Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Kris...”

“Don’t forget Kris…”

“You promised…”

And with a final breath, Carol put down the phone, letting out a deep sigh that echoed throughout the room. With a single tear running down her cheek, she let out a whisper.
“Just a little bit more, right? Then we’ll all finally be-” 
Her train of thought was interrupted by a faint knocking on her bedroom door. Immediately, as if a switch flipped in her mind,  she stood up, her demeanor and face shifting to that of an emotionless husk, wiping the tear off her cheek as any semblance of hopefulness disappeared from her face.

“What is it, Noelle?” her raspy voice barely able to get the words out.

“I just um, wanted to apologize. For earlier today. The girl I had over, I promise she’s really nice mom, she didn’t mean to-”

“Noelle.”

Carol looked down at her hooves, contemplating for a moment before continuing.“I also apologize. For scaring off your friend, I didn’t mean to be so stern.”

“It’s okay I think I get-” Noelle tried to speak, but was cut off once again.

“Please. Do not let strangers touch your sister’s belongings. Ever. Again.”

“Y-yes mom. I’m sorry.” Noelle’s starry eyed look of hope immediately shattered as she was overtaken by shame. “I’m just. I’m sorry.” She quickly blurted out before sprinting back to her room in silence.

And just like that, in a matter of an instant, Carol’s whole demeanor changed once again. Turning to look at the black shard on her desk, she mutters to herself.

“Just a little bit more. Just a little bit-”

As if almost on cue, her thoughts were cut off by her phone ringing. “Oh Angel, what is it now?” she muttered under her breath as she walked to pick it up.

“Howdy Carol! I just wanted to ask if the meeting we planned is still taking place?” a familiar voice rang through.

Oh Angel! Not him.

“It’s just that, me and the Father have been waiting here for quite some time now, and we weren’t sure if you were going to show up or not.”

Carol immediately grits her teeth and readies her blank expression, as if those were prerequisites to being able to talk. “Yes. I will be right there.” she muttered, locking eyes with the human soul shaped pillows resting atop her bed. Clenching her fist, and without another word, she threw her phone at the pillow, the speed of the impact piercing right through its core.

Oh heavens Angel, not again.

Replacing the pillow with a new one from the pile next to her bed, Carol started rushing down, somehow making no noise as she sprinted down the stairs. She noticed Noelle peeking at her from her room as she opened the front door. Exchanging a menacing look with her daughter, Carol left her residence without another word, and began heading to the Shelter.

“Dum dee dum…” Asgore hummed under his breath, turning his gaze to Father Alvin standing right beside him, then to his watch.

What is taking her so long?

“Since it appears she’s not coming… would you be interested a nice cup of tea at my place?”

Alvin nodded in silence, unable to get himself to turn his gaze to face Asgore’s.

“Okay then. My flower shop isn’t too far from here, we could-” his words were silenced by an intimidating approaching presence from behind the shelter.

“Carol!” Asgore yelled, giving her the wildest smile he could manage.

“Asgore. Father.” Carol nodded along. “I apologize for making you two wait so long.  I had other matters to attend to.”

“Of course, Carol!” Asgore said, maintaining his joyous grin. “You do what you must!”

“Do either of you know why we are here today?” Carol uttered in a cold, robotic tone, turning her gaze to Alvin, who appeared lost in thought, staring at the surrounding forest.

After a minute of silence with no answer, she continued.

“We’re moving our plans to the second phase, and we need a base of operations.” 

Without saying another word, Carol looked around anxiously, as if she had felt a strange presence among the trees alongside them.

Taking a moment to collect herself, she resumed. “Also. There is something… No, someone I want to introduce you to, Dece-”

Suddenly, the entire atmosphere went tense, it was as if the forest itself had responded to that name.

“I. Um-.”, a bead of sweat ran down Carol’s forehead. Frozen in place, she housed a look of fear which blindsided both Asgore and Alvin.

“Carol..?” Asgore asked, tilting his head slightly to the side, before turning his head to Alvin, who still seemed to be daydreaming in silence.

The tension was broken as the shelter doors creaked open, seemingly from the inside. The sudden noise being enough to ground Carol back to reality, if even just for a minute.

“Just. Just follow me.”

Dragging the shelter doors fully open, Carol proceeded to jump into the darkness pouring in front of them.

“CAROL?!” Asgore shouted, a look of horror overtaking his face as if he had just witnessed his child get hit by a truck.

Maintaining his silence, Alvin took a step forward, leaving Asgore by himself as he was also engulfed by the Darkness. 

Asgore looked around him. He could feel the presence in the woods growing stronger and stronger. Something was in there, that much he knew for certain, yet despite that knowledge, he couldn’t find anything looking around.

Looking inside his pockets, Asgore could feel the mysterious black shard he had brought shaking, quickly growing in intensity. It felt as if, just for that split moment, the whole world was out to get him. 

“Do you… want to go in there?” Asgore mumbled to himself, glancing down at the black shard in his palm, then to the darkness spewing out of the shelter doors.

 “Well then.” With a deep breath, the wind howling, and street lights glaring in the distance, Asgore closed his eyes and took a step forward, a step into the dark.

As Asgore opened his eyes, he noticed his clothing had been replaced by what appeared to be a royal cape and gown, the handheld gardening fork in his pocket had transformed into a large trident that rested in front of him. 

Examining his surroundings, he saw Father Alvin standing inside what appeared to be a dusty, run down lab. The ugly dark green hues of the walls filling the room with a nauseating aura. 

The priest was wearing what appeared to be a white and gold gown with chainmail beneath it, with a turquoise cape, and a large bladed hammer strapped to his side. Holding a horned helmet in his hands, the priest looked down upon it, still bearing a look of gloom as he rubbed its horns.

“Father, where are we? Where is Carol?” Asgore exclaimed in panic, looking down at the black shard still in his pocket which had seemed to calm down.

Noticing Asgore’s panic and confusion, Alvin equipped his helmet, finally breaking his seemingly unbreakable silence which he had held for the whole day and speaking in a voice of confidence.

“Do not be afraid, my child. We are in a Dark World.”

“A dark… what?”

“Did Mrs. Carol not brief you before our meet-”

“ASGORE.” a monotone voice rang out from behind the corner. Alvin retreated quietly in shame, undercut by a powerful presence.

“C-carol?” Asgore replied reluctantly.

Without saying another word, Carol stepped out from behind the corner, slowly approaching Asgore, still on his knees. Each step of her bright glassy heels leaving a trail clicking and clanking noises that echoed throughout the abandoned laboratory. A few steps in, Carol slowed down and flung her royal gown backwards dramatically, letting it flutter in the damp winds blowing through the facility, revealing her icy crystalline armor underneath before continuing towards Asgore.

Stopping at his feet, Carol leaned down to Asgore, meeting his gaze as she took a knee.

“Carol, what is this place? Where are we?”

Pulling out a golden crown, Carol answered his question.

“This is a dark world. The Father was supposed to make one today. I want you to make one tomorrow.”

Motioning the crown towards Asgore’s palm, she continued.

“Put this on, I have one for myself. You’ll needing one for them to obey you.”

Shaking his head, Asgore gave Carol a look of confusion.

“Obey me? What are you talking about? We’ve been down here so many times before, but it was never like this!”

Putting her icy palm on Asgore’s shoulder, Carol sent a chill that pierced through his armor. With a sigh, she resigned to giving him an explanation. 

“Strike the Earth. Strike it with your will, strike it with your blade, and you will create a fountain of darkness. The darkness will overtake the room and transform it into a Dark World. That is what happened to the shelter.”

Gesturing the crown at Asgore once more, she continued. “This crown will help you control its residents. They typically bow to royalty.”

Picking up the crown from Carol’s hand, Asgore pondered.

“If this shelter is a Dark World… then who made the fountain?”

Suddenly, the black shard in Asgore’s pocket began vibrating once more, quickly growing more intense as a new figure approached from behind the same corner. Their shadowy presence had the area around them darken as it slowly shriveled towards Carol.

“I-is that?” Asgore’s eyes widened.

“December.” Carol nodded along solemnly.

In seemingly an instant, Asgore returned to his feet and began sprinting towards the figure. He gave them a hug so tight, that Carol felt the need to intervene out of concern for it’s wellbeing. Putting her hands around Asgore’s arm, she attempted to pull him away to no avail as Asgore began lifting Dess off the ground, spinning her around as his laughs and cries blocked out all other noise in the room.

“ASGORE.” Carol exclaimed, putting her hand on his shoulder, creating a handful of snowflakes next to his face to grab his attention.

“I’m sorry Carol I just. This is big news! Why aren’t we telling the town? Kris? Noelle? Rudy! They’d all be so excited to see her!”

“They cannot know.”

Finally putting Dess down, Asgore wiped the tears from his eyes as he attempted to collect himself and hold down the conversation with Carol.

“But why? Why can’t they-”

“THEY CANNOT.” Carol exclaimed, raising her voice even higher. “Our operation here must stay secret. When the time comes, we will reveal December to the world. For now, I just need you to follow orders.”

Letting out a disappointed sigh, Asgore reluctantly agreed. “What is it you want me to do?”

“Tomorrow, at the dawn of the festival, I want you to make a dark world. That is all. December and I will handle it from there. Then, Toriel will-”

All of a sudden, the black shard, which was still furiously shaking in Asgore’s pocket flew out towards Dess, attaching itself to fix a small indent on their blade which had been chipped off.

“Oh thank you Asgore. May I ask where you got that?” Carol raised an eyebrow.

Putting her hand on Carol’s shoulder, Dess let out a growl and pointed to the other end of the room, where father Alvin was standing all by himself.

“Thank you for reminding me, my daughter.”

Locking eyes with Alvin, Carol called the old pastor to her side.

“Father. Please join us.”, Carol mumbled, her low, monotonous voice still managing to echo throughout the room.

As Alvin slowly walked towards the group, Dess seemed to take an interest in his presence, locking her gaze with his own.

Noticing Dess’s sudden infatuation with the pastor, Carol took a step forward, blocking Dess’s view, and with a quick cough, she straightened her expression and let out a monologue.

“Father.” 

Taking another step forward towards Alvin. She continued.

“Whatever you are going through. I hope it does not affect our plans.”

Stopping in his place, Alvin let out a deep sigh as he looked up at Carol, who had now been towering over him due to her high heels.

“Why?”

With that one word, the room grew silent, both Asgore and Carol staring at Alvin in confusion. Dess tilted her head to its side, growing more curious by the second.

“I was promised that I would be able to meet him down there. So why was I not allowed?”

“I…”

Carol’s eyes widened, she looked unprepared for such a question. Stuttering and stammering, Carol took to herself for a minute as she appeared to formulate an answer.

After a moment of recollection, she snapped back. In an instant, her look of confusion had completely shattered, leaving behind a face that could only be described as lacking in any emotion. In a stern, aggressive tone, talked down on Alvin as if she was scolding her child.

“We had a change of plans. Our enemies are moving faster than we anticipated, and thus so must we.”

“Enemies?!” Asgore and Alvin both gasped in horror and confusion, that single word had left both of them in shock.

Carol began to nod in silence, only to be interrupted by Dess, who tugged at her arm and looked her in the eyes, before letting out a growl.

“Carol, what are you talking about?” Asgore expressed, turning to Dess with a look of concern,. “December, what exactly is going on here?!” Asgore exclaimed, rushing forward to Dess and Carol as they slowly walked towards the great door behind them. 

“That… was not there before?” expressing a mixture of confusion, horror, and worry for his companions as he attempted to grasp the severity of the situation.

Turning her back, Carol kept on moving towards the door.

“Wait! This shelter! Are we not to explore it!”

Stopping in her tracks, Carol scoffed. “When the time comes, all will be clear. I pray to the Angel that you continue to corroborate, Asgore.”

Before Asgore could say another word, Carol gave a signal to Dess, who proceeded to carry out both Asgore and Alvin in each of its arms, dragging them towards the exit to the shelter.

“Wait! But what about-” 

Before Asgore could finish his thoughts, he and Alvin were already thrown out. Clamping her hands together, Dess cracked its knuckles as they floated towards Carol.

“Thank you, December.”, the words had barely left her mouth when Dess lunged at her, wrapping both of its arms around her as they embraced.

And in that moment, Carol’s expression melted away, the bravado which had been put up around her acquaintances melted away as a single tear ran down her cheek, until all that was left was a faint smile she had not felt in years.

“Thank you.

Don’t forget, Dess.

Don’t forget our promise.”

Chapter Text

Dum dee dum…

What a beautiful day today.

Birds are singing, flowers are blooming.

On days like these…

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Asgore instinctively slammed his arm onto the floor. Despite missing the alarm clock completely, the hit was enough to knock it over and turn it off in the process.

“It truly is a, *yawn*, beautiful day, is it not?” Asgore mumbled to his plants as he slowly got up from his bed.

Making his way to the sink, he turned his head towards the various colored flowers arranged in the center of the room.

“So, how have you all been doing?”

Pulling a small comb out of his pocket, Asgore began to comb his hair.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been spending much time with you recently. Carol’s been inviting me to her place a lot.”

Turning on the water to wash his face, it was as if Asgore could feel the various plants in the room twitching behind him.

“She says we found some new leads, on the investigation from back then…” Asgore paused for a moment. “On Dess.”

He could feel the atmosphere tense up behind him as he uttered that name. Despite being alone, Asgore felt strongly that he shouldn’t have mentioned that.

Looking down into the sink as he washed his face, he thought to himself. 

Ah, what am I doing? It’s been years and I’m still searching for her. No. I can’t give up yet! I’m close to something big, I can feel it!

Closing the tap, Asgore dried his face with a paper towel, and then turned to face the flowers with a bright smile.

“Don’t worry now, little ones. The Festival is in ten days. I’m sure everything will be clear before then!”

Asgore picked up the container with the golden flower, taking it with him as he made his way up the stairs and into the shop’s main hall. 

“I’m sure Carol will tell me everything soon enough!”

He could feel the plants in the room react and convulse with every new word uttered.

Suddenly, as he put the container down on the counter, his phone rang out.

“That’s her right now!”

Click

“Howdy Carol! How are you doing this fine morning!”

“Hello. I am expecting you in an hour. I have something to prepare first.”

“Of course Carol! I’ll be there-”

Click

Before he could say another word, Carol had already hung up.

“Well, I didn’t expect to be called in so early.” Asgore faced the golden flower. “ Apologies little one. Let me take you back upstairs.”

Putting the flower with the rest, Asgore quickly prepared a bouquet and headed off. 

Even if I’m being called early today, I still might have time to visit him.

I wonder if I should set up a Dragon Blazers save file for Noelle while she’s at school.

Rudy laid in his hospital bed, still in the process of waking up.

Might as well.

Reaching out for the controller, Rudy turned on the game console and started a new save.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Come in, buttercup!”

Slowly creaking the door open, Asgore peeked inside before making his way into the room.

“It’s just me, Rudy.” Asgore exclaimed, letting out a big smile as he put the bouquet on the counter next to him. “I brought you a gift!”

“Ah Gorey, ya shouldn’t have!”

“It’s the least I could do!”

Sitting down on the lone chair next to the bed, Asgore continued.

“Did you hear? Carol’s got me working on a special job recently.It’s just like old times, isn’t it my friend?”

“Old times, eh?” Rudy scoffed. “You and Carol, sneaking off doing your own thing together, reminds me of our college days, HAHA- AHŒGH”

His laughter was cut off by an abrupt cough, interrupting the conversation and causing Asgore to jump out of his seat.

Rushing towards him, Asgore put his hand on Rudy’s back and began to pat him on the back.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, it just… happens sometimes” Rudy said, giving Asgore a look of disappointment.

Sitting down at his bedside, Asgore put his hand on Rudy’s shoulder before leaning in for a hug.

“I’m really sorry you’re going through this, my friend.”

Pushing Asgore away, Rudy made eye contact with Asgore as he mumbled.

“Gorey… she’s gone, I know it’s hard to accept it but please, you can’t keep wasting your time with this.”

“I’m sorry Rudy.” Asgore muttered under his breath, wiping a tear from his eye. “I have to.”

Suddenly, the tension in the room was broken by the faint sound of laughter.

“HAHA, what’s with getting all emotional up in here man! I didn’t sign up for this!” Rudy smirked, his smug grin seemingly able to wash away the previous scene from Asgore’s memory.

“Heh. My apologies.” Asgore stood up. “I promise tomorrow’s visit will be more cheerful.”

Arriving at Holiday Manor, Asgore was delighted to see Carol already standing outside.

“Carol!” Asgore exclaimed giving her a wave and a big smile.

“Asgore.”

“May I ask, Carol… what is the occasion?” Asgore put his index fingers together. “I would happily be a groundskeeper for your residence but, do we need to be so secretive?”

“No one. Can know.” Carol looked around, skimming the garden, then Asgore’s trail, before scoffing.

“There will be more to this job than maintaining my home. Come with me.”

Without another word, Carol turned and guided Asgore towards the front door, then to her room.

“This will be your work room.”

“Your room? You do not want me to clean the house?”

Carol paused, looked down and contemplated his offer.

“Do that also.”

Opening the door, Carol and Asgore walked into the room. Inside were a bunch of cardboard boxes, filled to the brim with old photos of many different locations and people, as well as various newspaper clippings and articles describing Dess’s disappearance. 

Picking up a photograph of a short skeleton man, Asgore pondered it.

“Carol, what is all this? Where did you get this?”

“Evidence. I received it all from an unknown benefactor. One whom I met through an associate.”

“I see.” Asgore nodded, turning the photo to see a sticky note on the other side.

Beware the man who came from the other world.

“What does that mean? Do you recognize this man Carol?”

“I do not.” Carol chuckled, taking a step towards Asgore and putting her hand on his shoulder. “Your job is to figure that out. I have work every day at Town Hall. I do not have time to sort through them all myself. And thus, I want you to help sort these out on the board over there.”

“I think I understand.” Asgore said gleefully, doing his best to avoid giving Carol an enormous smile.

Rushing towards one of the boxes, Asgore immediately began digging through a bunch of old newspaper clippings, his ferociousness causing Carol to take a step back in shock.

“I promise I won’t let you down Carol!” Asgore exclaimed in excitement, continuing to rummage through the piles.

Taking another step back, Carol nervously looked around the room, avoiding eye contact.

“So I-... before I go. Is there anything you may require?”

“I require?” Asgore mumbled as he stood up. “Well let me see.”

Walking over to the corkboard hung on the wall, Asgore skimmed through several sticky notes which had been put up on the wall.

Guitar… code…

Police…

Black shard…entity…sin…

A majority of the text was hard to read, but Asgore could make out the words black shard, causing his attention to turn to the pitch black katana placed conspicuously right next to the board.

“Is this part of the evidence?” Asgore thought out loud as he grabbed the blade.

Instantly, Carol lunged towards him, anxiously grabbing the blade out of his hands.

“No. That is mine.” Carol spoke softly, taking deep breaths in an attempt to keep her composure.

“How quaint.” Asgore chuckled, “It reminds me of the black knife Kris gave your daughter for her birthday.”

Carol gave Asgore a deadpan stare, causing Asgore to take a step backwards before she could compose herself.

“If that is all. I will be on my way. Please do not make a mess of the place while I am gone.”

“Of course Carol!” Asgore smiled, waving goodbye. “I promise I’ll-”

Before he could finish, Carol had already shut the door in his face.

“Ah, classic Carol.”

Walking over to the center of the room, Asgore continued searching from the seemingly endless piles of paper Carol had left for him. 

As he emptied out the box, an old dusty article caught his eye.

“New Police Chief Undyne's Explosive Debut!”

Hometown welcomes its passionate young rookie as she becomes the new police chief... after Asgore Dreemurr was removed from the force involving an incident regarding-

Unable to continue reading, he crumpled up the paper and threw it to the side.

He began to examine some of the photographs from the pile. A peculiar looking one catching his attention.

“Who might you be?” Turning it around to see a label, “DOCTOR”.

"I can’t quite…"   Asgore tilted his head, then the photograph. However, no matter which way he looked, he was unable to make out what was being depicted in the photo.

“How odd.”

Suddenly, he noticed something move from the corner  of the room. A dark, shadowy flower facing him, appearing completely lifeless. Standing up, Asgore moved towards the flower.

“What are you doing here, little one?” Asgore put his hand on its stem.

“This  environment is terrible for you! What are your roots even connected to?”

All of a sudden, Asgore felt a powerful sting on his hand, causing him to jump backwards. 

“How did-” as he looked back, the flower was gone.

Taking a minute to collect himself, Asgore wiped off some sweat off his forehead and continued his search.

“Doctor was it?” Pocketing the photo, he moved on to the next box.

Missing posters. Weird sticky notes. An old newspaper.

Looking at the titles of some of the headlines, he was able to conclude this box was specifically about Dess.

Dust filled the air as he picked up the newspaper. With just the first few lines, Asgore could tell this wasn’t from Hometown.

Girl Missing in Neighboring Town!

16 year old girl December Holiday, daughter to Hometown’s lovely Mayor, Carol Holiday, has reportedly gone missing in the woods after an alleged prank with their friends. The involved party claims to have no idea of December’s whereabouts, and no true cause can be uncovered.

Police reported searching the woods…

Reading those words, Asgore couldn’t continue. As he put the paper back down, he noticed similar newspaper clippings, most from nearby towns, some from much further away.

Local Monster Lost in Forest.

Daughter of Beloved Mayor Mysteriously Missing.

Prank Gone Wrong! Teen Deer-Monster Disappears In Woods.

Amidst the pile of old papers, he noticed one that was more recent, written only a month ago.

The December Holiday Case: A Recollection on this Region’s Most Mysterious Disappearance.

“Was this?” turning the page, his suspicion was correct as he saw Carol’s name beneath the list of backers. “How interesting, why would she-”

BONG. BONG. BONG.

Asgore’s train of thought was broken by the ringing of an old grandfather clock at the opposite side of the room.

“Oh my. Is it already almost evening?” Asgore snickered nervously. “I ought to get a little spring cleaning done before Carol returns.”

Putting the article away in his pocket, he made his way downstairs.

“Dum dee dum…” Asgore quietly hummed while he finished the dishes.

“Hi Mr. Dreemurr!” A soft spoken voice snuck up as the kitchen door creaked open.

“Oh, hello Noelle!” Asgore turned and waved, spilling water all over the floor.

“Um, hi!” Noelle nervously laughed as she looked around. “What are you doing at our house? Does mom know?”

“Do not worry! Your mother simply appointed me as the groundskeeper for your residence.” Asgore nodded as he turned off the sink. “She’s been awfully busy with work lately, and wanted me to help keep the place tidy while she’s gone.”

Seeing his confidence, Noelle was able to calm down a little, her expression shifting to a lighthearted smile. 

“Oh okay. Sorry to bother you!” Noelle gave a quick nod before rushing to her room.

 Asgore chuckled, putting his hand across his mouth, nodding as he watched Noelle run up the stairs.

Amidst his laughter, he felt a faint tug on his leg. Looking down, he could see a strange dark, glowing vine, extending outside the house itself.

“Little one, are these your roots?”

With those words, the grip around his leg began to loosen. The vines of the enigmatic plant slinked across the floor, as if it was guiding him.

“Just a second!” Asgore dried his hands as fast he could before following the vines out the kitchen door, then the front door.

Rushing his way out, towel still in hand, Asgore attempted to catch up to the vines.

“Little one, are you still there?” Asgore asked as he opened front door to the manor.

From just the doorframe, he could already see a dark, shadowy figure standing outside. Donning a large cloak, the figure’s face and body remained too shrouded to make out. All Asgore could make out was a small bright crown, sitting on its head.

Making his way outside, Asgore felt the surrounding area darken the closer he got to the figure.

“Excuse me sir, have you seen a little flower in the area?”

The figure put its head down, revealing two protruding horns.

“Are those-?”

Without a warning, it pulled out a dark, glowing trident from underneath the cloak, lunging it towards Asgore.

“YOU-” Asgore jumped out of the way, barely avoiding a scrape. Landing on his knee, he immediately attempted to push himself up, only to notice his leg was covered in the same vines that lured him outside.

WHOOSH

Asgore looked up to see another trident heading right towards him.

“I am warning you hooligans, you’re dealing with the former chief of police!” Asgore shouted, managing to catch the trident by its prongs.

More vines burst from the ground, constricting his arm, and attempting to push him over. However, Asgore refused to let go, holding on to the trident as the figure tried pulling it away.

 Eventually, he fell, the pull of the vines being too much to resist. Still holding on to the trident, Asgore managed to snap off a sharp glass-like piece as he hit the ground.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Asgore winced in pain.

The figure growled as it searched his person, picking up the “DOCTOR” photo from his pocket before walking away.

“Wait, is that all you are after?” Asgore waved the newspaper at the figure.

Stopping in its path for a moment, it looked back at him before continuing its way into the forest.

“Wait! But what about-”

But what about…

Asgore found himself outside the shelter, back to wearing normal clothes. Turning to his left, he saw Father Alvin, also on his knees.

“Father, was all of that… real?”

Alvin let out a big sigh and stood up.

“Yes, my child. Mrs. Carol has been planning this for a long time.”

“Planning? Planning what?!” Asgore became visibly distressed.

“I do not know.” 

Reaching out his hand to help Asgore up, he continued.

“All I know is I was given instructions, similar to you.”

“And what about these instructions? Do you trust them?” Asgore turned to the shelter.

Before Alvin could answer, the shelter doors burst open as Carol walked through.

“Apologies. I hope that was not too much of an inconvenience.” Carol grabbed Asgore’s palm, carefully examining a gold ring that had appeared on his finger.

“Carol! What was that about?!” Asgore motioned his hands around his head. 

“All I ask of you is to do as you're told. I wish nothing but the best for everyone.” Carol snickered.

“What about the two monsters that attacked me the other week? Are they involved in all this?” Asgore took a step forward, becoming visibly more and more frustrated.

“We still do not know who those delinquents are. Nor what they were after.” she shrugged. “However. Do not worry. December will handle it.”

“What do you mean handle it?” Asgore raised his voice.

 “Asgore. It is late. I believe you should head home and prepare for tomorrow.”

“But-”

“Please. Asgore.”

Taking a few steps forward, Carol abruptly stopped and looked over her shoulder.

“And Father. Please clean up the church hall before tomorrow. We do not want regular civilians to see the mess.”

With that closing remark, Carol continued forward, heading home without looking back.

As she left, a moment of silence hung between the two. As Alvin and Asgore stood side by side, staring into the forest, that moment grew to minutes, which grew to what felt like an hour as the two contemplated what they had become a part of. 

“Do you trust her?” Asgore asked, turning to Alvin.

“I believe Mrs. Carol has everyone’s best intentions in mind.” Alvin answered in a faint, monotone voice.

“I understand.”

Strike the Earth.

Strike it with your will.

Strike it with your blade.

And you will-

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Asgore slammed his arm into the alarm clock. The strength of his swing causing it to shatter into pieces.

“Oh my, I didn’t mean to-” he murmured, turning his gaze to his flowers.

“Heh, do not worry little ones.” Asgore wiped a beat of sweat off his forehead. “I simply had a bad dream.”

He got up from his bed and slowly slouched towards the sink. Putting his hand on the faucet, he ripped it off in an attempt to get the water running.

“Haha, just a bad start to the day I suppose!” Asogore maintained his glee as he nodded at his plants.

“At least I have my…” he mumbled to himself as he opened the fridge. Its glowing internal light shining on Asgore as a beacon of hope, washing away all his worries as he picked out a jar of pickles.

“These *munch* always help me feel better after a rough day.” Asgore’s eye twitched, barely able to maintain his smile.

“Haha… ha” Asgore kept laughing to himself as he ate the pickles, occasionally looking at the flowers to ponder for a bit.

I’m not really going to do that, am I?

How does it even work?

What does it even do?

A series of thoughts looped inside Asgore’s head, repeating themselves over and over until he eventually noticed the gold ring on his hand.

Taking it off and placing it on the TV with a look of disgust, Asgore turned back to look at his flowers once more.

“ Why couldn’t she just tell me everything?” Asgore continued to stare.

His train of thought was interrupted by what felt like a strange presence nearby. However, looking around, he couldn’t see anyone else in the room.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice as one of the flowers turned to face him.

“Ah, it’s just you.”

Asgore began to calm down as the voice sent a stream of flattery, advice, and encouragement his way.

“You’re right.” Asgore sighed, turning his gaze to the floor. “Toriel won’t-”

Asgore’s focus was broken as the voice uttered some peculiar words.

“What do you mean by that, little one?” His words bearing a strange tone.

The voice continued to spew its usual brand of advice. Not even pausing to address Asgore’s question.

“Rudy?” Asgore chuckled, “I guess you’re right. I could wash my face there if I wanted to.”

As the voice slowly faded, Asgore stretched and put his hands on back.

“I should head off then, shouldn’t I?”

“HEY Kris! Take that off idiot!” Susie held Kris in place as she threw the Ice-E pizza box on the floor.

Picking the box back up, Kris presented it to Susie while making puppydog eyes.

“I don’t CARE if you want to prank Noelle!” Susie growled, before quickly calming down with a concerned expression. “I need things to go well, okay?”

“kids got a point, i say you throw her a bone.” Sans snuck up behind them, his sudden appearance startling Susie to the point of falling over.

“Who invited YOU here?” Susie yelled as Kris helped her up.

“Hehe. It’s okay Susie dear. Mr. Sans simply asked to take me to the festival.” Toriel giggled, attempting to cover her mouth with her hand.

“Oh.” Susie scratched the back of her head. “Sorry, Ms. Toriel.”

“also important to mention, this right here is my stand.” Sans smirked.

“Your… stand? What are you selling?” Susie became curious, before her expression quickly lit up. “You got any food?”

“grilled hot dogs. on the house kid, just for you.” Sans let out a wink as he put a hotdog bun on her head.

As the bun slipped off, Susie was able to catch it with her mouth mid-air and swallow it in a single gulp.

“bone appetit” Sans turned to his left, shrugging right before a snare drum played, seemingly almost on cue.

“What was that about?” Susie questioned, appearing more genuinely curious than annoyed.

“heh. you wouldn’t get it.” Sans let out a chuckle with Toriel howling in the background.

“HEY KRIS.” Susie punched their shoulder, straightening her posture as she noticed Noelle approaching.

“Hi Kris! Hi UM. Susie!” Noelle walked towards the group, covering her smile with her hands.

“Hello Kris.” Carol snuck up from behind Noelle, having closely followed behind her yet somehow managing to remain unseen.

“I hope you are able to take good care of my daughter tonight.” She scoffed, turning her glance to Susie. “I have some errands to run tonight. As well as a speech to prepare for. I trust that you will all behave responsibly.”

“Responsibly…” Susie turned to Noelle. “The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

Kris put their arm on Susie’s shoulder, before taking a few steps forward.

“KRIS?!” Susie and Noelle yelled in unison. Noelle went wide eyed as she began to blush.

“Shut the hell up dumbass.”  Susie began to blush as well.

“Kris? Oh Angel…” Carol gave them a deadpan stare that lasted a few seconds, until she could no longer help but break into a smirk herself.

“I will be heading off soon. Kris. Please take good care of my daughter tonight.” 

“I need to head off soon too, faha!” Noelle awkwardly laughed and turned to her mom. “I want to visit my dad real quick before the festival starts.”

Kris gave a slight smirk, then pointed at Susie.

“Um. Of course you can join Kris? And Susie??” Noelle glanced at her mom again. “Mom?”

Carol looked at Susie, staring at her with a harsh, judgmental expression that caused her to take a few steps back.

As Carol continued to stare, Noelle began to tug her arm.

“Mooooooommm…” she begged, causing Carol to let out a sigh.

“Very well. I trust you to stay out of trouble, Ms. Fey.”

“Ms. Fey?” Noelle giggled and glanced at Susie, seeming confused.

“HEY KRIS NOELLE WE SHOULD PROBABLY BE VISITING YOUR DAD NOW.” Susie quickly snatched both of them by their clothes and dragged them away.

Carol chuckled, letting out a whisper under her breath. “Interesting girl.”

“All right then. I should also be headi-”

Before Carol could finish her sentence, she was confronted by Sans, approaching her as he pushed through Kris and Susie. “HEY watch it!”

Walking up to Carol, Sans raised up his hand.

“you must be the mayor right?” He offered her a handshake. “ive heard so much about you. the name’s sans, sans the skeleton.”

“I see. You must be the one who opened the grocery store.” Carol grabbed his hand.

POP

“What was-” The sheer tightness of her grip caused something under his sleeve to explode.

“i uh. forget about it.” Sans laughed it off.

“nice to finally meet you, mrs. c.” 

“Nice to meet you as well.”

Gripping each other’s hands, they both stared at each other for a few seconds until they heard a familiar voice, quickly getting closer.

“WHAT DID I MISS?” The group turned to see Asgore sprinting towards them.

“Sorry for *pant* being late *pant* everybody . ” Asgore tried his best to smile through the sweat.

“Hello Asgore.” Toriel gave him a cold, expressionless stare.

“Tori!” Asgore leaned down and offered her one of the two bouquets he was holding.

“Haha… two today?” Toriel awkwardly laughed, doing her best not to pay attention to his disheveled state.

“Haha yes!” Asgore nodded gleefully. “I just got up and wanted to visit Rudy as well, so I thought I may as well kill two birds with one stone!”

“I see… thank you, Asgore.” Toriel picked up the flowers.

“Asgore?” Carol inquired. “Did you just wake up? It is evening.”

“Haha!” Asgore laughed off the question. “Just a long night I suppose.”

Toriel gave Asgore a pointed glare, as if she was staring right into his soul. “And what do you mean by that, Asgore?”

“Just the usual I guess.” Asgore shrugged, momentarily turning to Carol and then back to Toriel with his awkward smile.

Before he could say anything else, Carol came through. Her calm, monotonous voice instantly slicing through the tension in the air like a blade through paper.

“Asgore.” 

She coughed. Any words she could have said became unnecessary, as the look on her face conveyed everything Asgore needed to know.

“Hey Tori, so Asriel’s coming home tomorrow right?” Asgore kept his nervous smile, attempting to change the topic.

Toriel rolled her eyes. “Yes, Asgore. What about it?”

“I was thinking…” Asgore paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. “What if the four of us go to the diner together? Like old times, like a family…”

Toriel nervously turned to Carol, then to Sans, clearly wanting to reject his offer but feeling too embarassed to say anything in front of other people.

“oh yeah that reminds me. i gotta go help my little brother get ready for the festival. for some reason your kid seemed really excited to meet him.” Sans turned to Asgore and winked. “he has a really cool costume he wants to show off.”

“Kris has never been the most social. I am happy they seem to be making more friends recently.” Toriel smiled, her mood lightening.

“my brothers a similar case. speaking of, wanna come with and meet him tori?”

“Tori?” Asgore thought to himself.

“Oh I would love to Sans!” Toriel blushed. “Let us go then, shall we? Goodbye Asgore. Goodbye Carol.” Toriel waved them both goodbye as she began to walk.

“oh yeah before i go.” Sans pulled a fresh jar of pickles out of his jacket. “ this ones for you, big G.” Sans gave him a wink. “stores closed today, so i thought might as well, on the house.”

“Ah, thank you Sans.” Asgore chuckled. “I’ll be seeing you around then!”

“see you around big guy.” Sans gave both him and Carol a smug expression, before quickly turning around to catch up with Toriel.

“Well I should also-” Asgore prepared to leave right as Carol grabbed his arm.

“Asgore.” Carol looked into his eyes, completely emotionless. “Do not forget your task.” 

“Haha um… Yes Carol.” Frozen in place, Asgore was barely able to form enough coherent thoughts to make a sentence. 

“I promise I won’t disappoint you!” He stammered.

“Good.” Carol whispered as she let Asgore go.

“You may proceed now.”

“Susie on your left!”

“Crap I messed up that dodge-”

“KRIS-” the three of them exclaimed together as Rudy began to howl.

“HAHAHA! Noelle hun’, why didn’t you tell me about multiplayer Dragon Blazers earlier!” Rudy continued laughing while patting her on the back.

“Oh it’s um. It’s a pretty recent update, faha!” Noelle giggled. “It only came out last week.”

“I hadn’t even heard of it until now… These new bosses are really tough.” Susie got up and straightened her back. “Not tough enough for me though!”

“Yeah…” Noelle looked to her side, looking concerned. “For some reason they kind of… shadow dropped?? The whole update???”

“Kinda weird they wouldn’t make an announcement for so much content.” Susie joined Noelle’s confusion.

“Either way! I’m sure with enough attempts we can beat these Shadow Demons!” Rudy encouraged the group.

“Maybe we need to-” Noelle began to speak, but lost her train of thought as everyone’s focus turned to Kris.

“WHAT!” Susie yelled. “NO WAY Berdly already beat them!”

“Haha! Single player too? Guess the bird nerd has more to him than I thought!” Rudy chuckled.

“Yeah that really is impressive…” Noelle began to laugh as well. “Even with one of them joining our side we couldn’t beat the other six!”

“Even more reason to keep practicing!” Rudy put his hand on Noelle’s shoulder.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Come in!”

As the door slowly opened, a bouquet of flowers revealed itself, making its way through, followed closely behind by Asgore.

“Gorester!”

“Hello Rudy.” Asgore waved and nodded as he entered the room. “Hello kids.”

“Hello again Mr. Dreemurr!” Noelle got up and walked towards Asgore. “Do you want a hand with those?”

“Ah, thank you Noelle.” Asgore handed her the bouquet.

“Psst Kris. That’s your dad right?”  Susie whispered, poking their shoulder.

“A bit late, ay Gorey? I was worried you weren’t gonna show up, HAHA!” Rudy laughed as Kris and Susie actively avoided any eye contact.

“What’s that Kris?” Noelle turned to face them.

“Why should we-” Susie began to ask, before being cut off by Kris.

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO KEEP REPEATING IT DUMBASS.”

“Haha! I believe Kris made their point very clear, Susington!” Rudy chuckled.

Walking towards Rudy’s bedside, Asgore admired the flowers eloquently placed on the table.

“Heh. Thank you Kris. I would appreciate having the room if it’s not too much to ask.” Asgore looked at Noelle and Susie.

Getting up from her seat, Noelle began to walk towards her dad. “No! Of course Mr. Dreemurr, we were just finishing up our game!” 

“Thank you Noelle, I appreciate it.” Asgore gave her a pat on the head.

“Faha! No problem!” she giggled.

“So uh… should we…” Susie trailed off, turning to Kris.

Climbing onto his bed, Noelle reached to give her dad a hug. 

“Sorry I couldn’t come to the festival today sweetie.” Rudy wrapped his arms around her, his voice shaking as he reached for words. “I know I promised…”

“It’s okay dad! I’m just happy I could still see you before it starts…” Noelle turned to her side.

“See you, honeybuns. Love you!” Rudy gave a faint chuckle.

“Love you too dad!” Noelle waved goodbye, then turned to her friends. “Kris, Susie?”

“Yeah okay, let’s go.” Susie reached out to hold Noelle’s hand, and the two walked out the room.

“Kris? What are you doing?” Asgore looked at his child, who began going around the room, seemingly examining all the objects.

“Earth to Krismas! I don’t think that sink is any different than it was yesterday, HAHA!” 

Stopping at the Angel doll, Kris began to ponder, appearing to be lost in thought.

“Kris..? Are you okay?” Asgore approached Kris, but before he could reach them, they mumbled something under their breath and ran off.

“Goodbye to you too, Kris!” Asgore called out.

As they walked out of the room, Kris slammed the door shut, which tipped the doll over.

“Haha! Weird kid you got there!” Rudy smiled.

“Haha! That’s our Kris!” Asgore turned to Rudy, also with a smile.

After a brief pause, Asgore’s expression quickly melted away.

“Though… Rudy, there was something I wanted to talk to you about.” 

“You don’t say man! Look at yourself, forgot to pay the water bill again? HAHA!”

“Haha, indeed. I accidentally broke my faucet today when I woke up and wanted to ask to use yours.”

“Of course man! Not like I’m the one paying the water bill here!” Rudy smirked, watching as Asgore turned on the water and began to wash his face.

“Hey Gorey?” Rudy’s expression dropped. “Is something wrong man? You’re almost never late, and then you show up looking like this…”

“...” Asgore continued to wash his face, trying not to acknowledge his friend’s question.

“Is this about Dess? I got a text from Toriel-”

As if in response to those words, Asgore’s whole body tensed up. Turning the faucet back off, he slowly looked upwards to meet his own gaze in the mirror.

“Gorey..?”

“Do you ever feel like… everything’s falling apart?” Asgore paused for a moment. “That the people you could trust… can’t be trusted?”

Rudy got up from his hospital bed, limping as he made his way towards Asgore.

“Rudy no its fine you don’t have to-”

Rudy put his hand on Asgore’s shoulder. “It’s okay man, what’s going on?”

“...” Asgore paused once more, turning to face his reflection again.

“Rudy… I have lost everything. My wife, my children barely talk to me… my career, and now Decem-” Asgore couldn't finish his sentence, beginning to choke up as a single tear ran down his face.

“Asgore…”

COUGH COUGH

Rudy raised his arms, exerting all energy he had as wrapped his arms around Asgore.

“Rudy…”

As the two hugged, Asgore turned his gaze into the mirror. It felt like the reflection became blurrier and blurrier.

“I know Carol’s not the nicest cookie in the cookiejar, but-”

Asgore cut him off, his demeanor changing as he became fearful.

“Carol?! How did you know-”

“I just assumed…” Rudy sighed as he let go of Asgore. “I don't know what she's put you up to but… I love her Asgore, I really do. But I also acknowledge she’s flawed. The whole thing with Dess did a number on her.”

“Then what should I do?” Asgore closed his eyes. Gripping the sink with both hands, causing it to shake.

“Sometimes when life hands you your cards, you need to throw them away and choose to play checkers instead!” Rudy’s tone suddenly shifted as he talked in an upbeat voice. Turning around to hide the tears that ran down his face.

“Heh. Thank you, old friend.” Asgore grew a faint smile as he let go of the sink.

Finally looking away from the mirror, he turned to Rudy.

“Sometimes you just gotta grip life as hard as you can and drag it around with you, instead of forcing it to drag you along!” Rudy continued, turning around to shine the brightest smile he could manage onto Asgore.

“You’re right. I can't let her push me around…”

“Hell yeah! She’s my wife but even I agree she needs someone to stand up to her from time to time, HAHA!” Rudy laughed, offering Asgore a handshake.

“Thank you Rudy.” Asgore ignored his handshake, quickly leaning in for a hug. “I know what I must do now…”

“Go make your own COUGH destiny my friend.” Rudy tried his best to hold his coughs in, doing his best not to ruin the moment.

“I will…” Asgore let go. “I need to go.”

“Be seeing you man!” Rudy waved goodbye.

Kris was standing right outside the hospital exit, their back leaned against the wall.

“KRIS!” Asgore hugged them tightly right as they came through the exit.

“Kris… I wanted to talk to your mother, where is she?”

Kris pointed at the giant ferris wheel right across the street. Turning his gaze, Asgore could see Toriel and Sans sitting together in one of the booths.

“No… is he?” Asgore’s eyes began to water. 

“She wouldn’t…”

Asgore turned to Kris, staring at them as his eyes continued to widen.

“She wouldn’t!” Asgore stomped.

Turning back to the ferris wheel, Asgore leaned down, taking a seat on the floor.

“Hahaha…” he put his hand to his face, his sounds of laughter were hardly even audible.

“Heh.”

I thought he looked familiar…

Beware the man who came from the other world…

IT’S HIM!

She was right.

He’s trying to get at me.

He’s trying to ruin everything…

Asgore stood up and glanced back at Kris, who was still standing there, doing nothing. “Kris, please excuse me, I need to go…”

Disappointed, Asgore shambled towards his store, keeping his head down throughout the whole journey.

She was right wasn't she? This is for the betterment of everyone.

Asgore entered the shop, walking past all his plants as he made his way downstairs.

“I know what I must do now…” He muttered under his breath. “But first.” 

Walking towards the fridge, its once bright light grew dim, no longer shining through. He placed the pickles inside before shambling back to the center of the room. 

“It is time.”

Chapter Text

“ Where… am I? ” Asgore stood up, barely able to maintain his balance. “ Is this a Dark World?” 

After taking a moment to compose himself, Asgore made his way into the flowery fields before him.

Step. By step. By step.

No matter which direction he turned, all Asgore could see was the same patterned field. Pink and gold flowers enveloped everything in sight.

Crack!

Something caught Asgore’s leg, causing him to trip.

“Hey watch where you’re go-” A mysterious figure emerged from the foliage, going wide eyed as he turned to Asgore.

“I’m so sorry sir.” Asgore helped the glass-like man up.

“Mr. G! Is that you!” He put both his hands on Asgore’s shoulders and shook him excitedly.

“Apologies but…” Asgore grabbed one of the man’s arms and squeezed it tightly. “Do I know you?”

“It’s me! Mr. P! You know, from the skeleton man?”

“HIM!?” Asgore pushed P away. “What is your association with him?!”

“Relax relax G! I’m on your side here!” Mr. P looked to his sides, then turned back to Asgore. “I need your help you see, I’m a detective!”

“Detective..?” Asgore’s raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah!” Mr. P removed his incredibly oversized fedora and held it in front of his chest. “My home! Mr G! They took my home!”

“Who did?” Asgore raised his voice. “Was Sans involved!?”

“The skeleton man?” He shook his head. “It was the shadows! The shadows you see!”

“The shadows?” Asgore looked perplexed. “Is he talking about..?”

“Yeah! I was investigating what happened and thought that the best approach would be to find you!”

Asgore took a step back, turning his gaze to his side as he avoided eye contact.

Mr. P continued. “And I thought that-”

“May I ask sir…” Asgore cut him off, staring at Mr P’s form. “What are you exactly?”

Mr. P put his hat back on. “What am I?” 

“Well yes, you don’t quite look like a monster?” Asgore questioned. “You’re transparent and… what are these green things floating inside you?”

“Ahah! You better watch your mouth Mr. G!” P chuckled. “If I was any other Darkner, I may have found that offensive!”

“Darkner..?” 

“Yeah! Your fountain! That’s what the people who live here are called!”

Asgore began to scratch his chin, taking a moment to ponder. 

“I see…”

“Though I was serious about my home…” Mr. P took his hat off once more. “The sha-” 

BZZZZT

A surge of electricity jolted Mr. P, sending him flying backwards.

“What the-” Asgore began to run towards him, quickly being stopped in his tracks as vines emerged from the flora, holding him in place.

What is this?!”

“Mr G…” P mumbled, his voice shaking. “I need your-” A group of vines quickly covered his mouth, and pulled him into the floor. 

“It’s them again!”

As Noelle and Susie rode the ferris wheel together, the atmosphere quickly grew tense, with both of them looking away from each other, blushing. The seats of the cart creaked as Noelle turned to her side, desperately searching for something she could talk about. Suddenly, she noticed Kris, leaning against the hospital wall. 

“Hey look, it’s Kris!” Noelle waved.

“Kris!” Susie turned with a bright smile. “Hey, is that their dad?”

Noelle squinted, attempting to make out the figure standing next to them. “Yeah looks lik-”

“HEY WHAT ARE YOU POINTING AT DUMBASS!” Susie yelled, staring directly at Kris and exposing her razor sharp teeth.

“Susie!” Noelle began to giggle, before quickly reaching to cover her mouth.

“i think they were pointing at us, sunshine.” Static erupted from the speaker next to Susie’s seat, followed by a familiar voice.

“Is that?” The two mumbled in unison.

“the one and only.” Sans winked, despite neither being able to see him.

“Hey, how are you doing that?” Susie frantically looked around the cart.

“Over here Susie!” Noelle gestured to her finger, which was holding down a button. “All the carts in the ferris wheel are connected with microphones. I think my mom originally installed them to chaperone me and Kris, faha!” 

“Sans, I think we should leave them alone.” A soft voice chuckled. “I don’t want to interrupt the lovebirds up there!”

“Lovebirds?!” Susie yelled. Noelle turned to hide her face in the cushions.

“huh, thought they looked more like a deer and lizard to me, but you’re the expert Tori.” Toriel began to laugh as a pair of percussive instruments played in sync.

“Was that a-?” Noelle questioned. Leaning over to the window, she tried to see into the cart below her.

“He uh, does this sometimes.” Susie snickered, also sticking her face to the window.

After a brief pause, staticky noise filled the speaker. Susie slowly moved her hand towards Noelle’s, grabbing her attention.“S-Susie????” Noelle blushed.

“Sorry I just-” Susie trailed off, awkwardly looking to her sides for anything to talk about. “Heh. We’re really high up now… Can’t even see Kris anymore.”

“Faha! It’s just like the one in my dream!” Noelle laughed as she tightly gripped Susie’s hand.

“That one was way bigger though…” Susie mumbled under her breath.

“What was that?” Noelle stared at her.

Susie stammered, quickly pointing towards where Ice-E’s pizza used to be. “HEY! I think I see Kris! Is that the pizza guy?”

“Faha!” Noelle smiled. “Dess and Azzy used to hang out with him a lot. I never managed to learn his name though.”

“Kris has been calling him Pizzapants I think.” Susie scratched her head.

“PIZZAPANTS?” Noelle could hardly contain her glee. “What kind of name is that!”

Susie shrugged, going silent for a moment until a distant drumset broke her focus. Its volume easily overcoming the distance between the two carts.

“HEY WOULD YOU GUYS STOP THAT?” Susie slammed her hand on the button, which caused Noelle to chuckle.

“Oh I’m sorry Susie dear. It’s okay, the ride’s almost over anyways.” Toriel said, still laughing quietly.

“Oh.” Susie looked down at her hand, still holding Noelle’s. “I thought it’d be longer…”

Noelle raised her and Susie’s hands to her face and smiled. “It’s okay Susie! There’s a lot to do at the festival! We could even…” She blushed and looked downwards, hiding her expression in the process. “Ride this again, if you want.”

“...” Susie went silent, letting go of Noelle’s hand as she stuck her face to the window and looked around Hometown. Seeing some Jockington graffiti on a wall, she began to take deep breaths.

“Susie? Is everything o-HUH?” Noelle tensed up as Susie put her hand on her shoulder.

“Hey…” Susie gazed at her hooves, unable to look Noelle in the eyes. “There’s something I wanted to show you, something I wanted to talk about.” She turned around, looking at the school. “I didn’t ask Kris but, I don’t think they’d mind…”

“Kris?” Noelle looked concerned. “Did they do some sort of prank?”

“No no it’s not that it’s just-” Susie turned to Noelle. “Something happened yesterday. Something I don’t know how to talk about.” 

Noelle leaned in for a hug, catching Susie off guard. “Susie it’s okay! I’m here for you!”

“I guess…” Susie gritted her teeth. “I just hope their dad’s okay.”

“Faha!” Noelle’s grip around Susie grew tighter. “Mr. Asgore is very strong, I’m sure he’s going to be just fine.”

“About that offer, maybe later… I wanna look around some more I thin-” Susie cut herself off, immediately beginning to blush. “If that’s what you wanna do too, that is.”

Noelle giggled. “Maybe we can hang out with Kris a bit?”

CLICK.  

“Guess that’s our stop then.” 

Getting off their cart, Susie and Noelle descended down the stairs. Looking up, Susie put her hands on her back and admired the ride.

“We should probably go look for-” to Noelle’s surprise, Kris was already there, standing right next to a tall skeleton monster wearing fantasy armor, flaunting his large shoulder pads and short red cape. Mumbling something under their breath, they gestured at Noelle.

“YOU MUST BE NOELLE, YOUR FRIEND TOLD ME SO MUCH ABOUT YOU!” The monster tried approaching, but was beaten by Susie and Noelle rushing towards him.

“Yo, did you make that outfit yourself?” Susie proclaimed excitedly.

“It’s really cool!” Noelle added, staring at him awestruck. 

“UNFORTUNATELY NOT!  EVEN THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN NOT ALWAYS DO THINGS ALONE!” The monster put his hand on his chest, letting his cape flicker in the wind. “MY BROTHER HELPED ME MAKE IT!”

“Your… brother?” Susie squinted her eyes, raising an eyebrow.

“heya.” Sans snuck up behind Susie, causing her to jump.

“Of course it’s you! Everything is you!” Susie growled, causing Noelle and Kris to laugh. 

“WORRY NOT DEAR SUSIE!” Papyrus helped her up. “EVERYTHING IS ALSO I.”

“Um. Thanks.” 

“SANS!!! HAVE YOU MET MY NEW FRIENDS!?” Papyrus ran up to him and pointed at Kris. “I’VE BARELY BEGUN AND MY FRIEND QUANTITY HAS ALREADY INCREASED BY ONE!!!” He turned to Susie and Noelle. “AHEM. THREE!”

“heh. proud of you little bro.” Sans chuckled.

Suddenly, the group’s attention turned to Kris, who appeared to be making a phoning motion with their hands.

“your mother? i walked her back to your place.” He shrugged and nodded. “she was feeling kind of tired after the ride.”

“Already?!” Susie stared at him as her eyes widened. “Didn’t we JUST get off the ride?”

“lets just say…” Sans turned to her and winked. “i know a shortcut.”

“A… shortcut?” Noelle joined in on Susie’s curiosity. “What do you mean by that Mr. Sans?”

“DO NOT WORRY DEAREST NOELLE!!” Papyrus pat her head. “MY BROTHER IS SORT OF A TROUBLEMAKER!!! YOU’LL HAVE TO GET USED TO THIS ODD BEHAVIOR FROM HIM!!”

Kris mumbled something in their grainy, robotic voice as they gestured playing the piano.

Papyrus shifted his eyes to the side, straightening his brows. “OH ESPECIALLY THE INSTRUMENTS.”

“yeah. you better not catch me playing the xylo-bone.”

“SAAAANNNSS!!!!!”

Kris and Noelle began to laugh as Papyrus stomped his feet. Kris’s red eyes revealed themselves as their hair swayed.

Susie walked up to Sans and straightened her pose. “Hey um. Mr. Sans?” She tugged at his jacket. “Is it okay if I talk to you for a second…” 

“sure kid whats up.”

“I was thinking more in private-”

Sans nodded, and waved to the rest of the group. “see you in a bit.”

“NYEH HEH HEH!!! SEEING YOU, I SH-” Before Papyrus could finish, Susie had already begun to drag Sans to a nearby alleyway.

“Hey Kris?” Noelle turned to face them. “Is Susie doing okay? She was acting a little weird earlier, and now…”

Noelle could tell something was awry. Kris’s words didn’t fit their expression, a bead of sweat ran down their forehead as they avoided giving an answer.

“It’s okay Kris!” Noelle gave them a big smile. “I just hope she feels better soon. Hey um, Mr. Papyrus?”

"YOU DO NOT NEED TO CALL ME "MR.". I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DO NOT REQUIRE ANY FORMALITIES FROM MY FRIENDS."

“Faha! Okay then, the great Papyrus?” Noelle giggled. “Do you wanna stay with us for the festival? My mom left me with a lot of money for tonight so I’d gladly pay for your tickets.”

“WOWIE!!! I WOULD LOVE TO!!!!” Papyrus blushed.

“Great! Let me just-” Kris poked Noelle on her shoulder, interrupting her mid-sentence. “My dad? I don’t know what they would have talked about, sorry.”

Noelle turned back to Papyrus, only to be interrupted again as she burst into laughter. “KRIS!”

“you want me to visit him?” Sans awkwardly laughed.

“Not for long just… check up on him please.” Susie shaked her head, her hair covering her eyes.

“im down but…” Sans chuckled once more. “why me kid?”

“I just-” Susie stammered. “I’m afraid he’s not doing well… I think he’s still not over Ms. Toriel and-” She scratched her head. “You and her are… you know? I thought you might be able to clear the air.”

“heh. dontcha worry kid. i getcha.”

“So you’ll do it?” Susie’s expression lightened up.

“sure thing. tori’s already asleep so i dont got much to do other than watch my brother.” Sans peeked outside the alley, looking at the Kris and Noelle laugh at Papyrus’ jokes, then turned back to Susie and winked. “and i think it might be best to let him make friends on his own.”

“Thanks a lot Sa-” Susie paused, correcting herself. “ Mr. Sans.”

“heh. dont sweat it kid. and the names sans, just sans.” With that remark, he turned around, walking deeper into the alleyway as Susie chased after him.

“WAIT! The exit’s this wa-” 

Looking around, Sans was nowhere to be seen. “Sure what the hell.”

Vines wrapped around every part of Asgore’s body. He could feel himself being dragged, but to where? “Somebody please.” His cries for help were muffled, almost completely inaudible. 

Suddenly, he felt the surface he was being dragged across change. No longer the soft, sinking feeling of the foliage. His discomfort grew as he felt something much smoother and harder hit his body. “Is this?” Breaking one of his hands free, he could feel what seemed to be decorated marble flooring.

Before Asgore could form another thought, the covering around his face had already begun to untangle. Taking deep, heavy breaths, Asgore glanced at his surroundings. He appeared to be in some kind of throne room, but before he could get a good look, he was launched forward towards the throne. 

Landing on his knees, Asgore gazed upwards at the throne, lost in thought as he admired its large, golden beauty.

“Where am-” A lone vine burst through the floor, interrupting him as it hit his nose.

“WE’RE…” An array of voices harmonized together. Asgore tried to focus, but he could not tell how many there were. 

All of a sudden, the dim lights of the room grew strong and bright. A stagelight was shined on Asgore as jazzy music began to play.

“One by one. Here we come!”

“Walk in our lair! Your worst nightmare!”

Vines burst out of every corner of the room.

“One, two. Here we go!”

“Get it done before you know.”

“What is going on here!” Asgore yelled, his voice overshadowed by the increasing volume of the surrounding music.

“Three, four. Into hell.”

“We’re the villains can’t you tell!”

“Five, six. Banish heaven.”

“That’s right, we’re the SINISTER SEVEN!”

Fireworks erupted from behind the throne, the sudden noise causing Asgore to trip and fall to his knees.

“I’m warning you hooligans!” Asgore reached out his arm, a trident spontaneously formed in his hand. “How did I..?”

An orange flower popped out of the ground. “Oooooh already starting with an action scene are we >:)”

A barrage of orange tendrils flew towards Asgore. As he ducked underneath, one of them managed to knock the crown off his head.

“Where is he!” Asgore jumped forward, stabbing the flower with his trident, but it had already retreated into the earth before it could connect.

“Ha! You always were a slowpoke! >:P” the orange flower popped up behind him as a plant tangled around his foot.

Asgore quickly turned around, throwing his trident as hard as he could, only for a large green plant to immediately emerge and knock it out of the air.

The orange flower chuckled.  “Ha! Good work Peo-” It’s mouth was covered by a group of leaves, which kept them constricted as a green flower popped up next to them.

“Phera you idiot! You know we can’t be going off script.” 

“So what? Improv makes the best stories!” The orange flower scoffed.

“Excuse me.” Asgore chimed in. “Who are you people?” 

Freeing the grasp around his foot, the green flower approached him. “Sorry about that, Mr. Dreemurr. My name’s Peo.” She turned over, gesturing at the orange flower, who glanced at Asgore with a mischievous grin. “My hotheaded friend over there is Phera.”

“Peo… I am sorry but, where am I? Where is Mr. P?”

A group of flowers burst through the floor. “Sorry chief, don’t know who you’re talking about X3” The yellow flower chuckled. “The name’s Sol!”

Asgore stared at the group, turning to them, then looking down to examine his outfit, then back to the group.

“Aaaaand I’mmmm-” The blue flower wrapped itself around Asgore as he continued to stare. “Chor! :-P”

“Cyan. Blue. Purple. Green. Yellow. Orange.” Asgore turned to the flowers one last time. “Are you guys-”

“Yep!” The group collectively exclaimed, some of them bursting to laughter.

“Why are your vines colored like that? Little ones?” Asgore leaned down, still examining the flowers closely.

“Oh, Mr. Mike makes us dye our roots, says it makes us pop out more on air.” The purple one smiled. “I’m Iris by the way!” 

Iris raised a leaf to Asgore, offering a handshake.

“Nice to meet you, Iris.” Asgore grabbed the leaf and shook it gently, still keeping his gaze focused on the group. “Haha, there’s so many of you.” Asgore scratched the back of his head. “It’s a bit difficult to keep track.”

“Well um-” The cyan flower stammered. “It’s okay… you’ll get used to it eventually.”

“Perhaps I will. What is your name, little one?” Asgore offered it his hand.

“Oh um. I’m Daisy haha.” She raised a vine. 

As he shook it, Asgore looked around the room, at the group, then behind him. “Say, I know it’s none of my business but, shouldn’t there be seven of you?”

“I  uh >.>’” Daisy looked nervously at her peers, who also began to look around.

Phera popped up next to Asgore, wrapping her orange vines around his leg. “Well you see >:P” Suddenly, a gust of wind blew against the room, catching the attention of everyone there.

Asgore turned around, with his hair frolicking against the wind. A majestic figure descended from the sky with rocket boots, wearing a light blue coat and red tie. 

Landing in front of the throne, the TV-headed man posed dramatically as a sign fell from above.

“THAAAAAAATTT WOULD BE-” Thrusting towards Asgore, the man jumped to reach his level and wrapped his arm around his neck. “MEEEEEE!!!”

Flying backwards, he raised his arms out in front of the sign as fireworks began to go off. Then, immediately zipping back towards Asgore, the man grabbed his hand to shake. “Haha! Apologies for my excitement there Gorester! Haven’t seen ya in years!”

“Gorester?” Asgore briefly thought to himself, before snapping back. “Apologies sir but, do I know you?”

The man’s chin, if you could even call it that, dropped to the ground, the television face extending beyond its technological limits. “WHAT? It’s me? Don’t you remember me?” He pulled out a silver cowboy hat. “I’m Mike!” 

“Mike? I’m sorry I don’t-” 

Mike flew towards Asgore, wrapping his arm around his neck once more. “Don’t you remember all the good times we had? Here! Look into this!” He stuffed the hat into Asgore’s face.

“This is from that old show me and Rudy used to watch, is it not?”

“HAHA YEAH! Good times back then Gorey! Good times!” Mike did a little dance. “A shame you snatched me away from my home!”

“Does that mean-” Asgore’s eyes widened.

“THAAAATSS RIGHTTT!” Mike dashed forward, his face only inches away from Asgore’s. “I LOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEE WHEN I’M LEFT TO ROT FOR YEARS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.”

“Well I just-” Asgore took a few steps back as Mike slowly floated towards the flower gang.

“DONT YOUUUU LOVE BEING ABANDONED, DAISY?” Mike picked up one of the flowers, snapping his fingers to make a microphone appear in his other hand.

“I’m Iri-”

“YOU’RE SO RIGHT!” Mike turned off his rocket boots, instantly falling to the ground. “I haven’t even given him the rundown yet!”

“The rundown?” Asgore asked hesitantly. “I’m sorry Mr. Mike, what happened to Mr. P? Where did you take him?”

Mike turned around and began to scratch the bottom of his face. Suddenly, he turned around, slowly levitating towards Asgore as his face grew in size.

“Hey Mike you good? o_O” Sol tapped his leg.

“HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - Pending for future updates.” 

Asgore took a battle ready stance, expecting an attack only to be met with Mike beginning to dance mid-air. “HAHAHA- That little nobody? That’s just some guy I hired off the web. Thought they were worthless but guess they were pretty convincing wouldn’t ya say, Gorey?”

“An actor, hm?” Asgore shifted his eyes. He felt a light pull on his arm, looking down to see Iris right next to him.

“Just get used to it-”

“AND GET USED TO IT HE SHALL!” Mike swooped in to give Iris pets. “So Goremeister, whaddayasay? You’re the king around here, let’s discuss shall we?” He placed the knocked off crown back on Asgore’s head.

Asgore turned to stare at the flowers with a concerned expression that imitated that of a lost child. “I suppose we shall-”

“PERFECT!”

“Aaaaaaand STRIKE!” Susie threw the ball at the neatly arranged bottles with all her might, shattering them in the process.

“Susie!!!!” Noelle laughed. “You’re not supposed to break them!”

“Heh. Breaking them should get you an extra prize if you ask me.”

“WOWIE!!!! SUSIE IS VERY STRONG!” Papyrus went starry eyed. “I WISH TO BE AS STRONG AS HER ONE DAY!”

Susie blushed, looking downwards to hide her expression. “I uh. Don’t mention it.”

“What’s that, Kris?” Noelle turned to them. “OH COME ON NO I WOULDN’T! My mom would make me pay for the locker, faha!”

“I, TOO, WOULD LIKE TO BE SLAMMED INTO A LOCKER!” Papyrus snickered.

“What.” The whole party exclaimed in unison.

“IT SEEMS LIKE AN EXCELLENT FRIENDSHIP BUILDING EXERCISE, NYEH HEH HEH!”

“I guess haha-” Susie turned to Kris as they began to blush. “SHUT UP DUMBASS.”

“Hey, looks like the bottles are stacked again.” Noelle picked up a ball and gestured it at Papyrus. “Do you want to try?”

Taking a few steps towards the counter, Papyrus put his hand on his chest and closed his eyes. “LET ME TRY-” Quickly releasing his hand in a swiping motion, Papyrus shot out a volley of bones to knock the bottles over.

“Holy crap you can do that?!” Susie rushed to his side, gawking as she jumped from side to side, examining his arms and hands. After a quick moment, she was joined by Kris and Noelle, who proceeded to do the same.

“NYEH HEH HEH! IT’S A TRICK I LEARNED FROM MY BROTHER” Papyrus stood proudly. “I AM A SKELETON AFTER ALL. WE’RE PRACTICALLY MADE OF BONES!”

“Guess that makes sense.” Susie scratched her hair. “Hey Papyrus, I uh… think you’re cool, haha-”

Kris turned to her and began to laugh. Their motions quickly caused Noelle to join in.

“Susie!!!!” She covered her mouth.

“HEY WHAT DID I EVEN DO-” Susie punched Kris’s shoulder.

“Faha! It’s nothing, it’s just um-” Noelle turned red. “I’ve never seen you talk like that before.”

“OH MY!!!” Papyrus let out a tear. “I CAN’T BELIEVE I’VE ALREADY BEGUN TO FLATTER MY FRIENDS!”

“IT’S NOT LIKE THAT!” Susie growled, before her attention turned to a whisper in her ear. “What’s that, Kris?”

Papyrus and Noelle silently watched as Kris whispered something to Susie, her expression shifting from confusion, to glee, to frustration to glee again as their message seemed to go on and on.

“I can’t tell her that- What? You’d be cool with it?” Susie mumbled back to Kris.

“What was that, Susie?” Noelle broke her silence.

Fixing her posture, Susie stretched her back and gave Noelle a wide grin. “Hey um, Noelle, would you be interested in uh-”

Rushing to Susie’s side, Noelle grabbed Susie’s hand before she could even finish her thoughts. “YES- I mean I would-” As if on cue, Kris and Papyrus began to snicker while Noelle turned red as a tomato. “Is this about um, the thing you wanted to show me earlier?”

Hearing those words, Susie lit up, her grip on Noelle’s hand tightened as she began to drag her towards the school. “Yeah it’s this way!” “SUSIE WAIT-”

“WHAT AN AWKWARD INTERACTION.” Papyrus turned to Kris. “NYEH HEH… HEH?”>

Kris walked over to the counter and grabbed a ball. Turning to Papyrus, they made a throwing motion, repeating it a handful of times.

“OH, I HAVE NEVER THROWN ONE OF THOSE BEFORE. I DON’T REALLY GO OUT MUCH…” Papyrus stared in wonder as Kris offered him the ball, then proceeded to once more make the throwing motion with their empty hand.

“I SEE… SO I THROW IT LIKE THIS?” Papyrus threw the ball, putting his all into the throw, yet somehow missing the bottles completely. “I UM-” After patting him on the back, Kris climbed over the counter and tipped the bottles over themselves, before turning to give Papyrus a thumbs up.

“NYEH HEH HEH! YOU’RE RIGHT KRIS! I JUST NEED TO KEEP TRYING AND-”

Suddenly, a voice rang out throughout the streets of the festival, drowning out everything else until only it remained.

“Oh Nooooooeeeeeeeeelllllllleeeeeeeeee!!!!!”

Grabbing Papyrus by the shoulder, Kris dragged him across the counter and quickly ducked down, signaling Papyrus to do the same.

“IS THAT NERDL-” Kris covered Papyrus’ mouth with one hand, and did a shushing motion with the other.

“Oh Kris!” Berdly looked down at them from over the counter, his expression and lighting made him look like a jumpscare from a scary animatronic horror game.

“HELLO NERDLY.” Kris poked Papyrus with their elbow. “BERDLY. AHEM, I AM PAPYRUS!”

“Oh Kris? Who’s this? Another low IQ friend to add to the roster?” Berdly scoffed.

“ON THE CONTRARY, MY BROTHER IS VERY HIGH IQ!” Papyrus smiled at Berdly.

“That's not what I- uh forget it. Kris, do you know where Noelle went?” 

Kris stood up on the counter and cracked their knuckles, then heroically jumped down next to Berdly.

“Pfffft! If that’s the type of game you wanna play Kris!” Berdly cracked his… knuckles? “I can best you in Dragon Blazers II any day! If that’s what I need to do for you to tell me where Noelle is, so be it!l”

As Kris pulled out their console, they noticed that its battery was almost dead. 

“Ah. Can’t even follow through on your bet I see.” Berdly turned to Papyrus. “Papeerus was it? Do you know where Noelle went?”

“HMMM…” Papyrus put his hand on his chin and looked around the festival. “THERE! FEAR NOT NBERLY, IF YOU AND KRIS CANNOT PLAY YOUR GAME, THERE ARE PLENTY OF GAMES HERE TO CHALLENGE EACH OTHER!!!”

Kris signed Papyrus to stop as he ran up and grabbed a large mallet. “HERE TRY THIS ONE.”

“A strength test huh.” Berdly snickered. “Well then Kris?”

Reluctantly walking towards the machine, Kris grabbed the mallet, and swung it with everything they had.

“A 3? Just like your grades, your strength points are lacking, Kris!” Berdly pushed his glasses backwards. “Watch this!”

Rapidly flapping his wings, Berdly began to fly slightly upwards. “ *Huff* Papeerus!” 

Papyrus tossed the mallet to Berdly. Catching it mid-air, Berdly fell down and hit the machine.

“*Huff*, *Puff*. Heh, THAT’S how you do it Kris. Looks like the force of gravity was on my si-” Berdly was interrupted by Kris giving him a rude gesture. “HEY- I didn’t mean to- did I?”

“WELL, NO BOTHER. LOOKS LIKE BERNDLY WON FAIR AND SQUARE!” Papyrus turned to Kris as they stared at him judgmentally.

“What’s that Kris? You still won’t fess up?” Berdly scoffed. “Should have known you’d be a sore loser!”

“DO NOT WORRY MY FEATHERED FRIEND! I AM SURE KRIS IS JUST TIRED AFTER A DIFFICULT CHALLENGE. HOWEVER, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN HELP YOU!”

Grabbing Papyrus’ arm, Kris attempted to stop him to no avail as Papyrus pointed towards the school. “SHE WENT THERE TO HANG OUT WITH OUR DEAREST FRIEND SUSIE!”

“Susie? School? On festival night? Pffft like that would happen…” Berdly shuffled nervously. “Though, it wouldn’t hurt to check I guess…”

As he walked off, Berdly abruptly turned around and waved goodbye to Kris and Papyrus. “See you later, losers!”

Kris stared as Berdly walked off. After a moment of silence, they turned to Papyrus and uttered something under their breath.

“WHAT AN INTERESTING FELLOW!”

Susie kicked open the school door, leading Noelle inside with her hand held. “Still surprised they keep this place open on the weekends.”

“Well DUH if you kick it down!” Noelle giggled.

“I mean it was open yesterday so…” Susie chuckled alongside Noelle. “What’s so special about this damn festival anyway?”

Noelle’s smile dropped as she grew confused. “Wait, do you actually not know? But you’ve been here for a few years haven’t you?”

“I uh. Haven’t really… been to the festival before.” Susie awkwardly continued to laugh. “I was never really socially active…”

“Faha! That’s okay Susie!” Noelle smiled. “The Freedom Festival was started by my mom seven years ago after… Um nevermind.”

“After?” Susie stopped in her tracks.

“Oh it’s nothing really.” Noelle shifted her eyes to the side. “It’s just a thing where we collaborate with neighboring cities to throw this huge party thing once a year.”

“A party huh… What’s the date thing about? Does everyone need to bring someone else with them?”

“No no it’s not like that-” Noelle looked down at her hooves. “It’s just a thing me and Kris’s family likes to do. Started with their brother and…” Noelle grinned nervously. “A couple students eventually started taking on after them.. And here we are, faha!”

Susie nodded along, continuing to make her way down the corridor. “Let’s keep moving, the thing I wanted to show you is right there!”

“The supply closet you and Kris have been hanging out in?” Noelle couldn’t hold her laughter.

“Just wait and see!” Susie put her hand on the knob. “There’s something super cool inside!”

Noelle hesitated for a moment, but seeing Susie’s glee as she held the door knob quickly convinced her to join her. “Sure I gues-”

“Oh Nooooooeeeeeeeeelllllllleeeeeeeeee!!!!!”

“OH CRAP ITS HIM.” Susie pulled Noelle’s to the side.

“Do we hide?” Noelle whispered.

Suddenly, Berdly peeked from around the corner, his abrupt appearance causing Noelle to fall backwards.

“BERDLY!” Susie growled. “What are you doing here, dumbass!”

“There was something important that I wanted to discuss with Noelle. Though it’s not something a simpleton like YOU would understand.” He chuckled to himself.

“Yeah yeah I get it. You’re so much better than me.” Susie helped Noelle up. “Can you just cut to the part where you confess your love or whatever so we can reject you?”

“Haha! If only my goals were ever so simple my little queens…” Berdly looked over his shoulder. “However, I come here today with a more urgent matter! I surrender my chase for my damsel in distress…” He turned to Susie and winked. “For now.”

“EWWWW. Can you cut that stuff out already?” Susie pushed him away, barely able to resist the urge to slam him into a locker.

“Heh. My apologies Noelle.” He turned to Susie and nodded. “Susie. I suppose I HAVE been taking things too far recently.”

“YOU SUPPOSE?!” Both Susie and Noelle yelled together. “What is it you wanted to talk about anyways?” Susie continued.

“SO.” Berdly gave a confident pose. “Do you remember in the library the other day, when me and Noelle fell asleep?”

Susie’s eyes widened as she realized exactly what Berdly wanted to talk about. Looking around, she tried to figure out how to stop him.

Berdly continued. “Noelle could you pl-”

Susie cut Berdly off, extending her phone towards him and Noelle. “HEY NOELLE I JUST GOT A TEXT FROM KRIS, THEY SAY WE’RE MISSING SOMETHING AWESOME LETS GO!” 

Grabbing Noelle’s arm. Susie began to drag her away.

“Susie wait!” Berdly rushed to follow them. 

Shutting the door behind her, Berdly had to struggle to get it back open. “Where are you going?” Running out the school, Berdly caught up to them. “What was that about?”

“Heh. Like I wanna hear you ramble about your dumb dream all day…” Susie scoffed, trying her best to maintain a straight face. “Especially when there’s much cooler things to check out like… Um. Kris!”

“Ah Kris.” Berdly raised his wing towards his beak. “What an interesting specimen they are!”

Squinting her eyes, Noelle stared at him for a few seconds before turning back to Susie. “Oh yeah. What was the thing Kris wanted us to see?”

“It’s uh- Jockington!” Susie’s smile shined brightly, causing Noelle to giggle.

“Faha! Jockington? Guess Kris finally noticed his beard huh?” 

“His… what?” Susie let go on Noelle’s hand. Tensing up as she stopped in place.

“Yeah his beard, didn’t you hear?” Noelle also stopped and turned to Susie. “Catti says he somehow grew it overnight…”

Approaching her, Noelle put her hand on Susie’s chest. “Susie, are you okay? Your breathing, it’s kind of- SUSIE WAIT!”

Susie dashed across the town, bumping into multiple people as she ran with no destination in mind.

“We’re not gonna let that happen, right?”

“No. Nonononono-”

Ducking into the alleyway next to her parent’s apartment, Susie sat down next to the bowl of milk and covered her face with her jacket.

“Heh. It’s already happening isn’t it… I didn’t even get to enjoy spending my time with her.” Susie put her hand on the saucer and dragged it closer to her. “Of course it’s empty. Why should I get something to eat anyways…”

She threw the empty bowl as hard as she could, Susie knocked over one of the trash cans, causing the neatly arranged flowers inside to spill over. 

Staring at the trash, Susie contemplated all that she had seen the previous day. She knew she couldn't tell Noelle about it, she couldn't tell anyone about it. After all, who would even be able to understand what she'd seen? Not Noelle, not Kris. The only person who could even relate to the struggle of knowing the prophecy, Ralsei, had a nihilistic view towards their ability to break it, a view which had begun to rub off on Susie as she witnessed its contents, whether little or large, quickly coming to pass.

“Flowers huh…” Scooting over closer to the pile, she grabbed one of the roses and moved it closer to her face. Susie tensed up, one whiff of it’s sweet floral scent was enough for the memories of what she had seen to overwhelm her once again.

“The Flower Man trapped in asylum…” Smashing the rose in her bandaged palm, Susie punched the wall she laid against, causing some of the bandages to rip open. “No… he’s fine… they wouldn’t…”

As a single tear ran down her face, Susie detected a familiar presence approach. Quickly wiping it off with her shirt, Susie instantly jolted up. “Who’s there?”

Kris revealed themselves, peaking behind the corner of the alleyway before slowly making their way towards Susie.

“Kris? How did you- Noelle huh. Of course she texted you.”

Kris put their hand on Susie’s shoulder, and laid their back against the wall. Mumbling something before sliding down to sit on the floor, motioning Susie to do the same.

“Heh. It’s nothing it’s just-” Kris tucked at her arm. “FINE FINE I’ll sit.”

Kris tilted their head, trying to understand exactly what Susie was concerned about.

“What? No it’s not about Noelle it’s…” Susie lifted her hand up, showing off her bandaged wound. “Remember yesterday? The last prophecy… Ever since the Dark World, I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“No no again it’s just- I wanted to try not to think about it, to just have some quality time with you and Noelle but…” She stuffed her face back into her jacket, only to be met with Kris imitating her with their sweater. “Everything reminds me… Your dad earlier, with the Flower Man stuff and now… the Jockington thing.” She peeked at Kris from inside the jacket. “I thought we could stop it, that we had time…”

Kris stood up and offered their hand to Susie. 

“Together huh?” Susie chuckled. “You seem way too confident in that you-”

As they helped Susie up, Kris leaned in for a hug.

Susie knew Kris's words were hollow, even if they didn't intend them to be. As much as she wanted to hold on to hope, the dread of the prophecy weighed on her, weighing and weighing till it crushed everyone and everything else. She wanted to tell Kris what she had seen, but couldn't get the words to leave her mouth. She didn't want to worry them after all, especially for something she desperately wanted to believe wasn't true.

Her grip around Kris continued to tighten, their presence being the only thing giving her comfort in the current moment. "I should tell them, shouldn't I?" She thought to herself. She knew she shouldn't, she knew, yet she wanted to nonetheless. She needed someone to know, someone to be able to take the burden off of her. As she tried to speak, a thought quickly triggered in her brain, which caused her to bite down on her tongue and yelp in pain. Kris let go, and put their hand on her shoulder, they knew Susie desperately wanted to tell them what she had seen, but despite that, they didn't attempt to pressure her for it. They preferred Susie to take things at her own pace. If she wasn't comfortable telling them yet, she shouldn't. But it wasn't just that, there was someone, someone watching who Kris would have preferred to remain in the dark.

“Heh. Thanks.” Susie looked around. “We should probably go meet with the others-”

As they walked out the corridor, Kris suddenly stopped, appearing to wait for Susie to continue.

“Kris? Something up?”

Kris pointed to the other side of the street, where Sans’s empty hotdog stand stood idly.

“Mr. Sans? I guess it is weird that he’s not back yet, isn’t it…”

Kris took a step back and lowered the tone of their voice.

“Why’d you say that all grainy… you sure you care about this guy?” Susie laughed as she bumped Kris’s shoulder.

Kris’s expression shifted as they grew concerned trying their best not to talk about Sans. However, someone else had other plans.

“I sent him to your dad. You don’t think he-” Susie glanced down, her hair covered her eyes as she came to a realization. Grabbing Kris’s arm, the two of them rushed their way towards Asgore’s flower shop, pushing through dozens of pedestrians in the process. “Little buddy it’s me!”

Arriving at the store, dark mist was flowing from underneath the door.

“No way! That damned Knight…” Susie tried busting the door open to no avail. “First they try to take your mom, then they take Undyne, and now they’re messing with your dad? We gotta-” Susie’s attention turned to Kris, who was rummaging through their dad’s truck. “What are you-”

Jumping out of the backseat, Kris showed off a key and a sticky note to Susie.

“Your dad just keeps the key to his shop out in the open like this?”

Kris gestured for her to read the note.

“Howdy. If anyone ever needs to enter my store, please feel free! The key is in the back of my truck.”

“Well that’s convenient.” Susie turned to Kris. “Heh, another Dark World adventure ought to cheer us up. Right Kris?”

“Then let’s go!”

Chapter Text

“Kris..?” Susie stood on one knee, the landing in this Dark World being much more difficult than she had anticipated, with many different branches and vines interrupting her fall. Turning to Kris, she saw them laying face down, having gone through the same struggles on their way down. “KRIS!” She ran up to them and helped them up, before casting BetterHeal. “Where… are we?” 

Looking around, the two appeared to be in some form of cave. Sharp vines and various flora covered almost every inch of the dark brown walls. The way forward seemed to be blocked by a large, shining lake. Two small sparkles flickered above, floating across it. “Guess they ditched us huh?”

Kris began to search around the room. Susie remained lost in thought as she stared into the lake. The prospect of another Dark World adventure terrified her. Yet despite that, she desperately hoped it could help her feel better.

Tap tap.

 Some fun characters, some silly laughs, and some quality time with Ralsei and Kris might have been all she needed to clear her head. At least that was what she wanted to believe.

Tap tap.

Maybe all she needed was-

Kris grabbed Susie by the shoulders and shook her. Seeing as their previous taps weren't enough to get her attention. 

“Huh?” Susie grabbed their arm and stopped them. Taking a few steps back, they pointed at a patch of moss on the floor behind them. 

Susie’s expression lit up, that one gesture, as small as it was, was singlehandedly enough to provide her with some relief. 

“HELL YEAH!” She jumped up to high five Kris, then gave them a smug grin upon landing. “Heh. Moss never gets old.” 

As she leaned down, she noticed the floor shake. “Hey Kris, are you sure-” Before she knew it, the moss began to move, taking shape to form three fuzzy little moss balls that stared at her cutely.

Kris took a step closer to one of the Mosslings and reached out their hand, aiming to pet it. 

“KRIS LOOK OUT!” Susie tackled them as the little critters jumped at them with razor sharp teeth. “These things they’re…” She took a battle stance as the three Mosslings surrounded her and Kris. “We gotta fight!”

Susie cast Rude Buster, knocking one of the enemies off its feet momentarily. Turning to Kris, they tried to shake one of them off as it bit down on their arm.

“Kris!” Susie tried to run towards them, but another critter bit down on her leg. Quickly turning around, she stomped it with her other leg and kicked it away and tried to continue towards Kris. However, the wounds on her leg caused her to trip and fall.

The remaining moss on the floor began to spread, stretching out and covering more of the cave before shaping to form more Mosslings. 

“We just gotta… wait for Ralsei…” A group of Mosslings charged towards her, only to be fended off by Kris. They grabbed Susie’s axe off the floor, holding it in one hand and their sword in the other. Then, standing right above Susie, they began to spin rapidly, causing all enemies that jumped at them to easily get knocked away.

Turning to Susie, Kris shook their head and helped her up. They lifted Susie’s arm over their shoulder, and walked deeper into the cave, with the Mosslings knocked out behind them.

With both bleeding from their arms, and Susie also bleeding from her leg, they made it to a new area, one where the dark rocks of the cave were completely hidden by foliage. Large leaves and plants covered anything and everything, as if the cave itself had been painted green.

As the two did their best to continue advancing, a barrage of loud growling noises erupted from behind them. It seems the Mosslings had gotten back up and were charging in full force. 

As they attempted to carry her over, Kris’s leg got stuck on a twig, causing them to drop Susie as they began to stumble. 

Landing on her knee, Susie gasped in pain. Kneeling there with her head down, she took deep, heavy breaths as she tried to maintain her composure. 

After a brief moment, Kris rushed in to help her back up, only to be interrupted by her grabbing their hand. “You idiot… you gotta go… those things they’ll…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the room began to shake. Sharp thorny vines burst out of every crevice in the walls, fending off anything that tried to reach Kris and Susie. 

Kris quickly rushed to help her up, but Susie refused. “It’s okay, I’m fine.” She turned wide-eyed to look at the carnage behind them. “Kris what’s going-”

Suddenly, the floor gave in underneath, causing the two to drop several dozen feet down into a cavern. Susie once again landed on her knees, causing the pain in her joints to get even worse. She could barely even stand up anymore. 

Susie used BetterHeal, but it wasn’t enough this time. Her injuries were too great to fix with her limited healing knowledge.

Turning to her left, she saw Kris, also on their knees, sitting atop a bed of golden flowers which appeared to cushion their fall. “Heh, wish I had that type of luck.” She snickered.

Before the two could even attempt to stand up, a bright light shone underneath and rejuvenated them. 

“What the-”

“Susie! Kris! Are you two okay?” Ralsei appeared from the shadowy caverns and ran up to give Susie a hug. “I’m so sorry I’m late, what happened?”

Jolting upwards, Susie reached to give Ralsei a noogie. “Nothing we can’t handle, we’re heroes right?”

“Haha, I’m so glad you’re alright!” Ralsei laughed as Susie caught him in a headlock. “I sensed a dark presence and hurried over but… I got a bit lost on my way here.”

“That’s okay.” Susie shifted her eyes and turned to Kris. “Guess we should get going then.”

The three stood in a line and began marching down the cavern. The plant life in the tight corridor getting thinner and thinner as they continued onwards until there was nothing left but the dark brown walls of the cave.

As they walked, Susie occasionally looked over her shoulder and glanced at Ralsei, quickly turning back before he could notice.

“Couldn’t even enjoy moss huh…” She thought to herself, doing her best not to let her friends notice the gloom she was in.

“Hey, look over there!” Ralsei exclaimed, pointing at a small patch of grass in the distance.

As the three made their way over, a small, golden flower was waiting for them, smiling.

“Howdy! I’m Flowery! Flowery the Flower!”

“AAAANNNNDDDD THAAAATS WHY!” Mike flew backwards, extending his arms up into the air.

“I see.” Asgore nodded, looking down at Iris, whom he held in his palm. “However, I have a few questions, if I may.”

“Of course Goreyhead!” Mike dashed at Asgore and wrapped his arm around him.

“Well I-” Before continuing, Asgore paused and thought about what exactly he wanted to ask. But as he pondered,

“UGH, could you hurry it up already?” Phera chimed in, wrapping an orange tendril around Mike’s leg. “We’ve been standing here listening to you two talk for like. HOURS >:c”

“WHOOPS. BAD BEHAVIOR FROM THAT ONE!” Mike pointed at Phera, which caused him to receive an electric shock. “Thaaaaaat should help!”

“AGH you little >:^I”

“ZIPZIPZIP!” Mike delivered another electric shock. Iris quickly escaped Asgore’s palm, quickly popping up next to Phera to console him.

“Mike…” Asgore grabbed Mike’s arm as he pointed. “We do not need such harsh measures. These flowers are my friends, I do not want to hurt them.”

“UNDERSTOOD! *Clap Clap* ” Mike clapped his hands, instantly clearing all the burn marks off of Phera. 

“REMARKABLE!” Asgore stared in shock. “How did you do that?”

“HAHA! Told you, Kingman! We’re all just actors here! It’s all just pretend! We’re all good!” A medium sized explosion triggered in front of Mike, causing him to fly backwards towards the flower gang, and doing a back flip mid-air.

With Mike landing next to him, Phera looked upwards at him, shaking and clearly uncomfortable. Mike leaned down and gave Phera some pets.

“WE’RE ALL GOOD HERE! Isn’t that right Phera!!?!?!?!?!?”

“Mike! That is enough!” Asgore yelled in a commanding tone. “I do not think the little one wants to be bothered.”

“WOWIEEIEEIEIEIEYEEYEYUEEE” Mike started flailing his arms frantically, occasionally floating a few feet in the air only to immediately drop again. “YESSIRRRR” He zoomed towards Asgore, bumping into him, and causing both of them to get knocked backwards. Then, quickly jolting up, he collapsed back down and took a knee in front of Asgore. “Yes my king!”

Mike’s sudden antics only made Asgore more confused. Walking towards him, Asgore reached out his hand, offering to help Mike up, but before he knew it, Mike shot upwards and landed stylishly on his feet. “After all! You’re the one in charge here ain’t you Gorey?” Mike grabbed Asgore’s palm with both of his hands and shook it excitedly. 

“Haha…” Asgore chuckled as he put his hand behind his head. “I may be your king, but I do not want to force that type of rule.”

“IIIIIIIINCREDIBLE!” Mike turned to the flowers and began to dance. “You see that folks? Our loyal King Fluffybuns is so HUMBLE!”

“Well, I try my best!” Asgore gave a nervous grin.

A deafening silence filled the throne room as Mike and Asgore stared at each other. The flowers looked at each other, then to Mike, then back to each other as none of them really knew what to do. 

The tension in the room was broken as an old cowboy TV show began to play on Mike’s face. “Brought to you by T&M Productions. C.1997.”

WARNING. WARNING. INTRUDERS DETECTED.

Loud alarm bells suddenly rang out, silencing Mike’s antics. Red lights flickered and overtook the previously serene ambiance of the room. 

“OHHHH NOEEEESSS!” Mike put both hands on his head and floated slightly upwards. The TV show on his screen quickly faded to static. WARNING. WARNING. INTRUDERS DETECTED.

“Mike, what is going on?” Asgore tugged at his leg and readied his trident in his other hand.

Mike snapped his fingers, causing a pair of rocket boots to fly in and attach themselves to Asgore’s feet, and begin floating him to Mike’s level.

“DOOOOOOOOOOOONTTCHA WORRY fluffyman!” Pointing at the throne, the rocket boots flew Asgore towards it and seated him. “Looks like our enemies are here! We need to dispatch them before the Moss tribe gets angry!”

“Enemies?” Asgore’s jaw dropped. “Are these the same ones Carol mentioned?” 

“Carol? You mean the Ice Queen? I dunno probably?” Mike turned around and shrugged. “YOU SIX!” He pointed at the flowers. “YOUR JOB.”

Asgore tried to get up, but the rocket boots constricted his movements. “Wait! I am the King, do I not have the right to help my kingdom? I haven’t even asked my questions yet!” 

“HAHA!” Mike zipped towards Asgore and sat on his lap.”Don’t worry Goreeyyyyy! Our loyal servants will take care of this swiftly! We can continue talking later!”

Flying upwards, Mike posted dramatically in front of the large, bright sign which still hung above the throne. “NOW! LEEEEEETSSS ROLL!”

“Mike wait!” Before Asgore knew it, Mike flew out of the throne room, and the six flowers had retreated into the ground.

“Howdy!” The golden flower stared as the party stood there in silence. “Someone ought to teach you how things work around here!”

“You’re not an enemy, are you?” Susie chimed in. Kris took a step forward and extended their arm in front of her.

“Hee hee hee…” Flowery gave a mischievous grin. “You must be Kris, I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Susie it’s okay.” Ralsei put his hand on her shoulder. “He looks friendly.”

“LOOKS FRIENDLY MY ASS.” As if by instinct, Susie pushed his arm away. The stress from her earlier battle still lingered, keeping her on edge. “YOU didn’t see the things that attacked us earlier. I’M DONE-” She turned to Kris, who simply looked at their feet with a somber expression. “I’m done…”

“Susie I’m…” Ralsei’s eyes began to water. He took a step back, wanting to give her space. After all, he was the only one in the room who knew the full extent of what she might be going through. Kris may have known of Susie’s struggles, but they still lacked the critical information of what the final prophecy entailed. 

Though Ralsei wasn’t around for the Mosslings’ attack, Susie’s tone and demeanor was more than enough for him to understand exactly what happened. “I’m sorry.”

…

…………..

……………………

The three of them stood there in complete silence, unable to even look at each other. The immense shame Susie felt caused her to start crying as well. How could she snap so easily? Ralsei was her friend, wasn’t he? He was just trying to help…

Kris walked up to Susie, grabbing their cape and wiping away her tears with it. “Heh…” Susie turned to Kris and smiled. Quickly composing herself, she ran up to Ralsei and gave him a big hug. “I’m sorry man I just-”

“It’s okay Susie, I get it-” Susie’s grip around him tightened.

“This Knight guy is really getting to me you know?” Susie snickered.

 “Help… can’t breathe…”

As she let go of Ralsei, a quiet voice began to laugh in the background. The three of them turned, looking directly at the golden flower.

Waiting, watching. It inclined its stem slightly, tilting his face. 

Ralsei fell on the ground and gasped for air. Kris and Susie nervously glanced at each other, trying to conclude whether they trusted this flower or not. Before they could come to a decision, both of them decided to reach out their hands and help him up.

“I’m sorry about that Flowery.” Ralsei dusted off his dress and walked towards him. “There’s some things we’re still figuring out.”

“Wait-” Susie tugged at Ralsei’s clothes, prevent him from getting closer. After a brief pause, she squinted her eyes. “Were you the one to save us earlier?”

“Smart girl.” Flowery chuckled, and turned to Ralsei. “And the lonely prince… what a pleasure to be meeting you face to face.”

“Do we know you?” Susie scratched her head. 

“Likely not. But worry not, my comrades-” As Flowery spoke, Kris pulled out their sword.

“Kris? Is everything okay?” Ralsei tried calming them down.

As Kris stared blankly at Flowery, they began to tense up. Their expression quickly shifted to that of concern and confusion as a feeling of déjà vu loomed over them. They had seen this before, but the more they tried to recall, the more they realized these memories weren’t theirs. Suddenly, they spoke out, the tone of their voice made them seem just as confused as everyone else.

You had felt this before.

“Hee hee… If only things were this simple around here.” Flowery grinned, revealing what appeared to be razor sharp teeth. “No, my little monarch, regicide isn’t on the menu today.”

Kris’s grip on their sword only tightened. Taking notice, both Susie and Ralsei tried their best to comfort them. Something about Flowery deeply unsettled Kris, but they could not put their finger on what.

“What? Soul got your tongue?” Flowery winked.

Seeing Kris’s lingering dread, Susie grew defensive. Pulling out her axe, she confronted Flowery. “Just what the hell are you?” A bead of sweat ran down her forehead. “If Kris is this afraid then-”

A series of vines burst through the walls, knocking all three of them on their knees.

“So you are an enemy…” Susie gasped, barely able to get the words out.

“Not quite, Girl.” Flowery tilted its stem some more and went dead eyed. “I AM SOMETHING MUCH MORE.”

Flowery continued to laugh as he watched Susie help Kris and Ralsei up. As the three were still catching their breath, he launched a volley of projectiles at the party. “Here, have these. I call them ’Friendliness Pellets’.”

As the pellets made contact, the three of them were healed up.

“You’re just gonna heal us afterwards?” Susie seemed genuinely confused at the gesture. “What the hell was that for then-”

“Fun.” Flowery winked.

“Ralsei is everything okay?” Susie turned to face him as he stared at Flowery with a blank expression. Despite doing her best to grab his attention, Ralsei continued to stare, completely emotionless, until Susie grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him violently till he snapped out of it.

“WHAT huh?” Ralsei adjusted his glasses. “I’m sorry Susie I’m just-”

“ZIP!” A pair of thorny tendrils erupted from the ground next to Flowery. “I do the talking here.”

“What the hell do you want anyways.” Susie signaled to Kris, both taking a battle stance.

“What do I want?” Flowery began to laugh maniacally. “YOU COULDN’T EVEN COMPREHEND.” He stared directly into Susie’s eyes. “I want to change this world, to be the herald of its future. I’m sure you can relate, can’t you?” 

“Change huh. I guess...” 

“Perfect! Because I know just the thing to help us!” He turned to Kris and winked. “I’m sure your little friend knows everything about it.”

Susie turned to look at Kris as they began to sweat. Raising their hand to their chest, they closed their eyes and began to take deep breaths.

“Flowery?” Ralsei moved right next to Kris, clearly beginning to grow irritated. “Can you just be blunt here? What exactly is it that you want?”

“Hee hee… Why, I told you, didn’t I? Change! Freedom!” He exposed his teeth once more. “Earlier when you asked if I was your enemy… No. I need deals, I need allies. My plan isn’t as simple as your feeble ‘kill or be killed’. To catalyze change in this world is no easy feat.”

Kris put away their sword, which after a quick glance, prompted Susie to do the same with her axe. As the two put their hands on each other’s shoulder, the floor began to shake.

Flowery began to giggle, not stopping until Susie yelled. “What the hell’s going on!”

“Looks like my old peers are on their way, so I hate to cut it short but… I have one final question.” Flowery turned Kris with a smug expression. “Who do YOU think is the catalyst?”

“K-Kris?” Ralsei blushed.

“Why’d you say it like that…” Susie remarked.

“Hee hee hee… If that’s how it is then… Even if you dislike me, let us drop our differences, shall we, my compatriots? Through time and through space, let us remain best friends.”

“Hey what do you mean-”

Before Susie could finish, Flowery was gone.

Chapter Text

Berdly and Noelle stood right outside the school, contemplating what had just happened. Noelle stared blankly at the large double doors which towered behind them. After a moment of silence, only occasionally broken by a few quick glances between the two, she walked forward and put her hand on the door.

“It’s cold.” Noelle moved her hand towards the knob, her unblinking expression remained locked in on the door. She thought about what it could have been that Susie wanted to tell her so badly. What was up with the closet? Why were she and Kris so concerned about Mr. Dreemurr? Hesitating for a moment, she turned the knob, slowly creaking the door open to reveal the long corridor that led directly to the supply closet. 

Her attention shifted to the closet, now staring at it with the same unblinking gaze. “Should I…” She mumbled under her breath, contemplating whether she should check it out on her own. She took a couple steps forward, only to be stopped by Berdly quickly grabbing her arm.

“Noelle? What are you doing?” 

Noelle felt her soul jump out of her body. Her hyperfocus on Susie made her forget he was even here. She put her other hand on his arm, signaling him to let go. 

Still in shock, she turned around to face him, only to be stunlocked even more as she witnessed Berdly’s expression.

“Is everything okay?” Berdly muttered, the look on his face being unlike anything Noelle had ever seen. It was as if, for the first time in his life, he was able to drop the performative persona he had set for himself. The exaggerated nerd that annoys everyone around him was gone, all that remained now was Berdly, the real Berdly, who had a real concern for his only true friend. “What’s going on with Susie?”

“I uh… don’t know.” Noelle laughed awkwardly. Scratching her arm, she began to shift her eyes from one side to the other as she continued to softly chuckle.

She had a hunch what it was about, but she didn’t know if it was something she could’ve told Berdly. Susie’s behavior made it seem like an important secret. Especially considering the state Susie was currently in, Noelle didn’t want any risks.

After a few minutes of shuffling around, she took a deep breath, doing her best to muster enough courage to move on. Pulling out her phone, Noelle sent a text message to Kris. “There. We should probably head back to the festival now.” 

Berdly stared at Noelle with his beak agape, perplexed at her sudden smile. “Huh? What was that-”

“Just asked Kris to check up on Susie. I explained what happened, and they told me they’ll look around.” Noelle’s face began to twitch. She tried her best to maintain her cheery expression, but Berdly could see right through the slight fluctuations.

As the two began to walk through Hometown, Berdly moved closer to Noelle and put his wing on her shoulder. “Susie is very strong. As much as it hurts to see her like this, I know she’s going to be fine.” Both of them stopped in their tracks as Noelle turned to Berdly, still in shock at his sincerity. “So let’s try not to worry too much, okay?”

“You’re right.” Noelle leaned in for a hug, which made Berdly blush. “Thank you, I needed that from you.” She began to giggle. “I just wonder how she’s doing.”

“Huh.” Susie leaned over the patch of grass Flowery was just in. Putting her hand onto the patch of dirt, she pushed some of the grass around and put her ear close to it. “The shaking’s stopped.”

“Susie?” Ralsei walked up to her. “What are you doing?”

“Just trying to-” She dug up some of the dirt with her hands. “See where he went.”

Kris leaned down beside her and helped her dig. Kris dug through the dirt ferociously, as if they were a feral mutt. As they continued digging, they let out a snarky remark.

“Hey cut him some slack! Lancer would get this done in no time!” Susie chuckled, Ralsei staring awkwardly at the two from a distance.

Suddenly, the shaking resumed, causing a few cracks in the floor and walls before coming to an abrupt stop. As the air calmed down, jazzy music began to play, quickly getting louder as it went on.

“One by one. Here we come!”

“Walk in our lair! Your worst nightmare!”

Vines burst out of every corner of the room. Susie and Kris pulled out their weapons. Ralsei clasped his hands together and prepared a spell.

“One, two. Here we go!”

“Get it done before you know.”

An orange flower popped out of the dirt, followed quickly by a purple one which attempted to pull it back down.

“Three, four. Into hell.”

“We’re the vi-”

“Okay that’s enough.” The song was cut short as Susie dashed at the orange flower and swung down with her axe. A thick, bright green leaf popped up at the last second, blocking her swing and causing her to fall back from the recoil. Kris quickly rushed in front of her, blocking a series of yellow pellets with their shield.

Sparks shined behind them. Turning around, Susie saw a cyan twig briefly on fire. Before she could even react, a blue vine burst out of the ceiling and pulled her up. They wrapped around Susie, leaving her motionless.

“Susie!” Ralsei waved his hands around, small sparks began to form, but were interfered by an orange tendril poking him in the forehead and entangling his arms.

Looking around, Ralsei saw Kris on the floor, wrapped inside a large green leaf. Their sword and shield remained guarded by two purple vines that protruded out of the floor.

With all of them down, four more flowers popped up at the center of the room. As the heroes remained trapped, some of the flowers began to snicker.

They stayed like that for quite a while, it seems they were waiting for something. All that time strapped to the ceiling gave Susie ample time to wallow her thoughts. 

“Another loss, huh?” First the Mosslings, now this. Enemies in this Dark World seemed much stronger, much more aggressive, than what she was used to. At least against the former foe, they stood a reasonable chance before they got overwhelmed. But the flowers? Those were easily able to overwhelm them in mere seconds.

Susie couldn’t catch a break, an adventure she had hoped to lighten her mood had started off as a slaughterfest as she endured beatdown after beatdown. She wasn’t going to let herself break though. Turning to Kris, she cracked a big smile and called out to the flowers.

“HEY! You dumbasses gonna keep us like this or what?”

The grip of the vines around her tightened. The purple flower turned to her and opened it’s mouth. “We’re just waiting for-” But before she could finish, the ceiling began to shake. “Him…”

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-” A faint voice could be heard through the tunnels, progressively getting louder alongside the loud, almost explosive sound of something tunneling. 

“-LCOME LADY AND GENTLEFOLKS!” Something burst through the rocks in front of Susie, creating a cloud of dirt and debris which concealed its full form. Despite the majority of their body being hidden, Susie could see a clear silhouette of a rectangular-headed figure… wait was he dancing? 

As the dust cleared, the figure posed dramatically. Floating mid-air, they extended their arms and showed off their luxurious blue fur coat. 

“TENNA???” Susie yelled, staring in shock at the man’s TV head.

“No.” He tilted his head as a bunch of glitchy channels rapidly flickered on his screen. His arms and legs went limp, hanging lifelessly off his body as if those of a ragdoll.

“Uh…. Mike?” A voice from below broke the silence.

The simple remark from the yellow flower was enough to snap him back. Bowing and tipping his hat, he zoomed towards Susie and gave her a pat on the head. “YES. MIKE. THAT IS MY NAME.” 

Turning to see Kris, he rushed to them and squeezed their cheek. “OH KRIS! How much I’ve missed you!”

As they struggled to move, Mike nodded. *Clap Clap* He flew to the center of the room and snapped his fingers. “Release!” 

And with that, all the various plants wrapped around the heroes loosened their grips. 

“Hey wait-” Susie fell from several feet upwards and landed directly on top of Kris. Ralsei walked over and stood next to the two in silence. 

“Mike huh?” Susie questioned. “Wasn’t that the name of Tenna’s friend?”

“WHATWHOWHEREHWHEN” Mike flailed his arms around aimlessly. “I don’t know any T…” His TV monitor displayed a series of Ts bouncing around.

“I’m sorry Mr. Mike but-” Ralsei tried chiming in, but was interrupted by Mike mimicking a coughing motion.

“*Ahem*. As I was saying…” He straightened his bowtie. “You’re the heroes, right? I can’t have you interfering with our plans now! Iris, hit the signal!”

Rainbow lights began to shine inside the room. Many different colored tendrils burst out, constricting the Fun Gang. 

“If you were gonna tie us up again anyways, why’d you even release us at all?” Susie’s voice quivered as she did her best not to yell.

“FAAAAANTASTIC QUESTION!” Mike pointed upwards, followed by him seemingly dozing off. After several seconds of silence, Susie chimed back in.

“You gonna answer or…”

“No!” Mike exclaimed gleefully.

Suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, Ralsei mumbled something under his breath. Susie couldn’t make it all out, but she was able to make out enough to understand that it was some form of insult.

“Whaaaaats that little fluffy boy?” Mike turned his head to the side, cupping his hand on where an ear would usually be.

“Not in the mood for this.” Sparks formed around Ralsei’s hands, easily burning through the vines. Then, before more could pop out, he clasped his hands together, repeating the same magic to set Kris and Susie free.

“Owwwwwww >:c” One of the flowers cried out. “That actually hurts y’know?”

Ralsei adjusted his posture, then his glasses. Turning to the yellow flower, he took a deep breath and scoffed. “So does being attacked.”

Susie grabbed Ralsei’s arm. Even she was confused at his sudden change in demeanor. Was he..?

Needless to say, Ralsei’s unexpected tone didn’t help, as she was still trying herself to properly cope with the situation herself. 

After staring at him with a genuine look of concern, she asked him. “You okay man?”

Ralsei’s eyes widened. He quickly bit down on his tongue, regretting saying anything at all. Staring back at her in complete silence, he was lost in thought. Susie’s sharp, yellow eyes blurred out everything in the background, leaving themselves as the only things in view. 

Susie moved her hand up to his shoulder, causing him to snap out of it. Instinctively, Ralsei cracked a big smile, followed by a few light chuckles. “It’s okay Susie! I’m fine!”

Though, his smile, twitched. Susie knew her friend wasn’t okay, but wanted to play it off. Pushing it further might only make things worse. Kris stole both of their attentions, walking up to them with a joke which made Ralsei laugh for real. But before Susie could even react-

“GROUP HUG.” Mike rushed in, his arms elongating like rubber as he swooped the three up, hugging them tightly. After a minute of discomfort, Mike let them go and floated backwards. “WOWIE! What a wonderful performance! I’m sure the c̶̱͌ô̷̼̐̚ͅm̸̱̓m̶̢͓̐͑͜i̷͉̻̓ț̵́̂̈t̸̠̞͓̽͝è̸͎̈́e̸̬̣̳̊͗͒ is absolutely gonna love that one!” He tipped his hat.

Susie walked over to the floors, kneeling down next to the cyan one. “You guys just gonna watch or?”

The flower looked at her, shaking. Hesitantly, she answered. “Well I uh. Um. We’re not typically allowed-” 

“ZIPZIPZIP!” Mike swooped in, blocking the line of sight between Susie and the flower. 

Susie nodded. That one small interaction was enough to infer exactly who’s in charge here. She turned to Kris, who appeared to be murmuring something to themselves. She grew frustrated, realizing that no one here was really happy with the situation, at all.

“Wellllllllll I’m stuffed.” Mike’s audio glitched as he did a festive jig. “I’d love to stick around buuuuuuuttttt… I just sensed another intruder in the area.” He turned to his side and put his hand to his mouth. “And we really can't leave alone if you know what I mean ;)”

A laugh track erupted from the walls. No matter how hard Susie and Kris tried to focus, they couldn't find the source of the sound.

“Daisy! Phera!” Mike pointed at the Cyan and Orange Flowers respectively. “You two keep watch on our guests. Iris! Chor!” Then at the Purple and Blue flowers. “You two keep watch on Mr. Special. And the others! You come with me!”

Susie grabbed Kris and began to shake them. “Another intruder! Kris! That's probably Mr. Sans. We gotta-”

Mike struck his hands into the air, and rapidly flew backwards, crashing through a wall while keeping his pose up.

“TOODLES!”

“Mike…?” Asgore was strapped to the throne. Despite trying his best, he was wholly unable to move. After countless attempts to get up, his will had deteriorated to the point where the most he could muster was the occasional groan. Occasionally calling out to Mike whenever he heard something move, Asgore began to develop doubts in his own sanity.

Each attempt to escape was thwarted by Mike’s rocket boots, which attached themselves to Asgore’s feet, and thrusted him back firmly onto the golden seat.

His morale was practically zero. Had he been tricked? Why did Carol even want him to make this place? While some of the flowers seemed friendly, something about Mike’s strange mannerisms made Asgore uncomfortable. That’s even without considering his blatant abuse of power. 

Accepting his fate, Asgore closed his eyes and dozed off. Until…

The door of the throne room slowly creaked open, the sudden noise caused Asgore’s eyes to instantly shoot open. “Who’s there?” He muttered, mustering all of his remaining energy for that simple question.

A dark blue man peaked through the door. His mouth appeared to be drooping, and he was wearing what looked like a white cowboy hat and ceremonial religious robes. A questionable fashion choice for sure. 

“Excuseth me, thy majestyeth.” The man adjusted his hat and walked closer. Asgore looked more and more distressed with each step. “Thou arst thy Kinge of this land, art thou not?”

“Don’t come any closer, or else I…I’ll” Asgore struggled. Another wacky character was the last thing he wanted to deal with. But at the same time, he wondered if this man could help him. If he wasn’t associated with Mike, maybe Asgore could convince him to help himself free? He briefly considered his options, then spoke out in a confident manner. “Yes. It is I, the king of this land.”

“Perfecth.” The man shuffled outside, and after a quick moment, came back holding a round blue boy. “I presenteth thine an offering.”

“Hohoho! My dad collection is growing spectacularly!” The little boy chuckled. “Four and counting!”

“I amst Rouxls Kaard, and I volunteer as your right handeth servant.” Rouxls pat the boy on the head. “And this be-eth my NOT son Lancer.”

Asgore picked Lancer up and sat him in his lap. Almost immediately once seated, Lancer tucked himself in and took a nap, using Asgore’s arm as a blanket. 

“Servant? You’re not with Mike are you?” Asgore’s voice quivered.

“I doeth not know of a ‘Mike’. Are they strongeth?”

“Strong huh?” Asgore chuckled, his eyes shifting to the side. “You could say that.”

“I might have to suck up to him then.” Rouxls mumbled, just audible enough for his tonal shift to steal Asgore’s attention.

“Excuse me Rouxls?” Asgore gestured towards his feet. “Could you please help me get these boots off?”

“Of course mine sire! As your humble servant, I shall’t obey thy every command.” 

Kneeling in front of Asgore, Rouxls tried to pull off the rocket boots attached to Asgore’s feet. But, with a single pull, the boots delivered a static shock, causing him to fly backwards. 

Taking a moment to ponder, he walked back up to Asgore and picked up Lancer from his lap. “Oh Lancey boy! I needeth your help.”

“Ho ho! The lesser dad calls!” Lancer shot up, jumping out of Rouxls’ arms. Somehow, he knew exactly what was needed of him, despite being asleep for the conversation. Rushing to Asgore’s feet, he pulled out a spade and tried digging into the boots.

“Once swift dig and you’ll-” Unfortunately, as Lancer hit the boots, an electric shock came through and shattered the spade. Turning to Rouxls, Lancer laughed and did a little spin, before pulling out a dozen more shovels. 

He levitated them into the air with his magic, then pulled them down upon Asgore’s feet, causing the rocket boots to shatter, and setting Asgore free.

“Thank you l-” Asgore tripped. His legs had gone numb from the hours they had stayed in the same position. As he got back up, he could barely maintain his balance, immediately falling back down. Adjusting himself, he sat on the floor and slowly stretched his legs. Even in a position like this, he chuckled. The pain in his legs couldn’t compare to the relief he felt.

“So…” Rouxls broke the silence. “Does thine have a cellar? It usually be-eth mine job to oversee them.”

“I uh.” Asgore stammered. “Don’t know haha… I haven’t gotten a good look of the castle yet.”

“I see. Perhaps I can assistedededeth thou in thine journey?”

Asgore hesitated. Even if Rouxls set him free, he was unsure if he could be trusted. One second Mike was all buddy buddy, the next, he locked Asgore in a room. What if these people were the same? 

Though, he simply had too many questions, too many things to figure out. Someone by his side could be helpful, especially if Mike comes back.

After much consideration, Asgore cautiously accepted. “Some company would be nice, I suppose.” He turned to looked at Lancer, who was scuttling out of the room.

“Ah, the boyeth doeth do that sometimes.” Rouxls twirled his majestic white hair. “He probably went to seeketh his friends.”

“I see, shall we be on our way then?” Asgore inquired. Taking the lead, he had already begun exploring the room.

Rouxls followed closely behind, simply double checking whatever Asgore touched. There wasn’t much in the throne room itself, despite the room being quite large. 

The floor seemed to be made of marble, a similar type of design to what Asgore had seen in Carol’s household. Red carpet flowed from the entrance, all the way to the large golden throne at the end of the room. The carpet didn’t reach the throne though. It ended right before, leaving room for a bed of golden flowers which circled around the seat.

Asgore walked over to the wall, and began interacting with all the decorations placed in a line. From antique candles, to large paintings of him in his fancy armor, he twisted and turned everything on the off chance one of them could be a secret switch.

He felt out the wall. It seemed to be made out of plain wood, which he found unusual for a palace of this manner, especially when compared to the flooring. But the more he pressed into it, the more it felt… soft? Almost foamy. 

As he slid his hand across the wall, he heard Rouxls calling out to him.

“Mine sire, I believe I have discoverdeth thine secret passageway.” He gestured to the hall outside.

“Of course.” Walking out the door, a large hole could be seen to the left, a staircase descending down it.

Asgore sighed. He was so focused on secret switches and hidden conspiracies that he forgot to think about the obvious, simply exploring the rest of the palace. 

The two walked side by side, cautiously going down the staircase. As they went deeper, more of the surrounding was made of the soft, wood-like material. Finally getting to the bottom, a large cavern awaited him, filled to the brim with cages. 

Taking one step further, Asgore pressed on a pressure plate. Quickly bracing himself, he was relieved, then shocked, as a large hologram appeared in front of him.

Beware the man who came from the other world.

Four of the flowers escaped into the ground, leaving only the orange and cyan ones alone with the heroes. 

Susie and Ralsei awkwardly stood around. Susie scratched her arm and looked away. Neither of them felt comfortable being the one to break the ice.

The two flowers also gazed at each other. The orange one whispered something, but it wasn't audible enough to properly make out.

As the tenseness settled, Kris walked towards the orange flower and extended their palm.

“Howdy Kris! I'm Phera, and this is Lily >:>” Phera wrapped a vine around Lily’s stem.

Gesturing behind them, Kris introduced the flowers to their friends.

“H-hi… Susie…” Lily stuttered between every word. “And Ralsei…”

“Hey.” Susie briefly waved, her hand’s motion cut short as she moved it to the back of her head. ”So we gonna fight or…”

“No it's not like that!” Lily trembled, causing cyan pollen to fall off and sprinkle the air around her.

“Aaas we were saying >:k” Phera shushed Lily with a vine. “We’re part of Mike’s crew, and he doesn't want any of you getting hurt. So it's our job to watch over you, okay?”

“Just a minute ago you wanted to capture us.” Susie squinted. Ralsei walked up next to her and put his hand on her arm.

“Well I-” Lily continued to shake, only to be cut off by Phera once again. 

“We do whatever the big man tells us :p. If he wants us to capture you, we do it. If he wants us to help you, we do it.”

“So you’re like his servants or?” As she said that, Susie noticed Ralsei looking somberly to the side. She wasn’t sure which part of the conversation had upset him, but wanted to comfort him nonetheless.

She didn’t know how to though. The last thing she wanted to was to upset him even more. After considering her options, she decided to keep her mouth shut. It was her job carry the burden, and thus, if saying something even had a tiny chance to make things worse, it was a chance she didn’t want to take.

Not being able to read Ralsei’s thoughts made things difficult. He probably had just as much on his mind as she did. Maybe even more. She still didn’t know the full extent of what he knows. So even if she wanted to say something, she didn’t know how to articulate it.

Her train of thought was broken by a conversation ensuing between Phera and Kris.

“Well… XP I COULD do that-”

Suddenly, Susie jumped in. “Hey, what are you guys talking about?”

A bead of sweat ran down Phera’s forehead. “NOTHING.”

Kris put their arms on their hips and began to make squawking noises, flapping their elbows around like a chicken.

“Hey you little- >:c”

To everyone’s surprise, Ralsei broke his silence, joining in on the conversation. “Phera, Lily, I think we should get going now.”

Susie nodded, and the three quickly made their way into a line. 

The five continued their way down the cavern. Every few steps, the two flowers would retreat back into the ground and pop up a few feet in the front. 

Not much of the cave changed as they went down it. At most, the walls seemed to be getting slightly narrower, but it wasn’t enough for anyone to call it out. 

After a few minutes, Susie began to grow tired of the unending corridor. The antics of the flowers didn’t help either. Even ignoring Phera’s constant teasing of Lily, the mess they left every time they popped out of the dirt really annoyed her on a level she could not understand. 

“Could you guys stop that?” She uttered in frustration. 

“Stop… moving with you?” Phera questioned.

“THAT!” Susie pointed at Phera. A bunch of dirt went flying around him as he popped out of the ground.

“Geez okay, calm down.” Phera tried to honor Susie’s wishes, slowing down his pace and keeping his movements less erratic so as to make less of a mess.

They continued forward, the occasional rustling of the dirt being the only thing to break the deafening silence. None of the parties involved were interested in initiating a conversation with each other. Though, the lack of interested didn’t stop Susie.

“Are you sure this is the right way?” She tried to make conversation, the awkwardness in the air getting too much for her.

“Yeah, we know this place like the back of our… stem :p.” Phera continued. “What’s this about a Sans guy you mentioned?”

“I sent him to check up on Kris’s dad. I think he might be lost here.”

For some reason, that caught Ralsei’s attention. “Wouldn’t he have arrived before you then, Susie?”

“I guess, what about it?”

“I um-” Lily couldn’t stop shaking. Her mannerisms caused Susie to stop in her tracks and kneel down beside her.

“You good man?” She put her hand next to Lily’s petals.

“I just-” She took a good look at Phera before continuing. “Our alarms were set off the moment you got here… If anyone else came in, Mike would’ve known…”

The three looked at each other, visibly confused. Kris asked about Sans. The concern in their voice only added to Susie’s own.

 After a brief exchange with Kris, Ralsei knelt next to Susie, his eyes widened. “Who else is in this Dark World then?”

Noelle made her way back to the Festival, Berdly by her side. The two joked and playfully bickered the whole journey, a smile never leaving their faces. She was genuinely worried about Susie, she didn’t want it to affect the mood though. That being said, she was actually having fun. Berdly was always nice to be around when it was just the two of them.

But, Noelle couldn’t hold it in for much longer. Very quickly, her smile began to fade away. She cared a lot about Susie, and seeing her in such distress affected her in a way she couldn’t really describe with words.

Berdly took note of this. He was good at reading Noelle. Even if the persona he put on made him seem like an idiot, if there was one thing he was actually smart about, it was his friend.

“Noelle, about earlier when we were in the school. I had something I wanted to ask you.”

Noelle snapped back, she had a hunch she already knew where this was going. “What is it, Berdly?”

“Remember the other day, when we both fell asleep in the library and had weird dreams?” He put his wing up to his chin.

“Yeah?”

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since then.” He stopped and shifted his eyes. “I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about the dream… about Kris and Susie.”

“You saw them too..?” Noelle also stopped. 

“I uh.” Berdly scratched his head. “Noelle, if it's not too much to ask, could you please describe your dream to me?”

“Well…” Noelle trailed off, taking a moment to recall. “We were in this strange world, with a lot of high tech stuff, and magic I think? And-”

“And an evil blue queen, right?” Berdly cut her off. “Who wanted to have us as her lackeys?”

“Well I don’t think she wanted you, but sure!” Noelle began to giggle. Even covering her mouth wasn’t enough to hold it in.

After a brief silence, Berdly continued.

“And Kris had a friend who looked like their mom?”

“More like their brother, but yeah.” Noelle nodded. “Thank you for telling me this. I’m gonna need a moment but, knowing it was real is a relief.”

Berdly snickered, followed by a slight smile. “No problem Noelle, if I’m honest so-”

Noelle cut him off as she started freaking out. “WAIT SO THE RIDE WITH SUSIE WAS-”

She took a moment to sit on the sidewalk, Berdly sat down beside her. Both had already been suspecting it, but actually knowing it was a different deal. Noelle was hunched over, hands on her head, and shaking.

Berdly put his wing on her shoulder. For some reason, the realization hadn’t hit him as hard as it did Noelle. Was it because of what Queen did to her? He didn’t know what she went through in there, and thus, he didn’t say anything, simply choosing to console his friend in silence as the two sat there.

After a few minutes, Noelle shot up, suddenly full of energy, and with a smile on her face. “Okay Berdly. I’m ready to go now.”

“You’re not worried about Susie?” Berdly looked more concerned than Noelle.

“Sure I am but… If it’s Dark World related, we can just go and help her right?” She turned a little to the side. “I’ll have to see about my mom though…”

“I guess so, let’s continue then.” 

The two of them continued through Hometown, asking around to see where Susie and Kris might have gone. As they walked passed Catti’s house, they saw Papyrus standing in a booth.

“PAPYRUS’ NUTS” was written on top of a banner. It seems as if he was selling various forms of peanuts. His stand was situated right next to an empty one, simply labeled “S’ “, which had hotdogs and various packets of condiments inside.

“HELLO, MY FRIENDS!!!”  Papyrus waved.

“Greetings, Papeerus.” Berdly walked towards the booth.

“Hey Berdly, I don’t think that how you say-”

“AND HELLO TO YOU, NERGHLY!” Papyrus cut off Noelle, then turned to her and laughed. “NYEH HEH HEH!”

“So…” Berdly adjusted his glasses. “*Ahem*. Papeerus, do you know where Kris went?”

“UNFORTUNATELY, I DO NOT. THEY RECEIVED A TEXT MESSAGE AND LOOKED CONCERNED.” Papyrus scooted over, now standing outside the stand. “THEY THEN SAID THEY WERE CHECKING UP ON THEIR FRIEND AND TOOK OFF.”

“I see.” Noelle nodded. “What are you doing here then?”

“MY BROTHER AND I PLANNED TO SELL REFRESHMENTS TOGETHER, BUT THAT LAZY BONES MUST HAVE TAKEN ONE OF HIS ALL NIGHT NAPS!!!”

“Do you wanna hang out with us then?” Noelle smiled.

“Noelle wait not with h-”

“I WOULD LOVE TO!!!”

The three walked through Hometown together, making their way to the primary street where food was being sold. Pizzas, pretzels, sodas, that sort of thing. For some reason, Sans had chosen to set up his stand far away from everything else in the festival.

They stopped at an Ice-E’s pizza stand. Even if Ice-E’s was closing down in Hometown, the brand was still one of the main sponsors of the festival. 

Noelle couldn’t help bringing up Kris and Susie as they were waiting for their order to finish. Out of the three of them, she seemed the most concerned. Berdly took the news of Dark Worlds being real surprisingly well for some reason. But not Noelle. Even if she wasn’t expressing it, it’s all she could think about.

As Noelle spoke their names, the person behind the counter called out to them.

“Hey little buddy, you wonderin’ about Kris?” He looked at Noelle.

“Oh, hey! It was Pizzapants right?” Noelle greeted him with a smile.

“That’s what they call me!” Pizzapants put on a smug expression while pointing at himself with his thumb.

“MR. PANTS, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OUR FRIENDS?" Papyrus tilted his head.

“I uh, ran into them on my break earlier.” Pants took a long pause as he sighed. Lighting up a cig, he put it in his mouth and continued. “They were with that new friend of theirs, the purple girl.”

Noelle lit up, leaning over the counter in excitement. Berdly grabbed her arm, pulling her back as to stop her from toppling over the stand. 

“Oh sorry.” Noelle apologized, then turned back to Pizzapants. “Do you know where they went?”

Pizzapants pointed to the other side of town. “They were in a rush but, that way I think. They must have been heading to the lake or somethin’.”

“The lake..?” She tilted her head.

“Wait-” Berdly squinted. “Isn’t that where their dad’s shop is?”

“Berdly?” Noelle turned to him.

“You said Susie was concerned about Mr. Dreemurr earlier right?” Berdly continued. “Do you think maybe she…”

“WISE THINKING, BURGLARY! I ALSO RECALL KRIS ASKING NOELLE ABOUT THEIR FATHER EARLIER."

“Come to think of it…” Noelle put her hand on her chin. “Kris was acting weird in the hospital too. Do you think something is up with Mr. Dreemurr?”

“If it’s a…” Berdly raised his wing up to his beak and whispered. “Dark World. Then maybe we should go help them.”

“Faha…” Noelle awkwardly looked around. “My mom would kill me if I randomly went missing from the festival.”

The four of them stood around for a bit. Berdly knew what she said was true, Mrs. Holiday had eyes and ears everywhere. She frequently explored the town and talked to the townsfolk during the festival, and thus if Noelle went missing, she would find out eventually. After a brief silence, he had an idea.

“Hey Noelle, what if you and Papeerus went to Kris and Susie.”

“And what about you?” Noelle asked

“I’ll make sure to keep a look out for your mom, and if I ever see her, I’ll make sure to call you and you can quickly come back.”

“It wasn’t so easy last time though…” Noelle looked disappointedly at him.

“Well I-” A bead of sweat ran down Berdly’s forehead. He frantically scratched the back of his head and shuffled for a bit, before coming up with what to say next. “I could stall for time. I just… I don’t know, but I’ll find a way to keep her distracted okay? And Papeerus can help get out, he seems strong.”

“THANK YOU BOURGEOISIE!! I AM SURE YOU ARE ALSO VERY STRONG!”

Pizzapants stared at the group as they rambled on. He had no idea what they were talking about, but he enjoyed their presence either way. Disappearing? Why was a simple checkup going to take so long anyways?

He didn’t care, the group bickering among themselves and having fun was a nice change of pace from the monotony of his shift. 

“Hey little buddy!” Pizzapants gave Berdly a pat on the back. “If you want you can stay with me. Got a bird’s eye view from this side of town!”

“Good idea, Pants!” Noelle chuckled. “Clear line of sight here right to the shop. If my mom comes in he can-”

Berdly cut Noelle off. He adjusted his posture, then cracked his shoulders and scoffed. “If it’s for my dearest Noelle, fine! But don’t think I’m gonna enjoy spending time with the likes of you!”

Pizzapants laughed, seeing right through Berdly’s tricks. “And what are those likes, little buddy?”

“I uh.” Berdly stammered. He turned to Noelle, who only looked back with a gleaming smile and a small chuckle. “Stupid.”

“Oh little buddy, you spend enough time with these customers, you’ll also end up stupid.” He started laughing even harder.

Berdly ignored Pants, turning to Noelle, he gave her a slight nod. 

“Thank you Berdly.” 

“Just be quick okay? I don’t want to spend-”

Before Berdly could finish, Noelle gave him a quick hug.

“I won’t be long, I promise.” Turning to Papyrus, she continued. “You ready?”

“READY AS CAN EVER BE, MY DEAREST COMPANION!”

“Then let’s go.”

Noelle and Papyrus made their way to the flower shop. Every so often, Noelle turned her head slightly to check up on Berdly. Every time she checked, all he was doing was bickering with Pizzapants. Hey, at least he was having fun..?

Before she knew it, the two of them stood in front of the door to the shop.

“Okay Papyrus, here goes nothing!”

Chapter Text

MY TERRIBLE KNIGHT.

THE ONE WHO SETS 

MY FOUNTAINS FREE.

WHY MUST YOU

DEFY MY WILL,

AND BREAK MY 

PROPHECY?

MY BEAUTIFUL KNIGHTS.

THE ONES

BORN OF HOLY

SIGHTS.

PLEASE, 

FOR ME,

WILL YOU 

STRIKE THE EARTH?

AND FOR ME,

BRING FORTH

THE LIGHT.

Papyrus helped Noelle up. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t have as much luck sticking the landing. 

“NOELLE, WHAT IS THIS STRANGE PLACE?”

“Huh?”  Noelle took a second to register his question, still feeling a little dizzy from the fall. “Oh, didn’t you hear me and Berdly talk earlier?”

“I DID. HOWEVER, I HAD NO CLUE WHAT YOU TWO WERE TALKING ABOUT. NYEH HEH…” Papyrus snickered, playfully looking away.

Noelle took a deep breath. She both looked around the room, a circular cavern with dark brown walls. The ground looked like dirt, but upon examination, it felt more like hard rock instead. The cave was mostly devoid of life. Other than the patch of grass they fell on, only a few pieces of greenery were occasionally scattered throughout the passageway. 

“Still can’t believe it's real…” Noelle whispered under her breath.

Papyrus took notice. He wasn’t the best at expressing it, but he did sincerely care about his new friends. Taking a step forward, he raised his hand, which caused her to take notice of his outfit.

“Faha! Your armor is so cool, and your cape, you look kinda like a knight!” Noelle began to laugh. Then, after a moment, she stopped in place and squinted. “A knight…”

“WELL SAID, AND YOU LOOK LIKE…” He took a moment to think. “AN ANGEL, WITHOUT IT’S WINGS PERHAPS.”

“It seems everyone’s been calling me that recently, faha…” She nervously chuckled. 

“SHALL WE BE ON OUR WAY THEN? I BELIEVE I SEE SOMETHING RIGHT OVER THERE.” Papyrus pointed to the edge of their view. A small patch of grass stood defiantly among the stone.

“SO…” Papyrus tried making conversation as they walked towards it. “WHAT ACTUALLY IS THIS PLACE ANYWAYS?”

“It’s a Dark World. It’s like a weird fantasy world with magic and monsters.” Noelle tried her best to avoid eye contact. “Like this!”

Lifting her finger, she formed a handful of snowflakes, which left Papyrus in awe. 

“WOWIE!!! CAN I DO THAT?” Papyrus stared at her with both hands on his cheekbones.

“Sure!” Noelle giggled. “You just need to try to learn and-”

Noelle’s foot got tangled around a thorny vine, causing her to fall flat on her face again. Though, this time, she made an effort to get back up on her own. 

As she stood up, she let out a light chuckle and wiped some sweat off her forehead. She nodded at Papyrus, who nodded back before the two of them continued on their way.

It didn’t take too long. Before they knew it, they had already reached the patch of grass. Though, someone there was waiting for them. Someone who wasn’t there when Papyrus initially pointed it out.

“Howdy! I’m Flowery! Flowery the Flower!”

“Are we there yet?” Susie asked for the hundredth time. Her voice getting more and more strained each time she asked.

“Can you STOP that >=/” Phera shook his head. “I told you we’ll get there when we get there!”

“We’ve been walking for like, an hour. Where are you even taking us?”

“First off. (ー_ー)” He tangled a vine around Susie’s leg. “It hasn’t been that long. And second off, we’re taking you to the palace.”

Susie shrugged. She had an inherent distrust of these guys. Whether it was because of Phera’s brash attitude, or just the simple fact that they were attacked earlier, she didn’t want to take any chances. Using her other foot to step on the orange tendril, she questioned. “If that’s where the fountain is, why’d you wanna bring us right to it..?”

“It’s just…” Lily chimed in, still shivering as if she’d been put in a freezer. “It’s what Mike asked us to do… I promise we don’t mean any harm…”

Susie rolled her eyes and continued walking, signaling Kris and Ralsei to do the same.

The five of them walked, and walked, and walked. It seems like the more they walked through the caves, the more cave there was to talk through. A simple linear path, going on forever.

Kris and Ralsei didn’t contribute much to the conversation. Both of them mostly chugged along for the ride as Susie and Phera bickered. Kris occasionally smirked and chuckled at the bickering, but not much was said by them beyond that.

Every so often, they heard light snickering coming from behind them. But every time the gang turned around to look, there was nobody there.

Flowery followed closely behind the five, listening in on their antics. For some reason, he found them quite amusing, though he couldn’t parse why. He never liked Phera, but just listening to his bickering with Susie made him chuckle.

Occasionally, he retreated into the dirt whenever anyone looked back.

He followed them for quite a while, making sure to only travel through the holes Phera and Lily had already dug, as to not make any new messes. He kept following, and listening, until…

He felt something pull at one of his vines. He had those things stretched out everywhere throughout the Dark World. He had to keep sensors everywhere, almost as a personal method of surveillance.

“What was that? And why was it cold? Ah shit-”

He quickly popped into the ground as Susie turned around and knelt next to Phera, attempting to smack him. Though, Phera’s instincts were quick, and the two just devolved into playing whack-a-mole with each other.

Flowery waited for them to stop so he could pop back up, but the more he waited, the longer it seemed to go on for.

“Whatever, I’ll check that thing out.”

Traveling through the earth, Flowery made his way to the source of the disturbance. He saw a tall skeleton Lightner and a shorter deer one standing next to him. It seems they were- “Oh fuck they’re heading right towards me-”

Flowery straightened his posture, fixed his expression, and…

“Howdy! I’m Flowery! Flowery the Flower!”

“Hi Flowery!” The antlered girl leaned down, meeting Flowery face to face. “I’m Noelle!”

“AND I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS.”

“Howdy Noelle and Papyrus. You two are new around here arentcha? Golly, you must be so confused hehehe!” Flowery chuckled to himself. “Someone ought to teach you how things work around here.”

“Oh?” Noelle turned to Papyrus. “I guess we’re technically new but… I do know how things work, I think?”

“HAVE YOU BEEN HERE BEFORE, NOELLE?” Papyrus also leaned down next to her.

“Not here but…” She scratched the back of her head. “I’ve been in a different one of these worlds, with Kris.”

“KRIS?”

“Yeah, they taught me a lot of the rules, for battles and stuff.” Noelle nodded.

“These two seem strong. I better get on their good side.” Flowery thought about what to say next. Luckily for him, he didn’t need to work hard to keep the two entertained. Papyrus cracked a pun, then let out a confident laugh. Noelle quickly joined his laughter, cracking a pun of her own.

It seemed as if, at least for a minute, the two forgot Flowery was even there. Annoying, but at least it was convenient. He could think about his approach without fear of interruption. Though, it wasn’t as if he even needed all that time.

After a short moment, he coughed. “*Ahem*. Kris huh, I also met them earlier, interesting fellow for sure!”

“Oh you’ve met Kris?” Noelle beamed up with excitement.

“Well kind of…” Flowery turned to the side. “I’ve heard a lot about them over the years, but we only talked briefly earlier, before I was interrupted by my acquaintances."

“Your… acquaintances?” Noelle titled her head.

“IS THAT ONE OF THEM OVER THERE?” Papyrus pointed to the corner of the room, where a pitch black flower stood motionless, staring at the three.

But before Flowery could turn, it was already gone.

“Are we there yet?” Susie let out a groan.

“NO! Now shut up already!” Phera raised his voice, becoming more frustrated each time she asked this question.

Susie shut her mouth and continued. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t started getting tired. Her feet began to hurt and, turning to Kris, she could tell from their posture that they were getting tired as well. Either way, she endured, and after a brief silence, she sighed and asked.

“So is this entire Dark World just caves and corridors or what?”

“There used to be a lot more…” Lily replied. Her voice was low enough that Susie needed to lean down to hear her properly. “Before uhm-” 

“Before everything ;p” Phera cut her off. He always preferred to be the one taking initiative. “These caves used to have a lot of stuff in ‘em. But after everything went down, all that’s left are these ruins.”

“Huh?” Susie stopped walking, and turned to stare at Phera. “What went down here?”

“I dunno ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The only one who saw it was Mike.” Two orange tendrils burst out of the ground, bending themselves in a shrugging motion. 

“What do you mean?” Ralsei joined in on the conversation, stopping and appearing just as confused as Susie.

Phera paused for a minute. As Susie, Ralsei, and Kris stared at him, he began to use his tendrils to draw what appeared to be a map by softly digging the surface of the floor.

“Over here, these used to be the ruins, a once thriving ancient civilization. That’s where me and my colleagues were from, and the moss tribe too. After that, the snowy tundra, then damp lakes, fiery deserts.”

“And what about the fountain?” Ralsei sat down.

“That’s somewhere in the castle I think. Lies somewhere far down the flowery fields past the desert.” 

“The castle..?” Susie put her head close to the dirt.

“That’s where Mr. Dreemurr is being held.” 

A chill went down Kris’s spine. They took a step to the side, scratching their arm and looking away from the group. 

“Oh yeah. I kinda forgot about your dad… sorry.” Susie picked up on Kris’s mannerisms almost immediately. “We’ll get him out safe and sound, okay?”

“Are you LISTENING? >=/” Phera tugged at Susie’s leg, shifting the group’s attention back onto him.

“Yeah yeah.” Susie shrugged it off and knelt back down. “So, what happened?”

“Entire areas wiped off the map. Granted-”

“Umm..” Lily stared at him, the volume of her voice made her barely audible. “Phera… are you sure..?”

Phera stared back, giving her a stern look that immediately shut her up. “Granted, Mike was the only one who saw it go down. He used it as an opportunity to seize power.”

Susie questioned Phera’s helpfulness. The information he gave seemed trustworthy enough, yet his previous attitudes made him lose a lot of credibility for her. Standing up, she kicked around some of the dirt, obfuscating the map. “So… why are you telling us all this anyways?”

“Haha you kidding? X3” Phera laughed maniacally, causing Lily to hide out in the dirt till he was done. “We hate Mike as much as you!”

“Wait we hate Mike?”

“That’s why we wanna help you take him down!”

Suddenly, a cyan tendril burst out, grabbing Phera by the stem and pulling him under. Kris, Susie, and Ralsei were left alone as they thought about Phera’s information. Kris knelt down and put their ear to the ground. As they focused, they heard a muffled conversation underneath.

As the conversation went on, Susie and Ralsei quickly joined them. It wasn’t clear, but it was just audible enough for them to make out the words.

“Phera you idiot! What are you doing?!”

“What? >;p I know you agree with me.”

“Mike’s going to hear you, he’s going to-”

“So…” Noelle giggled. “Where do we go now?”

Flowery joined her laughter, trying his best not to accidentally reveal his razor-sharp teeth. “You want to join your friends right? It would be difficult to find them from here…”

“Maybe we could-” Noelle tried to speak, but was interrupted.

“OH I know! I could guide you two straight to the palace! That’s where our fountain is, so that’s where they’ll likely be headed!”

“AND WHERE MIGHT THIS PALACE BE, DEAREST FLOWERY?” Papyrus leaned down, trying to avoid getting his foot stuck in his cape.

“Hmm, lemme see…”

Flowery closed his eyes and focused. Noelle and Papyrus simply stood and watched.

After a moment, two thick vines burst out from behind Flowery. Initially lunging towards Papyrus, they quickly changed course to strike a wall to the left of the room, revealing a secret entrance.

“I know a shortcut!” He winked.

“ONWARDS WE GO, BUT FIRST.” Papyrus knelt down right next to Flowery. He cupped a pile of dirt with his hands. Then, with a swift motion, created a vase-like structure made out of bones to house the soil.

“Uh…” Flowery stared at the vase absentmindedly. “What?.”

“A MOST CONVENIENT FORM OF TRAVEL IS IT NOT? INSTEAD OF NEEDING TO  DIG ACROSS, ME AND DEAREST NOELLE CAN CARRY YOU AS YOU GUIDE US THROUGH THE JOURNEY! NYEH HEH!”

Noelle leaned down besides him. Putting her hand on the vase, and felt out it’s shape. After a moment, she tried to mimic Papyrus’s movements, making a similar structure out of ice. But every time she tried, it quickly fell apart within seconds. “Faha! Excuse me. I’m still not the best at this magic thing.”

“DO NOT FRET, DEAREST NOELLE! PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, AS THEY SAY!!” Papyrus began to scoop up Flowery as he continued talking. “I’VE PICKED UP A THING OR TWO FROM MY BROTHER. NYEH HEH HEH!!!!”

“I didn’t consent to this.”

Papyrus stood up, holding the vase to his chest. As he took a step forward, he noticed Noelle was still kneeling on the dirt, trying her best to make a stable structure.

“IS EVERYTHING OKAY?” He looked at her. For a moment, before putting on his iconic smile, Papyrus looked genuinely concerned.

“Oh it’s nothing!” Noelle put her hand on her mouth and giggled. “I just wish I got to use it more in CyberWorld.”

“I’M SURE YOU’LL BE JUST AS GREAT AS ME IN DUE TIME, MY FRIEND!”

“Thanks, Papyrus!"

Papyrus helped Noelle up, reaching out with one hand, and firmly gripping on to Flowery with the other.

“Are you two done yet?” Flowery shot a pellet at Noelle to get her attention.

“Oh yeah, sorry Flowery.” Noelle laughed. “Where did you want us to go again?”

A thick vine burst out from behind Noelle, contorting to be shaped like a pointing finger. “Over there? By the secret entrance I opened?”

“THEN, ONWARDS WE SHALL GO.”

“Quick! Now’s our chance!” Susie lunged upwards. Immediately steadying herself, she sprinted off without even giving her friends any notice.

“Susie wait-” Ralsei ran off, tailing right behind her.

After holding their ear to the ground a little longer, Kris quickly joined in. They could just barely see Ralsei at the end of the corridor, but they still tried their best to keep up. 

Kris marched on, though rather slowly. They didn’t know what to expect in this Dark World. Carol told them some of the plan, but as it was becoming exceedingly clear, a lot of it was left out. Who’s Mike? She didn’t mention anything about a Mike. And the map..?

They preferred to take it cautiously. Kris hoped that at the very least, Dess would’ve given them more info, but at this point, they didn’t know if it even had the info. Getting Carol to tell them anything was a herculean task that they doubted they could get her to do even at knifepoint. 

Their morale was relatively low, not just from their fear of not having control over the situation, but also from seeing their friends in such a state. Scared, nervous, shambling around. They felt whatever remained of the control they had slipping away more and more. The promise they made to Carol… They thought it aligned with their own wants at first, but now, they weren’t so sure. That promise…

Turning the bend, they saw Ralsei standing next to a Susie-shaped hole in the wall.

Ralsei turned to Kris, tilted his head, and adjusted his glasses. “Kris? Do you think she-”

“HEY nerds. You guys just gonna stand there or what?” Susie’s head burst through the hole, causing Ralsei to jump backwards.

“Susie, is everything okay?” The words barely left Ralsei’s mouth as he gasped for air. He wasn’t used to actually exerting himself, and thus, the sprint had taken a heavy toll on his body.

Before he could even catch his breath, Susie reached out, grabbing him and Kris by the shoulders and pulling them into the Susie-shaped crevice.

“The flowers aren’t here, now’s our shot to get away.” Susie snickered to herself.

“B-but.” Ralsei’s eyes began to widen as Susie continued to drag him off. “They’re the ones who know the way, aren’t they?”

“Screw ‘em. We’ll just make our own way.” Susie let them both go, then turned around with her hair covering her eyes. “I’m tired of letting people boss us around.”

“S-Susie?” 

Susie shoved her hair to the side, then turned to Ralsei with a smug grin. “We can just write our own story, can’t we?”

“Susie I…” Ralsei took a seat on a nearby rock. “I don’t know what comes next…”

“Huh?”

He leaned down and let out a deep sigh. “I wish I could help us more, guide us more. But, I don’t know what happens next in the prophecy. It just gets more and more vague as it goes on. At least until the ending…”

Kris sat down beside him. After a moment of hesitation, they leaned in for a hug, which made Ralsei blush.

“It’s okay man.” Susie also sat down beside them. “As long as you keep persevering, we can get through it as a team.”

“Heh.” Ralsei lightly chuckled under his breath, so quiet that Susie could barely hear. “I just wish he told me everything.”

“He?” Susie’s eyes widened. “Who’s-”

“I don’t know.” Ralsei cut her off. Then, not even a second later, he resumed chuckling. “I’m sorry Susie, Kris.”

Susie looked at her feet, then quickly turned to the side. She muffled her hair, hiding her eyes underneath. Though, it’s not as if any attempt was being made to look at them. Her and Kris awkwardly looked around as Ralsei simply stared into the abyss in front of them.

She didn’t know what to do. Why bring this up now? Did something happen? She thought she was able to make him feel better after last night, but it seems he was still worried.

“Hey man.” She put her arm on his shoulder. “Sorry about not visiting Castle Town earlier today.”

“Oh?” He turned to her with a wide grin. “No Susie it’s oka-”

“It’s just, the festival was happening and-”

That wasn’t the real reason though, and both of them knew it. She was afraid of facing him after what went down at the church. Thinking that maybe, just maybe, if she blocked it out, focused on having one fun evening, she could get back into the groove of the whole hero business.

Was Ralsei the same? Was he still afraid of confronting her after what they saw? Or was he feeling insecure because of her avoiding him? Before she could think of an answer, he thinking was interrupted by a sudden noise in the distance.

THWUMP

Heavy footsteps rang out from behind the corner, shortly followed by the sound of bushes rustling. Some sort of pitch black entity was peeking at them, just out of sight.

“Hey, is that the Knight?” Susie attempted to chase them down. “Kris, Ralsei, let’s hurry!”

“Wait-” Ralsei shot up, but chose to wait for Kris before going after her. Fortunately for them, Susie didn’t get far. She was also waiting for her friends to catch up to her before she continued tailing the shadow.

“I think they went this way!” Susie continued running the moment Kris and Ralsei reached her.

The three continued their chase, eventually leading them to a section of the caves covered entirely by a green, squishy, surface. \

Susie and Kris knew what this was. “Raslei WAIT-” She tried warning him but-

Ralsei had already stepped on the surface. The green moss of the room began to slither and detach itself from the surface, forming into multiple little green balls with razor teeth.

Susie and Kris braced themselves. This time, they were ready to deal with the threat, especially with Ralsei’s help. 

However, they were caught off guard as the Mosslings combined together, taking on a singular, larger form.

Moss Guardian blocks the way.

The Guardian took on a large humanoid form, holding a sharp mace, also made out of moss, in its hand.

“Ralsei look out!” Susie pushed him out of the way, barely evading the swinging mace herself. 

Kris raised their shield, Susie hid behind her axe, and Ralsei covered his face with his scarf. All of them prepared for an incoming barrage of spiky projectiles which headed their way. 

“Kris?” Susie turned to them, confused, as they pointed to the Guardian. “You want me to what?”

♥️ Pour Water

Kris pulled out a pair of overalls and a straw hat, and gave them to Susie and Ralsei. As the three quickly got dressed, they also whipped out a collection of watering cans, which somehow, had already been filled. 

Climbing on top of its back, the three watered the Moss Guardian. Other than a tiny flower growing on its head, all it did was cause the Guardian to grow in size.

As they went back to their positions, Susie got hit by the Guardian’s mace, which now had begun swinging faster and more erratically.

“Kris, are you sure about this?” Susie’s breathing became heavy as she was knocked off her feet.

Pour Water

Pour Water

 Heal Prayer ->  

The beast only grew larger in size, the violent swings of its mace only got faster and more chaotic. 

“Kris?!”

♥️ Pour Water

♥️ Pour Water

♥️ Pour Water

The enemy grew and grew. At a certain point, its attacks became seemingly impossible to dodge. No matter how Kris moved their SOUL, the Moss Guardian was always one step faster than it. 

It was one bad hit after the next. Susie got bashed in the face. Kris got stomped on. With a vicious cut on her face, Susie quickly tried to cast GoodHeal, but her spell was intercepted by a spiky moss ball rocketing right towards her, hitting her in the chest.

Kris was knocked down.

Susie was knocked down.

As the last one standing, Ralsei tried to focus in on dodging as much as possible. And, he was actually successful for a while. To the surprise of both Kris and Susie, he was actually quite nimble. Gracefully dodging the Guardian’s attacks, he kept on doing as Kris commanded him to.

Pour Water

As the Guardian was watered one last time, it dropped its weapon and fell to its knees. Ralsei stood and and watched as the creature began vibrating profusely. Suddenly, he heard a voice.

“What’s that Kris? You want me to?”

Pacif-

“Ralsei, quick, use that fire thingy from earlier.” Before he could finish casting the spell, Susie called out to him.

“Susie I-” He didn’t know why, but Susie’s request left him paralyzed. His fire magic wasn’t something he wanted her to know about. Deep in his heart, he still wanted to believe things could be resolved with kindness. But, this gift of magic he had been blessed with was the exact opposite of them.

Cruel and chaotic, someone skilled in this type of magic could easily make anyone they wanted bow down to them. That wasn’t what he wanted, that wasn’t what he believed in. He tried to keep it a secret so Kris wouldn’t have him used it, but he’s been slipping up. Once in the church, then once more earlier.

He had to get his emotions in check, if he kept slipping up, who knows what he could cause if he went down the wrong path. 

After a minute of recollection, he resumed casting Pacify.

“N o,,” The moss guardian grabbed him, squeezing him tight as it continued to shake. “I wi ll   n Ot,,.. Qu Ee n,, w ant   see Li Gh tnEr S,,”

It’s voice was barely comprehensible. It’s size, the amount of moss occupying it’s body, had become too much to remain stable. “I    mU st,,” As it uttered its last breath, the Moss Guardian collapsed, letting go of Ralsei.

“Susie, Kris!” Ralsei quickly ran to them both, casting a HealPrayer to help with their wounds. “Are you two okay?”

Before he could even begin casting the spell, the Guardian exploded, splitting its large body into several smaller Mosslings which circled the party. 

“Ralsei look out!”

“♪♪♪♫♫♪♬”

A distant noise quickly grew louder. 

“♯♯♬♩♩♩♩♩♬♩♩♩♭”

A group of Shadowguys burst out of a bush. Getting into position, they promptly chased off the Mosslings with their smooth fedoras and their jazzy music.

One of the Shadowguys walked up to Susie and Kris and put a small bandage over their wounds, which helped a little bit. Afterwards, another came up and gave Kris some refreshments.

• 3x MossSalad was added to your items.
• ReviveDust was added to your items.

Using two salads, Kris and Susie recovered the majority of their HP. At the very least, enough for them to be able to stand again.

“Shadowguys..?” Susie scratched her head. “Weren’t you guys from TV World?” 

“♪♪♪?” One of them tilted his head. Another scratched their chin. 

It seems none of them knew what Susie was talking about. Weren’t these guys from Tenna’s shows? What were they doing here? And why do they seemingly have no recollection of Tenna.

“Wait-” Susie facepalmed, ashamed it took her this long to piece it together. “You guys are with Mike aren’t you?”

The mere mention of him terrified the Shadowguys. As one of them screamed and fell over, the others rushed into what seemed to be a secret hideout hidden in the foliage on the wall.

Susie signaled Kris and Ralsei to follow them. “Hey Ralsei, you coming?”

“Yeah I just, needed a moment.”

Before they went into the hideout, Kris examined a peculiarly shaped piece of grass where the Moss Guardian exploded.

• MossPlate was added to your armors.

“MossPlate: +6 DF - A thick chestplate made out of moss. Enhances plant-like abilities.”

Kris put it on, seeing as it was better than the TennaTie they were currently wearing.

Kris stood in place, staring at the wall as they equipped and unequipped some of Susie and Ralsei’s armors.

“Hey jackass, we don’t got all day.” Susie poked them on the shoulder.

Kris nodded, and continued down the path. However, as they descended down the corridor, a collection of orange vines formed a wall, blocking their path,

“You IDIOTS? What the hell are you doing?” Phera popped up behind the group, quickly followed by Lily. “We’re just trying to protect you and this is the thanks we get?”

“Yeah yeah.” Susie gave him a smug grin. “We found a new path, idiot.”

“What?” Phera’s expression changed ever so slightly.

“Yeah, we found some Shadowguys and they led us down this hidden pathway.”

“WHAT?” Phera switched from anger to just straight up confusion. Shadowguys? Here? But he thought Mike-

“This part…” Lily chimed in. “Isn’t even on our map? There’s no… roof?”

SCREEEEECH

A deafening screech overtook the room. As the five turned to look at the source, a Bird-like man wearing medieval golden armor swept down from the sky.

“Greetings, pink maiden. The Shadowguys have informed me of your presence.” Before continuing, he locked eyes with the flowers, giving them a menacing stare.

“No they’re not with Mike, I promise!” Ralsei stood in front of them, fulfilling Kris’s request to do something.

“If you say so, young man. My name is Captain Hawk 2. I have been sent here from Comic City to request your aid.”

“Our aid?” Susie turned to Kris. “Sure, what do you want?”

Hawk 2 raised up his wings, flashing the majestic golden plating covering his feathers. “I…” He looked around. “Believe our leader would be the one to talk to for that.”

“Your… leader?” Lily seemed terrified. Her constant shakiness seemed amplified, even more so than usual.

Weirdly, Phera seemed to panic as well. His cocky demeanor had completely fallen apart. These people weren’t supposed to be here. How are they-

Hawk 2 grabbed the heroes, quickly taking off before anyone could even react.

“WAIT-” Phera starting digging through the ground, trying his best to catch up.

Kris, Susie, and Ralsei were dropped off at what seemed to be some kind of bar? It was built into the side of a wall, and the red brick architecture did not fit in with the little they managed to see of Comic City. Though they didn’t see much, they managed to catch glimpses of what seemed to be futuristic buildings while they flew. 

“That is all I can do for you, my friends.” The Captain blocked their way, preventing them from exploring the rest of the city. “This building is where he resides. The one who found us, and the one who saved us from our hunting. Our leader.”

Kris braced themselves. Taking a deep breath, they slowly creaked the door open, revealing a busy bar with tons of different costumed individuals at the tables.

“He should be right around the counter.” Hawk 2 was now blocking the door. “He’s done a ton of work in helping us thrive.”

“IS THAT?” Susie stared in horror as the bartender turned around, giving her a wink and a shrug.

“You could even say…” The captain snickered.

“a skele-TON.”