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 Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 4:39 am
 Word Count 1,118Aurelia - 483
Cera Jellybean Amachi - 293
Euryale - 342
Aurelia was starting to find traveling to be easier and easier. Sometimes she walked but most of the time she flew. She found herself able to make more and more progress with each passing day. Her legs and wings were tired but they also felt stronger. The spring weather made it easy to travel. Even though it rained offen it wasn’t too cold during the day and it wasn’t uncomfortable at night. The air smelled different as evening approached. She had spent most of the day walking today and took to the sky to see if she could figure out what it was she was smelling.
Flying high she saw for the first time ever the ocean. A shimmering, swerling, wet world disappeared into the horizon. Realizing what she had been smelling was the salty sea air she flew excitedly towards the beach. Landing without any grace she galloped towards the sea. Cold, squishy sand made it hard to keep her footing and she fell. For the briefest moment she thought she had seen snakes in the water when she crashed into a wave. “Ahh! F*** that’s cold!” she squealed loudly feeling that weird sensation swell into her body for a moment. It had been a while since the curse had touched her. The water was colder than she expected. Nearby she heard uncontrolled laughter.
 Cera laid idly in the sand watching the waves for any sign of her mother. It wasn’t uncommon for her to disappear for weeks at a time but it was annoying to be left waiting non the less. She saw a small pile of snakes appear near the rocks. Nothing could have prepared her for the site she was about to see. An ethereal horse flew over the dunes and landed, destroying the vision of an angel Cera briefly had. Standing up she watched as the gorgeous beauty slipped and slid, half galloping and half spinning before tumbling into the ocean. She couldn’t help herself when the Angeni suddenly squealed and Cera burst out laughing. Falling to the ground she announced herself loudly. “Your daring” trying to stop laughing she continued, “I won’t step a hoof into the water until at least summer, and even then I wait a moon or two. Way too cold for us land Soquilli.” She stepped cautiously towards the mare.
In all of her excitement Aurelia hadn’t noticed the small Usdia laying in the sand nearby. It took her several moments to compose herself, the little Usdia rolled in the sand laughing at how she landed on the beach. Her ancient bone appendages were different from anything Aurelia had seen before and following close behind the small Usdia were scorpions. Trying not to look any more foolish Aurelia tried to stand up. “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen the ocean,” she began. Not noticing the wave that soon took her back to the ground. Laying there in defeat she continued with “and I completely forgot myself.” Flapping she pulled herself back to her feet and scurried out of the reach of the waves. “Hopefully I’m done embarrassing myself now. I’m Aurelia.” She stretched her wings and lightly curtsed.
Euryale had missed the cool wet ocean so much that she had lost track of time yet again. She wasn’t sure if it had been a day or a week and so she slinked back slowly to the shore line hoping her daughter wasn’t mad at her. Just as her head crested the water a blur of blue, feathers throwing sand everywhere. She moved fully under the waves, unsure what had just happened. Carefully she poked her head up next to a large rock to see what was going on. An unknown Soquilli stood not too far from Cera who was still giggling like crazy. Euryale pulled herself away from the water and started walking towards the stranger. “That was quite a landing.” she said in her odd, almost distant and hollow tone.
Aurelia grimaced when she heard another voice. ”How many ponies had to see me act like that?” She wasn’t prepared for the site behind her. Turning she saw another Usdia, this one covered in snakes and tentacles. Stepping on her own hair Aurelia tripped and the world went black.
Cera’s heart lifted as she saw her mother but soon after the feeling left her. Aurelia fell and hit her head on a large boulder, obviously startled by her mothers timing and odd appearance.
After they were sure Aurelia was going to be okay Cera turned to scold her mother. “Mom, you know better than sneaking up on others when they're not looking. No one expects to see a siren emerge from the sea.” She shook her head. “You know you were gone for 21 nights this time, don’t you? Or did the sea really call so hard that weeks could go by without you knowing…” Cera trailed off.
She couldn’t meet her daughter's eyes, it really didn’t feel like it was that long. “No I didn’t realize.” she stated cooly. Not coldly but just in her matter of fact sort of way. “I’m getting bad again. Arn’t I?” She only half asked, watching as the last bits of color faded from the sky and the moon started to crest over the horizon.
Cera didn’t answer both because she had nothing to add and because she noticed Aurelia was starting to stir.
Euryale held perfectly still, even her snakes and tentacles held themselves in place (which rarely happened). She wasn’t sure if she should stay or not. “ Cera probably wouldn’t be happy if I left.” She thought to herself. Nighttime had descended and she doubted the young Angeni would be able to see her fully anway. Maybe she could avoid scaring her this time.
The moon was full and Aurelia could see the lit up silhouettes of the two ponies in front of her. Their shape was different from any other horse or pony she had ever met. The sound of the crashing ocean nearby brought her back to reality. “Were there snakes?” she asked unsure what else to say, half remembering seeing them and falling over. ”Maybe I fainted?” she thought to herself.
“Sorry,” Euryale said. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Sometimes I forget that my hair can be unsettling to others if they aren't expecting it.” Her snakes lightly danced in the moonlight, hissing softly. Out of habit she pulled her instrument out and started to play it. Her tentacles moved on the flute, her snakes danced and hissed, the scorpions clicked their claws to the beat and Cera and Aurelia sat quietly on the beach listening to the sad song she played.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 9:33 am
  Word Count 282
The world around Glimmer was strange, well it would be for anyone else but to him this was just where his brain drifted to when reality wasn't enough. This was where he went when he glitched and as often as he had been glitching lately reality really wasn’t enough. The colors were brighter and richer. Inanimate objects danced and sang. The plants and animals spoke to you like old friends or like your worst enemy. Everything was trippy and unexpected.
“Welcome home Dad.” Heliotrope's cat eyes looked unimpressed. A Cheshire cat grin stretched unnaturally across her face making Glimmer go cold. For the briefest of moments she looked more like her mother than Glimmer could bair. Helio turned away from him, her tail twitched rhythmically making the world around him paulse to the beat.
Looking around Glimmer realized he was somewhere new. Helio was gone and now he was surrounded by bushes of roses; some red, some white and others an odd mix of both. One blinked and began to speak.
“Glimmer, Glimmer?” it said quietly.
Glimmer krept closer.
“It's time Glimmer. Glimmer it's time,” it said again this time louder, oddly sounding like his friend Ches. “It's time to get up. Glimmer! Glimmer! Earth to Glimmer!” The rose shouted until the world began to spin.
Colors faded and Glimmer found himself focusing on Ches’s face inches from his. The world once again a dull shade of gray colors. “I'm up.” he said begrudgingly. “Well I suppose I'm lying down but I can stand up, if you want. Did I manage to stay in my bed all night?” He asked, trying not to focus too hard on the strange world around him.
  
Word Count 278
Heliotrope lay awake thinking about the day's events. Thinking about many similar days she'd had with her father.
“Peripeteia,” She whispered. “Are you still awake?” The sky was dark tonight and Helio couldn't make out her bunny friends form.
“No, I'm asleep.” Peripeteia said with an audible eye roll. “Still worrying about your father? You know it's his job to worry about you and not the other way around. Right?” Her voice got louder as she hopped closer.
“And if he was sane or normal I'm sure that would be the case, but…” Helio sighed. “He just can't help it.”
A strange scratchy voice spoke. “Curses will do that.”
Helio and Peripeteia froze, confused as to who or what just spoke. “Come again?” Helio stated awkwardly, trying to decide if she was dreaming or hallucinating.
“It's a curse or a toxin, which is more or less a naturally accruing curse.” Soft purs came from the direction of the voice.
“Spike? Is that you?” Peripeteia asked.
“Yes.” He stated matter of factly.
“You can talk?” Halio said surprised. “I've had full conversations at you and you haven't said a word!” She practically yelled in the darkness. “Wait, do you have a name? Should I call you something different?” She said confused, stumbling over her words.
“I like Spike, Spike is fine with me.” A sandpaper licking sound started from his direction. “As for your father, you should try taking him to the cavern of dreams.” Lick, slurp, lick.[/] “It's supposed to cleanse the body of curses and toxins. It might not work but,” He paused as if choosing his words carefully. “It shouldn't hurt to give it a try.”
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 6:36 am
June     Word Count 693Glimmer Glitch - 257
Heliotrope - 298
Heliotrope awoke with the first light and left the camp to think. It would be hours before her father would wake from his restless dreams and the thought of ridding him of his glitch was beyond tempting. She couldn't help but wonder if she had any right to do so. "It's not his fault he was born this way," she discussed with the trees. "But I doubt he wishes to stay this way..." She trailed off, scratching her side along a tree. "So it's decided. I'll tell him about it and let him decide for himself. Hopefully he hasn't been wandering today." The trees just swayed in agreement. Helio loved wandering into the woods, she felt most connected to this world when she was surrounded by the dense woods.
Glimmer awoke earlier than normal, or rather he was rudely awakened by Ches barely after sunrise. The sounds around him were hollow and distant like normal. He could feel the pull to enter the other world. It was a strong sensation this morning, leaving the dream early would make today harder than normal. "Ches, I don't think you should have woken me this morning." Glimmer said oddly, feeling like his voice was miles away from him. "Why must I be awake now?"
Ches flitted about. "Glimmer, you don't look so good." He said softly.
Glimmer's eyes focused somewhere behind Ches. "Why must I be awake now?" He glitched slightly but fought to stay in controle.
"I, I..." Ches stamared. "I didn't want you to sleep till lunch time again. Did I do something wrong?"
"Where's Helio?" Glimmer said, swaying on his feet.
Ches began to freakout, flying faster. "She went for a walk. Should I get her?"
"Yes, I fear today I'm going to be worse than normal." He swayed, the world getting slightly brighter. "I don't want to wander off again without her knowing..."
"Be right back with her!" Ches left quickly, darting in the direction Helio usually walks.
"All this drama." Spike thought to himself. "This guy needs a good poke!" Spike didn't even have to make a plan of attack when Glimmer decided to sit.
A sharp point made contact with Glimmer's backside. "OH, MY! My BUTT! OUCH! My butt!" The world was bright but normal when he looked around. The green Spike bush of a cat sat where he had started to sit. All He could do was stare blankly at the thing. "Why are you so green?" He wondered to himself.
Ches flew in just ahead of Helio. "Dad! What happened?" She looked around concerned about his outburst. That's when she saw a large thorn sticking out from his right cheek. Spike sat casually on the floor bathing himself, looking unbothered by the whole thing. Helio started laughing. "I wouldn't suggest sitting on the cat Dad. He doesn't tend to like that, and is quite sharp. Ches had me worried about you but you look clear eyed now."
Glimmer smiled at his daughter. It had been a long time since he had seen the world around him looking so clear. "Other than a pain in my butt I feel much better. Thanks, cactus boy." He turned to Spike. "Your timing was perfect.
Spike turned his head, interested in this strange horse. "Of course. You looked like you were spiraling but I fear you sat on me before I could figure out what to do to distract you. I guess the pain distracted whatever imbalance your mind has." He shrugged, losing interest.
Glimmer nodded, completely unbothered that he didn't know the creature could speak. "I'm glad something worked."
Helio thought back to what Spike had said yesterday and seeing her father now she knew he preferred the clear headed vision he had right now. He would probably embrace a chance to be more normal. "f it didn't work though would he be sad?" She wondered to herself. "Oh well, here goes nothing."
"Dad, Spike and I were talking yesterday. He mentioned there was a cavern of dreams." She tried her best to explain what it could mean. "What do you think, Dad? Do you want to look into it further?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 6:41 am
  Word Count 595Gwyneira - 264Nadya and Naomie - 253Nadya and Naomie were tired when they finally left the cave. They had spent all night stirring at every little thing, afraid to wake Gwyn. Her sleeping bear form was scary, even more so than the wolves wandering somewhere nearby. The mountain was a completely different world then when Nadya and Naomie had wandered into the cave. With the exception of the peaks the snow had almost all melted and fields were starting to show early flowers. The trek down the mountain wasn't overly hard and took very little time.
Gwyneira kept a good strong pace. The warm weather meant more creatures active and scurrying about. The problem was she kept seeing hints that the wolves were still nearby. They had shortened the trip back from the cave by almost a week. "Are you doing okay?" Gwyn asked the twins. "If we keep this pace we should be able to make it down the mountain before nightfall."/color]
"We're used to traveling long and hard distances." Nadya said. "I think we can keep this pace. At least through today."
"No complaints here," Naomie chimed in. "How are you two doing?"Naomie spoke up towards the two mice on their back.
"Can't say I love traveling like this, but if it means we don't have to rough it another night I can't complain." Mélanie said making sure to continue holding on tight.
"As long as you don't lose us again I'm fine." Lucilla said, pulling hard on Naomie's hair.
"For the hundredth time, I'm sorry. I was a bit preoccupied by not letting us get killed by a wolf." Naomie rolled her eyes but bit her tongue to avoid continuing the conversation.
Gwyneira laughed a little to herself. This little group was more entertaining than most of those she'd helped walk across the mountains. Usually mares were more stuck up and didn't want to do any more work than need be. And in contrast most of the stallions thought less of her for being a mare. She preferred to spend more time in her bear form when traveling with non enjoyable company
To break the tension Mélanie began to sing. "Always alone, never with a herd," she started drawing the last word out to make sure the others knew to join in.
Nadya and Naomie joined in on the second frame, it was second nature to them. "Strongest stallion I've ever seen, you'll have to take my word." Their voices rang out in perfect harmony. Something they had practiced since they could speak. "I'm going to catch that man if I can, and when I do I'll give him my demand." They continued the song for far longer than the lyrics they knew. Making up and adding verses as they went. Even Gwyn began to join in with the chorus.
"I'm going to catch that man if I can, And when I do I'll give him my demand!" She sang in her deeper voice. "And we'll be lovers for life, just like a husband and wife! I'm going to catch that man if I can." The deep undertones of her singing voice complimented the others' more feminine tones. The singing made the trip fly by, before she knew it they were walking down the last of the mountains and the village wasn't that far away. In the distance she heard voices singing the chorus with them. "I'm never going to live this down," she briefly worried to herself. A familiar mare was walking up to greet them singing some of the more obscene lines from the song.
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 6:47 am
   Word Count 579Ayane - 320
Cranberry Sunset - 259
Cranberry let the days pass quickly. He didn't dwell on what he couldn't change. Ayane would pick what she wanted and with any luck Aiko wasn't pregnant and he could slip back to sea with his precious lamp back in hand. He spent his days swimming nearby, sometimes peaking at the cove Ayane called home.
For Ayane every day was a battle, time moving slowly. She tried several times to talk with Isadore and avoid talking with Aiko. It was like trying to crawl on a beach filled with rocks and seashells, unpleasant and sharp. The closest answer she had managed to get out of Isadore was it wasn't his decision to make and whatever she chose he would stand behind her. "We could easily wait till the next wishing star." She mused to herself. "But even then many wish for years before a wish is granted." She sighed. "We wished for years for Aiko before the wishing star heard us and granted our sweet child. Could we honestly wait that long? Ayane stared off at the sea, swearing she had seen an orange fin disappear under the water.
Cranberry dove quickly back under the water. There was no way Ayane hadn't seen him that time. He held his breath waiting for her to come and kill him. "No point in swimming for it." He thought to himself waiting for death. But Ayane never appeared. Not wanting to press his luck he returned to the cave. "Tomorrows the day," he said to himself. "I best rest up, encase she takes me up on the offer." Deep down he felt a mix of dread and excitement. It was rather confusing.
Ayane rolled her eyes and let her body go limp. "The nerve of that little s**t." She huffed to herself. "I can't believe he had the nerve to spy on me, again." Sighing she continued to herself, "He's only looking after that stupid lamp. Guess he'll never change." The night grew dark and Ayane came to her decision. "Isidore loves me, and nothing will ever change that. But who knows how much time we'll have together." She drifted off to sleep.
The next evening Cranberry swimmed cautiously into the cove the odd family called home. Aiko was nowhere to be seen but Ayane leaned on the shallow shore and Isidore sat nearby, his small claws touching his beloved lamp. He resisted the urge to grab it and scurry away. The moonless night made the fading sunset more magnificent. Silence as the darkness took over. Breaking the tension Cranberry finally spoke, he couldn't wait to be done with this. "Have you guys made a deceason?" He tried to keep his tone pleasant but it was hard not to have a tint of disdain in his voice. "I'd like to," He started but was quickly cut off.
"Understand me when I say I do not want this, I do not find your company or body at all pleasurable. What I do is only for the means of getting baskets." She hissed under her breath. "You will not speak, this will not be a regular thing and you will have no say in any children that might come out of this." She stressed her words carefully. "Let's get this over with." She said, "and then you may have your lamp and leave this area." Isidore didn't speak, he didn't gasp or react at all. Ayane could only hope she was making the right deseason.
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 6:52 am
Word Count 266
Euryale sat and watched the waves. For the first time in her life she didn't feel the pull to wander the sea. She felt different. Even still she couldn't bring herself to leave the shore. It had been a good week since Cera left with the strange Angeni. Aurelia had fallen from the sky and disrupted their lives.
The scorpions ran around the sand building their sandcastle home back up. The recent storm had washed their previous work away. Something that didn't seem to bother them because every time it happened they built it bigger, better and faster. Euryale sat and watched the diligent workers.
"Cera has grown so much," she said to the scurrying arachnids. "I was lucky she stayed with me for so long." One of the scorpions stopped and nodded at her, clicking his claws in agreement. "What do you think she will find on her adventure?" Once again the scorpion moved in response, this time shrugging his shoulders and lowering his head. "Yeah, I miss her too. She's strong and smart, I'm sure she'll return to us with the best stories." The scorpion picked up some pebbles and returned to his job.
Euryale looked out at the ocean and thought about her kids, Cera was the last to leave these shores. She had always been so strong willed it had surprised Euryale that she stayed and put up with her mothers habits for as long as she had. "Safe journeys love, please return to me. Someday." She smiled to herself and walked into the ocean, letting the sea melt her worries away.
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 7:07 am
  For those soquili with a green hoof, it is almost time to harvest before the summer sun wilts crops. Does your soquili partake in any farming or gardening? If so, what do they plant? How do they care for their garden? Do they work solo, with familiars or are they part of a herd or family who work together? Are they farming for food, are they gardening flowers, do they grow herbs for medicine or are they trying to conserve or restore a damaged plot of land?
If they don't farm or garden, why not? Do they not have the skill? Have they killed every plant they've tried to keep alive? Do they want to learn but don't know where to start? Maybe they can reach out to a farming or gardening soquili to get some tips! If they don't farm or garden, how do they eat? Do they live off the land and forage for food or are they hunters?
Write an RP responding to the above prompt telling us about how/why your soquili farms/gardens if they do. Or why not if they don't and what they do instead. - 1,000 words Word Count 1,070Aurelia - 374
Cera Jellybean Amachi - 323
Selena - 371
Selena sat awkwardly on the ground with a bucket laying sideways next to her. "Yuuki, why did you choose now to visit with your family? I thought you were finally ready to make these woods your home?" She questioned the air around her, letting her body slump in defeat. The summer heat was already starting to hit and the crops were not responding well. She had spent all morning trying to water everything but despite her best efforts the plants she watered at the beginning of the day were already dry and wilting. "What was Yuuki thinking when she planted the summer crops early, we already have too many spring crops to care for as is." She looked back and forth down the rows trying to figure what she needed to harvest and what needed to stay undisturbed till it was ripe. Sighing, she realized she hadn't paid enough attention to what Yuuki had told her before she left.
 Cera had already been traveling for 2 weeks and had seen more in this time than she had seen in her whole life. Other than the dessert adventure she had never really been anywhere other than the ocean shores. Three of the scorpions still clung to her back and traveled diligently with them. At night the scorpions hunted and during the day they took turns sleeping on Cera's back. Aurelia had flown ahead to scout out the path ahead. Cera was to meet her at the edge of the old woods.
Aurelia had spent most of her time walking these days. Cera kept a good pace but was unable to fly. Aurelia could probably carry Cera for a short distance but that was something she'd only try in an emergency. Today she flew ahead to scout the area to the north. That's when she noticed a slumped over horse near a field of crops. "That is the most beautiful site I have ever seen!" Aurelia thought as she suddenly veered off course to investigate. Landing softly she stayed in the shadows and watched the painted uni. Stepping from the shadows she spoke softly "You look like you could use some help with that. I'm Aurelia."
Selena had been deep in thought, very distraught, when she heard someone speak. She struggled to get her hooves under her and to her feet when she turned and saw what looked like an angel. No and Angeini, she realized quickly. Trying to compose herself she answered the mare. "I could use some help, if you happen to have the time. I fear I'm just tending the garden for my squirrel friend and I don't have a clue what I'm doing." She drug her hooves nervously at the ground. It had been a long while since she had seen anyone other than Yuuki. She had basically become a hermit when she moved to the woods. Remembering her manners she added, "I'm Selena." She attempted a light bow.
 Aurelia smiled sweetly, trying her best not to show how excited she was to see a field full of crops. She didn't want to scare the poor mare. "Selena, it's nice to meet you." She gave a deep and graceful bow, folding her wings behind her. "I was flying overhead and saw the field and it looked like you were struggling. I would love to help you. Let's see what you've got growing here." Walking around she started looking over the plants. Dozens of varieties and far more planted than a pony and a squirrel could possibly tend to. Carefully she began pointing at different plants and explaining which ones were ready to harvest and could be pulled, lessening the amount of watering Selena would need to do. Letting her powers flow she finished ripening a few things here and there. She felt no sign of the curse. Her powers flowed easily and she felt a tension leave her that she didn't realize had built up. It was nearing dark by the time they were finished harvesting.
Cera sat in the shade of the woods waiting for Aurelia. Her scorpions had set out looking for crickets and other jucy bugs. Watching the world she saw all sorts of life running around. Squirrels in the trees, foxes running through the bushes and dozens of different birds flying from tree to tree. She could even hear chirping high up in the branches. "Aurelia, where are you?" After a few hours she started to wonder. She kept her eyes on the sky but saw no sign of Aurelia flying about. The sun slowly started to set, and while the colors were beautiful it made Cera worry.
Looking over the baskets that they had carried Selena eyed the fresh strawberries the most. They were the largest and reddest ones she'd ever seen. She turned to offer them to her guest and helper but realized something was wrong. "Is everything okay?" She asked Aurelia.
Aurelia was staring at the sky. "I may have forgotten to meet my friend somewhere. I fear I'm quite late now, I got a little excited when I saw the field" she admitted, highly embarrassed. "She should be somewhere on the edge of the south woods."
"Oh my," Selena laughed. "Well, we're not too far from the south entrance to the woods. If you follow that path it should lead you to the plains. You should retrieve her and I'll prepare a fresh harvest meal."
Nodding Aurelia took off down the path at full speed. It wasn't too long after she could see the woods thinning so she began calling Cera's name.
The scorpions sat with grasshoppers in claws, crunching on their prizes. The sun was gone and the stars were bright tonight. "No moon tonight." she thought as she looked up. In the distance she heard her name.
"Cera!" Aurelia called in all directions, running blindly into the fields.
Standing up Cera finally responded "Over here!" "What was Aurelia up to all this time," she wondered. After Aurelia explained herself they walked back to the mysterious horse Aurelia had told her about. Before they had even gotten close Cera could smell something yummy cooking. That night's meal was one of the best she had ever had. Fresh bread, herb dips, cooked bear potatoes, flower garnishes and best of all a strawberry streusel dessert. The three mares spent the night telling stores and laughing at Aruelia's one track mind.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2025 10:47 am
July Word Count 1,003
Cera - 258
Aurelia - 324
Salena - 310Aurelia and Cera decided to stay for another day. Admittedly Cera only really agreed to it because of the good meal but she wasn’t prepared for the work that went into gathering and cultivating the produce for a meal like that. Under close watch from the larger mares she worked diligently at pulling weeds and digging trenches for the trickling mountain stream to move along the plants better. The day passed deceptively fast and when they broke for lunch they took advantage of the old woods, it was easily ten degrees cooler with an almost eerie cool wind that blew between the spruce.
 ”So you're looking for Atalvyi Pass?” Salena asked Aurelia as she munched on her salad. “I don’t believe I’ve heard of it before. If it really is past the Kaiwani then you are heading in the right direction. If you follow the mountains, or the coast west you’ll hit it. They have a large multi tribe village spanning much of the land between the ocean and mountain. I suppose being an Angeni you could just walk among them and travel through.” Salena laughed at the thought of Aurelia prancing about on two legs. Looking up she realized Aurelia was confused by her comment. “I’m sorry, I was always told stories of Angeni and after seeing your work in the fields I thought you could really turn into a two leg walker.” She trailed off feeling herself flush with embarrassment.
Aurelia thought back to her mother and tried her best to recall if she ever saw her perform such a magical transformation. But she couldn’t remember much, just fleeting images and feelings. ”Can I really transform into a human?” She thought to herself. Breaking the awkward silence she said, “I honestly don’t know if I can or not. It’s been just me for a long time and besides my parents I don’t think I’ve ever met another like me. Did your mother ever explain how an Angeni goes about doing this? Cera have you heard anything like this?”
”Can’t say I have heard anything about ponies walking around as humans but I could see it happening. I mean, Shifters take on an animal form and are generally nasty. By contrast Angeni are on the opposite side of the spectrum so why wouldn’t you be able to change into something?” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s like my mother and being able to spend long periods underwater or a Uni’s ability to heal? I don’t have any idea how to invoke such an ability though.””Hmm, like a Uni’s healing power?” Salena mumbled. Looking up she spoke more clearly. “I haven’t needed to use it much but it’s kind of like looking inwards and grabbing hold of something just behind your heart. Then it’s like opening a bottle. Everything flows after that.” Salena closed her eyes remembering the feeling. It made her slightly sad to think about. ”Sorry father, if only I practiced it more before…” she shook the thoughts away.”Like opening a bottle behind your heart?” Aurelia thought. Closing her eyes and holding her breath she carefully tried to follow the directions, but nothing happened. They returned to the field to work a bit more before stopping for the day. Aurelia kept trying to figure out how to uncork an inner power but she couldn’t find it. Carefully she ripened a strawberry. She felt that feeling, closing her eyes she imagined a human hand reaching for the strawberry. The same way she would normally flex her powers.”Aurelia!” Cera blinked and dropped an empty basket. “Whatever you were just doing, or whatever it was you were thinking, don’t forget it.” She walked around her, unsure how to explain what she was seeing. “I’ve never seen one up close so I guess I wasn’t expecting them to look so beautiful?” She half said to herself. “Salena, come look!” She hollard, now jumping around. Her bone tail knocking against plants.”Oh,” is all Salena could muster when she realized what was going on. “She doesn’t look like any that I’ve ever seen. Usually there is more color to their body…”Aurelia stared at her hands. Her hooves were gone and in their place were fleshy fingers, able to easily grip the strawberry she was looking at. Her hair was just as white as normal and flowed nearly down to the ground. Cera was now closer to her height and Salena looked taller than before. Her toes dug into the soft dirt, as if she was feeling it for the first time. Her blue pelt was replaced with fleshy toned skin and she could see odd lumps and groves going down her body. Her human body. She started jumping around with Cera. “I opened the bottle!” She squealed in a slightly different voice than she was expecting.Tired from walking, Yuuki was really confused when she walked into the field. Salena was standing with a skeletal pony and a rather naked Kawani. “Salena?” Yuuki asked loudly. “Why is there a naked two leg walker in our garden?” ”Nakid? That explains why she looks so odd. I suppose you shouldn’t walk through a village without clothing on. You might get a different sort of attention. Good catch Yuuki!” Salena rattled off matter-a-factly. “Welcome home Yuuki, the colorful mini here is Cera and the naked human is Aurelia. Believe it or not she’s really a horse!” She joined in and started jumping about too.”Okay then,” Yuuki said, rolling her eyes, turning to leave the field. “I’ll see you back at the house, get Aurelia out of the sun before she gets sunburnt in places that will be uncomfortable later.” She looked back again and added, “she’s paler than most of them and probably shouldn’t run around naked.” ”Humans look so weird, especially without clothing…Guess I got some work to do.” She thought to herself.Aurelia fell over. “Ooof! Walking is hard with only two legs!” She poked at them with her now less hoofed shaped hands.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2025 10:59 am
Word Count - 320
Cranberry Sunset lay his head on his lamp. ”Oh how I missed you old friend, may she never part us again” he lamented to himself. Flicking his eyes back to Capsaicin he returned his mind to the problem at hand. “Can you please repeat that…” he sighed. It had been several weeks since his moonless night meeting with Ayane and staying away but not leaving the area had made him slightly short tempered. Since that night Cranberry had also told Capsaicin where to find his latest love Aiko, Ayane’s star child. This was something he was starting to regret.
“I’m going to be a father!” Capsaicin practically screamed for a second time. His tail flicked back and forth and he couldn’t help but lightly jump out of the water. “You heard me that time, right, right, right!?” The koi fish skidded across the water unable to control himself.
Cranberry grimised, afraid that was what he had thought he had said before. “Oh Capsaicin, how you have complicated things more.” He sighed. I’m guessing Aiko told you this when you guys met up? How far along is she?” He asked, already losing interest in what the answer would be. No matter if it was days or weeks, Ayane would know soon enough and her wrath would be turned on him.
“I’m not sure. I didn’t think to ask. Should I have?” He briefly held still, seemingly contemplating if this was an obvious question men normally ask women. “How long ago was the thaw?” He asked, suddenly sounding concerned.
“Long enough ago that it probably won’t be long…” Cranberry trailed off. “Capsaicin, you certainly do know how to complicate things.” He spoke dryly, not really at Capsaicin but at the universe laughing at him. "A mother that might be with child and her child who is with child..." He turned his lamp around in his hooves, wondering what he should do now.Word Count 266
Time passed slowly, Ayane spent much of this time out to sea with her thoughts. It wasn’t until the new moon had come and gone that she realized she wasn’t sure if it had taken. ”How would I know for sure?” She wondered to herself. ”Are there signs that I should be looking for?” She couldn’t help but wonder.
All the while sweet Isidore stood by her. Not asking about it. Not questioning where she was or if she was with the seathi. His trust was obvious and absolute. That alone made her feel better. During this time she had pointedly been avoiding her daughter. There was no polite way to explain the situation to her. ”Would she accept any shells that might come out of this? Does she want to be a big sister to bigger siblings? The ocean washed away her worries and she let it fall out of her mind.
She returned one evening feeling a bit under the weather and wasn’t able to avoid Aiko. Her daughter lightly flipped and flopped her tail, resting awkwardly among the rocks. Isidore stood nearby quite a bit paler than normal. “Ayane, my love.” He started, his voice shaking slightly. “Aiko here has something she would like to tell you…” Isidore trailed off.
“Mom,” She started carefully. “You're going to be a Grandma!” Aiko smiled widely, rolling so her protruding belly broke the service.
Ayane felt the world spin and her stomach lurched, trying to make her see her lunch again. “I am, you are.” She began trying to make sense of it. “Wait, by who!?”
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2025 4:42 pm
Word Count 823Gwyneira - 258Nadya and Naomie - 330Gwyneira looked at Elysia wondering how such a wise and mature mare could be so childish. Gwyn’s face was slightly flushed by the last line Elysia finished singing as she walked up. ”Some things should never be said aloud.” She thought to herself. “It’s good to see the village has made it through the winter.” Gwyn greeted Elysia warmly. “The mountains were far from forgiving this winter.” She added light heartedly.Elysia shivered, perhaps at the thought of the winter. “Luckily the valley was more protected than the mountains but it was a rather hard and late freeze.” She shivered again. “If I didn’t know better I’d swear you brought some winter down from the mountain with you.” The elderly mare stared at her with an inquisitive look. “Perhaps, it did…” She looked at Gwyn oddly. Turning Elysia moved her attention to the new comers, who were still singing their hearts out.Nadya and Naomie finished up their song, bowing as low as they could muster after the long journey down the mountain. They could feel the warm welcome from the village and it felt good to be back in a crowd performing. It also felt good to be somewhere warmer. The two of them had had enough of winter and snow. “Thank you for joining in, I’m glad so many people know the words to that song.” Nadya said happily to the group. “It has so many verses, which makes it great for traveling.”“And you,” Naomie turned to eye the older mare with curiosity. “You must be Elysia. Our mother warned us you’d know some of the more, err, colorful verses to songs.” Naomie dragged her hoof in the ground nervously. “Not sure all of those should be sung in front of the foals here…” She trailed off.”Your mother would know,” Elysia responded. “After all she wrote most of them.” The old mare stated matter of factly, choosing to ignore the second half of the comment. “It’s good to have one of the Baxt vai' datha back in the village.””Agreed.” Nadya nodded. “I hope some day in the near future the road will be clear once again to bring the full troop." ”That would be wonderful.” Naomie chimed in trying to make a better impression.Gwyneira looked back and forth between the two (and a half) mares trying to imagine where there would be a road leading into the village. The air around them started getting colder and colder. Gwyn enjoyed the feeling and leaned into it harder. It was a comfortable feeling, one that welcomed her. “Where is the road located?” Gwyn asked as small snow flakes fell around her.Elysia smiled. “So you did come back touched by winter.” She stuck her tongue out and tried to catch snow flakes close to Gwyn's head.”It used to come in from the North, snaking through the mountains.” Nadya watched Gwyn closely.Naomie shivered, remembering the cold mountain nights. “The only way to get to it was to cross the desert so I imagine few people knew about it. It was normally a more pleasant journey than coming over the mountains. Warmer too.” ”A rock slide covered a hard to pass portion of it, and without the road it is difficult to get our wagons in. Musical instruments are hard to carry on our backs, particularly for some of the smaller members.” Nadya imagined the mice trying to carry their instruments and clothes on their backs, it was an amusing thought.Elysia’s tongue came unnervingly close to Gwyn’s face. She breathed out hard, controlling the muscles in her chest as she did so. A large and long frosty breath stretched out between her and the others. “Touched by winter…” The thought was so exciting to her. “What a wonderful gift," she said. The air around her flurried with a wonderful rhythm. ”Wonderful!?” Naomie reacted with a look of fear on her face.Lucilla and Mélanie came out of hiding. “Naomie! That is hardly the proper way to react! I’m disappointed in you.” Lucilla chastised the mare. “After all Gwyneira did for as that is hardly the right thing to say.” ”To each their own.” Elysia mused, easing the tension. “Now Gwyneria, dear, have you given any more thought to the match I suggested this winter?” She asked, half teasingGwyn felt herself go cold and then hot. The Cerynei at the bonfires was interesting. She hadn’t been in the village for even an hour and Elysia had already begun trying to set her up again. “While I’m sure he is a great stallion, I’m just not looking for anything right now. Most do not want to live in the mountains.”
”Elysia, is this how you convinced our mother to give our father a chance?” Naomie smiled, already forgetting the scolding.
Smilling Elysia simply responded with. “Yes, and that is my gift.” She looked at Gwyn. “Someday you’ll see it.”
 
 Word Count 275
Tahbloka was led to the town by his dreams. He believed heavily that dreams were keys to the world around him. Every night an old mare showed him signs and every day he followed them until he found a town surrounded by mountains. The strangest part of all was the old mare in his dreams greeted him the first day he walked into town. Since then he has dreamed of snow, so he stayed and waited out the winter.
He danced at the bonfires and listened to the community's stories. He enjoyed the company and he worked hard to help where he could. The winter was long, with many false springs but still every night he dreamed of fresh falling snow until today.
The snow fell like always but this time there were tracts, at first they were paws. Large paws, like that of a bear but larger than he had seen before. They changed with each step until hoof prints were there instead. For the briefest of moments he saw a blue light and a white figure.
Tahbloka went about his daily chores. He helped haul wood and got lunch cooking. Looking up he saw Elysia moving across the center of town. “Elysia, I really need to talk to you. I had a dream last night and it was different from past ones.” He said trying to catch up to the older mare. “There was this blue light and…”
Elysia slowed down and turned towards him. “And she’ll be here this evening.” Elysia smiled at Tahbloka. “Open your eyes and you’ll see her.”
The old mare returned to her pace leaving Tahbloka standing in the middle of town. ”Her?” He thought to himself. ”She who?” He looked around at all the mares moving about.
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2025 6:23 pm
Word Count 508Glimmer Glitch - 253Heliotrope - 255Glimmer Glitch sat and stared at the odd cat. The fact it could talk was hardly odd to him. ’Lots of things speak if you sit and listen.’ He thought to himself. ’It was odd though that Heliotrope could hear it as well, she usually isn’t that intune.’ “Cavern of dreams, sounds interesting…” He trailed off eyeing his daughter. ’She looks concerned, why is this so difficult to bring up?’ He toyed with it for a moment trying to figure out where to go next with the information. “How far away is it?”
”From what Spike says it is quite a journey. Something that would take several days or maybe even a couple weeks. Father, you don’t exactly travel well.” Helio gave her father a stern look. “I lose you when we stay in one place, traveling with you is frustrating and scary.” She tapped her hooves looking away from him. “Well, now you know Father. There is a chance this could help you…”
Glimmer cut her off. “Then let's go traveling.” He felt oddly focused after the cactus cat p***k. “If my mind wonders, and my hooves follow as they always do, Spike can just remind me with a sharp point. He seems to be covered with them and isn’t afraid to use them either.” He smiled a reassuring smile. “Before you and your siblings were born I traveled on my own all the time.”
“And you didn’t know where you were half the time while you did.” Helio rolled her eyes. “I hardly think that counts for much.” She looked at the sleeping cat and up to where Ches was hiding up in a tree. ’Oh well,’ she huffed to herself. “I guess it’s time to pack for a journey then. And Father please don’t over pack this time. We’ll get a good nights sleep tonight and get ahead start early tomorrow.
Glimmer smiled, he didn’t expect Helio to agree so quickly. “I’ll just pack food for the trip, nothing too heavy. I promise.” He galloped around camp excited for a chance to get away. Yelling upwards Glimmer called towards Ches, “Make sure and pack yourself some birdseed!” Turning he looked at Spike who was obviously pretending to sleep. “Will you join us and scratch me anytime I daze out, I’m sure you’ll find it enjoyable.” The cat just barely nodded, almost bored of the conversation going on around him.
”No choice now but to go along with the plan.” She shook her head smiling. “If you pack the food I’ll take care of our other supplies.” She watched her father giddy and excited. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She gave him a serious look. “Please get a full night's sleep, if you're too tired to travel in the morning I will push back the trip.” She hoped this would be enough to remind him she was the one in control of when they would leave. ”I hope this works, my Father is such a great person when his mind isn’t somewhere else.” She smilled.
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Cera laid idly in the sand watching the waves for any sign of her mother. It wasn’t uncommon for her to disappear for weeks at a time but it was annoying to be left waiting non the less. She saw a small pile of snakes appear near the rocks. Nothing could have prepared her for the site she was about to see. An ethereal horse flew over the dunes and landed, destroying the vision of an angel Cera briefly had. Standing up she watched as the gorgeous beauty slipped and slid, half galloping and half spinning before tumbling into the ocean. She couldn’t help herself when the Angeni suddenly squealed and Cera burst out laughing. Falling to the ground she announced herself loudly. “Your daring” trying to stop laughing she continued, “I won’t step a hoof into the water until at least summer, and even then I wait a moon or two. Way too cold for us land Soquilli.” She stepped cautiously towards the mare.
