Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 17:13:13 EDT
Subject: [FARPG] Revised!
From: CyraLin@aol.com

Hi everyone!! I made a mistake and sent out the wrong
version of the "Walking
the Dream" post-- so please read this one again, cuz
there are some changes
to it. Thanks!

-t

title: Waking the dream
author: teri, stana, em

Teri walked close to Shinji, the concern for his
wellbeing quickly
being replaced by an awe at the splendour around her.
Truly an Eden itself,
the Aethyr spread forth in all directions covered by a
blanket of rainbowed
mist.

The air was infused with originless light which
sparkled off the
fluff-covered trees. It appeared they were in a meadow
of sorts, purple
heather pushed its flowers through the mist hugging
their ankles. Teri smiled
at the way it swirled as she walked, creating small
whirpools of color in her
wake.

Emily came closer, and Teri sensed that the worry in
her friend was also
being disolved by the Aethyr.  For those who dreamed,
the Aethyr was a
fantasy come true-- and any moment Teri expected
shimmer-scaled dragons and
unicorns to rise gracefully out of the mist.

She remembered that such things actually did exist in
Narada... but somehow
here was a peaceful sweetness even Narada lacked.

"What's up?" she said as Emily joined her side, and
brought her attention
back to the people (and the quest) at hand.  Teri was
jolted again by the
wings sweeping down from her friend's back. "Nice
getup," she added with a
smile.

"Same for you. Xena the warrior princess?"

Teri winced, "God I hope that's not what I look like.
I was hoping for
a cross between She-Ra, Shampoo, and Wonder Woman."

"It worked," Emily replied, beginning to grin.

Indicating the wings on Estela's back, incredibly
reminiscent of an
earth-world anime, Teri said: "I hope you don't mind,
but I think Van Fanel's
cuter."

Estela laughed and nodded. "I hope you would. Or is
Vassar getting to you?"

"Only if Brown's getting to YOU," Teri grinned at the
jibes at each other's
college reputations.

"Touche."  Shinji cleared his throat, completely
confused.  Teri and
Estela exchanged looks before falling into giggles.

"So where exactly are we?" the girls heard Stana ask.
"What shapes this
Aethyr the way we see it? Or do we all see it
differently?"

Teri gathered a handful of fluff and tossed it at
Stana's back, but the fluff
dissapeared well before it reached her.

"It is easier to think that you influence the Aethyr
without actually
controlling it." Oraiyas answered. "As for seeing
it-again you may each
experience a variant, but the theme of the Aethyr
remains a constant."

Clip snorted in agreement. Although he was able to
communicate in this
world, he seemed disinclined. Stana knew it was
because he was afraid
his "voice" would be recognized. And that he was too
above primitive
speech.

"So now what?" Estela threw in. "I mean, we came, we
saw, we passed the
tests-what now?"

"We are heading beyond the borders of the Dreamworld."

Clip shied, his body twisting in a queer bucking
motion.  With a whinny
he planted his hooves down and stood.

Stana stopped as well, looking from the Unicorn to the
group. There had
been a viscious sick feeling in her stomache as
Oraiyas uttered those
words. Now, glancing at the faces of the others, she
knew they had felt
it too.

"This is bad." She murmurred, "Right?"

"Why didn't anyone TELL us this before?" Teri demanded
hotly, and not a bit
unsuspiciously.

Estela flickered her wings out a bit and then refolded
them nervously,
apparently not even realizing she was doing it.
Prophecies and miraculous
powers and even going into the dreamworld she could
deal with-- pretty much,
anyway-- but she'd never even heard that one *could*
go beyond the dreamworld.

"I told you this wouldn't be easy." Stana sighed to
noone in particular.
"It's my luck-nothing can ever be simple. So tell us
about it, Oraiyas."

Teri's attention snapped away from the Dreamer and to
the taller girl.
Something was...

"I cannot reveal much I am afraid. There is an area
beyond my travels.
A border that the Dreamers cannot broach. Only the
Chosen have the key
to go beyond the Aethyr into what is beyond."

"Chosen?" Stana groaned "Chosen idiots! We've all got
to be touched in
the head! People we are NOT heroes here. We're
humans-more precisely,
Earthlings. Can we get a reality check?"

Teri's jaw dropped and she nudged Shinji. Stana,
groaning? Asking for a
reality check? Dare she think that Stana might be
acting... normally?

"I do not make the prophecies." The Dreamer answered
"I only relate them to
you.
At any time you may opt out- I can show you the way
home."

"And leave you all here?" she shot back. "Not that I
am going to be any help
but you said that when Wataru failed that this was
making it harder for
everyone else. How much harder would it be if one of
your "Chosen" went back?"

"Inestimably." Was the unruffled reply.

"This book might give you a way home." Shinji offered.
"We don't know
what it contains."

"That's MY point." She countered.

"Then don't come, Stana." Teri said, watching the
older girl.

::But you don't even WANT to go home Teri.:: Stana
thought miserably,
looking at Clip. He still had not moved, but was
wrestling with
something. His body was shaking with signs of internal
stress. Finally
he tossed his head back and reared.

*Let's GO then* he said. *We are wasting time.*

Stana shook her head "If Clip is going-then I go."

"So beyond-" Stana said, falling in with Clip. "Do you
know what is there?"

*Darkness* the Unicorn answered.

Estela paled to almost as white as her wings, looking
like she was going to
faint. Teri looked at her worriedly, feeling the flash
of fear the word
brought in her. And then Estela's color half returned
as she clenched a fist
and bowed her head, speaking softly but with an edge
in her voice that said
she was ready to face whatever it was down. "Then may
the Light help us all."