Parents: NA
Siblings: NA
Mate: ...................
Children: With Fallen Wish: Fone, Himani, Echo (Jezbel), and Eskimo (Jezbel)
Non-Rp Breeding: 0
Bio:Reiki wandered the paths of the Dream Valley Mountains, the wind rustling his feathers. The air was chilly, but not cold. Spring was coming, though not to these rocky peaks, a time of rejoicing and love. For him, it was a time of memories. A time of the year when he remembered with sharp clarity why he had exiled himself to this desolate place.
He was a Dream Legend. A creature of well wishes and good fortune. He knew about his own kind, knew what was supposed to be. He knew, very well, that he was supposed to protect those who were pure hearted, and that he was supposed to bring good luck just by association. Too bad no one had told the gods that.
No, Reiki had never brought anything but harm to those he cared about. When he was young, he had tried to work around it. He had tried hard to have a family. He had tried so very hard to be happy. Now, whenever he thought of his selfishness, whenever he was tempted to seek out the company of another’s warmth and presence, he remembered
her.
Silva had been the prettiest yearling in the field. She had been an earth pony with a mane and tail like the setting sun, and eyes that sparkled with mischief. He would never forget the way the light glinted off of her golden coat, or the way her mane curled around her face. She had been exquisite. And of all the awkward, gangly youths, she had chosen
him.Silva could have befriended anyone. She was kind and gentle. She was generous, and intelligent. She had a wisdom that went far beyond her years. To this day, Reiki didn’t know why she had approached him, why she had decided to befriend him out of all those that were vying for her attention. He only knew that she had, and she had made him the happiest pony in all of Dream Valley.
He would never forget the first day he saw her. He had been wandering from field to field, hoping to find a patch of grass where he could graze on his own. It was hard being an orphan, unwanted by anyone. He didn’t remember his parents, having been on his own for nearly all his life. He knew very little about his own race, other than that he was a legend, they were pure, and there weren’t many around.
When he saw her, he had been struck by her beauty, and instantly intimidated. Naturally, he had done what any teenage boy would have done in that position. He hid. But she must have noticed him before he could, because a few minutes later, she poked her head around the tree and whispered, “boo!”
After he had gotten his heart to calm down from the fright, and she had managed to contain her giggles, she had introduced herself. She had decided then and there that they would be best friends…
“You’re different,” she informed him. “You’re fun. I like you. Let’s play!”
“You… don’t mind that I’m different?” Reiki asked, hardly able to believe that she was being sincere. He’d been turned away by so many other herds because he was unlike anything they’d seen before. He had even begun to think he could only belong to a legend herd.
“Silly,” Silva chided with another giggle. Reiki decided he liked the sound of her laugh. “You’re special, interesting. Are we going to play or not?”
“Oh… oh, sure!” Reiki agreed happily.
“Good,” Silva grinned at him, dancing back a few steps. “Bet you can’t catch me!” And with that, she took off. With a small laugh of his own, Reiki gave chase.
Silva was fast. He wasn’t able to catch her, though he came close several times. They played all day, and well into the night until, exhausted, they collapsed beside each other in the grass.
“Not bad,” Silva panted, grinning.
“I’ll catch you,” Reiki swore, smiling, “once I catch my breath.”
“Uh uh,” Silva retorted. “No one’s ever caught me before.”
“I will,” Reiki promised.
“Big talk for a little pony,” Silva teased.
“I’m not that little!” Reiki protested. Silva just laughed again. “I’m gonna catch you! Just wait and see!”
“Tell you what,” Silva giggled. “If you can catch me, then I’ll marry you.”
“Really?” Reiki asked, startled that she’d make such an offer to a virtual stranger.
“Sure,” she agreed with a laugh. “But you never will, because I’m the fastest pony around.”The legend shook his head, trying to chase away the memories. That had been a long time ago. He knew better than to hope he would get over it. He didn’t want to forget Silva. He owed her too much for that. She had been the first person who had ever cared about him. The
only person who had ever truly cared about him. All others shunned him for being different, but he had never cared because he had Silva.
It wasn’t her he was trying to forget, it was what had happened. And of course, unbidden and against his will, the very memory that had tortured him for so long came bubbling back to the surface, oozing like an infected wound. Maybe that was exactly what it was. A puss filled gash on his heart that would never heal.
For two years, Reiki had chased after Silva. Their friendship had deepened until the infatuation he had felt for her had become true love. He had no doubt that she felt the same for him. She never looked at any of the other males, only him. She flirted with him, and he flirted back. Their friendship was an intricate dance between them.
Reiki knew that Silva ran from him not because she didn’t want to be caught, but because, to her, it was a game. In a way, he had already caught her, but she wasn’t the sort of pony to make anything easy for him. Knowing that, and understanding that it was her playful nature that led to this behavior and not some sick desire to mess with him, allowed him to enjoy the chase. And he certainly did enjoy the chase.
For two years, he never touched Silva. She hadn’t let him, because doing so would have been the same as being caught. Thinking back, Reiki realized that he had never had any physical contact with any other pony before Silva. He wished that he never had. The day he caught Silva was the first and last time he had ever touched another pony…
“You just don’t give up!” Silva laughed. The years had been kind to her, making her even more beautiful.
“I don’t break my promise,” he retorted, smugly. Time with Silva had given him a confidence he had lacked before he met her. Without warning, he lunged toward her. With a laugh, she dodged him, but not quite quick enough.
Maybe he was wearing on her. Maybe she was growing bored of the game. Maybe he was really getting faster, whatever the reason, he managed brush his hoof against her hindquarters and she stumbled a bit. He took advantage of the moment to tackle her to the ground and pin her.
“Told you I would catch you,” he announced proudly, grinning down at her. But there was something wrong. Something different. She didn’t smile back, she didn’t laugh.
In fact, everything was wrong. Her mane wasn’t red anymore, but rather an icy blue. Her eyes were wide and colorless, her face shocked. Something was very, very wrong.
“Silva?” Reiki prompted, concerned. “Silva, what happened?”
Silva didn’t respond. She just lay there, frozen, like an ice sculpture…
In fact, that was exactly what she was. Ice.
“S…Silva?” Reiki whispered, horrified. He had to be wrong. She hadn’t turned into a block of ice. For a full minute, he panicked, hovering around her, nudging her, begging her to get up, to stop playing with him. But she never did.
“No,” he whimpered. “No, Silva, how? Why? Please! You have to…” and then it hit him like a slap to the face.
He knew that every pony had a talent, but he had always assumed his was just luck. He had never thought much about how water frosted around him, or how there was always a thin, icy coating on the grass underfoot. Everything he touched had turned to ice… And now so had Silva…
Reiki backed away from her quickly, tears running frozen tracks down his cheeks. No. He hadn’t killed the woman he loved. He hadn’t. He couldn’t have. Please gods, please say he didn’t…Reiki slammed the door shut on the memory, trembling with the effort that it took. While he was still in the throes of panic and grief, another pony had found him and Silva’s melting body. The other pony had always resented Reiki, having feelings for Silva as well. He had wasted no time in turning an accusing hoof toward Reiki.
The whole herd had attacked him when they found out. Or rather, they had tried. But, terrified of being touched and hurting someone else, Reiki had fled. He had run as hard and fast as he could. After two years of playing “catch me” with Silva had given him a good deal of stamina and speed. He had managed to stay ahead of them long enough to remember he had wings, which he had never really had any reason to use to use then. His first flight had taken him to the icy mountains at the edge of Dream Valley.
It was there that he had realized, fully, what he had done, and what he needed to do next. He stayed away from every pony that approached him. He walled off his heart, turned his own blood to ice. He killed his compassion and learned to hate the world for all the wrongs it had done him.
Silva had taught him to see the good in the world, but that had died when he had turned her to ice. At first he had hated himself. That had quickly turned to bitterness that he happily shared with others. Time had worn on him though. No one could stay angry for long. When the heat of anger had fled, numbness had settled in its place.
He felt little now. Not anger, not happiness, not sadness. Occasionally, a twinge of loneliness surfaced, especially in the spring. But with that loneliness came the memories, as they had now, and just as it had now, those memories reminded him why he shunned the world.
Reiki stopped walking as his path brought him to the same spot it always did when he got this way. To a lake where he had erected a small, private gravestone for his lost love. She was nothing but a puddle now, but he had needed somewhere to go. He brushed his hoof over the stone and watched as ice crystals followed the path of his touch.
“I always keep my promises,” he murmured, partially to himself and partially to the memory of the only good thing in his life. “No one will ever catch me.”
He belonged alone. He deserved to be alone. And if any pony thought to “save” him, they were in for one icy ride.
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