Ponytale

by Scarlett Haze

Chapter 4 - Surviving Heartbreak

The smell emanating from the house draws you in and Toriel lets you observe her small home. "I, uh, hope that this isn't too much of an intrusion to you at all. After all, falling from such a height and having that cut, you may need to stay a while to get your bearings. Until then, I decided to make some butterscotch-cinnamon pie for you."

She holds you close and the comforting smell of her fur makes you think of home once more. You don't have the heart to tell her this.

"Oh! I have another surprise for you while you are living here," Toriel reacts and brings you to a room with a bed, toys and a small chest with various horseshoes. "A room of your very own." She lovingly rubs your mane and your heart continues to ache, not wanting to let loose that you must continue on. The smell of something burnt starts to waft through the home and Toriel tells you to make yourself at home before she rushes off to keep the pie from becoming scorched.

This gives you time to look around. Toriel's home has a lot of different plants in it, including those plants you've seen in the swamps. You don't know what they're called, but you like to call them 'water sausages'. Entering a different room, you quickly realize that it is Toriel's room. The bed is much larger than the one in your room, which is no surprise to you at all. A diary lays open on the desk and you see a passage circled. Why did the skeleton want a friend? Because she was feeling bonely.

The diary itself is filled with many more of these pun-based jokes and you simply decide to step away from it and look for something else. Your eyes go to Toriel's drawer and think on what may be inside. You boldly open the drawer and let out a gasp of pure shock. She has socks. Promptly, you shut the drawer and decide not to think further into the scandalous things you've seen.

Leaving the room, you find a mirror and check yourself out. That bandage seems to be doing its job as it is keeping the cut covered, but beyond the minor change to your normal look, that's most certainly you looking back at you. You let out a yawn and think on the bed that is now in your room. Without much thought, you go to it and climb on top of it. Your eyelids droop and eventually shut.

---

The once bright room that the lamp in the corner gave is now darkened as you find yourself properly tucked in. Toriel must have done this. You fear how she will react when you ask her that you need to keep moving forward. That's when you smell that same smell that drew you in and roll your head to look at where its coming from. A single slice of pie is waiting for you on a clean plate.

Taking the pie you sit at the edge of the bed and take a bite of it. You chew slowly and deliberately. The taste is heavenly. The one bite is all you can handle before you wrap the pie in a magic seal and place it in your saddle bag. You take in a breath and tell yourself that you must press on. Exiting your room, you find Toriel in another room reading a book by a healthy fire coming from the fireplace. You try to go up to her, but you can't just confront her. You instead take up a history book which has a symbol much like the one Toriel has on her robes. Flipping open a page it talks of the MONSTERS that were driven back after the barrier was created. It is a long trail they walked until they reached the end. You wonder if these RUINs are part of the original settlement they made. Shutting the book you finally go to speak with Toriel.

The pink-horned monster gives you a loving smile, "It's good that you're up. I can't tell you how happy I am that I now have someone here." You try to speak up, but Toriel keeps on. "I have a lot to share with you. Like these books, my favorite spot to hunt for bugs, maybe even teach you things you don't know just yet." She sees you trying to say something and lowers her book.

You ask her where you must go to get home.

Her expression of pained-surprise makes you feel crummy. "Oh, no. You can't leave just yet. What if you trip and twist your ankle? How will you be able to protect yourself out there? It's better for you to stay here. Trust me."

You look dejected and so does she. The book in her hands shifts out and is set to the side. "I... I must do something. Wait here."

Toriel shuffles away. You follow her, watching her keep her head low and descend a set of stairs you had initially never paid attention to. She stops, but doesn't turn as she speaks with you as you reach a path underneath the home. "You want to go home... At the end of this path, there is a door that will lead out of the RUINS. I don't want you to leave, little pony. Please, just go back upstairs."

She continues her walk and you continue to follow. Toriel's steps get slower and slower with each turn on the path. Her voice gets softer and sadder with every step she now takes. "I've seen it too many times. Ponies that have fallen down that same hole you have and when they go through the door, they don't get back to the surface. They die. I'm trying to warn you that out there is too dangerous for someone like you." She's attempting to repress tears. "Just... turn back."

You keep going. Not wanting to give up. You reach the final turn and Toriel is now focused on the door. "I can't... can't let you go. I'm trying to protect you, don't you understand? If you go now, you will be hounded and hunted by other monsters. If I have to stop you, I must-!" Toriel's paws ignite with fire. "I know what's best for you, so please. Don't make me do this."

You take in a breath and try to keep your lip from quivering as you approach.

You are forced into the black and white realm as Toriel turns to look at you, fire still clutched in her paws. You attempt to talk her out of the battle, to try and convince her that neither one of you want this. As you try to say this, your voice is caught in your throat, unable to escape. She raises her hands up and fire now rains over your SOUL. Attempting to dodge the fire, you are stuck by a few stray embers, scorching your fur.

Once more, your stick is raised up, ready to strike at Toriel. But you can't bring yourself to take the shot. You watch Toriel attempt to keep her focus on you as she continues to light up the room with her fire. The flames keep coming as you are hit over and over. You feel something shatter in you and you fall into a dark abyss.

It hurts to move or breathe. Is this how it's meant to end?

You open your eyes and find yourself at the top of the stairs of Toriel's home. Your heartbeat pounds in your ear. Did Toriel bring you up here? Cautiously, you descend the stairs, not sure as to what has happened. You see Toriel already walking down and she starts speaking about you wanting home again. It is eerily similar to what she was saying before you reached the door.

Before you know it, you're back in a fight with Toriel again and now confused at what you need to do. Moreover, why was she saying the same things as before? You can't question it as you lower your stick, wanting to show Toriel you don't want to fight. She only bores her stare into you, saying nothing and staying in front of the door. Fire rains down once more and swirls around you and your SOUL. You are scorched time and again, but you find no heart to attack Toriel.

You keep dodging and not making a move to strike her, wanting her to know that you don't have it in you to harm her. She seems confused as you keep raising your stick and then lowering it. "You have to FIGHT or RUN!" Toriel yells at you. "If you can't do either, then you will be hurt out there!" The flames lick at your hooves, but you remain steady. You can't just make yourself attack her.

"What have you got to prove in doing this?" Toriel says in a wavering voice, the fire around you starting to dim. "You must FIGHT!"

The stick wavers in your magical grip and once more, you can't do it. Even as she is screaming at you to strike her down, you just can't.

"I know you want to leave for your home, but I promise to take care of you," Toriel starts to plea with you. "I can heal your burns and we... we can live together. Just the two of us in these RUINS." The flames die down a little more and you are able to breathe a little easier. The flames let you see the fear in her eyes, not of you... but of you leaving her. Your heart aches and wants to make her stop feeling sad, but you can't turn back now. You suppress the tears building in your eyes and remain firm against Toriel.

"Little pony... Can't you see I want to give you a good life here?" Toriel asks you, her light blue eyes looking right through you. "I've seen it in your eyes; the same pain. I want to help you with it. Just, go upstairs and... stop looking at me like that..."

The fire dies out and Toriel looks ready to burst into tears. You do the one thing that you have yet to do to someone so kind. You wrap your hooves around her waist and she kneels down to embrace you as well, the tears now falling from her eyes and yours as well. Both of you cry.

It seems like the battle is over. "Why? Why must it be so difficult?" Toriel whispers through her sorrowful tears. "I don't want to be alone again," she sniffles.

You can't find anything to say, her little heart must be breaking as she holds you tight. You want to say you can come back; to say that you can just fall back down all over again. But you know that can't happen.

"Just keep walking," Toriel speaks with you. "When you do, you'll pass through the gate and out of the RUINS. When you do... don't come back." She stands, leaving you with the memory of her soft fur against you as she only looks back once before leaving.

You wipe the remaining tears from your eyes and exit. The path is long enough and you trot through another gate. You pause at the sight that greets you. The empty room you had seen Flowey before is also here, and Flowey is right in your path.

The flower only snickers and turns to look at you, "How clever of you. You must think that you're the smartest and most wonderful individual in the world right now. But, I know the truth." Flowey's face shifts and swirls before it turns into Toriel's, even mimicking her voice. "You murdered her. And you went BACK because you regretted it."

You look confused. You didn't do anything of the sort! You're ready to tell Flowey off but he stops his taunting and recognizes your confusion. "Waaaait a second... You... you don't believe you did, did ya?" His little laugh turns into outright sinister howls of joy. "Oh! So the rules have changed, have they?! What did you do, you little sneak? Hide your SAVE away?" Flowey's face shifts again, this time expressing his anger at you. "Do you think that you're the only one with this gift?! To SAVE and be able to reshape all of existence through your determination? Well, you are not the goody-good that you think you are!" His sickly smile grows a little wider, "In fact... why don't I try and find this SAVE and prove what a terrible pony you really are!"

Comments

[edwinflores428]

You boldly open the drawer and let out a gasp of pure shock. She has socks. Promptly, you shut the drawer and decide not to think further into the scandalous things you've seen

This made me chuckle~