The orange stallion walked slowly along the grassy field, the trees, an autumn backdrop, a vague existence to the male. The feathers in his pitch black mane danced in the light breeze and his hooves left small imprints in the soft earth as he trod along. His thoughts weren't on anything specific, he just let them come and go as they pleased, not focusing on any one idea or the other. Autumn was a time of joy for him, it was probably his favorite time of year, though the other seasons had qualities that he enjoyed as well. Flicking his tail he paused in his steps as the world slowly began to grow dark. Was there clouds in the sky he had forgotten about? Looking up briefly he realized there weren't any clouds, but something was starting to cover the sun and he felt he shouldn't stare at it for too long.
A solar eclipse. Something he wouldn't have known the word for because he had never experienced one before and no one he knew had ever discussed such things with him. It was clear to him it was some sort of a celestial event, as he was familiar with the stars, if only somewhat. Still, the phenomenon was strange to the stallion and puzzled him. The way the world was darkening, while it was day, didn't necessarily frighten him, but it concerned him a bit. Mostly because he wasn't anyone with a deep rooted knowledge of the world outside his own existence.
Watching the scenery around him, shadows slowly growing and eventually consuming all the light. Yet, despite the darkness it wasn't dark like it was at night. While it was dark, everything was surrounded in a deep orange glow. It was odd and a little eerie. Had he been taking a nap and awoken to the phenomenon, he would have been startled. Still, it was a beautiful sight to behold and he was captivated by it.
It seemed another in the area was also frozen in place. Zion wasn't too far from where the orange stallion stood but his focus wasn't on him, it was on the sky above. He, much like Ashkii, had never witnessed an event like the one above and he was captivated by it. He wouldn't say he was scared, just mesmerized by it. The green and blue colored stallion lowered his gaze from the sight above and wondered about the other that was standing a distance from him in the field. Flicking his fluffy tail behind him, he pondered if he should approach, or let him have his moment. He wasn't sure he'd want to be interrupted if he was standing there, lost in thought. It didn't take him long to realize that the stallion wasn't completely alone. The grass was a bit on the taller end but it seemed to dip down a bit and there appeared to be a chicken not too far from the stallions side.
Austra, on occasion, rode on the orange stallions back, however they had elected to walk today and were almost regretting the decision. The stallion had much longer legs than they did so one of his steps equaled about 40 of hers. Still, she was relatively light so it wasn't like it was hard for her to keep up with him. Her little body bobbed along the grass as she pattered behind him silently. She too was lost in thought, not really paying much mind to anything else, aside from making sure she wasn't too far from Ashkii. Though, much like him, her attention was drawn to the heavens when darkness started to envelop them. She had heard stories before, of day becoming night, while it was still day. But it had only been in passing. It wasn't a story that come up often but she had recalled the words and looked over towards her companion and wondered what this could mean. Everything was illuminated in a deep orange darkness, once the sun was fully concealed. She also knew there were many who foretold of days like this to come and what it could mean. Though most of the time when she listened to soothsayers she paid them little mind. While what they had to say could be mostly true, it was all about reading the one before you, though some, although rare, could tell when something ominous was coming. Puffing herself up she moved closer to her companion and then looked around, her eyes adjusting to the eerie glow. "It appears we aren't alone." Her gaze fell upon Zion and she wondered if the stallion was caught as much unaware as they were. Hopefully he wasn't a mean sort.
Zion's eyes closed for a moment and he allowed them to adjust to the dimming light before reopening them. It was as if he was looking at the world through a shroud, it was fascinating to say the least. His eyes fell upon the duo again and he realized the chicken was talking to the stallion, who looked up and looked his way. "Ah, so I've been spotted." Not that he had been trying to hide or anything. He wondered if he should just keep moving on or walk over towards them and stood there a few breaths longer as he pondered his decision. After a moment he decided to make his way towards them, he was curious to hear what they might know about the strange happening. Moving closer towards the duo he gave a small bob of his head in greeting. "Hello, I didn't want to be rude, but if you find me coming over to say hello to be such as well I can keep on moving. It was just happenstance that we were in the field like we were just now."
Ashkii looked up at Austras words and saw the stallion not too far off. "Ah, so I see we are not." He wasn't really surprised by this. Truth be told, he should have been paying better attention to their surroundings. As the other neared he gave a small smile and shook his head. "No need to worry yourself over such things, I'm Ashkii and this is Austra. You are more than welcome to join us if you wish."
The chicken gave a fluff of her feathers in agreement. "What do you think of the sky?" She was curious to know the newcomers thoughts.
"I find it to be beautiful, and slightly scary. Could you imagine what the world would be like if the sun were to never come back from behind the shadow that has hidden it from our sight?" Would life cease to exist? Plants needed sunlight to grow and thrive, just as they needed to feel it's warmth. Though that was something else entirely. He was quite certain many would be driven mad if the sun did not return. How long would it be hidden from them he wondered? A few moments, hours, days? He had never witnessed such a thing before and it was doubtful that anyone could be certain.
"I'm sure we'd find many that would be saying it would be the end of times if the sun were to remain hidden." Ashkii said looking between the newcomer and Austra. "What is your name traveler?" Since he wasn't sure the stallion had said his name on his approach.
"Zion, forgive my rudeness. I also agree, though I'm sure there are some now doing just that." A chuckle escaped his lips at the idea of others running around in a frenzy, trying to make heads or tails of what was happening. "I'm the type that sort of goes with the flow, and given I have no control over what happens to the sun, I just allow myself to wait and see what happens and hope for the best."
"Your a stallion after my own heart." Ashkii said with a gentle smile. He too was just accepting that everything happened for one reason or another and if it was something out of his control then what more could be done? Complaining wouldn't make the sun come back faster.
Austra moved herself to stand beside Ashkii's far front leg and peeked up at the stallion that called himself Zion. He was uniquely marked, spots and bone markings. Eyes that appeared to be glowing, how fascinating! She always enjoyed seeing what features others had, everyone was so different, usually, and she was very much a bird who enjoyed pony watching. "Well Zion, we are pleased to meet you and we are more than happy to keep you company a while if you'd like to wait with us. I don't feel particularly comfortable to continue traveling with this type of darkness. If you'd like I have a story to share about matters such as what we are witnessing above." If they wanted to hear it. She wasn't even sure Ashkii had heard it before because it hadn't been relevant till now.
Ashkii was a bit surprised by Austra's words. "I'd be happy to hear."
"Me too."
"Alright then. Let's make ourselves comfortable and I'll tell you all what I've heard." And she began her story.
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