My tired eyes shot open faster than a lightning bolt as i awoke from my uneasy slumber. My responsibilities had been getting in the way of my sleep recently, and i was exhausted. i had obviously drifted off, hence my sudden awakening, however i was not, in the same place i had resided before.

I gasped, not at the sudden change in scenery from dreary grey apartment building to beautiful green and blue countryside, nor from the heavenly smell of fresh grass, not even from the birds chirping softly in a harmonious melody of peacefulness, but at the sight of the huge red ball slowly, gracefully coating the sky in a calming, gentle orange seeming to contrast the gentle, sapphire river which flowed beautifully nearby, and shone through the leaves of the lone tree upon the landscape which stretched out about me, it left a feeling of hope within me, that despite it being the only tree, it reached upward defiantly, refusing to give up like a beacon of determination across this still land.

A voice i did not recognize sounded next to me, apparently i hadn't noticed the presence of another beside me in my confused state.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the voice said. I admit i jumped a little at it. But the voice didn't seem hostile, in fact if anything the voice seemed...friendly

Looking to my left, i saw the source of the voice, a strange, dark red unicorn. However, he was about the size of a pony, and his mane, oddly was a deep blue. As was his tail, which swished gently every now and then. His horn, like his body was a dark red, however the most strange thing about him where his eyes, which in contrast to his body, where a deep emerald green.

I answered his question with a quick nod and he turned his head to face me. A gentle smile upon his face.

"You don't talk much do you?" He said in a soft tone, i responded with a shake of my head and a quick shuffle to bring my knees to my face, after all i had no idea who he was, or why i was listening to a talking unicorn. In fact, i had no idea where i was, but truth be told, it was better than where i had been. He turned his head back to gaze out upon the beautiful countryside, his eyes focused on the picturesque sun which gently hovered just halfway above the landscape. He spoke again with a little more voice this time.

"You know what it makes me think of?" he said his tone still kind. i raised my head and turned to face him, awaiting a response.

"Balance" he said, his warm smile becoming more obvious, "a perfect harmony between light and dark, sun and moon, neither higher nor lower than the other, balanced perfectly creating a palette of possibility" he spoke passionately as if he where happy to see this harmony, like it was a rare occurrence. I couldn't help but smile at the talking unicorn's enthusiasm, he was passionate about things like this, that much i could tell. He continued:

"i'm an explorer, iv'e seen a small fraction of the most breathtaking sights this world has to offer, seen some of its brightest lights and its gentlest shades, this world is as equally breathtaking in the sunlight as it is in the moonlight" he explained, i let go of my knees and began to listen more intently.

"Its a wonderous world out there, and iv'e only seen a fraction of what it has to offer, but..." he said, i noticed he seemed to be on the edge of tears as he painted this wonderful picture upon the blank canvas of possibility, but they where not tears of sorrow, they where tears of joy.

"But i believe" he said, placing a forehoof on his chest, and closing his eyes, a wide smile upon his face. "That this. This beautiful balance" he continued, my attention was fully on him now. "Is more beautiful than all of the sights in this world combined" he said with a sincerity which i had never seen before, i couldn't help it, i just had to say something

"y-yeah i agree" i said quietly. He turned to me, and smiling wiped the tear i had no idea i had wept from my face.

"Its a balance that no-one can truly understand, but everyone can accept and appreciate" he said softly, drawing back his forehoof and returning to his original position, the gentle orange sun flowing across his body and making his fur seem to glow with an ember coloured flame.

A question formed itself within my head, a question which had the potential to ruin this beautiful moment. I began to fight an internal battle with myself, between my head, from which the burning power of curiosity flowed, and my heart from which the blooming feeling of content flowered.

Eventually after a long battle, my curiosity won and the question escaped from my lips like a fly from a trap.

"So what happens when the sun sets?" I asked the red unicorn, the response i received was one i hadn't expected, he laughed lightly before turning to me, a look of understanding on his face.

"A fair question. One which i myself used to ask my mentor, and indeed i still have much to learn. But" he began his emerald eyes fixed on mine, he turned and continued. "Your looking at it all wrong" he explained smiling with, nostalgia? I looked to him confused, he continued.

"This isn't an ending to a happy book, its the turning of a page, the beginning of a chapter" he said poetically. I turned back to the scene in front of me, and for the first time since i had gotten here, the sun seemed to be moving.

"This isn't a sunset silly!" he said with a voice of hope. And i began to feel like i finally understood.

"Its a sunrise"

Author's Note

Something i was thinking about