An Undertale of Equestria

by David Silver

10 - A Sticky Situation

I licked over my lips as I tried to think fast. I didn't want to have to reset. Just this once, I'd get it right the first time. "Are you hungry?"

She nodded quickly and smiled, though she had no teeth, just tar that held to the same form that teeth should have. "I'm starving. Your friend is so very tasty, but I want more. Please?"

Trixie raised a brow as she looked between me and Tarry. "How do you survive, waiting in the dark with no food?"

Tarry turned to the water. "Sometimes I gobble up a fish or two. They're not nearly as tasty. I can almost feel... normal again... Please?" She reached for Trixie. "Please."

I wasn't sure, but an idea refused to go away. "Trixie."

She took a slow step back. "Yes?"

"Go to her."

She bristled immediately. "Have you taken leave of your senses, familiar? Trixie does not want to be devoured."

I held out a hand towards her. "You trust me, right?"

Trixie clenched her teeth, her jaw bulging with how hard she bit down. "Trixie... does. You are mad!" She spun back to Tarry. "Fine! Trixie will become the Greatest treat you have ever experienced."

Tarry's expression turned to unbridled joy. "You are the nicest pony I ever met!" She rushed forward and hugged Trixie around the neck. Trixie's screams were muffled by tar as she was pulled right into Tarry's form with wet sucking noises. All too quickly, the showmare was drawn right into Tarry, who didn't grow larger despite having two ponies inside of her. 'Feed' flashed softly as Tarry sat down on her haunches. "Oooo, she's soo good! I feel... I..." She sank her head suddenly. "What have I become?" Little trails of black began to leak from her eyes. "I used to make delicious treats for the others, now all I do is eat... This isn't right at all."

I approached her cautiously, my hands making slow placating motions in little circles. "It'll be alright. Tell me what it was like, and what happened."

She looked directly at me. "Oh, I didn't eat everypony. That's unusual... What do you taste... like?" She was starting to look hungry again, licking over her snout as she slowly approached me.

"Wait! Tell me who you used to be."

She recoiled. "Used to be? Used... I was a cook. I made nice things. The foals would rush to my store after school and beg for treats. I couldn't say no." She smiled gently. "I miss them... The light took them away. It took me away, and left this..." She brought down a hoof with a sticky splat. "She's gone. There's only this... this monster left!"

With a cry of anguish, she lashed out with a tarry hoof and I dove out of the way. I was getting used to the small body I had and rolled away from her next swing and jumped under the one after that, narrowly avoiding each goopy lunge. "You don't have to be a monster."

She drew her leg back, unstretching until she sat down on her haunches. "I don't want to be... But I am! I eat and I can feel for a little while, but it always fades away. I'll be back to... to normal soon..."

I stepped towards her. "There's a difference, this time."

"A difference?"

"You're not alone." I gently hugged her from the front, and she went as stiff as tar could be.

She put a hoof on my back and held me even as I began to sink into her. "I'm not alone..." She grunted softly, then suddenly repelled me, sending me rolling backwards. "I won't eat you! I'll let your friends go, just destroy me quickly, so I'll never hurt again." She swelled up with a sharp inhale before she closed her mouth and blew out despite it, building pressure inside of her as her sides bulged dangerously. Trixie and Pinkie were sent flying out to the left and right, landing a few feet away from her. She wobbled drunkenly before collapsing. "T-there... Destroy me!"

Pinkie bounced to her hooves from her expulsion. "That was crazy! Good job." She saluted me before turning on Tarry. "As for you! Well, that was actually kinda fun, but you should ask before gobbling up a mare. It's just polite." She stuck out her tongue.

Tarry looked befuddled. "You're not angry?"

Trixie stood up with a bit of a face, using her magic to make the tar slide off of her. "Trixie is furious! But she is not without compassion. The Great and Understanding Trixie heard what you said. What was your name?"

Tarry slowly sat back up onto her haunches. "I was... I was Sweet Tooth." Her hooves suddenly hardened, becoming actual hooves instead of loose approximations of tar. "Pickled millipedes were the best..."

Pinkie tilted her head. "I never tried that before."

"Oh, you should!" Said Tar-- Er, Sweet Tooth. "They crunch and it's an explosion of sweetness. The little foals would be so happy when I gave them one." Her nose became covered in black fur, drying out back towards her face in a slow wave of de-tarrification. "I miss them..."

I smiled a little. "Did you have a foal of your own, Sweet?"

She froze. "Oh my... How did I forget him? My little Tummy Rumble!" The drying swept over her own belly as she became more and more of a pony of darkness, and less of a tar monster. "Do you know where he is? Is he..." Fresh tears began to seep from her still-tarry eyes. "I couldn't protect him. What kind of mother am I?"

She suddenly sprang to her hooves and ran off, fading into the darkness of the tunnel almost instantly.

Trixie shook her head. "The more Trixie hears, the more curious she becomes. Where did this first light come from? The crystal ponies call it now to banish hostile shadows."

Pinkie looked off into the dark. "I hope we find her. She really needs a friend right now." She smiled at me. "Good job sticking to your plan, even if it did kind of involve me being eaten by a hungry tar pony."

I gave a little nervous chuckle at that. "Yeah, uh, glad she spat you out."

"Me too!" She pointed at the lantern I held. "Guess it was a good thing you were holding onto it after all. Why don't you hold onto it for now?" Pinkie turned to Trixie. "How close are we?"

Trixie pulled out her map quickly and unfurled it. "An excellent question, for a change. We should be very close. Be on alert."

I lifted the lantern high and did a slow circle. There was one nook where the light refused to go, and instead of rushing into it like I had last time, I pointed it out. "I think that's our target."

Trixie flashed a bright smile. "Trixie's familiar is astute, as usual. Come, let's be done with this." She strode for the pitch black crevice with Pinkie and I followed after her. Her horn began to glow brightly, but the darkness was more stubborn than the shadow she dismissed above ground.

Despite the gloom, we pressed on, and were promptly separated. At least, I couldn't see either of them, just dark. Even my lantern didn't shed any light in the cloying darkness of the place. From that black nothing came an unfortunately familiar face. Made of smoke and grinning with his big green smile, he lurched towards me as he hovered. "Hello there! Did you miss me? You've been so busy making grown mares cry. I bet you're proud of yourself too."

I lifted the lantern at him, as if it could ward him away. I couldn't even really tell if it was lit anymore. "We freed her from being a monster."

"You 'freed' her from being happy. She ate, and she felt good, and that was all she needed to know. Hero guy, now she's running wildly through the dark, trying to find a little colt that's been gone for centuries. You know who's the monster? You. Little time-twisting manipulator of innocent people. You should be ashamed, but you're not. I was wrong about you. Maybe you are the biggest jerk around without my help."

He was pressing buttons, trying to unnerve me. It bothered me that it was working a little. I did the right thing! I was sure of it. "We'll find her, and save her."

His grin became truly malignant. "Like you've already saved her? Little children like you? You're the worst kind. Go on, spread your destruction." He faded away with a cackle, and the dimness faded to reveal Pinkie and Trixie on either side of a throbbing ball of blackness.

Trixie beamed. "Ah, here it is! Trixie found it."

Pinkie bobbled in agreement. "Good job." They were both just as close to it. "Now what do we have to do?" She reached up and poked the black ball, which jiggled a bit but otherwise didn't react.

I quickly walked up to them and peered at it. No words yet. "I need to activate it. Last time, holding hooves and hands with Trixie was enough."

She offered a hoof. "Then we start there. Trixie supposes you don't want her using her Great and Powerful magic just yet."

"Not yet." I took her hoof in a hand, but... no words? "Pinkie, could you come over here?" She bounced over and sat beside me before offering one of her own hooves. I took her hoof too and it became clear. It was time for another vision, or at least the word floating beside the ink ball said as much. "I'm going to be like this for a while, but it should be alright from here out."

I gazed into its surface, letting my thoughts get lost in its swirling darkness. I was determined to see the past, and to figure out more of what happened to the shadow ponies, and their true natures. As I began to sink into the shadows, mentally, I was dimly aware of something happening around me, or us. The walls collapsed as ponies of literal shadow swarmed out over Trixie and Pinkie. I was far too gone to go and help them. They'd have to handle it on their own, but he could see them launching into battle, with bolts of magic, and a literal... party cannon?

I wanted to call out to them, but that vision was dimming away, and the one I asked for first was rushing in at me. I'd have to have faith in my friends. to pull things through. Thinking of Trixie, I let go of the last bit of resistance. I'd do my part, and she would do hers, magnificently, of course.

I hoped, at least. The world was darkness, but he could hear movement in it.

The vision had begun.

Author's Note:

Let's shut down node #2! Things are never as simple or easy as they first appear.

The typos promised they'd try to be better, but it's in their nature. Don't be mad at them, but we should coach them on how to be well-behaved.

Comments

[Hard Cider]

Are you prepared to lay your eye's upon the past? Well, you best beware, because it looks like the umbra ponies have a . . . BONE to pick with you!!! Nyeh heh heh!

http://i.imgur.com/erZkveS.png

[Xenolis]

Pinkie is definitely the Papyrus of the situation

[Xapienz]

She strode for the pitch black crevice with Pinkie and I following after her.

'Follow' is sad that '-ing' has to leave. But it feels happy when '-ed' shows up, becoming 'followed'.

[David Silver]

6636747 Those typos are such cheeky devils.

[Grankuwaga]

Never knew there was such awesome Undertale vids

[pwny]

What's up with the 'he' near the end? I'm confused

[David Silver]

6638502 Fixed!

[Gigas]

6637563
Curse you... You made me go to Youtube and watch Undertale AMVs instead of reading this fic...

[The oracle]

6637563 here, have another one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUDBOBwwv6E

[Chimp]

The typos promised they'd try to be better, but it's in their nature. Don't be mad at them, but we should coach them on how to be well-behaved.

[fractalman]

The typos promised they'd try to be better, but it's in their nature. Don't be mad at them, but we should coach them on how to be well-behaved.

Every once in a while, the typos are AWESOME.

[Andy Ray]

You know who's the monster? You. Little time-twisting manipulator of innocent people. You should be ashamed, but you're not. I was wrong about you. Maybe you are the biggest jerk around without my help

Huh . Originally Flowey does say something like that, if the player rescues every monster and leads them to the surface (right after the end credits).