Chocolat and Charms by BlaekNova on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Theta sighed heavily as he began to rouse himself from a long, deep sleep. For the first time in his life, he was able to slumber peacefully with no regard to what may come the next morning. Beneath him was a warm, plush sleeping mat-- a powerful contrast to the stone cold floors he was so accustomed to. The air was not frigid, but warm and welcoming with the smell of fresh pancakes caught on the wind from some currently indiscernible distance away. As he shifted, he felt not the rattling of chains, but the soft rustle of hay at the bottom of his generously built stall. He dared to open his eyes as he felt himself wake, his vision still cloudy from sleep though he was just aware enough that he could make out the warm fluorescent lighting bringing its soft, ambient glow where the rays of the morning sun did not yet touch.

He yawned, stretching his powerful legs out as far as they could go as he felt the muscles strain and release before adjusting himself to sit upright. As his vision cleared, he looked around to find that he still wasn’t used to any of this. Was he still dreaming? Would he wake up to find himself trapped in that horrible nightmare of a life all over again? As he shook his head, he felt the familiar, subtle weight of his dangling charm, reminding him of his past as it suspended from his metallic, rose-colored horn. Everything from the emotional pain he had endured to the physical danger it posed to others glinted back at him as the light caught on that miserable little sphere, and he remembered bitterly that simply because something was difficult to grasp did not make it any less real. And yet still, somehow, the charm had become a silver lining for the young stallion. After all, the pendulum swings both ways. While life is often unfair, cruel and terrifying as it were (and as he himself learned through experience) there are miraculous turns of events-- the likes of which he is living a part of now-- that create the silver lining of the passing storm. Not that he really cared much to look at silver linings when he had not to his memory experienced an actual storm prior to The Escape.

He shook himself from his early morning reverie as he shifted his weight and stood up, feeling the room move with him slightly as he nearly lost his footing and leaned on the stable wall for support. This woke startled his newfound friend in the neighboring stall whose iron tines rose from the sudden sound. A black stag with silvery marks down his neck crooned over at him. He gazed at the plum-colored Bataille with concern alight in his ocean-blue eyes.

“Ok?” the elken creature asked the question simply, yet with genuine worry in his tone.

Theta looked back at what he understood in their time together to be a Rukaan named Griswald, reassuring him with the strongest affirmation his glassy, rosy eyes could muster.

“Morning. Hey, it- it’s ok, I promise.”

His ears went back slightly. While his tension visibly lessened he snorted back at the overgrown colt with a bit of contempt. “Please, careful. Could’ve hurt.”

Theta found himself consciously trying to adjust to Ruk-speech, being far more primitive than Unicornian and with subtleties he continually failed to understand, and yet his mildly unamused demeanor was betrayed by the way his gaze rested anxiously on Theta’s tail (or lack thereof) which often contributed to his lack of stability. His unblinking stare made Theta more than a little uncomfortable as it was a source of great insecurity for him, but he understood Gris’ heart was in the right place. He nickered back, encouraging his new stablemate once again. “I will, thank you.”

His haunches shook a bit from the tension but otherwise, the Rukaan had finally let his guard down after such a wake up call. The Ruk shook his head as if to further wake himself before looking around for Blaek. He then rapped a hoof against the floor, his ears twitching impatiently as he did so as a strange sound came in low from deep in his throat, as if bracing himself to call out for his handler. “He brings breakfast now.” He stated it less as a fact and more as a demand from what he gathered. He braced himself for what was to come as Griswald reared his head back. The longer fur on his neck puffed out as he took his stance and arched, throwing back his massive antlers as his bugling rang throughout the stables. He knew well how the sound would travel across the fields and paddocks, from the stables to the tropical forest which bordered their paddocks in their borrowed home. Surely the owner of the stables and Blaek both would hear the sound of his beckoning call, even from the safety of their own massive stalls. He shook his head, somewhat in disbelief, as he chuckled a bit under his breath knowing that absolutely nothing could escape this bull. Especially not breakfast.

In the mainland of Unicornia, a figure of beauty and light was strolling through the mountainous wood on her own. Her rosy hide glistened in the light as if faceted like a cut of peach moonstone. Her long tail swayed behind her, only the end growing a long, flowing tuft which she didn’t let touch the ground behind her. A single spined horn of the most radiant Angel Quartz nearly seamed to beam in the sunlight, and it betrayed her unique blood as a true Kirin. Walking with such grace and elegance was Chrysanthe, and she knew exactly what she was looking for. Winding through an invisible trail, hardly taken enough to reveal a footprint-- far less a path-- she let her sense of direction alone take her to the edge of a beautiful lake which had only just been iced over from the bitter winter night to which the sun had only recently broken. As she approached, young fish which had thus far survived the frost, swam visibly beneath the ice. They scattered as she leaned down to see her reflection, taking a moment to study the slight imperfections which warped her reflection and the pinprick inclusions which glittered and shined in the morning sun. Despite the warped perspective, she could still plainly see the heart-shaped spot on the top of her muzzle, and she smiled faintly to herself. Looking up at the winter sky, she revelled in the morning and basked in the warmth of the new day. A breeze caught her mane as she thought of what wonders this day would possibly bring.

An hour into their morning and Blaek had already come to visit them on que, with feed of various kinds in hand. His jet black hair was cleanly swept back beneath his fedora, and violet eyes gleamed at his companions beneath the brim. Despite his darker visage, which reminded one somewhat of funeral dress, his expression revealed a much more fun-loving side to the man who sometimes acted more like a boy than anything. He fed his Rukaan first, making sure that he had his fill and consequently wasn't too angry with his handler for taking more than five minutes to get there. Afterwards was Theta’s turn, who went on to eat a bit more lazily than Griswald. He seemed to savor every moment of his time here, making no sudden movement for fear that this reality could (and would) crumble apart at any moment. Blaek seemed to notice this, and wondered at the life that was once led by the young stallion. His scars immediately caught his eye as they always did, absentmindedly grazing his fingers against his own scar over his right eye. He hummed to himself in thought, thinking of ways he could possibly accommodate for Theta’s own struggles with adjusting to such a new life, when an idea struck him.

He had wanted to visit the lake again for some time, now, and he thought that perhaps Theta might like to revisit the place where they met. True, it had only been a few days, but perhaps he could convince the Lady of the House to get the stick from her rump long enough to concede that some fresh air and a change of scenery might actually be a pretty good idea. His eyes lit up, and he beamed in a grand smile, announcing to the other two that he would be right back. He turned on his heels and ran back to the house, the task to feed the Lady’s horses as well temporarily slipping his mind as he prepared his little presentation on why he should go on this next big venture. ‘After all,’ he thought, ‘There are times I feel she would like nothing more than to have me completely out of her hair!’

Sigma was sound asleep in the stall positioned across from Theta before the bugling had ensued, and he was more than a little irritated at the elken beast for doing this every single morning, but at this point he had resigned himself. Whatever helped him and Theta stick together, that’s what he was going to do, come hell or high-pitched bestial yodeling. He had watched Blaek mindfully feeding them both with a tender care he had hardly seen in another human (save for His Lady, as she were to be called), and he marvelled at how these humans appeared as night and day from the Mages of Durant, even being mages themselves. Still, his thoughts did not distract him from the small scene that played itself out before him as he paused at Theta’s stable. He watched as Blaek eyed his marks, touching his own almost instinctively in the process. He had barely a chance to wonder what pain this person could have possibly endured in his own past before the man dropped everything and ran like a newborn war-mutt trying to hunt a new toy. He was more than a little irritated at having to wait to be fed, but he had come to expect it by now.

“There he goes again,” Harpoon’s voice rang in a sing-song voice. “Wonder wha’ he’s up to this time?”

“No idea,” Sigma bemused, “but he could at least be bothered to finish one task before running off to start another.” His blue-green hind leg, stark in contrast to Sigma’s pale hide, pawed at the ground of its own volition as if reacting to the irritating stimulus. His ears flicked back at the compulsion, but otherwise paid the movement no mind. “He could,” replied the old brun, “but where would the fun in that be?”

“I think it’s nice.” It was Theta who cut in, raising his head to look over at them and stood as tall as shaky hooves could support him, as if in defence against Sigma’s jeering. “He’s enthusiastic and excited over everything. He lived in this world his entire life and still finds wonder in it every day. It’s nice to see a human that cherishes so much, even if he is a mage.”

“Ah, so the lil’ colt’s gotten some fire in ‘is gut after all! I told ye ya got courage in ye.”

Harpoon raised an eye at him with a playful smirk. Theta’s ears pinned in embarrassment as he turned back and lowered his head.

“It- it’s not… what I meant was--”

“It looks good on ye, kid! I ain’t about to deride ye for yer opinion. I think you and Blaek make a nice fit.”

“Perhaps, but…” Sigma was eyeing Theta with a steely gaze, yet it was not without it’s warmth and concern beneath it as he cut into the conversation once more, “... why him? Why didn’t you stay with me when I told you I wanted to go to Harpoon and his Lady? I love you, Theta, but this has been bothering me since the moment you turned tail without me and left me here. Why did you have to go running off only to go with him? You didn’t know he would even end up lodging with us. Hell, you swore you would never be able to trust a mage, but here you are! That was the excuse when you left, anyway. Look, I know the others had their own lives to lead and ultimately I’m the one who broke from the herd first, but you wanted to stay and you refused until you ran into that stranger. Wasn’t… wasn’t I a good enough reason to stay? Don’t you trust me, after everything?”

Theta was more than a little speechless after that admission. To think that Sigma believed he didn’t trust him! Of course he did! They had been through the worst life could throw at them from the very beginning, and became brothers in bondage through their trials. There wasn’t anything Theta could trust more than his friends with whom he knew nothing else, but words could not describe what exactly was going through Theta’s head when he left the stalls of Violet Sand Stables that night. What’s more, he felt a draw to Blaek that he could never quite place or name. His strength and compassion, the scars, his disarmingly quirky attitude, something about the man felt different than the others. He could daresay it was destined. There was so much he wanted to say in that moment and yet, even for Sigma, it seemed he could not find the right words. Still, he tried.

“Sig, I--”

Hurried footsteps preceded the sudden thud of stable doors being swung open against the walls they were hinged on. Blaek ran in with a huge smile spread across his face, running to grab the feed and tend to the other boucles. “Sorry about that guys! Let me make sure you guys are good to go before we head out!” Sigma shook his head, bewildered by the statement while Theta tilted his head. Harpoon listened with great interest, watching the young man intently as he finished up the last of his chores. “NOW!” With a flourish, Blaek swept Griswald’s gear off the wall where they hung and proceeded to move towards his Rukaan’s stall, turning to both him and Theta as he spoke. “How would you two like to go on a field trip! It’s been a while since you’ve done any free-running, and I know you gotta miss the lake!” He pat Theta on the muzzle before preparing his cervid mount for a ride. “I know you aren’t used to saddles yet, so I’ll stick to Gris. I hope you don’t mind me using a lead until we get there.”

As Blaek set them up, Sigma found himself infuriated by the little human, and voiced his disdain very clearly towards him. Catching the tone without having to understand his meaning, Blaek then turned to calm the stallion. While he attempted to rectify the offense by showing Sigma some care one on one, the chimeric bataille kicked the door as he tried to make his approach, taking him aback in surprise. After a few moments of watching Sigma, breath coming out in forced “huffs'' as eyes locked on him, Blaek could only sigh and mumble a small apology under his breath before continuing to lead both Griswald and Theta out of the stall. Theta turned to Sigma as they left, breathing the word “later” at him before allowing his handler to lead him out. As they walked across the paddock towards a newly opened portal to the mainland, Griswald turned to the purple noir and simply said “Went well,” with just enough sarcasm that even he could make it out.

The kirin mare had been basking in the sunlight alone for at least a good hour now. She loved how crisp the air was, and had been watching cardinals and jays flit from branch to branch.

They were completely oblivious to her as she remained still, transfixed by the beauty of nature. Before bird watching she was making shapes of the clouds. Before that she took a reed to make a grass whistle (with little success). A little while ago she skimmed rocks over the lake ice by kicking pebbles across it with her cloven hooves. Some boucles might have called this pathetic or even a waste of time, but she genuinely liked her alone time to do or think as she wished. Sometimes she felt like sharing this experience with someone else, but part of the appeal was being alone in the first place. It was quiet, peaceful and serene… That was until she felt an energetic shift.

The birds ceased their song-making and fluttered away out of sight. The smell of magick hung in the air around her like burning blooms in a spring bonfire. Spring bonfires didn’t really make sense, and neither did the energy she sensed here. On the other side of the lake, like a subtle penmark on a brilliant oil painting, a sort of “blip” appeared in her vision, and out of it came two steeds; one of them bearing a rider. The one bearing rider had massive antlers which she could make out even from her distance. Perhaps he was a fawn raye? Or perhaps it was that overgrown bull who had been chasing those same raye fawns as of late? Perhaps she should warn them… But then the other who's back was bare also caught her interest. He was much larger and stockier in build. His mane and tail were short, which she could tell as nothing seemed to be billowing in the hefty mountain breezes blowing against them. She didn’t have to try to make out the shape of his horn to tell what kind of creature that was.

“A Bataille…?” She knew of four males who had run blindly and with wild abandon into the forest surrounding this like many days ago, and no Bataille had thought to come here before or since. Even so, she had never seen one up close, nor had she interacted with any of them before. This was enough to pique her interest as she pushed against the earth beneath her to stand up and gaze upon the new visitors. It appeared nature’s little melodrama just became a little more interesting by anyone’s standards.

The Rukaan propelled himself forward in a showman’s trot, prancing about as he circled around the clearing. His fur rustled with the sharp breezes and he lifted his head proudly as he did so. This was very much his territory, and he preferred it over the more tropical climate of the stables he had just left. Blaek laughed as he let the stag tote him around like some sort of prize, taking advantage of the moment by practicing his professional riding posture and performing for no one in particular. In doing this he had let go of Theta’s lead, confident that he wouldn’t go too far as the portal closed behind them.

Theta looked on with a rather confused expression. He didn’t understand why they liked to practice fancy footwork and strange new ways to trot when it didn’t really benefit anyone. It all looked a bit silly to him, yet looking at Blaek’s face and the way Griswald truly enjoyed the moment put those thoughts to rest for the most part. For a split second, he forgot about the situation he left behind involving Sigma and observed them both. He found himself more than a little jealous of them, wondering to himself how much he had really missed out on with all the time spent harassed and abused by the Mages. How long had he gone without such warmth and love in his life when he so desperately desired for that very thing?

Then again, it occurred to him that all of his bond brothers had likely wondered the same thing. He might not have remembered much of his life before he was taken, but most of them did to his knowledge. He imagined what they had been ripped away from. What they had missed. How hard it must have been… to suffer such a fate after knowing exactly what it was you had lost, only to have no choice but to lose it. To be that helpless. Perhaps, he thought, that was exactly why Sigma was eager to stay with his new Lady. Maybe he should have trusted him sooner, and yet he couldn’t imagine things to go any other way than they already did.

So he stood, completely conflicted with himself as Blaek and Griswald had their fun for at least a brief time. He stared at the shallow layer of snow beneath his hooves, grass poking out from beneath their hoofprints. He put his own down, looking at how much bigger and more round his hooves were from the Ruk’s. He made yet another print, smiling as he did so. He heard the crunch of ice beneath his hoof and it made him feel strong. He felt happy, playful, even! He reared up a bit and pushed both his front hooves into the snow at the same time, shaking his head and bolting a bit as he got into a trot of his own. Maybe these two had the right idea, coming here. They were right; he really did like this lake. He remembered the fun he had with his bond brothers, and now with them. He remembered all the people and boucles he met along the way, and realized that all those little adventures were what led them here. In the back of his mind, he realized he was grateful to all of them for all of their time spent with him. They all helped him become who he is now, in his own little way. They gave him his first real-world experiences, and as of now, he loved the life he was living! He sprang about adn sped into a gallop, jumping into the air and kicking up snow with his new friends, realizing he didn’t have to cling on for dear life anymore! He was free to simply be himself, where before he was afraid of losing everyone he cared about.

And in that moment, as he found himself calming down long enough to catch his breath in the treeline near the clearing they were just romping about in, he made his realization. That was exactly why he ran. He was afraid. He was afraid that he would have to suffer the same fate with Sigma as he had with Epsilon. He thought he would constantly have to fight to protect him from a being that had no horn nor hoof nor pointed claw, yet was easily among the most dangerous of creatures in all of Unicornia. He was afraid, and yet when he saw Blaek tending to Harpoon who had just fought to protect him, he realized that now there were others who would help and support them both. It wasn’t all about survival anymore. Now it was about living. Truly living. Finally, he had the means to do that, and consequently the words to express to Sigma exactly what he had meant.

In that moment of clarity, his heart had been lifted for the first time in what felt like ages. His chest no longer felt as if a vice had been threatening to crack the bone. The weight of his charm didn’t feel so unbearable to him anymore, and his legs briefly felt as if they were made of wrought iron. Finally, he felt truly at peace with himself and his situation. Looking on at Blaek and his own companion, he could see with some semblance of certainty that he had made the right decision. Everything was going to be ok. At least as okay as things could be when you hear very heavy, angry huffing and low-grumbling bellows coming from very, very close behind you.

Theta froze for a minute, then turned his nose to the air to find that this part of the lake had recently been claimed by another Bataille. A very, very territorial Bataille. Hearing a heavy stomp of hoof, he slowly turned to look behind him and beheld a sight he had never quite seen before. He was as monstrous as a bataille could be, but his face was large and bulbous, with antlers large enough to seat an adult human each were they not tipped with dagger-like tines. They framed a glimmering bronze horn which curved like a wicked scythe at the center of his head. Liver rouge fur clashed against the snow-covered earth with stark contrast, but the trees hid him too well for Theta’s good before that moment, and now the obviously irritated stallion had his wrathful gaze set on none other than himself. He had heard rumours of this Bataille recently, as he was causing quite a stir among the humans. A single name came to mind as he recalled the tales of Alg, the Deguise Stallion.

His legs shook again, this time with adrenaline as he stood frozen in place. He was suddenly acutely aware of every little movement and subtle hint of body language exhibited by the strange boucle. The way his haunches twitched, head lowered just so the antlers were pointed forward, told him he was anything but hospitable to any perceived trespassers, himself included.

“You are taking them away, too?” Alg asked in a low, threatening baritone.

“W-what?”

The moose-like Bataille motioned his head behind Theta. “The fawns. My Boyfriends.”

Theta turned around and realized he was talking about the Rukaan, but no sooner than he realized Griswald had been mistaken for a boucle that he heard the stomping of hooves and a guttural sound which caused his attention to whip immediately back to the now further enraged beast. “Stop looking at him!” He started yelling at the young stallion. “You tames and your people are all the same! Selfish people trying to take away my friends. My mates! I won’t let you! You won’t take any of them!”

“Oh, no! What are you doing??”

Suddenly from stage right, a downright beautiful mare with a spined horn clopped down a hill with a tone of voice that felt oddly staged. She looked at the moose with wide, glimmering eyes as if they were those of a doe. Her ears fell back in feigned shock as she came to meet them. Theta didn’t know whether or not to be relieved, but he took comfort in the fact that someone was trying to help. Alg took one look at the kirin and began stammering over his words. Every trace of his agitation suddenly targeted inward and made him visibly flustered. “U-Um… well, I…”

She didn’t even wait for a response. She approached the instigator, immediately passed him up and instead addressed the plum-pelted intruder. “How could you possibly do something like that, making him so lonely like this for no good reason! And abducting poor, innocent boucles! Surely your arrogance and greed knows no bounds!”

He didn’t know how to respond to the mare whatsoever. He couldn’t even be offended or angry, he was just shocked. “Excuse me?”

“Shh!” the mare whispered under her breath, “Do you want him out of your mane? He’ll kill you! Just play along, please.” She immediately turned to the deguised male with a look of pure adoration and pity. “Oh, you poor man!” She leaned against him for good measure. “You shouldn’t be out in the cold by your lonesome, and not with this… um… jerk.”

Her struggle to find an offensive insult in the first place fell deaf on the D’or at first, shouting

“Hey!” in retaliation, but one sharp huff from the sooty roan and a small clearing of the mare’s throat signalled to him what he needed to do. “Um… I just wanted to say… that… she is definitely right, I am so sorry. And, um… yeah, I should probably tell my friends to go home now. No more taming for us. Just gonna… turn around and tell them we shouldn’t be jerks anymore. Thank you!”

Theta went to make a run for it, but before he could turn tail, he heard the voice stopping him in his tracks again. “Hey.” He turned around, looking at the Moose who had changed his expression from his first fit of rage and his earlier confusion to something more quiet. Something a bit kinder and more subtle than when he addressed him earlier. He pushed the mare to the side as he stepped towards Theta, paying her no mind as he looked to the stallion, to his handler and Rukaan who now seemed to be calling for him, and then back to him. “...He’s not a boucle, is he?”

“N-no,” he said slowly, “he isn’t.”

Alg sighed in disappointment, closing his eyes before looking at him dead in the eyes as if to guage at something in him. He then looked at the mare, who looked at him entirely confused at this point, yet she was visibly tense as if ready to step in if he tried anything. Finally, he broke the silence. “Thank you. For uh… trying to make me feel better.” They both deadpanned, staring at him in blank confusion as he continued. “Everyone makes me angy and sad. Everyone took from me, but you tried to make me feel special and wanted” he explained, looking to the mare, “and you played along.” He said this last part as he looked back at the Noir Bataille, who was still, quite frankly, confused as hell. “You planned this to make me feel better, right?”

Theta’s eyes went wide as he beamed his brightest smile, looking the woodsy equine squarely while he spoke with newfound confidence. “Yes! Yes we did! We heard stories about how lonely you were and wanted to make you feel happy again! Right, umm…?”

“Actually...” Chrysanthe chimed in, suddenly feeling so much empathy for the poor wild stallion. “I live around here and noticed this stallion playing in the fields so I went to check it out. I came in because I heard you were feeling… well, horrible. And angry. I thought you were going to hurt them, so I tried to lure you away to make them safe. I saw them all come here on their own. They aren’t here to hurt you anymore.”

Theta’s eyes went wide in shock as he just stared at the mare. He thought the stallion would be beyond reason and that the whole point was to trick him away, not be so blunt when it could anger him worse! But to his surprise, the male took the mare’s honesty to heart. Turning away from Theta and the others, he walked back to the rose-colored kirin and, without turning to look at him, simply said, “Go on. You can go home now. But… can I talk to you, miss...?”

“Chrysanthe.”

Incredulous at the entire turn of events, he wordlessly turned and walked on to his calling rider. Though… thinking about that word for a moment was more than a little strange. Would Blaek end up being his first rider? Maybe… after seeing what a little trust in others could do between the two he had just left behind, he was beginning to consider the idea if only for a fleeting moment. Right now, though, he confirmed today that the fear of being alone makes people and boucles do some crazy things, like running from people you care about or attacking those who might not even be a threat. As he came out of the thicket, Blaek and Griswald welcomed him with a heavy mix of concern and relief, only to look on in shock and awe as he spied Alg and Chrysanthe disappearing into the wood.

He knew two things for certain in the moment: that this was going to be quite a story to remember, and that they were all going to have to return home to tell it while it was still fresh in their heads.