Please, Do Not Spoil The Ending!
“Star! Slow down!”
She seems to be ignoring your Ballator, but fatigue slows her anyway. Her cheerful demeanor is gone and now the mare is panicked. The trees around them have started to thin. Fire glows behind them, but it also glows in front of them. The smell of sulphur is so thick that it brings tears to your Ballator’s eyes. Coughing, Star turns to your Ballator.
“Something still isn’t right…”
Your Ballator silently agrees; there are no ghouls. Hannibal’s legion is nowhere to be seen. The cavernous outcrop of rocks that circles over Orodrune is lit from within by the lava that Hannibal protects his seat with, but they were still too close.
“–Tell me where The Lowlord is!”
Your Ballator flinches, knowing that voice; they thought they had left it far behind and well across The Charred Plains. Star hunkers close to your Ballator, wide eyed.
Before them stands Antares. His back is to them, and at his hooves, Owl lays breathless. She struggles to get her bearings but each time the troubadour pushes her down.
“Brother…”
Betelgeuse moves past your Ballator and Star, dropping Apophis’ bone crown as she does.
“Didn’t I leave you behind to play soldier?”
“All of your flash and no substance, Sister,” he replies coolly, “I am merely finishing what you could not.”
“As you wish.”
But Betelgeuse’s voice betrays her annoyance.
Owl takes their brief moment of conversation to pull her legs up under her. She makes eye contact with your Ballator once and its as if the world both speeds up and slows down all at once:
Betelgeuse launches herself into the air the same time Owl does; both mares are winged as Owl reveals her true self for the first time. But she is not quick enough. Betelgeuse slams into the other mare and forces her down, Antares grabs ahold of the scruff of Owl’s neck, adding his weight to his sisters. The two of them lean close over a struggling Owl, their red eyes pulsing in time with the Red Star above. Star touched grows rise up from her horns and Owl falls limply.
As her head hits the ground, the flames of Orodrune extinguish.
A word of caution: to avoid spoilers for members who have not yet reached the end of The Quest, Owl’s reference has not been uploaded to DeviantART yet. More information following her new form will appear at the end of the month.
This is a Shadow Prompt. For this prompt, please depict your Ballator experiencing the reveal of Owl’s Troubadour form. Owl must be depicted– she can be depicted in her Troubadour or Judas Horse form.
There is a 7 stat minimum required for this prompt.
Guidelines for Shadow Prompts
- Shadow Prompts must be completed to unlock the next password and advance the Monthly Quest.
- Prompts must still be submitted to the DeviantART Group.
- Please submit Shadow Prompts to the Monthly Quest folder.
- Shadow Prompts will not count for Regale’s Quests, Wild Ballator Entries, or Foal Prompts.
- Anthros are not allowed for these prompts.
- Shadow Prompts can be completed as many times as desired, but you will only gain prizes for the first attempt.
- Stat grids will not be accepted as entries. Comics will accepted as entries so long as only one prompt is depicted per comic, only horses relevant to the prompt are shown, and the stats do not exceed 20. (Reminder: Companion bonuses will not apply to comics as they are counted by stat grid guidelines!)
- Entries must contain the Ballators pictured and the prompt completed in this format:
Horse(s) Pictured: (Link to Refs)
Prompt(s) Shown: (Please link back to the Shadow Quest Page)
Stat Breakdown:
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–
Stat Total:
Completion and group acceptance of this Shadow Prompt will give you:
- 1x Ember of Orodrune
- 1x Igne Plumae
- 1000 Denarii
