Fear: The Subconscious

 <--------- Prequel
Prompt entry for Fear, featuring Zartan and ZuuZombie's Synth!

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SUMMARY

(To meet maximum of 100 words requirement)
Zartan has a dream in which he is in a part of the forest where he's never been before. He finds his mate Synth in the distance and calls his name, but Synth doesn't react when Zartan calls him. Zartan moves forward and sees Synth is crying over a body. When he comes closer, Zartan notices, to his own horror, that the flowers on the body are his. He starts wondering if he's a ghost, when Synth notices one of the flowers is wilting and shouts at Zartan to go away. Zartn notices his colours are completely gone and that everything around him is losing its own colour because of his presence.

Zartan then wakes up crying next to a worried Synth, whom he tells about his previous encounter with Amalthea and the nightmare that followed. He reveals his insecurities about being abandoned, and Synth comforts him.

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FULL STORY

He didn't know how long he'd been walking, but he did know he had somehow ended up somewhere he hadn't been before. Another part of the forest that he hadn't seen, but it couldn't be long before he would see familiar grounds again. Herd life just was like that, one might find undiscovered corners and edges, but the majority of the area had already been investigated by the various Minkin of the group. This, however, seemed to be different. He had been walking for a while now. Still no other Minkin. No traces of familiar hooves. No sign of hoofsteps. Where did he end up this time?

Or no. There was someone. He could see a Minkin in the far distance. His heart made a light jump when he recognized the Minkin. It was Synth! Zartan sighed in relief, glad that out of all Minkin it was his mate who he found. He was already wondering if he had gotten lost. Gladly not, who knows what would have happened if he hadn't found his way back. In a light trot, he approached Synth and called out his name. Synth didn't react. For a moment, Zartan was worried. Did he do something wrong? His worry turned to horror when he saw that Synth wasn't there alone.

He was mourning over a body.

He walked closer, with shivering legs and his heart in his throat. "Synth?" his voice was barely a whisper. Synth didn't reply, he merely sobbed. Zartan wasn't sure if he had even heard him. He slowly walked closer. "Sy-" His voice stopped and he stood there with his mouth open, unable to continue. The flowers growing from the decaying body were his own.

This body Synth was mourning over was his.

Then who the hell was Zartan now, then?

He did not remember dying. Was he a ghost? Synth didn't appear to hear him. How did he die? Why did he end up where he ended up in the forest? And what did he need to do now? Wander? What about Synth now? He stood there frozen in fear. Synth continued to weep quietly.

Then Synth's eye shifted on something. A flower from the body fell down. It hit the ground and wilted. Synth's gaze followd the flower. Then he suddenly noticed Zartan. "You." His voice was trembling.

Zartan was about to approach him. "Synth..."

Synth's expression changed, became filled with anger. "You... you are making his last flowers wilt..."

Zartan took a step back, but was unable to process what Synth said. What did he mean? "Synth, I..." Synth rose up and shouted.

"GO AWAY!"

The voice was strangely similar to Zartan's own. And then he saw it. He saw his own leg, drained of colour. His tail, just as colourless.

The grass around him. Colourless.

The path behind him. Colourless.

The colourlessness was spreading. Did he do this? He did this. The view around him started spinning, and he could just vaguely see Synth run, run, run away from him. The lack of colour was spreading, took over the scenery, then it was as if a wave of this mass of colourlessness came towards him.

It hit him hard.

Everything turned black.

"Zartan?" a soft voice asked. Zartan blinked. The moonlight gently fell upon his eyelids and he could see Synth's familar face through his tears. Had he cried? He must have. Oh, man. It was only just a dream. It was not real.

"What's wrong?" Synth, asked, worriedly. Zartan just sniffed, and when he found he couldn't get the lump out of his throat, he buried his head in Synth's fur and closed his eyes. This was real. Not that. It had not been real, and it would not ever be.

"Had a nightmare?" Synth asked. Zartan merely nodded. Synth nuzzled him carefully. "Wanna tell me about it?"

Zartan looked up to the nightsky, sighed, then looked back at Synth. He could speak again, the lump in his throat was gone. He smiled sadly. "Well..."

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This took so long oh my god
But I had this idea for a nightmare of Zartan a few months ago and I just HAD to draw it sometime ;w; This was the perfect opportunity.
I hope this is alright! Now back to my fawning entry, ahhhhhhh

Made with DeviantArt muro.