Chapter 2: Quite A Fright

"Whoa!" David cried out in surprise as Greater Dog picked him up and placed him on his back.

"Hold on, little one!" The dog said as he began running with the boy clinging to him.

Carmen squeaked when Dogamy picked her up and began running too with her on his back. "Hold on. We're going to catch up," he said to her as she clung to him.

Thomas, Sarah, Julie, and Nathan were in similar predicaments as all the Royal Guard dogs were in on the race. Frisk, Chara, and Asriel tried to hide to avoid getting caught, but they were soon found by some of the Lesser Dogs and were soon holding on as the race continued.

Toriel, who was holding Capricorn and Andromeda, looked worried. "Dear, are you sure this is safe?" She asked her husband.

"Don't worry, Tori," Asgore said gently as he accepted his youngest daughter from her. "The Royal Guard dogs won't let the children get hurt. The moment one of them falls off or loses their grip, the dogs will catch them. Not only that, Sans is nearby and watching along with Rebecca."

The queen felt a little more at ease at that promise, chuckling as she saw Chara try to slide off the dog's back without him noticing, but blue magic surrounded her and placed her on the dog's back again. She shot an unamused glare at Sans, who chuckled and winked at her as if to say 'Just hold on and have fun'.

Papyrus was standing with the king and queen, holding his twin daughters, Ida and Hope, in his arms while Grillby and Muffet were showing off their latest dance moves as Undyne held Sky and Alphys held Harmony.

Greater Dog was in the lead, but the others caught up and it was soon neck and neck. "Oh, my goodness," Rebecca said with a laugh. "Look at them go."

"Just wait until the pups try to race," Sans said, indicating to Dogressa's puppies that were nearby, but eager to race. "That will be something to see."

The mage chuckled. "Soon, little ones," she said to the pups as the race came to an end with all the dogs crossing the finish line at the same time. "Looks like it was an all-around tie."

Gaster smirked and looked at Dogressa, who nodded and he let the puppies loose. The little ones barked and when they heard their mother bark, they eagerly began dashing down the path, barking excitedly as the older royal children giggled at their antics.

One pup actually did a somersault, landing back on his feet while another stepped on some ice and slid, but stayed on his feet. Another hit a mud puddle and kept going, and another one tripped over its feet in its haste and rolled up in a ball, rolling for a bit before jumping back up.

Rebecca, who held up a camera to record the race, laughed so hard that she almost fell down from the tree she was perched in with Sans. "Okay, you were right, Sans. That is a sight to see," she admitted.

"Told ya," he said, playfully nudging his sister-in-law in the ribs, making her squeak before she gave him a playful glare and sent a burst of magic at him, making him yelp as the magic slid over his ribs, tickling him and making him laugh out loud.

The others looked up and smiled at seeing that Rebecca was getting Sans back for teasing her, but moments later, she snapped her fingers, making her magic retreat and Sans took some deep breaths, smirking at her.

"I know where you sleep, sis," he said.

"You'll have to get past me first, Sans," Papyrus said confidently.

"Oh, that's snow problem."

Papyrus made a face at his brother while most everyone else laughed at the pun.

Later on, River Person was riding in his boat when he saw something that made him stop in shock.

A human woman and a small child were walking down the path, but they didn't have coats on and so were shivering in the cold. Quickly parking his boat, he began walking towards them.

The tall woman looked around, as if sensing someone was coming. "Stay close, Esther," she said to the child.

"Yes, Auntie Sierra," the child said, staying close.

River Person could see the woman was tall with brown eyes and blonde hair. The child was young, probably no more than six-years-old and had short black hair and green eyes. "Stop," he said firmly.

Both the woman and child jumped and the child hid behind her aunt, who gasped at seeing the cloaked being. She looked around and grabbed a stick, ready to use it.

Seeing this, the cloaked being brought a hand out and it glowed with his magic, which told Sierra what they were facing. "A monster," she said in surprise before gently pushing the child to walk backwards. The child obeyed as River Person sent out a wave of magic that the woman blocked with her stick.

The cloaked being was surprised before moving closer. "Stop," he said again, moving his hands down so that they weren't glowing with his magic.

"Go away!" The woman said, swinging the stick like a bat.

River Person called up his magic again and Sierra felt something land on her and it seemed to make her muscles become heavy. Esther, seeing this, grew scared and quickly got between her aunt and the monster. "Leave us alone!" She begged.

The cloaked being called forth her stats with his magic and he gasped in shock at seeing her traits. "A human with all seven traits?" He asked in shock. "Unheard of."

His magic retreated and Sierra quickly took the chance, swinging the stick and surprising him into dodging fast. "Esther, run!" She cried out.

The child quickly began running and Sierra would have followed if she hadn't felt something grab her. "Not so fast," River Person said, holding her securely.

Just then, a cry of alarm reached them and they looked up to see the child fall into the water. "No!" Sierra cried out in alarm.

"Child! Keep your head above the water!" She heard the cloaked being say and she was shocked that he sounded worried about the child, which made no sense since he was restraining her.

Esther managed to stay afloat thanks to what she learned in swim class, but she was getting colder and reached out for the shore, managing to get closer, trying to grab onto some large roots that were near the shore, but she missed as she reached out to them. She tried again and felt something grab her wrist, to which she looked up and gasped at seeing a skeleton floating in the air above her and he pulled her out of the water, floating them over to shore.

Sans had been napping a bit when he heard the child struggling and he was shocked to see if was a young child. Calling up her stats, his eyes widened at seeing she had a rainbow soul. "Okay, that was unexpected," he said.

Esther began to shiver, not just from the cold, but also fear. Sans noticed and he took off his hoodie, wrapping it around the child. "Come on, kiddo," he said. "Let's get you someplace warm. Luckily, Grillby's is close."

She struggled a little, but he didn't let go as he got her to the restaurant. Grillby looked up from wiping down the tables and his eyes widened at seeing the child in Sans' hoodie. "Grillbz, she needs ya," the skeleton said urgently. "I managed to pull her out of the river, but I don't know how long she was in it."

"Let me see her," the fire elemental said, accepting the child from his friend.

Esther whimpered in fear, shaking, but Grillby gently stroked her head. "Shh, little one. Don't be afraid," he cooed gently.

She looked up at him, her face confused. "How did you fall into the river, child?" He asked her now.

She looked down, shivering a little, but that was slowly starting to calm down as she began to warm back up again. She flinched when his hand moved to feel her forehead, but she seemed to calm down as she began to feel better.

Sans came up to them and gently stroked the child's head. "Hey, it's okay, kid. We're not gonna hurt ya," he said. "Did you slip on some ice and fall in the river?"

Esther looked at him and nodded. "How old are ya, kid?" He asked.

She held up one hand with all five fingers. "Five?" Grillby asked. "How did you get into the mountain, little one?"

The child didn't reply, but calmed down further as the fire elemental and the skeleton continued to soothe her and show her that she was safe with them.

Meanwhile, Sierra was struggling to get free of her captor, but he held her and didn't let go. "Shh, calm down," he said. "Please settle down. I have no intention of hurting you."

She looked at him unbelievingly. "But you used your magic," she said.

"To see what you would do and to check your stats," he replied. "When you deflected my attack, I could tell right away you weren't looking for a fight."

She didn't know what it was, but perhaps it was the tone of voice he was using, but she began to settle down before looking worried. "Esther, I've got to find her," she said.

"Come," he said. "My boat is at the dock. We'll go look for her together."

Sierra paused a moment. "Why were you worried when she fell into the river?" She asked, letting him lead her to his boat and help her into it.

"Because we monsters don't harm children," he replied. "Despite the stories that have been told."

They were soon going down the river, hoping to find the child or hoping someone had found the child.

Looks like Sierra and Esther have found that the legends were true.

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GoldGuardian2418