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Post by uniskorne on Jun 19, 2015 18:51:58 GMT -5
[Synnove | Knight]
There was a brief period of time, when Synnove was younger, that she had loathed her body. Compared to the smaller, more graceful horses, she felt like a great plodding perditim moose. Now, however, she was comfortable in her skin, and, especially at this moment, she loved that she was a thick, heavy horse. With every stomp of her wide hooves, the spider-webbing of the ice increased. Maybe it only one layer, maybe it was all the way through--she didn't know nor did she care. It was breaking under her weight and that was all that mattered.
The grey mare allowed herself a moment to look up and around. The three other mares were working just as hard as she was, if not harder, and were surrounded by a shower of flying ice chips. The other bank looked clear, as far as she could see, but the enemy might be approaching just out of sight. Or, she thought, veiled by some spell like the cowards they are, sneaking upon us to ambush at any moment. This quickened her heart and made her redouble her pace. She moved to one side of the bridge and continued her attack. Maybe, just maybe their ministrations might cause a seam to open up.
One could hope.
It occurred to her, strangely, that she didn't really know the mares she worked with now. No names had been spoken as of yet. Shamefully, Synnove only knew them by their stations. The dark mare with the strange markings had echoed her fears and had nearly kept pace with her running. She was exhibiting a viciousness towards the ice that--Unicorns forbid--would come handy if their hooves were employed towards flesh. The second one (More strange markings! I feel so plain!) had seemed almost like a mouse at first but, now, she was a storm, a flurry of anger. These mares made pride swell in Synnove's breast. These were her sisters! Both as much Knights in their hearts as the grey mare was in title. She decided something at that moment and prayed to the Compromiser that she lived to fulfill her secret promise.
If I live, I shall petition our King to grant them titles, positions, and all the honors that come with them. I shall beg of Him to grant them a request held dear in their hearts. If I live, it will only be because of these mares and their valiant efforts!
[Word Count: 410]
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swaggalatte
Newcomer
Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Posts: 39
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Post by swaggalatte on Jun 19, 2015 20:26:52 GMT -5
The ice groaned and cracked as pieces of it began to give way from the many hooves striking it. Ganymede reared and slammed her hooves down, nearly falling in as the chuck splintered off and splashed heavily into the water. Jumping back, she slid ever so slightly on the bridge. Gasping, she quickly regained her balance. Heat warmed her face, and she glanced around at the others, hoping that none of them would comment on it. After a few seconds, she went back to attacking the edges of the ice bridge. Ganymede had to be careful.
A flake of snow drifting down from the sky caught her attention, but she did not cease her strikes. As the white fluff of tiny crystals settled on the surface of the water, Ganymede's thoughts began to drift. What would happen after this? What if they did not destroy the bridge in time? What if the Exiles arrived and their efforts were in vain? She could feel herself tiring from her aggressive attention to the ice below her. Her tendons strained, and her bones begged her to stop. Once they completed her task, she would be sore for weeks. But at least she would have been useful during this part of the war, as opposed to the last confrontation that the Olde had with the Bachelors. Her thoughts suddenly reeled.
How could the Olde possibly win this? There were two herds against them, one of which was full of brutes that drank the blood of their enemies and lived off of violence, and the other full of feral vagabonds searching for a new home. They would do anything to see the Olde fall. A wave of nausea swept through the grulla mare. How would they make it?
Word Count: 293
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Post by prismarines on Jun 21, 2015 10:33:40 GMT -5
Araphine could feel herself tiring, and she had a feeling that the others were, too. Why had Eiru selected three mares to do this, instead of a stronger group of stallions? Synnove made sense, for she was a Knight, and possessed a body fit for doing more physical tasks, but Ganymede was beginning to tire, just like herself. She inhaled and slammed her hooves down onto the ice once again, and, as she landed, a small voice in the back of her head whispered, "Maybe she believes in the three of you, more than anyone else. Maybe the Oracle sees the bravery in you." Empowered by the thought, Araphine turned to look at her companions. She never would have thought that she would be helping to deter the Exiles. She never imagined herself as being a hero, and now it seemed to be becoming a reality.
The bridge seemed to be giving way beneath them quicker than she'd thought it would. She turned her gaze to the distant shores, and, for once, the shadow of doubt that had plagued her mind since the start did not show its face. She believed that they could do it - they WERE doing it! With a toss of her head and an enthusiastic whinny, she struck at the ice once more, twice more. Her body was screaming for her to stop, but her mind was screaming that she had no choice. She would not fail her companions, and she certainly would not fail her herd.
[ 253 ]
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Post by queerly on Jun 21, 2015 16:56:16 GMT -5
"Don't give up!" Eiru whinnied. Snow clung to her eyelashes, and her robes were already growing damp from the sea spray and the snow that clung to the silk and melted, icy against her fur. The Oracle shivered mightily as she reared and crashed down, chipping away at the ice with her small, hard hooves.
Tmp, tmp, went the ice.
Her body was screaming, but the Oracle was in ecstasy, a willing victim to the transcendence of normal consciousnesses. All that she did was for the good of her herd; the pain she felt was sacred, holy, for it was in doing the unicorns' good work that she suffered. The pain was a test - she was sure of it. The Great Compromiser wished to see how far their resolve would go. To eternity, she swore to herself, head spinning from exertion.
Tmp, tmp!
Eiru looked at the mares around her, eyes steadily aglow. To Synnove, the celebrated lady-knight, pounding at the ice with her large hooves, the snow indistinguishable from the creamy dapples of her coat. She was graceful, reverential and utterly deadly. Eiru was sure there had never been a knight more worthy of their title than she. The unicorns knew that Synnove would follow her. They knew she would trust in the destruction Eiru had foreseen, and that she would do all that she could to quell the tide.
Tmp, tmp!
Ganymede. Ever anxious, but as loyal and pious as any Olde mare should be. There was potential in her that she could not even see, could not even fathom. But Eiru had seen it. The Oracle saw everything. Ganymede was not meant to be a mere follower, nor would she remain one. Eiru would give the push... would thrust her into the rookery, even if she had to drag the mare into it by her hair. Ganymede was meant for greatness, and in selecting her for this divine mission, the unicorns had decreed it so.
TMP, TMP!
Lonely Araphine, with her beautiful, strange coat. As delicate as a snowdrop and as sweet as summer honey. Eiru had never thought of it before, but perhaps her compassion had always foreshadowed what was to come. Was there a healer mage yearning to blossom within her breast? It must be, for she could not imagine that the unicorns wouldn't have a plan for each and every one of her companions, these brave mares that pathed the path towards salvation. The herd would not remember their saviors as peasants.
TMP!
The thick ice splintered viciously beneath the Oracle's hooves. Deep, frosty cracks spread across the bridge, large pieces breaking away and slipping into the tumulus waves of the sea. Eiru smiled with triumph... and then gasped as one of her companions found themselves being yanked away from the bridge, trapped on a broken slab of ice.
The Oracle Speaks: "The next character to post will be the character trapped on the ice slab. The posting order has been COMPLETELY reset."
New Posting Order:
Eiru
???
???
???
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swaggalatte
Newcomer
Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Posts: 39
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Post by swaggalatte on Jun 21, 2015 22:22:29 GMT -5
Possessed by the negative thoughts that plagued her brain, she had not noticed the ice beginning to crack and splinter around her. It was not until a loud rrRRKKKK sounded from behind her that she was pulled from the dark what ifs floating around her mind. As she looked around, the frozen ground slid from beneath her feet, causing the lithe mare to plummet into the treacherous waves with nothing but a solid chunk of the bridge supporting her. Her breath caught, and she turned her head to her companions.
Fear swept through her, clinging her her damp pelt. Shivers evolved into tremors, and her knees shook. The water had swept over the surface of her makeshift life raft, a grim reminder of what awaited her. Her eyes were wide, and she felt her body beginning to shut down. I have to get back to them... But how would she achieve that? Even if she could swim back, she would most likely catch hypothermia. The snowflakes falling around her only seemed to sing of her death. They fell from the sky, only to dissipate in the water beneath. Ganymede looked at the water, then towards the endpoint of the ice slab's journey. Where should I go? She could either wait out the trip and hope that the unicorns would save her from her imminent demise, or she could risk the half-frozen water.
"Unicorns help me," she whispered, a swirl of steam puffing over her lips.
Word Count: 245
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Post by uniskorne on Jun 21, 2015 23:43:45 GMT -5
I[Synnove | Knight]
"Hold on!" the grey mate exclaimed, leaping into the water.
There had been no thought when she saw the grullo mare get swept away on the floe. Her heart had sunk and her legs had begun to propel her off the ice before her words had even formed. She would regret this, she knew, but she couldn't consciously allow someone to either freeze or drown-- or both-- when she could help them.
The cold hit her like a kick to the chest and sent painful spasms through her muscles. She clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering. This is how I die, she thought as she fought the salty ice-laden waves. She wasn't a strong swimmer, opting to use any body of water to look at herself more often than to take exercise. She vowed to correct that if she lived and turned her focus on the ice raft. She applied herself to getting ahead of it, letting the current do most the work. Her mane was thick with ice, and, where it hung over her eyes, her vision was obscured to a watery haze. She used the darker mare's coat as a reference point.
"H-hold...on-n-n," Synnove chattered. "I-m-m g-g-g...p-push!"
I'm going to die! She gasped mentally. Had she ever been so cold? There was no time for such thoughts, but they seemed to only drive her onwards instead of paralyze her with panic.
She butted her neck and chest against the floe and felt another spear of chill surge through her body. A wave rocked the ice, and Synnove was pushed down under the waves. She came up spitting, gasping, eyes rolling and hooves pawing the air for purchase she did not need.
Unicorns, help me! I don't want to die!
The grey mate fought to control her panic, gritting her teeth for control this time instead of from cold. With a grunt, she put a shoulder to the ice and spluttered again as the ice dipped down, washing frigid water over her head once more. She could die after she returned this mare to solid ground.
[Word Count: 355]
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Post by prismarines on Jun 24, 2015 15:09:19 GMT -5
Araphine heard the cracking before she saw it, and she turned with a smile on her face. Her smile quickly melted into horror as she watched the chunk of ice splt away with Ganymede in tow. "No!" She wailed, moving as close to the edge as she could without risking the fall herself. They were so close! So close to finishing their task unharmed, but it seemed that the Unicorns had other plans for them Was this some sort of punishment? Had they made the wrong decision...?
No! They had to destroy the bridge - they would surely perish if they left it up! Why, then, had the Unicorns allowed this to happen? She watched as Synnove dove in after their companion, and she silently admired the mare's bravery. She desperately wished that she had the courage to jump in after them, but she was sure she would be less help and more of a hinderance.
And so, she stood on the edge of the ice, craning her neck over the water as far as she dared, shouting encouragement to her fallen herdmates. "Come on! You have to survive!" She whinnied, her ears flat and her eyes wide. "I believe in you!"
The snow was clinging to her face, her back, her everything - she was cold, and she knew that her companions must be cold, too. Her teeth chattered, though she couldn't tell if it was because of the wind or the fear.
[ 244 ]
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Post by queerly on Jun 28, 2015 9:35:59 GMT -5
No no no no no. Everything was going wrong!
"Ganymede!" The oracle shrieked, hurriedly picking her way across the cracked ice. Her legs were shaking, muscles begging for a reprieve. They gave out before she reached the edge of the bridge, her body crumpling, hitting the ice. She tasted blood on her teeth. "Ganymede," She cried again, raising her long, slender neck. The grulla was being yanked further out to sea with every passing second, slipping and sliding on the slab. If she fell in... if she slipped beneath the waves, she'd never resurface. Eiru knew it, could sense it deep down in her bones. The mare was going to die, and it was her fault.
Splash.
The Oracle's gaze whipped to the sound of a body hitting the water. Synnove had dived into the sea! "No! What are..." She began, blood leaking from her lips. But the knight was determined, and whats more, she was strong. Eiru watched, horrified and hopeful, as the knight began to push against Ganymede's makeshift raft, her progress slow, steady... and successful. Eiru felt a sigh welling in her throat... and then she heard the cracks behind her, the telltale bend and break of ice. She turned her head, and saw that the bridge was still breaking, falling apart right before her eyes. Within minutes, it was going to reach the two mares that remained on the landbridge.
"Araphine..." She whispered, her voice nearly lost on the freezing winds. "Araphine. I want you to run, as fast as you can, and don't look back."
With those words, the Oracle pushed herself to her hooves. Her robes billowed in the wind as she stumbled to the edge of the bridge, glowing eyes on the two horses that still struggled at sea. "Hurry!" She called, "The bridge is breaking!"
She wouldn't run, not yet. These mares were her charges, and if they were to die doing the Unicorns' work, then so would she.
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swaggalatte
Newcomer
Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Posts: 39
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Post by swaggalatte on Jun 29, 2015 15:04:16 GMT -5
Ganymede watched in horror as the rose grey Knight leapt into the water to rescue her. She would have told her stop, but Synnove was determined. There was no use in wasting energy talking. Ganymede needed to focus on staying upright on the floe that was gradually getting smaller. Looking up, she noticed the distance between the bridge and the rogue slab of ice closing.
"W-W-We're almost th-there," she chattered through uncontrollable shivers. Ganymede wished for even a moment that there was something that she could do to make Synnove's body not feel the cold. Some way to keep her from getting hypothermia. Alas, she was absolutely useless. All that she could do was pray that after the slab of ice connected to the bridge, that Synnove would be able to climb back on to the bridge.
A tremendous groan reached Ganymede's ears, and she looked up to see the bridge cracking and pieces falling off of it. Her eyes widened, and her entire body froze. There was no way that they were going to make it back.
"S-Synnove, we have to sw-swim!" She shouted, her voice panicked. The oceanic waves were beginning to cover the floe, and there was no point in staying on it any longer. "W-We have to get back n-now!"
At her last words, she threw herself as far off of the ice as she good, landing in the water. Ganymede immediately felt the water piercing through her and stiffening her muscles. She struggled to keep her head above, but she dared not allow any moment of hesitation. Her legs thrashed deliberately through the icy salt water, and she glanced back at Synnove to see how the Knight was doing. "We're almost there," she yelled quickly, trying not to speak for too long. Looking forward, the ice bridge was almost within reach.
Word Count: 306
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Post by uniskorne on Jun 29, 2015 18:38:14 GMT -5
[Synnove | Knight]
Synnove was getting sleepy, and she knew what that meant. She tossed her head, ignoring the tiny, ice-encrusted whips that her hair had become slapping against her face. Her mind was sluggish. What was she doing again? The bridge. Yes. Had they broken it yet? She could lay down and sleep if they did. No! No sleep! Sleep was the cousin of Death, and, now, much more like brothers. One would nuzzle you gently, softly whispering words of comfort while the other sharpened its hooves against a stone. But, Unicorns, she couldn't feel her legs and her eyelids were so heavy!
"S-Synnove, we have to sw-swim!"
The grey mare shook herself again. Who was that calling? Swim? She was swimming, wasn't she? Then the splash came that threw frigid water into her face. By all rights, it shouldn't have mattered, but the water slapped her back to alertness. The grulla! The Oracle had called her name--Ganymede!
"Ganymede!" Synnove whinnied and abandoned the floe.
Urgency renewed her strength. Something was going on with the bridge. It was shattering, but the Oracle was unhappy. Panicked. They had done their job too well, it seemed. The Knight stretched her neck and powered her way towards Ganymede, frozen legs screaming with each stroke.
"The bridge is breaking apart! We should head for shore!" Synnove neighed, keeping her head high. "Take my tail if you're having trouble and I'll pull you to the beach! You must be tired after smashing the bridge like you did--splendid job!"
She recognized the manic tone in her voice. She was going on pure adrenaline and would probably hit the beach and collapse. She altered her coarse slightly, swimming parallel to the bridge, aiming for the beach. The Oracle and the spotted mare was still on the bridge. They might still need help. She flashed a glance to the other shore. The bridge was breaking, but the enemy might still be able to cross it. She had almost forgotten their unseen foe. She silently cursed herself. She'd be no use in a fight now if they were attacked.
Unicorns, keep us and protect us! she prayed, looking to Ganymede again.
[Word Count: 364]
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Post by elesette on Jun 30, 2015 16:15:03 GMT -5
 Edit: Seems you guys have already reset the posting order (: But the highlighted part is the part to pay attention too! |
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Post by prismarines on Jul 1, 2015 22:06:54 GMT -5
Time seemed to slow and freeze around the spotted mare - the few seconds she spent gazing helplessly into the icy waters at Synnove and Ganymede stretched out into hours, days, years... until the Oracle's voice snapped her out of her trance. Her ears flattened and her eyes widened, and she took a few steps away from the edge of the broken bridge. Surely she shouldn't abandon her herdmates right this moment, with two of them between Death's teeth?
She shook her head and opened her mouth as if to protest, but a chunk of ice broke away beneath one of her hooves. She leaped away from the edge and turned in one fluid moment, scraping up flakes of ice with her hooves as she did so. She took off at a gallop, glancing over her shoulder every few paces. Her heart fluttered like a caged bird in her chest, and her ears couldn't get any closer to her skull. She turned her focus back to the shore, and silently thanked the Unicorns when her hooves touched solid, unfrozen ground. She skidded to a halt, kicking up dirt and sand as she did, and turned to watch the bridge collapse.
They'd destroyed the bridge - but at what cost? Synnove and Ganymede were as good as dead... no. She refused to think that way. With another shake of her head, she took a few steps closer to the bridge. Oh, how she longed to plunge into the water after her herdmates - but her body physically repulsed the idea, leaving her rooted to the shore. Instead, she watched, eyes wide and ears flat, as the duo struggled against the waves and the iciness of the water they struggled against. She pawed the ground impatiently with a hoof, and the idea of going for help momentarily crossed her mind. As the two mares made it closer to the shore, she felt her heart swelling with pride. They were going to make it - and the bridge seemed to be self-destructing. She glanced at the Oracle's robed figure in the distance, and prayed to the Unicorns that she would make it off the bridge on time.
[ 360 ]
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Post by queerly on Jul 2, 2015 16:42:10 GMT -5
Upon the bridge, Eiru struggled to all fours, her body violently trembling. The wind was picking up, and the snowflakes flurried with it, dancing on the gales in furious flourishes. The flakes clung to her robes and melted, making the fabric clingy and damp. She thought to rip them off, but no - she needed to save every last ounce of her strength. The ice was cracking beneath her hooves, breaking apart in pieces large and small. Eiru exhaled, and forced her aching bones to move.
"Unicorns preserve us." She whispered, one glowing eye on her comrades. It seemed they had angled their bodies towards the shore. With how quickly the ice was disintegrating, Eiru could find no fault the decision. She could feel her hooves sliding, hitting saltwater as the bridge caved in beneath them. Even so, she did not run, but kept pace alongside Ganymede and Synnove's struggling forms, her encouragements carried on the wind. "You're close. You are so very close. The Unicorns are with you - you will make it."
Behind her, the bridge gave a mighty crack, a sound so loud and deep that it echoed in her ears. The Oracle glanced back, and saw only the black stretch of the ocean. The bridge was well and truly gone... just as she would be, if she did not hurry.
Eiru picked up her hooves and began to gallop, but it was too little, too late. The bridge splintered beneath her, and the Oracle went crashing into the sea. Panic and memories swam behind her eyes as fell - and then came to an abrupt halt as she hit the sandy bottom with a force that made her teeth click. The water was only up to her chest!
Nostrils flared, Eiru jerked her gaze to the last place she'd seen Ganymede and Synnove. They were still a few yards off, struggling to keep their heads above water... but close! If they could just get close enough for her to grab them by the mane or tail, she could haul them up on to the shore. That was the hope, at least. "Araphine!" The Oracle called, voice vibrating from the chatter of her teeth. "Come here, child, help me."
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swaggalatte
Newcomer
Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Posts: 39
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Post by swaggalatte on Jul 3, 2015 14:45:53 GMT -5
Ganyede flicked an ear towards Synnove as she spoke, but for a minute she could not comprehend what the Knight was saying. Every other word was drowned out by waves reaching up and slapping down on her ears. Turning her head backwards, she noticed the grey mare alter her course. Turning in the same direction, Ganymede's eyes focused on the thin strip of tan that lay between the dark waters and the green land above. The distance is too great, I'll never make it! She tried to shake that from her mind, knowing that if she gave in to negative thoughts, they would become true.
Striking forward, the grulla mare tried to get her head higher above water. The movements only resulted in her sinking back down, submerging completely for a second. When she came back up, she could hardly breathe from the cold. Ganymede had no idea which parts of her body were under the water, or if she was even swimming correctly. Some of the muscles in her back had gone almost completely numb. Her leg movements were slowing. The island before her was blurred to mere smudges.
Ganymede could feel the friction of the water waning, and instead it was more like a compelling force. Any time a wave crested, it covered her head entirely. Her muscles had quit on her, settling for just enough movement to tread water. Barely.
Word Count: 233
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Post by uniskorne on Jul 3, 2015 16:56:55 GMT -5
[Synnove | Knight]
The Knight heard the heart-stopping crack of the disintegrating bridge and paused to look in that direction. The spotted mare was clear but the Oracle was--there was a brief moment of terror as she fell in and flailed--safe. Synnove nodded to herself and turned to observe Ganymede. The grulla was not doing so well, and, although it was only a few more strides to shore, the grey mare had been told as a foal that you could drown in knee-deep water. She turned and swam back to Ganymede. Every wave nearly drowned the poor mare and seemed to sap more energy from her. Synnove got into pace beside her.
"Forgive me, Ganymede!" Synnove apologized. She grabbed a huge lock of Ganymede's mane just behind the grulla's ears and lifted her own head. Between clenched teeth, the grey mare offered words of support and encouragement.
She blinked hard. Had the shore moved? She snorted. There was the Oracle, attempting to reach them, calling to Araphne ("Ah, that was her name!") to help her. Synnove's hoof momentarily hit the sandy bottom of the water, and she staggered as her legs refused to support her own weight. She coughed and readjusted her grip on Ganymede's hair. Get her to shore then collapse.
At least the bridge was destroyed. The world wavered in front of her eyes. At least the bridge was destroyed.
[Word Count: 233]
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