[PRP]Mystery Meeting At Midnight{Nightmare&Wystan}

[Thalea]

It was a dark and dreary night; the fog rolled in, cloaking the world in a shroud of darkness. Fall was soon to come to an end and the harbingers of winter were fast approaching as icy fingers the changing weather reached out, trying to steal the heat of those who were living. The cold had taken many victims in the past and as the harsh months drew on, the death toll would only increase; it was the survival of the fittest and those who did not adapt to the cold, soon felt the burn of its icy tentacles. In the darkness, a four winged figure walked slowly, his head bowed as his blue eyes searched the shadowed ground below, while his warm breath came out of his nostrils and mouth, only to freeze as it encountered the crisp night air. Local stories told of a creature of the night who roamed these lands, his hooves glowed with an eerie green flame and he was covered in strange armor. No one seemed to give a proper description of the stallion, for it appeared that they were too afraid to approach the steed. There was one fact Wystan was able to deduce from the clues he was given, the stallion enjoyed scaring those he came in contact with. But none of the information that he had acquired during his travels through this part of the land, gave him any hints about how to find the fiery hoofed stallion. Most of the stories tell those who listen to leave the land and let the night creature live in peace; the ones that did not tell the listener to run were much more rare and seldom told.

Wystan paused, he had been searching since the sun went down in the west for clues that would lead to the stallion; he did not have any luck. It was now past midnight and the moon had moved across the sky in the arch that it makes every night. The giant glowing orb cast a ghostly glow on the world below and caused the ancient gnarled trees to cast shadows upon the dirt covered ground. His eyes locked on the moon above, deep down he was debating if he should give up his quest for the night and find a warm shelter or continue his search for the stallion that has installed in the locals a great fear. Wystan chose the latter.

The stallion continued down the moon lit path as the night drew on and the chill settled around him, the detective knew, that if he continued to search, he was bound to find something.  

[[+Katch+]]

Ssssss- a branch hissed and shriveled as a skeletal hoof, engulfed in strange green fire trod upon the unfortunate foliage. Nightmare was on the move this night, he had finished watering his pumpkin patch and was now "haunting" the area. There wasn't much here, but it was his domain. A copse of skeletal looking trees, mist covered hills, carrion crows, and sometimes worse that lurked deep in the shadows of the desolate place.

Nightmare was, of course the famous one among those who came to "visit" he either scared them silly or frightened them so much they just keeled over where they stood...Nightmare, being a strange spook, lived and breathed fear, he even emitted it, folks could FEEL his pressence before they even saw him...but when they died of shock...He never liked that particular bit of it, he was just having a bit of fun...but in the case of the latter...at least he always had fertilizer for his precious pumpkins. He sighed, a cloud of noxious green mist curling into the air. He looked up at the moon, his armor creaking and groaning in protest. He grimaced, it's light was chill and unwelcoming, it shone with a eerie luster on the mist that constantly rolled from under his boney hooves...a night for spooking indeed.

He picked through his forest of dead trees, his nostrils flared and his eyes wild and strangely bright with their own inner fire, as if the green flame of his hooves burned in his blood. He smelled something...something warm...life...He grinned, a eerie twisted grin, his green tinged fangs glinting in the night..." ssssomone new to frighten...perhappssss...maybe...a friend" he chuckled, which was in fact a terrible sound, like the crunching of gravel mixed with the boom of a drum.

He picked through the night, sticking mostly to the shadows, watching things among the trees hide as he approached...tonight was a night for "haunting."  

[Thalea]

Eyes followed him as he made his way through the darkness; creatures of the night hid in the shadows, their eyes never leaving the winged stallion. In the distance an owl hooted, which was soon followed by the sound of fluttering wings; the hunt had begun.

Fear was not an emotion that Wystan felt often and he was not feeling it now; instead excitement worked its way through his body. The shadows that lurked behind each tree were not apparitions who were bent on frightening him; they were mysteries that had yet to be solved. Wystan smiled, he was like the owl flying high in the night sky, scanning the earth below for prey. But instead of searching for mice, the detective searched for clues, mysteries that had yet to be discovered.

Thick trees surrounded the stallion, reminding him of the stories his mother told him while he was a child; she told him about trees that came alive and walked the earth, but it was rare to see one of those magnificent beings. Wystan shook his head, there was no proof that those beings excited, then again, he had never looked.

Minutes passed and the night seemed to become darker and colder. A slight fog rolled in on the forest floor, creating what seemed like a supernatural appearance. High in the sky, clouds blocked out the dim light of the stars; the moon was shrouded in the thick dark clouds. In the distance, the detective’s icy blue eyes locked on an eerie green glow was close to the ground, it was moving through the woods with a ghost like grace. With his head cocked to the side, Wystan stopped to contemplate what he was seeing, and perhaps it was the stallion of the night that the locals talked about. He was tempted to step off the path and watch the being as it approached, but he presumed that the being who was fast approaching already knew that the detective was standing in the woods. Blue eyes locked on the distance, Wystan waited for what was to come.  

[[+Katch+]]

His nostrils flared, the green flame that burned within him, fairly visible every time he exhaled. His eyes burned a noxious acid green to match his burning hooves, glowing with the eerie coldfire that slowly decayed everything he trod upon.

Nightmare too, had heard the owl, as they were not uncommon here~ he loved birds and small insects, and took care to show them respect, unless of course they were messing with his pumpkin patch...he exhaled again, his sharp green fangs glinting under the light his hooves gave off.

He screamed predator to everything in these woods, and they did well to keep their distance from the strange ghostly stallion.

Nightmare stopped upon the roll of a hill, looking down upon that which he had sensed earlier...a stallion, though...a strange one. The thought as he tilted his head, his armor creaking in protest. " Wiiiingsss?" he hissed softly... "and four of them..." he blinked his lime bright eyes owlishly " how...interesssting..."

He dug a hoof into the soft loam of the ground, a slight hissing noise coming from the leaves below as they curled and browned. He wondered if such a creature would scare easily...or be easy to talk to...he never had many visitors who...tolerated him....

The stallions wings reminded him of another winged one, much smaller and fairer...but that was another matter entirely...

He looked down, and with a ominous hiss, boomed his voice down upon the stranger who had entered his woods " YOU....who are youuuu to tressspassss heree?" He flicked an ear " do not you know...that thiss is a curssed place?"  

[Thalea]

It was at times like this that Wystan wished he had a companion who loved the mysteries as much as he did; both of them would talk about the excitement that was building in their stomachs at the thought of discovering the creature of the myth. The angeni stallion shook his head; he had been gone for a few months, a slave to the harpies. His months there gave him valuable insight into the culture of the Clawed Mares. In reality he was a tad sad to have left the fascinating Anya, but the mysteries outside the Flock continued to call to him, beckoning him back into a world that nothing was for sure.

Wystan stopped, the forest had become unusually quiet, the silence usually meant an ambush or in this case another solitary being. The anegni’s icy blue eyes scanned the forest trying to pierce the darkness; the eerie green glow was fast approaching. Even knowing that the stallion was close in the woods, the booming echo around the woods was unexpected; Wystan turned toward the direction of the voice and the ominous green glow.

“I apologize for trespassing, there was no one to ask permission from at the boundaries,” the stallion remembered the last time he trespassed into another’s territory, he smiled as he recalled the expression on Anya’s face as he followed her back to the Flock.

Wystan looked down at the ground, “This land is cursed? Fascinating. How did that come to be? Was it always this way? Or is this a recent occurrence?” The earth beneath his hooves felt the same as any of the other land had he had tread upon in his travels.

The four winged stallion turned his attention back to the stallion cloaked in the shadows of the woods, “You must be the one that all the stories are about.” Wystan felt the excitement grow; soon the myths about the Stallion of the Night would be solved.  

[[+Katch+]]

The still air caused his voice to carry as if he were everywhere in the dim hallow of the wood. He blinked, the green cold fire that burned within him flaring a bit. The Stallion had not in fact, spooked. He clinked through a few more lines of trees, showing himself as an outline in the mist, his eyes, hooves and the slight curl of his breath shining out, magnified by the droplets in the air. " ...thisss is true...stallion...there iss not a sign or sssentries to tell you so...some just KNOW..."

He blinked, a small flicker in light as he looked over the stallion again, a strange one indeed. " cursed...if it is not by my presence...it certainly seems to be...there is nothing but death here...as you sseee.." He flicked an ear, the ribbons on his tack fluttering strangely in the lifeless air, stale and humid " you ssseeem...a curious sssstalliion...perhaps too curiouss..." He smiled, a flash of sharp fangs with a green pumpkin shine " perhaps...i am..."

He took another step, the hiss of his coldfire a shock in the semi silence, it was simply the carpet of rotting leaves burning and curling underhoof.

" Soooo....what did you come here FOR...may i asssk...curious one?"  

[Thalea]

The night’s situation was becoming curiouser as the darkness deepened; Wystan could now see the faint outline of the Stallion of the Night through the mists. The dark stallion’s green flaming hooves gave off an eerie light that revealed two strong muscular legs in the darkness. “Well I haven’t been the one to heed boundary lines.”

Wystan cocked his head to the side as he listened to the stallion words and looked around the woods, half expecting to see carcasses hanging from the trees by the meaning of the stallion’s words. There were none. “Those who only see death here do not really see. That is the beauty of my profession, when one only sees the surface; I see what lies below that surface. And would not one need to believe in curses to be cursed?”

He could not help but smile at the stallion’s words, he was a curious sort; all the clues where in place, this was the stallion that Wystan was searching for. Excitement built in the muscular stallion, he had many questions he wanted to ask.

“I am here to find you, the stallion who is said to strike fear into those who encounter him; the stallion who wonders these woods searching for someone to haunt. I want to solve the mystery that is behind you and to learn what makes you tick. It is a painful process, unless you get annoyed by the questions, then it may become a tad painful,” Wystan gave a rueful smile as he remembered a time when he asked a Val’kyre too many questions, some people just do not have patience.  

[[+Katch+]]

Nightmare raised a shadowy eyebrow, this winged stallion was both interesting and too curious for his own good. He cleared his throat, his voice a deep rasp, as if he had swallowed gravel " you seek...me hmmm?" He exhaled, a green mist infusing the one already looming in the gloomy atmosphere. He smiled wryly, fangs gleaming " well if it me you seek, you have obviously...found me" he took a few steps forward, the mist before him burned away by the heat of the coldfire he emitted, revealing himself to his seeker " while my hobby is scaring unwary travelers...haunting is too time consuming, and as you can see...i am no ghost."

He blinked down, his green eyes burning with the same fire as his hooves " painful...is it?"

He chuckled a bit, a rather frightful sound in the dead of night, everything the stallion did seemed to induce fright, it rolled off his flanks like an ill wind, whether he realized it or not.

" the dead dont care for questions, but i assure you...we have all the time in the world for whatever we want..." he flicked an ear " i'm not even sure how I tick...sssooo good luck with that."  

[Thalea]

Moonlight glimmered off the stallion’s fangs, they reminded him of the story his mother used to tell him about a race of soquili who were dead and had to feast on the blood of the living to survive, it did not appear that this stallion was like those his mother described, but he appeared to be similar in many aspects. It was the first time that night that Wystan got a complete view of that dark stallion; he did not seem as scary as the locals described. The green flame appeared to be coming off the stallion’s bones; he wore a form of armor that covered his head and his back.

“Yes, I can see that you are no apparition, but there are ways for a non apparition to haunt. Those who are skilled enough can blend in with the shadows, clocking themselves in darkness,” Wystan gave a slight nod, “Painful for you if you are the sort to get annoyed easily, and it will only be painful for me… I won’t get into that.”

The stallion’s laugh made Wystan’s instincts wish to shiver, but he ignored it. How did the stallion achieve the frightfulness that rolled off of him?

“I know some dead who might care to differ,” Wystan gave a smile to the eerie stallion, “Luck will have nothing to do with it.”  

[[+Katch+]]

Nightmare raised a brow, this stallion was indeed a curious critter. He took a step to head down the hill towards him, his hooves making a sick hissing sound as they burned up the wet carpet of fallen leaves. " You know...the dead?" he found himself curious as well, though outwardly anyone could have mistaken it for something else. His eyes burned an acid green, the same green leaked out of his mouth like foul breath. Even his breathing seemed to meld with the chill winds that rattled the skeletal trees. " I agree...i am too...solid to be an apparition, as you say..." He tilted his head slightly " and luckily...i am not...impatient...to live as i do...it is a vital thing...indeed" he tried to pull a grin, simply flashing another green mouthful of fangs. " dont you agree?"  

[Thalea]

The nigh had gone silent, the only sound over the two stallions’ breathing was the sizzling of leaves beneath the Dark Stallion’s hooves. Wystan wondered how no one heard the stallion coming, unless the stallion standing before him had mastered the skill of walking silently with flaming hooves. The detective would love to see how he did it.

“Yes, I met this mare once who had control over these dark spirits. Interesting creatures they were,” the angeni thought back to the day when he met the Mistress of the Apparitions, the black shadows that followed her were like nothing the stallion had ever seen.

Fear emanated from the Dark Stallion, every part of his being seemed to create fear in others, it was a part of him that no one could change, it would be like someone trying to prevent Wystan from solving a mystery after giving him the first clue. It just was not possible. The angeni gave the frightful stallion a smile, “yes, for if you were not patient, then the days would most likely seem like eternity.”

Already the detective had proven the local’s myths wrong, the stallion standing before him was not as terrifying as the locals had lead him to believe; Wystan was not dead nor had his mane turned white with fright, “How very rude of me, I seem to be forgetting my manners tonight; first by trespassing and second by not introducing myself,” the winged stallion bowed his head to the haunting stallion, “I am called Wystan.”  

[[+Katch+]]

The dark stallion looked curiously at the stranger, no, he had just named himself. " Wystan...." he echoed, his voice hollow in the darkness "...It is customary to give ones name after one has introduced themself...if i am correct." His burning green eyes flickered " My name is...Nightmare"
He grinned sharply "That is what the two leggers who flee from my lands call me anyway..."  

[Thalea]

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Wystan gave a wide grin to the flaming hooved stallion, the green flames were casting an eerie light around the surrounding area of the forest, perhaps it was this stallion standing before him or others of his kind, that created the myth of the Ghost Light. It was said that a specter of light wanders the land searching for a hunt or a lost loved one, it is not entirely clear what the light was searching for, since the stories were never told in the same fashion and the Ghost Light always seemed to be searching for something different each time. “Nightmare, it seems fitting, even if I believe that the two-leggers are wrong, but then again, they do not take the time to pay attention to the details.”  

[[+Katch+]]

"Likewise..." He murmured, his eyes flickering as if they were tiny green flames, he began to pick his way down the hill to be at a decent conversational area with the stallion. He was not bothered by the stranger anymore, he had been alone for so long he was getting used to talking. " I suppose you are right, it is...fitting. Though two-leggers are quite odd for sure...i do not understand their kind. I gather no one REALY does...nor...do they understand us." He stopped a few feet from the stallion, the dead leaves under his feet crackling under the fire of his hooves. " So tell me, am i as frightening as the tales you hear of me?  

[Thalea]

With a keen eye to detail the detective turned his determining gaze onto the stallion, “In my opinion no, but I can see how the tales had been woven about your appearance have taken on a wild life of their own. The tales I have heard is that you eat small foals if they disobey their mothers… and that when you walk past a soquili they see their life pass before their eyes… and the tales also say that when you are near, the temperature drops and you are able to see your breath,” he crossed his eyes, trying to notice if his breath was coming out in the white vapors, “I don’t feel any colder in your presence, so I believe that tale can be debunked.”