From the Ashes

It seemed no time had passed before Morana was buried in Candentia life. Classes on magic, chatting with Minuet, playing with shields with Resplendence, and in general, strengthening her body and mind. The days seemed to pass as a blur, but one thing seemed to stick out - Sonnet.

He was constantly avoiding her, ditching the lessons in which he was supposed to help her with her Telekinesis, and seeming to go missing any time she asked around for him. Resplendence said that was just normal Sonnet behavior, and Minuet had muttered something about Baroque.

Mor had to hide her smile any time that Sonnet ran from her, and acted properly distressed about the situation.

It was one such day, the kind where Mor woke up with a smirk already gracing her features, that sent her early from her chambers to find Sonnet. But what she came across was much more interesting to her.

Voices drew her closer, and she recognized that of the deity-made Radiance, and more importantly, Sonnet. It clicked with Mor suddenly. It was the Solstice already!

She peeked around the door to see Radiance and Sonnet, framed by a portal. She watched as Radiance shoved Sonnet through the portal into a strange looking land, and crept closer as Radiance headed through the portal herself.

Morana must have made a noise, because part of the way through Radiance glanced back at her and winked.

The portal stayed open, and there really wasn’t much of a decision to make. Mor leapt forward, running for it. She recklessly threw herself through, coming through and landing in a jungle made of fire.

Mor spotted Sonnet and Radiance, and quickly ducked behind a small section of flaming flowers. She wasn’t quite certain if that wink had been an invitation from Radiance, so she didn’t quite want to push the matter.

Eavesdropping came easy to her, and her eyes widened as Anevay appeared before them. Mor shrank down more; she wasn’t quite certain she wanted to meet a deity just yet. But she couldn’t deny the aura of power radiating from Anevay. Radiance was powerful, a very broad spectrum. But Anevay destroyed the logic of power that Mor had associated with Quirlicorns. She wasn’t just a user of the desert magic; she was the desert magic.

Mor scooted back a bit, accidentally bumping a pink flower and gaping as it launched a fireball in Sonnet’s direction.

Studying the flower, Mor reached out to Minuet with her Telepathy.

‘Do you know anything about flaming flowers?’ she asked, and felt a feeling of surprise returned from Minuet.

‘Mor, where are you?’ Minuet replied, and Mor sent back a mental equivalent of a shrug.

‘Wherever the Solstice is?’ Mor replied a bit sheepishly.

A mixture of surprise and slight alarm came from Minuet before a sense of resignation.

‘Do I want to ask how you got across the continent to Phaedra, or should I just assume it's better I don’t know?’

Mor considered the question. She now had a name for the place, and she remembered it from some of her lessons. But more importantly….

‘It was Grandmother, wasn’t it?’ The question came through from Minuet before Mor could formulate a good response.

‘Well…. Kind of. She winked as she went through the portal and left it open?’ Mor replied with a hint of humor in her mental tone.

A sigh came through. ‘Just… be careful. And if you see anything interesting let me know.’ Minuet replied, and Mor sent her back a mental agreement.

In the time she had been paying more attention to the mental conversation, Sonnet, Anevay and Radiance had disappeared. Cursing her luck, Mor came out of her hiding spot and shook the smouldering debris off her coat.

Now what? Looking around at the strangely beautiful hellscape, Mor was a bit mystified. This was the power of a deity, to change the very reality around them? Morana knew two made-deities, Radiance, and Khaalida, who had pushed her fate in this direction. Mor pondered the connections. Radiance, who raised Sonnet and Minuet. Khaalida, who gave birth to them and raised Sidra. Last Mor had heard, Sidra had taken off to explore the world and had impressed the deities, being granted land. Sidra was closely approaching, or perhaps rivaling Khaalida’s power and she wasn’t even recognized as a made-deity yet.

But they had been born with magic. Mor snorted. She would make her own power.

A croak from behind her startled Mor away from her thoughts again. She turned to see her Shade, the crow who had followed her since birth, sitting on a flaming branch above her.

“You came too, hunh?” Mor said out loud, and a croak answered her. She chuckled softly, and gestured for her familiar to join her.

Shade landed lightly on her back, and the two set off down the path into the crazed jungle.

The pink sky was beautiful, Morana had to admit. So was the fire, though she wished it were ice.

The sound of the jungle seemed normal but upon closer inspection the noises were slightly off-key, in a barely noticeable way. But what Mor did notice was the sounds of a commotion further into the trees.

Curiosity piqued, and wondering if it might be Sonnet, Mor picked up the pace.

“Stop that thing! Be careful!”

Mor slipped through the flaming underbrush to see a strange scene before her, a bunch of young Quirlicorns trying to corral a flaming….. Something. She couldn’t quite tell, it seemed to keep changing shapes.

Another strange sound rose, and the sudden appearance of another strange creature, this time made of ice, sent the young group skittering back. As they did Mor noticed even more of the creatures trying to approach through a wall of elements swirling and pushing back at them.

“They seem resistant to elemental magic for some reason!”

Mor turned towards the voice, the same as earlier, and was shocked to see a young antlered mare throwing magic around without even a hint of exertion. She was familiar, and it took mere moments for Mor to realize why. It was Sidra!

She really was the image of her mother transformed. Mor noticed bits of Khaalida, and other parts that marked her as a sibling to Minuet and Sonnet.

And the power she wielded….

A red hued stallion stood with her, using his own magic to help hold the wall. He radiated power like Sidra did, just not as much. Mor assumed this was Sulien, Sidra’s companion since her birth.

Mor wandered further toward the chaos, watching in awe as they worked together, blending magics. It was a perfect unison between the two, one that Mor envied.

The other three youngsters were doing their best to hold off the other strange chaos creatures, the one of fire and the one of ice.

Mor realized she had been noticed when one of the youngsters shouted ‘Look out!’ and Mor instinctively launched to the side, her shield forming up around her. A strange tornado like air creature bounced off the shield and Mor worked to reinforce it, feeling the air push at the edges of her shield.

Mor backed away slowly toward the others, the air chaos golem following her step for step. In a moment of kindness, she pushed out the shield to envelop the three fighting the fire and ice golems, and further still to surround Sidra and the red stallion. It was only for Minuet she helped; otherwise Mor would have left this strange group to their fate. But Sidra was Minuet and Sonnet’s sister. She had to help. So Morana pushed her shield to the limit, and then past that.

“Get ready to push back!” Mor called out, and she watched as Sidra and the others readied their powers.

“Now!” Mor called, and shoved her forcefield out as far as she could, shooting the chaos creatures back. As her magic gave out and the shield dropped a second shield like formation of elements joined it, shoving back the creatures with an elemental blast that echoed around the jungle.

Panting, Mor looked at the others as they regained their bearings, the chaos creatures pushed far off into the forest. They were at least somewhat sentient, for off they went, in search of easier prey most likely.

“Thanks,” Sidra panted, and Mor turned to the young mare.

“No problem,” Mor replied, also panting.

The group stood in silence for a few moments, before the blue and purple hued mare spoke. “This is Anevay’s idea of fun?!”

“Apparently,” Sidra muttered. “Now I know why Mother always griped about Anevay.”

Shaking her head, Sidra straightened. “Sorry. This situation has made me forget my manners. I’m Sidra, and this is Sulien,” Sidra said, gesturing to Sulien as she spoke. Mor was proud she was right about the stallion.

“I’m Linaeve,” the purple and blue mare said. She seemed quite unique, Mor noticed. Braids and feathers and wraps in her mane and tail, some brightly colored beads, and well. Just her general appearance.

“Lothair,” the stallion next to her, deep purple with light blues.

“I’m Neith,” the last mare said, a bit dismissively. Space seemed to swirl around her, and Mor gave her an assessing look before turning away from her.

“I’m Morana,” Mor replied to their greetings.

Sidra looked as if she were trying to place the name, as if she knew her. “Who are your parents?”

“I was born from Lullaby, second in command to Eira of Snowhaven. My other mother is Asteri, Acolyte in the Torre. But I am currently from Candentia, fostered by Radiance,” Mor replied.

Sidra’s eyes widened. “Candentia? Do you know Sonnet and Minuet?”

Mor nodded slightly. “I am currently learning from and alongside them.”

“How…. How are they?” Sidra asked hesitantly.

“Good, Minuet is studying the fluctuations of magic that happen today, and Sonnet is around here somewhere,” Mor replied.

Sidra nodded, and an awkward silence came over them.

Sulien gently nudged Sidra. “We should head somewhere safer,” he said after a few tense moments.

Sidra nodded. “Would you like to join us?” she asked Mor.

Morana considered it, doing an assessment of her body. She was tired, and in need of rest.

“I would, it will be safer in numbers,” Mor said, and Sidra nodded, letting Sulien lead the way.

The jungle gave way to the shore, and Mor looked around the markets in wonder. Colorful banners, silken tents, and what seemed like hundreds of Quirlicorns had set up a trade center for the Solstice.

Eyes watched them as they went through the throng of people, until they came across a stallion.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Mor looked at their little group and realized they did look a bit of a mess, singed and damp.

“Ran into some chaos golems,” Sidra said, shaking her head.

The red and gold stallion sighed. “I shouldn’t have come,” he muttered. “Come on, let’s get some refreshments and rest,” he said at normal volume.

“Thanks, Warpaint,” Sidra said, and they followed the stallion to a large pavilion.

Two mares were inside, and both seemed to recognize the group Mor was with. “Goodness, the magic get to you?”

“Yeah, we had a huge group of golems after us,” Sidra said with a sigh, sinking down onto the large pillows.

“And you found a friend? I’m Tastes like Fire, but call me Fire. And this is Wind on Fire, or rather, Wind!” the mare said excitedly, while grabbing some cool fruit juice.

“I’m Morana,” Mor replied a bit cautiously.

“Nice to meet you!” Fire said, and gestured towards the cushions. Mor settled down, taking her juice.

“Do you need any first aide?” Warpaint asked.

“My familiar got her paw burnt, do you have anything for that?” Sidra asked, and for the first time Mor noticed the small cat curled up next to her. Looking around further, Mor noticed it was a menagerie of familiars, Sidra's Cat, Sulien's Hawk, Linaeve’s wren, Neith’s sugarglider.

And of course, her Shade, who was currently trying to steal some berries.

Now that they were relatively safe, Mor took a moment to study the group. They must have been Sidra’s little herd of overpowered children.

For a moment Mor felt a hint of resentment. They were just born with what she had worked to master.

But the resentment cooled. If she had been in the jungle by herself, she wouldn’t have made it out.

Mor drifted into her own thoughts, then reached out to Minuet.

‘There are chaos golems, elemental golems here,’ Mor mentally told her. ‘I’m safe, I’m with Sidra and her herd.’

‘You are with Sidra?’ Surprise tinged Minuet’s mental reply.

‘Sidra, Sulien, Linaeve, Lothair, Neith, Warpaint, Fire and Wind,’ Mor mentally listed off and felt amusement from Minuet.

‘Sounds like a party. Didn’t find Sonnet?’

‘Nope, found a mess of chaos,’ Mor replied, conveying the image of the golems and the magic they used.

Morana felt Minuet’s surprise, shock, and concern push through, before she replied.

‘I think that is the opposite of staying safe.’

Mor sent back the mental image of them all sitting safely in the pavilion, and felt Minuet’s relief.

Pulling away from the mental contact, Mor focused on her surroundings again.

“Mor, can you help us?”

Mor blinked in surprise and looked over to Warpaint who was standing with Fire and Wind.

“Oh, sorry. What can I help with?” Mor replied.

“Some Quirlicorns have gotten lost, it seems, and need help getting out of the jungle. Since you have your shield magic, would you be able to help?” Warpaint replied, most likely repeating whatever Mor had missed while talking with Minuet. Mor came to the conclusion that she had been focused on her mental conversation longer than she thought, and one of the others had recounted the adventures of the day thus far.

“I can do that,” Mor said after a quick assessment of her magic. The rest and fresh juice and fruit had restored her strength.

“Great, let’s head out!”

Morana found herself wandering in the jungle several hours later, lost as the ones she was supposed to find. Why she had been included in this was a mystery, with no guide she was just as bad as all the visitors to Phaedra.

Ducking as a random fireball came toward her, Mor considered her life decisions. She had been planning on finding Sonnet and annoying him, perhaps following him around. Sonnet, despite everything, she trusted more than these strangers.

Sidra, perhaps, was trustworthy, but she had her group. Mor felt like an outsider looking in around them.

“I guess it's just you and me,” she murmured to Shade, who croaked in response.

“Curses!”

Mor turned swiftly, to find Sidra stumbling out from the flaming brush behind her.

“Sidra?” she questioned, tilting her head. Sidra’s cat was curled up small on Sidra’s back, and Sidra looked a bit…. Worse for wear.

“They learn!” Sidra spat, and Mor blinked in surprise to see the young mare so unhinged. “They can deflect my magic!”

“The chaos golems?” Mor questioned, and Sidra nodded.

“We better keep going, I don’t think they will be held back for long,” Sidra said, gesturing for Mor to follow. Mor did so, cautiously.

“Where is everyone else?” Mor asked.

Sidra shrugged. “Lin and Lothair went off to help someone who had gotten hurt, and Neith is well. Probably causing chaos. I sent Sulien after her to keep her out of trouble. Fire and WInd stayed behind with Warpaint to help with the first aide efforts. It seems a lot of Quirlicorns are getting singed or worse.”

Mor nodded slightly and sighed. They were on their own.

A sudden rush of warmth startled her, and Morana pulled to a halt. “Did you feel that?” she asked.

Sidra paused and nodded. “Good, let’s go!”

With no other choice (well, other than being left alone in this fiery hell), Mor followed.

“Ausrune!” Sidra cried out with relief.

Mor was startled when a skull-faced, deer-like bodied Quirlicorn turned toward them. Little flames glowed on the ends of his antlers, a magical flame Mor realized.

“Sidra, goodness where have you been? The others were worried!” Ausrune asked.

Sidra shook her head. “This is madness, Ausrune. Pure madness.”

Ausrune sighed. “Anevay assured me all injuries would be healed and there wouldn’t be any permanent harm,” Ausrune said.

Mor felt a prickling at the back of her neck, the feeling of being watched. Shade rose from her back with an alarmed croak, moments before a chaos golem smacked right into her.

It was dark. It was cold. Frozen actually, more cold than the being had ever experienced in…. Some place. A place of cold. Cold was a feeling.

She could feel. Slowly it came back. A flash, a hit. Darkness, and now…. Cold.

The mare opened her eyes. Or perhaps, light simply began to enter. It was hues of green and blue, cold and washed over her gently. Ice surrounded her in a glittering show, shooting high up into the sky…. Or was it down into the sky?

Reality felt strange. Or was this reality?

It felt like a grave.

More came back to her. A name, Morana. But she was not Morana, the other being was.

Other being? Yes, there, an older mare, much like her, yet so different. Was it her? It couldn’t be. She was strong, and imposing, a creature of ice and wind that never asked, only demanded and took what she needed or wanted.

Her hair was intricate, twined with stones and bones, twisted and curled in a way that made Mor gape. She radiated power and authority, a prowess that baffled the younger mare.

“You have far to go, little one,” the voice said, and Mor wasn’t certain if it was in her mind, or echoing through this strange world.

“Am I dead?” Mor blurted, although the thought had not occurred to her.

“Perhaps,” The Other replied.

“Well…. What next?” Mor asked.

“Now I teach you what you need to know,” The Other replied.

Perhaps an eternity passed. Perhaps it was no time at all.

Mor gasped, shooting upright. Fire burned around her, and as her vision cleared, she saw Anevay, Ausrune, and Sidra standing over her.

Her body felt like it was on fire, and cold at ice all at the same time. Being in a body felt confining, like her very being was trying to settle back into its own skin yet something integral was different, missing, changed. Her magic roiled around within her, mixing in strange ways she had never imagined.

“Well she is alive,” Anevay said a bit dismissively.

“Well she wasn’t a few moments ago!” Sidra snapped, and Ausrune sighed.

“She is back, let's give her some space to resettle,” Ausrune said calmly. “Being riled up won’t help anyone.”

“I see you got your mothers attitude,” Anevay commented. “Your brother is more fun. Enjoy the Solstice!”

Mor watched as Anevay trotted away without a care in the world. The power of a deity, Mor cursed to herself.

Sidra was cursing, and Ausrune was talking to her in soft, reassuring tones.

“This entire thing was a bad idea,” Sidra said, and turned away.

Mor looked over to see her familiar regarding her with strange eyes, before croaking and hopping toward her.

Mor took an internal look, judging the strength of her body and her stability before standing.

“It’s fine,” Mor said weakly, before clearing her throat. “It’s fine,” she repeated, a bit stronger.

“I’m okay.”

Sidra immediately relaxed and nodded. “If you say so,” Sidra said, and Ausrune nodded.

Mor blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected Sidra to calm so quickly. Mor took a closer internal look at herself and realized her empathy magic seemed to be on overdrive, radiating an aura of calm.

“Let’s go back,” Mor suggested, and both readily agreed.

Mor remained silent for most of the walk back. She ached, her entire body felt wrong. But her magic… her magic was ready to go. Upon closer inspection her telepathy was riding right alongside the empathy, adding mental suggestion to the emotional one in a way she had never thought to do. Upon closer inspection her shield magic was at work as well, protecting her like a near invisible aura of coverage. The heat from the fire was creating a mirage of sorts, and it took a few moments for Mor to realize she was feeding it, changing the illusionary images around them with her thoughts. She quickly cut that thought off, focusing on walking forward.

Everyone was suitably worried, but Mor smoothed that over quickly. A quick prompt to Wind and Fire had Mor being ushered off for a bath and relaxation.

Soaking in the hot water, Mor considered what had happened. She had no idea if she had truly died or not, or if she had a weird out of body experience.

“Do you know what happened?” Mor asked Shade, who simply croaked in response.

With a sigh, Mor relaxed in the water for a while longer. She felt more…. Together once she got out, rising to dry off. Looking in the mirror, Mor reached for her Telekinesis and was surprised when it leapt at her direction. She used it to dry herself, then considered her appearance. She twisted and coiled strands of hair until a braid came forth, a simple start.

Radiance’s voice cut through the gentle hum of noise from outside, and Mor turned. It was late, and nearly time to return to Candentia.

Wind and Fire were gathering some juice and fruits for Radiance, and Mor saw Sidra, Sulien, Lin, Lothair, and Neith standing together to the side. It clicked for Mor now, she remembered Lin from when she was younger, another foal from Snowhaven, who occasionally visited Candentia.

Looking around, Mor felt for her magic and let a wave of weariness roll over everyone. It was time to go home.

“Thanks for the refreshments, but we gotta go now!” Radiance said cheerfully, grabbing one last drink and a snack for the trip.

“Where is Sonnet?” Mor asked, and Radiance shrugged. “Around here somewhere,” Radiance replied. “Need a ride?”

Sidra looked up at the question directed to her and looked at her little group. “Sure,” Sidra replied after their confirming nods.

“Perfect, let's go!” Radiance exclaimed, and Fire and Wind quickly bundled up some fruits and juice for the trip.

A wormhole opened up, and the group surged through, popping out in another part of Phaedra.

“Time to go!” Radiance called out, another wormhole opening as Sonnet appeared through the brush. Radiance shoved Sonnet in, then jumped in after, Mor and Sidra’s group following through as quickly as they could.

“Here’s your stop!”

They suddenly appeared in the Mountains region near a gorgeous waterfall. Sidra gaped.

“This is perfect!” she gasped, and Radiance winked.

“Enjoy!” Radiance called, shoving Mor and Sonnet through the portal again.

Morana stumbled, thankfully this time on the familiar stones of a Candentia street. Sonnet was beside her, and quickly scrambled away when he noticed.

Morana laughed a happy little laugh, looking around. It was home, at least for now.

“Have fun, kids!” Radiance called, suddenly disappearing again.

“Well…. That was something,” Morana commented, and Sonnet looked at her confused.

“How did you get to Phaedra?” he asked, then quickly snapped his mouth shut as if he hadn’t meant to speak to her.

“Same way you did,” Morana said with a wink and a happy laugh, trotting off toward her room.

There was much to do, after all.

‘I’m back, I have a lot to tell you,’ Mor telepathically said to Minuet.

‘Sonnet is coming to see me, perhaps you can come by after? I probably won’t get a word from him if you are here.’ The implied eye roll was layered in the tone of Minuet’s response.

‘I need some rest anyway,’ Mor replied as she entered her room.

She activated her Telekinesis and pulled over a paper and pen, writing out the details of the Solstice adventures. It certainly wasn’t something she ever wanted to forget.