THERE IS NO D A R K N E S S
The pale giant’s easy smile sparks off a brightness in Shenzi, and her own lips are enticed to mirror his. But all too quickly, the mirth in her dimmed, and she nodded sombrely at his response. It certainly clarified things for Shenzi. A bright soul like his didn’t belong in the darkness that was ever-present in the Lagoon. There was no way for the little brown mare to know if it had always been what it was now, but she knew with certainty that it didn’t have to be this way. The band of brothers that had taken her in had become her family. They were foolish at times, reckless always, ever roaming, ever free. But just because they shunned the settled-down lifestyle of traditional herd stallions, and had no desire to seek and form lasting attachments with most mares, did not mean they thought little of those who chose differently from them.
Her brotherband had been a circle, and qualities such as loyalty, respect and compassion had been integral to their cohesion. It was what had made them strong. Shenzi, having been at the very centre of that circle once upon a time, was in a unique position. For when she dwelt on her past, observed her present, and imagined the future she would have if she remained in the Lagoon, she felt cheated in a way. There was nothing appealing about life among this so-called brotherhood. It was not close-knit, and the only loyalty Sheni had witnessed was watery and blind. There was no circle, no sense of camaraderie. Except at the very top, perhaps. And that was the problem. From Shezni’s quiet observations, while she’d wandered alone, a definite hierarchy had revealed itself to her.
And mares were confined to the very bottom of the pyramid, looked down upon, stepped on, mistreated and viewed as inferior. Her lost brothers would be ashamed, and appalled, if they had lived long enough to see this place. It was a false legacy, gilded cruelty built on arrogance and greed.
“All I know is they’ve gone off to war,” Shenzi replied to the stallion’s questions. “One of the stallions, reigning over the northern island, summoned the Bachelors, and they went running.” Even Collision had gone, loyal to the heartless gold stallion who asserted his dominance with calculated aggression and cunning. “To be honest, I don’t know why I have lingered so long,” the mare admitted, voicing a thought that had long since plagued her subconscious. “They fight against me, against my kind. The lot of them, they go to strike down mares who’ve proven they are just as capable as stallions. A herd on Luthien. I fear they will turn their eyes to the Peak, before long.” Shenzi herself had only seen the mountain from a distance, and hadn’t made the journey to its foothills. Perhaps it was time.
With a sad sigh, she sought the large perlino stallion’s gaze. “For all their talk of bravado, and their claims that they are superior in the ways they think matter most, these stallions are cowards, and this war of theirs is folly.” A twinge in her heart, for all that had been taken from her. She had suffered for a conquest such as one that was enveloping this Isles, and in her survivor’s wisdom, Shenzi knew that no matter the outcome of such a conflict, there was no such thing as true victory. “Is pride really worth the cost paid in blood to obtain it?” The little mare pondered aloud, her gaze drifting from her companion for a moment, before slowly returning, and she lapsed into silence, scrutinising his face, as though waiting for some insightful explanation from the stallion. Where did his heart lie in all of this? Would he, too, prove to be a deep disappointment, like the rest of Shenzi’s time here had?
S H E N Z I
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