The night sky settled over Paradise, draping it in a velvety darkness. The shadows deepened, and Gnome could not help but feel that this was an omen of the less visible darkness that lingered here. Now that he had found the Prairie stallion, his resolve was firmer. He was still unsure how to achieve his goal, but he knew that one way or another he would take his family away from here.

The blanketed stallion was not surprised at the reception he was given; he had expected this. He knew why he had initially stayed here - he had nowhere else to go, no purpose in life. There was no way for the chestnut to know this, that Gnome had also been trapped here by circumstance and had simply lacked a good enough reason to put his fighting skills to use. He smiled almost sheepishly at Jabari, whose name was in fact not familiar. This was an attempt to let him know that he did not relish in his position here. He was doubtful it would have much of an impression.

He shuffled his shell colored hooves in the sand and cleared his throat again. "I used to live there, a long time ago. With my family. We’ve recently been reunited…" He trailed off, knowing that if he introduced his proposal so soon he would be rejects. Instead, he opted to share some of his own story. "You know, I was not originally here by choice myself. I was traded for a different stallion, apparently. Just because I have stayed doesn’t mean I am friendly or even agree with…certain goings on." He stopped, not wanting to seem like he was trying to garner sympathy. "My point is, I’m sorry you’ve been taken from your home. I know what it’s like, to be ripped away from those you care about."

Gnome