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Username: Kamiki
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Name: Pulse
Temper: Compassionate
Domain: Self-Acceptance
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His story:

"What is normal?" The rainbow colored stallion radiated an aura of peace and tranquility; a innate sense that he came to do no harm as he approached the crying foal.

The small creature lifted their head and looked up, blinking through big, blolly tears. They didn't know where he had come from, but they weren't afraid. The wings on his back gave away his identity, and the foal rubbed their muzzle on their spindly front legs, sitting up.

"Normal and common are not the same. It's a misconception that rarity makes things abnormal. That's simply not the case.. common is common. Normal is subjective," the Angeni continued, sitting down on the soft summer grass next to the foal. In the sun his fur seemed to glint and shine like glitter. "From a distance, sometimes, things look the same. Take the grass..." The angeni motioned to the rolling meadow where they sat, the green blades swimming in the gentle breeze like waves in the ocean. "From here, they all look the same, but if you were to line them up, one by one, they would all be different. Somehow, if just a little bit."

Pulse looked down at the foal, who had stopped sobbing long enough to listen, but their chin still wibbled from tears they were desperately trying to hold in. But at least he had their attention, that was always the start.

"Even if you were to find one that was very different, that doesn't mean its wrong." The angeni kept a smile on his face, nudging the foal with his wing softly. "Ok, so its not a perfect metaphor, but you get the point." His voice taking on a more serious tone, he shifted his weight so he was more on the foal's level, talking to them face-to-face. "But listen to me, and listen well. I know the pain you're feeling... I can sense it as easily as bees can find flowers." A purple wing reached out and gently wiped some of the tears off the young foal's face. "It's what I'm here for, to help you."

The little foal sniffled, wiping their nose messily on their foreleg. "...why?" they managed to hiccup out.

"I was once much like you," he said, his expression growing more serious. "It was a long time ago now, so many seasons the land was quite different than it is now. I was different, too. So different, the others in my herd thought something was wrong with me."

He shifted his weight. How many times had he told this story? More than he could count, but never once did it not sadden him. "Our herd was full of fear. Life was hard for us, and being different was seen as being dangerous. I was so... angry at myself as a colt. I wanted to be normal like the rest of my family so much it hurt."

He sighed, letting his wings spread and stretch, then slowly some down to settle gently over the foal's shoulders. "The more I tried to change who I was, the more I hurt. And not just myself." He frowned, the regret falling over his features for a moment. "I hurt those around me. Not on purpose, mind you, but I was. Because I was lying to myself. And when you lie to yourself, you lie to everyone you're supposed to love, and that's just not fair for anyone."

The breeze picked up and filtered through Pulse's inky mane - causing little rainbow stains to dance across the meadow for a moment before dissipating. Even the crying foal seemed to forget for a moment, lost in the beauty of the sight and completely entranced by the Angeni's story.

"The details aren't important, but sometimes fear seems to win, occasionally," Pulse said, looking off into the distance. "I thought I was dying. Perhaps, I did," he looked back to the foal, making sure he wasn't scaring them. "But at the end, that's when it happened. I, somehow, saw through the veil. I saw through all the hate, all the shame, all the fear... it was clarity. Perfect clarity. And at that moment I fell in love."

The foal cocked their head, confused.

"I fell in love with myself," he clarified with a smug grin. "I realized, even as I was lying there, that I was the most at peace I ever felt when I finally just let all that self-doubt go and finally admit that I liked who I was."

He stood up now, looking down at the foal. "The spirits decided I was needed for a purpose. That's how I was born again. That's how I know when others need my help. That's why I came to you."

The foal averted their eyes, a few more tears falling. "What if I'm not as strong as you?"

"The two-leggers have a saying," he chuckled, "'No Man is an Island.' It means that no one can expect to be alone all the time. Little foal, you are young and I know you're hurting. I may have magics about me, but I cannot just make that hurt go away, as much as I want. But I am here to tell you something very important: you are beautiful and unique and you have absolutely no reason to hide who you really are inside. I can see You. The true You, and You're a vision," he whispered, his eyes dancing and burning into the foal's soul. A wing reached out and wiped away the tears on the soft fur of their face. "And you will never be alone. I am here as your ally, and your friend, and in time you will find many others who see what I do."

The little foal broke down in sobs again, but it was... different. They were sobs not just of pain, but hope, fear, and optimism. The wings of the angeni stroked their back encouragingly and the little foal rushed forward, burying their face in Pulse's shining fur.

Pulse wrapped all four wings about the baby and held them close. It could have been minutes or hours, he wasn't sure. It didn't matter: nothing else mattered at this moment but letting the foal feed off his strength.

Finally, the foal pulled away, having composed themselves. "Th...thank you" they said quietly, as Pulse tucked a bright rainbow feather behind their ear.

"Finding yourself is a journey. You have to be prepared, but know that you will always find others who are willing to help. Don't ever give up, and I promise..."

Pulse looked up at the sky, a rainbow glimmering overhead.

"It gets better."

Please remove me from the raffle list I have won elsewhere. Thank you!

Username: Strawberri Stardust
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Name: Nayeli (a Native American name meaning "I love you")
Temper: Encouraging
Domain: Freedom to Love
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His story:

Nayeli had always been different. He had never understood why.

The mare he considered his mother told him she had found him just outside the herd territory, a basket alone and nearly covered in snow. She said if it hadn't been for the vibrant colors on the outside, she might have overlooked him completely. His mother, as well as the rest of their herd, was a wind, and Nayeli was...different. As a foal, he hadn't understood why he had two pair of wings when everyone else had only one pair, and a horn when no one else had any. His mother always shrugged and told him it was just how he'd been born, that she would always be his mother regardless of his extras.

But not everyone in their secluded herd was as understanding and accepting as his mother. There were Soquili who sneered when he came near them, ones who made jokes at his expense and called him names. He did his best to ignore them, but some days it was all he could do to leave his bed. On those days, it was his always his mother that encouraged him to get up and face the world. She would always remind him that life was what he made it, and he shouldn't allow others to define him.

It was this advice that led Nayeli to his first love. He was gathering food along the edge of the territory when he heard a noise. Following his ears, Nayeli found a young unicorn stallion hurt and hobbling in the direction of his herd. Always the kind and helpful sort, Nayeli assisted the stallion into the herd and helped their healer nurse him back to health. As the stallion healed, Nayeli asked him question after queestion, curious about the world outside of his herd and Soquili who bore horns on their heads like his own. It was during this time that Nayeli and the stallion fell in love.

He didn't see the looks they received when they became affectionate. He didn't hear the ugly words they were called. He didn't know that this love was any different from any other kind of love. It wasn't until they were approached and faced with several Soquili who disapproved of them. They were angry, and they had worked themselves into a frenzy. They threw insults at the pair and kicked rocks at them, some even went so far as to lunge close to n** and bite at them. And that had just been the beginning.

The attack was bad, and the pair were wounded physically and emotionally. Nayeli's stallion could not withstand such a reaction and in a fit of nightmare induced fear, he fled the herd in the middle of the night while the angenicorn slept. When he woke, Nayeli was devastated. His mother comforted him as best she could, and assured him she did not share the same views as some of their other herdmates. When he was once again calm, his mother urged him to leave the herd. She feared for him, and knew that their herd was not a place for him to stay.

"Go," she said. "Go and be yourself. Find love wherever you can, in whoever you can." She warned him that outside their herd, there would be many who feared anyone who was different, many who would have the same reaction he had already experienced: anger and fear. But she promised that there were also those who would love him for who he was and who would not be afraid to show it. She told him she would always be one of those that loved him, and that though she would be sad to see him go she wanted him to have a better life than he would have if he were to stay with her.

And so he left. The world outside their territory seemed large and frightening but the brightly colored stallion took a deep breath and began to speak to no one in particular. "I am lost...and I am afraid. And yet I am happy. This is what I am supposed to be doing. This is what I want to do. I will help and guide those who are like me, and encourage those who are afraid. I will teach that love is not wrong, not in any of its forms. Love is love."

Nayeli was different, but now he knew why.

I no longer qualify for the free Soq-dino, as I have won one in another event.

Not sure if I still qualify for the other one.

Username: [Mistress Morbid]
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Name: Mon Cherie
Temper: Loving
Domain: Memories
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His story:

Cherie is always loving, no matter what. Each person he meets holds a special place in his heart. He will always remember them, whether or not he sees them occasionally or they are not with him anymore. Each Soq is precious and he will remember everyone, so that they know they are loved. From the smallest Usida, to the largest Soquili.



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Im bad at this, clearly

Username: Tygress Dream
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Name: Tabbris Ariel (angels of self determination and protection)
Temper: Empathic
Domain: Acceptance
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His story:

Tabbris had wandered alone for so long with only memories as companions. There were memories of happy times of a family that loved him and had such high expectations for all the good he could bring the world. He was an angeni of great beauty and potential, but he was also different. He felt everything a bit stronger than others, and eventually became overwhelmed by emotions both his own and others. And so he ran away and chose to walk alone...
He'd expected this to be his lot in life afraid to face the family and friends that had such high hopes for his potential. Then one day he came across a foal, tiny and alone her features a mix of various Soquili breeds. He could sense her pain so much like his own. She'd been abandoned because her features favored a part of her lineage her family had wanted to forget.

"You poor child, don't cry," he found himself saying as he approached her. "There is great beauty within you just waiting to bloom."
She looked up at him, her eyes wide at his gleaming beauty. "Beauty in me? My family... I have... I have nothing. I don't know where to go. Everyone I've ever met before has pushed me away. "
"Yes, in you. I've been wandering alone for a long time now. Would you like to come with me for a time? I'm sure together we can find you a place where you can find acceptance so you can grow to your full potential." As he spoke those words to this lonely foal, it was as if the world opened up to Tabbris anew. He still felt lost and scared especially with taking on the responsibility of this foal's life, but it was right and a bright path laid before them both as he opened his heart to accept the foal in her differences he also learned to accept himself and his place in the world.

How I feel? I feel lost … and scared … and happy.
Why am I so sure I’d rather be this than everything I was supposed to be?
And that I’d rather do this than everything I was supposed to do?