisdom.

"Deadly things are the most beautiful of all. We all wish for what we can't have, and death is one thing we won't ever until we die. And who knows if we're still ourselves once we're gone? Mysteries and miracles and hidden things. They're everywhere."

The harvest moon was golden and heavy above her, almost as if it would fall down on their faces. She was struck by a strange urge to get up and dance, or run until she collasped, or roll endlessly down hills. She was finally free, and she was going to celebrate.

Harvest shook herself off, ridding loose grass and leaves that had since fallen on her, and galloped down to the lake without a word, staring with awe at the aurora's reflection in the dark water's depths. It was light reflecting through crystal - pink and purple shades shimmering at the top, dark green and light blues sinking towards the bottom. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she was fascinated to no end.

Dart rolled his eyes, "Ok, enough sunshine, I get it", he said irritatedly. He pinned his ears and slightly turned to look at the dark depths of the forest on to his one side. "Yes, they do. It is almost more fun being in the shadows, that way when the hidden strike, it is not such a blow as when there is light and dany miracles present." He sighed and turned his head back to the two females, maybe there was something interesting in here after all, or something that would Eb away is boardum.

A surprised look flashed through his eyes at what the brown mare said, maybe she is not all full of daisies, maybe she gets the reality here. Dart would have made a smart little remark but he watched too his dismay as the Mud girl got up and took off to the waters edge. Then again, maybe more daisy and miracles in there, then cold reality. "Hey Miss Mudd are you late fora date with the flood waters?" he said in his smart voice.

Path followed Harvest's lead, shaking her coat free of stray bits of grass as she stood to watch the dancing lights in the sky. She didn't move to the water's edge with her, though, but let her have space.

"What do you run from, Dart? What is this darkness you fear so badly that you must place such barriers around yourself."

She snorted lightly, nose turned towards the shimmering sky, the dancing wee folk, and flicked her tail in a contemplative manner. Such a strange night indeed.

"You push all others away, insult and tease and trick all you come across. And yet here you are, upon the fields, instead of hiding in some dark corner of seclusion. Why are you so afraid."

She didn't honestly question him. Nothing came out as a true inquiry, there was no invitation to honestly answer in her voice. They were observations for the most part, and questions he should have in his own heart.

Tossing her short mane, she stepped away from him once she'd finished speaking, her tail swishing quietly through the night air as she reached the shoreline several feet away from harvest, watching this dance of light and dark in the cold sky.

"It's beautiful."