The filly’s protective stance and naïve words wrenched at Gnome’s heart. His eyes looked up to the cloudless sky, willing it to send him an appropriate response. It did not oblige; he turned his gaze back to the soft, sweet face of the red and white child. He had not needed to further explain after all. Guilt flooded him as realization dawned on her delicate features. It was not his fault Eos was dead, but he had been the one to break the news and shatter the child’s world as she knew it. Eventually, she would have made the discovery on her own, but he had rushed it along for her safety. He had been, as it was sometimes put, been caught between a rock and a hard place.

The girl came to him and pressed into his chest. Instinctively, he bent his head to curl around her smaller form. His eyes were tightly shut to hold in the emotions that threatened tears. Gnome was upset, but Eos’ – their – daughter had just lost her mother. Such a loss at her young age was a traumatizing event, and he felt that it would be best to put on a strong façade. Therefore, he held her close and listened to her distressed breathing.

Surprisingly, he felt no wetness upon his hide. “It’s okay if you feel like you need to cry…but, it is equally okay if you don’t. I will understand either way.” He was unsure if this statement was helpful or not, but he remembered a time when his own mother had told him something similar. It had not been such a monumental tragedy as this, but it had helped him all the same.

The filly finally pulled away from him and stared straight into his face as he lifted his head from their embrace. Her gaze seemed to reach into his very soul. He smiled at her sadly, then lowered his head so they could see more eye to eye. “Gnome is my name. Now I can’t be sure I’m the only one she’d ever met with that name, but I’m willing to bet I was. I’m certainly the only Gnome who lives here.” He gave her a wink just to see if he could get a smile in return, no matter how small. “And what is your name?” The blanketed stallion thought it prudent not to reveal what he suspected about their relation just yet; she had already been through enough today.

Gnome