Roan CreATEs MaDnESs!

PROMPT #5  CELEBRATION _{(got extension)}

The sun had just begun to pinken up the sky when Skylark walked out the front door of her house. The chill of morning greeted her, she took in a breath of it, shivering for a moment in her hoodie before hopping off of her doorstep to avoid the steps down altogether. She plugged her music into her port and rich tones welcomely began to spill into her senses, blinking away some of her lingering sleepiness as she watched the sky‘s swirling sunrise. There was a familiar silhouette against the warm colors there, the Daggerlily had another captain today. The corner of her mouth turned up slightly and she absentmindedly felt for the holster and sheath latched onto her belt at either of her sides. Her pets in sleep mode. She threw her little backpack over one shoulder and took off at an easy pace, yet covering a good amount of pavement with each long stride.

Hardly anyone was about so she heard her own hoof-beats over her music. She couldn’t help but try to match the clip-clop of her hoof-falls to the beat of the drum, which was harder than expected and made her look more than a little silly before she gave up and ran. Running felt great enough but it was even more satisfying to jump the occasional shrubbery she came across as well, shortening her trip ever so slightly.

It wasn’t long before she arrived at the main drag of the middle class district, hopping down flights of stairs to catch the subway train to the upper class district. It was too hard for Skylark to keep still during the short ride, tail swaying wildly, stomping her hoof to the songs playing through her port until finally the train pulled into the grand upper class subway station. Leaving the train, it was only a few more jumped staircases before Skylark paid for a ticket and boarded the black-out tram headed for her desired destination.

It was going to be a few stops before the tram actually arrived there so she settled herself in as best she could for the long ride. Skylark muttered soft obscenities, her usually graceful legs could be pretty awkward in enclosed seating arrangements such as a tram has. The tram had already started its journey when she eventually settled on sitting sideways, the whole of her legs on the seat and her arms holding her knees close to her chest. She looked around and saw that the tram was mostly empty, everyone sitting well spaced out from one another. With a flick of her striped ear, she turned her attention to the screen at the front of the tram. The news was on and along the bottom of the screen scrolled the names of the cities on the tram’s route and the estimated arrival times and durations.

Skylark slumped back against the wall a bit more, yawning and turning her music up. She stared ahead at the opposite wall. She supposed she was halfway to the next city, which meant that just beyond the protection of the tram was… probably a blistering desert wasteland beset by the full and deadly spectrum of a yellow dwarf star. Or at least a mostly full spectrum of radiation, since the planet’s atmosphere could not possibly be entirely gone. Skylark continued to wander in thoughts of stars and the unseen landscape the tram passed through. She barely noticed the first couple times it stopped at cities save for the change of passengers aboard.

The third time it stopped, Skylark eased herself up and out of her seat for a quick run to get something to eat. It was a city known for its brilliant displays of colorful light that came from crystalline architecture and sculpture throughout its higher classed districts. In some places, the city appeared as though it was encased in sparkling ice. She stopped by a fast food joint with a geode theme, laden with massive amethyst crystals, and Skylark had her fill of their “Famously Rockin‘” chicken tenders before hurrying back to the tram. It wouldn’t be too much longer she realized as she settled back into her seat for the last leg of her journey. Despite still having to sit sideways, she started to doze off from her full belly, her head resting against the back of the seat.

At last the intercom called out “Makai City Station” and Skylark woke with a start, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and following a few other passengers out. She took a few steps away from the tram and stretched out her stiff limbs and tail before bolting for the station’s exit. Her first steps into the sunlight found her in what was considered downtown Makai, a city so much smaller and poorer than Novus to have distinct districts for their classes.

To Skylark, this was a little-known gem of a city, a hidden locale off of the beaten path of your typical tourist. And it smelled like kettle corn, or a mix of hot dogs and cotton candy, Skylark couldn’t quite tell though she sniffed the air standing high upon the very tips of her hooves. Vendors for treats like these were abundant. The city of Makai wanted to be a beach resort once upon a time, but it came to be something of a perpetual boardwalk-style street fair instead. Pavement gave way to faux wooden planking under Skylark’s hooves as she made her way to a bench, taking off her hoodie to reveal a pink tank top more suited to Makai’s warm climate. She sat and removed her horseshoes, standing up again as she put them away with her hoodie in the bag. Pavement was merciless against her bare hooves after a time but the planking felt nice, much like the floors of the Daggerlily but not as faithfully kept up.

She turned her music off and her ears caught all of the sounds of the boardwalk town, a cacophony of cheerful tunes from the collection of rides up and down the walk, the rising cries of a dozen jealous seagulls harassing a child who’d made the mistake of being generous with his fries, and the low roar of the little ocean that was the town’s real pride and joy. Skylark ran down the boardwalk, making her way to the steps that led to the beach and stopping only briefly to buy a cotton candy before continuing on. With a grand jump off the side of the stairs, her hooves finally met sand. Sand was a pleasant sensation under hoof, but she recalled how it felt beneath human feet and missed it for a moment as she walked to the saltwater‘s edge. Makai’s modest ocean wasn’t as large or as deep as Novus’, in fact the ocean of Novus’ beach-side resort was the largest of any city, but that wasn’t evident from where Skylark stood. The sun had sunk close to the horizon above the waves, bathing the beach in amber light. “Ah well that’s typical,” Skylark spoke to the ocean with a smirk, “I’m the first one here again!”