//------------------------------// // What Are Those!? // Story: Equestriatale: The Other Side // by neonpalette93 //------------------------------// Frisk and the monsters finally emerge from the forest to see Sans and Papyrus standing at the edge of the ridge. Undyne is the first to step forward. "What are you two looking at, and how'd you beat us Sans?" Sans shrugs. "i took a shortcut." "TO ANSWER YOUR OTHER QUESTION, WE ARE LOOKING AT A SMALL TOWN. I WAS GOING TO WALK IN AND INTRODUCE MYSELF, BUT SANS STOPPED ME." Papyrus summarizes the view from the ridge. "E-everything looks so n-nice and friendly." Alphys says. "We should introduce ourselves. I'm sure they'll welcome us with open arms." Asgore announces "I doubt it." Toriel adds under her breath. "lead the way, kiddo." Sans motions for Frisk to lead. Frisk slowly climbs down the ridge and walks towards the town. The monsters follow close behind. As they approach, Undyne notices some inhabitants of the town. "The town is run by... horses?" She says in surprise. "W-well technically, they're ponies. Too small to be horses." "Whatever, Alphys." Frisk and the monsters enter the town surprisingly unnoticed, until they reach town square. There, every single pony in the square stares at them in shock. Seizing the opportunity, Papyrus steps forward to announce his arrival. "PONIES!" He says. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, EXTEND HIS ARMS IN FRIENDSHIP TO YOU!" In response, the ponies scream and run. "What ARE those?!" One says. "The horror! The horror!" Another says. "Hmm. I thought we'd get a warmer welcome than that." Asgore ponders aloud. ~Castle Of Friendship~ In the throne room of Ponyville's Castle of Friendship, Princess Twilight sits in her chair and reads a book. Shortly after, her dragon assistant, Spike, enters the room. "Hey Twilight. Roseluck is at the door. She wants to speak with you. Says it's urgent." "Let her in." Spike nods, and leaves the room. A few moments later, a yellow mare with a red mane runs into the room and skids to a stop, just short of hitting one of the thrones. "Princess Twilight! We have a huge problem!" She says frantically. "What's wrong Roseluck?" Twilight says as she gets up. "There are monsters in town!" "Monsters?!" "Yeah! Seven of them!" "Really? What Are they doing? Are they hurting any ponies?" Roseluck smiles sheepishly. "Well, no... but." Twilight frowns at her. "What ARE they doing then?" ""Uhhh... they're just standing in the town square." "Did they do anything to menace anypony?" "No... but one of the skeletons approached us." "What did the skeleton say?" "He said he... opened his arms in friendship to us." "Really? That's it? Did you not consider that maybe they are friendly monsters?" "No. I was too busy panicking to think about it. Can you please do something?" Twilight moans. "Fine. I'll take a look." With that, Twilight leaves the castle and flys toward town square to greet their new guests. ~Ponyville Town Square~ By the time Twilight arrives, the monsters (and human) had begun to relax. Sans was sitting against the fountain sleeping. Frisk was sitting on a bench with Toriel admiring the scenery, while Asgore solemnly watched on a different bench. Alphys was trying to take pictures of the town, but Undyne was trying to get in every shot. Papyrus was knocking on the doors of every house attempting to interact with the residents, to no avail. Surprisingly, Sans is the first to notice the princess's approach. "pony princess incoming." He announces to his friends, without even opening his eyes. When Twilight lands, Asgore is the first to greet her. "Howdy. I am Asgore, king of the monsters. We have just reached the surface and decided to meet the populace, but they were less than well receiving of us." "They tend to freak out when they see something that is not a pony. I'm Twilight Sparkle, princess of friendship. Nice to meet you." She extends her hoof. Asgore shakes it. Suddenly, Papyrus jumps up between them. "GREETINGS, PONY! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND I EXTEND MY ARMS IN FRIENDSHIP TO YOU!" "I accept you friendship Papyrus." Twilight giggles. "WOWIE!! I JUST GOT HERE 10 MINUTES AGO AND I ALREADY MADE FRIENDS WITH A PONY!" Papyrus begins to jump around in glee. Toriel then approaches Twilight. "Greetings. I am Toriel, FORMER queen of the Underground." She shoots a nasty glance at Asgore, who cringes in response. The other monsters (except Sans, who is sleeping) gather around. "I'm Undyne, captain of the royal guard." "I-i'm Alphys, the royal scientist." "I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BUT YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT. THAT LAZYBONES SKELETON OVER THERE IS MY BROTHER, SANS." "heya." Sans says, waving his hand. "And who's this?" Twilight asks, motioning towards Frisk. "I'm Frisk." "Well nice to meet you Frisk." Twilight turns to access all of the visitors. "I'm going to call Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, then we can discuss why you're here. Until then, you're welcome to stay at my castle. Follow me."