Shadows wounds were severe. Broken bone and torn sinew, muscle…so much blood. Her sisters stood over her, their tears dripping burning red droplets onto her injuries. I had been surprised at first, and alarmed, but Far Sight had stopped me from interfering.

“You are not familiar with our ways, Equestrian. My daughters tears can heal wounds, revive the sick and the weak. You must wait, be strong and believe in her”.

It was easier said than done. I was confused, angry and afraid. I didn’t want to lose Shadow. I couldn’t, not now….

Ember trotted over to her father and spoke to him quietly. There was a sad resignation in the whistles and click that made my heart skip a beat. The large Thestral gave her a brief nuzzle then walked slowly over to me, his head down.

“Equestrian. Fairlight... My daughter says that she and her sister have done all they can. Theres is a poison in her body, something in the serpents bite, which is preventing her wounds from healing. My son, your mate, Shadow, is near death.”

He nudged me with his nose towards the prone figure of Shadow. “Be with her now Fairlight, she will want you by her side when her end comes.”

In a shocked daze, I rose to my hooves. I walked slowly over to my precious companion, my only true friend in this cursed land. The one who had risked everything to rescue me from my own stupid attempt at heroics. Now, she was dying. The little Thestral, bonded to me, mated to me, was losing her fight for life. I should have done more to protect her. I should have been more. I knelt before her and cradled her head in my forelegs as I had done once before, with another beloved mare. It felt like it was so long ago now, yet here I was again, losing some pony else that I…that I….

“Fairlight ?”

She opened her eyes and nuzzled me weakly. “Shadow…..I….”, I began,

“Love ?”
Oh goddesses, why ? Why was this happening again ? I cried out, howled and screamed my pain into that endless damned sky, that unending panorama of hopelessness that trapped me…us…in this hell.

I held her and felt my tears begin to fall. I heard a little gasp from one of the Thestrals nearby but I paid it no heed. I rocked my Shadow, my precious Thestral, as snow silently fell around us, covering her in a soft white shroud for her passing.

I choked back the pain but the tears kept falling, turning to tiny crystals as they dropped onto Shadows mouth and vanished. With each one, she twitched slightly, a tiny movement but one which gave me pause. I looked back at her terrible wound and saw little wisps of steam rising from it, saw bone fusing back together, re-growing, muscle knitting to muscle. Slowly, ever so slowly…yes…there it was…my Goddesses….

I wonder….I groped inside for the feeling of power, of primal fulfilment I had experienced earlier. It was there, waiting for me. Carefully, I teased some of it free, a tiny trickle of sparkling silver light dripping from my maw to hers. Shadows tongue licked at the light and her eyes flickered. It wasn’t enough, she needed more.

Lifting her head, I placed my mouth over hers, filling her with the silvery light. Slowly, her eyes opened and I felt her tongue push into my mouth, brushing against mine, exploring, tasting, hungering.

The steam rising from her wounds increased and I saw from the corner of my eye, the last of her hide stitching itself seamless back together. Her chest rose and fell as her breathing steadied, her strength returning. I relaxed my grip but as I did, her forelegs grabbed me in that bony embrace and she pushed her mouth onto mine, letting out a light rumbling noise from her throat. The sensation was….intense. Heat, and a sweet spicy taste, flooded into my mouth, her moist tongue wrapping itself around mine. I could feel Shadows heart pounding in her chest as she pushed into me.

A loud shrieking and clicking behind us made us jump apart. Shadow looked away, abashed, hiding her face with her hooves.

Ember and her sister pranced around each other, looking on like school foals who’d stumbled across something they shouldn’t have. Far Sight however, was not impressed.

“I have asked you before, Equestrian, to keep your mortal hooves off my daughter when my family can see you !”, he shouted at me so loudly I had to cover my ears with my forelegs. It didn’t help in the slightest. “Perhaps there is something wrong with your hearing ?” He bellowed even louder.

“No sir…”, I managed as nothing more than a squeak.
“WHAT ?”, I didn’t think it possible for his voice to get any louder, but goddesses, was I wrong.
“NO SIR !” I flung back at him as loud as I could.

I nearly yelped in surprise when the huge creature lumbered forward and scooped me up into a hug with those long bony forelegs. A moment later, I was released and he placed a hoof on my shoulder, “Thank you”.

I was taken aback, unsure as to what to say. Plopping back on my haunches I stared into space, while Far Sight headed back to his daughters. Whatever had happened here today, It didn’t matter, Shadow was alive and safe. A pair of slender, if rather knobbly forelegs passed around my neck as a warm muzzle slid up to mine from behind. A sultry red eye, an inch from my own, peered into my soul while her voice entered my heart, “Mine”.