[Visual]

[scattered_rose]

[There's been a new face around today, for what could be seen of him considering the mask and cloak he wore. After arriving he had spent a great deal of time looking around and getting used to walking on four legs; the wings, which at the moment were underneath the cloak, would wait until later.

He had also done a little poking around with the scroll, and watching other ponies go about their business. And at the end of the exploration, all he really had was one question, so he opened up the scroll to ask.]

I get that magic can do a lot of things. But how exactly do horses build things without fingers?

[Inquiring minds want to know.]

Comments

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

I will, thanks.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

Sure.

[She waits a beat, then pushes on with the question she's dying to know.]

What's with the mask?

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

My mask? [He reached up, tapping it lightly.] It's a battle tradition where I grew up.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

Battle tradition?

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

[He nodded.] Yeah. Everyone who's a full-fledged fighter gets an animal mask of some kind. They get a basic design, and then whenever it gets nicks in battle, they get painted in as scars.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

Oh, I see...So it's an honor kind of thing.

You must have seen quite a few battles then, huh?

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

A few, yeah. [He gestured as he spoke.] The lines above and below my eyes are the base design, but this- [He pointed at a small X-shaped mark under one eye] -and this- [Another gesture, to three lines across the bridge] -are from past fights.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

Wow. Were they tough?

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

[He grinned, shrugging slightly.] Ehh, nothin' I couldn't handle.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

Right. [Guess the fact that he was still around after all that was testament enough.]

So, do you get to pick the animal it's after, or is it just random?

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

We sort of get to pick. It's a family thing, with different groups being associated with different animals.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

Oh yeah? That's pretty cool.

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

Yeah, it is. A few of the families were associated with different animals, like bears, snakes, and so on. Mine was the wolf.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

I see. So it's kind of like the animal is your family's protector.

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

That's pretty much how it was, yeah.

Tough imagery helps, when you fight monsters.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

Monsters? What kind of monsters?

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

Mmh. They're called Chaotics, and they're what happens when the magic inside a human or a demon turns sour and destroys them from the inside out. They're a major threat to society, and I was trained in the art of hunting them.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

So...they used to be human?

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

...Some of them, yeah. But when you turn into a Chaotic there's no going back. It even burns up all of your magic and you're just left as a feral beast that's a mix-and-match of different creatures.

It... it sucks. But it has to be done.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

...Yeah. That's kinda sad though.

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

I agree, but there's not much to be done about it.

The bad thing is, in recent years the numbers of Chaotics have been increasing, and no one's been able to figure out why.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

Increasing...? [That definitely didn't sound good.]

You said it...had something to do with someone's magic? Could there be something going wrong with the magic in your world?

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

Maybe, but there hasn't been much other evidence of that.

It's not just the magic turning bad that creates Chaotics either though, sometimes it's like... like an extreme degradation of their sense of self, or morals, or things like that. Even more than just being a "bad guy", like you're really super at risk if you're cold-hearted evil, no remorse, maybe a little crazy on the side. I couldn't see how that'd be at work here either, but... there's more to it besides, than just magic gone sour.

[visual]

[ultra_vi]

Hmm...that's really strange. Does it normally take a long time for someone to become a...Chaotic?

[visual]

[scattered_rose]

It depends. Sometimes it can happen in an instant, sometimes it's a long drawn out process. Humans have been scared about Chaotics since the beginning almost, even though it's a one in a billion chance, and they blamed demons for their existence. Even though demons are no more or less susceptible to becoming one that humans are, despite having more magic than humans do.