~Phoenix~

On 6/28/2017 at 0:59 AM, Widdershins said:

i have no idea how to get rid of that^

On 7/7/2017 at 2:19 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Unfortunately, I was asleep too when this happened, though I might have some idea about who did this.

When you woke up last night and I checked in, Widdershins had returned from his coal state, but he wasn't the only one. Out of nowhere this strange mare showed up, and she didn't appear to be too happy to see a draconequus.

I can't be sure if she was the culprit but these purple lines match in color to some of the thick clothes she wore, and something tells me that a mare appearing out of a puff of purple smoke, with a spiked tail, and ears that were constantly burning, might not be too good news. Though fortunately it seems like no tent were hit, so there's that at least."

To be honest, he wasn't even sure if whom he saw were a mare. Not of a regular, pony kind at least. For her size, her horn were too long - unless she had an absurd amount of magic perhaps - the flaming ears weren't normal to any sort of pony, and neither were the tail, or the glowing runes he had seen the edges off. Thick clothes during a moderately warm autumn night did happen, so that wasn't too weird, but the rest made him doubtful.

"I believe it will be best if we don't touch the colored patches in that crater, just to be on the safe side. How about we just leave this be, tell one of the guards in town, and then I take you out for breakfast? My treat, of course."

Smokey hoped she would take him up on his offer, since quite frankly, it was too early to deal with things like this. Partially glowing craters were more of a noon thing if any.

"hmm..." she hummed, as she pondered the situation. then, she let out a soft chuckle "maybe i should meet this mare. we may have something in common" she remarked, jokingly. although she normally wasn't the one for meeting other ponies, she could hardly pass up the opportunity to make quick quips like that. she turned and walked out away from the tent, where she might expect to find a fire pit. although the sun had risen, the air was still a tad chilly. 

after wandering around a bit, certainly within earshot of smokey, his offer had found it's way into her ears. her head perked up a bit, and her ears stood straight up as she turned to smokey. clearly, it had caught her attention. "take me to breakfast?" she asked as if she didn't hear it. of course, she did hear it, but she was struggling to think of why he would offer something like that. as far as Phoenix was concerned, logically, they were still mostly strangers. however, some illogical part of her was telling her that all of this was perfectly fine. and then, another question arose. "where?" she asked him, a couple of seconds later, as she looked around the tree-lines. as far as she could tell, there wasn't a town nearby. 

14 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

Smokey would wander out a bit after her, after having observed the mare a little. J-Just to make sure that she wasn't still too weakened that was, which didn't seem to be as bad as it could be, since she did eventually get up and wandered outside to breath in the morning air. Something which might be a good idea for him too, since the air felt a little dense in here and he could stay and enjoy the view from here.

When he got out and had gotten a few deep breaths of morning air as well, along with a couple of big yawns, he started his stretching exercises, and looked at Phoenix with a smile on his face, though he might seem somewhat foolish right now. Not so much because of the stretches, but more because of the rather bad hat hair he had going on. As for where said hat were that usually covered this, the answer were simply that it were in the tent, and that he had forgotten it whilst he were being... Distracted.

"Good morning Phoenix. have you slept w-oah!"

He had barely gotten started before he felt his hoof glide sideways and retracted it, along with a spin to get his hoofing back and get a few steps away from what he had been about to fall into, which seemed to be a rather sizable crater in the ground, going a few meters down at its deepest and filling out the space between the tents, with one almost being dangerously close to falling in.

"Well there's something you don't wake up to every day. I wonder what happened."

Considering the ripples of purple that seemed to be marked into the ground at the center and some places around the edges of the crater, his guess would be the unknown pony that had shown last night. The one whose ears were burning, though what would compel her to mar the ground like this?

after Phoenix had finished smelling the morning air, she let out a soft yawn, as she heard Smokey come up from behind her. "good morning" she responded, as she turned to him. she didn't seem necessarily energetic. part of it was the fact that she still felt a bit of the fatigue from yesterday, and another part of it was just that her personality never seemed to be that of the bubbly type. 

as she turned to see him, she simply couldn't gloss over the large crater that sat right next to them. her gaze never even met Smokey's as she stopped to inspect the crater with wide, quizzical eyes. "i must have really been asleep if i wasn't waken up by that" she said, with a concerned tone. if she wasn't woken up by something like that, then there definitely was something to be concerned about. if whoever it was that caused this had malicious intent towards her, then she would have been a goner. she could only hope that after her fatigue had gone away, she would return to her normal self. 

"do you have any idea what happened here?" she asked, as she looked all around the crater as she stepped closer to it. 

@Blitz Boom 

Phoenix had drifted back to the realm of consciousness from the sounds of the birds chirping. her eyes fluttered open, and she rubbed them a bit with her hooves to shoo away any sleep that may still be in them. she used her fore-hooves to lift herself up into a sitting position, and she turned her gaze towards Smokey, to see if he was awake. sure enough, he was. 

Phoenix wasn't much of a morning person, and to much noise when she first wakes up typically bothers her. without saying anything, she made an attempt to bring herself into a standing position. after the events of last night, she expected to have a little trouble with it, and she certainly did. her legs were still a little weak, but with a good amount of effort, she was able to do it just fine. once she had stabilized herself, she carefully walked out of the tent and into the morning air. 

she stood out there for a few minutes, doing nothing but looking at the surrounding area. she wasn't able to get a good view of it before in the darkness of night. after taking it in for a few moments, she lifted her snout to get a good whiff of the cool morning air. 

15 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"Thank you. I'll try and keep quiet."

Smokey were pleased to hear that he could hide out here for the time being, plus keeping an eye on her, in case more nightmares started to haunt her dreams. For reasons he would need some time to think about, it seemed as if he cared a good deal about her well-being, and knowing he were near in case something more happened were rather relaxing. Hopefully he wouldn't mess that up by disturbing her more, but considering he didn't snore, that should hopefully not be a concern worth thinking much about.

Seeing as she seemed to want to return to her sleep, he went over into the corner furthest away from her, to allow her private space, and settled on the grassy floor. Thankfully they hadn't build on simple ground here, so the green helped making this a more comforting seating, though he could have done so on anything really, including a bed of spikes. A pretty strange adventure that had brought him to a situation where he had to do that before, but perhaps one he should keep in mind for tomorrow. Might be it would entertain Phoenix.

Looking her over a last time before closing his eyes, he got a smile on his muzzle, and felt how his body started to relax and head towards a sleeping state. It wouldn't be long now before rest would find him as easily as it might have for Phoenix.

 

As Phoenix began to drift off to sleep, she began to ponder whether or not she actually minded him staying in the same tent. of course, she didn't want to admit that to herself. she was much too stubborn for that. she listened to the rustling accompanied by Smokey's movements throughout the tent, and waited for it to all settle down before she relaxed her mind and drifted off once more. 

@Blitz Boom

Phoenix continued staring at the wall of the tent as she listened to Smokey make his case on why he needed to stay in the tent with her over night. she was already tired enough, still feeling the drain on her from the events that had taken place just earlier. as such, she didn't have the energy to argue with him. she rolled her eyes, and spoke up "yeah, that's fine i suppose" she said, as her heavy eyelids came back down, and her body settled back into position. 

6 hours ago, Widdershins said:

Some odd years ago Pancake Parlors were all the rage

leave it to widdershins to go on about pancakes

@Widdershins @Blitz Boom

Phoenix, now in a sitting position had looked around, taking in her surroundings. sure enough, she was still in her tent, and on top of her bed roll. she lifted a hoof up to her face and placed it on her forehead in exasperation "what an ordeal" she muttered to herself. it wasn't necessarily a scary dream, save for the last bit, but it deffinately did dig deep into her mind. although she fancy's herself a clever girl, that's a locked door that she prefers not to go into. 

of course, without surprise smokey had entered the tent. surely he was concerned by the loud noise. "it was nothing. just a dream is, all" she explained to him, as she turned away, towards the wall of the tent and layed herself back down. of course, she couldn't help but think about the dream stallions words. did Smokey really have a thing for her? she blushed a bit as she pondered it, but hid her expressions away from Smokey. 

@Widdershins

@Blitz Boom

"Nightmare... deffinately a nightmare"  Phoenix had confirmed with herself. she perhaps had expected a scream, or a loud jarring noise to wake her. such would have been like quickly ripping off a bandage. this, however, was the slower, slightly more pain inducing version.

she watched, eyes wide with horror as these vile masses began to sliver from his mouth. as some of them seemed to approach her, she took a few steps back to avoid coming in contact. after all, who knows what their intention is, or what that gross slime is made out of. 

she looked beyond the ones that are extended and noticed that the other ones looked like they were ready to pounce. and just as they were about to, as she was sure, the dream realm began to fade. and then, as if a popped buble, it was all of a sudden gone, and she found herself shooting up into a sitting position from where she was previously asleep in the tent.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" She screamed, as all the air was forced from her lungs. once she was done, she sat there and looked over herself. all the while, trying to catch her breath. 

@Blitz Boom @Widdershins

sure, i can try and make something happen. but remember. she IS Phoenix, and as such she's likely to try and avoid the subject. sometimes it's as if she has a mind of her own. 

@Widdershins

Phoenix sat there, and watched as the dream pony awkwardly scooted up to her. her silence and staring may have only added to the level of awkward. she sat there unsure of what to do as the dream pony simply poked at her face. but to her surprise, he followed it up with a statement. 

although some may want to believe she is, Phoenix certainly was no numb-skull. she could definitely see the truth behind many of the strange stallions words, and she tried her best to take them all into account. she spent a few moments simmering her thoughts over what has transpired, and she tried to come up with some sort of summary of the lesson here. 

the dream stallion was most certainly correct in saying that Phoenix needed to learn to love herself and try to see things from that point of view. she sighed at the thought. "easier said than done", she muttered. "but, other than that, i am ready" she replied. she seemed more than ready to end whatever sort of dream this was, be it a nightmare or not. 

@Widdershins

i-it's not that! i was just curious is all...

@Widdershins is widdershins growing an attraction towards Phoenix? or can that nuzzle be chalked up to his shenanigans

5 hours ago, Widdershins said:

Finishing walking closer to her, the odd stallion attempts to prod her cheek in as reassuring a manner as it can. Sitting down & nuzzling her cheek, he continues on.

    Of course it's your business. All of this is entirely yours. We're here in your subconcious right now; I'm only in here because you allow me to.

         ...but the question is, what you're doing matters to you.

  

                                     ...you don't talk much. You think that can't be picked up by some recent, rather stately stallions you've met? Clearly, your past is bothering you because you won't let your past be the past. What matters is if you matter to you.

      Oh... and this can stop anytime you wish it...

   The dream stallion's pink-topped head backs away from Phoenix, a playful grin coming on its muzzle again.

      Usually takes the dreamer to wake up in a jolting suprise...   I can do this thing with my mouth that usually scares most awake, if you want!

Phoenix simply remains still as all of this sinks into her. of course, there was the strange stallion trying to comfort her. she felt his fluffy mane as it brushed against her, and it made her crinkle her nose ever so slightly. she took a bit of a step back, as such a sudden gesture was a bit unwelcome in her eyes. she still avoided making eye contact with the being as his words hung on her. she sighed calmly as she realized the truth in his words, and she too took a seat, not terribly far from the stallion, but also not very close. it was a bit standoff-ish. 

he was absolutely correct, and she put a hoof to her forehead in shame. after all of this time, how could she not see things the way they are? the issue was nearly 100% to due with the fact that she allowed herself to be miserable. yet, if most were put into her situation, they may find it hard to blame her. still, there were certain things she may yet to get by. romantic relations certainly was something of an oddity with her circumstance. 

"i understand...." she said solemnly, as she stared at the floor of this strange realm. 

hearing that this whole nightmare could end at her will certainly was a relief for her. and in that moment, she found she desired nothing more. ending a dream willingly, is not something she's ever had to do before, so it wasn't at all strange (at least in her mind) that she didn't know how. 

"if you startle me, i can't guarantee that it won't backlash on you" she bargained with the stallion "but you're free to do so at your digression"  

anyone else get hyped up for some epic roleplay after listening to songs like this? like, i want a massive draggon ball z battle now between good and evil .

@Widdershins

Realizing that her attack didn't work, she simply Sighed. she really didn't appreciate being put through this, however. still avoiding eye contact, she spoke "it's my own business, what i decide to do with myself" she said, a little bit more calmly. 

clearly, she still had no intention to change. she just wished that this whole situation would cease. "why does it matter what i do?" she asked with exasperation, hoping that the being in front of her would stop caring so much and leave her alone. 

@Widdershins

Phoenix was very clearly getting irritated at this point. if this pony had known what had happened to the poor draconicuus earlier in the night, they'd know that pestering her was no simple task. she continued to walk backwards, turning her head upwards to see the two Unicorns as they merged into one, as well as her alternate self, and almost without warning, her horn began to glow, and a slew of fireballs lashed out towards their targets. 

"i don't have to tell you!" she yelled out, as the last of the fireballs had flown off of her horn. 

truth be told, she was beginning to question herself. was she doing it for her own protection, or was it simply out of humility? she shook her head, not even bothering to see if she had hit her mark with her attack. 

@Widdershins

Realizing that she had bumped into the dream pony, she shuffled herself to the side, and turned to face away from the Stallion version of herself. she heard the two voices speak, but she didn't quite know what to say in response. instead, she hung her head low as she refused to make eye contact with the strange dream unicorn. 

why was she so humiliated by all of this? did she have a reason to be? of course she did. after all, her curse was not something she had necessarily come to enjoy. in fact, over time she had merely grown content with her new form, and nothing more. it served her as a means to forget what had happened before that, starting a new life. or at least, that was her excuse. 

if she had to be perfectly honest with herself, nothing had changed in her mind after the curse. she still went on moping about her tragic past, and acting as though nothing in her life could ever be happy. her curse served no means to help her forget 

@Widdershins 

Phoenix's Eyes grew wide as she saw the stallion. of course, she knew that the stallion was him. well, her to be exact. the form of Phoenix that never came to be. it was quite the strange sight. She could barely even recognize herself in that form, considering she had never grown old enough to see herself as a stallion. 

to her surprise, the stallion seemed to mimic her expressions. it was strange, almost as if it was mocking her. she nervously lifted up one of her hooves, and began to slowly step backwards. but to her despair, it only seemed to follow her as it had stepped out of the glossy mirror like doorway. this certainly was the humiliating situation. watching herself as she could have been stand right in front of her and mock her. it was on some level of cruel irony that some could only dream of. 

she avoided eye contact and shook her head as she continued to back up. eventually she bumped her rear back into the strange unicorn. she had almost forgotten that he was there for a few moments, considering the distraction that stood squarely in front of her.  

@widdershins yeah, that's the sort of thing i was hoping for. i'm a sucker for a deep story involving self discovery

sorry for the late reply @Widdershins been busy the last couple of days. 

@Blitz Boom hope that we'll eventually get back with Smokey

@Widdershins

Phoenix trotted alongside the strange Unicorn as they walked around through her dreamscape. as strange as it was, she wasn't focusing on the spectacle of a Unicorn, and rather she looked at the strange void around her. she looked at each door, wondering if each of them led anywhere. were they distant memories of her own? or were they something else entirely? the curiosity began to grow within her. after all, in such a strange realm, who wouldn't want to open a few doors? of course, there was always the risk that something terribly embarrassing was inside. 

and of course, the answer she got was as expected. it was indirect, and quite cryptic. however, it didn't seem entirely nonsensical. there deffinately was a message behind the strange stallions words, and it was only a matter of time before she found out. 

all of a sudden, the stallion stopped talking. she looked over at him, and noticed that he was staring at her "what?" she said as she rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to the nearest door. 

she walked towards the door slowly, looking it up and down as she stopped in front of it. her horn began to glow, and a magical aura began to envelope the handle as it slowly began to swing open. 

@Widdershins

Phoenix looked around at her abstract surroundings. now that it was brought to her attention that she was dreaming, it certainly was noticeable. every time she looked away from something, it changed slightly. nothing was consistent. 

"i see" she said in a curious tone as she continued to look at her surroundings. this certainly was a strange experience. of course, being in the realm of dreams, anything was possible. however, she still figured that the strange pony was all just a figment of it. but, he had to be representative of something in her mind. and it might be useful if she were able to find out. 

"then... why are you here?" was her next question. of course, rarely were things ever as easy as simply asking in dreams. many times, all she would get were cryptic responses, or no response at all. such was the frustration with trying to figure out your own mind. 

6 hours ago, Widdershins said:

land of consciousness now! All of Time & Space! Everywhere & Nowhere! Every thought that ever was! Where do you want to start?...

i swear it's like i'm watching an episode of doctor who

anywho, it's nice to have a good visual, because that was a bit of a wordy description. 

@Widdershins @Blitz Boom

Phoenix was watching her dreams as they happened around her, when suddenly something very odd made it's way onto the scene. it was certainly a very strange looking Stallion. Phoenix stepped back a bit, and cocked her head, perplexed at the strange situation that was now taking place. of course, she simply thought that her mind was making up this scenario, as that is what the majority of dreams are. normally, each and every thing within a dream has meaning. and seeing as this pony had taken center stage, there was certainly some message here. 

of course, Phoenix really wasn't aware she was dreaming. in fact, most ponies are unaware that they're dreaming until they wake up. and such was the case here. 

"dream? who are you?" she asked. as she took in all of the strange details. her last couple of words sound like their pitch was trailing downwards. the sound of the strange stallions voice must have subconsciously gotten to her, considering it was beginning to effect her.