Want Me wasn't just the name shown to her, it was a deep and unrelenting wish her heart cried to others silently. She craved a place that she felt she belonged. A place where others wanted her as much as she wanted them. She wanted to matter. So when she felt a pull against her, felt more than heard the promise of her deepest desire, she did not hesitate to follow and find what demanded to be found. She used her heart, the pull, like a compass. Farther and farther her quest took her. It exhausted her, tired her, yet she continued fueled by her desire alone. The closer she got the stronger that promise was given, and by the end of her journey she neared a mad desperation for her destination. Her quest leads her to someplace between the trees. It felt like part of the swamp but...also not quite. She was surrounded by trees that seemed real and not real, so thick and close together she could not see beyond the grove she stood in. She found herself facing a crystal - the source of the promise. It bathed her in a soft, warm light. She was confused, though. What was she supposed to do? She looked on imploringly but all she got in response was the constant reassurance she would have what she wished, the feeling of comfort and warmth she craved, but no instruction on how to achieve it. She finally settled on one last silent plea, her forehead pressed against the crystals warm facet.
She suddenly found herself waking in a place she was unfamiliar. A cavern, lit by the glow of countless crystals. Crystals that seemed to mock her. The first crystal showed her exact reflection as she was, muddled and undefined. Out of place. The second showed her as a buck. Still others showed her as other than what she was - smaller, thinner, with fleet hooves and long straight horns; larger and more powerful, fit for running long distances; shorter but stouter, with weapon-like horns fit to win any altercation. Yet what caught her eye was one that seemed, to her, to glow brighter than the rest. She stepped in front of this crystal and gazed upon an image that was and was not her. In this image her coat seemed to shine rather than the dull and muted mess it was now. Her markings cut clearer and brighter shapes that seemed more confident and sure of their placement. Looking upon this self, she found she wanted it. She wanted this to be her as much as she wanted others to want her. She stepped forward knowing this to be the promise the first crystal had made to her. This is what she wanted, who she wanted, and she was going to claim it. She stepped forward as if led, hesitantly touching her nose to the surface. She found it gave like the surface of a pond. She continued, pushing her way through as if cautiously exploring the entrance to a cave, and, as she did, the feeling that her life would be okay, that she finally belongs somewhere, wash over her.