One would think it would be a good deal harder to transport yourself between realms. At the very least, one would know that they had done so, right?
Wrong. Pixel was still galloping like she was trying to flee from a demon when the dark woods suddenly got a lot creepier. There was so much smoke and mist, that the mare could scarcely see her hooves. She suddenly realized that even if she looked back behind her, there was nothing but mist...and terrifying glowing eyes from the shadows.
She shuddered, having slowed down when she realized something weird was going on, and felt the urge to quicken her pace again. To just run and maybe this was all in her paranoid head. Still, there was just something wrong with the entire atmosphere. She didn't know what it was, but something was very off about this place. Part of her wanted to call out, see if perhaps there were any other horses near that could help her, but the sight of those neon eyes kept her firmly silent.
She had a feeling that something was going to jump out and try to eat her. This was definitely not how she had expected it all to end.
ooc; Vanity Magic:
The very pink skin of her muzzle changes color completely when she's feeling different emotions - blue for sad, green for envy, red for anger, etc.
Magic:
Healing Magic: Seeing pain or injury causes her to cry, and these tears have healing properties.
another mind, another soul, another body to grow old. it's not complicated.
Spread hope, that's what they were meant to do. When Otem had first heard this command, she didn't think it was going to be so literal. But, as the Matron had shown when they delivered balls of glowing light into the darkest depths of the lake where the Sirens resided, that was exactly what they were supposed to do.
Where else could one find those who would be without light? Why at the portal of course.
A shape blurred to Otem's right. Turning the sap and soil coloured mare had time to see a shape move past, walking with purpose, as if she were trying to run while at the same time continuing to walk. What better indication of someone who had just been violently birthed through the portal than the slightly panicked walk-run Otem thought she saw before her.
"Hey!" Otem called out, trying to get the stranger's attention. There were so many things she wanted to say; Has it happened to you yet, being one of the main ones. If the thing that lurked in this place and stole magic hadn't come yet, perhaps there was time to warn and try and calm the stranger. Though perhaps that was why the mare seemed to be in such a hurry to get out of this place. If that was the case, Otem could at least reassure her by saying that once the thing had come, it wouldn't come again.
"Wait! I have something for you!" On long dirt coloured limbs Otem tried to follow in the wake of the mare, hoping to catch her before the rift creature did.
Hope was something that Pixel was definitely low on. Her hooves felt heavier with each step she took, and the adrenaline in her veins that was keeping her going was running low. There was a strange feel to this place, beyond anything she had ever felt before. Magic abounded, though she didn't know it yet. Before stepping through the portal, she had never known anything about magic.
A voice calling to her finally stopped her, and a part of her was thankful to not have to keep up the mid-speed she had been at. It hadn't been a proper gait, really, which was not at all comfortable to continue doing. Perhaps the voice would be able to help her figure out where she was...and where she was supposed to go to get out of this creepy place.
Turning just as the voice said that she had something for Pixel, the white mare's heart about stopped. The owner of the voice was unlike any equine she had ever seen before. Wings, horns...she seemed to glow.
Her eyes widened a bit, and she took a hasty step back.
The dark encompasses the world around you, the neon eyes growing brighter and brighter after every second that passes. The Portal recognizes Otem and leaves her be, unable to see what is happening to the newest life within the Rift. As it approaches you, it caresses you gently as though it’s breathing a cool wind down your neck. Slowly, it adjusts the vanity magic you bring and steals the healing magic for its own hunger. After a few moments, the dark returns to light and the eyes dismiss you with uninterest, allowing you to continue on your way.
Vanity Magic:
The pink end of her muzzle changes color completely depending on emotion and acts like a stamp if she touches another part of her own body. The Rift slightly changes your vanity magic.
Magic: The Rift also steals your healing magic.
Welcome to the Rift! You can get your healing magic back as well as your vanity magic fixed back to normal by doing Trials should you wish to! The Portal can be harsh to newcomers, but there’s always a way to fix what has been done! :)
The other mare had no chance to respond, however, before the eyes watching glowed brighter. Pixel might not have even noticed, if it had not been for the feeling of a cool breeze down her neck. Everything looked still darker, if that was possible, making her feel as though she was in a dream. A horrible dream.
She wasn't sure what was happening for a few moments, and then the darkness receded again, and Pixel, glancing around with a shiver, could no longer really seen the eyes. She touched her muzzle to her shoulder, wondering if she felt as cold as she thought she would after that. Her skin still felt normal body temperature, though. What was left behind was a mark in the shape of her muzzle, in a bright neon orange sort of color.
another mind, another soul, another body to grow old. it's not complicated.
It came before Otem even had a chance to answer the mare.
Biting her lip as the world seems to grow a few shades darker, the autumn-coloured mare watched with equal parts trepidation and annoyance as the Rift thing came and did whatever it wanted to this newcomer. Otem didn't bother yelling after it, she knew it was no use. It had never answered questions or stuck around long enough to make Otem think that it could be reasoned with. It had a job, and it was here to do it. Nothing else.
"It's going to be okay-" Otem said reassuringly, stepping forward once the darkness seemed to recede. "That happens to everyone who comes through. It ... There's something that lives in this place, and anyone who comes through the portal it ... sometimes it takes things, or magic, or corrupts them. Almost like payment for entering into this world." Otem's slender shoulders rose and fell; she didn't really have any more information to offer.
"But once it comes, it goes away and does return. You're safe now. Do you feel different?" Realizing she was spewing questions without having answered any which were asked of her, Otem paused and took a breath. "My name is Otem. Welcome to the Rift."
The other mare, who had initially frightened Pixel to a certain degree, now seemed perfectly safe to her. After all, she had a look on her face that showed that she had some handle on this situation, even if there was also a sense that there was nothing that could be done.
Pixel's curved ears pricked forward, taking in what the other female was saying. So there were many equines that had had this happen to them...And...magic?
Safe? Pixel didn't really feel safe. She did sort of feel different, though, the fading orange mark on her shoulder being the major clue there.
"I-i didn't even know I had magic," she mumbled. Before this, she had been a totally normal horse, right? Apparently, though, there had been something hidden within her, because this thing had clearly done something to her.
"I'm Pixel," she responded, attempting to force her tight muscles to relax, "Nice to meet you." Although the words felt a little hollow - she would much rather not be in this terrifying place.
another mind, another soul, another body to grow old. it's not complicated.
Back where Otem had come from, magic wasn't anything to sneeze at. She herself was the grandaughter of a God - she'd been blessed with just about as much power as anyone you could meet. Magic had been rampant in Helovia but as she'd just told this mare, this wasn't Helovia. This was The Rift and things were very different here.
"Well.." Otem said cautiously, looking at the neon marking that was now on Pixel's shoulder. "I can tell you that doesn't normally happen. Seems like you have magic to me. Maybe it actually gave you something?" This last question was more or less rhetorical. Otem didn't expect Pixel to have an answer, but it certainly would explain things. Although ... did that mean the presence could actually be nice at times? So why hadn't it been before?
Shaking her ram-horned head Otem forced herself to smile and focus on the task at hand. "It's nice to meet you too. Here-" Otem turned her nose towards her shoulder where a small sphere of glowing light was hovering gently, as if floating on an invisible sea. As Otem looked at it, it suddenly split into two distinct shapes. One remained at Otem's side, and the other floated gently towards Pixel. "It's a ball of hope." The tribrid explained, her voice matter-of-fact and calm. She'd given this explanation more than once now. "This place...parts of it are sick. And we've all been asked by one of the Gods to help heal it. You don't really need to do anything, the hope will go to those who don't have it, just like mine did to you." Otem offered a more genuine smile now and sighed. "Where do you come from? Did you mean to come here?"
01-17-2018, 01:21 AM (This post was last modified: 01-17-2018, 01:21 AM by Pixel.)
Pixel couldn't argue with that. It certainly would appear that she now had magic. Although the white mare could not possibly think of a reason that this force that, from what she could gather, was not a benevolent one would actually give her something. Maybe it had always been there, but wherever she had been before was not an environment that supported such things? She had certainly never seen a horse with horns or wings or...glowing bits.
Pixel watched in awe as the ball of light split in two, one of them coming to hover near her shoulder, illuminating the slowly fading neon stamp. There was something comforting about it, as though it was whispering that things would be okay.
"So, we can heal those parts just by spreading hope? Or is there something more we can do?" It made more sense to do more to get it done, so they could feel truly safe here. Since Pixel could no longer see any hint of the portal back to her world, she assumed they were stuck here.
"I'm not exactly sure what my homeland was called...I was not in a herd for very long, there was some awful flooding and everyone got separated. It was just my parents and myself, and we moved around a lot. I got separated from them not long ago...I didn't mean to come here, I didn't even notice the portal," she shook her head, wondering how she had missed it and if perhaps she could have avoided this, "But it's also not like I had anywhere to go back there, either."
another mind, another soul, another body to grow old. it's not complicated.
"errr.. well.." Otem stammered, unsure of how to really answer the mare's question. Truthfully Kisamoa hadn't really been too forthcoming with details, and nor had the Matron. They had been given the balls of hope and were told to spread them ... when they came across someone without one, the balls naturally spliced themselves into two. From what Otem had seen they were completely ineffective against the black curtains of darkness that separated some of the lands. "More or less. The hope will split, like mine just did, if you meet anyone who doesn't have one. I think ... I think it's like the more hope that's around, the healthier this place becomes. I haven't actually seen any of the hope do anything, but perhaps it's just in its early stages."
As the pale mare mentioned that she had been separated from her family, Otem nodded understanding. She too had lost her family, only unlike Pixel, they had come through the portal as well. They just ... had never really stuck around. "We don't have a name yet or anything, but a few of us are gathering near the abandoned city. It's called Halyven - you can't miss it. We aren't ... it isn't like a herd or anything, we're just making sure to look out for one another." Otem smiled, trying to sound more optimistic than she felt. They really should be a herd. That would make much more sense than just grouping together.
"I lost a lot of friends and family too...but it isn't so bad here. There are some really good parts. And who knows, maybe you're magic now?" She added, trying to make the smile on her lips come across as genuine.
The Portal
