An Undertale of Equestria

by David Silver

21 - Visions of the Past

I began to recount the vision I had seen, only for Trixie to start asking questions, "Wait, did you get a look at yourself?" I described myself as best as I could and Trixie's eyes widened. "This is... historic! We must return to the city at once!"

I didn't understand. "Well, there were two visions, and I didn't even get through the first one."

Trixie's magic plucked me up and set me on her back. "You can tell Trixie as we go." She turned to Sweet. "Are you alright?"

Sweet nodded with a bit of a smile. "I was more surprised than hurt. That little colt can kick, but he's still a little colt. Will they be alright now?"

I nodded at their sleeping forms. "They should be. The shadow's gone, and they look relaxed." I raised my voice to a holler, summoning the daughter I had spoken to.

She peeked out from around the doorway to the rest of the house. "Is it over?"

"Oops, didn't realize you were that close." I smiled sheepishly. "I think they'll be fine now. You'll keep an eye on them, right?"

She emerged and walked slowly into the kitchen. "Ah course ah will... Um... thank you." She gently picked up the scuffed up photo on the ground and pressed it to her chest. "Having mah family back... Thank you again."

Trixie gave a toss of her mane. "It was a pleasure. You should expect nothing less from Trixie, the Great and Wonderful, and her amazing familiar." She turned for the exit with me. "We have a city to save."

The filly put the photo down on the table hurriedly. "Wait! Ah... Thanks again. Are ya sure it won't come back?"

Sweet flashed a bright smile that contrasted wildly with her deep black fur. "We're making sure of that. Everything will be alright." She moved to the filly and offered a hug, which was accepted in a quiet exchange between the two before we were all ready to depart.

Trixie and Sweet trotted from the house and began their way back to the city, with me on board. Trixie looked over her shoulder at me, "Now then, do continue. Trixie wants to hear every detail."

"Well, alright." I shrugged a little and began explaining what I saw of the crystal heart. Trixie nodded in understanding, then destroying the mare, which brought her to a momentary pause.

Trixie spoke almost breathlessly, "Princess Amore... Speak truthfully, did she really know of Sombra's discomfort?"

"Well, I wasn't in her eyes, but she said so. She said she knew the entire time that I was a shadow pony, and that the crystal heart was hurting me."

Trixie shook her head. "Trixie does not understand this. So much could have been avoided." She turned her head back to the city. "It is too late to stop that, only to move forward. Tell her of your second vision. Did it also have Sombra in it?"

Sweet raised a hoof. "Wait. Was he also a dark pony stuck in the body of a monster?"

Trixie tilted her head at Sweet. "Trixie thinks this is not the case. He was raised in the Crystal Empire from a foal. His betrayal of the city is very well known, though these other facts... Trixie is very curious now."

I spotted something as Sweet got ahead of Trixie a moment. "Hey, Sweet, could you show off your tail?"

She colored in her ears. "Frisk!"

It was only then that I realized how that sounded. "No, really, not that way."

She half-turned and displayed her tail, which had the same red stripe that her mane had, covered in soft fur, whole and complete. "Oh! It's back!" She grinned widely. "I'm almost fixed." She turned towards Trixie and I and rushed up to hug me right off of Trixie and swing me around. "Thank you!"

I held onto her tightly as the world span. "You're... welcome!"

Trixie grabbed me with her magic and set me back on top of her. "Trixie is very happy for you, but let's keep moving, hmm?"

Together, we headed through the countryside towards the warmer interior of the city. I resumed my story as we went. "The second vision put me back in the dark pony that was sent to 'outer space'. He was so excited and happy to see it. He saw a tree and couldn't even comprehend what it could be. Everything about this world, 'outer space', was something to marvel at. I can still feel his excitement. He wasn't scared, just... thrilled. Then the crystal ponies showed up."

Sweet tilted her head. "Trees are those tall things, right?" She pointed off at some distant evergreens.

Trixie nodded at her. "Exactly right. You've been paying attention." She smiled at Sweet, then peeked over her shoulder at me. "What did the crystal ponies do? Was he invited back to their city?"

"I didn't get that impression." I frowned at the memory. "They looked primitive. I think this was before there was a Crystal Empire, or a city. They had spears and looked ready to use them, and the vision ended."

Trixie frowned slightly as she trotted on, probably thinking about the vision. "What did you look like, exactly?"

I described the black furred pony, covered in layers of protective clothing, with a mesh to see out of.

Sweet gasped. "He must have looked terrifying to them, like some kind of monster!"

Trixie snorted softly. "And he was treated like a monster. He looked like a walking shadow..." She put a hoof to her chin a moment before she resumed trotting at full speed. "Trixie has some theories... For now, we should focus on the fourth location, but it is, like the rest of the last three, far from the city. We would be crazy to hike out to them."

Sweet moved over to one of the few and increasingly scarce snow piles and stepped in it, making it crunch beneath her. "Cold! But it's like..." She stomped around in it, seemingly having a good time with it.

Trixie smiled at the antics. "You don't want to hike for miles through that, Trixie promises. We'll get a proper sled. Combined with Trixie's magic, we'll be traveling in style."

I suddenly remembered. I was on the top of a hill, as a kid. Someone pushed me, and everything went soaring past. I was on a low sled. I was having so much fun! The one that pushed me... It was my roomie! From when we were kids? Were we together that long? I guess we were. We must have been really good friends. His name was... Paul. I missed Paul.

"Familiar?" Trixie was looking back at me. "What's wrong? You look sad. You should be pleased with yourself. We've already made the Empire a safer place to be."

I absently pet her mane with a sigh. "I just remembered something. I miss my old life, even if being with you is exciting, to say the least."

Trixie smiled gently. "Being with Trixie is assured to dazzle and amaze. You are Trixie's familiar now. Is that so bad?"

I squeezed her with my legs gently. "No, I mean, you've been a good, uh, mistress, or mom. That doesn't make me miss my old world."

Sweet moved in close with a sad little smile. "I know how you feel, truly. My world is gone too... But I'm surrounded by ponies that like me for who I am." She pointed a hoof at me. "Including you. Even if it hurts." She moved the hoof to her chest. "We'll hurt together, if that makes sense."

I forced a quick nod, even though I felt a little stiff everywhere. "Yeah... it does." I reached for her and she slid in closer, bumping against Trixie as she came into easy reach of a hug. Trixie, bless her heart, endured our moment quietly.

We parted from each other and resumed our walk into the interior of the city. It became warm. There was no snow in sight anymore, and the crystal ponies were trotting around with smiles, unaware of the danger we were working to avoid.

"Hey, Frisk! That's your name, right?"

I turned to see the source of the voice was a familiar pony in an even more familiar stand. The pie stand had returned. The pony behind the counter grinned at us. "How'd it go out there? Another day saved?"

Trixie struck a dramatic pose. "With Trixie and her familiar on the case, was there any room for doubt?"

The pony laughed cheerfully and pushed one of those pies closer. "Here, for your hard work. You can share it. Thanks for putting your all into it."

I reached for that pie, just for Trixie to wrap it in her magic and hover it over her head. The pie baker nodded at us. "I heard you've been visiting my friends, giving them business. Right neighborly of you. Mentioned you got a city commerce token. Have you used that yet? Any one thing you want."

Trixie clopped her forehooves together. "Ah ha! That's how we'll afford the sleigh easily. Familiar, give that to Trixie, if you would be so kind." She held up one of her hooves back up at me and I placed the token in the center. "Thank you, and thank you." She nodded towards the vendor. "Let's be off!"

Sweet's eyes were fixed on the hovering pie, sniffing at it. Before she could ask about it, the surrounding area plunged into darkness.

"We knew you'd forget us!" came a communal cry of clicks. "We didn't forget you!" Sweet's laughter suddenly rang out before the thud of a pony body hitting the cobblestones. She laughed and laughed without pause, wheezing for breath.

Trixie's horn lit up powerfully, dimly turning aside the darkness and revealing Sweet was covered in beetles that were apparently tickling her quite fiercely. Trixie turned her magic on them and made a beetle ball in the air. "Are you alright, Sweet Tooth?"

Sweet rolled to her haunches, still quaking with aftershocks of giggles. "N-no, I'm fine! Poor things. Can we get my home first, so we can put them in a safe place? I did promise." She reached a hoof for the floating ball of beetles. "And put them down! They didn't do anything wrong."

Trixie raised a brow. "Besides plunge the street into night?" She did release them, and they scurried over their new protector. At least they didn't start tickling her again.

I slid from Trixie. "Why don't you get the sleigh while we pick out a nice house for Sweet and get her and her beetles settled in?"

She looked uncertain a moment before giving a slow nod. "Very well, but do not leave the city under any circumstance. We'll meet back at the central plaza in two hours' time." She trotted off into the city, leaving me with Sweet.

Sweet grinned. "First time in a while you're trusted away from your mother, hmm?"

Her words brought a blush to my cheeks. "I guess so. Let's make the best of it by getting you that house."

She nuzzled me suddenly before she turned away and began trotting down the street at a slow pace, one I could keep up with. Time to browse some real estate!

Author's Note:

Exposition! History! House Shopping! Man, this chapter has it all, maybe even a few typos!

Comments

[TheShippingJR]

Ninjaedit: There is a double space at One I could keep up with.

[David Silver]

6671290 Fixed!

[Booster Spice]

Crunchy Shadow Beetle Pie?

Isnt there a song about that?

Next, Trixie goes sledging, and forgets her fear of wheels.

[Voltrasin]

6671362 Sleds don't have wheels.

[Cracked Egg]

6671500

No, but the walrus was Paul.

[Emtu]

Trixie's horn light up powerfully,

lit

We'll meet back at the central plaza in two hour's time.

hours'

[TheShippingJR]

6672403 It'd just be hours actually. Other than that, your eye is about par with mine when making a decent story. Keep it up, Because I'm to lazy to do it for anyone besides myself.

[Emtu]

6673314
Nah, 'hours' in this instance is possessive, so it needs the apostrophe after.

Also, I only post corrections for stories I really like. I just pop open Notepad and copy/paste as I'm reading, then I paste the whole thing into the comment box when I'm done and bbcode it up.

[TheShippingJR]

6673343 That would make sense but I'm just a bit at a blank moment. Seems I can't whip out a witty response. But I'll just go with ya.

Ninjaedit: Now I just realised that you were right, this is what happens when I'm not trying to use a bit of potential/knowledge

[David Silver]

6672403 All nice and fixed. Keeping up with our weaving tale?

[ChaosFerret]

She half-turned and displayed her tail, which had the same red stripe that her mane had, covered in soft fur, whole and complete. "Oh! It's back!"

I thought she had a Green stripe? And her tail didn't have a stripe?

Yeah in Chapter 14:

A little blue, that's normal, but everywhere bright? That's not normal, not for us." She reached up for her hat and lifted of off, showing the bright green stripe that ran through her mane, matching her eye color. "See?"
Trixie looked over herself, then Sweet. "Trixie does see, but she is not a dark pony. She is perfectly normal in coloration, even if Great and Powerful. She takes special pride in her lustrous silver mane and taiil." She flicked her tail lightly, then gestured at Sweet's bottom half. "Do you have a green stripe there as well?"
Sweet shook her head. "Most colors only appear in the mane. There are... were... exceptions. One of my friends had a spiral that ran down their entire back. I was so jealous of him." She giggled softly. "Now I feel so very foolish, surrounded by ponies with so much color everywhere, that praise me for being black."