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Shamanguli — Bipolar Nightmare
Published: 2017-09-22 16:08:55 +0000 UTC; Views: 7057; Favourites: 506; Downloads: 490
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What an amazing picture! You mentioned that you like to leave it to the viewer to interpret your images. Well...here's mine! Thank you for an incredible art piece.
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KKHHRRAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!!!
The unholy screams stabbed Twilight’s ears like daggers. Each cry was like a flaming whip, driving the young alicorn on in spite of her fatigue and pain. For falling into the wings of the Zlegoy was an unthinkable fate.
So Twilight flew on.
The wild pursuit took hunters and prey to a vast fiery plain. The earth was a tortured, lifeless mass of stone, pillars of smoke and embers rising out of great fissures and glowing pits. In the center of the plain, a blackened mountain towered thousands of feet into the air, rivers of fire coursing down its sheer slopes, its riven summit vomiting forth smoke and lava. The atmosphere reeked of sulfur; every breath was a burning torment of ash and dust. Twilight coughed, her throat and lungs violently protesting each diseased gulp of air. Her eyes watered, tears rolling down her cheeks and hardening against her face. Her wings ached with agony as they were forced to work harder than ever in their short life.
Still, the demonic Zlegoy, the relentless, sleepless hunters kept on; their eyes fixed on their quarry. They would have her soul. She would become one of them. They were certain of it. For while Twilight spent all the power and strength she had to evade her pursuers, they followed as calmly as if they were chasing a worm. For that was all Twilight was to them. They had taken down far mightier creatures in their shadowed past; what was a little alicorn but a divertissement? And yet, there was a hidden power in this one they just had to seize. And they would have it for their own!
Twilight was running out of options. She could not outfly the hunters, nor could she outmaneuver them in the air. She was far too flustered and tired to use magic…not that it would do any good against the Zlegoy, as she learned when she first encountered them a hundred miles away. Then she looked to the mountain looming before her. Three hundred feet below, on the slopes of the volcano, was a great shaft. A violet fume billowed out, carrying glowing embers with it like fireflies.
That was it! If Twilight couldn’t lose them in the air, then maybe she’d have a chance within the volcano. She didn’t have much of a choice. The Zlegoy were masters of the air…and surrender was not an option. This was her last chance.
So Twilight dove into the mountain.
Down, down, down into the chasm she flew. Weaving in between bridges of stone, the hunt continued. She looked back to see her hunters…still in pursuit, but keeping a wider berth between themselves and their quarry. With a hint of hope at a perceived weakness, Twilight flew farther and farther downward. But as wary as they were becoming, the Zlegoy would not relent. They would have her…at all costs!
At last, Twilight reached a vast river of boiling and heaving molten rock. The heat was unbearable, the marrow in her bones boiling at the extremity of it. The Zlegoy followed closely, keeping themselves above Twilight and away from the seething lava. But Twilight would not fly any higher. They reached a stalemate. The alicorn would not dare fly toward her hunters, and the hunters dared not fly any closer to the fiery river.
At last, one of the Zlegoy grew impatient and dove at Twilight. But she was ready. With a quick dodge, the hunter narrowly missed his prey and dove straight for the lava. He tried to turn around, but the heat was too much. Within seconds, the monster burst into flames, withering into nothing but ash with a demented shriek.
Twilight shielded her eyes from the gruesome sight and breathed a sigh of relief…but it was not over. She still had eight more to deal with, and unlike them she was growing more and more tired. The Zlegoy saw this and set upon a new plan. They decided to hover above her and wait. They had all the time and energy they needed. Now Twilight was in an impossible situation. The Zlegoy were above and the lava below…there was no way out. Her wings would eventually fail her. She would either fall to a fiery doom, or be met with an even worse one overhead.
Then an idea struck her. It was crazy. It was insane. It would result in certain death. But any idea at this point was a good one. Twilight closed her eyes and wept. There were so many things she hadn't done, so many lessons she still had to learn, so many regrets she wanted to resolve. But this had to be done. For all of Equestria...for her friends...for her family.
The Zlegoy slowly began to descend upon their helpless prey. They were within 100 feet when they saw a small blue light descend from Twilight's horn and fall to the lava below. Twilight then looked up at them and smiled...despairing yet triumphant. The Zlegoy's eyes widened with horror...they knew what she had done. They dived for her...they reached her...
But it was too late.
With a deafening roar, the lava exploded upward. The mountain convulsed in awakened rage. Fire and lightning burst forth from its crevices and summit. Like a burst dam, the sides of the volcano shattered, releasing waves of molten rock and avalanches of smoke. The mountain roared and the plain joined in its wrath. Great fountains of lava a thousand feet high shot into the air from every smoldering chasm. The earth gaped and reeled, shattering like ice. Spires of rock jut forth from the stone earth. The plain rocked and shifted in torment, becoming a broken plateau of jagged stone and gaping ravines.
At long last, the earth spent its rage and ceased its fomenting. The fires died down. The rivers stopped flowing. The mountain slept once more.
All was silent save for the wind.
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A hundred miles away, the serene coast glistened in the early evening. The air was rich with the stinging fragrance of salt and ocean. All that was to be heard were the waves washing the golden sands and the distant cries of the gull. The sun neared her rest above the horizon, as thin wisping clouds trailed the clear sky. The beach itself was clean and bright. Only the gentle surge of seafoam disturbed it.
Here an old sailor set anchor, a fresh batch of seaweed in his net. He set hoof on the warm sand, brushing the salt spray from his white beard and his tattered sea cloak. Fixing his hat, he fixed his eyes on his home, an old thatch and wood hut. It stood upon a tall rock overlooking the ocean, with stone steps carved from its summit to its base. He breathed a sigh of relief. Soon he would be in the warmth of his own living room in front of a roaring fire, his beloved wife by his side with a plate of produce fresh from the marketplace.
But he had not stepped ten paces before his keen eyes spied something curious. Something out of place. Letting his net go, he walked over to the curiosity. It was a great spherical stone about ten feet in diameter. It appeared to be made of hardened magma. The ground was troubled as if the stone had been thrown.
Taking his seaweed rod in hand, the sailor suspiciously prod the stone. Much to his surprise, the rock began to crack of its own accord. Slowly but surely, little cracks began to appear, crackling like ice trod upon. The sailor stepped back a couple of paces when suddenly...the rock shattered and split like a hatched egg, an amethyst glow visible for just a moment before dissipating.
What happened next was a moment the old stallion would never forget. In the middle of the stone shells lay a young pony. But it wasn't just any pony.
The sailor gasped and called for his wife.
It was Twilight...fast asleep, but alive.
Safe at last.
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Whoa, I've had people give lengthy descriptions of their view on the events of a piece of mine before, but this is truly next level. To my knowledge nobody has ever been inspired enough by my work to write an entire short story like this. Thank you, thank you for sharing!
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I am honored to hear your feedback! You're most welcome, and thank you for creating such awe-inspiring works of art.
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Incredible piece, one of your best! Which is certainly saying something!
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Awesome! Makes me think there's reversed gravity over a pool of lava while trying to fly away from pursuers.
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Yes, Sham is back! Love the dynamics in this one. Was it inspired by some specific story, or is Twi flying away from some random generic evil guys?
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Ahh, thanks! There's really no background story tied to this - I prefer to leave it for each viewer to decide for themselves.
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I've had your last piece as my laptop background image for not even a week and then you come out with this. I can't choose which one I like more rip.
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You know you can set a rotation - have the OS change the wallpaper automatically, say, every 5 minutes.
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Really? I'll have to try it out, thank you!
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There's a terrific action feeling and great emotion on Princess Twilight's whole being as her enemies close in, and then the fire and lava crank up the intensity and trepidation. Gorgeous work contrasting the two opposed lighting sources, especially with how it plays off the alicorn to really highlight her yet the misty coolness keeps her pursuers obscured, making them a bit more scary. Nicely done.
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Speechless with the beaut that you always deliver in an array of colors that are bound to please your artistic needs. <3
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I think her teeth should show a little at that angle, it'd make her mouth look a lot less awkward.
But aside from that, holy damn, with the music, this piece is nothing short of breathtaking!
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Is it just me or that wall a little above the center looks like someone's face with an open mouth? Might be just me.
Great work anyway!
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My 10.000 Favorite! Congraz!
So why I faved this work? First of all I like contrasts, like warm and cold! This stunning scene of twilight in the foreground and the wide open space is really stunning. Looks like a chase and with the title it could take place in Twilights mind. The shadow creatures doesn't look like ponies to me. But what makes the picture really alive is the song!
Holy moly! I really feel the velocity of the chase down in this hole. It makes the scene really intense. Yeah this work has some really interesting and epic story in it.
Besides I know your art and mostly they are very calm and relaxing. But this is hectic and fast, what makes it really unique! Well done! In my opinion the best work from you!
Like you, I make artworks with music or inspired by songs. I think we can both agree this makes pictures really alive!
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