HOME | DD

Description
"You look cold."
The flapping of wings and the crunch of hooves on snow alerted him to a presence behind him. He whipped around, sword at the ready, only to sigh upon seeing the intruder.
"Oh, really?" he snapped bitterly. "What gives you that idea?"
The scout brushed his scarf away from his face. "I could hear you shivering from a mile away." He gave him a cheeky grin. "It's pretty hard to shiver quietly when you're covered in armor, eh?"
Forbe considered his sword, narrowing his eyes.
They both turned to examine the forest below the cliff. The gray-green trees were being swiftly engulfed by the first waves of a fierce snowstorm. The pegasus lifted one of his wings with a grunt, shielding his eyes from the thick clumps of snowflakes being thrown by the wind. The flag firmly pierced into the stone on the crest of the cliff was snapping aggressively back and forth.
"Looks like we're in for one hell of a storm here in a minute.." Fulgur muttered.
Forbe sighed again. "I wish we could be stationed somewhere else. Couldn't we at least get an outpost this high up? This is just plain dangerous."
"Pfft! That's why we're out here! This is a loyalty test, remember? We have to earn our guardship."
"There weren't any tests back in my day."
The scout shoved him with a scoff. "Oh, hush. You aren't that old. Quit speaking like an old dragon."
Forbe was right, though. Before the arrival of the new king, there weren't any tests to become a guard. Just an initiation battle. As long as you could best some of the eldest guards in the regiment, you could apply. It was hardly safe, but it was effective in filling out their army. Now they had to go through so much training and work to forge their place in the ranks.
"Besides," Fulgur continued. "I think it's kinda fun. Don't you?"
"Fun?! This is fun to you?!" The unicorn guard observed his partner with incredulous disgust, like he just stepped in something nasty.
He laughed. "Kind of! We get to get out and see new places, guarding our families while they rest comfortably at home." He puffed his chest. "It's noble."
"Wish I could rest comfortably at home..." Forbe said under his breath. He snorted irritably.
"How about you quit wallowing in self-pity and make us a shelter, eh?"
The unicorn snorted again, but complied. He focused his attention to the ground, using his magic to forge a shelter of crystal and stone and rock. Fulgur nodded approvingly before shifting his eyes back to the horizon between the distant mountains.
The view was gorgeous, if not slightly obscured by the oncoming storm. The mountaintops were glittering in the last vestiges of sunlight. King Sombra's palace could just barely be seen, glittering like the polished jewel that it was, nestled between the tall towers and flowering crystal trees of the city that cradled it. The kingdom looked so warm and peaceful compared to the wintry wonder occurring outside of its protective shields of magic. Fulgur wondered absentmindedly whether the king had summoned the storm on purpose to test his troops.
There was a huff from behind him. "Done."
He turned around. Forbe had formed a small tented shelter of jade and emerald. Snow was already piling up between the cracks and forming thick drifts against the sides. Balefully, Forbe allowed his purple partner inside before following himself.
"Can't believe that bastard king would force us out here," he snarled quietly, sparking a fire at the tip of his horn. "Especially in this weather.."
His partner scoffed, shoving him roughly. "You shouldn't disrespect the king. He probably suffers enough on his own every day. This is just us doing our part." He smirked. "Besides, you didn't have to sign up, did you?"
The guard gave him a glare filled with murder. "Nonsense. He's an alicorn. What does he know of suffering? He doesn't want for a single thing in his life, just like all the other royals in this damn country. He just lounges in a palace all day."
"I heard that he experiences night terrors and hallucinations," Fulgur whispered. "That sounds...pretty awful."
"And where did you hear that from?"
"My brother. He's a palace guard in the Superior Circlet, working the night shift. He told me that his majesty wanders at night, like a ghoul. He says that he rambles and paces back and forth from sundown till sunup, and orders that all the curtains be drawn as soon as the sun sets." He huffed, grinning. "Who knows? He might be going senile or something."
Forbe frowned. "...are you saying that King Sombra...pacing is him suffering?"
He shrugged. "No," he said. "But maybe there's something else wrong with him. Something big. You saw him collapse last week, didn't you? Looked like he was...I don't know. Having a seizure or something.."
They both fell silent at that.
Indeed, they had both been present when Sombra collapsed. He'd been addressing his legion, giving out orders, when he suddenly went still and silent, and collapsed to the floor out of sight. His family had surged around him and rushed him away, and his son had continued his speech with a shaky voice. His husband and daughter had returned a few minutes later, looking greatly unsettled. It seemed like a pretty serious event. But the guards in the Superior Circlet seemed almost used to it, like it was a regular occurrence. Maybe it was. Maybe there was something wrong with him, that he kept hidden away from the public eye.
"...I suppose that's possible," Forbe reasoned slowly. He leaned out the door to examine the storm, sighing deeply. "He is quite old, after all. But wouldn't his ascension have healed him of any illness?"
Another shrug. "I guess. But maybe that's more of a physical healing thing. Maybe he's got mental issues or something."
With another deep breath, the soldier reverted back to his stoic disposition. "Well, I'll believe it when I see it."
"Maybe you could see it. Apply for personal guard positions. Or, even better, become a palace nightguard! Maybe you'll see something weird! And you won't have to come all the way out here for your rounds." He nudged him. "Sound tempting?"
"...just a little bit."
"Please do! It'll give you some interesting stories to tell me."
They both huddled down, gasping as the wind howled into their crystalline shelter and battered them with cold gusts.
"Looks like we're gonna be here a while..."
~~~~~
for the record
1. Fulgur (google translate latin for 'lightning') is the purple pegasus boi, and Forbe is the green unicorn boi
2. Umbrum pegasi exist, and they do have horns, but no magic. this is the case for Fulgur
3. there might be a part 2 to this ^^
some more painting practice for me, plus writing
i might have just gotten carpal tunnel...pray for my poor hands >m<;
a headcanon here real quick: Sombra's soldiers, specifically the ones who patrol in the snow-covered mountains, often wear colorful capes over their armor so that they're more visible in case of a strong storm so they can be more easily found. and yes, the cape + chest decor is inspired by the common decor worn by jousting horses
edit: was so busy writing i forgot the tags and folders XD

Description
"You look cold."
The flapping of wings and the crunch of hooves on snow alerted him to a presence behind him. He whipped around, sword at the ready, only to sigh upon seeing the intruder.
"Oh, really?" he snapped bitterly. "What gives you that idea?"
The scout brushed his scarf away from his face. "I could hear you shivering from a mile away." He gave him a cheeky grin. "It's pretty hard to shiver quietly when you're covered in armor, eh?"
Forbe considered his sword, narrowing his eyes.
They both turned to examine the forest below the cliff. The gray-green trees were being swiftly engulfed by the first waves of a fierce snowstorm. The pegasus lifted one of his wings with a grunt, shielding his eyes from the thick clumps of snowflakes being thrown by the wind. The flag firmly pierced into the stone on the crest of the cliff was snapping aggressively back and forth.
"Looks like we're in for one hell of a storm here in a minute.." Fulgur muttered.
Forbe sighed again. "I wish we could be stationed somewhere else. Couldn't we at least get an outpost this high up? This is just plain dangerous."
"Pfft! That's why we're out here! This is a loyalty test, remember? We have to earn our guardship."
"There weren't any tests back in my day."
The scout shoved him with a scoff. "Oh, hush. You aren't that old. Quit speaking like an old dragon."
Forbe was right, though. Before the arrival of the new king, there weren't any tests to become a guard. Just an initiation battle. As long as you could best some of the eldest guards in the regiment, you could apply. It was hardly safe, but it was effective in filling out their army. Now they had to go through so much training and work to forge their place in the ranks.
"Besides," Fulgur continued. "I think it's kinda fun. Don't you?"
"Fun?! This is fun to you?!" The unicorn guard observed his partner with incredulous disgust, like he just stepped in something nasty.
He laughed. "Kind of! We get to get out and see new places, guarding our families while they rest comfortably at home." He puffed his chest. "It's noble."
"Wish I could rest comfortably at home..." Forbe said under his breath. He snorted irritably.
"How about you quit wallowing in self-pity and make us a shelter, eh?"
The unicorn snorted again, but complied. He focused his attention to the ground, using his magic to forge a shelter of crystal and stone and rock. Fulgur nodded approvingly before shifting his eyes back to the horizon between the distant mountains.
The view was gorgeous, if not slightly obscured by the oncoming storm. The mountaintops were glittering in the last vestiges of sunlight. King Sombra's palace could just barely be seen, glittering like the polished jewel that it was, nestled between the tall towers and flowering crystal trees of the city that cradled it. The kingdom looked so warm and peaceful compared to the wintry wonder occurring outside of its protective shields of magic. Fulgur wondered absentmindedly whether the king had summoned the storm on purpose to test his troops.
There was a huff from behind him. "Done."
He turned around. Forbe had formed a small tented shelter of jade and emerald. Snow was already piling up between the cracks and forming thick drifts against the sides. Balefully, Forbe allowed his purple partner inside before following himself.
"Can't believe that bastard king would force us out here," he snarled quietly, sparking a fire at the tip of his horn. "Especially in this weather.."
His partner scoffed, shoving him roughly. "You shouldn't disrespect the king. He probably suffers enough on his own every day. This is just us doing our part." He smirked. "Besides, you didn't have to sign up, did you?"
The guard gave him a glare filled with murder. "Nonsense. He's an alicorn. What does he know of suffering? He doesn't want for a single thing in his life, just like all the other royals in this damn country. He just lounges in a palace all day."
"I heard that he experiences night terrors and hallucinations," Fulgur whispered. "That sounds...pretty awful."
"And where did you hear that from?"
"My brother. He's a palace guard in the Superior Circlet, working the night shift. He told me that his majesty wanders at night, like a ghoul. He says that he rambles and paces back and forth from sundown till sunup, and orders that all the curtains be drawn as soon as the sun sets." He huffed, grinning. "Who knows? He might be going senile or something."
Forbe frowned. "...are you saying that King Sombra...pacing is him suffering?"
He shrugged. "No," he said. "But maybe there's something else wrong with him. Something big. You saw him collapse last week, didn't you? Looked like he was...I don't know. Having a seizure or something.."
They both fell silent at that.
Indeed, they had both been present when Sombra collapsed. He'd been addressing his legion, giving out orders, when he suddenly went still and silent, and collapsed to the floor out of sight. His family had surged around him and rushed him away, and his son had continued his speech with a shaky voice. His husband and daughter had returned a few minutes later, looking greatly unsettled. It seemed like a pretty serious event. But the guards in the Superior Circlet seemed almost used to it, like it was a regular occurrence. Maybe it was. Maybe there was something wrong with him, that he kept hidden away from the public eye.
"...I suppose that's possible," Forbe reasoned slowly. He leaned out the door to examine the storm, sighing deeply. "He is quite old, after all. But wouldn't his ascension have healed him of any illness?"
Another shrug. "I guess. But maybe that's more of a physical healing thing. Maybe he's got mental issues or something."
With another deep breath, the soldier reverted back to his stoic disposition. "Well, I'll believe it when I see it."
"Maybe you could see it. Apply for personal guard positions. Or, even better, become a palace nightguard! Maybe you'll see something weird! And you won't have to come all the way out here for your rounds." He nudged him. "Sound tempting?"
"...just a little bit."
"Please do! It'll give you some interesting stories to tell me."
They both huddled down, gasping as the wind howled into their crystalline shelter and battered them with cold gusts.
"Looks like we're gonna be here a while..."
~~~~~
for the record
1. Fulgur (google translate latin for 'lightning') is the purple pegasus boi, and Forbe is the green unicorn boi
2. Umbrum pegasi exist, and they do have horns, but no magic. this is the case for Fulgur
3. there might be a part 2 to this ^^
some more painting practice for me, plus writing
i might have just gotten carpal tunnel...pray for my poor hands >m<;
a headcanon here real quick: Sombra's soldiers, specifically the ones who patrol in the snow-covered mountains, often wear colorful capes over their armor so that they're more visible in case of a strong storm so they can be more easily found. and yes, the cape + chest decor is inspired by the common decor worn by jousting horses
edit: was so busy writing i forgot the tags and folders XD