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Post by Svantanon on Jul 30, 2019 10:15:16 GMT -6
Kimiko | Commoner Oh, Mama had a friend! Kimiko tilted their head at Alarik as their mother introduced him. He had—they concluded—a nice face, and a very nice smile, so they smiled back. “Hi. Imma Mop. And, Fuzz,” they added as they touched their bunny with their snout. After all, it was important to introduce him, too. But the conversation didn’t last long. There was a lot that was supposed to happen, like Mama and Anty Moon getting Anty Az, and getting some nice candy to eat, but a lot of something else happened instead. Their hairs stood on end, skin prickling with the sensation of something being… different. There was a weird taste in Kimiko’s mouth, and Fuzz—normally quite relaxed—grew antsy and pressed closer to his owner. And then… Kimiko wasn’t sure how to rationalize it. It was like the day-sky had started to open up… for the night sky? Except the night sky was starting to happen everywhere, even on the ground. The little foal stared in wonder at the sight, distracted only by their mother pulling them off of Moon and putting them right at Mama’s side. Fuzz clambered down after them, hopping after Kimiko and squeezing himself between their legs. “Kimiko, stay with me okay?”“Okay, Mama...”“Look at how pretty the stars are, Baby.”“… Yes…” Kimiko whispered in awe as they watched the cracks grow. They brushed trembling Fuzz’s head with their teke, wanting him to not be scared. After all, this was amazing! Kimiko remembered how once they had wanted to grab a star to take home, and Mama had told them the sky was too far for them to touch, so Mama promised to get something shiny for them later. But now the stars were here! It was wonderful, so so wonderful, and they were happy Mama thought it was pretty too. “Look,” they turned their mother with an excited smile. “Stars, Mama. Stars and stars, they say hi.” |
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Post by Silverfallingstar on Jul 30, 2019 11:46:51 GMT -6
 The blacksmith chuckled. "Yes I suppose we should-" before she could finish her sentence, or introduce herself to the new equine who had joined them, the world went quite bonkers.
As the ground shook, Moonrise felt her teke grasp at Kimiko to keep them in place, but let go once she felt Aritia grasp at her child to take her back. The world seemed fractured, space and its many stars bleeding through the cracks like a potter who was expirimenting with kintsugi. She scanned her eyes for her pseudo dragon, calling him with a sharp whistle. Reluctantly the dragon flopped off Cin's back and flew back onto his owners neck, where he grasped her mane with his paws and began scanning the area for threats.
Her teke instinctively went to the hilt of her sword, not drawing it, yet. Judging by the others reactions, she clearly wasn't the only one seeing this. "Think this could be another relic?" she asked the sisters, recalling the axe that had been under Evalynns care many months ago before its flight to the volcano.
By Ignacio, what is going on? She thought, watching for any new developments, and hoping none of it was hostile.
Post #3 | Word Count: 200
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Post by SagaWolf on Jul 31, 2019 9:30:38 GMT -6
Chip
Hungry boi, feed him!
... ...
The mangy colt was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable, gaining much more attention that what he initially sought. People asking about his well being always raised red flags. Those were common ruses to lull a street kid into false safety just before you snatched them up! There was a frown on his face as eyes darted between the horses, trying to judge who was most likely to be a thread. He'd settled on the gold winged hybrid when Cielo instead offered him some solid words of advice. Stupid words of advice more likely, peh! As if anyone would take on Chip, as if he wanted and apprentice ship. Stupid.
Brigid was given another squinted stare before Chip nodded at her question. The decommissioned sewers were plenty warm when you bundled up with others and buried into heaps of stolen blankets and other garments. And then there was the apple mare, Asalah, feeding Rex nuts which the fat rodent happily gobbled with increasing appetite.
"Yes, yes, " the little king replied through a full mouth. "Great care, we never go hungry! " he added, and patted Chip's unrully mane with one little paw, then made grabby-paws at Asalah for another treat.
"He's such a glutton, sorry, " Chip mumbled when he caught on to the begging, oblivious to the private conversation. He tasted copper, wondering when he'd bitten his cheek just as the ground cracked open. Squealing in shock, voice pitching high and breaking, little down feathers shoot from his frazzled wings in alarm. He gasped, blue and green eyes pulled to the skies, terror rather than awe hitting him hard at the impossible sight.
"What the fuck is happening?! "
......
Word Count: 278
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Post by InTheDappledRain on Jul 31, 2019 14:50:52 GMT -6
 The mare handed a few more nuts to the rodent, smiling at Chip openly. That is, until the world shifted, suddenly the sky was bleeding stars and the ground had opened up to reveal a blue interior. The mare frowned.
A few years ago, she probably would have outright panicked at this kind of situation. However, she had dealt with... other troubling matters as of late, and although she could still feel her heart quicken a the suddenness, she couldn't help but feel... odd at her lack of worry.
That lack was quickly dissolved when her children made the correct response to the sudden adjustments. She vaguely heard Chip's cuss and the sound of the rat squeaking in surprise as the others all responded, and for once Asalah felt as if she were somehow... witnessing the situation but not taking part. Quickly, she moved towards her children, forcing herself to respond and take head of the situation for her boys.
"I can't stop it, Pel, but we can at least keep close." Odd, she was more annoyed by the fact that she couldn't keep up business as usual, though as she scooped her children up, she accidentally took the bunny and a small snake with her, giving her reason to toss the crystal shards behind her back towards the merchant... probably more than the animals were worth, actually as she thought about it. Guess the familiars were theirs now.
"A relic... like the one that you came across before?" Asalah called back, somehow catching the tail end of Moonrise's comment. She frowned.
Either way, none of this was good.
5 | 270
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Post by ThatDenver on Aug 3, 2019 17:47:36 GMT -6
Checkpoint
The ground quakes again, but the sensation of it is… Strange. The tremors are there but felt as if through a ball of cotton. Even as the stone beneath gives way to greater and greater fissures, it feels far away, distinctly unreal.
Like dark veins the starlit cracks snake through the overcast sky, giving way to yet more starlight. The universe yawns at you, drawing closer, ever closer.
With a crack and a shake, the fissures beneath you grow from slivers of blue light into streams of azure sky. Soon, islets are formed between the light. Many of you are now separated by currents of blue and starlight.
Is this just a strange dream shared?
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Post by brittlewren on Aug 4, 2019 6:02:24 GMT -6
 OMARI
A smile tugged at his lips as Moonrise introduced the foal who lay sprawled across her back, and her mother Airita. Dipping his head, he offered a warm greeting. "The sun shines on you both, I hope the day has been treating you well." Moonrise chattered away to her sister, trying to track down another sibling by the sounds of it, and was quietly surprised by the offer to join them. "I'd love to walk with you all." This, however, was interrupted as a prickling static grew, and burst from the ground in streams of blue light.
Skittering backwards, Omari couldn't help but stare at the fissures as they widened. Thoughts of those around him rushed his mind, and he struggled to regain his composure, feeling almost sheepish that he had allowed himself to glimpse their minds.
The cracks almost seemed to tremble, or maybe he was just shaking? Mouth agape, he forced himself to swallow. He must've looked like a fool. He wanted to rise, to stand properly and not sit cowering on his heels. But he couldn't. He could only stare as the stars threaded the pavement and cobble underhoof as they threatened to spill. The clouds overhead, too, were cracked with starlight and an inky black expanse. Argus? No, they couldn't have done this. Something about this felt different.
post #2
WC: 221 |
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Post by houndflash on Aug 5, 2019 19:55:40 GMT -6
Cin’ciri|Aodh|Commoner
Cin was about to respond to his brother as the world around him changed, and not for the better. Everything looked terrifying, and for once, Cin’ciri followed after his brother to his mother’s side, ignoring the others that were near her. The child’s simple bravery all but dissolved at the strange sight before them.
”Mama? Is this a bad dream?” The child asked Asalah from underneath her. The kirin peeked around his mother’s legs, taking in the sight before him, hearing what she was asking to the others but not knowing what a relic was. That part didn’t seem too important right now. After all, he can ask questions about words later, what’s happening was far more important. “Can You even has dreams while waking?” His questions stalled as the earth around them began quaking, fissures opening up and separating the group from some of the others.
“MAMA MAMA! Kaia’s angry!” The kirin screamed in fear, burrowing his face back into his mother’s legs. Not even the snake, now resting in his fluff was distracting him from the chaos that surrounded him.
Post #3 Word Count 190 |
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Post by NorthernMyth on Aug 5, 2019 21:04:22 GMT -6
Alarik || Merchant
Alarik smiled brightly as Rita introduced one of her children. Looking across on Moons back. The small fluffy foal sat on the dark-coated mares back. A rabbit at their side. “Hiya” Alarik spoke up to the child. Then looking at the rabbit. It twitched its nose at him quietly. Alarik spoke another “Hello” to the small rabbit. In which it replied with “Hi there” in a soft voice. Alarik turned back to face Arita to make small talk until something ... snaped. He wasn’t sure if it was just him but as he went to ask Arita it happened. The ground broke, tearing the cobbles apart. A wave of panic set into Alarik. And this day was going so well too. He knew if he had to run, that his cart would hold him back, there would be no time to take the thing off. Instead, he stood in awe. The chestnut stallion overheard what Moon had said. Something he only heard whispers of. It doesn’t stop. The sky ripped apart, showing starlight like nothing Alarik had ever seen before. But perhaps something similar. In Argus’ realm. When the stallion had been blessed by the god. But this felt eminently different from that experience. The same but different. “Not again” He did not speak. Rather telepathically broadcasted to Rita. Referring to another event the two, as well as others would share on this faithful day. Post 3 || 236 |
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Post by InTheDappledRain on Aug 7, 2019 17:41:14 GMT -6
Asalah wasn't as focused on the ground or sky as she was not on her two crying children. Without another word, she slowly lifted the two of them up onto her back, careful to ensure that they weren't placed uncomfortably on her. Once that had been settled, she turned to see where the others were.
She noticed, from across the way of the fissures, Alarik and Airita huddled closely together, and although she could not hear the broadcasted telepathic discussion between the two, she couldn't help but echo Alarik's own thoughts. Not again. It seemed, as usual, every few months the group just... couldn't keep their lives together anymore.
"Moon!" She called, after carefully hushing and letting the children know it'd be okay. "Do you have any insight as to what the heck is going on?" Her ears flicked back for a moment before she turned, finally, to focus solely on her kids, though she was also frantically trying to consider her options.
How were they going to manage to get out of this mess? As it was a much more... difficult situation than previous ones. What could even cause the world to come apart? Kaia... could be a reason... but it seemed a little strange.
She frowned. None of this made sense. "It's okay you two, I'm here. We'll get through this."
6 | 225
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Post by inke-ri on Aug 7, 2019 20:20:33 GMT -6
Pel'ciri
259 words || Post IV Pel'ciri had been so distracted by his fear of the magics that he barely noticed the bunny Mama had gotten for him. It was the same one that had been looking at him earlier, the white and black one with little black spots all over it. Once he did though, Pel used his Teke to keep the animal close by, scared of what would happen if he raced towards the cracks. Those cracks were opening wider too, and Pel flinched away and opened space for his brother once Cin's bravery finally flickered too much before the strange events around them. He still stuck by Mama's side. He wasn't entirely comforted by her words, but he did stick by her side like she said, like glue. " Kaia is angry!" Cin'ciri wailed, and Pel nodded at first, till he looked at the stars more closely. He didnt like them- they were too large now and they were cut off from Aunty Rita and Mop- but now that the initial bout of fear subsided, he was able to look at the stars closer. " Or maybe Alya?" he murmured curiously, as though Cin had only suggested who was behind all this. Pel took a deep breath. Iggdad had given him scales so he wouldn't get hurt too easily by things that would harm horses, like fire, so he shouldn't be cowering so much. He took a shaky step towards the cracks (but still practically touching his mom), and hesitantly extended a hoof towards it, wondering what it'd be like to touch a star. |
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Post by inke-ri on Aug 7, 2019 20:38:03 GMT -6
Airita
342 words || post IV " Look, stars, mama. Stars and stars, they say hi." Looking down at Kimiko's excited smile almost had Airita tearing up. This- this kind of crazy mess, she lived trough a lot of them. Magical or not, dangerous or not, she'd power through it. But Kimiko? She couldn't bear to see them get hurt. Airita had been so worried about the kirins that she had never expected something like this to happen. Kirins she could fight, especially to protect her foal, but deep magic such as this? Still, her priority was to keep little Mop from panicking like she had noticed Pel and Cin doing. She nuzzled her foal, burying her face in their fluff to hide her fear. Her voice was steady though, when she whispered to them: " Well, then you should say hi to them as well. Just don't leave mama's side, okay, baby?" She still had her face hidden when Moonrise asked her question. Airita suppressed a groan. Not again, a voice that was not her own echoed her thoughts. The mare didn't startle, though it was still strange to hear Alarik's blessing in full effect- she rarely got the chance to witness it. She did lift her face from Mop's fur just enough to shoot Alarik a wry green. " And it's not even lunchtime yet." She mouthed at him. Hiding away would do her no good however, so Airita sighed and raised her head, finally glancing at Moonrise and Asalah. " Well, if it's a relic we really should find whoever's using it and shut it down, please and thank you?" It was meant to be a statement, but it came out as a question. She caught Asalah's eye. " It reminds me of when I received my blessing! Remember what I told you had happened that day?" When she got home, shaking and breathing heavily, gasping about how she had seen him. " This isn't much different from the Starscape- you know, apart from the fact that I didn't get there through cracks on the ground! Could it be Ignacio's doing?" |
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Post by ThatDenver on Aug 9, 2019 0:54:21 GMT -6
Checkpoint
The fragmented islets grow smaller as the streams of blue grow. Whether you are fearful or try to remain brave, the strangeness of the situation is undeniable.
The sky is so bright. So full of stars.
So close.
The world around you is slowly, piece by piece, swallowed up by the starlight and the bright, azure blue beneath. Buildings and cobblestones alike seem to merely scatter into the star seared night around you, as if they never existed at all.
The azure beneath gives way to a flaming sky of yet more stars, of galaxies and long forgotten constellations. The air you breathe is crisp and cold, tasteless. Gone is the ever-present smell of the city.
Then, it stops. You stand there on your islets, stranded in the vastness.
Your stomachs lurch.
Gravity is not so much gone as it is twisted. The plates of ground that remain beneath your hooves twist and bend and turn, slipping from beneath you. It is as if a child has toppled over a dollhouse, and you are the dolls – down is rapidly, alarmingly, becoming down, and the stars are calling for you.
You will fall.
It is only a matter of time.
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Post by NorthernMyth on Aug 11, 2019 13:18:17 GMT -6
Alarik || Merchant Alarik felt his heart leap into his throat from Arita’s reply. Had he accidentally broadcasted. The stallion returned the wary glare Perhaps more concerned as a helpless feeling grew within him. It seemed at their platform of ground was shrinking. Disappearing with each moment that was spent within the starscape. He stepped closer to Arita and Mop. As the space shrunk. Concerned that they would fall into nothing-ness. At first the chestnut didn’t notice it. But without his knowledge his cart had disappeared. It dissolved weight wasn’t noticed at all. Like it hadn’t been there at all in the first place. Panic was slowly creeping up his spine. What was going to happen. Was he going to die. The more he panicked, the more he felt himself slipping. The ground finally disappeared under Alariks hooves and he closed his eyes. He could feel himself fall. Like the feeling you get when you’re just on the cusp of falling asleep and suddenly jolt awake. Almost like he had jumped from a cliff million miles up from the sea. But you couldn’t wake up. Like there was no bottom of the cliff. Post 4 || 196 |
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Post by InTheDappledRain on Aug 12, 2019 15:33:59 GMT -6
Pel was too close to the edge. Impatient to hear an answer from Moonrise, the mare quickly snatched her son away as the world slowly but surely stripped itself away, fear suddenly threatening to clench her throat shut. Slowly she swallowed, hoping full well that if Ignacio was bringing down some kind of divine intervention that he would at least show up.
If he did, she'd have choice words for the god, as she did not appreciate how the world was beginning to shrink, the feeling of openness causing her to look down with more fear. They were going to fall, but where? Would this be allowed by any one god?
She thought back to her discussion with Cascade, her concerns fear from subsiding. "Stay close." She whispered to her children, hoping beyond all hope that something would change. Her force fields couldn't stop her from falling. Her intangibility wouldn't do anything... and her healing regeneration would only help if she survived the fall.
The fish pendant on her neck was in just as panicked of a state, it's telepathic connection to her flipping about in rush of fear as well. She closed her eyes, praying to the Gods above for something, anything, to make this stop.
7 | 205
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Post by SagaWolf on Aug 12, 2019 23:46:44 GMT -6
Chip
Hungry boi, feed him!
......
This was one heck of a bad trip! If those around him hadn't responded to the world bleeding as well, Chip would have sworn the apple had been laced with some kind of drug! He couldn't make sense of what he was seeing, of how it was possible, and backed up, away from the nearest crack, until another fizzled by behind him. His Highness the Mighty King Rex, Chip's fat rat, squeaked nervously and vanished down into the youngster's messy mane, while the stringy kid cursed with all his might. Words best not put into text, terrible and not at all for young ears!
For a moment it all seemed to stop, horses left stranded on their own slivers of ground in the vastness of blue and stars and impossibilities. Deep breaths of crisp air cleared the smell of the city right out of his nose just before the world warped and tipped and somehow toppled over. Chip spread his neglected wings, flapping against the pull and the nausea, trying to right himself only there wasn't really a true up and down left anymore. He was panicking, seeing none of the acclaimed beauty the others had pointed out, and then the fell, somehow in this terrible star world.
......
Word Count: 209
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Post by inke-ri on Aug 13, 2019 21:37:21 GMT -6
Pel'ciri
299 words || Post V
Pel'ciri stared at the stars-- they were so close now. He was both fascinated and terrified, the beauty of the stars warring with how overwhelming the situation was. It was the same when Ignacio had appeared to him and turned him into a kirin: he had looked upon him with love, and the colt could see he genuinely cared for him... But his aura, the feeling of it as the artificial warmth coursed through his veins, shortly at first but getting hotter and hotter... It was too much. He was far too scared of the memory, which is why he had gotten more quiet these days. It was the same with the stars, beautiful but terrible. Pel'ciri almost followed through with the impulse to touch them, but the feeling of something touching his leg drew him away from it. He looked down to see the bunny that had taken an interest on him- did mama get it for him after all? The familiar was enough to break the spell, and Pel quickly realized how precarious was the situation he was in. He tried to step back, but suddenly the whole world tilted and his balance was gone. He was going to fall into the starry abyss. " Mama!" He shrieked, panicked. Almost as if she had sensed his terror, Asalah snatched him back almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth. She was murmuring something, to stay close, he guessed, and Pel'ciri clung to her for dear life, his shaky teke snatching the bunny up enough to pull it close to him. The world was still so shaky... And Pel'ciri was too terrified to voice ant more coherent thought. He just whimpered and waited for the fall that was sure to come, with mama or without her. |
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Post by inke-ri on Aug 13, 2019 21:52:57 GMT -6
Airita
206 words || Post V
The stars were familiar and yet terrifying, and Airita felt as though she was the smallest, most useless speck of life in this huge universe. This was a much different experience without a god by her side. She could almost sense Alarik's fear irradiating off of him, and in an impulse, she pulled him close, almost a hug but mostly for support. Her teke also pulled Kimiko closer.
What was going on? Why was Ignacio doing this to them? Was this some sort of trial, to prove their worth? Oh, she actually had no idea, not after everything that happened this morning. Honestly, she just wanted to go back in time and never agree with the idea of going out. This wasn't as bad as the kirins on their doorstep, but it sure was the next "best" thing.
Then the ground got shaky as the islands continued to disappear, and Airita's fear slowly begun to overwhelm her. The ground beneath her hooves begun to crack, and she suppressed a yelp as Alarik seemed to fall. "Stay with mama, we're alright, yea? We'll be okay, we'll be okay." She repeated, over and over, pulling Kimiko closer stil. No matter what happened, she would never let go of them.
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Post by ThatDenver on Aug 14, 2019 1:20:59 GMT -6
Checkpoint
With a final twist and rumble, the shreds of reality shake you off and into the stars.
You fall. Or do you? Do you merely spin in space, with no up or down?
You feel as if you are floating and falling at the same time. Wings find no air to push, but your lungs fill as they always have.
Then, a sudden shift. Objects come into view, seemingly out of nothingness.
The stars still seem to bleed through everything. It reminds you of illusionist shows at fairs. Too transparent to be real, yet… Too solid to be a mere illusion.
Your hooves find purchase on a hard surface.
The world rights itself, and you are in a city again.
But not your city.
It is a city made of what seems pure marble – surfaces blazing white and reflecting the light of the stars. It would blind you were it not for the strange see through nature of the whole city.
And you see kirins.
Countless kirins, living in perfect peace and harmony. There is plenty for all – although the city is glorious, you see little signs of the class and systematic oppression you know so well from your own cities.
And, you realize, there are no slaves. Only free kirins in a city of beauty.
Their artwork and craftmanship and metalwork are dizzyingly beautiful.
Time seems to span quickly; like in a dream, where events can happen with little attention paid to time passing.
For you, the time passes quickly, but for the city, it is clear many years, perhaps decades, are being jumped.
The city, still glorious. Artwork still nothing short of amazing.
But the atmosphere is different.
Hostile. Angry. Hatred and pride seep through their expressions, their movements, and all that they create.
What used to be beautiful is now grotesque. Images of self-worship that make even a modern Aodhian pause are everywhere.
And as time spins, spins, spins onward, it only grows more so.
More toxic.
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Post by ebbarie on Aug 14, 2019 2:18:07 GMT -6
 Cielo;Aodh | Commoner
Oh what a way to live, let the fear take all control.
The more the world around him dissolved to reveal the infinity of the firmament, the more his own fear and confusion faded into the background.
Nothing mattered in this moment. Not the deafening pounding of his heart, not the realization that the small island he stood on wouldn't exist anymore in only a few moments, and not even the crying of children. He couldn't focus on anything besides the sight of the stars.
Nothing mattered. Not even that he was falling. It shouldn't be possible. His wings flapped hectically up and down but there was no resistance of air, nothing that would stop the fall.
He didn't care.
While his body went into alarm state, his mind felt completely peaceful.
Then suddenly the void were disturbed by something new. Reality seemed to rebuild itself around them, just not to their reality. Whatever this was, an illusion, a weird dream or actuality, he already knew that he would spent the next weeks alone at home in an attempt to bring this sight onto a canvas. And he also knew that he would fail miserably. There was no way to capture this.
Seeing the kirins should frighten him, but for whatever reason it didn't. The gleaming white town appeared peaceful and at harmony with itself, and so were it's citizens.
It had nothing in common with the city he lived in. No hectic or grudge.
What a place to live in.
Then the vision shifted abruptly. The whole atmosphere shifted and aggression and envy swept over him like a wave. A wave you could be swept along with.
WC: 266 | Post 4 (c) Fullbody by franknsteins |
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Post by InTheDappledRain on Aug 15, 2019 0:03:23 GMT -6
The mare stood in silence for a few moments, the words of a different God washing over her.
“I don’t think we will repeat that War.” Cascades words whispered in her mind. "There are too many differing factors, don’t you think, even though many remain the same?”
In that moment, as she stared down the face of the toxic bond, she understood what Cascade had meant. Ignacio had touched the equines that stood before her in a way that the Heralds had not been impacted. They were bloodthirsty, and angry... but it was somehow different.
She frowned, her eyes watching, waiting, as the world shifted and moved. She wasn't sure how time was passing, wasn't sure how things were changing... she wasn't even sure she was truly standing on anything solid in that moment.
“Even so, perhaps you are need in faith. All of you, and not the blind faith that appears to plague so many mortals. A god is not without their shortcomings. Some… are more violent than others, but some are quiet, flourish with ignorance."
It was strange how much more those words made sense as she stood before the world that once was. How time seemed to shift and the world itself changed. Perspective was all she really needed, and now she could only feel a renewed faith in the gods she followed. Even if she wasn't entirely sure why she was the one to witness this alongside her sister and family.
The gods, it seemed, were difficult to decipher. She was relieved that Cascade had come to her before this moment, long before she had decided to leave her house and explore the markets, as it seemed the insight was useful now...
But now she needed to figure out what to do with this information. She wanted direct answers.
8 / 300
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Post by Superior-Caesar on Aug 16, 2019 23:18:21 GMT -6
Brigid | Merchant
One moment Brigid had been standing before a pegasus colt and a magnificent hybrid and the next everything seemed to be distorting wildly. The tremors started out small, merely tremors. Then she began to notice that reality seemed to be warping beneath their hooves. Bright starry skies shined underneath them as cracks formed within the ground. Nothing seemed right. She could not fathom what could possibly be happening. Was the world itself breaking? Was she simply imagining things?
No. This was no hallucination. There were yells from all around. Everyone seemed shocked by what was happening. She was not alone. The pegasus and the hybrid still stood near her. They seemed just as worried. Brigid didn't know what to do. She didn't know what she could do. She was frozen with fear.
Then things began to get worse. The ground was splitting. There were no longer small cracks. The whole ground seemed to be falling to pieces. Soon enough she was standing on what seemed to be a floating island. She stood there shaking, but it only lasted a moment. The earth began to give way beneath her, she felt like she was falling. "I suggest you two fly the hell out of here or run for your lives!" the pale mare screamed to the two the two that were nearest to her. She then plotted a course to run to, but it was risky. Fear quaked through her whole body. Why are you letting our lands shatter? What wrongs have we done? Brigid screamed in her mind to the gods.
As everything seemed hopeless, everything began to shift again. She was not falling. She was in no danger, just a mere illusion. No. There was danger. Hundreds if not thousands of kirins on the horizon. Running still seemed like a very good option. "I stand by my former statement," she managed to whisper to Chip and Cielo.
WC: 318
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Post by brittlewren on Aug 17, 2019 0:02:08 GMT -6
OMARI
His stomach lurched as the islets began to rock, as if trying to shake them off their feet and into the wash of azure and starry abyss. Everything else had vanished, and as much as he tried to stay afloat, his heart was in his throat. This wasn't right. Who would do this to them? What did they want? A scream threatened to burst from him as they were tipped from their questionable footholds, his legs beating the air wildy. His first thought was of Jenko, and if he would even get to see him again. The roan's breaths came ragged and uneven. Was he really falling? The air was strangely still, and light and crisp, unlike the city's usual heaviness.
A glaringly bright, white city manifested before him and the others. The light seared his retinas, and he forced his eyes shut, shaking his head and trying to force the spots from his vision. His head ached, and he could feel a migraine coming on. There was too much happening around him. Peeling his eyes open slowly, he watched as the city, and its Kirins, shifted and changed, becoming more volatile and palpably irritated and angry. Why did they have so much hate filling them? Was it for the other breeds? His teke lifted to massage his temple, and he felt himself stagger a few steps back from the group.
The vision surrounded them, and it was only accelerating in it's toxic nature. His breath hitched in his throat, his frame shrinking against the blinding scape and blatant supremist symbols. Was this supposed to be about Aodh? He wanted it to stop. He wanted everything to stop.
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Post by ThatDenver on Aug 17, 2019 6:07:56 GMT -6
Checkpoint
Suddenly, the city is empty. You stand on the abandoned marble and look around yourselves.
Posters depicting other breeds as monsters.
Weapons and armor, partially finished.
The ugly angriness of it all.
You realize years must pass. The city is falling into disrepair. Nature retakes parts of it.
Then, the kirins are there again. Fighting pegasi and unicorn. Flailing, raging, roaring.
Their anger and hate and pride are so sickeningly strong that you can feel it seep into your own souls. You are almost pulled along with it. For a moment, a passing moment, those of you who hold Ignacio dear in your hearts can feel the poison.
An anger and hate that you know is not your own.
That does not belong.
But that is still irresistible.
A shining star burns in the sky, and the city, the kirins, the poison.
They are no more.
You stand in the ruins.
You watch as the armies of pegasi and unicorn walk through the ruin. Capture war criminals and traitors. Here or there you spot a single hippocampi or common horse.
Years pass again. The crater is empty.
You should not be here.
A blue and black kirin stands with you in the crater. They see you.
And suddenly, the crater is gone. You fall half a foot out of nothingness and hit the familiar streets of New Valore. Everywhere around you, people go about their day as if nothing happened.
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Post by InTheDappledRain on Aug 17, 2019 16:40:10 GMT -6
The toxic bond had a hold of Asalah full force for a few moments. Silence reached out forever as she watched and witnessed the world shift. There was no doubt in her mind, she was watching the very war she had heard about all her life take place in the very city of Valore.
She held the very sentiments of those horses briefly though, as a wave of sorrow washed through her, her eyes witnessing the very death of the Kirins as the world continued to speed on. She closed her eyes, unable to bear witness to it all, though she was beginning to work through a few theories that could explain what was happening. The tainted bond, the stories that Evalynn had come across, Airita's information... It wasn't clicking fully, but the mare was beginning to put to place what had happened.
The kirins hadn't had control over their grotesque interest in themselves. That being said... She frowned.
The world faded from view again and Asalah tried her hardest to keep from panicking as she felt everything shift again.
You should not be here.
Ignacio. She knew it was him at once, just as she had known when the ship had rocked beneath her hooves, when she had chosen the force fields she now possessed in full. It had been so long, and for a moment her heart leapt for Him. That is, until she remembered the bond she had felt within.
Old Valore and the crater it had become disappeared in a flash, and Asalah felt more than a little confused by how the rest of the world around the group had continued on.
If we shouldn't have been here, then why did we witness it? What was the purpose of this vision...
Had Cascade lent a hoof in showing them the past? Time was her element.
What could this mean?
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Post by NorthernMyth on Aug 17, 2019 20:11:59 GMT -6
Alarik || Merchant An unusual calm smothered Alarik. His stomach twisted and turned as he did amongst the stars. His eyes opened. Dark green eyes pierced the void. Alarik took a sharp breath. The panic somewhat subsided but he was still worrying. What were they to do now? Were they to stay in this space. Millions of tiny stars stared back at the group. As that thought danced in Alariks head. His hooves delicately found solace. Surprising or startling him perhaps. The world appeared around him and the others. Another shaken breath fell from the stallion. Where were they? They arrived in streets of marble. Almost blinding white touched every corner of which they stood. Alariks head dropped in caution. And then he saw them. Kirins. There was a moment where Alarik thought they could see him. Where he thought this was present-day and they would most certainly attack him if they had the chance. He looked around to find the others. They were close. He wanted to move but felt if he did, the world would perhaps collapse. A lump sat in his throat as he watched this odd world. Observation being his strong suit. The chestnut made a note at the lack of slave bridles. No one seemed to be chained or shackled, or oppressed in any way. They were happy. He watched two colts chase one another along the street playfully. It tipped the edge of his lips into a smile. The streets evolved bit by bit. Changing rapidly. Time fast-forward quickly. Alarik wasn’t sure if he was seeing the past or a premonition of the future. The time was so alien. Clothing and accessories. Artwork and crafts. All different from those they had now. A few weapons caught his eye. Admiring them from afar. The air slowly filled with something deeper. At first, it was barely noticeable. But the stronger it got, the more noticeable it was. Leaving the stallion on more of an edge again. The feeling began to sicken him. The twisting and turning feeling was back as he could feel the spite and anger in the air. It caused him to hold his breath again. Alarik watched in awe as the years ran down. Eventually showing the city fall into ruins. Unkempt from surrounding foliage. The scene flickered to fighting. An unruly battle between the other god's people. More overwhelming emotions soaked into the stallions skin. Distain wetted his lips as he saw the kirins. Unknown sorrow seeping its nails in the Chestnut. There was a radiating haterade. He looked up for a moment, watching a pegasus soar above with an older fashioned bow. Only then seeing the star. Its blinding, burning light obliterating everything it touched. It would have been a spectacular sight if they had not been right in the middle of it. The remanence of equines slowly fade. Alarik only catching the gist of what they were doing. And then it is left empty. Only those who remain are those of this time. Except him… Their voice vibrates through Alarik. It doesn’t take an idiot to know who they are. The stallions posture changes. Before it was reserved, cautious and reveling in both shock and awe. Now… now he was angry, perhaps standing proud or challenging. For those who know him have never seen him like this. His body language was always soft in one way or another. He stared at the kirin with a daring fixation. He knew he didn’t need to say anything. They knew. This wouldn’t be the last they saw of each other. A sharp breath. A cloying air sat as reality snapped back into existence. Like they had never left. The bearing weight of the cart was back resting on Alariks body. He did not move for the moment. His emotions high, slowly fading with each breath. His head looked back at Arita, an emotion all too familiar. That of concern for his friend. “Coffee?” He spoke only the one word. The questioning tone echoed softly Post 5 || 672 |
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Post by inke-ri on Aug 17, 2019 22:09:46 GMT -6
Pel'ciri
403 words, Post VI
They were supposed to fall, but they didn't. Pel'ciri experienced the strange, subconscious frustration of preparing for a movement beyond his control, only for it to not happen. It took a moment to understand that he was standing on solid ground once again. The stars seemed to be gone, but everything felt sorta... Transparent. The first thing he noticed was the multitude of colors: scales flashing left and right. Then the antlers, and then the city. Despite being now one of them, Pel's first reaction was of fear. Those were the monsters who wanted to hurt his family, his Mama and his brother. But they didn't seem to see him, and Pel'ciri huddled close to Cin, watching the scene unfold.
Young as he was, the foal struggled to understand what he was seeing. The kirins seemed happy, and then they weren't. They looked angry, and the beauty of the city around them also looked ugly, even if it still looked pretty. He saw it be abandoned and wondered why, then was shocked to see the fighting that happened there. Those kirins were more like the ones from the rumors on the streets, and they looked so angry that it felt contagious. Pel'ciri found himself angry too, proud of his new scales and wanting to show it to the whole world. It was so much, too much, and when the sky flashed with light and the kirins were no more, he was still baring his teeth, furious.
Once it happened, though, the toxic feeling faded away as quickly as if someone had blown a candle. The whiplash was fierce, and Pel'ciri whimpered, collapsing under Mama. This was all too much, too much magic. The feeling was overwhelming, and his young body could not take it anylonger. He shut down, barely noticing what should be Iggdad's voice. But this voice was not a horse's such as Mama, and he briefly wasn't sure why he ever thought it was. This was something else, something strange, and Pel'ciri couldn't take it anymore. When they fell out, back into the streets, the colt barely let out a gasp of pain. He remained curled up under mama, holding his new bunny tight, only wanting to go home, not responding to anyone and refusing to get out of his position. He wanted it all to have been a dream. His mortal soul was not strong enough to take all this.
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Post by inke-ri on Aug 17, 2019 22:44:50 GMT -6
Airita 761 words, post VI
She had expected them to be transported somewhere, but didn't ever think it would be to the past. Airita let go of Kimiko, trusting the foal to stay by her side. As soon as she realized where she was, the scene held her full attention. Perhaps she would finally have some answers - Ignacio's sorrowful voice, from only a few months before, echoed in her mind: Many unfortunate things are true... The kirins had been responsible for the war. The Crown would never listen - not after the way they treated Evalynn when she found proof of the true account of the Gods' War. Airita had been confused and hurt. She could, perhaps, believe that the consequences of such a damaging time had resulted in Ignacio becoming a better person - if that was ever possible. It's not like the gods ever gave any indication that their natures could change - but it didn't explain why did he not do anything about his "children", those that intended to kill them all. I cannot act against them.
Why not?
So Airita watched, as the kirins lived in Old Valore, the splendor of their beauty hard to believe. Something inside her clenched when she realized there were no signs of slavery. None of these kirins ever felt the bite of the slave bridle or the feeling of being nothing but an object to someone.
(she had been young, but she remembered. how could she ever forget?) Slavery had been a new concept, not something rooted in the mysticism of the kirins. She wasn't sure if she was happy to know that the bad guys had no slavery. Shades of grey, as always, shades of grey. Ignacio was not the holy being of aodhian stories, nor the monster of aquorian bedtime tales. The Crown had never been good, always wrapped in their greed and their vanity, allowing slavery to fester like a wound within Aodh. Yet people were capable of kindness, like Asalah, who had come up with the idea of buying slaves that would die quickly if they had worked with Labor to give them as free a life as they possibly could.
So though the kirins had always been considered superior - until they decided to burn them all - they too were not perfect. They may not have slavery, but they had something else - some anger, some bitterness, some darkness within them that made the city beautiful but grotesque as the years passed.
Then, there was no one, not anymore. Airita examined the things left behind, and from the weapons and banners it was clear this was the Gods' War. Had their anger been responsible for this? What could have made them so furious, so enchanting yet disgusting? She blinked, and the kirins were back, fighting brutally against pegasi and unicorns. So they had begun to loose the war. She could see the fire burning in their eyes, sense the spiraling feeling of pride and hatred as though it was her own. The feeling became stronger and stronger, until she felt like she could taste it in her tongue, poisonous and raw. She hated the world, she wanted to see it burn for it could not match her grandeur.
Airita blinked again, and the feeling was gone, anihilated by the flash that killed them all. There was nothing more than ruins, and survivors picking their way around the rubble. For a second, sorrow engulfed her, but it quickly dissipated. The mare's eyes followed some of the tired victors, when it was drawn to a flash of scales.
She stopped breathing.
It was Ignacio.
She could not read his expression, but she knew he could see her.
You should not be here.
Another heartbeat, and she was back in the streets, the world going on as though it never saw any of this happen. It had been too much happening at the same time, and she'd need some time to go over what happened with her sisters, attempt to piece everything together. One thing seemed to be clear to her: this must be why Ignacio said he could not touch them. Everything in Soleil's kirins' reports seemed to indicate they were locked in this... this wrongness that permeated the old days. Could this have affected even Ignacio? Well, she hoped one day she'd find out.
"Coffee?" Alarik's voice jarred her back to the present. Airita nuzzled Kimiko, distracted, but making a mental note to ask her foal what they had thought of this whole adventure.
"Sure, but you're paying for it this time." She grinned wearily at him.
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Post by Silverfallingstar on Aug 18, 2019 1:13:35 GMT -6
If she heard Asalah calling out, she didn't have time to reply before she had to concentrate a lot more on not just, falling off the ledge. She tightened her sword in its scabbard as she fought desperately to keep her footing. Soon she was practically pressed against other bodies on the island, and before she knew it, she was falling.
Or was she? This didn't... feel like normal falling. No it felt more like.... no this was definitely falling. The starscape just made everything feel... wrong. And then the visions started.
The Aodh she saw was beautiful, in it's own way. Though a little bright for her taste, it was clear the whole thing was built as a labor of love. But that feeling of admiration turned sour as the years passed, and the place got more sinister... hateful. The toxic feelings grow stronger and more violent until she feels it in her soul, this strong URGE to fight, destroy everything that wasn't in the image of her god. A part of her balked at this new feeling, this was not her, she KNEW, it was not her. So why was she feeling this so strongly? The scenes of war before her also gave her pause. She knew about the gods war, but seeing what, she assumed was the real thing, play out before her, it was ugly.
And then, the feeling is gone. And the mare is left to watch as the survivors of the kirin onslaught search around the crater. And then the crater is empty.
And then he's there, Ignacio, with the rest of her group. She has barely enough time to process all of that before she finds herself back in reality.
She blinks, looking to the others.
"Is everyone alright?"
Post #4 | Word Count: 296
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2019 4:40:06 GMT -6
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