Dance With the Phantom

I WON HIM
OMGOMGOMGOMG
I JUST DIED A LITTLE
EEEEEE GET READY FOR MAJOR ART SPAMMAGE OF THIS SEXY MONSTER <33333
I will do a response to this win, from Brooklynn and the other members of TRs, don't worry. ;]

Horse: Nordanner Import 678
Rider: Matteo King
Show: Fall Art Auction and Masquerade Ball
Class: Dressage
Music: Music of the Night

~

Sometimes, when the night falls, everything goes still. Sometimes, when the light fades away, it seems peaceful for the first time. The birds no longer squawk, the bugs no longer buzz. Everything falls into the blissful abyss of sleep, and all is well.
Sometimes, however, sometimes when the night falls, everything comes awake. Such is the way on one special night, when the monsters and ghouls roam the earth with the humans. When the creatures of the night come to life in full vigor, sparking fear and wreaking havoc. For that one night, everything is changed.
As the slim man slowly donned his cloak and pulled the half-mask over his face, he flashed himself a grim smile through the mirror. Why he was doing this, he hadn’t the foggiest. Well, he did. It was because of her. She had poked him and prodded him and was a general pain in his ass until he had finally agreed. A soft sigh slipped through his lips, even as his mouth curled up in a faint smile. Despite the fact that he hated crowds and hated being the center of attention, he had to admit he hadn’t put up much of a fight. Maybe it was because of the way her eyes had lit up when she started talking about how exciting this particular show was. She hadn’t been able to ride, still being concussed from issues prior, but she had been so excited when she had mentioned that there was a masquerade show, one that could even possibly win TRs a new horse. The man rolled his eyes as he finished pulling on his riding boots. Another horse. Like that was what he needed. Although, he had to admit, the stallion he was riding was a good, solid horse. Placid for the most part, a nice ride. That was something he liked.
A rhythmic knock came at the door, two short and soft, one long and hard, before the door was very nearly flung open. He turned slowly, looking very unamused, as the very woman his thoughts dwelled upon poked her auburn head around the door. She skimmed her brown eyes over his costume and beamed wide, something that made him bite back a groan. It was impossible to stay mad at her when she looked at him like that. She pushed the door open further and skipped inside to join him by the mirror.
“Are you ready, Matty?” she chirped eagerly as she fixed his mask ever so slightly, making it lie across his face better despite his low protests. “I’m so excited; we haven't done a show in so long and we might get this horse and I’m getting - mmph.”
Her jabbering words were cut off when he covered her rose petal mouth with his hand. Her brown eyes flicked up to meet his, sparkling like they hadn’t in a long while, and he allowed his mouth to curl slightly up as he gazed down at her. He was glad she was so excited. Truly. She hadn’t looked like that in a long while. He just didn’t want her to hurt herself.
“I get it, B,” he murmured lowly as he slowly uncovered her mouth and grasped her head gently in his hands, rubbing her temples softly, “relax. Everything will be fine. If we get him, great; if not, we can try again a different time. Just relax. The doctor said you’re not supposed to get too excited, remember?”
Brooklynn nodded slowly and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before reopening them and gazing at him softly, albeit somewhat abashedly. “Alright, I’m calm.”
Matteo smiled at her again before he leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. He pulled back from her and fixed his clothes once more, made sure everything looked good, before grabbing his cloak and pivoting on his heel, sending the fabric swirling into a cloud of black.

—————————————

Taking a deep breath, Matteo steeled his nerves as he straightened out his clothes yet again. Someone walked towards him and handed him the reins of the speckled stallion he was to ride, but to this day he could not describe the man if he tried. Or even tell if it was indeed a man, or if it had been a woman who had passed him the horse. As he looked up at the stallion’s face, his eyes met the intelligent brown gaze of his steed. The flecked ears perked forward as he watched the human before him, and Matteo smiled slightly before reaching up to scratch his ears. The stallion leaned into his hand and closed his eyes in bliss.
“Alright, pretty boy,” he said lowly as he heard his name called across the loudspeaker, telling him to mount up and go into the ring. “Showtime.”
He accepted the assistance to hoist him onto the horse’s back, struggling a little to get a solid grip on the soft fabric covering the top half of his torso. Once he was settled, he turned the stallion towards the arena and urged him forward gently. The hardest part of the night was going to be trying to stay on his back, instead of sliding right off and hitting the ground. Matteo straightened up in the saddle as they walked into the arena, halting the horse before the judges for a brief moment. After receiving the all-clear, he tipped his hat low over his eyes and nodded to them before sending the speckled steed off into a smooth canter as the first rifts of the music played.
The rest of their performance went as smooth as peanut butter. The stallion responded to all his cues with ease the instant they were asked for. Matteo was actually having a blast, flashing back to the first time he had ridden for TRs. Only this masquerade was looser in rules, less strict. To him, that was the green light to have fun. And so, fun he would have. He was borderline beaming by the time their song came to an end, and he halted the stallion before the judges once more just before the final note played out. As the final note rang out, he ripped off his hat and launched it into the air, where it was suspended for a few moments before it came back down to his waiting hand. The stallion struck a pose as well, lifting his head high and thrusting his chest forward to stand regally before the judges. They stood still for a moment before Matteo finally turned the stallion towards the arena’s exit.
He had liked his performance. Now it was up to the judges to decide.

~

Words: 1 121

My first night scene, first attempt at drawing lights, first costume idea, first outdoor dressage idea . . . This is a lot of firsts. And I'm actually pretty damn proud of it. <3
Art (c) me
Breed (c)

Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you,
ID: 678
Name: Dance the Night Away
Stable Name: Dane
Breed: Nordanner
Gender: Stallion
Age: 5 years
Height: 16.3hh
Personality: Calm, level-headed, bombproof. Dane does not spook, no matter what's going on. He's always cool as a cucumber, always has his head focused on the task at hand. His favorite thing to do is to relax in the paddock; however, he always loves to work. He is a patient beast with the less experienced riders, especially in the ring. He's always ready to assist his rider should he have to in and out of the ring. 
Color: Burnt Buckskin Leopard Appaloosa
Genotype: Ee AtAt nCr nLp
Eyes: Brown
Markings: Spots. Spots all over. Yum.
Discipline: Dressage, Dragon Hunting, possibly jumping. 
Sire: -----
Dam: -----
Bloodlines: Starter

678 Dance the Night Away +5