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Post by .R y n xx on Jun 26, 2007 18:21:47 GMT -5
.xx Once there was a land called Psychomachia with fourteen great leaders, each the perfect embodiment of the seven deadly sins and holy virtues. There was no unity among them, and constant fighting caused the death toll to soar. Worried that the warring herds would eventually destroy Psychomachia, a mystical envoy from the stars descended to bring unity to the lands. The being came in the form of a brilliant white Pegasus, who went by the name of Celeste – by discussion and debate, she thought, maybe the fourteen leaders could attain unity amongst themselves. So it began on the night with no moon in the sky, and she called forth the stallions and mares to assemble.
.xx She brought them together on the summit of a great plateau, a bit off the coast near the lake bordering the lands. As they all assembled in a messy circle, one brute stood forward and began the discussion. 'Easy!' the robust blood bay stallion Ira bellowed, striding into the center of the group with powerful muscles rippling. 'Make me the leader of all! My army will stop the violence through any means necessary.' Superbia, the haughty seal brown mare, laughed and paraded towards Ira, forcing him back to his spot. 'No. If I were queen, I wouldn't let my subjects be distracted by petty fights and quarrels--that would keep them from properly adoring me!' Humble Humilitas raised his dark, handsome grulla head and spoke softly in response. 'Instead of adoring one, we should all just...mind ourselves. None are worthy of ruling all.' A pained wheezing drowned out the last of Humilitas's speech as Gula waddled forwards, fat gray sides heaving. 'No, gentlemen, the secret to happiness lies in an appreciation for good eating. Feasts every night!' Soon he was joined by Avaritia, a thin palomino mare with glittering eyes, who nodded in agreement. 'Not just food! All the fine things of this world! A horse in luxury is a content horse.' The painted mare Liberalitas, whose coat sported exactly equal amounts of black and white, nervously posted an addendum to the previous statements. 'But we must share everything exactly equally. Then no one will be left out.' Frenum, a red dun stallion of average build, shook his head forcefully. 'No, no. There must be no luxury in our lives. If we live with the bare essentials we will not feel a need to fight.' The fighting lulled a bit as Luxuria, a gorgeous blue roan, slipped into the action with a sultry purr. 'Darlings, you've got it all wrong. You simply need to enjoy the, ah...pleasures in life, if you catch my drift.' A pristine light gray stallion near her, Castitas, balked at the very idea. 'Most certainly not! If we control our hormones, we can control the urge to fight.' Industria, the forever exuberant chestnut pony stallion with a flaxen mane, broke the uncomfortable silence. 'Let's climb the mountains, let's swim across the oceans! We'll be too busy to fight!' Patientia, a dapple gray stallion with a soothing aura, spoke out clearly from his position. 'I believe the easiest way to manage the violence is to sign a peace treaty.' His offer evoked a sad, knowing shake of the head from Humanitas, the compassionate liver chestnut mare. 'Treaties mean nothing if we don't learn sympathy for others.' Last to speak was the glaring Invidia, a small dun mare. 'I want all of those things!' Acedia, a shaggy bay stallion and the last of the leaders, said nothing at all, for he had dozed off in the early moments of the meeting. For the next few hours, the arguments became less and less civilized and orderly, and it became clear that no compromise could be found.
.xx After hours of listening to the fighting, Celeste finally cried out, "Enough! You cannot establish a compromise by forcing your beliefs on others. I can see more drastic action must be taken to stop this madness. Hence, I will plague your lands to force you to interact with other herds if you become too isolated or too dominant. Furthermore, the personalities of all the residents shall be magnified by the prevailing sin or virtue of their character, no matter what leader they live under. Perhaps if you can learn to appreciate each other's differences on a herd level, you can eventually stop destroying yourselves and each other. I pray I won't have to cast plagues upon you for long. Farewell." Vanishing in a burst of light, Celeste left the leaders to consider all she'd said. Unfortunately, the leaders were not quick to change their ways, and so Celeste was forced to keep her vow. Descending into the realm of the living, she would shake her head sadly and unleash various plagues, ranging from mildly annoying to devastating. The numbers of the herds began to decrease, some from the plague and some from the opposing virtues or sins. Eventually the number fell to very few, and it was at that point that things were stabilized, no matter how slight, and borders were made to separate the lands. Rather then impose on each other, each sin and virtue claimed a hospitable land and have lived in their solitude for decades.
PSYCHOMACHIA. Contest of the S o u l
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Post by wowposter on Sept 10, 2008 21:47:22 GMT -5
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Post by wowposter on Oct 28, 2008 6:38:19 GMT -5
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