Ghost turned and walked back to the herd before floping down under a tree by himself and drifting off to sleep

Dixie stopped when she heard hood beats. When Ghost emerged, she flicked her tail. "Really!?" She took off for the herd as fast as she could get her injured leg to go. "West!" She called when she got to the edge of the clearing. She searched for a second, not seeing him. Then she did. He was asleep. +oh West...+ she just stared at him for a second, trying to figure out if she should go wake him up or wait until he woke himself up.

West flicked an ear as he heard quiet footsteps. Pain slowly came back, then light flowed in as he opened his eyes, wincing in pain. He saw Dixie, and lifted his head slightly, his face flashing with emotions before going back to normal. "... Dixie I-.. I'm sorry for leaving you... I thought it would help..." He started quietly before stopping and glancing at the ground, his voice low as to not wake Ebony.

-

Ebony curled her small tail over her haunches as she snuggled into West's chest, still dead asleep. She was exhausted from the long run.

Dixie nuzzled him "forget that. You're not the only one in the wrong. I should have come with you. Or not snapped. And you leaving would never help! We work it out together... ok?" She asked. "Now, looks like someone got into trouble. Seems like I'm not the only one hurt." She noticed the foal at his hooves so she lowered her voice even lower than it already was. "Who's this..?"

Ghost flicked an ear at Dixie with a snort before falling back asleep laying on his side looking dead

West lowered his head slightly, swallowing down an answer. "Call a truce, then. No one in the wrong?" He asked quietly. He glanced at his back, shoulders, haunches, legs, and everything, covered with scratches and gashes and wounds. "Yeah... I had a small scuffle with Menace." He mumbled, smiling slightly when it came to the filly. "This is Ebony. Technically Menace's daughter, but I fought him to save her. He killed her mother. I'm going to help her... she needs it." He answered quietly.

"So you're gunna be a fill in dad? Like you were for Willow? And isnt Menace your older brother..? And why would he kill her mother? That's so cruel." She tilted her head down to the foal "you poor thing..." Dixie folded her legs and quietly laid down beside West. She tried to get as close as possible without hitting him on her way down. "Here's a good thing. I can walk on my leg almost normally now. Haven't tried trotting yet..."

"She needs someone to take care of her and love her. I owe her that much... and yes, Menace is my older brother, although I hate to be reminded of that." West sounded as resentful as anyone had ever heard him. "He killed her mother for no particular reason, mostly because he didn't want to deal with her but also because he wanted to show me he hadn't changed. It is extremely cruel. I hope I hit some vital nerves." He muttered the last part under his breath, his head hung over the filly protectively, as if in instinct. "That's great... I'm glad it is healing." He said quietly, but apparently not quietly enough, as Ebony moved.

-

The filly got awoken by quiet voices and small stirrings. Her eyes widened with surprise and slight fear as she saw a horse right next to West, but she realized it was a mare, and Ebony had no reason to be afraid of mares. "Hi... who are you? I'm Ebony." She said sleepily, still drowsy, then cuddling closer to the warm chest of the stallion.

Dixie leaned her head against Wests leg, the one spot she could find that didn't appear to be injured. "This doesn't hurt right?" She asked as the filly awoke. "I'm Dixie" she said, lifting her head to sniff the filly. "Nice to meet you Ebony. " she gave a small smile before laying her head back down on Wests leg. "So I'm not the only one who thinks West is the warmest horse alive" she said to the foal as she got closer to Wests chest. "I missed you " she whispered to West. "So much. I hope you know that"

West's worry that Dixie was just storing up anger at him increased for no apparent reason, and he knew he shouldn't have left but he knew he shouldn't blame himself so he didn't know what to think. "No, it doesn't hurt. I'm not too fragile, even though it seems that way sometimes." He answered with a weak smile before looking at Ebony.

-

"Nice to meet you Dixie! And beautiful name." Ebony mumbled sleepily before giggling at the mares next words. "I may not have been around him for long but ge emits heat like a furnace!" She whispered with a grin then closed her eyes, already tired again.

-

West couldn't help but chuckle a little, although afterwards he regret it because it hurt. "You're welcome for being a furnace." He said to the filly before looking at Dixie as she spoke. All the worry he was storing up seemed to melt away. Most of it anyway. "I.. really missed you too. And I am sorry for leaving. I didn't leave because of you. You're really the only reason I want to stay." He mumbled quietly, realizing his words were far too scarily true.