The Realm of Dreams

Chapter 1: The Nightmare on the Lake The unicorn's magnificent, glowing, silken body, shivered in unease when her emerald eyes swarmed with concern as she gazed deeply into the now foreboding emerald crystal lake; her body trembled as she was devoured by chills and a sense of impending doom. Her lush, emerald green forest had always been calm, serene, and welcoming; but not on this perilous night. She had not felt this feeling of dread combined with a cascading feeling of calamity since her old forest had been consumed by raging fires that yielded utter destruction long ago; causing her to leave and adopt this place as her home. When she had fled the utter destruction of her previous home she had vowed to keep her new forest safe. Her white radiant coat shivered as she looked from the lake to the dark corroding midnight sky. What was making her feel like this; she questioned herself as cold fear ran the length of her entire being. She was experiencing the fear that occurs when the world feels upside down and no longer safe. When nightmares rummage the land and savage brutality is expected. When horror awaits at every corner. When a cataclysmic event is soon to begin. When the reek of decay is in the air. In other words when one's world is about to collapse in ruin. These terrors were how she felt deep in the depths of her soul. Why do I feel this way, she questioned herself, as she grew ever more unsteady, her body unable to gain back her calm nature. There appeared to be an eerie, dark, red glow illuminating the midnight cold night. It looked like blood after it has coagulated. Her breathing was fast and could be seen upon the cold night air. It was unnatural for her home and lake to feel this frigid yet now the land and water felt as if they were now freezing. She was terrified from the changes in the temperature; due to this place always being the perfect atmosphere for her. Yet, she could not stand how unsafe her mind, body, and soul commanded that she was. She felt out of control, preyed upon, and an incessant urge to leave the forest raged within her. Her heart raced, her mind was unable to focus, and her body seemed to shrink and tighten; to the point near suffocation. She feared that she was in grave danger as well as the creatures that belonged to this magnificent forest. Those she had vowed to protect. Her forest, up until now, had been tranquil and inviting, all the creatures that lived here in this forest under her protection were content. The animals came and went as they pleased, but they were always safe with her guarding them. She had lived in this forest, with its emerald lake, glorious pure clean air, and tremendous purple mountains for quite some time. The mountains had always provided a safety net from invaders. (Or so she had thought). Tonight a terrible image from the red corrusion and death-like smell was in the air, and this was her reason for being so terrified. The temperature in the atmosphere was wrong, the strange colors bleeding into the sky were wrong, and even the sounds were wrong; (or lack thereof) there were no crickets chirping and no owls hooting. Her forest was eerily silent, except for the horrible static sounds growling from the sky. She was accustomed to the sounds of the hooting owls, the chirp of crickets, the tweeting of birds, and the sounds of her fellow animals munching on the grass. Those sounds assured her that she was caring for the forest and it's inhabitants well. She was not familiar with this sound of a deep guttural growl that seemed to be rising and falling from the sky; with each terrible flash of horrific blood red lightning. She tried to not let all of these strange happenings bother her as she closed her eyes and finally drifted off to sleep. Hopefully it was nothing; she would sleep and laugh amused at herself in the morning. As she slowly started to sleep her body trembled violently, aggressively, and made sleep difficult to enter deeply into. Her closed eyes were rushing wildly; as eyes do when in the clutches of nightmare. She had finally been alotted entrance into deep sleep when a loud crashing growl pierced through the forest. Her surroundings trembled furiously as the harsh sound of thunder cracked vigorously and relentlessly through the cold air. The sky appeared to be slashed by many deep, dark, red claws as lightning struck demonically through the freezing night sky. The sky appeared to scream in agony at the pain of these wounds; these deep horrid scars. As if the lightning were a predator, and the unicorn's home was its prey. This predator obviously planned on devouring the prey, with zest and unquenchable thirst. The ground quaked in fear from the sound of this upcoming storm, the once safe environment now acted like an evil traitor breaking fiercely into her world. An evil hell bent on the utter decay and destruction of any and everything in its path; starting here in her forest with her as its first victim. The unicorn had been asleep next to the bank of the emerald crystal lake, which she claimed as hers. Her glowing coat cringing with fear from the harsh angry sound of the thunder, from the intrusive movements in the ground, and from the harsh anger in the sky. She awoke startled, her body trembling again violently, from the manifestations occurring within her surroundings. In her sleep she had seen the most savage nightmare, a nightmare about her death. This nightmare engulfed her in terror. Her heart pounded in fright due to the violent flash of lightning, the demonic sounds swelling within the thunder, and the brutal trembling within the ground. She reared up in complete horror, looked into the mirror of her emerald green lake and was taken back in foreboding from what she saw. She saw a vision in her lake that mimicked her nightmare. This vision frightened her entirely, scratching with greed into the very depths of her soul. Her death was in that lake, the image displayed her body bleeding into a body of water. A body of water that looked identical to her lake. She saw her body being torn apart by claws and ripped to shreds. She saw her horn gone, and her body cold and dead. Out of tremendous fear she reared up and rapidly ran from the spot by her lake where she had been sleeping. She had to get away, and she had to get away RIGHT NOW! Even though she was a unicorn she still feared death. She didn’t know where she was going but she knew she could not stay here. Not where her nightmare had foretold her death. She ran from one end of the lake to the other, trying to escape her vision. Her hooves slammed loudly and cut deeply and disruptively into the ground as she raced from one side of her lake to the other. Her surroundings grew angrier and louder as she continued this maddened and repetitive fleeing around her lake. She was unable to rest, unable to think clearly, and the muddied thoughts raced with her as she raced from one part of the lake to the other. She tried to stop thinking about the nightmare but as soon as she ran back to the place she called home the tragic nightmare invaded her senses. She could smell the stench of the danger in the air, feel the danger wrapping around her body causing her to feel suffocated, as well as see the presence of the danger. She couldn't stay here anymore, not when every moment reminded her of the horrid scene. She would try to close her eyes and the vision would scratch at her eyes relentlessly. What could the nightmare mean and what would happen to her if she didn't leave her home? Not just her, what would happen to her fellow creatures if she didn't leave? Above all else she had sworn to protect them. This force yearned for her soul not the creatures in her care. If she left she felt she could led the brutal force after her and thus save her fellow forest creatures. She reared up, neighed piercingly loud, and finally decided to leave her lake (and hopefully the nightmare behind). This was her home, not only was she currently experiencing horrible trauma from the vision that awoke her, but she was also having fear inducing recollections of her previous home, her home that was annihilated by the monstrous fires. Her previous home had been destroyed by greedy men discovering a unicorn living near them and hungering for her power. Those men tried all they could to capture her and take her magic. She had been nearly unable to save herself and those creatures within her care. She had cared for all of those within her old forest. She cared about those in her current forest, however the dream showed her death not theirs. Therefore to save them she knew within her heart and soul that she had to leave. She hated leaving this magical place, her place. She had no choice from her perspective other than to leave and hopefully find safety. She remorsefully neighed as she looked at her lake and at the home she had provided and created. She bowed her head towards the creatures and the lake as she reared up and swiftly ran. She ran in hopes of saving herself from utter destruction. She ran in search of survival. She ran from a destructive force engraved upon her terrified mind. Once she was completely out of her forest, the evil followed her like a demon hound; salivating hungerily for her flesh. It left the forest and it chased violently after her, pursuing her relentlessly.