Undersong

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” finished her friend for her. She continued, “I’m Scootaloo. And these are my friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.” She pointed to each of them in turn. They both nodded nervously. Scootaloo hadn’t noticed their discomfort.

“H-hey, don’t take any heed to those two,” said Apple Bloom. “They’re both big bullies.”

The smile on my face faded. I looked over the trio of ponies, pondering their arrival. The small park was still quite full. If they cried out for help, things could get hectic.

“Do those ‘big bullies’ make your lives difficult for you?” I asked.

Sweetie Belle was the one to speak first. “Occasionally—”

“They’re always trying to put other ponies down!” Scootaloo interjected. “They make rude remarks about all of us, just so that they can feel better about themselves. Some days I just wanna...” she trailed off.

“How would you feel if they died tonight?”

Scootaloo chuckled nervously at my question. The others wore highly uncomfortable faces.

“Honestly, I’d feel pretty bad about it. Even if they’re bullies, that doesn’t mean they deserve to die. I mean, how would I feel if it was one of us who died? There must be someone who feels the same way about Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara.”

Her words rang in my mind. They were utterly familiar. Something stirred in my memory. It rose to the surface suddenly, enveloping my senses.

It was the night on which I died, and our long trek had taken us to the village of the humans. There I laid down my dead body on a bed of flowers. Finally, we had the opportunity to recompense the humans for the suffering they had caused. Finally, we would be able to free everyone from their imprisonment.

“Are they sleeping?” asked a voice behind us.

I turned around. It was a little girl. She looked up at us and wondered at his face. I stared at her through his eyes, making the expression of grim determination. I lifted up his arm and set it against her for a swift attack. That will make two souls, only five more to go.

His arm stopped. Our energy would not come out.

“What’s wrong? We need to move quickly. The longer we hesitate, the more people will come, and the more people we will have to kill.”

I... I can’t. What if that were you? I can’t imagine living in a world without you. There must be someone who feels the same way about her.

She had gotten scared when she saw me talking to myself like that.

“Don’t do this, Asriel. You can’t refuse to fight. Not now. If someone see—”

“Monster!” screamed a voice from afar. She ran up to us and clutched the little girl. “Please don’t hurt my baby.”

The windows of the village were quickly filled with light. Out of the houses stumbled irritated villagers. All around us a crowd gathered. The situation had escalated, and we were now in for a bloody battle.

“I didn’t want to do this. But if I have to take all your souls, then so be it.” I made to blow them all away.

But he refused.

“Let me use our magic. If they decide to attack, we won’t have any defense against it.”

“It killed the child!” They had seen my body lying behind us.

He wasn’t budging. I couldn’t move his body anymore.

“We’re going home.”

He turned around and picked me up.

Asriel!

I couldn’t see outside anymore. He had locked me in.

19, a tinge of red in the darkness.

No.

15.

Asriel, don’t do this.

10.

I could feel the damage piling on. Even with our combined strength, the onslaught outside had already reduced us to half-health.

5.

You promised me! You promised that you would trust me. We would free everyone, together.

1.

Asriel, you can’t die. I’ll kill you if you die on me! I couldn’t stop from sobbing. Even though I had no eyes of my own, I knew my tears mixed with his when they ran down his face.

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t... strong enough.”

My heart broke apart.

“Why are you crying like that?” she asked.

You blinked away the tears. The three ponies stood before you, wondering at your sudden fit.

“I-it’s nothing. What those other ponies said must’ve gotten to me. I’m sorry.”

Sweetie Belle patted your shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry. There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“Hey, Frisk!” It was Fluttershy’s voice. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here. We need your help.”

Before you had a chance to say anything else, she was towing you along.

“Wait, help with what? What’s going on?”

“One of the ponies in town went missing. She was last seen heading toward my cottage last night.”

You thought on this. An eerie recollection hung over her words. Or perhaps it was a premonition?

“Here we are.” She stopped in the clearing by her cottage. Another pony stood there, a unicorn with a purple coat. “Twilight, this is Frisk.” She nodded at you. “And Frisk, this is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Hello.” You wondered what else to say. “Um, nice day today?”

“You were walking outside last night, right? Did you see anything suspicious?” Twilight asked me.

You stood between the two ponies, trying to recall what had happened. “I...”

What had happened? You left and came back, but the interim had been completely unmemorable.

Then something between the trees caught your eye. Growing on the edge of the forest, its flowers still in full bloom, was a rosebush. A crack ran across the threshold of your memory. The dream from last night, it had been set here...

She noticed the shock on your face.

“W-what did this pony look like?”

“She has a pale yellow coat and raspberry hair. Her name is Roseluck.”

Her face flashed in your mind once more.

“That’s... really weird. I, I dreamed last night about a pony that looked just like that.”

Fluttershy raised her eyes with surprise.

Twilight’s expression grew grim. “Tell us about that dream.”

“I met her here, at this very spot. Then a monster came out of the ground and killed her. That’s all I remember from it...” No, there was still something else. “Except... at the very end, when the monster turned to attack me, a blue light saved my life. That’s everything.”

She sighed. She stepped back and forth, a frown of concentration forming on her brow. “This is all too odd. I desperately hope that your dream does not turn out to be prophetic.” She stopped and stood there with her eyes closed. “For now, I will inform the Princess of the situation. She can send a proper search party.”

“I don’t understand. Is this such a serious thing?” you asked.

Twilight turned her head towards you. Her eyes pierced through you. “Ponies do not go missing. But if they do, we will find them.” A deep sadness settled over her. “She left a basket near here. That’s all we’ve found so far.”

“Twilight!” an exuberant voice called out. A purple dragon trotted forward, holding up a scroll. When he got to us, he crouched over to catch his breath. After coughing to clear his throat, he unfurled the letter he had been holding and read out: “Twilight, You must come back to Canterlot as soon as you can. This is an emergency. Bring your friends. Signed, Princess Celestia.”

“An emergency? At a time like this?” Twilight scrutinized him. “We haven’t even had the chance to resolve one mystery before another crops up.” She took a deep breath. “Still, if the Princess says it’s an emergency, I’ll attend to it. While there I will be able to request her aid directly.”

“I suppose you can stay here while I help Twilight—”

“They’re coming too, Fluttershy.”

“Oh?” she said. She patted the ground meekly.

“Look, it’s nothing against your new friend. But I have a suspicion that they might be the key to solving the strange goings-on we’ve had since yesterday.” Her eyes narrowed. “It cannot be just by chance that their arrival has happened to coincide with a missing pony and an emergency in Canterlot.”

“But they couldn’t possibly have anything to do with that...”

“Maybe not, but I still have questions about the dream they’ve described and how it might be connect to Roseluck’s disappearance. If we have the time, I might be able to research a spell in the archives...” She did not finish her thought.

“If we’re to go, I suppose we better do so soon,” you said. “That letter sounded urgent.”

They all looked at you. “Right, let’s go.”

The city of Canterlot sat upon an impossible mountaintop. Its only entrance was an equally-impossible railway that wound around the inside of the mountain. The only light to illuminate the train on its way up were small stones set in the ceiling. You stared out of the lamp-lit carriage, out into the darkness of sparkling cavern-stars. You didn’t feel up to any more small-talk with Twilight’s other friends. They all acted so glad when they met you, when all you felt instead was dread.

“Whatchya lookin’ at?” asked one. Her name was Applejack.

“‘I wish that I was home.’ That’s what I’m thinking right now.” You poked at the window. “If you wish with all your heart upon a star, that wish will come true.”

“Sorry to say, but there aren’t any stars in here. Those are just magic studs set in the ceiling to help with the maintenance of this cave.” She said this so carelessly.

You turned your back on the window. “Ya, you’re right. There aren’t any stars in here.” You looked out over the six ponies riding with you and the small dragon that accompanied them. “‘What is a star?’ Someone asked me that once. I wonder, if you killed a star, would the wishes placed on that star fail to be fulfilled?”

What a morbid mood.

“I don’t think you could ever truly kill a star,” she said. “It sounds like something from a fairy tale.”

“You’re probably right about that. Hey, do you think everyone is the star of their own life?”

“That’d be a different kind of star. But I reckon that each pony is a star to someone.”

You looked over the ponies in the carriage again. They all probably had their own stories and their own lives, though each might take its own lifelong journey to tell. “Ponies are too happy all the time,” you said.

“Aren’t you excited?” asked a puff of pink hair that popped up and filled your vision. “Because I am. This feels like a big finale, like the culmination of an exciting story. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead. Maybe a foreign monarch declared war on us! Or the Sun is falling onto Canterlot and the fate of Equestria lies in our ability to rebalance the heavens.” That was Pinkie Pie. She had energetic blue eyes.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” said Twilight from the back. “While I do not doubt the urgency of this situation, we shouldn’t excite ourselves by fanciful tales. Expect anything and everything, but count on nothing.”

“I think the book phrased it, ‘We must allow ourselves the pleasure of a pebble that became a mountain, but we must also allow ourselves the knowledge that an acorn may never become a tree,’” said Spike.

Twilight blushed. “Stop giving away the source material for my inspirational speeches.”

“You didn’t even paraphrase it very well!”

Rainbow Dash stamped her hooves. “Well, Twilight’s version was terse and to-the-point.”

“Where is that from?” you asked. “I’ve never heard such a phrase before.”

Spike answered almost immediately, “Starswirl’s Everlasting, a collection of riddles and half-baked sayings. I don’t know why Twilight likes it so much.”

“Spike! It’s an esoteric text. He put his life’s collected wisdom into parables, so that once the one reading gains the deeper meaning, they can attain his treasure of knowledge. It’s also a very mystical book where the words themselves are often spells. It takes a life steeped in magical practice to unlock the full potential of that work.”

Spike stretched his arms behind his head. “I still say he had one too many tries at the salt lick one night.”

Twilight, having a flustered face, turned away and said no more.

“Y’know, he had this strange idea. He thought that there was some way to gain godlike strength. But the process involved... made no sense.”

“By what way would you do that?” you asked.

He continued: “Mmm... The passage was something like, ‘There has been only one situation so far that I’ve found, in all of history set down, that could most perfectly accomplish this unity to the infinite spirit that stretches on above us. That situation whereby the soul attains its true character is when the pure-of-heart sacrifices his life for the sake of his friend who hates him. At that moment, there is no greater power, neither amid mortals nor among gods.’ I never got that part, ‘His friend who hates him.’ They wouldn’t be friends, then, right? And he says this so cryptically, ‘There is no greater power.’ Where is it? If this person is dead, how would they use it?”

Light flooded into the cabin. The mouth of the cave we came from gaped behind us, and the sunlight settled over us. The city of Canterlot surrounded us, an odd wonder of architecture and imagination.

The train stopped at the station. The doors on all the carriages opened up, and the passengers from each filed out. You did the same, trotting out together and keeping close to one another so that no one would be lost in the crowd.

A guard spotted you. He trotted over and inclined his head. “Miss Sparkle. If you will, I can take you and your friends to the Princess.”

“As you like,” she responded. “But can you tell us anything more about the emergency that drew us here?”

“That information remains unrevealed. If I knew anything, I would tell you. The only thing...” He looked around the plaza, scanning the crowd of ponies pressing upon them. “I can tell you one thing, but it is only a hunch. Princess Luna did not meet with us this morning, not even when her sister had declared a state of urgency. So I fear that something might have happened to her.”

Twilight stared out past the pony, her appearance plagued by a fallen countenance.

He led you through the city. The streets passed by far too fast for you to absorb the fullness of their splendor. To your left and right sat shops sporting signs filled with strange lettering, a splendid assortment of sweet-smelling eateries, and even the occasional outpost of magical oddities jutting from the street corner. These gave way to an area of modernist business, an urban composition of high-contrast glass buildings framed in steel and concrete. Ponies in stuffy suits walked in and out of the automatic doors. At the end of the street was a large brick building with a revolving entrance. From the well-uniformed ponies carrying suitcases inside, you assumed it to be a hotel of some sort.

Beyond this lay Canterlot castle. Its impressive pillars disappeared from your sight when the guard led you through the garden and into the castle itself. He led you to the throne room where Celestia sat. The room was otherwise empty, and the stained-glass windows caught the light, shooting shards of color onto the floor. The prismatic display shifted over Celestia’s white fur when she sat up. Her eyes showed an ageless exhaustion, and her hair had started to fray. Her hooves clipped against the marble steps. The sound echoed down the chamber, making a melancholy reverberation along the walls. She looked at the guard. “You are relieved.”

He nodded curtly and exited.

“Twilight, everyone, come with me.”

All the walking up to this point had put an ache into your legs. Your feet throbbed through your shoes. You followed along, keeping pace with them only through considerable effort. Your time of tribulation ended swiftly, as the Princess stopped at a doorway covered by a magical barrier, a blue clock whose hands had stopped.

“In here,” she said simply. She inclined her head and touched the center of the clock with the tip of her horn. From there a shimmering golden energy spread outward, converting its entirety into glimmering sunlight. She passed through, and so did you.

Your breath stopped at the sight of what was inside.

You could sense no describable walls to the room, and a very light wind swept up your clothes and hair, though from where you couldn’t tell. You stood in front of an expanse of dark violet set with starlight. Pockets of gemlike beacons glowed around you, hovering several feet above the disappeared flooring. At the heart of it all was a bed covered by bluish curtains and sheets.

“W-what is this, Celestia?” asked Twilight when she had seen it all. “Where are we?”

“This is where Luna’s room was. But last night... she disappeared without a trace, and her bed became the center of this anomaly. I have sealed it inside this room, but I fear it might in fact break the barrier and escape to cause ruin for this city, and even for the rest of Equestria.” She stepped toward the bed. “But what Luna said before last night weighs most heavily upon my mind. She told me of a vision given to her that day, that a great calamity was about to befall our ponies.”

“Calamity?” exclaimed Applejack. “What kind of calamity are we talkin’ about here?”

“She told me: ‘On the field of the nighttime the lives of all the ponies lie sleeping. Each one is represented by a lantern blowing in the wind. Two greater lights are set in the sky to rule over the lesser, and those greater lights are the Sun and the Moon. But in this vision, the lamplights flickered. One by one they fell to the ground and broke apart into uncomprehending darkness. After the whole field had fallen into darkness, the Moon cracked and the Sun was squelched.’ This she saw during the day, yesterday.”

“Are you saying...?” Twilight’s voice trailed off, and deep fear settled on her face. “Could something like that really happen?”

“It very well may. But I believe it is within our power to prevent this premonition from becoming a reality. If we can uncover the source of that darkness before it begins its spread, we could stop it there. I suspect that we will find Luna there as well. But in order to do this, I will need your help and power.”

“What do we have to do?”

“We will have to find a lead to go by. Despite my searching, this place holds no hint of its cause. There must be something amiss elsewhere, from which we can derive more information.”

“Wait! I think that I might have it,” Twilight told her. “Frisk—” She turned to you. “Can you please describe the dream that you had to Princess Celestia?”

You stepped up. Nervousness crept up your spine as you tried to remember all that had happened during that dream. “Well, I woke up outside Fluttershy’s cottage. There was a pony there watering flowers. She said... She said something about how they only bloom when the moon shines on them.” You didn’t want to waste time with superfluous information, but neither did you want to miss a detail that could turn out to be crucial to solving this mystery. “Uh... Then I asked her what her name was. But before she could answer, a terrible monster in the form of a flower erupted from the ground! It killed her, and then it tried to kill me. But right before I was about to die, a blue light shown all around, and I lived.”

Celestia looked at you expectantly. “And? Is that the end of it?”

“I... I really don’t remember anything else. That’s where the dream ended. Sorry.”

Celestia shook her head. “It sounds like Luna interrupted your dream. If she did, I am sure she must have spoken to you. Do you really not remember seeing her at all?”

“Like I said, if something else happened, I had forgotten by the time I woke up. Even as much as I remember now, I didn’t remember originally. Worse, I can hardly remember anything from my life before yesterday.”

"Most interesting of all, they had this dream on the same night that a pony from our village disappeared."

“Mm...” Celestia bowed her head in contemplation. “Twilight.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

Her ear twitched at those last two words, but otherwise Celestia stood still. “I know how you think. Or, at least, I hope I know you well enough to anticipate your next move. If you happen to be looking for a book, try first for the reading stand in that room.” However, she did not make any indication as to which room was “that room.”

“That r—” Twilight eyes flashed. “Oh, alright. I will look.”

Celestia lifted her head. “Thank you. I hope you are satisfied by what you find.”

You and the other ponies puzzled over this cryptic communication.

“Is anyone going to tell us what that was?” asked Rarity into the air. “I don’t see any reason to keep it a secr—”

“Don’t worry, ladies... and, uh,” She looked back at you. “And Frisk. Everyone, don’t worry. We can each go out and look for leads independently. Spike and I will be going...” She stopped. “Well, don’t worry about us! Here, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash can search the downtown area. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Frisk can search the castle grounds. That’ll be just about even.”

“Right,” said Rainbow Dash, assuming the starting position for a competitive sprint.

The rest of you muttered amicably to the idea. Celestia kept standing next to her sister's bed. Twilight and Spike went... wherever it was they were going. Applejack and the other girls split off from you after exiting Luna’s room. You, Rarity, and Fluttershy stood in the hallway, wondering where to begin your investigation.

Castles like these tend to have rather large kitchens.

The hooffalls of another pony echoed down the hallway. A handsome stallion was coming up on your gathering, his face a daze of lazy arrogance.

“Prince Bluh!” Rarity looked around. She started walking swiftly away. “I will go over here to check the...” She scratched her head. “The library!” Her panicked trot faded away.

“But the library...” Fluttershy sighed when the other pony passed you. “The library is the other way.”

“What was—?”

Fluttershy interrupted before you had time to ask: “You don’t want to know.”

This castle, like most others, had a place where they prepared meals for all the ponies that lived there, as well as whatever guests might have arrived.

“Do you have any ideas of where to go?” she asked you. “We might try the library.” She looked down the corridor, in the direction Rarity had fled. “I don’t think she’s going to find it any time soon.”

You would hardly be able to imagine the number of plates and cups and other dishes stored up in cupboards and cabinets in such a castle. Even to see the empty tables is to look over a veritable river of smooth slab running off into the distance.

“I think—”

You hadn’t eaten in a while. In fact, the last time you ate had been this morning. It was now getting rather late in the day.

“Y’know, I can’t think clearly. I’m rather hungry right now.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about that...”

There wouldn’t be any meat to eat, but something in your stomach would be better than nothing.

“Um, where are you going?”

You stopped walking. You hadn’t even realized you were walking. Where were you walking to, anyway?

“Aah, to get something to eat?”

“The kitchen and dining hall are that way,” she said while pointing in the direction Rarity had run. “I suppose... we don’t even know what we’re looking for, so a stop for something to eat first couldn’t hurt.”

You walked together. The door to the dining hall opened to a soft squeak. The sound had not been the door, but rather it was the pony sitting at the table inside. A plate of spaghetti sat in front of her. Beside her stood a gray stallion in a servant’s uniform. He nodded cordially.

Rarity swallowed the food in her mouth. “I’m sorry! But this pony asked me so politely, ‘Why, won’t you have something to eat?’ And I didn’t get a chance to catch lunch before we left, since Twilight asked us all so suddenly...”

Fluttershy giggled. “It’s okay. Truthfully, that’s what we came here for as well.”

The two of you sat down at the table.

“What would you like to eat?” he asked.

You looked at the plate of spaghetti on the table. It filled you with an odd mixture of affection and revulsion.

“I’ll have what sh—” Unfortunately, the revulsion won over the affection before you had a chance to finish. “On second thought, maybe not.” You thought about what to ask for. What you wanted was on the tip of your tongue, but you couldn’t quite grasp onto its handle... “I...”

“Might I suggest something?” said the stallion.

“Go for it,” you told him.

“My specialty is eggplant Parmesan. Not just that, but we received a really good batch of the plants just this morning. I promise you won’t regret trying it.”

You smiled up at him. “That sounds good. Can I use a knife to eat it?” you asked.

A chill ran down your spine.

Fluttershy and Rarity looked over at you.

“Wait, I mean, well...” You stumbled a bit. The dread that had remained in the background so far rose to the surface, enveloping you almost entirely. “That’s not...”

“Calm down, little child,” he said. “It’s not such a strange question. If you need a knife, I’d be happy to bring one out for you.”

“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” asked Fluttershy. “This is truly still a small child, after all. A knife might be a bit dangerous for them.”

The dread in you ebbed. In its stead rose a pique of indignant anger. “Pardon me, but I’m perfectly capable of using a knife without hurting myself,” you said. “I’m not a helpless child. I can take care of myself.”

“I mean no offense, young master, but I must go with the will of the elder ponies here. It is really not necessary for the dish, after all. I don’t think you will have a problem eating it with only a fork.”

“Did he just call us old mares?” asked Rarity incredulously.

The anger in you erupted. “No!” You stood up in your chair and slammed your palm down on the table. “I will have that knife.” This was now a matter of principle.

Then you saw them staring at you, and your hand relaxed. The anger that had bubbled up, that had exploded so suddenly, had vanished. In its place returned your dread. But mingled with it was a new emotion: embarrassment. “I don’t know why I did that. I really don’t know why I did that.” Fear gripped your soul. “I-I don’t know why I did that.” It didn’t feel like you had been the one to do it at all.

You sat back down.

“I understand your situation is very stressful right now,” said Fluttershy. She put on the voice that sounded so much like Mom’s. “Try to calm down. Once you’ve had something to eat, I’m sure you’ll feel far better than you do now.” She looked up at the stallion. “Please excuse us. I don’t think any of us have eaten since early in the day...” She patted you on the head. “Would you be so kind as to bring us two plates of your specialty?”

“Right away!” he said whilst somehow also managing to snap his hooves.

She hadn’t lied. After you ate, your foul moods mostly flowed away. But by that time it was nearing night again. Your party resolved to call it a day and discover what accommodations the castle could provide.

While walking down the corridor, you met with three other ponies: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. They each seemed to be in a different state of disarray. Pinkie Pie had black soot and scorch marks all over her body. Rainbow Dash had been covered by glue and feathers. And Applejack... well, she looked alright, other than a rather accentuated black eye.

“Alright. We’ll all agree this afternoon never happened. Okay? Good.” Applejack finished talking to the others right as you met them. “Don’t even ask about it,” she said resolutely upon seeing you.

“Hey, has Twilight gotten back yet?” asked Pinkie Pie. “You guys sure did miss a great show. I’ve never seen such a passionate confession before...”

“What part of ‘Let’s never speak of this again,’ didn’t you understand?” shouted Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie smiled a wide, pink-and-white smile.

After a scuffle and a bit of stumbling around, you found a servant who led you to the rooms set out for your stay. You thanked her graciously and collapsed in an exhausted mess onto the nearest thing that resembled a mattress.