Galaxy was a special case, or so Talia said. Adopted from the latest Serian festival, he had been recently abandoned, and was still getting over the heartache of moving from owner to owner. Luckily, Lady Talia didn't plan on having him leave any time soon. He had already begun to adjust to her other Serians, and had come to think of them and Talia as his family. 

 

Here is a brief rendition of his story, and how the rogue came to live with the Lady Talia and her other Serians at her cottage inside of the valley.

 

At the Serian festival, Talia happened across Galaxy. She had taken a break from managing her festival booth to take a relaxing walk with Vision and Gem just so she could take in the sights of the festival and enjoy the festivities. Strolling from booth to booth, she and her Serians admired the creative geniuses of the other Serian owners, and marveled in the mass amounts of characters and Serians alike that had all come together to enjoy this fine festival. Unintentionally, Lady Talia was headed in the direction of the abandon stalls. As Gem would later declare, it was as if something was calling to her bonded, pulling her in that particular direction, for although she had no knowledge of why she was headed that way, she knew she simply could not turn around until she had gone to where her soul told her to go.

 

As they drew closer to the abandon pens, Gem whinnied in sympathy for the poor souls whose bonds had been severed. Just imagining it, the poor mare felt physically ill, and nudged Talia for reassurance. Vision was more bold, and proceeded to step right up next to the area. He could feel the waves of sadness wash over him. The emotions of the Serians were that strong, and he hoped that Talia would adopt at least one of these poor things, even though he knew instinctively that she would need little convincing.

 

One Serian stood apart from the rest, or so Talia thought. A sapphire beauty, his mane streamed regally out behind him as he reared above the crowd. He was unwilling to appear hurt or broken by this, and he glared fiercely at the newcomers, daring them to test his resolve and to question his spirit. It was as if something within him changed quite suddenly though as Talia stepped up next to Vision, her eyes focused on the majestic stallion in front of her. Silently, the stallion stared back and quite soon he was calm, the only movement from him being a slight shiver as he made the connection that this woman would be his next bond... had to be his next bond. The connection was unmistakable.

 

Vision broke through the quiet with a whinny of greeting for all the abandons. Galaxy took it as his moment to approach the lady in blue next to the cheery stallion. Wordlessly, nose touched human hand, and the two shared a moment more intimate than human touch allowed, yet more fragile and frail than the thin gossamer wings of a butterfly. Thus, the bond had formed, weak at first, yet through mere tenderness and devotion, it grew into a bond that was equally as strong as his "brother's" and "sister's".

 

Talia smiled, recalling the moment that Galaxy and she had spent together in wordless communication. She'd never get over the feeling of being bonded to a creature like that. It was more intimate than telepathy, and stronger than steel. It was altogether unique.

 

 ------

 

He stood atop a rolling hill, marveling at the way in which the wind rippled through his mane, tickling his neck and sending a chill of excitement through his heavily muscled body. He sniffed the sweet air and let out a small whickering welcome to his bondmate. He could smell her scent on the breeze, and he craned his neck to catch sight of her.

 

Talia took her time climbing the hill. She enjoyed the sight of her bonded’s free, serene expression, and was loath to interrupt the moment, despite the fact that he was happy to see her. With a small smile, she reached out to tangle her hands into his glossy, reflective mane. He nosed her affectionately and lipped at her dress impishly.

 

“I’m sorry love. You looked so happy that I didn’t want to interrupt,” she told him as she leaned lightly against the arch of his neck.

 

"You’re not interrupting anything, not really," he said quietly, his voice slightly contemplative, "I was just trying to remember what my life was like, before I met you and the others. It’s almost like I’ve erased it from my memory."

 

His voice echoed with a slightly bitter tint in her head. She knew full well that Galaxy remembered his past- but he hated to dredge it up, and she wouldn’t prod him about his voluntary “forgetfulness”.

 

“Well, the only thing that really matters is that you’re here now, you have a home, and you’re happy,” she replied quietly, brushing stray whisps of hair away from his eyes so that she could look at him. He snorted in agreement, and abruptly moved away from her. He stared at the horizon a few moments, as if gathering his thoughts, and then, quite unexpectedly, reared back and trumpeted a clarion call to the sun, as if challenging his prior negativity to come back to haunt him now, in all his glory.

 

When his hooves were once again planted firmly on the ground he spoke, good humor evident in his voice once more.

 

"You’re right. I want for nothing."

 

Talia smiled broadly and patted the proud arch of his neck. Her gallant, dignified and witty stallion was with her once more. Together, they sat upon the hilltop and watched the sun rise over the plains.