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Description
She could feel Aether's body break before she was even fully aware of her own. Her Lord and her light, consumed by stars and reformed anew. And as Aether reshaped his body, he also shaped hers.
  Heavy hooves thudded as she landed on the crystalline cave floor.
  "You were made, my daughter, to fight a great evil in this realm,"
  Her ears pricked forward; Aether's voice was both booming like a thunderstorm and soft and wispy like a summer breeze. She felt it in her new bones, and in her soul.
  "You must go forth and find Hannibal's champion. Stop him before he can cause any harm to my children."
  She tilted her head and the horns floating free tilted with it.
  "I have gifted you with armor and strength forged from my own flesh. Now, go!"
  And so she went.
  Her mane and tail trailed behind her as she burst forth from the cave, matching the dawn. In her heart she could feel Aether and his love for this world and his ballators living in it. She could also feel Hannibal's darkness, thick like like oil and spreading.
  She thundered down the mountain side, her hooves clinking like chimes where they struck the rocks beneath her feet. She was new and the sensation of the wind in her manes was rapturous. She hoped her Lord would let her stay in this realm when she was done with this task. She hoped she got to know it better.
  The rocky mountain land turned into sparse scrubby trees and then massive forests. It was as she was dodging trees that she came upon the first living thing she had seen since Aether.
  "Stay back!"
  She slowed, her hooves skidding in the soil, and scanned the tree line.
  The mountain mare before her was battle scarred and, clearly, exhausted. Her white mane was tangled and filthy and her horns stained with blood.
  "Who are you?" the mare called.
  Aether's champion flicked her ears; this mare had moxie.
  "I mean you no harm, sister," her voice, new to her own ears, was light and airy like bird song.
  The mare in front of her lifted her head higher, eyebrows raised.
  "I am looking for--"
  "Hannibal's troubadour, I assume."
  "Troubadour?" she let the word roll around in her mouth.
  "It's what we call... well, ballators like you. You have no sire, no dam."
  "Aether is my sire," she answered quickly, "I suppose his love for you, for this realm, is my 'dam.'"
  "Uh huh," she mare lowered her guard and trotted forward, "My parents aren't as abstract, troubadour."
  The troubadour looked past the mountain mare, growing antsy. The forest, calm before, suddenly seemed darker.
  "Do you have a name?"
  She turned her attention, briefly, back to the other mare.
  "What?"
  "I'm Arcana Imperii-- Most just call me Rii Rii though."
  "You just called me 'troubadour.' I suppose that's my name."
  Rii Rii gave a snort of laughter, "That's not a name! That's--"
  Hannibal's troubadour burst from the treeline and Aether's champion met him with well aimed horns.
  He screamed his fury as he reared, and his breath smelled like fire. She launched a horn at his exposed underbelly, but he was just as fast as she was, landing and turning so her horn struck cold metal.
  The stallion darted past her towards the mountain mare, who'd lowered her horns in anticipation, though her body shook.
  "No you don't," Aether's champion body slammed the stallion, trapping him between a tree and her own bulk.
  "Run!" she snapped at Rii Rii as the stallion attempted to throw her off.
  She could hear the mare's hooves fade away after a moment's hesitation. She slammed against the stallion again, knocking the wind from him.
  She stepped back as he toppled to the ground, gasping for breath. She was dimly aware that the metal fused to his body had been so cold that it had burned her like a flame. He grinned at her, a feral grin, as she reared with a scream, her hooves aimed for his skull.
  And the world went dark.

***

  She rose again with the dawn, her muscles aching.
  "You're awake!"
  Rii Rii's face swam into view. With a groan, the mare shook herself and hoisted herself up to her hooves.
  "Where is Hannibal's monster?"
  "Gone."
  They walked together, slowly, as she got her bearings. Rii Rii told her how Hannibal himself had appeared to claim his champion, leaving only ghouls behind to take care of Aether's troubadour.
  "But here I am," the mare said with a small smile, "I assume I should thank you for that."
  Rii Rii smiled brightly, "I wasn't alone, troubadour, but I agreed to stay with you. The rest went on to join the battle."
  The mare's smile fell.
  "Battle?"
  Rii Rii nodded towards a dark patch of sky in the distance.
  "Hannibal calls his legion to him and Aether's warriors march to take them on."
  The two mare's watched the dark clouds swarm in the distance.
  "I must go then," the mare said after a moment.
  "Of course," Rii Rii agreed, "I plan on going myself."
  The mare shook her head, "You sure like trouble."
  Rii Rii shouldered the bigger mare and started forward, leaving her to follow.
  "I like my family, and I like this world. I'll fight ghouls, witches, monsters, and Hannibal himself to keep them safe."
  "Very admirable."
  Rii Rii beamed at her and they continued on in a companionable silence.
  They traveled for days, plains giving way to charred and dying land. They crossed the paths of stragglers from both legion and warrior bands and each time Rii Rii gave the strangers a new name for the troubadour, determined to find one that fit.
  "I'm fine with just being 'troubadour,' really." she told the mountain mare as the joined two legion stallions on their way to the battlefield.
  "What kind of name is that?" asked the buckskin desert stallion. There was nothing malicious in his voice, though his companion hissed at him as though it was an insult.
  "Twilight?" offered Rii Rii.
  "No," the desert stallion pulled a face.
  "Your name is RAINBOW Spite," snapped the other stallion, "Who are you to judge anyone's name?"
  "How about...." Rii Rii glanced back at the troubadour, "Starlight....?"
  "What is it with you and light?"
  Rii Rii giggled as the stallions bickered. Aether's mare moved on silently, her mind already miles away on a battlefield."
  "Dawn," suggested Rainbow Spite, "because her mane is like the... dawn."
  The other stallion rolled his eyes and Spite snorted "What do you think then, Barba?"
  "I think it's none of our business what she's called."
  Rii Rii tutted, "Come on, it must be strange just to be called 'troubadour' all the time."
  "It's not," the mare answered, though the three ignored her.
  "Dawn is the right track, I think."
  The little band settled down for the night, though Aether's champion wanted to keep going. The stallions slept curled around each other and Rii Rii dozed close by for warmth. The mare didn't need to sleep like they did, so she kept watch.
  They continued this routine until they reached the battle grounds. The war was already raging, the legion driving back the warriors with sheer might.
  They crested the hills the the warriors closest to them rallied. She could feel their renewed strength in her heart and Aether's champion screamed her challenge. The warriors followed suit, drawing hope from her.
  She charged, and the warriors charged with her. Rii Rii was with her in the vanguard, and the wind ripped her cries far from the mare's ears, but whatever it was, the warriors behind her took it up. She could feel a swell in the air and light burst from behind them as Aether started his descent, the fiery form of Ares with him.
  "Ad Aurora!" Rii Rii was still beside the mare, her voice cutting above the screams of fighting ballators. Aether's champion didn't know her friend could bellow, but she was grateful for it.
  She dodged the ballators before her, leaving them to the warriors in her wake as she sought out Hannibal's monster. One quick glance showed Rii Rii still close behind, a few warriors trailing with them. She cried out and they answered her with Rii Rii's call of "Ad Aurora!"
  She could feel Hannibal's troubadour before she saw him; a blot of darkness and hate in the distance. He screamed for her and her band answered back.
  "Help the others," the mare called to Rii Rii. The mountain mare shook her head, "We fight for you, Aurora!" she called over the din, "Hannibal's troops are falling!"
  "They hold no loyalty to one another," said Barba from behind the mare, "We're stronger together."
  "Aurora," the mare breathed.
  "Pretty much the same thing as Dawn," called Spite as he charged past her, Barba hot on his heels. Rii Rii laughed and followed.
  Aurora grinned to herself, as she and the rest of her band sprang into action once more. Hannibal's army never really stood a chance.

Stats:
Fullbody +3
Shading +1
Simple Background +2
1520 Words +7
Extra Characters (Lit) +2 (I only counted Rii Rii, IDK if Spite and Barba count...)
Total: 15 Stats

Scribbles, Word Vomit, 2307 | Arcana Imperii & 4800 | Rainbow Spite (c) Fade--Touched (Me!)
5030 | Barba (c) Winzer
All of these cuties are from a closed breed called EquusBallator

Description
She could feel Aether's body break before she was even fully aware of her own. Her Lord and her light, consumed by stars and reformed anew. And as Aether reshaped his body, he also shaped hers.
  Heavy hooves thudded as she landed on the crystalline cave floor.
  "You were made, my daughter, to fight a great evil in this realm,"
  Her ears pricked forward; Aether's voice was both booming like a thunderstorm and soft and wispy like a summer breeze. She felt it in her new bones, and in her soul.
  "You must go forth and find Hannibal's champion. Stop him before he can cause any harm to my children."
  She tilted her head and the horns floating free tilted with it.
  "I have gifted you with armor and strength forged from my own flesh. Now, go!"
  And so she went.
  Her mane and tail trailed behind her as she burst forth from the cave, matching the dawn. In her heart she could feel Aether and his love for this world and his ballators living in it. She could also feel Hannibal's darkness, thick like like oil and spreading.
  She thundered down the mountain side, her hooves clinking like chimes where they struck the rocks beneath her feet. She was new and the sensation of the wind in her manes was rapturous. She hoped her Lord would let her stay in this realm when she was done with this task. She hoped she got to know it better.
  The rocky mountain land turned into sparse scrubby trees and then massive forests. It was as she was dodging trees that she came upon the first living thing she had seen since Aether.
  "Stay back!"
  She slowed, her hooves skidding in the soil, and scanned the tree line.
  The mountain mare before her was battle scarred and, clearly, exhausted. Her white mane was tangled and filthy and her horns stained with blood.
  "Who are you?" the mare called.
  Aether's champion flicked her ears; this mare had moxie.
  "I mean you no harm, sister," her voice, new to her own ears, was light and airy like bird song.
  The mare in front of her lifted her head higher, eyebrows raised.
  "I am looking for--"
  "Hannibal's troubadour, I assume."
  "Troubadour?" she let the word roll around in her mouth.
  "It's what we call... well, ballators like you. You have no sire, no dam."
  "Aether is my sire," she answered quickly, "I suppose his love for you, for this realm, is my 'dam.'"
  "Uh huh," she mare lowered her guard and trotted forward, "My parents aren't as abstract, troubadour."
  The troubadour looked past the mountain mare, growing antsy. The forest, calm before, suddenly seemed darker.
  "Do you have a name?"
  She turned her attention, briefly, back to the other mare.
  "What?"
  "I'm Arcana Imperii-- Most just call me Rii Rii though."
  "You just called me 'troubadour.' I suppose that's my name."
  Rii Rii gave a snort of laughter, "That's not a name! That's--"
  Hannibal's troubadour burst from the treeline and Aether's champion met him with well aimed horns.
  He screamed his fury as he reared, and his breath smelled like fire. She launched a horn at his exposed underbelly, but he was just as fast as she was, landing and turning so her horn struck cold metal.
  The stallion darted past her towards the mountain mare, who'd lowered her horns in anticipation, though her body shook.
  "No you don't," Aether's champion body slammed the stallion, trapping him between a tree and her own bulk.
  "Run!" she snapped at Rii Rii as the stallion attempted to throw her off.
  She could hear the mare's hooves fade away after a moment's hesitation. She slammed against the stallion again, knocking the wind from him.
  She stepped back as he toppled to the ground, gasping for breath. She was dimly aware that the metal fused to his body had been so cold that it had burned her like a flame. He grinned at her, a feral grin, as she reared with a scream, her hooves aimed for his skull.
  And the world went dark.

***

  She rose again with the dawn, her muscles aching.
  "You're awake!"
  Rii Rii's face swam into view. With a groan, the mare shook herself and hoisted herself up to her hooves.
  "Where is Hannibal's monster?"
  "Gone."
  They walked together, slowly, as she got her bearings. Rii Rii told her how Hannibal himself had appeared to claim his champion, leaving only ghouls behind to take care of Aether's troubadour.
  "But here I am," the mare said with a small smile, "I assume I should thank you for that."
  Rii Rii smiled brightly, "I wasn't alone, troubadour, but I agreed to stay with you. The rest went on to join the battle."
  The mare's smile fell.
  "Battle?"
  Rii Rii nodded towards a dark patch of sky in the distance.
  "Hannibal calls his legion to him and Aether's warriors march to take them on."
  The two mare's watched the dark clouds swarm in the distance.
  "I must go then," the mare said after a moment.
  "Of course," Rii Rii agreed, "I plan on going myself."
  The mare shook her head, "You sure like trouble."
  Rii Rii shouldered the bigger mare and started forward, leaving her to follow.
  "I like my family, and I like this world. I'll fight ghouls, witches, monsters, and Hannibal himself to keep them safe."
  "Very admirable."
  Rii Rii beamed at her and they continued on in a companionable silence.
  They traveled for days, plains giving way to charred and dying land. They crossed the paths of stragglers from both legion and warrior bands and each time Rii Rii gave the strangers a new name for the troubadour, determined to find one that fit.
  "I'm fine with just being 'troubadour,' really." she told the mountain mare as the joined two legion stallions on their way to the battlefield.
  "What kind of name is that?" asked the buckskin desert stallion. There was nothing malicious in his voice, though his companion hissed at him as though it was an insult.
  "Twilight?" offered Rii Rii.
  "No," the desert stallion pulled a face.
  "Your name is RAINBOW Spite," snapped the other stallion, "Who are you to judge anyone's name?"
  "How about...." Rii Rii glanced back at the troubadour, "Starlight....?"
  "What is it with you and light?"
  Rii Rii giggled as the stallions bickered. Aether's mare moved on silently, her mind already miles away on a battlefield."
  "Dawn," suggested Rainbow Spite, "because her mane is like the... dawn."
  The other stallion rolled his eyes and Spite snorted "What do you think then, Barba?"
  "I think it's none of our business what she's called."
  Rii Rii tutted, "Come on, it must be strange just to be called 'troubadour' all the time."
  "It's not," the mare answered, though the three ignored her.
  "Dawn is the right track, I think."
  The little band settled down for the night, though Aether's champion wanted to keep going. The stallions slept curled around each other and Rii Rii dozed close by for warmth. The mare didn't need to sleep like they did, so she kept watch.
  They continued this routine until they reached the battle grounds. The war was already raging, the legion driving back the warriors with sheer might.
  They crested the hills the the warriors closest to them rallied. She could feel their renewed strength in her heart and Aether's champion screamed her challenge. The warriors followed suit, drawing hope from her.
  She charged, and the warriors charged with her. Rii Rii was with her in the vanguard, and the wind ripped her cries far from the mare's ears, but whatever it was, the warriors behind her took it up. She could feel a swell in the air and light burst from behind them as Aether started his descent, the fiery form of Ares with him.
  "Ad Aurora!" Rii Rii was still beside the mare, her voice cutting above the screams of fighting ballators. Aether's champion didn't know her friend could bellow, but she was grateful for it.
  She dodged the ballators before her, leaving them to the warriors in her wake as she sought out Hannibal's monster. One quick glance showed Rii Rii still close behind, a few warriors trailing with them. She cried out and they answered her with Rii Rii's call of "Ad Aurora!"
  She could feel Hannibal's troubadour before she saw him; a blot of darkness and hate in the distance. He screamed for her and her band answered back.
  "Help the others," the mare called to Rii Rii. The mountain mare shook her head, "We fight for you, Aurora!" she called over the din, "Hannibal's troops are falling!"
  "They hold no loyalty to one another," said Barba from behind the mare, "We're stronger together."
  "Aurora," the mare breathed.
  "Pretty much the same thing as Dawn," called Spite as he charged past her, Barba hot on his heels. Rii Rii laughed and followed.
  Aurora grinned to herself, as she and the rest of her band sprang into action once more. Hannibal's army never really stood a chance.

Stats:
Fullbody +3
Shading +1
Simple Background +2
1520 Words +7
Extra Characters (Lit) +2 (I only counted Rii Rii, IDK if Spite and Barba count...)
Total: 15 Stats

Scribbles, Word Vomit, 2307 | Arcana Imperii & 4800 | Rainbow Spite (c) Fade--Touched (Me!)
5030 | Barba (c) Winzer
All of these cuties are from a closed breed called EquusBallator