Chapters Introduction: How it All Went Downhill
Author's Note
Original Doc:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F1OQtddP6XuYjnzM0kUbcT_gj7hQDgSENZoaAai4mlU/edit?usp=sharing
Introduction: How it All Went Downhill
It was a gloriously normal day in Ponyville for Basket Weave. The turquoise earth pony with carrot orange hair and, of course, a basket cutie mark on her flank, was finishing up her rounds for the day. As her name implies, she is a crafting pony, filling all sorts of craft-related demands and her last order went to the pony that lived down the street at Sugarcube Corner. Delivering a number of 15 baskets for birthday bash cupcakes, Basket trotted down the road, humming a song that she heard most recently. “...I’ve got no time…and I can say goodbye...”
Around her, everything was just normal; ponies meeting and greeting, bright sunny skies, Twilight teach a pair of troublemakers the value of friendship. Completely normal, that is, except one little spot that stood out, and Basket noticed this one little spot: A dark alleyway that laid between two of the colorful buildings. An uneasy feeling rushed over her as she stared into the darkness. She was about to move on when she heard something come from within.
“Hello? Is somepony there?” She asks, her fur standing on end as she moved closer. A non-understandable mutter came, then a short silence before more mumbling, this time, a little more clear. “...different timeline…determination…return… ” Basket was unsure of what was happening, but she wants to help, so gathering the courage she had, she drops the baskets and walks into the darkness. One step in and she then realizes this was a horrible idea. All the light that she was bathing in was stripped away for a dark and cold atmosphere. The sky was no longer visible and any color that was on her body drained into a light grayish color. But her attention was being drawn towards where two white lights were glowing in the dark. The voice that drew her into the dark spoke again, a lot more clear now. “ You… you will… ” It stops.
“I will what?” Asks Basket, as scared as can be. The white lights began to move towards her and a figure moves out of the darkness. This was like nothing she had ever seen before. A round white face with cracks around it’s eyes and a black rigid mouth, all on top of a black mass that was oozing like slime. The figure’s smile grew as the pony stood still, frozen with fear. “Who… What are you?”
“Your soul… will free me… will allow me to return… ” It says, raising a black, slimed arm and pointing it at Basket. She turns from the black mass and runs. But the more she runs, the darker it became, until she was surrounded by black. She runs in every direction, but no way was leading her home. She soon stops, out of breath, and lays down.
“Maybe I lost it?” She says when she didn’t see the figure behind her anymore. She took a couple deep breaths and tries to recollect her thoughts, but was interrupted by computerized chips and blips. She tried to locate the source, but soon wishes she didn’t. She found herself wrapped in a black substance that tightened its grasp around her when she struggles. Then the black figure appears from the darkness.
“Your determination… It’s strong… “ The figure says, it’s voice covered in the computerized chips and blips. “ Your soul… It’s strong… Will allow me to return… ” The smile on the figures face grows, then something launches out of the dark, right towards Basket, then everything starts to fade. The last thing Basket hears was the cruel laughter of her killer.
G@$T3R is taking your soul...
Chapter 1: A Discovery (Plus a Crossover)
It wasn’t until a few moments ago when Sans noticed strange shifting in his timeline. He was completely unsure what it meant, but that didn’t worry him too much at the moment. Right now, he had his brother, Papyrus, to take care of. “i was on break, big bro.” He says, shrugging his bony shoulders as Papyrus continues to chew him out.
“Break? Break?! You’ve been on break for the past three hours!” Papyrus yells, pointing to his wrist as if a watch was there (but wasn’t). “You haven’t fixed your puzzles, you been sleeping on the job. You’re supposed to be watching for humans! How am I, the great Papyrus, supposed to join the royal guard if you keep lying about all day, not doing your job?!” Sans shrugs again and Papyrus sighs and crosses his arms. “The least you can do is try, little brother.”
“but i do try, big bro. you might just say, i try as hard as a rock.” Sans says, winking at the end.
“That was just terrible, Sans.” Papyrus says, rubbing his nose cavity.
“hey i can’t help it if the writer sucks at making puns.” Sans says, looking the author in the eyes (Creepy). “besides, i doubt that any human will be passing through here any time soon. not after that strange vibe i got earlier.”
“Oh, so you felt that too?” Papyrus says, rubbing his chin. This comment caught Sans off guard.
“wait, you felt it?” He asks.
“If you mean that feeling of dread and despair that I felt while I was screaming at you, yes, i did feel that.” Papyrus explains, looking at brother. Sans looks away, his own feelings slowly turning into dread.
‘If Papyrus could feel that shift, then that could mean that what ever happened affected this timeline greatly. But what could have happened? I need to think.’ Sans looks at his brother. “want to head over to grillby’s, papyrus? we’ll take the shortcut.” Papyrus raises his hand in protest.
“Not now, Sans. I need to re-calibrate my puzzles and check my surroundings for any humans that might have came while we were chatting. After that, then maybe, just maybe, I’ll join you at Grillby’s.” Papyrus says, walking away. Sans shrugs his shoulders and moves down his shortcut.
The fresh layer of snow crunches under the boots of Papyrus as he marches towards his home in Snowdin, a little town outside the ruins of the underground. He lets out a big sigh as he stops in front of his door. “No sign of any humans today, old chap. But tomorrow promises to be a better day.” His mood quickly changes, then returns to depression. “Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll never be part of the royal guard! I won’t catch a human, I won’t get the recognition I deserve, and I won’t be popular, popular, POPULAR!” He says to himself, pounding on his door in anger. He sniffs and straightens himself up. “Get ahold of yourself, Papyrus. If you give up now… Then there will never be a chance!” He says out loud, a new form of confidence rushing over him. “If the great Papyrus gives up, then I will never get the chance to prove myself! I have to remain positive! And besides, if I give up, who will watch over the folks here? They’ll be vulnerable to an attack from a human! Or worse… They could CAPTURE a human! I must stay vigilant! Someday, a human WILL appear! And I’ll be waiting!” After the short outburst, Papyrus sighs, feeling much better. “I should probably get moving to Grillby’s. Don’t need Sans to be drinking all the ketchup again…” He states, marching towards Snowdin’s pub.
Sans walks down the muddy path he calls a shortcut, taking in the sights around him. “that wall is normal. that ceiling is normal. even that strange door that i’ve never seen before is normal.” He states, walking down the path before coming to a sudden halt. “door? there's never been a door down this way before.” Taking a few steps backward, Sans found himself standing in front of the gray door. A black knob protrudes from the wood surface, tempting Sans to turn it and discover what secrets lay beyond it. Sans quickly shook the thought out of his head. He could feel it. Whatever lies beyond this door was an evil that this world, his home, does not need. He starts to walk again, but a sudden banging brought him back. “um... someone there?” He asks through the door. A muffled sound makes its way through the door and to Sans, it sounds as if whatever was on the other side was begging to be let out. Sans stares at the door as the continuous banging stops. Curiosity creeps back into his head and this time, it was just too much. Sans’s hand shoots forward, latching onto the doorknob, and slowly turns. The door unhooks itself from the frame and creaks open while Sans braces himself for whatever was on the other side. And what was on the other side, Sans could not believe his eyes.
Papyrus sits in wait at Grillby’s, his bones rattling in anger. “How could he?! Standing me up… At his own favorite place?!” He yells, his fist in the air. Grillby stops by him and speaks, but doesn’t really say anything. Papyrus looks at him. “You really think there’s something that could have stopped him on his way? Preposterous! I know Sans… He would stop for anything… Unless it was something bad, of course. But even then, he still wouldn’t stop. No, there must be some big unexplainable reason of why my brother has disappeared, and I, the great Papyrus, will find out!”
“hey brother.”
“Not now Sans, I’m looking for some big reason to why you didn’t show up… SANS!” Papyrus jumps at the sudden appearance of his younger brother. “Don’t do that!” Sans shrugs. “Where were you anyway?” Papyrus asks.
“i, uh, found a strange door on my way here. i think you might want to come take a look. it looks ‘funny’.” Sans says, walking back the way he came. Papyrus sighs and follows. ‘I’ll never understand that little pile of lazy bones…’ He thinks to himself as he follows Sans.
“How did we even get here?” Papyrus asks, rubbing his mitten-covered hand against his head. Sans shrugs, then points to the wooden door. Papyrus walks up to the door, studies it for a moment, then turns to Sans. “It’s just an ordinary wooden door. Nothing strange about it.”
“open it.” Sans says. Papyrus turns back to the door, grabs the knob and pulls it open. A surge of colors pour out from the other side and as Papyrus looks through, he could see a blue sky, a line of trees and a small town in the distance.
“What is this place?” Papyrus asks, taking in the surroundings. Sans lets out a small chuckle.
“Welcome to Equestria”
Chapter 2: What's an Alicorn?
It was a quiet and average day in the sun-filled town of Ponyville. No horrible monsters crashing through the town, no rampaging dragons causing a ruckus, no chaos (Sadly), no extraordinary things happening on the streets. However, the story is slightly different down the road at one of Ponyville’s most popular bakery, Sugarcube Corner. Inside, the fun-loving, party planning, hyperactive pink pony wasn’t acting her usual self. In fact, the pink earth pony was pacing back and forth behind the counter, wearing an ever-so-slightly worried look on her face. On the other side of the counter, watching her pace in the same place from the comfort of their chairs, was two of her friends who came to help carry the mountain of cupcakes behind them.
“Oh, where is she? She’s never be late with an order before, especially one of mine!” Pinkie said. Twilight, the young lavender alicorn princess, shrugged slightly as Pinkie resumed her pacing.
“Maybe… Maybe she had a lot of orders today and is just running slightly behind.” A quiet response arose from the yellow pegasus that sat across from the princess. Twilight nodded in agreement.
“She has quite the load on her, Pinkie. You know how long it takes to make and deliver those baskets.” Twilight said, moving from her seat. She stopped Pinkie’s movement and smiled. Pinkie let out a sigh and smiled. There was a moment of silence before the sound of wings flapping and hoofsteps clattering into the bakery broke it. A blue Pegasus with a mane of rainbows fluttered in, breathing heavily as if she had been racing for some time.
“Twi… light… there’s… something…” She said, between pants. Twilight quickly moved to the side of her friend.
“Just breath.” She said, putting her hoof over the back of the Pegasus. She took a couple deep breaths and gathered herself.
“There’s something you really need to see.” She said, pointing a hoof outside. Twilight looked out, then back at Pinkie.
“You’ll wait for me to get back?” The pink pony shrugged the same way Twilight had earlier. Her view turned to Fluttershy.
“I’ll wait here to help Pinkie…” She said. Twilight nodded.
“Come on!” Rainbow Dash yelled, rushing out the door. Twilight quickly followed behind.
Papyrus said nothing to his younger brother. The view that he was seeing right now was unlike anything he has ever seen before in his life down in the underground. “IT’S SO BRIGHT…AND COLORFUL! AND THAT BIG BALL OF LIGHT IN THE SKY…”
“i think they call that the sun…” Sans said, his smile gleaming in the light. Papyrus nodded to Sans.
“YES, THE SUN. IT IS A BEAUTIFUL THING. HOW WE’VE LIVED UNDERGROUND WITHOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT FOR SOOOO LONG… IS COMPLETELY BEYOND ME…” Papyrus said, his face deadpanning on the last comment. Sans let out a soft chuckle, then looked out beyond the hills. From what he could see, there was trees, lots and lots of trees covered in red dots. Maybe apples? He couldn’t tell from his viewpoint.
“say brother… them trees look nice..” Sans said. Papyrus nodded, staring at the horizon. Then he turned to his brother.
“SANS. WHY DID YOU CALL THIS PLACE ‘EQUESTRIA’? IT SEEMS A BIT ODD TO ME.” Papyrus said, his smile fading slightly. Sans was about to answer, but a flutter of wings and the sound of hoofs stamping on the ground made them turn around. Behind them, an orange pony wearing what they described as a cowboy’s hat rushed over the hills towards them, and in the sky was blue pony with a multicolored mane rushing towards them as well, wings flapping through the air.
“Hold right there, you no good varmints.” The orange pony said in a western accent. The two bone brothers did as the pony requested, not moving an inch, mainly because they were startled and confused. Both ponies were right in front of them by the time they recollected their senses.
“Woah! Check it out! Have you ever seen anything like them before?!” The blue pony asked, hovering around them, getting a good look. The orange pony wasn’t as amused.
“Why don’t you do something useful and go fetch Twilight. I reckon she might have some idea of what we’re dealing with.” She demanded. The other scoffed, but a stern look from the orange sent her on her way. Then the orange turned her gaze onto the bone brothers once again. “Now don’t either of you get any ideas. I might not look it, but I can buck you into next week if ya try anything.” The two looked at each other. Papyrus’s smile had fade into a look of worry, but Sans remained his own cheerful self. The orange pony noticed this. “What you smiling about?” Sans shrugged.
“i don’t know about you, but all this seems slightly amusing to me…” Papyrus’s face dropped.
“AMUSING?! SANS, HOW CAN YOU FIND ANY OF THIS FUNNY?!” Papyrus said. Sans, once again, shrugged his shoulders.
“You mind telling me what’s so funny?” The orange pony said, her eyebrows dropping. Sans, again, shrugged.
“you know, we really didn’t get to know each other…” Sans said. He stuck out his boney hand for a shake, but the orange pony didn’t budge. He didn’t give up, however. “name’s sans… sans the skeleton…” He said, his smile gleaming. The orange pony only looked at him, but she soon put her hoof into his hand and shook.
“Applejack, sugarcube.” She said, the hostile look fading from her face. “You really not that bad, are ya?”
“me? bad? no. but i am a ‘sans’sation…” He said, chuckling from his own joke. Papyrus let out a groan.
“WHY, SANS, WHY?” He asked. Sans responded with a shrug. Applejack turned towards the taller skeleton brother. He glanced at her, then, repeating Sans, he stuck his hand out. She took it and shook. “I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” He said, taking his stand when he said this. This slightly confused Applejack.
“Great? Why ‘The Great Papyrus’?” She asked. He gleaned.
“BECAUSE ONE DAY, I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN AND BECOME PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD! AFTER THAT, EVERYONE WILL WANT TO BE MY FRIEND AND LOVE MY SPAGHETTI AND… AND…” He stopped, his bones rattling in the excitement of thinking about what he will do.
“Um… You OK, sugarcube?” Applejack said, a little worried. Sans shook his head.
“you can say you got him ‘all rattled up’.” Sans said, receiving a huge groan from his brother, who was broken out of his trance. The three continued to chat a little, learning something about each other. It wasn’t long before the sound of wings could be heard. They looked up and saw the blue pony returning with a lavender colored pony next to her. The two landed before the group and when the lavender looked at them, a squeal of glee could be heard from her.
“Are you… Humans?” She asked. Immediately, Papyrus jumped up and started to look around.
“WHERE!?” He yelled, only to be pulled back by Sans.
“she wasn’t talking about a real human, brother.” He said, then turned his attention towards the lavender pony. “we are not human. my name is sans… sans the skeleton… and this is my brother, papyrus.” He said, moving his bony hand out for a handshake. Immediately, his hand was grabbed and almost yanked out of its socket by the lavender pony, who wasn’t shaking it, but was analyzing it.
“Fascinating! The books didn’t have any information on this!” She said, smiling bigger than Sans. “If I could, I would like to take notes on this!” Sans shrugged (Of course). She grabbed his hand and began to drag him away. Papyrus was quick to stop her.
“I KNOW THAT MY BROTHER MIGHT INTEREST YOU IN SOME WAY I’LL NEVER UNDERSTAND, BUT I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FIRST.” He said. The lavender pony nodded and Papyrus noticed that she not only had wings, but also a horn upon her head. “FIRST, WHO ARE YOU AND WHERE ARE WE?”
“I am Princess Twilight Sparkles. This over here,” She motioned to the blue pony, “Is the talented Rainbow Dash.”
“The one and only!” She exclaimed, brushing her hair off her face,
“You have already met Applejack.” Motioning towards the orange pony. She nodded. “You are currently outside our town of Ponyville in the kingdom of Equestria.” Papyrus looked at Sans with a straight face. Then asked his next question.
“WHAT ARE YOU?” He asked, pointing at Twilight.
“Why, I’m an Alicorn.” She said before rushing off with Sans. Papyrus rubbed his head in confusion.
“What’s the matter, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, walking next to him.
“JUST ONE LITTLE THING…
WHAT’S AN ALICORN?”
Author's Note
Original Doc:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F1OQtddP6XuYjnzM0kUbcT_gj7hQDgSENZoaAai4mlU/edit?usp=sharing
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Chapter 3: A Dream of Shadows (And Monsters)
Basket woke up in shadows, unable to see anything around her. She tried to get up, but her body didn't respond to her. Then she tried to call out for help, but her voice got stuck in her throat. 'What happened to me?' She asked herself, her eyes darting around inside her skull, attempting to find some sort of light. 'Where am I?'
"You're where I need you, my little one," A voice called from within the shadows. Basket listened as something moved through the dark towards her and watched in fear as the same white-faced, black massed figure from earlier appeared in front of her. She screamed inside her mind as she struggled to move away, but to no avail. The figure bent down next to her, reaching out for her with its skeletal hands. It grabbed her forehead and her struggling slowly stopped. She felt a surge through her body as the figure dragged memories and emotions from her, draining her of her own life.
But then something stopped it all. Every memory that was dragged from her mind was instantly force back into her mind as a light glow surrounded her body. The figure moved back, surprised by the sudden power that refused his grasp. He watched as the glow moved off the body of the mare and onto the ground in front of him. It slowly took the form of one pink pony. It had the wings of a Pegasus, yet also the horn of a Unicorn. The figure slowly approached the form before him, but was quickly pushed back by its power once again. Then he started to chuckle. “Your friend… You believe that she’ll come rescue you… Her spirit is your spirit… A spirit that will be broken…” He says, turning away from the pink figure that protects Basket, which faded away.
Raising one of his bony hands, he summons a door. It was the exact same door that led him into this multicolored world and it was the exact same door that will allow him to rid himself of this ‘pink’ problem. The door swung open as figure walked through. It took the shape of a pony. In fact, it took the shape of the same pink pony that refuses his control. Its fur and mane shared the same shades of pink and it wore a toothy grin. However, its mane was flat and its toothy grin was full of sharpened teeth, along with one gold tooth. It wore a dark gray hoodie that had light-yellow fur along the rim of the hood and a golden-colored zipper, along with a red shirt underneath the hoodie. Its flank was covered with a pair of gray shorts that matched the hoodie that had yellow lines running down either sides. It eyes were black voids with a small red dot that moved around within the confines of the darkness. One other thing that was noticeable was the collar that the pony wore. Black with silver spikes and a black cross hooked on.
It looked around the darken area, slightly agitated, even though it wore a smile. “Where the heck am I?” It said in a low, feminine voice that drove a slight chill down the author’s spine. She turns her eyes towards the figure that stood before her. “Gaster? What in the name of Asgor are you doing? And why do I sound like a girl?” Then she looked down at herself. “WHY AM I A PONY?!” She screamed, standing up on her hind legs, brushing her body with her fore legs.
Gaster rose a hand to the pink pony. “There’s no need to worry, Sans, it is temporary…. As is the slight alteration in you mind…” This grabbed the attention of Sans.
“What alteration?!”
“The one that will make you appear more… Friendly... “ Gaster replied. “You wouldn’t fit in very well the way you were…” This made Sans huff in anger.
“So what do you what, old man?” Sans asked, anger visible in his voice.
“For you to rid of someone… Or in this case, somePONY…” He said, holding his hands together while tilting his head slightly.
“Really? That’s a first.”
“This pony,” Gaster started, moving so he could show Sans where Basket lies, “is protected by the belief that her friend will rescue her… I cannot get past this as it is too powerful for my current state…”
“And the only way to break through is to break her spirit,” Sans finished. “I’ve heard it all before. Weakening the soul, push it to its limits, yada, yada.” Gaster scowled as Sans before turning to Basket.
“That is why I need you to give this pink pony… A GOOD TIME…” Gaster stated as white pupils appeared in the black void of his eyes, giving him that creeper look.
Sans nodded. “I understand…” She said, her toothy grin only growing more wide.
“Oh, and one more thing… From now on, till you return to you dimension… Your name is Pie... “ Gaster said, turning back towards Sans before raising his hands. A circle appeared on the ground below ‘Pie’, glowing a bright white color that only grew brighter till it engulfed Pie, removing her from the darkness. Gaster then, once again, returned his gaze to the pony who’s own faith will soon be destroyed. He smiled. “Once Sans is done with you friend, there will be nothing left standing in my way… I will return…
I WILL BE WHOLE!”
When Pie opened her eyes, she was greeted by a change of landscape. No longer was she in the darkness with Gaster, nor was she in the colorless underground she had come to call ‘home’. No, she found herself in a land that was filled with color. From the green hills to the yellow sun the shined in the sky, everything was friendly in some way.
And it made Pie sick. “Who would want to live in a place like this?” She questioned, holding her hoof out in the direction of the landscape before letting out a sigh. “Oh, what the hay. Let’s just get this over with.” She began to walk across the green landscape in the only direction she could tell lead to society of some sort. Little did she know, a figure watched her from the nearby forest, its body glitching in and out of reality.
