Rain's Writing Archive

Brought Back

Originally posted to Ao3 on 12/9/2020. Last updated on 2/21/2022.

Chapter 1

A/N: THIS IS UNFINISHED!!!! AND WILL NOT BE UPDATED!!! CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK

When Frisk fell down, they weren’t expecting to be able to get back up. They stared up at the hole they fell from, fingers brushing gently against the petals of the golden flowers that broke their fall. They lay there silently, gaze tracing the rocky walls of the cave.

Then the dirt moved under them.

Frisk scrambled backwards off the bed of flowers in time to see a pale hand break free of the dirt. The hand began to claw at the dirt as if trying to dig itself up. A few seconds later, a second hand emerged from the dirt and started doing the same thing.

Despite being completely and utterly creeped out, Frisk resisted the urge to run away. Instead, they inched closer to the hands and began to help them claw the dirt away. Before long, the flower bed was completely torn up. A human laid inside the hole, dirt caked on their skin and hair, obscuring their features.

The other person sat up from their hole with a groan. They opened their eyes to reveal bright red irises that seemed to pierce right through Frisk. They were wearing a sweater, pants, and shoes that were tall enough that they reached their ankles, but it was all too dirty to make out any colour. There was a golden, heart-shaped locket around their neck, the only thing that hadn’t been obscured completely by dirt. The other person was not looking at Frisk anymore, instead taking the time to take in their surroundings.

Inevitably, their gaze landed back on them. Without thinking, Frisk brought up their hands and introduced themself.

*Hello, my name is Frisk. My pronouns are they/them. I’m ten. What about you?* The other person stared at their hands, then looked back up at their face. Only then did it occur to them that they might not know sign. Frisk was about to try to force out an introduction out loud when the other person responded.

“Greetings. I am Chara. They/them pronouns. Twelve.” Chara stood up and stretched, then started toward an archway on the other end of the cave. Frisk just sat on the cave floor, staring at them.

“Well?” Chara asked, tuning around, “Are you coming, or what?” Frisk’s eyes widened and they jumped to their feet, hastily trailing after the other child.

*Where are we going?* They gave Chara a few seconds to process their words.

“Home. When we get there, you can tell me why and how I’m alive.” Frisk’s face scrunched up  and their eyebrows knitted together. What did they mean ‘how they’re alive’? They filed that thought away for another time and obediently followed as Chara passed under the arch into another cavern. This one had another golden flower in the middle of it. A golden flower that had a face .

“Howdy!” said the talking flower. This was so wrong on so many levels. “I’m Flowey. Flowey the Flower!

“You’re both new to the underground, aren’tcha? Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do. Ready? Here we go!” A cold feeling washed over Frisk and they shivered. A small red heart was pulled out of their chest and floated in front of them. Frisk looked over to see if the same thing was happening to Chara.

Instead of a solid red heart like Frisk, Chara had a red outline of a heart that was hollow in the middle. They thought they heard Flowey say something about that being weird, but they couldn’t be sure.

“Well, uh, anyway- See those hearts? Those are your souls, the very culmination of your beings! Your soul starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV. What does LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course! You wa-”

“Hey, don’t lie! LOVE is an acronym, too! It stands for Level of Violence!” Frisk tried to ask how Chara knew that, but Flowey didn’t give them the chance. His friendly smile morphed into an evil one.

“You know what’s going on here, don’t you? You just wanted to see me suffer.” He surrounded both Chara and Frisk with bullet-looking things that floated and spun in midair. “ Die. ” He broke out into laughter, and not nice laughter, either. The kind that sent shivers down Frisk’s spine and made them want nothing more than for it to stop. The bullet things closed in on them, and Chara moved closer, like they were trying to shield Frisk with their body.

Before any bullets had the chance to touch either of them, a fireball knocked Flowey away, his bullets disappearing with him, and a very tall, bipedal goat person in a purple and white gown came into view. Frisk heard Chara take in a sharp breath beside them. They brushed it off, figuring it was just surprise at seeing a bipedal goat person.

“What a terrible creature, torturing such poor, innocent youths...” Frisk took a step backward with wide eyes, looking to Chara for support. They were staring at the goat person. “Ah, do not be afraid, my children. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if any humans have fallen down. You are the first humans to fall down here in a long time, and I will admit, this is the first time two humans have fallen at the same time. Come. I will guide you through the catacombs.” Toriel gestured for them to follow her. Frisk complied, tugging on Chara’s sleeve and successfully jolting them out of their stupor. Their souls, that had been hovering just a few inches from their chests up until that point, sunk back into each of them, and that cold feeling that had been plaguing Frisk was swept away.

Toriel led them through another archway to a very bright, pinkish-purple room. It had two sets of stairs that led to a door and Toriel walked up the one on the right. Red leaves had collected in a pile between the sets of stairs, but none of that is what caught Frisk and Chara’s eyes.

A golden star sat, twinkling in front of the pile of leaves.

*Can you see it, too?* Frisk asked, just to make sure they weren’t going crazy. They saw Chara nod out of the corner of their eye, the other child’s eyes were also transfixed on the star.

Tentatively, Frisk reached out and brushed a hand over it, Chara following their lead and doing the same.

(The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination.)

Chapter 2

Toriel had been on her way to water the golden flowers where her first human child was buried when she encountered that terrible flower creature attacking two young humans. She knocked it away with a fireball before it could do any lasting harm to the children.

They must have just fallen down , she thought when the one in the blue and purple sweater took a step away from her and the one covered in dirt gasped at the sight of her, they are probably very scared and confused .

“What a terrible creature, torturing such poor, innocent youths… Ah, do not be afraid, my children. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if any humans have fallen down. You are the first humans to fall down here in a long time, and I will admit, this is the first time two humans have fallen at the same time. Come. I will guide you through the catacombs.” Toriel gestured for them to follow her. The one in blue and purple tugged the other child’s sleeve until they followed. Their souls returned to their bodies, and Toriel led them through the archway to the entrance of the Ruins.

The two children paused in front of the pile of leaves between the stairs, staring at thin air. The one in blue and purple made a few gestures with their hands (Toriel thought they looked familiar, but she could not recall why they did). The other child nodded in response. They reached out, almost in tandem, and touched the air above the leaves.

What peculiar children , she found herself thinking, the taller child almost reminds me of- no, they couldn’t possibly be them. They’ve been dead for nearly one hundred years now. It is simply not possible , she told herself firmly.

The children climbed the stairs after her, and she walked them through how the puzzles in the following rooms worked, skillfully ignoring her traitorous mind telling her that one of those children was her Chara.

Toriel led Frisk and Chara through two rooms with puzzles that used buttons and switches. She had them talk to a dummy to simulate what they should do in a fight. In the room after that, a monster that looked kind of like a frog (Chara said it’s name was Froggit) engaged them in a battle. The cold feeling returned when their soul left their chest, but Toriel ended the fight before anyone could do anything by glaring at the Froggit until it left. After that, she led them by the hands through a maze of spikes, saying it might be a little too dangerous for them to do it alone.

Toriel then led them into a room that was less like a room, and more like a really, really long corridor. 

“You have done excellently thus far, my children. However, I have a difficult request to ask of you two.” She looked away, ashamed maybe? “I would like you to walk to the end of the room without me. Forgive me for this.” Toriel took off in a walk brisk enough that neither of them would have been able to match, no matter how fast they ran. Chara started to follow almost immediately, but Frisk snatched the sleeve of their sweater, making Chara look back so they could sign to them.

*Please don’t leave me.* Chara sighed. They took Frisk’s hand and smiled reassuringly.

“I won’t. Don’t worry.” Frisk allowed themself to be led through the corridor by Chara.

Before long, they reached the end of the corridor. There was a pillar right before the doorway, and when they reached it, Toriel stepped out from behind it.

“Greetings, my children. Do not worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me.” Frisk smiled, and they noticed that Chara was doing the same. “However, there was an important reason for this exercise. ...to test your independence.

“I must attend to some business, and you must stay without me for a while. Please remain here. It’s dangerous to explore without someone who knows these ruins well.” She looked slightly regretful, like she’d rather not leave them there. “I have an idea. I will give you a cell phone. If you have a need for anything, just call. Be good, alright?” She pulled a cell phone out of a pocket in her dress and held it out for them to take. Chara accepted it, and with that, she left, leaving Frisk and Chara behind.

They stood in silence for a few more seconds, Frisk still clinging to Chara’s hand.

“So, I say we leave.” Frisk whipped their head around to face Chara. They shook their head vehemently. “Why not? With how fast she walks, she’s probably already long gone.” Frisk shook their head again.

*She told us to stay here. Who knows what could be outside this room?*

“Froggits, Whimsuns, Looxes, Vegetoids, Migosps, Moldsmals, all pretty weak monsters. Doubt any of them would even want to do a human serious harm.” Chara objected.

*What about puzzles?*

“They’re all really easy if you know what to expect. Besides, I know these ruins. We’ll be fine.” Chara slipped their hand out of Frisk’s. They spun on their heel and walked into the next room.

Frisk stood there for a moment, torn between following Chara and not being alone, and staying and following Toriel’s orders. They whined quietly and followed after Chara, their need to not be alone winning over.

Once they caught up, Chara started to make some kind of comment, but the ringing of the phone cut them off. Chara picked it up and held the phone between them so they could both hear.

“Hello? This is Toriel. You have not left the room, have you?” She sounded worried. “There are a few puzzles that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try to solve them without me. Be good, alright?” The phone clicked as the call ended.

*We should go back and wait for her to get back.* Frisk tried to tug Chara back into the other room, but the older child didn’t budge.

“No way! Listen, we’ll be fine, I swear.” Chara grabbed Frisk’s hand, and gently led them to the golden star in a pile of leaves that they hadn’t noticed before. Chara guided their hand to the star.

(Playfully crinkling through the leaves fills you with determination.)

Their legs, that had been sore from walking so much, suddenly felt a lot better, all previous soreness vanished like it never existed in the first place. Frisk also felt a lot more energized, like they could take on the world and win. All traces of fatigue left Chara’s face, they noticed when they looked over at them.

“Feel better?” Frisk nodded. “Alright, let’s keep going then.” They nodded again, a little more hesitantly this time. Frisk and Chara went into the room to their left first. A bowl sat on top of a pedestal. The bowl was too high for Frisk to see into unless they stood on their toes, but Chara was tall enough that they could see just fine. A piece of paper was taped to the bowl, reading ‘take one’.

“Do you want a piece of candy?” Chara asks them, having already taken their own piece. Frisk nods affirmative, and Chara takes another and drops it in their hand.

On their way back out of the room, another Froggit hopped up to them, and they were pulled into a battle. Their soul in front of them and covered in that cold feeling, Frisk feels a sense of dread pool in their stomach.

Chara asks the Froggit if they can pass. It ignores them, and summons twenty or so flies to attack them. Frisk and Chara dodge as best they can, but they both get hit.

Desperation welling up in them, Frisk raises their hands and compliments the Froggit. It didn’t seem to understand them, but it looked flattered anyway. Their soul returned to its rightful place and the cold feeling retreated once more. The Froggit hopped away, and left Frisk and Chara alone again.

*I thought you said monsters wouldn’t hurt us?* Chara chose to ignore their comment in favor of pressing onward to the next room.

They bumped into a Whimsun, but it ran away before they were even pulled into a battle.

The next few rooms were easy. They fell through the floor a few times, but there were always piles of red leaves there to break their fall. They moved some rocks and asked nicely for one rock to stay on the switch. Toriel asked them if they preferred cinnamon or butterscotch. Chara said cinnamon, but Frisk said butterscotch. After they got the call, Chara looked more excited than they had moments before. When Frisk asked why, they just said they’d have to wait and find out. They were pulled into a few battles, but overall, none were too bad, and no one died. Then, they encountered someone new.

There was a ghost laying on a pile of leaves in the middle of the room, blocking their path. It was pretending to be asleep by saying ‘z’ repeatedly. Chara initiated the battle this time by trying to move it with force.

The ghost started to cry, and when the tears hit them, they stung like they were made of some kind of acid. When the ghost stopped crying for a moment, Chara looked like they were about to threaten them, so Frisk held out a hand to stop them. Frisk looked to the ghost and gave them a patient smile. They let out a watery ‘heh’ before tears started to leak out of their eyes again.

*Try telling them a joke.* Frisk suggested. Chara sighed, but resigned themselves to their fate and told the ghost a joke. They gave another watery chuckle.

“Let me try...” The ghost didn’t start crying on them again. Instead, they started to cry upwards , and the tears formed a top hat atop the ghost’s head. “I call it ‘dapper Blook’. Do you like it?” Frisk gave the ghost two big thumbs up, and Chara said they liked it. “Oh gee...

“I usually come to the Ruins because there’s nobody around… but today I met some people who’re nice… oh, I’m rambling again. I’ll get out of your way. I’m Napstablook, by the way. Come find me if you want… or don’t. Bye.” Frisk waved as Napstablook faded away.

Frisk looked up at Chara and smiled. Chara grinned back and used their head to nod in the direction they should be going. They stopped at the spider bake sale and left some gold that Chara had in their pockets in the webs and got some spider donuts and a spider cider.

They continued forward, going through a room with three Froggits, where Toriel called to check up on them. Then they went further through a room where they had to fall through the floor to flip a switch to lower the spikes in the next doorway. They saw Napstablook, who had fallen down and hadn’t realized they could just float away. Chara also found a faded ribbon, who then promptly tied it around Frisk’s head and proclaimed that they were adorable, making Frisk blush a little. They then went through four rooms that were almost identical except for the fact that each one was rotated and flipped the switches the signs told them to.

They came to a hall and they walked to the end of it, and stood on a balcony overlooking the ruins that they hadn’t yet explored. They gaped at the vastness of them, and turned to see if Chara was doing the same. They saw Frisk’s shell shocked face and chuckled.

“Just wait until you see the rest of the Underground.” They said offhandedly.

*There’s more!?* Frisk signed frantically, eyes comically wide.

“A lot more,” Chara confirmed, “Let’s go. M- Toriel’s house is really close. Maybe we can surprise her by being home before she is.” Frisk nodded and followed Chara’s lead back to where the hallway split off. There was a tree that was surrounded by red leaves, but had no leaves on the branches. Chara said that whenever the tree grew any leaves, they fell right off. They guess that’s where all the red leaves came from.

Before they could take more than a few steps in the room, however, Toriel appeared from the house, talking to herself.

“Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would.” She took out her phone and started dialing their number while walking toward the doorway, and by extension, the two of them. Just as she was about to press call, Toriel noticed them loitering in the doorway. She pocketed her phone and rushed over to them.

“How did you get here, my children? Are you hurt? There, there, I will heal you.” She asked, looking at all the scratches and bruises they had acquired on their way there. She encased her hands (paws?) in green magic and placed them on each of their chests, and Frisk felt all the stinging cuts and aching bruises adorning their arms, legs, and face disappear. “I should not have left you two alone so long. It was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this.” Chara’s eyes widened and they began to grin like a madman. Toriel seemed to realize her mistake. “Err. Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small ones!” She led the way into her house.

Before they went inside, Chara and Frisk brushed their hands over the golden star floating in front of the house.

(Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins gives you determination.)

Chapter 3

A/N: this one is long :)

Once they entered the house, a delicious smell hit them full-force. Toriel told them she’d made butterscotch cinnamon pie to celebrate their arrival. Chara was smiling full-force and bouncing on their toes. Toriel then showed them to the room they’d be staying in.

“My apologies that there is only one bed. I did not think two humans would fall at the same time. If you would like to clean yourselves up, there are clean clothes in the wardrobe, and the bathroom is down the hall.” She said eyeing the dirt caked on Chara and their clothes. “Is something burning…? Make yourselves at home!” She then rushed off, presumably to investigate the burning smell.

For once, Frisk led the way, opening the door to the room and stepping inside. Chara followed after them.

*You should take a shower.* Chara spared a glance at their dirty hands and sweater sleeves.

“I should, shouldn’t I?” They went over to the wardrobe and selected a green sweater with three yellow stripes, some dark grey sweatpants, and a pair of socks. They grabbed another sweater, pair of sweatpants and pair of socks and threw them at Frisk, who had settled on the bed. “You get changed, too, while I’m washing this muck off.” They nodded, and Chara left the room, shutting the door behind them.

An hour later, Toriel found the two children curled up in the bed together with the light turned off. She had seen Chara do the same thing with Asriel whenever he had a nightmare all those years ago. She quietly stepped in and carefully set two plates with one slice of pie each about a foot away from the bed. She left as silently as she had come, shutting the door with an almost inaudible click.

She did not see either child again that night, but when she peeked inside the room before she went to bed, she saw the two plates practically licked clean, stacked neatly on the nightstand. The two children were in much the same position as before, but they were positioned in such a way that Toriel could see both children’s faces. They were both smiling. She took the plates and placed them in the kitchen sink before retiring to her room for the night, a content smile gracing her face for the first time in years.

When that child was all cleaned up and in that green and yellow striped sweater, they really did look like Chara.

When Frisk woke, they were very pleasantly warm and their face was buried in something soft and warm. They sighed happily and snuggled closer to the heat source, that, they realised, they had their arms wrapped around. The heat source - no, person - they were snuggled up against chuckled softly and combed their fingers through Frisk’s hair, making them sigh again and snuggle impossibly closer. Frisk didn’t even realise that they were dozing off again until they were already asleep.

When Frisk woke up a second time, Chara was shaking them awake and calling their name.

“Frisk. Frisk! Hey, wake up, sleepy head! Mom- I mean, Toriel made breakfast!”

Frisk rolled over and buried their head under the covers with a groan. Chara sighed. They pulled the blanket off Frisk, making them curl up and shiver.

“C’mon, the living room is warmer than in here. And we’ll have food if we go. Friiiiissskkkk!” Chara dragged them by their arm off the bed so they landed in a heap on the floor. “C'mon, let’s go lazy bones!”

*Fine.* Frisk rolled on to their back and reached their hand out to Chara so they could pull them to their feet. Chara did so, and Frisk lifted up their hands again. *Okay, I’m up now.*

“Good. Toriel made omelets!” Chara left the room with a pep in their step, and Frisk followed a few minutes after, taking their time changing their clothes. When they stepped into the living room, they found Toriel and Chara sitting at the table, waiting for them. Toriel was sitting in the biggest chair closest to the fireplace, Chara was sitting on the chair closest to the doorway, and the chair in the furthest corner of the room was empty, but had a plate of food sitting in front of it.

Frisk took the empty seat, thanked Toriel for the food (even though she didn’t look like she understood what they signed), and dug in.

Before they went to bed at the end of the day, Chara asked Frisk something that they thought was kinda… weird.

“Do you have any clue why I’m alive?”

*What do you mean?*

“I mean, before you dug me up from that patch of flowers, I was dead, but now I’m most definitely alive. Plus,” they pulled their hollow red soul from their chest and let it hover about an inch above their hand, “I have a soul, which I didn’t have before you fell down. So tell me…

“How am I alive?”

*I don’t know any more than you do.* Chara hummed in contemplation.

“Show me your soul for a second.” They ordered.

*How?*

“Just- put your hand on your chest… and uh- make yourself feel the feeling you get when you’re pulled into battle, or something. That’s what I do, but everyone is slightly different.” Frisk did as they were told, and were pleasantly surprised when the uncomfortable cold feeling they usually felt was nowhere near as bad as it usually was. Their soul sat in inch above the palm of their hand, glowing faintly. Chara studied it for a moment.

“Your soul is a bit smaller than most human souls. I wonder...” Chara trailed off. After a moment of silence, they shrugged their shoulders and shoved their soul back where it belonged. Frisk did the same. “Whatever, I’m too tired to be thinking about this right now.” They let out a yawn, as if to prove their point. “Let’s go to sleep.”

*Okay.*

The next day, Toriel took them to her favorite bug-hunting spot. Frisk quickly got bored, and told Toriel and Chara that they were going to explore the Ruins. Toriel told them not to go far, so they stayed where she could see them.

Frisk was wandering the nearby streets - that were completely empty, for some reason. Shouldn’t there at least be a Froggit or two hopping around? - when Chara bounded up to them.

“Mom- um, Toriel says we should head back home so she can make dinner.” Chara blushed at their slip-up.

*Why do you keep calling her mom?* Frisk asked, half teasing and half genuinely curious. Chara only blushed harder.

“It- it just feels natural to call her that, y’know?” Frisk nodded happily and took off towards Toriel, pulling Chara along by the hand. Frisk took Toriel’s fuzzy paw in their hand and smiled at her. She smiled back. They went home and had snail pie for dinner. Probably not the healthiest dinner for human children, but Toriel didn’t need to know that.

*I bet if we asked if we could call her mom, she’d be okay with it.* Frisk told Chara.

“But what if she doesn’t want that? What if it makes her uncomfortable and she makes us leave?” Chara was pacing back and forth in their room, probably wearing a hole in the carpet.

*We won’t know unless we ask.* Frisk retorts from where they were hanging upside down from the bed, their legs keeping them from falling off the mattress and onto the floor. The blood was rushing to their head, but they did nothing to stop it.

“But if we ask-” Frisk sighed and finally let themself fall to the floor. “You okay?” They nodded and stood up, leaving the room and Chara behind.

Frisk dug through the drawer that they knew kept paper and crayons. They grabbed a sheet of paper and the first crayon they found - a green one that had been used so often it was little more than a nub - and brought them to the table, where they wrote out a single sentence.

‘ Can Chara and I call you mom? ’

When they were satisfied, they brought it to Toriel, who had been watching silently from her chair near the fireplace. They handed the note over when she extended her paw for it. She read it over, then read it again. She then read it a third time to make sure she did not misread.

“Well… I suppose… Would that make you happy? To call me... ‘Mother?’” Frisk nodded with vigor, smiling hugely. “Well then, call me whatever you like!” She smiled back and handed the paper back to Frisk.

Frisk skipped happily back to their room to find Chara sitting on the bed, biting their nails. They looked up when Frisk entered.

*She said we could call her mom, so stop worrying!* Chara spluttered.

“You just… went up and asked her?” Frisk nodded and sat next to Chara on the bed. “And she said it was okay?” They nodded again. “Alright.” Frisk smiled at Chara, who smiled back. 

“Alright.”

The other child’s name was Chara… It was just a coincidence. Was it not?

A week later, Frisk’s curiosity finally crumbled their resolve, and they had Chara be their translator when they asked Toriel what was in the basement, and why they couldn’t go down there. She stumbled over her words a few times, before standing up from her chair.

“I… have to do something. Stay here.” She rushed out of the room, the sound of her bare feet against the wooden floor grew fainter with each step.

“That wasn’t suspicious at all.” Chara commented.

*Let’s follow her.* Chara looked at them in surprise.

“Really? O- okay, let’s go.” Frisk and Chara headed for the stairs, hand in hand.

When they reached the bottom, they saw Toriel up ahead. They approached her from behind. She must have heard their approach, because she stopped walking and began talking to them.

“You wish to return ‘home’, do you not? Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be good children and go upstairs.” She continued onwards, and Frisk and Chara followed.

Toriel heard them still following, and stopped again. “Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die. You naive children... If you leave the Ruins... They... Asgore... Will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand? ... go to your room.” She pressed onward, and so did they.

She stopped once more. “Do not try to stop me. This is your final warning.” She walked ahead. They followed.

Toriel came to a doorway, and stood in front of it, her back to Chara and Frisk.

“You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself…” Toriel turned to face them, and summoned two fireballs in her paws.

 “Prove to me you are strong enough to survive.”

The familiar cold feeling that came with their soul being pulled out of their body returned. The vulnerable red heart floated in midair, a weak point that could kill them if it was hit. Frisk was nervous. They’d never seen Toriel fight before.

Toriel flung fireball after fireball at them. Chara dodged well, not getting hit once. Frisk was not so lucky. She stopped for a moment, leaving herself open to an attack.

Frisk didn’t use the opening, and neither did Chara.

They did this for several minutes; Toriel attacking, Frisk and Chara dodging, and then refusing to attack back. Toriel stayed silent the whole time. Until…

“What are you doing?”

They dodged her attacks. They spared her.

“Attack or run away!”

They dodged her attacks. They healed with the monster candy. They spared her.

“What are you proving this way?”

They dodged her attacks. They spared her.

“Fight me or leave!”

They dodged her attacks. They spared her.

“Stop it.”

They dodged her attacks. They looked at Toriel pleadingly. They spared her.

“Stop looking at me that way.”

Toriel lapsed into silence again. The children dodged her attacks and spared her once more.

“I know you want to go home, but...”

Toriel continued to send out fireballs, but they avoided Chara and Frisk, losing all intent to harm.

“But please… go upstairs now.”

They spared her.

“I promise I will take good care of you here.”

They spared her.

“I know we do not have much, but...”

They spared her.

“We can have a good life here.”

They spared her.

“Why are you making this so difficult?”

They spared her.

“Please, go upstairs.”

They spared her.

She chuckled sadly.

They spared her.

”Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even one of you children.”

They spared her for the last time.

“No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down there. The Ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for either of you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations... My loneliness... My fear... For you, my children... I will put them aside.”

Frisk and Chara’s souls returned to their bodies as the battle ended. Toriel looked at the door again.

“If you truly wish to leave the Ruins… I will not stop you. However, when you leave… Please do not come back. I hope you understand.” Toriel turned back around and enveloped both children in a hug.

Tears welled up in Frisk’s eyes. They sobbed and wailed into Toriel’s shoulder. She patted and rubbed their back patiently. Chara was sniffling beside them, but they barely noticed.

“I-I lo-love you, M-Mom...” Frisk sobbed. Toriel’s soothing motions halted for a moment, before resuming full force. They stayed that way for ten minutes, Toriel comforting the two crying children she had in her arms. Once Frisk and Chara had both calmed down, she let both children go ruffling their hair with tears in her eyes.

“Goodbye, my children.” She retreated back upstairs, leaving Chara and Frisk with the door, and a whole world behind it.

“You ready, Frisk?” They looked up at Chara, tear tracks staining their cheeks, eyes red and puffy.

*No. But let’s go anyway.* Chara nodded, and together they pushed the door open. They walked hand in hand down a long hallway, on their way to Snowdin.

They might get knocked down, but they would always get back up. After all, they were filled with determina-

“Clever. Verrrryyy clever.”

Oh, great… Flowey...

“You both think you’re really smart, don’t you? In this world, it’s kill or be killed.” Chara rolled their eyes. “So you were able to play by your own rules.” Flowey’s smile morphed into a creepy one. “You spared the life of a single person.” He giggled, and his face returned to normal. “I bet you feel really great. You didn’t kill anybody this time. But what will you do if you meet a relentless killer? You’ll die and you’ll die and you’ll die. Until you tire of trying. What will you do then?” Flowey bared giant, human-like teeth that were definitely too big for his mouth. “Will either of you kill out of frustration? Or will you give up entirely on this world...” He went back to the creepy face. “...and let ME inherit the power to control it? I am the prince of this world’s future. Don’t worry, my little monarchs, my plan isn’t regicide. This is SO much more interesting.” Flowey laughed, and retreated into the ground.

Frisk wrapped their arms around Chara, staring wearily at the patch of grass where Flowey disappeared. Chara could relate, they were doing basically the same thing.

“I think… I think he’s gone.” Chara said, as if that would summon him back.

Frisk nodded and unwrapped themself from them, holding up their hands to sign at them.

*Hold my hand?*

“Yeah. I can do that.” Chara took Frisk’s right hand in their left. Frisk used their own left hand to sign a thank you, and Chara nodded in response.

They pressed onward, and they were filled with determination.

Chapter 4 (Draft)

A/N: super exclusive draft chapter that i never got around to finishing, just for you!

Flowey had just buried himself under the ground after confronting those two annoyingly determined humans that stole his power to save and load and reset, and he let himself contemplate some things before he continued following them.

That brat in the green sweater , he thought, looks a lot like Chara. But Chara was human. They already had determination when they died. They wouldn’t just be waking up now. It’s not Chara. It’s not . He shook those thoughts away, and popped out of the ground in Snowdin forest a yard or so behind the smiley trashbag, who was introducing himself to the humans if the fart noises were anything to go off of.

God, he forgot how much he hated how cold Snowdin was.

Chara and Frisk struggled under the weight of the giant double door, but they managed to push it open and dash through before it boomed shut with finality. Frisk shuddered, the cold air having rushed past them when the door swung shut.

“W-we should h-have gotten j-j-jackets,” Chara said between chattering teeth. Their breath fogged up in the air when they spoke. Frisk jerkily nodded in agreement.

They pressed onwards anyway. It’s not like they had a choice, that door was one way.

The two of them huddled close, doing their best to preserve as much body heat as possible. They walked along the path through the forest, tall evergreen trees towered over them, making them feel tiny in comparison. They came across a very tough-looking branch in the middle of the path. Frisk carefully stepped over it so they wouldn’t trip.

They walked a few more feet ahead and heard a snap behind them. Frisk and Chara both spun around to look, and found that same tough-looking branch snapped clean in half. A shiver crawled up Frisk’s back, though not from the cold.

“Let’s j-just… keep g-g-going...” Frisk hummed in agreement, and they went forward, picking up the pace.

A moment later they heard a crunch in the snow behind them, like someone had taken a step closer. The kids looked at each other in fear and simultaneously broke out into a run.

They reached a small chasm with a bridge connecting the two sides, but it had some kind of gate blocking it, even though the bars looked like they were too far apart to be able to stop anyone from crossing. They stopped at the bridge regardless, so they could tell Chara they could cross before them, but stopped in their tracks when they heard the snow crunching behind them.

“Humans.” the person who had been following them said, “Don’t you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand.” Hesitantly, Frisk and Chara did so, both putting one of their hands in one of the other person’s outstretched ones.

Pfshpfshpfsh

He had tiny whoopee cushions strapped to his hands.

Frisk snorted before they could stop themself. Chara was fighting back a smile beside them.

“heheh… the old whoopee cushion in the hands trick. it’s always funny. anyways, you’re humans, right? that’s hilarious. i’m sans. sans the skeleton.” “i’m actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. but... y’know… i don’t really care about capturing anybody. now my brother, papyrus… he’s a human-hunting fanatic .” Sans looked over Frisk’s shoulder to the path behind them. “hey, actually, i think that’s him over there. i have an idea. go through this gate thingy. yeah, go right through. my bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone.”

Sans ushered them through, Frisk first, then Chara, with the skeleton taking up the rear.

“quick, behind that conveniently-placed lamp.” The kids obeyed, ducking behind the lamp together, just out of sight of another, taller skeleton that came charging down the path. “sup, bro?” Sans asked.

“YOU KNOW WHAT ‘SUP,’ BROTHER!” The taller skeleton said- well, no, more like yelled, but said is simpler. “IT’S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T... RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HAND AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!?” Frisk giggled. Chara shushed them by putting a finger on their lips.

“staring at this lamp. it’s really cool. do you wanna look?” Was Sans trying to give away their hiding spot? Why?

“NO! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!?!” Ironic, considering two humans were hiding behind the lamp, and if he looked, there was little doubt that he would see them. “I WANT TO BE READY!!! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!

“THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE!” Papyrus’ scarf started to flutter behind him, even though there was no wind to make it do that. “RESPECT... RECOGNITION… I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK TO, BE MY, ‘FRIEND?’ I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING.”

“hmm... maybe this lamp will help you.”

“SANS!! YOU ARE NOT HELPING!! YOU LAZYBONES!!” Papyrus stomped his foot, sending snow flying away from where his boot landed. “ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!!!”

“hey, take it easy. i’ve gotten a ton of work done today. a skele-ton.” Sans winked at them. Frisk thought they heard a faint buh-dum-tss , but it was probably just their imagination.

“SANS!!!”

“come on. you’re smiling.” Sans’ grin widened a bit.

“YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT IS JUST MY FACE!!” Papyrus sighed. “WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME… HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION...”

“wow, it sounds like you’re really working yourself… down to the bone.” Sans winked at them again, and Frisk did their best to cover up their laughter. They were sure they heard the buh-dum-tss this time.

“UGH!!! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES… AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE ‘BACKBONE’ INTO IT!!! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!” Papyrus then ran off, but not before giving one last “HEH!” before leaving for real.

“ok, you two can come out now.” Frisk and Chara got up from their crouched positions and Frisk shivered at the lack of body heat that Chara had been providing. “you oughta get going. he might come back. and if he does...” Sans winked again, “you’ll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes.”

Frisk giggled at the same time Chara sighed. They walked a bit down the path, before Sams spoke up again.

“actually, hey… hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?” Frisk nodded, Chara stifling a sigh of frustration, “i was thinking… my brother’s been kinda down lately… he’s never seen a human before, let alone two. and seeing you two might just make his day. don’t worry, he’s not dangerous. even if he tries to be.” Frisk gave him a thumbs up, “thanks a million. i’ll be up ahead.” Sans then proceeded to walk in the exact opposite direction of ‘ahead.’ Chara made a baffled sound in the back of their throat.

They continued on their way, getting colder and shivering harder with every step they took. Frisk and Chara were practically glued together so they could preserve as much body heat as possible. They hit another glittering star as they passed it. Their sore feet were fixed, but how cold they were didn’t change in the slightest.

A monster called Snowdrake fluttered forth and engaged them in battle. The Snowdrake made several ice puns, and Frisk laughed at every one. Chara either snorted or groaned at them. Eventually, after dodging a lot of magical ice, the Snowdrake let them leave.

A little ways down the path, Frisk saw Sans and Papyrus talking. They could hear Papyrus talking loud and clear, due to his way of speaking with a volume that would make one think he was yelling. However, if they wanted to hear what Sans was saying, they’d have to get closer.

So, naturally, they did. Chara followed along without complaint.

“SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE,” Papyrus paused, and turned to look at them, “SANS!!” he tried to whisper, “OH MY GOD!! ARE THOSE… HUMANS!?!?!??!?!”

“uhhhh... actually, i think those are rocks.” Sans said to his brother. Papyrus’ expression turned slightly downtrodden. Frisk turned around and, sure enough, there were a pair of rocks sitting on either side of the path, just in view of the skeleton brothers.

“OH.”

“hey, what are those in front of the rocks?” Papyrus’ face instantly lit up again.

“OH MY GOD!!! (ARE… ARE THOSE HUMANS?)”

“(yes.)”

“OH MY GOD!!!” He really likes to say that, doesn’t he? “SANS! I FINALLY DID IT!! UNDYNE WILL… I’M GONNA… I’LL BE SO… POPULAR!!! POPULAR!!! POPULAR!!!” Papyrus regained what little composure he seemed to have and cleared his throat. ( Wait, how’d he clear his throat when he doesn’t have one? ) “HUMANS! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU!!! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN… THEN! I’M NOT SURE WHAT’S NEXT.” Chara snorted. “IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE… ONLY IF YOU DARE!!!” Papyrus ran further down the path with a, “NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!”

“well, that went well,” Sans commented, “don’t sweat it, kids. i’ll keep an eyesocket out for ya.” Sans then followed the path Papyrus took, leaving Chara and Frisk alone. They continued on.

They passed what looked like a sentry station made out of a cardboard box. Neither of them took the time to look at the note that was attached to it. An Icecap strutted into their path. They ignored it until it got annoyed and left. There was another station a few yards after that, this one made out of wood. They carefully snuck around the back when Chara insisted they saw something move inside.

Somehow, Sans showed up ahead of them, just like he said he would. They never even saw him pass them, how’d he do it? 

“hey, here’s something important to remember. my brother has a very special attack . if he throws a blue attack at ya, don’t move, and it’ll pass right through ya. You wouldn’t even feel a thing. here’s an easy way to keep it in mind. imagine a stop sign. when you see a stop sign, you stop, right? stop signs are red, so imagine a blue stop sign instead. simple, right? when fighting think about blue stop signs.”

“That makes no sense.” Chara said. “ Blue stop signs ? Really? That’s the best you could come up with?”

*Stop it. I thought it was good advice!* Sans looked at them weird while they were signing. They didn’t like it. *Let’s go.* Frisk tugged Chara along, Sans glaring suspiciously at their back as they left.

That kid with the blue sweater, how do they know how to speak in hands? Sans wondered. He thought only he, Papyrus, and Gaster could do that. The other kid in the green sweater could understand them, too.

Granted, Gaster’s speaking in hands and these kids’ speaking in hands were slightly different, but it was close enough that he could understand it.

What was up with them? And how did they learn how to do that?

When they made it to the next area, Sans was already there, getting scolded by Papyrus. 

“YOU’RE SO LAZY!! YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!!”

“i think that’s called… sleeping.”

“EXCUSES, EXCUSES!” Papyrus saw Chara and Frisk first, “OH- HO! THE HUMANS ARRIVE! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU… MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE… QUITE SHOCKING!!!” Chara leaned over to whisper in Frisk’s ear,

“Why do I have a feeling that was a pun?” Frisk shrugged in response.

“FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE… ELECTRICITY MAZE!!! WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE, THIS ORB,” He held a small bluish-green orb, “WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP! SOUND LIKE FUN??? BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE, IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL I THINK. OK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW.”

Frisk obediently took a step foreward, they felt the hairs of the back of their neck raise, and the orb, that was still in Papyrus’ hands, zapped him. He simply stood there with a shocked (heh, shocked ) look on his face before he spun around to Sans and started yelling and stomping his foot.

“SANS!!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!?!”

“i think the human has to hold the orb,” Sans told him, casting a suspicious glance in their direction. Why he did that, neither Chara nor Frisk knew.

“OH, OKAY.” Papyrus brought the orb through the maze, leaving tracks through the snow in his wake, “BOTH OF YOU HOLD THIS PLEASE!” He put the orb in one of Chara’s hands, and had Frisk put a hand on it before he went back through the maze the same way he had come so they wouldn’t get shocked. “OKAY, TRY NOW!”

Chara took the lead, with Frisk beside them. Frisk amused themself by taking huge steps so they could step in Papyrus’ footprints. Chara just dragged their feet through the snow. They made it to the other side in a  little under a minute.

“INCREDIBLE!! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL!! YOU SOLVED IT EASILY… TOO EASILY!” Papyrus squinted his eyesockets at them. “HOWEVER!! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE EASY! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!”  Then he… floated backwards… down the path...? Apparently, if this skeleton wanted to defy all known laws of physics, nothing even tried to stop him.

“You don’t see something like that everyday.” Chara commented. Frisk rolled their eyes affectionately, and they approached Sans.

“hey, thanks… my brother seems like he’s having fun,” Frisk smiled, “by the way, did you see that weird outfit he’s wearing?” they both nodded, “we made that a few weeks ago for a costume party. he hasn’t worn anything else since… keeps calling it his ‘battle body.’ man. isn’t my brother cool?” Frisk and Chara both nodded, not wanting the shorter skeleton to think they were any more suspicious than he apparently already found them. When Sans didn’t say anything else, they continued onward.

A tall rabbit man offered them nice cream, but Frisk politely declined, figuring it was ice cream considering the name and how the vendor described it. They crossed a bridge, and found Sans ahead of them again, somehow.

“i’ve been thinking about selling treats, too. want some fried snow? it’s just 5 gold,” Sans offered. Chara shrugged and Frisk nodded, curious. How does someone fry snow? “did i say 5 gold? i meant 50 gold,” Frisk nodded again, “really? how about 5,000 gold?” Frisk smirked and nodded once more, “50,000 gold. that’s my final offer.” Frisk was just about to nod again, but Chara told Sans that they don’t have that much gold. “what? you don’t have the money? hey, that’s okay. i don’t have any snow.”

Chara cast a confused gaze at the snow that surrounded them, and raised a brow at Sans. Frisk just giggled at his words. Ignoring the path ahead of them for once, Chara took them to the right, saying the other way was a dead end. Frisk took a moment to ponder how Chara seemed to know everything about the Underground, but they were quickly distracted by something else.

*Is that a... snowball?* Frisk asked, looking at the snowball that had oddly angled edges.

“Actually, it’s a snowdecahedron.” Chara said, only giving it a glance. “Let’s go, I’m freezing, so the quicker we get to Waterfall, the better.” Frisk was about to ask what Waterfall was, but they weren’t given the chance, as Chara grabbed Frisk’s ice cold hand in their own, and tugged them along as quickly as they could manage.

They were stopped again by the skeleton bros. The two were standing side-by-side in front of a paper that was just sitting on top of the snow.

“HUMANS!!! I HOPE YOU’RE READY FOR...” Papyrus paused, then turned his head to Sans, “SANS!! WHERE’S THE PUZZLE!!!”

“it’s right there, on the ground. trust me. there’s no way they can get past this one.” Frisk and Chara approached the paper. Chara’s eyes lit up at the sight of the crossword, and they told Frisk that they’d do this one. Chara plopped down in the snow, shivered violently, but it wasn’t cold enough to make them get up. Frisk carefully crouched down beside them, hands clasped in front of them and forearms resting on their thighs.

“Hey, do either of you have a pen or something?” Sans pulled a red marker out of his hoodie pocket with an odd look on his face, like he was surprised that they even wanted to do it. He handed over the marker.

It took Chara a mere five minutes to finish it, which Frisk thought was very impressive. They’d probably need twice that amount of time. Chara stood up and handed the finished crossword to Sans. He looked even more flabbergasted than he did before when he looked and found all the words circled and the words in the wordbank crossed off.

“SANS!!! THAT BARELY DID ANYTHING!”

“whoops,” Sans chuckled awkwardly, “i knew i should have used today’s crossword instead.” 

“WHAT!? CROSSWORD!?” Papyrus shouted, “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT!! IN MY OPINION… JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST.” Papyrus argued, oblivious to Sans’ bafflement.

“what? really, dude? that easy-peasy word scramble? that’s for baby bones.”

“UN. BELIEVABLE.” He turned to Chara and Frisk, “HUMANS!!! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE!” He pointed a finger at the two of them.

“Crosswords are harder,” Chara said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

*I think junior jumble is really hard. It takes me a long time to unscramble the words.*

“They say junior jumble.”

“OH NO! WE ARE AT A TIE ONCE AGAIN!!” Papyrus wails, “BUT! YOU MUST BE VERY INTELLIGENT, SMALL HUMAN, IF YOU ALSO FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE DIFFICULT!!!” He ran down the path with a loud, “NYEH HEH HEH!” Once he was gone, Sans spoke up.

“thanks for saying ‘junior jumble’ just to appease my brother.”

*Tell him that I really think jumble is harder!* Frisk signed at Chara.

“nah, kid. i can understand ya just fine,” Sans said before Chara could translate, eyelights fliting to the side.

*You can? Chara! He can!*

“I can see that.”

“welp, i’ll uh, be seeing ya.” He walked off, hands stuffed deeper in his pockets than Frisk had seen until then. When they made to follow him, he had disappeared without a trace.

A few feet in front of them was another golden star, they both touched it before looking at the rest of the stuff in front of them. There were two tables; one with a plate of spaghetti, and another with a microwave. The plate of spaghetti was so cold, it was frozen solid, but, as if by some kind of miracle, it was not frozen to the table. The microwave, upon closer inspection, was unplugged, and all the settings on it said “spaghetti.”  There was also a note sitting in the snow to the left of the spaghetti table.

The note said, “HUMANS!! PLEASE ENJOY THIS SPAGHETTI. (LITTLE DO YOU KNOW, THIS SPAGHETTI IS A TRAP, DESIGNED TO ENTICE YOU!!! YOU’LL BE SO BUSY EATING IT THAT YOU WON’T REALIZE THAT YOU AREN’T PROGRESSING!! THOROUGHLY JAPED AGAIN BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!!) NYEH- HEH- HEH, PAPYRUS”

“Well, we sure as heck know it’s supposed to be a trap now- hey! What are you doing?” Frisk had the plate of spaghetti in their hands. They shifted it to one hand so they could sign and fingerspell.

*Papyrus left this spaghetti for us. It’d be rude to not eat it.*

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that’s frozen solid, and unplugged microwaves don’t work.”

*But… maybe he has a working microwave, and we just need to ask to use it?* Frisk suggested. Chara sighed, the air tuning into a cloud when it left their mouth. They pinched the bridge of their nose.

“Whatever, take it if you want. I won’t help you carry it.” They left the two tables and microwave behind.

The two of them found a map drawn on the rock underneath the snow after encountering some spikes that blocked their path. They brushed the snow aside and Chara went to see if there was anything at the place that the x was on the map. Frisk saw the spikes go down, and Chara came running back.

Before they could move on, a dog in armor holding a sword and shield blocked their path.

*That’s a dog. Oh my gosh, that’s a dog! Can I pet?!* Frisk was bouncing on their toes, signs quick and Chara almost didn’t catch them.

“If he’ll let you,” Frisk made an excited noise from behind closed lips. They held out the plate of  frozen spaghetti to Chara, who took it with a reluctant sigh. Frisk bounded up to the dog sentry and lifted their hand to pet it. The dog’s tail started to wag and its neck extended upwards. Frisk continued to reach up to pet the dog. Their fingers barely brushed it and its neck extended again. 

They pet the dog sentry again, and it raised its head up to meet their hand. Frisk kept petting the dog, over and over. They had to start jumping to be able to pet it.

Eventually, they couldn’t even reach its head, and its neck was still growing longer. There was no way to stop this madness. The dog’s neck bent sideways, and its head was upside down. Frisk was able to pet it again, and they took the opportunity. It was possible that Frisk had a problem, and Chara told them so. Frisk stuck their tongue out at them and pet the dog once more.

“Perhaps mankind was not meant to pet this much...” Chara muttered to themself, watching Frisk pet the still-elongating neck of the dog sentry, plate of frozen spaghetti still in hand. Frisk would not stop petting the dog. Its neck had to be at least eight feet long, and it was getting kind of ridiculous. “Come on, Frisk! Let’s go, we’ll never get out of Snowdin at this rate!”

*But, the dog-*

“Look, the dog’s happy enough, let’s keep going!” Frisk pouted, but nodded anyway. Chara handed the plate back, and they took it without complaint.

They hadn’t even taken ten steps when they were stopped by a pair of dogs in all black clothing with axes that called them weird smells.

Chara and Frisk had to fall to the ground to avoid some of the attacks these dogs were dishing out. They were covered in snow and dirt, and the cold really started to seep through their clothes now that they were soaked. The dogs sniffed the air, and both got startled looks on their faces.

“What! Smells like a...”

“Are you actually two little puppies!?”

The dogs, who had previously been on their guard, had let it drop. Frisk set down the plate and cautiously approached the dogs. Despite Chara’s frantic calls to come back, they continued foreward. The dogs bent down to get a closer look (or sniff) at them, and Frisk, with movements so fast their hands were practically invisible, they pet both dogs at once.

The dogs’ first reaction was to pull back, but they seemed to quickly decide that the petting was nice, and lowered their heads down again so Frisk could continue.

“A dog that pets dogs… Amazing!”

“Wow!!! Pet by another pup!!!” The dogs both pulled away, and Frisk begrudgingly ceased their petting. “Dogs can pet other dogs???”

“A new world has opened up for us...”

“Thanks, weird puppy!” The dogs left them, going who-knows-where. Frisk retrieved their spaghetti. They pressed onward.

They came to a puzzle where you had to turn every X into an O, then press a switch. Papyrus was on the other side of some spikes that stopped them from avoiding the puzzle altogether. Once the spikes were lowered, Papyrus turned to them and immediately started yelling.

“WHAT!? HOW DID YOU AVOID MY TRAP? AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, IS THERE ANY LEFT FOR ME???” Papyrus only then noticed the plate in Frisk’s trembling hands, “AH! SO YOU DECIDED TO TAKE IT WITH YOU!! VERY SMART...” Frisk shifted the plate so it was precariously balanced on one knee and began to sign.

*It’s frozen and the microwave wasn’t working.* Chara opened their mouth to translate, but they were cut off before they could.

“OH. WELL, FRET NOT, HUMANS! I, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS, WILL MAKE SURE THIS DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI GETS HEATED UP SO YOU CAN EAT IT!!! AND THEN I WILL MAKE YOU ALL THE PASTA YOU COULD EVER WANT! HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH NYEH!” He ran forward, and Frisk and Chara followed him, surprised that he could understand sign, too.