"The Chariot arcana is the card of hard control and victory. People who are represented by that arcana are resolute and focused on their goals. However, their determination can be harmful if not tempered by prudence"
"Really, sir?"
"My master knows all about the arcanas"
"Indeed. There are goals that need to be achieved, but if you lose sight of the dangers of your actions, the situation can get worse than it was at first"
"..."
"..."
"...hey...do you think we're doing the right thing?"
"Um...no. But it's too late to stop..."
"There must be something else we can do!"
"I don't think there is. Let's hope we haven't done a mistake by creating this game"
Undyne's house was shaped like the upper half of a fish's head, furious and intimidating. It was quite fitting for its owner, that was for sure. Monster Kid was the first one to run towards Ananas, dashing forward as soon as he saw her. Syphus tried to stop him, but the child moved too fast for the piece to stop him. "Annie!" Monster Kid shouted with notable relief in his voice, hurrying to get to her "We were looking for you!" she didn't turn around. Monster Kid laughed nervously for a moment "Come on, we should go"
"...I'll leave later" she replied.
Syphus reached Monster Kid, grabbing him from the back of his shirt and pulling him back rather forcefully. "Why do you have to do everything without thinking?" he growled at him rather rudely, keeping his eyes on Ananas. What she said sounded worryingly distant, not at all like the warm and boisterous tone she usually had. "Annie? Are you feeling okay?"
"I feel great"
"Please, Annie, we have to leave. Don't fight Undyne"
"...no. I must fight Undyne. I'll finally do it" Ananas finally turned around. It was like Syphus feared: the bright yellow eyes Ananas had showed they had arrived quite late. Her Shadow Self had already overtaken her. "I must do it"
"You don't need to do that—" Syphus tried to argue, but Ananas raised her gun, aiming at the house.
"I will do it. I must prove to everyone that I'm capable of fighting. I...I must prove to myself that I'm capable of fighting"
"This isn't going to prove anything. You have to understand that" Wait, why am I trying to argue? It was useless to try to convince her Shadow Self of anything, as far as he knew. Wasn't it a better idea to find what the Shadow had used to ensnare Ananas? With Frisk it had been the SAVE point, what did Ananas have? The gun, perhaps?
"You can't do that!" Monster Kid said "You can't hurt Undyne!"
The way Monster Kid worded what was a real concern – that it'd be useless to attack Undyne – riled up Ananas more. Her visage turned sour, glaring at Monster Kid with no friendliness or care she was talking to who may be the only friend of her age she'd have for a long time.
"What do you know? Who are you to tell me what I'm not capable of?"
"Annie, I—"
"Shut up! I'm tired of everyone telling me I'm not capable of doing something! I can protect everyone I love, and I will! I'll do it even if no one believes in me!" Ananas turned around, stepping closer to the house "Undyne is a danger. If I defeat her, no monster will be rival for the humans, not even the king!"
Monster Kid had been about to say something else, but Syphus gently stopped him. The piece put a finger on his lips "It's no use. She won't listen" he said to the child. Ananas, not paying attention to them, continued raving:
"Once I defeat Undyne everyone will have no option but accept I'm not some defenseless little girl. I'll—I'll show everyone-I'll show myself I have the strength to be the guardian!" Ananas stopped, pulling her cowboy hat over her head, holding it with distress "I'm not scared of anything...I'm not scared of dying, I'm not scared of hurting anyone, I won't—I can't let any of that stop me!"
Trying to get close enough to take away Ananas' gun, Syphus tried to distract her by talking. "...are you scared of getting hurt and dying?" Ananas turned around, the bright golden eyes of her Shadow Self shining furiously.
"I'm not scared! Why'd you think I am scared? You're scared!" her lie was so transparent Syphus couldn't avoid feeling pity for Ananas "I'll prove...I can do it" Ananas got away before Syphus could even try taking the gun, running to Undyne's house and stopping right in front of the door "Do you hear me, Undyne! I'm here to fight you! Come out and fight me! I'm not scared of anything!"
The moment thin black smoke started emanating from Undyne's house Syphus realized he had gotten it wrong. What has ensnared Ananas wasn't the gun, that hadn't been the form her Shadow Self had at first. It was the house. The door of the house opened, thick tendrils of smoke darting towards Ananas, trapping her. She didn't make any effort to fight it. Instead the girl ran inside the house, holding the gun high. "Annie!" Syphus shouted ineffectively.
"Why's she acting like that?" Monster Kid had stayed away while Syphus tried to deal with the girl, but now that she had gone inside he was finally approaching "You have to go get her! If she fights Undyne-"
Suddenly, Undyne's house started shaking violently as if it was going to rot out of the ground at any moment. Syphus and Monster Kid stepped back, the piece taking out the halberd. This was it, Shadow Ananas was going to take its eldritch form and try to kill them. With some luck it'll be kind of harmless, like Frisk's. What were the odds of having to fight another Shadow that didn't attempt to hurt them directly?
The house didn't get off the ground, though. Instead it crashed down noisily and violently. The debris covered the place where Undyne's house had been at. The inside of Undyne's house was covered in steel. ...Is that supposed to be like that? "Nooo!" Monster Kid shouted, running to the remains of the house to try to dig Ananas out of the debris, but he had barely approached when large wisps of black smoke and red particles burst out of it. Slowly, the debris started to coalesce together. Lumpy shapes rose from the ground, the steel and plastic of the house melding and giving life to Shadow Ananas' form.
"...kid, make sure to stay back. This isn't Ananas. She won't recognize you" Syphus advised, always looking at the rising Shadow. Monster Kid obeyed, very confused and not understanding what happened to Ananas or why Syphus wasn't trying to unbury her from among the debris, or why the debris was moving in the first place.
Slowly, the debris of Undyne's house formed a slightly deformed hulking creature with blue scales, clad in a shiny black armor, with long spikes protruding from the shoulders and the knuckles. A mouth like a lamprey's mouth covered almost the entire face, not leaving any space for any other facial features. The red hair-like fins on the head was braided, looking like Ananas' braid. In the hands there was a terrifyingly large spear, so large the Shadow needed both hands to hold it, the sharp end of the spear as large as Syphus, and on fire, bathing the room in a sinister red and orange glow. A large SOUL-shaped glass shone on its torso, yellow and bright.
What's that supposed to be?! Ananas' fears, the image she had of Undyne - distorted by her terror - and her wish to be strong enough to be the guardian of the human village, it all had joined together to form the bizarre mockery of Undyne that stood where the house once was. Whatever. I'll get Annie out of that thing.
Shadow Ananas, Chariot arcana. No information available
The analysis was rather unhelpful, much to Syphus' frustration. Shadow Ananas stepped forward, hunching over and focusing on Syphus despite the lack of eyes on its face. "I'll prove it...I can do it!" Syphus couldn't stop himself from prudently stepping back, getting ready for whatever the Shadow's first attack would be. Shadow Ananas took the initiative, raising the humongous spear and trying to impale Syphus against the floor with it. He jumped back, feeling the heat emanating from the head of the spear. The spear sank into the ground as if it was a red hot knife passing through butter. Chunks of rock and earth were thrown upwards with strength, cracks extended up to the edges of the room, but that wasn't the extent of Shadow Ananas' attack. A red bright light shone underneath the floor, through the cracks that were visible. What the...?
It was as if something had been turned on underneath the cavern. Starting from where Ananas was standing columns of fire erupted from the cracks, extending rather high in the air, scorching heat filled the room. Alarmed, Syphus changed his Persona to Obariyon and braced for impact, hoping the Persona's resistance to fire would be enough to withstand the eruption.
Luckily for Syphus, it was enough, but it didn't mean the attack didn't hurt. When the fire erupted underneath Syphus he was hit by the brunt of the fire. The column of fire lasted no more than a second or two, but it felt like an eternity to him. The air was so hot he reflexively held his breath, fearing he could scorch his insides if he dared to breathe. Shadow Ananas wasn't going to stand around and wait for the piece to recover, it wanted to end the fight as brutally and quickly as possible. It jumped forward and swung the spear as if it was a baseball bat, slamming the metallic pole against Syphus' chest and hurtling him against the wall. Syphus didn't see it coming, having tried to protect his eyes against the heat. All he knew was that one moment he was bracing for the fire and the next something hit him and now his back had crashed against the wall with a rather nasty noise. Syphus crumpled to the floor, his fingernails scraping against the rocks, and summoned Obariyon. He had to do something! What attacks did Obariyon have that could help?
Nothing more than physical attacks. Trying to gain some time to think of a plan before Shadow Ananas could get close enough to use that spear again, Syphus mentally focused on using Obariyon to punch the foe, hitting it right on the armored chest. It didn't faze the Shadow at all.
"Watch out!" shouted Monster Kid from some distance away. Syphus used the pole of the halberd to stand up, his legs trembling from the effort. Shadow Ananas raised the spear, intending to nail Syphus against the wall.
Syphus yelled in horror and surprise, raising his hand and trying to use Obariyon to stop the spear from descending. The strange orange imp that was his Persona hung onto the pole, pushing down and managing to deviate the spear away from him. The head of the spear sank just inches away from Syphus, burying deep without trying to use the weapon to call for fire like it had done before.
"Run!" Monster Kid had already hightailed away. Syphus followed him without thinking, just wanting to get away from Shadow Ananas. While the Shadow tried to get the spear unstuck from the ground, Syphus took his halberd, hit the Shadow right above its mouth with the blade, and started running away. "Come back here!" Shadow Ananas roared, furious, while Syphus finally got in the corridor that led back to the small pond Monster Kid had found before. Behind him, the Shadow pulled out the spear and waved it towards Syphus, a ball of fire appearing in front of the piece and exploding, scorch marks appearing on the rocks of the tunnel. He managed to stop before he ran right into it. Hoping to gain some time, Syphus changed to Ouroboros to use Bufu. If this Shadow was proficient with Agi spells, wouldn't it be logical for it to be weak to ice? Syphus knew he was placing himself at risk by having active a Persona weak to fire, but he thought this was a good enough risk to take.
It wasn't as effective as he hoped. The ice crystals covered the Shadow's armor before pushing through the minuscule weak points in it, and while it did recoil, ice wasn't a weakness Syphus could exploit. Damn it! Does it have no weaknesses at all?! Running away seemed more and more like a better idea, even though he knew Shadow Ananas was simply going to chase him and Monster Kid.
The child was already on the other side of the pond, jumping up and down to get Syphus' attention. It wasn't a bad idea to be here, this room was bigger than where Syphus had been fighting before. Syphus placed himself beside Monster Kid, preparing Obariyon again. I'm going to hate myself for even suggesting this. How desperate am I?! "Kid, I want you to look in nearby rooms for anything that could be of use" while he gave instructions, Obariyon waved a hand, firing thin arrows at Shadow Ananas' face "If you see a Shadow don't approach! Don't risk it!"
"A-Are you sure about this?"
"I'm absolutely unsure about this!" It was a nicer way of saying 'I don't have the slightest idea of what I'm doing'. "But we're running out of options, I—no!" Syphus pushed Monster Kid out of the way before a ball of fire erupted right where the child had been standing a moment ago "Get going!"
Monster Kid looked at Syphus, at the Shadow he was now running at to attack with the halberd while Obariyon hung onto the fins of the foe's face, and nodded. Syphus was relying on him, he had to help! "Leave it to me!" he shouted back while running towards the first tunnel he found.
He didn't run for long. Just a few feet away after leaving the run, Monster Kid encountered a small gap, filled with water. The bright blue water was leaking towards the ground as if it threatened to cover it in any moment. "Oh, the gap!" the child looked around, hoping to find the bird that'd carry anyone to the other side, but it was nowhere to be seen. Could that big Undyne-like thing pass over water? Surely it couldn't, right? "I'll tell that human!" the child told himself as encouragement. He really didn't want to return to a place where there was someone waving a spear bigger than he was!
But he had to.
"Come over here!" the child yelled once he could see Syphus. Syphus had jumped on the Shadow and was hanging for dear life from the braid it had, clutching it as if it was a lifeline while Shadow Ananas shook its head, trying to get him away. Obariyon was nowhere to be seen, instead Titan was slashing over and over with its sword the Shadow's armor, attempting to wear down the foe. Given the spikes on the Shadow's shoulders, hanging from the braid was far from being a smart decision from Syphus.
"I'll—whoa!—give me a minute!" Syphus barely managed to shout despite the wild swinging.
It took him a while to be able to let go of the braid. It was kind of a miracle that he hadn't ended impaled on any of the spikes on the Shadow's armor. In a moment of danger, Syphus had used Titan to aim to the head, giving it a resounding blow with Titan's sword. Shadow Ananas roared but was forced to bow down, moment Syphus took to let go of the braid and pick up the halberd he had dropped on the floor. Trying to keep Shadow Ananas busy with Titan's attacks while he and Monster Kid went towards where the child had said, the two ran until they reached the gap. Titan vanished, too far away from Syphus for the piece to be able to control the Persona, leaving Shadow Ananas free to pursue them again.
"There's nothing here!" Syphus said, looking around with worried expression. It was just a gap and water; why did Monster Kid call him here?
"She uses fire, right? And fire can be defeated with water, so try to bring her to the water here!"
"...I'll see what I can do" not that there was much time to think about it, Shadow Ananas' stomping was coming closer and closer, but how was he going to use water against that Shadow? The piece's mind was blank, no ideas sprung forth. We'll have to keep running away! Without warning, Syphus grabbed without warning Monster Kid's shirt, raised him in the air and ran as fast as he could, trying to jump over the gap. He didn't get all the way to the other side. Syphus crashed and sank in the water, around three feet away from the other shore. The water got up to his chest, while Monster Kid ended completely submerged for a moment. The child got his head out of the water, gasping for breath "Sorry!" Syphus muttered, immediately getting the child out of the water and onto the shore. While Monster Kid recovered from the unexpected swim, Syphus started climbing to the other side. He just managed to get a knee over the shore when Shadow Ananas found them. "That is a monster...hey! You! Fight me if you can!" it shouted, aiming at the child.
Monster Kid ran away immediately, not looking back when he heard the impact of that large spear against the rocks. Syphus ducked underneath the spear that was sticking out of the wall where Monster Kid had ran by, trying again to think of a plan. He was alone on this. If he had at least a teammate, he would be able to fight back, but since he was alone he had to look for alternate ways to cause damage to the Shadow. But how to do that? "It's flooded over here!" Syphus heard not too far away, while behind him Shadow Ananas pulled the spear out of the wall.
The place they were at was a relatively long corridor, mostly flooded with water up to his knees. There was a sizable island in middle of the corridor, high enough for it to be completely dry. "Any other Shadows over there?!"
"I don't think—AAAH!" Monster Kid yelled in surprise, making Syphus hurry more to reach him. One single Merciless Maya had cornered Monster Kid against the wall, preparing to slash at the monster with its sharp fingers. Syphus didn't waste any time on hitting the Maya with the halberd, obliterating it immediately. Monster Kid looked as if he was about to freak out, but instead of fainting or anything similar, his eyes widened. "Look out!"
It was too late to move. The head of Shadow Ananas' spear impacted right against Syphus' back, stabbing him. It was so large it couldn't even impale Syphus further than a couple centimeters, but that didn't stop the wound from hurting him a lot. The heat from the spear didn't help, either. Syphus froze, shuddering and feeling his muscles spasm, barely suppressing the urge to shout in pain. If he showed how hurt he was then Monster Kid would get scared, much more than he already was. "G-Get...get away...kid..." he managed to say. No blood dripped from his back.
"Please be okay! I'll—I'll look for help!"
"N-No, it's..." Syphus was trying very, very hard not to lose control over his pain management and make Monster Kid panic. It was not a minor wound, but it shouldn't be something a normal Dia healing spell couldn't fix, right? Shadow Ananas removed the spear off Syphus' back, making the piece fall back, slamming against the water and sinking under the surface. The cold of the water was like a punch to the wound on his back, keeping him awake enough to realize that he needed to heal himself immediately. Only one of his Personas had healing skills, it was a Persona he hadn't ever used before – Senri, the ancient mountain cat that could transform into a human. Once Dia was casted on himself, he felt the wound on his back close as if it was never there. The pain didn't fully go away, but at least he wasn't in danger of paralyzing himself if he moved. Syphus rolled around in the water, holding his breath, and once he judged Shadow Ananas may have lost sight of where he was, he stood up, receiving a fire spell to the face for his trouble. Syphus instinctively closed his eyes, the fire impacting him right on the face...without causing any damage at all. Wait what? In a moment of realization, Syphus facepalmed.
He hadn't done the basic task of checking all of his available Personas' weaknesses and resistances. He hadn't realized Senri was completely immune to fire. "...I'm so stupid...!" everything would have been easier if he had realized it before! Syphus grabbed his halberd tighter and held it at the ready, noticing Monster Kid had gone to the other end of the corridor. Syphus was getting onto the dry island, chance Shadow Ananas used to plant the spear into the ground and again cause columns of fire to erupt, all of them concentrated in the dry island. Syphus looked down just in time to see fire ascending right beneath him through the cracks on the ground, but he felt nothing. Having Senri as the active Persona had effectively turned him invulnerable to the fire.
It wasn't going to turn him invulnerable to the spear, though. Seeing that the fire attacks wouldn't work, Shadow Ananas changed strategies, trying to get the spear out of the ground. Taking advantage of the moment of reprieve, Syphus quickly looked around, ignoring his sore back.
Shadow Ananas was in the water, he was on dry ground and Monster Kid was at the end of the corridor – looking at him with horror and hoping nothing bad would happen, but on dry ground too nonetheless. May as well... Would it work? Syphus changed Personas back to Titan, summoning from the sea of his soul the large gladiator, and focused on the Shadow. "Let's see if water conducts magical electricity too!" Syphus shouted, raising his arm high like Titan did. From the ceiling of the cavern, many bolts of electricity descended and impacted the water. The group electric attack – Mazio—was indeed able to travel through the water and right onto the Shadow. Shadow Ananas stood still, falling in the water from the strength of the attack, but after a moment it stood up. It had barely advanced when Syphus used Mazio again, stopping it again. Smoke was emanating from Shadow Ananas, and Syphus wasn't sure if that meant it was greatly damaged or if it was just a consequence of striking something over and over with thunder.
"Yo...did you defeat it?" Monster Kid asked, approaching Syphus. The piece put his hand on Monster Kid's head, keeping him away from the Shadow.
"I don't think it's done yet—" he had started saying when Shadow Ananas tried to use the spear to stand up, chance Syphus used to strike with Mazio again. The Shadow hobbled before falling forward, the back of the armor clanking and breaking, a gap forming on the steel. Slowly, as if she was waking up from a dream, Ananas stood up from there, moving very slowly "Now it's over!" Syphus left the halberd on the ground and hurried towards Ananas, followed by Monster Kid "Annie? Annie, are you okay?"
"...Syphus? Where...?" Ananas shook her head, rubbing her eyes "What happened?" Syphus carefully grabbed her to help her get off the hole in the armor, leaving her on dry ground.
"Annie!" Monster Kid tackled Ananas, making her stumble. It wasn't a hug, but it was the best he could do. Ananas gasped, surprised, but after a moment she grinned excitedly and pushed Monster Kid aside.
"What do you think you're doing, pardner?" she tussled with him playfully, laughing. Monster Kid wasn't laughing, though. Instead he pushed Ananas away a bit, looking as if he was about to cry.
"I thought you had fallen down! What happened to you?"
"What happened to..." the girl looked around her, especially at her Shadow lying in the water "Oh...now I remember..."
"Did you see who attacked you?" Syphus asked, picking up his halberd and folding it.
"No. I was grabbed from the back and then I fell asleep. I don't know who did it" she frowned "But when I find out who did I'll kick them in the shins!"
"There'll be time for that later"
After making sure Ananas was unharmed despite everything Syphus did to attack her Shadow, she took off her hat, staring at the creature she had been enveloped by before. "I attacked you guys with that thing...I'm sorry"
"What's that? Why does it look like Undyne?" Monster Kid asked, trying to approach the armored Shadow.
"...I know what it is" Ananas muttered "I want to be the guardian of the Hidden Village, but I..." she looked away "I'm starting to think I can't do it"
"What? But you're strong! You know how to fight, and you—"
"That was play fighting! That doesn't mean I'll be okay in a real fight" Ananas crossed her arms "I...please don't tell anyone this, guys, but I..." Ananas muttered something unintelligible.
"Hm? What did you say?" Syphus asked patiently.
"I'm scared! I want to think I can do it, but I'm scared. What if I'm not strong enough? I'll die—everyone will die and it'd be my fault! I want to prove that I can do it...but not just to Cohen, or to everyone else. I want to know I can do it"
"But—Annie, you can do it! I believe you can fight!" Monster Kid tried to encourage, but Ananas still didn't seem convinced. At a loss of what to say, Monster Kid looked at Syphus "Yo, mister, can't you tell her she can fight?"
"Right, uuuh..." But what can I say? It wasn't like Syphus was particularly confident about Ananas' fighting skills. Maybe that approach wasn't the right one "Annie, you don't have to be strong right now. You'll turn stronger with time"
"Yeah! I'll help you get stronger" Monster Kid offered "You can do it, Annie, you don't have to give up!"
"...would you really do that...for me?" Ananas asked Monster Kid, who nodded immediately, grinning. After a moment of pause she returned the smile "I'd like that"
"Don't give up, one day you'll be as strong as Undyne! I promise you will!"
"As strong as her? Do you think I could do it?"
"Yeah!" the monster child said without any hesitation. Ananas looked at Syphus as if hoping for confirmation. The piece simply shrugged.
"If you believe you can then you can. You have someone who wants to help you, I say you take the chance"
The girl stared into her hat, mulling that. Maybe she wasn't strong enough yet, but she could grow to be worthy of being who she wanted to be. It was a matter of working hard, right? That's what everyone would say. Backing off wasn't an option for her, she'd make sure of it! "I promise I'll get stronger. I'll be the best guardian the Hidden Village could hope to have!" she put her hat back on, with confident expression "Thanks, guys...I needed to hear that" Monster Kid was going to reply to that when Shadow Ananas moved. It slowly stood up, gripping the giant spear. Syphus immediately moved to take the halberd out, and Monster Kid stepped back with a cry of fear, but Ananas didn't recoil. Instead she gripped her gun, taking out and aiming to her Shadow. "It's okay. I got this. That is what I'll overcome, you'll see!"
"What? Annie, I should—" Syphus tried to convince her to leave this up to him, but the girl shook her head rather emphatically.
"That thing is mine. I'll start getting strong by defeating it!" Ananas put her finger on the trigger "H-Hey! You! Over here!" The Shadow turned its head towards Ananas, its mouth opening in a roar "You don't scare me! I'm—I'm not afraid! And even if I'm scared anytime I won't stop! I believe I won't!"
And then she fired the gun.
The bullet impacted the Shadow right above its mouth, and Ananas, not having expected the recoil of the gun, stepped backwards. The Shadow slowly tipped forward, slamming the ground with a very loud metallic noise. Ananas stared at it, sweating and clenching her teeth, and took a deep breath, shaking "If I'm not strong enough yet...then I'll try to be strong in the future. I'm scared but—but that won't stop me anymore!"
The Shadow, having been given the final blow by the person who had spawned it in the first place, started glowing. Blue particles and lights started flowing out of the Shadow. What's going on? Syphus, Ananas and Monster Kid could only stare until slowly something rose from the remains of the Shadow, enveloped in that bright blue glow.
It looked like a short human. A very oversized helmet with fins to the sides like Undyne covered its head, a large red plume came out of the top of the head and extended down its back. The strange apparition was dressed with a white flowing dress, gauntlets, shoulder pads and metallic cowboy boots, as well as a red girdle that emanated a subtle glow. On its hands there was a gigantic battle axe, so large it couldn't be lifted with ease. The apparition looked like a child playing to dress like a warrior, but there was a seriousness and intimidating aura in it that made everyone who was observing admire it as if it was a true fighter.
Ananas has taken the decision to break her self-imposed chains and reach her true potential. The strength of her heart has bestowed her the Persona Hippolyta
The Persona vanished. For a moment no one said a thing, staring with awe at where the Persona had been. ...so that's how it's done? Of all people Annie got a Persona... Did it mean that in order to obtain a Persona someone not only needed to be attacked and fall down, they also needed to defeat their own Shadow?
"Consarn it, what was that?!" Ananas finally breaking the silence.
"Uuuuh...yo, is that something all humans can do?" Monster Kid asked. Ananas looked at Syphus, putting away her gun.
"Wait, you have something like that too! I remember it" she said to him. Syphus glanced at Monster Kid. Going into a long explanation as to what was that Persona thing wasn't something Syphus wanted to do right now. Besides, to be completely honest with himself, he wasn't entirely happy Ananas had obtained a Persona. That meant that if he didn't want to put his life in excessive risk, he had to take Ananas with him. Things were bound to get more difficult, it was urgent he had a teammate with a Persona, and now that he may have one...he wasn't exactly enthusiastic about it. Damn it, I shouldn't be feeling like that! I should be grateful! But the thought of getting Ananas into all this...it just didn't sit well with him. There had to be some other way, right? A way that didn't involve putting her in danger "Syphus? Why are you staring blankly like that?"
"S-Sorry, I got distracted" Syphus cleared his throat, avoiding to look at Ananas "We should return home"
"Right! The village was this way!" Monster Kid started going towards the part of Waterfall where the Hidden Village was at, but Syphus stopped him, telling him they didn't have to do that. When Ananas asked what he meant, Syphus pointed at her vest.
"Look in the inside of your vest, on the right side. There should be a brooch there" he instructed while he picked up pieces of the Shadow's armor. Ananas obeyed, opening her vest and finding the firefly brooch Syphus had placed there to enter her SOUL. "Wait, don't touch it"
"What's this?"
"I'll explain later. Let's return" Syphus put his hand on Monster Kid's head, making sure he'd come with them once they returned, and pressed on the brooch. Just like it had happened the other time, the false Waterfall around them distorted and vanished.
-ooooo-
The first thing Syphus heard when he started to wake up was panicked shouting. It took him a moment to realize it was from Ananas. As soon as he realized that, he sat up, looking in direction of the screams. He didn't even have time to move when Cohen and Graham entered, rushing towards her. "Annie! What's wrong?" Graham asked, leaving aside the bowl he had brought. Ananas stopped screaming and breathed heavily, gulping and looking around with fear.
"I...where am I?"
"You're at home. We're all here, you're safe" Graham said soothingly. Ananas shuddered once and fell back on the bed, looking at the ceiling.
"That was...I'm sorry. I had a bad dream" she murmured, sounding like she didn't believe it herself. She looked at Cohen, who was looking at her with worried expression "Oh. Hi"
"How're you feeling, Annie?" he asked, sounding surprisingly soft.
"I'm okay. Really" she tried to roll and get out of the bed but Graham impeded it, blocking her way.
The old man crossed his arms. "You're going to stay on that bed for some time. You have been unconscious for a few hours"
Ananas looked like she was about to protest the order to stay on bed, but instead she plopped on the mattress, frowning "Fine. I'm going to rest"
"Um, mister?" Syphus heard someone whispering to his side. It was Monster Kid, apparently he just woke up too. Syphus gestured him to stay silent while the situation developed, unsure of where things would go. Obviously everyone in the village must be aware by now a monster had gotten in. What'd they do?
After making sure Ananas would stay on bed, Graham approached Syphus and Monster Kid. "Want some food?" he asked them. It wasn't long before he returned with a couple plates of food. Monster Kid started stuffing his face as soon as he received the food, while Syphus stared at it with contemplative expression, not having appetite for the moment.
"Yo, are you going to eat that?" Monster Kid asked with his mouth full. Syphus wordlessly passed him the plate, deciding to talk with Graham for a moment.
"What are we going to do with the kid?"
Graham pointed with his thumb behind him, to where Cohen was sitting outside the cabin. "Cohen called Mom Toriel. She's going to pick him up"
"The Queen is coming here?!" the child almost stood up, dropping the plates, but he managed to stop himself right in time. Graham nodded, avoiding to look at Syphus.
"Yep! Don't worry, she's cool. She may be the Queen but she's a sweet old lady" he said "But you have to listen to her. She's going to ask you a favor, and you need to do what she says" It wasn't much of a stretch to think that Toriel was going to ask for Monster Kid's silence. It was unlikely she'd explain much about the village and all the humans living there.
Just like Graham said, Toriel arrived to the village. By then Syphus had retired to Cohen's cottage, saying he felt exhausted and wanted to sleep on his mattress. The Queen entered at a speed that hinted how worried she was, looking around the cabin and going straight to where Ananas was resting. "My child, what happened to you?"
"I, um...I hit my head" Ananas lied, sounding curiously timid. Was it because she was lying or because lying to Toriel's face wasn't easy for her? Toriel seemed satisfied with the excuse, after a couple minutes of fussing, she stood up to talk with Monster Kid "Wait!"
"Yes, my child?"
"I found this in my pocket, but it's not mine. Can you put it somewhere?" she put an object in Toriel's hand. The Queen observed the object, turning it around in her hand.
It was a child's shoe, the sole caked with mud.
-ooooo-
The rest of the day was dedicated to damage control, so to speak. Toriel had talked with Monster Kid and convince him to not tell anyone about the Hidden Village. The child was starstruck, talking with the Queen of All Monsters! He accepted every word without question, nodding and looking at her with awe. "Yes! I promise!" he had said many times. Cohen and Byssa had privately asked Toriel if she really believed Monster Kid wouldn't tell about the village, but the Queen assured them he wasn't going to say a word.
Ananas stayed in bed for the rest of the day, being unusually cooperative. She let Graham take care of her and bring her food, and although she still refused to see Cohen for more time than necessary, she at least talked to him without growling or trying to get away.
The next day Cohen insisted she continued resting, and that was the end of her good will. Syphus could hear her shouting from outside. ...I'm not going to go inside he vowed, walking away and trying to pretend he didn't hear Ananas screaming her vocal chords off in frustration. Sometimes that girl could be a bit of a brat, not that he blamed her. For someone as active as Ananas, the perspective of staying in bed for a whole day doing pretty much nothing must have been incredibly frustrating.
Syphus had wanted to talk with Ananas about the Persona, what it all was about and what it entailed, but since Cohen and Graham both stayed inside the cabin taking care of Ananas he never had the chance. May as well find a few details. Fusing some new Personas, making sure he understood what Ananas had done to obtain it, tell Papyrus that it's unlikely he'll be able to join Syphus in the future unless something bad happened to him...it was going to be a busy day after working at Grillby's again.
Grillby turned out to be way more patient than Syphus expected, although the piece had the feeling Grillby still wasn't entirely happy about hiring him. "This is not an official job" the translator bird had said "Grillby says you can come here to work if you feel like it, don't force yourself if you don't want to" It was both a relief and insulting.
The excursion into the Velvet Room after the part-time job was very productive. When Syphus entered, he found out Alphonse wasn't there. When asked about where Alphonse had gone, Igor indicated Syphus to sit down. "I sent them on an errand" he explained "For today I shall do all the services of the Velvet Room" And he did, he completed the Persona fusions with just as much patience as Alphonse did.
"Someone I know obtained a Persona" Syphus said while trying to get the right skills on the Persona he wanted "She shot her own Shadow Self and it just...it turned into a Persona"
"Ah, yes. Your Chariot Social Link obtained the façade she uses to face life's hardships"
"How did that happen, what did she do?"
Igor's eternal grin seemed to widen. In a way it reminded Syphus of Sans. "Shadows are pieces of consciousness and emotions given form, and it could be said a Persona is a tamed Shadow. To obtain a Persona one needs to accept their Shadow Self in some way. Some people find their true potential when they or someone they love is in danger. Others obtain it by accepting their flaws. Others have acquired a Persona by forcing themselves to face painful truths about the world and themselves.
In your friend's case – and it'll happen for everyone who will obtain a Persona during your journey – it'll be by deciding to face the obstacles and worries their Shadow Self represents"
That made some sense. At least it did explain how Ananas delivering the final blow and taking a new resolve had led to obtaining the Persona. "I see...can anyone obtain a Persona?"
"Only those who face their own weaknesses and suffering will obtain a Persona. Whether they're human or a monster won't influence anything" Igor extended a hand "Some of your partners will be monsters, others will be humans, and others won't fit neither category. All that matters is that they face their Shadow Self and win"
Syphus nodded and extended his choice of skills for the Persona he requested for fusion. "And what'd happen if we fail and the Shadow Self, uh...wins?"
Igor prepared the fusion. "Then their Shadow Self will overwhelm them. Their decisions and actions shall be dictated by their Shadow Self. As you may imagine, the consequences from following such unbridled fears and courage has the potential to be...catastrophic"
Syphus gulped, trying not to think too much about what Ananas would have done if her Shadow Self had ended overwhelming her.
After getting reminded that the items Sans had given him had a use inside their SOULs and that he should try his best to use the gathered materials to obtain more items – "what's my life now, a RPG?" the piece had said - Syphus went to Papyrus' house to deliver the news regarding obtaining a Persona. When Syphus arrived to the skeleton brothers' house he found Frisk looking outside with wistful expression. "Hey there, Frisk" Syphus greeted. The child merely glanced at him, acknowledged his presence and went back to look outside. "Is there something wrong?"
"THEY HAVE BEEN STARING OUTSIDE FOR A WHILE ALREADY, AND THEY DID YESTERDAY TOO. WHEN I ASKED IF SOMETHING WAS WRONG THEY SAID THEY WANTED TO CONTINUE THEIR ADVENTURE"
"Oh" So Frisk was growing antsy about having to stay in the house...Syphus immediately went to remind Frisk why they were staying in Snowdin, but it seemed like Frisk wasn't listening. It was matter of time before Frisk decided they had waited enough. It had just been three days so far, but to them it was as if weeks had passed, they wanted to see their friends, go all the way to the Barrier.
"...yes..." Frisk mumbled without even looking at Syphus. The piece shook his head but decided to trust Frisk on this, hoping the child would understand it was prudent to stay put for the time being.
Explaining to Papyrus that obtaining a Persona was impossible unless he was at some point attacked went much more smoothly than Syphus expected. Papyrus listened and didn't seem upset that Syphus had pretty much benched him for the time being. "I SEE! DO NOT FRET, FRIEND! EVEN IF I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM ATTACKED, I WILL FACE MY FEARS WITHOUT...WITHOUT FEAR!"
"It can't be that easy—"
"IT IS EASIER IF YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!"
"Well, yeah, you're right about that" If there was something Papyrus had a lot of, it was confidence in his own skills and strengths. What kind of Shadow Self could a guy like him have? Syphus couldn't imagine what it could be "Look, I'm not saying you won't ever accompany me again, but it's something that's out of my hands. It's better if you're not attacked, either way"
Papyrus didn't seem particularly concerned about the possibility of being attacked and forced to endure his own Shadow Self. The skeleton raised a gloved finger, telling Syphus to wait, and lifted something from the floor, leaving it on the table. "UNTIL THE TIME COMES FOR ME TO HELP YOU BY YOUR SIDE, I'LL CHEER FOR YOU FROM THE SIDELINES. HERE IS A GIFT, FROM ME TO YOU!"
"A gift? What's this?" Syphus took the box Papyrus was passing him. It had a dozen tiny beads, it seemed to be medicine. A price tag in the corner showed an exorbitant number that made Syphus dizzy just from thinking for how long he'd need to work to be able to buy something like this.
"I BOUGHT IT FROM METTATON'S SHOPPING SHOW. HE SAID THESE BEADS ARE REVITALIZING! I THOUGHT IT'D BE USEFUL FOR YOU"
Syphus stared at the box, feeling a strange mixture of gratitude and concern. Did Papyrus have enough gold to throw around like this? "Papyrus, I'll pay you for this. I can't take something so expensive just like that"
"PLEASE DON'T! IT'S A GIFT"
You have obtained twelve Revival Beads
After failing to convince Papyrus to let him pay with the little money he had, Syphus told Papyrus he had left more debris and stuff from the Shadows right there by the entrance, and left. His feathers were flat against his scales, he was hunched over and deep in his thoughts. Papyrus would do anything to be of help, that much was for sure. If he does get a Persona I'll take him with me...at least he knows about humans already. That should be one problem less.
-ooooo-
Toriel, having finished cleaning the shoe Ananas had given her, entered the extra room in her house. The shoe looked familiar...didn't she have shoes like that one in the closet of that room? The Queen opened the closet and looked among the shoes. Indeed, there was the matching shoe.
How did Ananas find a shoe that was supposed to be at the Ruins?
-ooooo-
The seventh day started. Given what Grillby had said about not needing to go to the job every day, Syphus decided to try to talk with Ananas about the Persona. Ananas, fully rested and looking more energetic than two days ago. When she came out of the Hidden Village, dressed with her wild west clothing, Syphus waved at her, he had the illusion on. Ananas didn't seem happy when she saw the reptile that had been too close to finding the village – as far as she knew – but unlike the other times she didn't try to aim the gun at him. "...good morning" Ananas said, managing to repress the trembling in her voice.
"Annie, don't say a word of this to anyone" Syphus said before deactivating the firefly brooch, showing himself as a human. Ananas stepped back, surprised.
"That was you? Oh—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to aim the gun at you before" Ananas rubbed her eyes "How did you do that?!"
"Magic" That seemed to be enough explanation for Annie. How many times did she receive that explanation before about other things?
"Can I get a monster costume too?"
"No, but I have something for you that's good enough" Syphus showed the cloak he still had from when Toriel had taken him to the Hidden Village and helped her to put it on "We're going somewhere to talk about Personas" he said before walking away. Ananas hurried to reach him, clutching the cloak and its hood in an attempt to not to show her face at all.
"W-Wait! Where are we going?! I don't think we should go too far away"
"Don't you want to see more than just a few tunnels in Waterfall?" Syphus turned his head around, smiling at her before activating his illusion again "You'll be safe as long as you're with me"
Ananas' eyes widened a bit. "Really? We can...see other places?" her voice sounded very hopeful, as if Syphus had just offered her something impossible yet wanted for quite a long time.
"Did you know that there are places where you can talk and people are so focused on their own lives they don't pay any attention to you? If we go there, we can talk and be sure no one will listen to what we say. If we did it in any random cave there's always the risk a passerby would be around and listen, so—"
"Wait, I don't get it. Where did you say we're going?" the temperature was getting higher, until Ananas wished she wasn't wearing that heavy cloak and hood. Syphus grinned, feeling curiously giddy.
"You'll see. Welcome to Hotland!" It wasn't long before they got to their destination: a large building, luxuriously decorated and with a large fountain in the lobby. Ananas looked around, enjoying the sight. This was nothing at all like she thought other parts of the Underground looked like! It was welcoming yet daunting, but there was a tingle of excitement in the air that felt invigorating and made her want to return at some point. Syphus led Ananas to a pair of large glass doors visible from the lobby, opening them for her "Here we go!"
"What's this place?"
"A fast food restaurant" Syphus did jazz hands as if he had just announced something of impressive proportions. Ananas' initial excitement faded in record time, her formerly natural grin turning a bit strained. The inside of the MTT-Brand Burger Emporium didn't look bad at all, but it wasn't really the marvel Ananas had expected.
"I'm not sure this is a good place to talk about our plans, Syphus"
The MTT-Brand Burger Emporium had a few monsters sitting at the tables, but it was unlikely anyone would pay much attention to them. It was true a couple monsters glanced at Ananas, but none of them seemed to notice she was actually human. Feeling a bit calmer, Ananas sat onto an empty table, drumming her fingers in anticipation. "I have never been here at one of these restaurants before!"
"I'll try to see if I can buy you something later, but for now we need to talk" Syphus sat on the other side of the table, looked around and lowered his voice. "Let's go straight to the point. Annie, I'm going to be honest: this isn't going to be fun and games"
"I know...I remember the things that filled that place" she whispered back.
"You may have gained a Persona but that doesn't mean you'd be safe"
"I have a gun and five bullets left" her hand went to the holster on her hip. Syphus nodded, mentally praying Ananas had the common sense not to draw it out in middle of the restaurant. Thankfully, Ananas kept it hidden.
"We can't rely only on your revolver or on my halberd. Personas would be our best bet" he proceeded to explain that a Persona was 'like an extension of you, not a sentient creature you control'. The girl listened with attention, unsure if she understood everything, but she was sure she got the gist of it all.
Ananas tipped her hat forward. "Personas are so cool...I don't understand them, but it looks like it could be magic! I can't believe I'll be doing magic!" her voice gained volume near the end, her excitement overcoming her prudence. Syphus gestured her to keep her voice down.
"Look, this is dangerous, and I don't feel completely comfortable taking a kid with me into this mess, so I need you to promise me—"
The girl didn't let him finish his thought, she glared at Syphus from underneath her hat. "You're saving people"
"That's true—"
"Then I want to help. I want to be a hero too! I want to help humans and monsters" she said eagerly.
"Again, you need to think this through—"
"This is my chance to get stronger! We'll go together, fight against evil, and then-"
"Can you stop interrupting me?!" Syphus's reptilian irises narrowed for a moment "It's not a matter of strength. You have to understand this is dangerous!" Syphus said. The girl stared at the table, gripping the edge with trepidation. After a moment of silence, Syphus sighed and stood up. "Look, I'm not rejecting your help. I just want you to think this through"
" Yeah, you said that already" Ananas was silent for a moment before nodding slowly "...I...I want to help..."
"You don't have to accept right in this moment. Here, I'll get you something to eat while you think" It would be a harsh blow to Syphus' finances, but he felt bad breaking Ananas' panache like he did. It was true Ananas was just a little girl, but even at this age Syphus could see the determination and will to protect other people he remembered from Ananas in his timeline. She was always like this...some things never change no matter what. It was rather comforting, although Syphus wouldn't admit that to anyone. Syphus approached the counter of the Burger Emporium, looking for gold in his pockets.
The orange cat-like monster behind the counter seemed bored to death, leaning his head against his fist and staring at the ceiling as if he was daydreaming. The way his eyes were glazed over and he looked about to fall asleep showed he was just...doing absolutely nothing. When Syphus approached, the monster subtly sighed and straightened up and showed a smile that proved he had a lot of practice in retail hell. "Welcome to MTT-Brand Burger Emporium, home of the Glamburger. Sparkle up your day – trademark registered"
"Glamburger? What's that?"
The worker's smile got tighter, between his teeth he mumbled something like 'Is this guy for real? What kind of question is that?', then took a deep breath and talked louder. "It's our specialty, and its price is affordable. Please buy one. Please"
Okay, maybe he didn't have as much practice as Syphus had supposed. Scowling at the price that meant he was going to have no more than 5 Gold in total left, Syphus caved and bought the Glamburger. The worker's grin turned nightmarishly wide, practically shouting a thank you for buying it. Weirded out, Syphus hurried to run to the table, sitting in front of Ananas and passing the Glamburger to her. She didn't take it, though, instead Ananas raised her head and looked at Syphus to the eyes. "I know what I'll do"
"Oh?"
"I will help you" Ananas said, determination sparkling in her eyes "I know it'll be dangerous, but I can help you with my Persona. We'll save everyone who goes through the same I did! And I don't mean just our friends from the village, we'll help monsters too. That's something I want to take part of, I want to protect everyone! Let me help you!"
The way her determination and will to help showed in her eyes...it' be a monumental task to convince her not to get involved. That was why, after a moment, Syphus sighed and nodded. "Good. You're in the team. For now it's just you and me, but with some luck there'll be more people later, we'll need a lot of people to reach our big objective"
"If we're going to be a team we're going to need a name!" Ananas practically started vibrating with excitement, before going 'hmmm' "Wait, what's the big objective?"
Syphus smirked and made a dramatic pause, acting enigmatically. "Why, the plan is to shatter the Barrier and free everyone" he said, watching for Ananas' reaction.
He wasn't disappointed. Ananas's eyes went wide open, and she let out a 'woooow', practically exuding admiration "We're going to shatter the Barrier? That's awesome! How are we going to do it?"
"That's...a plan in progress" Syphus said, remembering he still needed to give Alphys the pieces of Shadow Ananas' armor "But it'll involve a lot of fighting against Shadows, that's for sure"
"Ah...great" Ananas nodded "We still need a name for the team. How about-?"
"Nothing western-related would be nice"
"Aw, you're a jerk! I haven't been able to play sheriff for real since I fell down here" Ananas pouted for a second "How about 'Barrier Breakers'?"
Barrier Breakers? Well that was an on-the-nose name, and it had a bit of an infantile sound to it, but did the name of the team really matter that much? "Sure, why not?"
"Nice! That's it, we formed our team! Yeah!" Ananas stood up, accidentally hitting the table and attracting everyone's attention. The girl raised her arms to the air and shouted: "Barrier Breakers!" The restaurant, having gone silent, stared at her, and Syphus laughed awkwardly while trying to get Ananas to sit down again. Getting everyone's attention like this was a tad unsettling, he was glad he had given her the cloak. Welcome to the club, Annie. Have fun.
Suddenly, Syphus felt a familiar warmth in his chest.
Ananas has officially joined you!
Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Judgement Arcana
Judgement?! The arcana obtained was rather intimidating and sounded rather important, and it seemed to be directly linked to the team, instead to a specific person. How was he supposed to make the Social Link grow, then? Before Syphus could continue considering that, everything around him started moving again, as if nothing had happened. Syphus looked around with confusion, caught off-guard by the Social Link, but after noticing Ananas was staring at him as if she was about to ask if there was something wrong, he made sure to hide how puzzled he felt. "Be subtle, Annie, and remember: we need to be careful. Don't go around shouting what we'll try to do"
"I promise I won't" Ananas nodded with excitement, holding back some laughter. She thought she understood the situation, and although she did feel a bit unsettled by the whole SOUL exploring and the weird Shadows things, she refused to show any apprehension. The guardian of the human village can't show fear. The guardian must be brave, and fight no matter what. That's how she thought it worked.
Syphus was feeling more nervous about having to take care of a child during this adventure, though. His track record in dealing with children in middle of journeys was...not very good. I really, really hope she won't die... Ananas took the burger, staring at it with curiosity. "Hey, Syphus, what is the meat made of?"
That was actually a rather good question! And it was one Syphus had no idea how to answer. The piece shrugged. "Who knows...maybe it's snails?"
"Snails?!" Ananas dropped the burger as if it was piping hot, with expression of disgust. Syphus, not wanting to see his gold wasted, smiled soothingly.
"It was a joke. I'm sure it's nothing bad. Come on, try it"
"But I don't think there are..." she looked around, as if she was making sure there were none of those in the restaurant "...cows down here"
"Someday I'll ask, but for now just eat your Glamburger, okay?" he said. Ananas, looking like she would like nothing less than give the Glamburger to someone else, sighed and grabbed it, sequins sticking to her fingers. She bit into it, tasting the flavor with attention.
It wasn't as bad as she thought it'd be.
-ooooo-
Hippolyta had fire magic and physical attacks, was resistant to fire and was weak to electricity. It didn't sound bad, Syphus could provide the magic and healing Hippolyta lacked, he could work with that.
Not that Ananas cared very much about that. On the way back to the village she had started to try to summon her Persona even though Syphus told her it was impossible. She didn't stop, trying different poses and shouting 'Persona!' and 'Come to me, Hippolyta!'. "Why doesn't it work?" she asked after the eleventh try.
"I told you, it can only be done while inside a SOUL. Don't ask me why because I don't know"
"Oh. By the way, I want to learn to fight for real. I think I can do the very basic moves already" Even though Syphus warned her trying to fight a Shadow with punches wasn't going to end well, she insisted until Syphus caved. "Alright, I guess there's no harm in you having some fighting skills. Do you want to fight me?"
"Yes! You know how to fight?"
"I think I can defend myself" How hard could it be to defend oneself against a small eight-year-old girl like Ananas? It was more difficult than Syphus expected, that was for sure. As soon as Syphus said that, Ananas took off the cloak and hood, throwing them aside, and jumped on him, trying to tackle him. Syphus tried to stop her, holding his hands forward to catch her, but she acted quickly, grabbing his palms and pushing back. She had a surprising amount of strength for someone of her age, managing to make him step back. Ananas didn't pay attention to how his claws phased through her fists, focused on trying to push him towards the wall.
Letting her do that wasn't an option. Syphus, in a change of strategy, managed to lift her off the floor, surprising her. "W-Woah!" she yelled, flailing her legs and trying to touch the ground again. Syphus lightly threw her back, letting her fall to the floor. Ananas hit the rocks with her backside, but soon was back up on her feet and charging towards him. He prepared to repeat what he had just done, but an intelligent fighter didn't do the same thing over and over in quick succession, like Ananas was going to prove now. Instead of grappling his hands, she ducked and tackled Syphus' legs, making him lose his balance. "Gotcha!" she shouted, victorious, when Syphus fell to the floor, and got on his back, pushing down with her knees.
But despite her strength, she was just a little girl. Syphus stood up, forcing Ananas to cling to him from his neck, and tried to shake her off. Ananas held on as strongly as she could, grabbing the neck of his track jacket and resisting every movement he did. "You can't hold me down!" Syphus claimed, trying to grab her from his back, but she had expected that. To avoid getting caught she pressed herself against him, using her weight to force him to keep moving forward. Syphus stumbled across a few tunnels in Waterfall, not noticing they were starting to walk away from the safe areas without cameras Ananas and Monster Kid played at.
"Take this!" Ananas was shouting, hitting Syphus' head with her fist over and over. It was more annoying than painful, but it was enough to make Syphus raise his hands in defeat.
"Fine! I surrender. You win"
"See?" Ananas let go of Syphus' back, jumping to the floor and smiling widely "I can fight"
"It'd be better if you used a Persona. I don't think a Shadow would let you hang from their necks like that. Some of them don't even have necks"
Ananas had been about to reply to that when they heard steps coming in their direction. Realizing she had stepped out of the safe areas, she yelped and hurried in direction of the Village while Syphus was too surprised to move. When Monster Kid appeared from around the corner, Syphus relaxed, hunching over in such a way it was amazing his monster illusion's head didn't hit the ground. "Oh, it's you"
"Yo! Where's Annie?"
"She is..." ...where did she go? "I think she just ran away towards the Village"
"Okay! I'll find her" he didn't even step more than ten feet away when Ananas tackled him, yelling like a madwoman.
Their play fighting lasted around fifteen minutes until Monster Kid finally managed to get Ananas off him, and by then the two were too tired to go somewhere else. The three sat on rocks, Ananas wearing the cloak again. Monster Kid was briefed about Syphus the monster and Syphus the human being the same person – "Oh, uh, I already kind of...knew that? You have the same clothes, dude". Ananas avoided saying she hadn't deduced it. She put her hands on her knees and tried to change topic.
"Hey! If what happened to me ever happens to you Syphus and I will rescue you, okay?"
"You think I'll be attacked too?" Monster Kid looked around as if he expected someone to try to knock him out right now.
"It could happen-" Syphus tried to talk but Ananas drowned out what he attempted to say.
"It doesn't matter. We'll protect you if it happens, okay? That's what friends are for"
Monster Kid stared at her for a moment before a grin spread on his face. "Shucks, I...thanks. Hey! I brought something for you! It's—" he looked to the floor at his side, finding nothing "Uh—I think I left it somewhere on the way here" he apologized and left, intending to look for whatever he had intended to bring with him. While he was away, Ananas went silent, her hat obscuring her face, until she finally spoke.
"I'm happy he's my friend. I don't know what I'd have done if I hadn't ever met him...did he tell you how we met?"
"He told me a few things, but not that" Syphus said "Want to talk about that?"
"Yesterday I was thinking about that day. It had been a month since I fell, and I was so bored..." she took out her gun, opening and closing the bullet chamber "Everyone had told me what'd happen to any human who went outside, that we'd be killed...so I had decided to do something about it.
I was going to fight the King"
"You what?!" Syphus shouted before realizing what he was doing. The pupils in his reptilian eyes had narrowed so much they were almost invisible against the yellow irises "What were you thinking?!"
Ananas didn't look up, focused on her gun. "I know, I know. That was bad, but that day I just...I thought it needed to be done, the King needed to be punished. I wanted to go home...so I sneaked out of the village. I got lost – Waterfall is so big, I only got to that place where MK and I play. That's where he found me"
-ooooo-
Monster Kid had never seen a monster like the one that was standing there. Was that a boy or a girl? How old were they? They weren't wearing the striped clothing kids used to wear, but they were so short. "Hello?"
"Who's there?!" the unknown monster turned around, gritting their teeth – her teeth. She seemed to be a girl. She stepped back, looking at him with distrust "What do you want?"
"Yo! Are you a kid too? Where is your striped shirt?"
"My what?" she tilted her head, her hand went to her hip. There was something attached there but he couldn't distinguish what was in that holster "Forget it. Take me to the King's castle"
"Why do you want to go there?"
"Shut up and take me to the castle! You'll do it if you know what's good for you" she was sweating heavily; Monster Kid was sure she had started to tremble "I have a gun!"
"A gun?" That just couldn't be true. Why was she so upset, anyways? Unsure if he had said something wrong, Monster Kid stepped a bit closer "Hey, why do you want to go to the castle? That's very far from here!"
"Very far? How far is it?"
"It's on the other side of Hotland. You never seen Hotland? It's like this big place full of lava, I'm not allowed to go there"
"L-Lava...?" did she get paler?
"Yeah! It fills the whole place, bubbling and bright red, and it's so hot, too. It'd be amazing if you got through without getting lost"
"I...I see..." the girl pulled the brim of her cowboy hat down, hiding her eyes. For a moment they stood there, waiting for the other to say something, until Monster Kid tried to get her to talk more.
"What's your name?"
That got the girl to look at him. After a pause she scratched her head, hesitant. "I'm the Sheriff around here, pardner, the arm of the law"
-ooooo-
"You sure know a lot about what Monster Kid felt and thought that day" Syphus commented.
Ananas smiled, a bit red. "Sometimes he and I talk about that" she stopped smiling "I had wanted to fight the King because I thought he deserved it, for wanting to kill humans...and I had thought that all monsters would be the same. Well, almost all, besides Toriel. And you know what? After playing with MK for some time I started thinking that, you know...it's not everyone's fault that the King wants to kill humans" she lowered her voice, sounding pensive "I was blaming all monsters, but then that'd mean MK wanted humans dead too, and I don't think he does. I was being unfair towards monsters. I don't know what happened in that whole war thing Toriel once told me about, but that's nothing these monsters did. And also, I think...
...I think meeting MK saved my life. If he hadn't found me and I had kept going someone in the Royal Guard could have seen me, or the cameras could have caught me, and I'd have tried to fight. I could have died that day. But no, I met him, he saved me.
That is one of the reasons why I'm happy he's my friend"
Ananas has confided in you
The Ananas Social Link has reached Rank 5!
Your power to create Personas of the Chariot Arcana has grown!
Syphus leaned against the wall, thinking. What'd have happened if Ananas had continued her way? She wasn't mistaken, it was likely she'd have been caught by some other monster. That's what had happened countless times in thousands of timelines, she always got caught while trying to go through Waterfall. "You should tell him that he saved you. I think he'd like to hear that" Ananas shook her head immediately.
"No. He's nice, but I think he'd laugh at me if I said that" Kids, thinking the other is going to laugh when being honest to each other...what's up with that? "Don't tell him what I told you"
"I won't, but I think you're being kind of silly. He's going to understand"
Ananas flicked the brim of her hat upwards. She could hear Monster Kid coming back. She turned her head, whispering. "When we break the Barrier and everyone is free I'll tell him. I promise"
"I'm going to make you keep that promise, Sheriff! Don't think I won't" Syphus extended his pinky, intending to seal the promise. Ananas stared at it for a moment, unsure if she should, but she hooked her pinky, smiling.
It was a promise to be fulfilled no matter what.
-ooooo-
Alphys almost couldn't believe what she had seen. There was another human child in the Underground.
She had been repairing a smashed camera from Waterfall when the feed showed a human girl pummeling a monster. "Syphus?" she gasped, aghast. He was being attacked by a human! And...well he wasn't dead, but he was clearly losing the fight. Alphys rewinded the video feed, watching the short fight again until the moment both Syphus and the human girl got into a part of Waterfall there wasn't a camera at. The new human's fighting didn't end there, though. Alphys saw glimpses of the human girl trying to hold a monster child against the ground, the child barely managed to get her off them, before the two got away from the camera again.
Had something happened to Syphus? Could that human have killed him? Alphys watched feeds throughout Waterfall and Snowdin, but Syphus didn't appear anywhere. With trembling claws, Alphys grabbed her cellphone and looked for a number before changing her mind, dropping the cellphone on the table. It took her another two tries to gather enough courage to call Sans. "Sans i-i-it's Alphys"
"sup. you got the dvd back?"
"F-Forget the DVD! Uh, for the record, yes, I received it, b-but that's not important right now!" Alphys asked Sans to get in contact with Syphus. If there was someone who could do that it was Sans, wasn't he? Syphus had said the skeleton was their mutual friend. If something had happened to Syphus, Sans would find out. They both lived in Snowdin – right? – he was bound to know!
After a pause that only had the sounds of Sans' phalanges against the cellphone, he talked again. "you sure you saw another human?"
"Completely sure! I mean, I had seen s-someone with cowboy clothes wandering around Waterfall b-before, but that hat was in the way – I didn't think that was a human...b-but now I saw her!" Alphys switched the feed of the cameras, looking for Syphus "I think she may have killed S-Syphus!" Alphys had already planned to keep Sans informed if the human child with the striped sweater killed any monsters – Sans needed information for his judgment if the need arose, after all – but the unexpected human going rogue made chills go down her spine.
What to do, though? Should she tell Undyne? There were two humans in the Underground. No, wait, if Syphus was okay then she shouldn't tell Undyne...she'd look for the human girl. If she had done nothing wrong then...agh, what to do?
For the moment Alphys decided not to tell Undyne.
-ooooo-
In Snowdin, Sans listened, nodding every few seconds even though Alphys couldn't see it. "got it. keep me informed" he said before hanging. He sighed, shaking his head. "really now" Sans let the phone fall on the couch, and he sank more in the pillows, not making any effort to do something about the other human or about contacting Syphus. He just...would let things follow their course and not interfere.
Frisk was sitting nearby, reading the quantum physics/joke books. They looked up from it inquisitively, what was that call? Sans simply waved his hand dispiritedly "relax, kiddo. t'was nothing"
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SOCIAL LINKS:
Fool - Frisk - RANK 4
Magician - ? - RANK 0
Priestess - Alphys - RANK 1
Empress - Toriel - RANK 2
Emperor - Cohen - RANK 3
Hierophant - Ciruel - RANK 1
Lovers - ? - RANK 0
Chariot - Ananas - RANK 5
Justice - ? - RANK 0
Hermit - ? - RANK 0
Fortune - ? - RANK 0
Strength - ? - RANK 0
Hanged Man - ? - RANK 0
Death - Cornio - RANK 1
Temperance - ? - RANK 0
Devil - ? - RANK 0
Tower - ? - RANK 0
Star - Lucia - RANK 1
Moon - ? - RANK 0
Sun - Papyrus - RANK 2
Judgment - Team - RANK 1
Aeon - Syphus - RANK 2
Jester - Alphonse - RANK 2