An Undertale of Equestria

by David Silver

8 - Drowning in Determination

The great water horse jumped free of the water with a mighty roar. I was back in time? I had failed, again. But that also meant I had another chance to make it right.

"Aquator, we need to talk."

Aquator frowned at me. "Child of Light. You seem familiar, and you know of me, good. Tremble and fear! What pathetic mewlings do you wish to share?"

I held up a hand towards him. "I saw them. The innocents in the dark. I'm still trying to learn it all. Isn't there a way we could avoid repeating it?"

He bared his flat teeth at me, dark motes swirling dangerously. "Repeating it? A thousand lashes on the back of every crystal whelp here wouldn't come close to it!" He took a slow step forward. "Are your ponies so much more precious than mine, that they should be spared living the nightmare? I should think not, Child of Light."

'Console' dimmed. Was that all I could do with that? Alright, one step down, and he hadn't kicked me or knocked me over yet. Small victories! "You... could crush these ponies at any time."

Aquator rose to his full height, towering over me and everyone else there. "At any time," he agreed. "Such as now."

A bright pink sphere appeared around Aquator. It was Trixie's shield, but turned against him instead of defensively. "Such as never! To think you would harm a hair on Trixie's magnificent mane."

I wheeled to see Trixie standing just at the entrance of the plaza, approaching quickly. How did she know about that? "Trixie! How?"

Aquator suddenly slammed a hoof against the shield, shattering it. "So you do have some fight in you, pathetic creatures of light. Ah, I seem to remember you, blue sorceress. Your magic is feeble, as you are."

"You take that back, you waterlogged shadow!" She took an angry step forward as her horn began to glow brilliantly. For just a moment, I feared she was about to escalate things to battle, but she threw her head to the side, pointing to me with her horn. "My familiar had words for you. You would do well to listen to them. He has far more patience than I."

I gestured around at the cowering crystal ponies. "It won't hurt you to wait. They'll still be here, cowering, after I inevitably fail."

Aquator canted his head to the side. "You have a point there. Should I crush you after you have endeavored your best, you will cry all the more, lament your fate all the harder... Mmm, yes. I look forward to hearing your blubbering cries to an uncaring world as we crush your hopes and dreams."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "A little melodramatic, aren't we?"

Aquator snorted out a gust of dark mist. "I will especially look forward to breaking you, little witch. Go then. Try your best, knowing I will be waiting just one step behind, to leap on your fallen forms." The water horse laughed as he melted into a puddle and seemed to flow in all directions, vanishing away with only the dimming noise of his gurgling laughter left behind to slowly fade.

Trixie hurried up to me and threw a leg around me. "Familiar! You're safe. Trixie is glad for this."

I hugged her tightly. "I saw him hurting you before and there wasn't anything I could do to stop it."

Trixie waved a hoof dismissively. "Trixie hates to admit it, but that was Trixie's mistake, but one she fixed, thanks to your power."

I stepped out of her hug and frowned at her with confusion. "How did you do that? I mean, how did you know what happened."

She tapped her head. "There is a reason Trixie told you to be truthful to her. Once she knew what was going on, she shielded herself from your Great and Powerful effect, at least her mind. She remembers what happened thanks to a little spell in the library. There is a reason she came after the first time you fell in battle. She was suddenly back in time. It could only mean one thing, so Trixie came to your aid, to find you locked in battle with that big wet fiend."

I sighed a little. "Just to watch you get beat up..."

She lifted her shoulders. "A temporary inconvenience, thanks to Trixie's amazing familiar. Now, she cannot control the coming and going, but remembering means she can learn from her mistakes."

I felt a grin forcing its way out of me as I clapped my small hands together. "I can't think of anyone filled with more determination than you!"

Trixie blinked softly. "Trixie is not sure what you mean by the way you said that, but she accepts it as a compliment. It is true, we are both determined to win, and win we shall." She raised a hoof at me, and I looked at her with some confusion before her magic wrapped around my right hand and brought it up to do a sort of high-five against her hoof. "To victory."

She looked towards the pond Aquator had originally emerged from. "His words lend validity to your own, familiar. Trixie wants to know more of these 'shadow ponies'. Are they the Umbrum, or perhaps an older form of them? Come, we need to get that raft. I didn't get a chance to fetch one with this... mess."

We walked away from the plaza, leaving the shaking crystal ponies behind. They were still paralyzed with fear, but at least they weren't being attacked, so that was a step up, right? I nodded towards Trixie as we walked. "What do we know of the Umbrum?"

Trixie tapped at her chin. "They are said to be terrible creatures of pain and misery. The Crystal Fair ceremony banishes them from the Crystal Kingdom."

"How often is that?"

Suddenly my vision was filled with pink. "Once a year!" She hopped down off my shoulders to land in front of me. "I found him!"

Trixie shook her head lightly. "Yes, very good, Pinkie Pie. We were having a discussion, you know."

Pinkie leaned in closer to Trixie, tail wagging. "Can I join?"

"You may certainly not."

Pinkie pouted. "But I never saw so much breaking and cutting happen all together before."

I frowned at her a little. "Breaking and cutting?"

Pinkie bobbed her head. "Uh huh. First everything was like this." She held out a hoof. "Then it was like that." She moved her hoof a little. "Then it was like this!" She adjusted the hoof again. "Trixie was right. She has the most stupenderiffic familiar ever!"

Trixie cleared her throat. "Yes, of course. As befits the Great and Powerful Trixie. Pinkie, why are you even here? Shouldn't you be in Ponyville, or maybe chasing after Twilight Sparkle?"

I felt a hunch and pointed at Pinkie. "You're here because of me."

Pinkie clopped her forehooves excitedly. "Right on the first try! You keep making things skip skip skip around all funny-like and I wanted to see what it was all about."

Trixie put a hoof over her face. "Yes, of course. At least there's a reason."

Pinkie tilted her head at Trixie. "There's always a reason, silly. What do you think this is, someone's story? Even stories have to have reasons, Trixie. Like duh!"

I looked over the brightly colored pink pony. "So, do you know Trixie from somewhere?"

Pinkie bobbed her head at me. "Sure do! I mean, sure, she kinda took my mouth away for a while, but I can let bygones be bygones."

Trixie colored darkly in her cheeks. "Trixie was not herself at the time..."

"Uh, but you did that? Took her mouth off? How?"

Trixie shook her head fiercely as she walked. "Trixie would rather not speak of it. It was a mistake."

Pinkie closed with Trixie and bumped against her. "Aw, don't worry about it. We're all made up now, right? Which is why you're gonna let me come along and help!"

I only had one big question in mind. "Pinkie." She looked at me with a perked ear and I smiled at her. "Do you believe in peace, or victory?"

Pinkie tapped at her chin. "Oh gosh, that's a toughie. I guess making friends is more important than being right. Winning because you made someone sad is hardly a win, after all."

Trixie took a slow breath. "My familiar is quite determined to discover the past instead of focusing on stopping the Umbrum's current plans.

"Umbrum?"

I pointed back where we had walked from. "The shadow ponies, I think. Something happened with them. If we can figure out what it was, and make it right--"

"Then we can be friends!" Pinkie smiled brightly. "Trixie, I like the way your familiar thinks! He..." She trailed off as she tilted her head at me slowly. "She..." She leaned in and sniffed at me firmly. "He! He has the right idea."

Trixie raised a brow. "Even they could not determine their own gender. How are you so certain?"

Pinkie pointed at me. "I can smell it. They're a colt, uh, whatever you are?"

"Human." I wriggled my fingers at her and she burst into fresh giggles.

"Human. Colt human. Anyway, I'm Pinkie Pie. Nice to meet you properly. We'll make great quest buddies!"

Trixie snorted softly. "Trixie supposes there is no way to convince you to go home, is there?"

"Nope!"

Trixie gave a little smile. "She supposed not. Very well, if you are to accompany us, a few rules. First, Trixie is taking the payment for this task. She has already accepted its responsibility."

"Okay!"

Trixie nodded firmly. "Good. Second, you seem to be aware of the time loops my familiar causes?" Pinkie nodded, and Trixie continued, "We can't control them. They happen whenever they lose in battle. However, since everyone here seems to remember what occurred, we should be able to learn from our mistakes, and make any failure the last. Ponies not aware of this have no idea that time has looped, and will only remember it vaguely, if at all."

I moved between Pinkie and Trixie. "We seem to hit a reset when someone else falls in battle. Someone I care about a lot."

Trixie flattened her ears. "Familiar... Ahem, yes... Should Trixie fall in battle, that will send us back as well." She put a hoof on my shoulder and drew me closer. "Because they care about Trixie too much to allow harm to befall her."

Pinkie giggled. "Aw, you two are too cute together!" That was enough to get Trixie to let me go. "Don't be like that. I meant it as a compliment."

I put a hand on Trixie's back and pet once. "Mother doesn't like showing that side of herself."

"Familiar!" Trixie bristled fiercely. "She said not to call her that in company."

Pinkie put a hoof to her mouth, looking like she was struggling not to say anything.

Trixie sagged. "Go ahead. Get it out."

Pinkie flopped over towards Trixie. "You two are super adorable! I wish I had one of those."

"Familiar."

"Yeah, one of those. You two are so close and care about each other so much." She let out a dreamy sigh as she stood back up. "Alright, let's get going!"

Author's Note:

Our party has grown! And you thought Pinkie would see herself out of the fic. No way! She knows there's fun to be had around here and she won't take no for an answer.

Comments

[Cracked Egg]

Yay!

...is my reaction to Pinkie saying they're adorable.

Wait.

I just thought of PapyrusxTrixie.

gg

[David Silver]

6629979 I do my best.

[Cracked Egg]

6629985

and i keep thinking of spoiled milk

when will the wonders cease

never

because ur awesome

[Tonto the Trotter]

At the end, Familiar should have a ? ^^; Minor, minor nitpick I know ^^;. Also Pinkie inserts herself into the story. Hopefully with more success than Alphys in the game ^^;. Hopefully Pinkie is but the first of the potential friends/companions that will be encountered along the journey of TGAP Trixie and our Protagonist ^^. A lot of these kind of crossover fics fall into the trap of a lot of referential humor, but you've thankfully avoided that and are still managing to tell a pretty engaging story. Though I wouldn't be opposed to some referential humor, such as managing to stack 29 hot dogs (Tofu Dogs?) on our human character's head. Or having Derpy fill in for Papyrus with her love/obsession of Muffins in place of Skelebro's Spaghetti. Just so long as you space it all out nice and evenly.

[Emtu]

melted into a muddle

puddle

"Aw, you too are too cute together!"

two

[David Silver]

6630079 I am of the, possibly foolish, thought that the themes and characters offered to us will be compelling enough. Undertale has lent us a theme, and a world mechanic while it was in there. The story is following what should feel familiar, but it is its own, while this takes place entirely in the MLP world, dealing with a very MLP problem. The Umbrum are from the show/comics, though I'm taking them in my own direction (head canons, everywhere!).

I can only hope the result is a good one.

If I feel the sudden opportunity to slip in a wink at the camera, so to speak, then I'll run with it.

[David Silver]

6630099 Fixing typos fills me with DETERMINATION!

[Tonto the Trotter]

6630100 It's been good so far. And like I said, you've avoided that first major pitfall a lot of these kinds of fics fall into. You're aware of it, and I know now how you think when writing this story. You're heading in the right direction, and I think you'll have the Determination to stick to your guns and continue this fun story.

[Xenolis]

why? Why? WHY ARE YOU SO GOOD AT WRITING. I WAS TRYING TO HAVE A LAZY DAY, BUT THEN I SAW THIS UPDATE AND THOUGHT "oh. This is good. Let's read this" AND THEN I'VE READ THROUGH AND AM NOW AWAITING MORE AND YOU RUINED MY LAZY DAY BY BEING AWESOME!!!! WHYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

[David Silver]

6631079 Sorry, I will try to time my awesomeness to less interfere with your schedule. I am glad that you are enjoying the story, at least.

[Xenolis]

6631099

It's fine. I can cope, I just did an acrobatic f***ing pirouette off the handle there.

Anyways, good job

[Prince_Zodiac]

6625537 well yes. Displaced came from that.

[Emtu]

6630104
here's some friendly advice.
if you keep going the way you are now...
you're gonna have a fun time.

[David Silver]

6631643 Pinkie is both terrifying and adorable. I'd hug her, but I may not survive.

[Emtu]

6631728
Man, what are you talking about, Pinkie is clearly Ponyville's friendly neighborhood eldritch abomination.

[Cracked Egg]

6631117

and that's really all there is to say on the matter

[The card holder]

6631643
It's a beautiful day outside...
Birds are singing, flowers are blooming...
On days like these, kids like you...
S H O U L D B E B U R N I N G I N H E L L

[Falx_of_Lume]

6633001
No. Bad. Get those sick and twisted Genocide run references out of here.
This is focusing on True Pacifist, stick to it.

[TheFlyingNugget]

I wish I had one of those."
"Familiar."
"Yeah, one of those.

Oh god......I just had an image of Chara flash through my mind when I read that.

[David Silver]

6905835 I don't think one of those would make Pinkie happy.

[1eragon33]

6906527 hey Chara isn't evil unless you put frisk though Genocide

[David Silver]

7141035 There are plenty of hints in game that Chara was a... troubled... individual.

[Admiral_Daala]

7141056
Troubled and evil are not the same thing

The fallen child tried to sacrifice their own life to save monsterkind, any real evil is the result of you (the player) imprinting it on them through your own brutality

[Andy Ray]

She remembers what happened thanks to a little spell in the library.

A little??! This spell is supposed to keep her memories through the timeline's erasion! Time travel is involved!

You're saying, that's a little spell??!

[David Silver]

9235557
The spell is little compared to Trixie's Great and Meek humility.

[omegasnowfall]

i think this would be a good game.