Plot 204: The Spark of Rebellion

Paladin|Stallion|Labor Slave

The horse that had spoken before continued to explain, but the words that issued forth from the stallion’s mouth did very little to clarify the meaning behind the original word. Paladin’s mind whirred quietly away as it tried to make sense of what had been explained, tried to come to some sort of conclusion that explained why the other horses seemed so nervous and... nothing. It was at about that time that the large dark stallion, Paladin often thought of others as being much larger than himself, not so much in size, but in worth they were greater, this dark stallion that approached was one such horse. His gaze drifted downwards as he was scolded for sitting down, and he dutifully stood, towering once more over the gathered group. Paladin looked sheepish though, as he stood there, and not at all the intimidating creature he could be. His ears perked as the dark beastie’s tone shifted and he seemed concerned with something before he asked the others where their words could travel.

Now, that seemed like a silly question to Paladin. Their words obviously wouldn’t travel very far with them all whispering like they were. His head tilted to the side as he listened to the others talk of the districts; no way their voices were going to reach those areas of Valore, no way. Without much further pause, the innocent ‘little’ cinnamonbun spoke, his voice low and rumbling but not lacking in volume whatsoever.

“I don’t think they hear...” He mused, looking quite confused by the whole thing. Paladin did have the ability to wander the town a little more than usual as he’d been assigned to a Chevalier, though he’d forgotten which one at this point... He should probably figure that out before Deidra got mad at him. As quickly as he’d joined the conversation, he seemed to space out as his mind flashed back to Deidra and what she’d think if she found out he’d forgotten his master.

{Eshana flicked her delicate, scarred ears about, unsure of what to make of the large, dark coated stallion that most of the interruptions of the night seemed to originate from. His almost innocent demeanor seemed to contradict heavily with what she would have expected with his physique, and while she most certainly could understand the desire to have muscle on their side for what was sure to be the coming storm, his presence still managed to put her ill at ease. It seemed doubtful he could truly comprehend the magnitude of what was being discussed before him, or the severe consequences they each would face should a mere word be leaked out of this subject. If he were too say anything, even unwittingly- 

The thought was cut short as their self appointed leader fell silent, and then gave one firm, short order. Too late Eshana realized precisely what was going on, and eyes widening in alarm, she could almost feel the shots of adrenaline taking hold of her body, the anxiety that had been manifesting in her chest at last given form. Normally she would consider herself a level headed mare, one who took stress in her stride; yet right now only one thought dominated her mind- run.

The forceful sound of hooves striking the cobbled ground disoriented her momentarily, and her own hooves scrambled for purchase as others also panicked around her, forcing her strides to be far shorter than she would have liked as other equines converged in her path. Muscles tense and a sheen of sweat breaking out on her coat, it was only then that she became aware of the figure bearing down on her, the figure of their pursuer. 

Before she could react, teeth met her tensed neck in blinding pain. Very nearly atop a past scar that marked her skin, it took great effort not to cry out in agony, yet even attempting to jolt her neck away did not shake the stallion. His jaw only clenched down all the harder, refusing to give up his prey. So deep his teeth cut, Eshana swore she felt a trickle of blood drip from the wound, yet she barely registered it. She was in pain, trapped, and already the possible repercussions were flicking through her mind. Panicked though she was, Eshana understood she would not escape this one, not alone.  

Konin | Stallion | Labor Slave

The young stallion had been a bit... distracted by his run in with the other stallion. Even if nothing became of it, it unnerved him. He had always been uncomfortable in public gatherings and the more his sight faded the more he became so. There were too many chances for someone to sneak up on him, or run into him. Not to mention he couldn't catch the subtle body language of those around him, so he tended to miss warnings until it was too late. Even with his sixth sense he was still on edge. Sure he could now tell where everyone was and their general shape, but that didn't help with the smaller things. Being almost run into by a giant equine twice his size only made him all the more anxious. Suddenly coming to this gathering didn't seem worth it and all he could think about was getting out, getting away from all these horses. The quiet, shabby little corner in the dirt that he called his home was no longer repulsive but welcoming and he longed to cuddle into the cold walls where he could be safe. He of course did little to show for this, standing cooly and calmly amidst the others, with his head held high, always in constant foolish pride, but he was distracted...

Very distracted...

So much so that he did not at first notice the approach of another large equine. In most cases he would have been aware of their presence long before they were ever in sight. This time though it was not until the sound of approaching hooves caught his ever-alert ears that he realized the presence of another horse, and by then it was far too late. He turned his head, both ears pointed toward the corner as the stallion rounded. He was about to sound a warning before the 'leader' of the rebellion yelled the one word he least wanted to hear: scatter.

'Oh please don't do that!' Konin's inner self mentally begged the others, but to no avail. Soon the sound of scuttling hooves surrounded him and before he knew it they were all darting about with no true reason to where they were going. Fueled by panic they did what horses did best, they ran. Konin however had different instincts, ones learned, not born with. Over the years as his sight had faded he had quickly come to realize that were he to run in a panic, he could easily get himself killed. Instead he froze, standing with his hooves cemented to the ground and his head high. His nostrils flared and his ears flickered as he tried to pull together his senses. Horses danced about, some brushed his hide as they tried to get out of the way. It was easy to give in to the panic, but he had to stay calm. Taking five seconds to regain control of himself he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Finally things came together and he could 'see' clearly again... just in time to notice the form of the unwanted intruder ramming into that of another.

His ears pinned flat and his eyes opened, a storm of rage growing within them. He didn't know these horses, he had hardly met them. Still though they had already determined that they were to work together to get out of here, and far be it for him to let this Chevalier hold one of them back. Another horse of the rebellion ran full speed at the stallion and threw himself at him. Konin had to take a moment of caution to keep the three bodies from mixing in his mind. He wasn't going to just rush in, he needed a tactic... immobilize the stallion, it was the best offense. Keep him from being able to cause any more harm to the others. With that goal in mind he rushed in after the other, using him as a distraction to keep the Chevalier's mind off himself. Not hesitating another moment he darted by him, sudenly slamming on the breaks, lowering his head, and kicking out full force with both hind legs at the stallion's hocks.

Bryan | Labour Slave

Bryan felt the large Chevalier stallion stagger upon his impact, the sound of his clambering hooves only confirmed his suspicion. However, this is not to say that the Chevalier didn’t manage to stand his ground. In fact, he recovered surprisingly well. If Bryan hadn’t wanted him dead, he would’ve been impressed. The Chevalier threw the poor mare that he had attacked first, Bryan caught a glimpse of her grey coat as he released her, but before he had time to act the Chevalier had turned his rage onto Bryan. He felt his hooves lift off of the broken cobblestone path as the Chevalier reared, shocking him into stillness as he remained latched onto the Chevaliers neck.

Sudden pain rippled from the base of his neck and reached down to the tip of his tail, that’s when he realized what was happening. The bloody Chevalier had ripped him off. Bryan tumbled roughly to the ground, using all his concentration to spit the chunk of flesh he had in his mouth at the Chevaliers face. The Chevalier seemed to be having another two-year old tantrum as he stomped at the ground. Bryan concluded that he was probably trying to hit something, to no avail. He screamed something, but Bryan didn’t listen. That horse needed to die. Blood tickled Bryan's shoulder as it glided down his neck towards the ground. He rose hesitantly, eyeing off the stallion, awaiting his next move. That’s when he noticed the mouthy stallion from before, he kicked out at the Chevaliers legs. That when Bryan's ears perked up, that was a good idea. They needed to get his legs.

There was an audible snap as the Chevaliers leg broke, but the stubborn soul was still standing. That’s when Bryan saw where his gaze was locked. The leader of the Rebellion. There was a strange and foreboding look about their leader. Even though he looked as though he could handle himself, Bryan wouldn’t make him. The Chevalier began to move, but stopped before their leader. Bryan's brows knitted, he wouldn’t dare. He prepared to lunge at the stallion. Rage obscuring the shapes around him until all that was left was himself and the Chevalier. His nostrils flared as the stallion spoke of something, he couldn’t hear over the pounding of his own heart. Bryan’s ears pinned back, oh how he hated this Chevalier. As their leader spoke, Bryan began his advance.

That was until the Chevalier decided to charge. Bryan quickened his pace as he flanked the Chevalier. His mouth turned into a smirk as bit into the Chevaliers flanks and he slammed on his breaks. It was the safest option. His eyes squeezed shut momentarily as he awaited the retaliation he knew was coming.
--------
Bryan, Post 9
455 Words

When the gathering had exploded into a whirlwind of fear, Qi felt quite at the heart of it. The Chevalier bore down on the little gathering, and Qi felt quite certain that it was him the hulking guard had come for. His thick little legs trembled as he scrambled backwards, hoof over hoof, his hocks nearly scraping the ground. He only stopped when his rear bumped into a firm, cool stone wall. And then...he was frozen. Helpless. A coward. He watched as the Chevalier sunk his teeth deep into the grey unicorn's neck, and his eyes widened again as he watched some of the others - ones that had spoken up earlier - raced to her rescue. And then the Chevalier tossed the pretty unicorn to the ground as if she were a dirty rag. Qi winced as she skid across the dirt and cobble. But still, he was frozen.

Here is where you decide, a little voice in the back of his mind said as the Chevalier turned on the dark stallion who was defending the grey mare, You have one chance to turn back. They haven't seen you yet. You can pretend this never happened. Or...

Though his legs felt wooden, he gathered them under himself and raced to the grey unicorn's side, moving between her and the chevalier and his combatants. Gently, he tugged at the short mane hairs near her withers, trying to see just how damaged she was. Was she still even conscious? He nudged her cheek softly.

"You have to get up," he told her, one eye on her and the other on the chevalier. He had tossed the black stallion as well, and was being assailed by the mouthy roan. A sickening SNAP! echoed through the alley ways and made every hair on Qi's body stand on end. He tugged on the unicorn's mane again, his voice louder and more insistent. The chevalier was getting closer to them and an injured guard was a violent guard - he wouldn't hesitate to lash out to the best of his ability at whomever was nearby.

Suddenly, the massive, dark draught positioned himself  between the chevalier and Godric, a charged aire of danger and darkness around him. Qi felt his mouth hanging open but was powerless to shut it. Instead, he glanced at the unicorn.

"We need to move! Now!"

Konin | Stallion | Labor Slave

The instant his hooves made contact with the Chevalier's leg, the moment his sensitive ears heard that satisfying 'snap' that assured him he had hit his mark, Konin darted. His tactic had always been to go in quick, deal a heavy blow, and get out even quicker. He couldn't afford to linger. With his failing sight he was unable to see flying hooves or gnashing teeth flinging his way. He couldn't hang around and risk them landing a blow just as hard on him. That is exactly what he did now too. No sooner had his hind legs hit the ground did they fling his body forward several strides. Once he was clear he swung around, doing a full turn in the forehand until he was facing the intruder again who was by now throwing an angry fit, uselessly waisting his energy.

Konin's ears flicked toward the large black stallion who had unofficially named himself their leader in this rebellion as he spoke back to the Chevalier. The way he spoke... he intended for them to kill him? With everything that the Chevaliers put them through he wasn't really against the idea... but in all honesty he also wasn't sure he was completely for it. Another voice spoke up, the mare who had been thrown down. At least she was ok. From her words he could tell very clearly that she was more than for the idea of taking this stallion's life. They all spoke big, but was anyone really willing to deal the final blow? Konin was more than happy to beat the horse into the ground, but he knew he wouldn't be able to take his life, no matter how much he hated him and his kind.

Shaking the doubtful thoughts away Konin drew his mind back to the present as the large stallion charged, the brute of a horse who had once almost run him over now standing in his path. He moved forward, staying nearby to give aid where needed, but also keeping a slight distance, not wanting to risk getting caught in the crossfire of the others.

Bryan | Labour Slave

Bryan couldn’t feel the Chevalier slowing, instead it seemed to be dragging him along. Bryan’s chipped hooves grazing over the broken cobblestone. When the retaliation that he was waiting for never came, his eyes opened. That’s when he noticed them barreling towards the leader. He clenched his teeth tighter and attempted to slow the Chevalier. But when it was obvious that it wasn't working Bryan had attempted to let go of the stallion. But he was too late.

Bryan found himself tangled in a mass of bodies. The Chevalier collided with the large stallion who has Deidra’s mark, pushing him back marginally. Bryan seemed to flail momentarily behind the Chevalier before the momentum of stopping had thrown him into the mix of the three large stallions. In among the larger stallions he was easily forgotten. He maneuvered himself as to avoid getting trampled by the larger stallions as they fought. He felt like a lost colt at the markets, lost and confused. It was obvious he wasn’t supposed to be there and he was in the way. Besides, they had this covered.

It took a few tried but eventually Bryan had found his way out of the mass of tangled stallions and stomping hooves. He had missed a lot of the fight, as he was far too focused on avoiding getting trampled. But he had turned around just in time to witness the Chevalier get thrown off balance and fall to the ground, the cause… their leader. The ground all but shook under the impact of the falling Chevalier, his blood staining the worn down cobblestone path. Bryan's cold gaze turned to their leader. He seemed to be out of breath as his ears swiveled atop of his head. Then his head rose, the simple actions caused Bryan to stand tall as well. His words this time were not those of encouragement but those of truth. Together they had defeated the Chevalier, just as together they would escape. Movement from the Chevalier caught Bryan's attention. Surely he wasn’t going to rise and fight again.

Then their leader grabbed the sheathed sword that the Chevalier had unfortunately forgotten, their leader then quickly plunged the sword into the Chevaliers jugular. He was no more. But, he wasn’t even offered a pray for his soul by their leader. Bryan's brows knitted together. Sure he didn’t like the Chevalier, but everyone deserved a prayer. Bryan's eyes dropped to his hooves, was this really the leader he wanted to follow? Merciless?

His thoughts flickered back to Deidra and the thought he had moments before deciding to join this pitiful excuse of a rebellion. Perhaps he should alert Deidra, she would be rewarded greatly for such information and who knows, she might even take him back. Yes. It was worth a shot.

Bryan's gaze turned back towards their supposed leader, he nodded slightly and turned his back towards the rebellion. His pale eyes stayed on the cobblestone path as he limped back towards the safety of his over-cramped living quarters. When he has recovered he would find a way to send word to Deidra. That was his plan.

--------
Bryan, Post 10
511 Words

Konin | Stallion | Labor Slave

The young stallion hung on the outskirts of the battle... and it soon became evident to him that it was good he had. There was an uproar of hooves and before he knew it several of the bodies had collided together into a mess of horseflesh. With them all so close he could hardly make out where one horse began and the other ended, let alone which was friend and which was foe (if any could truly be called friend). He pinned his ears, pacing some as they all struggled against the other. His ears were perked as he tried to make sense of what was happening, but really there was little he could tell other than there was a huge struggle going on, and he was not a part of it... something he both regretted, and was thankful for.

Finally the horses separated, allowing the half-blind horse to make a little more sense of everything as two stallions continued to fight on, the chevalier and their self-proclaimed leader. He stepped a little closer, though still kept his distance. He wanted to be there to help were it needed, but he also didn't want to risk getting in the way. He really wasn't good in such fights, where several horses were pit together. It caused too much confusion for him. He could keep track of one, his opponent, in a battle, but that was it. He didn't have the time or energy to try and keep tabs on the others as well.

He didn't have to be able to see to know when the chevalier fell. The ground beneath his hooves rumbled and the thud echoed around them. He could see the movement of the other stallion who stood above him and his ears flicked forward when he spoke. 'The life of one for the safety of hundreds.' He had not noticed what it was he had just done until his words hit him, and his eyes widened. It was only then that the hot smell of iron reached his sensitive nostrils, much stronger than it had been before from the wounds on the horses who fought.

Their 'leader' had done it... they all had known it needed to be done, but in the end it was he who committed the crime... the crime that could get them all killed were anyone to find out what had fallen here. A thought which soon the outspoken mare from before voiced. It seemed he didn't have to worry about talking with her around, she always seemed to say what he was thinking. Not that he minded very much, he didn't like talking anyways. Konin was surprisingly unaffected by the deed. He had known there were no other options in their situation. It was kill or be killed, and while the notion sounded barbaric, it was the reality that they had chosen when the agreed to this rebellion.

... but someone was walking out according to his sixth sense. Such a quick, sudden, unannounced departure could never be a good thing, not after what had just happened. Either he was feeling sick or... he was considering betrayal. Konin's ears pinned flat back. They had only just begun to gather, hardly even gotten past a general idea. Their freedom was little more than a fluttering thought right now... and yet this selfish stallion sought to take it away from them just like that, before they could even taste of it. As the stallion turned to leave, Konin stepped forward, blocking his path. He didn't say a word, but rather just stood there, staring directly at him, his pale eyes a raging storm. It was as if he was daring him to go tell someone what had just happened, and promising him that consequences would follow if he did so all at the same time, all while never uttering a sound.