03-09-2024, 02:57 PM
Demi
Time
It is a fickle thing, time. Ever changing, ever progressing. It slows for no one thing or place. This world knows this and yet we try. We try halting it. Grasping to what was, or what could have been. Holding it to our chest like a dear child, never wanting to let it go.
Demi has frittered it away ever since her birth. She has accomplished nothing. Known no one. She has not loved or hated. Laughed or cried. She simply existed here not even in her Equus form. She has hidden herself away for decades as an avian of the sky. Away from their knowledge and worldly dramatics. It wasn’t fear that kept her disguised this way. Perhaps boredom mostly.
It is only now she realizes that she has wasted the time she has been given in this world. Her body aches with the arthritis in her joints. Her feathers were not as bright as they had been in her youth. They are tattered and torn; dulled with the waning of time. Even here as she rests in a giant hickory, burnt by the fires of the last summer, her energy drains. The tree's charcoal bark chaffs off on her feathers as she sits, the breeze wisping her tail to brush against it. She notices though that even in this brittle state there is life still. New leaves are beginning to break free from their tiny capsules, even more vigorously than before. Her sharp vision shifts to the ground below to see growth on the forest floor, rising beneath the ash the flames turned old vegetation too. She considers the signs of rebirth and ponders the cause.
Could fire create new what has been lost to time?
Sifting through her mind she finds a fire within. It is bright and glowing. Powerful and inviting. She welcomes it. Allowing it to fill her heart. Her soul. With wings outstretched and skyward, feather gives way to the flame. She elevates into the sky with not even another movement. Fire consumes her, making her glow as bright as the sun she has joined in the sky so many times before. Tendrils of flame swirl around her creating a mini vortex.
In mere moments of time her body is transformed. Changed from what it had become to what it once was. The fire dissipates as the burning sphere transports her back to the ground. The glow subsides and all that remains is that of a chestnut mare. Blanketed with the spots of her birth parents and her mismatched colored eyes. She looks around the land taking in the sights through younger eyes. Her nostrils flare, drawing in the scent of charred earth and fresh spring growth. The world around her was beautiful even in its current state and she smiles at the thought of it being reborn from the fires.
-
My pause is long, but I do not linger in my thoughts. It is a new day, a new time, and I am excited to see what the future holds. I begin my journey with one forward step and I find the feel of the earth beneath my hooves welcoming. It was much different than the wind beneath my wings. It was solid, like a hug from someone you hadn’t seen in years. It embraced me as I trod across it, picking a northern direction. I would head to the meadow to maybe do something I hadn’t done in ages, socialize. The thought was a bit daunting and so as I moved across the forested lands I practiced speaking, “H…Hell..o.” My voice cracks and I cough out the moths that had settled in my throat before trying again. “H..Hello. Hell..o. Hello,” I choke out. Talking was a lot more work than I remembered. “Uh hum. Hello. My name is Demi,” I smile as I decide I like the sound of my name and my tone wasn’t too horrid. A tiny spring came to my step at my accomplishment, head rising and eyelids closing in arrogance. I am quickly reminded of my unfamiliarity with walking as a log comes up and I stumble over it head over heels. “Ommppf,” I grumble as a collide with earth. I decided I was much more graceful as a bird as I rose quickly on my feet. My gaze glances about to see if anyone had seen my tumble but all I hear is the crows laughing from high above. My gaze narrows on them and my face twists into a scowl. “Ya. Ya. Laugh it up…” I consider shifting into a bird of prey and ripping their heads off, but I continue on.
My stride lengthens as I try to move quickly from the area. Embarrassment would do that to someone. My focus remains on my footwork here where fallen trees are thickly scattered about. At each cross path I raise my legs high to clear the mass before focusing on the next obstacle. My hope was to reach the unscathed tree line before the sun was at its peak and the travel became too hot. The terrain was slowing me down, but I did not give in to the urge to shift wings and make life too easy again. I had to at least experience this journey as a hooved creature to truly appreciate my natural form.
Soon the sun was beginning to reach high in the sky. At this time, I would have sought shelter in a tree knot to escape the midday heat as one of my many bird forms. Luckily the trees I reached now had been untouched by the fires and so their leaves provided some shade from the sun's rays. Every other step or so the light filtered through and touched my skin. It was warming in a very comforting way. I decided I should continue practicing, “Hello. My name is Demi. What is yours?” Eh, needs work. I clear my throat and try again, “Hello. I’m Demi. What’s yours?” Hmm better I guess, less formal. My ears flicker to a flutter overhead and I pause in my tracks. I raise my head and gaze to find a sparrow watching me. I smile as it hops from a high branch to a much lower one just above me. “Hello,” I say kindly, “I’m Demi. It is a lovely day today isn’t it Mrs. Sparrow.” The tawny bird tilts its head before hopping from its tree perch to my mane. Rummaging about it pulls a loose chestnut strand from the tangled mass and takes off. I laugh before calling out, “you’re welcome!”
It isn’t long before I reach the river. I could hear the waters trickling for a while now, creating a thirst to arise inside me. My bleached tail flicks at the flies that had begun to gather on my rump. Being equine sure did have its challenges. Within a few more strides I am at the water's edge. I quickly glance around to ensure my safety before lowering my muzzle to the surface. The cool liquid is refreshing as I gulp down a gallon or so. Much more than I had ever drank as a bird. One of my favorite past times was bathing in puddles, the beads of water rolling off my oily feathers. My head rises as I wonder what would happen if I rolled in the waters now. Again, I give a few quick glances around the area before folding my legs under me and sinking into the cool aqua.
The water did not roll off me but soaked my chestnut and white pelt. It cooled me as I thrashed about. Moving such a large body was also interesting and not without great amounts of effort. I rise and fall into the water again but on the other side, having not mastered the roll just yet. I snort as I rise once more and involuntarily shake the water off. My chestnut mane hangs in tangled wet masses along my neck. I curl my neck around to scratch at an itch I find myself having. My teeth rake at my thick hide relieving me of said itch. Satisfied with my horsey antics thus far I begin to wade deeper into the river, my sights set on the other side.
-
I begin my crawl up the riverbank, the world plateauing to a land of green rolling hills. I have been here many times before but never appreciated the earthly view until now. Various groups of equines were scattered about going about their lives. I find myself hesitating at the thought of running into another. The idea is both exhilarating and terrifying. What if they like me? What if they DONT like me? What do I say? What will THEY say? Breathe, just breathe. You can do this. I give myself a mental pep talk before I take another step into the lands. My ears flicker at every sound and every movement. A smile begins to surface on my face as suddenly, fore the first time in a long time, I feel alive!
It is a fickle thing, time. Ever changing, ever progressing. It slows for no one thing or place. This world knows this and yet we try. We try halting it. Grasping to what was, or what could have been. Holding it to our chest like a dear child, never wanting to let it go.
Demi has frittered it away ever since her birth. She has accomplished nothing. Known no one. She has not loved or hated. Laughed or cried. She simply existed here not even in her Equus form. She has hidden herself away for decades as an avian of the sky. Away from their knowledge and worldly dramatics. It wasn’t fear that kept her disguised this way. Perhaps boredom mostly.
It is only now she realizes that she has wasted the time she has been given in this world. Her body aches with the arthritis in her joints. Her feathers were not as bright as they had been in her youth. They are tattered and torn; dulled with the waning of time. Even here as she rests in a giant hickory, burnt by the fires of the last summer, her energy drains. The tree's charcoal bark chaffs off on her feathers as she sits, the breeze wisping her tail to brush against it. She notices though that even in this brittle state there is life still. New leaves are beginning to break free from their tiny capsules, even more vigorously than before. Her sharp vision shifts to the ground below to see growth on the forest floor, rising beneath the ash the flames turned old vegetation too. She considers the signs of rebirth and ponders the cause.
Could fire create new what has been lost to time?
Sifting through her mind she finds a fire within. It is bright and glowing. Powerful and inviting. She welcomes it. Allowing it to fill her heart. Her soul. With wings outstretched and skyward, feather gives way to the flame. She elevates into the sky with not even another movement. Fire consumes her, making her glow as bright as the sun she has joined in the sky so many times before. Tendrils of flame swirl around her creating a mini vortex.
In mere moments of time her body is transformed. Changed from what it had become to what it once was. The fire dissipates as the burning sphere transports her back to the ground. The glow subsides and all that remains is that of a chestnut mare. Blanketed with the spots of her birth parents and her mismatched colored eyes. She looks around the land taking in the sights through younger eyes. Her nostrils flare, drawing in the scent of charred earth and fresh spring growth. The world around her was beautiful even in its current state and she smiles at the thought of it being reborn from the fires.
-
My pause is long, but I do not linger in my thoughts. It is a new day, a new time, and I am excited to see what the future holds. I begin my journey with one forward step and I find the feel of the earth beneath my hooves welcoming. It was much different than the wind beneath my wings. It was solid, like a hug from someone you hadn’t seen in years. It embraced me as I trod across it, picking a northern direction. I would head to the meadow to maybe do something I hadn’t done in ages, socialize. The thought was a bit daunting and so as I moved across the forested lands I practiced speaking, “H…Hell..o.” My voice cracks and I cough out the moths that had settled in my throat before trying again. “H..Hello. Hell..o. Hello,” I choke out. Talking was a lot more work than I remembered. “Uh hum. Hello. My name is Demi,” I smile as I decide I like the sound of my name and my tone wasn’t too horrid. A tiny spring came to my step at my accomplishment, head rising and eyelids closing in arrogance. I am quickly reminded of my unfamiliarity with walking as a log comes up and I stumble over it head over heels. “Ommppf,” I grumble as a collide with earth. I decided I was much more graceful as a bird as I rose quickly on my feet. My gaze glances about to see if anyone had seen my tumble but all I hear is the crows laughing from high above. My gaze narrows on them and my face twists into a scowl. “Ya. Ya. Laugh it up…” I consider shifting into a bird of prey and ripping their heads off, but I continue on.
My stride lengthens as I try to move quickly from the area. Embarrassment would do that to someone. My focus remains on my footwork here where fallen trees are thickly scattered about. At each cross path I raise my legs high to clear the mass before focusing on the next obstacle. My hope was to reach the unscathed tree line before the sun was at its peak and the travel became too hot. The terrain was slowing me down, but I did not give in to the urge to shift wings and make life too easy again. I had to at least experience this journey as a hooved creature to truly appreciate my natural form.
Soon the sun was beginning to reach high in the sky. At this time, I would have sought shelter in a tree knot to escape the midday heat as one of my many bird forms. Luckily the trees I reached now had been untouched by the fires and so their leaves provided some shade from the sun's rays. Every other step or so the light filtered through and touched my skin. It was warming in a very comforting way. I decided I should continue practicing, “Hello. My name is Demi. What is yours?” Eh, needs work. I clear my throat and try again, “Hello. I’m Demi. What’s yours?” Hmm better I guess, less formal. My ears flicker to a flutter overhead and I pause in my tracks. I raise my head and gaze to find a sparrow watching me. I smile as it hops from a high branch to a much lower one just above me. “Hello,” I say kindly, “I’m Demi. It is a lovely day today isn’t it Mrs. Sparrow.” The tawny bird tilts its head before hopping from its tree perch to my mane. Rummaging about it pulls a loose chestnut strand from the tangled mass and takes off. I laugh before calling out, “you’re welcome!”
It isn’t long before I reach the river. I could hear the waters trickling for a while now, creating a thirst to arise inside me. My bleached tail flicks at the flies that had begun to gather on my rump. Being equine sure did have its challenges. Within a few more strides I am at the water's edge. I quickly glance around to ensure my safety before lowering my muzzle to the surface. The cool liquid is refreshing as I gulp down a gallon or so. Much more than I had ever drank as a bird. One of my favorite past times was bathing in puddles, the beads of water rolling off my oily feathers. My head rises as I wonder what would happen if I rolled in the waters now. Again, I give a few quick glances around the area before folding my legs under me and sinking into the cool aqua.
The water did not roll off me but soaked my chestnut and white pelt. It cooled me as I thrashed about. Moving such a large body was also interesting and not without great amounts of effort. I rise and fall into the water again but on the other side, having not mastered the roll just yet. I snort as I rise once more and involuntarily shake the water off. My chestnut mane hangs in tangled wet masses along my neck. I curl my neck around to scratch at an itch I find myself having. My teeth rake at my thick hide relieving me of said itch. Satisfied with my horsey antics thus far I begin to wade deeper into the river, my sights set on the other side.
-
I begin my crawl up the riverbank, the world plateauing to a land of green rolling hills. I have been here many times before but never appreciated the earthly view until now. Various groups of equines were scattered about going about their lives. I find myself hesitating at the thought of running into another. The idea is both exhilarating and terrifying. What if they like me? What if they DONT like me? What do I say? What will THEY say? Breathe, just breathe. You can do this. I give myself a mental pep talk before I take another step into the lands. My ears flicker at every sound and every movement. A smile begins to surface on my face as suddenly, fore the first time in a long time, I feel alive!
Legends & Myths
So, this is my long, drawn-out way, to get Demi back into the world of ponies from basically having spent life as a bird hermit... If you do read it, I applaud you! Otherwise just start from the bottom paragraph cuz that's all that is really relevant to anyone joining her. But basically, it is for my auto-quest to give her phoenix-type immortality so she can start life anew.
