“Where are we going?” Sunbeam whispered to himself, though his voice was surprisingly loud in order to hear himself over slowly-popping lava. “Well, I’m not entirely sure, my dear. But I also don’t know where I am right now!” He laughed to himself, full bodied and forced. Sunbeam had never really been someone who was okay with silence, and he liked listening to his own voice and the stories it came up with. Sometimes he even believed himself!

He heard Terrence, someone who absolutely thought of Sunbeam as valuable and valued, and never, ever was too famous or busy for him, his voice echoing in the wide cavern. Terrence likely missed his stories, and wouldn’t leave him to his own thoughts for too long, so he decided to go and join his friend.

But there was something in his way.

Someone? They had no face, so they were likely at least partially invisible and unbeholdable, and they were in his way. “Oh. Well. You’re in my way, all the pardons. And it looks like you’re in desperate need of lotion or ice or something - being set on fire doesn’t sound particularly fun. Let me just… slip on by. I’ll be back, I’m sure, I just have to talk to Terrence cause I left all of my ice at home. Or I stepped on it. Or it just never existed, I can never remember. But he probably can help you. I’ll just, um-” Here Sunbeam attempted to squeeze around the fiery figure, leaving a gap entirely too many horse-widths between them. “I’ll just go, and see what I can find. You stay - stay, right there. Good… good fire? Don’t burn out before I get back.” 

He turned and scurried, hooves honestly making less noise than his earlier whisper. “Terrence!” he yelled, even as he practically barreled into the other Courser. “Did you see the weird creature back there? So strange, and I don’t know what it wants, but I left my water at home and thought you’d be able to help. Can you share any?” His grin was large and, he believed, very contagious, though it was taking Terrence a few moments to move from stunned silence into something more outwardly friendly.

Eventually the woad did smile, shaking his head slightly. “I didn’t see anyone - are you sure they were there?”

Sunbeam looked back, but the figure had either left - bad fiery figure, bad. No cookies for you - or Sunbeam had run farther than he expected and was just too far away. That was most likely what had happened, but he didn’t care to prove it either way. “Nope! And I can’t see them now.”

Terrence shook his head again, smile growing wider. “Oh, Sunbeam. What will we ever do with you?”