open Two Hearts, One Fate (SOL)

[Frosty V 309]

@@Miss Reaper

 

Frost stayed quite for a while after Nano had responded to his previous statement, After a short length of time he noticed Nano begin to focus on something, Frost turned his head in the general direction to catch a glimpse at what Nano had been eyeing, "Do you know those ponies?" He asked

[00Pony 286]

@@Miss Reaper,@@CharChar,@@Frosty V,@,  

 

Saronyx gave a small, reassuring smile when Ariel apologized, though he was aware she likely could not see it. Well, at least until she pulled away. He couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but she seemed... better, if only marginally. The Crystal was aware of the wet patch on his coat from her tears, but he paid it no heed. He could deal with that later. Then he heard a voice. Not a really uncommon thing, considering that he was sitting not to far from a thoroughfare of pony folk, but it was what the voice had said, or at least part of it, that caught his attention; 'Ariel'. Now, he could have easily been over thinking at this point, for despite his not hearing it too commonly, it was very easy to assume that this voice was directed at another 'Ariel', and not the poor mare in front of him.

 

But, she had heard it was well, evidenced by her ears perking towards it. What really gave away that this voice was probably directed towards her, was the fact that as soon as she glanced past him, Ariel tensed, then spoke herself, uttering the name he had heard only minutes before; 'Galatea'. His curiosity thoroughly piqued, the Visionary stood slowly and turned to look at her. It took a second to figure out who Galatea was, but judging by the expression borne by a red coated Earth Pony mare, it was likely her. Strange... He expected her to be... well, older. She didn't look terribly older than Ariel did. Maybe an expanse upwards of ten years, but he couldn't be completely sure. She had her own group, made up of a bright, yellow Pegasus, another stallion and a... Was that a pony? It certainly looked like a pony but... different. Saron had seen many strange things in his life, but never something like that. Then again... This could be something from Galatea and Ariel's timeline, and therefore in the future. It was a rather surreal thing to think about.

However, right now Saronyx had no time to think about it. He had other things coming to mind which he may very well have a chance to say. He locked his gaze on Galatea and her group, maintaining his stance before Ariel. He still didn't know what either one was to the other, but he couldn't assume that Ariel's tensing was an entirely good thing. He made no physical gesture, but his eyes easily stated, "Come here. I want explanations."

 

(Now we sit back and see how this pans out. 

Edited April 3, 2014 by 00Pony

[CharChar 35]

@@00Pony,@, @@Frosty V, @@Miss Reaper,  

((OOC: Oh boy, the climax!))

The red mare, and her posse of friends started towards Break's group.  He eyed all of them with that piercing expression of his- even though he really wasn't trying to give "the glare"- that went through their souls as they got closer.

He stopped for a moment, as he felt something with this red mare.  He looked her over...she was staring at Ariel.  Suddenly, this pressure in his chest returned to him, but it was a lot more sentimental this time as this pony had her thoughts straightened out...it appeared.  He put his hoof to his chest, and tried to look back at Saron.  ...Saron was in a bit of a standoff with this red pony coming towards them.

Calm down Break, you just want answers...

((Go Miss Reaper, GOOOOO~~ <3))

[ReverieRiver 525]

@, @@Frosty V, @@00Pony, @@CharChar,
 

"That mare..." Nano muttered, his eyes on Ariel. "We do know her." And as he looked upon the young Unicorn mare, he involuntarily started to shiver; he still hadn't forgotten what she had tried to do to him. She was the reason that they were all in this place now, in the past rather than their home in the future. Because she had lost her mind...

 

But it seemed that Galatea was all too willing to let go of those particular memories. She glanced at the ponies accompanying Ariel - her golden brown gaze searching Saronyx's eyes for a few long moments - but there was only concern for Ariel written on her features, as well as some understandable shock. "Ariel? What in the world are you doing here? H-How did you even get here?" Clearly, she wasn't aware that Ariel had followed her; in fact, she could have sworn that she was alone in the lab! Then again, she knew that young mare could be as quiet as a mouse sometimes.

 

Ariel didn't respond. She seemed almost frozen in place, unable to speak or even make a move. She, too, remembered what chaos she had caused on that day. It had been out of her control, but she still remembered it all vividly. The memories were alien to her, as if seeing them from another pony's eyes, but they were still hers. And for that, she feared what Galatea could do to her as punishment; however irrational, the fear was still very real to her.

 

Meanwhile, Ariel's silence was beginning to make Nano uneasy. When he saw Galatea walking towards Ariel's little group, he said nervously, "Galatea... What if she...?"

 

He was silenced as Galatea threw a quick glare back at the robot colt before turning her attention towards the group once more. Again, she glanced at the two stallions, giving them a brief, if not uncertain, greeting. "Hello." She then looked to Ariel again, not sure what to make of this situation. "Is... everything alright here?"

 

It was then that Ariel unexpectedly spoke up. "N-No... It's not," she whimpered. "I... I'm so sorry..."

 

Stop apologizing, you pathetic filly.

 

Ariel froze as she heard that in her head. It was "that" voice again. You! S... Stay away!

 

Not while you're sitting here, whining so piteously. Why not just tell her what's really on your mind?

 

You... You can't tell me what to do!

 

Oh, but I can... And I will!

 

The more Ariel tried to mentally resist the influence of the voice, the louder that it became. Soon, she was deaf to all but the sounds of her rapid heartbeat throbbing in her ears and the devious voice screaming in her head.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

Thunder tried his best with his abilities to tap into Ariel's mind, but wasn't strong enough. "Argh!" He said as he was overcome by a sudden pain in his head. "We've gotta find a way to rid this voice. I know one pony who can do it though, but we'll have to travel a distance." Thunder stated. 

Edited April 6, 2014 by Thunder-Dash

[Frosty V 309]

 

@@Miss Reaper

 

 

Frost gained a surprised look as his eyes followed the gaze of Nano once again to fall on the mare. "You...you know her? Like she is from your time, not that you have just seen her around?" Frost said in a baffled tone "Shouldn't we go say hi to her or something?" He asked

Edited April 7, 2014 by Frosty V

[00Pony 286]

@@Miss Reaper,@@CharChar,@@Frosty V,@,

 

Conflicted. If there was one word to describe what Saron felt right now, that would be it. He still knew maddeningly little about the circumstances in Ariel's life, but he had gathered that this mare had played some part in her life. An important part. He expected Galatea to be angered by her presence here. But she wasn't. She seemed confused. Concerned, even. That was the exact opposite of Ariel, however. The poor girl seemed to be slipping again. Saronyx gave a sight sigh. He wanted to help her, yes. But to put it all bluntly, he was just a bystander swept up in something much larger.

 

He tensed slightly when Galatea started to advance, but he didn't move beyond that. When she spoke, asking if everything was alright, Saron had been going to respond, but Ariel beat him to it. She stated that it wasn't, which was true. Then, she apologized. Saronyx's jaw tensed, and he gave a heavier sigh, giving his own response to Galatea, "She said it herself. No, everything is not alright." He cast a short glance at the stallions accompanying her, his gaze lingering briefly on Nano before retuning to Galatea.

 

He continued to speak, "My name is Saronyx. I understand that you are familiar with the mare behind me... Care to explain how? I'm dying to know." His tone held a small note of I characteristic darkness. He wasn't angry. Not yet at least.

 

(And about darn time, too)

[ReverieRiver 525]

@, @@Frosty V, @@00Pony, @@CharChar,
 
"Yes... She is from our time," Nano answered Frost solemnly. "But... I don't believe that she is in the most stable condition at this moment..." The robot colt stole a glance towards Ariel. The young mare indeed seemed on the verge of breaking; that somehow broke Nano's heart and frightened him at the same time. Still remembering what she had nearly done to him on the day that he had been separated from Galatea, he knew how unpredictable she could be...
 
Galatea looked to Ariel for a moment, her brow furrowing in concern, but her gaze soon returned to Saronyx as he addressed her. She herself seemed a little tenser within moments, her posture rigid as her golden eyes locked with his. "My name is Galatea," she answered tersely, her ears folding back slightly. "And if you must know, Ariel is my adopted daughter."
 
The young mare in question could hardly hear the conversation for the voice still screaming at her. She felt herself starting to slide down what would be a slippery slope into a full mental break. Still, she tried to fight the futile fight, holding out as long as she could. Deaf to all, even her own words, she didn't realize she was starting to utter aloud the single thought that kept echoing in her head, focused on trying to keep the voice - her voice, the part of her she didn't want but was forced to live with all the same - at bay. Again and again, she murmured, "Leave me alone... leave me alone..."
 
((OOC: Phew, drawing this out as long as possible... Soon, though. Soon... Mwahahaha! ))

EDIT: Ffs, mixed up Nano's text color with Ariel's color.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Miss Reaper

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

"How long has she had this voice in her? Since birth?" Thunder asked as he continued to think what the problem could be. He then looked at Frost who was with Nano. "What do you think...Frost?" Thunder asked Frost as he couldn't quite figure out what could be in Ariel's mind.

 

@@Frosty V,  

[CharChar 35]

@@Miss Reaper,@@00Pony, @, @@Frosty V,

"Adopted?  Ah..."  Break thought for a moment, before looking at Galetea, "Did you two have a fight before you left for...here?"

Break finally said something to the pony, his eyes sort of hurt a little bit now.  What was happening?  He did no know.  He looked over at the weird pony next to Galatea.

Before he could make any assumptions however, he heard a quiet murmur from Ariel that caused his chipped ear to flick a little bit.  He looked back at Ariel once more to find her state of affairs...not so good at this moment.  She looked like she was about to explode, or something.  It was very darkening to the mood.

Ariel?  Little whispers in Break's head started to form the more he took a gander at the breaking pony.  W-what the hay?  He put a hoof to his head to try and calm his incoming headache.

(OOC: sorry this took so long.  .___. )

[00Pony 286]

@@Miss Reaper,@@CharChar,@@Frosty V,@,

 

(This has been a long time coming... Seriously... Almost a month.)

 

Saronyx's eyebrow quirked slightly upward at that. Adopted daughter? Made sense, he supposed. Galatea seemed not much see than Ariel herself. At least, not old enough to have had her personally. His gaze was hard, a strong undertone of what could easily be hostility behind them.

 

He really didn't know why this was making him as angry as it was. He hardly knew Ariel, after all. Perhaps it was the fact that she was so clearly suffering. Having been a slave for much of his life at the hooves of someone he used to admire, he knew what it was like. The Visionary hummer slightly, "I know your name," he said, "Ariel's divulged that much to me."

 

Break asked his own question, regarding whether there had been a fight between the surrogate parent and child. Saron was curious about that himself, though he figured that was the case. The Crystal glanced at the young mare beside him as her mutterings reached his ears, but he was caught in his 'discussion' with Galatea, and said nothing. Instead, he once again locked his eyes on the red coated Earth mare before him, "How long did you know she was suffering?" Was all he asked.

[ReverieRiver 525]

@, @@CharChar, @@00Pony, @@Frosty V,

 

((OOC: Aw, yes! Let's DO this! *cue pumped Bulk Biceps 'YEAAAAAAH'*))

 

"I'm not sure..." Nano said uncertainly to Thunder, not sure what 'voice' he was referring to. All that the robot colt knew, was that there was something wrong with Ariel, and it had been apparent for some time now.

 

Galatea's own gaze hardened as she stared Saronyx down; though it was merely a defensive reaction to the Crystal stallion's apparent hostility. She herself was unsure as to why he seemed so... protective, if that was the word, of Ariel, and it made her a little wary.

 

Her gaze and her ears flicked towards Break when he asked his question. Pain flitted across her expression, gone as quickly as it had appeared. "You... could say that," she muttered, averting her eyes for a moment. It was a complicated situation, that much was for certain, and she didn't feel like trying to explain it to ponies she didn't know.

 

She glanced to Saronyx once more when he spoke again - and this time, the question posed visibly affected her. Her ears flattened against the sides of her head as she stared down at the ground. She was silent for more than a minute before she could answer. "...A while now..." If given the chance, Galatea might have been able to elaborate on the matter, but it seemed as if she wouldn't have that chance, for it was then that something happened.

 

Ariel couldn't take it anymore. She lost the battle she was inevitably going to lose, but not before she gave one final thrash; she sprang up onto her hooves, her pupils little more than pinpoints as she stared wide-eyed at nothing. "Leave... me... alone!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her last futile attempt to scare away the part of herself that was taking over.

 

Afterwards, she lowered her head, her long mane casting a shade over both her eyes as she gasped for air, trying to catch her breath. Galatea was frozen in place, uncertain how to react, while Nano immediately ducked and cowered behind the nearest pony, Thunder.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

Thunder was shocked at this. "How could a little filly have such a dark voice in her, that is enough to almost mentally damage her?" Thunder thought to himself. "Was she perhaps...perhaps..." Thunder was a little hesitant to say that final word, for it may bring back something bad in Ariel.  

[00Pony 286]

@@Miss Reaper,@@CharChar,@@C. Thunder Dash,@@Frosty V,

 

Just as Galatae had been going to elaborate, Saronyx was going to pry deeper to get a more solid answer. But just like her, his train of thought was derailed entirely by Ariel's outburst. Her shout brought the Crystal back to reality, his previous rising fury forgotten for the time being as he wheeled around to face the young mare, silver eyes widened in surprise. For a few seconds, he was unsure how to proceed, but ultimately, he slowly, tentatively reached out a hoof towards her, "Ariel...?" This was a potentially bad idea for him. He knew full well what she was capable of in a fit, the Everfree was proof enough, and he wasn't sure if even his genetic aversion to hostile magic would be enough to protect him. But, nothing tried, nothing gained.

 

(A whole heck of a lot shorter than I would have liked, but this is all my mind allows :| also didn't get to make Saron yell... Though I'm sure I will have the chance eventually.)

Edited May 31, 2014 by 00Pony

[CharChar 35]

@@00Pony,@@C. Thunder Dash, @@Miss Reaper,  

Break's headache started to turn into a migrane as the situation deepened and got worse.  He started to back away from Ariel now, bumping into Saron as he did.  The migraine didn't go away, and only got worse as Ariel started to speak to herself.  Break started to be unable to think straight as the pain was just way to distracting: he became dizzy, only to look at Saronyx with an unfocused expresssion before falling over.

He lay in the grass, his consciousness fading away...

((I know it's lame XD;; but I was trying to be dramatic, seeing as this is the "climax" of many climax's.  lol.))
((also, sorry for taking so long.  I feel like a dumb. XD;;  I had school and work and I just couldn't get to it.))

[ReverieRiver 525]

@@C. Thunder Dash, @@00Pony, @@CharChar,

 

((OOC: This is going to be so much fun... ))

 

For a moment, Ariel was silent and still like a statue; she hardly even acknowledged Break fainting, her ears merely flicking towards the sound of him hitting the ground. Her eyes remained shielded from view by her long hair, but even so, there was something very off about her demeanor. Her posture was rigid, her muscles tense - in fact, the very air seemed charged with tension in the calm before the storm.

 

As Saronyx reached out towards her, she finally spoke. But again, something seemed off in the tone of her voice, and the words she uttered. "You'd better watch that hoof of yours..." She paused for a minute. A grin slowly crawled across her face; it was an unnatural, unsettling sort of smile. Suddenly, she snapped her gaze up to that of the Crystal stallion. Her mismatched eyes were in full view now, and they seemed cold, devoid of emotion even as she kept that twisted grin. "Yes... better watch that hoof, or else you might just end up losing it!" she finished her statement, letting out a devilish giggle.

 

Her horn started glowing as she gathered up her magic. The magenta aura swirled in the air, quickly condensing itself into the shape of a knife. Though the knife appeared translucent and was colored the same as the unicorn mare's magic, the weapon was as solid as any other, its blade sharp and very capable of slicing. That, and the look in her eyes, showed that she was entirely serious about what she had said, prepared to back up her words with action in a moment's notice.

 

Ariel tilted her head to the side, still with that awful smile as her cold eyes drilled into Saronyx's silver gaze. "I just can't help but wonder... Do Crystal Ponies bleed the same as regular ponies?"

 

@@Frosty V,

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

"Oh crap...I think Ariel's...you know what...and crystal ponies do bleed, when they're not in their crystal forms..." Thunder said taking a couple of steps back.

 

@@00Pony,  

 

Thunder then turned to Sarynx. "I think you might want to take a couple steps back..." Thunder advised as he backed away from Ariel a bit. 

[00Pony 286]

@@Miss Reaper,@@C. Thunder Dash, @@CharChar,

(Now that I've finally regained creativity, I'm posting. Hopefully I didn't kill the darned thing)

 

 Saronyx's own eyes widened slightly, his ears lay partially against his skull, and his body went rigid. For a few seconds he remained that way, before slowly lowering his hoof and giving a drawn out hum before saying, "Well, that's slightly Sombraic." His tone was deadpan, not betraying the actual fear that was welling within his mind. First rule when faced by a predator. Do not let them know you are afraid, that will only encourage them. Of course, not showing fear might also make them angrier... It was complicated.

 

The Crystal stallion didn't back away, however. Blame it on his dumb stubbornness, or the fact that he was in fact slightly paralyzed by the similarity in Ariel's gaze to that of the Tyrant King. He allowed his gaze to tear itself away from meeting her own to glance at the ethereal knife the mare conjured. His crystalline hide and genetics may be resistant, but he knew the limitations. Mad ponies rarely cared about limitations anyway, so he bore no doubt that the knife equaled great pain and injury. He probably should move. He wanted to, in all honesty. But he maddeningly refused to. 

 

Saronyx's ears perked slightly when Thunder spoke. He let out a mirthless chuckle. He was most definitely appeared like a true Crystal pony should right now, but his hide was still subject to laceration, "I only wish that were the case, my brightly colored friend," He called back to Thunder, "It would probably make what I'm about to do a whole lot less stupid." And against all better judgement, the Crystal took a couple steps forward, rather than away like any other sensible pony might have done. His silver eyes once again making visual contact with Ariel's, Saronyx matched the tilted angle of her head with his own, "Now, I haven't a doubt in the world that you fully intend to cause me a great deal of harm with that blade of yours," he said, his tone almost sounding amiable, "And I'm sure as it is now, you wouldn't regret doing so."

 

The Crystal pony finally shifted his stance, actually turning his back to Ariel and trotting in a small 360 as he continued to speak, "But is this really who you are, Ariel? I mean, granted I do not really have any way of knowing for certain one way or the other, but I'm an optimist at the best of times. And optimism demands I believe that somewhere within your psyche, however deep, you really don't want to stick me with that knife." In his movements, Saronyx had managed to step back a step. Not by any means a safe distance, but a safe distance would make talking to her difficult. That, and he couldn't take the chance of Ariel's madness choosing someone else as a target. His conscience would never let him hear the end of that.

 

He narrows his eyes slightly, "I'm probably really pushing my luck now, but perhaps you're just as scared as I am right now? For differing reasons, yes, but fear is fear, all things considered. So my question now is this. What are you afraid of, Ariel?" Saron was probably just running his mouth at this point, but that was the sort of thing fear could cause. He highly doubted receiving any sort of answer. At least, one that didn't involve serious injury to himself. Honestly, he was surprised he hadn't already been attacked.

[ReverieRiver 525]

@@C. Thunder Dash, @@00Pony, @@CharChar,

 

Ariel kept her gaze fixed on Saronyx, her eyes somewhat jittery but still largely focused on him. She was waiting for him. Watching him. Gauging his reaction. She was expecting fear, but she couldn't read it in his face. It didn't make her angry; rather it piqued her interest, her eyebrows quirking up slightly as he approached her rather than stepping away like any other intelligent pony would have. She even listened to him talk, if only to decide whether whatever it was he had to say was worth her time.

 

Is this who you really are?

 

She went rigid at the question, clenching her jaw. "Yes, in fact... This is who I really am. The other me, that you thought you knew... She's just a weak, pathetic shell of a pony, a scared little filly that tries to run away from her problems!" she seethed. The knife hovering in her aura shifted slightly as she tightened her magical grasp on its handle. "Your words mean nothing to me. If I want to stick this knife in you, I want to do it; there's no two ways about that!" She prepared to strike with the knife, when his next question gave her pause, if only for an instant.

 

What are you afraid of?

 

Somewhere nestled deep inside her psyche, she knew the answer. The very thing she feared was herself. The things she was capable of. The chance of her hurting somepony she cared about. But as of that moment, that fear was sealed away, the part of herself that was crying out smothered by the heavy veil of madness. So she had a different answer for him.

 

"I fear nothing!" she yelled, rearing up onto her hind legs as she rode the wave of unbridled emotions within. She pulled the knife back, ready to thrust it forward at Saronyx in hopes of embedding it into that crystal flesh of his and-

 

"Ariel!"

 

Ariel stopped, dropping back onto all fours as she cast her gaze in the direction the desperate cry had come from. There Galatea was, anguish written across her features as she slowly stepped towards the younger mare. "Please, Ariel... Don't do this. This isn't you. Where is that kind, sweet filly I raised...? Ariel, please..."

 

But before Galatea could take another step, a knife suddenly embedded itself deep into the ground directly before her front hooves; Ariel had thrown the knife in her direction, and apparently with great force. Galatea stared down at the ethereal knife, taking in a few ragged breaths as she tried to come to terms with the fact that had Ariel aimed higher, she could have ended up losing a hoof, or worse. Ariel simply glared at the mare, coldly saying, "I wasn't talking to you, 'Téa."

 

'Téa... That was the nickname Ariel had once called Galatea by when she was a filly - a simple shortening to the last two syllables of the mare's name, as most young ones tended to do with names. It brought back a torrent of memories that left Galatea internally drowning as she silently gazed at the unicorn mare, the pain all too apparent in her eyes.

 

Then Ariel recalled the knife, telekinetically pulling it from the ground and bringing it back to herself. She examined it briefly as she mused aloud, "Now, where was I...?" She turned her gaze to Saronyx, her smirk returning. "Oh, yeah... I was going to see just how tough that crystal flesh really is..."

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

"She ain't no pathetic pony! She's Ariel, a one-of-a-kind unique pony. You...you're just a sad little spirit that's trying to ruin her life!" Thunder said. Anger was building inside of him. "Galatea, we must do something! We can't let Ariel live like this..." Thunder stated.  

[CharChar 35]

@@Miss Reaper,@@C. Thunder Dash, @@00Pony,  

 

A cough resonated from Break, before he slowly rose back to his feet, hacking a little bit.  His legs trembled a little bit as he stopped coughing.  There was a taste of his own bodily liquid in his mouth as he swallowed dryly.  He was feeling light headed, and confused as he slowly opened his eyes.

The scene in front of him unfolded before his eyes.  Ariel was pointing a knife at Saron with a somewhat smug but manic look on her face.  Break's eyes widened as he froze in his surprise.

A-Ariel!?

There was a sharp breath that he took before he was forced to make a decision at this very moment before anything bad happened.  It was like the moment was put into slow-motion as he assessed the situation.  The pony looked around, looking for some kind of way out.  He needed a way...there had to be a way!  Another breath passed as his eyes darted everywhere.  (THIS is VERY quick!)

The sunshine burned the area in that moment, the light of the sun beaming everywhere; it could've been blinding if one was not used to it.  The white was blanketing all of the ponies.  It was so pure, and so rich: magic.  If the light could make noise, it would sound like a chorus of heavenly "ah"s and hums.

This isn't her, it isn't her true self...!

It was then that Break saw something slide to his hooves inexplicably through the blinding light.  It was ...a magnet?

 

I can't fight her magic the way she is, I just... I have this feeling.

Break took another sharp breath, and lifted the magnet quickly with his magic as the moment started to compile back into reality speed.  Quickly, he ran foward and stuck the magnet onto Ariel's knife, while tackling her to the ground with a hug; which was all he could think to do to calm her down.  He stiffly held the magnet in place, battling Ariel's magic.

"Ariel!  Ariel, Please!  You have to wake up!  Please!!"

((OOC: Is this epic enough for you?))
((PS: Where did Twilight go...?  .___.  ))

[00Pony 286]

@@Miss Reaper,@@CharChar,@@C. Thunder Dash,

(Nope. Totally didn't forget about Twilight. Huh uh. Didn't happen.)

(Also, pretend this came out a few days ago.)

 

Well, that was to be expected really. You play with fire, and you are more than likely going to get burned (or someone else will. But if you're prone to being a pain sponge so others don't have to feel it, you're definitely going to). Saron was certainly playing with fire here, standing near an obviously mad pony that seemed all to keen on cutting a nice, bloody, red gash across his chest or face with a glowy-magic knife. That was made abundantly clear as she answered his question, stating she feared nothing and drawing the knife back. He could have moved to dodge - one plus side of seeing things like an incredibly vivid dream, you tended to learn some tricks - and he really should have made to dodge the assaulting blade, but he stubbornly stood his ground like an idealistic idiot, "Hey, if she sees herself stab me, that should shock her out of her madness! Flawless plan!! She definitely knows me and/or cares about my well being enough for that to work! Per Cor*, Saron! You really are smart!" he thought, his mental voice heavily drenched with satire. *(Per Cor: By the Heart. Crystal Pony variant of 'By Celestia' and other similar utterances.)

 

It all played out well, though, all things considered. He didn't get gutted by a mare that he had kinda sorta sworn to help, and neither did anyone else. Of course, she was still behaving in a stark raving mad manner, but you had to take things as they were and be optimistic about it. Like an idealistic idiot. Really, Saron, you're only an optimist at the best of times! This is not the best of times! This is where you're supposed to be a realist. You know, like 'Oh no! There's a crazy mare with a magical knife standing in front of me, and she looks like she would love nothing more than to stick it into me. I should probably move out of the way, because I am an intelligent and rational pony.' Yep. Classic Saronyx.

 

He glanced slightly over at Galatea as she spoke to Ariel, the latter having looked to the former, this giving the Crystal enough of a sense of security to allow himself to break visual contact with the Unicorn mare. Perhaps Galatea was what was needed? Perhaps she could snap Ariel out of this state and- oh, no, that was just him being optimistic. There was Ariel's knife, sticking in the ground right in front of the Earth pony mare. Okay, scratch the 'mother figure talks some sense into the deranged' trope thingy off the mental list, it's back to the drawing board.

 

Ariel stated she wasn't talking to 'Téa' - "Téa?" he thought, "Under less dangerous circumstances, it might be cute that she calls her that. As is, though, that just makes me shiver."

 

Ariel was once more focused on Saronyx, yanking her knife from the ground and looking over it as she recalled her original plan to find out just how resistant a Crystal's hide was. Oh, yeah, she wanted to stab him, didn't she? Funny how the memory works sometimes. Especially when you're a stubborn numbskull who, instead of backing up like a freaking pony with your life experiences and the like would, Saron instead walked towards her because why the heck not?! What's the worst that could happen? Oh yeah. YOU GET STABBED.

 

Saron ignored the voice in his head that was telling him to do the opposite of what he was doing, and instead walked till he was only two feet away from her, smirked right back at her like the arrogant twit he was pretending to be to cover up the fact he was scared out of his mind - so why doesn't he run, you ask? Have you not been paying attention? He's an intelligent idiot - and said, "Well then, give it a go!"

 

And because he's a stupidly lucky, intelligent idiot, Saronyx All-Seer (a kinda pretentious name given to him by Serenity, who thought that 'Omnia Vates' sounded too outdated, much to his chagrin. But at least he didn't need to translate it to the modern pony language, for those uneducated on apparently 'dead' languages, of which there were many) managed to avoid being run through once again, this time because Break intervened. Except he didn't talk to Ariel like Galatea did. He tackled her, and then talked to her. That works, too.

 

Saronyx watched the two go to the ground, raising on eyebrow. Of course, there wasn't much for him to do now except watch and offer assistance as needed. Which, as far as he could see, was not right now.

 

(Oy vey, the heck's up with my writing style this update?)

[ReverieRiver 525]

@@C. Thunder Dash, @@CharChar, @@00Pony,

 

When she heard the brightly colored pegasus Thunder Dash speak up, Ariel turned her sharp glare towards him. "Did anypony ask for your opinion?! I think not!" she snapped, clearly annoyed at his words - everything he said was meaningless to her. She truly believed that this, the madness, was her true self, if only because she was trapped within the madness itself.

 

Her ears then flicked when she noticed Saronyx walking towards her once more rather than backing off. Both her eyebrows quirked up when she heard his words. He was daring her to stab him! What an interesting choice on his part! A stupid one, yes, but interesting none the less! She would have easily taken him up on that offer- had Break not come and tackled her down.

 

Her immediate response was, of course, hostility. The young mare's face contorted in both anger and exertion as she struggled and writhed against Break's grasp, the energy around her horn crackling furiously while she tried to resist the force of the magic holding her magical construct of a knife in place.

 

"Let me go!" she yelled. But at the same time, something was stirring inside. A tiny voice echoed from the depths of its hiding place in a secluded corner of her mind, reaching out towards her consciousness.

 

Don't let go.

 

Hold me back.

 

I'm a monster...

 

"Let me go!" she said again, though with considerably less vigor, and her voice cracked slightly. Even as she continued to struggle, even as her gaze continued trying to drill holes into the one holding her down, there were tears forming in her eyes as emotions other than anger and madness started welling up. She gritted her teeth, giving one last shove against the magnet holding her knife in place. But she ended up shattering the construct under the force of her own resistance; it fractured as if made of glass before dissipating into nothing. The aura of magic around her horn faded away soon after, a pang jolting through her head as the recoil hit her like a rubber band snapping inside her head.

 

She let out a cry, the tears spilling down the sides of her face as she clenched her eyes shut; though it was impossible to tell if she had cried out due to anguish, frustration from defeat, or the pain from the recoil - or perhaps a combination of the three. Her struggling seemed to weaken - but was it resignation or simply the fact that she was reaching the limits of her stamina?

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

"Aeriel! You're trapped. You must free yourself from this...this...whatever it is thats taking over you. This isn't you. You're not like this. You're letting it take control over you Ariel. I can't do anything about it. Only you can...if you choose." Thunder said gathering some electricity and activating a spell that temporarily protected him from mental damage.  

[CharChar 35]

@@Miss Reaper,@@00Pony,  

Break just stared at Ariel straight in the eyes with a stern look.  There was fear and confusion mixed with fury in her eyes.  It was painful just being near her but he had to get his point across, he had to break through and get the real Ariel back.  ((No pun intended))

"Is this who you are?!  Is it?!!  I know it isn't the real you!  You got to fight it!"

Ariel just closed her eyes shut.  What now?  Break slowly got off of Ariel to try and gather himself again...

He was forced to the ground by his own fatigue, and just kneeled on the grass in pain.  Pain from the myriad truths being hidden from him by an ill mare.

((OOC: I'm gonna be out for a little bit, so... i dunno XD))
((sorry for taking so long.  .___. ))