There was so much happening, she could hardly take it all in. So many brave horses, young and old alike, were risking their lives to save Helovia from what was sure to be utter destruction. And what was she doing? Standing and yelling and running in place. A filly battled relentlessly, climbed upon the monster's back even, and Kahlua did nothing. Cowardice at it's finest. She didn't mean to be so useless. She didn't mean to make a fool of herself. It was hard not to, though, when she was flighty and stupid.

Though she caught little of the scene with certainty, she did see Onni nearly get singed. The sight terrified her so much that she forget even to keep track of the monster at all- the worst possible thing she could have done at that moment. But then, so much happened at once, she could hardly take it in. From the corner of her eye she saw the monster's arm come lashing at her. At the same time, her painted friend came swooping down. The painted mare's form hit Kahlua's solidly- how could it not, with Kahlua so uselessly locked in one place- and Kahlua tumbled to the ground.

Dirt mixed with scrapes and what would soon be bruises as Kahlua struggled to lift herself. Turning her head as she did so, she saw Onni try to pull off from the monster's arm. How the arm had fallen lifeless so suddenly was a mystery beyond her comprehension. She had not seen the action, having been thrown to the ground. And as she finally managed to stand up, blood oozing from a few scrapes on her side, she heard the painted mare call back. “Run.” Funny how that had been exactly she she had been trying to do all along and she couldn't. And yet, somehow, the Illuminant's words stirred up a bit of shame in the black overo.

You want me to run? I want to run. But can I? In the face of this monster a filly fights for my freedom and I cower? But is that her job? Is she a warrior trained from birth? What am I? I'm pretty... well not now that I'm covered in dirt. But that's all I know. Monster's don't respond to flirtation. I don't know what to do. Onni! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO BE DOING!

Too many thoughts echoed in her mind and she couldn't comprehend the emotions flowing through her body. She wasn't meant for such philosophical dilemmas. She had never been so far out of her comfort zone. She wanted to cry- she was crying- tears fell from her face and blurred her vision, thought she kept careful eye on the monster this time. She couldn't run, could she? Would she disappoint Onni, or would the mare understand helplessness in the face of fear? No, she couldn't leave her painted friend alone. Indecision and terror had made her fear aggressive. The same way a frightened dog backed into a corner will bare teeth and bite, Kahlua prepared herself to fight.

Shaking her head to try and clear some of the tears, Kahlua tried to assess what was happening. Everyone seemed to be working in concert like they had devised some secret plan that she could not understand. Stupidity did not mean she had to be useless, though. She couldn't fly and she would never be so brave as the filly to run across the monster's back. His belly glowing with fire did not make her envy the stallion that was underneath the monster attacking his stomach, either. She decided, then, that her best shot was his foot. Picking up an uncertain canter, she aimed herself for his left rear limb. As she came too it she increased her pace to a gallop and then, similar to what Onni had done to her, she planted her front feet and let her body swing to the right, attempting to slam her already bruised and battered right side into the monster's limb.

Whether her attack worked or not, she then picked up a gallop again and moved back towards her original position, although farther to the rear to hopefully avoid the monster's front limb. She didn't want to be attacked for a second time. “I don't know what to do!” Her voice was uncertain, loud now but less of a scream that it had been. True, she didn't know what to do, but that wasn't why she was speaking. Instead, she sounded her voice out of some sort of selfishness. Even if Onni wasn't at her side, she wanted the Illuminant to know where she was. She couldn't do this alone. She was scared, eyes still wide and white and wet; her breathing was heavy. Onni at her side metaphorically was better than nothing.


[Kahlua is knocked to the ground by Onni. She canters to the monster's left rear limb, swings her body to the right and attempts to slam her right side into his back limb before cantering away]