#or maybe this is the king mtt ending and he just half got out of an assassination attempt. whichever you prefer

[carlyraejepsans]

sometimes the funny guy armor doesn't work

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

Undertale Theory: The Statue Is Asriel’s Body Petrified In Stone

some may have come to the same theory, but here it is...

I believe that Statue that we see in the game, that we can give a umbrella to...

I don’t think it is just a statue, it might really be Asriel’s Body...

which it is that same statue that was suppose to be at the MTT Resort, and was suppose to be on the water fountain, but Mettaton had to be a insensitive jerk and take the statue off of it and replace it with himself...

this could mean that the the Original Prince Asriel was cleaved into different parts of himself, one being the dust with his memories becoming one with Flowey, and injected with determination...

the other half being his body, that is petrified in stone, and the other being his soul, which might be the one being used in the true lab’s generator and not Chara’s Soul.

for all we know, it could turn out the statue is Ralsei...

well if my theory about Ralsei turn out to be true, and the one who appears in Chapter 2, isn’t the same Ralsei, and he might of switch places with the real one when Susie was saving Kris from Lancer’s Dad...

I would like to call the possible Imposter, by either Arelis or Erisla...

then again, the name “Erisla” does seem to fit better...

also we know that Erisla, is hiding something, even if he does act all friendly and encouraging to both Kris and Susie, he still seem suspicious.

I mean, if we don’t hug him, or like try to get Kris to hug him...

after the fight with Spamton, doesn’t he hug Kris depending what we do when the picture of those two are taken on that love boat...?

but if we don’t get Kris to hug him, he does nothing....

and seems to ignore Kris’s negative feelings, I might have to either re-play the part in the game or like watch a walkthrough of it....

but does “Ralsei in Chapter 2, who I’m still gonna call “Erisla”...

doesn’t it seem like he suspicious, even when he tells a different version of the prophecy, is there more to that prophecy...?

the reason why Asriel is a stone statue, might have to do with the determination they got from their human sibling’s soul.

it might be possible the Royal Scientist, had taken the statue from the fountain, but never put it back in it’s place, which left Mettaton to place it with a statue of himself...

the Royal Scientist could of did experiments with the statue, having extract both the red soul inside it as well as some of the determination from it, and used it on a flower who would be called Flowey The Flower later on.

and if Sans had the “kiss of life” like Steven Quartz Universe...

then he could of been the one to cause Flowey to become who is now, like it could turn out the dust that was the Original Asriel’s Memories and the Determination, wasn’t enough.

and Sans (who use to be Steven) only gave the flower a kiss, just to be funny and to remember the good times when he use to do that when he was Steven.

but to his shock, Flowey ends up blinking at him and speaking his first words as a Flower.

picture Sans pulling a Darwin when trying to ditch the “flora-baby” on his brother Gaster Jr. (son of Gaster Sr...there can be two of them, lol.)

and Gaster Jr. tells Sans that Flowey is “He’s Your Son!”

which if that were true, that would maybe mean Sans & Alphys are Flowey’s parents, like Alphys could of been the one to inject Flowey with the determination, and Sans made him become fully sentient with the “kiss of life”...

so both Sans and Alphys have to take responsibility for the child they help create, even if it was by accident.

congrats Papyrus, your a Uncle...XD

and for all we know, Frisk’s name could stand for “Fallen Kris”

and the King & Queen had adopted two human children, and Frisk also known as Fallen-Kris the counterpart of the one from Deltarune, could of talked their brother into feeding Chara those flowers...

and when Asriel was saying for them to wake up, he might of been talking to Fallen-Kris who was in bed in the same room as Chara.

and if the Queen Toriel Ending is the True Timeline Pacifist Ending, while the True Pacifist Timeline is the Anomaly Timeline...

when we reload to back before we fight the King, and can choose to go back and the whole Undyne calling us for the favor will happen and we never had to reset in the first place, just reload if we did a true pacifist route...

the red soul, that is our the Player’s proxy-soul, it leaves the Frisk in the Queen Toriel Timeline, and they never leave the underground and is captured by Alphys and kept behind a very large glass in the true lab, and when we go down to the true lab, we don’t go to the True Pacifist/Anomaly Timeline one at first, we end up back in the Queen Toriel Timeline...

and what we believe is reflection, is really the Frisk we leave behind when we reload, so the Frisk we control is facing themselves, possibly believing that it is just a reflection...

with the proxy-soul inside of them, Frisk can be Frisk....and can have a happy life with their new goat mom...

but for the one that doesn’t have the proxy-soul in them anymore, we can call them “Fallen-Kris”...

and when we do go through that elevator and to the hall that leads to the room where the elevator is, it is back in the true lab in the True Pacifist/Anomaly Timeline...

we can’t go back to the Queen Toriel Timeline, because both the doors to the elevator closes, and we can only go back to the True Pacifist/Anomaly Timeline, but we do end up getting a phone call from a voice that Frisk doesn’t recognize.

and for all we know, that voice could be either Ralsei or Erisla or Dess.

we could believe it is Asriel at first, but what if it isn’t, and what if the whole Hyper God Of Death Asriel happens in another timeline, and the one where we see Small Asriel, happens in another Timeline...

and we end up controlling both Frisks, from the Queen Toriel Timeline and the Anomaly Timeline, The Lost Souls from the Queen Toriel Timeline, kind of take control of the ones that are from the True Pacifist/Anomaly Timeline, that is until they are free from the lost souls control by Frisk/Player’s kindness and friendship.

and when this happens the lost soul counterparts go back to their own timelines, but their memories restored and them still being stuck in the underground.

it could be possible that Erisla could be lying about the whole Darkners turn to stone if they go to a dark world they don’t belong...

like for all we know, he could be using a Cockatrice on both Lancer and Rouxls Kaard, but the Cockatrice would have to peck them a lot or however they turn them to stone, in order for it to work...

Erisla could of put a Cockatrice in Kris’s pocket, knowing that it would go after both Rouxls and Lancer, and the only thing keeping them from turning to stone, would be Kris’s sub-space pocket.

it could turn out that Kris’s sub-space pocket could also be connected to the same void spaces that any Alternate Version of Sans would end up hanging out in, and if they see a “light” they could try to follow it, only to find themself ending up coming out someone’s pocket...

Kris’s pockets are dimensional doorways to the Undertale & Delatarune Multiverse, I wonder if that would scare the villain versions of Sans...?

it could turn out the stone statue, could turn out to be Asriel from Deltarune, like he could of saved his younger sibling Kris, from the Cockatrice, but it end up turning him to stone, and Kris put him in their sub-space pocket, but he ends up switching places with the stone statue of the once living Prince Asriel of Undertale, and when Kris does bring their “brother” home he is stuck as a statue but Kris doesn’t notice anything different about their brother until much later on...

both versions of Asriel’s original bodies become stone statues by different means, or by the same means....who knows.

but only one of them still has their soul, and isn’t being used to power the whole underground, and being mistaken as a human soul but might be a fused human-monster soul, but it is turned the same way as the human soul.

it might be a weird and crazy theory, but it could be possible that the stone statue in the Undertale game, is really Prince Asriel’s Original Body....

and he ended up being cleaved, like the stone statue is his original body, the dust that hold his memories become part of Flowey, and the red soul in the generator is the still fused soul of Asriel/The Fallen Human...

it’s okay that not everyone agrees about this theory, not all theories have to be correct, but I still like the idea about the whole stone statue turning out to be Prince Asriel’s Original Body.        

[spirit-shroud]

what are some roles that have been largely changed for cityrune? since you said queen was an influencer now :]

hi ty for asking me im vibrating. havent gotten to talk about this au now for three years and now that chapter 2 is like real and this time i can like........draw occasionally and i have more understanding of nuance...... [grips table] [screams]

this isnt quite what you asked but heres what's everyone from chapter 1 has been Up To with a little bit of context (and under a read more bc it got LENGTHY):

kris - professional stay at home teen (they live w/ asgore n help run the flower shop sometimes. this decision was entirely bc i dont like toriel). was wrongly diagnosed w Sudden Soul Rejection when they were incredibly young and given an experimental transplanted soul as a replacement. it works for them fine, give or take having to see gaster once a month for checkups. but sometimes the soul makes them skittish n decides they're going to sit in front of the pc and play 30 consecutive hours of a certain simulation game and not even let them drown people in the pool. if it were entirely up to them, they'd be like. passing out on the sofa to documentaries about bigfoot. or practicing cool knife tricks to impress their friends at their next tabletop meetup

- EDITED IN: the soul is kind of their friend. they are wearing a hypothetical get along shirt. most of the time, they agree on actions and things to do. tends to refer to themself + their soul as we/us which originally was just something they did in their head but they kept slipping in speech/text n just became a Thing of how they talk. switches to 'I/Me' whenever smth is wrong.

- also edited in: they believe the soul they have is their original soul bc nobody has told them otherwise. whenever theyre like 'oh yeah we think about our soul n view it as a separate entity to us like. all the time. it likes to hurt if we make too many choices it doesn't seem to like and kind of forces us to be a toned down version of what we want to be but thats just how souls are haha' and everyone is like.... 'Hey Kris That's Really Not How It Is.' theyre like. 'huh. gonna ignore that for now' - this was going to be a plot point

toriel - head of H0MEWOR1D (H01)'s department of education; kind of lost her roots as a simple math teacher as she was pushed into a lot of power she didn't even really seek out. divorced asgore over some miscommunications in their relationship; also loosely as a result of grief from asriel's death

asgore - the same. runs a lil flower/gift shop. people come in more to talk with him than to buy flowers most of the time, though

asriel Flowey - he's back in flower form, thanks to the government an accident. causes a lot of technology glitches wherever he goes, and wants revenge. isn't sure how to go about it. asriel "died" around 8 years before the story takes place and kris still misses him and refuses to even THINK about even the IDEA of calling someone their sibling after what happened, just in case it somehow happens a second time

susie - more of the same really. she spends most of her time either at grillby's (she's sort of become his assistant n helps with opening/closing. it just happened) or getting into low-stakes trouble w/ kris

noelle - she's in the city's equivalent of college and shes so tired. shes So Abysmally Tired n got kinda pushed 2 follow in her mom's footsteps. she's rarely around anymore except through text or on monsters & mages (dnd) night. (however.........she will come back w/ a long break n hang out w everyone again)

berdly - tbh i didnt even consider berdly when i made the au initially. idk what he's doing. probably in a similar situation to noelle??? canonically got kicked out of the M&M group due to clashes w/ other players but lurks in their group chat to posts memes sometimes

didnt rly think of any other of kris' classmates (+ their families) after ch1 and probably will continue to not, until chs 3-5 come out and i gotta whip up roles and histories for like. a lotta guys all of a sudden. i also forgot about noelle's parents

sans - runs a convenience store that everyone kind of thinks is a front, but also it has really cheap snacks and the local teens make a point of stopping there after school. so essentially, more of the same papyrus - similar to ut. is a very polite and sweet boy but you'll know when he's coming

grillby - he's back. he runs a bar like back in ut but the cozy vibes and weird-for-a-bar hours keep attracting kids who need parents, so half of his menu is comprised of overly sweet mocktails. usually only frequented by monsters

QC - same as usual. has a "rivalry" with grillbz but, theyre besties and have a book club

mettaton - he's real and he's back. he's similar to how he is back in ut w/ his EX body. likes to hang out at grillby's and talk to unsuspecting fans. has a show for everything

napstablook - similar to how they are in ut. helps mtt with making music sometimes. doesn't leave the house too often, but spends a lot of time posting on undernet

undyne - unfortunately. more of the same. she is a cop in the monster district. i am also upset by this but couldn't think of anything better for her

alphys - a doctor studying under dr. gaster in the hopes she'll one day take over his research. she spends most of her time as a nurse with a bigger title, though, and blocks out the weirdness of her job with anime.

gaster - weird guy. H01's top soul researcher and resident House wannabe. trying to manufacture the ultimate soul that can be controlled with simple internal switches, but so far he's only had 1 (very limited) success with a certain human. monsters just melt, and darkners just sorta......get weird... he's onto Something, though.

ralsei - lonely boy with some very strange hobbies. popular on UnderNet for poetry, baking videos, and general cryptid vibe. is the DM for the monsters & mages group (also seems to think everything is actually very fine in H01 when it is very much not)

lancer - about the same. professional Round Boy. lives w/ rouxls full time. follows susie around like a lost puppy and calls himself her "underling."

rouxls - runs a hotel/casino kind of deal where the objective Bad Guys hang out, and usually ends up doing any of the spade king's paperwork.

spade king - mafia godfather. kind of a dick. don't play cards with him

seam - works with the spade king as his right hand cat more or less because they have for a lot of years and are in that 'sunk cost fallacy' zone. thinks of retiring to a quiet life in the monster section of town like, daily

jevil - used to work with the spade king, but got imprisoned for Crimes. got weird after The Accident (separate from asriel's accident)

temmies (all) - dont really get mentioned except offhandedly but they run the monster space station. so far, are the only monsters who have ever been to space.

as far as chapter 2 goes:

yeah i dont have much so far for characters. in the original version of the au i accidentally made darkners as a whole just kinda..... not great? like all sorts of weird organized crime ties n sort of going out of their way to be A Problem to the city (not even in like. a revolution way. in a working against them but with the same goals kinda way). with the whole context it worked At The Time, bc i just had the spade king to look to as a villain, and also in this au the darkners are just trying to survive a world that ultimately was not built for them (that humans think they own, and monsters sort of... seeing this and wondering what it'll mean for them whichever one wins), but w/ new info abt how the dark world works n more guys to work with i want to kind of. edit the vibe a bit. like yea darkners will ultimately do whatever it takes to take over H01, but maybe in a better way than like. idk. all this. it doesnt have to be peaceful or anything it just has to be more adaptable as we meet more kinds of darkners

however yeah i thought up 'queen as some sort of childless mommy blogger/influencer' and that completely revived all memory i had of this au. she should be on mtt's talkshow. also she sells collectible wine glasses w/ her likeness

spamton is another one of gaster's failed soul experiments, but he hasn't melted yet, and seems............fine? sort of. so he hasn't gotten decommissioned yet. he does want to give you malware tho. hot monster singles in your area n all that

im blanking on the rest of the guys but i hope any of this was comprehensible

[memoriashell]

webs

Characters / Pairing: Muffet, some vague Mettaton / Muffet, some vague Undyne / Muffet, some Napstablook, and if you really squint you might see some Alphyne in the bg.

crossposted on ao3 ft. the full extent of my notes

Notes: Hi @roxrezi, I'm your secret santa! Since I quite love myself some Muffet, I thought I’d write something with her for you. I also really wanted to try writing some Undyne / Muffet and Mettaton / Muffet, and somewhere along the way I went from planing out something with everyone’s first holiday on the surface to... an exploration of various route endings and not at all holiday related. Whoops. This was also supposed to be a lot shorter, but here we are at 4k words instead. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it! This was done as a part of @undertalesecretsanta . Thank you mods for all your efforts in hosting the event! 

Summary:  Webs are a sticky, tricky thing, really. Fortunately, spiders know how to untangle themselves from even the trickiest of webs.

( an apt way to view the branches of fate, really )

A human, they whisper, a human is coming. Get the soul and you will be rewarded.

And so, once again, Muffet finds herself with a renewed purpose. She has grown tired of fussy monsters who will not help her, of having to swindle for even a little bit to be thrown her way. She won’t need to bake for profit ever again if she succeeds. She can finally relax.

Soon. Soon she will have enough, and everything will be alright. The spider clan will be rich and able to be reunited, and they can all be happy together, and she will be happy too—

( — and this is the thought she hold onto when the frying pan slams down on her body ).

i.

The Ruins are ( mostly ) empty. Same goes for Snowdin, and Waterfall—

She wonders if they were bored by the time they got to Hotland. Despicable, really, but seeing as they hadn’t harmed her or her spiders, she can’t completely hate them either.

No, that is a lie, Muffet absolutely detests that human. Her spiders may come first, but that does not make her heartless when it came to other monsters. But she is a woman of her word, there was no reason to kill a human that had supported her cause.

( Was it wrong of her to have done so? Perhaps. Maybe then, there would be a little more liveliness left in the Underground, flashy and loud— )

Napstablook is generous enough to assist her with arranging help with getting the spiders out of the Ruins; the fact that, despite everything, her spiders can be reunited is barely a silver lining, but she’ll take what she can get. The fact that she can afford to bring them home hardly matters, when the Underground is so sparse and the Ruins are opened up once again. It’s not even nearly as much of a hassle, as cold as Snowdin is to travel through. Traps and puzzles are deactivated, there is no need for those things anymore, so there is little but the cold to slow her down.

The spiders are back home, where they should be. Hotland is more or less the same, minus two voices— one loud and glamorous, one not so. Everything should be fine, by those standards.

But it’s not.

It is not.

The world just does not feel quite right.

ii.

Every king needs their queen— no, that is a lie. Mettaton needs no one, if she is to be honest, but she is good at her job.

Muffet dangles from her web, flaunting— a menacing flash of her flash of her fangs. Intimidate their ‘foes’ into confessing their ‘crimes’— work that she could leave to that skeleton, sure, but Sans has always been lazy. She, however, never slacks off.

( Perhaps no real wrongdoings have been done, but it’s fine discarding a few extra ingredients from the batch. Better than letting them sit and go bad— rotten ingredients were never any good. It would spoil the whole batch!

Besides, her pet, her darling Cupcake needed a treat to be rewarded with. What better than something she needed to get rid of anyways? )

It wasn’t like she did not benefit from it either. Why would she serve a fussy customer— no, let her rephrase that: Muffet found no point, no joy in serving someone who did not service her needs too. Even when that someone was the ruler of the Underground, known for whispers of sudden disappearances; she had enough pride left that she would not let herself be squished under Mettaton’s heel like some pest. Her spiders had been brought home with his generosity, and it is oh so fun to watch monsters squirm when she watches them with two, four, five eyes, and claps in joy with her hands— that is a thrill unlike anything else, one that even the capturing of a soul surely wouldn’t have brought. It is not all bad, the monsters had never done anything to serve her, why should she spare them now?

( There is a reason why monsters do not come to her parlor anymore ).

No, while the spider monster might hold a grudge for none of them to be willing to help her cause, that was then and this is now. This is a matter of business, dearie, did you not understand that? Muffet coos and is amused in her tittering, as she watches confusion spread across features.

Spiders may live with her now, but that did not mean that some did not linger in other parts of the Underground. Allow for the whispers to reach corners and make its way back to her. It was always a fun choice to make, what to do with that information. Let one of the ‘agents’ handle this? Handle it herself? Do nothing with it?

( Those who enter the parlor do not usually leave ).

Of course, she can always hand the task over to Mettaton, but she usually left that for the worst offenses only. It was much more delightful to watch and wait to see how he’d react on such occasions, if it was worth making a mess of himself for. More often than not, the answer was yes, and she would make sure the webs were keeping the prey in place, maybe paralyze them if they seemed particularly rowdy, but otherwise sat back to admire his work.

Despite it all, she does not think he’s a bad person— would that not make her a bad person too? Muffet knows that once, he was not half a bad person, despite what one might believe; she was once not an entirely bad person either, despite her arguments that she has remained unchanged all these times.

It wasn’t their fault that they were like this, was it?

“Darling,” He beckons for her, so she lowers herself from her web, dropping herself from the sticky silk with ease and onto his lap. She hardly weighs a thing to a monster made of metal, two hands settling themselves on his shoulders, two others coming up to cup his face. “Have you heard the news?”

“Dearie.” She returns, a brief kiss; her eyes blink at him. “You are the news~” Which is, technically speaking, true. MTT News was the Underground’s news source. Perhaps not like what it once was, but still news.

The robot gives her a look that seems unimpressed, but she knows he’ll let her get away with it ( almost anyone else would’ve been too scared to even consider talking back, she enjoys such privilege with glee ). “You’ve been holding out on me. There was an incident on the edges of Hotland?”

Ah, that. Well, what can she say? She knows Mettaton likes keeping away from the lab. She shrugs, fangs peeking out as she grins. “Someone simply needed a dunk in the river, ahuhu~~” A forceful dip, perhaps, but what did the details matter. If he can read between the lines and figure out what exactly that all means, it does not show; of course, he is an actor, she would not be surprised if he knows exactly and simply opts to not speak of it.

“Well—” He starts, a pause, she’s caught him off guard. Hadn’t predicted her answer. A mechanical clearing of his throat, before he speaks again. “Well, that still calls for a punishment... or perhaps a reward?”

There’s a gleam in her eyes, a grin and a giggle before she’s pulling back. “Already a step ahead of you~ I brought them back for you speak to, fufufu~”

“Ah, now you’re speaking my language, gorgeous.”

( A butterfly and a spider trapped in a web—

—who is really the victim here? )

iii.

Humans aren’t so bad, she decides. She still lacks enough to bring the spiders back home, and they were still stuck in the Underground, but they weren’t dead. It’s not all bad. They made an effort to help her, which is more than she can say for some monsters.

The shy, nerdy one passes through, sometimes, to check up on her; and she will flash her fangs at the scientist and giggle as she scampers off. Other days Muffet will leave her web, willingly, to see the spiders now that the Ruins aren’t closed off.

One time, she leaves to go through to Snowdin, try and figure out if there is a good way to bring the spiders home. Even if she’s cold, at least the Royal Guard is there to help her.

( Which roughly translates to, at least the Canine Unit was there to try and play with her. And then went to fetch Papyrus when they realized she wasn’t interested in them, who in turn fetched Undyne, because Undyne was likely to be more helpful at assisting ).

Muffet likes Undyne ( only kind of like that ) because she’s to the point. She doesn’t bother with trying to skirt around things— time is money, as the saying goes, and while Muffet is not really that greedy with her money, she’d much rather not freeze to death out in Snowdin. Unfortunately, the former captain has very little advice to offer, since the main issue is the fact that the forest is big and the spiders would probably die before they even reached town. The cold is not a foe that can be fought, unfortunately; she laughs a little when the warrior offers to beat up the cold nonetheless. On a more serious note, Undyne also offers to check in with Alphys for her opinion, which is favor she wouldn’t have been willing to ask for on her own, so she’s somewhat thankful for that.

She hasn’t visited with Napstablook in a while, so she does that— she nabbed some ghost pastries in advance for this particular occasion. Just because she only sold spider goods didn’t mean she was incapable of baking other things! For a very select audience, perhaps, but she liked to think of it less as business and more like the kind of favor one did for their friend. They were supportive of her cause and if she baked a few goods for them every now and then in return, what of it? They needed something good, they were always so blue— not that she can blame them for that, but that’s besides the point.

She realizes a little too late that her sudden visit has intruded on something— well, probably something, she’s not entirely sure if they are lying on the floor in accordance to ‘tradition’, or for some other reason. Muffet spares a brief glance to their other visitor, a figure she can recognize quite well, but opts to ignore for the time being.

“oh... i wasn’t... expecting to see you... muffet...” They greet her; the sort of dejected manner they hold themselves with has always made her frown ( she’s glad to see she’s not the only one, if the motion in her peripherals is to be any indication ).

“Why not? You’re my best customer~” Teasing, she’s only teasing as the basket is offered to them. “I had some... business to attend to in Snowdin~ I thought I would come by to keep you company afterwards.”

“oh, right... the spiders are still in the ruins... aren’t they? i’m sorry... i’d help if i could... but the snail business is... still pretty bad.”

Muffet tuts at him, as if she’d blame him. They were both suffering from not being to make money off their fellow monsters, Napstablook was just better natured about it. She was not, though. “Ah, speaking of that, dearie~ I’ve got quite the story about that!” She ignores the metallic sound of their third party getting up, ignores what she assumes to be a glare. “You remember the human who came through, yes? Quite a darling~~ Even helped donate to our bake sale a little~ Not that I knew that when I was fighting them. And—”

“Darling.” Mettaton drawls, and she knows she’s annoyed him. Good! She almost killed an innocent human on his behalf! He’s cunning, Muffet will give him that, but she does not enjoy being deceived like that. He should be at least half as annoyed as she is. “Your gossip is going to put me to sleep. Please change the topic before you bore me any more than you already have.”

“i... don’t really mind...” Napstablook chimes in, though they seem to go ignored.

“You’re no fun. Fine~” She pouts, four arms crossed; she’ll drop the topic for now. Besides, she doesn’t really need to give Napstablook something else to be sad about. “Would you like to hear about the gossip in Snowdin instead then?”

Later, when she leaves Blook Acres, she knows she is not alone, because she can hear the plodding of heeled boots, so she stops and waits for him to catch up— it doesn’t really make much of a difference since they both need to take Hotland’s elevator to get back to their respective homes, but there was no need for her to make him chase after her ( well, maybe it’d be fun to have someone chase after her, but she digresses. It’s a time waster right now ).

“I feel as though I might... owe you an apology.” He starts, and Muffet wants to snort a little— an apology would be far from compensation, but it might be a step in the right direction. If she’s feeling generous. “I was not aware that things were so dire for you. Allow me to make up for it.”

She’s still upset that Mettaton so easily played her for a fool— holding a grudge, however, feels foolish for now ( or maybe she’s being fooled again, only the angel knows ). “And what do you get out of it?”

“Well, I’d never! But, you know, if you’re offering— the spiders being saved from the Ruins would be quite a broadcast worthy moment.”

She groans because, of course, she should have expected there’d be a catch, and of course, it’s a ridiculous catch ( really, she was expecting something entirely different )— only fitting for someone with as much grandeur as him. It’s such a small price for her, though, so she will begrudgingly agree.

It’s better. Things are not the best— this is far from their best ending.

But it’s better, she can’t ask for much else.

iv.

People come. People leave. That is the way this world works, she knows. People come and go, and she has no intentions of trying to make them stay. Such is futile.

Muffet laughs and giggles at monsters who pass through her domain, at the ones that try and convince her to leave her home. What an opportune moment, is what she thinks, and so she stays, like always.

Silly scientists.

( While she regrets not tying Alphys up and playing with her a bit, she’s never seen the lizard so determined— frantic and anxious, yes, that is a given as far as she can tell, but determined is not. So she lets her go on her way, knows that something is coming her way and prepares ).

She is no hero— Muffet would laugh in your face at even the mere suggestion of such— she is no hero, she is not trying to defeat that thing for the sake of others.

No, such a greedy human deserves no pity, no break. One who may have supported her cause all the same, but that is besides the point. A being who has killed so many must have quiet some money— sure, it’s a shame she must go about funding her cause this way, but she thinks the monsters would have preferred it go to her than their killer. Surely, this time, she can succeed in bringing the spiders home. She can be happy knowing that, for a fact.

So she cackles when the thing finally decides to show up, pass through her nest— a foolish move, she thinks. Why would you go through her home? No one is more familiar with the webbed area like she is, it is so easy to catch the tiny little thing like the pest it is. It hardly even seems human when it stares her down like that, face devoid of any emotion. Unfeeling, unlike any monster. Muffet grins and bares her fangs at it and—

She is cocky, has hardly had the time to utter even a sentence; doesn’t notice the weapon until it has collided with her painfully.

v.

This isn’t right.

Her spiders scuttle around her feet, whispers of go home, go home, go home.

Muffet does not bake, she does not tease to munch on people— in this small town, too idle for anyone’s wellbeing, she does not do anything. A monster like her has no place here.

She might as well be a ghost.

( Go home, go home, go back underground.

If only things were that easy ).

Something happens out there, she knows— an echo of laughter falls from her lips.

She does not go out.

( Go back, go back.

She waits until they can go back ).

vi.

It is probably a good thing that their leader is a lively one, or else she thinks that monster’s spirits would’ve been much lower than they currently were. It was not as simple as turning on the television to watch Mettaton’s shows to make them smile anymore. A shame, truly, because while Muffet did not care for those kind of flashy things, had no care for stars of that caliber, she can recognize something has been lost from the Underground.

( A shame, but it really makes no difference to her in the end. Her spiders have been spared, so that’s all that matters to her. The safety of her spiders.

It’s easier to act like that’s all that matters, that things are better for her that way, at least ).

Their new ruler is much more brutal. Blunt. Blood-thirsty— and sure, Undyne’s always been kind of like that, probably. It was an admirable trait, for the head of the Royal Guard; it is a good trait for a ruler too, when supported by the people that she rules over.

Muffet tuts at her and wonders if she will grow to regret that, however, when her grief finally fades. She can mourn those who were lost, but she cannot do so forever. People will move past their grief, eventually... or die when their hope finally gives out.

( She leaves Hotland, passes the lab with its broken doors, forced open when it’d been quiet for too long. It is a sorry echo of what it had once been there. Of who had once been there.

It doesn’t matter, she reaffirms ).

One of her spiders accompanies her, riding on her shoulder; the others stay safe at home with her dear pet. She grabs onto her dress with two of her arms, lifts it up as she wades through the waters of Waterfall. She does not really care for the wet, rocky terrain of Waterfall, but she can afford to make sacrifices. It’s not like any of them have better things to be doing.

( Despite what one may think, she is not entirely all selfish. That said, she is not selfless either, she has her reasons for doing what she does. Her own trivial sort of gain ).

She leaves ghost pastries with Napstablook and checks up on the snails ( she does not care for that wet, slimy thing, but they are friends of the spiders, kind of, and they are tasty, so it’s only with brief prodding before she goes on her way ). Napstablook tells her what she needs to know in exchange for the treats, though she knows they would have told her regardless, just as she would’ve given them to them regardless.

She’s not at her former home, but the piano echoes in the corridors long before she is even close to reaching her. An echoing reminder of how much more empty Waterfall ( the Underground in general, really ) is these days, there is no Shyren to sing along with the occasional plink of an off key note. Once, Muffet would have come to Waterfall to see Napstablook and would have expected to hear the warrior training. Loud clanging of pots and voices yelling while they cooked. The piano playing might have been loud and passionate, fierce and angry at a situation like this, but it is much more dull and sullen now, an almost fragile sound. She finds the Empress draped over the piano, quietly— in a world of her own, probably. She wonders if she has cried today too.

( Once, Muffet thinks she might have not minded the Underground being so empty. She is not sure how to feel anymore ).

Two arms reach up to smooth her hair back into being ‘presentable’— she is pretty sure Undyne has never cared for her appearance, but a leader should look the part— two others gently pull her back in a gesture that could be considered a hug. “Your people await you, dearie~” There is a hum of acknowledgment and little more, but that is fine. She’s not here to fix what cannot be mended.

( Once, Muffet feels like this could have been love ).

vii.

Surface spiders are so very interesting, Muffet decides. When the human— Frisk— mentions to her that the surface has quite a variety of spiders, she did not think they meant it as sincerely as they did. They are so similar to the ones at her home, yet vastly different all the same. She wonders at what point spider monsters and human spider-animal-things changed, but that sounds like a biology thing that Alphys could probably answer in a way that would make no sense to her. So she will just wonder and appreciate the similarities between them— they can communicate with each other, so there’s that. Do the differences even matter, knowing that?

The surface world in general, is very interesting. Muffet does not technically need to bake anymore since the spiders are free, but she does need to make a ‘living’ of sorts, and baking is the easiest way of doing that. Humans may be skeptical of food with spiders in it, but her fellow monsters are finally coming around to her pastries, so all is well.

Well, sort of.

As good for business as all the attention is, it brings about some... unwanted guests. That is probably a generous way of describing the current pest.

“Cameras aren’t allowed back here, dearie~ No exceptions. Leave~~” She’s very to the point about it, easily weaving around Mettaton’s boxy build to get to the oven so she can check on what she’s baking— she needs no pests hanging about, nor does she need any additional distractions. There’s a pause where she thinks he’s actually going to put up a fight, but seems to think better of it and dismisses the camera crew with a wave of his hand. Not the outcome she’d expected, but better. Workable.

“I’m not stopping to talk to you, so speak up~” Muffet might have spiders to help her, but there is only so much they can do, which means she doesn��t have the time for a break. It’s probably good that she has the extra arms to pitch in.

“A brand deal would only benefit the both of us, you know. I’ll provide you with some proper advertising. If we combined our efforts, we’d be actual competition against Grillby’s.”

“Grillby’s doesn’t sell sweets~~ Humans, on the other hand... Still, I’m doing fine here. I don’t need your silly brand~” She bares her teeth in a way that she wants to be menacing ( unfortunately, Mettaton is not a tiny and naïve human, so he doesn’t even flinch— he laughs, the audacity! ); he looks put out, though, so she supposes that’s a victory.

Also unfortunately, Mettaton is stubborn, so even though she gets rid of him for the day, he returns no less than three times that week. Never alone, either, so as much as she would like to rid of him, it’s not so easy to do so. Business propositions are put aside for casual conversations, but she doesn’t trust him so easily ( she’s been deceived by him once before, no need to go doing that again ).

She feels uneasy, like— like she’s missing something. Like something should have happened. But nothing happens, and she’s not sure if that’s a good thing or not. They monsters more than deserve some peace after everything, so she’ll take the peace as a sign of good things to come.

( Even if it cannot last ).

[undertale-rho]

Underearth: Book 5 - Chapter 9

Stepping from the elevator, Frisk proceeded into the main parts of Elysium: the Elysium Palace. Reaching Asgore's home, Frisk stepped inside. Looking around, he noticed Chara seemed a bit sluggish.

"Hey Chara," he called, "you alright?"

Chara snapped back to attention. "Y... yeah. Yeah, I am alright."

Turning back around, Frisk walked over to Asriel's and Chara's old room. Opening the door, a wave of dust shot across the floor from the air pushed away by its opening. Within, Frisk walked across the room and grabbed both the locket and the dagger, placing the former around his neck, and the latter into his bag. Chara simply floated along, taking in the atmosphere of her old home.

Stepping from the room, Frisk went and grabbed the first key at the end of the hall. Upon turning around, an Elysian Guard stood behind him.

"HUMAN." the Elysian said. "I HAVE BEEN SENT BY ASGORE TO TELL YOU THE TRAGIC TALE OF OUR PEOPLE."

"Alright. Come along, I've got to make it to Asgore himself." Frisk said, passing.

"A LONG TIME AGO, A HUMAN FELL INTO THE CITADEL. INJURED BY ITS FALL, THE HUMAN CALLED OUT FOR HELP. ASRIEL, THE KING'S SON, HEARD THE HUMAN'S CALL. HE BROUGHT THE HUMAN BACK TO THE CASTLE."

As the machine spoke, Frisk grabbed the second key in the kitchen and unlocked the chain blocking the stairs in the foyer.

"OVER TIME, ASRIEL AND THE HUMAN BECAME LIKE SIBLINGS. THE KING AND QUEEN TREATED THE HUMAN CHILD AS THEIR OWN. THE UNDERGROUND WAS FULL OF HOPE. THEN... ONE DAY... THE HUMAN BECAME VERY ILL. THE SICK HUMAN HAD ONLY ONE REQUEST. TO SEE THE FLOWERS FROM OCHYRO, THEIR VILLAGE. BUT THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD DO. THE NEXT DAY, THE HUMAN DIED. ASRIEL, WRACKED WITH GRIEF, ABSORBED THE HUMAN'S SOUL. HE TRANSFORMED INTO A BEING WITH INCREDIBLE POWER. WITH THE HUMAN SOUL, ASRIEL CROSSED THROUGH THE BARRIER. HE CARRIED THE HUMAN'S BODY INTO THE SUNSET, BACK TO OCHYRO. ASRIEL REACHED THE CENTER OF THE VILLAGE. THERE, HE FOUND A BED OF GOLDEN FLOWERS. HE CARRIED THE HUMAN ONTO IT. SUDDENLY, SCREAMS RANG OUT. THE TOWNSPEOPLE SAW ASRIEL HOLDING THE HUMAN'S BODY. THEY THOUGHT THAT HE HAD KILLED THE CHILD. THE HUMANS ATTACKED HIM WITH EVERYTHING THEY HAD. HE WAS STRUCK WITH BLOW AFTER BLOW. ASRIEL HAD THE POWER TO DESTROY THEM ALL. BUT... ASRIEL DID NOT FIGHT BACK."

Chara, who Frisk had been watching while the Elysian told its story, twitched at this last line.

"CLUTCHING THE HUMAN... ASRIEL SMILED AND WALKED AWAY. WOUNDED, ASRIEL STUMBLED HOME. HE ENTERED THE PALACE AND COLLAPSED. HIS DUST SPREAD ACROSS THE GARDEN."

"That... that is wrong..." Chara whispered, her eyes starting to flood with tears. "This whole thing is wrong."

"THE KINGDOM FELL INTO DISPAIR. THE KING AND QUEEN HAD LOST TWO CHILDREN IN ONE NIGHT. THE HUMANS HAD ONCE AGAIN TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM US. THE KING DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO END OUR SUFFERING. EVERY HUMAN WHO FALLS DOWN HERE MUST DIE. WITH ENOUGH SOULS, WE CAN SHATTER THE BARRIER FOREVER."

Frisk, who walked along the entire way, saw the archway to the Judgement Hall come into sight.

"IT'S NOT LONG NOW. KING ASGORE WILL LET US GO, GIVE US HOPE, AND SAVE US ALL." The Elysian leaned down to Frisk's head level. "YOU SHOULD BE SMILING, TOO. AREN'T YOU EXCITED? AREN'T YOU HAPPY? YOU'RE GOING TO BE FREE."

The Elysian spread its wings and shot off into the air, flying out of sight.

Frisk looked over at Chara, who was half-curled into a ball, her face buried in her hands.

"Are you okay?"

"... no..." Chara mumbled. "No, I am not okay..."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I... I..." Chara finished curling into a ball. "No, I don't want to talk about it..."

"Okay." Frisk sighed before entering the Judgement Hall.

Within, he ran into Sans, who judged him just as he had back in the second World. At the end, Sans then told Frisk that Undyne wanted to give him something before he left. Nodding, Frisk left the Hall soon after Sans, backtracking to Helios Station, then back to the MTT Resort, where Undyne called and asked him to stop by. From there, Frisk hurried to the R3 elevator, down to the L1 elevator, and then finally headed to Charon's boat, where both Calibri and Charon stood waiting.

"Ah, Frisk. Knew you'd be coming this way right about now." Calibri said.

"Yeah. Off to get Undyne's letter and deliver it to Alphys."

"Wanna postpone that for a bit?"

"And do what?"

"Take a quick boat-ride with Charon. You were gonna ride with him to Snowdin anyway, why not continue past and see everything the Acheron has to offer?"

Frisk looked over at Charon. "If it's okay with you, I don't see why not."

Charon simply waved his hand to his boat. Frisk climbed aboard and sat down. Charon quickly followed.

"Oh," Calibri said, "before you go, take this." he handed a small light-blue rock to Frisk. "I meant to hand this to you back in the MTT Resort, but you left before I could."

"Thanks." Frisk said, taking the stone. "Er... what is it?"

"It's a diaphone stone. Basically, a two-way radio, but magical. Both Sans and I have one. I'm sure you saw Sans holding his at some point before."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Excellent. This will allow instant communication between us. Just put a bit of SOUL AURA into it to activate it. That will either cause a call to be sent out, or to be answered. Send a bit more in to reverse it."

"I see. Thank you."

"No problem. Enjoy yourself." Calibri said, waving goodbye to them as Frisk and Charon began moving up the river.

Frisk placed the diaphone stone in his pocket.

"Tra la la, I will be dropping all my illusions on this journey." Charon said.

"Works for me."

As the boat slid along, they quickly reached and passed the dock to the Quiet Village, then the Snowdin docks, and finally entered the Citadel. Quickly after entering, a warm, familiar light shone ahead in the tunnel. Reaching the source, Frisk saw a great water wheel turning in the water, along with the front courtyard of Toriel's home. Toriel, unfortunately, was not present.

Continuing along, they once again entered a dark tunnel, which soon ended in the grand opening of many purple buildings. Banners bearing a sword situated behind a shield were flown in various places.

After a few minutes, the boat re-entered a tunnel at the other end of the Citadel. Emerging, Frisk saw a massive portcullis blocking a just as massive archway in the middle of the Citadel wall.

"Is that the main entrance?" Frisk asked Charon.

"Yes. Originally, there was a path that led to it, but it has long since been destroyed."

"Destroyed? By whom?"

"My brother. Or, at least, he gave the order. It would be more accurate to say the Unitary Republic of Home destroyed it. Ever since, besides this river, the fortified postern in Snowdin has been the only reliable way in and out of the City of Home. Nobody uses it, however, because it was designed to prevent an invasion, and so Asgore was more than wise to end his direct conflict with the Republic."

"Why were they in conflict."

"The Republic believed Asgore was a faulty ruler and wished to leave his tyrannical kingdom. The Underground, being a prison, made this particularly difficult. So, they took refuge within the walls of the Citadel and blocked off all attempts to force them back under Asgore's rule."

The boat continued along the river. As it continued, a palace soon came into view.

"We come upon the Oldtown Palace." Charon said.

"Can we stop there for a bit, Frisk?" Chara asked.

Frisk repeated the message to Charon, and he simply nodded.

Going inside a massive archway, Frisk and Charon entered a great hall covered in vines. Stopping in the center, Frisk disembarked and went further inside; Charon opted to stay with the boat.

The inside was brilliant. The walls were made of granite and were covered in great cloths of purple, gold occasionally finding its way in places. Walking the halls, Frisk found the interior to be quite simple. Two great halls featured themselves on either side of the palace; one leading into the City itself (which Frisk didn't dare enter), and the other being the one he'd emerged from originally. Both connected to an outer square of a hallway, which led to an inward hallway, which continued to an inner courtyard.

Upon turning the corner to this courtyard, Chara shot ahead, into the center. Confused as to why, Frisk looked ahead himself, catching sight of a great golden tree which seemed to emit this otherworldly golden light. Chara floated near one of the branches, taking in the radiant glow.

The golden tree itself was shaped like a great goblet, though the "cup" portion made up numerous symmetrical branches that continued in a pattern perfectly, as though it were constructed rather than grown.

Stepping toward the courtyard, Frisk suddenly found a couple spear-points aimed right at his throat.

"THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA. TURN BACK IMMEDIATELY." a robotic voice sounded from Frisk's left.

Moving his eyes to see what was there, he found a winged Elysian, battle-ready and not looking like it was into joking around. Stepping back, the Elysians that pointed their spears at him relaxed their aggressive stance and returned to a more passive posture. Taking a second to properly look at the rest of the courtyard instead of just at the tree, Frisk noticed that both doorways into the courtyard had two Elysians stationed at it. Within the courtyard itself, Frisk also noticed at least four orb-like Elysians—with horns coming out the tops and a great eye watching for trespassers—situated around the corners of the courtyard, floating far above where one would normally think to look.

Floating back, Chara asked Frisk what happened.

"These kind Elysians decided that it would be rude if I entered." Frisk answered.

"What? Why? It's just Chrykardro."

"Chrykardro?"

"That is what this tree is called... My tree. It has the most spectacular fruit. You should try some!"

"I'd love to, but like I said, these Elysians won't let me enter."

Chara looked back at the machines, which stood completely still on either side of the doorway.

"Maybe Calibri will know why?" Chara suggested.

Frisk thought about it for a second. "Good idea." he said, pulling the diaphone stone from his pocket.

Looking over the stone, he eventually tried pouring a bit of magic into it. Immediately, the stone started glowing light blue. A few seconds later, the shade darkened to a more modest blue.

"Joe's bar 'n grill. How may I take your order?" a voice came from the stone.

"Er... what?" Frisk said.

"Oh, hey kid, it's Sans. Cal gave you a rock, huh."

"Yeah. Speaking of them, you know where Calibri is?"

"Give him a second. It usually takes him a bit."

The stone flashed light blue again before returning to the more modest shade.

"Calibri here. What's up?"

"Ah, Calibri. I wanted to ask you something." Frisk said.

"Ask away."

"Alright. I'm currently in the City of New Home, specifically the palace here."

"You're asking about the Tree of Golden Leaves?"

"Er... yes?"

"A giant golden tree in the courtyard of the palace surrounded by Elysians, that sound about right?"

"Yeah, that's the place."

"What'd you want to know?"

"Why are there so many Elysians?" Frisk asked.

"That's an excellent question. One I don't have a confirmed answer for, however. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because that tree is the greatest reminder Asgore has of Chara, and so he wants it protected at all costs. Interestingly enough, that courtyard is the most guarded location in the entire Underground."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. You try to step foot in there, and every Elysian in the Underground is liable to kill you."

Frisk shuttered and stepped further away from the doorway. "Thanks for the heads-up." he said.

"No problem. If you need anything else, feel free to contact me again."

Frisk sent another wave of magic into the stone, causing it to stop glowing. In the following minutes, Frisk backtracked to the chamber through which the Acheron flowed. Nearing Charon, Frisk noticed a grand purple curtain veiling something at the back of the hall. Jumping over the river, Frisk continued to the curtain, pulling it aside.

Behind the curtain, Frisk found a grand painting, standing at least three times his height, depicting a fluffy white goat-Monster, and a Human with rosy cheeks and crimson-red eyes. They were both draped in flowing purple cloaks, with the Monster crest—the winged orb with three triangles beneath—pinning the two sides of the cloak together.

Both Frisk and Chara stood speechless in front of the painting, taking in its every detail. Eventually, however, Frisk stepped away. Returning to Charon, he climbed back aboard his boat and they all sailed back upstream.

Soon after leaving the palace, Mount Hot once again came into view. Passing the Hotlands and Waterfall again, the boat slowed to a stop at the edge of Snowdin.

"Thanks." Frisk said, disembarking.

"Come again some time. Tra la la."

Frisk walked further into the town. First stopping by the shop, Frisk hurried and bought the dagger sheath, placing it on his belt and sliding the dagger into it. He then hurried to Papyrus's house. Upon reaching Papyrus's house, he called out to Undyne.

"Oh hey! So, um, I have a favor to ask you." Undyne said.

"Delivery, right? What do you need me to take, and where do you need me to take it?"

"Uuuuh, I... oh, right. It's... to Doctor Alphys."

"And you want me to take it because Hotland eats away at your energy, right?"

"What? I mean, uh... yeah. Yeah that's why!" Undyne pulled the letter from her pocket and thrust it into Frisk's hands.

"Did you remember to sign it so she knows who sent it?" Frisk asked, taking the letter.

"Ye— w... wait a second..."

"Welp, better get on with my delivery."

"WAIT!!!" Undyne shouted.

In an instant, Undyne snatched the letter back from Frisk's hands. She then ran into Papyrus's house.

"Wow, she seems rather absent-minded."

"REALLY?" Papyrus said.

"You haven't noticed?"

"THE ONLY THING I HAVE NOTICED IS THE NUMBER OF LETTERS SHE WRITES. IT'S VERY HIGH. HOWEVER, SHE CAN NEVER SEEM TO FIND THE RIGHT WORDS, SO WHEN SHE GOES TO DELIVER THEM HERSELF, SHE ALWAYS QUITS SO SHE CAN GO BACK AND REWRITE." Papyrus looked straight at Frisk. "THAT'S WHY SHE ASKED YOU!! BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO STANDARDS!!!"

"Oh, wow, thanks."

"YOU'RE WELCOME!"

The front door burst open again, with Undyne running back out. "Here!!!" she shouted, shoving the letter into Frisk's chest, knocking him down into the snow.

"Thanks..." Frisk said, standing up. Looking at the letter, there was now writing streaked across the back of the envelope. Not that it helped, seeing as it was practically illegible, but it was forward progress.

"So? What are you waiting for?" Undyne asked. "The sooner you get it over with, the better!"

"You know, you could just call her, right?"

Undyne stepped back, her face growing just a few shades red. "N... no! Th... that wouldn't work."

"Whatever. I'll go deliver it now." Frisk started making his way towards the Waterfall Caves.

"You won't be taking the boat?" Chara asked.

"Nah. I know it's faster, but I'm fine with walking for now."

"Alright."

Entering the Waterfall Caves, Frisk walked through the encroaching darkness for a few minutes before conversation restarted.

"So, what is the deal with Undyne?" Chara asked. "She seemed... odd. Distracted."

"She likes Alphys."

"What?"

"What what? Undyne likes Alphys, so she stumbles over her words when talking about her, or to her, and so on. Honestly, I find it silly. If you like somebody, you should just tell them."

"But... isn't... aren't they both... female?" Chara asked.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Barbarian!" Chara shuddered bitterly.

"Excuse me?" Frisk stopped walking and looked right at Chara, who wore a look of disgust. "Did you just call Undyne a barbarian?"

"Of course! She is participating in a barbarous act!!"

Frisk scratched his head. "So what?" he asked.

"So, if that vile act spreads, all of civilization could collapse. They must be stopped! Burn that letter—"

"Chara!" Frisk shouted firmly. "Relax!"

Chara, looking reprehensively at Frisk, eventually calmed down.

"Okay..." Frisk breathed. "What the hell?"

"What?" Chara asked, bemused.

Frisk's thoughts raced. Even on the surface, same-sex attraction was a contentious subject, and Frisk had seen on a few occasions some people with very strong opinions one way or another.

Taking a deep breath, Frisk looked back at Chara. "Okay, help me understand. You called Undyne a barbarian. Why is she a barbarian?"

"Because she likes Alphys in that way."

Frisk brought his hands forward, gesturing for her to continue. "That's it?" he eventually said when she didn't. "That's the only reason?"

"Do I need another?"

Oh boy...

"Alright, what makes same-sex attraction barbaric?"

"Because that is what is said within the Thiakereexe too Politismoo. The document from which the Anendotos Kingdom held to and lasted for three thousand years from. To stray from it is to accept the destruction of our way of life."

"Chara—"

"What!?"

Frisk froze, then sighed. "Nevermind." he went back to thinking.

"Say your right..." Frisk eventually said. "Say this... act is barbaric. So what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just that. So what? What Undyne feels for Alphys doesn't affect me or you, and the same is true in reverse. Speaking of the reverse, why didn't we have this conversation outside Alphys's lab when Mettaton stated that Alphys had a crush on Undyne?"

"I... I was going to mention something about that, but it was just an attraction at that point, not an attempt to act on the attraction. So, I didn't bother."

"So now that I'm delivering this love letter, you feel that you must provide your own input."

"Yes."

"Well then, I go back to my earlier question. So what? So what if Undyne and Alphys love each-other? What they do doesn't affect either of us, so why worry about it?"

Chara remained silent.

"Think about this for now. If you wanna resume this conversation later, I'd be more than willing to continue." Frisk said as he resumed walking.

Down the tunnel, Frisk reached a chamber that started with a wooden bridge. Crossing it, he then saw something... unexpected.

"What in the hell?" he said.

"What?" Chara asked.

Frisk pointed at the object.

It was a Human. Or, at the very least, humanoid. Stepping closer, it looked to be a giant doll, standing a head or two above Frisk. The doll featured pink hair, spanning into two long pigtails that stretched out from either side of its head. Above the pigtails, around the middle-top of its head, were two cat ears with a large golden bell secured below each ear. It wore a pink dress that stretched down to its knees, the lower half of which was white, with white gloves and boots worn over its hands and feet. Bells were secured to the bridge of the boots. A long tail, roughly the length of one of the doll's legs stretched out from beneath the dress.

"What is this?" Chara said, floating around the back of it.

"Kinda looks like something Alphys would be interested in..."

Frisk reached up to the head of the doll and scratched behind its cat ears.

"What are you doing?" Chara asked.

"It looks like a cat."

"What's a cat?"

Frisk didn't bother answering. Instead, he just continued scratching.

"ENOUGH!!!" a shout sounded throughout the room. "ENOUGH!!!! ENOUGH!!!!!!"

Frisk quickly pulled his hand back to his side. The doll suddenly shot backward, its face contorting into a nasty grimace.

"FOOL!! DON'T YOU KNOW NOT TO TOUCH PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW!?" the doll shouted. "ESPECIALLY!! WHEN!!! THEY'RE!!! Ticklish."

What the... what...? Frisk thought, staring at the doll.

"Huh? You don't recognize me...?" the doll then asked.

"Can't... can't say that I do."

"Ohhh ho ho... That's all for the better~! Once I fuse with this perfect new body, mew~, A brand new, wonderful life is going to begin!"

"This kind of sounds like that one angry dummy from the garbage dump." Chara said, observing the situation with distant glee.

"You think so?"

"... but as much as I try to fuse..." the doll continued, unaware of Frisk and Chara's dialogue, "IT'S!! NOT!!! WORKING!!!! MY EMOTIONS AREN'T PURE ENOUGH!! I need TENSION! CONFLICT! Something to bring out my ANGER!!!" something then clicked within the doll. "That's it!!!" it shouted in a cutesy voice. "YOU!!! Human!!! Fight with me!!! COMBAT!! BLOODLUST!! DESTRUCTION!! It's the perfect emotional cocktail... To fuse with my new body, mew~"

As the doll finished speaking, numerous giant orbs appeared around it and shot straight at Frisk. Frisk, seeing these approaching, summoned a shield.

"You, I remember you now." Frisk said dramatically. "You're that dummy from the garbage dump!"

"Correct you are." the doll said. "But I have shed that bleak form for this new fantastic (and cute) body. Wondering where I got it from?"

"Would be interesting to know."

The doll laughed. "I found it in... a strange place. A... sciency place." the doll launched more orbs at Frisk, who either blocked or dodged them. "No idea what was going on there, but... as soon as I saw this body, I just knew... IT WAS ME!!! ME!!! ME!!!! So I took it! You can't blame me! Why does a scientist need a life-sized girl statue anyway!?"

So it did belong to Alphys before, huh. Well, it's in better hands now.

Frisk dodged more orbs launched his way.

"I probably saved it from experiments!!!" the doll continued. "I'm a hero, and I rescued myself!!! And now, with this new body, I've got a brand-new life ahead of me!! And now, I'll finally be able to... I'll... finally be able to... uhh, continue being Undyne's training dummy. BUT BETTER!!! Ah, Undyne... Sweet, violent Undyne~. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees me~."

Ah, another person interested in Undyne... Frisk thought, letter still tight in hand. Chara let out an annoyed sigh, floating backwards away from the fight. The doll simply continued daydreaming, absentmindedly summoning more orbs to throw at Frisk.

"She'll blast me with a storm of spears~. I'll be the world's greatest pin cushion~." the doll opened its eyes from its daydream, noticing Frisk's now somewhat somber face. "H-huh...!? That look on your face, she's already got... somebody else?" the doll's own face went dark.

"Sorry to say, but... yeah."

The doll stood there in silence for a few seconds. Eventually, though, it began laughing maniacally. "Well, if she's got somebody else..." it started saying. "THEN YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO TO THEM!?? I'LL RESPECT THEM!!! I'LL RESPECT HER RELATIONSHIP!!! HAHAHA!!! HAPPY FOR HER!! NOTHING BUT THE BEST!!! BEST OF LUCK!!!" with each exclamation, the doll fired more orbs, far more fiercely than before. As Frisk listen, he couldn't help but feel there was a hint of... melancholy hidden beneath the shouts and violent projectiles.

The doll snapped focus back onto the battle. "Enough. ENOUGH. ENOUGH!!! Why haven't I fused yet!? Do I have to use my full power!?" it looked back at Frisk. "COME ON! IS THIS ENOUGH FOR YOU!?" the doll fired more orbs, yet nothing it fired could pierce Frisk's indomitable shield.

"Enough. ENOUGH. ENOUGH!!!" the doll shouted again. "WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING!? NO MATTER HOW MAD I GET, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I FIGHT, I JUST CAN'T FUSE WITH THIS BODY!!! WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!?!?" the doll dropped its fierceness and slumped backwards against the chamber wall. "What am I doing wrong..."

"You think that maybe anger is the wrong emotion to use?" Frisk asked.

"H... huh? You mean I might have to try... other... emotions? You mean something like... love? Then, I... I'll..." the doll went silent.

Frisk walked over to the doll and hugged it.

"Huh...? Such... such kindness...!" the doll said, surprised at the sudden Human now hugging it. "It's... making me feel something!"

Frisk let go and stepped back. The doll looked down at itself, deep in contemplation, then up at Frisk.

"It may be a while before I can truly fuse with this body." it said. "But I think this is a start...! Heh, to think that even though I hid here to be alone... I somehow made a friend!!! Thank you. Thank you! THANK YOU!!"

"No need to thank me. I'm just... glad I could help out." Frisk said. "Say, if we're friends now, shouldn't we know each-other's names?"

The doll looked contemplatively at Frisk. "Heh, of course!" it said, outstretching its hand. "I'm Chilabl—" it froze for a second. "Chilaton."

"Nice to meet you, Chilaton." Frisk said, taking her outstretched hand. "I'm Frisk."

They both shook on their greeting.

"Anyway, I'd best get going." Frisk said. "See you around."

Crossing a river between him and the exit, Frisk passed through a doorway, where he found Chara waiting on the other side.

"Took you long enough." she said.

"Sorry, was making sure Chilaton felt better before continuing on my way."

"Oh, so her name is Chilaton, huh. Another damn barbarian, it seems."

Frisk's teeth clenched. "What the hell is your problem!?"

"EVERYTHING!!!" Chara shouted.

Frisk stepped back, surprised at her sudden uproar. Chara, too, seemed a bit astonished, but continued regardless.

"I don't understand anything! Everything I've learned within these past few hours... don't you get it? I... I feel like my entire life was just one big lie... one big lie I only discover after I gave my life to save the deceivers."

"Chara—"

"I'm not finished! My father—my real father—sought my own death because I believed in something contrary to him. My adoptive father—Asgore—apparently butchered all of Diesian Lake, among other things. My adoptive mother—Toriel—is a damned coward who runs from responsibility. Even my adoptive brother—Asriel..." tears began seeping from her eyes as she spoke. "he's now just a flower who seeks joy in the death and suffering of others."

Chara focused back on Frisk. "And you!!!" her voice burned with acid. "The damn, vile Human filth I just had to be bound to. Perhaps the worst of them all. The one who, after making great friends out of Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, mom, dad, and all the other Monsters you took the time of day to get to know, even marginally; you return with that horrid power and butcher them all. Not once. Not twice. Not thrice or quice, but five times!! Five times you saw fit in carving a path through Monsters, uncaring of who you killed, all in the name of some 'greater good' or whatever. A desire to protect your friends. And at the end of it all, you have the gall to take my SOUL, and try to become friends with me? You want to know what my problem is? My problem is you! You and your entire filthy species. My problem is that you threw everything away for some naive want. My problem is that, even after everything I did to my family, most of all Asriel, I'm not suffering in the darkest pits of Tartarus!"

Chara breathed heavily as she finished, the burning of her flame of hatred bringing a subtle wetness to her eyes again. After a few seconds, she turned away and floated into the wall behind her.

"Cha—" Frisk called out, yet his call was ignored.

Looking up at the twinkling gems above, Frisk collapsed to the ground. Bringing his knees up to his chest, he then buried his head in his arms and remained there, the occasional sound of sobbing echoing off the tunnel walls and out the orifices of the surrounding echo flowers.

Emergence : Ghost Fight

Previous First posting First of this book Next

[blacksheep28]

Meeting the Skelebros

Papyrus cheerfully pushed his cart through the grocery store, greeting the humans and monsters he encountered. He had always known the Lapin family was clever, but their running of an entirely monster owned grocery store on the surface was a great achievement. They even drew in humans!

He walked down his favorite aisle and began to analyze the great variety in noodles. The surface had such a wide variety. Even after months on the surface he still was in awe of it! So many ways to craft his best dish!

Grocery shopping was easily one of Shannon’s least favorite things to do. There were always so many people and so much activity. Some of them had decided to stay away from this particular store knowing a monster owned it, and that just made it her favorite.

Except for when they stocked her favorite brand of parmesan on the highest shelf. She put in a valiant struggle, but it was out of her reach. Shannon tilted her head around to seek out help and spotted a tall monster down the aisle. “Excuse me, hi?” she approached with a shy smile. “Could you help me get something down?”

Papyrus turned around at the call and beamed at the brave human who had approached him. "A NEW FRIEND?" Papyrus gasped in delight. "NEVER FEAR! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL AID YOU IN YOUR SHOPPING!"

There was a pause as she took in just how big and evidently loud this guy was. Shannon smiled a little wider, relieved to have some assistance, and from such a nice seeming guy. "Okay, Papyrus," she tested his name, leading him back towards the poorly placed product. "I'm Shannon, by the way, and thank you so much for helping me."

"ANYTHING FOR A FRIEND!" Papyrus cheerfully followed the human across the aisle. "WHAT CAN I ASSIST YOU WITH GRABBING?"

"The green bottle of parmesan up there, can you see it?" To help point him in the right direction, she rolled up on her tiptoes, then glanced over at the monster again. "...what am I saying, of course you can," Shannon laughed, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry about that."

Papyrus grinned, grabbing the prized bottle of parmesan and holding it out. "IT IS FINE! I AM PLEASED TO MEET ANOTHER PASTA LOVER!"

She plunked the down bottle into her cart and turned to thank Papyrus again, taking in his full appearance now that she wasn't just asking him for help. "I do love pasta, but also? That scarf you're wearing. Kinda like mine." A hand trailed up to the burgundy cloth wrapped around her neck. "You style it really well, I can't imagine how complicated getting that to look so... Heroic is."

Papyrus could have floated away on her words. She was so nice! And seemed to genuinely admire his greatness! He loved it! "YOU ARE VERY STYLISH YOURSELF!" Papyrus grinned. "WE SHOULD EXCHANGE PHONE NUMBERS! I WISH TO SHARE SPAGHETTI WITH YOU TO SEAL OUR FRIENDSHIP! WE CAN WATCH MTT TOGETHER."

"Oh, thank you." Pink started to dampen her cheeks, baffled by his complete sincerity and forwardness. But she found herself agreeing anyway, dragging her phone from her pocket to input his number. "Sure, sounds like a date. Unless MTT means something scary, in which case I'll have to politely decline on that front."

She didn't know the delights of MTT? Clearly this had to be corrected as soon as possible! "ALLOW ME TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR SHOPPING NEW FRIEND!"

His eagerness was cute, if not a tiny bit nerve wracking. "Okay, big guy, deal. Now I won't have to climb up to get the juice I like," she laughed. "And we can walk and talk, yeah? Friends should know stuff about each other."

Papyrus nodded eagerly. "THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA! WE ALREADY SHARE A PASSION FOR PASTA, BUT YOU ARE PROBABLY UNAWARE I AM A TRUE CONNOISSEUR!"

"I was unaware of that," she nodded in agreement, picking out a box of cookies as she passed along the shelf. "I am also unaware of exactly what being a 'pasta connoisseur' entails, so feel free to enlighten me."

"WHEN MONSTERS WERE STILL UNDERGROUND MY MENTOR UNDYNE TAUGHT ME THE ART OF SPAGHETTI. IT WAS PASSION. IT WAS BOLD. IT WAS FIRE! AND I LOVED SHARING IT WITH OTHERS." Papyrus smiled, reflecting on the various surprised looks of the Snowdin monsters as he gifted them spaghetti. It brought them all so much closer together.

"WHEN I CAME TO THE SURFACE I PLANNED TO MASTER MY CRAFT, ALONG WITH PURSUING MY DREAM OF DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. IT SEEMED HUMANS HAD NOT STOPPED WITH JUST SPAGHETTI. THE DISH WAS PERFECT, BUT THEY MADE MORE TO SHARE!" Papyrus spread out his arms. "I HAVE WORKED TO TRY THE DIFFERENT KINDS AND ADD THEM TO MY SKILLS EVER SINCE!"

It was slightly concerning that he thought the art was fire, but she hoped it was a metaphor, or maybe he'd caught up with recent slang. She hoped. "That sounds amazing, Papyrus. I'm glad the surface has given you so much." The fate of monsters always made her ache with sadness when it was brought up, but at least he seemed happy to be here. "NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus beamed down at her. "THE SURFACE IS WONDERFUL! EVEN MY LAZY BROTHER IS PUTTING IN EFFORT! THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD MAKE IT BETTER WOULD BE IF I WAS IN THE ROYAL GUARD!" Papyrus paused. "WHICH IS NOW DISBANDED." There were monster policemen, and talks of an honor guard for the king, but it wasn't the same. Which was a good thing! They didn't need to capture humans anymore! Papyrus beamed at the thought. She managed to tear herself away from that precious smile long enough to grab a half gallon of milk. "If you want-- and I'm not royalty, sadly-- You can be my 'guard'. Lord knows I attract enough trouble," Shannon offered with a small smile. "But like, if you want. It's not a requirement or anything, just since yours was disbanded." She was so incredibly kind. They had barely met, and already she wanted to help make up for his lost dream. It was just perfect. Papyrus glowed with happiness. "I WOULD BE HONORED TO PLAY YOUR GUARD FRIEND. YOU ARE WONDERFUL!" Looking around for something suitable, Shannon settled on a can of Pringles and gestured for Papyrus to come down to her height. "On this, my favorite flavor," Shannon started, tapping each of his shoulders, holding back giggles. "I dub thee guard." Papyrus knelt down and laughed with her at the ridiculous little ceremony. It was a far cry from what he'd dreamed but somehow perfect here. "I WILL DO MY BEST!" "Your best is perfect, Papyrus," she laughed, setting the chips into the cart. "You'll have your hands full with me, so that's all I can ask." Papyrus beamed. He stopped to pick up a few large bottles of ketchup before continuing on. "WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS?" Questions about herself were always hard to answer when they were so open ended. "Um, huh." Shannon shrugged, scrutinizing the mass collection of ketchup. "I just want to be comfortable, safe, and happy. When I was younger, I wanted to design the plots and lore for games, though. Write out worlds and let people interact with them," she admitted, chuckling softly. "A far cry from what I ended up doing with my life." "A WORLD BUILDER? WOW THAT SOUNDS INCREDIBLE! I BET YOUR WORLDS ARE AMAZING!" Papyrus smiled down at her and patted her shoulder. "I CAN CERTAINLY HELP WITH THE COMFORTABLE PART. YOU SHOULD VISIT MY HOUSE! IT IS VERY COMFORTABLE! I AM SURE IT WILL GIVE YOU GREAT IDEAS!" She blinked at him for a moment, surprised with his enthusiastic reaction. "Oh... Thanks, that's nice of you to say," Shannon murmured with a small smile. "I'd be happy to. I try to make my little apartment as cozy as possible, but it's an apartment. There's only so much I can do. Plus," she added, nudging Papyrus gently. "With that sense of style, I'd love to see your take on interior decorating." Papyrus nudged her back gently. "NYEH HEH HEH! I DO HAVE IMPECCABLE TASTE!" "I'm sure you do, big guy. How could you not? Look at you, that's one fine look you've got going," she giggled, maneuvering herself out of his nudging range. "I'd love to come over some time." She was flirting with him! Papyrus' cheeks dusted a pale orange. "TONIGHT?" He would make sure the house was at its best. Maybe he'd even get Sans to pick up his sock! He had no idea how Sans had managed to drop a sock in the living room again. She was already dressed and ready to meet other people, why not? "Sure, I'd like that." Shannon pushed her cart into the checkout lane and waited, taking the time to settle out details. Papyrus cheerfully paid for his groceries and wished the cashier a wonderful day. "WOULD YOU CARE TO BE ESCORTED TO YOUR HOME TO DELIVER YOUR GROCERIES, OR DO YOU WANT TIME TO PREPARE? I UNDERSTAND MY GREATNESS CAN BE OVERWHELMING."

"I'll take the stuff home myself, don't worry about it. And I'll let you make sure your place is in top form-- I wouldn't expect any less of my loyal guard," Shannon teased, waving a hand. "I'm kidding, I don't really care." Papyrus laughed even as part of him took it seriously. "I'LL SEE YOU IN A COUPLE HOURS THEN! I'LL TEXT YOU MY ADDRESS!" She dug out her car keys from one of many jacket pockets and gave him a little wave, showing off her cute keychain. "Okay! Drive safe, Papyrus, I'll see you later." Papyrus texted her his address as soon as he was home, then set to work cleaning the house. The groceries were put away, the floor was vacuumed, and Sans was busy working in the basement. He told Sans a friend would be coming and received a grunt in acknowledgement, but he wouldn't be surprised if Sans forgot. He prepared to make his best friendship spaghetti for his new friend. As soon as she got the message, Shannon figured the time she needed to leave and how much was left to make herself a little more presentable. She straightened out her clothes and ran a lint brush over them to make sure she wouldn't shed too badly in his house. In the bathroom, a little conditioning spray went on, smoothing down the curls around her face. Too soon, it was already time to leave. Nerves twisted in her gut as she approached the right address. Papyrus perked up as he heard steps at the door. He raced over and flung it open. "FRIEND!" Her hand hovered in the air with surprise, having prepared to knock. "Uh, hi," she tried to save it with a little wave. "I really like what you've done out front." "THANK YOU! GYFTMAS IS SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE ALL YEAR!" "I can't argue with that," she nodded. "Is there anything I should know before I meet your brother?" "HE'S BUSY WORKING ON A SECRET PROJECT, SO WE WON'T SEE HIM UNTIL DINNER. HE'S A GREAT GUY, AS LONG AS YOU IGNORE HIS PUNS." "Sounds like...a busy guy." Shannon shifted a bit uncomfortably and smiled up at Papyrus. "Can I come in now? It's a little cold out here." Papyrus nodded. "OF COURSE! SORRY!" He waved her in and headed back to the kitchen where the spaghetti was cooking. "MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME." Inside the house and warming up, she let out pleased sigh. "No worries. It looks nice around here," Shannon complimented as she looked around. "Do you want me in the kitchen with you?" "YOUR COMPANY WOULD BE MOST PLEASANT AND ACCEPTED." Papyrus moved the pot off the stove and hummed cheerfully as he dumped a burnt cheesy spaghetti sauce on the crispy noodles. He put the dishes in a sink almost taller than him and began to stir the noodles violently. "And it's easier to keep me nice and guarded if we're in the same room, I'll bet," she said playfully, following along. Nothing could have prepared her for the horrors that had been done to that pasta. "Um... Papyrus, hun? Is everything okay?" "YES, WHY?" Papyrus asked. He looked around. "I WILL CLEAN UP AS SOON AS THE FOOD IS READY!" Is this what'd he'd meant by connoisseur? She bit back a shiver, watching blackened sauce fleck the counter around Papyrus. "Well-- Humans, at least, don't usually... Cook their spaghetti like that," Shannon tried to be gentle. "THEY DON'T?" Papyrus gasped. "HOW DO THEY DO IT?" "Um, we..." How was she supposed to explain spaghetti, she wondered, children could cook this. "You boil it until it's slightly soft, then dump out the water. And if you use sauce, you put it in a pot on the stove under low heat for a few minutes." Papyrus frowned. "BUT HOW DO YOU SHOW YOUR PASSION IN COOKING IT?" "Well, some people say spices," she laughed. "But as long as you are passionate about it, it'll come through in the food regardless, I think." Papyrus hummed in thought. "YOU SHALL HAVE TO SHOW ME YOUR TECHNIQUE NEXT TIME YOU VISIT." He turned around and dished out the abused spaghetti. Then he went to a door and hollered down it. "SANS! DINNER!" "on it bro." A much shorter skeleton walked into the kitchen from somewhere. He was wearing a very faded blue hoodie with grease stains on it, and black oil patches on the edge of his sleeves. In contrast the pink bunny slippers with googly eyes looked brand new. "huh, company. sup. i'm sans. sans the skeleton." Her stomach was going to raise hell about this later. She smiled uneasily and took a seat in front of a plate, staring warily at her doom. “Oh, hi,” her head lifted. “It’s— Okay, it’s nice to meet you and my name is Shannon, but are you like—good? You okay?” Sans tilted his head, grin on his face. "yeah. not the first time i've had my bro's spaghetti." Papyrus returned and took a seat of his own. "PLEASE, DIG IN!" He cheerfully took a huge mouthful. “That’s— you know what, alright.” She waved it off, it wasn’t the time to press and come off rude within three minutes of an introduction. The spaghetti crunched, to her horror, as she stuck the fork in.  Maybe if she chewed fast enough nothing would register. She shoveled in a bit and regretted it immediately.

Papyrus was cheerfully oblivious to Shannon's pain, even as Sans laughed silently. "did you hear about the italian chef?" “No,” she choked out, forcing herself to swallow. The...love in there was truly...something else. “What about him?” "he pasta way." Papyrus froze, horror in his expression. A deadpan stare was thrown towards Sans, though it may have been muddled by the tears in her eyes. “Oh. I see. He was a great chef, may we never sphagetto bout him.” "NO. NOT PUNS!" Sans laughed. "here today, gone tomato." Despite laughing, she threw an apologetic smile Papyrus’ way. “Not a big fan, I take it?” Papyrus shook his head. "NO! HIS PUNS ARE HORRIBLE!" "you're smiling," Sans teased. He winked. "You are smiling, Papyrus," Shannon conceded. "Puns are alright in my joke book." She looked down when the terrible stench wafting from her plate was suddenly absent, blinking at her now cleared plate. Papyrus looked at her plate. "WOW YOU MUST HAVE REALLY ENJOYED THAT. DO YOU WANT MORE?" Oh she definitely enjoyed it being gone. "Oh, uh, yeah! I could just... taste your passion in it, Paps. Couldn't resist it," she lied nervously, offering a smile. "But I think I might've stuffed myself on it." "THAT'S ALRIGHT. YOU READY TO WATCH MTT?" Sans finished his own plate and left, absently waving at Papyrus and Shannon. "Sure. Can you tell me what I'm in for, at least?" Shannon asked, curious as to what exactly she had agreed to view. "Bye, Sans, it was nice to meet you!" "gouda to meet you too," Sans answered absently. Papyrus huffed, but cheerfully left to the living room. "IT'S A VARIETY SHOW STARRING THE UNDERGROUND'S BIGGEST CELEBRITY METTATON!" She wondered to herself if she'd made a bad impression on Sans. He seemed... Rather distant, especially compared to his brother. But then again, he had saved her from Death Noodles. "....remind me to thank him later," Shannon murmured. "For... The puns. I don't know about Mettaton much, but I'm always here for a variety show!" Papyrus beamed. "YOU'LL LOVE THIS!" Papyrus settled down and clicked on the tv. A very sexy looking robot stepped out and greeted the audience, and the show started rolling. It was completely illogical, musical, and random. Papyrus loved It. "I'll take your word on it." Shannon settled down on the couch a little stiffly, being in a new place, and tried to make sense of the show. There was absolutely no plot or point, but... It was entertaining. "How have I never heard of Mettaton before, he's gorgeous?" "HE IS EXTREMELY SEXY," Papyrus agreed. "HE'S THE FIRST MONSTER TO STAR ON THE SURFACE. HE STARTED HIS NEW RELEASES A COUPLE MONTHS AGO!" She made a noise of understanding. "Oh, that'd be why. I don't keep up with TV very well," she admitted, leaning back and relaxing a little. "But if his other stuff is anything like this, I might have to catch up." "I CAN LEND YOU MY COLLECTION," Papyrus offered. "I TAPED EVERY SHOW." "Wait... Really?" Shannon asked excitedly. "That means I can binge watch it! Yes please, thank you!" she enthused, grinning brightly. Papyrus beamed. His new human friend was so wonderful! She loved MTT, pasta, and playfully offered for her to act as his guard. "I'LL GET THEM AFTER THE SHOW!" "Thanks, Paps, I really appreciate it." The show played on, and eventually she found herself curled up comfortably on the couch and leaning on Papyrus while they marveled at Mettaton's stage presence.

It got late. Papyrus was surprised to realize it was already eleven. Sans stepped into the room. "hey. having a sleepover?" "SANS. BEDTIME ALREADY?" Papyrus asked. "yeah bro. your friend staying?" Papyrus turned to Shannon and gave her a pleading look. She glanced dazedly over at Sans. Had it really gotten this late? "Mm... Yeah, okay," Shannon agreed. There was no way she could drive home this tired and while it was this dark. "Sorry we didn't tell you sooner, Sans." "that's fine." Sans directed a warm tired smile at her. "just means two bedtime stories 'stead of one. you need to borrow pajamas?" Papyrus gasped. "I CAN SHOW YOU MY RACECAR BED!" “Slow down there speed racer, I’m fine with the couch, no need to give up your bed,” she laughed, reaching over to give Papyrus’ arm a pat. “I will say yes to the pajamas, though, if that’s okay.” Papyrus pouted. "ARE YOU SURE? IT IS A GREAT BED. I OFTEN DREAM OF RACING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WITH THE WIND IN MY HAIR IN IT." She shook her head, smiling. “Even if you are my loyal guard, I’m not kicking you out of your own bed.” Plus, if he needed a bedtime story that was fine, but she wasn’t going to make Sans adjust for her too. "i'll make sure they're taken care of bro," Sans promised. Papyrus looked between Shannon and Sans, twisting his hands together.

"ARE YOU REALLY SURE?" “I’m sure. This couch is amazing, I’ll be fine,” she reassured, unsure of how to react to the proposal of Sans taking care of her. “Go get some sleep, Paps, it’s bedtime.” Papyrus nodded and headed upstairs. Sans meandered up after him. While Papyrus changed into his pajamas Sans found a relatively clean shirt and pair of shorts for Shannon. He came back down with a blanket for the couch.

"here ya go. hope these fit." In the meantime, she dug out an emergency contact case from her purse and took out the lenses. “Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Thanks, though.” She suddenly realized two things—  The location of a bathroom for her to change in was a mystery, and she could barely see, anyway. “Could I ask you to point me towards a bathroom?” "no problem. it's just down the hall." Sans gestured to a tiny hall with a door hidden in shadows. “Cool, thanks.” Her hip bumped into an end table as she carefully started in the right direction, then into the wall beginning the hall. “Oof, I’m worse at this than I remember,” Shannon mumbled to herself. She blindly groped for the wall and started to feel along it. "need a hand?" When she hit a painting with her hands, Shannon stopped and sighed. “Yeah, think I do.” Sans came down the hall and took Shannon's hand. It was oddly soft compared to the ridges of his bones. He gently lead her to the bathroom and flipped the light on. "here ya go." “Thanks. Sorry I’m imposing so much tonight,” she apologized with a little smile. “I’ll be right out.” "no prob. thanks for hanging with my bro." Her clothes were off and replaced rather quickly. She was so eager to be rid of that damn bra. “Oh, no problem,” Shannon emerged from the bathroom, old clothes tucked under her arm. “Thank you for.. Not dinner. He’s great, but I may have to give him a cooking lesson or two.” Sans chuckled. "he's gotten better. it's edible now." He guided her back to the couch. "my brother is really cool. he keeps on cooking. he's determined to be great." She wrapped her hand back around his gratefully. “Oh, he wants to be great at cooking?” He would need a lot of work, but it was admirable how passionate Papyrus was about seemingly everything.  “I already helped with the guard thing, what’s a cooking lesson or seventeen.” Sans chuckled. "thanks for that." He left her at the couch and headed into Papyrus' room to read him Fluffy Bunny. “Sure, no problem,” Shannon smiled, throwing a little wave as he left. She got comfortable on the couch and wrapped herself up in the blanket to try and doze off.