private Ripped to Shreds,Tears of Sorrow

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@@Aurora Lights,@@Miss Reaper, (sorry for the lateness)

 

Dreamless was breathing heavily near the entrance to the building. He still could never get use to all of this action. His body simply wasn't made for running. 

 

After a few moments, he heard a thud coming from the door. Then Dreamless looked back to see the stallion star putting up barricades. He tried to figure out what was going on, and soon it started making sense when he heard a voice. He was trying to keep her out.

 

Dreamless was about to stop him, someone could have been coking from the smoke or burning; but before he could say anything, the stallion had removed the barricades.

 

He saw the stallion's eyes grow distant, similar to when he checked him earlier, then he snapped out of it and continued to stare at the mare. Dreamless started to stare as well, but in a confused way. She seemed oddly calm. What was she doing here? He took a cautious step back.

Edited December 27, 2013 by Dreamless

[Aurora Lights 206]

Glade slowly stopped his shaking after he determined that he was fairly safe,he closed the door behind her when she walked in so it wouldn't be cold inside,he sighed,feeling his nose had stopped bleeding finally,he looked around for some water,he finally found a puddle and put his hoof in the puddle of water,he wiped his nose with it and his face,he looked back at Dreamless a moment and looked away,he then turned his attention to the mare,despite his slight fear of her,and her unique eyes,she was quite cute,at least she was to him,but then again,he did have different tastes in mares than other stallions...he noticed the firefly in Dreamless's mane,he slowly walked over to him and stared at it,his green eyes reflecting the light to make it look like his eyes were glowing,he made a small ghost of a smile before he softly touched it,forgetting it was in Dreamless' mane.

 

@,@@Miss Reaper,  

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Aurora Lights, @,

 

Ariel's eyes met with Glade's for a few long moments before she broke the eye contact by lowering her gaze to the floor; she always was self-conscious about others noticing her differently colored eyes. She glanced at him, though, when she noticed that he was acting a little off - and the blood! She slowly stepped towards him, seeming a little concerned. What had she done to frighten him in the first place? What had happened that she didn't know about?

 

She paused when Glade looked back at Dreamless, just now taking notice of the other pony's presence. The mare looked at the two for a few moments and then, realizing that both pairs of eyes were on her, dropped her gaze to the floor once more as her ears folded timidly in a bout of self-consciousness.

 

"Um... Hi," she murmured softly, a light flush of color rising in her cheeks as it dawned on her how awkward this situation might be. Here she was, barging into some random building, apparently somepony's home, and she had no real reason other than the fact that a feeling brought her here.

[Aurora Lights 206]

@@Miss Reaper,@,

 

Glade looked at the bug for a moment before stepping back,he looked up at Ariel,he was a little smaller than her actually,not in height,but in size,he was just as tall as she was,he blinked once and noticed she had gotten closer to him,he backed up to where they were the same distance apart than before "..."he kept quiet,as normal for him,he looked down and to the side as he softly kicked a pebble over to her by accident,he blinked and looked up at her again,his pupils widened ever so slightly as his ears flattened. 

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Aurora Lights, @,

 

Ariel stared down at the lone pebble for several moments before she slowly dragged her gaze back up towards Glade. Her pupils were somewhat dilated, her ears were flattened, and she was blushing slightly from the sheer awkwardness of the situation she brought herself into by blindly chasing her premonitions - what had possessed her to do that, anyway? She knew she was a little crazy, but not quite that crazy... or was she?

 

The awkward silence dragged on, until she nervously cleared her throat. "S-So, uh..." she began, only to find that she really was lacking the words to carry on conversation properly. She found herself staring at the ground yet again, silent again for a long while.

 

She finally looked up, first at Glade, then over at Dreamless, and back to Glade as she finally recalled some idea of what she should say. Her pupils seemed to grow larger for a moment as she dipped her head in apology, shutting her eyes as she suddenly had to close off the tears that threatened to spill out; briefly, she was recalling the harshness of her parents as they would punish her for something that was out of her control - which made her thoroughly contrite and slightly fearful of what consequences that may come.

 

"I-I'm really sorry for intruding... I d-didn't mean to," she said sincerely, her soft voice sounding almost like a whimper.

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Dreamless' focus was set on the mare. He wasn't sure whether to trust her or not. She didn't seem like anyone he thought would be after him, but he could shake the feeling something was off. He was so focused on her that he didn't notice the stallion raising his hoof towards his mane.

 

He felt Fi slightly move back from the sudden disturbance, but it didn't seem like she necessarily hated the pony for coming near. He could see her faint light still shining as his hoof got closer. She might have been nervous.

~

 

The stallion backed away and turned his attention towards the mare. He did the same. He saw her head lower and could hear her start speaking. She had said, "Hi." But no one, including Dreamless, answered.

 

He saw her head fall lower towards the ground and apologize for intruding. It was at that moment Dreamless decided that: If she was a threat, she's a pretty good liar. He took a step towards her and said, "It's alright... we don't really live here..."

Edited December 28, 2013 by Dreamless

[Aurora Lights 206]

@@Miss Reaper,@, 

 

Glade blinked and slowly sat down,he said softly,almost in a whisper "I-It's ok Ariel..."he murmurs softly,blushing when he realized she hadn't told him her name,one of his spirits did,somehow,special spirits he called "readers" could read other's souls,everything about them,their life,their personality,their sicknesses,he couldn't hear all of this,but only the names for some reason,and sometimes on special ponies,he called "books",he could learn a little more,so he knew that Ariel had a mental illness,and he knew she was a little...off...like he was...

Edited December 28, 2013 by Aurora Lights

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Aurora Lights, @,

 

Ariel lifted her head just slightly when Dreamless spoke, and nodded once in acknowledgement, allowing herself to relax a little, if only so that she wasn't on the verge of anxiety-inspired tears anymore. She was and always had been a fairly nervous pony, ever since she was young; it was practically written into her very nature. But some kindness, no matter how small or insignificant, always helped her to cope somewhat.

 

She was about to repeat the same acknowledging nod for Glade, but the sound of her name from his mouth startled her. Her head jerked up, her eyes widened, and her ears sprang up from their flattened position. At once, her heart started racing again, and her breathing became shallower.

 

"H-How did you...?" she gasped, struggling to keep her composure. She hadn't spoken her name yet; how in Equestria did he know it already? Was he psychic? Was he like her somehow? How was it possible?

 

Now it was her turn to take an uneasy step backwards, her legs quivering slightly as she stared at Glade with wide eyes, waiting for some sort of explanation.

[Aurora Lights 206]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

Glade gulped softly,staring at her a moment before trying to explain without having a panic attack himself," W-Well...I-I...Souls..."is all he could spit out.

 

He was trembling where he stood,he didn't ever talk to strangers,besides these two,and now it would seem that he has done something wrong,he stared at her with his ears still flat,he backed up to the wall again and tried to back up more,but he couldn't,so he was stuck standing there,shaking in fear and anxiety,his vision shook slightly...

 

He saw Ariel and Dreamless staring at him,their gazes turning into hateful glares,Ariel then spat out at him,seeming to have nerves of steel now "You are worthless,you piece of shit..."she spat,this hurt Glade even thought he just met her,and Dreamless started laughing at him evilly "No wonder your mother and father abandoned you,your nothing but trash...we should kill you..."he then pulled out a knife as Ariel ran up and forced him to the ground,she pinned him by his shoulders as they laughed,their laugh slowing down to sound distorted and demonic,Dreamless put the knife to Glade's neck and slowly had an evil,dark,scary,warped smile on his face,he said finally "Goodbye..."he then slashed the knife across his neck,making blood splatter all over the wall and on his body...

 

His delusion ended and he was left curled in a corner,screaming in fear as he held his neck and throat,he had his eyes shut tight,but he opened them to see the two ponies,just staring at him.

 

@,

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@@Miss Reaper,@@Aurora Lights, (this feels like when I played the walking dead and had to make a tough decision.)

 

Dreamless was unsure was unsure what to do. Both ponies were now cowering away from each other, and he he was stuck in the middle between them. To make matters worse, it was still getting darker. There was no way they could hold up in this house if it belonged to no one in this room, and if the lights were to go out in here...

 

He kept his calm and decided to deal with younger pony first. He walked over to the stallion and took Fi down from his hair. He seemed to like her earlier. He placed her by his face and let her start glowing. Hopefully it would take his mind off whatever was wrong. Focusing on the light, this trick had worked for him in the past. "Kid... it's all right. No one here's going to hurt you. We just want to help..." He let Fi go and she hopped onto the pony's nose. Her light dimmed, but now she was starring at him.  

 

He glanced over his shoulder, "Isn't that right? 'WE' just want to help. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation to all of this..." He motioned for her to come forward.

[Aurora Lights 206]

Glade stared at the little firefly and he had that same ghost of a smile on his face and he held her in his hooves "...Hi?"he asked softly,staring at the little thing,somehow it soothed him...

 

He smiled ever so slightly and slowly put her on his shoulder,he blinked once and looked up at Dreamless and he stayed quiet,he sighed softly once more and started petting the little lightning bug ever so lightly so she didn't get hurt,he looked at Ariel,but couldn't hold a gaze.

 

@,@@Miss Reaper,  

Edited December 28, 2013 by Aurora Lights

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Aurora Lights, @,

 

Ariel stared at Glade in confusion at first. Then when he started screaming, she gasped and scrambled backwards in her fright, stumbling several steps backwards. To say that she was startled would have been an understatement. And then she started wondering, what had caused him to react in such a way? Had she done something wrong?

 

She hesitantly moved forward, to where she had been standing originally. Her expression now entailed a mix of confusion and concern, after brushing off her own paranoid thoughts. She listened to Dreamless try to assure Glade, and perked when "we" was emphasized.

 

"Y-Yes, we just w-want to help," she said, managing to put a little smile on her face. Her voice was quivering, nervous, but she tried to convey her sincerity through her eyes - which were indeed gentle and sincere - and the smile she forced onto her features - which wasn't quite so sincere, but rather an attempt to be a little more reassuring as she took a few more steps forward.

[Aurora Lights 206]

@@Miss Reaper,@,

 

Glade then looked at Ariel and he softly rubbed his neck as he looked down,he then shifted in his place,he noticed it was getting darker,he looked around a moment,he started shaking slightly and he said "...W-we need to find a hotel...something th-that has light...the bad souls come out a-at night...they scare me..."he says,slowly starting to stand,already starting to hear eerie growls and roars,one small bump in the darkness in the room next to them made him jump so bad,he almost flew into Ariel's hooves!

 

He gulped and opened the door with his souls,he then slowly started to walk out "c-come on...th-they know your my...f-friends now...th-they'll come after you too..."he says and starts walking out into the street lights...Friends?...Really?...well,they weren't strangers,and they helped him through panic attacks...but... He looked back at them and then looked at the little firefly on his shoulder and lowed his head and continued on.

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@@Miss Reaper,@@Aurora Lights,

 

Dreamless was happy to see the kid calm down, and the mare had stopped cowering as well. Although when he walked out the room, carrying Fi on his shoulders. He became slightly worried. At least it seemed like he wasn't going to hurt her. Besides, she knew better. At the first sign of danger she would buzz and run away.

~
 

He didn't have to debate on his options this time. He needed Fi and that pony still had her, and he said something about going to a hotel.  Whether he liked it or not, he would have to follow. Although, something he said didn't make sense. What was after them now. It had to be either the ponies after him or the monster, right?

 

Before he left, Dreamless turned his attention towards the mare. Just from what happened earlier, he could tell she was shy; so he decided not to make any sudden movements closer towards her. He stayed where he was, a safe few feet away, and looked at the area in between the floor and her face. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure your alright... It's been a crazy night..."

Edited December 28, 2013 by Dreamless

[Aurora Lights 206]

Glade stopped when he heard one spirit scream "ALLEY WAY---FRIENDS---DANGER!" it yelled out to him,he gasped and whipped around,seeing that there was an alley right beside them,he gathered all his yelling force and hollered out to them "MOOOVE!!!"he yelled and started running over to them to protect them from whatever his spirit warned about.

 

He was stopped in his tracks when he saw it...two glowing red eyes,then a smile with razor sharp teeth under those glowing eyes,he gasped as he remembered his dream and he said in a softer,yet more urgent tone "Run." he said to them and started to gather spirit energy,what little he could muster,and he created a soul orb,even Dreamless and Ariel could see it,it was solid white and glowed brightly,he shot it into the alley and squinted when he saw a huge flash of light,then a loud roar.

 

He stumbled in place a couple times before he finally fell,all the\at energy gathering had finally depleted all his energy,he was right on the verge of passing out when he whispered "...Run..."he whispered softly to them,he then passed out.

 

@,@@Miss Reaper,  

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Aurora Lights, @,

 

Ariel wondered what this talk of "souls" from Glade was about; but either way, she didn't disagree on the fact that bad things came out at night. Her premonitions were always more vivid somehow in the dark - she saw images more clearly, felt sensations more strongly - and that always made the experience all the more dreadful.

 

She was about to follow behind Glade, when Dreamless spoke to her. She turned to look at him, and offered a smile that was closer to genuine but not quite there. "I'm fine. It just... Yes, it has been a crazy night..." Crazy... What meaning did that word hold anymore? Did it really encompass all that had taken place? Did it really describe the state of her mind, or anypony else's?

 

The mare shook those thoughts away as she walked out the door, thinking that maybe she could relax once they got to a hotel. Wrong.

 

She gasped when she heard Glade's sudden shout, whirling around to look at him. She froze, confused, especially as she saw some sort of energy gathering before Glade. She watched as said energy was flung into the alley, her eyes wide until the moment of the bright flash of light, upon which she closed her eyes to try and shield her vision from the blinding rays until it faded.

 

Ariel had no idea what had just taken place. She had been totally unaware of the monster lurking in the darkness. And now Glade was lying unconscious on the ground after having given the final command to run. But she was frozen. Her legs, weak and trembling, refused to move. She could only stand there, unable to help, unable to figure out what she should do. Tears began welling in her eyes, caused by a swirl of confusion, fear, and frustration at herself.

 

She was pathetic, she told herself. But she just didn't know what to do. She didn't want to leave Glade behind, but obviously there was something that she should have been running from.

[Aurora Lights 206]

@,@@Miss Reaper,  

 

Glade laid there,quiet and limp,but,unknown to them,the dark evil spirits slowly started to hone in on them,the only thing that kept them at bay was the little firefly,they needed to get to light,to the hotel,he didn't care what the spirits did to him,as long as he could save them,he would die in peace.

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@@Aurora Lights,@@Miss Reaper, (btw, Fi can't fly.)

 

Dreamless ran out side. When he heard the scream: First to run, then one in fear. When he looked outside he could see a sight that would give him nightmares for many years to come. 

 

He could see the mass of gathering spirits... Spirts? It was obviously too late, but in the dark only it would come. This was new, but the way he handled wasn't. Fi was holding whatever it was back.

 

He ran over to see the spirits trying to swarm the stallions body. What were they doing after him? He grabbed Fi and put her on the hoof in front of him. Then he started using her light as shield. He knew this would only last so long. He eyed the wreckage from the explosion, some of it was still on fire.

 

He looked back at the mare screaming and tried to silence her. Finding no real way to do this, Dreamless just finally used his voice and yelled. "Grab the kid and get as close to those flames as possible... Now!"

Edited December 28, 2013 by Dreamless

[Aurora Lights 206]

@,@@Miss Reaper,  

 

The fire on the crash crackled and burned brightly,it made a good deterrent for bad spirits,right now,his normal spirits were gone,they were used when he used the soul burst,he set them free and made them go into the afterlife peacefully,letting them free and letting them go to a higher place. 

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Aurora Lights, @,

 

Dreamless's voice yanked Ariel out of her panicked state, if only just enough to get her moving again. Trying to draw in a few deep breaths, she ran over to Glade, using both her magic and her hooves to lift him up. She wasn't the strongest mare, but he was light enough for her to be able to get him onto her back. Once she was certain that he was resting securely on her back, she made her way towards the flames. Her legs were weak, especially under the additional weight, but she forced them to move.

 

All the while, she still felt the chill of the spirits' presence settle deep in her bones. As she moved closer to the flames, however, their warmth and light warded off that chill. She looked around, feeling that she and Glade were now safe for the moment - though she was still thoroughly confused as to what was going on. From what Glade had said earlier, she was able to figure out now that there were some kind of souls out there, out to get him? But why were they after him?

 

She was still trembling. But she was no longer hopelessly panicked; she was just very uneasy, and still very confused and frightened. If only she could figure out what exactly was happening...

[Aurora Lights 206]

@@Miss Reaper,

 

Glade heard a very familiar voice fill his ears in his slumber "Why don't you kill them all ready?They are nothing but Burden..."the dark voice said.

 

In reality,Glade spoke in his sleep "No...Can't kill...friends....not monster..."he mumbled,his head was on top of Ariel's so she could hear him saw this,even if it was nothing more that a faint whisper,his arms and hooves shifted,but they didn't move,instead,the wrapped around Ariel's body slightly,then she could feel his body quivering like a leaf on a windy day.

 

In his dream,Glade was curling up into a ball,he could looked around with his eyes,but he saw nothing but darkness,he then started to cry because he was alone again,he hated being alone,he absolutely hated it,he had abandonment issues,this meaning,no matter how shy,quiet,or lonely he looked,he always had somepony at his side,even if it were nothing more than spirits (which it normally is).

 

In the real world,he was starting to cry,Ariel could feel the warm,soft,gently tears fall on her head as he frowned,he sub-consciously moved his head to where he was nuzzling her neck,she could still feel his tears and now she could even hear him whimpering slightly.

 

 

@,  

[ReverieRiver 526]

@@Aurora Lights, @,

 

Ariel's attention shifted to Glade at once, her ears perking as she heard him mumbling. He was trembling, and she started wondering what sort of dream - or nightmare - he might have been having. Sympathy for him was beginning to take the place of her own fear and confusion.

 

Then she noticed that he was crying. Now whatever negative emotions she was personally experiencing, were all but forgotten as all her thoughts turned to him. Gone was the fear and confusion from her expression, replaced by sympathy and concern.

 

She closed her eyes and gently nuzzled him in return, attempting to comfort him. "It's okay..." she whispered soothingly to him. "We're here... We're here." She wasn't too familiar with being this close to other ponies, let alone comforting them - but by Celestia, she would try her best. And besides, focusing her attention on him distracted her from her own fear, made her forget what she was afraid of. This was helpful for the both of them.

[Aurora Lights 206]

@@Miss Reaper,@,

 

It was now 12:00,the witching hour...but it isn't witches that you need to worry about...

 

Glade heard her whispers,this made him feel a little bit better,he didn't feel as alone...but when she nuzzled him,his eyes widened and he looked down to see an undefined face nuzzling him.

 

As his eyes slowly opened,he held whoever was nuzzling him tightly,his vision was blurred at first because of the tears that burned his eyes,but he blinked them out and he stared at Ariel,he was on her back,holding her tight,and crying into her neck...this was...awkward?...no,it was soothing,to know he wasen't alone anymore,but he still was NOT going to let them into his personal life,not yet...he still feared they would run off,leave him,like his parents and sister...He finally let Ariel go and he slowly slid off of her back,he then stared at the flames "..."he stays quiet and yawns deeply,feeling the warmth of the flame and the mare beside him,he felt the spirits around them,unable to get to him nor the two beside him,the light kept them away...that was all that kept them away...

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@@Aurora Lights,@@Miss Reaper, (Sorry, I've been out all day. Long post to make up.)

 

After the two ponies had gotten to safety, Dreamless was ready to follow them to cover that the light brought; but as he moved, he could feel a small headache growing in the back of his mind. He ignored it, knowing exactly what it had meant, and continued to dash over towards the car. Although, his dashing turned into a run; and his running turned into a walk. Soon Dreamless was completely immobile. He could hear it...

 

The sound of a brass bell ringing. It rang twelve times. The first four were easy to cast aside, but the sound grew with each ring. By eight, he was completely immobile. He was transfixed by the sound.

 

Fi was starting to get scarred by dreamless' sudden daze, and her light was slowly fading.

 

By ten, he was slowly looking back behind him; and by eleven, he could see the dark circle growing from the wall. By twelve, "... Too late..." Fi's light had gone completely out. An image came into his mind. He was in the dark, staring into mirror. 

 

He couldn't understand why he could see in the dark. His visions would usually be: disturbing, and unreal; but somehow they abide ny certain world laws. He looked back to see a small fire providing him with the explanation to his sight. It also made what happened next hurt like a mother bucker.

 

The reflection came to life and had started to strangle Dreamless with some sort of spell. He could see the ponies by the fire. This was no vision. It started lifting him into the air, and his consciousness was slowly fading. The monster wasn't here, it traveled to slowly; but since it was so late, and dreamless was still in the dark, it had made this.

 

Before he passed out, the copy had dragged dreamless closer and whispered into his ear. "If you want your light so much..." It sent him spiraling toward the flame. He could hear it growl as Dreamless hit the ground by the ponies. The monster had made a mistake, Dreamless had terrible aim. 

 

He felt the flames heat surround him, as he blackout...

[Aurora Lights 206]

@,@@Miss Reaper,  

 

Glade stared at Dreamless for a moment and gulped softly,he said in a low tone,his eyes changing from green to a deep orange color as his mane lighted and he said,finally getting mad at the dark spirits,"I COMMAND THE SPIRITS TO COME TO MY AID,NOW!"he yelled out,Ariel could see (Dreamless could too if he were awake) small orbs coming from the ground,air and everything around them,including Ariel and Dreamless,they were completely white and glowed as they slowly started to enter his chest.

 

The dark spirits outside of them almost started to back off.

 

Everything around them was slightly dimmed,hearing was numbed and he seemed to be out of his own self,Ariel then saw Glade's own spirit almost separated from his physical body,but as soon as the stuff went away,the numbness and such,a huge blast of spiritual energy right into a huge dark spirit,it flailed its claws into the air as it let out a loud roar,finally exploding into even more dark energy.

 

Glade slowly dropped back to earth,he stared into the darkness at first,but he then slowly walked forward a few steps "...Hotel...right across the street..."he murmurs,he was tired,exhausted,in pain,and was so scared he couldn't move anymore...but he had to....