When Frisk finally figured out the way to save everyone, to bring both of their friends back and reunite a family that had been suffering for so long, they'd expected to lead their friends and all of the Monsters out to rejoin the humans.
When they instead found a magical world full of candy colored Ponies, needless to say they were a bit surprised. Especially when Frisk and Chara both became Ponies themselves.
Undeterred, and being welcomed in by the Equestrians, follow the Dreemurr family and the many other Monsters as they make a new life for themselves on the surface with their new Equine neighbors! -----------
Hello! This story is meant to be an Episodic series, with most of the chapters not being ones you have to read to know whats happened in prior ones. In this verse, Asriel and Chara both have been brought back but Chara and Frisk, the only humans, have become Equestrians. Frisk is a Unicorn, and Chara is a Pegasus.
I've got plans to introduce the ability for readers to create their own characters to have show up in the background or perhaps even as minor characters in episodes, and possibly even a chance to submit episodes if people show an interest in the idea.
On a rainy, cloudy day such as Canterlot was having today, most folks would have chosen to stay indoors and stay warm and dry unless they had things to do. Even if it wasn’t actually storming, many of the capital’s denizens would have no desire to risk catching a cold or messing up their fine clothes or manes.
The Dreemurr’s however, were not such folk. Especially their children.
“Hey no fair! You’ve got wings!” Asriel shouted up at Chara, who stuck their tongue out at the ground bound pair below.
“You never said no wings!” Chara teased back as Frisk shook their head in amusement, humming silently as they used their magic to pick up the dodgeball and sneak off towards one of the new rose bushes Dad had planted recently. Chara’s focus was entirely on Asriel as the young prince harrumphed and put his hands on his hips.
“I didn’t think I’d need to!”
This banter was nothing new to Frisk. Chara and Asriel argued and teased each other incessantly, something they’re parents had said was quite frequent before… well…
Normally, Frisk would just watch them, occasionally taking a side if they thought it necessary. When they were playing though… it was always a good chance to get an edge on one or the other, and Frisk wasn’t above doing so. Even if it usually meant they were then on the receiving end of revenge from both.
Unfortunately, Chara had picked up on the sudden absence of the golden coated unicorn. They quickly flew away from the tree they’d been using as cover, only to be pelted from both sides. Frisk let out a triumphant shout, only to yelp as Chara decided to come after them first.
“Don’t try running Frisk! We both know I’ll catch up! And then you’ll have to suffer the punishment for cheap shots like that!”
Frisk knew only too well. She had learned within the very first week after the Monsters left the Underground that Toriel and Asgore had taught their kids the secret Dreemurr art of tickling. The fact that Chara was a Pegasus and could use their wings only made it worse.
“Asriel! Help me!” Frisk shouted back, but the fluffy dork was busy trying to fling some mud off him. It seemed his efforts to reclaim his dodgeball had tripped him up. There would be no goat-bro to the rescue here.
Thankfully, instead it would turn out to be King Dad Guy to the rescue. “Children! Lunch is ready!” He called out from the kitchen window, the smell of grilled eggplant and hay burgers briefly distracting everyone.
Chara landed on the ground beside Frisk, giving them a poke in the side with a hoof. “Don’t think this means you’ve gotten out of a round of tickle torture.” Frisk just whistled innocently as Chara rolled their eyes and hurried on in. Frisk waited on Asriel, using a spell Rarity had shown them to help clean their brother off.
“Thanks.” Asriel said, smiling as he added, “I know Dad doesn’t mind tracks as much as Mom, but I don’t want to add to Dad’s workload.”
“No problem Azzy.” Frisk said… only for her to regret those words when they walked in and Chara splashed them both with water as they shook the rainwater off their coat and wings. The pair gave the smug looking pale Pegasus a glare as Chara stuck her tongue out at them.
“Consider it payback for ya both hitting me at once~!” They singsonged before trotting into the kitchen. Frisk sighed and cast the cleaning spell again which at least got rid of the excess water dripping from them as the pair followed after.
The children quickly crowded around the round dining table, with Asgore seeming to take up a fair bit of space. Frisk and Chara both weren’t sure if it was just a case of Asgore always having been a big monster, or if the equine forms they’d gained when they left the Underground made him seem bigger.
“I made plenty for everyone, so take what you want.” Asgore said softly as he made himself a sandwich, Asriel quickly laying claim to the grilled eggplant while Frisk and Chara split most of the hayburgers between each other.
After a bit of silent munching as everyone dug in, Asgore asked, “So, how does a movie and then some board games sound after lunch?”
Frisk and Asriel quickly nodded their heads at that, earning a chortle from Chara as they said, “Oh sure, now that you both know I’m going to go after both of you, you want to play something else.”
“You’re only saying that because you know I’m better at tabletop games.” Asriel said with a snort, earning a staring contest between the pair.
Frisk’s mind however was elsewhere, thinking about the other reason she’d suggested they spend the weekend at their Dad’s place. A reminder of such being marked on the calendar hanging by the fridge.
“Hey Dad? Do you have any ideas on what we can do for Mom’s birthday?” Frisk finally asked, making Asgore pause his eating for a moment, looking like he’d been stung a bit.
“I’m not sure I’m the best to ask that kind of question anymore…” Asgore mumbled as he looked at his plate. He nearly dropped his sandwich however at Chara’s response- then again Frisk and Asriel were also giving their sibling a surprised look.
“Horseshit. You’ve still known her the longest out of anybody else in the Underground.” Chara said with a frown, quickly adding “You may have not been together for a long time, but you can’t tell me you don’t have some ideas.”
Frisk nodded, and Asriel decided to chime in “We’ve been thinking about it on and off for a month Dad, but we’ve only got a few ideas that we can work on by ourselves.”
“And at least one idea I have will need some help from you Dad.” Frisk got out, earning quirked eyebrows from Chara and Asriel.
Asgore was silent a moment, leaving the children unsure if he’d heard them or not. But after a minute passed, Asgore sighed and asked “Well, first, just what ideas did all of you have?”
“Well, I was thinking of getting Mom some new dresses and robes.” Asriel began. “I was going to just try to get something from one of the stores here in Canterlot, but I bumped into Rarity while she was buying some supplies for some big line she’s working on, and she said she’d be happy to help whip up a few for Mom.”
Chara rolled their eyes at that. “From what I’ve seen and heard of her, I’m not too surprised she’d do that. It’s a huge opportunity for her business.”
Asriel frowned a bit at that. “You’re not wrong Chara, but most of the ponies here in Canterlot were asking for outrageous prices. Rarity offered to do it for free.”
Chara didn’t have a response to that, so instead they said “I was thinking of trying to buy her some exotic cooking supplies, or maybe some new books. She loves cooking as much as she does reading.”
“Both of those are good ideas… and leave me wondering why you wanted to ask me.” Asgore said with a bit of a sad chuckle. Though he did scratch his beard a bit as he looked to Asriel, then Chara and asked, “Though I suspect you’ll be needing measurements for your Mother, and wanting to know topics or dishes that might pique her interest more. Am I right?”
Chara and Asriel both nodded, leaving only…
“And what about you Frisk? What was your idea?”
Frisk squirmed a bit, blushing as they said “Well, actually, two ideas. The first doesn’t technically need your approval, since I already asked the Embassy staff.” At this, Frisk quickly elaborated, “I wanted to host the Birthday Party for Mom at the embassy, and invite all of our friends and any monster or ponies who wanted to show up.”
“Mhm, since it’s for Toriel, yes I can see why the staff would say it’d be no problem. Especially since there’s nothing scheduled for that day. But what else could you need my help for?”
Now Frisk smiled. This was something they knew that Toriel really wanted, and would be the perfect present from her. Knowing that Asgore played a role in getting it might also help heal the rifts between the two.
“I want to get Mama a Teaching License.”
The eyes of the others all widened at this, but soon they were all smiling. Even Asgore. After a moment of thought, he nodded his head and said “Yes… yes, I think I can help with that my child… and I can help with all the rest as well.”
Thoughts of games and play were put aside for the rest of the afternoon. They’d get back to them in the evening before bed… but for now, it was time for plotting and planning out the best way to make Toriel’s first birthday above ground the most memorable one in her life.
-*-
It was Monday night when Frisk found themself walking alongside Asgore through the halls of the Royal palace. Every so often, one of the guards would incline their heads to the Monster King and the adopted royal. Frisk still wasn’t used to thinking of themself as a noble or royal of anything, no matter how much their friends tried to tell them otherwise.
“Are you sure this isn’t asking too much?” Frisk asked as they looked up to their Dad, who was wearing his crown and robes for this meeting.
“If I thought it was, we wouldn’t be heading to a meeting with Princess Luna, would we?”
“N-No, I guess not.” Frisk admitted, rubbing the back of their head. “I’m just a little…”
“Worried she’ll say no?” Asgore asked, and Frisk nodded. He chuckled a bit and ruffled their hair. “For one so Determined at times, you worry more than even Tori does at times.”
Frisk couldn’t help but blush at that. “I can’t help it… this is important… and I want it to be ready in time for Mom’s birthday…”
“Well, from what I’ve heard, especially in my chats with her sister Princess Celestia, she should be more than able to help us. Ecstatic to do so in fact as you might find out.”
Frisk quirked an eyebrow up at that, not sure exactly what Asgore meant as they reached the throne room where Night Court was being held… to see that they were in fact the first and, well, only people in line to get in.
“Are… are we the only ones here tonight?” Frisk asked, and Asgore gave a sad nod.
“More Ponies stay awake in the evening then they used to, but it seems most who need to speak with one of the Princesses do so during the day.”
Frisk felt their heart going out to the Lunar Princess as a dark blue hue took hold of the doors and slowly swung on open.
The throne room wasn’t changed much from when they’d first stepped into it during the day the Barrier was broken. It held the same tapestries along the sides in between the windows. The only difference was that there were Lunar tapestries around the throne, and that there were several standing torches that flickered with a soft, blue flame that gave the room an almost mystical air to it.
“Ah, King Asgore, Saviour Frisk, a pleasure to see you this evening.” Luna said from her place on the throne, looking delighted to see anyone. Her eyes quickly focused on Frisk to as she added “I understand you need help with something special?”
Frisk nodded their head and, after getting a nod from Asgore, took a few steps forward. “P-Princess,” they began, only to be briefly interrupted.
“Luna, dear Frisk. Friends do not have to address us by our title.”
Nodding, Frisk continued. “Luna, next week is Toriel’s birthday. Her first up here on the surface. My siblings and I want to do something special for it, but the gift I know she’ll appreciate the most is something that’d normally take a while to get… and would require her to be involved in getting it. I want this to be a surprise after all.”
Luna hummed, and said “Hm, tell me what this gift is to be, and I will say whether it is something I may be of help with.” And so Frisk told Luna how they wanted to make Mama Toriel’s dream of becoming a teacher a reality. And the glimmer in Luna’s eyes and the smile on her face made Frisk swell with hope.
Finally, Luna raised a hoof. “We can assist you and your siblings dear Frisk. We can even do so without going around the rules and system my sister has set up with regard to education in the realm.” When Frisk tilted their head at this, Luna added,
“We believe that your mother has already submitted forms to receive a teaching license. Normally, she would have to take a test as well and wait for a review period… but I already know Miss Toriel rather well and have no doubt she’d pass with flying colors.”
Frisk clapped their hooves excitedly “So you can get her one?”
Luna nodded. “We will do more than get her one, but that you’ll have to wait til her party.” She gave a wink and said “We can present it to her there, together. I’m sure that will help make it a moment to treasure for all time.”
Frisk let out a joyful whinny and rushed over to Luna, hugging the Princess’s hooves and saying “ThankyouThankyouThankyou!~” over and over again, much to the two royals amusement.
“Do make sure there’s plenty of cake for everyone though. My sister will never admit it, but she is a bit of a cake fanatic.” Luna added with a chuckle as she ruffled Frisk’s mane. They nodded and finally let go as Asgore motioned for them.
“Again Princess Luna, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. The children are going to be so happy to be able to give this to Toriel… and Toriel will be beyond overwhelmed.”
Luna dipped her head. “It is my pleasure Asgore. It is always a joy to help light up a child’s face and make their night, or day, a bit brighter. Do come again if either of you or the Monster Kingdom needs my assistance.”
Asgore and Frisk both nodded, giving her a bow as they left. Frisk was practically bouncing in place, and as soon as they had closed the door behind them they let out another whinny and managed to throw themselves around Asgore’s neck, a fierce hug and much nuzzling following.
How they managed to get themselves up the five or so feet for said affections on her own was left a mystery.
Chuckling, Asgore helped grab hold of Frisk so they could ride on his shoulder pauldron. “Come on, let’s head back home. We still have some preparations to make.”
Frisk nodded eagerly, already looking forward to the party next week.
-*-
The rest of the weekend and the days leading up to the party went by in a blur. For Frisk and their siblings, they were amazed they were able to keep a lid on things, maintaining the element of surprise all the way up to the last minute as they walked with Toriel up to the Monster Embassy doors.
Frisk had been a bit surprised that Toriel didn’t seem to be acknowledging her birthday, but Chara and Asriel had both said that Toriel hadn’t really celebrated one since… well, since before they’d both died.
And even before then, from what Asgore had said, sometimes they both forgot their own birthdays. Guess it came with being, effectively ageless.
It was hard for them to contain their excitement as well. Asriel had a big goofy grin on his face and Chara’s wings were twitching excitedly. Frisk had to admit that even they were finding it hard to keep from bouncing on their hooves.
“Goodness my children, your all quite energetic today.” Toriel said with a soft giggle. “There’s really no reason to be so excited, I’m just attending a short little meeting.”
“We know!” They all chorused, sharing a giggle between them that earned a raised eyebrow as their mother grabbed the handle and began to pull the door open…
And as soon as she finished, the lights inside flicked on and there was possibly a hundred or more voices calling out “SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TORIEL!”
Toriel’s eyes were wide, and she was frozen in place as she saw a great many Ponies and Monsters both. She saw her children’s friends, the Element Bearers, the Princesses… practically everyone was here! And a big huge banner done up by Pinkie Pie was draped across the back wall of the entrance hall.
Frisk and their siblings quickly followed the crowds cheer with their own, and a few flying hugs. “Happy Birthday Mama!~<3”
Their hugs seemed to snap Toriel out of her stupor, and she smiled as her eyes grew a little damp. “My children, you didn’t have to do this for little ol me…”
Chara rolled their eyes at that, while Asriel nodded. “We know we didn’t have to Mom…”
“But we wanted to. Especially since it’s your first out of the Underground.”
Toriel blinked a bit at that, then her smile widened, and she chuckled. “So it is… I guess that is a rather special reason to throw an extra special party. Still,…”
Chara just shook their head, floating into the air and giving Toriel a little push. “No still about it, c’mon now! There’s food, games, friends and then after all of that presents!”
Frisk watched as Chara ‘encouraged’ Mom to join the festivities, giving Asriel a hoofbump as they moved to follow after them. Frisk glanced off to Asgore, who was speaking quietly with both of the Princesses. Luna glanced their way and gave a smile and a wink, earning a bigger smile on Frisk’s own muzzle.
Frisk stuck close to Mom through most of it, mingling with those who came up to talk with her and wishing her a fantastic birthday. A few here and there asked her how old she was, but she just shook her head and told them she wasn’t entirely sure anymore. Asgore confirmed that when he said even with his great memory, he couldn’t recall how old either of them were.
Sans made a comment that they might be old enough to get a few dozen senior citizen discounts, earning laughs from all of them and a mock glare from both of the Royal Dreemurrs, before they demurred and joined the mirth.
Six three large cakes were soon brought out, with one of them being a butterscotch-cinnamon cake that was as tall as Toriel was. Everyone was quite impressed by the decorations around the ring, especially the Toriel as it depicted all the happy moments in her life. Pinkie thanked Frisk for letting her borrow the photo album for that part.
Between the Dreemurrs themselves and the Princesses, with some minor help from everyone else, the cakes were easily demolished and the moment of truth had arrived. It was time for the presents, and the three of them made sure to keep the most special ones for last.
Some presents weren’t too surprising. A new joke book from Sans, cooking books from Papyrus. An “One Free Training Session” from Undyne raised a few eyebrows but Toriel thanked her all the same.
The Toriel plushie with Mettaton’s face on it was quietly set aside to be dealt with later.
Soon enough though, it was just Asriel, Chara, and Frisk left. Frisk nodded to them, letting them go first as she saw the Princesses moving closer to the four of them. Asriel went first, handing a long, flat, rectangular box to Mom. The tag had the Deltarune on it and three diamonds in a familiar pattern.
“From Asriel and Rarity.” She said, Asriel blushing a bit and nodding.
“R~Rarity did most of the work… so it didn’t seem right not to include her on the tag.”
Toriel seemed to understand that, and carefully opened the box. She let out a soft gasp as a shimmering royal purple dress spilled out. It had a bit of regal flair to it but it’s most amazing trait was how some lines made it look like rippling waves of fire, particularly at the hem and the wrists.
“It’s beautiful, thank you both.” She said after a moment, holding it up to herself and smiling faintly as she saw it almost shimmer and shift depending on how the light was striking it. She carefully folded it before pulling Asriel in for a hug, giving Rarity a smile and a nod as the fashionista dipped her head in quiet acknowledgment.
Next was Chara, and Toriel let out a long ‘oooo’ as she opened a box to find a dozen different books, all of them educational and a few involving Equestrian magic. Toriel beamed and gave Chara a kiss on the head as she said “It’s a good thing I got some more shelves at home now, otherwise I wouldn’t have had room for these.”
“Well, I don’t think that would have been a problem anyways~” Chara said in a cryptic tone as Frisk’s turn came up next. Frisk wasn’t holding anything, but Toriel didn’t miss how both of the Princesses moved over to stand to either side of them.
“Mom, this present was my idea, but I had alot of help for it. Without some help from Dad and the Princesses, this gift wouldn’t be possible.”
Toriel’s face was every bit the puzzled one as she looked between the three ponies before her. She looked like she wanted to ask, but wasn’t sure how to begin.
Thankfully, Luna stepped in before she could. “Her Royal Highness, Toriel Dreemurr, Queen of the Monsters, it is with immense pleasure that we present the young royal’s gift to you on this most joyful occasion.” She lifted her wing, and a scroll bearing the seal of Equestria came forth, floating over to Toriel who slowly took it and began to unfurl it.
As Luna continued, understanding dawned on her as she read the words at the very top.
“Under the authority of the Sun and Moon, we present you with a Royal License of Education. Anywhere within the realm of Equestria or it’s dependencies you are now authorized to pass on your knowledge to future generations, whomever they may be.”
Celestia took that moment to chime in, a wide, warm smile on her face as she pulled out her own scroll. Frisk blinked at this, not having expected that, though the knowing look on Luna’s face suggested this had been planned by both.
“And it is my pleasure to offer to you a writ that will allow you to construct your very own school to your own specifications here in Canterlot or wherever you deem appropriate.”
The entire Dreemurr family’s jaw dropped at that. Frisk and their siblings had known that Luna and Celestia had both gotten the license certified. They hadn’t dreamed that the Princesses would go this far for them!
Toriel was left speechless, no words able to express how she was feeling for a good minute. She swayed a bit, flopping back into a chair Sans managed to bring over just in time. She looked at the scroll again, noticing that it had signatures from her entire family there as witnesses.
Toriel started crying as she beckoned them all over for a hug, the Dreemurr children not needing to be told twice. It took some goading to bring Asgore in but once there he helped prove that the best Dreemurr hug was one coming from both Mom and King Dad Guy.
As she let go, Toriel beamed at her children, the most precious treasures in her entire life. “Thank you my children… thank you so much for all of this. This will be one birthday I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget.” She kissed each on the head, earning nose nuzzles in turn from them. “Though I think there’s one present that tops them all.”
Frisk blinked at that, tilting their head slightly. “Which present is that Mom?”
Chara and Asriel shared a look, having a guess as to what she was going to say next. After all, it’d been something she’d told them in the past, and it was as true then as it was now.
Toriel smiled, and scooped the three of them up into her arms. “The greatest present is having each of your wonderful, loving selves as my children.”
This earned a collective ‘daaaaaaww’ from the party guests as Toriel lavished all three of the Dreemurr kids with kisses and nuzzles until Chara’s tolerance for mushy lovey dovey moments was reached, and they zipped out and hovered above everyone else.
“Well come on folks! The party isn’t over yet! Hit it Pinkie!”
Pinkie Pie saluted and popped up behind the DJ station with Napstablook and Mettaton, and music began to play as Ponies and Monsters alike started swaying or singing along.
The party would last for a few more hours, but it was without a doubt the biggest party the Dreemurr children had been to, and as the three royal siblings had wanted, with the help of their friends, they’d thrown a Birthday Party that no one was going to be able to forget.
Night quickly descended upon Equestria, the moon taking the place of the sun as the natural cycle continued under the watchful eyes of the returned Princess Luna and her loving sister Princess Celestia. Raising the Sun and Moon, however, were not the only duties that both Royal Sisters possessed.
Celestia helped bless the lands with fertility so that the Equestrian farmers would be able to grow whatever they needed for themselves, their families, and for the rest of Equestria. Luna however was tasked with something much more, intimate in some ways and very special to her alone.
She was the Guardian of Dreams, The Protector From the Nightmares, the dark things that dwell within us all. It was her job to aid the sleeping citizens of Equestria to face the darkest thoughts in their mind when night fell, and lay their heads to sleep. And this applied to all those in Equestria who dreamed, including their newest citizens.
The Monsters of the Underground.
The strange Kingdom of creatures that many in Equestria had never seen the likes of. Some were cute and cuddly, others were things that one can only imagine in their dreams or even nightmares. But just because some were dreamlike, or even horrific to look at, did not mean that they too didn't have their own dreams and night terrors to face.
And right now there was one monster of the underground in particular who was dealing with a nightmare that kept coming night, after night, after night. And on this night Princess Luna was determined to help him face the demons that resided in his dreams.
That monster... was Prince Asriel Dreemurr.
-*-
It was happening again.
One moment he was hugging his mother, enjoying another wonderful day with her in the kitchen preparing a meal for the rest of the family. The next she had a slash across her chest, dust slowly falling from her form with a look of pain and betrayal on her face. Then she would dissolve and fade away into nothingness, her soul floating there for but an instant before it too would crack and splinter into several pieces, joining the pile before him.
He would look down and see not hands or paws, but the small leaves and petals of his prior form. The form of Flowey, that hellish form in which he had no soul, no compassion, no love. The form that he had been forced to endure for years with no respite, one there to truly help him get what he needed, no, what he wanted most.
It was the form he hated the most, the form that he never wanted to see or exist as ever again. It was a piece of his past that he very much wished he could let go of.
And yet, night after night for the last week it had returned again and again to show him the crimes of his past. To remind him of the sins that crawl down his back, to taunt him with the freedom that he finally had now that he once again had a soul.
It was as if something inside him was trying to tell him that he did not deserve this, that he shouldn't be able to feel compassion, empathy, love and kindness... that at heart he was nothing more than a demon.
Asriel could hear that flower’s haunting cackle echoing in the void of darkness around him as he saw the faces of the ones he loved and held close form a circle around him. Pain, anguish, sorrow, and hatred etched into their faces in a blur of emotions as he in his Flower form, not his true goat monster form, cut them down one by one.
And what was worse, here in this nightmare, was that Asriel had no choice. There was nothing he could do! Even as he fought the urge, even as he tried to resist the call to murder, to kill, it did not stop the vines from lashing out. Nor did it stop the little white bullets I'm smacking into those he loved.
It was almost as if someone else was controlling him. Yet he knew that wasn't the case, for these weren't mere night terrors. These were not images that were conjured up by his mind alone. No, these images were things he had seen, and done, before in countless runs within their old prison back in the Underground. The countless times that he had Reset and gone through the whole of the underground slaughtering every monster he crossed.
They were not new images to him; he had seen them even when he was Flowey, he had even recounted them when he had grown bored with doing the killings himself.
Now though, now that he had a soul that allowed him to feel empathy, love, and compassion for others, the faces of countless monsters haunted him.
It had been nearly three months since they had escaped the underground and been welcomed with open hooves by the Equestrians, and during that time his dreams had been nice and peaceful, his past remaining just that, in the past.
And given that thanks to the efforts of Frisk, he had a chance to redeem himself for the actions of said past, and perhaps even more important, being reunited with a sibling he thought he had lost forever… he’d really felt like luck was finally on his side for once.
Having to suffer through some bad dreams was a small price to pay for all of that. And even though he knew his siblings would tell him otherwise, he kept the pain the nightmares were buried and out of sight. Frisk already had enough on their mind, and Chara had their own bad memories to deal with. And well, trying to tell Mom or King Dad Guy the full truth about what had happened to him… it wasn't something that he wanted to burden them with.
So, it was with some surprise that this night, the nightmare was shattered. The darkness twirled and spun away, being replaced by an infinite starry expanse, and the sight of one of the two Royals of Equestria.
“P-Princess Luna?”
The Lunar Princess nodded her head as she strode towards the Prince of Monsters. “Yes, and we are sorry that it took us this long to reach your dreams. With your brethren having joined us on the surface there is much more work to do in the dreamscape. Nor was it an easy task reaching the depths of darkness that cloud your mind.”
Asriel squirmed upon hearing that, casting his eyes down to the... well he wasn’t sure it was ground but regardless he couldn’t bring himself to meet Princess Luna’s gaze.
“You didn’t need to come and help me with my dreams… I-I’m lucky I got to sleep peacefully as long as I did anyways.”
Luna frowned at that, then strode forward until she was standing right in front of Asriel. She leaned her neck down until her face was even with his, then use the tip of her nose to gently nudge his face up. She could see a great deal of sadness and regret in the Prince’s eyes, and she could sense what lifetimes of newly felt guilt was hanging over him.
“Little one, you are not the only one who has done terrible things in this world. You are not alone, and you do not need to bear this weight alone.” Luna murmured softly as she laid on the ground, using a wing to pull him closer. It took a moment, but she was not surprised when the young monster wrapped his arms around her neck tightly, clinging to her like a lifeline.
Still, despite that small comfort, Asriel’s next words made it clear that it would not be that easy to chase away the demons haunting his rest.
Asriel quivered and shook, tears quickly pouring forth as the dam holding it all began to weaken.
“But you don’t understand, I don’t think anyone can understand! What I’ve experienced… What I’ve done! This isn’t like someone hurting someone’s feelings, or getting bullied all the time. I-I’ve killed so many countless times... only to reset and do it all again. I’ve hurt so many people, Yet the only one who knows this is the one person who’s never hurt anyone unless they weren’t given a choice…”
Luna was silent for a moment, giving the young monster child a chance to let anything else out. She knew that the young prince had a complicated past, both from her discussions with Frisk and Chara as well as with the skeleton Sans. And she had just witnessed a few of the night terrors that had been plaguing him for the last few days…
Yet the implications of just this small scrap, these few drops of pain and anguish that hinted at so much more… It was not what she had expected.
But contrary to his belief, she did understand.
“Tell me young prince… What do you know of Nightmare Moon?”
There was a pause as Asriel seemed to be taken off guard by the question. “I, well I uh… I know that you used to be her. That Celestia beat you and sealed you in the moon for a thousand years… but that the Elements of Harmony have helped cleanse you of that darkness. Same thing everyone in Equestria knows, right?”
Luna let out a laugh that sent chills down Asriel’s spine. It almost reminded him of Flowey’s laugh… except that here, there was a tinge of venom to the ice.
“If only it were that simple… If it were only that simple, I might not have my own demons to haunt me. I would not have the regrets that I have, nor would I be envious of you for this ability you speak of called ‘reset’.”
Asriel was about to ask what she meant by that, but she continued before he had much of a chance.
“What I tell you can only be shared with your siblings and your parents, unless I or my sister Celestia say otherwise. Understand?”
Another pause, one in which Luna was able to see the young monster working out this request with what she just said a moment ago. Smart, and wise beyond his years… An old soul inside someone so young…
Her thoughts were interrupted as he finally said, “Y-Yes, I understand.”
Luna nodded. Still, she needed to be sure… “Pinkie Pie swear?”
Asriel gulped at that. Sans had accidentally broken one of those in their first week in Equestria. It was the first time that he’d ever seen the skeleton scared witless that didn’t involve the death of his loved ones… and the first time that Sans had gotten to enjoy the experience of feeling his sins crawling down his back.
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Asriel said as he followed through the motions, And upon completion he received a satisfied nod from Luna. Silence filled the air for a long moment as he watched Luna compose herself for what she was about to share.
Asriel had an idea of what she was going to tell him… The full story of what her time as Nightmare Moon was like. Given of what he learned and seen of the pony so far, as well as the princesses, he wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.
“Thousands.” Luna said, her voice almost a whisper. Asriel Thought he might have misheard, but she soon repeated it, louder this time and with a bit of a waver in her voice.
“Thousands of ponies died during my brief spat with madness. Some died at the hooves of my supporters… some I killed directly… many more died in their beds as the horrors I unleashed upon the dreamscape tore at their minds and bodies. Others still fell to the claws and teeth of the nightmarish demons I brought into the waking world.”
Luna looked up into the starry void surrounding the pair, her eyes seeing something that Asriel could not.
“For one, long, bloody year I left the land and the ponies of it in darkness. I took my jealousy, my anger, my hatred... And unleashed it upon thousands of innocent ponies and other creatures. It may have technically been only a single night, but time does not care if the sun or moon rises or sets. And in my madness, I relished in those deaths. I felt that they were those who’d shunned my night, who’d shunned that which I created each and every night. And that because of this, they deserved death. For they were not worthy of it.”
Asriel could feel the pain in Luna’s voice, and he could feel his own soul aching and yearning to comfort her, to tell her it would be okay… But he wasn’t exactly sure if he was someone who should be doing that.
But it was quite clear, that sharing this with him was not an easy thing for the Princess of the Night. And that there was more yet to be told.
“When my sister and I finally met in battle, my hatred had grown strong enough that I didn’t simply want to beat her… I wanted to END her. For even in the madness there was still a part of me inside. But the darkness had twisted and tainted my soul so deeply that I had convinced myself this was all her fault. All the damage I had done laid at her hooves. That if she had just surrendered and let me take the throne for myself and keep Equestrian in an eternal night…”
“That if she just let you win, everything would be fine.” Asriel chimed in, thinking back to a similar moment between him and Frisk...
Luna gave Asriel a pained smile, but after a moment nodded in agreement. “After a fashion, yes... that is indeed how I felt. And of course, well you know what happened next, or at least part of it…”
Asriel didn’t say anything, and said casting his gaze down to the ground once more. While being sealed inside the moon wasn’t exactly the same as being stuck inside the form of a flower, he knew what it was like to be trapped in a prison that you couldn’t escape… Literally and figuratively.
“Being banished for a thousand years did give me plenty of time to think, corrupted as my mind and soul was. With little else to do but go over what had happened, I used my own dreamscape to relive every moment and think about what I did wrong.” Luna let out a dark, hollow laugh as she added, “You’d think that would’ve been enough to make me atone within my prison, but you’d be wrong. I merely realize that I got about the whole thing the wrong fashion, killing those who in time could have been loyal, loving subjects.”
Shaking her head, her own gaze followed Asriel’s down into the star-studded void. The pair shared a moment of silence together, their thoughts their own, before Asriel asked, “when you broke free, was your only desire vengeance? Taking what you thought should have been yours?”
“No… Even though I had a thousand years to stew in my darkness, at the end of the day what I desired most was to be loved and respected as much as my sister had been. To have ponies enjoy what I created… I wanted them to care about the night as much as I did.”
Hearing that from Luna struck a chord within Asriel, and he could he feel a connection between the lunar princess and himself that hadn’t been there before. And, while it might have been odd to many others, the realization that came with that connection drew a laugh out of the Prince.
Luna gave Asriel a questioning look, which just made him laugh a bit more. When he managed to compose himself, he said “Sorry, it’s just that… You were right. I’m not alone, I’m not the only one carrying a dark past with them.”
A smile broke out over Luna’s muzzle, and soon, even she let out a few chuckles. She used her wing to bring Asriel close again as she remarked In a teasing tone, “Perhaps in the future you won’t doubt the Princess of the Night when she speaks the truth?”
Asriel giggled and nodded, wrapping his arms around her neck and giving her an appreciative nuzzle. The bright smile on his face soon grew somber however, as he asked “How do you deal with it? How do you learn to live with such guilt?”
“A wise King once told me that the way to face such a past is to give each day your best, and to try not to dwell on it. To accept that it happened, that it’s in your past, and that you’re going to work hard each and every day to make up for your mistakes. You can’t do anything about your past, but you can decide what future you will have.” Luna replied, smirking a little as she looked down to Asriel and asked, “And do you know who told me that young Prince?”
Asriel thought about it for a moment, before asking “Was it my dad?”
Chuckling, Luna leaned down to boop Asriel on the nose as she admitted, “Yes as a matter of fact it was… Though actually he was saying it to both Celestia and myself. But he did leave out something very important.”
“Oh? And what was that?” Asriel asked with the tilt of his head.
An almost motherly look crossed Luna’s muzzle as she leaned down and gave Asriel a peck on the forehead and pressed him close to her side.
“That when you have friends, you don’t have to carry the weight alone. Your friends are there to help and support you, so don’t leave them out. Let them into your heart so that they can know you fully, and love you all the more. True friends are there for you through the good and the bad, thick and thin.”
She then reached up with a hoof and ruffled his head as she added, “Especially when those friends are all powerful princesses.”
After that, Luna and Asriel shared a laugh and a few more hugs Before Luna stood and said, “The day is almost upon us young Prince. I trust you’ll keep what we’ve talked about in mind when it comes to the darkness that weighs upon your heart? As well as the Pinkie promise that you made?”
Asriel nodded his head vigorously, both because of the Pinkie Promise and worry about the kinds of pranks a several thousand year old Alicorn could think of. As he did so, Luna smiled and her horn began to glow a dark blue, Asriel start to notice a tingling sensation wash over his head that left him feeling rather relaxed.
“I will Luna, and I’ll do my best to live with my past, and always strive to do better each and every day.”
Luna spread her wings and inclined her head as she said, “That is all that we can do young Prince. Make the best out of each day and keep our friends close. Now, I must continue my work before the sun rises. There are still a few more of our subjects plagued by nightmares that I must tend to. Know that the rest of your sleep shall be a more peaceful one.”
With that, Luna flew up and soared into the starry void that made up the dreamscape until she vanished in a flash of light. With her gone, the twinkling lights of the starry void began to fade away until Asriel was left in nothing but darkness.
And just as Luna promised, nothing came to torment him as he closed his eyes and began to drift off. Asriel’s last thoughts before he slipped into a peaceful slumber was that perhaps tomorrow night he should pay Luna’s night court a visit, and see if he could repay the favor...
A good night’s rest was always important for everyone, and this was no exception for Monsters. Even the strangest and most oddly unique monsters required some shut-eye eventually. This same law of nature even applied to the two quirkiest of all the Monsters, the skeleton sibling duo of Papyrus and Sans.
Unfortunately, while Sans easily managed to always get the rest he needed… something which his brother Papyrus still harped on him for despite Sans no longer being in the Royal Guard it might be added… Papyrus was having some trouble of late with it.
It wasn’t that the tall and lanky skeleton was being haunted by nightmares… but rather, it was a case of him being haunted by one of his greatest dreams… no, not joining the Royal Guard. He’d gotten to do that once they’d left the Underground.
No… it was a reminder of a dream that it now seemed could never be. A dream that he would have anytime he gazed upon the object that had given him that desire. Something that was in fact, very much related to the concept of rest.
Yes… it was none other… than his bed.
While most Monsters had brought some of their positions up with them, few had deigned to try and practically bring their entire house with them. While Papyrus had been unable to pull that off, even with some assistance from Twilight and her friends, he had been adamant about bringing his bed up with them to the surface. That had been much more manageable.
Papyrus had at first been dismayed to learn that Equestria did not have cars, but then he had put on a brave face and said that he would manage, for now he had a whole new world to explore and with which to make many, many friends! His dream of cruising down the highway had been based after all on escaping to the human ruled surface, and had not taken into account the possibility of an entirely different world above ground.
That hard worked… but only for a time.
Each night he went to bed and got cozy in his magnificent car bed, his dreams would eventually drift to that of doing what he had told the formerly human now equine Frisk- cruising while snoozing.
He could only dream of himself driving around in a fancy sports car, wind blowing through his hair, so many times before it began to become more depressing than enjoyable.
Which now, lead up to Papyrus saying something Sans had never expected to hear from his brother.
“SANS, I THINK I NEED A NEW BED.”
This declaration resulted in Sans doing a spit take from the ketchup bottle he had been drinking from. He coughed a few times and tried to catch his breath as he wiped his mouth off of his sleeve. “uh bro i don’t think i heard you right, think you can repeat that for me?”
Papyrus rolled his eyes and said, “YOU HEARD ME BROTHER. I THINK I NEED A NEW BED.”
Sans quirked an eye up at that. “but i thought you loved your snooze cruiser? heck i remember when you used to actually pretend it was a real car and i would imagine driving down the highway in it.” His eyes twinkled a little as he added, “sometimes you’d even able to get me to play along in my own cardboard box-car.”
For a moment, that managed to bring a smile back to Papyrus’s face as the memories of such brotherly bonding moments flashed through his mind. “AH YES! AND REMEMBER THE TIME THAT YOU TOLD ME THAT WE WOULD RACE ONCE WE GOT TO THE SURFACE? HOW YOU SAID YOU WOULD LEAVE ME IN THE DUST WITH NOTHING BUT A TRICYCLE, AND I SAID THERE WAS NO WAY THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT PAPYRUS’S SPORTS CAR WOULD-”
Mentioning that however seemed to remind Papyrus of the very reason why he didn’t want to keep the car bed anymore. “THAT’S JUST A DREAM NOW THOUGH… THERE’RE NO HIGHWAYS HERE IN EQUESTRIA. AND THERE’RE NO CARS EITHER…”
Sans let out an ‘oooohh’ as understanding dawned on him, and the two of them sat there quietly for a moment, Papyrus picking at and rolling a meatball around in his spaghetti while Sans returned to sipping at his ketchup bottle.
“you know bro, i think i might have a solution to your little dream problem there.”
Papyrus blinked and looked up at Sans and asked, “DOES IT INVOLVE THE NICE AND VERY LOUD DARK BLUE PRINCESS PONY?”
Sans shook his head. “nah, she was already in the last episode and this doesn’t exactly involve nightmares now does it?” Papyrus gave him a flat look at that, which was the usual response he got when he said something strange like that.
“don’t worry bro, it will involve one of our friends and i think they’ll be more than happy to help make your dream a reality. we just need to pay a visit to sugarcube corner.”
He watched as the gears quickly spun in his brother’s head, and suddenly Papyrus was in a much more chipper mood. “AN EXCELLENT IDEA BROTHER OF MINE! QUICKLY, LET US FINISH BREAKFAST SO THAT WE CAN HURRY ON OVER TO THE PINK PARTY PONY TIMES AWASTING!”
Papyrus hurriedly scarfed down his plate of spaghetti, and before his brother could say anything else went charging out the nearest window, Nyehehing all the way as he set out for Ponyville’s premier bakery.
Sans just shook his head in bemusement and pocketed his bottle for later as he raised a hand and a panel of white appeared before him.
“way ahead of you bro.”
-*-
“SO HOW EXACTLY IS PINKIE PIE SUPPOSED TO HELP WITH MY DESIRE FOR A FANCY SPORTS CAR?” Papyrus asked, wiping off some sweat that he somehow had generated despite lacking any skin or pores as he and Sans walked into the lobby.
Papyrus was also pointedly ignoring the fact that his lazybones brother had, once again, gotten here before him and instead focused on the much more important matter at hand.
“pinkie pie is rather… eccentric, but also really capable of some surprising things. you should see her candy cane pedal powered gyro-copter for one.” Sans said as he cast his eyes about for the pink pony in question.
Papyrus tilted his head and asked “WHAT ABOUT MISS SPARKLE? SURELY SHE WOULD BE OF GREAT HELP WITH THIS.”
“purple smart? well sure, she could probably help, but she’s been a bit busy lately with helping the princesses and the dreemurr’s get everything settled for us monsters. pinkie pie however is always able to make time for friends no matter what is going on. just like you big bro~”
That made Papyrus swell up with pride, and he struck one of his well-known poses, hand to his chest and his scarf blowing in a wind that wasn’t there.
“BUT OF COURSE BROTHER! THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT PAPYRUS ALWAYS MAKES TIME FOR HIS FRIENDS! BE THEY SMALL OR BIG, MONSTER OR EQUINE, PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS THERE TO HELP WITH ANYTHING THEY MIGHT-OOMPH!”
His speech was interrupted as Pinkie Pie leapt from the stairs and crashed into the pair, hooves wrapping around both of them tightly (which Papyrus would have noted should have been an impossibility, had his face not been smooshed into her mane) as she shouted “Heya Skelebro’s! What’s shaking?”
Sans smile grew a bit as he heard his brother respond by shaking his own bones, a familiar tune briefly playing as he did so. It also earned a happy giggle from Pinkie Pie herself as she let go and bounced excitedly in place as another tune filled the air for but a moment.
“good one you two.” Sans said as he gave them both a clap. Both Pinkie and Papyrus gave a little bow, before Pinkie adopted a more curious expression and looked between the two Monsters.
“So, what brings you two to Sugarcube Corner today? Here to try making spaghetti cake again?” Pinkie rubbed her tummy as she said “I think we were really close last time, though we’ll have to find a different kitchen to make it in after the mess from last time. Mrs. Cake says she’s still finding bits of noodles and the occasional meatball.”
Papyrus blushed at that and rubbed the back of his head at that. “AH YES, I AM STILL MOST SORRY ABOUT THAT. THE GREAT PAPYRUS DID NOT EXPECT IT TO EXPLODE WHEN WE TRIED TO CUT A SLICE.” He let out a cough however as he recalled why they were here.
“MY BROTHER SAYS YOU CAN HELP US, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WITH SOMETHING THAT IS QUITE IMPORTANT TO ME! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WAS WONDERING IF YOU’D BE UP FOR IT.”
“Oooh, well if it involves the Great Papyrus, it has to be super-duper-uper important!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed… only to sit down on her haunches as she added “Though I can’t exactly help if I don’t know what it is.”
“AH YES, MY APOLOGIES! AS GREAT A FRIEND AS YOU ARE, YOU ARE NOT A MIND READER OR A FORTUNE TELLER!” Papyrus said, chiding himself even as Pinkie giggled.
“Not today at least. Maybe tomorrow.”
Papyrus quirked an eyebrow up at that, but resumed his line of informing. “YOU HAVE SEEN THE GREAT PAPYRUS’S SNOOZE CRUISER YES?” At Pinkie’s enthusiastic nodding, he continued. “WELL, IT IS BASED OFF A REAL MACHINE THAT THE HUMANS HAD MADE, A MACHINE CALLED A CAR. IT WAS ALWAYS MY DREAM THAT ONCE WE REACHED THE SURFACE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD ACQUIRE SUCH A CAR SO THAT I COULD CRUISE DOWN THE HIGHWAY.”
Papyrus got an almost dreamy look on his face as he gazed up into the distance. “THE SUN ON MY SKIN, WIND BLOWING THROUGH MY HAIR… YES I AM AWARE I HAVE NEITHER BUT THAT IS IRRELEVANT!” He added as he heard Pinkie snickering a little, turning his gaze back down to her.
“MY BROTHER SANS BELIEVES THAT YOU CAN HELP US MAKE, WELL, SOME OF THIS DREAM A REALITY, EVEN THOUGH EQUESTRIA HAS NO AUTOMOBILES. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN IN FACT HELP I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WITH?”
“Hmm…” Pinkie Pie brought a hoof to her chin and tapped it in thought. A moment later, a light bulb popped into being above her head and lit up, and she again began to eagerly nod her head. Papyrus and Sans were both amazed she didn’t give herself whiplash.
“Yupperooni! I can definitely lend a hoof to making your dream come true!”
The smile on Papyrus’s face looked like it hurt as he clapped his hands to his face and asked “REALLY? YOU CAN REALLY HELP?”
“I said I could, didn’t I?” Pinkie Pie inquired in a teasing tone, making Papyrus blush a bit more as she said “Now, I don’t know much of anything about these cars, but if you’ve got anything I can read up on I might be able to work something out! Didn’t take those engineering classes for nothing after all!”
“FANTASTIC NEWS! THEN WE SHOULD NOT WASTE A MOMENT MORE!” Papyrus declared, then turned to look at his brother as he asked, “HOW SHOULD WE BEGIN MAKING MY DREAM A REALITY?”
Sans shrugged and hooked a thumb over his shoulder and said “probably head back home and show pinkie pie the books on cars we have? if your in that much of a rush i can shortcut us back.”
Papyrus’s eyes widened at this, then they gleamed as he pulled Sans in for a very tight and very great hug. “OH SANS, YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST BROTHER A SKELETON AS GREAT AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, COULD EVER ASK FOR!”
Pinkie Pie quirked an eyebrow up at that. “Have you not used your shortcuts with Papyrus before?”
“NO, HE SAYS HE TRIED IT WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND THAT IT DIDN’T EXACTLY WORK THAT WELL WITH ME, SO HE SWORE HE WOULDN’T DO IT AGAIN UNLESS HE FELT IT WAS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY!” Papyrus said before releasing Sans, bones rattling in excitement. “I MUST HAVE BEEN VERY YOUNG, FOR I DON’T REMEMBER IT AT ALL, AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, NEVER FORGET ANYTHING!”
Papyrus was too giddy to pay attention, but Pinkie Pie caught the brief hollowing of Sans eyes before the lights returned and his smile grew a bit wider. “well i don’t think we’ll have the same thing happen this time, so it should be alright. besides, it is for something important.”
Pinkie ‘aaahh’ed’ in understanding as Sans walked over towards the front entrance, waving a hand in front of him as a panel of white appeared before him.
“great bro’s and party ponies first.” Sans said as he gestured them to go ahead. Pinkie Pie let out an excited squee before dashing through, while Papyrus steeled himself and walked on through.
The experience was… odd, to say the least. It was almost like the sensation one gets before sneezing. With the added feeling like one was being squeezed and pulled at the same time. And for the briefest of instances Papyrus and Pinkie Pie felt like time had drawn to a standstill.
Then the moment was over, and they were both tumbling into the skeleton’s living room.
“everyone get through alright?” Sans asks as he leans against a bookshelf.
“That felt kinda like my shortcuts, except less sneezy.” Pinkie Pie said as she picked herself up, only to end up on her stomach again as she sneezed.
Papyrus was standing back up and saying “THAT FELT STRANGELY FAMILIAR TO ME… AND WAIT WHAT DID YOU SAY PINKIE PIE?”
Pinkie Pie gave Papyrus an innocent smile from the floor as she said “I said AHHCHOOOOO!”
“OH.” Papyrus said, blinking a bit before offering her a tissue and a “GESUNDHEIT”
“Thanks!” Pinkie replies as she quickly blew her nose, then trotted over to the shelves. “So, which book on cars should I start with?”
The next two hours were spent with the three of them sharing the few dozen books they had on automobiles, which ranged from a kids’ book about a talking purple car saving a kitten... to an actual book describing in very lengthy and technical details on the internal components of your typical car.
Sans also showed off some of his intellect, something Papyrus hadn’t gotten to see all that often for a long while in the Underground… he tried to wrack his mind for when that might have stopped, but he wasn’t so sure. But he was very glad to see it on display, especially as Pinkie Pie asked questions that sometimes caught the lazybones by surprise.
“It’d probably take me a week to really go through some of these, which for something like this I really should… but well, this is really important, so I think we can manage something. I’ll need some help from Sans, Spike, and Rarity since Twilight’s out of town.”
Sans gives a little salute as he says “anything for the best brother in the world. just remember my breaks are mandatory.”
“Hehe, don’t worry Sans, I know.” Pinkie said, turning to Papyrus as she says “I think I can pull this off, but it won’t be ready until tomorrow afternoon. And I’ll need your bed for it as well… want to borrow mine for the night?”
“HMMM…” Papyrus said, tapping a bony digit to his chin. “I HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO SLEEP IN AN EQUESTRIAN BED YET… VERY WELL! BUT ERM, HOW SHALL WE GET YOUR BED HERE AND MINE OUT? WILL THAT NOT TAKE A WHILE?”
Pinkie Pie and Sans shared a knowing look, then winked at each other as they said in unison “We’ve got our ways.”
Papyrus tilted his head at that, then blinked and gave himself a light thunk. “AH YES, SANS’S SHORTCUTS! OF COURSE THAT WOULD BE THE EASIEST WAY TO DO SO. DO YOU NEED ANY OF I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS’S, HELP IN MOVING IT?”
“I think we’re good. Besides, isn’t it about time for you and Undyne’s training?”
Papyrus jumped at that, nearly smacking his head into the ceiling as he declared “GOODNESS ME IT IS! I BEST BE OFF, UNDYNE DOESN’T LIKE IT WHEN I’M LATE. YOU TWO WILL KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME IF YOU NEED ME!”
With that, as per his trend when he was in a rush, Papyrus leapt through a window as he raced off in the direction of Whitetail Woods. Sans and Pinkie shared a look, giggled a bit, and then made their way into Papyrus’s bedroom as Pinkie started telling him her plan…
-*-
It was late when Papyrus returned home. Undyne had wanted to do a double dose of training and then to unwind had dragged him over to her and Alphys’s place for some anime watching and pizza. They had all lost track of time and it was nearly midnight when he trudged tiredly through the door.
“hey bro, was wondering when you’d get back.” Sans said as he set his joke book aside, giving his brother a wide smile. “you look like you’ve been worn down to the bones.”
“SANS!” Papyrus groaned as he made for the stairs. “THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT PAPYRUS IS TOO TIRED FOR YOUR JOKES RIGHT NOW… HE MERELY WISHES TO TRY AND GET A GOOD NIGHT’S REST.”
“sorry to hear that paps… should be easier tonight though.” Papyrus turned his head at that, peering at his brother over the banister as he gave him a curious look. Sans just grinned wider and replied “pinkie and i switched your bed for hers, and she gave you a bed set for you to use with it. she’s sure you’ll love them, though she did suggest to have a full stomach before bed, lest you try to eat them in your sleep.”
Papyrus blinked, then asked “WHY WOULD I TRY TO EAT A BED SET?”
“You’ll zzzzee.” Sans said with a wink, earning a roll of eyes as Papyrus just went on up, preparing himself for anything. After all, in hindsight teaming up the best prankster in the Underground with one of Ponyville’s best could be asking for trouble…
NO, I KNOW THEM BOTH. THEY WOULDN’T PULL A PRANK WHEN DOING A FAVOR FOR SOMEONE… NO, MY DEAR BROTHER IS SIMPLY GIVING ME A CLUE, BUT WHAT COULD HE-
Papyrus’s eyes widened and despite his weariness, he rushes into his bedroom and lets out a happy squeal of joy.
Where his snooze cruiser had been, was now indeed Pinkie Pie’s bed. But rather than her own covers, the bed was made up in a spaghetti themed set, with the sheet looking like it was made of noodles and the comforter being patterned to resemble sauce with meatballs, and the pillow looked like a pile of shredded parmesan.
He would forgive the pun in the note from Pinkie Pie about making sure he had ‘savory’ dreams rather than sweet ones as he dived under the covers and got nice and cozy.
Sans popped his head in the door, smirking as he saw Papyrus already getting ready to drift off. “Well, Pinks will be glad you like them so much… need me to read me a bedtime story bro?”
Normally, Papyrus would have said yes, but tonight he shook his head. “NO… I THINK TONIGHT IT IS NOT NEEDED… THIS MORE THAN SUFFICES.”
“all right then bro… sleep tight. Me and Pinks might have another surprise for you tomorrow, so you’re going to want to get as much sleep as you-”
Sans cut himself off as he heard Papyrus beginning to snore already. Giving him a soft smile, Sans flicked the light off and headed on down to his lab. There was still some work he and Pinkie Pie needed to get down before they too could call it an evening… and Pinkie Pie had said she had something she wanted to ask him.
He was definitely going to need some more ketchup.
-*-
When Papyrus woke up, feeling refreshed and upbeat, he knew that the swapping of beds had helped to do the trick. It had even helped give him some new pasta and spaghetti related ideas to attempt, though that would have to be dealt with after breakfast.
To his surprise however, when he walked into the kitchen he found Pinkie Pie peering into their oven. She smiled and waved as she said “Morning Papy! Clear your schedule for the day, because as soon as we’re finished eating breakfast, me and Sans have a surprise for you!”
Papyrus looked to the table, where his brother was tilted back in his chair, fast asleep and with some silly things drawn all over his skull. Pinkie giggled and said “It was the mouse’s idea.”
“OKAY THEN…” Papyrus said, shrugging as he slid into the chair. He took another glance at Pinkie Pie, and noted her mane was a bit frazzled, and she had bags under her eyes. “PINKIE PIE, DID YOU GET ANY SLEEP LAST NIGHT?”
Pinkie raised her hoof and wriggled it like a tentacle. “I took a few Pinkie naps here and there, I wanted to make sure we finished the big surprise before you woke up.”
“and we did finish it bro. Ii you loved your new bed and bed set, you’re going to love this.” Sans said, putting his chair back down as he picked up a bottle of horseradish sauce and took a long pull from it. He let out a snort and his eyes widened just a bit “oh yeah, that helps a bunch, thanks for the idea pinkie. sure you don’t want any?”
Shaking her head, Pinkie Pie pulled out some biscuits and said “Nah, I’m good. I can make up the sleep later. Now dig in boys!”
And dug in they did. Papyrus wasn’t one to normally shovel in food, but given the suspected nature of the surprise, Papyrus was just as eager as the other two. Within minutes the trio had devoured everything but their plates and silverware, which were hastily tossed in the sink as Pinkie lead the way out the house and towards Sweet Apple Acres.
“WHY ARE WE HEADING TO THE APPLES FARM?” Papyrus was quick to inquire as they drew closer to the homestead.
“we had to move your surprise out of my lab once we finished it. wouldn’t have been able to test it properly in confined spaces.” Sans replied, his own grin expanding as he saw Papyrus’s eyes light up with growing excitement.
“Yup! We did test it a little to make sure it works at least. But we wanted you to really put it to the metal!”
Papyrus let out a gasp at this, and exclaimed “OH MY GOSH! YOU TWO, YOU REALLY… WHERE IS IT?”
“Right in here Sugarcube.” Applejack called out, opening the door to the barn as they drew closer, quickly stepping aside as Papyrus practically leapt inside.
Sitting in the middle of the barn was what, at one point, had been Papyrus’s snooze cruiser. Now however it looked like nothing more than a magically souped up race car. The space that had taken up the mattress had been shrunk down to have room for three seats, one in front and two in the back. A number of switches and doodads sat on a panel next to the front seat where a wheel now sat, and just two feet in front of that was a partially covered engine, though it didn’t quite look like the ones Papyrus had seen in the books they had at home.
“ITS… ITS BEAUTIFUL!”
Pinkie and Sans beamed, the two giving each other a fist-hoof bump as Papyrus strode almost reverently towards the car. They watched as he ran a bony hand along its chassis, then turned to look at them. A moment later, both were wrapped in probably one of the tightest hugs they’d ever had.
“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!” Papyrus was, well, actually shouting as he swung Sans and Pinkie this way and that, it being Sans who finally said,
“i don’t know about us skeletons bro, but i’m pretty sure pinkie needs to be able to breath.”
Papyrus relented, setting them both back down as Applejack came up to them. “Now it’s time for my part of the surprise.” At Papyrus’s inquisitive look, she grinned and pointed to a trail over near the west orchard… one that was now lined with little red flags.
“When they told me their plan, me and Big Mac figured you’d want to take it for a test drive. So we got a course all made up for- woah nelly! Y-You know, for not having any muscles, you sure got a lot of strength in those bony arms of yours.”
None of them missed the pun, though Papyrus didn’t mind as he gave Applejack another squeeze then set her down, smile stretching across his skull.
“NYEHEHEHEH, BUT OF COURSE! I AM AFTER ALL THE GREAT PAPYRUS OF THE ROYAL GUARD! BUT RIGHT NOW… I THINK I SHALL BE THE GREAT PAPYRUS, EQUESTRIA’S FIRST SPORTS CAR DRIVER!”
That earned some cheers from the rest of them, and they quickly stepped aside as Papyrus clambered on in. He found a note with a simple set of directions on how to use the vehicle with a skeleton key taped to it. After reading them thrice, he stuck the key in and clapped his hands together as the car turned on, thrumming to life and almost feeling as excited and ready to get going as he was!
“Oh wait!” Pinkie shouted, catching Papyrus just as he was about to see just what this car could do.
“YES?” Papyrus asked as Pinkie bound over to him, a wrapped box atop her head which certainly hadn’t been there before.
“I know your dream with driving involved skin and feeling the sun on it… Can’t really do anything about that.” Papyrus gave her an understanding nod- that part had always been a bit, well, cooky anyways.
“But with a little help from the best designer in all of Equestria… and a little dash of magic, we can do the wind through the hair part!”
She hoofed the box over, and with the same reverence with which he had given the car upon seeing it, he opened this last surprise. Inside was a big blonde wig with pink highlights near the tip and that looked like it would stop halfway down his spine. His fingers could feel the thrum of magic within the whole thing as he pulled it out, tears starting to form in his eyes.
“YOU ARE ALL… THE BEST FRIENDS A SKELETON COULD HAVE!” Papyrus declared, looking from Pinkie to Applejack, and finally his brother.
“hey, don’t sweat it bro. now go on, go burn some rubber.”
Papyus gave a cheeky grin and slammed his foot down, speeding on out of the barn and down the track. As the three stepped out to watch from afar, Pinkie looked to Sans and asked “Why would he be burning rubber? That just sounds like a waste of good rubber.”
Sans just chortled and pulled his ketchup out, leaning against the barn and enjoying the show as the happy shouts and screams of his brother filled the air over Sweet Apple Acres.
Underneath the home of the skelebro’s, the sound of tinkering and machinery filled the air. Occasionally, it was interrupted by the movement of hooves or by some small talk or discussion on how best to proceed with a part of the very special project that was being worked upon.
Right now, however, there was only the sound of tools working away at metal. And the snores of Sans as he took one of his mandatory breaks to catch some zzz’s as Pinkie fiddled with some of the smaller parts to fine tune them.
It wasn’t stuff that was necessary, but it would make the racing car better for Papyrus. And both she and Sans wanted this thing to be perfect.
Of course, as she worked to make sure the headlights could go through a kaleidoscope of colors, her stomach rumbled. Loud enough to rouse Sans a bit as the Skeleton cracked an eye socket open and his smile widened just a bit more.
“i’d say you sound hungry enough to eat a horse, but that seems a bit foalish if you ask me.”
Pinkie Pie giggled at that as she set her tools down and made for the mini-fridge Sans had down here. She grabbed a new bottle of ketchup and tossed it his way, not needing to look to see him grab it with his magic as she grabbed a few cupcakes she’d brought over.
Joining Sans over by his work table, she sat down and downed half of the cherry cupcake she’d brought over as Sans drank some of his most preferred condiment. The only other sound in the room was the soft hum of the magical power generator in the back corner.
The near silence gave Pinkie Pie’s mind a chance to wander, and after a moment, it drifted back to something she’d noticed the prior day when Sans and Papyrus had come by. Something she’d wanted to ask about, but hadn’t come up with a good way to bring it up.
Now seemed like as good a time as any.
“Hey Sans, can I ask something a bit personal?” Pinkie Pie inquired as she finished her first cupcake and looked to the skelebro.
Sans gave Pinkie Pie a curious look, but after a moment said “sure pinks, fire away.”
He started to drink from his ketchup bottle, but regretted it when Pinkie asked “What happened with Papyrus and your shortcuts?”
Technically, by any normal law of biology as most people understood it, it would be reasonably concluded that to choke and cough, one needed a trachea and a set of lungs at the very least. But, being a skeleton, and more importantly, a monster made primarily of magic, he didn’t need such. Thus he easily managed an impressive spit take that sent some ketchup onto the wall on the opposite end of his lab.
“you should go easier on an old bonehead like me you know. i’m rather fragile.” Sans said once he managed to regain his breath and composed himself… or well, composed himself as best as he could. That was NOT what he had expected the pink party pony to ask.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to Sans.” Pinkie replied, her tone softer, but not losing any of the warmth she seemed to almost always carry with her. “It’s just, I noticed your eyes go hollow for a moment when Papyrus mentioned something with your shortcuts and him when you were both kiddy bones.”
“i prefer the term baby bones, since i’m rather sure i don’t have an actual tail or whispers.” Sans said with a weak chuckle, soon sighing as he closed his eyes. He set his ketchup bottle aside, and used his magic to open the fridge and pull over a beer infused mustard bottle.
“i should probably tell someone… figure it’s one of the many mysteries with me that papyrus will want answered someday.” He sighed, shaking his head a bit as he sat down on the floor. His eyes went hollow again and he was quiet for a full minute before he said anything.
“it’s not a very long story, really, when you get down to it. but the devil is always in the details, isn’t it?” Pinkie gave Sans a nod of understanding at his words, and he lifted his gaze up to the ceiling as the lights in his eyes returned.
“we were both young… only about six or seven… i was still getting the hang of the shortcuts that i somehow had a knack for using. it was a kind of magic that was rare amongst any of the tribes of monsters.”
“back then… i was a lot more… well, durable is as good a word as any.” He said, wincing a bit as he looked down at himself. Sans did manage to crack a smile and wink at Pinkie as he said “and no, that doesn’t mean i was big boned.”
Pinkie snickered softly, but her smile wasn’t as exuberant as it would normally be. Sans took that as a sign she wished for him to continue. Drat.
“using the shortcuts properly takes… skill. and to learn that, you have to practice. and a side effect of practicing using the shortcuts, which involves cutting through space and time itself… is that it can hurt. it’s like learning to ride a bike or a scooter- you get banged up a bit.”
“only here… there was a bit more… volatility to it. sometimes it was easy, and at most i might have a few loose fibers in my clothes. there was twice where i came out and was covered in cracks and my clothes were nearly torn to shreds. there was no pattern really to it, other than that it was sometimes getting easier and that more often than not, i made it through without much damage.”
He shook his head. “i was young, and stupid, and should have thought it through more.” Pinkie didn’t need to prompt him, as he quickly explained “one day, while doing some practice with it to go get some nice cream before the stall closed, papyrus saw me opening the shortcut and getting ready to walk through. he begged me to let me go through with him… i hadn’t tried taking anyone else through, but i figured that it couldn’t hurt to try.”
San’s eyes were hollow again. “what a bonehead i was.”
Pinkie let him be silent for a moment, before reaching out and taking hold of his hand with a hoof. She had a funny feeling she wasn’t going to like what came next.
That would be a bit of an understatement.
“i was used to using the shortcuts and how twisty and warpy everything looked. i also knew that moving through it quickly was better than lingering, in case the shortcut was unstable. i knew this intrinsically. paps… paps didn’t. first… he got distracted, then the shortcut started to eat at his body… sapping at his health bit by bit…”
“at that time, papyrus wasn’t as big into athletics as he is now, he was a bit more… carefree and relaxed. so trying to run quickly to get to the other side wasn’t something he could do. and while i left the shortcut open for him, i had started heading over to the nice cream stand.”
His hand gripped Pinkie’s hoof tightly, enough that Pinkie Pie winced a bit even as she kept her own grip on his bony appendage.
“i’d gone around the corner, bought my nice cream, and was just coming back and wondering where paps was when he finally stumbled out. dust was flaking and bleeding away from just about every part of his body.”
Sans looked up at Pinkie Pie, and for the first time, truly understood just how much pain an empty set of eye sockets could manage to express.
“he was dying pinks.”
There were tears starting to form at the corner of his sockets, Pinkie’s own eyes unable to look away from those dark hollows as he continued.
“i didn’t really know much healing magic… it’d always been a bit hit and miss for me. i was able to check his stats like any other monster, to see how he was doing… there wasn’t any time to get help. he tried to say something to me… but he was in so much pain, he could barely cry… he… he reached out to me and…”
Gently, Pinkie Pie pulled Sans into a tight hug, holding onto the Skeleton and softly patting his back. She didn’t say anything… there wasn’t anything she could say, especially given that there was no way that was the end of the story. Papyrus was still around after all, right?
It took about a minute and a half before Sans let go, wiping the tears off his face. “huh… haven’t cried in a while… wasn’t even sure i could anymore after all we’d been through.”
“It shows how much you care about your brother.” Pinkie murmured softly, earning a hollow laugh that nearly quaked the very essence of her soul.
“if you asked some monster’s, they might say i don’t care about much of anything other than napping and being lazy. and in a way… t h e y w e r e n ‘ t w r o n g.”
Something about the way Sans said thost last three words… unnerved Pinkie Pie. But she did her best to brush it aside as the skeleton sighed.
“as you guessed, the story doesn’t end there. in my grief, i felt something… powerful well up within me. something that gave me a strength unlike anything i’d ever felt before. it urged me to do something, anything, to reverse what had just happened. i felt… determined.”
He lifted his hands, gazing at them as he said “determination, in high concentrations, usually makes most monsters melt and turn into… well, you’ve met the amalgamates. but it doesn’t seem to affect skeleton’s quite the same way though. instead, our bodies become more brittle, weaker. it becomes easier for us to… well, die.”
“but like any other monster… it gives us great power. and i used that power… to open a different kind of shortcut. i didn’t simply move from one space to another… i went backwards in time. and it was the most excruciating thing i’d ever felt, walking through that particular shortcut. even though my body itself didn’t seem to be taking damage… i could feel my health dropping with each step i took. each second of time i crossed back felt like something was draining or being eaten up within me… the only thing keeping me going was my determination.”
“i probably would have died, had i not… i guess merged with my past self as they were walking into the shortcut. it gave me a chance to turn around and push papyrus on the floor. i guess i still had some determination in me, because there was a bit more oomph in my shove then i intended… he fell on the floor and smacked his head. gave him a big crack for a while… but that was better than being dust. not that i’ll ever be able to get that image out of my thick skull…”
“more importantly, it made him forget that i’d been about to let him in through the shortcut.” Sans said, his the lights finally returning to his eyes a bit as he chuckled darkly. “used that as a way of telling him that we’d already gone and gotten nice cream, and that the trip back through had knocked him out and hurt him. told him it wasn’t safe enough yet for anyone but me to go through… it was also when i gave him the idea of being the great papyrus. told him if he could become the greatest member of the royal guard that i’d let him use the shortcuts, maybe even see if i could find a way to teach him.”
Pinkie Pie smiled at that, giggling a bit as she said “Well, he has indeed become a great Royal Guard. He’s even doing a great job following the orders King Asgore gave them- be the best friends with the Ponies of Equestria you can be.”
Sans laughed and his smile widened a bit at that. “that he has, and he’s gotten better at making friends since meeting frisk.” The moment of mirth dwindled as Sans looked at the race car they were making.
“there was once or twice where he’d ask about using a shortcut again, but he gave me his word he’d become the greatest royal guard first, and i reminded him great people don’t go back on their word.” His lights hollowed out for a brief moment at that, and Pinkie saw him looking at his left hand before they returned.
“and eventually, he forgot about it as he became focused on his dream job. i did keep my word and try to show him how to use shortcuts, but it doesn’t seem like he can use them, and he sort of decided that since he was the great papyrus, he didn’t need shortcuts.”
Pinkie nodded. “And then we reach yesterday… where you wanted to help see if we could pull this off as soon as possible. And it explains why the Dreemurr kids have said to be real careful around you when it comes to rough housing.”
“yup, that’s the whole story… of why i never let papyrus go through a shortcut until now… and of why i have only 1 hit-point.” He reached over and ruffled Pinkie’s mane though as he said “and hey, you can be a bit rough with me. my body knows the difference between rough housing and someone trying to kill me.” boy does it know the difference.
“I know. And I’d never try to hurt any of my friends, so there’s nothing to worry about there!” Pinkie said, standing back up and resting a hoof on his shoulder.
“And don’t you worry, I won’t tell Papyrus, or anyone else, if you don’t want me to. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She proceeded to do just that, putting one with the icing in the shape of Papyrus’s nyehehing face on it into her right eye.
“didn’t think you would pinks… but the pinkie promise does make me feel better.” Sans said with a smile, patting her back before turning his attention to the car as well.
“now, enough sad and dark stuff. my break is over, which means it’s time for the two of us jokers to finish this thing. ready pinks?”
His eyes twinkled with mirth as he saw that Pinkie Pie had gained a welding mask and a blow torch out of nowhere. She lifted the mask and beamed as she said “Ready as the party supplies I load my cannon with!”
Sans chortled at that, walking over to the nearly finished car, thinking all the while as he worked that Papyrus really was the Greatest brother a skeleton could ask for…
And that maybe someday, he could follow his example… and forgive himself for that fatal mistake.
The soft sound of porcelain clacking and tinkling filled the air as bright sunlight filtered in through the large window covering the ceiling and the wide windows lining much of the room’s walls. It was the only sound in the magnificent chamber besides the barely audible hum of magic.
Normally, the setting of the table and the preparing of the tea was something that the palace servants would attend to, rather than the most powerful individual in all the land.
But then, the guest she was about to entertain was not a normal guest, and even if he was, he was quickly becoming one of those few people that the Guardian of the Sun, Bringer of Harmony and Stewardess of Spring and Summer, her Royal Highness Princess Celestia of Equestria, was coming to see as a good friend.
“Almost… perfect…” She murmured softly to herself as she worked to make sure every plate, cup, and spoon was set absolutely as she liked it. She used her magic to gently nudge the cup of sugar cubes a bit to the northwest of the table’s center, the bowl of honeyed cream sitting opposite to it and the platter in the center occupied by a single large kettle of Golden Flower tea.
“There!” She declared, just as she heard the sound of footsteps and voices in the stairway leading down into the rest of the tower.
She recognized both of them, though it was her aide, Raven Inkwell, whose words she picked up first. “She is expecting you your Highness. And do not fret about being a little late… the Morning Court went on a bit longer than expected.”
The rumbling laugh of her newest friend, and a growing confident followed that as King Asgore, of the Ancient House of Dreemurr, King of the Monsters, replied, “I understand that all too well Miss Inkwell. Still, one should always try to be punctual, even if with friends. And thank you kindly for guiding me along again.”
She smirked a bit, her expression no doubt mirroring that of Raven as she heard her aide chuckle. “It is alright your Highness, there have been a few times when even I get lost in the palace. Wandering minds can distract even the best of us.”
It was then that Celestia saw the tips of his horns, and soon enough the towering form of Asgore himself ascended the final steps. Like her, he was dressed in his royal regalia, even though she had already told him several times this was meant to be more of a casual affair and that he could wear whatever he pleased.
“Celestia, as always it is a pleasure to see you.”
“And to you as well Asgore. The tea is ready, and per your suggestion last week, I went ahead and brewed some Golden Flower tea.” She smiled as she added, “I’ve had time to try it over the last few days and I find that it is quite enjoyable.”
Asgore beamed as he took a seat across from her, taking a moment to get comfortable on the large cushion. “I’m glad to hear it. It has long been a personal favorite of mine, though I have grown quite fond of the wild lavender you brewed during our first few get-togethers.”
As Asgore got situated, she poured tea for each of them, putting in the spoonful of cream and a single sugar cube and leaving the honey for the King. He gave a thankful nod as he prepared his own cup, and for a short while the two simply sat and enjoyed the silence. Every so often they would take a sip and let out a content sigh.
Celestia was the one to finally break the silence as she finished her first cup.
“How is the family doing? Are things getting better between you and Toriel?”
Asgore stiffened a bit, then sighed and shrugged. “They aren’t getting worse at least… which is about all I can ask for right now. We still sleep in separate rooms… but we are civil enough with each other.” He smiled a bit as he added “We have only had one argument this month though… and we made sure the children weren’t present for it, so that's an improvement.”
That earned a soft chuckle from Celestia as she lifted a tea cake to her lips. “As I recall, the first month you had what, ten arguments? One of them in my throne room if I recall?”
Celestia watched in amusement as Asgore squirmed a bit at the reminder of that. “It’s hard to forget… especially as that one pony, Pinkie I believe, decided to provide Toriel with pies to throw at me instead of fireballs.”
“I admit, I’m glad she did. Magical scorch marks are quite difficult to get off.” Celestia remarked, though she tilted her head as she said, “It did remind me to never get into a food fight with Pinkie Pie… or Toriel. Pinkie for her seemingly inexhaustible supply of cakes and pies, and Toriel for her aim.”
Asgore simply shook his head at that, chuckling a bit as he said “She has certainly improved her aim… or maybe she just really wanted to hit me.” His smile faded somewhat at that, and he sunk back into the cushion slightly as he said “I can’t say I blame her for that.”
Celestia gave him a sympathetic look, watching as his gaze became distant. She had a feeling she knew what he was thinking about, and decided to provide him a potential distraction.
“You didn’t say how your children are doing you know.”
Asgore blinked, then coughed as he said, “Right, right, sorry… the children are doing just fine. Asriel hasn’t been having nightmares since your sister visited him, and Frisk is starting to get the hang of unicorn magic. Chara’s been working on their flying… says they’d like to join the Wonderbolts someday. And all three of them have been helping Toriel in getting her school ready.”
He set his cup down as he turned the question on her. “How about you and your sister? How are things going for the two of you?”
Celestia let out a rueful sigh, stirring a bit more cream into her second cup as she thought best how to answer. “Luna has finished catching up on all studies I had prepared for her return… she knows all the current laws and customs of Equestria and how things have changed from before her banishment. But… knowing them and applying them aren’t always the same thing.”
“That’s always the trick, isn’t it?” Asgore asked, and Celestia gave a soft nod. He hummed a bit, eyeing the platter of delectable goodies before settling on plucking a cucumber sandwich nearly hidden amongst a few other pastries. “I take it that has something to do with the grumbling I’ve heard amongst some of the nobles in Canterlot?”
The Princess let out a frustrated nicker at that. “She got to hold her first Night Council this week, and since I have been ignoring my nephew’s various proposals and complaints of late, he decided he would try bringing them to her and her Council. Blueblood may not be the easiest to make friends with, but his place in the line of succession and his family line gives him a great deal of clout and… respect of sorts among the other houses. And it’s expected that when he is given a chance to air whatever his newest grievance is, he’ll be given the same respect any other noble is given.”
Asgore winced a bit. “I have a feeling I know where this is going.”
That at least earned a smile from Celestia. “What, that after hearing his silly dispute with the Duchess of Hoofington and what he wished done about it that Princess Luna told him he was a dunderheaded buffoon for bringing such an issue before her council, and that if he ever did so again she’d see him stripped of several of his titles and spend a few days in the palace dungeon for wasting her and her advisers time?”
The King let out an ‘oof’ sound at that, shaking his head as he said, “I hadn’t heard the exact details of the incident, but it certainly created waves.”
Celestia nodded, sighing as she took in a long breath of air, letting the scent of the tea soothe and relax her. “As much as many nobles may agree with her sentiment, if not her phrasing, it wasn’t a good start for her in interacting more directly with the nobility. Compared to when she and I ruled in the early days, the noble houses have more privilege and influence than she is used to. I had to remind her that her council can override any of her decisions if a majority votes against her.”
“I suspect in time I might have to deal with such things to some extent.” Asgore murmured softly to himself. “The old houses didn’t really matter much when we were Underground, and the few that remain don’t seem too concerned or bothered right now… and it helps that to an extent I’ve had a bit of a hands off approach anyways… but that could change as we begin to grow up here on the surface.”
Celestia tilted her head a bit in thought at that, being reminded of something they’d discussed at their last tea time. “How are things going with getting more Monsters moved out of the Underground? Any issues I need to know or can help with?”
“It is still taking time, but I am confident most will have moved out of the Underground by the beginning of next year.” Asgore said, taking a long draw on his cup before setting it down. “You must remember, many of us were surprised to find Equestria when we left the Underground, rather than the surface of the Earth.”
“You weren’t the only ones.” Celestia said, thinking back to the pulsing she had felt from the Elements, and receiving a letter from Twilight and her friends not five minutes later that they too had sensed something coming from within the Everfree.
It had taken a few minutes more for her to feel the surge of magic, and she’d briefly feared that it might be enough to free Discord again, but he remained inside his stone prison. Still, something like that had required her to act quickly, mobilizing a portion of the Royal Guard, the Wonderbolts, and preparing her and her sister’s airship’s so that they could quickly provide backup to the Element Bearers should it be necessary.
Thankfully, it hadn’t, but Luna and herself had been just as caught off guard by the group of figures who had been gathered around the Tree of Harmony, still trying to figure out just how two of their number had gone from bipeds to quadrupeds.
“I wish I could provide an answer on what had happened.” Celestia said after a moment as she looked at her own cup. “Even with the rather… amazing information young Frisk was able to provide about these… RESETs and what Alphys and Sans have been able to tell us about the Barrier… none of my scholars have been able to come up with a reason why the barrier being broken this time resulted in your Underground being brought to our world.”
Asgore finished munching on a cookie, another deep, rumbling chuckle coming forth. “Do not be upset that you cannot figure it out. To be honest, from what Frisk told me, I am actually rather glad things turned out this way. They said that the reception we Monsters got seemed to change each time they reset as they tried to figure out a way to save our two lost children. Considering how you and your sister have welcomed us all with open ar- erm, hooves, and that there haven’t been any major incidents…”
“And for that, I am quite glad. And rather proud of my little ponies as they follow our example.” Celestia said with a smile, eyeing a raspberry tart that was being dug out from the pile as Asgore snatched another pastry. She considered it a bit, then shook her head as she thought about something her sister had said.
“I think next time I shall have the cooks prepare some light salads or sandwiches instead. I’m not keen on admitting it, but according to Lulu my figure is a bit more full than it used to be.”
Asgore, who had been about to bite into his treat, froze a bit, then blushed as he sat it down on his own plate. “I~I think one sign that things are improving between Toriel and I is that she has begun to tease me about my own weight… though the children don’t seem to mind. More King Dad Guy to hug, as Asriel and Chara have put it.”
That earned a soft titter from Celestia, which evolved into giggles as Asgoe joined in with a chuckle. Their mirth petered out after a bit and the two once again let a comfortable silence descended between them.
Celestia took the moment to just sit and breath in the soft, soothing scent of the floral tea, letting her mind just casually wander a bit… until that is something Asgore had mentioned reminded her of something.
“Ah yes, Asriel and Chara… are they are still doing alright after their restoration and resurrection respectively?”
Asgore stopped for a moment, humming a bit… then gave a tired nod.
“Yes… though Toriel, Frisk and I worry about them both every day… probably will for a very long while. Alphys checks up on them both twice a week… Asriel will sometimes gain some flowery traits to his appearance if he gets really upset, but there’s only been a few moments of such. She says that this world being so full of magic is helping his soul rebuild itself faster as it also draws from Toriel and I.”
He finished his glass of tea and set it down, letting out a rumbling sigh as he continued.
“Chara’s soul has stabilized and is beginning to regrow to its full strength as well, same as Frisk’s. I am still amazed Frisk was willing to try something so dangerous… even with the safeguards Alphys insisted on, we were worried we were going to have regained our son and our freedom, only to lose another child once more.”
He shook his head, letting out a soft laugh. “But Frisk is such a determined child… perhaps one of the most determined children in the world.”
Celestia had to hum at that, smirking a bit as she remarked, “I don’t know, there’re three fillies I’ve come to know about via my student’s letters who might be able to give them a run for their money.”
Asgore groaned. “Don’t tell Frisk that… they might think of it as a challenge!”
Peels of laughter left Celestia’s muzzle at the way Asgore dramatically threw his face into his hands and groaned, shaking left and right a bit as he mumbled about how all three of the children could already be a bit of a handful at times.
The rest of the next hour was spent talking about small minor things that the two had dealt with over the course of the last week and things that were likely to come up in the next one. Aside from the incident with Luna and Blueblood, the height of Celestia’s week had been settling a dispute between two street food vendors from Manehatten by telling them to work together, and then offering them a chance to cater the food for a meeting she had with the Duchess of Maretonia next month.
Their reactions had left Celestia giggling like a school filly once they left.
Asgore’s of course had been the chance to snuggle with Toriel on the couch during their weekly movie night with the children. Something that left him feeling rather hopeful that with time, things would get better between them.
Sadly, as all things must, the time for their little party for two had come to an end. Celestia carefully began stacking all the empty plates and cups, while Asgore carefully took a napkin and gathered the rest of the leftover treats to take home and share with the family.
“Same time next week?” Asgore asked, and Celestia nodded.
“If the time is ever to change, I will be sure to let you know ahead of time.”
Asgore nodded, then stopped as he stood, considering the table for a moment. He smiled softly as he said “Perhaps next time I could host our little get together? And you could see if Luna would be interested in joining us for tea.”
Celestia thought about that, humming as she too considered the table before her. She then smiled and nodded as she said “As long as Toriel has no problem with it, I don’t see why not. Though I do wonder if you’re wishing to include the children in our little tea party.”
The King of Monsters shook his head. “As mature as all three of them can be at times, I wish for them to spend more of their time enjoying their childhood, especially Asriel and Chara. Besides, while Chara likes tea, their not fond of tea parties, even if their not the frilly fru-fru sort.”
It couldn’t be helped, that earned a soft titter from the Princess of the Sun. “Very well Asgore. Let me know what Toriel thinks, and I shall see if Luna wishes to come along.”
Celestia stood, giving a soft nod of her head to Asgore as she said “Until next time, your Majesty.”
Asgore returned the gesture, smiling as he said “Until next time, your Highness.”
Their goodbyes made, Asgore turned and strode back down the stairs as Celestia carefully began to tend to the plates and cups across the table, already looking forward to their next little get together.
It was a calm and cloudy morning, and across much of Ponyville, young fillies and colts were getting ready to head out and start yet another day of learning and play with their classmates.
Recently however, this daily morning routine had expanded to include those of a non-equine variety. Specifically, the children of Monsters who had settled down in Ponyville after the Princesses welcomed the Monsters of the Underground into Equestria.
It was a tough challenge, integrating into the school system of an entirely different society. And for some, it was even harder. But that wouldn’t stop many of those bright and eager minds from giving every day their very best.
One such kid was in fact, finishing the most important part of the morning routine- double checking that he had everything he needed.
“Alright Mom, Dad! I’m heading out for school!”
MK waved his tail back towards his parents, who waved their tails and arms respectively as they wished him well. Grabbing hold of the door with his tail, he turned the knob and headed on out into the streets of Ponyville. It didn’t take long to join the scattered line of other foals and monster children making their way towards Ponyville Elementary.
“MK!”
MK turned and was nearly tackled by three excited fillies as they wrapped their hooves around him, earning a yelp and a slight blush even as he positively beamed at them.
“Hey girls! What’s got you so excited today?”
Sweetie Belle was the first to pull back. “Well, you know all about how we’re always trying to crusade for our Cutie Marks?”
He nodded. MK was familiar with that and the whole thing about Cutie Marks and how important most ponies found them to be.
“Yeah, I know. Got an idea I take it?”
Apple Bloom nodded her head. “Yeah, we got a really good one, though we’re not entirely sure how we’re gonna do it.”
“It involves you!” Scootaloo interjected, earning a raised eyebrow from MK and looks from the other two crusaders. “What? We didn’t say we were going to keep this a secret or anything.”
They had MK’s attention now… well, more than they had already. A way to get their Cutie Marks that involved him? Just what were these three up to?
“Sooo…” He began, looking from one to the other. “What’s this idea of yours that involves me?”
The three looked between themselves, (and glared a bit at Scootaloo who just stuck her tongue out at them) Sweetie and Apple Bloom turned to MK, with Apple Bloom saying, “Well, we kind of got the idea both from Mettaton, and some of those anime books that Alphys went and made copies of.”
Sweetie Belle nods. “We’ve seen how much trouble you have at times in class using only your tail and mouth. And while your very good with both, we figured maybe we could try to come up with a way to help you out!”
“So we came up with the idea of BUILDING you arms!” Scootaloo finished with a dramatic flourish of her hooves, standing up on her hind hooves for a moment, then landed back on all four as she added, “Or claw talon things like a Griffon or a Dragon like Spike.”
MK got excited at hearing that. He’d had that sort of idea before, but didn’t really know enough to even have an idea of where to start.
“That sounds exciting and soooo coool!” MK said, hopping up and down in place. Only to stop as he asked “Uh, are we starting right now?”
The three crusaders shook their heads, Sweetie Belle explaining, “We were going to brainstorm during lunch and recess and then swing by the library to see if we can get any books that might help us.”
“Yeah, we already know of one possible roadblock on the plan.” Scootaloo interjected. “Apple Bloom isn’t allowed anywhere near machining equipment for a month after we accidentally set fire to that old apple shed when we were trying to add rockets to the wagon.”
“Hey! That was the first time I’d ever had trouble with a welding torch!” Apple Bloom protested, earning a rueful shake of the head from Sweetie Belle as she replied,
“It was also your first time using one.”
Apple Bloom gave her friend a glare at that, but then said “Thankfully my sister hasn’t said no to regular tools and stuff, so maybe we can actually work something out even without the better stuff.”
“Hey, it doesn’t bother me either way!” MK said. “Having a set of cool arms I could use would be amazing! I’m behind this one hundred, no, one hundred and twenty percent!”
The girls let out a cheer at that, only for the sound of the school bell in the distance to remind them of more pressing matters.
“Quick! Or we’ll be late!” Sweetie Belle said, the four of them all making a mad dash for the school.
MK wasn’t sure if it was the excitement for the Crusaders plan, or if he was just getting better at staying balanced, but he tripped only once before reaching the school door.
---
First recess came quickly enough for the four of them, but they got distracted when Twist asked them if they wanted to come play tag for a bit. Winner got a whole bag of Twist’s homemade candy. The chance to get free candy was too much for the four of them, and left no time for planning or talking about the building of arms for MK.
No one was really surprised when MK got knocked out of the match early on, largely thanks to tripping over his own feet again in his excitement, but he made up for that by cheering on the others.
And it didn’t matter much anyways, since when Scootaloo won the game she was more than happy to share the bag of candy at lunch.
“So, if your not allowed to use a welder or tools like that, how are we going to make me an arm?”
Apple Bloom frowned a bit. “Well, I was thinking maybe we could make wooden arms… but I don’t know how well they’d work or how breakable they’d be.”
“And we don’t really know anything about Monster magic,” Sweetie Belle began, only to be interrupted by Scootaloo.
“Or Unicorn magic.”
Sweetie frowned at Scootaloo’s words, but then reluctantly nodded. “Or Unicorn magic. So we don’t know how we’d make it so you could actually USE the arms.”
“Sounds like something to ask Dr. Alphys about.” MK said as he munched on his sandwich.
“Or Twilight… but their both in Canterlot for some big magic thing or other.” Sweetie Belle mumbled, pulling her head out of her salad.
“Maybe Spike might know some books that could help?” Scootaloo offered. “He knows that library as well as Twilight does.”
The other three nodded at that. MK threw the last bite of his sandwich into the air then chomped it as it came back down. When he finished chewing, he asked, “So that means a visit to the library… but what if we can’t find anything to help?”
That stumped the others for a few minutes. Then Apple Bloom perked up. “Maybe Zecora knows something that could help! She knows all kinds of potions for everything under the sun!”
“Hey yeah! Maybe she’d even know a good kind of wood for something like this!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, and added, “Plus if it’s a potion we need, Apple Bloom can make it!”
“She can?” MK asked, earning nods from the two even if Apple Bloom didn’t look so sure.
“Well yeah, I mean she did rather well with that potion thing she made to try to get her cutie mark!”
Apple Bloom squirmed a bit. “Hey now, Zecora had already done most of the work for that one.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t mess it up any. It did give you what you wanted! For a bit anyways.” Sweetie retorted, earning some unsure grumbling from the farm filly.
MK hummed a bit as he considered all they had said. “Sounds like we got a plan then… can’t do much more til we get some books and talk to Zecora right?”
“Yeah… sure we could try and pick a wood to use for the arms, but then that’s putting the cart before the horse.” Scootaloo replied, even as her wings buzzed excitedly. “Still, this is going to be so much fun! And just imagine if we can get our cutie marks from it!”
As the three of them drew in a deep breathe, MK tried vainly to use his tail for some shelter as he mumbled, “I can already think of one good use for arms.”
His tail, sadly, offered little protection from the trademark shout the three fillies unleashed a moment later. His ears were ringing just as much as the school bell did just moments later, signaling the end of lunch.
The only thing that kept him from dwelling on that for long was the knowledge he wasn’t the only one in the school yard rubbing at their ears for the next ten minutes.
---
The rest of the school-day breezed by for the four of them. Even an attempt by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to pester them didn’t get far. They were all much too excited to let their teasing interrupt their plans as they all piled into the wagon and Scootaloo sent them racing through the streets of Ponyville.
The first stop was the Golden Oaks Library. Twilight may be out of town, but Spike knew the library by heart now just as much as she did. And he probably knew more about magic then the four of them combined.
Spike answered the door readily enough, smiling at the four of them. “Heya girls, Heeyy MK! You back for some more of those comic books I showed ya last week?”
MK blinked, then laughed a little as he said “Well, that’s not why we came here, but that did remind me I finished them and need to return them and borrow some more. I can do that tomorrow though.”
Apple Bloom nods her head vigorously. “We’re on another Cutie Mark quest Spike! And this time it’s really important!”
“Yeah! We’re gonna try and make arms for MK!” Scootaloo exclaimed, her excitement visible from how she briefly hovered in mid-air as she hopped and let her wings buzz rapidly.
Spike raised an eyebrow at this. “Uh huh… well, that would be nice… but uh, are you sure your not biting off more than you can chew? Or uh… thinking of trying to each do things that another of you is better at it.”
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes at that. “We learned not to do that from the Talent show. Mostly.”
“The girls figured the library might have some books that could help us out. Does it?” MK asked with a hopeful glint in his eyes.
Spike still had an uncertain look in his eyes, but he waved them in as he said “Well, tell me what you had in mind and I’ll see what help we might have in all these books. Don’t get too hopeful though… Twilight’s library back in her dorm at the Royal Palace and the Canterlot Library probably has more books that could help then this old tree does.”
“We know. But we’ll take anything that can help!” Sweetie Belle said as Apple Bloom started explaining the idea. Scootaloo jumped into the discussion just as readily.
“If we have to, we’ll have Twilight or Dr. Alphys help us… but we’d like to be able to do it ourselves if we can. Or as much of it as we can anyways.”
With Spike’s help, he pulled out about ten books, skimming through them and asking them a few questions, such as if they wanted it to be able to do anything special besides act like normal arms, or if they wanted to try to use magic wood or regular wood…
“On Monster Magic… we only really have one book that Alphys let Twilight have. You can borrow it, but I haven’t had a chance to look at it, so I don’t know how much help it’ll be.”
“Any help is better than none.” MK says as he takes the book with his tail and puts it in their bag. “Might even teach me some stuff about Monster Magic I don’t know!”
Eventually, after looking through a few of the books themselves, they narrowed it down to three other books that seemed like good ones to go with for this project. A book on carving and woodwork to help give them some tips for making the arms… and two books on ancient unicorn attempts at making things called ‘automatons’ that sounded similar to what they were trying to do.
“You should probably visit Zecora too just in case. She might have some concoctions that could help. Couldn’t hurt anyways.” Spike said as he finished putting the books and their names in the logs.
Nodding and heading out the door, they piled back into the wagon as MK shouted “Thanks a bunch Spike! And I’ll be by tomorrow to return those comics and get some new ones!”
It was quickly decided that before heading off to Zecora’s that they would drop the books off first at the club house. But as soon as they got there they realized it’d probably be a good idea to draw some designs up first and see what wood they had around the farm to work with.
The girls at first were content to leave drawing up ideas for what it would look like to MK. They were going to be his arms after all. But MK said it was their idea to do this, and soon they were all drawing all kinds of designs for the arms.
They used some of the comics and other books they had in the clubhouse to get more ideas and inspiration, though a few commons trends did start to make themselves known. Like sticking only to two arms (even if MK did like the idea of having eight arms like a spider or octopus) and having it be something he would wear like a backpack or jet pack.
Of course, by the time they were done narrowing things down to about three ideas, it was dinner time. Apple Bloom invited them all over, and they happily scarfed down every last bite of Apple Family cooking their small stomachs could take before they all had to head home.
MK could barely sleep. Tomorrow it was a half day at school, so they’d have plenty of time to get ready for the trip to Zecora’s place within the Everfree Forest. If the girls were right, she might have something that could help make it so their plan to make him some fully functional wooden arms a reality.
It took an hour longer than it usually did, but eventually he drifted off to sleep, his dreams just as excited about tomorrow and the possibility of having arms as his thoughts had been.
---
“So this is the Everfree Forest?”
MK and the Crusaders were standing at the edge of the ancient and wild forest, along one of the few actual paths that seemed to lead further in. He’d heard things about it from the other foals at school and from a few older ponies in town.
“Yeah, first time being near it MK?” Scootaloo asked, earning a nod from the young Monster.
“We’ve only been living in Ponyville for like, two, maybe three months now? Never had a reason to come over this way til now.” MK replied.
Apple Bloom blinked a bit. “Hey wait, I thought the Underground all the Monsters came out of was in the Everfree. Near that old castle Twilight and our sisters went to?”
MK nodded. “Yeah, but most of us who left immediately left via those big airships the Princesses lent to the King and Queen. As awesome as it was to be flying, I had a bit of a case of air-sickness and had to stay in our quarters. This is the first time I’ve seen the forest from, well, the outside.”
“Well, we know the way to Zecora’s, so as long as we stick together we’ll be fine.” Sweetie Belle said with a smile, the girls nodded as they started forward. MK followed after them with only a second's hesitation.
The forest was dark and foreboding, even in the daytime. Even though the CMC had been through here a few times by now, they still kept their heads a bit lower and eyed the surrounding area warily.
By contrast, MK didn’t seem all that bothered by the darkness. Being from the Underground, he was used to it being darker than normal. The sounds did occasionally make him jump, but since the girls never reacted too much to any of them, he figured there was nothing to worry about.
There was only one moment where things might have become dicey- the sound of a growl in the distance that made all three fillies freeze in place and scan the trees surrounding them. MK followed their lead and kept as still and quiet as possible, wondering if the source of the sound had been one of those Timberwolves that MK had heard stories about.
Thankfully, they didn’t find out, and after a few minutes they resumed their walk. MK could see all three of his friends relax once they rounded a corner in the path and saw the strange tree home of the hermit zebra.
Hurrying on up to it, Apple Bloom reached up and rapped on it a few times, calling out “Zecooora! Ya home?”
It took a moment, and there was the sound of something being set down, before the door opened and Zecora’s smiling face greeted them.
“What a pleasant surprise dear Apple Bloom. Please, come in and bring your friends out of the gloom.”
The girls hurried in, and MK stopped in front of the striped mare, smiling as he took in her exotic appearance, at least compared to most of the ponies he’d seen.
“And who is this that you have brought, I hope their introduction is not an afterthought.” Zecora remarked as she too gazed at MK with interest.
“Oh yeah!” Apple Bloom said, smacking her head as she realized she and the girls had gotten caught up in trying to figure out what new things the zebra alchemist was up to now. “Zecora, this is our Monster friend, Monster Kid. Monster Kid, this is Zecora!”
Zecora raised an eyebrow at this, and seemed about to ask something, then recognition dawned on her as she said, “Ah yes, Twilight did mention something about a Monster Kingdom. I take it the ponies are making you and your fellows feel most welcome?”
MK nodded his head. “You bet! I was expecting to meet humans when I came to the surface, but I think the Ponies are just as cool! And if all Zebra’s are like you Zecora, I think I can add Zebra’s to the list of cool things up here.”
That earned a soft chuckle from her. “I am glad that I meet with your approval. It is much better than being seen as awful.” She then turned her gaze back to the CMC as she asked, “So what has brought you to my abode?”
Once more, the CMC and MK relayed their idea, and asked if she had any suggestions or could point them to anything that could help them out with the arm making project. Zecora looked thoughtful for a moment, then mumbled and began to move about the room. They watched as she went from one bottle, jar, or pouch to another, occasionally saying to herself “No this will not do” or “perhaps… No, no, it will not work well with that.”
“This might take a bit.” Apple Bloom said. “I saw her get like this last time me and AJ came down here to get a tonic for the cows.”
The next ten minutes were spent with Zecora working through her many reagents and books, and the occasional question sent their way. The girls explained what some of the items were to MK, at least the ones they had learned about from Zecora or friends and family in town.
Finally, she exclaimed, “I believe I am done, these should help make your wooden arms function.”
The four hurried over, seeing a small bottle with an almost amber colored liquid, a shiny piece of black rock that looked rather sharp, a scroll, and a book with no name or picture on it to show what it was.
“The scroll lists what else you will need that I do not possess. Be sure to not skimp on them if you wish for success.” Zecora said, then opened the book to show a page she had marked with a ribbon. “And here is a rune to make your arms as sturdy as iron, assuring that them breaking will be of no concern.”
“Wow… thanks a bunch Miss Zecora!” MK said, the others nodding their heads in agreement as they hurried to carefully place what was being given to them into their bags. “If this works, we’ll make sure to come by and show ya the finished product!”
They exchanged goodbyes, then headed back to Ponyville, eager to get to work… Only to learn that the wood that Zecora was suggesting was a unique one that was used in magical constructs. They’d need to have it special ordered, and that wasn’t going to be cheap.
This lead to a decision amongst the group. Still determined to do this (mostly) on their own, the four of them decided to go around town working odd jobs to earn the bits they needed for the hunk of special wood.
Thus, for the next week, the Cutie Mark Crusaders put crusading off to the side and, alongside MK who was adamant about doing his part too, threw themselves into doing whatever they could to earn extra bits. Watching foals, helping clean out the school’s old storeroom, assisting Fluttershy with some of her critters…
They even wound up playing the part of servant’s for a small party Diamond Tiara was hosting. And while normally Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were insufferable, Silver Spoon managed to convince Diamond to be… less of herself while they were working. Apparently Silver Spoon thought the idea of what they were doing was rather cool (and according to her, Diamond thought so as well, but wasn’t going to say so aloud.).
By the end of the week, they’d gathered the money and with a bit of help from Rarity and AJ, filled out the form for the order and sent it off.
All that was left was the waiting, and using their now once more free time to make practice versions. The crusaders wanted to be as ready as they possibly could be once the wood arrived.
---
The day that it finally showed up on the front porch of the Apple family home, Apple Bloom raced off to get the others and bring them back to the barn. At each of their houses she stopped, rapped loudly on the door or window, and shouted “It’s time!”
“Alright girls, and MK, are we ready!” Apple Bloom asked as they looked over everything. They had the supplies, the practice sets they made to base the final one off of. They’d memorized the runes they needed to carve…
Everything was set.
“READY!” MK shouted out with Sweetie and Scootaloo, his eyes beaming with excitement right along with them.
The next few hours was a flurry of work. Apple Bloom focused mostly on the wood work itself, with Sweetie Belle taking the time to make sure they were doing everything step by step. Scootaloo and MK tested things out and also let Scootaloo be the one to carve the runes into the contraption.
There was a brief pause in the work, when the runes were finished and gained a soft golden outline. According to the book, that meant they were ready to draw in magic to seal them in place and ensure the enchantment would be permanent. Still, they all put their work on hold to gaze in awe at the work of magic they were nearly finished creating.
After that, once it was shaped as their plans said it should be, after they double-checked everything, they coated the wood in the potion that Zecora had given them and waited for it to dry before the true test was at hand.
The test to see if it would work with MK’s magic.
From what they had read from the books they borrowed, there was no reason it shouldn’t work. And no reason that there should be any complications…
Still, now that it was finished and they were about to strap it around MK’s torso, the thought did crop up.
“Think this will work?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking between the four of them as MK stood tall, trying to keep from bouncing in place as the excitement in him grew.
“I hope it does, otherwise we’d have done all this work for no reason.” Scootaloo said, earning a bit of a glare from Apple Bloom. Scootaloo eeped a bit and said “H~Hey, I wasn’t meaning the cutie mark side of things. I haven’t actually thought much about that side of things this last week anyways.”
“Don’t worry about it Apple Bloom.” MK replied, offering them both a smile. “And you too Scoots. Even if this doesn’t work, it’s been some of the best fun I’ve had since when I first met Frisk.”
“Yeah, the best case scenario is it works and it works so well we get cutie-marks. Worst case, it doesn’t, and we’re all just back where we started.” Sweetie Belle said after a moment’s thought.
That earned a nod from all four of them, and after making sure the straps weren’t going to be too loose or anything, not wanting it to fall off before it had magically bound to MK, they were ready.
With a soft click, they strapped MK in, who shifted just a bit to get comfortable and used to the weight of the wooden contraption. It felt rather like wearing a backpack, something he’d tried once but found a bit weird without proper shoulders to rest the straps on.
At first, nothing happened, and the three fillies looked a bit underwhelmed. MK himself wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but nothing at all was a bit-
Then he gasped, magical energy surging through him as he felt his soul making itself visible. The upside down heart came forth, surprising the three fillies. Especially when their own souls responded to his calling forth and came into being in front of them as well.
“W~What the hay?” Apple Bloom asked as she found a red floating heart floating right before her. Sweetie and Scootaloo were just as surprised but also in awe as they gazed at the green and yellow hearts before them.
Their attention was returned to MK’s own soul as it pulsed orange, earning a yelp from the young Monster even as his wooden arms began to glow orange and white as well. As they did, the runes golden glow began to slowly grow brighter, each rune one by one being filled with magic and making a connection with MK’s soul.
Once all the runes were filled, they glowed and pulsed three times. The first time was the same orange hue that had come from MK’s soul. Then there was the white that seemed to make up the entirety of it, and finally the gold hue returned for nearly a minute before slowly fading.
Slowly, their souls all retreated back into their bodies, and the CMC watched MK sway a bit, worry and anticipation filling each of them in equal measure.
“M~My head feels… f~funny…” MK said after a moment, shuddering as his arms moved to hug himself. “S~So does the rest of me…”
“M-MK!” Sweetie squeaked, the others getting wide smiles on their faces as they watched. “I~It… It worked!”
“H-Huh?” MK asked, only to blink as he realized he was… feeling something. A sensation he’d never had before… Slowly, he looked down and saw that his wooden arms were in fact now wrapped around him. They had been limp and just resting in the air a moment ago, but now…
“I~I… I can feel them…” MK said, his voice soft, quiet, an almost disbelieving tone in his voice as he concentrated. He could feel the new flows of magic that made up his body had grown, and indeed, now extended into the wooden arms he was wearing.
They weren’t just a mechanical assist now… they were literally a part of him!
Taking his time to do so, MK opened and closed his new fists, watching in amazement as they did exactly what he wanted. He waved his arm in the air, and it did so. He gave himself a pinch, it worked! And hurt a bit! But it worked! He snapped his fingers and while it didn’t sound quite like it did for some of his Monster friends, more of a cracking sound like a branch breaking, it was still his own fingers snapping.
“It worked… it… It worked… Girls it worked!!”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders quickly joined MK in a big congratulatory hug, MK nuzzling each of them and thanking them over and over again, just enjoying the fact that he could in fact hug his friends.
Then he realized that he could give his parents actual hugs, and he let out an excited hoot and holler as he shouted “Come on girls, let's go show my Mom and Dad, and everyone else we see!”
Letting out their own excited cries, the three girls galloped after MK as he just up and started sprinting towards town, using his new arms to help keep his balance and keep himself from tripping over his own two feet.
In their excitement at this wonderful accomplishment, the three crusaders seemed either unaware, or unconcerned that they had not in fact earned their cutie marks.
