> Ponytale
>  by Dragonfire2lm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Once Upon a Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everfree Glacier- 101X 

The wind howled as snow drifted past the ice encrusted forest, the stars and moon above offered little comfort to the figure that trudged through the frozen woods. Splashes of brown, purple and pink could be been on the figure as pale moonlight briefly illuminated it and the small set of footprints it left in the snow. 

The figure soon stopped in a clearing as a ancient run-down castle stood defiantly over a gaping chasm between the structure and the lone figure that stared on in awe. In their haste to search for a way to cross the chasm, the traveller stumbled and tripped over a tangled mess of rope and some cracked, wooden planks and in a matter of seconds they were plumetting to what would surely be their doom. 

Ruins- The Flowerbed 

They awoke to a voice, a motherly, concerned voice that was plainly worried about them.

Soft, welcoming light greeted them as they sat up and looked around in surprise. Beneath them was a bed of purple and pink flowers atop a barely noticable mound of dirt. The fallen human stood and carefully moved off of the plants and walked over to the sand fillled path that snaked its way through the greenest grass the child had ever seen. 

Curiosity took over, they reached out to pluck a blade from the lawn and marvelled at how it felt and pulled a face when they tried to eat it, grass did not taste as good as it looked. 

A giggle caused them to turn around.

Standing off to the side was a white unicorn with a soft pink mane, purple eyes and a look between embarrassment and relief on her face. A dark purple robe covered the equine's body and a gold medallion hung around her neck. The mare smiled, gracefully walked over to the human child and introduced herself as Tia, the caretaker of the Ruins. In response, the human told her their name was Frisk.

Frisk followed after Tia with a hand held fast around the hem of her robe. The child walked down the sandy path and through the white marble archway into an astonishingly well maintained garden.
> Uwai!! So Pretty!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stone pillars carved from the rock face decorated the edges of the garden, with yellow orbs of magic dotted about to provide light. Within the centre of the garden, surrounded by simple stone benches, was a fountain. The statue of two winged unicorns chasing each other stood at the fountain's top, with flowing streams of water pouring from their outstretched wings.

A relaxing melody played from the statue and Frisk moved to it's rhythm as they explored the garden. As they walked, they questioned Tia about the plant life, of what they were and how they survived and-

Frisk walked over to a small patch of geraniums for a second look, they could have sworn there was a plant larger than the others. But Frisk soon shrugged and went back to asking questions, who ever heard of  flower with a face anyway?

Tia seemed delighted to sit and entertain the child's curiosity. Frisk learned of buttercups, roses and water sausages. They learned that the orbs of light were called mage lights and that it was through those lights that plants were able to grow. The two spent some time in the garden, until Frisk timidly asked if there was anything to eat. Tia smiled and herded the youth into another room. The white mare promised a tasty reward if Frisk could make it through the tests scattered along the Ruins.

Frisk asked what the reward would be and grinned in anticipation when they were told it would be a cake.

Tia directed Frisk over to the locked door that barred their way. The door itself had a series of large, round holes on it and over to the side, on a wall, was a switch.

Frisk stood for a moment, their head tilted to the right in confusion. This was a test, and after careful consideration, devised a plan.

They reached into one of the holes they could reach and pushed. 

Nothing happened.

They pressed all the holes they could reach. When that failed they asked Tia to help them reach the others. With everything in reach, they went for plan B.

Press Everything.

They pouted when that didn't work either.
> Unnecessary Tension
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tia kindly suggested to try the lever and as soon as Frisk pulled it down, a resounding clack echoed out from the door.

The young human whirled around to see two of the doors holes had been filled with buttons that were slowly sinking back down. Frisk, on impulse, slammed a hand onto the disappearing switches, the slight sting of hitting stone was quickly ignored as a satisfying click came from the door as the buttons vanished and the door opened.

Tia praised their quick thinking and explained that the door was one of many with a 'quick time event' puzzle built into the structure. When Frisk asked how it worked, the unicorn mare simply stated it through a complicated mix of clever minds and magical knowledge.

Frisk followed Tia up a large staircase into a hallway decorated with moss covered rocks, floor to ceiling vines and wall carvings that depicted the three races of ponydom. Onwards they went from room to room, until another pony crossed the pairs path. Tia stepped back as the world around Frisk seemed to be swallowed by an empty void as a white, glowing barrier boxed them in with the newcomer. They refused to move and called for help.

Tia's calm voice answered back, surprised that they called her 'Teacher' in their moment of panic. She explained the area Frisk was in was a pocket dimension of sorts, built into the nature of The Ruins and the rest of the Underground to manage conflicts between inhabitants, dubbed the FIGHT system.

Frisk looked back to see their opponent, a pegasus pony with a mailbag and eyes that couldn't quite focus on one thing, looked just as frightened as they were. 

To the humans surprise, four labels in pink boxes hovered before them, caled Fight, Act, Item and Mercy respectively. Tia advised that the best way to solve the conflict was to strike up a friendly conversation, as most ponies preferred to aviod violence. They hesitated, but managed to press Act to introduce themselves and this seemed to calm the scared pony and with an exchange of the 'spare' option ended the fight.
> The Annoying Pheonix
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The winged pony was introduced as Derpy. Frisk watched as the pegasus pulled out a letter from her mailbag. After giving Tia her mail, Derpy apologised for the brief misunderstanding and flew off.

Tia tucked the letter into her robe and led Frisk further down the path. As they walked Tia explained that they were headed to a marketplace just outside the small settlement called Ponyville. From there Tia would introduce Frisk to the general populace as well as treating the young human to their promised cake.

Eventually another pony crossed their path and despite Tia's calm demeanor, the yellow maned, pink furred mare galloped off screaming at the sight of Frisk. Tia sighed and asked them to stay put and gave the child a cell phone and trotted off to attempt to minimize panic.

Frisk sat down and fiddled with the new device while they waited. They were engrossed in a game of snake when the phone rang loudly. The startled human answered, a grin stretched across their face as Tia cheerfully explained that she was gathering supplies to have a picnic. The change of plans was brought on with the promise of a surprise when they reach Ponyville.

After Tia ended the conversation, Frisk fidgeted in excitement, they had never been on a picnic before. After a moment they settled back down and went back to their game.

Five minutes later Tia called back to inform them she would be away longer than she expected. A screech interupted the call and Frisk heard their new mentor cry out in surprise. Tia hastily explained that a large bird had taken off with the picnic basket, Tia reassured Frisk she would call back soon and hung up.

Frisk wondered whether or not they should go and help Tia and reasoned that the mare would be fine.

Tia called back five minutes and Frisk was confused at what they heard. The flapping of wings and a cawing laugh came through the speaker and Frisk could just hear Tia calling out to the phone stealer- Philomena appeared to be the birds name. The laughter continued and Frisk hung up.

Tia needed help.
> Ruins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Filled with determination, Frisk headed further into the Ruins. They walked at a brisk pace through hallways and rooms, the neat paths and lush plant life offered pleasant scenery that was almost welcoming to the slightly-scared-but-they-would-push-past-it child.

Every now and then a pony would cross their and a FIGHT would happen. Frisk didn't hold it against the ponies when one attacked in fear. The stray bolts of fear powered magic stung when one hit the child's floating red heart that was their SOUL, but they paid it no mind and ended each FIGHT as quickly and peacefully as possible.

The encounters were strange, Frisk didn't even know they had a soul, but something seemed to tell them what their soul was. They shrugged it off as perhaps reading about it somewhere and pressed on.

They soon arrived in a small room, a light furred, green maned pony sat on the ground drawing something on a sketchpad, occasionally glancing up at the flowers dotted around the room.

Frisk sat and watched the piny for a while, they needed to keep going but they didn't want to be rude and possibly scare the pony.

An idea popped up, it wasn't something they thought they would do, but they went with it anyway. They picked a nice looking flower, walked up to the pony and hesitated. Frisk could practically see the question in their minds eye.

*Give a peace offering?
-Yes   -No

They steeled themselves and selected 'Yes'. The mare was jolted out of her drawing and the FIGHT system popped up around them.
> Pony Fight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk looked down at the four options before them. A thought popped up about offering the flower they still held, but decided to try something else.

* ACT> Check.

What could only be described as a text box popped up and a voice Frisk had never heard before read out the words that appeard.

* Coco Pommel, Atk= 10, Def= 5. A fashion artist with confidence issues, handle with care.

Coco clutched her sketchpad close with one hoof and apologised for blocking the way, but she appeared too afraid to move.

The world around Frisk responded to the pony's fear and the human scrambled to move their SOUL out of harms way as magic infused grass and leaves rained down upon them.

Frisk shakily stood their ground and looked at the options they had in the ACT menu. They were drawn towards one.

* ACT> Compliment.

Coco appeared flustered by the praise and she didn't seem sure how to respond.

* Coco's Atk decreased.

Frisk was able to avoid most of the killer plant life and made their next move.

* ACT> Give> Flower.

Coco seemed confused but quickly recognized the flower as one that grew nearby. She smiled at the kind gesture.

* Coco is sparing you.

Frisk felt just as relieved as Coco when their turn came.

* MERCY> Spare.

The world returned to normal as Frisk waved goodbye to their new friend.

They continued walking until they reached a room where the sandy path was surrounded by pillars and the exit was blocked by a large wall made of one solid block of wood. The obvious puzzle loomed ahead as if to taunt Frisk.

They stood tall, they would not let the puzzle be their undoing and walked over to a nearby signpost, surely that would have a clue.

Frisk squinted at the strange picture based lettering on the sign. What was this? How were they supposed to beat the puzzle if they couldn't read the clue?
> Your Best Friend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk continued to be puzzled by the puzzle when a voice asked if they needed help. The human turned around and saw-of all things- a talking flower.

She was mostly purple with expressive purple eyes and a face that almost resembled a pony.

The talking plant introduced herself as Twily and asked if Frisk was alright. The child quickly explained and Twily beamed and offered to help them.

The flower led Frisk to look behind the pillars and elaborated that three pillars had a button and a picture that acted as a clue to solve the puzzle. Twily pointed to the green button with a leaf symbol and said it was like one big game of Go Fish, you just had to match the door and the switch.

Frisk brightened up and-

Their thanks died on their tounge as they pressed the button. A shuddering thud from behind them startled them and Frisk turned around to see they were completely trapped in the room.

Twily smiled and sweetly stated that somepony would quickly come to their aid. Her smile turned cruel as she sneered that all they would find is a corpse.

Frisk's SOUL was pulled into a FIGHT. They were shocked, they just simply couldn't respond as Twily ranted that they were weak, free EXP and the child's blood ran cold at the words kill or be killed. Their SOUL was boxed in as orbs of magic formed a circle around it and Twily mockingly cooed that her supposed Friendship Pellets wouldn't hurt a bit.

They shut their eyes, they didn't want to die-!

A bright flash of light was felt behind their scrunched up eyelids. Frisk took a chance and opened their eyes to see everything was back to normal and Twily was gone. They trembled as Tia cantered over and scolded them for leaving the room, they didn't care and clung to mare's robe utterly terrified.

Tia sighed and quietly asked Frisk if they still wanted to have a picnic. They suddenly remembered the reason why they were here in the first place and asked Tia if she had gotten her phone back. Tia replied that she had and the two chatted about it while they ate.
> Fallen Down
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As they ate, the conversation soon drifted to how Frisk managed to trap themselves in the ruins. They thought about the best way to tell Tia and once again an idea they'd never thought of popped into their head. They told Tia someone had tricked them into doing the puzzle wrong, they couldn't read pony writing so how were they to know?

Tia asked if it was a pony who tricked them. They weren't sure how to respond, they weren't really sure if Tia would believe that it was a talking flower. The mare noticed their confusion and explained that other creatures lived alongside ponies ever since all of ponydom was trapped underground.

Wait, what?

Frisk was determined to know more and so, Tia told them a story of a land once Called Equestria.

Long ago, two races lived in harmony, Humans and Ponies. They shared technology, culture and magic across their two kingdoms.

As time wore on the two sisters who ruled the ponies grew further apart, until the youngest was tainted by darkness and refused to fulfil her royal duty. Despite the elder sister pleading with her to show MERCY, a war broke out between the two with the humans caught in the crossfire.

The humans refused to remain idle and rose up. Their Determination drove the ponies deep underground and sealed them in with a magic spell.

All of ponydom was afraid, for they soon discovered they were not alone. In the war against Equestria, other kingdoms soon followed the ponies down underground, where they have all remained ever since. 

Tia finished the tale by explaining that the other races did not get along well with ponies and though ponies were harmless enough, a griffin or dragon might not view a human in the best light. Frisk replied that they would try their best to bring peace to all the kingdoms!

It was only fair after all, humans were big meanie pants for trapping everyone underground.

Tia laughed and praised their enthusiasm. The pair packed up their things and prepared to leave but not before Frisk asked how to solve the puzzle.
> Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk was shown a carving on wall above the sign. It had three symbols with arrows leading from one to the next in a circle. Tia explained that the carving represented the most basic law of all magic, that there is no such thing as a type of magic stronger than the rest. Frisk studied the carving and in their minds eye information was made clear.

* Fire burns wood, wood absorbs water and water quenches fire. It's just like Rock Paper, Scissors!

With their new insight, Frisk found a red switch with a fire symbol above it, they pressed it and both entrances were opened up once more.

Tia smiled warmly and led the child through the rest of the Ruins until they reached a fork in the path. Tia pointed to the left path and told the young human that it led to Ponyville. The mare led Frisk down the right path and explained that it would take time for her little ponies to get used to the idea of a human in the Underground and until then she thought it would be best if Frisk stayed with her.

Frisk's eyes almost popped out of their head. They get to live with the most awesome teacher ever? They didn't know what to do with the amount of kindness thrown their way!

They fidgeted, but their words died in their throat as they looked at the cosy looking log cabin at the end of the path. It had a pink mailbox and Frisk noticed an outhouse off to the side.

As Tia welcomed them to their new home, they were filled with DETERMINATION. Their jaw dropped when they were led inside, the cave had been carved out and expanded to become part of the house. It's bigger on the inside! They left their shoes by the door, the plush red carpet muffled their steps as they whizzed around the house in excited exploration. 

Past the entryway the walls were white marble, eloquently carved furniture decorated the large living room and a fireplace blazed merrily near the back wall with large cushions and sofas organized in a semicircle around its warm glow.

There was a hallway down to the right, past a staircase that led to the floor below.
> Home (Music Box)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk idly registered Tia heading towards the kitchen to the left of the living room as the child went towards the hallway to the right.

They peaked over the staircase railing and stared down at the darkness below, slightly intimidated by it they moved away and headed further down the hallway. They marvelled at the plants growing in pots by the wall, they politely ignored the doors they walked past-they had a feeling they weren't supposed to go in there yet- and pulled funny faces in the mirror.

* It's you!

They paused at the thought that popped up in their head but were quickly snapped out of their musings as Tia called them over. The mare directed Frisk to the room at the beginning of the hall and gently prompted them to go inside. The room had a bed, a closet, nightstand, desk and some bookshelves. A toy box with an assortment of toys was by one corner.

Tia stated that this would be their room. Frisk didn't know it was possible to get this many surprises in one day, it was starting to wear them out. They yawned and Tia suggested they take a nap. Frisk nodded and soon flopped onto the soft mattress and was quickly asleep, they didn't even notice Tia tuck them in with her magic.

When they awoke, they found Tia lying on a cushion while reading a scroll. Frisk greeted the kind pony and sat beside her as Tia explained that she was going over ideas for Frisk's education.

Frisk sat silent as they listened, their own plan forming in their head. Determined, Frisk asked if all the different kingdoms got along.

Tia sighed and told them that most blamed pony kind for being trapped underground in the first place and that many simply had a way of life that others didn't wish to understand.

Frisk thought about it and asked if everyone would get along better if they weren't trapped underground?

Tia looked troubled and seemed to be searching for the right way to answer. Eventually she said breaking the barrier would make everyone happy, but there would be no peace between the kingdoms. 

Frisk had a new idea.
> Anticipation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They borrowed a backpack from 'their' room and when Tia was asleep, raided the fridge, left a note on the kitchen table and tiptoed downstairs. It was dark, Frisk reached out for the wall with one hand and followed it at a slow but steady pace. There was a golden glow at the end of the corridor, did they reach the end?

Tia looked angry as she blocked the way to a large doorway. She sternly asked why they were leaving, why didn't they like it here?

Frisk stood their ground, they were only going to try and help, they could make everyone happy.

Tia looked down at them, her eyes seemed to look through Frisk, as if she'd done this before. With a heavy sigh, the mare spoke. She told Frisk of those who had fallen before them of how they left and then died, of how no matter the friends and progress gained, LUNA killed them and the same would happen to Frisk.

Hesitantly Frisk asked why the other humans died, did everyone hate humanity that much?

Tia said that they would find out soon enough and asked the child if they truly wanted to bring peace to the various kingdoms, for if they did, Tia would have to give them a test.

They said they would do everything they can. Tia smiled sadly for a brief moment. Her gaze hardened and white, swan like wings unfurled through gaps in her cloak.

In a voice that could command an army Tia ordered Frisk to prove themselves, to show her they were strong enough to survive.

The FIGHT began.
> Sunburn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk did their best to dodge the fireballs Tia attacked them with, aside from trying to stay alive, they weren't sure how to pass this 'test'.

A fireball hit their SOUL, they winced as they felt their HP drop. The attacks ceased and Frisk paused over the ACT button. What could they do to show Tia they could win? An idea popped up, maybe it was a trick, maybe they didn't have to fight back?

Their eyes lingered over the FIGHT button, they were told to prove their strength and so they were determined to do so. This was only a test, Frisk thought, as soon they had shown their potential Tia would stop. Besides their weapon was a stick, perfectly harmless.

* FIGHT. 

The stick did not break and Tia tried to hide a flinch as she was stuck but she quickly recovered and fireballs rained down from above once more.

* FIGHT.

DETERMINATION surged through Frisk, they would make Tia proud- wait did that attack take away half her hp? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

* MERCY> Spare.

Frisk pleaded with Tia to stop, or offer a hint, a different test even! Tia stood firm and stated that they should fight or run away, others would not go easy on them. Frisk was paralyzed with indecision. They knew they couldn't stand there forever and eventually took their turn.

* ACT> Check.
* Princess Celestia ATK= 80 DEF= 80. A ruler who teaches her subjects to stand on their own feet... Regardless of what she has to do to achieve it.

They avoided yet more fire. They steeled themselves, gripped their stick and took a breath. They knew what to do...
> Heartache (MERCY)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

* MERCY> Spare

Tia looked shaken as Frisk smiled at them. The human child spread their arms as if to offer the mare a hug. Even as fireballs flew past them, they stood their ground and they spared Tia again. She seemed conflicted, the golden glow of her horn dulled slightly as she cast a halfhearted spell that moved out of Frisk's way.

* MERCY> Spare.

The FIGHT sequence vanished around them as Tia swept Frisk up into a hug and apologized for her foolishness. The mare explained that areas beyond the ruins were not as peaceful as they once were.

With a sigh, Tia cast a healing spell and Frisk felt like her magic was hugging them gently as it healed their injuries. When she was finished Tia unlocked the exit and informed the child that she could not leave the ruins but Tia promised to leave the door open and they were free to come and go as they pleased.

Frisk promised to visit once they had united the kingdoms of the Underground and with a hug goodbye, the Teacher and Student parted ways.

Though just before she left, Tia spoke of a Luck Dragon that lived not far beyond the exit, should they ever need shelter, Frisk should seek her out. 

Frisk exited the hall to find Twily waiting for them. The flower sweetly mocked them for sparing Tia. With a twisted grin the plant asked what they would do if they faced a relentless killer, after all, not every creature down in the Underground had the weakness of friendship.

Frisk stared down at Twily impassively and for once the idea that popped into their head was one they agreed with.

* In this world it's Spare or be Spared.

They voiced their opinion to Twily who quickly began to insult them. With a huff the flower calmed down and admitted that Frisk's actions had caught their interest and with a sinister remark about keeping an eye on them and an equally sinister laugh, Twily vanished into the ground. With a shrug, Frisk excited the RUINS, they were on a mission and were determined to pull it off!

PONYTALE
> Heartache (FIGHT)  Non Canon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

* FIGHT

Frisk believed with all their might that Tia would be fine, it was just a test right? 

The mare fell to her knees, a large gash tore clean through her robe and her chest. The cloth slipped off, a pair of white swan like wings unfurled from her back and hung limply as Tia smiled through the pain.

She told Frisk that they did well, that this was not their fault and asked them to be good. As her body crumbled away into fine, white dust Tia unlocked the exit and spoke of a Luck Dragon that lived not far beyond the exit, a dragon that would help them. She continued to smile, even as the last of her body turned to dust.

Frisk stood in shock as a white upside-down heart with a smaller red heart inside floated up from the pile, it seemed to wobble and waver in the air for a moment before it shattered into a million pieces. Numbly, they gathered her remains into her cloak and carried them upstairs and through the house to her room. Nothing else mattered as they placed the remains on her bed, found some paper, a pencil and wrote a note. They left the note on the dining room table and trudged back down towards the RUINS exit.

They barely paid attention to Twily as she congratulated them on living up to her ideals. The rest of her speech was tuned out as they walked past her towards the exit. Frisk had a job to do and in the name of Princess Celestia, they were determined to carry it out.

PONYTALE
> This is new...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stonedin Forest

The ground beneath their feet was hard, solid dirt and rock. Trees without leaves loomed above them from both sides of the path, the thin trunks and spindly branches reminded the child of the world above...

The quiet of the forest sent chills down their spine, wrapping their arms around themselves, they walked onward. Every small noise and trick of the artificial light sent them darting around in a panic. Soon they were no longer paying attention to where they were going and tripped over a large, sturdy branch. Frisk winced, got back up and kept walking.

A loud crack broke the eerie silence, Frisk looked behind them to see the same branch broken apart as if it were their stick.

* The fear of the unknown fills you with DETERMINATION.

They ran like a bat out of hell. Flecks of stone flicked up from their sprint and a light in the corner of their eye caught the child's attention. Frisk turned sharply and bolted down a neat, brightly lit path.

They soon reached a cosy looking log cabin a large sign hung near the door and much to Frisk's surprise one section was written in a language they could read.

* Welcome to Stonedin Sanctuary, feel free to rest and relax free of charge.
* We happily accept donations.

They tested the door and it creaked open with ease. They walked inside to find a simple welcoming interior with soft, dark blue carpet and pictures lining the walls. A bed, closet and nightstand was over to the right corner and a simple, yet well equipped kitchen was off to the left side of the cabin. Between some bookshelves near the back an old oil painting of seven robed figures hung from the wall. 

Frisk plopped down onto a giant cushion that laid on the floor and studied the painting. Each figure wore a different coloured robe and an item of clothing as if it were a badge of honor, a literal badge in the case of the yellow robed figure. Their musings were cut short as someone else stepped inside.






> Lady Luck Dragon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The newcomer wore a long, hooded purple robe that torn in some places and patched up in others. All that could be seen of their face was a white furred, wolf like snout and long, orange locks of hair not unlike a equine mane. The creature's leathery wings shifted to sit more comfortably on their serpentine body and their equally long tail curled up slightly.

Without a word, the peculiar beast walked over to the kitchen and deposited some bags of foodsuff onto a small bench. They smiled as they greeted Frisk, the creature's scale covered, clawed hands clasped together in a polite manner as the newcomer introduced themselves.

They-or rather she- was named Lora. She went on to explain that she cared for a series of houses that served as nuetral territory between the various warring factions. She casually offered the child a place to stay and some advice, should they need it.

Frisk asked about the painting on the wall. Lora sighed and sat down on the giant cushion in a very dog like manner. The child took a seat beside her as the dragoness spoke of The Seven Sages.

When mankind declared war they poured every ounce of determination into finding a way to best the pony kingdom. Technology was of no issue as they had far surpassed Equestria in that regard, magic on the other hand was not as bountiful for the human race as it was other creatures.

The brightest and best minds humanity had to offer worked extensively to study magic and when that was achieved, they chose four of their best mages to make a weapon to end the war once and for all. The poor souls tried until they found a school of magic the pony race dare not touch. With Dark Magic at their disposal, four became seven and were given the order to seize control over all of ponydom.

But they refused.

Their research, their struggles and the friendship that bound them together allowed them to understand magic on level other humans had yet to realize and betraying their very people, they drove all of ponydom underground and created the barrier.  
> Sans.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enraptured by the tale, Frisk asked what happened next. Their mouth hung open slightly as they were told that the Seven Sages locked themselves in the Underground along with all of the other races that now lived across the underground 'kingdom'.

Lora finished her tale by promising to tell them more if they reached her second sanctuary in the Chitin Caves.

Frisk yawned and Lora directed them to the bed in the corner. They nodded in gratitude, left their shoes by the door and took a nap.

They dreamed of Lora offering words of encouragement, to "Stay Determined". They woke up to an empty cabin.

Frisk rubbed the sleep from their eyes and read a note Lora left behind. The dragoness had jobs elsewhere to get to and warned them about Diamond Dogs, the path ahead was littered with holes from their burrowing.  The note also advised them to be careful, the dogs were fighting against a small pony settlement.

* The idea of bringing peace to the conflict fills you with DETERMINATION.

With an idea in mind, Frisk exited the cabin and continued down the forest path. The trees gave way to a large clearing with a gravel path that led the child past a wooden sentry station and it's occupant. Frisk stared silently at the humanoid skeleton that snored away inside. The bony creature's skull rested on their arms as the fur lined hood of their light blue hoodie slowly fell over it's owners skull. A note was lazily taped to the front of the sentry station, a sentence was written in a language Frisk could read.

* Trying to Ketchup on sleep, Do Not Disturb.

Frisk decided to leave the snoring skeleton alone for the time being and began to tiptoe past. 

A loud, long farting noise broke the silence and Frisk looked down to see that they had stepped on a whoppie cushion painted grey to look like a rock. A snort and a deep chuckle followed soon after as the skeleton sat up and peered down at the human with a large grin plastered on it's face and two white dots of light glowed in good humour from it's eye sockets.
> Bonedoggle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The skeleton continued to grin and it somehow managed to talk despite not even moving its mouth. He introduced himself as Sans and casually stated that he was on the lookout for humans, well, he was supposed to at any rate. With a stretch he walked out of station and stood infront of Frisk.

Their first thought was that looks were deceiving, despite appearing small while hunched up in his booth, Sans was as tall as some of the men Frisk saw around their old village from the surface. They noticed he wore black shorts with a white stripe down the front of each leg, pink, fuzzy looking slippers and an old gold badge was pinned to the white cotton turtleneck top he wore under his unzipped hoodie.

With a shrug, Sans explained that it was his job to capture humans and as much as he wanted to pass the responsibility over to his brother, neither of them would get paid if he didn't at least try.

With that said, the skeleton apologized as he pulled Frisk into a FIGHT.

The young human looked up Sans, who simply shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and shrugged.

* ACT> check
* Sans [REDACTED]- 1 Atk, 1 Def.
* Likes good food, good friends and bad jokes. Try not to crack a rib at his puns.

Sans commented on his unwillingness to fight and jokingly blamed it on a lack of guts as he summoned a bone to toss at Frisk.

It missed them by a mile.

* MERCY> Spare

Sans seemed to think about their choice of action and decided he was too lazy to keep fighting. The FIGHT area faded and the skeleton strolled back into his booth just as another voice frustratingly called for him from the path ahead.
> Nyeh heh heh!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A skeleton wearing orange gloves, matching boots and scarf and an almost round top stomped into the clearing. The even taller skeleton completely ignored Frisk as he berated Sans on his non existent puzzle to catch humans. Sans stated he found a human and pointed in Frisk's general direction, so technically he was done for the day.

This seemed to excite the other skeleton who took one look at Frisk and struck a heroic pose. The gold bands that hung off his bony wrists moved with him as he bravely and extravagantly declared his intention of besting Frisk with puzzles and capturing them. They couldn't help but be swept up in the skeletons enthusiasm as he stated that with their capture The Great Papyrus will end the battle between the dogs and ponies thus earning the attention of the Cloudsdale Captains and finally become a member of the royal guard.

With a "Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus sprinted off to prepare the challenges Frisk would have to face.

Sans idly said things went well and asked them if they could play along, Papyrus would be thrilled.

Frisk shrugged, it seemed like the best way to go about doing things. 

They left Sans to sleep away the day at his post and continued onward. The grey, rocky landscape offered little to look at, though signs of previous plant life were seen here and there in the forms of long dead trees and shrubbery. Upturned earth and holes soon covered the sides of the gravel road and Frisk could have sworn they felt something watching them.

They walked faster. A rock shifted behind them and they looked back to find no one there. They took a single step forward when a shower of stones and dirt exploded from two nearby holes. When the dust settled two massive dogs with floppy ears, stern expressions and dressed in crude metal armor barred Frisk's way. The dogs grunted at each other in broken sentences as they debated on what Frisk was. They could tell the child wasn't a pony, yet the dogs weren't sure if Frisk was a dog. They decided to end the debate by pulling Frisk into a FIGHT.
> Fetch!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The dogs were intimidating to say the least. Frisk clutched their stick closer to their body in an act of self defense-

Wait, were the dogs following the stick's movement? The human slowly moved the stick one way, then the other and much to their surprise, the giant beasts before them were intently focused on the small piece of wood. 

An idea popped into Frisk's head, it was risk, but they wouldn't be able to spell their own name without the word 'risk'.

* ITEM> Stick
* You throw the stick-

The text, along with the voice reading it out, paused as the two dogs rushed off after the thrown stick. Frisk heard a few growls and yelps before they both returned.

* -The Guard Dogs bring it back.
* Their Atk decreased.

The two canines snapped out of their stick induced excitement and hurled a small handful of rocks at Frisk, who sidestepped to avoid them. They wiped the drool off the stick before they made their next move.

* MERCY> Spare.

The dogs decided that whatever Frisk was, they were nice enough to leave alone. The FIGHT area vanished as one dog asked it's companion if they would get in trouble with 'Alpha'. The other dog shrugged and said it wasn't their problem.

Frisk looked down at their stick after the dogs left, they were glad the trick worked and equally glad they still had their stick. 

They liked their stick, they still couldn't decide on a name for it yet.
> Hopscotch
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk found Sans and Papyrus waiting for them in a wide clearing. The human could see the eyes of many Diamond Dogs glinting in the darkness near the trees. Several different coloured tiles made out of polished gemstone lay on the ground in a long, complicated path and Frisk thought it looked a bit like a long game of hopscotch.

Papyrus spotted them and with dramatic flair, he explained that this was a puzzle designed by Lora to test humans. Frisk paid close attention to how it worked, nearly every gem was enchanted to slightly zap those who stood on them and only who solved a riddle would figure out the safe way across. 

Papyrus turned to Sans and nudged the dozing skeleton awake. Sans yawned, looked over at Frisk and said the safe path involved the gems that were identical in everything except for their names.

He then fell back asleep.

Frisk made a show of trying to 'solve' the puzzle, they intended to fail agter all, and hopped onto a yellow tile.

Ouch that hurt- it only took away 1 hp?

Frisk experimented, hopping from one tile to the next, they weren't quite sure which ones zapped them or not but when half their health was gone, they had somehow stumbled to the finish, they almost thought they were being guided.

Papyrus praised their cunning and declared the human a worthy opponent! With the promise of more cunning traps and astounding puzzles, The Great Papyrus dashed off. Sans walked over to Frisk and gave them something, Lora asked him to give it to whoever beat the 'Hardest Hopscotch Ever' puzzle as a reward.

* You got...You got a Homemade Chocolate...
* Made with perseverance and kindness to get the perfect flavour. Restores 50 hp.

Sans went on to say that Papyrus had been down lately, even to the point where he couldn't think up new puzzles, one of his favourite jobs as a sentry. Lora heard about it and gave him some new ideas, Sans said she even asked people online using the Undernet. Frisk smiled at the idea and stated that they would do their best to cheer up Papyrus.
> Dragon's Ire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk munched on their chocolate as they walked. More dogs approached them as they went on, but the canines were quickly calmed down by a game of fetch and a few pats on the head. They were amazed by one white, fluffy dog whose neck extended every time Frisk pet them, but they had a feeling they couldn't do it forever.

They heard a commotion and ducked behind a large rock. They peeked out to find a whole group of Diamond Dogs with Sans and Papyrus. Frisk watched as four of the dogs boxed the skeletons in as several more growled and muttered among themselves.

There was a rush of wind as Lora landed in front of the group and calmly asked what was going on. The bulkiest hound of the group stepped forward and...

Frisk froze with uncertainty as the dog spoke of rumors that Lora had kidnapped the true leader of the Diamond Dogs and was hiding her in the pony settlement. The canine went on to explain that Ruff, their current leader, had sent this group of dogs out to find information and secure the pony settlement for the pack.

Papyrus spoke up and said he had asked the dogs to help him with a puzzle to capture the human, the large dog snapped back that the human was a pony spy just like the skeletons. Sans tried to explain the situation as casually as he could but the sharp end of several spears were pointed at him as a warning. Papyrus wasn't really sure on what to do except stand between the weapons and his brother.

Lora growled and grabbed the apparent ring leader by the scruff of his neck with her left hand and ordered him to release her friends.

Frisk felt they should do something, but what? They looked down at their stick... Would it work?
> So Cute, Much wow (ACT)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

* ACT

Frisk aimed carefully and tossed their stick over the heads of the angry dogs. Lora, the dog still in her clutches and the two skeletons watched in amazement as the small group of canines squabbled over the stick. In the midst of the scuffle, of fluffy white puffball of a puppy popped up out of the pile and pranced over to over Frisk the stick in its mouth.

The other dogs untangled and questions about where the puppy had come from and whose puppy it was filled the air as the human was preoccupied with petting the pup.

Frisk giggled as the pup licked their face, this was a good puppy. As the two young ones played, and roped Papyrus into the mix because it would be more fun, Lora fussed over Sans as the dogs talked amung themselves.

After both Sans and Papyrus convinced the luck dragon that they were both fine, Lora explained that the pup was called Chibi. Things were soon sorted as Sans asked about Chibi's mother, Lora scooped up the puppy and replied that both Lora and Chibi's mother had been looking for the little pup.  The luck dragon praised Frisk's quick thinking and apologized for letting them see something so frightening. Sans cracked a joke about the child's bravery and reminded his brother that there were more puzzles to finish.

This sent Papyrus into a dramatic frenzy, he remembered why he had approached the Diamond Dogs in the first place and wailed that the new puzzle Lora had found for him would go to waste.

The dragon herself reassured him that it was fine and politely asked two dogs if they could lend a paw. They agreed as long as Papyrus was kept happy, they didn't seem to appreciate his almost theatrical tantrum, if one could call it that. Papyrus left with the dogs in tow with all his usual flair and Sans gave Lora a beaming grin as the two parted ways.

Frisk sighed in relief as the rest of the dogs followed Lora and Chibi to reunite mother and pup.
> Epic fail at failing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk found the two skeletons up ahead with the two dogs that agreed to help out. As soon as Papyrus saw them announced that this next puzzle was truly a devious deceiver of a...Papyrus paused, he couldn't think of the right word...

Sans chimed in by asking his brother if his alleged alliteration awesomeness had unexpectedly unravelled at the sight of such an unparalleled and unprecedented display of puzzling perfection.

A cricket chirped in the silence that followed.

Papyrus picked up his train of thought and gestured to the puzzle before him. The two dogs stood on a square slab of stone that was just one of many on the grid they were on and the only difference was that the slabs were gray instead of brown.  Papyrus explained that the goal of the puzzle was to move the dogs from the brown rocks they stood on to the rocks in the middle of the grid. Frisk nodded as they were told that when one dog moved, the other would copy them and that the dogs could only be moved one space at a time.

Frisk took a moment to plan ahead, failing this should be easy right?

They came up with as many wrong paths as they could and each time they got 'stuck', the two dogs moved back to their starting positions. After fifteen minutes Frisk admitted 'defeat' and was about to give up when the dogs moved on their own and loudly commented that the human had solved the puzzle.

Papyrus took the news in stride and congratulated Frisk, they must like puzzles almost as much as he did. The enthusiastic skeleton vowed that he would not let the human best him! He told Frisk they had better be prepared because the next puzzle was one designed by Sans!

After Papyrus left the two dogs let Frisk pet them for a bit before leaving. Sans shrugged and said that Frisk was doing a good job and there was no need to worry about Papyrus, he's pretty harmless.

Sans promised to keep an eye socket out for them and walked off in the complete opposite direction of his brother.
> Blue Stop Signs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk didn't meet much resistance as they moved forward, save for a dog that only saw moving things. The FIGHT was interesting, the dog used blue coloured attacks and Frisk had an irresistible urge to stand still. Since that seemed to work the battle was soon resolved with some petting and a game of fetch.

Their journey was quiet and Frisk swore they heard the faint sound of music as they walked or was it someone humming? They thought back to other times after they fell down into the Underground where they heard a voice or had an idea that wouldn't have occurred to them.

The humming stopped. Frisk was pulled out of their thoughts by Sans, who had appeared out of the blue, or perhaps they just didn't notice. Sans offered some advice in case ghey ever had to FIGHT Papyrus, Papyrus had a blue attack that only did damage if Frisk moved and Sans suggested to think of blue stop signs.

Makes sense.

With a pat on the back and a good natured joke Sans left Frisk to their own devices. The human smiled at the joke and they continued to smile when they reached a small clearing to find Sans and his brother waiting for them with another puzzle. Papyrus asked Sans where the puzzle was and the comedian pointed to a piece of paper on the ground. Frisk walked over and picked it up. It was a word search. They looked down again and saw a pencil that wasn't there before, Frisk shrugged, sat down and began to solve the word search. 

* The desire to impress your new friends fills you with DETERMINATION.

They had trouble finding the last word. Frisk genuinely wanted to show the two skeletons all the effort they put into solving the word search. They were getting frustrated and the juman child felt tears building up and tried with all their might not to cry.

They only wanted to be good and help everyone...

The determination that been driving them drained away and all their fear and stress took its place. They felt a bony hand on their shoulder and looked up to see Sans crouched down next to them.


> Stonedin Town
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk sniffed and said they were having trouble finding the last word. Sans helped them find it but was quickly berated by his brother. Papyrus exclaimed that it was treason to help the human, it was their job to capture humans not help them.

Frisk took a shaky breath and apologized, they just wanted to help out and make friends. They didn't want to get anyone in trouble.

Papyrus asked Sans if humans were supposed to leak from their eyes and the hoodie wearing skeleton explained it was called crying. Papyrus asked if there anything he could do.

Sans inspected Frisk and replied that maybe the human was tired and offered to take Frisk to town so they could rest. When they nodded, Sans told Papyrus that he could try to capture the human later, picked Frisk up and told Papyrus he'd ketchup later. 

Frisk blinked and while they still being held by Sans, they were no longer in the place the were before. Frisk looked around at the neat stone brick houses, tidy little gardens and stone pathways as ponies went about their daily business. The town was small and simple, almost plain in appearance but had a bit of charm to it that felt welcoming.

Sans put them down and welcomed them to Stonedin Town, a place of hardworking honest ponies. The skeleton guided them to the Inn and handed them a small bag of gold coins. Sans said everyone Underground used the coins, called Bits, to buy things. He said they should have enough to stay at the Inn for a night and still have enough left over for snacks.

After a nap Frisk felt better, if not a little embarrassed at how they acted. They took the time to explore the town and made a note to check out the library after they had talked to Papyrus. As they wandered Frisk noticed that the town was surrounded by a high stone wall that looked fairly new. They thought that maybe it was built to keep the dogs out.

Frisk remembered the conflict between the diamond dogs and the ponies. They decided that maybe it was good idea to sort that problem out first.
> Idle Gossip
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk started to ask around town for opinions on the situation. Their conversation with a donkey was interrupted when said donkey spotted something behind Frisk and hastily excused himself. Frisk watched the creature dart off, they felt confused and turned around to see Lora walking up the street with a large white wolf strolling beside her. Frisk ran over to greet them and was immediately tackled by the ball of fluff that was Chibi.

Lora introduced the wolf as Ammy, Chibi's mother and explained that Ammy had come to negotiate a peace treaty with the locals of Stonedin.

Frisk shook Ammy's paw as the wolf revealed that the misunderstanding between the Diamond Dogs and the inhabitants of Stonedin was due to her disappearance, she had wanted to raise Chibi away from the conflict the pack was going through at the time.

Frisk nodded and hummed in understanding. They offered to escort the two canines around town and looked around to find someone to introduce them to-

But there wasn't a single being on the streets, except for the four of them. Lora sighed said this was mostly her fault, they were afraid of her. The dragon sagged slightly and drawled that if Frisk spread a rumour of Ammy chasing her away it might kickstart negotiations.

Chibi tilted his head to the side in confusion and Ammy pointed that it would give everyone the idea that Lora was a villain. The dragoness just sighed and said there wasn't much else that could be done about that. Frisk tugged on her robe and asked if they could help. Reluctantly Lora admitted that they were welcome to try.

Frisk started by guiding Lora around town while Ammy went off to sort out a peace treaty. The dragon perked up at the mention of a library but it was hard to tell due to the hood she constantly had up hiding most of her face. The pair wandered around for some time and Frisk bought some snacks from a small shop next to the Inn, the pony at the counter seemed fine, as long as Lora waited outside.
> Idle Curiosity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some time later as Frisk listened to Lora as she recounted the events of a costume party Sans had invited her to a couple weeks ago, a young, yellow filly with a red mane and tail approached them. Orange eyes shining with courage and curiosity, the little pony asked if Lora was the big scary monster everypony was afraid of. 

Lora went quiet and after a few seconds her shoulders sagged and she sadly replied that she was. The filly asked why and stated that while Lora looked strange, she didn't seem scary. Frisk agreed and urged the dragon to speak up.

Lora leaned up against the wall that surrounded the town and suggested that it was probably due to her job. She went on to explain that she ran Sanctuaries all over the Underground, everyday she flew from one to the next and collected the messages all the different residents left for her, sorted through them all and spent the rest of her time delivering supplies and answering requests until late into the night. Lora finished her explanation by saying that what little free time she had was spent bouncing between different activities with her six friends, or catching up on sleep so she didn't have the time to quell rumours about herself.

The young pony asked if she could make time if it was a request? Frisk thought the idea was perfect, but it had to be done properly. The filly agreed, her older siblings told her to do a job right, or not at all. With their new idea firmly planted into their mind, Frisk led the group as they marched back to Stonedin Sanctuary- well Frisk and the filly, who introduced herself as Apple Bloom, marched as Lora followed behind them smiling slightly.

* The plan to help your new friend fills you with DETERMINATION.

About a quater of the way there Lora asked Frisk if they wanted a ride and both human and pony looked at her wide-eyed, they could do that?

Needless to say dragon rides were the Best. Thing. Ever, though Frisk had to wonder how Lora's hood stayed up despite flying fast enough for the wind to pull it back.
> 'Idle'-ising
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Apple Bloom wrote out her request on a slip of paper, Frisk stared up at the painting of The Seven Sages while Lora made them lunch. The Sanctuary was filled with a peaceful silence that was only broken by the dragoness bustling around the kitchen, though the noise wasn't all that loud.

The painting held a wealth of information and more questions than answers for Frisk, they wanted to learn more and decided to write down some notes they could use if they had time to go the library later. As they wrote, they heard The Voice read out their work and even told them what some of the items were called.

* The Red Sage has a medallion.
* The Light Bl- that colour is Cyan- The Cyan Sage has a feathered broach.
* The Blue Sage has a scarf.
* The Purple Sage has- used to wear- a heart shaped locket.
* The yellow Sage has a badge.
* The Green Sage has gold bands.
* The Orange Sage has a pocket watch.

A commotion outside drew their attention, Frisk put their notes away and walked outside to see-

Oh dear, an orange pony with a yellow mane and tail and wearing a cowboy (cowpony?) hat was demanding entry into the Sanctuary. Papyrus was trying as hard as he could to reason with the mare and the shouting coming from her sounded rather mean. Frisk walked up to the angry pony and asked what was going on. The mare took one look at the human and asked what had they done to Apple Bloom. Frisk explained that the filly was inside but any further explanation was cut off as the pony snapped that they were in 'cahoots' with the dragon that foalnapped Apple Bloom.

Frisk had enough of people being mean to each other, they felt angry and frustrated. Why couldn't the pony just listen to them? Papyrus once more tried to calm everyone down and Frisk was sure it wasn't going to work.

Lora had chosen that moment to walk out with Apple Bloom in tow and the orange pony darted the filly's side and began fussing over her. Apple Bloom put her hoof down and explained everything and introduced the other pony as her older sister Applejack.
> Standing up for what's right
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack had calmed down but didn't seem convinced, pointed out that dragons and humans were dangerous and that the little filly shouldn't run off with creatures she didn't know.

Apple Bloom said she saw Lora around all the time talking with the Sans and Papyrus, Papyrus himself agreed that he and his brother were good friends with the dragoness.

Applejack grumbled that she could let it slide for now, but the human was a different matter. Frisk said they would do anything to prove they were friendly.

They found themselves pulled into a FIGHT and Applejack said to prove it. Frisk had the first move.

* ACT> Check.
* Applejack, Atk- 20, Def- 10.
* An honest, hardworking Earth Pony that runs an apple orchard.
* Smells like apple pie.

Applejack spun around a kicked at them with her hind legs, Frisk moved to the side to avoid getting hit.

* Be careful or you'll 'kick' the bucket.
* MERCY> Spare.

The farm pony was surprised by their unwillingness to FIGHT but sent another kick Frisk's way. They dodged but had the wind knocked out of them by a second kick that took off a few hit points.

* MERCY> Spare.
* Applejack wants you to FIGHT back.

The game of sparing and avoiding attacks continued until...

* Lora has seen your Perserverance and has joined the FIGHT!
* HP fully restored.
* Def increased.

Lora stated that she had couldn't stand by and watch a child be beaten up for no reason. When Applejack protested that they wanted to prove themselves, the luck dragon curtly replied that they were doing this because Applejack wouldn't listen to them or Apple Bloom when they were telling the truth. Applejack floundered and spluttered but Lora kept going and stated that even the hardworking sentry Papyrus had tried to tell her what was going on but it was obvious Applejack was blinded by fear and prejudice.

Lora decided that if it must come to blows, then she'd rather be left a pile a dust than see the blood of yet another child be spilled.

* Applejack is too ashamed to FIGHT.
* MERCY> Spare.
> An Honest Friendship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack apologized and both her and Lora was led inside by an excited Apple Bloom to discuss ways of properly introducing Lora to Stonedin Town.

Papyrus was a mix of shocked and pleased at Frisk's couragous display, they cared about others almost as much as he did! He boasted once more but it seemed halfhearted and as he walked away Frisk realized that maybe there was another way to cheer Papyrus up.

* The thought of confessing your desires for friendship to Papyrus fills you with DETERMINATION.

Frisk headed back inside the sanctuary and tugged on Lora's robe to get her attention. They told her they were going to go and make Papyrus their friend so he would be happy. Lora said it was a great idea and gave them some food as a parting gift. They exchanged phone numbers with both Apple sisters and promised to visit their farm when possible.

They walked outside to find Sans sleeping at his sentry station. Frisk gently nudged him awake and asked him if he could help them get back to town. The skeleton mulled it over, that is until Frisk offered to give him one of their snacks in exchange. One shortcut later they back in Stonedin, Sans asked why they wanted his help and Frisk stated that they were going to become Papyrus' friend so he would happy.

An idea came to them and Frisk asked if they could be Sans' friend too. He shrugged and said if it made them happy, he didn't mind. Frisk replied that they were being serious and Sans said he'd think about it. The skeleton wished them good luck and walked off.

Frisk found Papyrus outside of town, a thick fog descended upon them as Papyrus calmly listed off traits the two of them shared. They both enjoyed puzzles and helping others as well as trying to get everyone to get along. Papyrus said he understood but as a future member of the royal guard, it was his duty to capture Frisk, to escort them to the Captains and then present Frisk to Queen Luna at the capital. He wasn't sure what happens after that. Frisk was pulled into a FIGHT.

* Papyrus blocks the way.
> Bonetrousle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There were bones flying all over the place. Frisk did their best to jump over, slide around and duck under the assortment of bony projectiles that came their way.

'Papyrus is harmless' Sans said... Frisk was sure fighting the Diamond Dogs was easier than this.

A wall of blue bones rushed before them and Frisk skidded to a stop. The bones passed through them and they sighed in relief. It was then they heard a tink sound and they felt something weighing them down.

* You're blue now.

Frisk looked down at their chest and sure enough, the red heart that was their SOUL was now blue. 

* ACT

Frisk looked down at their options. Compliment and Flirt was all they could do?

* MERCY> Spare

Frisk wondered what a 'flirt' was as they jumped over bone after bone, they could jump pretty high now, it was kinda fun.

* What do you get when you cross a kangaroo with a sheep?
* A woolly jumper.

More bones came towards them, the pattern was different and Frisk lost some HP.

* MERCY> Spare.
* Just keep jumping, he can't do this forever.

It was just a sea of bones with no end in sight!

* ITEM > Cupcake
* A Super Sweet Treat! Recovered 10hp.

Frisk didn't think making friends would be this hard! They hovered over the ACT button, what was a flirt? Would it help? They didn't know how to get out of this one.

* Smells like bones.
* MERCY> Spare.

They kept trying, they kept pushing and suddenly the attacks stopped. Papyrus stated that Frisk was at their limit and it would be best to stop. They checked themselves over-

* HP 1/20

Oh that explained it. Frisk was about to tell Papyrus what they were really trying to do when the skeleton whisked them away in such a hurry they couldn't even see where they were being taken. When they could see again, Frisk found themselves in a medium-sized room. They were in a cell of some kind, though the gaps in the bars were wide enough to walk through. A small bed, a table and a cushion had ben left for them, there was even a bowl of fruit on the table.




> Bonetrousle Round Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk found a note in the corner written by Papyrus, they had been captured and were currently occupying his shed while he went to inform one of his bosses about his success at capturing a human. Frisk turned the note over and found a message from Lora, she had made sure the accommodations were suitable for a human and also left a hint that they should escape while they could.

They left their cell and headed outside of town to find Papyrus. As soon as Frisk found him the skeleton exclaimed that he was worried about them, they shouldn't have escaped and now he had to capture them all over again. Frisk fell into a pattern of using MERCY and an occasionally an ITEM when their health got too low. They were grateful Lora gave them so many snacks.

On impulse, they tried something different on one of their turns.

* ITEM> Stick
* You threw the stick, Papyrus brought it back in his mouth...?
* That was adorable...

Eventually Papyrus announced that if they got through his next turn they would face his Special Attack! Frisk knew that this would be it, their last chance to make a difference. They could spare him again and try to survive his Special Attack or they could make one last ACT.
> Congratulations, You Flirted With A Skeleton... 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk wasn't sure what to do when they made their choice, but an idea popped into their head anyway and they ran with it.

* ACT> Flirt
* You tell a flirtatious pun about skeletons.

Papyrus was halfway through a groan at the pun when he realized Frisk was flirting with him. He floundered about and stammered in his surprise, The Great Papyrus subjected to flirting? He proclaimed that the human must have strong feelings for him, it was unavoidable for he was The Great Papyrus. The skeleton offered to take Frisk on a date and was completely distracted by the idea.

* Papyrus missed the joke entirely and is fretting about the date.
* His Atk drops.
* His Def drops.
* His Self-esteem drops.
* You Win!

The FIGHT system faded and Frisk was left dumbfounded by what happened. That was flirting? Frisk buried their face in their hands and moaned in despair, that wasn't what they meant at all! They were sure someone was laughing at them, it sounded like the kind of laughter you couldn't help but do when a friend does something that shouldn't be laughed at, but is so absurd it can't be helped. Frisk straightened up and went to look fot the skeleton in distress.

They found him outside a log cabin in town that had two mailboxes, both had a reasonable amount of letters inside. Curiosity got the better of them and the young human peeked at the mail within, though Papyrus didn't seem to mind.

* There are letters addressed to Sans. Some are from Cloudsdale, The Belt of Fire and Canterlot.
* Some of them are from Lora, the return address says 'any sanctuary in the underground'.
* There are letters addressed to Papyrus from Cloudsdale, The Belt of Fire and The Chitin Caves.
* More letters from Lora.

Frisk walked over to Papyrus, he looked genuinely happy to see them when he asked if they were ready for their date. Frisk replied with a yes and the skeleton hoisted the human to sit on his shoulders as he posed dramatically.

Let the Play Date begin!

* Wait, what?
> Play Date Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Papyrus gave Frisk a piggyback ride around town, he admitted that he wasn't quite sure what to do at first so he asked Lora for help. The dragon had explained that Frisk was far too young to go on a real date and suggested a play date instead.

Frisk asked if Papyrus knew what a play date was, because they didn't. The cheerful skeleton replied that he had asked Lora the exact same question and proceeded to do an unintentionally funny impression of the luck dragon as he recited her explanation.

"A play date is when young individuals are brought together for the purpose of social interaction and fun."

Papyrus then asked Frisk what they wanted to do 'for fun'. The human had a few ideas, they still wanted to go to the library and they had spotted some kind of restaurant during their prior exploration of Stonedin but they also wanted to learn more about Papyrus. They weren't sure what to pick and worried they would choose something their friend didn't like, they asked Papyrus what he wanted to do.

He replied that he would take part in whatever activity Frisk wanted to do. Frisk just blinked at him and decided to not look a gift skeleton in the mouth. They decided to make it a play date of fun by reading at the library, then they both grab a meal at the restaurant and Frisk would spend the night having a sleepover with Papyrus.

* The idea of having so much fun with The Great Papyrus fills you with DETERMINATION.
> Play Date Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk made a beeline for the library's history section as soon as they walked inside.

* The shelves are filled with books ranging from the history of different creatures to agriculture.
* This book is called 'The Hyrule Historia'
* Somehow a guide to a popular text adventure ended up in the history section...

Frisk had to focus to hear what the voice said afterwards.

* ...I didn't know It had a sequel, I wonder if Mom has a copy...

Papyrus found them and asked what they were looking for. Before Frisk answered they noticed the skeleton had already picked out a book.

* Papyrus found a guide for 'Mew Mew Love Life' a dating simulator. He doesn't realize it's fiction.
* The cover advertises exclusive concept art from the anime 'Mew Mew Cutie Mark Kiss'.

As Frisk told Papyrus of their plan to study the history of the seven sages, they wondered if the dating sim was any good. Papyrus replied that they should have followed him as he saw the book they were looking for.

* Someone put 'The Seven Sages: A Reference Guide' in the fiction section under 'S'.

Frisk grabbed the book, plopped down onto a cushion next to Papyrus and began to read.
> Play Date Part 3- The History of The Seven Sages, PT 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Seven Sages are perhaps the most controversial and well known figures in the Underground. Many argue that they created the barrier to allow humanity free reign over Equestria and many still argue that isolation was preferable to possible extinction. That fact remains that since the barriers creation, the sages have done all they can to ensure the continued survival of all creatures trapped below ground.

The most prominent figure in history when concerning the sages would be The Sage Of Perserverance. The army of Equestria and the forces of Nightmare Moon was still in a tense, if fragile truce at the time the barrier was formed and upon seeing the rift between the diarchs of Equestria, Lorraine, the Sage of Perserverance temporarily ascended the throne to take leadership and worked with her fellow sages to stabilize the kingdom. Upon Princess Luna's reformation and reconciliation with her sister, High Queen Lorraine stepped down to take her place as a member of the Sages Council.

After the tragedy of The Fallen Child ( For more information please see "The Child of Gods"), the sage of perserverance worked with the Royal Scientist W.D. Aster on various classified projects.

The former queen disappeared during The Core Incident and has not been seen since.

The other sages revolutionized one or more aspects of society and W.D. Aster, The Sage Of Bravery and Royal Scientist continues to do so to this day.

Aster single-handedly began a technological golden age for all creatures trapped below ground. His most notable achievement is the construction of The Core, the device that regulates magic and other power sources across the Underground. After the tragedy of The Fallen Child he was tasked to develop ways to harvest and store human SOULS and his findings, as of the printing of this edition, have yet to be released to the public.
> Play Date Part 4- The  History of The Seven Sages PT 2.
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Praises and fables are sung by the pegasi of Cloudsdale of the heroic deeds of the sages of Determination, Patience and Integrity. After Princess Luna announced the future deaths of all humans who fell into The Underground, the griffons of Griffonstone saw this as a hasty attempt to display power and attacked Cloudsdale in an act of war. It was the Sages of Determination, Patience and integrity that defended the pegasi inhabiting the city.

Sadly the sage of Determination, Helia, was slain defending Princess Celestia in the final hours of the first of many clashes between ponies and griffons. Helia was known as a proud warrier on battlefield and in classroom. She spent many years ensuring children of all races and ages got some form of adequate education.

Her sister, Selena, was the sage of patience and the founder of Princess Luna's Shadow Guard, an infamous and frightening guild of assassins and spies that served to protect society. On the day Helia was slain, Selena saved Princess Luna's life by preventing the Princess from consuming a poisoned dish presented by Griffon nobility during the conflict. An autopsy later revealed that, true to witness reports, the poison was of such a high dosage that she died instantly.


Belle was the sage of integrity and was the youngest of the sages. A former student of both Helia and Selena, she choose to make her mark by taking in children who had nowhere else to go.

The Sanctuaries that are scattered across the underground are a combined effort of her desire to help the helpless and the High Queen's ideals of creating a place of safety regardless of the surrounding environment or societal standards and issues.

The sage of integrity died protecting the Cloudsdale Sanctuary from the griffon attacks, her actions saved the lives of the foals hiding away from the conflict.

Frisk put the book down as their stomach grumbled in demand of food. They looked at Papyrus.

* Papyrus is reading a choose your own adventure book called "Pony Tales".
* Lora is the author.
> The Play Date Part 5
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After they left the library, Frisk pointed out the restaurant they wanted to have lunch at. Papyrus grumbled about the greasy food Sans often ate there but he reluctantly mentioned the menu consisting of less fatty foods as well.

The cozy, farmhouse inspired establishment was called Mac's. It had booths on both sides of the room, a jukebox in one corner and a series of bar stools infront of an area next to the register. Frisk and Papyrus took a seat in a booth, a mare dressed in classic cowpony attire gave them each a menu and Frisk listened to The Voice That Read Everything to Them as...

Frisk wanted to call The Voice a 'she' but they weren't sure and were too afraid of offending their unofficial narrator to ask which pronoun to use...

The Voice commented on the menu.

* The Hay Burger, Hay Bacon and anything with Hay in it, is actually made of a special type of easily transmutable grain called Hyper Oats and are perfectly safe for human consumption.
* Everything made from apples are homemade, even the apples!
*...They sell chocolate milkshakes? I wish I still had tastebuds...Um...
* The milkshakes are made from synthetic milk.

Frisk placed their order and listened to Papyrus as he told Frisk all about a time before Sans wore slippers, he kept tripping over his shoe laces and Frisk giggled when Papyrus said his brother once fell into the large pond behind the Chitin Cave Sanctuary and Lora had to fish him out using her tail.

The bell on the front door dinged and the human watched several Diamond Dogs boisterously walk inside with Ammy trailing behind them. Frisk waved to Ammy and the white wolf smiled back.

* Ammy said the negotiations with the residents of Stonedin went well, so the dogs decided to celebrate.
* Chibi is staying with a pupsitter.

Frisk's order soon arrived and they enjoyed it, despite Papyrus making a complaint about the grease.
> The Play Date Part 6
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After lunch Frisk spent the afternoon playing with the Diamond Dogs. Hours later, the streets began to empty and shops started to close for the night. Frisk yawned as they said goodbye to the dogs and followed Papyrus to his house. Both the human and skeleton noticed a note taped to the door. Papyrus read it and informed Frisk that Sans had been called to help out in Cloudsdale and would be back in time for breakfast. Frisk thought the wording was odd until Papyrus said his brother would usually stay up late doing lots of paperwork if he wasn't sleeping or eating out.

* You ask about the paperwork, only to find out it's made of science and courtroom jargon.
* Just thinking about it makes your head hurt.

Papyrus lead the human inside and told them they were free to make themselves at home while he made dinner for the two of them. The house itself had a kitchen of to the right and a staircase to upper floor over to the left. Frisk found the TV remote and sat on the plush, green couch as they flicked through stations. They settled on a nature documentary hosted by a yellow pegasus with a light pink mane and tail who was introduced as Dr.Shy Assistant of The Royal Scientist. Not even five minutes in, a white unicorn with a curly purple mane and tail strolled in to advertise her flora and fauna themed fashion line.

Half an hour and six fashion based adds later, Papyrus called Frisk over to the kitchen. They took a seat at the simple dinning room table as the skeleton served them a plate of spaghetti.

* You ate the spaghetti, it's even better than it looks.

As Frisk ate, Papyrus boasted about the cooking lessons he'd been getting from Captain Cadence of the Royal Guard. He also spoke of his intense and rigorous training with Captain Dash, also part of the Royal Guard. After Frisk helped Papyrus do the dishes the skeleton offered to let them sleep in his room for the night.



> The Play Date Part 7
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Papyrus' room had a medium sized bed near the bottom left hand corner. Next to the bed was a desk covered in various action figures.

* Some of these figures look custom made.
* You recognize several characters from video games the other kids got to play, like Earthbound and Pokemon.
* Oh! Miniature figures of the Seven Sages, the Purple Sage is the rarest.

Frisk walked over and inspected the bookshelves lining the back wall.

* You see a variety of childrens books, puzzle books and choose your own adventure novels, as well as many more.
* You peer through a gap and make out a series of spell books and medical journals hidden right at the very back of the shelf.

Their curiosity sated for the time being, Frisk walked out of the room to say goodnight to Papyrus, who had chosen to sleep on the couch and then went to bed.

Frisk was woken by the sounds of movement downstairs. They yawned, made the bed and headed downstairs to find Sans quietly putting various files away into a draw on the small desk near the front door. He waved and pointed over at a snoring Papyrus.

* You sense Sans wants to talk to you.
* Ask him to join you for breakfast at Mac's?
> Breakfast At Mac's
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"heya kid, take a seat. i had a feeling you'd say yes to eating out with me so i already ordered for ya. hope you don't mind."

"how did i know what you were gonna get? you remind me of... someone i knew a long time ago and you look like the kind of kid who has a sweet tooth."

"no need to thank me frisk, i brought you here to ask you something."

"you ever heard of cloudsdale? it's a pegasus city made out of magic clouds. since the chitin caves are blocked off due to the changelings FIGHTing each other, you might want to get through to the belt of fire by passing through cloudsdale and the neighboring griffin city of griffinstone."

"that is, if you're still sure about making friends with all the different creatures around here." 

"what's with that confused expression? you've already met tia haven't ya, kid? she's one of lora's former students and a good friend of the ol' dragon. tia let us know what you're up to and asked us to keep an eye socket out for ya."

"uh, don't tell lora i called her old, ok frisk? i don't want to upset her, bein' her best friend and all."

"anyway, you still DETERMINED to befriend everyone kiddo? even if it means dealing with... not so nice people?"

"heh, good answer. you've got a strong sense of JUSTICE, i can respect that."

"you wanna know who you remind me of? oh, hey here's our food. better eat it before it goes cold."

"what's that look for? i didn't answer your question? sorry frisk but after i'm done eating i've got to go work."

"maybe i'll tell you about her some other time."