Crimson Heart

by Starkeeper_Ponyfic

Arc 1, Part 2: Frisk's Adventures in Ponyville

Surprise Party

“Thanks again for letting me stay here,” Frisk murmured sleepily to Twilight as they shoved oatmeal in their face.

“Are you kidding? You’re both a human and you saved Equestria from eternal chaos. It’s the least I can do,” Twilight chuckled. “I hear Pinkie coming, though. She’s probably here to–”

“Spoilers, Twilight!” Pinkie’s chipper voice called from outside. Twilight rolled her eyes and opened the door for her friend. “Howdy-hey, Frisk and Twilight and Spike!” Pinkie exclaimed. “You are formally invited to a free-from-chaos-Ponyville Pinkie Pie Party!”

Twilight laughed. “There it is! Spike and I’d be delighted to attend.”

“Well, if it’s specifically called a ‘Pinkie Pie Party,’” Frisk reasoned aloud, “then that probably means it’s famous or special. Therefore, it’s very probably worth going to!”

Twilight grinned. “You bet it’s special! Pinkie throws the absolute best parties.”

“It’ll be Town Hall at noon! Be there!” Pinkie giggled before skipping off to either prepare or invite others.

“Okay, that’s in what, four hours?” Frisk asked Twilight.

“Yep. You mind if I go out and help? You and Spike can keep an eye on each other for a few hours, right?” Twilight asked.

“Sure, I guess,” Frisk confirmed, somewhat confused. “See you at the party, I guess?”

“See you!” Twilight called as she galloped out.

“She’s acting weird today,” Spike noticed. “Well, uh, you like board games? I can’t really play with anypony except Twilight and I can’t ever win against her.”

“What’ve you got?” Frisk asked, interested.

“Well, there’s this one called Ogres and Oubliettes that I really love... I guess it’s less of a purely board game, it’s kinda a fusion of board and card games, um, but basically you pretend to be this character in a set of classes, which give you different ways of fighting in battle,” Spike explained, “and then you roll a die to see how effective your moves are and what kind of moves you can do, and it’s really cool and there’s a lot of strategy and planning involved!”

“Oh, we’ve got that game back home!” Frisk realized. “At least in spirit, since our version’s called Dungeons and Dragons but it’s basically the exact same thing as you’re describing.”

“Nice!” Spike grinned. “You wanna... maybe, start a campaign?”

“Sure, I think I’ve got my character sheets somewhere in my phone’s storage...” Frisk trailed off, scrolling through their phone. “Here it is! My character’s a level 10 cleric named Miranda Halden who channels the will of the God of Hyperdeath to decimate her foes,” they babbled, showing Spike the picture.

“Ooh, cool!” Spike grinned. “Mine’s a level 7 Enchanter named Garbunkle, who’s super famous and always treated with the utmost respect,” he declared proudly.

“Okay, but before we start, who’s gonna be the DM?” Frisk asked, doodling out a sketch of Miranda on a cardboard play piece Spike handed them.

“You got a campaign in mind?” Spike asked. “If you’ve got an interesting one, I’m willing to let you do it.”

“One based somewhat on a true story, but yeah. I’ve got one,” Frisk said with an almost nostalgic smile.

“Well, go for it! Sometimes true stories are better than fiction,” Spike grinned.

They finished setting up and Frisk cleared their throat. “In the land of Ebott, there is an ancient kingdom, sealed below the known world. Few have entered, and none have returned. Garbunkle and Miranda have set off to the magic shield keeping the kingdom separate and entered the ruins of the former capital city of the Delta Kingdom...”

The next few hours were spent as Frisk spun a tale very similar to their own adventures, altering it in places but keeping the core elements the same. The soulless husk who greeted them, the kind guardian of the ruins, the lonely musician, and the cozy home at the edge of the city all called back to Frisk’s own adventures in the Underground. Spike wondered what kind of story this campaign could be based on. As noon approached, Frisk decided to end the campaign right before the fight with the Ruins Guardian so they’d have time to get ready for Pinkie’s party. Spike dug out an unused brush for Frisk and went off to polish his scales. Frisk ran the brush through their hair and slipped a golden flower into their sweater over their heart.

When Spike was finally ready they went together to the town hall, Spike pointing out various shops and businesses he and Twilight enjoyed, but Frisk was distracted. For being a party... it was awfully quiet. They voiced their concerns to Spike.

“You’re not wrong,” Spike agreed with a frown. “I hope everypony’s okay...”

Frisk adjusted the heart locket around their neck as the two approached, biting their bottom lip slightly. Spike’s claw reached toward their hand and they grasped it gratefully. They reached the town hall to find decorations and game and vendor stalls aplenty, but no ponies.

Spike’s breathing grew heavy and he started looking around nervously. “Twilight? Pinkie? Rarity? Someone? Is anypony–”

“SURPRISE!” a shout rang out as ponies materialized in front of them. “WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!”

Frisk glared in disapproval. Spike clung to Frisk’s side. Twilight noticed his abating terror and cast a sheepish look.

“Didn’t mean to scare y’all,” Applejack apologized. “Pinkie jus’ wanted to make it a surprise party so Twilight cast an invisibility spell ta hide us.”

“It wasn’t the surprise portion that scared us,” Frisk deadpanned. “It was the fact that we thought you’d all disappeared or something. It was... so quiet. I really thought you had all... all died.” Spike only nodded.

Pinkie walked up and gave the two an apology hug. “I didn’t mean to scare you two...” she trailed off. “I just wanted your traditional ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party to be special, and since I was already planning a party to celebrate being freed from Discord, I figured I’d merge them. I’m really sorry. Parties aren’t supposed to be scary. Unless it’s a Nightmare Night party, I guess. But even then...”

“It’s... it’s alright, Pinkie,” Frisk offered. “But, hey, since we’re here, why don’t we go ahead and get started? Those cupcakes aren’t gonna eat themselves,” they quipped.

Pinkie beamed. “You heard Frisk! Let’s get this party... STARTED!” she exclaimed, confetti shooting over the plaza. Ponies cheered and upbeat music started playing through speakers arranged. A white unicorn with a bright blue mane and pink goggles bobbed her head at a DJ stand. Vendors opened up around the plaza offering cotton candy, cupcakes, cocoa, apple cider, and a bunch of other treats and drinks, plus the game stands. Rainbow Dash was immediately at the cider stand to Frisk's amusement. They wandered around, taking in the sights and sounds and smells. Suddenly, a hoof tapped their back. They turned to find three pony fillies looking eagerly at them.

"Howdy, Ah'm Apple Bloom, and this here's Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo," Apple Bloom introduced.

"I'm Frisk. Nice to meet you!" they greeted.

"Are you really a human?" Scootaloo blurted out.

Frisk took it in stride. "Well, unless I've been lied to my entire life, yes," they joked.

"My sister Rarity told me you were able to defeat Discord!" Sweetie Belle squeaked excitedly. "She never said how, only that she and her friends couldn't defeat him but then you did. How'd you do it?"

"I dodged. Repeatedly. For ten minutes," Frisk sighed. "Pro tip: getting hit with chaos magic hurts."

"That's... kinda lame," Scootaloo pointed out.

"Ya know, that might be an idea, though! I wonder what a cutie mark for dodgin' would look like..." Apple Bloom drifted into thought.

"Cutie mark?" Frisk asked offhandedly as they grabbed a cupcake from a stand they'd drifted to.

"You don't know what a cutie mark is?" Sweetie Belle asked, shocked.

"Well, no. Should I?" Frisk asked before sinking their teeth into the moist, rich vanilla flavor and the thick, creamy icing of the cupcake in their hands.

"A cutie mark is, like, the most important thing a pony could get in their lives!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"I believe we already had the conversation that I am very much not a pony," Frisk reminded the fillies during bites.

“Ohhhh, riiight,” the fillies realized.

“Well, a cutie mark is a representation of somepony’s special talent or destiny that they get when they find it,” Sweetie Belle explained. “You see the pictures on everypony’s flanks?”

Frisk nodded.

Sweetie continued, “They all got those when they were foals. It happened when they discovered their special talent, or what they were meant to do.”

“Cool! I take it you haven’t gotten yours yet?” Frisk asked after licking the icing off their fingers.

Scootaloo sighed, “Nope, and it’s SUPER ANNOYING! Almost everypony in our class already has theirs except for us!”

“At the same time, though,” Apple Bloom interjected, “it’s kinda good for us! We wouldn’t have met if we’d gotten our cutie marks earlier!”

“When we met, we formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Our mission is to do everything until we get our cutie marks!” Sweetie Belle declared.

Frisk grinned and went off to check out the rest of the party. A game was opening up on the other side of the plaza and Frisk went over to check it out.

Rarity headed the game. “Welcome, everypony, to Pin the Tail on the Pony! The objective is simple: attempt to put the tail in the correct spot while blindfolded! Who would like to go first?” she asked. Frisk and a various assortment of foals and older ponies raised their equivalents of arms. Rarity noticed Frisk and smiled. “Frisk, why don’t you go first?”

“Okay,” Frisk shrugged.

Rarity floated a red bandana over and tied it around Frisk’s eyes as well as a bunch of string with tape on one side. Once Frisk nodded to confirm it was tight enough, Rarity began spinning them around while the nearby portion of the crowd began chanting, “Round and round and round you go, where you stop nopony knows!”

Frisk took a minute to get their bearings. They breathed, walked forward to where they thought the paper was, and stuck the tail on the paper, which crinkled satisfyingly under the pressure. Laughter rose up from the crowd and they took the blindfold off to find out that the tail had ended up on the pony’s midsection.

“Well, I guess now it’s a pegasus!” they quipped, intensifying the laughter. Even Rarity couldn’t help giggling. They sat back and watched a bunch of ponies attempt, and most of them got significantly closer than Frisk did. They didn’t mind, it was less than half an hour in and they were already having fun.

The next hour was a blur. Frisk went all over the plaza, enjoying baked treats and party games, and they made several new friends. Aside from a few startled glances, none of the ponies seemed to pay them any more mind than they would a normal filly. A few had a sort of reverent gleam in their eyes when they first saw Frisk, but Frisk dismissed it as just not having seen a human.

Until they met a mint-green unicorn named Lyra Heartstrings. They’d bumped into the unicorn on accident, as had been the case more than once, but then Lyra started freaking out. Apparently she was a human fangirl like Alphys, but she was infatuated with the species both to a higher degree and as a species. She didn’t care about human culture as much as learning everything there was to know about being a human. Eventually Frisk got overwhelmed and had to flee the situation. Lyra tried to pursue, but was held back by a pale yellow Earth pony, who Frisk later learned was named Bon Bon, who gave Frisk an apologetic look. Eventually Rainbow Dash found her way to Frisk and offered them a ride above the party to relax. She’d seen Frisk’s situation with Lyra and would have helped had Bon Bon not intervened. She rested on a cloud and Frisk was grateful for the chance to hang out and chill. Eventually Frisk let out that Rainbow kind of reminded them a little of Papyrus and got to tell the pegasus about their adventures in Snowdin. Rainbow laughed at Frisk’s recounting of the “sadistic disco lights floor,” as Mettaton had later referred to it as. Then Frisk challenged Rainbow’s ego by saying Papyrus was the coolest person they knew.

“Doubt it,” Rainbow scoffed. “Does he have a special move spoken of in legend?”

“I mean, he can manipulate gravity to an extent,” Frisk replied. “He’s also got a ‘special attack’ that I assume is super cool but I’ve never seen it because the one time I was gonna see the attack it got stolen by a dog.”

Rainbow smirked. “Ha! So I’m cooler, since his gravity manipulation isn’t legendary!”

“Okay, but he’s got a theme song,” Frisk retorted. They played the song Napstablook had made for Papyrus to punctuate their point. “All the coolest people, whether hero or villain, have an awesome theme song!” they explained. “You can be cool without one, I guess, but if coolness is a scale between 1 and 100, an awesome theme song boosts your score by at least 20 points. So maybe your base stats are higher than his, but his theme song boosts his score above yours,” they challenged.

“That’s fair, I guess...” Rainbow Dash muttered. “But I’m totally gonna show you that move and we’ll see how I’m ranked then,” she said smugly.

“We’ll see,” Frisk scoffed with equal smug. “Can you fly me down now? I think Lyra’s finally stopped staring at me.”

“Oh, sure,” Rainbow nodded before gliding to the ground. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow and show you my Sonic Rainboom.”

“Looking forward to it,” Frisk chuckled.

Frisk went back to enjoying themselves. Eventually they were approached by a pale brown Earth pony with a gray mane. “You’re Frisk, correct?” she asked. Frisk nodded. “I’m Mayor Mare, mayor of Ponyville. The party’s winding down a bit and I wanted to give a small thank-you speech before everypony left for you and Pinkie and a few others who helped out.”

“Oh, sure, do you need me to do anything in particular?” Frisk asked.

“Just kind of stand up there with the ponies,” the mayor said, pointing at a small podium where Pinkie, Twilight, the DJ, and two ponies Frisk didn’t recognize were already making their way.

Frisk followed instructions and waved to Pinkie. Mayor Mare walked up after a moment and cleared her throat. She tapped the microphone and said, “Thank you, everypony, for coming to this party. It’s good to see so many in good spirits after Discord’s attack. Miss Pie, thank you for setting up this party, and Miss Sparkle, thank you for helping organize setting it up. DJ PON-3, Miss Octavia, thank you for the music, and thanks to Miss Derpy for sending out most of the invitations. But most of all, thank you, Frisk, for saving us all from Discord. Can everypony give Frisk a Ponyville Welcome?”

Ponies clapped their hooves and pounded the ground as Frisk waved with a smile. Spike cheered a bit more loudly than most and Lyra screamed in joy. Frisk stepped behind Twilight for protection once she realized it was Lyra. Soon, ponies started leaving and taking down decorations. Frisk hurried back to the library the instant Lyra couldn’t see them and hid in Twilight’s loft. It seemed like hours of staunchly watching the window before Twilight and Spike finally stepped up to the door and went inside.

“Frisk?” Twilight called. “You’re here, right?”

“Only if that Lyra unicorn isn’t,” Frisk replied.

“Don’t worry,” Spike chuckled. “Lyra left soon after you did.”

Frisk peered down the stairs, and satisfied that they weren’t going to be attacked by a human-crazy pony with a too-sharp horn, they joined Twilight and Spike.

“She was in my classes back at Celestia’s magic school. She’s normally not like this,” Twilight said apologetically. “She’s always had an interest in mythology and stuff, but... Not this extreme.”

Frisk sighed. “She reminds me of my friend Alphys in a way. Alphys was absolutely obsessed with human fiction and these cartoons called anime, but...”

“She was able to separate her obsession with the fiction from her feelings towards its creators?” Twilight offered.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Frisk agreed.

The rest of the day was spent in silence as the three recovered from the party. Frisk got a few texts from her friends around five and spent the next hour in conversation about their separate days. Eventually dinnertime came around and Frisk had a small meal of carrots and broccoli with a glass of water since Toriel demanded they eat something healthy. They decided to go to sleep early for Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom performance the next day.

❤︎

Taste the Rainbow, Mother–

Frisk was enjoying Rainbow’s performance even before she started attempting the Rainboom. The trail left by Rainbow’s mane and tail was already mesmerizing, but then Rainbow began shooting down to start building up speed. The rest of the Elements and Spike ended up joining Frisk while Rainbow took a small water break and Fluttershy passed around tea and Rarity offered scones. Within minutes– after Twilight convinced Rainbow to let her monitor the pegasus’s stats to try to analyze the science behind the Rainboom– Rainbow Dash was back in the air, tracing a vertical wave pattern as she built up speed. Frisk took out their phone to video the Rainboom as Rainbow climbed to a higher point than she had previously and began shooting down, further, further until...

BOOM!

A rainbow flame traced a sonic boom as Rainbow’s trail shot upward and over Ponyville in an arc. Frisk was close to tasting grass with how far their jaw dropped as they gazed at the Rainboom. Fluttershy giggled at their stunned awe.

“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” she asked.

Frisk’s only reply was a mumbled “Uh-huh...” as they stopped recording.

“First Rainboom, I take it?” Rarity joked. “They certainly are absolutely stunning!”

Frisk breathed a sigh of wonder. When Rainbow finally landed at the hill, she flipped her mane. “So, am I cooler than your other friend?” she asked with a smirk.

Frisk put on a pensive look. “Hm... Nah,” they decided. “You’re not cooler.”

Rainbow nearly choked. “But I just...”

“He’s always gonna be cooler, but I’d say you’re more awesome,” Frisk explained.

Rainbow put on a look blank enough to rival one of Frisk’s own expressions of neutrality. There was a long pause before she sighed. “You know what? I guess I’ll take that.”

“You know, Frisk, since you’re here, I wanted to talk about something,” Rarity said.

“What is it?” Frisk asked curiously.

“Well, you’ve been here for almost two days... and you haven’t changed your outfit once! I understand it’s because you don’t really have anything else, but you could look so wonderful in a fresh set of clothes! Please, allow me to design something for you,” she insisted.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Frisk sighed.

"Nope!" Rarity squealed in delight. "You most certainly do not!"

"After y'all are done at Rarity's, ya mind comin' to Sweet Apple Acres? Apple Bloom's infatuated with y'all since she met ya at the party an' mah Granny'd love to see y'all," Applejack explained.

"Sure, I can do that," Frisk nodded.

❤︎

Fashion and Farmers

The sun had just begun its descent into afternoon when Frisk dragged themselves to the Carousel Boutique. Rarity was already waiting for them, with pins and needles and fabrics aplenty laid out. Sweetie Belle gave a pitying glance at Frisk as they walked in before scurrying up the stairs. Rarity directed Frisk to a changing booth where they put on a cotton sheet with arm and head holes while Rarity took measurements on their sweater and jeans. She eventually returned Frisk's clothes and hummed a cheerful tune while she sewed. Eventually Rarity offered Frisk a test and Frisk had to admit, the clothes were pretty nice. Rarity had whipped up a soft golden brown tunic with yellow trim and silver designs and a pair of denim pants with red patterns stitched in.

“The only problem,” Frisk eventually decided, “is that the pants are a little loose.”

“Well, give me just a moment and I’ll sew you a belt for that!” Rarity cheered. “And for a little extra sparkle, can you draw me what you want the clasp to look like?” she added, floating a pencil and a sheet of paper over to Frisk. Frisk naturally drew the top part of the Delta Rune, with the slight alteration of the wings actually touching the circle. Rarity nodded when she saw and pulled out a brilliant ruby as red as Frisk’s SOUL. Rarity concentrated, her horn blazing, and the gem began molding itself into the desired shape under the pressure of her magic. She quickly fixed it to the canvas belt and showed Frisk how to clasp it around their waist. Frisk wandered over to the mirror and grinned at their new look. They stretched their legs a bit and were very happy to find the denim unoppressive. Rarity had even thought to include pockets for their phone. They used the storage space Alphys had set up for them to stash their old clothes in and waved goodbye to a very pleased Rarity after slipping their shoes back on. They jogged to the apple farm where Applejack waited but accidentally bumped into a gray pegasus mare on their way. A bunch of envelopes fell out of her saddlebags and Frisk cringed.

“I’m so sorry,” they apologized, quickly working to pick them up. “I shoulda been looking where I was going.”

“Oh, don’t worry! I’m bad at that too,” the mare replied honestly. Frisk happened a glance at her face when they presented the picked-up letters to find a lazy eye doing its own thing while the other eye gleamed thankfully. “I’m Derpy Hooves,” she introduced herself.

“I’m Frisk. Nice to meet you,” Frisk said as they handed her the letters.

“Okie, thanks for picking the letters up. I’d better get to my deliveries. Not rain, nor snow, nor wind, nor bad eyesight will stop this mailpony from making her rounds!” Derpy declared with a salute before flying off to deliver mail. Frisk laughed cheerfully before continuing to Sweet Apple Acres. The pleasant smell of apple pie tickled their nose as they approached the bright red barn. They brushed a leaf off their new shirt before knocking on the door of the house portion. A very excited Apple Bloom threw the door open with a squeal.

“They’re here, AJ!” she called.

“Well, don’t keep ‘em outside!” Applejack replied with a sing-song laugh. Apple Bloom stammered and stepped out of the way. Frisk beamed kindly and entered the cozy living room. An elderly lime green mare with frizzy white hair smiled at Frisk.

“Well, hot-diggety, yer a real human!” she cackled. “Ah wasn’t quite sure Apple Bloom was tellin’ the truth but whaddya know!? Big Mac, get on in here! We’ve got a guest!”

“Nnnope,” came a deep, throaty voice from the adjoining room.

“Pleaaaase, Mac?” Apple Bloom asked, poking her head through the doorway.

“Nnnope.”

“He usually this talkative?” Frisk quipped, having already been made aware of Big Mac’s reticent nature thanks to Applejack.

The elderly mare howled in laughter, and Apple Bloom snickered.

“Nnnope,” came the reply in a decidedly more amused tone.

“Oh, Frisk, this is mah Granny Smith,” Apple Bloom introduced.

“Nice to meet you,” Frisk smiled.

“Hoo-wee, Applejack! Y’all have a unique taste in friends, that’s fer sure. First Zecora an’ now an honest-to-Faust human! Ah ain’t had this much excitement since Ah was a dadgum filly competin’ in divin’ competitions,” Granny Smith reminisced.

“Who’s Zecora?” Frisk asked.

“Ooh, Zecora’s a zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest!” Apple Bloom babbled. “We met ‘er a bit after Twilight came ta Ponyville and–”

A soft ding interrupted Apple Bloom’s story. Applejack brought out a steaming, fresh apple pie. She nodded with a surprised expression at Frisk’s new clothes after she set the pie down.

“Well, Ah gotta say, Rarity spruced y’all up real nice,” she commented. “Ah wouldn’t mind wearin’ that myself, if Ah’m bein’ honest.”

A hulking red stallion with a short orange mane lumbered out of what was probably the kitchen considering the pie and nodded at Frisk with a small smile.

Applejack didn’t fail to notice her brother’s expression of emotion. “Huh, Ah’d say Big Mac’s taken a likin’ to y’all, Frisk,” she commented.

Frisk widened their eyes in pretend shock. “Cross-species pedophilia?” they asked with a secret conspiratorial wink toward Big Mac.

Applejack choked in disgust. “I didn’t mean it like that!” she gasped out.

Big Mac let out a hearty belly laugh and Frisk giggled. “Fer bein’ the Element of Honesty, li’l sis,” Big Mac managed, “y’all aren’t too good at catchin’ a joke.”

Applejack stared a moment and groaned. “Alright, no pie for the two o’ y’all jokers,” she muttered.

“Joke’s on you, I’ve got the best pie in the universe,” Frisk retorted, pulling a butterscotch-cinnamon pie from their phone’s storage space and using the Worn Dagger to cut themselves a small slice. “You want a piece, Big Mac?”

“Eeyup,” he nodded hungrily, eyeing the pie. The rest of the family bore a look of absolute confusion as they looked back and forth between the pie that Frisk needed two hands to carry and the phone they could easily hold in one.

The reactions all came out at once.

“What in tarnation–” Granny questioned.

“How in Faust’s name–” Applejack demanded.

“What kind of pie is that?” Apple Bloom asked.

“My mom’s famous butterscotch-cinnamon pie,” Frisk replied to Apple Bloom, pointedly ignoring Applejack and Granny. “Like I said, best pie in the universe and I will die– pie on that hill.”

“Could I maybe try a piece?” Apple Bloom asked innocently.

Frisk sliced a piece and slipped it over to the filly, whose mind metaphorically exploded when she tasted the pastry.

“This is amazing,” Apple Bloom gasped, inhaling the rest of the pie.

“You could say you fell in love at first bite?” Frisk quipped to a facehoof from Applejack.

“Yeah, probably,” Apple Bloom decided, considering the pun.

“Get outta here,” Applejack muttered. “Ah can’t deal with this punnery.”

“See ya later!” Frisk called, shoving the pie and Worn Dagger in their phone storage and darting off before Applejack got genuinely mad. Apple Bloom grinned pointedly and Big Mac laughed at Applejack’s expressions of anger and confusion. Frisk giggled their way out of the farmlands and back to the library.

Author's Note:

I know somebody in the comments is probably gonna point out that in D&D the DM can't have a character but to that I remind them that Spike had one in "Dungeons & Discords" so their argument is invalid.

Comments

[CarolMAssphalt666]

Nice!

[DracoLazarus]

Four chapters in, and I already love your Frisk. They're deliciously punny.
I see that Sans has taught them well. :)

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10557577
I agree