Hit Me Like A Vision;; {Spectrum}

[.: Saphira :.]

It was night… Well of course it was. Why on earth would she be moving about during the day? She was so much stronger at night, with the moonlight to guide her path, and the lunar energy to infuse her with the strength of a thousand horses.

Her wingbeats were smooth and quiet; the velvety whisper of wind soft and comforting in her ears. The sharp tingle of moonlight was cold and fresh against her dark pelt, and the mare felt her thoughts dissipating into nothingness. It was comforting, this rhythm of wingbeats, the inhale and exhale of air and the pleasant strain of muscles. It soothed her; lulled her into a daze. She was never happier than she was at night, under the full moon, flying.

Equinox frowned. Full moon? She darted a glance up at the luminescent moon hanging in the sky, surrounded by other pinpricks of light, sparkling like diamonds in the sky. The moon was already a waning crescent, leaking less than a quarter of the usual power to her. It would be the new moon soon; she had better find a place to rest then, before her weakness set in.

Sighing, she lifted her wings, preparing to give another flap – when a strong gust of headwind drove into her. Startled, Equinox let out a sharp cry, straining with all her might to rise above the suddenly devilish wind. Fear twined into her breast, and she darted another glance up at the thin crescent. Would there be enough power to sustain her flight? Surely, it would be approaching dawn by now.

Narrowing her amber eyes against the driving wind, Equinox tilted and adjusted her wings according to the air currents, the subtle shifts and flows of the eddies in the air. The mare beat her wings harder against the strong air currents, striving to stay on course until she could land. She growled lowly under her breath in frustration, wings beginning to feel heavy as lead as she battled against the wind that was trying to blow her away.

Foolish! She berated herself harshly, feeling her strength fade sharply, disproportionate to the orange glow over the horizon. Flying so close to sunrise! She should have known better. She did know better. It was the moon’s powers that allowed her the gift of flight, and hence she could only fly by night. Equinox had to land. Now.

Angling her wings, the seal brown mare tossed her head, amber eyes narrowed in intense focus, the gold flecks in them shimmering and swirling. The wind buffeted her, making her eyes water, as she spiraled closer and closer to the ground, forelegs extending as she prepared the land.

Her wingbeats grew sluggish as the sun peeked over the horizon, until they were so heavy she could not lift them up. With a gasp, she lost the battle, tumbling downwards towards the ground, which was coming closer… and closer… and closer.

Please, please, please let the landing be safe, she pleaded to no one in particular, as her wings automatically folded and were tucked into her sides, where they would stay until nightfall. The feathery appendages were midnight black, tipped with a shimmer of silver. The circlets of silver hair on each of her legs lost their eerie glow, and became silver-grey once more.

Closing her eyes, Equinox felt herself touchdown with a loud thud, and she rolled over, gasping at the impact. The world swirled dizzily around her, and she finally stopped, groaning and gathering her bearings. The mare stood up shakily, testing out her legs and other functions, before heaving a sigh of relief that nothing was broken.

It was only then, that Equinox allowed herself to look around, uncertainty portrayed in her twitching ears at the unfamiliar territory. Was it claimed? She sure hoped not. Small rustlings and woodland noises seemed to echo loudly in the winter stillness, and she lifted her head, eyes darting around rapidly.

Closing her eyes, she slowed her breathing, trying to calm herself before any other threat emerged. Using a little of her stored lunar power, she tried making a rough misty shadow cloaking her, praying it would be enough to deter the less adventurous horses from drawing nearer. Too near, and they would be able to see her figure within the glowing beads.

Walking wearily over to the frozen stream, Equinox raised a hoof, stamping hard on the thin sheet of ice, shattering it with a sound that echoed like a gunshot in the still, silent woods. The mare winced at the sound, but quickly dipper her head into the icy river to drink, relishing the burning sensation in the throat that helped to wake her up.

[Celtic]

[ooc; this will occur after the interaction between Spectrum, Eli and Deradon]

Spectrum had awoken early this day, stirred by the restless energy that coursed through his body like blood. He roamed through his land without care, snow dusted leaves crackling under his hooves. Light pierced in patches, like spotlights, through the canopy overhead to land on him.

Despite the beauty that surrounded him, the King was plagued by his loneliness. He had an ally in Anubis, and a possible member in Eli, but still no mares for his harem. Stallions make for fine brothers, allies, and soldiers, but a stallion has needs, both physical and emotional, that can only be satisfied by a mare.

This thoughts were in his head when the crash came, through the trees to the west of him. He started, muscles tense and nostrils flaring. He scented the air, chest expanding and contracting as he drew the scents of the forest into him. He thought he could smell a horse - maybe a mare! - very faintly, but it was shrouded in a damp, misty scent the bewitched his nostrils. Perplexed, he began to move through the trees, parallel to a nearby stream.

A pale winter dawn was gathering, chasing the moon from the skies. Mist lay about in thin tendrils, though it seemed to gather in a grounded cloud through the brush up ahead. Now thoroughly intrigued, Spectrum stretched his neck forward and scented the air again, eyes wide as his nostrils. He thought perhaps that something divine was occurring in front of his very eyes; he remembered Cassius, his old mentor, telling him tells of forest spirits, lady spirits, that bewitched hapless passerby with their beauty.

He spoke, in case there was some listening being lying beyond the mist: "What is this that I behold? I thought I was the one who produced visions of beauty!"

[.: Saphira :.]

Equinox felt dead tired – and unusually annoyed with both herself and the situation she found herself in. The water gurgled and sang merrily to her, as she lowered her head once more to sip at the icy cold and fast-flowing waters of the small river. Her ears were pinned back in concentration, eyes narrowed with an intensity she had not felt in a while, concentrating on forcing the stored power out of her body to maintain the misty cloak that shrouded her from view.

Once she had gotten over the shock of crash landing into unknown territory, Equinox could see the beauty that this land held, despite being in winter’s dead grasp. A light, smooth blanket of snow covered the land as far as her eyes could see, and it was silent and peaceful. But remember, she reminded herself sharply, shaking herself back into focus. Silent, peaceful and pretty can also mean dangerous.

The sound of soft vocals broke the magical silence that had surrounded her. Equinox jumped in shock, spinning around so quickly, and with her loss of concentration, the shadowy cloak quickly dissipated, showing the slight seal brown mare. Her gold-flecked amber eyes sought out the stallion – for the voice was undoubtedly male – as she arched her neck, her tiredness quickly slipping away at the sound of another’s voice. As much as she enjoyed silence, it could get rather tedious at times.

A coy smile slipped onto her lips, as Equinox tossed her silky black mane out of her eyes, which were quickly accessing the stallion. Her was a little shorter than most stallion’s she’d encountered, but still a little taller than her – much to her annoyance (was there anything not taller than her?). Red streaks seemed to adorn his tresses, and the stallion himself was a steely grey. She shifted to a more comfortable stance, ready for whatever this stallion wanted to throw at her.

“Oh?” she answered, tilting her head in question. “Well, pardon me, then, dear sir, for I most certainly am not one of your ‘visions of beauty’. But I thank you for your compliment nevertheless,” she smirked, sauntering a little closer, away from the sheet of ice, and the water beneath.

“As for who I am… I’ll tell you mine, if you’ll tell me yours. Tell me, stallion, which exotic creature I am now looking at… and what be your ‘visions of beauty’? Your little harem of mares? Or something…. Else?” she asked lightly, curiosity evident in her tone. Was it his power he spoke of? Or something else entirely?

[Celtic]

When the mist dissipated, joy blossomed in Spectrum's heart. Before him stood a mare, a beautiful lady. The first thing he noticed was her eyes, shining like two foreign suns in her delicate skull. Her wings were quite impressive, her body well muscled and strong.

In other words, she was perfect. A young woman with much potential. Spectrum prayed that she would not flee from him, or tease him with false affections then humiliate him. This was his first potential mare, and he didn't want the experience to be unpleasant.

He listened to her words, grinning inwardly. She was obviously very confident; a challenge, in other words. The trick with a mare like this was the make her submit to your wills without breaking her beautiful spirit: to hold, but not crush; lead, but not drag. Such efforts would be well worth it, if she was to be his.

He bowed to her, going down on one foreleg and extending the other in front: the very image of chivalry! He closed his eyes for a moment, gathered his thoughts, then said;

"Indeed, I can see that you are very real. No trick of the mind! My name is Spectrum, and I am king of this land you have entered. But I am a gentle king, and would not dream of driving a lady away." He winked and tossed his head. "It amuses me that you speak of my 'harem', for as of yet I have none. This land has been in my keeping for only a few days now, and as of yet no mares have come to me. You are the first."

"As for the visions I alluded to, perhaps it would be best to show you, rather than speak of it."

Spectrum closed his eyes and reached the tendrils of his mind out to grasp onto hers. He then conjured up what he hoped she would find beautiful: a flock of monarch butterflies bursting from the winter air and fluttering in 'round her head, between her legs. The butterflies were not real, of course, but one would swear they were.

Spectrum withdrew from the mare's brain and the butterflies dissipated. "So," he said, hoping for her approval, "What do you think? Does that earn me the privilege of knowing your name?"

[.: Saphira :.]

Equinox did not try to hide her smug smile, when she noticed the stallion’s eyes move over her, seemed to find her… adequate, at least, from what she could read from his face. Her nostrils flared, taking in the stallion’s musky scent, before she half-turned, grooming at her wing lightly, as though giving him only half of her attention.

And then he bowed. Her head immediately twisted back to gaze directly upon the bowing stallion, now able to see the yellow stripe down his back. Her lips curled up into an involuntary smile, acknowledging his gesture with a small dip of her head and the rustle of feathers, his gesture putting him a notch higher in her esteem.

He knew the game, then, and rather well too, she had to admit. She would have to be extra careful around this stallion, who seemed to be both quick of wit and of mind, along with having a very silver tongue. So she said stoically, a smirk playing about her lips, though she wished to giggle at his antics.

“Indeed,” she said lightly, taking a single step closer and widening her eyes innocently. “It is my greatest pleasure to have been able to make your… acquaintance,” she murmured softly. “And modest too?” she asked, unable to resist a playful jab at his mention of being a ‘gentle king’.

She raised a hoof, before delicately replacing it upon the ground. “Only a few days?” she asked, only half feigning surprise. “You and your land seem to have a bond… One that most kings are unable to achieve. They say the condition of a king’s land is reflective of his skills as a leader… Is this true for you, then?”

Equinox raised a metaphorical eyebrow at his choice of words. “Come to you? Rather sure of your capabilities, are you not, Gentle King? It was you, my dear, who came to me, if you recall,” she said, with a hint of indignation colouring her tone.

She nodded at his next words, agreeing to his request. A moment of silence, as she waited with anticipation, before she snorted with shock, gasping with pleasure at the beautifully, perfectly coloured flock of butterflies bursting around her, all over her. Between her legs, around her head… She turned her head to look behind her, only to see more of the flock swirling around her, beautiful as a dream. She reached out, eager to touch one, only to have her muzzle pass through the swarm.

Understanding dawned.

“Master of Illusions,” she whispered reverently, looking at Spectrum with awe, eyes wide, and retinas burning with the last echo of the image, before she pulled herself together – with some effort, mind you.

“It was adequate,” she laughed, a breathless note still in her voice. “And I must say it does. Impressive, stallion,” she said, looking challengingly at him and raising her chin. “But surely you can do more than such a simple party trick? Even I can do it,” she said, narrowing her eyes once more.

Butterflies burst out of thin air, glowing, and ethereal specters, formed out glowing beads of moonlight, as they hovered around them both. Hers were less defined, a little crude, and of a glowing white colour, but they would work enough for her to make her point.

[Celtic]

Master of Illusions; the moment the mare called him this he fell a bit in love with her, or perhaps it was just boyish infatuation, a juvenile reaction to flattery.

But she was beautiful. And she was awed by his performance, he could see it...well, at least until she called it a 'party trick'.

"Party trick!" He snorted and stamped his hoof, trying to hide his real hurt and indignation with an exaggerated parody of the feelings. "Why, you are difficult to impress, my lady. I am quite sure you have never seen the likes of my butterflies before..."

But here he was wrong; she had seen the likes of this before, at least in some form, because she could DO it! Not as well as he could, mind you, but one could argue that the spectral, blurred quality of her butterflies made them just as beautiful as his. Perhaps more so.

"Well," he said, a little breathless, "You clearly have an artist's eye and mind. It looks like I will have to pull out all the stops to impress a mare like you."

He clutched her mind again, gently as he could, and conjured a new image:

Winter melted away from where Equinox was standing, in a sort of semi-circle. While the forest surrounding them continued to appear as what is was - a frosty winter landscape - the earth immediately surrounding the mare became void of snow for her eyes, brown earth revealing itself and quickly bursting forth with the pale green grasses of spring. Next came the budding flowers; tiny baby flecks of color in the earliest gasps of spring.

Spectrum whispered, "Now, let it be summertime."

While the surrounding wood kept it's true colors of winter, the earth around Equinox became a piece of summer: the pale grass deepened its green, and the flower's grew to new heights, some expiring and giving way to new types: the flowers of the deepest parts of summer. Lacy whites, bold yellows, long stalks and hundreds of petals.

"Now, the autumn."

The stalks of the flower's lost their stalks and became tawny grasses. A red leaf floated before the mare's eyes and was whisked away by an imaginary wind.

Slowly, the illusion of fall gave way to the reality of winter, and Spectrum waited for his new friend to speak.

[.: Saphira :.]

She rolled her eyes and smirked with amusement at his exaggerated behaviour, tutting softly under her breath at his apparent childishness, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Is that so, my lord?” she threw back. “Perhaps you have simply not associated with ladies of the proper bearing often enough.”

She had been impressed, however, and very much so, no matter what Spectrum might have thought after her reaction. The butterflies had been perfectly crafted, down to every single nuance of colour and detail – exceedingly lifelike as well. Had he not warned her… Had she not touched the immaterial butterflies… she would have thought them real.

She suppressed a shiver, thinking of how easily he could force another to live the rest of their life in a dream world, painting it with all the riches that this world never had, before pulling away sharply and leaving them to live with the dullness for the rest of their lives. Oh, she would not be able to bear it!

She herself could do something like that – but only a mere faucet of what he could do. It was rather foolish of her to waste her carefully stored power on such a trivial act, but somehow, she could not help but want to flaunt her own powers before him, could not help but want him to be impressed by what she could do.

A smug look flitted across her face at his slightly breathless voice. “Thank you,” she grinned, flicking her tail against her haunches. “It seems you must,” she laughed in reply, perhaps a little too eager to see what other masterpieces he could create, with just the powers of his mind. Would it be magical wonders of the worlds she had only heard of? Or perhaps another fascinating creature? Or perhaps some of the beautiful places she had heard from rumours?

Equinox’s eyes glittered with anticipation and excitement, ears pricking forward, even as she struggled to hold her composure. It would not be wise to seem too willing this early in the game. But she did so love the beautiful butterflies… And she as sure as there were stars in the sky that the next would be even better, even more fascinating.

And then all of a sudden, the snow began melting away, leaving brown clumps of dirt underneath its pristine whiteness. It had been so sudden – Equinox had staggered a little, overwhelmed by the sensory overload the told her very insistently, that this could not be happening.

But it was so beautiful. The flawless serenity and beauty of all four seasons combined into a ‘show’ right before her eyes! It made her yearn for things – things that she herself didn’t quite know what they were. The bareness of winter, followed by the greenness and freshness of spring, then the ferocity and colourfulness of summer, and then the fading colours of autumn, before winter. His voice blended in perfectly with the illusion, soft and dreamy, yet compelling enough to grasp at her attention.

When at last, the land in front of her stopped changing, she hesitated, uncertain if what she was seeing was reality as she knew it. Breathing fast, she turned to Spectrum, not even bothering to hide her awe, whispering, “That was beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life!”

She stood staring at the grey stallion for a little while more, wonder still clear in her amber eyes, before she foggily pushed it away, shaking her head to bring herself back to the present. “Are there any limits to your illusions?” she pressed eagerly. “Is it only limited to sight? Is there anything you are not able to influence others to do?”

[Celtic]

The delight he witnessed on the mare's face brought him great pleasure: she was obviously opening up to him, and dropping the haughty facade that so many mares maintain. The joy in her eyes fed his soul as rich grass feeds that body, and he felt more like a man than he ever had in his life.

When the pretty mare asked if his abilities had limits; he knew immediately that, while it was tempting to stretch the truth in order to impress her, he would be completely honest. After all, she was too smart to be deceived for long - she would demand demonstrations. Besides, there was no reason to lie. She deserved the truth, and would get it.

"Well," he said, cocking his hip casually, "My power certainly does have its limits, as everyone's does I suppose. I can only bewitch the mind of one being at a time, no more; besides that, massive illusions, especially those that involve more than three of the five senses, can become tiring after awhile unless I...well.."

He hesitated. He wasn't sure how to put his rejuvenation method delicately, or if he even could. He decided to be straightforward, but vague:

"..unless I feed on the more delicate parts of the subject's mind. Which has grave consequences. So yes, in short, there are limits to my abilities."

He looked at her hard, searching for signs of disappointment or doubt. He greatly hoped that she had not expected him to be Godlike in his powers and was now disappointed. That would be just awful.

After this short pause, he moved a touch closer to her and said, almost in a purr, "For now, perhaps you would like another...demonstration? I can bewitch any sense: sight, smell, taste...touch.."

He smiled, then backed off, not wanting to come off as lecherous. "Or, if you prefer, you could tell me about your power."

[.: Saphira :.]

It was deeply addicting, she mused thoughtfully to herself, bright amber eyes never leaving the king’s grey body. She could almost feel the tendrils of power he had used to shape his creations tingling on her pelt, as her wings strained against their iron confinements, begging to be set free.

Equinox tossed her head, snorting frustratedly under her breath, before she purposefully calmed herself down, slowing her breathing and relaxing her wing muscles. She absolutely hated the daytime. At least this time, however, she had Spectrum to amuse her.

Pricking her ears forward, she listened intently to his explanation, before making a disgusted face at the last part of it. “Must come in rather useful in battles,” she commented casually. “Incapacitating your enemy before he even has a chance to launch the first attack. A pity you can’t influence the minds of more than one horse at a time… You could blind them all, and then start taking your time to pick them off one by one,” she laughed, eyes flashing with interest at the thought.

“Is it dependent on your mental strength? So can you train to increase it? Like if you train hard enough, you might be able to influence all five senses?” she asked eagerly, tilting her head as she flicked her ebony tail against her haunches.

Something in her amber-gold eyes flickered, and her heart seemed to skip a nervous beat as the stallion moved closer, his voice low and almost seductive. She blinked, pinning back her ears slightly as she gave a nod of her head to agree to yet another demonstration. Again, she felt as though the visions were a heady drug.

“I suppose it’s only fair that I tell you about my power, then,” Equinox smirked, halting him before he could begin to weave his illusion once more. “After all, we wouldn’t want you to be at a disadvantage, would we?”

Tilting her head in consideration, her posture relaxed, Equinox slowly spoke, “I suppose mine would be what others would call… lunar manipulation. I can take the lunar energy from the moon, and transform them into forms – like those you saw just now. It gives me strength, the power of flight, control over the tides, and lets me heal minor injuries, I guess,” she said warily, watching Spectrum closely.