Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You fell. And what a stupid fall it was. After all that time, all that determination, all your Hope. Nothing even mattered because you fell. And now you’re dead. Or, at the very least, close to it. You can still feel pain, which you suspect is something that dead people don’t usually feel. All you can do for now is keep your eyes closed and hope for the best, be it death or salvation.

‘TIME TO GET UP!’ a voice in your mind tells you and you involuntarily move so you’re sitting on the flower carpeted ground. Great, they’re still here.

‘is that any way to thank an old pal?’ another voice asks and you groan even louder. You rub your face violently, the only thing that ever gets the voices to quiet down, and stand up. At least they’re only voices and not real. They aren’t real, right? They like to say that they are but they’ve yet to prove it.

‘oh we’re real all right.’ You don’t deign the voice with a response, instead glancing around to take in your surroundings. Looks like you fell a very long way. The hole you came from is too high up to climb. Even if you were some sort of professional climber (you aren’t), the hole curves inward on itself, making it impossible to safely scale without the correct equipment.

You look below you, at the flowers that somehow cushioned your fall. The ones directly below you are somewhat crushed, but you can see them slowly rising into their original form. They give off a pleasant scent, but you know better. These are buttercups and highly toxic. If you were to eat one… You would surely fall ill, at the very least.

‘YOU SHOULD TAKE ONE WITH YOU!’ one of the voices pipes up. It’s different from the previous two voices, almost an odd mixture of the two. You stoop down to grab one of the flowers. Even if the voices are just your imagination, they’ve never steered you wrong. You tuck the flower behind your ear, then look around for anything that might have survived your fall. You sigh in relief when you spot your Grandpa’s Music Box and your Grandma’s Lantern. (Something To Keep You Calm And Something To Light Your Path.) A voice, completely different from the ones that usually plague you pipes up.

‘head outta that room. it’s giving me the creeps.’ a deeper, scratchier voice speaks over the still echoing voice in your head. You grimance and walk forward, keeping your eyes on the ground. The voices in your head grumble. They don’t like it when they can’t see the entire world around them. You make sure your hair covers even more of your vision.

The next room you come to is wide with a singular strip of grass in the middle. You walk around the grass without much of a hassle. (The Creature Is Late. Or Are You Early?) the same new voice from earlier pipes up. They’re a bit more… narrative, let’s say, than the rest of the voices that fill your mind.

You aren’t too keen on finding out who ‘The Creature’ is, so you continue forward. The voices seem to appreciate your decision. You’re sure if you stopped, they would have told you to keep moving forward.

You enter a room with two staircases leading up to a door next. There’s a pile of leaves at the bottom of the staircases and you step forward to kick at them. You find a four pronged star in the middle of the pile and reach out to touch it. The star glimmers before becoming smaller and floating into your palm. (You Gain Some Hope.) The voices choose this exact moment to shut up and let you have a moment to yourself. You carefully bring the star closer to you and it floats into your Grandma’s Lantern. There isn’t a candle in the lantern, but the small star serves as good enough lumination for you to continue forward.

The next room has six stones carved into the ground and a sign next to a shut door. You try the door first. It doesn’t budge. You look at the sign. (Only The Fearless May Proceed. Brave Ones, Foolish Ones. Both Walk Not The Middle Road.) You glance back at the pedestals but before you can step forward to solve the apparent puzzle before you, five separate voices say the word ‘Gasp!’ in your mind and all scramble to direct you in solving the puzzle. You wait patiently for a while. Then, when you’ve had enough, you step forward and press down all of the outer stones, avoiding the two middle ones. And audible *click* is heard and you turn to the door.

There, standing with their paw hovered in the air, a shocked look on their face, is a bipedal goat. For a while, you just stare. They stare right back. The two of you stare for so long that the voices in your mind begin to grow restless. A few tell you to bow to the queen. A few mention goat puns. You feel a migraine coming on.

“Oh! Hello, child. I see you have completed the first of many puzzles in the Ruins, and with nary a scratch to be seen!” A pleasant voice fills your ears and the tension leaves your shoulders. Her voice is smooth and motherly. There is an imperceptible deepness to her voice that reminds you of a harp or some other deep string instrument. The voices in your head are finally silent and you step forward to greet the motherly creature in front of you.

‘Hello. My name is y/n. It is nice to meet you.’ You sign to the person before you. You’re surprised when recognition crosses her features and she signs right back.

‘I am Toriel, Caretaker of the Ruins. If you would like, I can lead you through the catacombs.’ She gestures behind her and you are quick to sidle up to her side. She explains that she marked the answers to the next puzzle and you are quick to solve it. The louder voices in your head speak up to try and direct you while the softer tones tell you to press the unmarked switch. You sigh in relief when the puzzle is done.

You and Toriel make it through the Ruins quite quickly. She apparently has a pie already cooking at home and doesn’t want it to burn. You follow close to her as she glares at all monsters that attempt to approach you. Finally, you end up at Toriel’s house. It’s so cute and warm that you can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of Calm. The light in your lantern glimmers for a moment before dimming to its usual brightness. You enter the cute house after a while of admiring it’s exterior and are even more amazed by what greets you inside. It’s so warm and cute. You could stay here forever. The voices in your head tell you to move on. You’ll stay here just to spite them.

‘This is a very lovely house, Ms.Toriel. Would it be alright if I stay here for a while?’ You ask the motherly figure before you. She brightens up at your words and nods enthusiastically, then leads you to a room that looks like it once belonged to a little kid. She gently pats your head and lets out a soft chuckle. It sounds like the tinkling of bells.

“I hope you don’t mind. I don’t have much, but I’m sure we can have a happy life here.” Toriel tells you, then walks into the living room. You watch her as she goes, then turn to your new room. It’s quite cute, just like the rest of the house, but the bed is just big enough to fit you in it. You pull the covers down and enter the bed, snuggling in under the warm duvet. The voices in your mind soon stop talking when there is nothing for them to nitpick over and you are left to your own thoughts.

Toriel mentioned that the creatures down here are called monsters. You suspect the staircase leads outside of the Ruins, but you aren’t too keen on leaving anytime soon. Perhaps you can get Toriel to teach you more of this place. She talked about monsters having magic… You wonder if you could have magic, too. The lantern that is now sitting on your bedside table flickers with the small star left inside of it. You pull out your Grandpa’s Music Box and wind it up. A completely new song begins to play.

As the gentle melodies drift from the music box, you gently write lyrics on your arms. You haven’t heard a new song from your grandpa’s music box in so long and now that something new is playing… You kind of want to sing. There’s a pregnant pause in your mind. It feels like the voices are holding in their breaths. You decide you’ll sing some other time… When they aren’t listening.

There’s a knock on the other side of your new bedroom door and you give a loud, hopefully positive hum. Toriel carefully opens the door and the scent of fresh baked goods fill your senses. Toriel slides in and sits on your bedside, handing you your plate after she’s settled. You admire the small flower shaped decorations adorning the top of the pie before giving your new friend a wide smile. She really is motherly.

“You’re probably hungry after all that walking. It’s butterscotch-cinnamon pie. Perhaps next time, we shall have snail pie.” Toriel offers and by the way her face stays completely still you get the feeling she isn’t joking. Well, you’ve heard escargot tastes good. Maybe a pie made of them will be just as good?

You take a bite of the pie in front of you, savoring the delicate balance of flavors. Two of the voices in your head make animalistic growls. They don’t like it when you eat without them. You make a point of chewing harder.

“...good.” You whisper after a moment, staring solely at the lady in front of you. You feel like she deserves at least that much, for all of her kindness and hospitality. Even if your words are only meant for Toriel, the voices in your head rejoice and immediately begin coaxing you to say more. You clamp your chapped mouth shut.

“Oh, so you do know how to speak! That is very good. Do you have a good vocabulary? Do you read much? I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, so if you need any help in your studies, feel free to ask me!” Toriel offers and you don’t want to disappoint her. Instead of responding, you open your mouth in a wide yawn, which makes her realize that you are probably tired and want to go to sleep. She reaches next to you and turns off the lamp, gathers your now empty plate and fork, then gently coos a ‘good night’ to you and exits your room.

The voices in your mind begin to tease you about going soft on the old lady, breaking your ‘promise’ to never speak again. It’s their fault you don’t talk or sing anymore… You were very social in your youth but too many loud curses directed at nobody in particular left your school mates to label you as a delusional freak. You decided to just shut up after your best friend admitted to only befriending you because they wanted to test out a social experiment on you. Until that point, you were a very skilled singer. Now, you haven’t sung in years. You fear for a moment that you might not even be able to do it anymore.

You eventually drift into a restless sleep, the voices in your mind still whispering teases and encouragements and insults. You dream of glass cages and stars; music boxes and grinning skulls.

Chapter Text

The next day, you awake to the sound of your door opening. It’s Toriel. She tells you she knocked but you wouldn’t respond so she got worried. You sign to tell her that it’s okay and was probably for the best.

‘I want to look around the ruins, if that’s alright with you. We didn’t get to see much on our rush to get here.’ You tell Toriel, who looks surprised before agreeing that it would be for the best for you to look around and familiarize yourself with the different puzzles and monsters in the area.

Toriel gives you a leftover piece of pie from the night before, then waves you off, but not before having you promise to come back safe. You wave goodbye, then take off.

The first place you want to visit is the room to your left when you walk out of the area Toriel’s house is in. It sounds like there are many small voices from the place and there is the slight smell of fresh produce. You enter the room and are met with a balcony overlooking a small city filled with different monsters. A froggit hops up to your side and lets out a low croak, then tilts its head to the side. You follow its gaze and your eyes land on a small plastic knife.

You cautiously approach the old instrument and pick it up. (A Toy Knife. Made Of Plastic, A Rarity Nowadays.) You frown a bit as the newer voice fills your mind. You’ve seen plenty of plastic knives for children filling stores and whatnot. Maybe they’re talking about down here, in the underground.

“Ribbit. Ribbit. (You’re a strange human. I wonder what you will do.)” The froggit tells you. It’s voice is deep and bubbly, much like a regular frog. You can hear the undertones of a bassoon in his tone. It’s enjoyable to listen to. The voices in your mind wish you would stop paying attention to the frog. You decide it’ll be fun if he came with you on your exploration.

You take out your music box and fiddle with it for a moment before winding it up and playing an old song you heard once before. (Come Along Now… We’ll Sing A Song Of Days Gone By…) Froggit doesn’t understand you but decides to follow you anyway.

You and the Froggit travel through the ruins, the frog monster occasionally making low croons towards you or directing you a different way. You come to a room with three other froggits in it and they all let out melodious croaks your way. You briefly humor the idea of creating a frog choir, but you can’t communicate with the adorable monsters correctly so you decide to give up on the idea.

In one of the rooms you walk through, Froggit falls into a pit trap in the ground and you watch sadly as he goes. Only a few moments later, he comes sliding down a nearby chute, an indignant croak sounding from the back of his throat. You look him over for injuries but the only thing you find is a faded red ribbon. You reach out and untangle it from around his throat and a voice you’re beginning to become too familiar with fills your mind.

(A Faded Ribbon. If You’re Cuter, Monsters Won’t Hit You As Hard.) Monsters hit people? The thought isn’t entirely outlandish, but the monsters you’ve met so far haven’t even attempted to talk to you, other than Toriel and the Forggit that’s chilling in front of you.

Rather than dwell on the thought, you decide to continue forward. There’s still a lot of the Ruins you have yet to look at. You enter the room next to the Froggit room and see a white sheet lying amongst the rocks and weeds. You approach cautiously and lean down to look at the sheet. It has eyes and you come to the realization that this is probably a monster. ‘NAPSTABLOOK IS QUITE SHY. PERHAPS YOU SHOULD ASK HIM ABOUT HIS SNAILS. OR MAYBE COMPLIMENT HIS MIXTAPES!’ One of the voices pipes up in the back of your mind. Well, if this monster is shy, you don’t want to bother them. At the same time, you want to look around the rest of the ruins…

‘Hello. I don’t mean to be a bother, but could I get past you?’ You sign to the monster that’s staring at you. You wait for a reply, but they just stare at you despondently. You wait a little while longer. They continue to stare. You let out a puff of air and reach into your pocket for your music box, think for a moment, then decide on the perfect song to play.

(When The World’s Not Perfect… When The World’s Not Kind… You Should Know I’ll Be There For You…) The ghost watches as you hum a couple of the notes and settle beside him, content to just rest for a while. The voices in your mind settle down as a couple notes escape your closed mouth. The melody is so familiar to you… The second main verse, especially, reminds you of your Grandparents’ relationship. They were always together, even when the going got rough. You hope to one day have that type of relationship with someone, even if it’s just platonic.

“Wow……. I usually come here to avoid people…… but today i met someone like me……” The ghost trails off and sits up. They seem to rifle around for something for a second before procuring a set of earphones and a cassette player. They offer you the earphones which you gratefully take and place on your head.

A spooky tune resounds through your head, making the voices go quiet, supposedly out of fear. You appreciate the moments of reprieve you receive and begin thinking of lyrics that could go with the spookwave. Perhaps you could finally get some singing practice in as it seems the voices in your mind have retreated.

“Can you hear me?” You voice after a moment. The ghost gives you an odd look and nods his head at you. You get no other reply. Relief. You haven’t felt that emotion in so long.

“This is really good! Do you think I could keep a track of it on my music box?” You ask the ghost, who cautiously nods his head. You grin widely and take out a sheet of delicate rolled metal from your pocket.

Your music box can take in the world’s sounds and make its own tracks with ease, but organic music like this can’t be recorded, so you’ve learned how to write it down over the years. The ghost watches you work with interest as you quickly jot down the notes the spooky song is throwing your way and after only a few minutes and about two repeats of the song, you have it completely written out.

“how…... does that work?” He asks as you place the rolled sheet of metal into your instrument. You take a few minutes to explain how a music box works, showing him how the small nicks in the sheet of metal click against the small metal grid to make sounds. You wind up your box and let it play its new song and a perfect rendition of the ghost’s song plays.

The ghost, who introduces himself as Napstablook, looks interested in using your methods to write a new song. You offer to teach him and even give him a sheet of metal to practice on. The two of you converse about music for a while before you wave him goodbye and he sinks into the floor.

You decide to continue on your way, towards the place you first dropped down. The path is simple enough and you manage to befriend a few more monsters on the way, even without your words. All of the Froggits seem to like you and a particularly brave Whimsun comes forward to hand you a piece of gold before quickly retreating into the distance. You take a scrap of paper from your pockets and write a quick thank-you note to the shy monster before walking away.

Finally, after so long walking through the Ruins, you make it back to your original starting place. Much like the day before, there are golden flowers strewn about and light filtering in from on high. Unlike yesterday, there is a small human child splayed out across the soft flowers.

Chapter Text

You stand over the sleeping body of the child, not entirely sure what to do. Like, what are you supposed to do when you find someone passed out in a meadow of yellow flowers? Wake them up? You gently nudge them with your hand, hoping that will be enough to get them to stir. It appears it is not. Instead, you pluck a stick from the floor (A Stick. It’s Bark Is Worse Than Its Bite) and prod the child in the side with it.

After a few minutes of poking at the child in front of you, they groan and bat the stick away. The voices in your mind remind you to be on guard and you follow their directions; stepping a few feet away. The child sits bolt upright, their eyes wide and glazed over, as if waking up from a nightmare. When they land on you, a look of confusion crosses their features and they scoot back a little.

‘Where are the monsters? What did you do?’

‘I’m not sure how you knew there were monsters down here, but they’re around. As for what I did, I fell just yesterday. It’s nice to see another human face, but I wish you were a bit older. For a kid to be down here… It’s worrisome.’ You trail off and your hands slow down. You weren’t entirely expecting to interact with another human for a while, so this interaction is kind of throwing you. The child seems just as confused as you are.

‘I suppose it could be. But I think the light in your lamp is more worrisome. How’d you get a Save to follow you around like that?’ The child asks, then gestures to the lantern clutched in your hand. This kid seems to know a lot more than you’re giving them credit for. Perhaps you should be a bit more wary of them.

‘I don’t know what a save is, but i’m guessing you’re talking about the star in my lantern. I’m not sure why the light decided to come with me, but it’s something that happens on occasion. Back when I was on the surface, it would act a lot like that one flashlight thing in Harry Potter; y’know, the thing that Ron gets from Dumbledore.’ You explain and the child's face scrunches up in confusion. You begin to think that they might not know about Harry Potter and regret your choice of wording. What if they really wanted to read that for themself?

‘You’re saying your lantern is like the deluminator from Harry Potter? So is it a magic item or something?’ The child questions but you only shrug in reply. You have no clue what they’re talking about.

‘Ugh, whatever. Let’s just move on.’ They say, then step towards the exit of the room. You watch them curiously as they maneuver all of the rocks that would trip them and kick some rocks in such a way that it seems like they’ve done it a hundred times before.

In the next room is that familiar small patch of grass, but this time, something pops out of it. (The Creature Is On Time.) You shudder at the tone of the voice and take a step back, leaving you in the shadows as the child takes another step forward to face the flower shaped creature.

“Howdy! I’m FLOWEY. FLOWEY the FLOWER!” You give the flower a blank look. You’re good with sounds and people’s voices and there’s not a doubt in your mind that his entire demeanour is fake.

“You’re new to the UNDERGROUND, aren’tcha?” You decide to pick up your courage, if only to protect the child in front of you, and walk forward, dragging the child behind you. “Oh! And would you look at that! Another human.” Flowey drawls in his fake honeyed voice. The voices in your mind are either telling you to run away or kill the monster before he can kill you. You stand your ground, just to spite them.

“Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do.” Flowey drones on and on. Even when you raise your hands to start signing to him, he continues to speak. You feel annoyed, but resolve to just be patient and let him talk.

“Ready? Here we go!” All of a sudden, the world goes dark and a tugging is felt from your chest. You watch in amazement as a brightly glowing teal heart pops out of you, then turn to the child beside you. They have a little red heart floating in front of them, but it’s different from yours in that there are no wisps of orange, red and blue trailing from it. There is, however, a trail of orangish-yellow curling around the small heart.

You look forward to address Flowey, who’s looking at your heart curiously. You feel violated. The voices in your mind feel angry. All of them are telling you to kill the monster in front of you now. You purse your lips a bit and look back at the child, who seems unperturbed by what’s going on.

“See that? It’s your SOUL, the very culmination of your being! Your SOUL starts off weak but you can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV.” The voices in your mind grumble at Flowey’s vague terminology. ‘LV stands for LOVE. or, in other words, Level Of Violence.’ You shudder when one of the voices grounds that out. Perhaps you don’t want to grow stronger in the way Flowey wants you to.

‘C’mon, kid. Let’s get out of here. I don’t trust this guy.’ You tell the child beside you. They give you a weird look and reach their hand out to take your outstretched one but before you can drag them away from the encounter, Flowey gathers some white spinning… things around his head. He calls them Friendliness Pellets. Something tells you they won’t be too friendly to your apparent 1 HP.

“Jump around, get as many as you can!” Flowey purrs at you and the child. You frown and pick the child up. Their soul follows them, which is relieving. You drag the child around the white pellets, effectively dodging the onslaught.

The flower frowns at you, which is concerning. He’s really angry that you dodged his attacks, it seems. You don’t get a chance to defend yourself from his next attack as he sends more pellets flying your way. You manage to dodge these ones, too, even if they fly at you a lot faster. Flowey finally seems to be getting fed up at you and hurls a final attack towards you. Unfortunately, you trip at the worst possible time, sending the child in your arms flying while you’re left to get hit by all of the bullets.

The last thing you see before blacking out is the child’s blank face and a single tear tracking down their face. (They Won’t Forgive The Creature This Time.)

.

..

…

“Ow.” You groan when you finally come to. Stars above… Not this again! You groan as you glance around, safely landed in a pile of plush toys. This time… There’s a child next to you. They look kind of similar to the one you had with you before, but their green and yellow sweater is too different and you’re pretty sure they didn’t have the time to do a full costume change.

You sigh, stand up, lean down, gather the child in your arms, and head out of the room, completely ignoring the tuft of grass on the ground. You aren’t about to go through that again. (It Seems The Creature Was A Bit Too Late.)

The voices in your head are in an uproar. “ARE YOU OKAY?!” “how dare you die, you ungrateful…” “PLEASE DON’T DO THAT AGAIN!” “c’mon, kid. do you really hate us that much?” “WHY DON’T YOU EVER LISTEN WHEN WE TELL YOU WHAT TO DO?”

You let out an increasingly frustrated growl. How dare they pretend to care about you! They don’t know the first thing about you. They don’t know what it’s like having ten voices in your head at all hours of the day, each one either shouting or punning at you! It’s freaking annoying. The lantern that’s now attached to your hip jangles with your quicker footsteps as you cross over the first puzzle, then make quick work of the second one. You just want to get back to Toriel’s house and sit down for a nice piece of pie. Not do… whatever this is.

“Can you please just shut up?!” You eventually shout when the voices reach a fever pitch. You’re going to go insane! Stars! A small chuckle sounds from below you, which makes you glance down. The child has their wide eyes open, a large blush dusting their cheeks. You continue to listen to their loud laughs, which become slightly manic towards the end.

“Ahaha! Oh, geez! I got stuck with a lunatic this time around! Just my luck. So, whatcha gonna do? Kill me? Maim me? Do you wanna feast on my entrails because your land has gone through a famine in the past few years? Or maybe it’s more simple than that and you’re just going to take me to the queen to finally get my soul harvested.” They go on and you’re just kind of confused. What are they talking about?

‘Um… I’m just taking you to where I'm staying. I’m sorry if you’ve been threatened in such ways before, but I promise, the person i’m staying with would never do something like that.’ You fumble with your hands, trying to keep the child balanced while signing your meaning. They give you a confused look before simply shrugging and hopping out of your arms. They hold your shirt and gesture forward, which encourages you to continue on your way. The silence is stifling and with only the voices in your mind shouting at you, you’re getting kind of aggravated.

‘What’s your name?’ You ask the child who’s trailing slightly behind you.

“Chara. Unfortunately, most people mistake me as this ‘Frisk’ person down here, so that’s a thing. I wouldn’t try to correct them if I were you. It’s just not worth it.” They tell you and you nod. It makes sense. The two of you continue forward and you notice a few differences from the last time you walked through the Ruins (which wasn’t long enough for all of these differences to start appearing.)

First of all, the monsters were scared of you again! Second of all, the puzzles were all switched around so you had to do them opposite of what they usually were. Thirdly, the walls were blue. The final straw was when you came across a pink highlighted version of Napstablook, just lying down in the spot you first found him.

“Oh……. humans. Would you like to hear my newest album?” The ghost asks and as enthusiastically as you want to reply to the one person you can talk to freely, something is terribly off about your ghost friend. Also, what’s with the new… hair style? Could it really be called that?

You nod but the child still clutching to the bottom of your sweater lets out a scoff. Before you can question what they’re scoffing about, your soul is ripped from your body. Oh shoot.

(Here Comes Mettacrit) You feel a bit more comfortable having your soul out around this ghost than you did with Flowey, but it still doesn’t feel right. You get a bit of time to check out your soul, though, so you do just that. It’s the same Teal color as the last time and there are still those red, blue and orange strings trailing from it. This time, though, there is a small yellow star in the middle of the little heart.
You sigh a bit but decide to just leave your soul be for now. What matters in this moment is confronting Mettacrit. They are patiently waiting for you to make your move. When you make direct eye contact with them, an Options screen fills your vision.

Y/N LV ?? HP (1/1)
*Fight *Act *Item *Mercy

You choose to look at your items, since you aren’t quite sure what you have on your person.

*Buttercup       *Toy Knife
*ButtsPie          *Stick
*Faded Ribbon  *Spook Mix

Strange. You know you have more than those items in your backpack, but you choose to ignore it for now. You go back to the Options screen and decide to Act.

*Check   *Flirt
*Threat  *Cheer

You mull it over for a second before deciding to just Check the monster in front of you. You don’t know much about them so it’s better to just gather information for now.

*METTACRIT - ATK. 10 DEF. 10
*This Monster Doesn’t Seem To Have A Sense Of Fashion…

You frown at the description and look at your opponent to see their reaction. They just glance around sadly before saying “oh yeah….. I’m real stylish.”

Before you can respond, the monster begins… crying? But the tears smell like plasma and when they’re about to hit the floor, they fly back up to the ceiling. You avoid each attack with ease, but it’s not enough. Once a single attack hits your Soul, you fall to your knees.

The ghost looks at you with horror in their eyes, and even if they aren’t Napstablook, you can’t bear to see them look so down. So, you muster all of your strength, stand up, and give them a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry… I’ll be back before you know it. I won’t die before I get to hear your songs. Because… That’s what friends do.” You tell the monster, who has more tears welling up in their eyes. Before you can fall back down, they rush to your side and place something sort of sticky on your wounds.

“I’ll wait for you… human…”

.

..

…

You land on a pile of golden flowers.

Chapter Text

Why are the voices still complaining? You thought they wanted to hear your voice! But noooo, they’re over here like ‘how dare you make a promise like that to a monster you just met?’ and ‘YOU’LL PROBABLY NEVER SEE THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING GHOST AGAIN, SO STOP SNIVELLING AND FINISH GETTING THROUGH THE RUINS!’

You kick a rock harshly and watch it as it flies away from you. Why are these voices so insistent you get out of the ruins? What, are they waiting for you on the other side? You shiver at the thought and decide, even if you keep dying, you’ll stay in the ruins as long as you can. The child asleep in your arms stirs slightly and you shift them to a more comfortable position.

They look identical to the first child you ran into. The only noticeable difference would be their sweater, which is red with black stripes. Even when you prodded them to wake up, they didn’t stir so you decided to take them with you. This time around, you’re determined to get to Toriel’s house and maybe eat some of her delicious pie.

However, there is a little stop you want to make. Since this version of the Ruins is so similar to the one you first woke up in, there’s a room that you missed and want to check out. The room looks different from the glimpse you saw when you first walked through the ruins. Instead of a pedestal with a bowl of brightly colored wrappers in it, there is a single tree-like entity with a small worm nestled atop it.

“Leaves are healthy so I live here now. You can take one if you like.” The worm tells you when you approach it. You glance down at the still sleeping child in your arms and wonder if they would be allowed to get a leaf, too.

You give the worm a questioning look and gesture to the sleeping child. The worm lets out a coo and sends two leaves your way instead of the single one he had first offered. “Make sure the child stays safe and healthy!”

You wave to the worm then exit the room. Observing the leaves in your hand leads to some sort of flavor text popping up just below your line of sight. (“Healthy Leaf” Heals 15 HP. A Weird Worm Said It’s Healthy, So It Must Be For Sure.)

You decide to slowly suck on the leaf as you travel. Perhaps it will soothe the burning pain in your chest.

The voices in your mind are still arguing, which is annoying, but you decide that you can deal with it. The monsters in this place seem a bit braver than the ones in the previous places. You have to dance around to keep them from approaching, but you do end up having to Encounter a few of them. Luckily, they respond well to your music box and don’t send any attacks your way as long as you wind it up before they can start hurling magic your way.

You start to notice them dropping little coins, though, which is kind of a surprise. By the time you get to Napstablook’s usual hang-out spot, you have almost twenty coins.

Instead of turning left like you would to get to the Froggit room, you continue straight and find a room filled with huge webs. There are spiders in the webs, each one almost as big as your head. You almost want to run away screaming, but the scent of fresh baked goods stops you.

You read the sign attached to a smaller web. (Spider Bake Sale! All Proceed Go To Real Spiders. *Spider Donut - Only 7g*) You wonder for a moment what exactly G is, then glance at your pocket that has slowly been filling up with gold coins. Maybe that’s what they’re talking about? You take out seven of the coins and drop them into the web. A huge spider with a satchel wrapped around their back drops down and hungrily picks up the G you’d dropped. The spider waves a single arm and two more spiders drop down, each holding one half of a donut in their spindly legs.

You cautiously take the donut and turn it around in your hands. The spiders give you an expecting look so you take a large bite out of the circular treat. It’s… surprisingly good. You cautiously tuck the rest of the treat away and pull out another seven coins, deciding to get a treat for the still sleeping kid in your arms. You place the donut in their pocket and continue forward. You’re so close to Toriel’s house… Just a little further now.

'Y’know I’ve been awake this whole time, right?’ The child in your arms suddenly signs as you flip a red switch concealed by a pillar. You startle so harshly that you almost drop them, but manage to keep them in your arms.

“Ah, sorry. I couldn’t tell. You have very thick and beautiful eyelashes. Would you like for me to set you down?” You ask the child, who seems to contemplate your words for a moment before shaking their head ‘no’ and gripping onto you tighter.

“I never got your name. That is, if you are the same kid as before. You look… Very similar. Just… Your shirt is different.” You trail off as you reach out to flip another switch. You managed to jump over the spikes in the past places, but the spikes in this world seem a lot sharper and longer.

‘I haven’t met you before so you probably met a different… me. My name is Frisk, but the monsters in this world call me Chara.’ Frisk signs at you and you nod. That kid from the last world said something similar, but the names were mixed up. You wonder what could have possibly happened to get everything so jumbled up. Not to mention what you did to get yourself into the middle of it.

“Man, this is so messed up…” You trail off as the voices in your mind start to get rowdy again. It seems they didn’t realize you were talking until just now and now they want to talk to you. Maybe chide you a bit for dying for the second time in a single day. You glance down at the child in your arms. You would die a hundred times if it meant keeping this child safe. The voices in your mind are not happy at all with your line of thinking.

“You should have something to eat. You must be hungry, right? I put a spider donut and a healthy leaf in your pocket.” You tell the child who scrunches up their nose at your words.

‘Food down here is a valuable resource. You shouldn’t eat it unless it’s absolutely necessary.’ Frisk tells you and you slightly regret your now full stomach. Even if you get hungry down here… You shouldn’t waste food. You’ll just… Save some food for Frisk and Chara, so they don’t have to go without.

“Even so, I would feel better if you ate. Once we get to Toriel’s, there should be food so you don’t have to worry.” You tell the child, who’s eyes widen at your statement and they start fidgeting out of your hold.

‘Wait! Toriel?! She’s way too dangerous! We’ll get killed if we go there now! Not to mention Flowey is nowhere to be seen. We at least need him first.’ Frisk signs frantically and hops out of your arms. You cautiously steady them, but you’re a little wary now. Flowey killed you once. You don’t want to give him the chance to do it again… But with the way this version of the Ruins is, and the way the monsters here act towards you, it’s completely possible Flowey is some sort of super-kind, forgiving, generous plant with anxiety or something like that. Your thoughts seem to have some sort of summoning property to them because as soon as you think them, a bump in the ground suddenly produces a sad-looking version of the flower who killed you.

“Well would you look at that.” You say, which makes the flower immediately turn around and scream, shooting white bullets every which way. You side-step them with ease, this version of the Ruins preparing you for any sort of attack that could fly your way. You nervously reach for your music box and wind it up, the first song playing after only a few seconds. It’s a soothing melody; one from a video game you played when you were younger. The main character in the game fell into a coma and was sent to a completely different world in a completely new body… Somehow, it reflects your current situation in some twisted; horrific way.

“You calmed down now? Not gonna kill me again? Good. Now, I’m going to probably die very soon with the way my luck has been going so I want you to take care of Frisk while I’m gone. If they have one measly non-monster made scratch on their adorable body, I will personally turn you into a salad and feed you to my aunt’s cow.” You tell the flower, who gulps and nods his head cautiously. You give him a bright smile and nod, then turn on your heel and walk forward; straight into a pit trap. Under the pit are particularly sharp stones. Man, you’re really good at jinxing yourself. You pull up from your hanging position just enough to throw Frisk a wink before falling to your death.

Chapter Text

You wake up in a pile of old, musty toys. Yet another child is passed out beside you and you briefly wonder how many times you will wake up in this sort of situation. The child stirs and peeks their eyes open. When their red irises land on you, they scoot back, startled.

“W-Who are you? Are you going to kill me? Please, I just want to go home!” They shout and you slowly raise your hands in a placating manner.

‘Woah, whoah! Calm down, kid. I’m not gonna hurt you. I’ve been going through some similar situations to this and I can guarantee I have no desire to see you harmed.’ You sign, and the action of watching your hands move seems to calm them down. The kid cautiously lowers to their knees and stares at their hands for a moment before letting out a loud sob. Just like that, the floodgates are open and they’re crying into your side, begging for you to have mercy on them, to help them, to keep them safe. If you weren’t determined to save these children before, you sure were now.

“Don’t worry, kiddo. I’ll keep you safe. As long as I’m alive, I’ll make sure you survive, too.” You hold them close to your body for a while, waiting patiently for them to calm down. When they finally get a grip on their emotions, they cautiously peek their head up in a silent request. You scoop them up and cradle them in your arms, doing everything in your power to keep them as close as possible.

“We’re gonna find a way out of here. And when we do, I'm taking you out for ice cream!” You tell them with a wink. The child lets out a huff of laughter before burrowing further into your hold.

You enter the next room and cautiously look at the tuft of grass on the ground. The Frisk in the last place you went to seemed to be friends with Flowey… Maybe it’s like that here, too? You look at the child still burrowing into your side. They’re also staring at the grass. It takes a few moments, but finally, something pops its head out.

“HoI! Am TeMMie, TemMie thE TeM.” The creature exclaims as they pull themself out of the ground. They look like the stuffed animals you were lying in a few seconds earlier, just more lively. If you could call their torn ears and mangled tail ‘lively’. You get the distinct feeling they’re putting up a front to make themselves more confident than they really are.

“You can cut the crap. I know you’re too weak to hurt us. Not to mention you don’t really want to, do you?” You ask the creature, who’s face falls from it’s confident sneer to a more submissive look. You let out a puff of air and drop to your knees to get closer to the monster that’s now wallowing on the floor.

“Look, I’m fated to die soon. So, do me a favor and watch over the kid while I’m gone. I'm pretty sure I'll be back before too much time passes, but I still don’t like the idea of leaving the kiddo alone in this place. Can you do that for me?” You ask the strange dog-cat thing, who cautiously nods their head. You give them a stern look and they begin nodding their head more vigorously.

“Alright, let’s get a move on. I’m starting to come to the realization that I need to leave the Ruins if I’m ever gonna progress. Might as well get as far as possible while I’m still alive.” You say, then rise to your feet. Temmie gestures to the door before burrowing back underground and you follow their directions to the next room.

You find out that the child in your arms’ name is Chara, but everyone calls them Frisk around here. You’re starting to see a pattern in the naming scheme but don’t voice your thoughts. Eventually, you reach the same trap you fell for last time and jump over it before it can kill you off again. Unfortunately, as soon as you get to the other side of the trap, a Whimsum drags you into an encounter.

Your hand hovers over your music box, but a faint glowing from just below your line of vision stops you.

*Fight   *Act   *Items   *Mercy

Items… You reach into your backpack and look over the many objects you’ve collected over your time in the Ruins.

*Faded Ribbon     *Stick
*Toy Knife           *Bandage
*Butts Pie *Half-Eaten Spdr Dnt
*Spook Mix *Buttercup

You have a lot more items than you first thought you’d have. Your eyes land on the roll of music, which you quickly scoop up and put in your music box. The reaction is immediate. The Whimsum flies away, Temmie burrows under the ground and all of the monsters in the room retreat. You and Chara breathe out a sigh of relief at the new discovery and the two of you settle onto the floor to catch your breath.

“That’s a pretty music box. Where’d you get it?” Chara asks as you set the instrument in between the two of you.

“My Grandpa made it. It was originally made for mood music, literally. It could pick up people’s moods and translate them into music. He called it an enchanted item, but I didn’t really get it until I came down here and it started playing music during encounters that would ease any monster.” You explain and watch as Chara picks up the instrument. They wind it up a bit and an interesting tune begins to play. (It Reminds You Of The Start To A Story.)

The voices in your mind begin to get loud again and you lightly tap your head in an attempt to get them to quiet down. Chara looks up from your music box to watch you rub your forehead. “Ah, you’ve got voices in your mind, too?” They ask and you snap your attention to them

“Wait, you’ve got voices in your mind?” You ask and they shrug their shoulders.

“Just the one. He’s kind of annoying but he’s not all bad.” Chara explains and you feel a pang of jealousy. You wish you only had to deal with one voice…

“What do they call themself? Mine calls himself Asriel.” Chara offers, but you scrunch your nose at her words. Does she talk to her voice?

“I don’t know… They used to tell me their names all the time, but I stopped talking to them long ago. I’ve forgotten… Well, it’s not like I wanted to know them in the first place. They’re either loud or annoying or both.” You tell Chara and they give you a concerned look for a moment before sighing and nodding. You feel as though they just had an internal chat with the voice in their head.

“Well, I can’t force you to talk to them. But I think if you give them a chance, you might find they’re better companions than even the people you meet in real life.” Chara seems so sure of their words that you’re almost convinced. The thoughts of perhaps reaching out to the voices in your mind disperse when a rumble of silent cheers rips through your mind. Geez, never mind.

“Maybe some other day. For now, we should continue forward. I wanna get as far as possible before I die again.” You say, then stand and dust yourself off. Chara follows your actions and moves so they’re behind you and the two of you continue on your journey.

“Why do you always say you’re going to die?” Chara asks after a while of walking.

“ ‘Cause I keep on dying. Whenever that happens, I end up in some other place. Sometimes, I end up in places I was before. It always happens in groups of five, for some reason…” You trail off as your eyes land on a pitfall. You pick Chara up and toss them across the trap before jumping over it yourself. You’re almost safely planted on the other side of the trap, but your knee gives out and you stumble back.

“Ah, looks like it’s time. I’ll see you later, Chara! Stay safe!” You tell the child, then release your hold on the edge of the trap and allow yourself to plummet to your death.

.

..

…

Aaaaaannnd, you’re in a pile of dead flowers. Next to yet another child. This one looks a little older than the other children you’ve run into. They’re pale and thin, which is concerning. They look like a skeleton… A couple voices in your mind chuckle at your line of thought.

You cautiously rise to your feet and gather the child in your arms. They’re almost lighter than Chara, despite being far taller. You contemplate giving them some of your rations and eventually settle on giving them the remnants of your spider donut. Perhaps next time you find them, you’ll have more to give.

You set off, making quick work of the puzzles that get in your way. This version of the Ruins is practically the exact same as the first one you entered, but some of the puzzles are broken or in pieces. You’re stopped from your rushed actions by the floor beneath you rumbling. Flowey pops out of the ground, but they look… Horrifying.

“Um… Flowey?” You question the Flower, who blinks his one eye at you. The two of you stare at eachother for a while before you clear your throat to break the tension.

“I met you in another life, if you’re wondering how I know your name. Though you looked… Very different, to say the least. You doing okay, bud?” You ask the flower, whose only reply is to blink again. Or is he winking? You can’t really be sure.

“Guess I don’t have to go through an introduction then.” Flowey eventually says and you’re confused on how exactly he’s talking. You decide to not dwell on it.

“Guess not. Anyway, are you gonna try and kill me, or…?” You ask the flower, who seems to snap out of a trance of some kind. They shake their head ‘No’, which is a relief. You haven’t even been alive long enough to find this kid’s name out, it’d be a real shame if you keeled over so soon.

“However, many monsters ahead might try to eat you. Especially with all that delicious smelling food you’ve got on you.” Flowey offers and you flinch at his tone of voice. It’s almost accusing. You shift the child in your grip, holding them tighter to your chest. Whatever comes your way, you won’t let anyone hurt them.

“They’d be hard pressed to get anything from me by killing me. I tend to disappear when I die.” You tell the monster, whose eye widens at your words.

“Are you saying you can Reset? I thought … They… Were the only ones who knew how to reset?” Flowey seems to be questioning his own memories.

“I don’t know what a ‘Reset’ is, but I don’t think that’s what I’m doing. It's more like… A ‘load’, I guess, but I end up in a different ‘save file’, in gamer terms. If that makes sense?” You rub your head, a migraine beginning to appear because of all the thinking you’ve been doing lately and the voices still bickering in your mind. Not to mention you haven’t slept since that night at Toriel’s.

“Ugh, great. Another anomaly. Well, let’s see how this goes.” Flowey sighs, then raises his leaf arms. You get the picture and stoop down to pick him up, careful to not rip any of his limbs in the process. You sit the flower on your shoulder and follow his directions as he guides you through the Ruins. The Monsters in this version of the Ruins are incredibly subdued, you note. Some have dust trailing behind them, others eye you hungrily. You’re pretty sure you saw a Froggit gnawing on a stone. Your stomach churns at the thought of so many monsters going hungry. This isn’t right… Who would do this to them?

Finally, after a long time of avoiding traps and walking around, you reach the familiar sight of Toriel’s house. It’s so homey looking, but you can’t shake the feeling that something sinister has happened from within. Even so, you steel your nerves and take a deep breath (You Are Filled With Calm. New Save Found).

You approach the house with caution. Flowey said in this world, it’s eat or be eaten… You doubt Toriel would actually eat you, but there’s always the possibility. You decide to proceed with caution. You won’t become another victim to the Hansel and Grethel story if you have anything to say about it.

“Flowey, hide in my pocket. I don’t want you getting hurt.” You command the monster still riding on your shoulder. He lets out a displeased grumble, but follows your directions and slinks into your backpack. You take in one last breath before raising your hand and knocking twice. The door immediately swings open and you stumble back to avoid getting hurt. Manic eyes land on your form and you have to fight back a shiver at the matted fur of the lady who had so kindly taken you in and given you a place to stay.

“Oh my! You poor innocent youth, traveling through the Ruins all on your lonesome, and with a sleeping companion to slow you down as well… Come in, come in; I shall get a dinner started to fill your empty stomach.” Toriel says, then gently leads you into her home. You don’t feel particularly hungry at the moment, but the child still clutched in your arms might need some food soon.

“You are such a good child, protecting your friend so faithfully. Here, you can lay her to rest in here and maybe get some sleep for yourself.” Toriel says, then leads you to the same room she had offered to you before. You have to remember that this is not the same kind goat that had taken you in before… She has clearly gone through a lot and is barely hanging on to her sanity. Even so, you can’t help but trust the lady as she hums from her place in the kitchen. You almost drift off, but the feeling of movement stops you.

“You can’t go to sleep now! You need to get out of here before it’s too late.” Flowey mutters from the flap of your backpack. You let out a deep sigh, but you know that he’s right. The voices in your mind are getting antsy again. They don’t like it here, either.

“Right… Well, I need this child awake before anything. I don’t want them unaware of what’s going on when they wake up and I’m not here. I have a feeling I won’t survive an encounter with the goat lady, but I can at least get the kid out of here.” You tell Flowey, then turn to the still knocked-out kid. They sure do sleep a lot… You fear they may be in a coma, which would be terrible.

You prod at their sides, looking for a way to wake them up without hurting them or letting Toriel know that the two of you are awake. Your hands brush something sickeningly wet and warm and you quickly pull up the child’s dress to reveal a large gash going almost through their stomach. You feel like you’re about to lose your breakfast (or was it lunch?), but you keep it down and reach into your bag for anything that might help. (You Find Nothing…)

You chew your cheek for a moment before you remember something. Mettacrit gave you an item just before you died… You reach for the sticky thing still attached to your side and find that it’s a bandage (It Has Already Been Used Many Times). The thought makes you sick, but what else can you do? You wipe the bandage off as best you can and slap it on the child’s injury. They let out a breath of relief and you watch as they slowly flutter their eyes open.

“Wha-? Who are you?” The child croaks out and you offer your name to them.

“Oh… Where am I?” So they haven’t been through this place before? You find it odd since the children you had met before seemed to know what was going on. It seems like this child is flying blind.

“You’re in the Ruins, located in the Underground. It’s a place filled with monsters who want to eat you. I found one monster who won’t eat you, though, so I hope the two of you will become friends.” You tell the child, then gesture to your backpack. Flower peeks his head out and offers one of his leaves to the child, then retreats into your bag once they’ve shaken hands.

“You must be really confused, so I’ll explain what I know. First of all, both of us fell down here, though I fell into a different version of this place. Through a myriad of bad choices and purposeful deaths, I ended up in this version of the Ruins with you. In this place, it’s Eat or Be Eaten. Food is apparently scarce and if you don’t actively defend yourself, I’m willing to bet you’ll be mauled before long.” You explain to the child, who dazedly nods at your words.

“I’m probably going to die getting you out of this place, but you don’t need to worry. I’ll be back before you know it. While I’m gone, I want you to keep as safe as possible. Trust no one. Don’t accept food from strangers, no matter how hungry you are. I left half of a spider donut in your pocket, but that’s for emergencies only. Um… What else… Oh, I didn’t get your name! How about it, kid? You gonna tell me your name or what?” You ask the child, who’s still staring at you like a deer caught in a headlight. Eventually, they shake out of their reverie and offer you their name.

“Aliza.”

“Lovely to meet you, Aliza. Now, let’s get out of here. And remember, don’t take food from strangers. Unless the stranger is me because you know I have the good stuff!” You tell Aliza with a wink, then head out of the room as quietly as possible. Aliza follows your footsteps and the two of you make your way down the staircase as quietly as possible. You can’t hear Toriel humming happily anymore, which means she’s probably not in the kitchen anymore. You make your footsteps as light as possible and ease up on your breathing. You don’t want to be caught off-guard.

It’s a good thing you were trying so hard to heighten your senses because, as you enter the final section of the corridor, a bolt of fire goes flying at your legs. You manage to side-step the magic and drag Aliza with you to help her dodge as well. You glance up and see the regretful face of Toriel as she slowly lowers her hands to her side.

“I knew I could not kill you…” She says, then turns her back to you. You take a hesitant step forward, seeing if she will do anything else. When she doesn’t move, you pick Aliza up and bolt for the cracked door.

Yet, before you can reach the door, Toriel says something strange. “Now, Sans! Do it now!”

Your heart slams in your chest at the sound of the name. Sans… You haven’t heard that name for such a long time. You almost thought you’d rid yourself of it, but no. It’s still here. Still… Haunting you. You glance at the child still cradled in your arms and come to a quick decision. You are going to die, right here. But Aliza must continue forward. You put as much force as possible behind your arms as you throw the child across the room. She slams into the door but you don’t get to experience anything after that. You’ll just have to hope that she made it.

.

..

…

You open your eyes and find yourself standing in front of Toriel’s house. The smell of fresh-baked pie is enticing and you don’t even hesitate to approach the house. This place is so much nicer than the last place you were in. This is where it all starts.

Chapter Text

“My child! You are alive! From what Chara told me- I feared… Well, let us not dwell on the past. Please, come in. You must be tired from your journey.” Toriel ushers you into her home just seconds after you knock. It’s not as unsettling as the last place, where she immediately opened the door.

You enter the familiar house and look around, curious to see if the first child you met was still around. Even though Toriel called them Chara, you’re pretty sure the motherly goat never asked for their name.

‘Is the child that was with me here?’ You ask Toriel, who flinches before slowly turning to you and shaking her head ‘No’. So they already moved on… You’ll have to hurry and catch up to them. ‘I need to go after them. I don’t want them to be alone.’ You sign to Toriel, who sadly nods and leads you to the staircase.

“I wish I could go with you, my child, but I must stay here. Perhaps we will meet again in the future.” Toriel tells you when you get to the end of the corridor.

‘Heh, yeah. I’ll see you soon. But, uh, before I go, I want to have an encounter with you. Like a final test before I go out on my own!’ You sign and Toriel brightens up a bit before holding her hand out and drawing you into an encounter. Your music box starts up with a surprisingly strong tune. You can feel the intensity of the moment coursing through you, so powerful and free. You feel invigorated.

Y/N        LV ??   HP (1/2)
*Fight   *Act     *Item      *Mercy

*Act

*Check  *Talk
*Flirt

*Talk
(You Tell Toriel That Spending Time With Her Is Always Exciting)
(Toriel Giggles, Then Gets Serious Again)

Toriel's flames come flying towards you and you move to get out of their way. From experience, a single hit from a threatening attack can send you into the next realm, quite literally. The attacks are sluggish and predictable and you have a feeling that Toriel is doing it on purpose. You already died in this place, so she’s probably wary of how much damage you can take.

You decide to talk more to the woman who had become a mother figure to you in such a short amount of time

*Talk

(You Tell Toriel You Enjoyed The Time You Spent Together And Wish You Could Stay)
(Toriel Gives You An Understanding Look And Wipes At Her Eyes)

Toriel’s name becomes yellow and you cautiously accept the Mercy. You really do wish you could spend more time here, but you’re worried for the child you left behind. A quick stride forward and you land yourself in Toriel’s embrace. The two of you hug for a while before she gently pats your head, then lets you go.

“I’ll remember our time together fondly, child. Promise you will look out for the little one in my stead.” Toriel begs quietly and you grip her paws tighter. You whisper your promise, then turn to the door.

“Bye, Mom.” You say, then enter the corridor that will lead you to the next section of the underground.

The path is long and silent, and near the end is a familiar looking room. You cautiously skirt around the suspicious patch of grass and enter the door across from it, not even bothering to wait and see if Flowey would pop out of the ground to ‘greet’ you.

The next place you come to is frigid. The scent of pine and fresh snow fills your senses and you glance around at the snowy landscape before you. It takes a moment for you to regain your bearings from the sudden climate change, but once you do, you’re off like a shot. You don’t bother to observe anything around you and ignore the voices telling you to slow down in your mind. You need to catch up to the child before they get too far. There are fresh prints in the snow, which means they passed through here fairly recently. Up ahead, you can see what looks like a way too big gate and the silhouette of two figures.

You pick up the pace, not wanting to risk the child getting into a confrontation with a monster as big as them. You reach the gate just as a long, annoyingly loud fart noise breaks the still silence of the surrounding air.

Too many things happen at once as the crash of a cymbal is heard, followed closely by the sound of a cowbell and bari saxophone. Familiar laughter fills your ears and you look on in horror as the child you first met giggles at the figure in front of them. This can’t be happening. No no no…

“heh, the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it’s always funny.” You think you’re going to be sick.

Chapter Text

When you stare into the abyss… The abyss stares back.

It’s disturbing, to say the least, the little white pinpricks. If you could, you would tear your gaze away, but that would mean opening yourself up to your opponent, and you’d rather not give him the chance. Still… This staring contest is getting you nowhere and the child is getting impatient.

‘C’mon, kiddo. Let’s finish getting through the underground.’ You sign after one more moment of staring. Black sockets blink owlishly and an arm reaches out for you. You instinctively lock up and get into a defensive position in front of the child. It doesn’t matter if this guy has the same voice… You’ll die before you let anything harm these children.

“whoa, relax kid. ‘m not gonna hurt you. the name’s sans, sans the skeleton. How about you?” He asks and the lights in his eyes waver excitedly. Your frown deepens but you still sign your name anyway. Even the same name… You really want to get away.

“heh, now was that so hard?” He questions, but it feels like he’s talking to someone completely different. You’re starting to get really annoyed. There are too many similarities and the fact that all of the voices in your mind are clamouring for you to speak up is not helping.

‘Wait wait wait- I thought you died? What happened? How are you back?’ The child interrupts the stand-off you’ve been having with the skeleton. You cautiously turn your gaze from him to the child and debate whether or not to answer. You come to a decision when a couple voices in your mind begin punning.

‘I’ll tell you about it later. For right now, I want to get away.’ You take one last glance at the skeleton and the child seems to understand what you’re getting at. They grip your hand and give the skeleton a pointed look, which seems to snap him out of whatever daze he was in.

“i’m actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. but… y’know… i don’t really care about capturing anybody.” There’s a little glimmer in his eyelights at the last sentence and you do your best to disguise your shudder. The child huddles closer to your side, probably an effort to keep you warm.

“now my brother, papyrus…” You shudder even harder this time and glance at the floor. The voices in your mind are beginning to get loud once again. You can’t make out exactly what they’re saying, but it’s something like ‘it’s finally time’ and ‘WOWIE! MY PART’S COMING UP!’ You still feel sick to your stomach and would honestly rather be anywhere but here. Your hand twitches for your music box, but it’s already playing a really rough melody that fits the monster in front of you too well.

“he’s a human-hunting FANATIC. hey, actually, I think that’s him over there. i have an idea. go through this gate thingy. yeah, go right through. my bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone.” The monster says, then takes a step forward. You take a step back to match him and soon the two of you are shuffling across the strange bridge and through the snow towards a strange outpost and a lamp that’s just big enough to hide the child you’ve been travelling with.

“quick, behind that conveniently shaped lamp.” He gestures to the lamp and gives the two of you a shit-eating look. You frown and guide the child to the lamp before ducking behind the outpost to hide yourself. Not even a moment later, a loud boisterous voice pipes up, making your stomach clench uncomfortably.

“YOU KNOW WHAT’S ‘SUP,’ BROTHER! IT’S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T… RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!” You decide to stop focusing on the voices and just zero-in on the rambunctious music sprouting from your music box. It’s so loud, how has nobody caught you yet? You’re pretty sure the conversation is turning towards the station you're ducking under and the music pouring from it, but the louder of the duo keeps on shifting the conversation to how lazy the other is.

Finally, the louder voice leaves and you peek around the station to watch his skeletal form retreat, then immediately turn around so he can get one last “NYEH!” in.

You step from behind the station and meet back up with the child, who already has their hand outstretched for you. The first skeleton slips into a more relaxed posture as you approach with the child in tow, clearly waiting for you to address him. Even though you started the interaction with him in denial, you feel as though you are moving onto the second stage of grief; Anger.

* “Okay, first of all, fuck you.” You say once the anger building up from within finally reaches a hot enough level. The skeleton’s sockets widen at your harsh words and he takes a step back as if to avoid the flurry of words that leaves your mouth. “Like, seriously, you’re such a bitch. How dare you do your weird-ass voodoo shit to me for so many years, just to reveal that, ‘Oh! I’ve been underground the whole time, so there’s no way you would’ve ever been able to find me!’ That’s a real dick move, dude. I don’t think there’s enough air in the world for me to enunciate just how pissed I am right now.”

By now, the skeleton is a meter away from you, but he’d be a lot farther if you hadn’t moved to get up in his space throughout your rant. The child is silently cheering you on from the sidelines, pumping their fist in encouragement. You let out a final puff of air, then turn your back to the startled skeleton.

“w-wait, what are you talking about? i thought only monsters could hear their soulmate’s voices… unless… are you a mage?” He asks after a few moments of silence. You jerk your head to meet the skeleton’s, the fire in your gaze enough to get him to shrink back further.

“I didn’t understand a single word you just said.” You tell him and he fidgets with his gloved hands a bit before letting out a sigh of resignation.

“i’ll... explain later. you oughta get going. my bro might come back. and if he does… you’ll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes.” Sans warns and gives you a wink and a wide grin. You’re all burnt out from your rant earlier and don’t really have it in you to fight the subject out of him, so you decide to just do as he says and try to get out of here as quickly as possible.

You turn to the child and hold your hand out to them, which they happily accept and the two of you begin to walk towards where the other skeleton trounced off to, but you’re stopped by the first skeleton speaking up again.

“actually, hey… hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor? i was thinking, my brother’s been kind of down lately… he’s never seen a human before and seeing you might make his day.” The way he’s looking directly into your eyes makes you think there is a double meaning behind his words.

“don’t worry, he’s not dangerous. even if he tries to be.” Sans waves his hand in a dismissive manner and you hear the slight rattle of bones as he takes in a deep breath. “thanks a million. i’ll be up ahead.” He says, then turns on his heel and goes in the opposite direction from where you’re headed. You let out a long suffering groan and decide to just keep walking.

On the way to the next section of the underground, you decide to explain some things to the child. ‘So, I die pretty often. I’m actually really frail right now, after that fall and everything. Pretty much, though, I go through five different places and find places that give me hope in each one, then I'm able to return to those places when I die, though I end up in another world each time. Also, I was super mad at that skeleton earlier because he sounds a lot like this voice in my head that has been plaguing me since the day I was born.’ The kid, surprisingly, is not overwhelmed with the amount of exposition you just dropped on them; their only reaction is to nod and stare ahead at a box that the two of you are approaching.

‘A place that gives you hope wouldn’t happen to be like this box, would it?’ The kid asks and you glance down at the box. You catch sight of the small star glimmering next to the box and reach out for it, eyes lighting up when the star shrinks and floats into your lantern (You Gain Some Hope. HP Restored). The kid curiously reaches for the item and you gladly pass it to them, watching as they marvel at the three little stars glimmering from within.

‘I’ve never seen save points act like this. It’s quite strange. Though, this does make me wonder… Can you save whenever with this? Or are the saves collecting for a different reason?’ The way they’re looking at you makes it seem like they’re accusing you, but you aren’t sure of what. You cautiously pluck the lantern from their hands and reattach it to your hip, deciding to ignore their questions for one of your own.

‘I never got your name. Could I get it now?’

‘Frisk. But monsters down here call me Chara.’ You nod, your theory being confirmed. Two Frisks, two Charas and then Aliza. A set of five. It always seems to go like that for you. Like some sort of lucky number. The voices in your brain are pestering you to continue forward. You take Frisk’s hand in your again and head northwards. You have a feeling it’s not the correct way to go, but at the same time, you feel like procrastinating.

Walking into the northern room, you come across a fishing line and a bunch of trees. For a while, you stare blankly. What… Is this place? Why do you feel all buzzy? Oh wait… That’s your phone. It’s ringing.

*“Hello! Can I speak to G… Wait a second… Is this the wrong number? Oh it’s the wrong number! The wrong number song! We’re very sorry that we got it wrong! (click…)” You stare at your phone for a while before pocketing it again. Welp. Looks like it’s time for you to die. Drowning and hypothermia seems like a good way to go.

*“Sooo, I’m gonna kill myself now. Try not to move on too far without me. I hear there’s a town up ahead. You should stay there until I come back.” You tell Frisk, who gives you a confused look and watches as you hop into the freezing water in front of you.

.

..

...

“Oh, there you are Chara. Good to see you alive and well…” You trail off to stare at the monster beside the child, who seems to be guiding them towards the house in front of you. He doesn’t seem to quite notice your presence, staring off into space before zoning back in and meeting your gaze. He looks like a male version of Toriel.

“Ah, what a pleasant surprise! I did not see you earlier, my child, so allow me to introduce myself. I am Asgore, Caretaker of the Ruined Home. Would you like to come inside for some Golden Leaf Tea?” He asks and gestures towards the blue house in front of you. You’re still shocked, so you can only manage a nod in response to his inquiry. Chara walks up and takes your hand, then leads you into the familiar house.

“So, you didn’t actually die. Good to know you can come back and all that. With your measly HP, you’re gonna need a trick or two to keep you chugging along.” Chara smirks and guides you into the dining room. You settle down on one of the chairs and drag the child into your lap, knowing that the giant seats will be too big for them to sit comfortably.

“Yeah, I’ve kind of… Always been able to do this? I’m still not sure how it works, but cycles of five are kind of my thing. Do you want… More of an explanation, or can I take a few moments to rest? I kind of haven’t slept in what feels like a few days.” You don’t want to keep the child hanging, but they seem to understand your need for a break and keep silent in response to your question. You take the opportunity to shut your eyes and think through your thoughts. It doesn’t help that there are so many other people’s thoughts running through your mind at the same time.

Asgore comes into the room while you are resting and places a thermos in front of you, filled with a gleaming tea with a sweet, flowery scent to it. You stare into it blankly for a few moments before promptly passing out.

Chapter Text

You wake up in a mostly dark room. Light snoring sounds from beside you, drawing your attention from the voices filtering through your head and down to the child curled up against your chest. Right. You’re with Chara, in world number two. Toriel isn’t here and is instead replaced with a male goat named Asgore who makes tea. Napstablook is Mettacrit and you are going insane.

You figure now is as good a time as any to just… take a few moments to get your thoughts in order. Slipping out of the bed you shared with Chara, you gently tuck them back in before slipping your boots on and heading out of Asgore’s house and towards where the Spider Bake Sale was in the third reality you visited.

Speaking of hopping realities, you figure this isn’t new. You’ve always been able to escape death, but at the cost of going back in time a few minutes, sometimes a few hours. But that was on the surface, where everything was linear, where everything made sense. This is a whole new scenario with whole new people and a magic system that you don’t understand.

You reach where the spider bake sale was and instead come enter a room filled with moving torches- oh wait. These are monsters. You almost sob as the revelation hits you. Why can’t this stupid nightmare end?!

'Can I have some fries? Like… Three baskets full.' You ask the fire elemental who waltzes over with a notebook in hand. You aren’t sure how he can touch the paper without it bursting into flame but decide to just not question it. A few minutes later you get three baskets filled with ‘Fire Fries’ (“Fire Fries”, Heals 12 HP. A Basket Of FriesTossed With Fire Salt) and pass twenty one G to the closest fire being.

You place two of the baskets into your backpack for later consumption before settling in a yellow-petaled pile of flowers to eat your feelings away.

While you eat, you notice the slight tones of panic flitting through your mind. That’s strange. You’ve never heard any of the lower voices sound like anything other than calm and laid-back. You listen in, interested to see what he has to say.

‘please, please don’t do this… why did you leave?... we just found eachother... please don’t be dead…’ Oh. This is that… skeleton that you ran into before the last time you died. While you don’t pity the dreadful creature, you don’t appreciate the fact he thinks you’re actually dead.

“I’m still alive, you know. Can’t kill me off that easily.” You mumble into the abyss. It’s silent for a few moments but after a second the tension you didn’t even know you were feeling leaves your shoulders, allowing you to relax even further into the flower bed you decided to make your own.

After a while of staring at the ceiling and coming to the realization that you can’t stay here forever, you sit up and make your way back to Asgore’s house. Chara is playing around the big tree when you get there but stops when their eyes lock on yours. Their meaning is obvious; It’s time to move on.

‘C’mon, Kiddo. Let’s head out.’ Chara takes your hand when you finish signing and leads you into the quaint little house, clearly intent on getting this whole ordeal over with. Asgore is sitting comfortably on his chair, reading a book. You feel a little remorse when his sad eyes meet yours but Chara plows ahead, intent on getting out of the ruins and into whatever special hell awaits you beyond this comfortable home.

Asgore lets you leave with little fuss, but asks you to make the same promise you made with Toriel, to protect the smaller human and to take care of yourself. With one final hug you and Chara take off from the Ruins.

The room with the little patch of grass appears before you know it, but so does a new creature that reminds you of Temmie from… Three worlds ago, is it? The creature acts a lot like the first Flowey you met, snarling about how this world will soon be his. Once his little spiel is done you take Chara’s hand and continue forward.

Outside of the ruins is a snow covered area, which you think is unfortunate. You were hoping, with the way everything is swapped around in this place, that you would get to deal with the snowy area second to last, at the very least. Chara drags you along but keeps quiet as the two of you walk. It appears they, too, are unnerved by the frigid temperatures and the feeling of eyes on their back.

You eventually make it to a bridge with what appears to be a gate blocking it off. Fortunately, the bars are too big and wide to keep anyone from going across, and you’re about to just keep walking when the sound of crunching snow stops you in your tracks.

Chara huddles closer to your back while you turn on your heel to meet the approaching person head-on. They seem surprised by your sudden movement but continue forward until the light hits their face- skull- and you can make out their features.

A bead of orange sweat drips down their pearlescent cranium and their small sockets seem to shrink under your fierce glare. You pray to whoever rules above you that when they speak, you do not recognize their voice.

“don’t you know how to greet a new pal? c’mon, take my hand.” He drawls in a familiar sultry accent that has you cringing in disgust. Of course. Of course the people in your mind are all skeletons- what else could they be! Chara takes the skeleton’s hand in your stead, which you are eternally grateful for. Strangely, there is no prank waiting in his outstretched hand.

“the name’s papyrus. papyrus the skeleton. anyway, you’re humans right? that’s funny.” He chuckles and his sockets crinkle at the corners. You’re beginning to recognize his voice a bit more and realize he’s one of the ones who talks less often, and usually, when he does talk, he gives you advice. Advice and Puns. You suppose he’s not as detestable as other voices.

You sign your name to him and allow Chara to introduce themself before picking the conversation back up. ‘We’re looking for a way out of the underground.’

Papyrus tries your name on his tongue before grinning widely, like he just won a prize. Something about his smug smile irks you. ‘Can you help us or not?’

“sure. all you gotta do is get to the queen and you’re practically free. i got an idea, go on through this gate. my bro made it too big to stop anyone. i’ll help guide you through snowdin forest.” He says and waves you and Chara through the gate and across the bridge. You can make out a speck of bright blue in the distance, and considering this world’s similarities to the last, you figure the bouncing blue bundle is Papyrus’ brother.

“ah, here comes my brother. quick, behind that conveniently shaped lamp.” Papyrus gestures to a lamp that Chara quickly huddles behind while you go to the outpost and lie on your back, contemplating why your life is so weird and horrible. At least there are corn dogs down here. You take one and put it in your bag.

Soon enough the two brothers stop bantering and everything goes quiet for a few seconds.

“ ok, you can come out now.” Papyrus drawls and you move into a standing position. Chara meets you in the middle and grabs your hand, then drags you closer to the looming skeleton.

‘Thanks.’ You sign simply. You don’t really have much to say to him, having already shouted at his brother’s alternate in the last world. Even so, Papyrus’ eye sockets crinkle at the corners and he lets out a gentle laugh, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous manner. He almost looks as if he got a very nice compliment.

“nyeheh... you two go on ahead, i’ll meet you there.” He says, then heads in the direction of the bridge you’d just crossed. As soon as he’s out of sight, you and Chara decide to head out. Chara asks you some of the same questions Frisk asked earlier, and you give them the same answers. You stop at the dimensional box and peek inside, finding a tough glove for the opposite hand of the one you currently have. You also take a moment to let the save point float into your lantern. (You Are Filled With Calm. New Save Found.)

‘I should probably leave soon, just so I can spend time in each place equally… But this place is so nice. I don’t really want to go.’ You let out a nearly inaudible sigh and Chara nods understandingly before giving their own suggestion.

*“Just keep going until you die. That’s how you’ve been doing it, right?” Chara questions and you rub your shoulder nervously.

*‘Kinda. But I don’t want the guilt of killing someone to be left on the monsters here. It doesn’t seem fair.’ You tell them. Chara seems to understand and watches as you walk towards the same lake you’d frozen in earlier.

*‘I’ll be back soon. Please wait for me in Snowdin.' You tell Chara, then hop into the freezing river.

.

..

…

Opening your eyes, you find yourself standing in a clearing with a single orange box and muddied snow scattered all around.

Chapter Text

Alright, so you’ve changed starting locations once again. From the looks of it, you’re right past the initial meeting room and next to the dimensional box. Hearing voices coming from the station behind you, you quickly head behind a tree to conceal your presence. A tall skeleton dressed in mainly blacks and reds comes stomping past, Frisk held tightly under his arm. You and the child deadpan at eachother when your eyes lock before they hurry to sign what’s happening to you.

‘Captured by Papyrus. Sans went a different direction. Gonna do some puzzles. Try to meet me at one of them. Pretend not to know who i am.’ You nod your assent to their words before hurrying away, deeper into the woods. Stalking Papyrus through the woods is easier than you thought it would be. The taller skeleton is loud and impossible to miss, not to mention he doesn’t seem privy to your presence.

You reach another fork in the road and glance around, ensuring that no one can see you before stepping out of the underbrush. Almost immediately a skeleton pops into existence in front of you, a menacing scowl on his face that quickly eases into a look of confusion, then what you can only assume is lust.

“hey there sweetheart, it’s good to finally meet you. guess i shuolda known you’d be a human, but what’re the odds?” Oh, so he’s getting right to the point, not even gonna pretend not to know who you are. Welp, might as well play along.

‘Ah, not another guy claiming to be my ‘fated prince’, i’ve dealt with enough of that crap for five lifetimes. Get a life, loser.’ You scowl and turn on your heel, walking towards the northernmost road to see what it holds. The skeleton is stunned speechless at your outright refusal and lack of curiosity, so much so that he can’t even catch up as you rush away.

You come to a mostly empty room, the only thing of note is a sad decaying snowman. Strangely, the pile of ice seems to be intensely staring at you and looks almost ready to cheer as you approach with a cautious gait.

“Finally, someone noticed me! Do me a favor and take a piece of my body- it doesn’t really matter where. I want to see the world, and it seems like I’ll have to settle for you taking me.” The snowman doesn’t seem very enthused, but you do as instructed anyway. The chunk of ice you take is surprisingly solid and doesn’t seem keen on melting, even as you stuff it in your bag. (“Snowman Piece” Heals 45 HP. Take It To The Ends Of The Earth. Or Else.) You aren’t sure what the consequences of taking another living thing through a load are, but you figure it can’t be too bad.

‘Seeya later dude’ You quickly sign, then head out, back into the main part of the forest. Luckily, Sans seems to have moved on, allowing you to escape with no further interactions. Not so luckily, you run right into Papyrus just as he’s explaining a puzzle to Frisk. And wouldn’t you know it, Sans is standing right beside the taller skeleton, a nervous air about him, especially when his brother gestures a little too quickly with his hands.

Your surroundings come to a standstill as a stray twig snaps under the weight of your shoe and you wish you could curse aloud. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) you don’t want these skeletons to derive any sort of sick pleasure that your voice may produce for them. A coaxing drawl echoes through your mind as Sans opens his teeth, clearly saying something that you can neither hear nor understand to his brother. The taller skeleton perks up at his brother's words before looking you over in what you can only describe as a predatory manner.

“AH, ANOTHER HUMAN, WANDERING INTO MY FOREST, CLEARLY BEGGING TO BECOME A PET. FRET NOT, HUMAN, I HAVE A COLLAR ESPECIALLY FOR YOU!” You feel like you’re going to be sick as Papyrus’ words reach your brain, then echo and mix with the distinct sound of his internal voice already persistently nagging for you to speak up. It’s almost too much, but one look at Frisk is all it takes for you to calm down and get your thoughts in order.

Okay, so this world is clearly more dangerous than the other places that have come before it. Papyrus and Sans are obviously higher-level monsters, if the way that the other monsters avoid them isn’t obvious enough. From what you know about the more excitable personalities, Papyrus should be more willing to cooperate, though it will require a bit of goading and praise on your end. Sans, meanwhile, will keep his guard up until the last second. Even if you managed to catch him off-guard once, the chances of it happening again are slim.

You have two options, as you see it. The first is to die right here and hope that the next world treats you better while simultaneously leaving Frisk to fend for themself. The second is to become Papyrus’ ‘Pet’, leaving you to become subservient in every way until you finally keel over from exhaustion, because there is no way Sans is letting you out of his sight long enough to find a place to perish in peace. To put it bluntly, you are in a bad situation.

Before you can come to a decision on what you want to do, Frisk takes it into their own hands to create a third option. Quickly and roughly grabbing your wrist, they pull you to the floor in front of them, positioning you in such a way that you might as well be prey on a platter. They take a locket that you didn’t even know they had and wrap it tightly around your neck, giving it a quick tug to ensure that it doesn’t come off. You aren’t sure what exactly they’re planning, but based on what assumptions you’ve been able to make about this world, you figure you’ve essentially been claimed by the small child.

It seems like you indeed got a master, but not the one the monsters were hoping you would get. Either way, you fall easily into your new role, hunching your shoulders and scrambling behind the child, trying to mimic Sans’ posture to ensure that your status cannot be mistaken. Frisk walks across the invisible maze ahead of them with untold ease, you trailing behind like the obedient dog you are now supposed to be. Before the skeletons can even realize what’s happened, you’re already walking past them, though you do stop to throw a heated glare their way.

Frisk is already talking to a bunny monster by the time you catch up to them. They quickly pay the fee before turning to you and handing you the more horrendous looking of the ice cream cones (“Nice Cream” Heals 15 HP. Instead Of Saying Something Nice, The Wrapper Says Something Mildly Accurate About Your Appearance.) Well… If that’s what ‘Nice’ is in this universe, have you got some compliments to give.

‘I think I’m going to leave and move on to the next world now. Please wait for me in Snowdin Town and we’ll move on from there. Do you want this back?’ You gesture to the locket still tightly wrapped around your neck, but Frisk shakes their head ‘No’. You nod before turning to a cliff edge far enough away that the nearby monsters won’t be able to see you fall.

‘So long, Frisk. I’ll see you in a while.’ With that, you jump.

.

..

You open your eyes to the black expanse that you usually go through when transitioning between worlds. This time, though, there is a blob-like figure in the distance. You can only make out two distinct hands before-

…

You wake up in front of a familiar dimensional box. The distinct sound of shouting rings in the distance as you try to make sense of what you just saw. Was that really another skeleton, or is your head just playing tricks on you? Either way, you have the distinct feeling that transitioning will not be as easy from now on. Good. Things will finally become more interesting.

Chapter Text

Ignoring your previous thoughts, you focus in on reality. In this world, monsters are mean, and Chara is… sensitive, to say the least. They have Temmie as a friend, at least, but you aren’t sure if that’s exactly a good thing.

You… Don’t really have much to go on, but if this world is anything like the last, you figure it shouldn’t be too hard to keep yourself and the kid safe. Before you really have time to think of anything else, a Sans with sharp teeth and a scarred eye comes trouncing down the path, Chara’s wrist gripped tightly in his gloved hand.

“H-HUMAN! HOW DID YOU GET PAS- WAIT, NEVERMIND. WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER ONE OF YOU, SO BE ON YOUR WAY. YOU’RE SLOWING ME DOWN.” The Sans scowls, but you give your own fierce glare in return before pointing to the child in his hands.

“WHAT, DO YOU WANT THEM? HA! YOU’LL HAVE TO PRY THEM FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS.” Ironic, considering he’s a skeleton. You stalk forward, intent on dragging the child away, only to be stopped when another figure pops up right in front of you. You stumble backwards, not wanting to touch whoever it is, and look up to see a Papyrus with golden canines and a fluffy looking hoodie. His expression is lax but his eyes hold a silent fire within them.

‘Move.’ You sign simply but with a burning ferocity. The skeleton looks you over for only a moment before grabbing you around the waist and hoisting you off the ground.

“OH, YOU LIKE THEM, DO YOU? FINE, I SUPPOSE WE COULD USE A NEW PET. MAKE SURE THEY DON’T MESS UP THE HOUSE.” The world fades to black after the words reach your ears and you suddenly find yourself standing in the middle of a poorly decorated living room. The skeleton sets you gently on a sickly green couch before settling right on top of your legs, preventing any sort of escape.

You’re fuming, but you’ve learned never to take your anger out on people who rightly deserve it. So instead you take out a roll of metal sheet music from your backpack and begin poking holes in it until you’re satisfied. You’re sure the end result will be a frantic, angry mess, but you could care less. You’ve been abducted! These people don’t deserve a nice piece of music. You place the roll of metal into your music box and wind it up and soon discordant clicks sound from the machine.

A whine sounds from below you and you glance down to see Papyrus giving you the biggest puppy dog eyes. Gross. You turn away to continue fiddling with your music box. The chain around your neck clinks with the movement and suddenly Papyrus is up in your face, staring at the locket with confusion and… anger?

‘What? Don’t like my drip?’ You sneer and push the skeleton away. Surprisingly, he complies, though doesn’t stray too far as you begin to wander around the room.

There’s a book on a table that you pick up and glance into. Metaphysics. Inside of the book is a book on dogs. You purse your lips and place the reading material back where it belongs. Papyrus keeps nervously looking between you and his hands before he raises them, like he’s going to sign, only to immediately drop them again.

‘What?’ You question and he perks up at your attention.

‘You, um… it looks like your clothes are in bad shape.’ You look down and notice that there are innumerable rips and tears across the material.

‘So it seems. What, are you gonna make me change?’ The skeleton nervously shakes his head ‘no’ before pulling out his phone and fiddling with it for a few moments.

‘I have a friend who likes making clothing… she might have something for you.’ You tap your foot to a certain rhythm as you wait for his ‘friend’ to show up. Eventually, there is a knock on the door, and the skeleton stands up to answer it.

“This better have been worth the walk, Papyrus. You know how much I despise moving around- Oh my. A human? In the underground? And still alive, too. Lucky duck.” A ghost waltzes in, though they don’t look like either of the ghosts you’ve seen before. Her body is stiff like ice and her lips are blue like she’s been out in the cold for too long. She glances you over for a few moments before a bolt of fabric materializes, along with a sewing needle and thread.

“I haven’t made human clothes in a while, so you’ll have to give me some time to get everything together. Why don’t you get the human some tea, Papyrus? They look cold.” Papyrus quickly turns towards where you assume the kitchen is located, leaving you with the seamstress.

“Judging by the look on your face, I’d say you were taken here by force. Tell me, dear. Do you know what Papyrus is to you?” The ghost questions, hardly focusing on the materials floating around her head.

‘Yes and no. I know he’s in my mind somehow, but no one’s told me why, or how. Do you know?’ The ghost hums an affirmative, but doesn’t seem keen on saying anything else. Perhaps you forgot, because of how calm her demeanor is, but this ghost is from a harsh world. Information doesn’t come for free.

“As much as I would like to help you, I don’t work for free. I could be convinced… For a piece of your soul.” The ghost cackles, an evil sound in comparison to her lidded eyes and gentle smile. You flinch at the sound, but she notices and calms down.

“I kid. I have no need for your soul. Yet. But, if you could bring this piece of cloth with you all the way to the end of your quest, I would be willing to tell you what I know.” A folded piece of cloth appears before your face, and you realize the dialogue is familiar… Like the snowman from earlier. You take the folded cotton and place it in your bag (“Spectral Cloth” Heals 45 HP. It’s clean and smells like petrichor).

“Different from what you expected, isn’t it? Healing is my specialty, though I hope for your sake you don’t lose that. It won’t end well for you.” The ghost hums before holding up a shirt you hadn’t realized she’d completed.

“As for my end of the deal, the voices in your head are known as the echoed voices of your soulmates. You appear to be able to load between worlds, which gives you more than the usual amount of echoes. If you were a normal human, you wouldn’t be able to hear anything. Unfortunately, two things are wrong with you. The first is that you have magic. The second is that you use your magic to world hop. Hence the ten voices you hear on the daily.” The ghost shrugs, somehow, but you’re more focused on the fact that she knows all of this. Has she been… Following you, or something?

“No, I haven’t been following you. And no, I’m not reading your mind.” She smirks and ties off the last knot on a pair of pants before tossing them your way. By the time you’re able to see again, she’s gone.

You look down at the clothes made, noticing they’re a lot more modest than you’d expected them to be. A simple white button-up shirt, black pair of pants and a teal poncho with a hood. You walk into the kitchen where Papyrus is fiddling with a cup of tea, obviously trying to pretend he wasn’t eavesdropping. So he probably knows about the ten voices in your head now. Great.

‘Is there anywhere I can change?’ You question the monster and he quickly nods before walking away, turning quickly to gesture for you to follow, only to almost bump into you. In a manner of moments you’re in front of a neatly kept bathroom, which is surprising, considering you didn’t think skeleton monsters would need to… go. You sign a quick thanks to the monster before stepping inside and locking the door behind you.

The clothes fit perfectly to your form and you notice fancy teal embroidery on some of the edges. You feel almost powerful in the new set of clothes. A gentle knock from the other side of the door startles you out of your revere and you quickly escape the room to meet back up with Papyrus.

“...’m gonna go out… sorry.” He utters, and you notice a hardly-ever there voice start up in the back of your mind. The voices must only start when people talk, you realize. You feel kind of bad for being so mad with the nervous skeleton, only to remind yourself that he technically abducted you, so you have the right to be mad with him.

You wait a few minutes to ensure he’s not coming back before heading up the stairs that attach to the living room. Up past the banister are two rooms. The first you come to has erratically glowing lights illuminating the floor and the door is locked. The second has caution signs and threats put up. It’s unlocked, so you head in.

The floor is an atrocious fuschia color that you quickly avert your eyes from and look up to see the rest of the room. Geodes line the ceiling in what you assume are constellations, the bed in the corner is smaller than you thought it’d be but the puffy purple sheet covering the structure convinces you the bed is comfortable enough to sleep on. In the other corner of the room is a table filled with different machines and the beginnings of what you can only assume are traps. You pick up a peculiar orb and toss it around in your hands a couple times before your eyes spot a switch disturbing the otherwise smooth surface.

“Hm… What’s this?” You ponder and press the switch. A shock administers from your hands all the way to your feet, but it doesn’t really do much else. You toss the orb a few more times, not noticing that every movement makes the shocks more powerful.

You throw it in the air one more time, then catch it. You… Honestly did not expect to die so quickly.

.

..

“C’mon, there’s no cars around. We can just cross!” You glance nervously around but step onto the street, not registering the sinister laugh from behind you, nor the sound of screeching tires to your right. In the moment, all you can feel is horror and… Peace, somehow. You’ve been through this before. With a surprisingly quick movement, you manage to move out of the way of the car and cross safely to the other side of the street.

…

Back at the box, it seems. You sigh in relief and glance around, noticing that the path ahead looks more sinister than before, if that’s even possible. You sigh and continue forward, wary of the lumps of grey snow you come across on the way.

Chapter Text

Somehow, you make it through Snowdin Forest fairly quickly. It’s not until you make it to the town that things start to get weird. People begin giving you weird looks. You swear you see drool
dribbling down some of their chins. If this were an RPG, your dexterity and dodging skills would’ve gone up from the sheer amount of jumping away from outreaching hands you have to do just to get to a savepoint. (You Gain Some Hope. HP Restored)

You yelp when you turn away from picking the flickering star up only to see a looming figure behind you. You… Kind of have an assumption about who it is, but your expectations are thrown off when you find a literally crooked grin smiling down at you.

“Oh stars.” You whisper before you can even register that it's slipping past your lips. The skeleton straightens up at your words, becoming impossibly taller with the motion. His spine clicks, which is new, and you swear you can hear… something… squishing just behind his clothes.

“Human! You- Um- How RUde Of Me… I Haven’t Even ASked Your Name.” He emphasizes strange syllables, but you hardly notice that when you’re too busy focusing on the rest of his appearance. As much as you loathe to admit it, you pity the fella. Maybe his screeching in your mind was warranted. Honestly, you would scream in agony, too, if you had to deal with all of his… problems.

You quickly sign your name when his words are finished processing, and gesture for him to introduce himself. Papyrus tilts his head, like he didn’t quite catch what you were saying. You look around nervously for a second before taking the Stick from your bag and drawing all of the characters of your name into the snow.

“Oh,” Papyrus tries your name out. “It’s NIce to Meet YOU. I HoPe this DOesn’t Sound Too FOrward, But Would YOU Like to Come over FOr Dinner? My BROther should Be Finishing Up WITh our Meal Now.” Knowing that this place is eat or be eaten, you figure it would be bad taste to refuse a meal. Still, you can’t help but want to avoid eating as much of this world’s food as possible.

“...Do you mind if I offer my own food for this meal? It feels wrong to take from you when I already have some rations on me.” Papyrus brightens at your words before quickly nodding, then dragging you down the road towards where you assume his house is. Nobody tries snapping at you while you are in Papyrus’ clutches, which you aren’t sure is a good thing.

In a manner of moments, you come up to a dilapidated building with broken christmas lights wrapped around the front. It looks like a normal cabin other than that, but you’re still wary as you climb the steps and wait for Papyrus to open the front door. The threshold is revealed and soon Papyrus is corralling you inside.

“SANS! COme Down, WE Have company.” Papyrus shouts into the empty house. You half expect a Sans with equally crooked teeth to his brother to teleport right in front of you. That doesn’t happen.

“boo.” a deeper timbre than you’d ever heard before sounds from behind you, causing you to flinch away from both monsters who are now looming in the doorway- also known as your only way to escape. Slightly hidden behind Sans is a familiar panic-stricken human. Her mauve eyes glance between you and the monsters who are now eyeing you curiously. You gesture her over and tuck her safely behind you.

“...Let’s eat.” You manage to choke out, then gesture at the nearby table. Sans’ single eyelight dilates at your simple statement and he looks like he’s gonna reach out and grab you, but you pull away and sit at the table, waiting for everyone else to join you.

When you’re sure everyone is settled, you pull off your backpack and dig around, trying to find one thing for each person.

ITEMS:

Shock Orb
Spectral Cloth
Nice Cream
Snowman Piece
Tough Glove L
Fire Fries x2
Golden Leaf Tea
Tough Glove R
Stick
Spook Mix
Toy Knife
Faded Ribbon
Butter Scotch Cinnamon Pie
Buttercup
[E] Lantern
[E] Music Box

Alright, so you don’t have as many edibles as you thought you did. At least, not ones that you want to give to the people around you. You sigh and pull the baskets of Fire Fries and Nice Cream from your bag, and you play with the idea of drinking the tea yourself, but you don’t feel too hungry.

You push the food to the middle of the table and wait for everyone to pick what they want before turning to observe the rest of the house. There’s not much, but it’s better than watching… whatever is happening in front of you. Even the sounds make your stomach turn.

“...more.” You hear a grunt from just in front of you, only to see a skeletal hand reaching out for your backpack. You quickly pull the pack out of reach and into your lap, clutching it close to your chest.

‘No way. Rations are supposed to be saved for emergencies only.’ You sign with your hands closer to your chest than normal. The red eyed skeleton scowls at your offending hands and looks about ready to reach for the cleaver leaned against the table when a larger hand engulfs his shoulder.

“Now, SANS. Is ThAT ANyWAy to TrEAT the perSON Who SO GRAciousLy Fed US?” Papyrus reasons, even though you’re pretty sure he doesn’t know what you just said. You suppose it doesn’t matter, as long as you aren’t getting killed. Aliza presses closer to you and you glance down to see that she’s signing her want to leave this situation.

“...should probably get going.” You whisper, and watch as both skulls snap immediately to you. Papyrus hesitantly nods, but seems to brighten up when an idea comes to mind.

“BEfore YOU go, Take SOme FOOD. As ThANks FOR FEEDing US.” Papyrus retreats to the kitchen, and as much as you want to bolt, Sans has you pinned with the look he’s shooting at you. The taller skeleton quickly returns with a seemingly innocent plate of spaghetti, and a tin foiled something. You hesitantly take the meals and place them in your bag, ignoring the voice ringing through your head telling you the stats of the foods. (‘Crooked Spaghetti’ Heals 25 HP. You Don’t Wanna Know What’s In It.) (‘Headog’ Heals 25 HP. You Don’t Wanna Know What’s In It.)

“...Thanks.” You whisper before taking Aliza’s hand and rushing out of the house. The two of you sprint and eventually find yourselves in an area where the snow is so thick you can’t see more than a couple feet in front of you. Aliza chokes on a sob as she falls into your hold and soon you are continuing forward with her wrapped tightly in your grip.

You find a room where there are no sounds, no voices, and no potential threats, and decide to settle for a while. Aliza is curled up against your side and weeping softly, but you know you can’t stay. You doubt you can pull a stunt like the previous times to escape this world so instead you take the shock orb from your bag and begin fiddling with it. Looks like the item’s gonna be your gateway to different worlds for a while.

You bid Aliza farewell before throwing the shock orb in the air and catching it. With that, everything turns black.

.

..

“Man, that’s a long ways down. C’mon, I bet you won’t jump. You don’t have the guts.” They’re wrong. You’ve done it before… you can- you can do it! Even if you do die, you’ll always come back. *Something in the back of your mind tells you you won’t be coming back if you die this time*. Sighing, you turn away from the edge of the building and meet a pair of familiar maroon eyes. “You’re right. I don’t.” You walk back inside the building.

…

“...but neither do you.” You sigh and glance up, meeting the familiar landscape that is the Dimensional Box Room. There are no voices this time, so you assume Frisk has already moved on. Time to get going.

Chapter Text

The walk to Snowdin Town is long, but the monsters seem pacified, which makes everything go faster. You have to stop a couple times to solve puzzles, but they’re similar to the ones in the last world. The sense of familiarity is eerie, but you ignore it and continue pushing forward.

Along the way, you notice a few monster coins and pick them up until your pockets are jingling like a happy clown. You suppose it’s good you’re finding so much money, considering you’re desperate for food since your last encounter with the skeleton brothers. Maybe you should give them nicknames… As much as you loathe to admit that they even exist, there’s no denying it by now. Might as well make things easier for yourself.

For this place’s Sans… He’s a jokester, a prankster, smarter than he likes others to see him. His advice is convoluted, but when you figure out the deeper meaning in his words, everything clicks into place. A puzzle. No… Maybe you should stick with words you’re familiar with. And maybe stick to a theme, too.

Well, if there’s one thing you know better than anything else, it’s music. A few terms come to mind immediately; Ritard, mostly because it sounds like an insult, but also because the skeleton is slow. Adagio also means slow, but it sounds too nice in your opinion. Your mind is going down the wrong path; at least this Sans isn’t kidnapping you or trying to force you to become his pet. Yet. Maybe he deserves something nicer…

“hey kiddo. where’d you go?” A soft and familiar voice sounds from behind you as you finally walk into Snowdin Town. Ah, you got it.

‘Sotto voce. It means ‘soft voice’. Fitting, right?’ You joke a little as you turn to address the skeleton. He seems shocked that you’re suddenly addressing him so kindly, but now that you’ve seen how his alternate selves act, you figure it’s best to just try to be kind to him.

“um... i guess? what’s it for?” Sotto questions and tilts his head curiously.

‘it’s your nickname.’ You sign simply, then turn on your heel and walk through the town. There’s a shop and inn, and you figure you should stop at both to rest up and restock. The sound of footsteps approaching from behind catches your attention and you turn to see Sotto following you. You give an annoyed huff at your stalker but decide not to dwell on it.

‘What do you have?’ You question as you step into the shop. A violet bunny perks up from behind the counter and begins listing her wares.

‘I’ll take two cinnabunnies and three bicicles.’ You decide on and pull the required money from your pockets. The shopkeeper brightens up at your offer and retrieves the pastries and ice pops from their respective containers. (‘Cinnamon Bunny’ Heals 22 HP. A cinnamon roll in the shape of a bunny) (‘Bicicle’ Heals 11 HP. It’s a two-pronged popsicle, so you can eat it twice.)

Okay, the cinnamon buns are actually really cute. And you can picture yourself splitting a ‘Bicicle’ with one of the kiddos. You eye the manly bandana but figure if you really want it, you can get it in another world. Sotto eyes your purchases and looks like he wants to ask something, but you brush past him and back into the cold of Snowdin Town.

You spot a familiar head of brown hair and approach cautiously, then tap them on the back only to move to the opposite side of where you touched. Frisk whips around but when they see nothing, they check their other side to find you grinning down at them.

‘You’re back! I thought you’d never get here.’ Frisk pouts and holds up their hands to make grabby motions at you. You pick them up and place them on your back before retreating towards the Inn.

“There are a lot of worlds to cycle through, and sometimes it’s hard to get to a secluded area.” You tell them quietly and you feel them nod against your back.

“I’m gonna take a nap at the inn before we go.” Frisk nods again and gestures towards the building which you step into. There’s a yellow bunny behind the counter and what seems to be their kid standing beside them jumping excitedly. You walk to the counter and set Frisk down before signing a request for a room from the monster.

“Sure! Right this way. Oh, and did you know that sleeping can raise your HP beyond the limit? It actually looks like you could use the extra…” The monster looks at your chest for only a moment before a bead of sweat falls down their face and they glance away.

You wordlessly step into the room offered and settle into the bed. Frisk curls into your side and quickly begins snoring while you stare up at the ceiling in contemplation. As low as your HP might be, it’s no secret that it was lower before you started world jumping. You glance at the lantern attached to your hip. Five little lights float within it. If your calculations are correct, one more save point should give you another point of HP. You frown at the thought and realize it’s going to be forever before you get any substantial amount of the stat.

Might as well sleep and hope for the best, you figure, then curl up more around the child in your hold. It feels like only a minute later you’re being woken up by a brown haired child and tugged out of bed.

‘Come on! You’ve been sleeping for forever. Let’s get going.’ The child signs excitedly as they drag you out of the room and towards the front desk. The bunny monster from before is nowhere to be found so you slap a few coins onto the counter before allowing yourself to be dragged out of the building. You spot a star halfway through town and stoop to pick it up. (You Are Filled With Calm. New Save Found.) Frisk continues to drag you across the town until you come to a foggy walkway that is hard to see through.

After walking in silence for a while, the fog begins to clear and the silhouette of a tall monster is revealed.

Oh.

You’ve seen a set-up like this before.

A save point, a place to rest up, a place to stock up on healing items… Then a stretch of calm until you come to a single enemy. This is a Boss Fight.

Chapter Text

“HUMAN.” A shiver runs up your spine at the single word. It feels like you’re being addressed directly.

“LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS. FEELINGS LIKE… THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER.” Almost immediately the tension in your shoulders eases and you glance down at the child beside you. So you aren’t the one being talked to. Good to know.

“THE ADMIRATION OF ANOTHER’S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL.” This speech is almost comical, as you’ve never experienced any of these emotions before.

“THESE FEELINGS…” And, you’re back to feeling unnerved. “THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!!!” Or not?? What is going on with this conversation?

“I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY. AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT.” Alright, you’re starting to get a feel for what you wanna call this guy.

“I DON’T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE. I PITY YOU… LONELY HUMAN…” The monster trails off, and it feels almost like a soap opera, the way his voice carried in the howling wind and his dramatic lines of dialogue.

“WORRY NOT!!! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR…” Papyrus turns, contemplating his words, and attempts to whisper about how wrong the situation is, but his voice carries despite the dense air.

“I CAN’T BE YOUR FRIEND!!! YOU ARE A HUMAN! I MUST CAPTURE YOU!!! THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS!!! THAT’S PAPYRUS!!!” Man, he’s loud. His ‘soulmate echoes’ mix with his voice, creating a cacophony of noise within your mind. It almost feels like too much.

“THE NEWEST MEMBER… OF THE ROYAL GUARD!” You feel a sudden tug in your chest and open your eyes to find the world that was once white and clean is now black with white accents. Papyrus’ outline is more obvious than before and you can make out his whole outfit and features, but the colors are gone and everything feels off. (You Aren’t Supposed To Be Here.)

(*Papyrus Blocks The Way!)

Your options pop up in front of you, and as much as you dislike the skeleton in front of you, it feels wrong to even look at the Fight button.
Y/N LV ?? HP (13/3)

*Fight *Act *Items *Mercy

*Act

*Check *Flirt
*Insult

You furrow your brow at the options presented. None of them feel quite right, so you decide to just *Check the monster in front of you

*Check

PAPYRUS 8ATK 2DEF
He Likes To Say “Nyeh heh heh”

Gee, thanks for the information… You scoff and get ready to begin dodging attacks, but nothing happens.

(*Papyrus Doesn’t Seem To Want To Fight You)

Then, why is his name still white? Your brows furrow in thought as your turn comes back to you. Okay, maybe you have to actually talk to him, then he’ll spare you.

*Act

*Check *Flirt
*Insult

Should you really flirt? It feels like you’ll be sending him mixed signals. But insulting him when he hasn’t necessarily done anything wrong feels like a low blow. Fine. You’ll make your own Actions.

*Ting*

*Talk

(You Tell Papyrus That You Don’t Want To Fight Either.)
(Papyrus Seems To Register Your Words And Hastily Changes His Name)

*Spare

Well. That was the oddest Encounter you’ve gotten into. You hastily grab Frisk’s hand when the colors return to the world and approach the looming skeleton who seems to be fidgeting with his hands.

‘Thanks for not Fighting me. You may have noticed, but my HP isn’t the highest.’ Papyrus shudders at the mention of your HP and he looks like he desperately doesn’t want to let you go off on your own.

“U-UM! SINCE YOU HAVE FREE TIME NOW… WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME OVER TO MY PLACE? YOUR LITTLE FRIEND CAN COME, TOO. WE COULD SHARE SOME OF MY SPECIAL SPAGHETTI!” Papyrus seems enthusiastic about his offer, but you wrinkle your nose, remembering the Crooked Spaghetti tucked safely in your bag for future non-consumption.

Maybe you should agree, and watch over the skeleton as he cooks, just to make sure that he doesn’t put anything strange in your meal. Also, you should start implementing his nickname, now that you’ve figured out what you want to call him.

‘Sure, Segno. Why don’t we make it together?’

“SEGNO?” The newly nicknamed skeleton questions, brow bone furrowing in confusion.

‘It’s another word for a musical repeat. I thought it’d be nice to give you a nickname.’ Sengo’s eye sockets brighten and he lets out a high-pitched squeal of excitement. You stumble back a step from the sudden sound and give the skeleton a questioning look.

“WE’RE ALREADY MOVING ONTO STEP TWO OF OUR FRIENDSHIP!!! YOU MOVE FAST, LITTLE HUMAN.” Papyrus seems too excited to elaborate further so you decide to just follow him out of the foggy area and over to his house. Frisk stays close to your side but doesn’t motion to say anything as you walk.

The skeleton household comes up on the horizon when your mind suddenly fills with panicked thoughts. Surprisingly, it’s the Papyrus from two worlds ago blubbering with the occasional comforting tone from his Sans. Okay, so you should’ve expected your disappearance to cause some panic, but did they really have to start panicking so long after you disappeared?

It’s possible Chara gave them a bit of trouble and they couldn’t check back in for a while, but you do remember talking in the last world. Maybe they thought you were still alive, but noticed that you stopped talking after a while and went to check up on you, only to see that you were no longer around? Yeah, that seems plausible.

“I’m still here.” You whisper simply, and notice Segno freeze up at your words, before he continues forward with a bit more pep in his step. The words floating through your mind quiet, which is good enough for you.

Segno guides you into the house and sits Frisk down on the couch before leading you into the kitchen to start your impromptu cooking lesson. You quickly find out that Segno knows nothing about cooking, and have to quickly correct him on almost everything he does. He watches you closely as you glide your knife across the vegetables, turn the heat down to a decent heat, and even as you pour water in the pot and unbox the noodles.

‘Should be done soon. Why don’t you get some plates while I drain the noodles.’ You suggest and the tall skeleton quickly nods before grabbing some plates from a cupboard and setting them up on the table. The sound of the front door opening shifts your attention from the noodles for only a second before you’re focusing back in on your present actions.

“got some ‘dogs, paps.” A familiar calls and you hear a slight back-and-forth between the brothers before the sound of footsteps approaches the kitchen just as you’re mixing the spaghetti sauce with the noodles.

‘Heya Sotto. Since I have you here, I thought I'd apologize. It was wrong of me to shout all those hurtful words at you earlier. While I’m still pissed at you, I realize now you have no control over your actions. So… Sorry.’ You finish lamely before picking up the pot of spaghetti and a baking glove. You waltz into the living/dining room area and place the glove down, then the spaghetti bowl over it. Frisk and Segno are already seated and look excited to try the meal you’ve prepared.

You quickly serve everyone their food before settling in the empty seat next to Frisk. Segno is across from you and Sotto takes a seat at the head of the table and to your left. It’s awkward for a few minutes as everyone pokes at their food, not entirely keen on eating quite yet. You purse your lips at their hesitance before pointedly shovelling a large bite into your mouth. Frisk watches your expression carefully, but when all they can see is mild enjoyment, they decide the meal is safe and dig in.

Segno and Sotto soon join in and hum happily at the flavors presented in the dish. You’re not much of a cook, but you did master each voice’s ‘signature dish’, even if it was only to spite them.

“WOWIE, HUMAN! THIS IS THE BEST SPAGHETTI I’VE EVER TASTED.” Segno trills, and you notice that his plate is already cleaned of all traces of food. You gesture to the bowl in offering and watch as he excitedly scoops up another portion and gets back to eating.

“yea, kid. it’s pretty good.” Sotto compliments and you hear the echo of his words fill your head with further praise.

‘Thanks’ you sign simply and continue to eat your meal. It isn’t long before there is only a small portion left, and Segno quickly wraps it and offers it to you. (‘Friendship Spaghetti’ Heals 25 HP. You Made It, So You Know It’s Good.)

‘We should get going. C’mon kiddo.’ You take Frisk’s hand and start guiding them to the door, only to be stopped by a bony hand on your shoulder. You’re about ready to snap at the sudden contact, but stop and calm yourself down. You’re giving these guys a second chance. Don’t snap until they give you a reason to.

“hey, uh, i actually run a hotanimal stand. here’s, um, a sample.” Sotto offers a wrapped ‘dog, which you quickly take, only to be confused by the item description. (‘Hotcat’ Heals 21 HP. Like a Hotdog, but with little cat ears on the end.)

Oh. That’s actually kind of cute? You shake the thought away and sign a quick thanks to the shorter skeleton before taking off with Frisk at your heels.

‘You shouldn’t take off quite yet. Sa- Sotto appears just up ahead.’ Frisk tells you and gestures further down the trail, towards where you suspect Waterfall to be.

‘Oh… But I still have a few more kids to get to. I’d feel bad just leaving them…’ You let out a silent sigh at the predicament, your brow furrowing in concentration as you think of the next best option.

‘I’ll just tell him you’re sleeping at the Inn, then. I’ll take it slow, so you can catch up.’ Frisk offers, then turns on their heel to walk into the next area. A name suddenly pops into your mind as you watch them trounce off, and you shout it without meaning to.

‘What?’ The child questions and turns around to address you.

‘Bemolle. It’s another name for a flat in music. I thought it’d match what I have in mind for the child in the next world. And it’s cute, like you.’ A light blush dusts the child’s cheeks and they quickly turn to hide it.

“I’m gonna take off now. Take care.” With that, you walk up to the river filled with ice cubes and jump in.

.

..

“🕈︎☟︎✡︎, 👎︎⚐︎☠︎🕯︎❄︎, ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎, ☺︎🕆︎💧︎❄︎, ☝︎✋︎✞︎☜︎, 🕆︎🏱︎✍︎”

…
“Well. That was different. And so is this…” You say aloud as you glance at the shops and houses surrounding you. No more box, you notice. Right. Well, time to get a move on.

Chapter Text

Chara is quick to catch your attention from beside a large decorated tree. You quickly make your way over and look up at the large conifer, wondering if the Monsters actually celebrate Christmas, and furrowing your brow when you realize it’s still spring up on the surface. At least, you’re pretty sure it is. Your internal clock could be completely wrong.

“It’s to celebrate Capmas. Some monster kids thought it’d be funny to ‘decorate’ a monster called Ice Cap. People thought they looked nice with their decorations and decided to decorate trees in a similar fashion. Now, the queen of monsters comes every now and then to deliver gifts. I think she’s trying to bring hope back to the Underground by keeping celebrations like Christmas around.”

You nod blandly at their words, but you’re still a little confused.

‘I want to get going. From the last world, I know that this is going to take a while, so we might as well get started as soon as possible.’ Chara nods before turning to the Shop and entering. You don’t know if you want anything else, but it’s always good to get new items.

*Bark!

You startle a little at the loud sound and turn to find a single large dog manning the shop. They don’t seem keen on talking, but you don’t either, so you simply slide up to the counter to observe what wares they have.

Looks like… Clumps of snow and dog treats. You shrug and take out enough money for one of each and wait for the large dog monster to hand you the items. (‘Snow Poff’ - Heals 22 HP. Not as sentimental as a Snowman Piece.) (‘Dog Treat’ Heals 11 HP. Can be used twice, if you put it out quick enough.)

Okay, so the dog treats are, what, smokes? You’ve never been much of a smoker, but you suppose if they’re going to heal you, it’s worth a little lung cancer. Definitely not giving any to the kiddos, though.

“You ready? I’m excited to see how far you’ll get this time. The last battle I watched you go through was… Less than impressive.” Chara laughs at the frown you throw at them before turning and wandering out of the Shop.

‘I’ll have you know I went through a boss battle recently and didn’t even have to dodge anything.’ You sign to the child who just looks you over for a minute before shrugging their shoulders.

“Eh, the less you fight the better. You’re super weak anyways. For your sake, I’ll make sure to stay passive, so the monsters hurt you less.” Chara continues walking, and you decide you don’t want them to elaborate further.

‘I came up with a nickname for you, by the way, since I’m gonna be travelling with your alternate just as much as i’ll be travelling with you.’

“Let’s hear it then. Or, i guess ‘see’ is a more apt term.” Chara chuckles at their own little joke and turns to see what you want to call them.

‘Diesis. It’s another word for a musical sharp. Fitting, don’t you think?’ You ask and gesture to the toy knife attached to their hip. The newly nicknamed Diesis smirks and nods, then continues on their way.

“Up ahead, we’ll run into Sans. He’s… excitable, but he’s never killed me. No matter what level you are, it only takes one hit to kill him, though, so make sure not to Fight him.” Diesis suggests, but you get the feeling they don’t care one way or another what you do.

It’s a similar set-up when you finally reach Sans’ fight. The blue bundle you had only been able to glance before is a bit more obvious now, but it’s still hard to make him out through the swirling snow and fog. His voice is a low rumble, and the voice in your mind that most resembles his starts up.

His words are similar to Segno’s, though you notice he’s a little less full of himself, which somehow makes him seem more full of himself? Somehow? You aren’t sure how that works, but you figure it’s because Segno had sounded like he was forcing his haughtiness while Sans’ speech sounds a bit more flowy and natural.

However, when he turns around to start the fight, he freezes completely upon catching sight of you. “O-OH! ANOTHER HUMAN!! AND WHAT SHOULD I CALL YOU, MY DEAR?” He questions, even though you’re pretty sure he never even asked Diesis’ name in the first place.

Despite this, you sign your name and wait as he tries it out before smiling widely and nodding. Before you can sign anything else, the Sans is suddenly pulling you into an Encounter and the Trousle of Bones begins ringing from your music box. You let out a long-suffering sigh before looking over your Actions

*Check *Flirt
*Insult *Talk

Nice. Looks like the Action you made for yourself is still here. You ignore it for now and instead choose to Check the smaller skeleton.

*SANS 2ATK 2DEF
He Likes To Say “Mweh heh heh”

Okay, not much different from the last one. His ATK is lower, noticeably, but maybe that means he’s even less likely to attack you? Alright, you can handle this.

Before you even know what’s happening, the Sans is throwing bones your way at the speed of lightning. Okay, not as nice. Not as nice by far! You hop out of the way of the white colored bones, carefully avoiding each one to ensure your safety. As much as you want to leave this world and get on to the next one, you feel like the trauma of killing you would send this small skeleton into a despair so deep he might not be able to recover.

*MWEHEHEH! HUMAN, YOU ARE QUITE GOOD AT DODGING! YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF YOURSELF!

That’s… Sweet of him to say, you begrudgingly admit to yourself. Honestly, now that you’ve gotten the chance to meet the voices in your head, they’re not all as bad as you thought they’d be. You still aren’t ready to forgive them, but maybe… no, you’re not ready to think too deeply on it as of right now. Just get on with the Encounter.

*Act

*Talk
(You Thank Sans For The Compliment)
(Sans Laughs And Rubs The Back Of His Neck)

Sans’ turn comes and you’re relieved to see that the attacks are slower and easier to dodge. Based on his ATK, you could probably handle one hit, but no more than that. You have to be very careful as you wind through the bone constructs, but you eventually make it past the attack phase and let out a sigh of relief.

*Act

*Talk
(You Compliment Sans On His Attacks In A Neutral Tone Of Voice)
(Sans Seems Confused But Accepts Your Compliment Nonetheless)

It goes on like this for a while with the Sans throwing bones at you and you dodging them before throwing out a compliment or critique on his form. While he seems a little downtrodden whenever you comment on something he does wrong, he does fix the problem by the next attack phase and you begin to feel a little good about your teaching skills. That is, until he lands the perfect blow to your Soul.

The world suddenly fades back into view and you find yourself looking up at the stony ceiling. Sans' face suddenly comes into view, a worried grimance over his normally cheery features.

‘I don’t think I can take another hit, Arpeggio.’ You sign slowly, much to the confusion of both of your companions.

“ARPEGGIO?”

‘It’s a descending or ascending chord played in succession. Thought it fit your theme, y’know, how it goes all-’ You wave your hands in an up and down motion before lowering them to your side.

You breath in a deep sigh before exhaling and rising so your elbows are in the snow. Diesis quickly pulls you the rest of the way up and you are left winded from the pain shooting from your soul through the rest of your body. This is the first time you’ve gotten hit by a monster and not died immediately. Whether that’s a blessing or a curse, you can’t really say, though it’s obvious you’re not going to get very far on your shaky legs and throbbing chest.

“HUMAN, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU COULD USE SOME HEALING. YOU COULD COME TO MY PLACE, MONSTER FOOD IS GOOD FOR HEALING SOULS.” Arpeggio offers, and you contemplate your options. If anything, you could excuse yourself, seeing as though this world is filled with kinder monsters. Besides, you get the feeling you should try to be… Cordial to the skeleton monsters, as much as you loathe their existence. You won’t get out of here if you’re making enemies.

‘Sure. lead the way, skeleman.’