Chapter Seven
(Frisk is our narrator!)

I climbed the ramp out of the dump and found a small, tranquil garden arranged around a small pond. One of the glowing star crystals rested in the flowers and I knelt to touch it, feeling refreshed and determined. I walked further up the path and discovered two strangely curved houses, one blue and one pink, that sort of resembled a caricature of the sheet wrapped ghost. I looked in the window of the blue house and found the ghost whose tears scared off the Dummy. I knocked on the door and entered.

The ghost looked up from his computer, a pair of hardcore headphones on his head. "oh... you really came..."

"You invited me." I smiled patiently. "Would you rather that I hadn't?"

"oh... no... i'm happy you're here. sorry, i... wasn't expecting that."

"I'm Frisk." I gestured to the hologram on my shoulder. "This is C." I pointed to the wiggling mass under my sweater. "And these are the spiders I'm taking to see their relatives."

"i'm napstablook." He gestured to the house around him. "it's not much, but make yourself at home."

"Thank you. I could use a rest." Taking a seat on the floor, I put my backpack down. Next to my arm was his record collection. In it, I spotted some really good vinyl picks as well as a few things I didn't recognize. I lifted one labelled "Spookwave."

"dang... the ambiance of that one... it's like my whole body is being spooked... and it isn't even playing..." He floated over to me. "i saw you in the ruins... the goat prince carrying you back to his home... i thought, maybe, you might have ended up like me..."

"Ended up like..." My jaw dropped. "What was your name before it was Napstablook?"

"it was never... anything else..." He floated to the fridge. "are you hungry?"

I shook my head. "I'm good."

"after a great meal i like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage... it's a family tradition... do you want... to join me...?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

"okay... follow my lead..."

He laid down flat on the floor. I checked to make sure I wouldn't be laying on any of the spiders before resting back as comfortably as I could.

"here we go... you'll get comfortable the more still you are... so... only move around when you want to get up, i guess."

I lay there for a minute and felt... heavy? Yeah. Heavy. But I also felt like I was floating. The house around us faded away, revealing the cosmos, vast and infinite. Bright stars, pulsing quasars, and spiral galaxies moved about us in a fantastically expanding blackness. I relaxed fully, resting my hands on my stomach. C looked around, watching as a comet sped by on my right. The spiders crawled out of the sweater to sit on my chest.

I wondered for a moment what kind of hallucination I was having, but then decided that it didn't matter. I was relaxed and I trusted that my finely honed senses would warn me of any real danger. I wasn't sure how long I laid there, but as soon as I moved to sit up, the universe slipped away, and Napstablook's home returned. The spiders crawled back inside the sweater and C sat down on my shoulder.

"Woah."

"Yeah," C echoed.

"i need to go to work now... i'll see you later... or not..."

I smiled as I sighed. "I need to get the spiders to their relatives. Thank you for inviting me to your house, Napstablook."

"you're welcome..." He faded away.

I stood, and after making sure the door was firmly shut behind me, continued through Waterfall. The cavern ahead was dark despite the strange, blue flamed pillars.

C pointed. "If you touch those mushrooms, they'll light up, and illuminate the path."

"Thanks."

"I wonder where the Bone-head is."

I frowned. I wondered about that too. "Do you think he's in trouble?" I touched a mushroom clump, revealing a path to a second and then third clump.

C shook his head. "He's a boss monster so I doubt it. You'll want to hit the lamps in this room to light the way."

"Got it." I touched a lamp and could barely make out another in the gloom but made it before the lights went out completely. The next room was even darker with only C's glow to help me make out a path. I walked forward until I ran into a glowing Echo Flower.

"Behind you," it whispered in a familiar fish woman's voice.

I turned. And in the dim light, I could make out Undyne's shining armor.

"Seven. Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king... King Asgore Dreemurr... will become a god. With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity... And give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured. Understand, human? This is your only chance at redemption."

Fury blossomed in my chest, and C was suddenly in my head, holding the door to the basement shut. "Woah! Calm down, Frisk!"

"Give up your soul. Or I'll tear it from your body."

My voice dripped like ice from my lips. "You. Can. Try."

Undyne summoned a glowing spear, rushing me. But before she came close, the arm-less lizard boy came out of the reeds to my right.

"Undyne! I'll help you fight!"

Undyne came to a halt, spear disappearing from her gauntlet covered hands. She grabbed the child by the ear and dragged him away.

"Hey! You aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you?"

I let out the breath I was unconsciously holding and shook my head.

C stepped away from the basement door, staring up at the viper burned into the wood. "I am putting locks on this thing!"

I sighed. "If it makes you feel better."

"What got you so bothered so suddenly? It was like super calm to awful death in two seconds!"

I stared at the retreating armor. "The very idea that death equals redemption is a coward's gambit."

I followed the retreating armor, my eyes adjusting to the darkness enough that I could see a faint path on the right. I took it and walked into a field of Echo Flowers. Golden, glowing, lightning bugs filled the air. The path ended in water and I stepped into it, forging ahead while holding my pack up, the spiders riding on my head. Coming out of the water, the path picked up, and led to a bridge over a high ravine.

As I walked across the bridge, the lizard child came up behind me. "Yo!" He approached slowly, frightened. "I know I'm not supposed to be here, but... I wanna ask you something." He fidgeted nervously. "Oh man. I've never had to ask anyone this before." He took a deep breath. "Are you a kid boss monster? Or are you a human?"

"I'm human."

"Man! I knew it!" His excitement bled away. "Well, I know it now, I mean..." He frowned. "Undyne told me, um, 'stay away from that human.' So I guess that makes us enemies or something." He smiled sadly. "But I kinda stink at that." He laughed nervously. "Can you say something mean so I can hate you?"

I shook my head. "No. I won't do that."

"What? So I have to do it?" His face fell. "Here goes nothing..." He took a deep breath. "Yo, I... I hate your guts!"

I wasn't sure how I did it, but I managed not to laugh. "That is the least offensive insult I've ever been served."

His head fell, lips trembling. "Man, I... I'm such a turd. I'm... I'm gonna go home now."

"Wait." I put my hands on his arm-less shoulders. "Listen. Hate is a powerful thing. It's something that eats away at you and destroys the goodness that naturally lives in your heart. Don't hate anyone, not even your enemies. Hate harms you more than it harms that which you spend it on. Okay?"

He nodded.

"You really should go home. I'm pretty sure your parents are waiting."

He turned and headed back down the bridge, only to trip and fall. He slid off the side, barely hanging on with his clawed feet dug into the pillar. "Help! I tripped!"

Undyne stepped onto the bridge. I ignored her, grabbing the kid, and pulling him back up. As Undyne stepped forward, the child stepped between us.

"Y... y... yo... dude... If you wanna hurt my friend... You're gonna have to get through me, first."

I gasped, reaching for him to put him behind me. But Undyne simply walked away.

"She's gone." The child frowned, looking at the ground for a moment before looking at me. "Yo, you really saved my skin. I guess being enemies was just a nice thought." He laughed a little and gave me a big smile. "We'll just have to be friends instead." He sighed heavily. "Man... I really need to go home." He turned and walked to the end of the bridge. "Later, dude!"

I waved as he disappeared back into the darkness of the cavern. Sighing I turned and looked ahead. Undyne wouldn't let this one slide. She'd be waiting up ahead. And she was. Standing at the very apex of a mass of rock, and looking heavy metal album cover epic.

C snorted. "Okay, of all your internal descriptions so far, that one was the best."

I smiled. "I'm not going to kill her. But I am roughing her up a bit."

"Alright." C looked back at the basement door. I wasn't sure how he did it, but he'd placed several bolts on it, locking it down. I looked up at Undyne.

"Seven. Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god." She turned slightly, still not looking directly at me. "Six. That's how many we have collected thus far. Understand?"

"I understand that you need seven human souls. But none of the plaques you've got hanging around this place mentions that they needed to be forcefully separated from their bodies."

Undyne's monologue paused. She hadn't expected a response. Though I couldn't see her face through the metal helmet, I was sure she was frowning. "First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far, I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people."

C groaned. "Oh my God. Can we just skip to the fight already?"

"It all started long ago..."

C walked over to the basement door. "If she leaves my death out of the story, I swear to God, that I will just open this door for you."

"That's a bit harsh."

"Yeah. Well. You go around your whole childhood being told that your the hope of all monsters only to be immediately forgotten by everyone but your brother as soon as you die."

I inhaled sharply. Yeah. That would sting. A lot.

Undyne turned to look at me. "No. You know what? SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE!?"

C breathed a sigh of relief and I chuckled. "I think she just forgot the words to her monologue."

I rolled my shoulders to loosen them and the spiders in my sweater crawled to one side, huddling together.

Undyne pulled off her helmet and threw it to the ground, revealing an blue, iridescent scaled fish woman with a mass of bright red hair, and very sharp teeth. "YOU! You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams!"

I bit back a response. Telling her that her King was really the one holding that up, would not help right now, and might actually enrage her too much to start. I'd need to tire her out first.

"Alphys' history book made me think humans were cool with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen."

What history books was she reading...? Oh. Manga. Wow. Okay. I didn't have a real response to that one.

"BUT YOU?! You're just a coward!"

What was that? Ooooooh... No. No gets to say that about me. Ever. I rubbed the joints in my hands to loosen them before hopping in place twice.

"Remember! You aren't going to kill her. Just rough her up."

"Upgrade roughing up to pummeling, C."

"You hid behind a child so you could run away again!"

C rolled his eyes. "That is not how that went down."

"And let's not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes-schtick! Oooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers! You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD!"

"Definitely pummeling."

"WHO ARE YOU TALKING TOO?!"

I smiled sweetly. "Oh hey, Undyne! Nice to see you join our conversation!" C burst to life on my shoulder. "This is C, an artificial intelligence based on the memory and personality of Prince Chara Dreemurr. Remember him? The human prince of all monsters? What? Is he not part of your revenge story?"

Undyne suddenly looked angry. "King Asgore has no children! The humans killed his beloved wife!"

"And how did she get out of the Underground to be killed by humans unless she had a human soul to do it with?" C asked. "You've got so many holes in your story. And those holes are so big, Optimus Prime could walk right through them!"

I held up my fist for the bump. "Nice call back to the giant robots."

C didn't leave me hanging. "We need to get you a sword and some flowers."

Undyne growled, "Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom! Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together!"

"That's a neat trick," C chortled.

"Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! But we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can't lose!"

I immediately squelched a momentary flashback of multiple coffins and a state funeral. Yeah. No. It doesn't work that way.

"Now, Human! Let's end this, right here, right now. I'll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you're ready!"

I pulled the collar of the sweater open and looked inside. "Hey. Do you guys want to wait here while I do this?"

The spiders all shook their heads and huddled against me. If that wasn't the best vote of confidence ever, I didn't know what was.

I stepped forward. "Hey! Sushi Roll! Hit me with your best shot."

Immediately incensed, she dove at me with a glowing spear. I jumped back as she hit the ground avoiding the swing as the spear came up. She over swung in her enthusiasm, and I yanked the spear from her hands. She growled and sent a barrage of spears flying at me. Spinning the spear in my hand around me, I used it block the incoming projectiles, knocking them away. She stared at me slack jawed for a moment as I swung the spear in a circle to hold it behind me and held up one hand to motion her toward me.

C looked at me from my shoulder. "Woah. That's really cocky."

I smiled.

Undyne summoned a new spear to her hand. "Not bad. But I doubt you've had the kind of training you need to be that cocky!" She thrust the spear at mean and I stepped to the side bringing the butt of my spear around to catch her in the stomach, hitting right in the area where her breast plate ended and the armor over her pelvis began, doubling her over. This armor was not fitted properly if I could do that. I pulled back slightly and brought the spear up, knocking her in the arms to push her back up, and kicked her in the chest. She fell backwards, sprawling on the cavern floor.

I spun the spear around and stepped back to walk to the side, giving her the chance to stand. When she'd regained her feet and brought her spear up to defend, I went at her with a feint, spear held high. It worked and she came at me, thinking my chest and stomach were undefended. I brought the butt of my spear down on her shoulder hard enough to dent the pauldron and cause her to drop her spear. She backed up quick, pulling at the straps on her armor to get it off her shoulder and get her mobility back.

I didn't give her the chance, advancing quickly and using my spear to knock her off her feet. She rolled away as I continuously brought the blunt end of the spear down toward her chest, looking to dent the breast plate as well and force her into submission. She suddenly stopped rolling away from me and rolled toward me instead, slamming into my legs and sending me to the cavern floor with a hiss. That smarted.

As I rolled to my feet, she ripped the pauldron off her shoulder, getting her mobility back, and summoning a new spear. She sent a another barrage of glowing spears at me and I blocked them only to have her trip me while I was distracted with the blocking. I hit the ground and she came at me with her spear. Risking it, I brought the blunt end of my spear up, catching her chin. She went backwards with the reverse in momentum.

C tapped a map on a digital display in front of him in my head. "When you're done pummeling her, Hotland is up ahead. And I bet that armor wouldn't be so great in the sort of heat magma provides."

I found my feet, and after checking the spiders quickly, I ran up the path, feeling it become warmer immediately.

Undyne pounded the floor with her fists. "GET BACK HERE!" She found her feet and ran after me, breathing heavily. The armor she wore wasn't made for actual use. It didn't fit her properly, bent too easily under my strength, and by the pounding of the metal on the ground, was likely too heavy. A display piece found in the dump rather than the real deal. Having much longer legs than I, she reached me further up the path, knocking me down by hooking an ankle and pulling me to the ground.

I rolled over and then flipped backward to avoid her next attack, before launching myself at her chest and knocking her to the ground. I turned and made another run for it.

"Stop being so damn resilient!"

A barrage of spears came for me, stopping me in my tracks. I blocked several and then used the same trick I used on the Dummy. I moved out of the way so several went straight for her. Too busy dodging her own attack, I made a run down the path past a massive, neon sign that blinked 'WELCOME TO HOTLAND' in bright red letters.

Suddenly, my phone rang and Undyne paused in her chase after me. I looked at her for a moment, and then fished out my phone, staring at it. I could have sworn that it was out of juice. I answered the call.

"Hello?"

"HELLO, SWEET LADY! I HAVE A PROPOSAL FOR YOU. YOU, UNDYNE, AND MYSELF SHOULD SPEND SOME TIME TOGETHER. I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT SHE WOULD LIKE YOU A GREAT DEAL IF SHE GOT TO KNOW YOU. I'LL MEET YOU AT HER HOUSE LATER. WHEN YOU REACH THE LAB IN HOTLAND, YOU'LL FIND A FERRY THAT WILL TAKE YOU BACK TO WATERFALL. I SHALL AWAIT YOU AT THE DOCK."

He hung up and Undyne came at me again, just as furiously as before. I turned and threw my spear at her, aiming for the ground just in front of her. The sudden attack gave her pause and I ran for the glowing warmth of Hotland. I ran out of the dark cavern and into the glowing magma filled gallery beyond. A sentry post, with snow somehow still on the roof, stood off the side of a bridge. Bones napped at the post, snoozing away.

I paused for a moment, looking over his cracked skull and restful smile, before I heard Undyne coming up from behind me. As I dashed for the bridge over the magma, Undyne spotted him too and stopped to throw her hands up in the air, infuriated beyond belief. I slowed down on the bridge, the heat rising up from below being too much to go full bore in. Undyne came after me, but was twice as slow and sweating profusely. Bones opened his eye sockets and he winked at me before disappearing from the post. Undyne stumbled toward me, reaching in vain as I stepped off the bridge.

"Armor... so... hot..." She reached out toward me as her knees gave out. "Can't give up..." She hit the ground, red hair falling all around her.

Looking around, I found a water cooler and filled a cup with cold water. Kneeling next to her, I rolled her so that I was cradling her head in my lap. Opening her mouth a bit, I dripped the water in a bit at a time, rubbing her throat to help her swallow. Big, yellow, cat slit eyes slowly opened as she managed the rest of the water on her own. She looked up at me, face expressionless in defeat. After helping her stand, she walked away, back across the bridge, and into the darkness of Waterfall.

Sighing, I checked the spiders. They all crawled out of my sweater, hanging on to my sleeves as I fished cinnamon buns for them and myself out of my pack. We all had a bite to eat while we were near the free water provided by the water cooler.

Bones appeared next to me, relaxing back on his boney elbows. "Nice job, Babe."

"Where have you been?"

He rubbed the back of skull. "Eh... MK gave me the slip and when I came back to you, all I found was one of the nice decks over the water broken off. A Temmie said she spotted you heading up to where Undyne likes to make her big, 'You Will Die Now!' speech." He smirked. "So I decided to take a nap and give you some lead time. Are you going to head over to her place now?"

I frowned. "How many humans has she actually killed?"

His smile faded and he looked at me seriously. "None."

I sighed, nodding. "Then I'll go. Coming along?"

"After my stunt at the bridge? No way." He smiled again. "You'll have to go through the Lab to continue. I'll wait for you in there."

Looking around, I spied the Lab, very clearly labelled 'LAB,' just ahead. Making my way toward it, I found another glowing, star crystal and touched it, feeling a bit refreshed and a little grounded. To my left, two massive men in massive suits of armor, blocked the way north. To the south was a set of steps leading to a river.

Heading down to the river, I found a ferry. A clocked figure, face hidden deep in the recesses of a hood, waited on the boat.

"Tra la la. I am the riverman. Or am I the riverwoman? It doesn't really matter. I love to ride in my boat. Would you care to join me?"

"Yes, Please. I'd like to go to Waterfall."

C burst to life on my shoulder. "Seriously. We're going to Waterfall on Papyrus' suggestion? And isn't your phone dead?"

I shrugged. "Papyrus seems to know what he's doing. So if he wants me to hang with the murderous fish, I'll go hang with the murderous fish." I stepped onto the boat and it floated down the stream.

"Tra la la," the Riverperson sang, "What's my name?... It doesn't really matter..."

The boat stopped at a dock and Papyrus stood there in his dapper brown suit and lovely red scarf. He took my hand as I disembarked. "OH HO! THE LADY ARRIVES!"

"Tra la la... Come again sometime."

I looked up at Papyrus. "So where does the ferry stop?"

"SNOWDIN, WATERFALL, AND HOTLAND."

"And you didn't tell me about it."

He smiled, looking a little more like Bones. "WELL NOW. I CAN'T MAKE YOUR JOURNEY TO THE BARRIER TOO EASY, CAN I? NYEH HEH HEH!"

I sighed, letting him lead me past the path to Napstablook's house and over to a house that was shaped like a huge, mean, fish head. The shingles even looked like scales. The Dummy stood on a training mat in front of the house and I walked up to it.

"What. What? WHAT?!" It sighed. "It's a living."

I walked up to the front door and Papyrus moved to stand in front of me, blocking me from view. "ALLOW ME TO MAKE INTRODUCTIONS."

He knocked and the door, which looked like a set of clenched teeth, opened.

Undyne, in a black tank and blue jeans, answered, genuinely pleased to see her friend. "Hi, Papyrus! Ready for your extra-private, one-on-one training?"

"OF COURSE! AND I BROUGHT A FRIEND!"

She smiled, all sharp teeth, as he stepped aside. "Hi, I don't think we've..." And then she had a good look at me. Inhaling sharply, Undyne grimaced. "Why don't. You two. Come in?"

Papyrus wiped his feet on the mat outside before stepping in and I followed suit. Just inside the door, was a very open floor plan that kept the kitchen, living room, and dining area all in one space. An actual, baby grand piano rested where the living room should have been. Displayed on the wall next to dining table was a large, anime-esque sword.

Undyne sighed heavily. "Are you ready to start, Papyrus?"

His phone rang and he answered it. "AH! YES. I SEE." He hung up. "UNFORTUNATELY, I MUST BE OFF. I'M SURE YOU LADIES WILL HAVE QUITE A BIT OF FUN ON YOUR OWN." He turned to the door and hadn't quite shut it behind him when Undyne rounded on me.

"So why are YOU here? To rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me even further? IS THAT IT?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. Totally."

"Oooooh. Well, I've got news for you, BRAT. You're on my battlefield now. And you AREN'T going to humiliate me. I'll TELL you what's going to happen." She leaned over so that we were eye to cat slit, fish eye. "We're going to hang out. We're going to become 'friends.' You'll become so enamored with me, you'll be the one feeling humiliated for your actions." She laughed loudly. "Its the perfect revenge!" She gestured to the table with a pleasant smile. "Why don't you have a seat?"

C's voice wrapped around my inner ear. "She's weird."

I shrugged and sat at the table. "Where'd you find the baby grand?"

Her eyebrows went up. "There's a piano company in New Home. I'll get you something to drink. What would you like? I have soda, hot chocolate, and tea."

"You don't seem the soda type."

"I'm not! It rots your teeth and fighting spirit!"

I cocked my head to one side. "So why keep it?"

She looked around nervously.

"Oh. It's for someone you like."

She looked at me with her mouth hanging open. "Shut up!"

I chuckled. "I'll take the tea."

Undyne pulled a steaming kettle from the stove and poured. "Sugar?"

"Is it the golden flower tea?"

She looked surprised, and her hands shook a little. "Yeah."

"Then no."

Undyne slammed the cup down on the table in front of me, and I scooted back quick to avoid being hit with hot tea. "How? How were you able to defeat me? I trained with Asgore for YEARS before I was able to even hit him once, and you..." Her lips curled into a sneer. "You wiped the floor with my ass! You even looked like you were having fun doing it!"

"Actually, I was really pissed off."

She sat down, staring at me. "And what do you have to be angry about-"

I slammed both fists down on the table, leaning forward as I stood. "You play at war, but you've never actually seen it. You've not had to watch your friends and comrades die because someone decided that your country was a nice place to invade. You've not been forced to kill someone, not knowing if they were ever a threat, but also not being willing to take the chance that they were. You've not stood, covered in the blood of friend and foe alike, wondering if you'll ever see anything that looked like normal again!" I shook my head and sat, sipping the tea. "It's good."

Undyne stared at the cup in her webbed hands. "When I saw your LOVE, I thought I was justified in my pursuit. That you were some sort of monster murderer. I didn't consider that life above ground was awful enough that staying in this dark hole was preferable."

"The war's over, but some of us were asked to give more so that others wouldn't have to give any. And I don't regret the giving."

Undyne stirred her tea. "How do you live with it? The LOVE. You don't act as cold as someone with that much death surrounding them should."

I looked at her. "My dad told me that I'd be asked to do some very terrible things during the war, but that I had the choice in how I went about my missions. And how I chose to act, whether I took the easy path or the hard one, whether I painted the world red or covered myself in grime, was the difference between being a murderer and a soldier. So whenever I had the choice, I chose to dirty myself rather than swim in blood. Though that isn't to say I always had a choice. I just... kept holding onto his words."

She looked away. "He's not around anymore, is he?"

"The base he was at was bombed, and rather than evacuate, he stayed to dig his aides out of the rubble. The shrapnel from another explosion was more than he could handle. He died at the field hospital on the base I was stationed at." I blinked a few times, feeling the tears, but refusing to let them fall.

Undyne sipped her tea, silently.

"So what's Papyrus' super secret, one-on-one training?"

Undyne put her tea down with a sigh. "He wants to be in the Royal Guard. I've tried to discourage him. He's too sweet. There's no strength there."

I snorted. "Papyrus doesn't need training."

"He's a cinnamon roll."

I looked her dead in the eyes. "Agreed. That said, you can't beat me, but if Papyrus so chose, at this moment, I'd be dead." I put my cup down. "He humors you by being what you expect, the same way you humor him."

"He couldn't even capture you!"

"He wasn't even trying. He was testing me."

Undyne considered that. "Am I really so off base? What about that lazy brother of his?"

"Bones is equally dangerous."

"Bones?!" Undyne snorted. "I am so calling him that from now on!"

A thought occurred to me. "Hey."

Undyne cocked her head to the side, long red hair spilling over one shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Do they ever talk at the same time-"

"And sound like a completely different, third person?" Undyne nodded. "Yeah. It's not so bad as it used to be."

I blinked. "That's a thing?"

Undyne stood, grabbing the kettle from the stove to pour more tea for us both. "Papyrus told me once that the voice belonged to a man who suffered a bad accident and it split him into two people: Sans and Papyrus. When I met them, they were still working on trying to do something that would make them one whole person again. Then, suddenly, Papyrus stopped working on it. He started doing things separate from Sans and asked to join the Royal Guard. Since then, they've been less and less the same person, pursuing different interests."

"Bones and the guitar collection."

Undyne nodded. "Papyrus and his models."

The spiders crawled out from under my sweater to sit on my head, looking around.

Large, yellow eyes blinked at me. "You've been carrying them with you?"

"They couldn't leave Old Home through the snow in Snowdin. I'm taking them to their relatives."

Her mouth fell open in undisguised horror. "I could have killed them going after you! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Would you have listened?"

She grumbled, looking away. "No."

Speaking of grumbling, my stomach groaned loudly. I was seriously ready for dinner.

Undyne laughed and stood. "I'll make us something to eat. I've got spaghetti."

I stood and followed her over to the counters. "I'll help."