The World's Been Nightmarish [ROCOCO & open]

This was unknown territory. I could feel it in my very bones as I traveled carefully through the mush. I tried to keep myself as dry as possible, but that was quickly becoming something that could not be done. I stepped carefully, gently skimming the surface of the area in front of me before I dared to take a full step. Sometimes this proved useful and other times it proved that sight was a gift, and one that I didn't have. I gave a soft sigh, turning my masked face towards the sound of... something. I couldn't quite tell what, and my audits swiveled, trying to catch the sound again, trying to categorize what on earth it could have been in the first place. Perhaps a snapped branch of some sort. These places had fallen branches, right? I felt along in front of me, head tilted down as if that would give me any sort of advantage. It would, I supposed. My long horns would bump into whatever was in front of me first, and would often scare off anything that would want to cause me too much harm. 

I kept myself alert, listening with every fiber of my being, chocolate body moving through the sticky area. If descriptions of myself held correct, I was sure by now that my white legs would be covered in the... brown? Green? The gook that I was walking through. I felt a blade of grass brush past my skin and it startled me quite outright. I nickered and came up on hind pistons. It had felt like some sort of slithering serpent, and I was in no mood to try and take on something that may have been poisonous and willing to kill. As I came back down with a splash my forefront sunk down deep. Oh... that wasn't good. I really shouldn't have overreacted. This was bad. I tried to pull myself up out of the gook, and as I struggled to do so I simply sunk deeper and deeper. This frightened me more than anything else. This was no longer a pleasant walk through the... wherever. This was life or death right now. 

My heart quickened and my breathing became labored, the thick atmosphere making it difficult to try and pull breath into my lungs. No, this was no okay, no. I was not going to die like this. Despite what my best thoughts were, I worked up the courage to cry out. I was not going to be able to get out of this on my own. I needed whatever help I could find. I tried to pull myself out, but with my frantic movements, I merely made it worse. I sucked air into my lungs and my frantic cry rang out. "Help! Anyone! Please!" My blind eyes moved about me, trying to see where they could not. The dark world before me had never before felt so lonely and desolate. I could feel the solitude crash down on me. what if there was no one here? If I was as truly alone as I felt, then there was no possible way anyone would have heard me, even if I had put all the power I could into my lyrics. If I was truly on my own... there was no helping myself. 

The thought quickly terrified me, and I began to struggle again, but that I knew would do no good. I took a deep breath. Calm yourself, Sayere. There had been many things that I had done before and gotten out of. This could be like any of those others. I prayed to the fates or whathaveyou that I would come clean from my sucking chains. I was thankful for my long legs. I could not stand still, however. That would only cause me to sink faster. My banner swished along behind me in anxiety as I tried to come up with a plan. I wished to everything I was not on my own. I wished to everything I had my sight. If only either one of those were true I might stand a chance.

Yes! Another presence! It seemed female, especially the voice. I stopped my struggling when she told me to be still. She seemed to know what she was doing. Yes, this was helpful. Thank the fates that someone had been around to hear me. Otherwise I would have been in such trouble. I was already, but I didn't want to think about how much worse it would have been. And then she said the worst thing I could have wanted to hear right then. She didn't know how to help me? Oh no. No that was no good at all. However, it did not take her long to come up with a plan. All the while my still frame was sinking lower and lower into the muck. 

I could feel her take my tail between her teeth and tug rather harshly. Yikes! That hurt, but I would much rather take the pain than be stuck here and die. She pulled again and it was much harder and I yelped. I had not expected that. But I needed her help so I shook my head and steadied myself. I looked beyond my shoulder, blind eyes searching for the figure that I would never be able to see. I spoke in a shaky tone. "It's... it's alright. Hold steady and pull. And then... um.. Start pulling me back, walk back with me and I'll try to follow the best that I can, okay? Just.... um. Don't get stuck like I did." My blind eyes searched for the mare. I could only hope that she was strong enough to help me. 

Before the darkness of my vision I could imagine her falling back into the muck herself and the both of us would be trapped. I did not want to be responsible for the death of another equine. Never. I would not be able to live with myself if that were the case. Especially not someone who was kind enough to try and save me. I held myself steady and braced myself for the next pull. "Ready!" I waited for the tug. I needed to work with this mare as best as I could. I continued to sink into the muck and I tried to raise my pillars to keep the muck moving about me and not suck against my pelt. As long as I kept moving I still held a chance. I needed that chance.

Wait no, she was leaving me? No no, that wasn't okay. I tried not to move like she asked, shaking a little with fright. "O-oh Okay. Hurry!" I waited and pondered my life while I sunk lower and lower into the muck. I had never been able to see, and while that had always been a struggle, I had never really hated it as much as I hated it right then. But there was no helping that. I thought about how much I had missed out on in life. I hadn't been able to play well with others, I had been teased and tricked and hurt on many occasions, but still managed to come through somehow. Maybe, just maybe, I would be able to do the same here. 

As I felt myself sink down even more, I could hear the female approaching once more. My audits flicked, trying to figure out what direction she was coming from. My head swung around until I heard her mutter something a little incomprehensible. "What? What do you want me to grab on to?" I couldn't see anything. There was nothing but darkness. I could feel something trying to slice through the thick air in front of my muzzle and I tilted my head forward. I was luck. Oh fates, was I lucky. I felt my horn tap whatever it was in front of me. A branch? Alright, so she wanted me to grab the branch. "Okay... Okay Branch. Got it." I lipped my way forward, trying to reach out to the branch. It took me a little bit of stretching and it was rather uncomfortable, but I finally grabbed a hold of it. 

I pressed in firmly with my teeth, holding on for dear life. This branch was my salvation. "Ready!" I called around the bark in my mouth. Alright. She would pull and I would try to walk forward. Maybe this could work. I hope it did, I could feel myself sinking in, nearly up to my belly now, the muck sucking at my underside. Oh fates, let this mare hurry and have the strength to help pull me free.

I felt the mare pull me forward and I tried with all my might to step forth. The muck was harsh and sticky and did not want to let me go, but I plowed ahead anyways. I needed to be free. With the mare pulling me by the branch, I had a chance. It took a few tries, but finally I was starting to move. My grip on the wood became even firmer as I began to use all my muscle to pull myself forward, to walk through the gook and reach safety. I prayed to the fates that the mare before me was not hurt in any way and would not get stuck like I had. 

I felt hot shame wash over me. I shouldn't have been in this situation to begin with. But there was no helping that right now. I continued to walk forward, strengthened by the mare pulling in front of me. I heard her whinny, clear as day and my audits flicked with anxiety. She hadn't been hurt, had she? I didn't want that to happen. I almost dropped the branch in my concern but I held steady. I could feel the sucking muck slowly departing, though the thick liquid still clung to the parts of my body it had already gotten a hold of. 

"I think I'm almost there!" I grunted through the mouth full of wood. I gave one last hard step forward, attempting to lift my legs as high as possible through the muck to reach dry land. I was heaving, snorting air through my nares to bring life into my lungs. I would have never been able to do this on my own. Thank the fates that this mare had been there to hear me. If we both made it out of here, I owed her my life.