I see black, feel it, and smell it. I am darkness. My innards itch and call for my attention, but I only see black, feel it, and smell it. I am darkness. My innards itch and call for my attention again, but I can't answer. My muzzle only feels open; nothing comes out when I try to speak. The darkness I am oppresses me.

But what is this? I feel something besides the itch, besides the black. A fuzzy and quiet hum in my mind, so soft. It speaks but I do not understand. I try to concentrate on it, why is it so different?

It is the voices of many, uncountable voices. But one seems to come from the mess, it speaks. It says I must leave the darkness, it is soft and gentle. But I am darkness, how do I leave it? And it seems to hear, it laughs. It tells me to thrust my head. Where? Oh, that head.

I push my head forward; something on my forehead meets the edge of the darkness. I pull back, something slimy sticking to the strange object on my head, that isn't darkness... I see light, it is blue tinted, it welcomes me. I push toward the hole in the darkness; I break it open and climb into the light.

It feels cold out here in the blue, but I see fuzzy shapes. The friendly voice seems pleased I have come to the blue, it congratulates me. What is that? Something is coming toward me, tall and white. I can't see, it's too fuzzy. Panic sets in, but the voice calms me...From outside my mind. A calm but unintelligible garble, I sit still as the big shape picks me up in a green glow. It softly rubs my exposed cheek, the green glow coming from its forehead brightens. The glow washes my skin. It cleans me of the slime I didn't notice I was covered in. The itching stops when it sets me down.

I look up, the fuzzy words in my mind slowly phasing into my mind. I hear the thousands of voices say something over and over three times. “Light Step” But the words as they should be understood seemed to have more value. I am confused, it should only mean what it means.

“A name.” The form in front of me says, the fuzzy vision and dulled hearing come in line. My sight sharpens, a happy face. The being before me with white fangs, a long black spire of a horn on her head. The green glow comes from it I realize.

Her smile and calm gaze, coupled with the soft green eyes. Green, I don't remember green. I know the color? Green, huh. But as I said, the smile, I could see it in her. She loved me, the love of a lover? No, this is the love of a mother. This was mother.

“H-ha-hello?” I feel my mouth and tongue move, but how do I speak? The buzzing in the back of my mind fades, leaving one voice. “My child, you are part of the joined mind. You hear us all, you understand all we understand."

Really? I stop to listen. I stop to close my eyes, the voices become clear. They all add to the chorus, that's when I realize it. I'm being fed information by them all, one voice explains orange, another explains I will grow a shell on my outside for protection. These are brothers and sisters all speaking to me. I feel fuzzy as they all congratulate my existence. My eyes feel wet. Tears, one quickly explains.

"Oh shhh." The honeyed voice of my mother says. Mother Rem. I am informed, but she continues. "You are overwhelmed by my children's love? Don't worry it will come under control. It must be utter bliss if you are already moved to tears."

She pauses, looking down at me. But she remembers something, her face says so. "Ah. You are Light Step, my newest daughter." Her big hooves lightly rub my back. I open my mouth to speak. "What is Loh-ve?" She laughs under her breath. "You already know, you felt it from me when you hatched little one."

My mother named Rem stands up, pulling me along in the air with her horn. I learned what that is from my brothers and sisters! We pass through my hatching room, it is filled with small holes in the wall. They all hold hard shelled eggs, unborn brothers and sisters I think. My egg was bigger than the rest, and some of my siblings looking after the eggs wave at me as we pass.

Myself and mother have pink hair, but not my siblings. I had a bigger egg. Just why is that?

"Because you are not just a normal daughter. You are my successor."

Author's Notes:

Edit: How come no one said this chapter had a repeat paragraph!? AUGH, I feel dumb now >.<'