Post by ebonyviper on Apr 25, 2008 12:38:36 GMT -5
89. Through the Fire
DISCLAIMER: Cars and everything related to it belong to Disney Pixar. Delfina Thompson belongs to me. Phoenix (Pontiac Trans Am), Gryffin (Ford Mustang), and Bart Grayston (1951 Ford Crestliner) belong to Insane Pirate Dragon. From the Swept Away RP is from the Hillbilly Hell Cars forum. The Innerscape concept is my idea. The cars' human avatars belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended. This is just for fun.
NOTE: This is from the 100 List. See my DeviantArt journal for details.
SUMMARY: Phoenix is plagued by nightmares, which are really caused by her late grandfather, Bart Grayston, she loses some much needed sleep because of that. But the more sinister Grayston has something else planned for his granddaughter and future soon-to-be-born great grandson. Delfina must go inside Phoenix's Innerscape to defeat Grayston and rescue Phoenix and Gryffin. In theory, she must go 'through the fire', so to speak, and deal with whatever blocks Grayston puts up to prevent her from succeeding in order to do so.
* * * * *
In the Crystal Chamber, a cavern deep inside the Ash Mountain complex, Delfina Thompson sat upon the same boulder that she had been using as a perch for the past several hours, her knees drawn up under her chin, as she renewed the anti-nightmare spell to allow the black Pontiac Trans Am in front of her her to get some uninterrupted sleep. She wanted to make sure that Phoenix was alright because even more so, the Trans Am was carrying and the nightmares were straining on the car.
So what is Grayston trying to accomplish by making her have these nightmares? Delfina thought, shifting a bit under the blanket that someone had brought and wrapped around her shoulders, He wants something from Phoenix, but I'm afraid that it might put her life and the life of her baby in danger.
An hour later, Delfina's eyes snapped open as she sensed something going on. She cursed herself for falling asleep and glanced over at Phoenix. The Trans Am had a a rather strained look on her front, different from the calm look she had an hour before, and was still asleep.
There's something going on in there. Something terrible, Delfina thought as she climbed off the boulder and crept closer to the Trans Am, putting her hands carefully and gently on the smooth, metal surface. She felt vibrations, intermittent, but could be perceived as trembling. Phoenix wasn't waking up.
'Phoenix,' she sent a telepathic message to the Trans Am, but strangely didn't get an answer. She tried again, 'Phoenix. Can you hear me?'
Nothing.
“That does it,” she said with determination, “I'm coming in, Phoenix. I'll get you out of that nightmare. I promise.”
Delfina closed her eyes and intoned the spell that would send her into Phoenix's Innerscape.
* * * * *
She was surrounded by a tangled jungle which seemed to be strangely silent all around her. A Mayan-styled temped that looked to be thousands of years old was situated in the jungle's center. There was lightning and dark clouds swirling around above it.
That must be where Phoenix would be at... and Grayston too, Delfina thought as she started walking toward the temple. She saw that about most of the jungle was burned in some places, but there were also signs of healing. Those represented Phoenix's abused past.
Up ahead in a small clearing, she saw a small boy, no older than three, who was sitting in the middle playing with what looked like toy cars. He looked pale and gaunt, with pale blue eyes and a shock of blue-black hair. He must've sensed her coming, because he looked up just at that moment and gazed at her.
Delfina slowly walked up to him and knelt down so that she would be eye-level with him. “Hi, there,” she said in a friendly tone, “I'm Delfina. What's your name?”
“Hi, I'm Gwryffin,” the little boy said as he pushed along a toy Pontiac Trans Am and a Dodge Stealth on the ground beside him, “Want to play? I got some more.” He offered up a black Ford Mustang and a classic 1951 Ford Crestliner to Delfina. “My fwriend gave me them. He's busy.”
“Maybe later,” Delfina promised, “but I'm looking for a friend of mine. She's normally a black Trans Am in real life, but in here, she looks like a taller version of me, has blue-black hair, pale blue eyes, and goes by the name Phoenix. Have you seen her?”
“The Biwrdie Lady?” Gryffin asked picking up the Trans Am again, “My fwriend says she's not vewry nice. My fwriend's with her and he doesn't like it when he's bothered.”
He pointed up to the temple, “He's up there with her. He'll be here soon.” Gryffin put down the Trans Am, “and he says that she doesn't want me.”
Delfina blinked, a bit surprised at what Gryffin had just told her, “She doesn't want you? Wait a minute. Phoenix is your mother, isn't she?”
She stood up. “Gryffin, listen to me,” she said firmly, “Your mother wants you. She loves you and doesn't want anything bad to happen to you. Your friend is a liar. Don't listen to him.”
Before Gryffin could respond, the storm from the temple started to move over to the clearing. Delfina noticed and tensed up, preparing for the worst.
An old man appeared out of the storm cloud. Half of his face was scarred due to the wreck that had put him in the hospital. He narrowed his pale blue eyes as Gryffin ran to his side.
“Looks like we've got company, Boy,” he said, glaring at Delfina.
“Well, I wasn't expecting a welcoming committee,” replied Delfina, “So, Grayston. What have you done to Phoenix?”
“Nothing that's permanent,” Grayston said, “At least not yet. Not until I've weakened her enough to work my spell.”
He then indicated Gryffin by putting his hands on the boy's shoulders, “Then I'll get back what's mine.”
Delfina's hands flinched slightly and sparks began to emit from them. She had a look of dark anger on her face. Suddenly, she bolted forward, almost flying, toward Grayston, her fist helf out as if to punch him in the jaw.
But she suddenly encountered his shield which he had thrown up in front of himself in anticipation of her attack. It seemed like a good full minute that Delfina hovered there, as if frozen in place with her magic swirling about her like fountains of water.
Delfina looked up and gritted her teeth as she saw Grayston smirk at her. Then she was suddenly knocked backwards onto the ground, unconscious, though she skidded a bit before she had come to a stop.
Grayston lowered his shield and smirked as he walked toward Delfina's prone form. “Not bad for a human,” he said as he used a levitation spell to lift her body up off the ground, “Too bad you're not going to live for much longer to be able to learn how to use your powers.”
He grabbed her by the neck and started to squeeze her windpipe, knowing that her real body would feel the same effects of being chocked to death. This looked like the end of Delfina Thompson, but the unexpected happened just at that moment as Gryffin suddenly ran up and pounded his little fists against Grayston.
“No, don't hurt her!” he shouted, “Don't hurt her!”
But Grayston merely pushed him away, “Be quiet, Boy!”
Delfina's sky-blue eyes snapped open. She lifted her arms and grabbed Grayston's forearm, sending bolts of powerful electricity through his body. This caused the old man to fizzle away and Delfina to collapse to her knees with her hand gripping her throat as she got air back into her lungs.
After a couple of minutes to recover, Delfina looked at the temple then at Gryffin, who had been standing a little ways away, having watched the whole confrontation. She stood up and walked a little unsteadily over to the little, crouching and putting her hands on his shoulders.
“Gryffin,” her voice croaked, a result from the near-choking, “Please, tell me how to get into the temple so that I can save your mother.”
He stared up at Delfina with reproach. He balled up one of his little fists, as Grayston had already been teaching him spells to make the transformation easier for his body. “Why should I twrust you about what you say about Mommy?”
“Because everything I said about her is true,” replied Delfina, “She's one of my good friends and I care a lot about her. I see her as a sister because I have no family of my own.” She wiped a tear from her eyes, her voice cracking, “I don't want to lose her. Please, Gryffin.”
Gryffin blinked and unballed his fist. Her words sounded very sincere. She was telling him the truth.
“Mommy's at the top,” he said, pointing to the top of the temple, “She's in the darkness.”
“Thank you, Gryffin,” smiled Delfina, “Your mother will be so proud of you.”
She turned and ran toward the temple.
* * * * *
Delfina entered the temple and was racing at the moment up the stairs until she got to the top. It was, indeed, dark and she could hardly see a thing. She focused her mind, sight, and hearing and slowly walked forward into the darkness.
There was a sound of steel sliding of the temple creating sparks. “Congratulations, you just ruined all the work I did. Do you know how hard it is to brainwash someone?”
Grayston lunged at Delfina through the shadows but missed on purpose. It wouldn't be long until the darkness pulled her in her own nightmare.
“Thank you,” Delfina made a smart-ass remark as she dodged Grayston's onward rush, “I'm glad I did that. I won't allow my soul-sister from disappearing.”
“Your soul-sister?” Grayston laughed in a mocking voice, “You've got to be dreaming, Girl! Let me correct you. That soul-sister of your is not going to disappear. I still need her to carry that boy as he's the perfect one for me to inhabit, though she already named him. That's all she'll be able to do when he's born because she'll die within the hour. Don't want her spoiling my surprise.”
He growled and lunged at Delfina with his sword, which seem to glow and was Celtic in origin. Delfina parried it with her Japanese katana. Energy crackled from both swords.
“You're sick,” growled Delfina as she parried Grayston's attack, “Even when you're dead! You have no conscience at all! Stop playing mindgames!”
“They're quite fun,” Grayston said, brushing the edges of her mind, “And using your own nightmares adds to it.”
Delfina felt Grayston poking at her mind and immediately put her barriers up to keep him out, “That's not going to happen!”
Grayston laughed again, now drilling against her barriers, “Remember. I taught that girl, but I'm still much stronger than her. And you as well.”
They parted, dancing away to stare at each other, swords still drawn. Delfina was breathing hard, but she was not wearing down yet. She had a murderous look in her sky-blue eyes.
“You have no idea how much power that I have,” Delfina said low, through gritted teeth. Her sword began to glow.
Grayston stumbled back and stared at Delfina. He saw her glowing sword, but sent bolts of lightning her way. It was blocked by the shield that Delfina had thrown up to protect herself. The lightning swirled around her uselessly. Delfina's eyes were glowing with anger.
Grayston growled and sent out shadow waves at Delfina, who kept up her shield to block the waves from getting to her. Unfortunately, they broke through and quickly and effectively entrapped the woman within a cocoon of total blackness. There was some struggling, but there was no way that she could get out that easily.
“Now I have you,” Grayston said with a smirk as he walked toward the wiggling bundle, “You can't escape you nightmares now, Girl.”
But suddenly shafts of bright, white light cut out of the bundle of shadows. It grew bigger and bigger until it could no longer be contained. The bundle burst apart to show a glowing, winged figure holding a medieval sword across her left shoulder.
Grayston faltered, but he shook it off and leaped at her, another fireball charged up. Delfina narrowed her eyes and maneuvered her arms and pointed her sword right at Grayston and lunged, aiming right to where his heart should be at.
He let out a soft grunt and stopped, his pale blue eyes widening. He looked down at the blade embedded in his chest. He reached down and tried to pull it out. No blood oozed from it, instead willowy wisps of smoke escaped from the wound. He looked up and glared at Delfina, “You...”
Delfina glared right back and gave her sword a sharp twist. “Too bad you can't control me or your granddaughter. You lost.”
Grayston let out one last strangled growl as he dissolved into the air. What was left of him blew off into the wind, no longer a threat to Phoenix or anyone else. He was truly gone. Gryffin also faded away and had returned to where he belonged, in his mother's womb.
The haze over Phoenix's Innerscape began to lift, letting the sun finally shine through and flowers and other vegetation to bloom. Delfina watched for a bit, then gasped, collapsing in a heap as the landscape faded away.
* * * * *
Delfina felt her spirit return to her body as she woke up. She was so exhausted now, but satisfied that she had won the Innerscape fight with Grayston. Now, all she wanted to do was sleep off her exhaustion.
She looked up at the black Trans Am beside her. Phoenix was finally starting to wake up.
“You feeling alright?” Delfina asked quietly, but with concern in her tired voice.
Phoenix blinked for a moment, then nodded, “I am...” She also had a tired, but relieved look on her face, “He's finally gone, isn't he...?”
“Yeah,” answered Delfina, “He is. Banished completely. You can sleep without being afraid now, Phoenix.”
“Thanks, Delfina...” Phoenix stretched and yawned, “I owe you one...”
“That's not necessary,” smiled the human, “I would go to the ends of the earth or through fire to help my soul-sister. I really don't expect repayment.”
“Well, it seems that you did go 'through fire' for me, so I feel like I should repay you somehow...” said Phoenix.
Delfina smiled, “Okay, whatever makes you feel comfortable. Just rest now. You need it.”
Phoenix nodded and closed her eyes, sighing deeply and drifting off to sleep, now without worry or fear. Delfina took up her blanket and curled up against the Trans Am's side and fell asleep herself.
The End
DISCLAIMER: Cars and everything related to it belong to Disney Pixar. Delfina Thompson belongs to me. Phoenix (Pontiac Trans Am), Gryffin (Ford Mustang), and Bart Grayston (1951 Ford Crestliner) belong to Insane Pirate Dragon. From the Swept Away RP is from the Hillbilly Hell Cars forum. The Innerscape concept is my idea. The cars' human avatars belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended. This is just for fun.
NOTE: This is from the 100 List. See my DeviantArt journal for details.
SUMMARY: Phoenix is plagued by nightmares, which are really caused by her late grandfather, Bart Grayston, she loses some much needed sleep because of that. But the more sinister Grayston has something else planned for his granddaughter and future soon-to-be-born great grandson. Delfina must go inside Phoenix's Innerscape to defeat Grayston and rescue Phoenix and Gryffin. In theory, she must go 'through the fire', so to speak, and deal with whatever blocks Grayston puts up to prevent her from succeeding in order to do so.
* * * * *
In the Crystal Chamber, a cavern deep inside the Ash Mountain complex, Delfina Thompson sat upon the same boulder that she had been using as a perch for the past several hours, her knees drawn up under her chin, as she renewed the anti-nightmare spell to allow the black Pontiac Trans Am in front of her her to get some uninterrupted sleep. She wanted to make sure that Phoenix was alright because even more so, the Trans Am was carrying and the nightmares were straining on the car.
So what is Grayston trying to accomplish by making her have these nightmares? Delfina thought, shifting a bit under the blanket that someone had brought and wrapped around her shoulders, He wants something from Phoenix, but I'm afraid that it might put her life and the life of her baby in danger.
An hour later, Delfina's eyes snapped open as she sensed something going on. She cursed herself for falling asleep and glanced over at Phoenix. The Trans Am had a a rather strained look on her front, different from the calm look she had an hour before, and was still asleep.
There's something going on in there. Something terrible, Delfina thought as she climbed off the boulder and crept closer to the Trans Am, putting her hands carefully and gently on the smooth, metal surface. She felt vibrations, intermittent, but could be perceived as trembling. Phoenix wasn't waking up.
'Phoenix,' she sent a telepathic message to the Trans Am, but strangely didn't get an answer. She tried again, 'Phoenix. Can you hear me?'
Nothing.
“That does it,” she said with determination, “I'm coming in, Phoenix. I'll get you out of that nightmare. I promise.”
Delfina closed her eyes and intoned the spell that would send her into Phoenix's Innerscape.
* * * * *
She was surrounded by a tangled jungle which seemed to be strangely silent all around her. A Mayan-styled temped that looked to be thousands of years old was situated in the jungle's center. There was lightning and dark clouds swirling around above it.
That must be where Phoenix would be at... and Grayston too, Delfina thought as she started walking toward the temple. She saw that about most of the jungle was burned in some places, but there were also signs of healing. Those represented Phoenix's abused past.
Up ahead in a small clearing, she saw a small boy, no older than three, who was sitting in the middle playing with what looked like toy cars. He looked pale and gaunt, with pale blue eyes and a shock of blue-black hair. He must've sensed her coming, because he looked up just at that moment and gazed at her.
Delfina slowly walked up to him and knelt down so that she would be eye-level with him. “Hi, there,” she said in a friendly tone, “I'm Delfina. What's your name?”
“Hi, I'm Gwryffin,” the little boy said as he pushed along a toy Pontiac Trans Am and a Dodge Stealth on the ground beside him, “Want to play? I got some more.” He offered up a black Ford Mustang and a classic 1951 Ford Crestliner to Delfina. “My fwriend gave me them. He's busy.”
“Maybe later,” Delfina promised, “but I'm looking for a friend of mine. She's normally a black Trans Am in real life, but in here, she looks like a taller version of me, has blue-black hair, pale blue eyes, and goes by the name Phoenix. Have you seen her?”
“The Biwrdie Lady?” Gryffin asked picking up the Trans Am again, “My fwriend says she's not vewry nice. My fwriend's with her and he doesn't like it when he's bothered.”
He pointed up to the temple, “He's up there with her. He'll be here soon.” Gryffin put down the Trans Am, “and he says that she doesn't want me.”
Delfina blinked, a bit surprised at what Gryffin had just told her, “She doesn't want you? Wait a minute. Phoenix is your mother, isn't she?”
She stood up. “Gryffin, listen to me,” she said firmly, “Your mother wants you. She loves you and doesn't want anything bad to happen to you. Your friend is a liar. Don't listen to him.”
Before Gryffin could respond, the storm from the temple started to move over to the clearing. Delfina noticed and tensed up, preparing for the worst.
An old man appeared out of the storm cloud. Half of his face was scarred due to the wreck that had put him in the hospital. He narrowed his pale blue eyes as Gryffin ran to his side.
“Looks like we've got company, Boy,” he said, glaring at Delfina.
“Well, I wasn't expecting a welcoming committee,” replied Delfina, “So, Grayston. What have you done to Phoenix?”
“Nothing that's permanent,” Grayston said, “At least not yet. Not until I've weakened her enough to work my spell.”
He then indicated Gryffin by putting his hands on the boy's shoulders, “Then I'll get back what's mine.”
Delfina's hands flinched slightly and sparks began to emit from them. She had a look of dark anger on her face. Suddenly, she bolted forward, almost flying, toward Grayston, her fist helf out as if to punch him in the jaw.
But she suddenly encountered his shield which he had thrown up in front of himself in anticipation of her attack. It seemed like a good full minute that Delfina hovered there, as if frozen in place with her magic swirling about her like fountains of water.
Delfina looked up and gritted her teeth as she saw Grayston smirk at her. Then she was suddenly knocked backwards onto the ground, unconscious, though she skidded a bit before she had come to a stop.
Grayston lowered his shield and smirked as he walked toward Delfina's prone form. “Not bad for a human,” he said as he used a levitation spell to lift her body up off the ground, “Too bad you're not going to live for much longer to be able to learn how to use your powers.”
He grabbed her by the neck and started to squeeze her windpipe, knowing that her real body would feel the same effects of being chocked to death. This looked like the end of Delfina Thompson, but the unexpected happened just at that moment as Gryffin suddenly ran up and pounded his little fists against Grayston.
“No, don't hurt her!” he shouted, “Don't hurt her!”
But Grayston merely pushed him away, “Be quiet, Boy!”
Delfina's sky-blue eyes snapped open. She lifted her arms and grabbed Grayston's forearm, sending bolts of powerful electricity through his body. This caused the old man to fizzle away and Delfina to collapse to her knees with her hand gripping her throat as she got air back into her lungs.
After a couple of minutes to recover, Delfina looked at the temple then at Gryffin, who had been standing a little ways away, having watched the whole confrontation. She stood up and walked a little unsteadily over to the little, crouching and putting her hands on his shoulders.
“Gryffin,” her voice croaked, a result from the near-choking, “Please, tell me how to get into the temple so that I can save your mother.”
He stared up at Delfina with reproach. He balled up one of his little fists, as Grayston had already been teaching him spells to make the transformation easier for his body. “Why should I twrust you about what you say about Mommy?”
“Because everything I said about her is true,” replied Delfina, “She's one of my good friends and I care a lot about her. I see her as a sister because I have no family of my own.” She wiped a tear from her eyes, her voice cracking, “I don't want to lose her. Please, Gryffin.”
Gryffin blinked and unballed his fist. Her words sounded very sincere. She was telling him the truth.
“Mommy's at the top,” he said, pointing to the top of the temple, “She's in the darkness.”
“Thank you, Gryffin,” smiled Delfina, “Your mother will be so proud of you.”
She turned and ran toward the temple.
* * * * *
Delfina entered the temple and was racing at the moment up the stairs until she got to the top. It was, indeed, dark and she could hardly see a thing. She focused her mind, sight, and hearing and slowly walked forward into the darkness.
There was a sound of steel sliding of the temple creating sparks. “Congratulations, you just ruined all the work I did. Do you know how hard it is to brainwash someone?”
Grayston lunged at Delfina through the shadows but missed on purpose. It wouldn't be long until the darkness pulled her in her own nightmare.
“Thank you,” Delfina made a smart-ass remark as she dodged Grayston's onward rush, “I'm glad I did that. I won't allow my soul-sister from disappearing.”
“Your soul-sister?” Grayston laughed in a mocking voice, “You've got to be dreaming, Girl! Let me correct you. That soul-sister of your is not going to disappear. I still need her to carry that boy as he's the perfect one for me to inhabit, though she already named him. That's all she'll be able to do when he's born because she'll die within the hour. Don't want her spoiling my surprise.”
He growled and lunged at Delfina with his sword, which seem to glow and was Celtic in origin. Delfina parried it with her Japanese katana. Energy crackled from both swords.
“You're sick,” growled Delfina as she parried Grayston's attack, “Even when you're dead! You have no conscience at all! Stop playing mindgames!”
“They're quite fun,” Grayston said, brushing the edges of her mind, “And using your own nightmares adds to it.”
Delfina felt Grayston poking at her mind and immediately put her barriers up to keep him out, “That's not going to happen!”
Grayston laughed again, now drilling against her barriers, “Remember. I taught that girl, but I'm still much stronger than her. And you as well.”
They parted, dancing away to stare at each other, swords still drawn. Delfina was breathing hard, but she was not wearing down yet. She had a murderous look in her sky-blue eyes.
“You have no idea how much power that I have,” Delfina said low, through gritted teeth. Her sword began to glow.
Grayston stumbled back and stared at Delfina. He saw her glowing sword, but sent bolts of lightning her way. It was blocked by the shield that Delfina had thrown up to protect herself. The lightning swirled around her uselessly. Delfina's eyes were glowing with anger.
Grayston growled and sent out shadow waves at Delfina, who kept up her shield to block the waves from getting to her. Unfortunately, they broke through and quickly and effectively entrapped the woman within a cocoon of total blackness. There was some struggling, but there was no way that she could get out that easily.
“Now I have you,” Grayston said with a smirk as he walked toward the wiggling bundle, “You can't escape you nightmares now, Girl.”
But suddenly shafts of bright, white light cut out of the bundle of shadows. It grew bigger and bigger until it could no longer be contained. The bundle burst apart to show a glowing, winged figure holding a medieval sword across her left shoulder.
Grayston faltered, but he shook it off and leaped at her, another fireball charged up. Delfina narrowed her eyes and maneuvered her arms and pointed her sword right at Grayston and lunged, aiming right to where his heart should be at.
He let out a soft grunt and stopped, his pale blue eyes widening. He looked down at the blade embedded in his chest. He reached down and tried to pull it out. No blood oozed from it, instead willowy wisps of smoke escaped from the wound. He looked up and glared at Delfina, “You...”
Delfina glared right back and gave her sword a sharp twist. “Too bad you can't control me or your granddaughter. You lost.”
Grayston let out one last strangled growl as he dissolved into the air. What was left of him blew off into the wind, no longer a threat to Phoenix or anyone else. He was truly gone. Gryffin also faded away and had returned to where he belonged, in his mother's womb.
The haze over Phoenix's Innerscape began to lift, letting the sun finally shine through and flowers and other vegetation to bloom. Delfina watched for a bit, then gasped, collapsing in a heap as the landscape faded away.
* * * * *
Delfina felt her spirit return to her body as she woke up. She was so exhausted now, but satisfied that she had won the Innerscape fight with Grayston. Now, all she wanted to do was sleep off her exhaustion.
She looked up at the black Trans Am beside her. Phoenix was finally starting to wake up.
“You feeling alright?” Delfina asked quietly, but with concern in her tired voice.
Phoenix blinked for a moment, then nodded, “I am...” She also had a tired, but relieved look on her face, “He's finally gone, isn't he...?”
“Yeah,” answered Delfina, “He is. Banished completely. You can sleep without being afraid now, Phoenix.”
“Thanks, Delfina...” Phoenix stretched and yawned, “I owe you one...”
“That's not necessary,” smiled the human, “I would go to the ends of the earth or through fire to help my soul-sister. I really don't expect repayment.”
“Well, it seems that you did go 'through fire' for me, so I feel like I should repay you somehow...” said Phoenix.
Delfina smiled, “Okay, whatever makes you feel comfortable. Just rest now. You need it.”
Phoenix nodded and closed her eyes, sighing deeply and drifting off to sleep, now without worry or fear. Delfina took up her blanket and curled up against the Trans Am's side and fell asleep herself.
The End