A.N: FINALLY! You have no idea of how much I struggled to write this. I haven't been feeling like myself lately and I really don't like mood swings, but I finally found an idea that felt right after writing four different versions of this chapter. I was surprised to see that a lot of you guys chose option C (fluff with feels) for the poll (honestly I was surprised and happy, because that's what 90% this fanfic is going to be like) and I'm so sorry to disappoint you but every time I tried to write something along those lines for this chapter, I felt like it ended up a little boring and I was never completely convinced of the way it was written. I also wanted to add some feels but in the end it didn't feel right (badumtss). Don't worry, there will be plenty of fluff and emotions in the next chapters. I promise you a different kind of feels in this chapter, though ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I'm not saying I'm 100% satisfied with how this turned out but this idea has been playing in my mind for a while and I couldn't resist to try it out when it finally occurred to me how to adapt it for the talent show. I could write a whole new fanfic out of this idea hahah.
I hope this chapter isn't boring for you, since it kept getting longer and longer. I usually make my chapters 10 pages more or less and this one is 20 pages and a half. So be ready.
Also, thank you so much for participating in the poll! I loved reading your comments and seeing your answers! Everyone was really nice.
And before I shut up and let you go, there's one thing you need to know to read this chapter: the male version of the name Belle is Beau.
Personal replies at the end of the chapter!
Enjoy!
"So? What Do You Think, Caroline?"
"I know you said Mettaton's hotel was kind of fancy but… wow, this restaurant's really nice." Papyrus chuckles, pleased with my answer, and I can't help but stare in awe at the whole place. It seems I'll never stop being surprised at the Underground. Right when I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, something completely unexpected shows up. Like this. Considering all the environments and architecture I've seen, it's difficult to conceptualize them all as part of the same place.
There are soft purple tables that match the walls and I'm entranced by the flickering candles on them and the way they illuminate the tiled floor as well as the large, extravagant plants that decorate the walls. There is a bright red stage for everyone to see near the entrance as a relaxing piano melody plays in the background, completing the elegant and romantic atmosphere. It's a perfect place for both company and solitude. And monsters seem to agree with me because there are groups, couples and individuals occupying the tables. This place is perfect for friendship, romance and aloneness. I instantly know that if love at first sight exists, this is it.
I'm so enchanted by it all that for a split second it almost feels like a dejavu. My heart aches a little. There's a melancholic undertone to this place too. "So here's where the talent show will take place, right?"
"Exactly! I'm Sure Everyone Will Love Our Act!"
"God, I hope so. I wish they'd given us more time to prepare, but for once I can't blame it on the time." I giggle. "Every second was worth it, though."
"That Is Correct! But Since We're Ready In Spite Of The Inconveniences And Distractions, This Obviously Shows How Incredible We Are!" He playfully winks at me.
Papyrus is wearing an elegant white shirt, a black vest and bow tie. A nice guy entirely made of fire let him borrow all of it. Grillby was his name, I think.
The attire is manly, sharp-looking and well-fitted. It perfectly suits Papyrus' tall, athletic form.
I'm alarmed at the butterfly fluttering inside my chest when he winks at me.
"T-true. I think they'll like our act t-too." I refuse to discuss this with myself right now.
"But still I'm still very nervous." Terrified, really. "Very excited too, I won't lie about that, but…" My eyes trail to the stage "…nervous."
"Caroline."
"Hm?" I look back at him and the moment my eyes meet his, the same wave of kind and warm energy I felt the first time I met him reaches me.
"It's Normal To Be Nervous." Completely unaware of my inner world, Papyrus touches my shoulder and it only makes the energy grow. "Please Do Not Feel Pressured. I, The Great Papyrus, Will Be With You In Every Step Of The Way And Whatever The Result, We've Both Done Our Best And That's All That Matters, So Fear Not!" He grins. "Although I'm Sure You'll Do Greatly, N-nyeh..."
My lips curl and the butterfly inside me flaps its wings faster. "That actually helps. Th-thank you." I avert his gaze for a split second. What the heck's wrong with me? "A-and just so you know, this has been really fun and special for me too."
"A-a-attention, everyone." Alphys announces on the stage, a microphone in her hands. "The t-talent show will begin n-n-now. P-please enjoy."
You know what? Maybe I should take the opportunity and ask Alphys to let me publicly announce my new book series called "I've got this and everything will be fine" in which I talk about self-deception and its consequences.
This will be over soon. Yes, pretty soon. It can't last long… right? Okay, don't answer that, Caroline. DON'T answer that. Breathe. Keep breathing. Just focus on the air coming into your lungs. Nothing bad is going to happen. This will be over before you realize. Anytime now. Yes, that's right.
I hear a chorus of extreme surprise spread across the crowd.
Focus. On. Breathing.
"Undyne's Amazing! I'm So Glad To Be Trained By Her! Caroline, You're Missing Out All The Fun! Are You Sure You Don't Want To Watch This?"
"Mm hmm." I nod, squeezing my eyes tighter even though my hands are already covering them. I've been backstage before, but it had never been this stressful.
Sans chuckles lowly. "you should take a look at your competition, kid."
"I'm very sorry but I'm afraid I'll have to leave that to Papyrus." I say as I think of the times I believed my mom was being over-protective. When I see her again, I'll be way more understanding.
All of a sudden, everyone grows quiet.
Hm? Is it… over?
I hesitantly remove my hands, only to commit self-betrayal in its purest of forms.
Not only do I find exactly what made me close my eyes in the first place, which is Frisk with their back against a huge bull's-eye in the wall. Now the nightmare's come to life and the least of my worries are the spears at the sides of their neck and above their head.
My whole focus is solely on the now spinning bull's-eye Frisk is strapped to.
And it seems I'm right on time for the grand finale.
Unable to look away, I watch in horror as a series of spears, one by one, trace a perfect silhouette around a quickly spinning Frisk who has the tiniest smile playing at their lips.
Before I can scream, faint, operate on a basic level or better yet, die, one last spear completes the small silhouette and as soon it lands, the audience and even Papyrus erupt in cheers and wild applause.
As flowers are thrown onto the stage, blood drains from my face and then the true horror presents itself when I see Undyne removing a blindfold from her face.
"show's over. you can look now, kid. too bad you missed-" Sans looks to me and a second after his eyes meet mine, he smiles, amused. "hey, look at ya. facin' your fears and going all brave all of a sudden. i'm prouda ya, kid."
We both know my so called bravery can only be the result of a terrible and very, very stupid mistake. I can tell he expects me to say something but the truth is my mind is set on one thing and one thing only.
No one, absolutely NO ONE, turns my little Frisk into a human bull's-eye AND gets them to have fun while at it!
The curtain slowly closes after Undyne and Frisk bow to the still excited audience, only for them to come our way backstage, looking proud.
Irritatingly proud.
"Undyne, Human, I Must Congratulate You! You Did An Outstanding Job Out There!" Papyrus gives the two of them a high five. Frisk smiles, cocky and satisfied, and I make a mental note to ground them when we go back home. "I Acknowledge You As Worthy Rivals Of The Great Papyrus And His Great Teammate, Caroline!"
"Pfft! Puh-leaze!" Undyne waves her hand dismissively. "As if a coward will ever be in my category."
I open my mouth and my reply is interrupted by Alphys' very flustered voice through the microphone. "That… That was- that was- whew, WOW…" There's a dreamy sigh, followed by a prolonged silence. A monster coughs. "…Oh! Ahem! Um, n-now l-l-let's hear it for Papyrus and C-caroline!"
My gut twists at the sound of mild applause.
"Seems like it's your turn, coward. Break a leg, like they say." Undyne grins maliciously, showing me all of her sharp teeth. "I can always help you with that if you want."
Looking slightly bored, yet repressing the urge to swallow, I roll my eyes. "I know I should have taken an aspirin. Maybe then you'd go away. Now, if you excuse us." Holding my head high, I grab the hand of a concerned Papyrus and walk past her. At this point it should be obvious that his plan of Undyne and I becoming friends during the challenges has sadly failed. Who am I kidding? Even though I usually believe that nothing's over 'til it's over, this plan was doomed from the start. I catch a glimpse of Frisk stifling a smile, amusement written all over their little, arrogant face.
Yup, it's decided.
I'm gonna ground them.
And as I mentally vow to personally ensure that Frisk has a shitty wi-fi for the rest of their life, I'm abruptly brought back to the present when Papyrus whispers a quick "Good Luck" to me and lets go of my hand in order for me to sit on the red divan at the center of the stage.
I force my legs to move and as soon as I sit down, my whole body tenses. Cold sweat moistens my palms.
Papyrus and Sans give me a quick thumbs up from backstage that I return with a strained smile. My heart leaps when the curtain opens.
Maybe I should have convinced Papyrus to just dance a song.
Then a beautiful piano melody that I know a little too well begins to play in the background…
"once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young skeleton princess lived in a shining castle." Sans' reads, his low voice clearly heard through the speakers in the room.
Swallowing my nerves, I force myself to look as confident as possible as I pretend to vainly look at myself in a hand mirror Papyrus gave me, making my best to ignore the fact that the best costume we could get in such a limited amount of time, is a small board hanging around my neck that reads 'Skeleton Princess', my hair in a bun and and a plastic crown on my head.
"although she had everything her heart decided, the princess was selfish, spoiled and unkind."
In that moment, Kid walks onto the stage and bows as my servant, only for me to look the other way and nonchalantly wave him off.
"but then, one winter's night, an old skeleton beggar came to the castle."
I look at Papyrus dragging his feet as he approaches me, pretending to have a crooked back. He's using Frisk's stick as cane and his scarf/cape covers his body and face.
How the heck am I supposed to survive the whole play without laughing?
"SKELETON PRINCESS!" He kneels right before me. "PLEASE LISTEN TO ME! I AM POOR AND EXTREMELY COLD IN THIS WINTER'S NIGHT!"
I cough, stifling a laugh, yet for some reason this only makes me look disinterested and bored.
"O-OF COURSE! MY APOLOGIES, YOUR HIGHNESS. I WILL GO STRAIGHT TO THE POINT." He clears his non-existent throat and I wish I could do the same but I don't trust myself not to burst into uncontrollable laughter. "PLEASE ALLOW ME TO SHELTER MYSELF IN YOUR CASTLE! HOWEVER, YOU MUST KNOW THAT A SINGLE ECHO FLOWER IS ALL THAT I, THE GREAT SKELETON BEGGAR! HAVE TO OFFER YOU IN RETURN."
I look the other way, biting the inside of my cheek. Hard.
It doesn't work.
"Pfft- pfffft! hAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Nonetheless, I suspect the stars and planets must be aligned in my favor or something because judging by the crowd's reaction, the tears coming out of my eyes and my inability to stop laughing only makes it seem like a very realistic mocking towards the Great Skeleton Beggar.
"You- you… pfft! Hahah…! You want to stay here in my castle?! In exchange for a simple ECHO FLOWER?! Please, this is a place for royalty and beauty! Get out of here!" Disgusted, I stand up, pointing a finger to an imaginary door.
"I SHALL WARN YOU! DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY APPEARANCES, SKELETON PRINCESS! COOLNESS AND BEAUTY ARE FOUND WITHIN."
Knowing there's still danger for me to explode laughing, I take advantage of the fact that I can pretend not to want to look at Papyrus. "Ugh! Get out of my sight!"
"when she dismissed him again, repulsed by his haggard but, uh, cool appearance, the old skeleton's ugliness melted away to reveal a handsome wizard."
I dramatically cover my mouth, matching the massive gasp that spreads through the audience. Papyrus removes his cape and throws away his 'cane', and when he does, he has a magician's hat, a fake mustache, and a magic wand (a bone painted black with one of the tips white).
I kneel clasping my hands together. "Please you must forgive me! O- of course you belong here with r-royalty! I'll gladly take the echo f-flower-!"
"ITS TOO LATE NOW, SKELETON PRINCESS! I HAVE SEEN THERE IS NO LOVE IN YOUR HEART! AND I MEAN YOUR HYPOTHETICAL HEART BECAUSE YOU TOO ARE A SKELETON. I WILL NOW PUNISH YOU! NYEHEHEH!"
"No! Please! NOOO!"
He flicks his 'magic wand' like a cute little boy who watched Harry Potter for the first time, and I dramatically cover my face to hide my grin.
I stumble backwards, the spotlight follows my steps, until I let myself fall back on the divan.
"as a punishment, he transformed her into a hideous…" There's a pause that at first I think Sans does for dramatic effect, until I hear a faint snicker. "…into a hideous human."
I don't know if I'm more offended at Sans' not so faint snickers or at everybody's horrified gasps when I throw away the small board on my neck that reads 'Skeleton Princess.'
"pfft heh… ashamed of her humanoid form, heh" Oh you're so gonna pay for this Sans, "the princess concealed herself inside her castle." With Papyrus gone from the stage, I bury my face in my hands, while loudly sobbing.
"the echo flower he offered, was truly an enchanted echo flower. if she could learn to love another and earn his love in return, by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. if not she would be doomed to remain… a human for all time."
We all listen to a muffled snort but not for long because it's soon interrupted by surprised exclamations and I hear some Oh no's!, how terrible's!, and even one Poor skeleton princess!
Yeah, you know, it's not like there's a real human in front of you.
"as the years passed, the story was spread and distorted. she fell into despair, and lost all hope…" There is something particularly somber in the way Sans reads those last words. It's so subtle that I wonder if I imagined it. "for who could ever learn to love… a human?"
The lights go dim, only for claps to fill the room and I hurry to leave the stage so we can move on to the next part, exhaling once I'm out of sight. Kid, the adorable dinosaur, and his friends quickly take away the divan. Since they wanted to be on the same stage as Undyne and get the chance to be noticed by her, we got them to help us, and the next time I look, the spotlight is already shining on Papyrus.
He no longer has the fake mustache, nor the magician's hat. Instead, he has a light blue vest, and Grillby's apron and white shirt.
He clears his throat and as I take my phone out to videotape the awesomeness I know comes next, horrified, I realize it's screwed from when I fell into the water.
Music begins and Papyrus inhales deeply. "UNDERGROUND, IS A QUIET VILLAGE. EVERY DAY LIKE THE ONE BEFOOOORE. UNDERGROUND, FULL OF LITTLE MONSTERS, WAKING UP TO SAY…"
A bunny kid with a fake mustache sticks his head out from behind a cardboard bush. "Bonjourn!"
Then another. "Bonjourn!"
"Bonjour!
"Bonjour!"
"Bonjour!"
Papyrus walks, proudly. "THERE GOES THE SPIDER WITH HER TRAY LIKE ALWAYS! THE SAME SPIDER DONUTS TO SELL!"
A cat-looking girl in a spider costume runs next to him with a tray.
"EVERY MORNING JUST THE SAME, SINCE THE MORNING THAT WE CAME TO THE SMALL-SIZED UNDERGROUND!"
The cat-looking girl stands beside Papyrus. "Good morning, Beauttaton!"
Um.
Yeah.
Did I mention we're doing Mettaton's version of the movie?
"GOOD MORNING, MADMOISELLE!"
"Where are you off to?"
"TO DESIGN PUZZLES TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! I JUST FINISHED A LABYRYNTH THAT-"
"Yeah, that's nice- Muffet! The spider cider! Hurry up!"
"Now is no wonder that his name means 'handsome'" Four of children sing. "His looks have got no parallel!"
Papyrus genuinely smiles at those lines.
"But behind that fair façade, I'm afraid he's rather odd. Very different from the rest of us!"
"He's nothing like the rest of us!"
"Yes different from the rest is Beauttaton!"
The children quickly leave and Papyrus stands alone on the stage, the spotlight focusing on him once more. You'd have to be completely blind to not notice how much he's enjoying himself.
"I WANT ADVENTURE IN THE GREAT WIDE SURFACE! I WANT IT MORE THAN LIFE CAN TELL!" He takes his hand to his chest, looking passionately into the distance.
I touch my warm cheeks. What on Earth-?
"AND FOR ONCE IT MIGHT BE GRAND, TO HAVE SOMEONE… UNDERSTAND." He fondly looks at an echo flower, only for the petals to be taken by a subtle wind that comes from a fan in the floor. "I WANT TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUAAAARD!"
The song slowly comes to an end and the lights disappear, allowing him to leave the stage, this time towards where I am, while claps and cheers fill the room.
"Oh my God Papyrus! That was AWESOME!" I beam at him quietly.
"I-It Was?!" He grins and it's like a wave of relief hits him.
I nod excitedly.
"and so, beauttaton goes to the palace to ask the ruler, but not yet king, to let him join the royal guard."
"Oh!" My eyes widen and I give him a quick hug. "You're still next! Go, go, go! Good luck!"
After Papyrus' grin widens and he straightens himself, he walks heroically onto the stage only to find...
Oh yeah.
Before that, here's a little heads up. The thing is with the lack of actors and time and all…
We kinda added a little bit of another Mettaton movie.
"OH! IT IS YOU! LORD FARQUAATON!"
Papyrus kneels like a knight before Kid, who instead of a fake mustache, this time has a plastic crown and Papyrus' red scarf/cape.
"LORD FARQUAATON, I HAVE COME TO HUMBLY ASK THAT YOU TO ALLOW ME TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD!"
"Hmmm… you? Join the Royal Guard? Ha! I don't think- Oh, wait…!" Finding it extremely cute that he tries to speak in a much lower voice than he has, Kid goes deep in thought and I know we made the right choice by casting him as Lord Farquaaton, and basically every other support role. "I know! You first shall prove your bravery and only then I will let you join the Royal Guard!"
"BUT OF COURSE, I, THE GREAT PAP- BEAUTTATON! AM READY TO PROVE MYSELF! I WILL NOT DISAPPOINT YOU!" Papyrus lowers his head solemnly.
"Very well! You shall find and rescue the beautiful Skeleton Princess and bring her to me!"
Papyrus' jaw opens wide. "THE LEGENDARY, BEAUTIFUL SKELETON PRINCESS?! THE ONE THAT'S KEPT IN A CASTLE GUARDED BY A TERRIBLE- But Also Very Cute And Not Ugly At All- HUMAN?!"
My hands cover my grin and my heart skips a beat. That was so not on the script.
"Yes, that same one. Bring her to me and prove yourself worthy to join the Royal Guard!"
I get to see the cutest view as the crowd looks extremely convinced with Papyrus' and Kid's acting, but the cherry on top of the cake is the lady dinosaur with red lipstick in the distance taking a photograph of them with her feet.
Papyrus stands up. "JUST WAIT FOR ME, LORD FARQUAATON! I SHALL RETURN WITH THE BEAUTIFUL SKELETON PRINCESS! MY NOBLE QUEST NOW BEGINS!"
And with that, Kid gets off the stage and Papyrus pretends to run without moving from the same spot.
In the background, a bunch of kids dressed in black run from one side to the other, carrying big pictures (painted by themselves!) according to Sans' narration, "so, it was he, beauttaton, who would chance the perilous journey, through blistering cold and scorching desert, traveling for many days and nights, risking his life and limb, to reach the human's keep."
Papyrus sort of moon-walks and the ninja kids place a very cute hand-painting of a castle a little ahead of him.
"he climbs to the highest room of the tallest tower..."
Papyrus finally stops, pretends to climb and enter the castle, his sockets roaming around the room.
"… but nobody came."
"STRANGE… THE PRINCESS IS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE…"
"Allo."
Papyrus jumps, startled by the chorus of actual screams and horrified gasps that echo through the room.
Well, thank you for that.
He spins on his heels, only to find me with my hair loose, wearing the green cloak he gave me, ragged jeans and a white blouse.
His sockets widen in fear. "OH NO! THE EVIL AND CUTE HUMAN!" I bite my cheek and his expression turns determined. "WHERE IS THE PRINCESS?! I, THE GREAT BEAUTTATON, WON'T ALLOW YOU TO CAUSE HER ANY MORE PAIN!" He unsheathes his sword (cough, cough- a long bone –cough, cough) and points it at me.
"Do you want to know what happens to brave, well-meaning skeletons that come to the abode of the dangerous human to the save the princess…?" I slowly take a step forward and with a finger I barely touch the sword. Papyrus drops it away, gasping exaggeratedly.
"I-I WILL NOT GIVE UP! T-TELL ME… WHERE IS THE PRINCESS?!"
I smirk. "I chill them to the bone…" Papyrus genuinely frowns, making the scene more intense, and I can tell he's repressing a groan. "Now, you shall suffer the consequences-!"
"M-mistress, wait!"
Kid comes in, jumping instead of walking, now wearing a costume of a little cup.
The most adorable cup I've ever seen in my life.
"Ugh! You have the worst timing! What do you want, Chipttaton?"
"Mistress, um, have you thought that perhaps this skeleton could be the one to break the spe-"
"Skeleton." I cross my arms turning to an exaggeratedly shocked Papyrus. I hide my lips. Don't. Laugh. "Listen to me. I won't hurt you."
"YOU… YOU WON'T?" His sockets light up. DON'T. LAUGH.
"You'll be my prisoner. Forever. This whole castle will be your prison, but you can't go to the west wing. Escape, and you'll be food to the wolves."
His sockets widen. I stand in front of him, managing my most evil look, but it must look ridiculous, considering Papyrus is a lot taller and is looking down at me.
"IT MATTERS NOT!" Much to the monster's surprise, instead of fear, a determined look takes over his features. "I HAVE COME TO SAVE THE PRINCESS, SO I WOULD NEVER LEAVE WITHOUT HER! I WILL FIND HER AND SAVE HER FROM YOU!"
There are a few cheers from the monsters. Pursing my lips, I stare coldly at him. "Is that so? Then I hope you enjoy disappointment."
Spinning on my heels, I flap my cloak, dramatically walking away, only for the lights to slowly turn off, leaving the monsters in a silent shock.
When the lights go back on, the divan is behind me and I'm now pacing back and forth on the stage, rubbing my temples.
"Mistress?"
I ignore Kid.
"So... you fall in love with him, he falls in love with you and - poof - the spell is broken. We'll be monsters again by midnight!"
I laugh darkly. "Oh, it's not that easy, Chipttaton. These things take time."
"But the echo flower has already begun to wilt."
With a frustrated groan, I stop pacing and pinch the bridge of my nose, exhaling exaggeratedly. "It's no use. He's so handsome, and I'm... well, look at me!"
I motion to my body and I swear I hear the faintest of snorts on the microphone.
"Aw, mistress. You must help him to see past all that."
"I don't know how." I say begrudgingly.
"Hmmm… maybe you could-"
"Mistress! Mistress!" A bunny-girl dressed in yellow jumps into the scene with turned off candles tied to her ears. "The skeleton! He's heading towards the west wing!"
I gasp. "What?! 'll show him!"
We quickly leave as Papyrus enters the stage, pretending to inspect the place.
"HMMMM, I MUST FIND THE SKELETON PRINCESS. IF THIS PLACE IS FORBIDDEN, THIIS MUST BE WHERE THE HUMAN HID HER… WAIT, WHAT IS THAT?"
On a table a few steps away from him, there's a shiny echo flower within a glass covering. Intrigued, Papyrus tilts his head. He comes closer. With extreme curiosity and care, he extends his hand to lift the delicate jar as if it would shatter to the touch and no one dares to breathe-
"I warned you not to come here!"
I slam the glass jar back on the flower, causing Papyrus to flinch. SORRY. "Do you realize what you could have done?!" Growing angry, I embrace it.
"I DIDN'T MEAN-"
"Get out!" I furiously command. "GET OUT!"
And with that, a panicked Papyrus pretends to jump out the window. The crowd is as shocked as ever as I shake my head with fake regret and leave the stage. Panting, Papyrus runs without moving from his same spot. I bite back a smile when a background of a cute forest is set by the ninja kids.
Then, wolf cries are heard before a strangely cute, catchy song, with rhythmical barks plays in the background.
There's an extremely realistic look of sheer horror in Papyrus' face. The monsters are terrified and for a split second, it gets even me nervous.
"NOO! PLEASE! NOOOOOO!"
Then the wolves come into the scene.
Happily wagging their tails, three adorable white pomeranians bounce straight to Papyrus. He desperately runs faster even though he doesn't move an inch from where he is, until the dogs leap at him and excitedly lick his leg.
"MY PRECIOUS CALCIUM! NOOO! PLEASE, STOP!"
Unable to run, Papyrus lets himself dramatically fall, which only allows the dogs to also lick his feet and one even licks his face, stopping to occasionally pant.
"ALAS, POOR BEAUTTATON!" Papyrus says severely looking upwards.
"Hey, doggies!"
The dogs turn their heads to me, ears pricking forward. You have no idea of how grateful I am that I don't have to hide the huge grin that's plastered in my face.
I pat my legs before crouching. "Come here, buddies!"
The dogs excitedly run to me, tongues lolling out of their mouths and I sit on the ground. They pile up to be pet and once I do, I throw a stick they go after and they leave the stage.
I have to get myself out of my adoration daze, as I see Papyrus standing up and quietly staring at me.
For a second I'm confused and then feel awful remembering I was supposed to be 'bitten.'
"Oh." I hold my hand to my chest. "…I feel… so… weak…"
Papyrus gasps as I pass out.
"HUMAN?!"
I can't fight the heat that rushes to my cheeks in anticipation.
"beauttaton took the weird kid back to the castle."
WTF, Sans?
Then Papyrus' arms easily and gently lift my body bride-style.
Despite my desperate efforts, I can't focus on anything that isn't my head resting against his chest.
Papyrus' warmth leaves me as he carefully places me down on what I know is the red divan. I flutter my eyes open, groaning a little.
"THANK GOODNESS YOU ARE OKAY! I WAS WORRIED SICK! I'M SORRY, EVIL AND CUTE HUMAN. YOU SEEMED SO SAD ABOUT SOMETHING HAPPENING TO YOUR ECHO FLOWER THAT I LEFT THE CASTLE TO GET YOU A NEW ONE AND APOLOGIZE TO YOU BUT IT SEEMS I HAVE FAILED... WORRY NOT! I, THE GREAT BEAUTTATON, WON'T CONTINUE ROAMING AROUND YOUR CASTLE. IT WAS VERY RUDE OF ME! I WILL FIGURE OUT A WAY TO FIND THE PRINCESS WHILE ALSO BEING RESPECTFUL OF YOUR HOME. PLEASE GET SOME REST."
I open my mouth, but Papyrus has already left the scene. Puzzled and frowning just to prevent myself from smiling, I sit down and rub my temples.
"OH! BY THE WAY…"
I pretend surprise as he comes back.
"…THANK YOU. FOR SAVING MY LIFE."
My eyes widen even more. "You're..." I muster a tiny smile. "You're welcome… Thank you too for saving my life."
I think Papyrus is an awesome actor because I'm sure I'm not the only one that sees the orange glow in his skull before he leaves.
"Awwwwwww." The monsters have soft gazes and sadly for me I can't hide my blushing face, because the spotlight focuses on me and my stomach flips.
Aaaand the music starts.
DON'T PANIC. DON'T' PANIC. DON'T PANIC.
"There's something sweet." I sing, relieved that my voice doesn't tremble. "And almost kind. But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined!" For a second, the irony that I'm doing a musical number with the skeleton that wanted to capture me when he first met me, hits me. "But now he's dear and so unsure, I wonder why I didn't see it there befooore." I smile to myself.
Then the lights illuminate the whole stage and Papyrus and I go towards each other.
"Beauttaton, um… there's something I, uh, want to show you. But first, you have to close your sockets. It's a surprise or… you know, whatever." I say tsunderely.
Papyrus pretends to look at me suspiciously, before he closes his sockets. I wave my hand in front of him, giving the ninja kids time to place everything on the stage. Then I take Papyrus' hands and we advance a couple of steps.
"All right." I grin eagerly. "Now."
He opens his eyes and his face instantly lights up seeing the entire stage filled with-
"PUZZLES?!" Papyrus gasps. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I'VE NEVER SEEN SO MANY PUZZLES IN ALL MY LIFE!"
"You… you like it?"
"IT'S WONDERFUL!"
"Then… it's yours."
Papyrus takes his hands to the sides of his skull. "OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH!"
While I pretend to be flustered, Papyrus gallantly steps to the front while switching his focus from the puzzles to me.
"SHE GLANCED THIS WAY... I THOUGHT I SAW. AND WHEN WE TOUCHED SHE DIDN'T SHUDDER AT MY BONES! NO IT CAN'T BE… I'LL JUST IGNORE… BUT THEN SHE'S NEVER LOOKED AT ME THAT WAY BEFOOOOORE."
Silently clearing my throat, I shyly walk away from him.
"Newww, and a bit alarming." I sing, feeling myself grow extremely alarmed at the way I'm starting to empathize with the song. "Who'd have ever thought that this could beeeeee?" I glance at Papyrus. But then why am I smiling so much? "Truuuue, that he's no prince charming" Actually no, he pretty much is. "But there's something in him that I simply didn't seeeee."
The monsters applaud before the song even comes to an end, making me laugh, as Papyrus and I gaze into each other's eyes (and sockets), with shy smiles. The lights grow dim until there's just darkness and the curtain closes. We remain the same.
"Papyrus." I whisper. "The curtain already closed."
His smile widens slightly. "I Know... Cute Human."
"the kid and beauttaton grew closer and closer as time went by."
We both finally react. I'm very flustered as we leave to get our costumes for the next scene. The ninja kids kick in to place the background of a ballroom.
"however, unknown to them, lord farquaaton had grown impatient and was now looking for the castle. he planned to capture the human and marry the skeleton princess to become king."
The monsters boo, sounding extremely indignant.
"but that'll wait a lil more."
The audience cheers and when the curtain opens, a soft music begins. I have a blue dress that the Bunny Lady said it was from one of Mettaton's musicals. My heart beats loudly in my ears.
And it only gets worse when the spotlight also shines on what I could have sworn was James Bond's flawless and masculine skeleton in Grillby's tux.
"Tale as old as time…" The children sing. "True as it can be"
Papyrus bows, his face a little orange, and he holds his hand out to me. When I put my fingers into his palm(?), he offers a faint smile.
His bones are actually a bit warm as he smoothly moves my hand to his arm, and my knees tremble at the closeness.
" Barely even friends
Then somebody bends, unexpectedly."
"We didn't rehearse this." I whisper, clutching his arm for support as we approach the center of the stage. "And I don't know how to dance like this."
Papyrus' tightens his grip on my hand, before he leads the other to his shoulder. "Just Follow My Lead."
He steps forward, me concentrating on matching his steps and not falling or stepping on toes.
"Just a little change
Small to say the least"
"It's Okay, Caroline." His voice soft, he winks at me, trying to get me to relax. "Just Close Your Eyes And Listen To The Music" He spins me and I go with it, closing my eyes. As I go back to his arms, his sockets are bright. A radiant smile breaks onto my face. I did it!
"Both a little scared
Neither one prepared, monster and human."
We swirl around the stage, the awkwardness slowly melting away.
"Um, Caroline…?"
"Yes, Papyrus?"
He lowers his eyes. "I… I've Been Wondering If Y-You...- I Mean, I, The G-Great Papyrus, Want To… Say? –N-no, I Mean, Well, Yes, But You Know… Not Just Say Something- Um, What's The Word For When You Voice A Question And Also Expect A Reply Back? Uhh…"
I regard him strangely, biting back a smile. "Ask?"
"Y-Yes, Ask... Of- Of Course, I… Um, I The Great Papyrus, Want To… A-Ask-"
A loud thud jerks us back to our senses.
Papyrus releases me and steps away, as I jump, heart pounding, silence filling the room.
That is until we see the echo flower (actually, plastic echo flower) and the glass covering (plastic too) scattered on the ground.
When I look up, I see Kid, still hiding behind the curtain, pale and a look of panic in his face as he mouths Sorry.
Oh.
Oh my God!
"O-oh, s-someone has broken into the castle!" I shout, shooting a quick glance at Kid that I make sure he sees, before I run to the plastic flower that lost its petals. "No, no! My enchanted flower, noooooo!"
"SOMEONE BROKE INTO THE CASTLE?!" Papyrus regains his confident composure, his Beauttaton mask back on and following my lead. "I WILL FIND THEM! I WON'T ALLOW-"
"Oh, here you are, Beauttaton!" Kid jumps into the stage dressed as Lord Farquaaton, his plastic crown almost falling because of how much he hurried.
Papyrus and I remain shocked and everyone gasps even though Sans had already told them Kid would be coming at some point.
Conclusion: it must be way too fun to go to the movies with monsters.
"I see you have betrayed your people, Beauttaton! You'll never join the Royal Guard! I am here to capture the human and I will marry the princess! I will be rich and powerful! You can't stop me!"
"NEVER!" Papyrus puts himself between us, his eyes intense and angry. "I'M NO TRAITOR! I CARE A LOT ABOUT MY PEOPLE, BUT I WILL NEVER LET YOU HARM THIS HUMAN BECAUSE… SHE IS THE SKELETON PRINCESS!"
Now, if I thought those were gasps, I was so, so wrong.
I feign surprise. "You… you knew?"
"I HEARD THE CURSE WHEN I TOUCHED THE ECHO FLOWER. THEY REPEAT THE LAST THING THEY HEARD."
Kid makes a horrified expression. "The skeleton princess… a human?! Ewwww! I will FIGHT her and destroy her!"
Papyrus summons a long bone again as his sword. "YOU WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME!"
I know the battle comes next and much to my dismay, my fake fear turns very real when Kid charges forward and instead of a fierce (very cute) battle between Papyrus and him, the little dinosaur stumbles and falls face-first off the stage after the first two steps.
He doesn't move.
Papyrus grabs my arm before I can run to his aid and he only shakes his head.
"HE FELL FROM THE TALL CASTLE. HE'S DEAD." He lifts his brow, motioning at me to look at Kid.
I do and I feel a wave of relief at seeing him discreetly wink at me, letting me know he is okay.
But you don't understand, because this is actually much worse since I have to hold back my laugh.
AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO TURN BACK INTO A SKELETON! BUT WITHOUT THE FLOWER, WE CAN'T DO THAT NOW.
"Are you… afraid of me?"
"NO." Papyrus turns around and steps closer, towering above me, his sockets intense and decisive. He might be the worst beggar but this is definitely his thing. "IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME WHAT YOU ARE."
Dang it, Papyrus. "Y-you-" I repress the urge to slap myself, "you don't care if I'm a human? If I'm not a monster?"
"OF COURSE NOT." He places a strand of hair behind my ear.
I feel heat rush to my cheeks and I smile fondly at him. He may be acting but that's Papyrus' kind heart right there. "The curse should be broken, I don't understand…" I look at the plastic echo flower without petals. "I'm supposed to be beautiful."
Papyrus hugs me, genuinely surprising me and sending weird but nice shivers down my spine. "BUT YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL."
As I remain in Papyrus' arms returning the hug, the monsters go crazy.
"since there was no ruler, the kid became a princess again. the monsters didn't mind when she said her body had bones and a skeleton too. and they lived happily ever after. the end."
The monsters stand up, cheering, hooting and clapping, some of them wiping tears from their eyes as flowers rain to us.
I giggle happily as Papyrus and I let go of each other, both of us motioning the rest of the cast to come too and once they do, Sans, dogs, kids and Kid, we all bow together. I see a lot of flashes and phone cameras.
Smiling, I bite my lower lip. Then I look at the skeleton standing beside me.
How come all of them have such pure and sweet hearts?
I couldn't be more nervous. I wiggle my toes incessantly and maybe you'd think we would win because of the effort we put into this, but for this competition to be valid, the judges have to evaluate our act based solely on Papyrus' performance and mine.
I count the mistakes I made during the play. Did Alphys and Gerson notice? If we happen to lose this, it's game over for me. I know what Undyne's wish will be and I don't know if Frisk can convince her otherwise-
No. I can't think of this right now.
Papyrus' hand takes mine. Grateful, I squeeze it in return.
I feel like I'm in some kind of American Idol, with the four of us waiting on stage and the judges deliberating.
Except that losing won't send me home or anywhere remotely close.
Finally, Alphys walks to the stage. My grip on Papyrus' hand tightens.
"This has been a difficult decision, b-but the winners of this challenge and VIP Mettaton concert tickets are…"
I feel the severe urge to inhale and only then I realize at some point I stopped breathing. METTATON VIP CONCERT TICKETS?!
"…Papyrus and Caroline with Monster and the Beast!"
My fragile composure shatters. Squealing, I throw my arms around Papyrus, as the room around us explodes with noise. Applause and cheers rise into the air but I barely hear any of it.
Finally, I pull back to look at him, his huge grin matching mine.
"VIP Mettaton tickets! OHMYGOD OHMYGOD! We did it, Papyrus! And we get to pass to the next challenge! Wooohooo!"
"NYEHEHEH! I TOLD YOU EVERYONE WOULD LOVE OUR ACT!"
I throw my head back in laughter. "And you were so right, Great Papyrus!" Then looking into the crowd, I spot Sans talking to Kid.
Oh, that's right.
We have a lot of dog treats and ketchup packets to deliver.
A.N: Okay, so they didn't get Mettaton tickets, they got VIP Mettaton tickets! I hope you laughed as much as I did imagining the wolf scene. Sometimes I wish I could just show you the movie that plays in my head. By the way, the dogs were Greater Dog, Lesser Dog and Annoying Dog.
So have you watched Beauty and the Beast yet? I LOVED IT! I kept smiling the whole movie and silently mouthing the lyrics to the songs (in Spanish because I'm Mexican. I obviously watched both the original and dubbed version!)
Ohhh and I also have to suggest you read a very good fanfic! You probably already know it since it's really popular, but I just found it and it was like discovering the Holy Grail. It's called Six Skeletons One Maid, by racoonsinqueen. You can find it in archive of our own.
Personal replies:
KatAllergies: OHMYGOD THANK YOU! I'm a little self-conscious about my English not being my first language whenever I write a chapter so thank youuuuu!
Vixeona: Aw, I looked for your other review but I didn't find one. But thank you for taking the time to write another review! Especially since you were feeling lazy and you wrote like four lines so I appreciate it a lot! 3 Thank youu!
UltimateGamer101: *hugs and gives a cookie*
I hope you guys are doing great wherever you are. I send you a hug.
