Ahh rushed background at the end. I had been working hard on Apocalypse rather than the rest of the drawing, and noticed the glitter was too strong at the top :( Oh well, hope you realize that the horse is meant to be the main part-try to forget the sparkles ;)
Sorry for the hideous turnout, but it happens. Hope you like it, no copying!
Character, drawing and design copyright to ME.
Name: Storm of the Apocalypse/Apocalypse/Apocco
Age: 15
Breed: Dutch Warmblood X Thoroughbred X Otherworldly
Gender: Female/Mare
Personality: You could expect Apocalypse to be incredibly vain when it comes to looks. Just the way she poses in the picture is enough to set your mind in thought. She thinks she is the most prettiest girl in the world, walking around in a snobby fashion, and tossing her hair with her overambitious attitude. When it comes to arguments, she's always right, period. She always insists that her sense of humour, is of course, the funniest in the whole wide world. Competition is Apoco's talent... She loves hard work and to complete tasks at her own free will, even if she's not up to tackle them.
However, with her luxurious upbringing, she was very lucky for her father to spend time and money on her training as a warrior. Endless classes consisted of her becoming the best, and only the best. In addition to that, Apoco's strict way of thinking made her drive on through Martial Arts to become a ninja in the making. After her father thought about his daughters future, he and the rest of Apoco's family invested money -a great deal of it at that- to the best silversmiths in the area. The original plan was for her to have the strongest armour in order for her to obtain the top place as an assassin. To be able to achieve that; you need good quality armour.
When she's not busy wasting time with the usual cocky attitude, Apoco can be such a nice girl with a lot of sense. After all, she helped her best friend, Emotional Breakdown overcome her insecurities, which has paid off her not-so-good reputation.
History: It's evident that Apocalypse is infact, a high-maintenance and foul-mouthed little brat, but that was all due to her upbringing in a money-covered lifestyle.
She was lucky. She knew it.
Everything and everything she had ever wanted was brought for her. She expected to receive things without a cost, and in return, gave nothing. Of course, she was a materialist, and a capitalist, set in her own ways of the world without thinking of others. It was all about the money; according to her.
But something about Apocalypse was more than just a hot-headed and typical stuck-up mare.
She had a sense of kindness and understanding. She had a sense of remorse and pity for those who struggled... The front she showed for others was more like a mask-covering her true identity-to avoid the bad attention from other family members acquainted with her. I guess it's safe to say that she was different in a strange way; after all.
However, she wasn't so lucky as she grew older. It was bad times for her fathers herd. They were running out of solutions for bringing money back into their family, and because they lived so lavishly in the past, it had completely drained them, leaving all who were responsible, broke in the gutter.
"Dad, what's going on? Is everything okay?" Apocalypse questioned, generally concerned for her father.
"I'm afraid not, sweetheart." He replied dully "We've been... Having some difficulties with keeping the herd stable with basic supplies and requirements. We're moving out tonight, despite our best intentions. They say the weather might be bad, so we'll have to stick together as best we can."
Apocalypse nearly fainted; "W-what?! So you mean we're leaving home? Leaving EVERYTHING?" She tried to steady herself, but the shock was just too harsh. "You promised that no we would stay here no matter what."
Apocalypse's father sunk his head lower in guilt, knowing that he couldn't hold his promise. A sense of dread rested upon his shoulders. He looked his daughter in the eyes, sighing and looking down sadly again. "I'd hoped that the money we saved would be enough to settle us for the future. I guess I underestimated the reality of the situation and overkilled it... This is the outcome. I'm not blaming anybody, but I feel I am guilty, along with a few others. There were thieves in this herd, Apoco... Thieves... Do you know what that means? We've lost millions."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
~The Storm~
Apocalypse was at the young age of 9 when all of this trouble about money and struggle hit her. It became known that the herd were scheduled to move out tonight, and leave their beloved home behind.
...
Oppressively, thunder, lightning and large intervals of crashing and booming across the sky started off the night. The great storm had come at last.
It wasn't that late into the night when Apocalypse's father began gathering the last of their belongings, and loading them onto a big trailer (which was being pulled by volunteers from the herd) He gave a pitiful look back at their huge palace, and then began making his way slowly through the gates, heading onto the vast environment beyond.
Apocalypse wasn't far behind,the rain that lashed out at them soaked her to the bone. She didn't even have any coverage from the weather, leaving her shivering from the cold. She walked slowly besides her father, who looked ahead, full of emptiness and regret.
He, along with the rest of the herd, trudged through inches of soaking wet mud, already exhausted from the sheer effort of battling through the almost horizontal rain. The mud was so saturated from this, that it plastered them all over their legs and over their bodies like a coating of paint. A couple of members tripped, forgetting that the mud was getting deeper and deeper as they advanced towards the marshlands.
Apocalypse gave a terrified snort as a huge flash of lightning ripped across the sky, bringing along with it an ear-splitting explosion of sound. She closed her eyes, feeling hot tears flood down her face. She looked back at her home, now a tiny speck among the clusters of mountains and hills...
She realized all at once that she was never coming back, and that was the hardest thing of all to deal with.
Her tears didn't exactly bring any attention to her father, because the amount of rain being unloaded upon them was like earth-sized buckets of water, which disguised her tears well.
She only managed to speak up once, but decided better of it. Her father had enough on as it was, and she paid respect to his thoughts and feelings with letting him be and keeping fairly quiet.
Almost depressingly, the herd followed after them, exhausted and drained. So many members were dedicated to their place in the herd that they didn't even complain, just trudge through the thick marshland grass and mud with their heads hung low.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
A few hours into the journey of hell, already at least five members had been lost because they couldn't keep up or withstand the constant battering they received from these hostile conditions. Some members had even died, having been trapped into the sinking mud and unable to escape.
Apocalypse became a little more uneasy, finally speaking to her father, in a raised tone, voicing her concerns for the herd and the weather.
"Dad! I don't think it's safe any longer! I've noticed that the herd have dropped in numbers and I can see some are clearly exhausted! We have to get out of this marshland and onto the grass fields and meadows!"
Hearing this, her father turned around, wincing in pain, but he spoke spoke aloud nevertheless. Even louder than his daughter.
"We are too deep into the marshland's to be able to travel in a different direction. We must keep going."
However, when he stated his last remark, his eyes drooped, and he started wobbling on his feet, before he staggered backwards, and buckled. He tried to steady himself, but he was so exhausted that he turned on his heaving sides in the mud, resting his head heavily as his eyes began to close. Apocalypse could tell that her father was almost lost in unconsciousness because of his fatigue, and he looked in so much pain. "Apocalypse, I can't go on any more. Take these (he produced her two green ribbons of which he held limply in his mouth) they shall bring you good luck, and they will remind you of your father, who once stood proud by your side. Do not blame yourself for what's happened. I don't have the energy to keep going, so if I hold you back, don't stop for me, just keep going and lead the herd North. This ground shall not last that much longer, and you will find yourself on stable grassland that's no longer a danger to you, or anybody else. Good luck, my sweet daughter..." He says in a weak tone.
Apocalypse screamed in despair, rearing up and thrashing the ground again. "No father! You shall not be left alone to fend for yourself. We have been travelling for hours, it's understandable that you may have become weak and you're prone to injuries. We'll try and do the best we can for you." Apocalypse answered sincerely... His almost motionless body, covered in mud, blood and sweat, stayed down. The force of the rain seemed to create a level of water above the mud, but with the disturbance of movement, the mud beneath mixed with the water, creating an ugly black substance that seemed to engulf her father in a black bath of liquid.
The depressing environment in which she was standing did no more good to her, than it did to her father or to the herd. He wasn't dead, but with the freezing cold, and his lack of capability to stay mobile, Apocalypse could only think of the worst. He could drown, die of hypothermia, anything... But the most difficult thing was being told to move on without him, knowing that she was capable of saving him but, but told specifically that she couldn't.
"Somebody help me! We must take him with us! I'm not leaving him here to die! Some of you help me lift his body onto the trailer! We're loyal, caring and dedicated members of the herd. The least we can do is be faithful to our leader!"
Apocalypse whinnied loudly, signalling the order with a stern tone. She began to drag her father out of the mud and towards the trailer where the volunteers joined in to lift the stallions' limp body up onto the top. With a great effort, they managed to succeed, securing the load once again.
Her father had still held the beautiful green ribbons in his mouth, so she gently took them from him and tied them round her neck, attached a bow where it met her withers, and then tied a final bow to the dock of her tail, letting the remaining ribbon flow freely behind her.
She smiled, admiring them, before leading the rest of the herd onwards... Her father looked down at her, smiling weakly, as if to show his appreciation.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Apocalypse was unaware of how bad the storm had become until she decided to stop the herd for a rest.
She had only managed to succeed in taking the herd past the marshlands and up onto a truly massive tract of land that represented the American Plains back in the 1800's. She became slightly tense, realizing that danger was close.
She approached the trailer, relieving the horses that were attached to it, before checking on her father, who seemed in no shape of improvement. The thing what caused her to worry was that there was no healer or doctor to help... So if her father was to fall ill, there was nothing she could do.
"Jesus christ... I never wanted things to go so wrong. It's awful the way things have turned..." She muttered to herself in grief and shock, looking around and observing her surroundings miserably.
Suddenly, one of the herd scouts was seen galloping towards her in a hurry, a worried expression registered on her face. She stopped abruptly before Apocalypse with the bad news.
"The weather's going to get worse, Apocalypse. Much worse. We cannot find any cover as the land is far too vast, and it's impossible to send a search party out to find shelter as the lightning's becoming a big danger to the environment. It's too dark. We're also taking your father's welfare into concern."
Apocalypse sighed, and nodded in understanding, thanking the young scout for her work.
"Okay, thankyou Falon. I guess we will have to make camp here for the night. I suppose we have a large sheet of tarpaulin on the trailer that we could use as a roof. We can use the tent-posts as reinforcements to secure the structure. We also have some spare sheets to use around the sides to keep us warm. We shall have to make a start now to avoid any more delays."
Falon nodded and began to make her way back to the herd, letting them know of the plan.
But as they began to set to work, the lightning began to get worse.
A large lightning bolt struck the ground with a force so large that it set fire to the area in which it touched. The fire brewed and fed itself with the grass around it. When it was big enough, it began spreading around the camp, surrounding the herd with hardly anywhere to escape.
In sheer terror, everybody began scattering, trampling in desperation over others in order to save themselves. It turned from a peaceful procedure into complete and utter chaos. There was even fighting for free spaces, but few were unlucky and became trapped into the circle of the flames.
Many of them were never seen again.
As for Apocalypse, she was still left with her father, until she turned round to the sight of horror and destruction caused by the lightning. "Oh my god!" She gasped, launching herself forwards, galloping as fast as her legs would carry her down to the zone of chaos and hell.
When she arrived, nobody seemed to pay much attention to her, but, instead, fled in all different directions into the darkness, unknowing of what might have laid ahead.
The fire began spreading further and further out into the open, but Apocalypse found herself lost in her own clouds of fears. She tried to move forwards, but something was stopping her. She was frozen, completely frozen.
The fire blazed now, rising higher and higher, blocking her vision up ahead where the trailer and resources were kept. She attempted to jump the flames, but thought better of it.
Leaving Apocalypse no choice but to abandon her father, and whoever was left, she turned around in a blur, tears streaming down her face, and racking sobs. She never looked back. That was the hardest thing she ever had to do.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Later on in life, Apocalypse found herself better to be on her own. She didn't rely on anybody else to look after her, and eventually, forging her own path, the mare created her home-surrounded by the large areas of forestry, mountains and meadows.
We're not going to lie by saying everything was perfect. Some seasons were harder than others. Food shortages and competition for the high prizes. But there was also bigger and badder problems to watch out for; predators with gnashing teeth, claws as big as a knifes edge, and... Bachelor stallions.
Why, you might ask, are bachelor stallions a mare's worst fear? They snake in from other herds, or steal stragglers to make a family of their own-out of force, commonly. It's not a very nice lifestyle, and you have to live under the stallions rule. You suffer, and made to look a weakling. Your freedoms are limited, and you are forever under his surveillance.
You see, Apocalypse had often been safe by her fathers side, lessening the risk of her being snaked by a bachelor, but when she left him because her situation was out of control; she had forgotten that out in the wild, she would be unprotected. Her sleep intervals were to be shortened, and she had to forever keep alert.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Long nights were often the worst. Apocalypse was laying under the cover of a large cluster of trees, her eyes drooping from deprivation of sleep. The skies were clear, and moon full.. But she couldn't keep awake any longer. Melodiously, all the creatures and the night's songs edged her into a deep sleep. She could no longer keep up the game of being alert.
That was a bad idea, of course. Apocalypse was unaware that at night, she was most vulnerable, and at night, was when most bachelors are out, full of lust and determination for his desires.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Hey, Avalon, check this out!" One voice quietly whispered. A series of heavy hoofbeats followed afterwards as his friend approached.
The certain stallion had noticed Apocalypse sleeping within the long grass, her coat colour sparkling in unison with the stars. Just as bright too.
"W-what? What the hell is this? Looks like what my mother would find if she was digging for jewels. This ain't no normal thing, Dixon. Get out of here, and lets go find us some mares."
Dixon, (the first stallion to have spoken) looked at his ally (Avalon) and snorted. "Dude, not cool! C'mon, let's check this thing out! You don't have too, but I'mma take a look for myself."
Apocalypse was still soundly asleep when the huge looming shadow cast over her. Dixon had approached her, lowering his head, examining the mare's body. Once he registered what it was, he slowly raised his eyebrows, turning back to his friend, grinning maliciously. "Oh Avalooonn, sweet friend... You might wanna come and see this."
Avalon rolled his eyes and slowly dodged his way past the thick weeds and grass that tangled in his thick feathers. He was greatly angered at the fact that Dixon couldn't leave things untouched. Anyway, he was the classic Irish Sports horse stallion. Hot headed, and always in trouble. He previously escaped from his stables on Earth, and later sent to a space station, where he was discharged on this planet. His owners wanted to move to this planet, (very much alike Earth) But there was a large problem, and it caused him to be set into the wild.
Age: 15
Breed: Dutch Warmblood X Thoroughbred X Otherworldly
Gender: Female/Mare
Personality: You could expect Apocalypse to be incredibly vain when it comes to looks. Just the way she poses in the picture is enough to set your mind in thought. She thinks she is the most prettiest girl in the world, walking around in a snobby fashion, and tossing her hair with her overambitious attitude. When it comes to arguments, she's always right, period. She always insists that her sense of humour, is of course, the funniest in the whole wide world. Competition is Apoco's talent... She loves hard work and to complete tasks at her own free will, even if she's not up to tackle them.
However, with her luxurious upbringing, she was very lucky for her father to spend time and money on her training as a warrior. Endless classes consisted of her becoming the best, and only the best. In addition to that, Apoco's strict way of thinking made her drive on through Martial Arts to become a ninja in the making. After her father thought about his daughters future, he and the rest of Apoco's family invested money -a great deal of it at that- to the best silversmiths in the area. The original plan was for her to have the strongest armour in order for her to obtain the top place as an assassin. To be able to achieve that; you need good quality armour.
When she's not busy wasting time with the usual cocky attitude, Apoco can be such a nice girl with a lot of sense. After all, she helped her best friend, Emotional Breakdown overcome her insecurities, which has paid off her not-so-good reputation.
History: It's evident that Apocalypse is infact, a high-maintenance and foul-mouthed little brat, but that was all due to her upbringing in a money-covered lifestyle.
She was lucky. She knew it.
Everything and everything she had ever wanted was brought for her. She expected to receive things without a cost, and in return, gave nothing. Of course, she was a materialist, and a capitalist, set in her own ways of the world without thinking of others. It was all about the money; according to her.
But something about Apocalypse was more than just a hot-headed and typical stuck-up mare.
She had a sense of kindness and understanding. She had a sense of remorse and pity for those who struggled... The front she showed for others was more like a mask-covering her true identity-to avoid the bad attention from other family members acquainted with her. I guess it's safe to say that she was different in a strange way; after all.
However, she wasn't so lucky as she grew older. It was bad times for her fathers herd. They were running out of solutions for bringing money back into their family, and because they lived so lavishly in the past, it had completely drained them, leaving all who were responsible, broke in the gutter.
"Dad, what's going on? Is everything okay?" Apocalypse questioned, generally concerned for her father.
"I'm afraid not, sweetheart." He replied dully "We've been... Having some difficulties with keeping the herd stable with basic supplies and requirements. We're moving out tonight, despite our best intentions. They say the weather might be bad, so we'll have to stick together as best we can."
Apocalypse nearly fainted; "W-what?! So you mean we're leaving home? Leaving EVERYTHING?" She tried to steady herself, but the shock was just too harsh. "You promised that no we would stay here no matter what."
Apocalypse's father sunk his head lower in guilt, knowing that he couldn't hold his promise. A sense of dread rested upon his shoulders. He looked his daughter in the eyes, sighing and looking down sadly again. "I'd hoped that the money we saved would be enough to settle us for the future. I guess I underestimated the reality of the situation and overkilled it... This is the outcome. I'm not blaming anybody, but I feel I am guilty, along with a few others. There were thieves in this herd, Apoco... Thieves... Do you know what that means? We've lost millions."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
~The Storm~
Apocalypse was at the young age of 9 when all of this trouble about money and struggle hit her. It became known that the herd were scheduled to move out tonight, and leave their beloved home behind.
...
Oppressively, thunder, lightning and large intervals of crashing and booming across the sky started off the night. The great storm had come at last.
It wasn't that late into the night when Apocalypse's father began gathering the last of their belongings, and loading them onto a big trailer (which was being pulled by volunteers from the herd) He gave a pitiful look back at their huge palace, and then began making his way slowly through the gates, heading onto the vast environment beyond.
Apocalypse wasn't far behind,the rain that lashed out at them soaked her to the bone. She didn't even have any coverage from the weather, leaving her shivering from the cold. She walked slowly besides her father, who looked ahead, full of emptiness and regret.
He, along with the rest of the herd, trudged through inches of soaking wet mud, already exhausted from the sheer effort of battling through the almost horizontal rain. The mud was so saturated from this, that it plastered them all over their legs and over their bodies like a coating of paint. A couple of members tripped, forgetting that the mud was getting deeper and deeper as they advanced towards the marshlands.
Apocalypse gave a terrified snort as a huge flash of lightning ripped across the sky, bringing along with it an ear-splitting explosion of sound. She closed her eyes, feeling hot tears flood down her face. She looked back at her home, now a tiny speck among the clusters of mountains and hills...
She realized all at once that she was never coming back, and that was the hardest thing of all to deal with.
Her tears didn't exactly bring any attention to her father, because the amount of rain being unloaded upon them was like earth-sized buckets of water, which disguised her tears well.
She only managed to speak up once, but decided better of it. Her father had enough on as it was, and she paid respect to his thoughts and feelings with letting him be and keeping fairly quiet.
Almost depressingly, the herd followed after them, exhausted and drained. So many members were dedicated to their place in the herd that they didn't even complain, just trudge through the thick marshland grass and mud with their heads hung low.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
A few hours into the journey of hell, already at least five members had been lost because they couldn't keep up or withstand the constant battering they received from these hostile conditions. Some members had even died, having been trapped into the sinking mud and unable to escape.
Apocalypse became a little more uneasy, finally speaking to her father, in a raised tone, voicing her concerns for the herd and the weather.
"Dad! I don't think it's safe any longer! I've noticed that the herd have dropped in numbers and I can see some are clearly exhausted! We have to get out of this marshland and onto the grass fields and meadows!"
Hearing this, her father turned around, wincing in pain, but he spoke spoke aloud nevertheless. Even louder than his daughter.
"We are too deep into the marshland's to be able to travel in a different direction. We must keep going."
However, when he stated his last remark, his eyes drooped, and he started wobbling on his feet, before he staggered backwards, and buckled. He tried to steady himself, but he was so exhausted that he turned on his heaving sides in the mud, resting his head heavily as his eyes began to close. Apocalypse could tell that her father was almost lost in unconsciousness because of his fatigue, and he looked in so much pain. "Apocalypse, I can't go on any more. Take these (he produced her two green ribbons of which he held limply in his mouth) they shall bring you good luck, and they will remind you of your father, who once stood proud by your side. Do not blame yourself for what's happened. I don't have the energy to keep going, so if I hold you back, don't stop for me, just keep going and lead the herd North. This ground shall not last that much longer, and you will find yourself on stable grassland that's no longer a danger to you, or anybody else. Good luck, my sweet daughter..." He says in a weak tone.
Apocalypse screamed in despair, rearing up and thrashing the ground again. "No father! You shall not be left alone to fend for yourself. We have been travelling for hours, it's understandable that you may have become weak and you're prone to injuries. We'll try and do the best we can for you." Apocalypse answered sincerely... His almost motionless body, covered in mud, blood and sweat, stayed down. The force of the rain seemed to create a level of water above the mud, but with the disturbance of movement, the mud beneath mixed with the water, creating an ugly black substance that seemed to engulf her father in a black bath of liquid.
The depressing environment in which she was standing did no more good to her, than it did to her father or to the herd. He wasn't dead, but with the freezing cold, and his lack of capability to stay mobile, Apocalypse could only think of the worst. He could drown, die of hypothermia, anything... But the most difficult thing was being told to move on without him, knowing that she was capable of saving him but, but told specifically that she couldn't.
"Somebody help me! We must take him with us! I'm not leaving him here to die! Some of you help me lift his body onto the trailer! We're loyal, caring and dedicated members of the herd. The least we can do is be faithful to our leader!"
Apocalypse whinnied loudly, signalling the order with a stern tone. She began to drag her father out of the mud and towards the trailer where the volunteers joined in to lift the stallions' limp body up onto the top. With a great effort, they managed to succeed, securing the load once again.
Her father had still held the beautiful green ribbons in his mouth, so she gently took them from him and tied them round her neck, attached a bow where it met her withers, and then tied a final bow to the dock of her tail, letting the remaining ribbon flow freely behind her.
She smiled, admiring them, before leading the rest of the herd onwards... Her father looked down at her, smiling weakly, as if to show his appreciation.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Apocalypse was unaware of how bad the storm had become until she decided to stop the herd for a rest.
She had only managed to succeed in taking the herd past the marshlands and up onto a truly massive tract of land that represented the American Plains back in the 1800's. She became slightly tense, realizing that danger was close.
She approached the trailer, relieving the horses that were attached to it, before checking on her father, who seemed in no shape of improvement. The thing what caused her to worry was that there was no healer or doctor to help... So if her father was to fall ill, there was nothing she could do.
"Jesus christ... I never wanted things to go so wrong. It's awful the way things have turned..." She muttered to herself in grief and shock, looking around and observing her surroundings miserably.
Suddenly, one of the herd scouts was seen galloping towards her in a hurry, a worried expression registered on her face. She stopped abruptly before Apocalypse with the bad news.
"The weather's going to get worse, Apocalypse. Much worse. We cannot find any cover as the land is far too vast, and it's impossible to send a search party out to find shelter as the lightning's becoming a big danger to the environment. It's too dark. We're also taking your father's welfare into concern."
Apocalypse sighed, and nodded in understanding, thanking the young scout for her work.
"Okay, thankyou Falon. I guess we will have to make camp here for the night. I suppose we have a large sheet of tarpaulin on the trailer that we could use as a roof. We can use the tent-posts as reinforcements to secure the structure. We also have some spare sheets to use around the sides to keep us warm. We shall have to make a start now to avoid any more delays."
Falon nodded and began to make her way back to the herd, letting them know of the plan.
But as they began to set to work, the lightning began to get worse.
A large lightning bolt struck the ground with a force so large that it set fire to the area in which it touched. The fire brewed and fed itself with the grass around it. When it was big enough, it began spreading around the camp, surrounding the herd with hardly anywhere to escape.
In sheer terror, everybody began scattering, trampling in desperation over others in order to save themselves. It turned from a peaceful procedure into complete and utter chaos. There was even fighting for free spaces, but few were unlucky and became trapped into the circle of the flames.
Many of them were never seen again.
As for Apocalypse, she was still left with her father, until she turned round to the sight of horror and destruction caused by the lightning. "Oh my god!" She gasped, launching herself forwards, galloping as fast as her legs would carry her down to the zone of chaos and hell.
When she arrived, nobody seemed to pay much attention to her, but, instead, fled in all different directions into the darkness, unknowing of what might have laid ahead.
The fire began spreading further and further out into the open, but Apocalypse found herself lost in her own clouds of fears. She tried to move forwards, but something was stopping her. She was frozen, completely frozen.
The fire blazed now, rising higher and higher, blocking her vision up ahead where the trailer and resources were kept. She attempted to jump the flames, but thought better of it.
Leaving Apocalypse no choice but to abandon her father, and whoever was left, she turned around in a blur, tears streaming down her face, and racking sobs. She never looked back. That was the hardest thing she ever had to do.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Later on in life, Apocalypse found herself better to be on her own. She didn't rely on anybody else to look after her, and eventually, forging her own path, the mare created her home-surrounded by the large areas of forestry, mountains and meadows.
We're not going to lie by saying everything was perfect. Some seasons were harder than others. Food shortages and competition for the high prizes. But there was also bigger and badder problems to watch out for; predators with gnashing teeth, claws as big as a knifes edge, and... Bachelor stallions.
Why, you might ask, are bachelor stallions a mare's worst fear? They snake in from other herds, or steal stragglers to make a family of their own-out of force, commonly. It's not a very nice lifestyle, and you have to live under the stallions rule. You suffer, and made to look a weakling. Your freedoms are limited, and you are forever under his surveillance.
You see, Apocalypse had often been safe by her fathers side, lessening the risk of her being snaked by a bachelor, but when she left him because her situation was out of control; she had forgotten that out in the wild, she would be unprotected. Her sleep intervals were to be shortened, and she had to forever keep alert.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Long nights were often the worst. Apocalypse was laying under the cover of a large cluster of trees, her eyes drooping from deprivation of sleep. The skies were clear, and moon full.. But she couldn't keep awake any longer. Melodiously, all the creatures and the night's songs edged her into a deep sleep. She could no longer keep up the game of being alert.
That was a bad idea, of course. Apocalypse was unaware that at night, she was most vulnerable, and at night, was when most bachelors are out, full of lust and determination for his desires.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Hey, Avalon, check this out!" One voice quietly whispered. A series of heavy hoofbeats followed afterwards as his friend approached.
The certain stallion had noticed Apocalypse sleeping within the long grass, her coat colour sparkling in unison with the stars. Just as bright too.
"W-what? What the hell is this? Looks like what my mother would find if she was digging for jewels. This ain't no normal thing, Dixon. Get out of here, and lets go find us some mares."
Dixon, (the first stallion to have spoken) looked at his ally (Avalon) and snorted. "Dude, not cool! C'mon, let's check this thing out! You don't have too, but I'mma take a look for myself."
Apocalypse was still soundly asleep when the huge looming shadow cast over her. Dixon had approached her, lowering his head, examining the mare's body. Once he registered what it was, he slowly raised his eyebrows, turning back to his friend, grinning maliciously. "Oh Avalooonn, sweet friend... You might wanna come and see this."
Avalon rolled his eyes and slowly dodged his way past the thick weeds and grass that tangled in his thick feathers. He was greatly angered at the fact that Dixon couldn't leave things untouched. Anyway, he was the classic Irish Sports horse stallion. Hot headed, and always in trouble. He previously escaped from his stables on Earth, and later sent to a space station, where he was discharged on this planet. His owners wanted to move to this planet, (very much alike Earth) But there was a large problem, and it caused him to be set into the wild.
However, Avalon himself was allied with Dixon at an early stage. He was, of course, the older, more mature being out of them both. And being a heavy shire horse gave him the easy-going attitude. The downside was, he often missed things, such as the prize his friend Dixon had spotted.
By the time Avalon had reached the two horses, he had clicked on exactly to what his friend was saying. "A mare! She's surely a pretty thing, isn't she? Well, we can't let fate decide what's to happen to her, can we now?" Avalon said.
In reply, Dixon laughed, but a little too loud this time...
Their 'prized possession' Apocalypse, awoke at once, screaming at the top of her lungs. Immediately leaping to her feet, she backed away, snarling. She quickly assumed a defensive stance, lowering her head, and pinning her ears back flat against her skull. "My father warned me about bachelor stallions. What business do you have trespassing on this land?" She questioned bitterly.
"First of all, this isn't YOUR land, missy, and second, we're just going about our nightly business. Sayyy, your a pretty young thing, aren't you? Feisty, headstrong. Just the way I like." Dixon made sure his charm was as radiant as possible. Of course, he was a handsome stallion-well built, tall, glossy coat, muscular, attractive face and loud personality. But Apocalypse didn't slip into the trap as easily as they would've liked.
This was where Avalon came in. The 'not-so-handsome' side-kick.
"Shut up, whoever you are. I don't want anything to do with you, no matter what pedigree, what breed, what colour, or what build! Now LEAVE!" Apocalypse reared up and flailed her hooves in the air, before charging at Dixon. He wasn't phased, because he just smirked, and looked to his side at Avalon, who galloped infront of him, splaying his legs apart, meeting the mare with a colossal barge, sweeping her straight off of her feet, and onto her back.
"Unlike my friend, Dixon, had said, I think you're a little out of your league saying such stern words. You act as though you know everything around here, but I can sense a strong wave of uncertainty, and quite frankly, it comes straight from you. I can tell you are not familiar with this place. You are alone, and you rely on your own (must I say) awful fighting skills. If this is what you call a defensive display, I've got to admit, I'm quite offended. Your lack of respect for visitors is appalling. Now, before we hit another struggle, you'll be coming with us."
Avalon advanced towards the downed mare, using his size against her will. He used his snaking technique to bring her back to Dixon, before they both marched her off in glee.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Three years old she was when she was kidnapped... Not even past her child stage . Already on the road to insanity. Both of the stallions had raped her and abused her continuously over the course of seven years. She was now ten years old, a broken wreck. No self-confidence or dignity. No-one to confide in. Nothing to hope for. She didn't even realize if her father and herd were still alive. That great fire was a surprise from hell. But she never knew how or what caused it. Every day, she woke up, regretting her choice for ever leaving her herd. And the thing what hurt most was that she knew if she tried, a good outcome would've been highly possible.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
There was no point in revisiting those harsh seven years of imprisonment. Apocalypse would rather have died than talk about it. Instead, she planned to plot an escape in hope that it would work.
Hours at a time were spent on the perfect break-out plot. From beginning to end, and what she would do afterwards. Instead of setting goals that were unreachable, she wanted to start searching for her old herd. Even though she was unsure if they had survived or not. When her deadline to start getting down to business had come, she carried everything out to the letter.
1) Create a diversion for Avalon (as he is very smart and won't fall for any excuses)
2) Once Avalon is distracted, find Dixon and mesmerise him (as he still likes me)
3) Get him to tell me how to knock out Avalon (and then I can use that strategy on him. Hopefully he is still mesmerised when the time comes)
4) Carry out the procedure of defeating Avalon.
5) Repeat procedure for Dixon. (Warning, he might be fully awake)
6) If successful, break out of their prison, and cover as much ground as possible before they have a chance to wake up.
7) ULTIMATE GOAL: Attempt to find my herd
______________________________________________________________________________________________
It worked! Apocalypse had conquered the two smart, but strong duo, and ran as far as she could; as fast as she could.
However, she had spent nearly one year today, searching for her herd, and still found no sign of them. That extra year made her eleven years old.
Apocco sadly gave up the search, knowing that she could as well be chasing invisible dreams. Instead, she decided to change the game, and search for a new herd, or possibly just a friend to keep her company (of course being wary not to run into Avalon and Dixon again.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Eleven years old, and already on the way to becoming a teenager. Despite having to live through a lot of physical pain and anguish, Apocalypse was determined not to let her past phase her. She promised herself that she would never tell anybody about her incidences and suffering (except those as close as possible to her) and she planned to keep it that way as long as she lived.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
~ Fourteen meets Thirteen ~
Now fourteen, and having had to live by herself for an extra three years, Apocalypse spent most of her time practising life skills, and hunting for survival. It didn't occur to her that the thing she was looking for was closer than she expected.
She was drinking by the lake after a hard session of hunting, when the sound of soft hoof-beats caught her attention. Instinctively, Apocalypse let herself believe that Dixon and Avalon had finally found her again, and cowered down to prepare for her fate. But, as she reluctantly turned round to face the music, she relaxed, and sighed in relief.
Although still wary of new visitors, she lowered her guard, and approached the shy and somewhat timid-looking female.
From what Apocco could tell, she was a mare, but she still didn't look as mature.
"Um, hi... My name's Storm of the Apocalypse, but you can call me Apocalypse or Apocco for short. What's your name?" Apocalypse approached her with a gentle smile.
Hastily, the mare backed away, and cowered down in fear; much like Apocalypse did when she heard the sound of the mare approaching.
"No no! Please don't hurt me!" The mare squealed, squeezing her eyes tightly shut as Apocalypse stopped infront of her.
Sorrowful, almost, Apocalypse hushed the mare down, putting her neck reassuringly over the trembling mare. "Shhh... I won't hurt you. I won't do anything, I promise. What ever happened to you, I wont expect you to tell me. But I know how you feel.. Trust me, I do. I um-"
Finding already that she was revealing too much information, Apocalypse cut herself short, let go of the other mare, and turned around quickly. She cursed herself harshly, and looked down into the water. Her reflection showed a beautiful-looking face. But the closer she looked, the more flaws she spotted. Faint scars from previous beatings covered her face and body. Her bones ached from the years of abuse she had to suffer, and her mind was deeply affected and shame-filled by Avalon and Dixon and what they forced her to put up with. Even though most outsiders were oblivious to it, Apocco always imagined her flaws to be as noticeable as her coat colour.
The visitor mare, evidently younger than Apocalypse, relaxed her body posture, and opened her eyes. She was no longer trembling, and the presence of this other mare seemed to soothe her pain, likewise with her (she thought). Emotional Breakdown (or Emo as she prefers to be called) wasn't exactly the best with handling awkward situations. She, however, often had the ability to get herself into them.
Gingerly stepping forwards and approaching Apocalypse, Emo softened her gaze and looked to the ground sadly.
"I-I... I'm Emotional Breakdown. But most call me Breakdown or Emo. Don't ask. L-look... I'm really sorry. If I did anything to upset you, I'll take full blame. Hit me if you want. I'm used to it." Emo looked away, and braced herself for the beating, but she felt nothing. After a couple of long moments, Emo turned to face Apocalypse, who was looking at her with an almost surprised face, as if she'd realized something she never realized before.
Timidly, Emo raised her posture again, so she was standing normally. She wanted to say something, but decided better of it. She waited for Apocalypse to say something instead.
"Your name signify's your behaviour... It's such a beautiful, but destructive name... Like mine. We both have the same nervousness. We get tetchy over our own issues, and we tend to say too much to strangers. I guess we are quite similar." Apocalypse gave a half-hearted smile and shrugged. "It's nice to meet you, Emo." She said gently, giving her a gentle nudge. "Sorry for all the drama. I just... Made a promise to myself; that's all." Apocalypse looked to the ground.
"What was your promise, Apocco?" Emo asked innocently, taking a step back just in case the mare became offended.
Apocalypse sucked in a sharp breath, trying hard not to cry. After the phase passed, she looked at Emo. "You might as well stick around after I tell you this. But you have to keep me this promise. Don't tell ANYONE. I have never told anybody about this before, and you are the first and the last."
"Okay, I promise." Emo vowed.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
"I was, um... A little girl. We had a lot of money then. Dad often spoiled me, and I was so disrespectful. I didn't show a lot of remorse for others, and I only cared about what I wanted, and when I wanted it. Inevitably, things change though, and for us, it was for the worst.
My dad came back to me one night; said that we were broke. He explained to me that after lavishly spending money on me, the family, the herd and the house, we had virtually nothing left. I, at this point, intervened. I know I shouldn't of, but you know how young mares are... I asked him why, and what was to happen. Of course he told me that we had to leave everything behind, and leave that night. We packed all of our supplies and some of our belongings.
But there was a big storm.
We travelled for hours, days... But the storm was too heavy. (Apocalypse begins to cry) some of our herd members got lost, some died. And when we were in the middle of the marshlands, we were so muddy that we barely recognized each other. I was crying. I already missed the house more than ever, finding out that my own ignorance was to pay for the damage I caused.
After a long while of travelling, we stopped for a break in the storm. The rain was lashing down, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Dad was exhausted. He slipped and fell on the ground, but was too drained to get up. I knew at that point that things were really changing.
He gave me these green ribbons, that were so beautiful and bright, and shone, despite the rain and the dull surroundings. (Apocalypse shows Emo her green ribbons) and I put them on at once. It felt then that I really respected him for who he was. But he was running out of conciousness, and at the time, I didn't notice his injuries. He said to me that he wanted to be left where he fell. He told me to go on without him, but I refused.
When he passed out, I ordered everyone to help me carry him and load him onto the supply cart, where we dragged him and the supplies through the boggy marshlands and through to the large meadows.
The lightning was really bad at this point, and the thunder was so loud that I could barely hear myself think. We made camp next to the trees, after a couple of hours travelling from the marshlands, and I relieved the volunteers who were pulling the cart, from their duties, before checking on my father. He was awake now, but he was very ill.
Shortly afterwards, my scout, Falon, had approached me with the news that the storm was going to get worse. I saw no other alternative than to set up camp where we were and to start sooner rather than later.
At the least unexpected point, a large series of lightning strikes hit the trees near us, causing a huge outburst of flames. (Apocalypse started sobbing now) I never expected things to happen so fast, but they did.
Loads of us were trapped. It was chaos. Some members fled and were never seen again, and I presume some died and that some were injured. But my dad was further away from me than where I could reach. I was surrounded by the fire, and I saw no option than to run. I never thought about my father or the rest of the herd, just about my own safety. I was such a bitch. And to know that my father was so loyal and hard-working, and that's how I repaid him....
___
I lived alone for a while after that. And I was three years old when one night I was sleeping. Under a large cluster of trees. The sky was clear, and the birds and other animals were working together creating a beautiful night's song. I was tired of course, being weary from being alert 24/7. The song lulled me into a deep sleep, and at once, I felt safe.
However, later on in the night, two strange stallions woke me up. One was a huge black shire horse with a white blaze on his face, and four white socks. He was named Avalon. The other, I presume, was an Irish Sports Horse. He was handsome and well built, with a bay coat, and four black stockings with a black mane, tail and muzzle. He was called Dixon.
I was so scared and defensive at the same time, that my anger had gotten the better of me, and I did the stupidest thing. I got up and splayed myself apart, using a defensive stance to help protect me. I questioned their presence, and of course, they overran me verbally and physically. I had no chance against Avalon. Whereas Dixon seemed to be more of an easy target. When I charged, Avalon threw me down, and snaked me in. They both made me march for miles and miles till dawn. And that's where all the abuse began...
(Now, Apocalypse was really upset. Fear and sickness was evident throughout her behaviour as she recited this part of the story to Emo, who was trying hard not to cry too.)
They tortured me, beat me, raped me, harassed me, humiliated me, embarrassed me and put me down. This lasted for seven years. So from being kidnapped at three, and living through it till the age of ten. I never used to be like this. I used to be strong, bubbly and cheerful. But you can see all of these faint scars and other flaws from my past.
Anyway, I decided to plan a plot to get out of that hell hole and run away. I distracted Avalon, then found Dixon and mesmerised him. That stage was easy, as I knew he still liked me. I got him to tell me how to defeat Avalon, and then I could use the same strategy against him. I did it successfully, escaped, then covered as much ground as I could.
I turned eleven, and lived on my own for three years more. I am now fourteen. And that brings us to the present moment."
_________________________________________________________________________________
Emo couldn't even say anything. She was awestruck by the story her new friend had told her. Instead of being shy, she ran up to Apocalypse and gave her a huge hug. "You're a hero! I'm only thirteen, but already, you're like my big sister! I feel safe when I'm with you. I hope we become best friends."
Apocco smiled and hugged Emo back. "I hope so too..."
_________________________________________________________________________________
Emo told Apocalypse her story, and shared ups and downs.
Years later, they created an ambition to find other members to create their own band.
Shortly after that, they met a stallion named Sparky, who was looking for mares for his group 'The Freefallers'. Of course, they gladly accepted, and joined forces.
To this day, they are still in that band, and Emo and Apocco are the best of friends.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Current Living Status: With the Freefaller's
Mood: Happy, slightly determined, secretive
Other: She suspects that Sparky has a crush on her, only wears her armour for combat, and a VERY important point is that Apocalypse's coat/skin is made of gems/stones that are tiny thousandths of a centimetre in diameter, width, and volume, absorbing different sources of energy and power. Think of them like a magnet or a vacuum. If somebody happens to provoke her with a devastating power, her body will absorb all of the goodness and reflect the devastation back onto her enemy/opponent so that it has an adverse effect. This is because her natural state has an invisible magnetic forcefield surrounding her being to deflect any harmful causes that may kill or cause injuries. This in itself is a huge advantage to both help protect, attack and defend at the same time, the downfall is that it takes up a HUGE amount of energy and may seriously affect Apocalypse's mental state.
In reply, Dixon laughed, but a little too loud this time...
Their 'prized possession' Apocalypse, awoke at once, screaming at the top of her lungs. Immediately leaping to her feet, she backed away, snarling. She quickly assumed a defensive stance, lowering her head, and pinning her ears back flat against her skull. "My father warned me about bachelor stallions. What business do you have trespassing on this land?" She questioned bitterly.
"First of all, this isn't YOUR land, missy, and second, we're just going about our nightly business. Sayyy, your a pretty young thing, aren't you? Feisty, headstrong. Just the way I like." Dixon made sure his charm was as radiant as possible. Of course, he was a handsome stallion-well built, tall, glossy coat, muscular, attractive face and loud personality. But Apocalypse didn't slip into the trap as easily as they would've liked.
This was where Avalon came in. The 'not-so-handsome' side-kick.
"Shut up, whoever you are. I don't want anything to do with you, no matter what pedigree, what breed, what colour, or what build! Now LEAVE!" Apocalypse reared up and flailed her hooves in the air, before charging at Dixon. He wasn't phased, because he just smirked, and looked to his side at Avalon, who galloped infront of him, splaying his legs apart, meeting the mare with a colossal barge, sweeping her straight off of her feet, and onto her back.
"Unlike my friend, Dixon, had said, I think you're a little out of your league saying such stern words. You act as though you know everything around here, but I can sense a strong wave of uncertainty, and quite frankly, it comes straight from you. I can tell you are not familiar with this place. You are alone, and you rely on your own (must I say) awful fighting skills. If this is what you call a defensive display, I've got to admit, I'm quite offended. Your lack of respect for visitors is appalling. Now, before we hit another struggle, you'll be coming with us."
Avalon advanced towards the downed mare, using his size against her will. He used his snaking technique to bring her back to Dixon, before they both marched her off in glee.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Three years old she was when she was kidnapped... Not even past her child stage . Already on the road to insanity. Both of the stallions had raped her and abused her continuously over the course of seven years. She was now ten years old, a broken wreck. No self-confidence or dignity. No-one to confide in. Nothing to hope for. She didn't even realize if her father and herd were still alive. That great fire was a surprise from hell. But she never knew how or what caused it. Every day, she woke up, regretting her choice for ever leaving her herd. And the thing what hurt most was that she knew if she tried, a good outcome would've been highly possible.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
There was no point in revisiting those harsh seven years of imprisonment. Apocalypse would rather have died than talk about it. Instead, she planned to plot an escape in hope that it would work.
Hours at a time were spent on the perfect break-out plot. From beginning to end, and what she would do afterwards. Instead of setting goals that were unreachable, she wanted to start searching for her old herd. Even though she was unsure if they had survived or not. When her deadline to start getting down to business had come, she carried everything out to the letter.
1) Create a diversion for Avalon (as he is very smart and won't fall for any excuses)
2) Once Avalon is distracted, find Dixon and mesmerise him (as he still likes me)
3) Get him to tell me how to knock out Avalon (and then I can use that strategy on him. Hopefully he is still mesmerised when the time comes)
4) Carry out the procedure of defeating Avalon.
5) Repeat procedure for Dixon. (Warning, he might be fully awake)
6) If successful, break out of their prison, and cover as much ground as possible before they have a chance to wake up.
7) ULTIMATE GOAL: Attempt to find my herd
______________________________________________________________________________________________
It worked! Apocalypse had conquered the two smart, but strong duo, and ran as far as she could; as fast as she could.
However, she had spent nearly one year today, searching for her herd, and still found no sign of them. That extra year made her eleven years old.
Apocco sadly gave up the search, knowing that she could as well be chasing invisible dreams. Instead, she decided to change the game, and search for a new herd, or possibly just a friend to keep her company (of course being wary not to run into Avalon and Dixon again.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Eleven years old, and already on the way to becoming a teenager. Despite having to live through a lot of physical pain and anguish, Apocalypse was determined not to let her past phase her. She promised herself that she would never tell anybody about her incidences and suffering (except those as close as possible to her) and she planned to keep it that way as long as she lived.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
~ Fourteen meets Thirteen ~
Now fourteen, and having had to live by herself for an extra three years, Apocalypse spent most of her time practising life skills, and hunting for survival. It didn't occur to her that the thing she was looking for was closer than she expected.
She was drinking by the lake after a hard session of hunting, when the sound of soft hoof-beats caught her attention. Instinctively, Apocalypse let herself believe that Dixon and Avalon had finally found her again, and cowered down to prepare for her fate. But, as she reluctantly turned round to face the music, she relaxed, and sighed in relief.
Although still wary of new visitors, she lowered her guard, and approached the shy and somewhat timid-looking female.
From what Apocco could tell, she was a mare, but she still didn't look as mature.
"Um, hi... My name's Storm of the Apocalypse, but you can call me Apocalypse or Apocco for short. What's your name?" Apocalypse approached her with a gentle smile.
Hastily, the mare backed away, and cowered down in fear; much like Apocalypse did when she heard the sound of the mare approaching.
"No no! Please don't hurt me!" The mare squealed, squeezing her eyes tightly shut as Apocalypse stopped infront of her.
Sorrowful, almost, Apocalypse hushed the mare down, putting her neck reassuringly over the trembling mare. "Shhh... I won't hurt you. I won't do anything, I promise. What ever happened to you, I wont expect you to tell me. But I know how you feel.. Trust me, I do. I um-"
Finding already that she was revealing too much information, Apocalypse cut herself short, let go of the other mare, and turned around quickly. She cursed herself harshly, and looked down into the water. Her reflection showed a beautiful-looking face. But the closer she looked, the more flaws she spotted. Faint scars from previous beatings covered her face and body. Her bones ached from the years of abuse she had to suffer, and her mind was deeply affected and shame-filled by Avalon and Dixon and what they forced her to put up with. Even though most outsiders were oblivious to it, Apocco always imagined her flaws to be as noticeable as her coat colour.
The visitor mare, evidently younger than Apocalypse, relaxed her body posture, and opened her eyes. She was no longer trembling, and the presence of this other mare seemed to soothe her pain, likewise with her (she thought). Emotional Breakdown (or Emo as she prefers to be called) wasn't exactly the best with handling awkward situations. She, however, often had the ability to get herself into them.
Gingerly stepping forwards and approaching Apocalypse, Emo softened her gaze and looked to the ground sadly.
"I-I... I'm Emotional Breakdown. But most call me Breakdown or Emo. Don't ask. L-look... I'm really sorry. If I did anything to upset you, I'll take full blame. Hit me if you want. I'm used to it." Emo looked away, and braced herself for the beating, but she felt nothing. After a couple of long moments, Emo turned to face Apocalypse, who was looking at her with an almost surprised face, as if she'd realized something she never realized before.
Timidly, Emo raised her posture again, so she was standing normally. She wanted to say something, but decided better of it. She waited for Apocalypse to say something instead.
"Your name signify's your behaviour... It's such a beautiful, but destructive name... Like mine. We both have the same nervousness. We get tetchy over our own issues, and we tend to say too much to strangers. I guess we are quite similar." Apocalypse gave a half-hearted smile and shrugged. "It's nice to meet you, Emo." She said gently, giving her a gentle nudge. "Sorry for all the drama. I just... Made a promise to myself; that's all." Apocalypse looked to the ground.
"What was your promise, Apocco?" Emo asked innocently, taking a step back just in case the mare became offended.
Apocalypse sucked in a sharp breath, trying hard not to cry. After the phase passed, she looked at Emo. "You might as well stick around after I tell you this. But you have to keep me this promise. Don't tell ANYONE. I have never told anybody about this before, and you are the first and the last."
"Okay, I promise." Emo vowed.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
"I was, um... A little girl. We had a lot of money then. Dad often spoiled me, and I was so disrespectful. I didn't show a lot of remorse for others, and I only cared about what I wanted, and when I wanted it. Inevitably, things change though, and for us, it was for the worst.
My dad came back to me one night; said that we were broke. He explained to me that after lavishly spending money on me, the family, the herd and the house, we had virtually nothing left. I, at this point, intervened. I know I shouldn't of, but you know how young mares are... I asked him why, and what was to happen. Of course he told me that we had to leave everything behind, and leave that night. We packed all of our supplies and some of our belongings.
But there was a big storm.
We travelled for hours, days... But the storm was too heavy. (Apocalypse begins to cry) some of our herd members got lost, some died. And when we were in the middle of the marshlands, we were so muddy that we barely recognized each other. I was crying. I already missed the house more than ever, finding out that my own ignorance was to pay for the damage I caused.
After a long while of travelling, we stopped for a break in the storm. The rain was lashing down, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Dad was exhausted. He slipped and fell on the ground, but was too drained to get up. I knew at that point that things were really changing.
He gave me these green ribbons, that were so beautiful and bright, and shone, despite the rain and the dull surroundings. (Apocalypse shows Emo her green ribbons) and I put them on at once. It felt then that I really respected him for who he was. But he was running out of conciousness, and at the time, I didn't notice his injuries. He said to me that he wanted to be left where he fell. He told me to go on without him, but I refused.
When he passed out, I ordered everyone to help me carry him and load him onto the supply cart, where we dragged him and the supplies through the boggy marshlands and through to the large meadows.
The lightning was really bad at this point, and the thunder was so loud that I could barely hear myself think. We made camp next to the trees, after a couple of hours travelling from the marshlands, and I relieved the volunteers who were pulling the cart, from their duties, before checking on my father. He was awake now, but he was very ill.
Shortly afterwards, my scout, Falon, had approached me with the news that the storm was going to get worse. I saw no other alternative than to set up camp where we were and to start sooner rather than later.
At the least unexpected point, a large series of lightning strikes hit the trees near us, causing a huge outburst of flames. (Apocalypse started sobbing now) I never expected things to happen so fast, but they did.
Loads of us were trapped. It was chaos. Some members fled and were never seen again, and I presume some died and that some were injured. But my dad was further away from me than where I could reach. I was surrounded by the fire, and I saw no option than to run. I never thought about my father or the rest of the herd, just about my own safety. I was such a bitch. And to know that my father was so loyal and hard-working, and that's how I repaid him....
___
I lived alone for a while after that. And I was three years old when one night I was sleeping. Under a large cluster of trees. The sky was clear, and the birds and other animals were working together creating a beautiful night's song. I was tired of course, being weary from being alert 24/7. The song lulled me into a deep sleep, and at once, I felt safe.
However, later on in the night, two strange stallions woke me up. One was a huge black shire horse with a white blaze on his face, and four white socks. He was named Avalon. The other, I presume, was an Irish Sports Horse. He was handsome and well built, with a bay coat, and four black stockings with a black mane, tail and muzzle. He was called Dixon.
I was so scared and defensive at the same time, that my anger had gotten the better of me, and I did the stupidest thing. I got up and splayed myself apart, using a defensive stance to help protect me. I questioned their presence, and of course, they overran me verbally and physically. I had no chance against Avalon. Whereas Dixon seemed to be more of an easy target. When I charged, Avalon threw me down, and snaked me in. They both made me march for miles and miles till dawn. And that's where all the abuse began...
(Now, Apocalypse was really upset. Fear and sickness was evident throughout her behaviour as she recited this part of the story to Emo, who was trying hard not to cry too.)
They tortured me, beat me, raped me, harassed me, humiliated me, embarrassed me and put me down. This lasted for seven years. So from being kidnapped at three, and living through it till the age of ten. I never used to be like this. I used to be strong, bubbly and cheerful. But you can see all of these faint scars and other flaws from my past.
Anyway, I decided to plan a plot to get out of that hell hole and run away. I distracted Avalon, then found Dixon and mesmerised him. That stage was easy, as I knew he still liked me. I got him to tell me how to defeat Avalon, and then I could use the same strategy against him. I did it successfully, escaped, then covered as much ground as I could.
I turned eleven, and lived on my own for three years more. I am now fourteen. And that brings us to the present moment."
_________________________________________________________________________________
Emo couldn't even say anything. She was awestruck by the story her new friend had told her. Instead of being shy, she ran up to Apocalypse and gave her a huge hug. "You're a hero! I'm only thirteen, but already, you're like my big sister! I feel safe when I'm with you. I hope we become best friends."
Apocco smiled and hugged Emo back. "I hope so too..."
_________________________________________________________________________________
Emo told Apocalypse her story, and shared ups and downs.
Years later, they created an ambition to find other members to create their own band.
Shortly after that, they met a stallion named Sparky, who was looking for mares for his group 'The Freefallers'. Of course, they gladly accepted, and joined forces.
To this day, they are still in that band, and Emo and Apocco are the best of friends.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Current Living Status: With the Freefaller's
Mood: Happy, slightly determined, secretive
Other: She suspects that Sparky has a crush on her, only wears her armour for combat, and a VERY important point is that Apocalypse's coat/skin is made of gems/stones that are tiny thousandths of a centimetre in diameter, width, and volume, absorbing different sources of energy and power. Think of them like a magnet or a vacuum. If somebody happens to provoke her with a devastating power, her body will absorb all of the goodness and reflect the devastation back onto her enemy/opponent so that it has an adverse effect. This is because her natural state has an invisible magnetic forcefield surrounding her being to deflect any harmful causes that may kill or cause injuries. This in itself is a huge advantage to both help protect, attack and defend at the same time, the downfall is that it takes up a HUGE amount of energy and may seriously affect Apocalypse's mental state.