01-17-2026, 10:39 AM
look how they shine for you
look at the stars
The mare in front of her continued to change, something happening so quickly but so slowly - like a frog in a pot of water on a stove slowly heating - that Starbry wasn't able to pick up on the changes as they happened.
A voice hissed through her mind, startling and unlike the conversations that they had been having. There was a shift and sudden change in the atmosphere around them, a heaviness and a chill that made her take a step back again as her new friend's sharp spoken words sliced at her tender heart. Of course it's real. The words scraped against the sides of her mind and she felt suddenly very ill and unsteady. "I..I think something bad is happening." She choked out. As the flesh began to rot and fall away from her friend, the odd heat signals began to make sense. If she had eyes they would be filling with tears, her heart would have been thundering, but instead she felt nothing but crushing fear and suffocating cold while her typically happy world crumbled around her.
She stumbled a bit and took another uneasy step backwards when an eye fell from the grulla's face and shuddered on the earth. Bones clicked mixing with the soft noise of the gurgling river as she stopped at its edge again. Topsail's memories again flashed through her mind as she states she is the queen, Starbry would fit in with all of the monsters in her kingdom. Starbry shook her head in confusion. She had said she was a former queen? Starbry wasn't a monster, she'd never been a monster. She had heard the stories and had the nightmares but had always lived a quiet and peaceful life, even since leaving her mother's side to explore the world on her own.
But here she was, very clearly a monster. In the presence of another monster. She can't say Topsail hadn't warned her.
"You know I'm not a monster, Topsail." She had always been the furthest thing from a monster. A quiet daydreamer, tender hearted and soft spoken. "Something is wrong, this isn't us." The words rushed out, a little more confidently now. The grulla, despite her past she'd shown Starbry, had been so warm to her. Even if it wasn't her natural disposition, it had felt so real to the bay and blue mare. Had she just been waiting for the night to fall to let her true colors show? No. No, she had said that beqanna fell and took her kingdom and the monster she was with it. "You said beqanna fell and took your monster-hood with you. You said you used to rule the Valley." She fought hard to resist the urge to turn and run, run until the sun broke the horizon again. She had always loved the night so much and here she was, terrified under the blanket of stars she always found comfort in.
"I'm Starbry, you know I'm Starbry." She took a step forwards, forcing herself to face her fears as the mare seemed to physically and mentally rot away. "You showed me your memories of eight and the wolves and your children." She stopped herself, the moonlight shining off of her bones as she faced the formed queen who was seemingly going mad. Starbry wasn't sure what exactly she was going to do, but she didn't think running was going to save her.
A voice hissed through her mind, startling and unlike the conversations that they had been having. There was a shift and sudden change in the atmosphere around them, a heaviness and a chill that made her take a step back again as her new friend's sharp spoken words sliced at her tender heart. Of course it's real. The words scraped against the sides of her mind and she felt suddenly very ill and unsteady. "I..I think something bad is happening." She choked out. As the flesh began to rot and fall away from her friend, the odd heat signals began to make sense. If she had eyes they would be filling with tears, her heart would have been thundering, but instead she felt nothing but crushing fear and suffocating cold while her typically happy world crumbled around her.
She stumbled a bit and took another uneasy step backwards when an eye fell from the grulla's face and shuddered on the earth. Bones clicked mixing with the soft noise of the gurgling river as she stopped at its edge again. Topsail's memories again flashed through her mind as she states she is the queen, Starbry would fit in with all of the monsters in her kingdom. Starbry shook her head in confusion. She had said she was a former queen? Starbry wasn't a monster, she'd never been a monster. She had heard the stories and had the nightmares but had always lived a quiet and peaceful life, even since leaving her mother's side to explore the world on her own.
But here she was, very clearly a monster. In the presence of another monster. She can't say Topsail hadn't warned her.
"You know I'm not a monster, Topsail." She had always been the furthest thing from a monster. A quiet daydreamer, tender hearted and soft spoken. "Something is wrong, this isn't us." The words rushed out, a little more confidently now. The grulla, despite her past she'd shown Starbry, had been so warm to her. Even if it wasn't her natural disposition, it had felt so real to the bay and blue mare. Had she just been waiting for the night to fall to let her true colors show? No. No, she had said that beqanna fell and took her kingdom and the monster she was with it. "You said beqanna fell and took your monster-hood with you. You said you used to rule the Valley." She fought hard to resist the urge to turn and run, run until the sun broke the horizon again. She had always loved the night so much and here she was, terrified under the blanket of stars she always found comfort in.
"I'm Starbry, you know I'm Starbry." She took a step forwards, forcing herself to face her fears as the mare seemed to physically and mentally rot away. "You showed me your memories of eight and the wolves and your children." She stopped herself, the moonlight shining off of her bones as she faced the formed queen who was seemingly going mad. Starbry wasn't sure what exactly she was going to do, but she didn't think running was going to save her.
starbry
@Topsail