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Post by 321unicorn on Jan 4, 2011 18:28:29 GMT -5
when are going up date your story?
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Post by stardust12 on Jan 8, 2011 13:15:10 GMT -5
Sorry for the delay everyone; school's been keeping busy! But enough of that! On with the story!
Once Laura and Moondust took to the air once more, the bottle still had the same effect on them. They felt weary and weighed down. However, when Laura finally spotted the towers of Rolandsgaard Castle peeking over the horizon, they both felt a little better. Moondust put on a burst of speed as she soared towards their destination, eager to put some distance between her and that sinister cordial of liquid once they had given it to Sara. As they neared the castle, Laura took the opportunity to scan the landscape below, hoping for any clues as to what had happened there while they were gone. She could detect nothing unusual, but she couldn't decide whether that was a good thing, or a bad. What was more, Laura didn't see a single person, or horse, or any sort of creature anywhere around the castle. "We're nearly there," the mare announced. "At last!" Laura exclaimed in relief.
While Moondust descended quickly in front of the castle's entrance, Laura noticed that even here, there was no one outside to greet them. "This is strange," she remarked as she alighted off Moondust. "Yes," the mare mused. 'Where is everyone? What happened here? she thought. It was eerily silent, and for a fleeting moment, Moondust thought the worst: Feral had taken over Rolandsgaard Castle. Just as she was thinking that, Laura put her arm into the enchanted saddlebag, desperately rummaging for something. "I think," the mare advised, "we should keep the bottle in the bag until we see Sara. Just in case." "Good idea," answered Laura, "You never know who may be watching."
It was then that they both noticed that it was not completely silent. Moondust's ears pricked up as she noticed a din of muffled voices was coming from inside the castle. "Listen. Inside. Do you hear that?" she asked. "Yes! It sounds like a commotion in there!" Laura exclaimed. "Let's go see what it is," declared Moondust. When Laura pushed the double doors open, pure pandemonium met her eyes. "Oh my goodness!" she whispered. Moondust was just as taken aback. There were humans, dryads, horses and a whole assortment of other beings everywhere! Some were shouting down from the balconies to others below. Some were arguing in groups. It seemed a huge pile of papers that may have once been stacked neatly on a table had completely toppled over, and now the whole main floor was covered in them. A few dryads (who couldn't stand messes) were attempting to pick them up. But, as they were walking with a collection of them back to the table, they would plough into someone else, and the floor would be covered once more. This, of course, resulted in anger, and more arguments over whose fault it was. There were also tiny citrustacks, who came from who-knows-where, trying their best to help clean up. But they were so small, that as they weaved their way through numerous legs, they would occasionally brush up against a horse's leg causing more than one who shied, startled. It was no wonder no one paid attention to them.
While Laura was taking this all in, she heard Moondust's voice over the ruckus cry," Look! Over there! It's Emma!" "Where?" Laura yelled back. "There! Under that balcony!" Laura spotted her and Wings. Poor Emma was not only trying to stop people's arguments, but was also trying to clean up and calm the horses! "Emma!" Laura shouted. But, of course this was no use. Her voice was lost in the cacophony of noises. "We have to get to her!" Moondust agreed. As the two of them pushed their way through the crowd, still no one paid attention to them. They made slow, but steady, progress towards the girl. Finally, they were close enough to her for Laura to give another shot at calling her: "Emma!" she called. This time, the girl looked up from where she was crouching down to pick up some papers. She looked around, and, finally, she caught sight of Laura and Moondust weaving through the last few people that separated them from her.
At first, Emma's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open in what appeared to be shock. But, as Laura broke through the last pair of arguers, she rushed over and hugged her. Wings and Moondust touched noses. "You're here! You're alive!" she exclaimed into Laura's ear. "Of course, I'm alive! What made you think I wasn't?" Laura wondered. The four of them walked over to a less noisy corner to talk. "It's a long story. But, I'm sure, not as long as the one you'll have to tell." Emma answered. "Before I get into that, what happened here? What are all these people doing here?" Laura asked. "Well, Sara instructed me, Wings, and a couple others to gather as many people as we could because she was going to arrange a search party to look for you." "To look for me? Wh--" "Things started on well enough. Everyone listened to each other, and were open to new ideas...." "Wait a minute. Sara was here? Where is she now? I'm sure she could---" "I'm getting there," Emma smiled, "Anyway, as I was saying, everyone was being polite and considerate for the most part. But then, someone brought up whether we should put so much effort into looking for you instead of defending Trail's End from Feral. Of course most people felt that it was worth it, to find you, but others took the opposing side. Sara settled them quickly enough, but it wasn't long before people started arguing about how we would go about searching for you, and how long it might take. While the people were talking amongst each other, Sara said she had some quick business to attend to, and left me in charge!"
Now, Emma started to sound a little hysterical, "While I tried to get everyone to quiet down and listen, some people just wouldn't. So, other people were trying to tell them to stop talking and listen, which only made them angry, and before I knew it, everything turned into, well, this!" Laura still had a lot of questions to ask, but she knew that right now, what she needed to do was help her friend. "Don't worry, we'll help you. I'm sure Bella and Sara will be back soon enough. All we have to do is hold down the castle until they get here!"
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Post by ponyiowa on Jan 10, 2011 23:11:26 GMT -5
Nice! I think it'd be funny if somehow Emma had a bullhorn and got everyone to quiet down. Just a thought! ;D
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Post by 321unicorn on Jan 12, 2011 20:21:29 GMT -5
Great chapter! When are you going to up date?
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Post by stardust12 on Jan 28, 2011 15:24:15 GMT -5
Sorry I haven't updated in so long! School's been keeping me busy, coupled with the fact that I got sick (I still am). But, I'm here now! So continuing with the story:
The commotion ensued, no matter what they tried. At one point, Emma even tried crying out, "Hey, look everyone! I've found Laura!" But to no avail. Finally, Laura had had enough. "That's it," the girl declared. "Moondust, come, I have an idea." The mare, who was linked to Laura's thoughts commented, "A clever approach. I think it will work." "Emma! Wings! Follow me!" The girl called. Then, she stooped down and picked up a stray paper from the floor. Next, she climbed the stairs to one of the balconies that overlooked the main floor of the castle. She rolled the piece of paper into a cone and held it in front of her mouth. Finally, in her loudest voice she yelled,"COULD EVERYONE PLEASE QUIET DOWN?" Her insistent command echoed against the aurorite walls of the spacious room. The horses were the first to react. They stopped their neighing and baying, and immediately looked to the direction of the voice. Soon after, heads began to turn her way. People tapped the shoulders of others to direct their attention to the four on the balcony. The yelling became talking, the talking became murmuring and the murmuring became whispering, until there was as near silence as it was going to get.
It was only then that Laura felt all those pairs of eyes watching her. What was she to say? What did they expect her to say? At the moment all she could think to say was, "Sorry for, um, interrupting your, er, discussion..." Moondust nudged her. "Why are you apologizing? Go on!" she said encouragingly. Laura continued,"What I mean to say is: I had to stop all that pandemonium because, well, you wouldn't want Bella and Sara coming back to that, would you?" There was scattered head shaking and a murmuring of "No, they wouldn't," among the crowd. Suddenly, a rather young boy spoke up, "Hey! Aren't you the girl we're supposed to be looking for?" "Yes, I am. And, obviously, I'm back, so there's no need for a search party. But, right now the important thing is getting this mess cleaned up!" Then, Moondust stepped in and took over: "So, if you could all please help to straighten up in here, we'd really appreciate it." Slowly, everyone dispersed and began helping to clean up, including Laura and Moondust. Within 15 minutes, everything was back in order, and most people (and horses) had already left the castle. "That was very well done," a voice said. Laura, who had been talking to Emma, whipped around. There stood Bella and Sara. "Bella! Sara! Your Highnesses." The four of them knelt. Sara danced over to hug Laura. "If you don't mind my asking," Laura began, "when did you both return?" "About 25 minutes ago, actually. A more interesting question would be: when did you two return?" the goddess replied. "Well, that's a bit of a story," Laura remarked, "Wait a moment... you said you and Bella came back 25 minutes ago?" Emma continued Laura's train of thought: "But, that means you could have stopped--" However, Bella already knew what Emma was about to point out, for she said: "We wanted to see how you both would handle the situation. After all, you four are of great significance to North of North and, Sara and I won't always be there to help you." "But, I believe you both have already learned that," Sara added, with a small smile. "Yes," Laura answered quietly. "Anyway, returning to my question: When did you and Moondust return?" Sara asked. "Instead of me telling it," Laura announced, "I think it would go a lot faster if Moondust explained it. Moondust?" The mare stepped forwards and transmitted her memories of the previous events in succession. When it was finished, Sara commented grimly: "It seems that Feral always has her ways of tracking you down. Moondust, it was very good of you to trust your instincts and come to Laura's help when you did, or your story might have had a very different ending. As for the wolf, I've never seen him before. Now for the most important matter: the bottle. May I see it?" "Of course" Laura and Moondust exclaimed in unison. Laura hastily reached into the saddlebag and rustled through it, but she couldn't find the cordial anywhere!
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Post by ponyiowa on Jan 28, 2011 15:36:13 GMT -5
*sighs*Finally, you've updated it! And feel better soon! I like how your story's going so far.
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Post by stardust12 on Jan 28, 2011 15:42:39 GMT -5
Thanks ponyiowa!
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Post by stardust12 on Feb 10, 2011 19:38:49 GMT -5
Laura rustled anxiously through the saddlebag, but she couldn't find anything that felt like the bottle. Finally, she removed it from Moondust so she could look properly. She picked her way through the items inside, pulling out everything from maps, to a couple of stray leaves that had blown in from a forest. But: no bottle. Just as she was heaving out a quite heavy book, she heard Emma call out: "Look! Isn't that it up there?" " Up there?" Laura repeated. She stood up and joined Bella, Sara, Moondust and Wings who had congregated around Emma to get a better look up at where she was pointing. Laura's eyes followed Emma's pointed finger up, up, up to a balcony, considerably high up from where they were standing. However, Laura could make out the bottle, perched precariously on the edge of the balcony railing. "How did it get up there?" Laura mused. "I'll get it," Moondust declared, and took off swiftly up towards the balcony. She hovered a moment or two once she reached it so as to secure the cordial in her mouth, and alighted gracefully by the table piled high with papers (oddly, she hadn't stirred even one of them). She placed the bottle on the table as the five came to meet her. "Thank you, Moondust!" Laura exclaimed, "It would have taken much longer if one of us had had to climb the stairs all...the...way...up." Laura finished her sentence slowly, because she had noticed something. Perhaps it was from looking up to such a dizzying height, but, she thought she saw the air around Moondust begin to shimmer and waver. After a few seconds, it became more and more evident, like the movement of water a few minutes after something heavy has been thrown in. And, was it just her, or was the air slowly turning a very, very light tint of purple. It was because of this last thing that Laura felt called upon to mark upon what was happening. "Emma, do you see--?" she began. The air was getting increasingly purple around the winged mare. "Yes," Emma answered. Now the wisping purple was forming a bubble around the Valkyrie Steed. Laura could barely find her voice, but she managed to cry: "Moondust!" Moondust, herself, didn't appear to notice anything out of the ordinary that was happening. "Laura?" she responded, suddenly worried by the girl's tone of voice. "What's the matter?" And with a noise like the wind taking a deep breath, Moondust vanished, purple bubble and all. "Moondust!" Laura called again, plaintively. "What happened to her?" the girl turned to Bella and Sara. "Where did she go?" "I'm afraid we don't know," Bella replied, her eyes filled with sadness. "This is all my fault!" Laura exclaimed. "How is it your fault?" Emma asked. "I'm the one who wanted the bottle so much, I'm the one who let her get it for me from the bottom of the lake!" Laura explained, sadly. "We'll find her," Emma assured, putting a hand on Laura's shoulder. "Look," Bella directed. Her head nodded towards the table. None of them had noticed that the bottle had disappeared, too. In it's place was a small piece of parchment that was now slowly unraveling itself. Laura read the inscription on it carefully: 'If you would like to open up this flask The you must first complete a task...
Something very dear to you Has been taken out of hand To be fair, I'll give you a clue It'll be where it all began
But, if you want to succeed on this mission I have a few conditions... The one who wishes most that this something had stayed, They must find it quite alone, and preferably right away And if one other should follow with two legs or with hooves It must be warned that all they will lose
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Post by ponyiowa on Feb 10, 2011 21:35:58 GMT -5
Nice climax, and I like your riddle! I tried making one for my series, The Bella Sara Adventures, and it was a bit cheesy.
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Post by Britnie Jade on Feb 13, 2011 0:37:16 GMT -5
wonderful! The story is pretty nice!
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Post by ponyiowa on Feb 13, 2011 15:25:34 GMT -5
More, please! ;D
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Post by stardust12 on Feb 16, 2011 18:39:35 GMT -5
Laura had to re-read the inscription three more times before it firmly etched itself into her mind. She barely had time to register the fact that Moondust had disappeared, and her mind was a little overwhelmed. "The third and fourth line evidently mean that it's taken Moondust," she deciphered. "But what about the clue in the next couple of lines: 'To be fair, I'll give you a clue It'll be where it all began?' What does it mean 'where it all began'...?" "Well, I can think of two places," Sara replied wisely. "One: where you were placed as a baby, on the steps of the orphanage." Laura hoped with all her might that it wasn't there; what would the children do if they saw a sight as formidable as Moondust, standing on the orphanage doorsteps? "And, two: where you first saw Moondust." "It must mean there," Laura declared with more confidence than she felt. "And now for the conditions: 'The one who wishes most that this something had stayed...' That has to be me. 'They must find it quite alone, and preferably right away...' I guess that's it, then." Laura finished. "What do you mean?" asked Emma as Laura began to gather her things into her bookbag. "I'm leaving, now," was the girl's answer. "Now? Laura, it's pitch black outside! You've come a long way already, and you need to rest!" Emma reasoned. "I couldn't sleep even if I tried. Besides, I know that Moondust wouldn't have done that if I was the one in trouble. She would leave as quickly as she could, as I am doing now," Laura explained, without a trace of emotion in her blue-green eyes. "This is your choice, Laura, " said Bella, "and none of us will try and stop you. But.." "Be careful," Sara continued. "No one can tell what will await you once you find Moondust, or even on your way there." "Thank you," Laura said. She gave them all a small smile, and proceeded out the door of Rolandsgaard Castle. Laura wasn't sure how long it took her before her keen eyes discerned the path towards the Darkcomb Forest, but she found it and followed the path, over the bridge, past the gazebo with the beautiful flowers (the Fairy Lanterns glowed, lighting some of her path) and just when she reached the entrance to the forest, she stopped. All at once, the realization of the occurences of the past hour crashed down on her, and feelings of hopelessness and despair shrouded her. How could she ever think she could do this alone? She hadn't packed any food, and she didn't even know how to get to the spot where she had first freed Moondust, if that was the place the mare was... She felt scared, alone and at a complete loss. It was then that she realized something: her despairing thoughts, and countless worries were not going to help her find her dearest friend. She had to be brave, like Moondust would be. After all, she was a Valkyrie, and if she couldn't save Moondust, no one could. Laura took a deep breath, plucked a shining flower from one of the Fairy Lantern plants, and stepped courageously into the Forest. She tried to distract her mind from the terrifying darkness around her by silently naming all of the horses she could think of and their gifts. And, though she tried to focus her eyes on the faintly lit path in front of her, she couldn't help looking about her every minute or so. After about ten minutes, she began to feel as if she was being followed. Something, she was mildly sure, was flitting among the dimly lit trees. She would sometimes catch a flickering shadow in the corner of her eye. Gradually, the girl shook it off as a result of fear, and continued on her way. It was in the following minutes that she realized that the glowing flower she relied on to find her way would not last forever. Even now, the glow was beginning to dim as the flower was dying. Caught up in this thought, she suddenly heard a rustle behind her and whipped around, to find nothing. She turned back to continue her travel, only to be halted by an immense black wolf, darker than the blackness around them. Laura made an involuntary gasp. "You really have to stop doing that!" Laura exclaimed when she had caught her breath. "What fun is it if someone knows you're coming?" Gryffin replied. "How did you get here, anyway?" the girl asked. "Always asking questions! What about you? What are you doing here?" the wolf replied. "For your information, I am on a mission to save someone I really care about," Laura stated. "You mean the horse? Moondust?" Gryffin answerd. "Yes," said Laura, and she proceeded to explain to Gryffin the whole situation. "You wouldn't mind if I came along on your quest, would you?" Gryffin asked. Laura was about to say that she would appreciate the company, but then remembered the riddle. As if listening to her thoughts, Gryffin instructed, "Show me that paper." Laura unfurled it from her pocket, and pointed to the inscription in the fading light of the flower. "But, as you can see, I do not have two legs, I have four. And, if you look even more closely, I lack those noisy, cloppy things you call hooves. I have more stealthier features on my paws; soft pads that cushion noise, making it easier to sneak up on people." He gave her somewhat of a look of satisfaction. But, Laura saw his point: the inscription said nothing about having a wolf for company, as mysterious as this wolf was. "Okay, then," Laura declared, "You can come." As they pressed on into the suffocating darkness (the flower was emiting a very faint light), Laura became increasingly tired. When was the last time she had slept? Two nights ago? It certainly felt longer than that. But, Laura supposed, that was what Feral's evil magic did; it completely drained you. Finally it came to the point where Laura could barely keep her eyes open, but she couldn't bring herself to stop going, knowing that Moondust was out there somewhere, in trouble. "You should sleep," Gryffin advised. "I can't," Laura mumbled stubbornly, although her body begged to differ. Gryffin sat on his haunches, his yellow eyes gleamed. "I'm not moving another step until you get some rest." Laura was far too tired to argue. "Alright," she agreed, her voice heavy. Gryffin helped her by pulling out a blanket from her bookbag. The girl was too sleepy to wonder where it had come from. "Plant the flower, first." Gryffin instructed, already digging a hole to place it. Laura set the flower in it, and patted the earth down around it. Already, the soil's magical qualities began to work as the flower began to glow a little brighter. Then, Laura settled on the blanket and fell asleep at once.
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Post by 321unicorn on Feb 25, 2011 19:16:28 GMT -5
hey stradust12 When are you going to update your story? I want to Read what happens next! Update very soon okay!
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Post by stardust12 on Mar 31, 2011 12:26:47 GMT -5
Nightmarish dreams plagued Laura throughout the night. Flashes of any number of the horrible things that could be happening to Moondust. She woke up once during the night, from the sound of large twig being cracked somewhere nearby. "Moondust, did you hear---?" she began sleepily, before remembering that her beloved steed wasn't there. She looked around for Gryffin and when she couldn't find him, such a loneliness filled her heart that she cried herself to back sleep. After what seemed like a very long night, Laura awoke with the delicate rays of the sun shining through the trees. A bird somewhere among the treetops trilled the first notes of a good-morning song. At the corner of the blanket sat Gryffin.
"Where were you last night?" Laura questioned him. "Somewhere," was the wolf's reply. "I woke up last night because I heard something, and you weren't there. I could have been killed in my sleep!" the girl exclaimed accusingly. "But you weren't," Gryffin pointed out. "And even if you were attacked, I'm sure you could have handled it. What with that sword you have." Laura had completely forgotten about her sword. In any case, she still felt a small pang of annoyance from being deserted in the middle of the night.
"Come," Laura said, as she folded up the blanket. "We have to keep moving." "Do you even know where we're going?" Gryffin asked. "I'll know in a minute," Laura replied, remembering the strong bond she and Moondust shared. She closed her eyes and conjured up every happy memory she had of her and the mare. Soon, she would be able to tell if they were going in the right direction or not. She waited for the guiding pull to manifest itself within her but, nothing. The girl opened her eyes. "I can't sense her," she stated worriedly. How could this be? Laura couldn't bring herself to fear the worst.
"Why don't you try calling the Tree?" Gryffin suggested. "What?" Laura answered shocked. "I couldn't call the Tree! It's too powerful, it wouldn't pay any attention..." At that moment, Gryffin's ears pricked up, and he began to growl menacingly at something behind Laura. Left hand on her sword, she quickly turned around. A huge purple-black wolf with dark grey-tipped fur was snarling back at Gryffin. Laura had never seen this wolf before, but from his immense size (he was even bigger than Gryffin) and aura of power, Laura could tell that this was probably Feral's own riding-wolf.
"Where is it?" he barked in a deep, cruel voice. "Where is what?" Laura responded, pretending innocence. She already knew that the wolf was no doubt asking about the whereabouts of Moondust. "Don't play fool with me!" the wolf sneered, "You know exactly what I'm talking about! The Golden Bane! Where is it?" Laura was hit with real surprise. "I really don't know what you mean," she answered sternly as she pulled out her sword. "Now, go on back to Feral. Tell her she is mistaken and that I don't have what she's looking for." The wolf looked as if he had been hit in the face. "I don't take orders from little girls. The only reason I'm letting you live is because Feral knows you are the only one who knows of the Bane's location. But mark my words, when it is in our possession, we will kill you. And I'll enjoy every, agonizingly painful minute of it."
At those words, Gryffin began growling so ferociously, it was clear to Laura that he wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into the other wolf's hide. "No Gryffin, don't," she said. "We'll see him again." "You can be sure of that!" the wolf spat, and bounded back the way he came.
As the last of the wolf's crunching footsteps died away, Laura made straight for her bookbag. She took out a very heavy looking book. "You didn't pack food, but you brought that?" Gryffin remarked. Laura paid no attention, as she began frantically flipping through its pages, muttering to herself. "Here it is!" she exclaimed. "The Golden Bane." She began to read:
'Some say it is just a myth, while others claim its existance, the Golden Bane is said to be both a blessing and a curse; as its name implies. Though its creation is unknown, the Golden Bane is rumoured to only appear to those with great purpose. Depending on who opens it, it can either bring forth great goodness, or unleash terrible evil. Searches for this mysterious object have declined over the last hundred years until even its myth became nearly completely forgotten. While its whereabouts remain completely unknown, one can be certain that whoever is in possession of it would wield great power.'
At the end of the writing, a beautiful illustration depicted what the object is thought to look like.
"The bottle from the lake! It looks just like that," Laura remarked. "It looks like we won't be the only ones looking for Moondust now."
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Post by ponyiowa on Mar 31, 2011 16:25:37 GMT -5
Great! Yay stardust12, you're back! *throws flowers and dances around happily*
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