Cutting it real close this year, but it's finished. This time I've decided to showcase a couple of new characters, Skycroft and Seldom.

In my story universe there are many religions on the world of Epona. One of the most powerful is Octenism, the worship of the eight-legged god Sleipnir, who carved and smithed the world and its continents into shape with his eight mighty hammers, and breathed life into its molten core. Skycroft and Seldom are two of the faith's eight elite defenders, known as the Hammers.

Skycroft is the youngest of the team. He's your usual confident and imaginative hero protagonist type of guy, but his hero's journey has already reached its end, leading him to join the Hammers. As the youngest, he has an air of immaturity about him and has somewhat retained his childish view of good and evil, but he wouldn't have been chosen if he didn't have the skills for the role. Skycroft's wings are comparable in size to Celestia's, and they're more than strong enough to lift the heavy octite armour the Hammers are required to wear and then some. Having a farmcolt background he's mainly built for heavy lifting and stamina, but he can achieve great speeds if he pushes himself. Skycroft's main form of offense is his mastery over water. Like any pegasus he can manipulate clouds, but very few are capable of doing anything to rain itself. He can freeze liquids into icicles to launch at enemies and is training to walk on water. He carries around a collection of reusable bottles to supply this ability.

Seldom is one of the most devoted members of the Hammers. Like Sparkfree, Seldom went through something similar to the changeling-equivalent of the Alicorn Ascension spell, but in his case, instead of gaining pony traits and magic he gave some of them up for more power, ruining his body for his faith in order to perform his duties more reliably. Because of this, his standard form lacks a pony-like muzzle, replaced by mandibles he hides beneath a mask, and he has more holes in his body than a normal changeling. In return, his transformations are much stronger and faster than what an ordinary changeling is capable of. One of his most common forms is an eight-legged spider-like creature, gaining him the nickname "Sleipnir" from Skycroft, something Seldom resents and the other Hammers disapprove of. Seldom has devoted his life in service of the Blacksmith God, but he can't help but feel disgusted by what has become of his body.

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Last year's entry — Blitz Wind and Sparkfree