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poptod · 3 years ago

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The Breeding Kings, pt. 16

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Notes: WC: 4.5k

The next day, you packed up and headed off on the road again. Ahk once again returned to periodically checking the map, as you had no guide except the river Euphrates and the lush greenery that bordered it. The trees and bushes allowed for a little more shade than the vacant valley did, something you made sure to appreciate, as well as the presence of drinkable water that flowed so near and readily. Yet even now you could see the river was at a relative low point––rings of water levels built up darkened sediment near the shore, and there were many visible rings descending down into the riverbed.

Only your strained breaths were audible from either of you despite the birds chirping overhead. A long night's sleep was nice, but it wasn't enough, and Ahk surmised that it would take a long while of resting till he'd be prepared to truly 'get going' again. Fortunately, he actually knew where you were going now––he found the map, pulled it out, and traced along the Euphrates down to the city of Babylon.

Ahkmen heard about Babylon in his classes, as well as from a few dinners his father hosted. He'd actually met some of the city officials, a fact he stewed over for a while, testing the bitterness of having to hide from people, and from his identity, once more.

As always, you were interested in what was to come; with what you could discover in a corner of the world you'd never been to. Ahk reminded you with a chuckle that you probably had been there before when you were first emigrating to Egypt. You responded that you didn't remember it.

"Let's see," Ahk hummed as he thought, staring at the ground attempting to remember what his teacher, Setet, taught him. "It's not actually called Babylon anymore, but the change is recent, so not everyone's been updated."

"So what is the name now?"

"Karanduniash. But it's interesting, how this came to be," he said with a grin he couldn't stop from spreading. You began to smile as well as you noted his fluster.

"Tell me about it, Aganu," you said, knowing you were allowing him to indulge in a little history.

"So... the original name was Babylon, in the Mesopotamian land at first. Then there was a King––Hammurabi, from the, uh.. Assyrian, or... no, Amorite land. Under his rule Babylon was built into a city that rivalled Nippur and eventually surpassed it in size and strength. Hammurabi was... an incredible King," he looked upwards, "and a bad man."

"I think that it is what you need, to be a good King. Not care for others," you said in a quieter tone.

"Perhaps so," he said, trying not to think about his father. "But nonetheless, under his rule, the whole of south Mesopotamia came under his rule."

"Where is the map?"

"Oh, here," he said as he pulled it from one of the side pockets, handing it to you. You jogged up the thin path to walk at his side, jostled slightly by your heavy bags as you stretched open the papyrus, displaying it for both you and him.

"So... here," you said, pointing to the southeastern land, separated from Africa by a strait.

"Yes. It's quite a lot of land, actually," he said before you rolled the map back up. "Anyway, Babylon has more recently come under rule of the Kassites. I've no idea where they're from so no need to ask. What I do know is that Babylon is still being fought over by the Kassites, Hittites, and Elamites, but all we really need to be worried about are the Elamites."

"Why? They are bad people?"

"Not inherently, but I don't trust their armies," he said, recalling several lessons about the sacking and raids of Mesopotamian cities by Elamites, and the torturous art that had come out of those tragedies.

"Ah, like Egypt," you then responded.

He wasn't sure why, but he detested your answer. Not that he could refute it very much––his father took rule over a vast amount of southern Canaan, and he didn't exactly do it politely.

"These lands have always been fought over," he said.

"It is dry and hot here," you said flatly, earning a chuckle from Ahk.

"Yes, and fertile, and beautiful. I have seen men lust over everything from women to... wine, and their cities, looking for those features," he said, carefully watching your thoughtful expression.

"I hate that," you said after a moment's silence.

"Understandable."

"I hate this world. I want to be... years and years from now, th.." you stopped for a moment, attempting to remember the word, ".. thousand! Thousand years, things will be good."

"I'd like to think that," he said, chuckling. "My father... lives in an old world. Sometimes I don't think he even knows other people aren't just empty vessels that relate to him. I think that's part of our problem, in this world. A lack of empathy."

"Many of the people we see are very kind," you said. He froze for a moment as he thought over his response.

"... I guess you're right," he said. "Maybe it's only rich people then."

You belted out a laugh, keeling over partway in a fashion that had Sephys meowing loudly at you in worry. She attempted to climb up onto your back only to fall off when you stood up straight. That only spurred you on more, till you were wheezing, and Ahk was laughing without even knowing it.

"She cares about you," he laughed as you trekked on.

"She put her claws in me!"

In the night you repeated your setup of camp, now settled into a routine that could pass by without words. You both gathered wood, and while you lit the fire, Ahk waded out into the river in hopes of finding fish. Once he caught one, you would cook it and he would set out the blankets and tarps to shelter you from any elements.

This particular evening was darker than usual, as the moon had disappeared and abandoned the stars. You gazed up, your neck kinked painfully but your eyes unable to tear away from the display spanning across the dome of the earth. Silence deafened the land with nothing but the steady, almost slow flow of the river near to you. Lightning bugs drifted about just as the stars did, but remained quiet and placid, only moving greatly when you disturbed them.

Distracted, you raised your hand upwards, waving it through a particularly large swarm of them that lazily drifted away as you moved. You giggled, catching Ahk's eye in time to see him slip in the water.

"I like this, here," you said as your hand fell into your lap.

"You want to stay here?" He asked, pulling himself out of the water with his makeshift spear in hand.

"Not for all time, you know that," you tutted.

"I do. I just want you to be closer to my home. It'll make it easier to see you."

You froze, but Ahk, involved in his fish-hunting, didn't notice your stunned silence.

"You are.. not staying with me?"

He looked up and his heart was instantly crushed by the weight of your worried brow. Freezing doom spread over him as he was overtaken with the thought, go back, go back, go back.

"Uh... well," he stuttered as he backpedalled, "I didn't... think you.. wanted me to?"

Nice cover, dumbass, he thought, bitter at his own lies. He despised lying to you, an ironic fact considering how much he always lied to you.

"Why do you think that??" You said in a voice that trembled, approaching him with the most heart-wrenching eyes he'd ever seen you bear. You took his hands and held them to your chest. "I want you near me. Always."

He stared at where your skin met, short-circuiting from your sudden earnestness. In truth he knew he needed to go back to Egypt. He longed too terribly for his home to never return, and that meant leaving you behind in wherever you decided to stay, a reality he had come to terms with after long days spent travelling. Staring into your eyes now, though, he knew abandoning you would be near impossible. Not just because his chest would ache in longing for you; you would hunt him down and beat an explanation out of him.

"Really?" He managed to choke out.

"Yes. I think you do know that," you said with a small, playful glare.

"Maybe," he mumbled.

"Get your fish, Aganu," you said, returning to the fire.

He nodded, wading back out into the river with his spear in hand. It took a little while, but by the time he caught a sizable enough fish, the fire was at a perfect point, the flames low but hotter than even bonfires. You roasted his catch slowly, once again tantalizing all three of you––you, Ahk, and the cat––back towards the fire.

You ate in silence, enjoying the crackling fire and the soft river that accompanied it. You finished first, and when you did, you cast the bones aside and reached for the wooden lute that got you through the Shamiyah desert. Soft notes joined the water and fire, matching the strange rhythm of the sizzling wood and ash. Ahk slowed his chewing to hear a little better, and eventually his food fell from his attention, which was becoming rapidly interested in you. It reflected an overall change in himself over the last several months––not that he noticed, since he thought he was always this smitten, but it was there with or without his acknowledgement.

The following day was filled with the monotonous footsteps sagging along the earth as you walked, heading towards the first signs of civilization since Mari. It was only in the day after that, and rather early in the morning, that you found the city towering above the flat landscape, Babylonian marvels of architecture jutting out into the clear sky. There were no walls surrounding the city itself, but a wall was visible surrounding what appeared to be either a palace or a temple, though you couldn't tell from your distance.

"That is Babylon?" You asked, sudden excitement speeding your gait.

"No, we haven't passed Rapiqum yet, so that must be Rapiqum," he said as he recalled a small, marked city on the map.

"Rapiqum?" You repeated. "You did not say on it."

"Not much to say. Invaded by Hammurabi a while ago and now it's part of Babylonia," he said, sighing.

As you got closer, the river got wider, and you both soon realized that Rapiqum was on the eastern bank––not the western, which was where you had been walking for the past couple days. You let out a long, exasperated sigh, your shoulders slouching as you paused in the middle of your step.

"How do we get it with this river?" You asked in a whine.

"... carefully?" He tried hesitantly, earning a small slap on his shoulder.

"We can not get boat in Rapiqum if we do not get boat to get TO Rapiqum," you said slowly, spinning around in slow circles as you searched for any huts or buildings on your side of the river.

"No shit," he muttered beneath his breath. "We can try and go back to a narrower part of the river and wade across."

"The water is too – too high," you said, motioning with your hand that the water level would come up to your chest.

"Right. Or, we could try and build a raft out of reeds and such," he suggested.

"We need more than what is here," you said, and you were also right on that, as there was only a small grove of reed plants in an outlet of the river.

Both of you stood for a moment, scratching your heads and tapping your chins in hopes of generating a better idea. There were few resources, most of them already culled by the nearby city's inhabitants, and most of them likely struggling from the apparent drought.

"Shit. I have an idea," he said, interrupting the silence. You looked up from staring at the ground.

"What is it?" You asked.

An hour and lots of reorganizing of your bags later, you were seated upon his shoulders, carrying one of your packs with Sephys inside. Her claws dug into your shoulder but you dare not move, too frightened of causing Ahk to slip in the water. It would do you no good to be bruised and for all of your belongings to be soaking wet. Even more precarious were the rocks he crossed––muddy, slippery, or overgrown with slick algae. The rocks shuffled around with the gentle current, so Ahk had to avoid tripping over those as well.

"Is this real as a good idea?" You asked, your voice wavering when he stumbled partway.

"I never said it was good, I just said it was an idea," he chuckled nervously.

Despite the rocks, the tide, and their waged war against Ahk's balance, he managed to get you to the other side and bowed his head to let you off. You nearly fell onto the ground, but you picked yourself up quickly as Sephys ran off.

"You are okay?" You asked, kneeling down as the shoreline was much higher than the water itself.

"Yes, I'm alright," he said with a dismissive hand. "Just need to get the other bags now."

He sighed, allowing himself a second's peaceful rest before he straightened again.

"Go Ahk!" You cheered him on, bringing a momentary laugh to him.

Three trips later and both of you were sitting on the dry, eastern bank, your legs held to your chest and Ahk's dangling so his toes just barely skimmed the water. He was still breathing heavily, surrounded by the bags he hauled across the river. Sweat formed on his brow, just enough of a sheen to cool him down in the noon sunshine beating down upon the land. He lay back, his hands behind his head, and his eyes closed in blissful rest.

Winds blew that carried the scent of flowers, twisting into and playing with the unruly curls upon his head. His hair hadn't grown an extraordinary amount, but it was certainly visible in matted, overgrown locks. Oh, well––just another piece of memory to connect to the blisters on his hands and feet.

"I am hungry," you stated, turning from the river to him. "We can go to the city now?"

"Alright," he said, but he didn't move. You waited for a minute before tiring of his game.

"Aganu!"

You kicked him in the shin––more of a push, really––and he let out an undignified yelp, scrambling to sit up.

"You are so mean," he gasped.

"Come, come," you said with a grin, tugging at his ankles.

He tried to shake his way out of your grasp, laughing when you pulled at him, crawling in between his legs and setting yourself on his hips, trapping him against the ground. It was then he halted his struggle, breath growing suddenly short as you smiled wickedly above him.

You fake-punched his chest, lightly pounding your fists onto either of his pecs.

"Get up, get up, get up," you said, and he shook his head against the grass.

"This is your method of getting me up? By pinning me to the ground?" He chuckled, turning away as he was unable to meet your eye any longer.

"You are a strong man," you said, still rapping your knuckles on his chest. "You can get up with me."

"Can I?"

He sat up, almost bonking his nose with yours in an act that burst both of you into giggles. Giddiness swarmed all round his head, blurring his racing heartbeat and the heat in his face.

"You are getting up now?" You asked when you both calmed down.

"If you get off me," he said.

You promptly did so, and the two of you threw your packs back over your shoulders, and marched off towards Rapiqum.

Since you had to go upstream in order to cross the river, you now had a good length of time before you would make it to the city. It was still visible in the flat, barren lands, acting as a beacon of hospitality the likes of which you hadn't seen since departing Jericho. Although, now it seemed less grand to you than it would've had you come out of the desert straight to see Rapiqum. You had water, you had a decent amount of food in your stomach, and neither of you had any outlying wounds.

"Now, we're in Babylonia, don't forget. Don't be surprised by the amount of people you see, and especially if they're racist," he noted, growing a little quieter as you reached the outskirts of the city, where the first distant homes were set up alongside soldier's barracks.

"Racist?" You repeated with a confused look.

"It's... confusing, but no one really likes each other. Babylonians don't like the Hittites, Kassites don't really like the Hittites, the Hittites hate the Babylonians, and.. you know. Everyone," he rambled on with vague hand gestures.

"And.. what do they think in Egyptians?" You asked slowly.

"I can't imagine they like us much either. I mean – me. I don't think they'd like me if they found out my ethnicity. Or you. Good thing we're wearing desert clothes," he said, looking you up in down in the scraps of cloth you wore to protect yourself from the heat and the sand. He was in a similar state.

"Yes," you said, but the look of worry remained, and didn't cease for a long while.

Streets formed in the rocky earth, leading into the city in convoluted pathways that whirled around homes and businesses. You and Ahk soon found yourselves amidst crowds that lined every street, most everyone standing as though they were in line––and, as you came to find out, they were.

Glancing to each other with questioning faces, you silently agreed to follow to wherever the people were lining up from, which led you first to the wall that encircled the largest building in the city. It must've been a temple that actually accepted the prayers of the commonfolk, or a palace home in which an overseer ruled the city from. The only gate in the wall was guarded by tall soldiers, beside whom stood a smaller man, bent over a large book enclosed with leather pages. He was muttering a recitation to the crowd piled into the gate opening.

"Come along," Ahk whispered, helping you pass in front of him with a hand on your back. He stared for a second longer before he followed after you.

The other side of the city was entirely empty. A couple stray dogs wandered around the abandoned streets, upon which empty carts and half-rotten bits of food lay on the sides, forgotten and left to rot. Several of the houses had sizable crates leaned against the other walls, most likely used by someone without a home.

Your pace slowed till you walked slowly down the streets, pressed into each other as your eyes flickered back and forth at the ruin. Ahkmen had never seen a city so quiet, and it struck a nerve in him, causing him to wring his hands.

Inside, some of the structures had bits of furniture and food––mostly dried fruits, some nuts, and every now and then part of a loaf of bread. You and Ahkmen both lit up at the sign of bread, but neither of you indulged. Something wasn't quite right, and there was some sort of answer within the long line of people streaming into the walled fortress. Ahk earned your confirmation before he set off back towards the other side of the city, your hand in his, and concentrated eyes searching the tops of roofs he passed.

When he found a building tall enough, he climbed the rungs of the shabby, wooden ladder, helping you up before he headed for the next ladder leading to the next highest roof. Long, wooden poles built into the building's roof aided in getting him up, and soon the both of you were peering over the encircling wall.

From your spot you could see the entrance from the other side, where the back of the scribe still recited verses to the citizens who watched on with blank, tired faces. The group in front of the listeners was walking forward, entering the large building where you could no longer see them.

"Should we try and get into the temple?" Ahk asked, gnawing on his bottom lip.

"It is if we want to know what is going here, or if we want to take their food and go," you said, turning your head from the walls to him.

"Yeah," he sighed. He waited a moment before he said, "do you want to know?"

You nodded almost sheepishly. A slow grin spread across his face and he chuckled, nodding as he moved from his knees to his feet.

"Very well then," he said, pulling you up, "let's get ourselves in, shall we?"

He gestured to the ladders and you giddily jumped your way down, landing on solid ground far faster than Ahkmen did. You both hurried over to the line, where you were promptly told by both guards and citizens that you had to go to the back, with no exceptions. Shrugging, you decided the wait couldn't be too bad, and two hours later, you were finally in the next group.

The sun had nearly set by then, and you could swear the bags on your shoulders were bruising you with their weight. You stepped towards the guards, preparing yourselves for the long spiel (that was apparently necessary), before the guards asked you a question that Ahkmen didn't quite hear correctly.

"I said, what sector do you live in," he said when Ahk asked him to repeat himself.

There was only one problem, Ahk realized, standing between him and understanding the guard. Ahkmen didn't speak the language the man was using.

"Uh..." Ahk cast a terrified glance to you, hoping that your tongue would work better than his numb one could. The guards were huge. He could hide him and his bags in one of their shadows.

"Um.. sector... 1..?" You tried, attempting your best at a casual expression that looked more like you were in immense pain.

"... you live in the temple?" The guard asked, raising a single brow.

Since when do they know Akkadian? Ahk thought, fear dripping like ice down his spine.

"Yes, we.. are here for cleaning," you said.

"Ah," the guard said, recognition in his eyes. "Go around the back. That's where the kitchens are."

You bowed and offered a small thanks, though you only half understood what he last said. While you might've known a passable amount of Akkadian to get by, you were by no means fluent, and had a hard time understanding people. Your heart thumped painfully in its' cavity as you wandered into the walled temple, scurrying around to the back like you weren't supposed to be there.

Well, technically you weren't supposed to be there, but you were assured that if they did put you to cleaning, you'd be able to get done whatever needed to be done. Ahkmen on the other hand was less confident in himself, and paled sickly when you came to the small door leading into the plain, sandstone temple, where remnants of paint coated the walls, bleached by the sun.

The inside was dark––dark enough that cleaners weren't especially necessary, since you could barely see the floor, much less the tiny specks of dirt and sand trailed in by visitors. Tall, thin poles led up to platforms that burnt tiny fires that illuminated, above all else, the ceiling, and the ornate paintings of the night sky that had yet to fade. Ahkmen stared up in awe, having to tear himself away when you moved quickly on. Rapiqum wasn't noted on most maps––it was a relatively small town, so the massive temple grew to greater suspicion in Ahk's mind, and he payed closer attention to the minute details he could see in the dim lighting.

Most of the paintings, while intricate, were shoddily made with lines that were almost never kept straight. It seemed more to be the work of a single man over many, many years, rather than the collective artworks a government could scrounge from its' more artistic citizens. The complicated halls which led to dead ends, small empty rooms, and occasionally right ways, eventually brought you to the center room where people from outside were filing in and out at an even pace.

While the hallways were lit by torches or bits of burning incense, this cathedral was lit by the light of sunset streaming through high-up windows. Beams of yellow and orange light streamed in, reflecting on the dust and smoke crowding the air, swirling round the rising curls of incense smoke.

You and Ahk hid behind the archway, watching someone obscured from view speaking to the citizens. His voice was low and frail, scratching against Ahk's ear as he rambled on in a similar fashion that the scribe at the gate did. The next group of people watched him in silence, and at the end of the long spiel––of course in Akkadian, which neither of you knew well enough to translate––the people formed another line that led up to the man. One by one they earned something and eagerly left, looking human for the first time. The old man must be handing something out, but from your nearby angle, you couldn't even see his face.

Ahkmen silently motioned for you to follow him. You did so, and he led you through the hallways encircling the center of the temple. Even the slowest drawn breaths sounded in echoes around you, an effect that left the old man's voice reverberating like ripples in water, repeating after itself in canon.

His face was slowly revealed the nearer you got to the temple's entrance, exposing first his raised hands, moving to a book not all unlike the one the scribe at the gates had, and eventually the the ashen face of an elder who looked already past death. Without even thinking, Ahk shot his hand up to cover your mouth when you began to breathe too heavily in the overwhelming shadows of the arches. He then pulled the both of you away from the arches, pressing your back against the furthest wall absorbed entirely in the dark.

Swallowing through a tight throat, he pressed his chest to yours, allowing his face to slot next to yours. He felt your breath catch, and felt how it released with nothing more than a warm shhh in your ear.

"What is he giving them," he whispered, barely audible even in his own head.

"Bowls... from a well," you breathed out. "Water."

His brow furrowed.

Water?

#ahkmenrah x reader #Ahkmenrah #Night at the Museum #rami malek #rami malek character #ahkmenrah x male reader #ahkmenrah x female reader

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timbertumbr · 4 years ago

Note

May I request a BHC! Red x reader who’s family runs a famous bakery in town

~ Quiet anon

Battle Start! (BHC! Red X Baker! Reader) Requested

This was so much fun to write! (I probably butchered Red’s personality, if I did I’m sorry.) Thank you Shy Anon! (I hope you don't mind me altering the request a bit.)

Papyrus (OG not fell) kicked Red out of the house because he’s been cooped up in there for like 2 weeks. Something about fresh air and seeing the world, he honestly couldn’t give two shits. Luckily he snagged his phone before Papyrus yeeted him out the door so now he’s just looking for a place with free but secure wifi. He snorts at the thought, yeah right, like such a thing exists. But he’s willing to take the risk to get some more experience in.

He passes by a bakery/cafe and looks at the posters on the windows and glass door. When he saw the “free wifi” and “allowed to chill here” posters he became interested. He looks past the posters and into the actual building. Looks clean and not too crowded or busy, it’ll do. He enters, finds a booth and begins playing League of Legends.

He was practically carrying his team with how bad they were while he was slaying enemies left and right only getting hurt a little bit. And when slaying one of the “tank” players, he feels someone watching him. After he owns the enemy team and gets that victory screen, he starts looking around to find out who the hell is- He finds out very quickly when he finds you VERY close to him which causes him to nearly fall off the booth. Your face turns EXTREMELY red after that.

“Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry, I noticed you were playing league and was going to ask to join you but your skills were so mesmerizing and I… I’ll just… go…” You muttered the last bit before awkwardly shuffling away, well, now he’s red in the face.

“W-Wait,” He calls out before he could even process it. You stop and look at him nervously.

“I-I don’t mind if you join me, you just surprised me ‘s all,” Your nervous expression quickly turned into one of pure joy, you turn around and sit across from him and take out your phone.

“Same or opposite teams?” You ask, Red grins.

“Let’s see how you fare AGAINST me,” You smirk right back.

“You’re on shorty!” Red couldn’t help but snort at that. You and Red played for hours, saying snarky comments and getting to know each other while kicking each other’s asses in League, and he’s gotta admit. You’re one tough opponent! Before you both knew it, evening fell and you groaned when you saw the time.

“Damn, I have to start closing up shop. Can I have your number? I want to settle our score,” You teased, his face flushed slightly.

“Uh, S-sure!” And so you both exchange numbers and you give him a wink.

“Can’t wait to kick your ass tomorrow shorty,” His mind short circuited while you walked away. He quickly snaps out of it with his face extremely red and he quickly exits the cafe and towards home.

Well… At least he doesn’t have to lie to Papyrus now… Maybe going out once in a while won’t kill him.

Have you heard? There's a Valentine's Oneshot Event. Click here for the ground rules.

Want to Request? Please Read this before you do so.

#Red #BHC #bonely hearts club #x reader #Red X Reader #Underfell #Underfell Sans #Underfell Sans X Reader #Requested

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teffyjeffy · 4 years ago

Text

Fabric Tears (Part 1)

SKIP TO PART 2

SKIP TO PART 3

NEXT CHAPTER (Coming Soon to the Mystery Shack!)

ONCE UPON A TIME...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

It was a quiet night in Gravity Falls.

...okay, no it wasn't.

Owls were hooting, bats were shrieking, cults were chanting, the usual stuff.

Most of the townsfolk on the other hand were sound asleep, oblivious to the eerie noises surrounding them outside their living spaces. They took no notice of the gnomes scrounging for food. Of the black cats hissing a warning. Of the wind howling at the moon.

Because of this obliviousness, nobody noticed the pitter patter of a lone critter stumbling down the road, malnourished and shivering from the snow that stuck to it like soot. The critter scuffled down the streets blindly, letting out small ragged huffs of air. Eventually the critter had no strength left. It crawled its way to the nearest shelter it could find. Luck was on its side apparently, as there was a giant spot up ahead. It had lights that could keep the creature warm, and an overhead structure to keep it sheltered. But food... it needed food...

The animal's blurry senses could not pick up any source of food, so it moped along, hoping to at least find a good place to rest.

Then... it saw something in the distance... a large structure, lights shining all around it, inside and out. The obscured figure rushed over to find a way inside. But it's depleted strength made it impossible to find a way in. Feeling sleep overcome themself quickly, the creature huddled over to the softest thing it could feel, and huddled up against it for warmth. Oh... there was food too... it managed to get a few nibbles in before drifting to sleep

It would resume its hunt for other food tomorrow night...

GravityTale

Everybody at the Mystery Shack was dead.

Figuratively, of course.

The Mystery Shack was finally ready to open to the public. But as the last slab of wood was hammered into the ceiling of the gift shop, and the last exhibit burnt in the Tim incident was finally replaced, the whole crew came to a realization.

After all of that work, the last thing anybody wanted to do was spend the day dealing with the mad rush that always comes with the reopening of a popular store.

"All in favor of not opening the shack today, say aye," announced Wendy from her usual spot in the gift shop.

"Aye," replied human and monster alike, except for Sans, who was out cold.

And so that was that. Today was immediately established as a take-it-easy day.

It appeared that Mabel missed the memo.

"What do you mean 'No?'" she griped at Dipper, who was refusing to get out of bed to play with her.

"I mean the phrase that is usually uttered in order to express disagreement, disapproval, and a whole lot of other words that start with 'dis-' that I am way too tired to recite right now," mumbled Dipper in his bed. "And violently shaking my bed is not going to help you change my mind. So cut it out."

Mabel paced around the room, her hands up in exasperation. "It's a sunny winter wonderland outside, and you're telling me I'm the only one eager to get out there and enjoy it?!"

"That's precisely what I'm telling you," Dipper groaned in his pillow. "With all the stress of fixing the shack, and nothing around to fuel me but coffee and Pitt Cola that I'm tired of drinking, I feel like I'm at Death's door. Like, Death has a welcome mat out for me and everything. Maybe he's even making tea."

"Not with your current attitude he wouldn't," grumbled Mabel. "He'd just give you more coffee and Pitt Cola."

"Then let me sleep! The more you keep me awake, the more cranky I'll get from it!" argued Dipper.

But Mabel was quick to shoot back. "If I let you fall asleep now, you're just gonna wake up in the middle of the night while I'm asleep! That's no fun, Dipper! Stop being such a Mr. No-Fun!"

Dipper simply grumbled back at her. "Just drop it Mabel. I'm tired. I'm only getting out of this bed if a future-me teleports in here and demands that I do so."

A second went by. Two seconds. Three seconds. No time machines materialized in the kids' bedroom.

"I rest my case," said Dipper, before pulling the covers over his head. Any further attempts to get him out of bed were futile.

Mabel frowned. "The next time we have a snowball fight, your team is going to get an automatic penalty."

But Dipper was already fast asleep.

Mabel huffed, opening the door to exit the bedroom.

WHAM!

Only to collide right into Frisk.

The collision sent both kids to the ground, landing on their bottoms somewhat painfully.

"Owwwwww," Mabel muttered, before looking up and seeing who it was. "Oh! Hey Frisk!"

"Hi Mabel," greeted Frisk, rubbing their forehead as they stood back up with Mabel's help. "Sorry about that. I should have knocked..."

"Don't worry about it~! I've collided with Dipper's forehead so many times in my life, I barely feel a thing now!" she said while beaming with pride.

"That's... good I suppose," said Frisk with a gentle chuckle of embarrassment.

"So watcha up to?" asked Mabel, causing Frisk to stumble a second, still not used to how quickly Mabel could change subjects.

"I'm um... pretending to look for my dress-up cowboy lasso," said Frisk, looking back with a hint of annoyance towards the stars that lead down to the first floor. "Dad insists it must be somewhere in this shack, but I am almost certain that it was gone before my family and I entered the Mystery Shack for the first time."

"Huh," said Mabel, putting a hand to her chin and looking upwards at nothing. "Perhaps some gnomes snatched it while you weren't looking?"

"That seems very possible, albeit unlikely," said Frisk, ending the topic by tilting their head to see Dipper's slumbering figure and asking, "He still isn't up?"

"Nope," growled Mabel. "He's insistent that he won't change his mind later, either. Ugh, and I had a bunch of winter activities planned for today!"

"Well that's a shame," said Frisk. "But then again, when it came to maintaining order in the shack for the past couple of days, Dipper did do the most work out of all of us."

"Like what?" asked Mabel.

"Well..."

"Papyrus, what are you doing?! Spaghetti is not meant to be baked at that temperature! Grunkle Stan, where do we keep the fire extinguisher again?!"

"No Mettaton, I cannot listen to your historical life of glamour right now, I need to put out another fire in the museum! Now hand over the hose, and stop pouring it all over yourself! And while we're on the subject, how come you don't rust or short circuit by doing that?!"

"Undyne! It's a washing machine! It's not going to hurt you or anyone else, so just put the spear away! Wwwwwwhoawhoawhoa WHOA HEY DON'T AIM IT AT ME!!!"

"Napstablook, I appreciate it, but I don't think that you are capable of helping me move this piece of furniture. No no no don't cry! I wasn't trying to bring you down, I mean you're LITERALLY incapable of- oh! H-hey Mettaton! Hoo boy... you look like you're ready to kill me..."

"Yeeeeaaaaaahhhh I guess you're right," concluded Mabel.

"I really am sorry that my family can be a handful sometimes," said Frisk somewhat embarrassed.

"Nawwwwww it's alright! It's a lot of fun!" said Mabel, patting Frisk on the back.

"I am pleased you feel that way, but I have a feeling that Dipper would disagree with you," said Frisk in a joking manner.

"Well that's because he would rather suffer from his lack of energy instead of taking some time to drink some Mabel Juice. If he did, he would never complain about being too tired ever again!" countered Mabel, speaking as if she was a superhero addressing a nation.

Frisk laughed. "You know, you keep bringing that drink up. But for a drink that you're always talking about, I don't believe I have had a chance to try it."

Stars twinkled in Mabel's eyes. "Well then let's put a stop to that! TO THE KITCHEN!"

Before Frisk could agree or disagree, Mabel was pulling them down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Mabel pulled out a seat for Frisk, who calmly sat down. After that, Mabel darted for the fridge and cupboards, snatching an unidentifiable liquid, some ice cubes, and a whole lot of sugar. She didn't bother to shut any of the cupboards as she went over to grab a couple of measuring pitchers and measure out more sugar than actual liquid. After that, Mabel poured the sugar and juice into a giant mixing bowl and rushed off to hunt down the other ingredients. All the while, Mabel was eagerly explaining the process to Frisk.

It was during this excited chatter that Frisk observed Mabel open another cupboard and take out a box of... crayons?

"Ummmmmm," said Frisk.

"No interrupting!" hollered Mabel in an off-key sing songy voice, dumping the (yep, those were definitely) crayons into the mixture. "Never disrupt Master Juice Mixer Mabel when she is guiding her newest pupil through the process!"

"I um..." Frisk paused for a second before pushing through "I l-like my drinks without crayons. I er... I don't like the way they taste."

Mabel paused. After an awkward amount of time passed, she looked down at the now-empty box of crayons that was floating at the top of her brew. Her gaze eventually trailed down further, to spot the aforementioned crayons that had sunk to the bottom of the bowl. Frisk still did not know what made Mabel tick, but their guess was that Mabel would simply tell them that the recipe calls for food coloring. As such, Frisk was ready to give her some alternative solutions. Such as using normal food coloring.

So it was a little surprising for Frisk to see Mabel's smile become a concerned frown.

"...was I responsible for this?" asked Mabel.

"...I believe you were," replied Frisk awkwardly.

"That's.... pfft, yeah, those crayons are not supposed to be in there. Heh wow, how did I manage get so sidetracked...?" concluded Mabel, dumping the bowl and starting over, her face a little more pink than before.

Well that was... weird. Now the mood of the whole room felt... extremely awkward. It was the same uncomfortable atmosphere that Frisk experienced when they forgot to get hot dogs for Dipper and Monster Kid, during the Bike Romp Race...

Frisk concluded that desperate measures were necessary in order to bring the mood back into a state of normalcy.

It was time to unleash... the puns.

"It's fine Mabel. I'm sure the fruit juice will come out just fine, as long as you concentrate on doing your best~"

Mabel had to halt the process of making the drink just so she could keep a straight face. This sudden pun-attack could not go unpunished, of course. So she retaliated. Hard.

"Ha!" said Mabel, standing up in a pompous stance, her left hand on her hip and her right hand open and hovering a few centimetres in front of her mouth in mock laughter. "A stranger waltzes in and has the gall to coach me on how I concoct my signature drink? You clearly are not one of my staff! You mean to overthrow me! I Vitamin-C right through your pathetic scheme~!"

Frisk snorted. "Why no, what ever gave you that idea~? I beg of you to take a step back and recon-Cider my intentions!"

"How dare you!" reprimanded Mabel, giggles no longer able to be withheld. "I will hear no more from you! Cease this attack, or face Juicetice!"

"Okay! I sugarrender! I sugarrender!" hollered Frisk, holding their hands up in a mock-yielding before flopping down on the table in a fit of laughter, while Mabel was sprawled on the floor cackling.

"That's another swift and powerful victory for me!" said Mabel when she finally regained composure. "Just wait till I tell Undyne!"

"She'll be quite impressed, I'm sure," said Frisk, playfully. "Careful though, she might challenge you to a fight if you boast too much."

After a few minutes, the questionable drink was ready for serving. Mabel grabbed a few translucent mugs and poured out the Mabel Juice, allowing her own glass to have just a little more of the drink than Frisk's. Frisk thanked Mabel as she gave them their drink, despite how uneasy Frisk felt about the whole situation.

"You ready to give your body a giant wake up call?" said Mabel excitedly.

"No time like the present..." said Frisk nervously.

Frisk took a decent sip of the concoction while Mabel downed hers in just a couple of gulps.

"SO!!!" barked Mabel, slamming her fists on the table and almost spilling the startled Frisk's drink. "What do ya think? It's good, right?"

The lack of crayons definitely helped, thought Frisk.

"Very energizing," spoke Frisk.

Frisk felt that their answer was peasant enough, so they grew a little concerned when Mabel's response was with a slightly slacked jaw accompanied by absolute silence.

"M-Mabel? You oka-?"

"eeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" screamed Mabel, leaping out of her seat and running around the kitchen. "FRISK LIKES MY DRINK!!! FRISK LIKES MY DRIIIIIIIINK!!!"

Frisk couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle before them. "I guess so!"

At that point, Stan decided to step in.

"Alright ya trouble makers, I'm gonna have to confiscate these for the time being," said Stanley, carefully yanking the drinks out of the kids' hands and returning them to the mixing bowl, which he put in the fridge. "You're gonna have to wait till tomorrow to finish the rest."

"Awwwwww why?" pouted Mabel.

"Because as we all have established, today is a take-it-easy day," explained Stan, before calling outside. "Right Soos?"

"That's right, Mr. Pines!" answered Soos with a thumbs up. "All dudes within the Mystery Shack are being subjected to a 24 hour stress free environment with no exceptions. I cannot stress this enough. Oh wait, heh, guess that defeats the purpose. Wow, this is harder than I thought..."

"You see?" said Stan, returning his focus to the kids. "You gotta understand, we've all had a giant string of eventful days. New faces, bedding arrangements, the Mystery Shack getting destroyed again, me training for a bike competition and winning it- you folks seeing the pattern here yet?" A single nod from both children was all the man needed. "We've all been running on adrenaline for a good long while now, and we're starting to feel the aftermath of it. So just this once, you're going to have to lower the energy, Mabel. Or at least the volume of it."

"C'monnnnnnnnnnn" guffawed Mabel, one hand giving a wrist flick while the other hand rested on Frisk's shoulder. "It's not like there's other folks here that are as anti-Mabel-Energy as Dipper is today."

It wasn't like she was lying. She saw energetic faces all around the place. Papyrus was as attentive as always, sitting in one of the four living room chairs (since Soos had finally gotten around to adding more seats to the shack from the storage room to accommodate for the monsters) and he seemed to be... knitting. Asgore didn't appear to be exhausted either; the only sigh he gave was one of contentment as he sat on the back porch couch and took in the scent of pine covered in snow. Napstablook was never capable of falling asleep, and as he fazed into the living room, he seemed to have a face that suggested that he felt lucky that ghosts never feel tired. Mettaton had just replenished his battery, so he could be heard loudly singing from the basement. Sans was snoring in the attic, but it's not like Mabel had to worry about waking him up. Stanford was studying in his lab, and it was located deep enough underground that no chaos on the surface floor could distract him, not unless the chaos was catastrophic. So honestly, where was the harm?

Stan shook his head with a slight frown. "I dunno about that, sweet cheeks," he said with a grumble, pointing to the gift shop.

Frisk followed Stan's gaze and scanned the gift shop as well. They then turned back to look at Mabel, their face emanating concern. "He's right, Mabel."

Now Mabel was curious. She peered over to the gift shop to see what kind of fuss was happening over there.

What she found were Toriel and Wendy, who appeared to be having a normal conversation. But Mabel was a dowsing rod when it came to cheerfulness. And boy oh boy were Toriel and Wendy devoid of it.

Toriel seemed especially distant. She still greeted anybody who passed by with a cordial "Hello," and she always gave nods and similar minuscule movements in response to whatever Wendy was talking about. But the Goat Mom's usual cheer and open personality was disturbingly lacking today.

Wendy, while not looking as troubled as Toriel seemed to be, appeared miserably drained. Her complexion was paler than usual, her hair wasn't as brushed, and the bags under her eyes looked heavier than... heavy stuff.

"Whoa," managed Mabel, looking back to Stan and Frisk.

"So yeah," said Stan, "Let's try to keep the noise down, eh kiddos? For their sake if not my own?" He added, ruffling Mabel's hair.

"Of course, Mr. Stanley," said Frisk with a nod of understanding, before adding a little more quietly, "Are Mabel and I still allowed to play?"

"Huh," said Stan with a huff. "Looks like someone's trying to find a loophole in my instructions."

Frisk blanched slightly. "Well sir I-"

"I like your style, kid. We'll make a shady businessperson out of you yet!" declared Stanley, hefting Frisk up to give them a noogie. Frisk, having grown accustomed to Undyne's noogies, found Stan's to actually be ticklish.

"Sure, go on and play! Knock yourselves out!" said Stan, setting a softly laughing Frisk back down in their seat. "This is considered a 'me day' after all!"

"Can it really be called a 'me day' when all of us are expected to relax today?" asked Mabel slyly. "Sounds more like an 'everyone day' to me!"

"Mabel, sweetie, I already have my snot nosed smart-alec of a brother criticizing me on my grammar. I don't need my bubbly grand niece chastising me on my word choices. Besides, calling it an 'everyone day' makes you sound like Karl Marx. And we all know what that lead to."

"I dunnooooo," said Mabel, looking off to the side and giving a comical shrug, which gave Frisk a small chuckle. "'Mabel Marx' has a nice ring to it~!"

"Yeah well so does 'Stanley Stalin,' but you don't see me changing my name to that, do ya?" countered Stanley.

"Good point," said Mabel with a nod, before walking up to Frisk, gripping their arm, and pulling them out of their seat. "Welp, I'mma go play with Frisk now! C'mon Frisk! Let's see what Undyne and Alphys are doing! I wanna tell them about my drink!"

"O-okay!" said Frisk, slightly startled but not putting up a fight as they were guided away from the kitchen. "S-see you later, Mr. Stanley!"

"Play nice now!" said Stanley. "Oh, and hey! It'd be best if you left my brother alone for the time being, alright?! He’s trying to coax some info out of that weirdo Tim, and I have a feeling it isn’t going so well! The runt chucked a globe at me just for startling him!"

"Got it!" Mabel hollered, while Frisk simply gave the man an 'OK' sign. Then they both darted off.

Under his breath, Stanley muttered, "That man really needs to cool his jets sometimes..."

"Is This Action Of Globe Throwing A Habit Of Yours?" asked the metal head of Tim. "If It Is, I Must Urge You To Drop This Habit As It Is Unhealthy To Maintaining Strong Relationships To Friends and Family."

"Argh!" groaned Stanford, pounding his hands on the desk in front of him and darting his head to glare at the talking scrap metal. "No, it is not a habit, and if you would stop freaking out every time I say 'proph-' ... I mean, every time I say that word, I may not feel so inclined to throw things! So why can't you just cooperate?!"

"Sir, This Is No Mere Bug That I Can Just Erase. It Is Elusive As Much As It Is Exclusive. But If It Makes You Feel Better, I Am Able To Bring Up Other Methods Of Destruction Without Being Overpowered By The Error That You Identify As 'Insanity.'"

"That's not going to help me much, Tim. But I suppose it gives you credibility. Alright fine, go ahead," said Stanford, tapping his foot impatiently.

"As You Wish," said Tim. "Storms. Solar Explosion. Volcanoes. Tidal Waves. War. Meteors-"

"Okay that's enough," said Stanford, holding up a finger to halt Tim's explanation. "You made your point."

"Perhaps We Should Save This Conversation For Another Time. Maybe Then, I Will Have Figured How To Delete This Malicious Program. Perhaps With A Proper Wipe Of My Memory Banks, I May-"

"No no no hold on. Your memory of this pro-... omen is important. I just need to find away to coax it out of you without triggering the bug."

Stanford took a long deep breath. "Now then. Let's start from the top again. A couple weeks back, my grand nephew presented me with this black journal that he found. At the end of the first page, it appears to speak of what seems like a proph- let me rephrase that-"

"Stop Thinking About Not Saying 'Prophecy.'"

"Tim, I'm not a helpless buffoon. I can keep myself from saying- wait, how come you have no problem saying 'prophecy?!' Oh shoot-"

"THE ANOMALY WILL DOOM ALL." shrieked Tim, eyes glowing red while sirens blared throughout the lab. "IF THE DOOR STAYS LOCKED, ALL IS LOST! LOST!! LOOOOOOOOSSSSST!!!"

"Sigh... Nice going, Stanford..." cussed the scientist to himself, reaching for his ray gun once again to shut the screaming contraption up.

Mabel was just finishing up explaining her drink, with Frisk alongside her, to Undyne and Alphys in the museum when the shack quivered for a second.

"Whoa, did you feel that Alphys?" said Undyne, standing up straight "Something caused the floor to violently rumble. Another attack? Would people get mad if I said I wanted that to happen?"

"Th-they probably wouldn't get mad at you Undyne," responded Alphys, having also felt the rumble. "B-but I reeeeaally hope we aren't getting attacked again. Stanley would s-surely make us leave if the shack were to be destroyed a second time. Especially after we had j-just finished fixing it."

"No worries, ladies!" chirped Mabel, "It's probably Grunkle Ford. Grunkle Stan said that he's been toying with Tim's head and that the results were leaving him um..."

"Frustrated?" tried Frisk.

"Yeah, frustrated!" said a smiling Mabel. "Grunkle Ford tends to get a little explosive-happy when he's frustrated. But only while working in his lab."

"Why is he trying to get information from the head of a murderous AI? Doesn't that sound a little counterproductive?" questioned Undyne with slight exasperation.

"Y-yes, it is quite improbable that Tim will be willing or able to t-tell us anything," said Alphys, her hands marginally fidgeting. "B-but unfortunately, Tim is the only lead we have to find out if this a-anomaly is simply a glitch in the AI's system or is actually a real-life threat."

"Hm. You have a fair point there babe," said Undyne, satisfied with Alphys's answer. "Well, if that anomaly exists, it better stop existing reeeeaaal soon, or it's gonna have to say hello to my fists! And then it'll immediately have to say goodbye to my fists! BECAUSE I WILL KILL IT! WITH MY FISTS! NNNNNNNGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"U-undyne, please lower your voice," said Alphys in nervous hushed tones. "Some of our friends are trying to n-nap."

"Pfft. Lower my voice? You know I can't just do that," said Undyne, folding her arms almost in a grumpy pout.

Mabel looked to Frisk. "I connect with this woman on a spiritual level."

Alphys fidgeted with her hands. "W-w-well then how about we go outside for a walk? O-or a run if you prefer? That way you can shout all you want without bothering anybody in the shack?" suggested Alphys, her own cheeks beginning to turn pink.

Frisk caught this and smirked at Undyne. "Undyne, I believe you are being asked out on a date~"

"M-maybe," timidly admitted Alphys, looking down to the ground, smiling despite her embarrassment.

Undyne blushed as well, her normally huge toothy grin shrinking down to a tiny nervous smile, almost cat-like. "No fair Alphys, you know I can't say no when it comes to going on a date with you..."

Alphys shyly chuckled. "It's my ultimate t-trap card."

"Oooh, maybe we'll encounter the anomaly while we're outside!" said Undyne to Alphys, the former's fists clenching in excitement. "And then you can watch me bash its skull in!"

"I fear for the survival of the anomaly's skull," said Frisk, making Mabel giggle.

"W-well if we stumble across it, I'll leave it to you, Undyne" said Alphys, a smile on her face.

"Shall we?" said Undyne, extending her hand with a grin.

"S-sure," said Alphys, taking Undyne's hand bashfully.

Without warning, Undyne flung Alphys onto her shoulders, and they charged out of the exhibit room and out the front door.

"Are they always like this?" asked Mabel to Frisk. "Please tell me the answer is yes."

"The answer is yes," confirmed Frisk, their classic stoic expression never leaving them.

"I have no idea if you are being sincere or just parroting what I said," said Mabel bluntly.

"And thus, I have created the one mystery that shall never ever be solved by either of the Pines Twins," said Frisk, a tiny smirk showing on their face.

"If Dipper was here, he would smack you for that remark," teased Mabel.

"He can try~" said Frisk, the smirk becoming a smile.

Papyrus had just finished putting his knitting needles and scarf away in the small lamp cabinet next to him in order to take a quick break, when he noticed a very peculiar occurrence happening right in front of him.

Toriel had unplugged the television from the wall and was getting ready to pick it up from the floor.

"UM, QUEEN TORIEL?" said Papyrus, cocking his head. "MIGHT I ASK WHAT YOU ARE DOING?"

"What I am doing is none of your concern. And please stop calling me 'Queen' Toriel," said Toriel, in a very harsh, un-Toriel-like tone.

"THE WEIGHT OF THAT TELEVISION SEEMS TO BE AGGRAVATING YOU, MISS TORIEL," incorrectly deduced Papyrus. "NOT TO FEAR, FOR I AM TRAINED IN THE ARTS OF LIFTING TV'S! GENTLY SETTING THEM DOWN, ON THE OTHER HAND, TENDS TO BE MESSY. BECAUSE MY ARMS FALL OFF."

Toriel's took in a very strained inhale of breath, before she released her tension with a deep sigh. "I do not need any help lifting this television, thank you Papyrus. But if you would be so kind as to not look into this matter any further, I would greatly appreciate it."

"OF COURSE, MADAM!" bellowed Papyrus with a hearty salute. The salute then slowly descended as Papyrus's face expressed confusion. "UM... WHAT MATTER ARE WE EVEN TALKING ABOUT?"

"Nothing Papyrus, nothing," said Toriel with a half hearted chuckle as she resumed carrying the heavy television out of the living room.

Mabel and Frisk tiptoed through the gift shop, not wanting to bother a cranky Wendy who was venting to Napstabook. The ghost was, to his credit, listening very attentively.

"Then Undyne says that I should look them all in the eye and yell 'If any of you have a problem with that, I'll suplex you into a mountain!' Which, I mean, I appreciate her willing to help, but nothing she ever suggests to me is a good idea when put into practice. It's frustrating, you know?"

"I'm sorry to hear that................" mumbled Napstablook sincerely. "I would offer you my own advice, but I'm sure you'll only find it worse than Undyne's...................."

"Napstablook, you absolute sugarcube, all I need is your listening ear right now."

"I technically don't have ears......................"

As soon as Mabel had both of her feet on the living room carpet, she bounded right up to the still-confused Papyrus.

"Hey there Pappy Man!" said Mabel, using her inside voice but vigorously waving hello to make up for it.

"HM?" said Papyrus, Mabel's greeting shaking him out of his stupor. "OH! GREETINGS, MABEL! HAVE YOU ALSO COME TO TAKE A PIECE OF FURNITURE? IF SO, I WILL GLADLY HELP YOU CARRY IT!"

It took a second for the baffled Mabel to realize the TV was missing. "Huh. I was wondering why this room seemed a little roomier than usual..."

"We do not require any furniture, thank you Papyrus," said Frisk, having caught up to Mabel. "May we ask who it was that took the television?"

"I WOULD LOVE TO!" exclaimed Papyrus. "HOWEVER, I WAS ASKED TO NOT LOOK ANY FURTHER INTO THE MATTER!"

"Oh..." said Frisk, hiding their disappointment. "And... who asked you to not do that? Is it somebody we know?"

"OH YES, IT IS SOMEONE YOU KNOW VERY WELL!" said Papyrus with a single solid nod.

"So, not a burglar then?" said Mabel, almost bummed out that there wouldn't be an opportunity to chase a robber down the streets of Gravity Falls. On her list of things to do when she was the only energetic person in the room, chasing a robber was number four. Numbers three, two, and one were classified.

"CORRECT, HUMAN MABEL! MISS TORIEL IS MANY THINGS, BUT A BURGLAR IS NOT ONE OF THOSE THINGS," said Papyrus proudly, before realizing his mistake two seconds later. "NYOO HOO HOO!!! I PROMISED HER I WOULD NOT LOOK FURTHER INTO THE MATTER, BUT I CANNOT HELP IT! WHAT IS SHE PLANNING TO USE THE TELEVISION FOR?!"

"Mother took the TV?" said Frisk, perplexed by the answer inadvertently given to them by Papyrus. "But why would-"

Frisk's eyebrows rose up in sudden understanding, and they went uncomfortably silent for a few seconds, much to the curiosity of Mabel, and Papyrus to a lesser extent.

"Thank you Papyrus. I appreciate your honesty," said Frisk, ending the subject before anybody could say anything. Just as quickly, Frisk started up a new conversation, having now noticed the knitting needles poking out of the lamp cabinet. "Papyrus, are you knitting something?"

Papyrus beamed, all too eager to talk about what he was currently working on. He opened the lamp cabinet to bring the needles and scarf out and showcase them to the two kids. "INDEED I AM, HUMAN! MISS TORIEL HAD BROUGHT THE IDEA UP TO ME AFTER TASTING MY LATEST (AND DARE I SAY GREATEST) SPAGHETTI DISH! I'M SUPPOSING SHE BELIEVED THAT I HAD ACHIEVED THE MAXIMUM LEVEL OF CULINARY PERFECTION, BECAUSE SHE WAS VERY INSISTENT THAT I PERHAPS MOVE ON TO A NEW HOBBY!"

The kids were pretty certain that Toriel's reasons for doing this were different than from what Papyrus believed them to be.

"SO I DECIDED THAT IF I HAD MASTERED SPAGHETTI AS AN EDIBLE DISH, PERHAPS I COULD MASTER THE ART OF SPAGHETTI THROUGH A DIFFERENT CREATIVE OUTLET!"

Frisk and Mabel realized that the primary colors of the scarf that Papyrus was knitting were faded orange and vibrant red.

"You're making a scarf that looks like spaghetti?!" asked Mabel, her eyes brimming with total awe.

"YOU GOT IT!" said Papyrus excitedly. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL REVOLUTIONIZE THE FASHION INDUSTRY WITH MY AMAZING SPAGHETTI SCARF!!!"

"Ooh! OOH!" said a bouncing Mabel, a super awesome amazing idea spawning in her head. "Can you knit Teddy bears?! Do you charge for them? What do you require? I'll give you the money from my Brother's secret stash! I'll give you every single one of my friendship wristbands! I'll give you the schematics for the Human Sized Hamster Ball." pleaded Mabel, getting right up to Papyrus's ear-socket to intensely whisper the last part.

"OF COURSE I CAN KNIT TEDDY BEARS, LITTLE MABEL! UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE YET TO MAKE ONE THAT IS RECOGNIZED AS A TEDDY BEAR BY EVERYBODY ELSE. THEY USUALLY MISTAKE THEM FOR OTHER OBJECTS. LIKE A PILE OF LEAVES, FOR EXAMPLE. OR A SMASHED CAKE. OR TRAMPLED FLOWERS. SANS ONCE MISTOOK ONE OF MY KNITTED TEDDY BEARS FOR THIS VERY PECULIAR RESIDUE THAT SPAWNS WHEN A HUMAN 'DRINKS' TOO MUCH... BUT HE ASSURED ME THAT HIS EYES WERE STILL BLURRY FROM JUST WAKING UP AND THAT HE WAS CERTAIN THAT IT WOULD LOOK A LOT BETTER IF HE WAS FULLY AWAKE. WHICH IS WEIRD BECAUSE HE MOST CERTAINLY HAS NO EYES... WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT HE WAS LYING TO ME... WHY WOULD HE FEEL THE NEED TO LIE ABOUT HIS OPINION OF ONE'S ART? ISN'T ART SUPPOSED TO BE OPEN TO THE VIEWER'S INTERPRETATION? THAT'S WHAT UNDYNE TOLD ME ONCE, AFTER SHE HAD ALMOST SET ONE OF FRISK'S DRAWINGS ON FIRE BECAUSE THEY MADE HER FACE LOOK SILLY..."

"Did Undyne really try to do that?" asked Mabel to Frisk, in surprise.

"She did try," confirmed Frisk, with a stoic-faced nod. "She failed though. She left my drawing alone. She used to tell me it was because she wanted to come up with a better punishment for the drawing. But quite recently, she admitted that she caught a glimpse of how upset I was and decided not to go through with torching the drawing I made."

"Can I see the drawing?" asked Mabel sweetly.

"No," answered Frisk, maintaining their emotionless expression flawlessly. "Undyne's face is too weird. You may develop the urge to light my drawing on fire."

"Nawwwwwwww, no I wouldn't!" said Mabel, jokingly rolling her eyes as she smiled brightly. "I'd put it in my scrapbook!"

"I cannot risk it," said Frisk, clearly joking.

"You cannot hide from Mabel Piiiiiines! No secret is safe from herrrrrrrr! She knows all, and whatever she doesn't know about, she leaaarrrnnns aboooooouuuuut!" said Mabel, moaning and wiggling her outstretched hands like a cliche ghost from any old Saturday morning cartoon.

"That sounds like a massive invasion of privacy," pointed out Frisk.

"No secret is saaaaaaaaafffeeeeee~!" wailed Mabel, completely ignoring Frisk.

"ACTUALLY, WHILE WE ARE STILL ON THE TOPIC OF TEDDY BEARS," chirped up Papyrus, "I BELIEVE THAT THE LAST TIME I SAW KING ASGORE, HE WAS HOLDING WHAT LOOKED LIKE A TEDDY BEAR IN HIS HANDS. HE DIDN'T LOOK TOO EXCITED ABOUT IT THOUGH... PERHAPS HE HAS FORGOTTEN WHAT A TEDDY BEAR LOOKS LIKE?"

"Well then perhaps we shall visit him next?" Frisk asked Mabel.

"Well duh! Of course we are!" said the very excited Mabel, taking Frisk's arm. "Have fun with the knitting, Papyrus!"

"WILL DO!" hollered Papyrus, waving enthusiastically as Mabel and Frisk made their way to the back porch to meet up with Asgore.

Asgore wouldn't say that the object in his hands disturbed him, but he would not say that it didn't unsettle him either.

The Teddy bear that he currently hand in his hands had seen better days. Its dark plum fur was damp from snow and crusty from dirt. There was also a substantial amount of stuffing that was missing from it, but no matter how hard Asgore investigated, he could not find a single tear in the stuffed animal's stitching.

"Strange..." muttered Asgore, for perhaps the fifth time since discovering the stuffed toy curled up next to the tattered couch.

Did it belong to Mabel? Asgore wanted to say yes, but then again, Mabel was a girl who treated stuffed animals like her own children, surely she would not let a Teddy bear become so void of stuffing. And she had a knack for keeping track of her items. If this bear belonged to her, it never would have ended up abandoned outside in the first place...

Maybe the lack of stuffing meant it belonged to Undyne? No, of course not, don't be silly Asgore. Undyne was ferocious, yes, but she is not one to use her own stuffed animal for training practice. And if she did, the Teddy bear would be in tatters...

Maybe Frisk? No, once again. Of the many toys that they had brought up to the surface after their journey in the underground, a Teddy bear was never in Frisk's box. And besides, Frisk is as kind to stuffed animals as Mabel is.

Asgore continued to list off possible owners of the strange toy, and all of them resulted in a no. He was so preoccupied with figuring out this mystery that he never saw Mabel sneaking up on him to scare him. Or so she thought.

Instead, Asgore startled her by jerking his head in her direction, a joyful smile on his face.

"Why howdy Mabel! Trying to give this old soul a scare, are you? I apologize, it will take more than that to catch me by surprise."

"Awwwwww man! Why do you have to be so cool, Goat Dad?!" complimented a pouting Mabel.

Asgore responded with a boisterous laugh, reaching out to scratch Mabel's head with a big warm fluffy paw. "I don't know if I see myself as 'cool'. Just 'prepared.'"

"What are you doing out here, Dad?" asked Frisk, joining Mabel. "I find you sitting on this couch more often than I find you inside. Aren't you cold?"

"Not at all, child!" laughed Asgore. "Winter on the surface is a wonderland compared to the underground. As for what I am currently doing out here..."

Then Asgore held up the malnourished looking Teddy bear for the children to see.

"I found this small toy nestled up next to the couch. I have no idea where it came from or who it may belong to. Would either of you have an idea?"

Frisk took the stuffed animal to inspect it more thoroughly. As they did so, a frown slowly developed on their face.

"There's something about this bear that I don't like..." commented Frisk.

Mabel peaked behind Frisk's shoulders, since Frisk appeared to be too focused on the item to hand it over to her. As she inspected it, her expression turned quizzical.

"It's probably because this poor Teddy is absolutely filthy!" remarked Mabel. "He needs a bath, pronto!"

"Well yes, but that's not what I meant-" Frisk attempted to interject, but the blink of an eye, the Teddy bear was gone from their hands and into Mabel's hands.

"Just look at the poor guy!” said Mabel. “He looks miserable!"

"Are you sure that it's the dirt that's making the Teddy bear look miserable, and not the facial thread itself?" replied Frisk after a few seconds of silence.

They weren't far off. Looking at the toy's face, the stitches and threads definitely gave the Teddy bear a forlorn expression.

"Okay so maybe the designer of this bear hated their job and wanted to let the whole world know," said Mabel, rolling her eyes. "But a clean bear is a happy bear, even if their stitched face does not reflect it!"

"Let her wash the bear Frisk," kindly advised Asgore. "It's best that we have it nice and clean in case its owner shows up to the shack looking for it."

Frisk pouted for a second before conceding with a nod of their head. "Yes Dad."

"Very good," beamed Asgore. He ended the issue by patting Frisk on the head, which managed to coax a smile out of the young ambassador.

"Great! Meet you at the laundry room!" squealed Mabel, darting back inside the house with bear in hand, not feeling the need to drag Frisk with her this time.

This gave Frisk a chance to get up on the couch and sit next to their father. They looked up at him, their stoic expression showing a hint of concern.

"Um... Dad? Mother hasn’t been looking too well..."

"I know, Frisk," said Asgore, his voice low and somber. "As much as it hurts though, we need to leave her be. It's what she wants."

"But is she like this every year? Isn’t that unhealthy for her?" asked Frisk with growing concern.

Asgore gave a long sigh, sinking into the couch despite his sitting position remaining rigid. "That is probably the case, my child. But you know how bad I am at making the right call when it comes to those who are in distress.”

Frisk looked down, not knowing how to reply to that. Instead, they slumped off of the couch, walking over to the back door leading back inside the shack. They turned to Asgore, looking ready to say one last thing, but debating whether or not it will have any effect. Finally, they spoke.

"Then I will."

And they opened the door and walked back inside.

The king let out a downtrodden sigh, unaware of the miniature hole in the side of the couch that appeared to have been bitten into recently.

"And those are the steps involved!" finished Mabel.

"My my! Such a complex system~! Even though I'm sure I could come up with a much better one~ Alas, you beat me to the punch~ I envy you, little Mabel~! " Mabel had decided to chat with Mettaton, who was in his EX model, while waiting for the loud drying machine to finish drying off the Teddy bear. The discussion had started with Mabel's plans for fixing the Teddy bear, and eventually evolved into discussing an interesting monster from the Underground, named Woshua.

"So wait," said Mabel, "The reason you guys didn't have washing machines in the underground was because you had somebody who was basically their own washing machine? That's wild!"

"Indeed!" confirmed the charming robot. "He was not a fan of it though. At first, the poor fellow was very cross with being one of the very few sources of cleanliness in the underground. And even though they loved to clean, and eventually grew used to their new role in the underground, it was only a matter of time before they began to grow tired of it. Burnout is never to be taken lightly, darling. Remember that~"

"Oh believe me, I'm aware," said Mabel with a wearied huff of laughter. "I've been trying to teach my brother that lesson for the last five years. Actually, for the last forever."

"Oh yes~ The boy gags at the mere thought of taking a break," chuckled Mettaton, before deciding to change the subject. "So, you said that Asgore found this beaten up stuffed toy next to the couch outside? And nobody has seen it prior to today? Sounds like the perfect premise for a B-list horror flick~"

"You mean a flick where the animation is stop-motion and the monsters are made of clay?"

"Well I wouldn't stoop to such shallow effects if I was directing that kind of movie. But yes~"

"Would I be the leading costume designer?!"

"You would splatter bright and loud colors on every single costume, for every single lead and ensemble member, and completely ruin the common color palette of horror movies," said Mettaton. "Of course you would be my leading costume designer~" he added with a smile of delight.

Just then, the dryer emitted a small *ding!* and the machine grew silent.

"Allow me~" said Mettaton, extending his arms to fetch the toy from the dryer without ever having to shift from where he was standing, eyes closed and a glamorous smirk donning his face, like he just finished juggling ten knives flawlessly.

Mabel giggled, rolling her eyes in a teasing manner, and took the bear from the proud robot's hand. "If I could be as glamorous as you are, I don't think my body would be able to handle it. My spirit would break free from this physical vessel and ascend to Glamour Heaven."

"Of course it would! Which is why I, a ghost in the vessel of a robot, am the only one capable of reaching such heights! Although... doing so would mean losing contact with my friends and family, so... I'm going to hold off on that for a while."

"Awwww that's really sweet of you to think of them!" said Mabel, squeezing her bear and swinging it from side to side while keeping it close to her chest.

"Thank you Mabel," said Mettaton, giving the young girl the most genuine smile she had ever seen from him.

Mabel beamed back, and lifted the bear to give it a proper look now that it had been cleaned.

Except for the sullen expression that remained on the toy's face, the bear looked much better. Its fur was radiant and smooth, and its cute beady eyes almost shined. The bear was still somewhat raggedy due to its lack of stuffing, but Mabel decided that she would address that on a later date. Knitting was one thing, but sewing a bear back up was a different beast. A beast she could easily vanquish, but the only weapon in her current arsenal that could slay the beast with was the Mystery Shack's old sewing machine. And that thing was loud. And given the typical luck of the twins, it was probably haunted too.

"I hope this new companion of yours does not spark envy from your pet pig," joked Mettaton, bringing Mabel back to reality.

"Naaah, Waddles is very understanding! Besides, he's lately been very occupied by playing around with Frisk's dog."

"Frisk doesn't own a dog though..."

Suddenly the door for the washing machine burst open, revealing a pig and a Samoyed dog, both sopping wet and smiling. They leaped out of the device, shook themselves clean, yipped and oinked with supposed satisfaction, and trotted out of the laundry room.

"Oh!" exclaimed Mettaton in understanding. "That dog!"

"Yeah, that's the fluff-ruff that I was talking about!" said Mabel, not appearing to be phased by the fact that both the puppy and Waddles managed to get inside an active washing machine and survive. She did know however that there was no collar around the puppy's neck.

"Yeah, he's a curious fellow," admitted Mettaton. "I don't think anybody I know has ownership of that particular puppy. Actually, he has this look in his eyes, like he believes he owns us."

"What, you think we are dealing with a possible puppy dog uprising?!" said Mabel, seeming more excited by the idea than intimidated by it.

"That would be headline-worthy indeed~ Don't let your guard down, my little maple leaf~" joked Mettaton, using the nickname that he had established for Mabel.

"Oh stop," replied Mabel, playfully elbowing Mettaton's leg, since that was as high as her elbow could reach.

"I should probably get going," continued Mabel. "Don't wish to keep you from your singing! Sounds great by the way! The next time I host a karaoke night, remind me to invite you!"

"No need to invite me! I am more than happy to crash your party~" proudly proclaimed Mettaton, which Mabel guessed was his way of expressing gratitude for being invited. "Now run along, darling~!"

When Frisk found Mabel again, it was in the parlor room. She was in a rocking chair, rocking back and forth excitedly, her arms extended forward and wiggling the bear in her hands.

"And I’m gonna call you Mr. SnuggleLots, and you'll be the honorary guest at my next tea party, and I'll introduce you to Waddles, ooh, OOH! And also I'm gonna find a way to get more stuffing for you so you can be all plushy again!! GO ME!!!"

"Hello again, Mabel," greeted Frisk.

"Frisk!" exclaimed an excited Mabel, her face lighting up when she saw them. She sprung out of the rocking chair, shoving the Teddy bear into Frisk's field of vision so it was the only thing that they could see. "Look at this sparkling clean little cub! Isn't he the cuuuuuuutest thing ever!?"

"I admit that he looks a little better now that he is clean," admitted Frisk, "but I'm still unnerved by how abandoned he looks."

"One step at a time, Frisko," soothed Mabel, patting Frisk on their shoulder. "I am going to put Mr. SnuggleLots through Mabel's Rehabiliteddy Program™!"

"Mabel's Rehabiliteddy Program™?" repeated Frisk, subconsciously surprised by their own curiosity. "What is that?"

"A list of steps I've made for abandoned Teddy bears that I find. I would have told you about this earlier if you joined me in the laundry room, but it's okay; I'm telling you now!"

"So what are the daily steps?"

"Day one is washing the bear. Day two is feeding the bear. Day three is a tea party for the bear. For Mr. SnuggleLots, I may need to add a fourth day for emergency surgery to take care of his unsatisfactory level of stuffing."

"Or to locate the owner of the bear," responded Frisk.

Hearing that, a thought crossed Mabel's mind.

"Yeah, but, here's the thing," said Mabel, beginning to lightly pace in a circle, "What if this bear has no owner?"

"What gave you that idea, Mabel?" asked Frisk, tilting their head and raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Mettaton and I encountered the white dog again. You know, the one that I saw in the cave full of ice crystals? Ooo that reminds me I still want to make a charm necklace with the crystal that you gave me BUT ANYWAY-! That dog? He had no owner!"

"So you believe we are dealing with a stray Teddy bear?" deduced Frisk, having followed Mabel's line of thinking after deciding that explaining the difference between stuffed animals and pets to her would be futile.

"I'm not saying we are," corrected Mabel, lightly poking Frisk in the center of their chest. "But I'm saying we could be."

"I see," said Frisk.

"So, if need be, day five will be dedicated to finding a home for this little tyke if we can't locate his original owner!" concluded Mabel, squishing the bear one more time before setting it down on the rocking chair. It said in a sitting position for a few seconds before the insufficient amount of stuffing caused it to slump over. "Day four will definitely be for stuffing him up again though."

"That sounds like a plan," concurred Frisk. "I have one more question though."

"Ask away!" said Mabel, folding her arms and taking a proud stance.

"Is there any downside to doing more than one step on the same day?" proposed Frisk.

"Not really..." said Mabel, beginning to gently pace in a circle as she contemplated Frisk's question. "It depends on how the bear is feeling. I can just tell from the fur and the face if they wish to speed up the process or not. But for Mr. SnuggleLots..." she glances to the slouched form of the thin bear, "I believe taking our time is crucial. As much as I don't wish to spread it out, it is better in the long run. Malnourished creatures can easily get sick if you try to take care of them all at once."

"You learned that from Dipper, didn't you?" said Frisk with a knowing smirk.

Mabel blushed slightly. "Yeah..." she admitted, "...but I'm the one who puts his knowledge to good use!" she added, regaining her honor.

"Well that's good," said Frisk, the smirk becoming a smile. Then they walked over to the bear and picked it up. "We should probably get this guy to our bedroom."

The rest of the day went by relatively quickly. Frisk and Mabel enjoyed dinner with the rest of the crew, though Dipper was absent, and Sans as well, strangely. All the while, Mr. SnuggleLots was sitting pretty and piper atop the nightstand that separated Dipper's bed from Mabel's. When Frisk and Mabel returned to the bedroom, Dipper was still fast asleep.

"Wanna draw a mustache on him???" asked Mabel with a devilish grin.

"It's best we don't test him," said Frisk, before adding with a sly smirk "Another time perhaps~"

Mabel giggled once more before stifling a yawn. "Goodnight Frisk."

"Goodnight Mabel," replied Frisk, sleeping into their sleeping bag.

Then the lights went off.

Just as Mabel suspected, the middle of the night had Dipper suddenly turning in his bed. But it wasn't because of how royally messed up his atomic clock was.

It was in fact because his face was being blasted with hot air that smelled like dog breath.

“mmmmf… mmmno… no I don’t need anymore candy… mm? chocolate taffy? Mmmmmy favorrriiiite…"

Then there was an audible "huff" and Dipper was wide awake.

"Wha...?"

And there, atop of Dipper's chest, face hovering over his...

Was a plum furred, hungry bear. One that was very much alive. And Drooling.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

PART 2

SKIP TO PART 3

NEXT CHAPTER (Coming Soon to the Mystery Shack!)

ONCE UPON A TIME...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

#gravitytale #gravity falls #undertale #underfalls #surprise!#I forgot I used to post these to tumblr in parts #and I definitely thought this was enough for a part one #hope you enjoyed!

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thelazyhermits · 6 years ago

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Into Anontale, pt.2

The city was surprisingly busy, cars in the streets, but everyone in the city seemed to be a monster. Sans landed in an alley and set you down. He pulled off his scarf and wrapped it around you and pulled your hood up. “CAN’T HAVE YOU CAUSE A PANIC NOW, CAN WE? LET ALONE WHAT ALPHYS MIGHT THINK-”

“About what?” Because nothing could ever be easy, Alphys had apparently noticed Sans anime-protagonisting above the streets.

“CAPTAIN!” Sans said, snapping to attention at her voice. “UH… FANCY MEETING YOU HERE!”

“Sans, who is that?” Alphys asked. She crossed her arms at his hesitation, revealing just how ripped the short lizard got as captain of the royal guard.

“…MY GIRLFRIEND!” he said, pulling you to his side with a grin. “Play Along,” he hissed. “IT’S HER BIRTHDAY TODAY AND I KNEW YOU’D FEEL SO BAD MISSING ANY BAKING BY THE AMAZING SANS!! I SUPPOSE IF SHE’S OKAY WITH IT, YOU COULD STILL HAVE SOME OF MY AMAZING GLITTERCAKE-”

“N-no, that’s okay,” Alphys said, quickly backpedaling. “When did you two even meet?”

“Oh, not terribly long ago, but how could I refuse someone so sweet and that has just a sparkling personality?” you said, feeling Sans stiffen as Alphys snorted in amusement. When you looked, his grin hadn’t faltered but his eyelights had vanished, making him look entirely dead inside.

“You met her through Papyrus, didn’t you?” Alphys chuckled.

“UNFORTUNATELY, IT SEEMS.” Surprisingly, his dead expression didn’t seem to effect his tone. “BUT, SPEAKING OF HIM, YOU WOULDN’T HAPPEN TO HAVE SEEN HIM RECENTLY?”

“Uh, yeah actually, if he’s in his kigurumi. Saw him napping on that bench in front of Hapsta’s building.”

“THANKS, CAPTAIN!” Sans pulled you behind him and ran off. “THAT’S ACTUALLY REALLY WEIRD,” he said, explaining as you both ran. “HE’S A REALLY LIGHT SLEEPER, HE CAN’T SLEEP OUTSIDE BECAUSE OF IT.”

“Maybe the glitch is making him?” You stopped him when you noticed the air in the street shimmer. It was replaced by a confused skeleton in a pink unicorn kigurumi, who noticed you both instead of the truck heading for him.

“PAPYRUS-!!!” The crunch before the world bugged out rang in your ears, and you were back in the apartment. The sob from the kitchen had you running to pull Sans into your arms, large tears running down his face.

“It’s okay, he’s okay,” you soothed. “He undid it, he’s okay. Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out.” You rubbed his spine as he clung to you. Seeing a Papyrus hit by a truck gave you uncomfortable flashbacks to Captain’s death, so you have at least a bit of an idea of how traumatic that was for him.

It��s a good five minutes before he’s gotten calm enough to pull away, scrubbing at his face. “STARS, PAPY…” He sounded broken. “OKAY, NEW PLAN!” He flung open the door and picked you up again, doing his bone-jumping technique and heading right for where it’d happened. He set you down and snapped his fingers, his clothes changing into a black coat with yellow circuit lines on it, his yellow clubs scarf stayed, as did his black pants and yellow boots, but he seemed to have a white buttonup now, as well as a mask on.

“Is… Is that the tumblr anon face?” you asked, confused.

“VERY POSSIBLY! I DIDN’T CHOOSE THE MASK,” he said, not really paying attention as he waved his hands in front of him, creating a yellow hologram screen and keyboard. “LET’S SEE IF I REMEMBER HOW TO DO THIS…” he said, typing.

“What are you doing?” you asked, watching text and fingers fly.

“EVERYTHING, EXCEPT YOU APPARENTLY, IS MADE OF CODE. EVEN UNDOING WHAT HAPPENED, PAPY SHOULD HAVE LEFT BEHIND REMAINDERS I CAN USE TO TRACK DOWN HIS SOURCE CODE. THUS, I CAN FIND HIM.”

“And the outfit?”

“IS DESIGNED TO HIDE ME FROM THE FIREWALL AND THE ANTI-HACKER PROGRAMS. BECAUSE THIS IS SUPER ILLEGAL AND DANGEROUS.”

“Firewall…? Are we in a computer?” you asked, surprised.

“YOU ARE IN A COMPUTER, I AM PART OF ONE. I’M AN ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAM, LIKE ALPHYS! PAPYRUS IS EARLY DETECTION SOFTWARE, UNDYNE IS DIAGNOSTIC SOFTWARE, AND SO ON!” he said. “GOT HIM!” He put away his screen and snapped his clothes back. He grabbed your hand and pulled you along.

You both stopped at an abandoned construction site, and Sans pointed out a pink shape on a girder hanging from a crane. He let go and began doing his bone-jumping to get up there, and you got to watch as the glitch appeared over the cord and broke it, though Papyrus apparently woke up in time to Undo it before he hit the ground this time.

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND!!” Sans snapped, looking stressed. “THE DAYLIGHT SHOULD WAKE HIM UP!! OR THE BIRDS!! HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WAKE HIMSELF UP AND TELEPORT HOME!!”

“The glitch has to be keep him asleep until the last second,” you said. “It cut the rope when you got close last time, so that means you probably could wake him up. We just need something big enough that could wake him up from a distance once we find him.”

Sans paused, staring at nothing. “…SON OF A BITCH, I COULD’VE DONE THAT FROM THE START!!” he groaned, dragging his hands over his face. “YOU’RE BRILLIANT, I’M DUMB, THANK YOU,” he added, pressing a kiss to your cheek before scooping you up again, seemingly oblivious to your blush, his eyelights having turned to daisies in excitement.

A bone-jump trip to the construction yard and a repeat of the tracing process lead you both to a secluded part of a junkyard.

“I’D LIKE TO APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SEE, AND ALSO FOR ANY SECOND-HAND EMBARRASSMENT YOU MAY EXPERIENCE. HOWEVER, AS I HAVE SEEN MY BROTHER DIE TWICE TODAY, I NO LONGER HAVE ANY SHAME WHATSOEVER!!!”

At your slightly perplexed nod, Sans immediately broke down into hysterical tears, throwing himself onto the garbage like a Victorian fainting couch. “PAPY!! HELP!! I’M GONNA BE DELETED!!!” he wailed.

Instantly, Papyrus appeared and scooped him into his pink fuzzy arms. Despite the pink unicorn onesie, the sheer aura of Bad Time made you take a step back, eye blazing a bright purple, free hand having a cluster of sharpened bones pointed your way.

“Wait, no, not me! I’m helping!” you said, flinching to try and protect your head.

“PAPY, NO, SHE IS HELPING!!” Sans said, turning his brother’s head to break his glare on you. You could swear a heavy metal remix of Megalovania was playing in your head. “WE JUST NEEDED YOU TO WAKE UP!!”

“i sure hope there’s an actual reason i keep dying,” Papyrus said, lowering the unicorn head hood to reveal he had a burnt orange nightcap on under it with a heart pompom on the end. “because the whole ‘not able to wake up until seconds from death’ thing is getting tiring.”

“PAPY!!” Sans groaned, thunking his head against Papyrus’ shoulder. Papyrus just smirked of you.

“I’m Y/N, I’m from another world,” you said. Between you and Sans, it didn’t take long to get him up to speed. “Also, do you mind if I give you guys nicknames? It’d make it easier to talk about you guys to other Sanses and Papyruses, though I’d still call you guys Sans and Papyrus here.”

“sure, sister,” Papyrus said. With him still and more relaxed now, it became obvious how exhausted he was. Somehow a skull had bags under his eyesockets, he stood hunched despite supporting his brother one-handed, but you knew first hand how light the skeletons were.

“I’D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR IDEAS!!” By contrast, you figured if Sans wasn’t being held by his brother still, he’d probably be bouncing, bright-eyed and full of energy.

“How about Peppy for Sans?” you suggested.

“I LIKE IT!!!”

“suits him,” Papyrus said, looking pleased. “it’ll put a real pep in his step.”

“BROTHER NO!! Y/N!! YOU HAVE ONLY GIVEN HIM MORE PUN AMMUNITION!!” He struggled to get down, but Papyrus apparently had a good grip on him.

“aw, c’mon, bro. i promise i’ll only pep-per them in occasionally.”

“PUT ME DOWN, YOU HEATHEN!!”

You can’t help it, you start laughing at their antics, which brings a genuine smile to Papyrus’ face, which makes him not look so tired.

“Uh… For Papyrus… How about Punny?” It feels forced. Normally you go with your first instinct, but you don’t wand to be rude.

“sister, you and i both know that isn’t what you thought of,” Papyrus said, free hand on his hip. “shoot straight and just say what we all know you thought of,” he added as he let go of Sans, causing his younger brother to grunt on impact with the ground.

You cringe at being called out like that. “I thought about calling you ‘Sleepy’, if I’m honest.”

“see? doesn’t that feel less awkward?” Papyrus said. “besides, my baby bro calls me that all the time.” Papyrus held a hand out to you and pulled you into a hug when you took it. “thank you, for helping save me.” He pulled Sans into the hug and teleported home.

“YOU CAN’T NAP, YOU’LL START IT ALL OVER AGAIN,” Sans said, before he hurried into the kitchen to try and salvage dinner.

“so, sister,” papyrus said, keeping his voice down. “i don’t like my brother in danger, how’s about you and i take this to the source code of the problem and fix this fast?”

“You can do that?” You asked, surprised.

“sister,” he sighed, pausing to snap his fingers. A black coat not unlike Sans’, only purple instead of yellow replaced the kigurumi, a white shirt under a purple vest, with matching crisp white slacks and purple dress shoes, the elegance of the outfit ruined by the apparently constant burnt orange nightcap, and the fact his anon mask somehow looked as exhausted as he did. “i’m the second-best hacker this computer’s ever seen. i can find that glitchy code anywhere it tries to hide.”

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! I love this so much!!! Peppy is so adorable!! What a freakin sweetheart XD I love the premise of this world, being a part of a computer system is really cool. The special outfits are awesome. I grinned when Gli-chan asked about the Tumblr mask haha

#submission #anontale #the part with pretending to be Pep's girlfriend was great #I loved his reaction to the puns XD #Peppy's dramatic crying was exactly what I was hoping for #freakin perfect haha #you were really cool here Sleepy #I like your nickname for her #it's really cute <3 #I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next! ^^

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followerofmercy · 6 years ago

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@unexpected-profundity tagged me in another thing :D

Name: It’s a secret

Nickname: My parents call me Monk, and my first boyfriend had the cutest pet name: Kugelblitz, which he described as “an object so hot, it emits energy with a wavelength smaller than a Planck length, resulting in the universe short-circuiting and making a black hole.” (Talk nerdy to me)

Height: 5′5″

Languages spoken: English, got to French 4(?) in college. I can understand stuff p well though my speech is halting.

Nationality: American, heck yeah

Favorite fruit: Either kiwis (you can eat the skin!) or Ataulfo Mangos, which are great frozen. My Indian roommate introduced me to them. Can’t stand the red and green mangos we typically see in the US though. Bleh.

Favorite season: Winter. I can wear long sleeves and business-y stuff without dying.

Favorite scent: Old Spice. Yes I am serious. I wear it myself. (I get a lot of compliments from men for it?)

Favorite color: Deep dark red, not candy red. I’m also partial to all kinds of gray.

Favorite animal: Cuttlefish! (Or jumping spiders, peacocks, elephants, giant siphonophores, giraffes... I can’t really pick a favorite but cuttlefish came to mind first.)

Favorite fictional character: NYEH (Papyrus is my all-time favorite across all media, which I think shows by how much I write about him. I have a very complex relation to him? Like, he’s part what I want to be, part who I used to be, part who I am now.)

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate: Hot chocolate. I hate bitter stuff.

When was your blog created: Uh. I don’t know and I’m not certain how to check.

Favorite subject: Microbiology! I’m studying biochemistry because it seems more practical overall, but I want to apply it to microbio. Psychology is a close second along with organic chemistry.

Currently watching: Cutscenes from Final Fantasy 13. Beautiful game.

Favorite Band: Shinedown! They’re everything I want out of a rock band. (Actually I’m not sure if they’re considered hard rock or light metal. They seem borderline)

Instruments played: Ex boyfriend tried to get me to play piano. Didn’t work out.

Favorite Book: There’s a series called Young Wizards by Diane Duane which is p h e n o m e n a l. I haven’t read it in awhile, though.

Let’s tag @scarlett-draws-stuff-190, @eggoscrombled and @trifoyle

No pressure, of course

#daily life with mercy #ask meme #tag stuff #notundertale

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tara-l-blackmore · 7 years ago

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75 with Alphys and Undyne! c:

When the sun fell, and the sky began to darken, Undyne suddenly stopped, letting Papyrus run ahead; she knew he'd likely either circle back or be herded back by sans, so she wasn't worried.No, this was more important: seeing the stars. For real. She stood, her eyes on the sky, her heart racing so fast she felt it in her fingertips. She was grinning, shifting from foot to foot, so eager to see them that she was getting impatient.Luckily, she got a distraction.She heard her name being breathlessly shouted, then a set of clumsy footsteps coming closer. Undyne's heart started racing in a different way, now.Alphys tumbled into veiw, her eyes searching with an expression of slight panic, but it eased when she saw Undyne at last. She smiled, her tail wagging, before she raced over - only to stop with her hands held in front of her, suddenly nervous.Undyne grinned wider, knelt down, and grabbed her into a hug. "Hey, nerd," she greeted.Alphys both blushed and giggled before she hugged back shakily. "H-hi," she murmured. "I'm so... so glad I caught up with you!""Me too," Undyne agreed, giving her a final squeeze before she let go - mostly. She kept an arm around her shoulders and stayed kneeling, and Alphys was so red and nervous that she couldn't move."Watch the stars come out with me?" Undyne asked. She said it softly, unsure if she even had the right to ask, but Alphys turned to her and nodded, smiling again.They looked up together, watching the sky change colours and darken. It was amazing, like watching a mood ring, and they were hyponotised.Then, one by one, the stars started to show, and their eyes widened, mouths open in shock, as they keep appearing, so often it was like magic.When the sky was black, it was also peppered with those stars, shining and glittering like millions of wise eyes staring at them. Alphys suddenly slumped over into Undyne's arms - no word, no warning, just simply dropped - and with a yelp, Undyne caught her."Alphys!" she called, ignoring everything else. Alphys had clearly fainted. Undyne lightly tapped her cheek, calling her name again and again, until finally, Alphys stirred."Hey!" Undyne cried, shaking her. "C'mon, wake up?"Alphys frowned, then slowly opened her eyes - and jumped. Undyne was holding her in her arms, staring at her with what could only be called terror - only once their eyes met, that expression vanished, to one of pure, grateful relief. Undyne then hugged her again, hard. "Wh... wh-what happened?" Alphys wondered, genuinely confused. She'd been enjoying it all, the wonder, the mystic feeling of seeing those stars, the comfort of Undyne beside her... only to pass out from it all."You fainted, straight into my arms!" Undyne cried, sounding angry in her worry. Then, suddenly, her expression changed, and she smiled slyly, her eyebrows going up. "You know," she added, her tone soft. She leaned close to Alphys, then, and Alphys felt her mouth go dry. "If you wanted my attention, you don't have to go to such extremes."Alphys went scarlet, all over. "I-I-I was just... the st-stars... and-and you... everything, the surface, the barrier... I just... short-circuited!"Undyne laughed, and after a moment, Alphys did, too. It was rather silly, after all."Well, you got my attention, anyway," Undyne replied. Alphys blinked up at her, speechless. Undyne was rather glad for this, because she swallowed, leaned down, and kissed her lips gently.And Alphys fainted again, right after. The night was filled with Undyne's laughter - a beautiful start to a new world.

#OmoniScribbles #Alphyne #Alphys/Undyne

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dtk-imagines · 8 years ago

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I've got another ask for you! (Tell me if I'm annoying, k?) So, for US/SF!Bros. I saw a lot of stuff about a S/O encountering an abusing ex and then the skelli comes over and makes the ex leave and makes sure S/O is fine and bla-bla-bla... but what about the contrary? What if the skele-babe was the one with the abusing ex and the new S/O's making sure they're ok? (Unless you're uncomfortable with doing this kind of asks, it's fine if you don't want to.)

HO BOY, you’re not bothering me at all! This was really interesting to think about and soooo fun to write. All of the below is assuming the S/O stepped in and got the ex to back off.

TW for abuse/abuse mention.

US!Sans/Plum:

– You’re out at a park enjoying a nice picnic date when the ex is spotted, making their way toward you. Plum’s eyelights go out and he nearly drops the sandwich in his hand. He’ll try to get you both to pack up and leave, but you’re not fast enough and now the ex is right there.

– They look you up and down before turning to Sans, who looks.. pained. Like them standing there is cutting right through him.

“Please, Sans, come back to me,” They beg, stepping forward into his space. “Please, I’m sorry. I’ll be better, I promise, this time I’ll - ”

“i-i don’t want to.”

Plum’s voice is so small as he backs away. This is a far cry from the happy, encouraging skeleton you know. He makes sure to stay between you and the ex, but that just gives them the chance to grab his wrist.

“Please, come on, I need you.” They say, looking almost entirely genuine with their heartache. The words are like torture to Plum’s soul, “Please, I love you so much. I’ll do better.”

– What happens next is up to you. Whether you rip the ex’s hand off of your boyfriend and yell at them or just deck them in the face, Plum is paralyzed. He’s shocked, and afraid, so afraid for you because he doesn’t want the ex to target you too!

– Say his name and snap him out of it; When he realizes that the ex is now gone (or knocked out) he clings to you and bursts into tears. He’s so sorry human, he should have done something, you shouldn’t have had to do that but he just never thought they’d coming looking for him and he was terrified and -

– Oh, gosh. Please comfort him. Tell him you want to go home, and he’ll nod and follow your lead. You ditch the picnic date and go home to watch movies instead, arms around each other. He thanks you for the millionth time, hugging you tight. He’s safe with you, he knows that now better than ever before.

US!Papyrus/Cherry:

– You’re both walking down the street, on your way home from grocery shopping after Sans sent you to get ingredients for dinner. Cherry’s making some joke about tacos, and you’re laughing even though the punch line hasn’t been delivered yet.

– You never get to hear it though, because Papyrus has stopped talking. In fact, he’s stopped walking altogether, simply looking ahead with wide sockets. You look forward just as his ex slows to a stop in front of you, panting.

“Papyrus! Oh, baby, I knew it was you.” The ex is smiling wide, completely ignoring your presence. He seems to miss the wince Papyrus does at the pet name. “How are you? Listen, I’ve been thinking, and - ”

“i don’t care.” Papyrus bites back, voice dripping with a venom you’ve never heard before. He transfers a bag from one hand to the other, freeing one so he can grab yours. You feel the crackle of a shortcut coming and relief runs through you, you get to go home and just avoid this altogether -

but the shortcut occurs right as the ex reaches out to him and now all three of you are in Papyrus’ room. This is where his brain short-circuits - the sight of them in his room has opened the floodgates to horrible memories and he’s panicking now, because he never wanted them near him, near anyone or anything he loved ever again and now they’re here.

– This is where you [ACT]. You kick them out one way or the other, and when you come back Cherry is crouched in the same place, head between his knees and breathing hard and fast. Hold him, rock him back and forth and tell him he’s alright, the ex is gone now, it’s just you and him.

– You turn into a pile on the floor, your body half draped over him protectively as he calms down. It takes a long time for him to recover, but he already feels more grounded with you there.

“..thank you.” He’ll say, voice muffled by you and his hoodie. And it’s a loaded thank you; a thank you for getting rid of them, for staying with him, and just for being there.

SF!Sans/Hunter:

– You’re outside the skeleton brothers’ house, cleaning up what’s left of Chara’s latest prank. Hunter is loudly grumbling about his stupid brother and his stupid influence, he’s gonna freakin’ get him for encouraging Chara to waste their time pulling pranks instead of doing something useful.

– Something beeps behind both of you and he stills. He knows Papyrus is out and not to be home until dinner; he whips around to face his ex, walking over after disarming the trap at the gate. His eyelights vanish.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE.”

The ex glares and stops short of a foot away. “To get you back, Sans. How could you just leave me like that?” Their tone is a mixture of accusing and.. hurt? “How could you? After all we did, after all I did for you, you just - “

“SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU - YOU FUCKING KNOW WHY - “

– The screaming match begins, and whether or no you join in is up to you. Hunter surprisingly does not summon a bone, or use his blue magic to throw them out of the property. It doesn’t look like it’s going to escalate until you hear the ringing slap of flesh across bone.

“There, you thinking straight, yet?” The ex spits, “Come on, use your head, Sans, I thought you were smart. “

– You step in now, because Sans is frozen. His face is turned to the ground and he’s shaking violently, holding the side he was struck on in silence. You have to use force and shove the ex out the gate, maybe chase them halfway down the freaking block to get them far enough away. When you return, Sans his hugging himself now, shaking even harder than he was.

– You take him inside, and as soon as the door closes he’s wracked with sobs. As you hold him he’s cursing himself and them, because he should have just thrown them out the second they came, he should know better, how could he have been so weak that he let them walk, let them live? Counter his words, softly, and he’ll become quiet again.

– You’ll find in the next few days that he’ll be pampering you more than usual, calling to tell you that he’s left some of your favourite snacks on the table or taking a day off to spend more time with you. He’s even more determined to treat you right.

SF!Papyrus/Hound:

– You’re visiting Hound at one of his jobs - he’s most recently taken to selling ice cream on the beach. He’s just given you a free cone, silently reveling in your laughter after joking that it’s “on the house for sweet things like you, sugar”.

– Suddenly, you hear someone call out his name. You look around for the source and Hound’s grin disappears. His relaxed posture has turned rigid and he’s stock still as his ex runs up to the cart. They’re red in the face.

“Papyrus! Where have you been?” They shout, before zeroing in on you. “Who is this?”

If it’s possible for a skeleton to become any more stiff, he does. Papyrus raises himself to his full height and nudges you slightly behind him. His voice is cold, detached. “it’s none of your business.”

They look at him incredulously and bark out a laugh. “None of my business? Papyrus, of course it’s my business. Everything of yours is my business. You’re my partner, and - “

“i am not your partner.” He replies simply.

“Oh you aren’t, are you?” The ex moves into his space and he holds his ground. But you can hear and see Hound’s hand rattling at his side. “And what do you think you are now then, hm? Because you certainly weren’t much of anything when I found you. I kept you on your god damn feet.”

For a moment it seems like he’s about to wring their neck, but then, “you.. you treated me like..” His face twists into something dark and defeated; like he’s wrestling with the last word, unsure if it’s true or not.

– They roll their eyes, dismissing him. They move to take hold of his arm and this is where you’ve had enough. You send them off with physical force or/and a threat or five, and turn back to Hound. He’s trembling still, gaze hazy with the look of someone too deep in bad memories. Bring him back with the suggestion to the rest of the day off and a hand in his, and he’ll numbly do as you say.

– When you’re home, bring him to the bed and just lay there with him. Let him curl around you and bury his face in your hair - nothing makes him okay faster than your physical presence. He weeps, choking out “thank you”s and “i love you”s with every breath he can manage to take. He knows he’s going to be okay, he’s always going to turn out okay if you’re there with him.

#hc #imagine #long post #us!sans #us!papyrus #sf!sans #sf!papyrus #Plum #Cherry #Hunter #Hound #s/o #abusive ex #abuse #abuse mention #this was fun to write. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF MY BOYS......#i want to beat up all these exes wtf #summerfred1516

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battlemaiden13 · 2 years ago

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https://at.tumblr.com/bigoltrashpile/a-unrepentant-sinner-dmed-me-this-request-a-few/s0t1vrr4xz5k

what would your take on this ask be with the house next door skeles???👀

Sans -He’s having a really hard time. You’ve heard him mutter a few times under his breath, and I quote, “you’re killin me here kid”. He’s never really had a sexual attraction to someone but that has changed with you, your obliviousness though means he won’t act on it and he tries to keep it cool but it is very difficult. He’s almost always a blushing mess around you but he plays it off.

Papyrus -Lucky he is also oblivious so most of the time he honestly doesn’t notice. On the rare occasion he does, or he’s in the mood he will though and he will act on it. A passionate kiss, whispering in your ear, calling you out for teasing. Your heart races as he pulls you close, not aware of what exactly you did.

Red -He will comment every single time and he will stare. He has no shame, he’s almost certain you’ll never like him anyway so he’s going to enjoy himself while he can. The comments are always lewd and to the point making you blush, or at least that’s the goal. Sometimes there's an empty threat about bending you over and making you moan but he won’t actually touch you.

Edge -Tries to be respectful. Most times he will clear his throat and look away with a light dusting red on his cheek. In public he will glare at passersby who are stealing glances at you. Occasionally though he can’t tear his eyes away and you catch him staring but he usually makes up some excuse. One or two times though he will compliment you and it's just so genuine you can hear the love in his voice.

Blue -Oh he is very good at looking and not getting caught. The innocents that everyone just assumes of him allows him to get away with a lot. A light ‘accidental’ brush against you with a hand, watching you unabashedly because who would accuse him of being pervy when he would just act innocent. He also does a lot to prevent these things from happening in public so no one else can see them. He will dive to pick up things you’ve dropped or ask real sweetly for you to wear something he ‘loves on you’ when it’s just a tad longer.

Orange -Wolf whistles almost every time. He will slap your butt and stare, always wearing a stupid grin. He enjoys it a lot but will also tease you a lot for it that may get him playfully hit by you a few times. He can’t help it; he thinks you look really good and you need to know it. Making you blush is just a bonus.

Berry -Most of the time he doesn’t notice, he can be pretty oblivious sometimes but when he does he will screech and blush. He assumes you are doing it on purpose to wind him up and will always assume this no matter how much you explain you have no idea what he’s talking about. Watching him turn a bright shade of purple is very entertaining though.

Syrup -It short circuits his brain each time. He might recover quickly and say a flirty line or he will panic and try to not get caught staring although his blush will probably give him away. The best reaction though is when he is halfway through a sentence and cuts himself off with a stutter as you distract him. He’ll lose all train of thought in that instant and panic to get it back.

#Undertale #undertale Imagines #undertale sans #undertale papyrus #underfell #underfell papyrus #underfell sans #underswap #underswap sans #underswap papyrus #swapfell #swapfell sans #swapfell papyrus #undertale

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canadian-buckbeaver · 8 years ago

Text

Fell’s Invasion - Ch. 6

Thank you to @babypizzawonderland for beta-ing this and putting up with my Beavernease!

Leave me a Kudos here!

Buy Me a Coffee here or Pizza a Tea here

Blue found that getting home to the labs was a lot harder than it normally was that particular day. It was indeed as Fell Papyrus had said. It was becoming a lot harder to stay safe.

First, it seemed every single Fell monster was out and on the streets today, making it nearly impossible to travel undetected through Snowdin. Some looked to be cleaning or repairing parts of the town, others setting up some dark-looking decorations. Not to mention that they all seemed very anxious, on high-alert and whispering amongst themselves. But, why today of all days? Fell hadn’t said that anything was going on. Though he had hinted that there was something. Blue snorted. What was with all the Papyruses giving half answers? Would it break their bones to give a full answer? Yes, no and why? It would be infinitely more helpful, and easier.

As a result of the increased traffic, he was constantly hiding or running into the alleyways to escape the monsters’ sight. ‘This is becoming ridiculous,’ he thought, stewing as he hid behind a garbage can waiting for yet another monster in Underfell armour to walk past him. Even when he and Papy had been first hunting for food in the middle of the day it hadn’t been this active. He hadn’t seen the street so busy since before Underfell took over. That thought made him swallow hard against the lump in his throat. He couldn’t think about the beautiful past right now though. Couldn’t think of the good old days. That thought would only distract him and cause him to be clumsy, make mistakes, perhaps even be captured. Too many were counting on him for that. Once the monster had passed, Blue took another quick scan up and down the street. It appeared to be clear…

Clear for now.

Taking a chance he tightened the straps of the bag he wore around his body and held the precious satchel of clean food from Fell closer to him. Taking one last look around he burst out of his hiding place and took off down the street, ducking into a nearby alley in one of his own non-magical shortcuts to the lab.

Perhaps if Blue had been a little more thorough in his scanning he would have seen them. There was a small group of three skeletons, luckily for him not of Underfell, just sitting on a nearby roof, observing the chaos and confusion. There was the skeleton that his brother said looked exactly like him, from his short stature, to his blue bandana, to his battle body. Another was larger than the others, mostly dark but with multi-coloured bones. This one appeared to coming in and out of focus frequently. He was holding hands with a slightly smaller skeleton, coloured in clothes which seemed to be splashes of different coloured paint, a large paintbrush strapped to his back, and an ever so rounded ectobelly poking from the utility belt. They watched him run off, but didn’t say a word to one another. The colourful one squeezed hands with the dark one, as if bracing for the upcoming fall out.

* * * * *

Blue bolted through the secured doors of the lab and slammed them hard behind him, locking and ensuring the security system was reengaged. Once he was satisfied, he entered the true lab.

He wasn’t sure what to expect really. From the tone of Papy’s voice something was going on. Something big. He was ashamed to admit but he had been expecting, upon entering, to see the lab in full-meltdown mode. Would it be dramatic of him to imagine a high-pitched, repeating siren, steam or smoke, some flashing red lights perhaps? Undyne, Nappstabot and Papyrus running around dramatically, screaming, with hands up in the air?

To his surprise (and utmost relief) he saw none of this. The computers appeared to be functioning normally, although a bit dusty and wheezy, and it even looked like Undyne had been able to connect to the cameras that she had originally placed around Underswap. She was sitting at one of the outdated computers, furiously typing away and muttering to herself and to it. She was definitely paler around the gills than normal, her red bun a straggly mess of escaping hair. Though her hair seemed to be the least of her worries as he watched her grit her pointed teeth and continue to mash buttons on the keyboard. Something, indeed, was very, very wrong.

But what?

“Hey, Undyne?” he called out, cautiously making his way towards her.

Undyne gasped and whirled around, instantly killing her feed. That… that was odd. Blue knew that was rough on computers, Undyne would never do that to her modern day machines, let alone these ‘garbage machines’. If Blue hadn’t had any doubts before, he would certainly have them now, as that was highly suspicious. What didn’t she want him to see?

“Oh… Oh! Blue! You’re back!” she smiled, the muscle reflex not reaching or lighting her eyes. “That’s… that’s good! Papyrus will be happy…. I mean. I’m happy too! So very glad you’re back Sans!” she said, not meeting his gaze.

“Is…. Is there something wrong Undyne?” he asked, although already knowing there was. Maybe he could help out with something. He had been in training for the Guard after all, part of their duties was to give help when needed to whoever needed it.

Undyne furiously shook her head. “No! No, everything is under control here, Sansy!” she said, chocking out a forced, high-pitched, extremely fake laugh. Blue blinked in surprise. This definitely wasn’t the Undyne who would sit on the couch and watch anime with Alphys and him. This one, he had never seen before.

Something was very, very wrong here, and Blue was desperate to find out what it was.

“Yo, yo, yo!” a familiar robotic voice came from behind him.

Undyne let out a large sigh of relief. “Ah Nappstabot,” she said speaking to the humanoid machine, “do you mind helping Blue with the food he’s found and then showing him the ‘special project’ that we have for him?”

Special project had to be code for something, Blue quickly realized. But what? What was so secretive?

And why was he being treated like a baby bones again, in war all of all things?

Nappstabot blinked his optical sensors at Undyne before rearranging his facial mechanics into a confused expression. “Special Project?” he asked.

Undyne flushed. “Yes.” She said, “do you remember the ‘special project’ that we had discussed with Papyrus for Sans today? I need you to help him with that.” she prodded, sounding more irate.

“I’m sorry Undyne,” Nappstabot said, “that request just does not compute with my circuits.” He looked generally apologetic for this.

Well, as unapologetic as a hunk of metal could look.

Blue swore that Undyne was about to pull out her hair. She gave a short screech before marching up to Nappstabot and shaking him. “Listen here, you rusty bucket of bolts!” She snapped, “The ‘special project’.” She repeated. “Code 5-2-3, Arctic Fox, Toto. Understand? Do you compute?” she snapped.

Nappstabot’s eyes went blank for a second, before reappearing. “Understood ma’am.” He said before turning back to Blue, smiling brightly. “Come on Blue!” he said, “Let’s go to the kitchen and see what you got! Then after perhaps we can make a puzzle or play a game.”

Blue looked between Nappstabot and Undyne. Undyne had just accessed and requested that a program be run in Nappstabot’s circuits, one that was designed to keep him distracted and away from the others, that much he was sure. But, that raised three other very important questions.

First of all: Why? Why would Undyne and or Papyrus do something like that?

Second: What on Toriel’s ground was going on?

Third: “Where’s Papyrus?” he asked the two monsters.

Nappstabot shook his head. “Papyrus will be back soon.” He said. “I noticed that he was just entering in the security code of the doors while you were talking to Undyne. He’ll be inside in no time.”

Blue took a step back towards the exit then. “In that case I better go unlock the doors then. He’s going to be wanting to come in quickly.”

Undyne loosened a quick, sharp yelp and Nappstabot grabbed a firm hold on Blue’s shoulder. “That isn’t necessary Blue,” he said, “he’ll be in soon. He’s a true dawg, after all. How about you and I put the food away and then play a game?” he suggested again. “You and I haven’t hung out much since this whole invasion started.”

Blue took another step backwards. He was starting to feel scared now. Undyne and Nappstabot were clearly trying to distract him from something. Had something happened to Pappy? Had Blue taken too long in getting home and Papyrus gotten worried, went out and started looking for him? Perhaps he was captured by the Fell monsters! Oh, Stars! He didn’t know what he would do without his brother. His breaths became more ragged and quicker, his eye lights shrinking and becoming tiny blue pinpricks of light, he was truly beginning to panic now. He fell to knees and hid his skull in his gloves.

“Undyne…” he panted, “I want… I want Papyrus… what happened? I need to know? I need to help. Don’t leave me in the dark about my brother. He’s all I have…” Blue continued to break down and babble, the bottled up stress finally finding an outlet.

He had just taken a breath to continue when he heard footsteps from behind him. In seconds he was scooped in a familiar honey-smelling embrace. “Hey there, buddy.” The smoker’s voice said. “Breathe in. Hold. And breathe out for me… I’m right here… I’m right here…”

Blue seized his brother and pulled him close, giving a relieved little whimper. He hid his skull into the orange sweater and inhaled deeply, tasting and smelling the fabric. It smelled of his brother. All honey and smoke. It took more than a couple minutes before Blue let loose another gasp and looked up at his brother. Those lazy eyes were looking him over, his drawl a little harder than normal as he scanned him, looking for any injury.

“I’m fine, Paps…” he sniffed.

Papyrus frowned. “Fine does not make for a full break down on the floor. Tell me the truth.”

Blue sighed before frowning. He could do this. Breathe. “You guys are being secretive again. I asked Undyne where you were and she said ‘back soon’. That answers all of nothing. I started thinking that you were captured…”

“Ahhh….” The hoodie monster frowned. “That would be my fault. I told her to say something…”

He shot a sideways look at the fish monster who flushed. “You try making something up on the spot.” She shot at him, huffing and turning her back on the skeleton brothers.

His brother sighed and pinched his nasal cavity. “Anyways. I was on a very special mission.” He said with a small wink. “Your lazy brother hasn’t been so lazy lately.”

Blue huffed at him. “Papyrus…” he started to be stern but then broke eye contact. “This isn’t how I wanted you to be less lazy…” he said quietly.

“I know bro… but hopefully I just gave us a huge advantage in this war.” Stretch smiled at his beloved sibling, this time the smile meeting his sockets, an extra sparkle reaching them. One that hadn’t been lit for a long time now.

Blue’s eyes widened. If that was true… to say the least that would be fantastic news. Push the Underfell creatures out faster than sitting around, waiting for Queen Toriel’s orders. “Well… are you going to keep me in the dark? What was your mission?” Blue demanded.

“This must be your brother. ‘Blue’ you said, right Papyrus?” a deep, friendly voice said behind him.

Blue slowly turned around silently. There was a towering new monster behind him. His blonde hair and goatee was tangled and filled with leaves and twigs, both his fine, white fur and royal purple robe was covered with dirt, mud, and tiny scrapes and scratches. But those hazel eyes were as warm and friendly as the queen had once described. “King Asgore!” Blue smiled. The gatekeeper of the ruins would always be the king in his mind.

Asgore smiled at the little blue skeleton. “By the stars above, he’s even cuter than you said that he is.” he told Papyrus.

Papyrus snickered. “Nyeh heh heh… I get that a lot…”

Blue positively vibrated with excitement. Asgore, the king of Underswap, was here! It was as Papy said, this was a huge win for them. This is one monster that the Underfell monsters would not get. That, he swore to the stars.

Undyne’s voice pulled them from the minor celebration that was happening, and back into their cruel, harsh reality. “Papyrus. Are you serious about Blue seeing everything? Knowing everything?” Blue looked over at her. Her blue face was pale, and her voice had a new, more violent quiver to it that Blue did not like.

Those feelings returned. Something big was happening. Something terrible. But he had to know. He was of age damnit. It was because he was so small and cute, he looked naïve and innocent. He needed to know. This was his fight too. Papyrus, to his relief, nodded. “Yes… I think Blue’s been kept out of the dark long enough…” As Undyne returned to the computer, Papyrus turned back towards Asgore and Blue. “The Underfell Asgore is addressing his subjects today in the centre of town.” He told them. Giving them no time to absorb that information, he pressed on. “Undyne and I aren’t sure about what yet, our technology here isn’t as good as it should be. But, in our current situation, it’s much better than none.”

Asgore nodded. “I can’t hold anything against you all. It’s a miracle that you have made it this far alone.”

Blue huffed. “We haven’t been alone though. We have each other. And together, together we are a team. And together we make it work.” He looked fondly over the monsters he called his friends.

Undyne and Asgore fondly smiled down at him. Papyrus grinned and clapped him on the back. “That’s my bro.” he said proudly to the others. Blue felt his chest swell with pride. If only Fell could see him now! He’d show that jagged tooth creature that he knew how to survive this new environment.

Nappstabot turned to Blue. “Actually… what I believe that Asgore was trying to say was that he is surprised that we don’t have inside help.”

Blue’s sockets widened and his skull turned bright blue. Oh… OH.

He hid himself in his bandana. He could hear Undyne talking to the robot but didn’t listen to what they were saying. Let them think he was embarrassed for his little mistake. This… this would be the perfect time to tell them about Fell. He peeked out again. Asgore was smiling at his brother, Undyne once again pulling up some feed on the computer, and Nappstabot was tweaking wires and every so often hitting another button.

Blue considered it. He could tell them everything. Meeting Fell in the alley, being coerced with food, good clean food, to meet him every so often. His brother could help him…

The screen crackled and hissed to life. There was a dark robot standing in front of podium, tapping on the mic. The robot was dressed in dark crimson armour and had four arms. The closer that Blue looked at this new monster, the more it reminded him of Nappstabot – but, as was everything in comparison to Fell and Swap, slightly different. There was a large crowd of monsters sitting in front of him. It almost seemed that every Fell monster was in attendance. Blue jumped back against his brother when he saw Fell already standing by the robot, as they talked to each other quietly. When Fell told him to expect to see him soon… well he wasn’t expecting this soon.

Papyrus wrapped his arm around Blue and pulled him close to him. Although shielded by the computer screen, the memories on the battlefield were still far too fresh to forgive and forget.

The robot tapped a couple times on the mic, causing it to echo through the cameras. The metal being coughed once and the audience immediately grew silent. When he spoke Berry realized that it was the same narrator for the radio station.

“Attention!” he shouted. This robot was also a male! Once again, like Nappstabot! “All rise, remove your hats and salute for the one and only, our supreme ruler. The great and tyrannical Lord Asgore!”

Both the robot and Fell immediately stepped to the side. One of their hands fell to their side, the other snapped to their skulls as they crouched in a kneeling bow. The Swap monsters stared in amazement as the remainder of the creatures snapped to their feet and saluted. The stage was creaking, as a great weight settled upon it. First two horns appeared, between them a golden crown. Deep black hair and goatee contrasted the white fur, the red robe pulled around his shoulders, making this monster look like the true symbolism of death. By the time he had majestically crossed the stage, the Swap creatures could only gape. Asgore came up to the mic and, throwing up his hands, roared to the crowd gathered below them. They roared back and soon a cheer began. “Asgore! Asgore!”

Blue stared at the other version of the royal goat. He was treated as if he were a superstar…

They might just be, in the words of Papyrus, screwed.

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