//------------------------------// // 5 - Once Upon a Time // Story: L.O.V.E. // by VeryEpic //------------------------------// Sans wandered through the bustling streets of Ponyville feeling significantly more hopeful than he had been prior. At first he thought that this world's inhabitants were only being kind to him because he was injured, but after meeting Fluttershy again, it seemed that wasn't the case. If everyone was as friendly as her, then maybe he didn't need to be in such a huge rush to get home. To be fair, he didn't even know if time was still passing back in his home world. It probably seemed pretty self-centred to believe that time only continued if he was present, but he still couldn't prove anything. That being said though, he also couldn't rule anything out. What if time was still passing, only he wasn't there. He hadn't thought about it before but... What if there was a world where everything was exactly the same only he didn't exist? Perhaps that was what his original world was like now. Chara continues her genocide with no one to stand in her way, and Papyrus never had a brother. Honestly, Sans wouldn't mind that. It would've brought him some comfort knowing that his disappearance didn't bother anyone else, but that slight comfort was taken away immediately as he thought of the human's meaningless slaughter repeating again and again. Either way, Sans wanted to get back home as quickly as- "Hey! Watch where you're going!" a voice exclaimed angrily as Sans was bounced to the floor. Sans placed his hoofs on the floor besides him to support himself, and looked up at the stallion. He was pretty large and definitely seemed ticked off about something. A couple of apples and other fruits lay on the ground around him, as well as an empty basket laying on its side. "Huh? What?" Sans asked, confused. "What do you mean what? You just walked straight into me and made me drop everything!" the stallion exclaimed, inching slightly closer to him. Recently, Sans had been falling that deep into his own thoughts that the world around him had begun to get blocked out. He must've accidentally bumped into this pony and knocked all of his food to the floor. "Uh... Five second rule?" Sans figured that now would probably be a good time to get out of here, before the stallion took his comment the wrong way. He focused on his surroundings and attempted to teleport, but the only thing that happened was the flickering of a faint blue spark within his left eye. Seemed like he'd even lost his powers. At this point, he wasn't even surprised. "The five second rule? Is that all you've got to say for yourself? You're not even gonna apologise?" the angered pony shouted, visibly getting more and more frustrated. So much for a friendly world, huh. "Back off, ya'll. We don't want any trouble." A familiar southern accent broke the growing tension between the two stallions, barely saving Sans from a situation that could have potentially grown out of hand very quickly. He gave Sans a stern glare, before turning around to pick up his apples and leave. The pony who had diffused the situation approached Sans and stood by his side, and much to his surprise it was none other than Applejack. It seemed that she must have been pretty well respected by other ponies for the stallion to just listen to her like that. "Nice to see ya again, Sans!" Applejack said with a smile. He was surprised about how little she was fazed by the stallions anger towards him. "Is, um... Is stuff like that normal around here?" Sans asked, beginning to retract his previous thoughts about the world seemingly friendly. "Nah, don't worry 'bout him. If stuff like that ever happens, it usually never goes further than a few harsh words," she explained. If that was truly the case, then atleast Sans could walk around without the worry of being murdered. He usually preferred to stay out of arguments and diffuse situations with a joke or two, but with how little he knew about this world's population, he couldn't say for sure how the townsfolk would react. "I'm still glad you showed up when you did," Sans replied, climbing to his hooves. "Aw shucks, Sugarcube! Ah barely even did anything," Applejack explained, helping him get back up from the ground, "He wouldn't have done anything to ya even if ah didn't show up. Ah'm not sure how things were where you're from, but fellas are pretty friendly around these parts!" "Gotta say, not that bad for a first impression. It's better than being killed right?" Sans joked, "Anyway, do you live around here?" Applejack turned to look out past the market stands and out into one of the fields that surrounded Ponyville. Sans traced her gaze and immediately recognised the farm that he had seen when he first woke up in the rain. "Not quite. Ah live on that there farm with the rest of mah family, but it's not that far away from the rest of Ponyville." "Most of you just live on the edge of town, huh?" Sans asked, realising that both Fluttershy's and Applejack's homes have been relatively out of the way when compared to Sugarcube Corner, "Can't say I blame you. The quite life is definitely the route I'd choose." "Nah, not all of us. Twilight actually lives right in the centre of town, there's no way you could miss it!" Applejack exclaimed, pointing a hoof at the huge tree that stood proudly above all the other buildings. "Speaking of Twilight, I'm actually meant to be there right now, so you don't wanna come with, right?" Sans asked, figuring he'd at least try to be polite and ask. It was honestly a little difficult to just act natural instead of cracking a bad skeleton pun every time he talked. Given his new body, skeleton puns wouldn't even make sense anymore, so he was completely out of random jokes to tell. Applejack shook her head. "Ah'd love too, but ah was in the middle of runnin' some errands when ah ran into you. Tell Twilight ah said hi though, okay?" "Alright, I'll tell her you were too busy doing important farm things. See ya, Apples," Sans said cheerfully, as the orange pony began to trot off down the path back to Sweet Apple Acres, "Eh, that name could use some work." "So who exactly is this guy?" Spike asked. He was the only one who hadn't met Sans with all the others, so understandably he was a little curious. "His name sounds kinda weird. Nothing like 'Twilight Sparkle' or 'Pinkie Pie'." "He's a Pegasus who Pinkie found injured last night. He'd cut his chest near his leg and I don't think he'd be able to fly, so he's staying with Pinkie for now," Twilight explained, placing a few of the books she had been reading the night before back onto the bookshelves that coated the interior of the hollow tree. "I don't mind it, really!" Pinkie chirped, happily, "He's pretty funny, and if I ever changed my mind, Rainbow Dash said he could stay with her!" "You don't think he's a spy, do you? You said you don't know where he's from," Spike asked, seeming genuinely concerned despite the implausibility of his accusation. Pinkie Pie burst into a fit of cheerful laughter. "Oh, Spike! If he was a spy, I'd already know!" "How so?" Spike asked. "I don't know!" she replied, with a smile. Twilight was blocking out their conversation, focusing on sliding the final book back onto the shelf between two other books without knocking them over. Her magic had to be carefully aimed, or else she would risk dislodging the books and making the entire shelf look uneven. Her tongue stuck out and her eyes squinted as she carefully lined the book up with the free space, making sure the edges aligned perfectly, before slotting it into its place. "Done!" she exclaimed, proudly. "Why exactly did you need to put every book away? Usually they're just laying in piles on the floor," Spike questioned, glancing around the spotless library. "I don't want Sans' first impression of the Golden Oak Library to be a mess, especially not if it represents Ponyville," Twilight explained, taking a seat besides Pinkie Pie on the couch. "Where even is Sans, anyway?" Spike asked, looking at the clock. It was now 12 o' clock exactly, which was pretty late considering how early Sans had woken up, "I thought he was only going for a walk?" "Oh, don't worry," Pinkie reassured him, looking at the front door of the library, "He should arrive right about..." Coincidentally, she was interrupted by a series of knocks on the door. "...Now," she finished as Twilight got up to open the door. She walked halfway across the room before simply deciding to open the door with magic. It was simply much more convenient that way than to finish walking the two and a half metres that were left. "Heya," Sans greeted them, standing in the doorway, "Applejack said hi." "There you are, Sans!" Pinkie exclaimed, "What took so long?" Sans entered the library and began making his way towards the couch. As of right now, he hadn't noticed the baby dragon sitting next to the free space. "I, uh... Ran into a few ponies. Nice place, Twilight. Crocodile free too." "Hey! Gummy's a nice crocodile!" Pinkie Pie cried in defence of her pet. "Oh, I know. I could tell from the way he latched onto your hair," he replied with a witty wink. Twilight and Pinkie both stared at him, confused. "What?" Sans said in response to their stares. Maybe he really would have to tone back his humour for the time being if this was the way they reacted. "Nothing," Twilight replied, attempting to relieve the sudden awkwardness of the situation. She had no idea why he had referred to Pinkie's mane as 'hair', but she was sure it had a valid reason, "There might not be a crocodile here, but there migghht be something else..." Sans stopped walking the second he laid eyes on Spike. Before the awkwardness could return, the dragon leapt up onto the arm of the couch to introduce himself, "I'm Spike!" "Uh... Hey, Spike. Can't say I've ever met a talking dragon before, heh..." Sans said, surprised that the dragon had the ability to speak. The shock factor wore off pretty quick though, since by now he had grown used to almost any weird occurrence that could happen. "Don't worry, he's the friendliest dragon you'll ever meet," Twilight added, just in case he was put off by the idea of sitting next to a literal dragon. "Y'know, this is the part where'd I'd tell you all some stories about myself to break the ice," Sans said, taking a seat besides Spike, "But I wouldn't want it to dragon." Pinkie erupted into laughter having understood the joke immediately, and even Twilight let out a few snickers, however it seemed to take Spike a little longer to catch on. "What's so funny?" Spike asked, getting no response, "Drag on? Wait a minute..." All three ponies looked at him, waiting for the moment that he'd understand, "Ohhhh! I get it now! Dragon!" "See what I mean, Twilight? Funny!" Pinkie exclaimed, thrilled that her previous point had already been proven despite him only being there for five minutes. "Well, you were definitely right about that, but Sans..." Twilight began, diverting his attention away from the talking dragon, "You don't seem too bothered by a dragon that talks. I mean, when Spike met Fluttershy, he barely escaped with his life." Sans shrugged. "Eh. I've seen some pretty cool things in the past. A talking fish, a talking rock, you name it. Plus I'm in a world full of talking ponies. A talking dragon isn't as surprising as you might thing." Once again, he was met with confused stares from everyone in the room. Wait, did I just say what I think I said? he thought. He was used to keeping secrets, but now he had to be incredibly careful. Things that he'd once considered normal could potentially reveal all his secrets to the world, and that was the last thing he needed right now. "Sans, are you okay?" Pinkie Pie asked, tilting her head with concern and curiosity. "You keep saying some pretty weird things..." Twilight added. Sans took in a deep breath. Maybe he should tell them everything, but then again, would they even believe him? All that it'd do is cause distrust and disbelief, and that would almost definitely make getting home even harder. He couldn't afford to risk the relationships he was building this soon if he wanted any shot of getting back home. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he lied, "It's just the... It's just the injury, that's all." "How is your leg by the way?" Twilight asked, changing the subject. Sans had brought up his injury on purpose since he had a feeling that it would move their attention away from his seemingly strange statements. Sans placed a hoof on the wrapping paper that covered his wound, "I've felt worse. Then again, I haven't even seen it, so I wouldn't really know." "You could look now if you want," Spike suggested, "Twilight knows what she's doing. Probably." "If it looks bad, I've got some actual bandages that you could use on it this time, but if it seems okay then you should be fine without it," Twilight explained in an attempt to persuade Sans. "I guess it couldn't do much harm, right?" he told himself, reaching down to the paper preparing to unravel it. The paper slowly became looser and looser as it winded around his leg, eventually falling off all together. Honestly, he was expecting a nasty slice to be staring back up at him, but to his surprise there was only a thin cut. For what it was only a day earlier, it was healing remarkably fast. "Hey! That's not that bad!" Pinkie exclaimed happily upon seeing the progress. "Huh. To be honest, I was expecting something much more messy," Sans said with a smile on his face. Even now he still wasn't sure whether the wound had came from a fall that we wasn't aware of, or from when Chara had hit him with the knife back in the Underground. Twilight leaned in closer to get a closer look at the cut, "I'm no doctor, but I think that should be healed in a day or two." "Heh, thanks doc. I'll be back in the air in no time," he replied. Ironic considering he knew full well that he couldn't fly. "Then you'll be able to go back home, right?" Pinkie asked, seeming a little upset that her new roommate was leaving already. She was used to being latched onto by Gummy by now , but it was nice having another pony there to watch it happen. Sans let out a sigh, "I wish it was that simple, Pinkie." "Sans." Twilight could tell from his voice that something was bothering him, and from all the weird things he had said in the short time they had been talking, she was almost certain that something was very wrong, "Last night, you said you had nowhere else to go." He stared into her eyes for a few seconds, contemplating whether or not he should tell them. It might make things more difficult, but then again maybe it wouldn't. "Eh, don't worry about me." Sans turned to look around the library, scanning the shelves for any books that might help his knowledge of the world. His eyes landed on two shelves, the 'Pegasi and Flight' section and the 'Equestrian History' section, both of which were coincidentally right next to each other, "Is it alright if I read a few books?" "Be careful, Sans. She's just tidied up all the books to impress you," Spike joked. Twilight gave him an unimpressed stare, "Of course you can read some books. This is a library, after all." "Heh, thanks," he replied, making his way towards the 'Pegasi and Flight' shelf. His eyes grazed along the shelf, reading the book names off the spines. There were many books that simply covered the anatomy of a Pegasus and the type of magic that a Pegasus can wield, and while these may have helped him, right now he was looking for something to help him learn how to fly. Eventually, his eyes landed on a book titled 'Flight 101: Flying for Young Pegasi'. "This'll do," he said to himself, reaching up and taking the book off the shelf. While he wasn't a young Pegasus, he most likely had similar flying to that of a newly born foal, "Twilight, can I keep this?" Pinkie Pie glanced at him with a confused expression, "What do you need that for? That's for Pegasi who can't fly silly!" "I know, but it's just in case I'm ever feeling a bit rusty," he explained, a smile on his face. "Sure!" Twilight responded to his question cheerfully, which was a surprise. Sans was expecting some resistance since the library in Snowdin wasn't fond of monsters taking the books home with them, "Take whatever you like, but please don't be like Rainbow Dash and never bring them back." "Heh, no promises." Sans placed the book down on the table, deciding that he'd practice the next time he was alone. If all else failed, he could always ask Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash for some tips. After finding a book to help with his flying, he made his way over to the 'Equestrian History' section. If he was going to get home, it was important that he knew as much as possible about the world he found himself in. Once again, he traced the spines of each book, reading out the name in his mind. Eventually he had found multiple books that fit his needs, the first of which being 'Age of Chaos'. Supposedly there was once a being believed to be the embodiment of chaos and disharmony who ruled over Equestria, only to be defeated by the current princesses, Celestia and Luna. It would be an interesting read for sure, and it would probably help if Sans got to know more about the princesses in the event that he eventually might meet them. The second book was titled 'The Mare in the Moon', and from the cover he could tell that this one had a slightly darker undertone. It seemed the story was split into two parts, the past and the present, with the past seeming to primarily feature the princesses once again. "Seems like they've seen everything, huh?" Sans said to himself, moving onto the third book that had caught his eye. The final book seemed to be the largest of the three, and had a distinct style that set it apart from the rest. While almost all of the books in Twilight's library were pristine and had vibrant colours and patterns, this one lacked patterns in exchange for strange hand-like symbols, and traded the colours for an almost burnt, yellow papery look. It was clearly older than the other books, so it may also hold the most value. The title was written in large, bold letters: 'The Great War'. Since it seemed to hold significantly more history within than the others, and seemed to cover a much larger and more widescale event, Sans simply couldn't resist the urge to read a few lines right then. He slowly opened up to the first page, a plume of dust flying into the air. Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: Humans and Monsters. One day, war broke out between the two races. After a long battle, the humans were victorious. They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell. Sans' eyes widened with shock and the book fell to the ground.