Impa appreciated Zombie’s touch, brief as it was. And she knew the lie the silver mare told was meant to help her, to soften the blow of such unexpected bad news. She appreciated it. “Dynalia,” she repeated. Her voice felt very far away, as if she were witnessing these events from above or outside of her own body. “I should go to her.” Keep some sort of family line intact. Maybe.

Impazienza shook her head, jostling and tangling her thick black mane. “Spotted beast, hmm?” she said. “I bet I could’ve taken him,” she said, and she was only half joking. She felt alive in a way she had not in years. Had her father’s presence on the islands been preventing her from being the mare she knew she could be? Not anymore. She would mourn Mazurka —heavily, but under the cover of darkness— but she would also rise. With Kisei gone, hypocritical, abusive stallion that he was, perhaps her life could finally lurch forward.

She almost wanted to seek out that spotted stallion now and take him down, just to prove she could.

“Hate you?” Impa’s dark eye snapped back to Zombie. “No. Zombie, no; I’m glad you’ve brought me this news. It’s been years since...” She trailed off, her gaze going distant. After a moment she inhaled deeply, sharply, and tossed her head. “Well. I need to... You’re welcome to stay, for as long as you’d like. Of course. Thank you, Zombie,” the spotted mare said before she turned and walked away.