MT. PYRE

TAMING THE HORSE

UPON RETURNING TO MT. PYRE, the same unnerving feeling of being watched returns. on this eerie mountain, your footsteps seemingly disappear in the mist that endlessly billows out from the earth. oddly enough, the time of day is obscured: it seems like you're in eternal night. this has never happened before and as you struggle to find a rational explanation for this phenomena, you instinctively hush yourself. a horse-like pokemon neighs in the distance. wreathed in spectral mists, a black equine pokemon hovers in midst the fog.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

however, the horse seems to notice you. it advances close. the clopping of hooves is muted— or rather, it sounds like an ominous breeze surging in like a tide. suddenly, it disappears in the dense haze before reappearing behind you like a phantom.

SPECTRIER ASKS FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSE WHAT THEY SEEK

write a post that has your trainer offering the carrot to the spectrier and then post in MODERATION REQUESTS. after they have been given the carrot, the horse will promptly fade away.

should your trainer come the next day, they will find the spectrier on mt. pyre once more. shiv will post a new prompt, detailing what the spectrier wants (hopefully, once per day). each request fulfilled by your trainer will steadily tame the spectrier.

Cillian Quinn

It's midday when he arrives. He's sure of it, and yet...

Dark skies overhead bring memories of Yveltal during a fated excursion on Route 113. Mt. Pyre was the creature's roost, and Gavin's neck prickles as he glances around the familiar scattering of tombstones near his garden plot.

It's not the calling of some great bird but a horse's whicker that gives him pause. He sees it, then, outlined against the mist.

Fascinated, he stands still for its approach.

He blinks, and it's gone—

—and then it's behind him, sending an involuntary shudder down his spine.

"Fuck!"

He whirls around, spooking the poor creature with his outburst. But its phantom gaze lingers on his hand even as it trots back, and Gavin understands.

"What — the carrot?"

After a brief pause, he holds it out.

"Knock yourself out, I guess. I'm not going to eat it."

As soon as the vegetable is trapped between ethereal teeth, it vanishes, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

MT. PYRE

TAMING THE HORSE

THE NEXT NIGHT, you don't spot the horse; however, it does find you. reappearing some distance away, it remains still: an eerie image in the mist. like spectral scarves, the mountain's ominous fog passes through where the horse's pasterns should be.

♥ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

upon closer, quiet inspection, the horse seems hesitant. without the shaderoot carrots— you do not possess the same gravity you once did; however, the horse approaches still, sensing your benevolent motives.

SPECTRIER ASKS FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSE WHAT THEY SEEK

write a post that has your trainer offering any two week berry to the spectrier and then post in MODERATION REQUESTS. after they have been given the berry, the horse will promptly flash away.

you do not need to have the berry grow in your garden. you can simply purchase it from the SITE SHOP.

should your trainer come the next day, they will find the spectrier on mt. pyre once more. shiv will post a new prompt, detailing what the spectrier wants (hopefully, once per day). each request fulfilled by your trainer will steadily tame the spectrier.

Cillian Quinn

He doesn't return for Spectrier.

Tonight, Gavin is here to mourn.

Two unmarked graves lie near the plot where he'd cultivated the twisted carrot. Two failed experiments in his rise to power. But it is not those Pokemon alone that he mourns, but others, too — countless companions lost to the Blackout.

It's Lucario and Crobat he thinks of, most.

He thinks back to a conversation with THEO BECKETT. Names. Of any Pokemon that Gavin has owned, the two that had helped him survive Kanto were most deserving.

As a child he'd favoured stories of Galarian heroes. It was their power that drew him in. To be strong enough that none could stand against you, that you might keep yourself safe. Silly, in hindsight, to be so naive. But there's a fondness to the memories.

Faolan, the little wolf. His bride, Maeve.

His throat closes around the grief that wells up.

It's in such a state that Spectrier finds him, sitting with his back to a weathered tombstone. He blinks up at it when he spots it watching him from a distance.

It seems less bold, but no less curious.

"Afraid —" His voice cracks, and he clears his throat. He'd be embarrassed if he weren't alone. "Afraid I've got no more carrots for you."

Yet still, it steps closer. Hesitant.

Gavin roots around in his bag until he finds the pouch full of berries. He offers a ripened yellow Grepa with a questioning look, wondering if the Spectrier had a taste for anything that wasn't Shaderoot. It snuffles at his hand, the sensation cold and unpleasant, before trapping the berry between its teeth and pulling away.

It vanishes as quick as before, berry juice between his fingers the only proof Gavin had seen it at all. He sighs, and returns to his grief.

MT. PYRE

TAMING THE HORSE

UPON RETURNING TO MT. PYRE, the spectral horse awaits. its wavy mane seems quite tangled, knotted at its mauve ends. still, the sight of the pokemon is breathtaking. around you, the mist eddies and swirls like spirits escaping the consecrated ground.

♥ ♥ ♡ ♡ ♡

upon closer, quiet inspection, the horse seems hesitant. without the shaderoot carrots— you do not possess the same gravity you once did; however, the horse approaches still, sensing your benevolent motives.

SPECTRIER ASKS FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSE WHAT THEY SEEK

write a post that has your trainer's pokemon using the move, SHADOW CLAW, to "comb" through the spectrier's mane. after, post in MODERATION REQUESTS. after they have been groomed, the horse will promptly fade away.

should your trainer come the next day, they will find the spectrier on mt. pyre once more. shiv will post a new prompt, detailing what the spectrier wants (hopefully, once per day). each request fulfilled by your trainer will steadily tame the spectrier.

Cillian Quinn

He's less surprised, next time he sees it.

Though he's been unable to procure another Shaderoot even when scouring the Black Market for deals, he has taken to keeping the berry pouch stocked when he visits Mt. Pyre. Myths of ghastly horses from Galar have intrigued him, a reminder of a birthplace he'd long since left behind.

As he feeds it berries from his palm, Gavin notes the tangle of its mane.

"That's bound to be uncomfortable, huh?"

Producing a Shedinja from its pokeball, he murmurs gentle instructions for the eerie bug to comb out the horse's mane. It seems to enjoy the process well enough, lingering Gavin's supply of berries has been cleaned out. It's not until the SHADOWY CLAWS of the Shedinja find no resistance that the horse lets out a soft snort.

It vanishes.

MT. PYRE

TAMING THE HORSE

THE NEXT NIGHT, you see the horse— but it seems different in appearance from afar. getting close, you see that the spectrier's own wisps has become entangled with what appears to be a renegade soul.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ ♡

when the spectrier sees you again, they seem hesitant. without the shaderoot carrots— you do not possess the same gravity you once did; however, the horse approaches still, sensing your benevolent motives. the spectrier must be freed of this spirit, for it seems to bother the horse like a clinging burr. perhaps, there is a pokemon that is an expert at sucking souls...

SPECTRIER ASKS FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSE WHAT THEY SEEK

write a post that uses ONE SHEDINJA and a Pokemon using the move, VACUUM WAVE, to suck the soul away! after, post in MODERATION REQUESTS. after they have been cleaned, the horse will promptly fade away.

should your trainer come the next day, they will find the spectrier on mt. pyre once more. shiv will post a new prompt, detailing what the spectrier wants (hopefully, once per day). each request fulfilled by your trainer will steadily tame the spectrier.

Cillian Quinn

"What the fuck?"

Gavin pauses at the top of the hiking trail that's led him up near the mountain's peak. A Riolu perches on his shoulder, little legs too tired to make the entirety of the climb. Together, they stare at the peculiar sight.

It's Spectrier, clearly, but there's something wrong.

It spots them, too, whinnies as if to greet a familiar figure before trotting closer. Gavin sets Riolu down on the mist-covered earth, straightening up in time for the spectral steed to close the gap between them. He frowns at the sight of its wispy aura, far more tangled and confused than he'd previously noted. But how could he help?

He pulls out the same SHEDINJA he'd used to help comb its mane, wondering if perhaps it might have a solution for this problem, also. But it's Riolu who surprises him, letting out a few yips before a VACUUM WAVE suctions breath from their lungs.

It tangles with the spirit, as well, and Spectrier is freed.

"Wait—"

But it disappears, as always, to become one with the haunted mists.

MT. PYRE

TAMING THE HORSE

THE NEXT NIGHT, you see the horse. the spectrier does not seem hesitant at all this time. instead, the horse appears to have been waiting for you, as if they were in tune with your rhythms. your schedule.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡

when you approach, the spectrier kicks you. hard. you fall to the cold, hard ground; however, when you lift yourself up, you find yourself peering down at your own limp body. you're not dead— however, your soul seems to have been separated from your physical form nevertheless. in this odd, spectral realm, the horse grants you a test. in its mouth, a narrow wisp of spirit acts as reins.

asking you to mount its black back, the spectrier intends on testing your mettle. this ghostly world is disorienting. nauseating. however, it intends on galloping through the steep mountain's rugged terrain to see if you can hang on for dear "life."

TAME THE HORSE:

REIN IT IN!

WITH EVERY POST, make a ROLL. you must hit or surpass a total of 100 to successfully hang on to the spectrier; furthermore, the horse is examining your ability to ride it!

shiv will post the conclusion to this encounter after you have posted in MODERATION REQUESTS,

Cillian Quinn

It appears this time with boldness, and Gavin honors this with a confident approach.

He offers the spectral horse a smile, lifts a hand as if to reach for its mane. It's quickly retracted as Spectrier rears back, and there's no time to get clear before the phantom steed kicks him square in the chest. He lands hard on his back, the wind knocked from his lungs.

Spectrier peers down at him, judging.

"Bit much, that," he grumbles, and rolls over onto his side to stand.

Was this what they called an out of body experience? Gavin blinks at his own body for several seconds before he lifts his gaze to the horse.

"What the fuck?"

Spectral reins wisp from its muzzle, and Gavin understands with some reluctance what it's asking him to do. He groans, looks down at his ethereal form, resigns.

"All right, fine."

He grasps the reins, and swings himself onto its back.

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It takes off much quicker than expected, nearly unseating him immediately.

"Fuckin' — slow down," he insists, somehow knowing it won't.

He is not graceful in his attempts to right himself, hands tangled in the reins and knees clenched tight against the Spectrier's flank. It offers him no quarter as it races amidst Pyre's rugged terrain, dodging and weaving between tombs with practised ease.

It barrels directly for one grave in particular, then leaps.

Gavin can do nothing but hang on.

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His spine jolts with the landing, but Spectrier allows no room for recovery before it pivots hard, apparently attempting to throw him off. Whether it's pleased or annoyed that he manages to stay mounted is impossible for him to tell.

It takes him back to the Pokeathalon, the training he'd done with Mudsdale.

Before that, horseback riding in Galar. His mother had owned a particularly spirited Galarian Rapidash who wouldn't let anyone close except Sienna and Gavin get close. Perhaps whatever she had sensed in him, the Spectrier saw the same.

Eventually, he manages to get his bearings enough to ride almost comfortably.

"Go for another jump," he urges, grinning.

C6orBov0

Spectrier leaps, and this time Gavin gets to enjoy the view.

It's a dizzying, death-defying rush of adrenaline in the pit of his stomach as they land just shy of a cliff's edge, spectral hooves sending pebbles tumbling down the side of Mt. Pyre. His muscles clench with involuntary alarm.

But he grins, after, when it trots away from the ledge.

"Cheeky," he accuses, "but I respect it."

It seems to gain respect for him, in turn, picking back up into a gallop as they make another round.

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notes:
my man really took 4 posts and rolled a 95 at the end
i quit :pepehands: