Downpour

Ava Above, the rain was pouring down, whipping about in torrents. Below wasn’t much better, the waves were frothing and foaming as they crashed up the cliff sides, ever hungry for more. And she was in the middle, laying by the cliffside, her front hooves barely hanging over, oblivious to the rain and height. It was foolish, utterly foolish, but she wasn’t thinking of those things. No, far from it. Her magic, ever revealing her mood and thought, did so again. While the wind whipped the rain sideways across the sea and in the face of the cliffs, it frozen around her, and fell straight and heartless onto her. And while the wind whipped the trees behind, bending branch and bow, her own feathers, mane, and body lay still against her. Even in this world, even though she’d interact some with others, and even given her reunion with her home sea, she still found herself a little more than dead inside. Across that horizon lay her home, with her brother, and her father. To think of them as being so close made her eyes grow hot with desire. She’d never really gotten over her homesickness in Helovia. But….she wasn’t on her way back now was she…That’s not why she was here on the edge of the sea. For all her desire to return home, even the girl could now see, she couldn’t. She could not return home, even if her hooves stepped on that glorious golden sand, or her feathers ran over the rainbow rocks upon its shore. She couldn’t go home. Why she couldn’t, the girl was still working through. Virgil was one reason. She almost wanted to curse his name. The greatest things are not known until they are lost, and Virgil had been hers. The pearl could not call herself in love, but she held his death in as much grief as she did her mothers, only this time there was no one there to comfort (lie) her. He’d been there on so many adventures, kept her company, and always been so willing…Then there were her blades. Though the pearl was not materialistic, the loss of her silver guards sickened her still. They had been always an extension of herself, and she’d let them be stolen. All this wounded her soul, her spirit. Though the pearl could not name it, or voice it, these experiences had wrapped her so completely, changed her, so that she was even fearful of her home. Fearful she wouldn’t recognize it….fearful it wouldn’t feel the same…even fearful she would not want to be back. So lost and stuck as she was, the girl merely had laid at the edge, staring across the sea, even as the rain poured down. "their speech goes here and this is the color OOC:: Come one, come all to bring comfort, hate, big or small, we'll take it all, to break the spell upon the doll.

Image by Tamme!

Rixen

I had been wandering for who knows how long. I travelled in no particular direction, but my first instinct had been to escape from this shroud of utter darkness, if such a thing was possible. I wondered if the sun ever shined down upon this place, or if inescapable shadows consumed everything in all directions. I came across many plants of various sizes and colors; some were armored with sharp thorns, while others were decorated in delicate flowers. A majority of these were alight with an eerie bluish-green glow, the only source of light that permitted me to see where I was placing my own hooves. Being in uncharted lands, I found I had begun to feel slightly uneasy. I could not make out much of my surroundings in the gloom, but I could hear strange noises that seemed to come from all directions. I could not help but flinch at every rustle or chirp that graced my ears. I stepped with care, using all of my senses to remain attentive to the unfamiliar world around me. There could be danger at any turn I made, and I knew had to be ready to defend myself.

It began to rain. Rain always dampened the mood (literally). Fat drops fell from the sky quickly, and it was not long before I was rather soaked. My coat was plastered to my body, the water streamed through my mane and tail, down my neck. The wounds on my knees, which were still raw, stung at the touch of cold. I was not too thrilled about being cold and wet, but there was nothing to be done about it. A print was left on the ground each time I stepped on it, swallowing my hooves with its dampness and the mud splashing to my roan barrel. 

The darkness came to an end and the forest thinned out, allowing me to see the sky. Everything around me was brighter now, although the brightness was muted by a thick layer of rainclouds. I was glad that I could at last see a good distance in front of me. A salty smell hung in the air, sweet mist filled my lungs; hints that the ocean was near. Eventually, I could see the expanse of blue water that stretched in every direction to the horizon. Its dark hues reflected the gray sky. Although I could not see them, I could hear the waves crashing softly against the distant shore, creating a gentle hushing sound as if someone were putting a child to sleep. 

The trees abruptly gave way to nothing but sand, and a steep, rocky cliffside. The rain continued to fall, a pitter patter on the ground amidst the lull of the waves. I was not expecting to see anyone there, but lo and behold, I spotted a snowy figure at the edge of my vision. The pegasus was sitting at the very edge, gaze fixed on something (or perhaps it was nothing) in the distance. Without stepping too close, I took a moment to contemplate what I should do. I could slip back into the trees as silently as I had come and hope I hadn't been noticed, or I could, at the very least, attempt to make conversation and find out where I was. I decided the latter was the better bet. I called out gently, unwaveringly, "Hello?"

@Adria

- sometimes in the wind of change -

The joy that finding Apollo brought was short lived. She was glad, of course, that he was here and alive and well. So much time had passed since she’d last seen the dark stallion and that familiar blue horn that she’d feared she’d never see him again, particularly not in some other land. Even his presence could not keep her spirits lifted forever though. How many homes would she be forced from? How many friends and family members would be ripped from her life too soon. Her parents, her brother, Ru, Glasgow, Sacre…and so many more. Who else had they lost in the battle? Hardly a battle, really, just a massacre at the edge of the Portal. She didn’t know who else she may never see again.

There were no herds here and nothing felt safe. This place didn’t feel remotely like home, and how could it? Eyes watched her every move as she moved through the only forest she’d found here, and unlike the forests of her own lives, there was nothing comforting here. Little light penetrated the dense canopy, and what light they did have came from strange, glowing plants that seemed likely to try and kill her. She tried to steer clear of the things with thorns or strange spikes on the petals that looks vaguely like teeth, but it was near impossible.

She didn’t even know where she was going, but she kept walking, her armor keeping the worst of the cuts from the various flora at bay. Strange, that she is so thankful for armor. Lyanna has never been much of a fighter, but their gods must have known just how much protection the Rift would demand, because she’d exited the Portal with a nearly full set of armor. She wears it now, feeling stronger behind the metal bird that stretches its wings across her chest.

Eventually the trees thin, giving way to sandy cliffs and more rain. There are two horses here already, one laying dangerously close to the cliffs edge, though the wings on the colorful mares back alleviate some of Lyanna’s worry. The mare simply looks about how Lyanna feels. A stallion stands nearby, his gold helmet catching her eye first. She lets out a friendly nicker, figuring she might as well talk to someone else. What good was wallowing in self-pity alone? “Hello, I’m Lyanna,” she says, voice as friendly as always, keeping the sorrow from it for now. Might as well be pleasant.

- we find our true direction -

lyanna

Image

@Adria @Rixen