Hello again, readers! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and that Santa brought you lots of goodies! I have worked diligently to whip up another chapter for you, so I hope you all enjoy! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorited so far, it is very appreciated!
Alice peered down the long, ominous corridor as she ventured forth. She knew she had work to do, but she had no idea how much time she had… or what other perils she would face along the way. Right on cue, as she was about to approach another door that would lead completely out of the area, she growled lowly when suddenly, a small something sprouted from the ground, blocking her way.
"You do realize I could crush you under my shoe, yet you have the nerve to show your face after the last stunt you pulled." Alice said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Ha! You think you're pretty clever, don't you?" Flowey cackled. "See, when you have the kind of power you have, you can afford to play by your own rules… at least, until you realize you're just a pawn in someone else's game. You spared one person, so what? You think I'm just some flower you can stomp on, so why don't you just go ahead and stop yapping? Or are you just full of empty threats?"
"First, I said I 'could,' not I 'would.' Only the latter is a real threat, perhaps you should replace two of your petals with a pair of working ears, it would suit you all the better." Alice replied smugly.
Flowey laughed. "You must feel pretty great about yourself, huh? It's convenient to not kill anyone when you have the propensity… but I'm smarter than I look, Alice… you're not as innocent as you make yourself out to be. You may be some brooding, witty heroine to all these other idiots here, but I can see everything… your soul shows all of you, sweet heart… and there's a lot of twisted, mangled knots in it."
"What is attempting intimidation going to accomplish, flower?" Alice raised a brow.
"And what do you think rationalizing every little silly thing will accomplish for you? What happens when you come across a relentless killer? You will die, Alice Liddell… over, and over, and over… until you are so worn down that you will succumb to one option! I already told you that it's kill or be killed in this world… that's the only way to gain power here!" Flowey spat.
"I've dealt with relentless killers… and believe me… those who do evil unto others always get their comeuppance whether it be by my hand or not!" Alice exclaimed.
"Justifying murder with justice makes you a hypocrite, and a hypocrite is never loyal to a strict set of values. You're nothing short of an attention whore, always being in the spotlight!" Flowey said as his face stretched into a malicious grin. "You will take the power of this world for your own, Alice, or I will strike you down until you are nothing and it will all belong to me. I am the prince of this world, and everything is in motion for me to take it along with my partner in crime!"
"Partner in crime? There are more of you?" Alice raised a brow.
"Oh, don't worry… you will meet her soon enough… but the real fun will be saved for later. I want to see how you measure up first!" Flowey said, cackling once more before retreating into the ground.
"What a nasty little thing…" Alice grimaced. "I normally do not judge character coupled with their size but in this case I think it's justified… and unlike his outrageous opinion of me, I am certainly not guilty of hypocrisy. I can't afford to allow his words to sway my mind. I have to press on." Alice said to herself, huffing as she proceeded to the door out.
Once she passed through it, she blinked and looked around her when she was met with the sight of a snowy forest. She was a bit surprised, pursing her lips as she spoke her thoughts aloud.
"Curious… this is supposedly an underground world and yet it still somehow seems to be exposed to precipitation… and here I thought nothing could surpass the oddities of Wonderland… I do hope this is the only thing which I stand corrected upon." Alice said as she wandered through the trees.
It was then she thought she sensed something behind her, raising a brow as she glanced over her shoulder to see a smaller figure shrouded in shadow several yards behind her. She inhaled sharply, waiting a moment to see if the individual would try to gain her attention in any way, or at least make some kind of move. When they simply stood there, Alice decided to press on, continuing along the path. When she heard the soft crunching of snow underfoot behind her, persisting even as she increased her pace, she clenched her jaw as she approached an odd looking bridge, her lips tightening. When she stopped at its edge, just as her hand went to her waist, she finally heard the individual speak as they stopped a couple yards behind her.
"Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal?"
Alice slowly turned, her hand still resting upon the handle of her blade. When the individual stepped into the light, extending their hand… she narrowed her eyes warily, sensing that though this… skeleton… didn't seem to intend to do her harm, she could tell by her mental reading of him that there were more layers to his calm demeanor than what met the eye. There was something hidden behind his laid back attitude, and after what she had seen of this place already, she deduced it was better to avoid provoking it. When he remained as he was, his hand still extended, she slowly removed her hand from the blade handle tucked into her dress, extending it towards his hand. She was hesitant for a moment, her fingertips hovering just out of his reach. The skeleton eyed her hand for a moment, surprised at his own growing anticipation. He too, sensed there were deeper layers to this human as well, not moving a muscle- quite literally- before Alice finally gripped his hand. When the sound of a Whoopie cushion broke the tense silence, Alice immediately retracted her hand, grimacing as she grunted in annoyance.
"Oh, how juvenile! Have you nothing better than to stalk strangers and alarm them only to pull some simple prank?" Alice snapped.
"Oh come on, this joke always makes for a good laugh." The skeleton spoke, shrugging nonchalantly. "Anyway… you're a human, right?"
"No, I'm a bloody dodo bird… I haven't the time for this, I have other business to attend to." Alice said, huffing in annoyance.
"Hey, don't be such a sourpuss… 'cat' you at least tell me your name?" He replied, snickering at his own joke as Alice rolled her eyes. "I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. What's yours?"
"The lack of originality around here is becoming quite tiresome, among other things. My name is Alice, Alice Liddell. Now if you don't mind, I have more important things to do than to stand around and entertain you all day."
As Alice began to maneuver herself onto the bridge, Sans chuckled. "I wouldn't go too far if I were you, kid."
"And why not? Also, I'll appreciate that you don't define me with such a low class word, it's degrading." Alice said.
"Not what I intended. Anyway, I'm actually supposed to be on the lookout for humans right now… but you know… I don't really care about capturing anybody." Sans said.
"I beg your pardon? Oh, damn this place and it's unforgiving nature! Now I must keep watch for animated remains!" Alice groaned.
"Well see, my brother Papyrus is the one you have to worry about… and speak of the devil, that's him coming from that way. Here, why don't you hide under that conveniently placed chair?" Sans asked, pointing to a leather lounge chair, Alice grimacing at it as it reminded her of something out of a doctor's office. Nonetheless, she did what the vertically challenged skeleton told her, peeking out from underneath as a taller, leaner skeleton approached the first. As she listened to their conversation, she took note that the second was very loud and animated, not the picture she had painted in her mind. When he finally departed after throwing a tantrum at his- surprisingly to Alice- older brother, she emerged from her spot, dusting the snow off her dress. Judging by sizes again, don't make this a habit, she thought to herself. As she approached Sans, he observed her for a moment before nodding his head towards the path.
"Better get going, he may come back." Sans said.
"Very well, Thank you for your… assistance…" Alice said unsurely, gathering herself as the turned to continue onward. When she managed to get a few feet ahead, Sans cleared his throat.
"Actually… hate to bother you, but… can you do me a favor? I was thinking… my brother's been kind of down lately, he's never seen a human… seeing you might make his day." Sans said.
Alice forced a laugh, whirling around. "Are you joking?"
"As much as I love a good joke…" Sans smirked. "… look, he isn't really dangerous even when he tries to be, you must have picked that up."
Alice narrowed her eyes suspiciously as Sans stood calmly with his hands in his pockets, waiting patiently for her response. There was something he was hiding, this was for certain, and Alice began to wonder if he had a larger part in this than he was letting off. She knew she didn't have time to appease his ridiculous requests, but perhaps indulging them for the sake of learning more about him, and perhaps this place in general, would be worth the aggravation.
"Oh, very well!" Alice said with a huff. "But I will be quite cross if this falls back upon me and I do not think you would very much like to see me in that state."
"Thanks a million, kid." Sans replied, making Alice clench her jaw. "And by the way…" He added as Alice started to walk away again. "… I don't think you would want to 'cross that state line' on my end, either." He said before departing himself.
Alice sighed slowly, her breath seen upon the cold air as she ventured down the path and out of the thicker forest. She came across some crossroads, deciding to continue straight. As she did, she heard something rustling in the trees, stopping to glance to the side and narrow her eyes. She growled lowly when she heard what she thought was soft chuckling, deciding to move on. Up ahead, she carefully skid along some ice until she reached a sign, reading it to herself.
"'North: Ice, South: Ice, West: Ice, East: Snowdin Town… and ice.' Hm… perhaps some of their residents will hopefully be able to aid me. It's more than I can expect at this point." Alice said to herself. She decided to head east, but groaned when she saw a pair of familiar faces up ahead. "Oh, for goodness sakes…" She sighed, rolling her eyes as she approached them. A small plot had no snow covering it, separating her from the pair of skeleton brothers.
"Aha! The human arrives! The time has come for I, the great Papyrus, to capture you! In order to stop you, I have devised a few puzzles to thwart you!"
"Alas, we finally meet, oh great human hunter. Tell me, how shall you challenge someone who is an expert at riddles?" Alice said sarcastically, Sans chuckling as he smirked.
"It's quite 'shocking,' actually! And this time I shall do it right!" Papyrus replied, tossing over a blue orb. Alice caught it, looking from it to him with a questioning expression. "This is an electric maze… each time you step in the wrong spot, you will be electrocuted!"
Alice raised a brow, snorting lightly as she looked down at the orb. "Very well… tell me, o great Papyrus…" She said as Sans watched her curiously. "… how good are your reflexes?"
Before Papyrus could answer, Sans raised a brow bone as she hurled the orb right at the taller skeleton. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, Alice getting a running start as she burst into butterflies, dashing across the plot in a swarm before rematerializing on the other side, shooting her hand out to catch the orb inches from Papyrus' face. Sans nodded slowly, genuinely impressed as Papyrus turned to look at her in surprise as Alice smirked.
"Well, human, it seems you are better than I thought! I shall thoroughly enjoy besting you with my other puzzles! Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus said before hurrying off. Alice could not help but snicker lightly to herself; she had to admit, his enthusiasm was quite lighthearted, and a bit contagious.
"Hey…" Sans said, taking a step forward. "Thanks… he's having fun, I can tell. My brother is pretty cool, isn't he?"
Alice's expression softened, nodding a bit. "I suppose… it is good that he is a dreamer. My sister encouraged the same of me once when I was young." She did not give him a chance to reply, turning to continue onward. Sans stood where he was, maintaining a smile, but he bowed his head a bit. An upsetting thought came to him, and in that moment, he had caught a glimpse of the same upsetting notion on Alice's part… only in her case, it was an inevitable, irreversible reality.
Alice raised a brow, seeing another of what she presumed to be one of Papyrus' puzzles up ahead. She sighed, about to approach when she heard another rustling in the trees, furrowing a brow before going up to them, parting a few branches to see if she could detect anything. As she did so, Papyrus came up from behind, tilting his head, startling Alice when he spoke in a loud voice.
"There are no puzzles in there, human!" Papyrus said. "The next challenge is just up there-"
"Will you be quiet?! I heard something! You could wake the dead with how noisy you are!" Alice huffed.
"Everyone except my lazy brother, it would seem… but uh…" Alice grimaced as he leaned forward, standing right next to her as he gave her a side glance. "What are you looking for, anyway? Do you like snow covered trees? Do humans find them fascinating? Perhaps I could make a puzzle with them!"
"You just cannot control yourself, can you? If you must know, I was seeking out a potential threat." Alice replied.
Papyrus gasped then. "Wait a minute… don't tell me- you are looking out for me! How remarkable, when here I am trying to capture you! I am humbled, human. Because of your kind concern, I, the great Papyrus, shall take the liberty of helping you to solve the next puzzle!"
Alice snickered lightly, shaking her head a bit. "That is most generous of you. Do lead the way."
Papyrus nodded, walking proudly. "So, tell me, human, did you enjoy the pasta I left for you?"
"Regrettably no, I don't have much of an appetite at the moment, I'm afraid." Alice said, for it wasn't really a lie.
"How kind of you to leave some for me then!" Papyrus turned then. "Human, is it… that you possibly wish to be… friends with me?"
Alice blinked, exhaling slowly. "Oh, I thought you would never guess!" She said sarcastically, guessing her tone of voice would go straight over the poor sap's head anyhow.
"Oh, human… that is…" Papyrus scratched the back of his skull. "The last human that- it's just…"
Alice sighed lightly, stopping the taller skeleton. "Look… as much as I… love your puzzles and appreciate your company, I need your help."
"To tell you the truth, human… as much as I too, appreciate your desire for friendship… it is a bit worrisome. See, the last human I befriended was very kind like you… but Dr. Alphys… she notified me of a certain change in her behavior… she said it was highly unusual… I'm afraid that the same could happen to you, human… it seems that human souls are a funny thing." Papyrus said.
"You must take me to this human, Papyrus… your world is in danger, I know that. But I cannot do it without knowing more of this place first. Here… how about this. If you help me to assist those in need of my aid… then I will help you get into the royal guard." Alice said.
"You mean… you will let me capture you?" Papyrus asked hopefully.
"Yes." Alice said, huffing lightly. This wasn't the oddest task she had put herself up to; nothing could beat playing croquet with the Queen, or tea time with the Hatter.
"Hey." Sans said, Alice turning as he seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "Take her to the library. That ought to get her started. I'll come with you guys."
"A splendid idea, Sans! It's a shame the town has evacuated, I could have given the human a proper tour!" Papyrus said, marching ahead as he hummed a tune. Alice watched him curiously until she noticed Sans was at her side, glancing up at her.
"She had liked his shenanigans, I could tell." He said quietly. "None of us know what happened… but it wasn't supposed to. It isn't right. See… when something messes with you bad enough, human or monster… you don't stay you anymore. You become something else. I hope you're prepared for that if that time ever comes."
"She?" Alice looked down at him as he stared ahead at his brother. "I know you would do what is necessary to keep him safe. Rest assured, Sans… he is not malicious, therefore I shall do him no harm."
"Good. He's the only one I've got left and I don't plan on losing him again." Sans said, motioning for Alice to follow him as they headed into town.
"… Again?" Alice said to herself, furrowing a brow as she moved to keep up.
Well, what has Alice gotten herself into? There is still a lot of mystery going on here, can she be able to solve it along with you, readers? Fear not, for more is soon to come! Please leave your thoughts in a review in the meantime and check out my other stories if you would be so kind! Thank you again for reading and see you next time!