Ah.. Im super sorry that I waited so long to update, doods. I had a lot of stuff come up, and that mixed with 0 motivation kinda hits you hard. But Im backs! Ill update more If i can!

Warning for some feels here... if it makes you feel anything, that is XD

I feel like I've made Papyrus OOC. eh.

Thanks to everyone who commented and/or followed DC!

That mechanism frisk found in the woods.. it was very familiar somehow.

The first royal scientist… they made that before.. didn't they?

Who's "they"?

What did I forget from that time?

Frisk walked away from the machine, following the two perky skel's. There was a bit of hope that they weren't really bad. It was a nice thing to hope for after what happened lately. Looking around, the pine trees were still very thick and full, but one caught her eye; whatever it was, it wasn't very discernable from the rest of the trees.

When they walked through to check it out, it was a large pine as wide as a room! I couldn't believe my eyes, but neither could she.

'ghostie.. this looks like it came from the Berenstein beavers!'

I didn't bother to question whatever it was. Frisk was more into kiddy stuff.

It had a small weathered wooden door at the front, and upon knocking on it, two small Snowdrakes opened the door. They were youthful, with a shine still in their eyes.

One was yellow, the other a very pale red, almost looking like a fuzzy pink.

Red didn't seem like such a bad color when she was wearing it.

Oh well.

They both squealed and invited us to play, so Frisk obliged. How come she can't just say no?

Well, I wasn't complaining… much.

*Frisk, we have to go.*

'Just wait a bit, ghostie.' Said she, as she drank some fake tea. They clinked their plastic tea cups in cheers.

*Frisk, the brothers are waiting.*

'They can wait a bit more.' She said, nonchalantly wearing a ton of kid makeup. "ohhhh!" "You look bootiful!" squealed the snowdrakes.

*Frisk cmoooon*

'Juust a minute' She said, donning a fake feather boa. She was strutting down a fake runway- which was really just a table runner. The snowdrakes cheered and gave her 10/10 ratings. She took photos.

*Frisk i'm telling ya, I'm not gonna make you do leave; That's just lazy on your part.*

'Don't worry~' She said, crunching on some stale chisps. The label had that same indicative star, though it was strange how realistic the food was now.

The others nommed on sunflower seeds.

I didn't tell Frisk at the time, but I was silently plotting how to steal those sunflower seeds. Pine needles weren't going to sustain Frisky for long, and I was NOT going to give her bark to eat.

'This packaging is very odd though. '

*Hm? You don't have popato chisps up there?*

'Popato chisps. Ya gotta admit, Ghostie, that's a weird name.'

*Everything is weird down here, gurl.* Said I. Sass was one of my best virtues, after all.

Frisk stayed and had some more fun with the two, and even though they didn't understand sign language, their amusement spoke volumes.

It was that kind of fun that needed no words to understand.

"ChiiilDREN~! We have to go! You both have a checkup soon!" It must have been their mother. Her voice reminded me of the moms from tom and jerry.

But wait.. don't adults know what humans look like?

I forcefully grabbed control and I hid inside of the kiddy cupboards. I wasn't going to let frisk get into harms way.

I finally found someone who proved there was still hope for me. That there was still hope for monsters.

I wasn't going to lose that.

Frisk was already complaining about my forceful entry, but I didn't listen. I stilled myself and listened, watching through a small crack in the plastic doors.

The fluffy snowdrakes went over to where we hid before the larger fluffy mother came and picked them up.

"But mamaaa, there was another kid here!"

"That's very nice, fluffen."

"Its true though! They had weird paws and moved them funny!"

"Would you two like some nice cream on the way to the doctor?"

This seemed to shut them up, because they were soon hand in hand with their mother, trotting with happy peeps.

Finally letting a sigh of relief escape my lips, Then, looking in the cupboards, I filled our pockets with as many sunflower seed packets as I could. Afterwards, I gave Frisk back control. I sagged against the fuzzy(?) Rufus bean bag and I waited for her to scold me.

But it never came.

Frisk dusted herself off, gave herself a few brief pats on the cheek, and walked out of the small doorway.

She still had that wacky makeup on.

*Glitter is so not your color by the way.*

'I still rock the look, Ghostie.' Said Frisk, with a flip of her curls.

'And Ghostie?'

Oh boy. Here comes the lecture.

'Thank you. Its nice to know you care for me.'

I didn't expect that.

I also didn't expect my form to relax even more. When was I even Tense?

*No problem..*

When was the last time someone was so nice to me?

"AGAIN!" A small form tried invoking a spell, only for it to fail horribly.

"M-Maelstrom" A small voice whispered, from her hands came only small white clouds, not a large storm.

"This is pitiful, Chara. You must shout spells with conviction! Maelstrom!"

Raising his hands, a large storm cloud started forming. Two small red irises glanced at the turbulent sky with trepidation, stuck in place.

The immense pressure that the cloud radiated almost burned her lungs, a breath seemed too much for her body to do, not responding to her demands.

The red-cloaked figure glanced at his daughter with frustration, lowering his hands and calling off the storm, which was starting to produce gales.

"Para." The clouds evaporated in seconds, and Chara could finally breathe again.

"You need to be stronger. How else will you be able to fight in the war?"

The war. That's all he ever talked about. The war, the war, the war. Why couldn't he just ask a friend to help him instead?

"Keep going! The sun is going down." He said/yelled.

She said nothing, looking down the whole time in a pause.

"Well?"

"I don't want to." She looked up at the Cloaked man, her small eyes seemed to burn with defiance. She clenched her palms into tight fists, not knowing that they radiated a buzzing feeling, giving her courage. Making her determined to say what she wanted to say for months.

Sparks of lightning buzzed from her closed fists, but she didn't notice.

"I don't want to fight in the war, I don't want to train, I don't want a soul trait, I don't want to stay here, I Hate you, and I hate mom for letting me do this, and I wish you both just DI-!-"

A smack echoed in the base of the mountains.

Nobody noticed a ghostly figure, seeing it all with wide eyes.

"oh no…."

After that day, nobody noticed bloodied fingertips as she walked home. She finally did the spell.

And she did it again.

And again.

They still had mist surrounding the tips.

Two small, bloodied hands walked up to the sink, washing off the stinging wounds to eat dinner.

Sitting at the table, she ate a feast. Everything was rich and vibrant.

But she all she felt was the burning, clawing ache of spite.

Though Ghostie's sudden take of control was abrupt, you weren't going to scold her for it.

She wanted to protect you after all, no noble deed should go punished.

When you thanked her though, a small knot in your chest dissolved, replaced by a sense of relief.

It was crazy how you were getting used to her presence, but this new change was welcome.

It was nice to have a friend, after all!

Papyrus was not happy at what he saw in the slightest.

The small human looked well fed and everything, but the way they looked at Sans with fear in their eyes.. It unsettled him.

Sure, he wasn't expecting a small human girl to come dashing at him, giving him a warm hug..

But why was she running in the first place?

Sans.

Maybe he noticed the way Papyrus glared at him slightly, maybe not.

But when that little girl hugged him, practically radiating the words "Save me" Papyrus knew something was up.

He could think and analyze just as well as his brother. Sure, his usual manner was very.. odd, but he..

He wasn't stupid! How he hated when people immediately thought he knew nothing, when half of the puzzles in Snowdin were carefully wired and planned by him.

Every member of the royal guard is in charge of making a puzzle, but since the dogs could only come up with the old "Treat that leads to a box and a stick " trap, Papyrus, with Sans' help, was able to re-calibrate everything.

Snowdin had been so depressing back before the brothers had gone. It had lost it's spark when the two royal children had died, they had been closest to the RUINS after all.

Why else would the King move away?

Papyrus felt the need to cheer everyone up. Everyone deserved to be happy, especially in such a hopeless time.

So, acting the way he did was what he felt would lift their spirits. He enjoyed doing so as well.

But, he always kept a close eye on his brother. Telling him to work on puzzles, to do something productive instead of spending more than 60% of his day at a greasy bar chugging green-magic infused ketchup.

Papyrus told him to keep the ketchup with him though.

Just in case.

After all, how else was his older brother going to feel some sense of responsibility? How else was he going to maintain the house in pristine order?

How else was he going to protect Sans?

The older monster was extremely fragile. Monsters usually have HP due to their hope in life, and this number is augmented by loved ones.

1 HP.. His brother was in critical condition, and Papyrus knew this.

He tried giving his brother some responsibilities, things for him to get out of bed for. There were so many times Sans couldn't find the motivation to even do that.

But.. With 1 HP, one hit can make the monster in question just lose any remaining will to survive, giving up.

Papyrus would read a book of the symptoms every night a few years back.

(If you or a loved one are suffering from Low HP, you might feel the following: Apathy, Lethargy, loss of strength, depression, and/or loss of SOUL Density. If you are suffering from this, try to..)

If he wasn't able to tell things like these, to be able to read the micro-expressions only his brother was capable of showing, of knowing if he needed some alone time or just wanted to talk about anything.

Papyrus had to know that.

If he acted all gloomy, that would only make matters 100x worse.

But.. for some reason..

It felt as though someone else was the one doing this, like someone else was managing everything.. but there were only two skeletons known in the underground. Some said that the river people were skeletons as well, but they were more like mummified humans, with tough dried scales and a very boney structure. They were known to be quite self-conscious though, hiding their faces in… cloaks… why cloaks?

It was better to remain focused.. 'A wandering mind is a weakened soul'. A saying Undyne had repeated during their sparring.

They did so occasionally, but the thought of having to kill humans, regardless of how young or infantile.. it seemed like an abhorrent practice to him.

So nothing had surprised him more than when Sans had decided to be judge. This caused an argument to break between the two.

"We need the money bro! This house still has a loan!"

"SANS! THIS IS A HORRIBLE IDEA! WHAT IF YOU HAVE TO FACE A HUMAN?"

Sans went still at hearing this.

" Don't worry bro. This job never gets any humans. It'll be fine. We still have to pay 3,000 G, remember?"

"Of course I remember, sans."

"Then leave it to me, bro."

"I trust you sans. Please do not face a human though. I would be scared for both of you."

"heh.. no problem bro."

They had managed to pay that loan… eventually. Sans had gotten quite a bit of money from such a position, while Papyrus had made himself useful in the UnderSchool.

Taking care of children always warmed his SOUL, that innocence that only children knew how to show, and such unparalleled kindness in some.

The only thing that bothered Papyrus about it was that awful name.

The king was horrible at names, a common fact known by nearly everyone in the underground. But.. how come he never got a committee for such things?

Well, it did add to the whimsy of the underground, so that was a plus.

Papyrus had decided to invest in a bone painting made by dogamy, finding it to be "A very eclectic piece of art and it's fusion with nature. " As he had said to Undyne.

Sans had prided himself into filling the home with gags.

Not that papyrus was complaining..

Much..

The sock was amusing though, 'Comic' was his name, of course.

Papyrus sighed briefly, planning out what to do next.

He knew what humans were, Undyne taught him well. But he has never seen one so short. Weren't they larger than this?

The fangs on the diagrams were rather.. inaccurate. As well as the wings and cat ears. And strange outfits with wands.

But the basis was sort of the same, he supposed.

How did they feel about monsters? They might still be afraid, especially with whatever Sans did.

He might be spiteful of what happened before.. but there is certainly no need to be projecting.

While killing is never an option, they may feel like self defense is the only way they can survive here.

Hopefully Papyrus could change that perspective.

Even if she had killed before.. A thought Papyrus couldn't even finish.

Everybody deserved a second chance. Everybody.

This was a philosophy he stood by strongly, and he would remain with such.

But first things first. Introductions.

After all, a trainee in the royal guard must look approachable, especially to young ones.

The shrieks of surprise came naturally though, the little one was quite shaken by this.

When she stopped hugging Papyrus, he had worried about what he should do to comfort her, but she seemed to be curious of his antics not too long after. How curious.

Perhaps this was a way to make her feel at ease staying here, at least for the meantime?

In that case, Papyrus would continue that act. Hopefully he had that 'sentry station' home. He had made when he was younger, making peace with the enemy teddy bears.

Sans was always a good monster, and was known for his frighteningly large amount of patience. Perhaps something made him feel apprehensive against this human?

Papyrus dashed off with the trick he always used on kids. They would try toasting marshmallows on the funny flames, but they were always just props.

Alphys would loan them to him, stage items from Mettaton's shows.

He had to admit, he totally didn't fangirl just a bit at the sight of one of MTT's props. Totally.

And this is also why Alphys understood and let him keep the props.

But that Is something to remain unspoken… Along with all of the figurines on his dresser with bone shaped handles.

Later that day, he had set off the small human to explore snowdin.

After all, this was a long standing tradition. Young monsters needed exposure to grow and gain strength.

Puzzles were perfect for that, after all.

Puzzles strengthened the mind, logic, and by extension body of the monster, who is so finely attuned to their SOUL.

Monsters usually stop developing around 15 years of age, where they just wear one stripe. This one stripe means they are an older adolescent, and is officially removed when they are 25 years of age.

Stripes were a better way of knowing what NOT to hit on, since monsters were so diverse.

But, some monsters, like loox and froggits, they had been fabled to be able to evolve past their old forms if they reached the proper emotional state. It's a shame they were rarely seen after the throne split.

Papyrus gave Sans a stern look once the human was out of sight.

"Sans."
"Ye bro?" He opened an eye socket lazily.
"Don't you 'yeh broh' me! What did you do to the human?"

"I did nuthin' bro" The nervous sweat on his skull said otherwise.

"Sans, why was the small human afraid of you, then?

You are normally a very amiable skeleton. I'm worried about how well she'll fare through the underground."

Sans looked up at his brother and sighed, glancing away with dim eye lights.

"Ya noticed, eh?.."

"Why, sans?"

"I dunno bro… but I feel like… like that kid has something to do with…: his voice trailed off to a low drawl. His dimmed eyelights flickered and the faint whisper of a grimace was evident in his nonchalant features.

"Sans, that child is not part of what happened, though I can barely remember what that was. Right now they are at their most vulnerable, and they need a friend to help them through the upcoming struggles they will inevitably face."

"So please, be nicer. Show them you can do better than just scaring a child."

"… Sure, bro."

The human approached, a small flicker of tentative curiosity in her eyes, though she seemed deep in thought. She would occasionally smile at what seemed to be nothing, but Papyrus paid no attention to it. It was wonderful that the human could be happy for no reason. It was that kind of youthful cheer that Papyrus was so fond of in children.

As they approached the clearing, Papyrus briefly cleared his nonexistent throat and used his "outdoor" voice.

"SO AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE"

A microwave.

There was a microwave.

On a table, sitting with some pasta and a note.

*Papyrus is pretty…. Out of bounds.*

'Yup.'

You walked over to the table with a spark of curiosity pulling you to the odd layout.

You grabbed the note. It read:

'HUMAN! FEAST YOUR EYES ON THIS BEAUTIFUL MASTERPIECE, THESE ARTISAN NOODLES, THIS PERFECT SAUCE! THIS TRULY IS THE FEAST OF THE GODS! BUT LITTLE DO YOU KNOW, THAT THIS PASTA IS A TRAP DESIGNED TO ENTICE YOU INTO STAYING HERE FOREVER! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!'

*But.. Nobody likes cold spaghetti.. *

You shrugged, taking a photo of the funny placement and checking it out further.

The microwave wasn't plugged in, while the Pasta was frozen in place, the noodles caked in a clear layer of ice.

If this were even defrosted, it would have to be called 'sag'etti. The sauce had a purple hue to it.

It also smelled like glue. Why did it have sequins in it?

There was a small star in front of the table, so you tapped it. You felt a lot better. And less nauseous.

You were about to leave the clearing, when you heard a tiny squeak.

Yet another family of mice was living there. You peeked into the hole with curiosity.

Three pairs of small eyes stared back. It was cute.

Until one had four green glowing eyes staring back.

It glared menacingly, and instead of a squeak, you heard a low growl.

*HAHAHAHAH NO.*

Ghostie took control before you could do anything, getting up only to stumble and back away from the hole.

And then, the beast came out of its cave, and you both saw it in the artificial light of the underground.

It was just two mice on piggyback, staring at you with small 'MTT' brand LED glasses.

'Whats MTT?'

*Dunno.*

They went back to playing piggyback, the one on the bottom playing a small dino toy that roared.

Cute.

Scary, but still cute.

*I swear Frisk, you can be way too forgiving.*

'It's a living.'

Walking on, you saw quite a bit to see. The first thing to strike you as odd was the tree just lying in the middle of the road. Not all of them were like this and were usually in straight clearings.

*Upon further examination, you came to notice that there was a camera inside!*

Another?

You already had one though.. You decided to leave it there. It was 'rooted' into the bark of the tree anyway.

*That was a bad one, even for you.*

'Like you could do better.'

*HA. WATCH ME.*

'Oh dear.'

*What's a dentist's favorite time to yank molars? Tooth-hurty! Why did the butterfly get kicked out of the dance? It was a moth ball. Why do cows have spots? Because that's how we get swiss. What did the bird say to the bee? Not telling you. Lel. What do you call a-*

At some point you just tuned her out. She'd get tired sooner or later.

Before going on, you spotted some monsters in the distance. Just to make sure no slip ups happened, you took a deep breath of your inhaler, feeling the numbing sensation almost instantly. All you saw was a mountain of fluff towering behind you though.

Before you could even peep, the tall anthropomorphic doge pulled out your would and started the battle. The world faded to black and white yet again.

He started easily first, grabbing his *dogger and his shield made of pommer-granite* before charging at you.

You didn't know what to do, he was coming at you with bullets that were shaped just like his daggers, and you could only run so far before the tennis court box held you down. So you did the only thing you could.

*You dashed towards the 6 foot blade. Hopefully you have a plan, or you are sushi.*

'Thanks for the encouragement, ghostie' You rolled your eyes sarcastically.

*Mhm, No problem, frisky*

You ran towards it, waiting until it passed through you as it flashed blue.

You visibly flinched as the now harmless attack whose past you though. It smelled like dog biscuits and milk duds.

Not only that, but you knew for certain that you would never get used to that strange, almost ectoplasmic feeling of that magic passing through you. It was cold and warm, and every time lesser dog breathed it pulsed with life.

No wonder magic was so big here; it's completely synced with the monsters!

Checking your options (and completely ignoring the talk button) you decided to pet the doge.

*You barely make a step before lesser dog gets excited.*

His tail was wagging excitedly.

Okay, maybe too excitedly.

*you walk over to lesser dog, he is even more excited.*

The attack was nowhere to be found, instead the bullets he summoned manifested into small puppies.

They skidded Around The fresher snow, getting into playful tussles.

*You throw the pine branch their way. Lesser dog is the first to catch it.*

"Pant, Pant"

*Why is he saying it audibly?*

'no idea'

You couldn't remember much of what happened next, except that you pet him so much that his neck reached the ceiling of the underground and back, digging about five feet into the snowy dirt.

His tail was going to fall off with all of that petting. It looked ready to mutilate any unsuspecting monster.

*I still can't believe you would pet that much. You have a problem, frisk*

'But he was so soft!'

*You don't just touch people's fur, missy! You became a serial petter!*

'Awww…' You pouted to no one.

*First Doggo now Lesser Dog? Who else will fall to your crime spree?*

*Yer grounded. No talking for a minute.*

'kay. 1-2-3- a minute.'

*You and your darn loopholes* ghostie sounded like she was joking, so you relaxed a bit.

[Stay determined..]