SHOAL CAVE

TAMING THE HORSE

UPON RETURNING TO SHOAL CAVE, the same unnerving feeling of being watched returns. in this frigid underground, your hard footsteps clack against ice and echo across valleys of frozen blue. however, you instinctively hush yourself. a horse-like pokemon neighs in the distance. a mask of ice surround pupilless eyes. from its hooves, intense cold air wafts.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

however, the horse seems to notice you. it advances closer. the clopping of hooves echo too, orchestrating an endless percussion of icy beats. suddenly, the earth freezes even more so. an additional layer of ice grows outward and higher with immense speed. before you can blink, an icy ramp forms right before you— and the horse slides across the ice in a flash to greet you from their elevated stations.

GLASTRIER ASKS FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSE WHAT THEY SEEK

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

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

Gwyar Wledig

Frozen Hooves

Taming the Legend.

He almost can't believe what he's seeing.

"So it was one of you." He said in a mutter, eyes wide as he stared up at Myth.

As massive as one would expect, with a presence to match.

Just as he remembered it from all those years ago.

"But is it you, I wonder?" He said, trying to meet its gaze with his own.

Probably not.

What would it be doing here, miles upon miles of land and sea away from Galar's tundras? Over twenty years was a long time, but for what reason could it have traveled so far from home, so far from the freezing weather?

But wouldn't it be wonderful if it was the same shadow that saved his life, all those years ago?

The man brought the frozen Carrot to eye level, rolling his wrist around slowly for a moment, before smiling and holding it out towards it.

"Whether it was you or not, my gratitude remain." There couldn't be that many of them around. They were all surely related to one another.

So if not his savior, he would at least be thanking family.

The giant horse bit into the carrot without much prompt- surprisingly gentle for one so powerful and massive, before it trotted away unimpeded by the eye, disappearing into the cavern's depths, almost as if becoming one with the ice walls.

Gwyar and Raki simply stared in awe.

The blonde man resolved to come again the next day.

---

And so he did, his heels clicking atop the icy floors as he arrived at the caverns once again, carrot in hand. Would he be able to meet it again, he wondered...?

---

Bingo prompt: "nostalgia"

SHOAL CAVE

TAMING THE HORSE

THE NEXT DAY, you see the horse again. they stroke the ice solid ground with their hooves, seemingly hungry.

♥ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

when they spot you, the horse seems hesitant. without the iceroot carrots— you do not possess the same gravity you once did; however, it approaches still, sensing your benevolent motives.

GLASTRIER ASKS FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSE WHAT THEY SEEK

write a post that has your trainer offering any two week berry to the glastrier 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 glastrier in shoal cave once more. shiv will post a new prompt, detailing what the glastrier wants (hopefully, once per day). each request fulfilled by your trainer will steadily tame the glastrier.

Gwyar Wledig

Frozen Hooves

Taming the Legend.

It was there again.

Given his lack of fancy carrots, he couldn't blame it for being hesitant at first, and was rather elated to see it approach all the same. As it came closer, the man offered the only thing he could- Berries and regular carrots.

Surprisingly, it seemed willing to take the likely inferior treats as well, chomping down upon them with surprising gentleness.

There was no doubt in the man's mind that it could easily have bitten clean through the plating of his gauntlet and through bone, should it have chosen to.

Galarian fairytales seemed to have been exaggerating the viciousness of the mares- though given his past experiences regarding one, he had always suspected as much.

As it ate off his hand, the man very gently, very clearly gestured by raising his hand, asking for permission, before moving it to pet the side of the giant horse's neck.

Most Rapidash appreciated the gesture greatly- so he hoped it would, too.

Ah, he couldn't help but want to ride such a majestic beast- but he held no delusions about being able to stay atop, should it decide to try and buckle him off.

Much less of surviving the ensuing rampage, either.

So he simply pet and fed, smiling all the while.

---

-Fed it 2x Grepa Berries
Bingo prompt: "horse-riding"

SHOAL CAVE

TAMING THE HORSE

THE NEXT DAY, you see the horse again. it strokes the ice solid ground with its hooves. the ice on its body seems to have grown thicker. more severe like unruly hair.

♥ ♥ ♡ ♡ ♡

when the glastrier sees you again, it seems hesitant. without the iceroot carrots— you do not possess the same gravity you once did; however, the horse approaches still, sensing your benevolent motives.

GLASTRIER ASKS FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSE WHAT THEY SEEK

write a post that has your trainer's pokemon using the move, CHIP AWAY, to help groom (or sculpt) the glastrier's icy protrusions and then post in MODERATION REQUESTS. after they have been given the berry, the horse will promptly flash away.

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

Gwyar Wledig

Frozen Hooves

Taming the Legend.

Gwyar had taken care of more than a few mares in his day; he was well acquainted with trimming hooves and cutting manes.

That said...

None had ever been quite as tough as this.

"Quite durable, this ice of yours." He said wryly he whipped a thin sheen of sweat off his brow. Even in the frozen coldness of the cavern, and even in the cold presence of the frozen mare, he had managed to work up a sweat trying to cut into the ice covering the pokemon.

Besides him, a Larvitar fell on its butt and leaned back, groaning. This was tiresome work; the little guy was not quite ready for the task yet...

"Come now, little one." Gwyar said with a laugh, before reaching into the bag he had brought with him and producing a number of berries.

He smiled at both Glastrier and Larvitar, before handing Sitrus berries to each.

"Don't be discouraged just yet. We'll get through this before the day's over, I can promise."

---

-Larvitar used Chip Away!

SHOAL CAVE

TAMING THE HORSE

THE NEXT DAY, you see the horse— but it seems different in appearance from afar. getting close, you see that the glastrier has become quite dirty. perhaps, it's all that flashing back and forth in the cave that has caused its beautiful equine form to be marred by mud.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ ♡

when the glastrier sees you again, they seem hesitant. without the iceroot carrots— you do not possess the same gravity you once did; however, the horse approaches still, sensing your benevolent motives. the glastrier must be cleaned. perhaps, there is a pokemon that is an expert at tidying things (and pokemon) up...

GLASTRIER ASKS FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSE WHAT THEY SEEK

write a post that uses ONE MINCCINO OR CINCCINO and a Pokemon using the move, SOAK, to help clean the dirty glastrier. of course, the water may freeze, so work fast! after, post in MODERATION REQUESTS. after they have been cleaned, the horse will promptly flash away.

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

Gwyar Wledig

Frozen Hooves

Taming the Legend.

He had been sort of expecting (or hoping, rather) that the horse would be there when he arrived, but he was still somewhat surprised when he saw it.

Even more so, given its state.

"Oh my! How did this happen to you?" Gwyar asked, brow furrowing as he saw the dirt that seemed to cover the Glastrier from head to hooves.

Given its gleaming carapace of ice, the dirt was even more notable— few things were as unsightly as dirty snow, and ice wasn't much better.

Gwyar himself hesitated to approach, given that he didn't have a single carrot left in hand- but surprisingly, Glastrier approached him instead, despite its own, obvious apprehension.

The blonde was a little moved by the seeming trust placed upon him— and could wager a guess as to what the pokemon wanted from him.

He nodded, smiling.

"Of course, I'll help." He said, reaching into his pocket for his phone. "Just need to make a call, first."

A public loan request later on the trading app, and the man had a pokeball with a Cincinno in hand. Upon releasing the pokemon out... Well, it seemed to have been informed that it would be loaned beforehand.

Greeting Gwyar with a polite bow, the pokemon smiled demurely— and then turned around and saw her job.

Her face visibly twitched.

"Hahaha!" Gwyar laughed at the reaction, gently placing the pokemon on the icy floor. "Do not worry, small friend. You won't be working alone."

Palming another pokeball with a chuckle, Gwyar released his Octillery onto the field- Before he began to take off his coat and, waist coat, and finally, his white shirt.

"I didn't bring any rags with me... so it'll have to do." He said with a sigh while holding his white shirt in hand, before turning to the Octillery. "Help us out, Diana. Yes?"

The Octillery got the gist of what they needed to do pretty quick, giggling to herself-

Before blasting a massive amount of water all over Gwyar and the Spectrier.

"... Thank you." He sighed, turning towards the horse pokemon. "... Let's get this over with before I get sick."

They got to work!

---

TL;DR:
-Cinccino on the scene, keeping things clean!
-Octillery providing the water, keeping things wet with Soak!

SHOAL CAVE

TAMING THE HORSE

THE NEXT DAY, you see the horse. they do not seem hesitant at all this time. instead, the horse appears to be waiting for you closer to the entrance this time, as if the glastrier was in tune with your rhythms. your schedule. in its mouth, a narrow strap of ice dangles and emanates chilly air.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡

should you take the reins, they are immensely cold to the touch. one wonders if frostbite would crawl up their palms— for the chill is painful against human skin. even worse, it penetrates past any fabric. the glastrier beckons you to mount its back, pristine and well-groomed thanks to both of your effort. with a snort, the horse brings you two to a different shoal chamber. here, a vast field filled with fences of ice, bridges and more appears before you: an equine agility course.

the glastrier raises their front legs and neigh. cold air rushes from its hooves. quickly, the horse dashes into the course, and you must hang on for dear life, even if the icy reins cut into your trembling hands.

TAME THE HORSE

REIN THEM IN!

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

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

Gwyar Wledig

Frozen Hooves

Taming the Legend.

There was something a little more final about this meeting.

There was an understanding between them now, and he liked to think it showed in the way the giant horse approached him without fear.

The one suddenly fearing for his life was him, however. The moment he saw those straps on its maw, he caught on quick.

Also, he flashbacked to the terrifying stories he had been regaled with since his youth. The tales had it that the moment he hopped atop it, it would gallop into a blizzard and disappear with him, never to be seen again.

... Come on, you're a grown ass man.

"Thank you." He said softly after a moment, reaching over to clamp onto the reigns with his gloved hand.

He flinched immediately after, his digits curling around the straps even as freezing cold seemed to seize his limbs. Yet again, he's brought back to his youth, the merciless chill of the crown tundra etched into his soul.

But it is because it is so familiar that the man never pulls away, his brow furrowing deeply as he clamps tighter upon it.

"Hyup!" He swings himself atop the Glastrier with a measure of ease, years of equestrian and knightly training paying off.

Neither his father nor his ancestors could've ever guessed their lessons would be useful for something like this...

Clinging to the Glastrier despite the freezing pain, Gwyar observed as the legendary horse strode deeper into the cavern...

And into a meticulously prepared course.

"How the-?" His words were cut off when the Glastrier immediately took off with incredibly swiftness that belied its massive size and weight, wind buffeting the officer's cheeks as it strode through the icy course and leapt over the first of several, impossibly high fences with a rough grace.

As it landed with a booming thud, the experienced knight was nonetheless nearly thrown off, his teeth gritting as his grip on the reigns tightened firmly.

'Enough. Focus. He could ask questions after. Now, it was time to ride.

Righting his posture and lowering his chest closer to the horse's neck, the man bit his lip and fought through the freezing pain as the next obstacle came, remembering all of his equestrian training.

---

LzbiKHja

Frozen Hooves

Taming the Legend.

Several laps had come and gone. Several leaps, landings had followed, with the knight hanging on to dear life with fingers that could no longer even feel anything.

The longer he stayed atop the Glastrier, the deeper the frost reached.

Even his journey through the frigid Crown tundra had never quite managed to chill him down to the very bone- not as much as the single ride atop Glastrier had.

In cold alone, it was an incomparable, herculean task. But... it alone was not a worthy test for Gwyar's strength of will.

The desolation, dread, and fear he had experienced in his youth... it far trumped cold alone.

His eyes opened wide as Glastrier landed heavily one last time. Gwyar's grip tigthened despite the lack of feeling in his palm, his chest pushing off the Glastrier as he reeled back and pulled onto the reigns.

The giant stallion came to a grinding halt across the ice, before reeling back himself with a powerful snort, front legs kicking in the air briefly before crashing down upon the ice yet again.

Silence reigned in the icy caverns, both legendary pokemon and rider panting heavily.

"... Heh. Again?" Gwyar said with a confident smile, despite the frost covering his body.

He would do it as many times as it took.

---

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