Hey guys! I'm sorry I don't really give responses to your reviews... It's just really hard for me to get internet at the moment! I just want to give a heads up that I will be publishing a slight alternate timeline of events after the next Chapter! There will be more details at the bottom of the page.
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Let' s just go back to Toriel's house, you suggested. There seemed to be nothing else you could do in your situation, what with the only other option being to stay where you were just in case everything would spontaneously spring back to normal. With your little adventure to meet Gerson (the Wonderful Wizard of Underground, who had proved to be just as effective as the Oz version) finally over, you were beginning to worry about Toriel.
During your time as an emotionless echo of yourself, you had completely forgotten your concern over the motherly goat. You wondered if maybe she had noticed your and Papyrus' sudden disappearance yet. Part of you hoped not, since she had only just opened up to you about her delicate emotional state, right before you were thrown haphazardly into an even bigger mess. You didn't want to think about what her reaction might have been if she thought you had left forever after your little heart-to-heart. She didn't deserve that.
However Papyrus was feeling a different kind of concern than you were. Just mentioning returning to the Ruins had spiked his nerves and made him sweat.
No! We can't go back to the Ruins yet! The thought was so loud and sudden that you almost believed he'd yelled it aloud.
Calm down, you thought, wondering if the panicked skeleton had even meant for you to catch his screaming thoughts due to the way he flinched, I know it'll be difficult to explain everything, but we can't just leave Toriel and your brother to worry like this. They probably have no idea where we are right now.
But if we do that- Sans will- ...
The thought faded out of your hearing, making you equal parts curious and concerned. Was Papyrus really that worried about how his brother would react? Then again, perhaps his worry was justified. You yourself had had a difficult time with the guy- from being interrogated while you were unsuspecting and vulnerable to being outright attacked by him. Sure, he'd apparently had good intentions, but that still didn't really excuse his methods. Add on top of that the time that Papyrus had slipped and called him 'controlling' as well as your creeping suspicion that he was a huge liar and- well, he didn't exactly have the best looking record.
But all of that didn't mean that you could just dodge the responsibility of letting him know what was up with his brother. Not to mention that avoiding him would likely lead to avoiding Toriel, who had done no wrong. All in all, back tracking to the Ruins seemed the most logical option; you just needed to convince Papyrus of that too.
Deciding an empathetic approach would work best, you began to shift your thoughts back into focus.
Listen, Papyrus, I'm not looking forward to it either, you began, listening carefully to the vague mumble in the back of your head (which you now understood to be his deeper thoughts) for any interjections, but we don't have anywhere else to go.
But- what about-? I- We need to fix you! If we go back like this, then it- it would be like giving up!
I don't think there is a way to fix me… you thought bitterly, immediately realising that Papyrus also heard it when he let out a distressed shout.
"No! No giving up!" he stood up and yelled aloud, "There is a way to sort this out, I know it! We're just not looking hard enough!"
Well, that rock DID say that Toriel might have some knowledge about this kind of stuff.
"Um? W-wait…!"
The confusion and panic that followed your suggestion was accompanied by thoughts that sped by so fast and overlapped so often that you couldn't really pick up anything in particular. It was like being in the middle of a concerned crowd; his thoughts became an unintelligible hum, save for a few words that broke through the white noise.
-did that Sans would be- and then Sans might- but what if Sans-?
Is Sans really that scary? You wondered. Practically every thought that ran screaming through the skeleton's head involved his brother in some way. Sure, Sans had given you more than enough reasons to be wary, despite your want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but you'd never thought that Papyrus would be intimidated by him too.
Wh-what? Intimidated!? I don't feel that way at all! Papyrus declared as he caught the tail end of your train of thought, My brother is not even the least bit scary! Unless you count his poor personal hygiene and lack of exercise as scary! Because in that case he would be absolutely terrifying!
That's… pretty funny. But not what I meant.
That was no jest, human! Have you ever tried to share a room with an avid sock collector!? I think you'll find that it is quite-
What I meant is that you keep thinking about how Sans is going to react to this, you pointed out before the conversation could derail any further. It sounds like you're scared that he'll be mad at you. Like… he'll do something.
Oh… Well that actually wasn't what I was thinking about at all!
The ease of the admission and casual tone of the thought assured you that it was genuine- but you would be lying if you said you didn't feel slightly shocked. If Papyrus wasn't at all intimidated by his brother or worried that he would be punished for what was technically your own man-slaughter, then what was his problem? Your curiosity quickly battled with your respect for other people's privacy and barely made it out on top, urging you to (respectfully) pry into the skeleton's motives and reasoning.
Okay, so… you're not scared of your brother or of being punished for what happened to us- and I'm sorry for assuming that- but then, why are you worried about his reaction at all?
There was another instant where you could distantly feel Papyrus work through some kind of mental process, followed by a thought that carried a tone of anxiety and secrecy, as though it was being whispered in your ear: Do you promise that you won't tell?
Of course I won't tell. As if he needed your word- you existed in the same body! If you even thought about spilling any secrets then Papyrus would obviously be the first to know. Regardless, it was the feeling of confidence behind your words that convinced the nervous skeleton to share his secret.
Well, you should never mention to this to Sans (because I did once and he rebuffed me with the worst puns I have ever heard, so you can trust me when I say that not only will it get you nowhere but you will sorely regret it and- what was my point? Oh, that's right-) He is actually very moody! In fact (if you remember what I said yesterday), he has been rapidly declining for a long while!
Moody? Papyrus, you said you weren't scared of his reaction…
Yes I did! But I also specifically said that I was not scared of his reaction towards us! How he reacts on his own is completely different! The detail is within the, um… other details? I just don't want to upset Sans more than he already pretends he's not!
The skeleton's odd phrasing added extra seconds of pause before what he'd said finally clicked and- Oh. Of course. How could you have assumed that Papyrus, that big enthusiastic, hopeful, soft-hearted pile of bones, would think any different? Hadn't he already implied about this stuff before? Sure, you had been a bit preoccupied since yesterday, but you hadn't expected to forget so easily after talking to Sans himself about it.
If his brother was as 'moody' as Papyrus claimed, then...
You were never scared about what would happen to you or us, you blinked in realisation, You were only scared of what Sans would do to himself when he found out about what happened...
If! If he finds out! Papyrus corrected you, I know my brother well enough to know that he will somehow blame himself for this mess! It's a terrible habit he's developed over the past few months- maybe more. It might even be worse than all his other terrible habits put together! But things started to get better once we began making regular trips to the Ruins! I mean, I didn't even have to throw him out of bed most mornings! He was already up and awake and making terrible jokes with the Q- Toriel! And then you showed up and he started to become even more attentive! It was unbelievable! After all my brilliantly crafted plans ended in failure and bad puns, he was suddenly acting almost like normal again! I ingeniously crafted today's round of puzzles and picnics as a final reassurance that he didn't have to be such a weird worrywart any more! It was going so well too- until the bit at the end where our conversation was interrupted when Toriel came running in and- Anyway, we can't give up on that progress! That is why we must never give up and solve this unexpected puzzle together! … And also not go back to the Ruins because we will definitely be caught.
You stood in awe for a second, warmed by the hope and confidence Papyrus felt both for and in his brother. His motivations were much clearer to you now. All except for one point…
But the rock back in the Ruins said that it would tell Toriel and Sans about what happened when they came back. We've been gone for a long while. Both of them probably know what's happened to us by now.
Fear not, human! For I have already considered that fact! Papyrus confidently declared, I've been avoiding the areas where Sans would try to find me! Like when we stealthed our way around Snowdin and took unconventional puzzle paths! And look how well it has worked! We remain undiscovered!
But I thought you wanted him to worry LESS? You brought a hand to your head, confused by the skeleton's conflicting logic. Papyrus, if you knew that Sans and Toriel probably already knew that we were in trouble, why not let them help? Running around like this and avoiding them on purpose is probably terrifying them!
No, but you see, they'll be so relieved when we come back like normal! If we go back now without solving anything, Sans will most likely forbid us from leaving the house again. And Toriel will agree with him! But if we solve this problem on our own then they will realise that they never had anything to worry about! This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to prove that we can be responsible for ourselves!
If you were able to filter your words like normal, you probably would have responded to Papyrus' plan with detailed reasoning as to why his logic couldn't and shouldn't be applied to your specific situation. You might have even gone so far as to try and make the skeleton imagine what it would probably be like in his brother's shoes at that very moment. Unfortunately, your thoughts were open and weren't held back by the normal process of 'idea', 'consideration', and finally 'speech'- so your first reaction boiled down to a simple and eloquent; That's stupid!
Stupid!? Oh, wait, I see! You must have misunderstood me somewhere while I was explaining! Let me start again from the beginning-
No! you interrupted, irritated beyond belief at his complete failure to accept your criticism, That's-? Papyrus! That makes no sense! You're just creating more problems!
No, no, no, human, Papyrus tutted like a parent gently explaining a concept to a child, the point of any good plan is to solve problems, not create them!
Well then your plan isn't a good one!
You burned in frustration, but pushed it aside to think clearly. No good would come of you simply reprimanding the skeleton for his naive and poorly thought out attempts to save his brother from worry. You had to make him understand why his idea would hurt more than help.
Listen, I don't think that you're going to be able to fix me, you thought, before realising that perhaps you should have started with a softer blow than the fact you were undeniably dead. Regardless of your lack of tact, you forced yourself to continue on simply so Papyrus couldn't interrupt you. By refusing to go back to the Ruins and avoiding Sans, you're just going to make things even worse for when we inevitably get caught! You can't reverse death! If you keep avoiding going home until you fix me, then you're pretty much going to end up wandering around forever. This isn't a puzzle that can be solved. It wasn't even a 'puzzle' to begin with. All you- All we've actuaĺly managed to do is run away and scare people. There's literally nothing else we can do about it. I'm sorry.
There was a moment of silence as you mentally crossed your fingers and hoped that Papyrus would understand and accept your words. As much as you would like to be restored to life, you couldn't imagine it being possible and it was causing you a lot of stress. Returning to the Ruins wasn't just for the monster's benefit; it was for your own peace of mind too. You needed to discuss your situation with someone who would listen to your concerns and act on them, not try to convince you to cover them up with a smile. Of course, despite Gerson seeming knowledgeable on your situation, the only person you could think of who would listen was Toriel. Sans had at least been right about the other monsters in the Underground not being fond of humans; you would find no comfort from anyone outside the trio who had saved you in the first place.
Well… Then maybe we will have to ask Toriel for help.
Yes! Luck was on your side! Now you could-
- But we cannot return empty handed! What would they say if we spent so much time avoiding them only to come back with nothing? We should steel ourselves and do something that will impress Sans! And Toriel! We'll impress both of them!
Are you kidding me? a bitter part of you hissed in frustration. You couldn't help but to bring both of your gloved hands up to your eyes in disbelief, a bitter chuckle slipping through when you distantly heard Papyrus' thoughts suddenly scream Aah! I've gone blind!
What else could we possibly do? You asked Papyrus as you dropped your hands and gestured outwards, There's nothing out here!
For the first time you both actively examined the plateau you had isolated yourselves on. True to your word, the area you were in was deadly silent. Compressed red dirt and rock that made up the platform sizzled beneath your boots. Something bubbled deep beneath the ground, distant and slow. Whisps of smoke wafted up from the cliffsides, carrying a heat that you couldn't truly feel. The ceiling high above your head reflected the red glow from far below, making you wonder if you were standing within the belly of a sleeping volcano, despite never hearing anything about Mt. Ebott being a volcanic area.
Overall, the place wasn't just void of anything to do, it was seemingly void of any signs of life at all. Now that you were paying attention, every breath of air seemed heavy. The silent and red-tinted atmosphere was so overwhelmingly oppressive that even Papyrus couldn't suppress a twinge of homesickness.
Just as you were about to turn away from the vast cavern and continue ranting, a sudden movement caught your eye.
Across the ravine that separated you from the main land stood a few scraggly looking cacti and a sign which had been recently knocked over (possibly in your haste to reach the platform). It was fairly bare except for the small yellow thing bouncing up and down and trying to call out to you from the other side of the magma filled gap.
Oh! It is our child friend! Papyrus clapped his hands together gleefully. And he was right, because the arm-less Monster Kid was desperately jumping up and down and running in circles near the cliff side to get your attention.
Should… we go back over there? You thought. On one hand, you and Papyrus were nowhere near done with your talk; but on the other, MK was running around like a bomb was strapped to his back and you were concerned he would trip over the cliff's edge.
I think we should!
You eyed the gap between your isolated plateau and the main rise of land. It was actually a fair distance from one area and the next. How had you ever made the jump earlier? No one could possibly vault that far! Were you stuck?
Fear not! Papyrus sensed your doubt and rushed to reassure you, With my magic, any gap- from the smallest pot-hole to the deepest ravine- is easily conquered!
He took a few steps back and readied you both to jump…
Wait!
You turned and knelt to the ground.
Just as you'd suspected when you'd dropped it, your corpse lay on an awkward angle. One arm was pinned underneath its torso while the other lay flung forward. It was incredibly limp and dirty from being so roughly discarded. You picked it up carefully, checking for any severe damages. With your emotions returned, the sight of your own lifeless face was both surreal and disturbing. Part of you even felt like crying again, but you honestly didn't have the energy for a second round of that fiasco. Red hot dirt had gathered on its clothes and face, and one of you gently brushed it off, though you were too numb to figure out if it had been you or Papyrus.
"I'd feel better if we could just carry this for a bit longer… Even if it's useless," you mumbled aloud as you hid your own corpse away in Papyrus' cape once more.
Of course! Anything that makes my human friend feel better is something worth doing! Reliable and Papyrus have at least one letter in common (I think), so your comfort in guaranteed! Now, back to that five-hundred-foot magma-filled drop!
Standing upright again and with your corpse once again bundled under one arm, Papyrus suddenly bolted over cliff side, almost making you scream with how fast he took off. For a single, terrifying moment, you caught a glimpse of boiling lava far below you. The feeling of plummeting speedily downwards turned the stomach which you technically didn't have. There was nothing around to stop or slow your descent, and in a weird moment of clarity you realised that you had just allowed Papyrus to jump off a cliff without any objections. What were you thinking!?
Despite his speed and long legs, the skeleton was still short of the other platform by about ten meters. It was then that you realised that you were definitely not going to make the jump, and instead burn to ash in the stomach of the mountain below. And yet Papyrus remained unfazed.
Suddenly everything shifted and you were pulling upwards and away from the scorching depths once more. It was as though gravity had reversed itself, and you were no longer at risk of falling into lava, but instead impaling yourself on the stalagmites above you. Your base instincts demanded that you flail in panic, but you restrained them as Papyrus confidently cleared the gap and landed next to the broken sign that said something about art meetings.
As soon as your boots hit the ground, you stared in wonder behind you. Just what had happened there?
"Wow! That was awesome!" came an enthusiastic yell by your feet. "I didn't know skeleton's could fly!"
Neither had you, but you were inclined to agree with the judgement. Even if it had been less like flight and more like emulating a flimsy paper plane caught amidst a bunch of powerful fans, the feeling of Papyrus' 'flight' had been exhilarating. You had honestly forgotten that that was a thing he could do.
"Nyeh heh heh! I knew that would impress you! But such magic is merely child's play for the Great Papyrus!"
He posed dramatically and you felt amusement at the pride swelling inside of the boastful skeleton. Whether his words were aimed at you or the starry-eyed Monster Kid at your feet, you didn't know, but you did feel the need to send him a silent message saying; That was pretty cool.
The giddy pride instantly increased tenfold at your praise and you had to mentally pull yourself away from it. Even when he didn't mean to, Papyrus' emotions were constantly pressing into your space in his head- they were just that strong. You decided to try and dull the sudden wave by taking action and talking to MK.
"Why are you here?" you asked calmly, "Did you follow us- I mean, me?"
"Well, yeah! I spent ages trying to track you down!" the kid jumped up and down excitedly, before suddenly stopping, "Um, hey… Are you okay? You sound different."
"U-um-" you stuttered, cursing yourself for forgetting that it had been mostly Papyrus who spoke to the kid. Was the difference between the two of you that obvious, even with your emotions restored? You mentally called out for Papyrus' help and felt immensely grateful when he took over the conversation for you.
"I'M FINE!" he yelled loudly, and not at all convincingly. But it seemed to satisfy MK, who was busy staring in awe at your face.
"Hey, what happened to your eyes? They're not all flicker-y anymore. Did they break?"
"N-nothing is wrong with my eyes, I assure you!" Papyrus bluffed, before nervously kneeling down to MK's height and asking, "What looks different about them?"
"Hmm," the kid hummed as he jumped atop one of your bony legs and stared hard into your eye sockets, "Before your eyes were all weird, like the light in my house's laundry room that takes a while to turn on and we keep thinking it's gonna break or just not switch on... Now you only have one light in your right eye. But just a moment ago it was pink- And in the other socket, too!"
"O-oh! That's… very interesting! Thank you!" Papyrus smiled.
Maybe it's because we're in sync now? I mean, I can finally think clearly and you recovered pretty quickly from our little breakdown too, you thought, throwing the idea in Papyrus' direction.
"Yes! That must be it!"
"What must be it?" MK asked, confused.
"N-nothing!" Papyrus lied and you inwardly groaned. Of course your newly formed mental link would cause a weird communication problem. You would have to be mindful of what you said internally and what you said aloud; though whether Papyrus could keep up was a different issue. "Anyway! What are you doing here? I thought you were going home soon!?"
"Well, I was," MK jumped off your leg and back onto the ground, "but after you ran off that old man told me to run after you and tell you some stuff-"
You tilted your head in curiosity. Gerson had sent MK after you both with a message? There was a good chance that it would be more bad news, but you brushed that negative thought away in favour of politeness and Papyrus' own innocent curiosity. The kid had chased you down for who knew how far, the least you could do was listen to the little monster.
"-but I totally forgot what he said!"
…
Okay. Nevermind then.
"But, hey, all that stuff is true, right? About you taking a human's Soul?" MK bounced excitedly and you immediately felt Papyrus become nervous again.
"Well, I didn't necessarily take it…" he said sheepishly.
"But you've still got one, yeah?" he pressed and Papyrus nodded. "Awesome! You could totally go and kick that stupid human's butt for killing Undyne!"
"Um…" Both of you twisted uncomfortably at the suggestion; you because tracking down a murderer sounded like a terrible idea, and Papyrus because- "I'm still not sure about how to feel about what you said about Undyne…"
Monster Kid bristled, "What? Seriously!? How can you not believe me!? Literally EVERYONE knows this stuff! Is it because you don't have ears?"
"My lack of ears has nothing to do with it! And you don't have ears either!" Papyrus huffed in offense, "I just don't believe that Undyne would ever lose! Especially not to a human who I never saw engage in serious combat!"
"Well, I guess I used to think the same, until…" Suddenly, MK's eyes lit up, "Dude! I know! Why don't you go track down that human and see for yourself! And then you kick their butt!"
That's not a bad idea!
That is a VERY bad idea!
Well, maybe the butt kicking is bad…
Papyrus, no! You growled in frustration, Worst case scenario you'll end up facing a killer!
Ooooor I could end up fixing a huge misunderstanding! Oh! And Sans would be super impressed too! This is just what we were looking for!
"No!" you yelled aloud, standing up to your full height, "It's a bad idea! Not to mention dangerous!"
"What!?" MK yelled, mistakenly thinking your outburst was at him, "But you've got a human Soul! Aren't you, like, super powerful? You could totally get them and break the barrier too! Don't you want to be free? You're supposed to be a hero!"
A h-h-hero!? Papyrus internally gasped, If I became a hero th-then… I would be so POPULAR! Everyone would line up just to see me and I would have so many people trying to talk to me all the time that even the Undernet couldn't keep track of all my friend requests! Even Sans might- Sans might-!
"I accept your challenge, small friend!" Papyrus immediately shouted and started running off before you could stop him, "I will find the tiny human and cure them of their possibly-but-not-yet-confirmed evil ways! You can count of the Great Papyrus to- oof!"
Stop right now! You yelled as your bony face collided with the ground. You'd purposefully crossed your own legs over to make the both of you trip, but you were more than willing to take the (literal) fall. Couldn't Papyrus see how insane the kid's suggestion was!? No. Of course he couldn't. You could hear his thoughts and all they seemed to contain were a few snippets of celebrity life and the exciting prospect of getting his brother out of the weird rut he was digging for himself. Honestly, the guy had more heart than the rest of the world combined, but that left absolutely no room for even a shred of self preservation.
Human! Why did you stop me? he whined, This is a fantastic opportunity!
I thought we were going to try and work together! What about my opinion!? you countered angrily, sighing as Papyrus flinched hard from guilt, You can't just run off like that without letting me say anything about it! What if this crazy idea ends up leaving Toriel and Sans with TWO dead bodies instead of-
Whump!
Pulling your face from the dirt and looking to the left, you saw MK face-planted similarly onto the ground and smiling at you with a curious and hopeful glint in his eyes.
"You mean that? You're really gonna save everyone?" he asked you quietly as you both lay on the ground.
A shot of guilt hit you square in the chest as the kid stared at you. They were really hoping that you would go after that killer.
"Ye- um- I- er-?" you and Papyrus stumbled over each other, minds conflicting and thoughts overlapping as you tried to come to some sort of a conclusion.
Papyrus obviously wanted to try it. He didn't want to go back to the Ruins having achieved nothing but your accidental demise. The idea of becoming a hero made him ecstatic, and the possibility of seeing the supposed human murderer (who was apparently his 'friend') had convinced him that running out on a new adventure was a great idea.
You, however, had a different mindset. Papyrus had seemingly never encountered someone with true killing intent- but you had. The idea of purposefully hunting down someone as similarly unhinged as your attacker made your skin crawl (well, if you still had skin it would be crawling- the only equivalent Papyrus' body provided was an uneasy swirling of static-like magic). You'd already been horribly attacked once, you weren't prepared for a second round. Not only that, but if Papyrus were to get hurt (or, god forbid, die) you would- Well, you didn't really know what would happen. To either of you.
Taking your internal debate as hesitation, MK sighed, blowing around some of the hot dust with his exhale.
"I guess you don't… have to kick the human's butt," he muttered bitterly, "even if they totally deserve it. But… could you at least try to free us? I… want to be able to see the sky one day. And I want my Mom (and my sister, I guess) to… smile again. So, um… please?"
Whatever it was that skeleton monsters had for a heart, you could feel it breaking under MK's teary-eyed stare.
"Um, Mr Gerson said- Jeez, I kinda ran out of there pretty fast to catch up… I think he said that you can cross the barrier with the human's Soul? I mean, that's what the old story said, so that's probably it. And then you can just break it from the outside! It'll probably be way too easy for you!" A half-hearted and nervous giggle burst out of the kid as they continued to stare at you hopefully.
That was right… Toriel had said when you first arrived that both a monster Soul and a human Soul were needed to cross the barrier. You could finally leave... but only while stuck in Papyrus' body. There was no point in you going above ground while looking like you did, was there? Wouldn't you scare people, being a giant skeleton and all? But then again, it seemed selfish to leave an entire race of people trapped beneath a mountain simply because you specifically didn't gain much from their freedom. It was just... the risks...
Glancing down at the bundle of red fabric you had narrowly missed crushing under your weight, you were sobered by the reaffirmation that you were definitely, one-hundred-percent deceased. Who were you to stand between the entire monster race and a sky they hadn't seen in who knew how long? You were just some ghost; a human presence who accidentally continued to persist after death because of a naive skeleton's honest mistake. Besides, if you didn't have to hunt down that murderer… maybe it wasn't the worst plan you'd ever heard after all? You could always talk to Toriel after breaking down the barrier.
Finally, with Papyrus internally encouraging you all the way, you reluctantly let out a seriously uncertain "I guess I can… give it a go."
"YES! Hey, when you come back all famous and stuff, can I tell everyone that I was totally your friend before anyone else!?"
You had to curse your emotionless self, because honestly (depending on how things went), inviting MK along for your journey might have been one of the worst decisions you'd ever made.
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So. I plan to make an alternate split timeline of Temperance. It will actually be told through Sans and Toriel's perspective and will contain more of the fluff and family angst found in the first few Chapters of the Temperance story. I've already written the set up!
The thing is, thanks to the basis of the alternate story, I can accept prompts for Chapters! I want to do it so that you guys can have some input. Do you think that's a good idea? Please let me know!