Monthly Quests 2020

They had just left the altars of the lords, the pink and blue steppe mare timidly walking beside a chestnut forest stallion who's hooves echoed heavily across the floor of the temple. "Don't worry, you don't have to make a decision if you don't want to," he was saying to her in a voice so soft but the echo of the temple made it seem as if they spoke in hushed tones. The creamy mare looked up at the stallion, her very large ears drooping off to the sides, "But what if I never decide, surely the lords will be disappointed," The stallion chuckled, a sound that rolled across the stone with a warmth like that of an amused father speaking with their child. "No, they will not be disappointed. I assure you," They stopped in the doorway that lead to the entrance of the cavernous room that held the statues of the three lords; the braziers cast a warm orange glow on everything, radiating a heat that made the temple feel welcoming but also scarily imposing. The creamy mare thought about that for a few minutes before turning her pink and blue eyes on the stallion "But... you have to choose eventually don't you?" The mare asked as they stopped in front of one of them. The warm glow of the fire bathed them both in the amber glow, which made the stallion's chestnut coat much redder than it should have been, "No, I don't think so. Unless you feel the call you shouldn't pledge. Some never hear the call and that's perfectly ok too," She sighed out loud and looked around, the cavernous walls of the temple were draped in an ivy so green and leafy it looked so tasty. "Are you sure you and Regale aren't brothers? You seem a bit too wise for your age," She said teasingly to the stallion as she eyed him suspiciously. The chestnut clownfish stallion rolled his green eyes and shook his head, his horns making soft woosh noises as they swayed through the air with the motion as he ushered the mare back down the tunnel that lead to the entrance to the temple. "Not a chance, I think I would look much much different if we were" he said, though his attention was grabbed by the echo of hooves which made him trail off of what he was about to say. He stopped and so did the mare as they listened. The sound of hooves was getting louder, accompanied by voices. The Stallion stood there with his ears perked forward, the mare doing the same and occasionally swiveling her much larger ears as she listened to the voices. They floated down the corridor and the stallion stood there trying to decipher who it was. Suddenly, he was pushing the mare behind a large statue of Aether despite her protests. "What are you-" the mare hissed but he shushed her before looking out from around the statue, "Someone is coming," The mare scoffed and looked at him with one ear drooped back. "What are you afraid of other pledges?" The stallion looked at her, shushing the mare who now looked at him sheepishly. "These don't sound like pledges, stay quiet and don't move," The mare laid her ears back and looked at him with a furrowed brow for a second before she nodded her head slightly and the two of them just stood there quietly for a minute, just listening. The two of them waited until the voices where growing louder and louder, echoing off the stone walls and floor all sounding strangely familiar but with the distance the voices sounded warped. Raziel noticed the fires in the braziers was acting rather strange, they would dim low then flicker back up brightly to life as if they were reacting to something. That didn't bode well for them if it was indeed who he thought it was coming down the tunnel. He gulped and looked at the mare "Those aren't pledges," he said softly. The two of them moved to peek out from the other side of the  statue and caught sight of Aether coming down the long corridor. The mare gasped softly and he shushed her, the two of them talked softly to each other as both Ares and Regale also came from the tunnel leading to the mouth of the cave. The mare let out a soft hmm as they whispered between each other trying to figure out how to leave without being noticed by the trio They didn't hear what was being said as they whispered to themselves until the mare shushed him and motioned her muzzle towards them.

“Failure is not an option! I’ll bring forth my Hunters to guard The Crypts and ensure Hannibal does not intervene!” Ares all but shouted to her husband, Aether who stood there looking tiredly placid back at his wife. "That may draw too much attention to them my love," Aether said gently trying to diffuse her anger over whatever their situation seemed to be, but that only made her angrier at his placidity towrds it, the fires exploding from their braziers nd sending sprks in ll directions in reaction to the fiery temper of the Lordess “Attention is already there, Aether!” Ares snaps in reply, “The Red Star hangs over Them like a beacon now!” The stallion could see Regale trying to interject, but not speak over the lords as they spoke. He moved and as he did his powder blue eyes bored into the stallions. Regale set his brow as he kept eyes locked with the stallion's as he kept trying to get a word in between the bickering gods. Hope was almost lost until the ancient overo stallion cleared his throat loudly  and flickered his eyes between the two Lords "Perhaps this conversation would be best held somewhere.. more private, my lords. The walls have ears even in this place," He said to which Aether regarded him with a tired sigh. "Of course," Aether said as he turned and headed towards the cavern where their respective totems were held, "You are right as always my faithful friend. Come my love, let us speak of this elsewhere," Regale ushered the lords way which gave the mare and stallion a chance to leave the temple without being seen by them. "The crypts?" the mare said as she looked between the forest stallion and the temple tunnel that the lords had disappeared down. He shrugged and ushered the mare onwards. "How about we see if we can follow the Hunters there and see what's going on," The mare blanched at this "Wh-what? But why?!" The forest stallion looked down at her "Whatever is going on has to do with that star," he said as they came to the mouth of the cave, the red star pulsing menacingly in the sky. "We should try and help the lords figure it out and stop whatever is causing it if we can," the mare looked at him in disbelief "The Hunters would never believe we're also followers of Ares, surely they know their own members," The chestnut forest stallion shook his head "That's like saying I know every patron of Aether, that is impossible," The cream sunset mare sighed and shrugged her shoulders "I suppose you are correct... lead the way I guess, but if we get caught this is on you," The forest stallion laughed and nodded "That's fine with me... let's get going, I think we'll have a long journey," They moved onward until they were able to pick up a trail of a band of ballators that was headed in the direction of the star, that must be the Hunters Ares had been talking about, strange that they had moved out already. The chestnut forest stallion looked down at the creamy pink and blue steppe mare, "Looks like we're in luck, if we hurry we can catch up with them," The mare sighed again, though he did notice the shake in it, she was scared. He felt bad for dragging the timid mare along in his plan but he couldn't do it alone. " Well.. Aether did ask of me to find the source of the star... so I suppose this is also part of my task," she said which surprised him, "That's very brave, perhaps we'll make a warrior out of you yet," he said and bumped her shoulder with his encouragingly. She laughed softly and looked over at him with hooded eyes "Oh no, I thought I might go and join the legion after I learn all Aether's secrets," She was clearly joking and he laughed aloud even at the thought of such absurdity. "Oh yes, of course, I lok forward to seeing you among the Legionairs when we kick their butts again," he said that with a wink. They both laughed at that and he could tell she was a little less tense about their situation, and so they set out as quickly as they could to catch up with the Hunters.