Crimson Heart

Chapters

Arc 1, Interlude 2: Confirmation (Alternatively, "Look, I'm Okay!")
Arc 1, Part 2: Frisk's Adventures in Ponyville
Arc 1, Part 4: Frisk's Brush with High Society
Arc 1, Interlude 3: Anticipation
Arc 1, Part 5: Birthday Tensions
Arc 1, Part 6A: A Mystery Afoot, er... Hoof
Arc 1, Part 6B: Love's Undying Power
Arc 2, Part 1: Stirring in the Snow
Arc 2, Part 2: The Crystal King
Arc 2, Interlude 1: Dreams of the Fallen
Arc 2, Part 3: Magic Crash Course
Arc 2, Part 4: Harmonic Ascent
Arc 2, Interlude 2: Ceremony
Arc 1, Part 1: Dodging Discord’s Disorderly Delight
Arc 1, Interlude 1: Twilight Sparkle's Preliminary Report on Frisk Dreemurr
Arc 1, Part 3: The Magic of Friendship Needs More Friends

Arc 1, Interlude 2: Confirmation (Alternatively, "Look, I'm Okay!")

Interlude 2: Confirmation (Alternatively, "Look, I'm Okay!")

“What do you mean, gone?” Toriel cried.

“I mean they just... disappeared!” Undyne explained. “We were playing soccer together, and one second they were there and the next... they’d vanished.”

“Did... did you check with Sans? I know he’s got his teleportation shortcut things, maybe...” Asgore trailed off.

Undyne shook her head. “I was looking at Frisk when they disappeared. Unless he both lied to me and can use them in the time it takes me to blink, he wasn’t involved,” she sighed. “Damn it... I hope the kid’s okay. I tried calling them and texting them but... never got a response. Maybe Alphys’ll have some ideas... I’ll go check in with her.”

“Please... Anything you c-can do,” Toriel sobbed, clinging to a wavering Asgore.

Undyne gave one nod before racing down the street to Alphys’s house. She barely checked to make sure the door was unlocked before throwing it open. "Alph, we've got a missing human!"

"What happened?" a startled Alphys asked.

Undyne explained what she knew before asking, "So... you got any ideas on how to find Frisk?"

Alphys thought a moment before suggesting, “Maybe if we went back to the CORE, we’d get enough of a boost to contact Frisk?”

Undyne nodded. “Not a bad idea. Damn it, I just... I feel guilty. Maybe I turned away for a minute and they were taken before I could do anything, and if I’d been just a little more attentive, I coulda saved Frisk,” she sighed, leaning into Alphys. “What if it’s too late to save them? What if they weren’t even taken anywhere and they just spontaneously vaporized? What if–”

Alphys cut her off. “I’m wondering if I should be more worried about you? The Undyne I know wouldn’t be questioning herself like this. She’d be off on a heroic adventure to save one of her best friends from potential doom and terror and anime villains!” she joked.

The responding laughter wasn’t sudden. It faded from just a small smile grew into a chuckle and further until tears were streaming down Undyne’s grinning face. She eventually managed to compose herself and planted a kiss on Alphys’s forehead. “Thanks, Alph. I needed that,” she admitted before heading back to Mt. Ebott.

Alphys had dunked her face in Sans’s ketchup stash and lost the ability to form coherent thought until after Undyne was gone. Her face cleared and then morphed itself into an expression of the purest form of joy and she let out a tiny squeal before hurrying out to join Undyne. Alphys revved up her pink motorcycle and chased after Undyne. She honked her horn and rolled to a stop when she reached Undyne, who grinned and hopped behind Alphys. They drove off to Mt. Ebott and Alphys sighed wistfully when they arrived. Even Undyne was lost in nostalgia for a moment.

“Remember when Toriel and Asgore remarried here?” Alphys asked with a grin. “Sans somehow managed to get whoopie cushions in almost every seat during the toast at the reception.”

Undyne laughed. “I don’t know how he does it,” she reflected as they made the walk up the path to the entrance. “And Gerson’s speech about how he expected to be there next time they divorced and remarried was hilarious.”

The two reminisced as they walked through the former capital to the Underground’s technological heart, waving at the monsters they passed who still remained. Apparently a few humans had even moved underground, mostly scientists and historians. Alphys and Undyne finally reached the CORE and Alphys typed in the passcode for inner access. Undyne was mildly excited, since she’d never seen this part of the CORE.

“Okay, this is probably where we’re gonna get the strongest signal,” Alphys decided when they reached a tiny room furnished with only a desk, chair, and a few electrical outlets. “I think the old Royal Scientist used to work here when he needed privacy. When Asgore first put me on the job I found some old journals here indicating the rooms on this corridor were used for more unusual experiments that he wanted to keep to himself until they proved to bear more fruit. One of them was investigating the possibility of civilizations beyond this solar system. The journals didn’t divulge much, I assume because he was never able to make much headway, but one did mention finding magical energy signatures unlike anything a monster could put out reaching through the CORE. It was dated about a century ago, right before he supposedly fell inside it.”

“We’re not gonna follow his example, right?” Undyne questioned.

“Of course not, but this is the closest room to the core of, well, the CORE, and if Frisk happened to end up in the place said energy came from...” Alphys began.

“We might be able to get a message to them from here,” Undyne realized.

“Exactly,” Alphys confirmed. “It’s a long shot, but it’s our best shot. Here, plug your phone in and then try texting Frisk.”

Undyne followed the instructions and texted a simple, You okay, kid?

Omg I’m so sorry you’ve all probably been so worried I’m fine was the reply. Undyne heaved a massive sigh of relief.

Where the heck are u? You just kinda disappeared.

Ended up in some kinda land of magic ponies it’s kinda cool

Undyne tapped out a response. Excuse me I need proof now

Frisk replied with a selfie of them with eight ponies in a variety of colors. Two had horns, two had wings, two had horns and wings, and two were unadorned. One of the unadorned was bright pink and popped in from the side.

Yo what’s up with the pink one? Undyne asked.

Frisk infuriatingly dismissed it. It’s Pinkie Pie don’t question it

Undyne remembered a slightly more pressing matter. Should I tell your parents ur fine?

Frisk replied, Oh ye do that but I’ll probs be here a while bc portal magic is apparently really hard to do on purpose

Aight I’m gonna go tell Toriel and Asgore

Frisk suddenly sent a message. An urgent WAIT HOLD UP preceded a face swapped selfie with them and some weird snaky mishmash of animal parts.

what the actual

His name’s Discord and he’s cool ok bye now

Bye?

Alphys gave Undyne a hopeful look.

“The kid’s fine,” Undyne confirmed. “They’re in a land of magic ponies.” She showed Alphys the pictures. “And some kinda animal mishmash named Discord.”

Alphys snorted at Frisk’s selfie with Discord. “Well, they at least look happy. Tor-Toriel a-and Asgore will be really rel-rel-relieeee... I can’t say that with a straight face while looking at that,” she laughed. Undyne nodded and unplugged her phone.

“We should probably head back. Every second we’re gone is a chance for Toriel to enter frantic mental breakdown and Asgore to cry,” Undyne pointed out.

“Very fair point,” Alphys decided.

The two returned as quickly as they could and Undyne couldn’t help feeling that Alphys was pushing the speed limit a little bit more than necessary to expedite the journey as much as possible. Toriel sobbed in relief when Undyne delivered the good news, and Asgore was quite bemused by Frisk’s selfies. After she’d calmed down, Toriel called Sans and Papyrus and explained. It took a great deal of convincing and a mini-lecture from Undyne to assure Papyrus that Frisk was okay, and Sans didn’t really have much to say aside from a halfhearted attempt at making a pun out of the situation. Undyne forwarded Sans the pictures that Frisk had sent her, which noticeably improved both his and Papyrus’s moods.

“next time ya text the kid, tell ‘em i said hey, ok?” Sans asked.

“GIVE THE HUMAN MY GREETING AS WELL, PLEASE!” Papyrus added.

Undyne gave an affirmative grunt before Toriel ended the call.

“I believe... I am going to go take a shower,” Toriel decided, drifting down to the linen closet.

Undyne and Alphys bid goodbye to Asgore before going off to spend some time together.

Watching anime, of course.

Author's Note

Refer to the end of this video for Alphys's expression after Undyne's kiss.

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

Part Two: Frisk's Adventures in Ponyville

Surprise Party

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ohhhh, riiight,” the fillies realized.

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

Frisk nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay,” Frisk shrugged.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Looking forward to it,” Frisk chuckled.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah, pretty much,” Frisk agreed.

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

Taste the Rainbow, Mother–

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

BOOM!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What is it?” Frisk asked curiously.

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

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

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

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

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

Fashion and Farmers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“They’re here, AJ!” she called.

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

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

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

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

“Nnnope.”

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

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

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

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

“Nice to meet you,” Frisk smiled.

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

“Who’s Zecora?” Frisk asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The reactions all came out at once.

“What in tarnation–” Granny questioned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Author's Note

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

Arc 1, Part 4: Frisk's Brush with High Society

Part Four: Frisk's Brush with High Society

POTENTIAL TW: Mentions of child abuse (nothing described)

Spike and Frisk slipped through the room as quietly as they could, approaching Twilight’s sleeping body. Spike poked her back with a single claw, stirring her awake. She sat up and looked at the fading sunrise out her window before Frisk pulled a party popper for her.

“Happy birthday, Twilight!” they and Spike exclaimed in unison before tackling her in a hug. Twilight made some incoherent noises before the fog of sleep faded and she started giggling. She hugged her de facto siblings back before shaking them off.

“What’s that smell?” she asked as she brushed her mane out.

“Frisk and I made pancakes!” Spike announced proudly.

“We even put silly faces on them!” Frisk explained. Twilight grinned and joined the two for breakfast. Twilight admired their handiwork, perfectly round, fluffy cakes with chocolate chips mixed into a lot of them and faces made of banana slices, whipped cream, peanut butter, and blueberries adorned the tops. The three dug in quickly and happily as Twilight talked about her birthday plans. She’d go visit Shining Armor and introduce him to Frisk and give Frisk a tour of Canterlot before swinging around to Pinkie’s party at sunset after Rarity finished Twilight’s dress. Plans changed, though, when Rarity approached Frisk asking if they could join Rarity around town while they and Twilight were on their way to meet Shining Armor, and Frisk promised Twilight they’d meet her brother at the party. Frisk climbed on Rarity’s back and Rarity squealed before galloping out to her room. She levitated a change of fairly fancy clothes toward Frisk and Frisk changed into them.

“So... just curious,” Frisk said as they inspected their new clothes, “Why’d you need me to come with you?”

“Well, ah...” Rarity hesitated. “I’ve told you about my longtime dream to enter Canterlot high society, yes?” she asked. Frisk nodded in response. “Well... Being here is a chance for me to live my dream, if only for a moment. And I have been, to an extent, since there’s a unicorn named Fancy Pants who’s taken a liking to me, and he’s the most influential unicorn in Canterlot!” Rarity squealed. “But back to the subject at hoof, a human would be... well, a fairly exotic creature that might, ah... boost my popularity, if they knew I was closely associated with one.”

Frisk rolled their eyes. “So basically you need me as a tool to climb the social ladder,” they summarized. “And here I thought you wanted to spend some quality time with a friend,” they teased, winking. Rarity chuckled.

“It would make me very happy,” she explained. “I’d just like you to visit the Wonderbolts Derby at noon with me and look nice.”

“Hmm... I think I can just sit and look cute,” Frisk admitted after an exaggerated period of thinking. Rarity chuckled. “As long as you promise not to forget Twilight’s dress,” they reminded, gesturing at the mannequin on the other side of the room.

“Oh, don’t worry, darling! I will most certainly finish it by the party,” Rarity reassured Frisk. “Now, to the derby!”

An hour later, Frisk found themselves regretting their agreement to go with Rarity. High-class ponies and high-class aspirants fawned over them all morning until they finally got to the Derby, and even then they got the distinct feeling that some ponies were paying more attention to them than the race. They tried to ignore them in favor of the stunning aerial speed the Wonderbolts displayed in the skies ahead. As Frisk watched they almost instantly understood why Rainbow Dash yearned so much to join the team– the display of raw aerial skill was jaw-dropping. As the race drew to a close, the pegasus named Fleetfoot drew out a tiny lead for the victory, to Frisk and Rarity’s cheers.

“Bravo, Rarity!” Fancy Pants nodded approvingly. “I say, how did you know Fleetfoot would be victorious?” he asked.

“Ah, my friend Rainbow Dash talks about her all the time,” Rarity explained. “She says what Fleetfoot lacks in size, she makes up for in speed.”

“And who is this Rainbow Dash?” another pony, named Silver Frames if Frisk remembered correctly, asked.

“She’s an amazing pony and friend,” Frisk commented as Rarity gave an uncomfortable look. “She’s also a bit of an expert on the team’s history and statistics.”

“I believe she was, ah, asking Rarity, miss,” a third pony named Swan Song clarified. Frisk frowned.

“I believe I already explained to you that I’m not female,” they muttered.

“Well, you look vaguely female, so why does it matter?” the high-class pony huffed.

Frisk glared. “It matters to me. I endured a lot of abuse when I told my birth parents I didn’t feel like a girl,” they growled before slipping off Rarity’s back. “Rarity, thank you for the clothes and for inviting me, but I’m going to head back to Twilight because I am not going to sit around ponies who disregard such an important part of my identity,” they huffed with a pointed glare at the pony who’d misgendered them. They ran off to the castle to find Twilight, but as they went through the streets their anger faded, replaced by a sadness and a loneliness they hadn’t felt in a long time that somehow wasn’t long enough.

*Huh. Guess you and I are pretty similar, Frisk’s narrator said, breaking them out of their spiral. That’s why I ran to Mount Ebott. Because... nobody accepted me for who I was.

You went to Mt. Ebott? Frisk replied in surprise.

*...Yeah. Yeah, I did, their narrator admitted. *It’s... not something I thought was ever relevant. Plus, having conversations with you is kinda new.

Fair, Frisk admitted, out of their spiral, at least, but still upset.

Eventually Frisk reached Twilight’s room, where they found her and Spike talking with their other friends and a tall white unicorn.

“Oh, hey, Frisk!” Spike greeted when he noticed them.

“Hey,” Frisk mumbled with a forced smile.

Twilight noticed and frowned. “Are you feeling alright?” she asked, walking over to Frisk.

“Physically? I’m fine. But...” Frisk trailed off and looked down with a sigh. “Never mind. You wouldn’t get it.”

“Who’s this, Twily?” the stranger asked, drifting over.

“Oh, this is the human Frisk I told you about. Frisk, this is my brother, Shining Armor,” Twilight introduced.

“Nice to meet you,” Frisk nodded.

“Frisk, just tell me what happened, okay? I’ll at least try to understand, okay?” Twilight promised. The whole group had gathered by this point, concerned.

Frisk sighed. “It’s... Well, Rarity made a few friends in Canterlot’s high society and took me to a Wonderbolt’s race they had invited her to. She took me as... well, as a means of helping her climb the social ladder. That’s not what mattered, I’m fine with and even kinda used to being an anomaly and the center of attention, it’s just... one of the high-class ponies...” Frisk started crying as they tried to continue through the story. “Swan Song, I think? She used a female term to refer to me, and... she said it didn’t matter that I didn’t identify as a girl because I looked kinda like one even after reminded her t-that I told her that I wasn’t male or female, a-and...” Frisk couldn’t make it through any more before they started crying. “And i-it rem-reminded me of– of when my birth pa-parents hated me f-for coming out as non-no-nonbinary,” they choked out before gripping Twilight and sobbing. Fluttershy called for a group support hug and the six ponies and the dragon circled Frisk and hugged them.

When Frisk's tears finally abated and the hug released, Shining Armor frowned. “I’ve met Swan Song before. She’s snobbish, sure, but she also deeply cares about her own social standing. She wouldn’t risk alienating someone like you over something as petty as clothing colors, much less something as important as your gender. This requires investigation,” he muttered. “Here, why don’t I take you there and sort this situation out?” Shining Armor offered.

Frisk sighed and nodded. “If I get to make snarky comments at Swan Song,” they mumbled. Shining Armor chuckled in response before crouching a bit to let Frisk on. The pair trotted through the streets of Canterlot until they came across a very fearful Swan Song in a heated argument with Fancy Pants and the rest of his entourage, as well as Rarity. From the few bits Frisk gleaned before anyone noticed them and Shining Armor, they gathered that the others were mad at Swan Song for the way she acted toward Frisk.

“O-Oh, Captain!” Swan Song exclaimed, not having yet seen Frisk. “These ponies just began attacking me for no reason! I was just about to call the police!”

“Yeah, he isn’t gonna buy that excuse since I already told him how you treated me,” Frisk said flatly, leaning to one side so Swan Song could see them. They continued, “You uncultured, scum-eating, backwater, miserable excuse for a daughter of a snake.”

Rarity squeaked at the very creative insult. Frisk panted for a moment after releasing the pent-up rage.

*I... am very impressed that you managed all that without profanity, their narrator commented.

So am I, honestly, Frisk mentally replied. How would you rate the insult on a scale of 1-10?

*Ooh, that’s a tough one... Probably a solid 9. Would’ve been better if you’d also added an insult to her mom by implying adultery, their narrator decided.

I’m angry, not evil, Frisk retorted before turning their attention back to the audible conversation.

“I-I- How was I supposed to know that the human was so sensitive about it?” Swan Song stammered. “Plus, ponies don’t normally do that!”

Frisk caught a lime green shine in Swan Song’s normally blue eyes and frowned as Shining Armor started laying a case against her bogus claims, Silver Frames and the other unicorns occasionally chipping in with their own observations.

Can you check her stats? Maybe offer some kinda insight?

*Sure thing... Swan Song ATK 16 DEF 14 - This pony seems really shifty... Is she more than meets the eye, or less?

Frisk frowned. “Hey... Shining Armor?”

“Yes, Frisk?” he asked, turning his head slightly.

“So... I’ve got this ability called ‘Check’ that gives me some insight on someone’s stats,” they whispered, “and it also occasionally gives me a clue on how to resolve a potential battle with them peacefully when the voice in my head feels like it...”

*...No comment.

“Anyway, I just used it and it specifically mentioned that Swan Song seemed ‘shifty,’” Frisk murmured. “I wouldn’t have brought it up if it had ever been notably wrong in the past...”

Shining Armor frowned, but he couldn’t act upon this new information before Swan Song hissed. She’d heard Frisk.

“So, the little kid thinks they’ve got me all figured out, eh?” she chuckled, her voice distorting. “You don’t even know the threat you face. The Queen will come, and Her Majesty shall crush all you pathetic worms!”

Swan Song then vanished in a flash of lime green light, though oddly enough, a beetle scurried away from right beside the spot where she’d once stood. Frisk narrowed their eyebrows. Shining Armor looked up toward the palace.

“I must alert Princess Celestia of this. If any of you see something suspicious, report it to her or me as quickly as you can. I will instruct the guards to allow you through should you have relevant information. However, if you abuse my trust, I can promise there will be consequences,” he warned. After the others nodded, Shining Armor galloped first to Twilight’s room to drop Frisk off and explain what had just happened to his sister and then to the throne room to inform Celestia.

Aside from the lingering worry about what Swan Song’s words meant, the next two hours went largely as planned. Twilight gave Frisk an actual tour of her favorite places in Canterlot, which was mostly the donut parlor and the library, where Twilight remembered to return a somewhat overdue book and quickly paid what remained of the fine after the deduction for extenuating circumstances. Frisk giggled at Twilight’s embarrassment as she slipped the bits on the counter before hurrying out. Suddenly, Twilight was approached by a rather excited blue unicorn with an hourglass cutie mark.

“Heya, Twilight! Can’t believe you’re back in Canterlot!” she squealed excitedly. “Do ya remember me? I’m Minuette! We were classmates back in magic school!”

“Oh, yeah..!” Twilight nodded. “Um... I’m, uh... I’m really sorry for blowing you off on Moondancer’s party... I just kinda didn’t understand the point of friendship then.”

Minuette chuckled. “Hey, it’s fine! You remember Lyra Heartstrings, right? She moved to Ponyville right before the last Gala, if I remember right.”

Frisk shuddered. “I want to forget her,” they squeaked.

Twilight laughed. “Minuette, this is Frisk. They’re a human, and... well, you know how Lemon Hearts was when she managed to get an autographed edition of Daring Do and the Marked Thief of Marapore? Lyra was like that when she met Frisk, but a hundred times more intense, and probably would have caused actual bodily harm to Frisk if my friend Rainbow Dash and another pony named Bon Bon hadn’t stepped in.”

“Oh, I’ve met Bon Bon! She’s Lyra’s roommate or maybe marefriend... Yeah, that sounds like Lyra, though. Didn’t she have even better grades than you in the mythical creatures class?” Minuette pondered.

“...Maybe...” Twilight said, not daring to look at Frisk, who was giggling.

“Wow, Twilight second-best in a class? I’m surprised she didn’t blow up the classroom in frustration!” Frisk quipped. Twilight blushed.

“Um, how are the other three doing?” Twilight asked as she began walking beside Minuette. “Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and... Moon...dancer?”

“Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine are doing great!” Minuette chattered. “Moondancer... well... she hasn’t actually talked to any of us since... since her party. She actually seemed really disappointed when you didn’t come,” Minuette admitted. Twilight frowned.

“Maybe you could apologize?” Frisk offered.

Twilight nodded. “Where does Moondancer live again? I... kinda forgot. I haven’t been to Canterlot in a while,” she chuckled slightly.

“I’ll show ya!” Minuette beamed before galloping off. Frisk quickly readjusted for a better grip before Twilight darted after her. As Minuette rounded a corner with a lamppost, Frisk saw a hanging business sign and got a really dumb but also a really cool idea. They’d leap off Twilight’s back, swing on the sign, and then go around the post to land on Minuette’s back or at least get close. They quickly equipped the Tough Glove and steadied themselves.

*...I know what you’re thinking, and this is a REALLY dumb idea.

Yeah, but it’ll look cool.

*You’ve hung out with Papyrus and Rainbow Dash too much.

But it’ll look cool if I do it right.

*Whatever. Your injuries, not mine.

Frisk rolled their eyes and steeled themselves. It all happened at once. They leapt off Twilight’s back and shot up to grab the part of the sign that was just the metal rod, made a complete 360-degree flip, and released to swing to the lamppost, where they twisted to catch it and swung 90 degrees onto the other side of the sidewalk. Unfortunately, they couldn’t stick the landing and tumbled a ways forward, cringing and whimpering as rocks struck their body. They ended up a bruised, slightly bleeding mess and every movement was pain as they reached to grab a Nice Cream from their inventory. They felt the pain slowly leave their body as they managed to get the frozen treat into their mouth, but there wasn’t much they could do about the soreness.

*Told you it was a dumb idea, their narrator commented smugly.

Shut up. I don’t need the voice in my head criticizing me too.

Twilight sighed in exasperation as Frisk stood up with a sheepish grin. “What were you thinking? You could have had much more serious injuries from that!”

“Yeah, but... it at least looked cool until I hit the ground, right?” Frisk chuckled in the oh-crap-I’m-dead-maybe-if-I’m-funny-it’ll-be-painless kind of way.

Twilight sighed. “I will not respond either way,” she muttered. “Now come on, McNeighla Mareony.”

Frisk nodded and stumbled back onto Twilight’s back. Minuette had trotted back over once she realized what happened and was trying very hard not to laugh openly. She decided to take a much more moderate pace to Moondancer’s house.

“Hey, how’d you heal up so fast, by the way?” Minuette asked. “That looked like a pretty nasty fall.”

“Um... how to explain it...” Frisk mused. “Basically, I’ve got some food that has healing magic infused in it and most of it removes all injuries. Was really useful to have nearby when there were people attacking me to try and take my soul,” they chuckled wryly.

Minuette raised an eyebrow before shrugging. “Well, we’re almost there. The gate to her house is coming up.”

Twilight pinned her ears back.

“You okay, Twi?” Minuette asked.

“Just... nervous. What if Moondancer doesn’t forgive me? What if it’s too soon or too late?” Twilight worried.

“I’ll flirt her into submission!” Frisk declared playfully. “She’ll be so enamored with me she’ll forgive you as soon as I ask!”

Minuette snickered and Twilight rolled her eyes.

“What? It’s worked before,” Frisk giggled.

Twilight magically opened the gate and hesitantly knocked on the door.

“Nopony’s home!” a voice yelled from inside. Twilight frowned and knocked again.

“I’m not interested in Filly Scout cookies! Or going to the theater!” the voice yelled again. Twilight continued to knock.

“Ugh, fine, I’m coming!” the voice finally relented. The door opened to reveal a very disgruntled pale yellow unicorn with a red and purple mane and tail styled somewhat similar to Twilight’s wearing glasses and a thick sweater. “What do you... want...” she trailed off as she took in the scene.

“Hi, Moondancer,” Twilight sighed. “I... I wanted... I wanted to apologize for missing your party. Minuette said you seemed really disappointed when I wasn’t there, and–”

“Go away.”

“I...”

“Go. Away. What makes me think you’ve changed since then? How do I know you’re not just doing this to absolve a guilty conscience? You obviously didn’t care then, so why do you care now!?” Moondancer exploded.

“Well, I’d say she’s changed since she blew you off,” Frisk commented. “She accepted me as a friend without hesitation, even when she didn’t even know me.”

Moondancer sputtered. “You’re... a human. A living, breathing, talking, honest-to-Celestia human.”

“If you are going to question me about literally everything, let me know so I have a chance to run away,” Frisk deadpanned. “I do not need Lyra 2.0.”

Moondancer blinked. “Lyra? Lyra Heartstrings?”

Frisk nodded. “I’m still scared of mint green things.”

Moondancer couldn’t help snickering at the remark, but clammed up quickly. The walls were beginning to crack, though.

“But, I mean... if there’s something in particular you want to know, as long as you promise to let me breathe every few seconds, I could tell you,” Frisk offered.

Moondancer bit her lip.

“I already beat you to the punch on an official report on Frisk specifically, but I never actually questioned them about humans as a whole,” Twilight offered. “We could go to Donut Joe’s shop if you like and discuss it over donuts.”

That remark finally opened up Moondancer. She sighed and gazed into Twilight’s eyes. “I... well, ‘disappointed’ is an understatement. You... were always my idol in Celestia’s school. I just wanted to prove I was worthy of your friendship, and when you didn’t show up... it made me feel like you were saying I wasn’t worthy of your time or attention.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “...Oh. I... I never... I never could have... imagined you felt that way...”

Moondancer gave a tiny smile. “It’s... it’s alright now, Twilight. I... I think I forgive you. I mean, you brought a human to my doorstep. How could I not?” she chuckled.

“Hey, want me to get Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine?” Minuette offered. “Other than Lyra, we’d have the whole group back together!”

“And I am not allowing Lyra within a one-yard radius of me until I literally do not have a choice or she tames herself,” Frisk muttered. The ponies chuckled as Minuette skipped off to find her other friends and Moondancer and Twilight began chatting general nerd stuff and spells as they made their way to the donut parlor. As they passed the street where Shining Armor had confronted Swan Song, Frisk wondered what she had meant about the “Queen” and how the princesses would react.

As Twilight and her friends boarded the train back to Ponyville, Frisk found their answer. A magenta bubble encased Canterlot, which Twilight understood was her brother’s shield spell. The color bathed the train’s insides as it chugged out of the station, and Frisk felt for the heart locket.

*Frisk... stay DETERMINED, their narrator warned.

...I will.

Author's Note

Hoho, already diverging from canon more extensively! To clarify, because I imagine some people will get confused, Twilight had her party in Canterlot from the start. And yes, Swan Song was indeed a changeling, and I picked her specifically because she was a unicorn in Rarity's song "Becoming Popular," which I know was probably an animation error, but I just wanted to tweak it a bit.

Also enjoy my personal headcanon as to why Chara went to the mountain.

Arc 1, Interlude 3: Anticipation

Interlude 3: Anticipation

Sclerite breathed a sigh of relief when she finally reached the changeling base. Her temper had almost gotten her to slip up and reveal more than she should have to the ponies. She buzzed into the heart of the base and identified herself to the guards at Queen Chrysalis’s door.
“Why have you returned so soon, Sclerite?” Chrysalis asked. “I believe your assignment was to remain until I gave direct news of the invasion date.”

“My apologies, Your Majesty, but I have a very important piece of information that required coming immediately... and I almost allowed my temper to break my cover,” Sclerite admitted. “But I must warn You... a new chess piece has entered the board. A human.”

Chrysalis blinked. “We will discuss your break of character later. For now... continue,” she commanded.

“A human has made its way into the good graces of the heroines You warned me of as well as the captain. It seems to have a power that allows it to tell if a pony is truly a pony, or one of your drones, my Queen,” Sclerite explained. “However, the human lives in Ponyville, not Canterlot, so Your plans may not be significantly altered should You manage to keep the human away from the capital until it is too late to do anything.”

“Your break in character is forgiven, my loyal drone,” Chrysalis commanded. “This information is far too valuable to merely disregard. A human... Guard!”

“Yes, Your Majesty?” a changeling guard asked after entering.

“Contact my drone in the Canterlot Library,” Chrysalis dictated. “Have him search his archives for any information on humans.”

“As You command, so shall it be,” the guard replied with a solemn bow.

“As for you, Sclerite... Hm. It is rather unfortunate that we will no longer be able to use Swan Song’s form. For now, I will have you return to the hive and guard the young,” Chrysalis said. Sclerite bowed and rushed out before Chrysalis could change her mind.

There was a specific reason Queen Chrysalis was not known for her merciful spirit.

Shining Armor patrolled the walls surrounding the castle, his sharp eyes searching for any crack, crevice, or chip in the shield. Once satisfied it was all smooth, he recast the spell, strengthening the shield again. The clicking of horseshoes against the top of the wall suddenly filled his ears and he grinned. Shining Armor turned to the pink alicorn walking behind him and bowed his head.

“Captain,” she nodded.

“Princess,” he replied. Then he looked up and chuckled. “Is that the shield’s light on your face, or are you blushing?” he asked flirtatiously.
“Oh-ho!” Cadance giggled. “I can’t tell which is smoother, your flirting or my aunt’s mane,” she retorted.

Shining Armor laughed as he nuzzled his fiancée. “Celestia’s mane, probably. I like to think I’m good, but not as good as Twily says the human she’s taken under her metaphorical wing is.”
Cadance’s eyes widened. “A human? Please, tell me!” she begged.

“Well, their name was Frisk...” Shining Armor trailed off, telling Cadance about the drop-in from beyond Equestria that had saved Ponyville and alerted him to the threat against Equestria... or, well, caused the threat to reveal itself to him. Cadance chuckled at hearing Shining’s retelling of Twilight’s account of Frisk’s victory over Discord. At the same time, she pondered where he could be. Was he keeping his promise?

“I am, in fact,” Discord chuckled, “a very talented knitter! Here, this is a scarf I made a few days ago.”

“Oh, how lovely!” Fluttershy exclaimed. She was very startled by Discord’s appearance an hour earlier, but when he revealed he had only been starved for company she welcomed him in for tea. The chaos god proved to be an excellent conversationalist, with a ton of knowledge on a lot of the subjects Fluttershy was passionate about– nature, exotic animals, even sewing and knitting. They’d spent the time rather pleasurably, and when Discord finally took his leave at sunset Fluttershy found herself hoping he’d return soon. Suddenly Frisk hurried up the path and gave her an invitation to Spike’s birthday party the next day. She instantly wrote “RSVP” on the paper and Frisk grinned before jogging back to the library.

Arc 1, Part 5: Birthday Tensions