Chapter 2: Determination
Asriel pushed the branch aside, striding back in the vague direction of the pony they had run away from just a few days ago. He paused for a moment, reaching out with a claw and scratching an arrow that pointed in the direction of his small camp near the river.
"So... how about Asrisk?"
"...That's a terrible name."
"Well, it's better than Frisriel."
"...Much. But that doesn't mean it's good. Come on, let's just stick with Asriel. I always thought that name was cooler, anyway."
"...I guess it just reminds me of the other times I absorbed souls. I wasn't exactly considerate then. It almost seems like I'm erasing your identity."
Asriel pulled on the brambles in frustration, painfully separating them from his fur.
"Hey, don't feel that way. You are a lot different now than you were back then. Almost anyone would have cracked in the same place. The difference is that you made the effort to change. You allowed me to help you. The only reason the barrier got broken in any timeline is because even then, you were a good person deep down."
"...You're not going to let this drop, are you?"
Asriel smiled. "Nope!"
He sighed. "Fine. We're Asriel, then."
"I'm Asriel, you mean. We are one person now, remember?"
"You know, I'm the one that told... me... that.... in the first place...
...This is so confusing."
He smirked. "I really have got to stop talking to myself."
His hand met his face.
It only took a few minutes before Asriel could tell that they were close. The bright sun shone through the trees, and it no longer felt like he was back underground again. He slowed his pace to make as few sounds as possible.
After all, if he was to meet with this pony, it was a lot better for it to be on his terms. He was getting a bit tired of surprises.
As he reached the edge of the forest, and could easily see the clearing, he almost froze as he tried to make as little sound as possible.
The "clearing" wasn't so much a clearing as just the edge of the forest, though. In front of him was some sort of garden, where many different sorts of plants flourished, and some wild animals frolicked, and behind that was a small sort of cottage.
A small river flowed past the cottage into the forest some ten feet to his left, which bore signs that it might in fact be the source of the stream that had supplied his water for the past day and a half.
But besides that, a vast field spread out before him. A small dirt road led off into the distance, and it was quite unmistakable - this was definitely the signs of civilization.
Asriel saw some trees that were beyond the cottage, but these were clearly cultivated. Bright red apples shone on trees in neat, clean rows with no underbrush in sight.
But that wasn't his mission. Right now he was looking for that nice yellow pegasus...
Maybe she lives in that cottage over there? I'd hate to disturb her, but.... No, I need to do this.
He stepped out of the forest. A soft gasp came from the garden.
Asriel's head whipped around, but he managed to calm himself this time. This was what he wanted, after all.
"You came back!" she said, approaching softly.
Encouraged by her words, Asriel gave a slight smile. "H-howdy! I'm sorry I ran away from you then. You seem nice. I shouldn't have been so worried..."
She smiled back. "It's all right. I sometimes have trouble meeting new ponies, too. But I haven't seen a creature like you before. What is your name?"
Huh. Ponies, not just pegasi. Interesting.
"Asriel. What's yours?"
Her smile brightened. "My name's Fluttershy." She looked towards her little cottage. "Would you like something to eat? Some tea, maybe?"
Asriel sighed, relaxing further. "That would be nice. Thank you. I wasn't really sure what was edible in the forest." He started to follow Fluttershy towards her house.
Fluttershy's eyes widened slightly. "So you don't usually live in the Everfree? I'm sorry... I just assumed without asking you."
"Don't be. And no... I guess I'm just a bit lost. I made a little camp in the forest, but my real home... Asriel sighed. "I'm not sure I'm even able to go back.
"Oh... well, I'm sorry about that. But you should be careful in the Everfree Forest. It can be very dangerous unless you know what you are doing in there. I have my animal friends, but..." Fluttershy opened her front door, holding it open for Asriel to step through.
Asriel smiled and nodded at her courtesy, then went inside, looking back at her to continue their conversation. "What kind of dangers are there?"
"Well, there are a lot of animals in there that could really hurt you if you don't really know them that well. And some of the plants in there, too... They are... strange. I don't know any other place in Equestria they grow in. And then the timberwolves... I don't even know if they are really animals. I can't seem to talk to them, at least."
Huh... it seems staying in the forest might turn out exactly like the Underground...
"You seem to have done pretty well in there, though. You kept that nice robe of yours pretty clean."
Fluttershy flew up and opened a cabinet while Asriel pulled out a chair and sat down near her rather homely dinner table.
"Well, I think that has more to do with magic than how careful I was..."
She set down a tin down near a teapot on the stove. "Hm? Does it have an enchantment or something? I've only really heard of those used on Guard armor or something like that. That symbol does look more important than a simple design, though..."
Asriel looked at her with some nervousness. She raised her hooves in front of herself, ready to take back her question, but he spoke anyway. "No, there isn't any enchantment. The clothes are made of the same stuff the rest of me is..."
Fluttershy was taken aback. "They are part of you? I've never seen that before in any of the creatures I have taken care of. And you have your natural fur as well..."
"Magic."
"...Huh?"
"I'm not really made of that much physical matter. Just magic and..." He looked away. "dust..."
Fluttershy looked at him kindly. "Well, it's fitting. I guess your magic really knows who you are." She placed the teapot on the stove, then flew back up to the cabinet, searching in the back for something.
Asriel got up from his chair. "Do you need help with anything?"
"No, no. You're fine." She sighed. "Darn. Why did I have to forget to buy matches yesterday when I was in town?"
He stepped over. "Matches? For the stove? Here, I think I got this." Asriel cupped his hands around the base of the burner, forming a small flame beneath the pot.
Fluttershy reached forward. "Wait, I didn't turn it on yet..."
Asriel pulled away, a small red flame burning merrily beneath it. He smiled kindly.
She blinked, pleasantly surprised. "Oh! Well, thanks..."
"Anything I can do to help."
They moved over to the small table, pulling out their chairs before sitting down.
Asriel sighed, relaxing. I may be far from home, but here... At least here nobody is trying to kill me.
Fluttershy looked towards the kitchen, watching the teapot, but paying attention to Asriel instead. She smiled softly. There was no doubt about it - the odd person in front of her had experienced some bad things in the past. His face was young, as was his demeanor. But his eyes said something different. If he had not needed so much help, she might have been afraid.
He wasn't ready to tell her yet. After all, they had only met for less than five minutes. But his tension, his worry, his fear... they were slowly receding.
The kindness and friendliness was a facade... but underneath is more of the same. I don't know what happened to him to make him this way, but it doesn't matter at this point. He is a good person, and he needs help.
Fluttershy looked directly at Asriel, getting his attention almost instantly.
"Asriel... do you need some place to stay?"
His eyes widened. "Oh, no, you don't have to..."
He paused. Fluttershy had seemed quite sincere about her offer, and while his natural fur had done a good job of protecting him from the cold, nothing could stop the chill that always woke him in the wee hours of the morning.
Asriel sighed. "But that would be nice."
Fluttershy smiled. He really did need a rest. A sudden thought struck her, as her normal instincts suddenly failed her.
"Um... Asriel? I'm sorry this is such an odd question, but... how old are you? With all my animal friends, I usually can tell, but..."
Asriel rubbed the back of his head nervously, suddenly finding himself asking the same question. "Uh... do time loops count?"
Fluttershy gave a soft, but audible "Oh!"
"No... no... I wasn't really 'myself' then. I guess the real me has lived for... twelve years? Or was that ten?"
Dammit, Frisk, you make this really confusing.
I know, I can't really help that.
The teapot began to whistle, interrupting his thoughts. Fluttershy smiled brighter, trotting over to the kitchen to get the teacups.
This is perfect! Just the right age for school. She paused in her tea preparation for a moment, before continuing. I know the time travel thing means he probably should see the Princess some time, but he really needs other ponies to talk with. I can help some, but... I know I'm not the most social of ponies. I have my animal friends to talk to, but... it seems like he can't understand what they are saying. He only has me right now.
And despite his good manners, and those eyes of his, he seems... young.
Fluttershy flew back to the table gently, setting the teacups at the table with her hooves, pouring each cup with her mouth.
Setting the teapot back down, she picked the strainer back up. "Just a minute," she told Asriel as she flew back into the kitchen.
"There we go." She sat back at the table across from him. "I hope you like it."
Asriel carefully blew across the top of the tea, then took a sip. He almost dropped the cup in surprise.
Dad's favorite... But it would be rude to refuse it... and it still is rather nice...
He smiled again, partly to reassure Fluttershy's worried face, and partly... partly for himself. The memory may have been a sad one, but it reminded him of good times, as well as his end goal.
* (Drinking the tea reminds you that there are things worth striving for. You are filled with DETERMINATION.)
* File saved.
Asriel's mouth fully dropped, before he saw the confused look on Fluttershy's face. He quickly recovered, drinking another sip of tea.
He forced himself to relax, then gave a genuine smile to Fluttershy, who now seemed content.
Things would work out in the end. He was sure of it.
Back in Canterlot, Princess Celestia's attention was suddenly torn from her latest petitioner. Something big had just happened. Something deeply unsettling.
She pulled up her SAVE file. Maybe she should go from the last checkpoint, just to be safe...
* LOAD FAILED
She looked back at the line of petitioners, carefully hiding her worry. "I am sorry, my little ponies, but something has suddenly come up. Court will resume tomorrow."
There were a few disgruntled murmurs, but all the ponies filed out of the room. Celestia's expression fell.
The only being that ever had done this before was Discord, but she could still sense him in his stone prison. No, this was definitely someone else.
This definitely warrants some investigation...
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can not read dialog at all!
8401945
Sorry, due to colored text, you need some sort of dark theme.
I have the text formatted like Undertale, and I gave a few resources for making it look EXACTLY like Undertale, but just using a Dark theme or High Contrast Dark will make it visible.
8402035
Yeah. Couldn't find one that did what I wanted.
So I made my own.
Oooooo! So is Celestia like Flowey was? Does she share a SAVE with Luna? The possibilities are near endless?
: moustache:: moustache: out of five! Five is rare.
8401945
I'll second this. I had to highlight the dialogue in order to read it. Not ideal.
All right - majority vote - should I remove all colored tags? (Except the red ones)
That would allow for people to read it without a dark theme, but it would also reduce the impact of a certain scene.
8402042
She did. The circumstances of that whole thing actually had some impact on what happened those 1,000 years ago.... so it is spoilers to say any more.
8402042
Also note that souls without the Determination trait still hold an amount of Determination inside them.
And that Asriel didn't trump Celestia's Determination right away. There's a reason for that, too.
8402063
Nope! I like the colored tags!
8402066
I'll keep that in mind.
At least it's better than Pafriskus.
8402063
Please remove them I can barely read the white and yelow one's
8402075
Sigh.... I hope I get more people that agree with you.
Seriously, how hard it is to click a single button to get a dark theme?
I'll make it more obvious.
8402251
I thought it was perfectly obvious. It was put in the plainest (plain doesn't mean bad! don't take it like that.) of ways where it needs to be, and you gave multiple valid reasons for why it would be a good idea to do so.
8402476
Yeah...
Some people don't read Author's Notes, though, so I put in the main text as well. As well as where to find the Dark theme, so people who just casually read the site know where to find that option.
I know for certain that I was on this site for almost a year before I realized that was a thing.
Nice story, but yeah I understand why people think the formatting its annoying.
It is an original idea and I'm all for it but people usually use the default theme and rolls with it. I don't think even most of the people tinker with any of the options there (or knows that even exists). Personally I have no issue with the formatting. As I said its kind of a neat idea but for me reading anything with dark themes just destroys my eyes and I can't do it for long periods of time.
8403168
Ah, okay.
I understand what you mean.
(Now that I have a majority that isn't just "I didn't feel like changing it," and gave good reasons, I'll make it so.)
8403176
If you feel you really need to make them colored please do so! While having readers happy its a must for stories, don't feel obligated to compromise your creative drive if you think its a good idea before really putting it to use. Just maybe don't use the exact pallete of colors from Undertale and try to use some variations that are more readable for the standard theme? I don't really know how the colored text works to be honest since I've never tried it but maybe you can still play with it a bit more.
My problem with the dark themes its personal and I'm sure its not a generalized issue. I'm pretty sure that doing somthing in my side like upscaling fonts helps with the issue, I'm just used to small fonts and stuff
8402476
Sorry, some of the colored text had to be removed. Now the only colors are normal and red.
This makes it so that both dark and light themes are supported.
At first, I was going to leave it alone, but >>Hywther gave a very good argument. Eye strain is something that is known by me very intimately. That in addition to the other problems about people not knowing how to apply a dark theme, and it makes my story more inaccessible.
Unfortunate, but not totally story-breaking.
(Aww, that reply in the middle didn't work.)
8403189
Well, after a while on High Contrast, even I get a bit of eye strain.
And I left the colors in that worked with both styles. Just the super-light ones had to be removed.
Also, it's a boon, in some ways. It means colored text stands out that much more.
I wish embedding fonts worked, though. That would be SO much easier.
Could this be the reason that Celestia could not SAVE anyone after her thousand years in solitary power were over? Because Asriel's Determination grew stronger than hers?
Ominous.
8404200
Have you ever noticed in the show how Celestia always seems to know what is coming before anypony else? How she knew which five ponies to assign duties for the Summer Sun Celebration? That Twilight was assigned to check?
And there are some other "convenient" things that have to do with Celestia's decisions. Even her defeat at the hooves of Chrysalis both distracted her from her plan and made her underestimate her opponents, causing Equestria to win in the end.
Think about that for a minute.
Now in this timeline, that is suddenly missing.
The story was great! I loved the character development and the way you transitioned between scenes! Your description made me happy and I hope you do well! Sørg for at du ikke putter opp sausen i vasken!
8433261
But wouldn't the sauce just go down the drain?
Or is Google Translate just being spastic today?