This is how my own Undertale began.

It was hardly that simple, but the similarities were hard to argue. I was falling. Something screamed piercingly, and with a jolt of fear, I realized it was me. Since when had my voice been so high? I flailed short arms before my fall was abruptly broken. I crashed with a ripple of pain that ran through my spine. I could still feel it, so I figured I wasn't entirely broken. I could feel some flowers pressing into my face. Had I fallen into flowers? I heard a squeal of surprise near me, but I wasn't quite ready to look in that direction yet, or any other.

"What is it?" asked some voice, shrill with what I assumed was surprise. They ran away, I thought? Was that them? Why did they sound like they were clip-clopping like some kind of horse?

I cracked open an eye, but it felt like my eyes didn't want to do much more than a squint. The sky was high above, bright and blue and very uncavelike to the extreme. Wasn't I inside a moment ago?

I sat up and almost fell over as I scrambled backwards in surprise. There were buildings around me, but they didn't look right, not at all! They had jutting bits of crystal where they weren't made of huge sheets of the stuff. While a few sparkled red and green, various hues of purple and blue overwhelmed all the other colors.

Through the crystal, I could see murky shapes move about. The houses weren't abandoned. The shapes… they looked like horses? No... They were monsters. They had to be. Some part of me insisted they had to be monsters, to be defeated or befriended or avoided, but monsters all the same. They lived in the houses, walked around. One was even running away from me in a wild gallop. This was a whole city of horse monsters.

Wait... That's not right... I'm not... I put a hand to my head and noticed it looked different. I held it out and tried to imagine the hand I had that morning. It was... Darn it... My roommate was going to be so angry! Why did I remember him more clearly than what I was doing just a few minutes ago?

I struggled to make sense of the situation, and a hazy memory came to me:

I nudged through the crowd. Making my wig so long might have been a mistake, as I could barely see. I took a moment to brush it out of the way and the vendor hall of the convention became clear to me. I was standing in front of a booth with a variety of kitschy buttons and things. The man seated behind the table was... Asian or something? I waved at him. "Hi."

"Nice outfit, but you're missing something." He reached under his table and pulled out this big mercy button. It had a black background, a brown border, and brown text that read 'Mercy' with an x to the left. He put it where I could reach it. "Eh?"

It looked perfect! Right out of the game. I reached out and gave it a poke, and it made the sound of scrolling text I'd heard so many times before. "Awesome, how much?"

He gave me this calculating look. "Five bucks."

Five bucks? I could afford that for something that size, and it made sounds too! Totally worth it. I fished out a five dollar bill as my hair fell back in the way, but that didn't stop me from slapping it into his ready hand. With the button paid for, I picked up the button, and I was gone.

I heard the flapping of wings. A horse in golden armor landed in front of me, a spear in its mouth, though it didn't seem to stop it from speaking. "Stop right there." Was my heart going to be exposed? No... I guess that was just videogame logic. I still felt like I was entering a conflict.

Looking over the horse, I could see a few words dimly floating beside him. 'Acquiesce' 'Challenge' 'Compliment' 'Fight' 'Check' 'Mercy' What, where was the item option? Oh yeah. I didn't have any, and if I did, I could just reach out and use them like a normal person.

I reached for the word 'check' floating there, but that seemed to worry the horse. "Please stand still. Identify yourself."

Okay, reaching was bad. Things didn't pause while I picked things. Maybe they were just suggestions? I tried looking over the horse closely, and I felt I knew it better. It was a guard of the kingdom, and took pride in protecting other horses from troublemakers. I didn't have anything to compare its offense or defense to, so I didn't pay much attention to those. Besides, I didn't want to fight the local police if I didn't have to!

"Can you understand me?" He tilted his head a little.

I put up my hands slowly. "I give up. I don't want to fight you." I saw the 'Mercy' option glow softly a moment. My voice sounded different, but from what... I couldn't quite remember.

The guard smiled gently and tucked his spear under one of his legs, propped up. "If you're not here to cause trouble, you have nothing to fear from me. You scared the gardener, and you're still standing in the flowers. Could you please step off of them?"

I looked down to see broken stems and crushed petals. Shoot. I carefully stepped out of the flowers without causing more damage and the guard directed me to the nearest sidewalk. He nodded towards me. "I mean no offense, but what are you?"

I looked down at myself. I was some kind of pudgy, maybe teenaged thing? I wasn't sure. I wasn't quite human either. I was... Frisk, I guess. "I'm a child. I didn't mean to drop in." 'Acquiesce' glimmered briefly. He began to glow a soft yellow like a gentle nimbus around his body. He didn't seem to notice.

"That's quite alright. Are you lost, child?" He sounded concerned. "We should find your parents."

Feeling the need to test where basic conversation ended and the mechanics began, I waved a hand lightly. "I can find my own way. Thank you!"

The yellow aura faded to grey and he nodded at me. "Good day then, but if you need anything, simply call. We're here to help." He spread his wings wide and flapped as the 'Mercy' label flashed, then they all faded away. I wasn't in a conflict anymore.

I felt something jingle in my pocket and checked to find a handful of coins. Well! That worked out well. Wait... Were these his? Was he going to get upset when he noticed them missing? That could wait. First question, what was this city of horses?

Another horse came softly clip-clopping down the same sidewalk. She was bright blue, and had a cocky smile on her snout. She looked distinct enough to maybe be someone important? I couldn't quite put a finger on it, but she stood out from a sea of what I could easily label as NPCs. She wasn't watching where she was going and bumped right into me rather than go around. I felt conflict rise, and words 'Praise' and 'Criticize' appeared as new options besides the basics.

"Who is it that bumps into the Great and Powerful Trixie?" She looked down and saw me. Why were all the horses bigger than me anyway? She quirked her ears at me and her eyes narrowed a little as she seemed to consider me. "The wise and learned Trixie has never seen your kind before."

I took a quick guess. Anyone that spoke third person like that, and had those options? She had to have a big ego. Maybe stroking it a little bit would ease things. "Great and Powerful Trixie, I'm so glad to run into you."

I saw the 'Praise' option flash and Trixie smiled. "You are wise to seek the counsel of Trixie! But she does not work for anypony, and you don't even seem to be a pony?"

I fished out a few coins and offered them to her and a yellow aura flashed around her as she took them quickly. "Well, Trixie may have a few minutes to spare for you. What would you ask of her?"

I looked her over, her triangular hat, her cape, and her silver mane and tail. She was kinda cute! "I'm lost, Trixie. Could you help me? I fell from the sky."

Trixie tilted her head one way before slowly canting it the other, looking thoughtful. "Poor creature. Trixie is not without any compassion, and you have paid her well. You don't seem to be a crystal pony, like the natives... No, Trixie feels there is a powerful magic in you." She raised a hoof to tap at her chin. "In fact, Trixie wishes to know more. Will you accompany Trixie? She will take care of you."

This was a yes or no question. I felt it would influence my future. Did I trust her? I took a little breath and smiled at her. "Thank you, Trixie." She smiled brightly. I suddenly shuffled in place. "Can I call you... mom? For now."

Trixie went a vibrant red in her cheeks, showing right through her fur as if it weren't there at all. "M-mom?! Trixie... has never been called this before..." She glanced away a moment. "This... This pleases Trixie. You may."

Her aura faded to a cool grey with the conflict ending. "Come along now. I have an appointment with some very important ponies, and you shall come along."

She spoke first person? Was she trusting me? I nodded at her quickly, and she began leading the way to this huge castle in the middle of the city. Even with buildings in the way, it jutted up far past them, like a pointer to the sky.

She looked over her shoulder as she walked. "Have you been to many pony cities before?" I shook my head back and forth quickly. She got a little smirk. "We thought not. Trixie has been all across Equestria." Is that where I was? "This is the Crystal Empire, land of Crystal Ponies, snow, and, best of all, arcane mysteries." She turned to face forwards as she trotted along, her tail bobbing with every step. "Do you know any magic?"

Sort of? I stared at Trixie and felt the knowledge of her come to me. She was a show pony, and enjoyed tricks of illusions and wild tales to amuse ponies. She also liked researching magic, and proving she was as good as she claimed to be. I nodded to the knowledge before answering her, "Of a sort."

That caught her interest. One of her big ears swiveled towards me. "What sort might that be? Tell mother."

I giggled a little at that. Well, I had asked her... "I can look at people and learn about them, for one."

Trixie gave a soft mmm. "What does your magic say about Trixie?"

I counted on my pudgy fingers. "You're a magician, and do illusions and you're a storyteller."

Trixie stopped in her tracks and slowly turned towards me. "How can you tell this so easily?"

I continued counting. "You research magic, and you have something to prove."

She colored brightly. "Trixie has nothing to prove! You take that back!"

Uh oh. I went too far there. I nodded quickly. "I didn't mean anything by it. I meant, uh, you like proving theories. You know, like any good scientist."

She blinked and relaxed. "Oh. Oh yes, of course. Trixie understands." She turned away. "That is a dangerous magic. Trixie suggests not to tell other ponies you are reading them like books. You will scare them. Not everypony has the vast mind of Trixie, to understand and accept."

"Of course, mom." That got a little smile out of her as I scrambled to keep up with her. Darn these ponies for all being bigger than me.

Trixie pointed to the tall building as we came closer to it. "That is where we are going. Before we enter, are you hungry, or thirsty? We should take care of such trifles before seeing royalty."

Royalty? I swallowed softly. My tale was getting started in a hurry.

Author's Notes:

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