12418/15 Fears: A Spreading Infection

15 Fears: A Spreading Infection
Date of Scene:	12 August 2022
Location:	Megan's Dorm, Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Megan Gwynn is visited by a nightmare, she is given a choice to become the monster she can become or learn to harness the power of the monster within herself. She takes the path of knowledge, what comes after is up to her devices.
Cast of Characters:	Megan Gwynn, Chas Chandler

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Megan Gwynn has posed:
Night falls and Megan curls into bed, putting on a little scented vanilla candle on her bedside table, which flickers soft orange light over her down. It's a cozy comfy place, maybe roomier than some dorms as she has no room mate and that suits her just fine. With the warm weather, she's just dressed in a short cute pink nightshirt with little tiny unicorns and rainbows sprinkled over it. And she still has a stuffy or ten which she snuggles up yo as she settles in for the night. "Good night, all.." she murmurs to her stuffies.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Megan finds herself drifting through the waves of deeper and deeper sleep. There's a sense of falling or floating that's disorienting while not altogether unpleasant. When the sensation fades she finds herself in a cavern. It's not claustraphobic, in fact it's rather open. There is the steady drip, drip, drip of water from somewhere and a stale sort of smell to the air. Ther eis also light, a pulsing luniscence that shifts from pink to deep crimson in a slow steady pattern back and forth.

    A corridor branches off from the main cavern and more of that light pulsates within, a voice calls out from that direction. "Megan...." It's a soft voice, and vaguely feminine. "Megan..." it calls again. Pleading, urging, and intense.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks and rubs her eyes, peering around. Oh, this is one of those really real feeling dreams that you don't actually realize is a dream. Heck, she's still in her night shirt as she peers around the cavern, trying to figure out where the heck she is.

She is at least grateful that it's not claustrophobic but who knows what lurks down here? And there's the light..And the voice. She finds herself inextricably drawn towards both. "Hello? Who's there?" she calls out.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    The corridor that Megan travels down is warm, that red light coming from stones set in the wall. They continue to slowly pulse and alternate between Pixie pink and dark red. The urging call comes again on the air. "Megan it's me..." it says softly. "It's me... Megan..."

    As the corridor opens up Megan is depositted into another large cave. There is a massive pillar filled with the strange light stones and a figure standing before it. They're wrapped in a hooded cloak standing still with their back to Pixie. Again the voice comes and it's clearly coming from the figure.

    "Megan... it's me..." there is a familiarity in the voice. It's just on the edge of Pixie's memory, but she can't quite place where it's from.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn bites her lip as she pushes onwards, peering up at the pretty colors in awe and wonder .."Ooh..Soo pretty.." she murmurs, not feeling in the least bit in danger. What a lovely place, she doesn't even wonder how she got here or who is calling her.

Continuing down the corridor, taking everything in, still focused on that oddly familiar voice, she hastens on, ears perked to try to hear where it's coming from and why it seems sooo familiar.

And then there they are, a hooded cloak. How very..Mysterious. She pauses, peering back at the figure. "Tell me, who are you? Have we met before? You sound so familiar.."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    The figure stops and looks down at the ground before it before slowly turning to face Megan. They pull back the hood to reveal familiar pink hair and black streaked hair. "It's me..." she says, her black eyes meeting Megan's own. Her pointed ears twitch a bit. "...Megan." She says in Megan's own voice. She smiles the same smile as Megan sees in a mirror. But that might be where the similarities end.

    As the cloak falls away it reveals not draonfly wings, but the leathery, segemented wings of a bat. She wears a black skintight bodysuit streaked with blood from a gaping wound in her chest. Her blood soaked hand holds a small stone in it. It pulses in alternating colors of pink and red, like the stones of the cavern. The pulsing of the stone is the same as the beating of Megan's own heart.

    "Unless I'm not..." she says, her mouth splitting and showing too sharp, canines. "Tell me? Am I Megan?" the double asks. "Or am I Megan?" it offers cryptically as it voices darkens and twists. The heart pulsing stone, accelerates in its shifting beat.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn was really starting g to enjoy this dream..Right up until that nightmarish figure makes itself known. She gasps, eyes widened in disbelief, shaking her head. "No...It can't be..No way! You're a fake, an illusion! I'm the real Megan and I'm no monster!" her voice reaches a fever pitch, eyeing the wound, the stone. "What did you do to yourself..Who ARE you, really?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    The double of Pixie still gives Megan that viscious smile. "I'm Megan... can't you tell?" she says with a smile. Her skin starts to change, from a attractive tan to a dull greyish hue. "As for this?" she says raising the pulsing orb. "Don't you recognize your own soul?" She laughs as the grey hue covers her neck and face. The eyes flush with red light and a pair of curving horns start to sprout from her head. "Don't you recognize yourself?"

    As she continues to laugh that same dark hue starts to cover the true Megan's skin and there's a heat in her chest, a heat that pulses with the beat of her own heart. A dark, firey heat, that is not comforting. Not pleasant. Not -her-.

    "It would be so easy to just take control of the power inside you. Wrest it from your own soul. There have been others who have done so. You could be the same. We can help you... all you have to do is ask," the demonic looking Megan offers, the voice again her own, unblemished by the demonic taint overtaking and changing her form. The light of the room is fully dark red now: the color of blood.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn narrows her maroon eyes, glowering back at the doppelganger or whatever it is. "What the heck, is this some kind of bad joke?! Cuz I'm sooo not amused. My name is Megan Gwynn and I'm an Xman and a heroine, Pixie! I'm not some twisted evil demon, so get outta here!"

And then her skin is changing and that's the last straw! "No! What are you doing to me?" she shakes her head in disbelief and Simmons her soul dagger, attempting to slash at the doppelganger with it.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    As Megan's soul dagger strikes the double image it shatters like a pane of glass. Or a mirror. A thousand faces look up at Megan from the shattered pieces. All have that same demonic face. "You can be both" the figures say, their voices all coming at once in a strange stereoscopic wall. "It is your birthright. Just as it is the other soul bearer."

    The greyish coloration over her body spreads, and the souldagger in her hand changes, it grows into a larger blade and the color, usually bring neo pink also changes, to that of a deep, angry red. A similar red light pulses at the center of her chest. Her own soul resonating with the evil power that spreads over her.

    In her mind she hears another voice, that of the demon she is becoming. "Let us join as one, Megan. We can tear down the evil in the world, show them all what we are capable of if you only embrace what you truly are. If you just let us in..."

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn gasps in shock, staggering back. The doppelganger has vanished but the voice and mirror images remain all around, so familiar, too familiar, but evil, twisted. She frowns, spinning around, fairy wings flattened against her back, now a dull grey black as she peers around uncertainly.

"What are you talking about? Who ARE you? If this is Illyana..Another trick to make my sound into a complete sword, it's not gonna work! I'm not evil like you, never will be!"

But,there is hesitation in her voice and her words. She knows deep down that she has the potential to be something far greater than she is now.lAnd that excites her but scares her too, seeing what happened to Illy. "N-no..I just..I don't wanna lose myself.,Like she did..What are you doing to me? You can't fight evil with evil..Can you..?" she stares at her dull grey hands in horror, suddenly uncertain. Maybe if she was stronger, like Illy, she could fight her own demons..

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "We're not evil, Megan" says the voices from the mirror shards. "We want to help you. To make you stronger. To help you gain a measure of -control- over your destiny. You hold great power... we can help unleash it. Make you what you desire to be. All you have to do allow us to help. Let us help you stay yourself and this corruption; this Crawling Rot will reliquish control of this power its using to take over who you are."

    Even as the mirror shards speak, Megan can feel and see more changes taking over her body. The red light under the skin of her chest is growing and she can feel the protrusions sprouting from her forhead, the beginings of horns. Her hands are also changing, fingernails growing into talon sharp claws.

    The voice in her head, that of the demon continues to tempt her otherwise. "Power. I offer power and strength and magic beyond your understanding. Join with me and let me show you the truth of what you can do. Let me crush those who stand against you, the petty fool who carries the Blood Sword will be nothing compared to you. You will raise higher, stronger, better than she will even hope to be."

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn bliiinks slowly, considering her mirror image's offer. "Are..Are you really me? The inner desires? I.." she swallows, reaching out to touch a shard of glass, feeling the changes come over her. She's scared..So very scared. She doesn't want to lose herself to the darkness the way Illy did, becoming a monster.

But, if she can become stronger, more powerful, maybe..Just maybe she can control it. Dhe gasps as she feels the horns protruding from her head, "No! I dint want this! Is it really the only way..?" she nods, stepping closer, "I don't wanna lose control, if I can become stronger then maybe I can fight it, keep the darkness at bay..Can you really help me..?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "I am and I can" says the figure in the mirror. "All you have to do is allow it. Take this shard... draw it along your flesh and let your blood be the power you take hold of" it instructs. "Once done, you will have mastery over the demon that threatens to consume you. You will be able to use it's power at will... and from there you can exert your power over the world and those who oppose you."

    The horns grow more, the soul dagger in her hand is fully red and beats in time with the red light from her heart. Her transofrmation is almost complete and she knows with it the voice of the demon will become her own.

    "Let us give you power. Let us give you the Song. Let us give your voice meaning. Purpose," the demon coos in Megan's mind. "They won't trust you, but you won't need their trust. You will have power beyond your imagination and all will bow before your might."

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn bites her lip, staring at the blood red dagger, staring back at her distorted reflection..She's already too far in, but then again, maybe this is the beginning. A part of her wants the power, wants to control is..Is that really such a bad thing? Still rituals involving blood scare her.

"Um..Do I really..?" she shakes her head. Stop being such a coward, Megan! She chides herself and grips the shard of glass, hands shaking a bit as she cuts her arm, flinching and crying out at the pain. "Gah! I hope it's worth it..!"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "Wonderful, Megan! Wonderful!" the voice of the figure from the glass says triumphantly as power flows into Megan from the cut. It suffuses her body, and her mind. A rush of energy, dark and twisted and so focused on control and manipulation as tangible things. It weaves and winds around the demonic presence in her head and there is the distinct impression of the demon being wrapped in a cocoon as the power of it is suppressed and contained. Silenced.

    The voice in Megan's head is not her own anymore. It's saccharin, and sympathetic, and almost motherly. "Such a sweet child. We have much work to do. But I am sure with a little guidance you can help make this world better for everyone. I'll be that guidance for you. You need not worry at all."

    The dream collapses and Megan wakes in her bed at Xavier's school. There are no horns sprouting from her head. There are no talons. There is no red light pouring from her chest. But that greyish coloring over her skin is only now fading into the background and returning to the tan she usually wears and she can feel the power her demonic form could offer if she reached for it. She would have control. A soft motherly voice whispers in her mind. "The Mother of Puppets will take very good care of you, sweet child. Sweet, sweet child."