Alice in Undertale

By Lolitafreak88

Chapter 6 Puzzles of the Great Papyrus

"Oh my, there's two different paths!" Alice exclaimed as she finally stepped into the depths of the forest.

What stood out was a path leading to the left and one that continued to zig-zag forward. There was also a curious wooden chest lying next to a sign off the road. The trees also appeared to be alive and at their peak of winter beauty, revealing them to be pine trees. Alice couldn't help but feel determined at this very pristine sight as well as the memory of the strangely convenient lamp. Alice wasn't one-hundred percent sure where to begin but she decided that checking the left path at the moment would be ideal since it was closest to her. Along that path led to a rather quick dead end as the path was split off from a pure river and there appeared to be a fishing rod that had been left behind. Alice had never been one for fishing as there wasn't really any fishing spot she knew of and it seemed a bit too fussy for her liking. Still she had to wonder who it belonged to.

"I really shouldn't mess around with someone's fishing rod… though perhaps it's Sans?" Alice advised herself but her curiousity was too strong.

Reeling in the line and Alice soon found a photo of a weird-looking monster attached to the end. There was a message on the back of the photo that said 'Call me! Here's my number!' Beyond the common sense of not talking to strangers, Alice also felt that this monster looked too bizarre to simply call up for a conversation. Feeling slightly disappointed, she dipped the line back in and returned to the pathway. She then proceeded to read the sign. 'This is a box. You can put an item inside or take an item out. The same box will appear later, so don't worry about coming back. Sincerely, a box lover.'

"... Monsters down here sure have curious hobbies. I suppose it would be fun though to use a box when playing pretend or something." Alice giggled to herself as the thought sounded like something she'd do herself.

Alice hadn't picked up much items beyond the dropped gold but she did find the Monster Candy she had picked up from the ruins when digging in her pockets. Deciding it wouldn't hurt, she took the time to eat it. It had a distinct, non-licorice flavor and actually was quite yummy. Feeling satisfied, she peered into the box to find a worn, pink leather glove like the kind boxers would use in a boxing match. Not having any desire for using her fists or engaging in combat, Alice left it be. Well there's only one way left, she thought to herself and thus continued down past the box.

"SO AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE," A all too familiar voice was the first thing she heard.

Alice had not, in a million years, expected to have this sort of awkward encounter. Just moments after eluding him, Papyrus was there talking to Sans about something in the middle of the path. Alice's first instinct was a feeling of embarrassment at being spotted out like this. Then she suddenly felt fear at the idea of Papyrus being aware of her at last and what he might do. Finally she felt some relief that the more sympathetic Sans was there with him. Papyrus looked at her with a positive smile before turning to Sans. Sans, at the exact same time, turned to face Alice. Then something of a very awkward level happened. The brothers kept turning back and forth between gazing at Alice and each other. Their pace was unbelievably fast and eventually they outright turned the other way, not facing Alice or each other at all. How are they not entirely dizzy? Alice pondered to herself. Finally they stopped, looking at Alice in sync before turning around to likely talk to themselves. Alice couldn't help feel baffled and slightly annoyed at their spectacle.

"SANS! OH MY GOD! IS THAT… A HUMAN!?" Papyrus exclaimed in pure, honest surprise.

Alice wasn't sure if she was supposed to answer or not and so she held her hands daintily while eyeing the two brothers nervously. They both turned to face her once more. After a few moments of silence, Sans spoke,

"uhhhh… actually, i think that's a rock."

"OH." Papyrus replied.

"W-what?! No! I am not a rock! I am Alice! A young girl! I don't even remotely resemble a rock!" Alice lost her temper at that ludicrous observation and shouted.

"well i was talking about the rock behind you, you on the other hand…" Sans pointed out looking very amused at Alice's reaction.

Alice blushed a bit and looked behind her to see that indeed there was a small, snow-covered rock on the road. He tricked me! Alice thought. Papyrus's next words only made Alice feel more disgraced about her overreaction.

"OH MY GOD! (IS… IS THAT A HUMAN)"

"(yes)" Sans whispered back to Papyrus.

"OH MY GOD! SANS! I FINALLY DID IT!"

"Oh bother…" Alice couldn't keep herself from facepalming and looking at Papyrus disdainfully through her fingers.

Everything about him was simply outrageous, from the multiple 'oh my gods' to his overconfidence at having supposedly sealed the deal on having captured her. Though she did hear something interesting next,

"UNDYNE WILL… I'M GONNA… I'LL BE SO… POPULAR! POPULAR! POPULAR!"

She had been stunned at encountering them so soon that she hadn't took notice of 'Undyne' when Papyrus said it the first time. This time however, the sound of a new name made Alice very curious and remove her hands from her face to look proper.

"Undyne? Excuse my curiousity but who is Undyne?" Alice requested.

Papyrus cleared his throat as he took notice of Alice's question.

"WHY UNDYNE IS HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD! THE MOST POWERFUL HEROINE OF JUSTICE IN THE UNDERGROUND! SHE IS THE ONE WHO'S TRAINED ME THUS FAR AND WHO I HOPE TO IMPRESS ENOUGH TO JOIN!" He replied with a surprising sentimentality, as though he highly respected this Undyne.

"Heroine…? Oh, so she's a woman. That name does sound quite noble, like that of a goddess." Alice commented wistfully.

"heh… goddess… she's certainly got the determination of one," Sans commented cheekily, looking to the side.

Alice looked to Sans suddenly intrigued. Knowing determination meant more than one thing in the Underground, was he saying Undyne possessed that power as well? It would be best not to upset her if I ever see her then, Alice concluded. Papyrus on the other hand, merely continued with a melodramatic tone,

"HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN… THEN! I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S NEXT. IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE… ONLY IF YOU DARE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

Papyrus proceeded to dash further down the path. Alice folded her arms and shook her head with disbelief. Sans was still there so she looked to him hoping for some clarification or more information.

"well, that went well." He said.

"Really? I felt positively insulted. I did see a glimpse of something more beyond a giant ego in your brother but he's simply so… obnoxious. But when he says 'CAPITAL', does he mean where…" Alice paused in mid-question.

She hadn't yet told anyone about the fact she knew King Asgore already as Toriel had told her. But realistically the mentioned Royal Guard was Asgore's defense force so surely it was common knowledge for these residents to know who he was. Overall, she was wondering if her knowledge of her would-be capturers was dangerous to speak about. Would it encourage the monsters to go after her more recklessly and violently or could it potentially give her some influence here? To her astonishment, Sans answered her question for her teasingly,

"where the king lives? yeah, that's the capital of the world. with a capital C"

"... I see… so… is there any other reason he wants to join the Royal Guard? Anything beyond childish desires for popularity and the like?" Alice asked, turning away and looking up.

"i don't think it's that childish. you know… he's been taught a lot already and become a better person throughout his attempts to become a member of the royal guard. i mean, have you had any desires alice? desires you'd go full force to achieve?"

"Well… I wanted a world of my own and it seems like I was tricked into believing I had it here. Now I'm down here… alone… in the future of all things. Maybe I am being too judgemental but that's giving me some comfort in a sense, knowing I'm still conducting myself in a way that people I know would've done… a-and…" Alice felt tears coming to her eyes as she finally openly spoke about her frustration at being trapped down here alone.

Any dreams she wanted or had the chance to develop were tossed aside. She was now forced into scenarios no little girl could dream of enduring. If it wasn't for how she was raised and her excitement at seeing new things, she could've broke down or lost her mind. Not to mention she was entirely displaced from her original time and had no idea what awaited her, even if she did get through the barrier. She felt like she was being forced into adulthood before she even had the chance to really indulge in her youth. All of this combined into a situation that felt too painful for Alice.

"here, I think you need this." Sans voice sounded almost uncomfortably close yet extremely caring.

When Alice turned back to face Sans, she noticed that he was offering her something. She looked at it closely and realized it was some sort of piece of clothing. It appeared to be a rather fanciful cape, edged with fur and held together with a bow. It was a color remarkably similar to Alice's dress and just seeing it made Alice's eyes widen at the sheer beauty of what was offered to her. It'd look like something she'd wear to an elegant wintertime party and it appeared utterly warm and comforting.

"I-is this really for me…? B-but… well… I haven't entirely deserved it have I…?" Alice muttered negatively.

"well kiddie it's cold outside and you look like you'll freeze to death without layers so… i just felt this would help you keep your mind off the chill and maybe feel a bit warmer inside and out. the cold never bothered me anyway but i know for a human it's a lot different than it is for monsters." Sans said smiling brightly.

I can't argue with that logic, Alice realized. The cold had been getting to her just a bit and thus maybe she had been too hard on Papyrus. After all, he did seem to have a lot of love for his brother and had great energy. I mean even her idealized dreams of Wonderland had characters with boisterous, excited, charming personalities. Papyrus deserved a chance just as much as Toriel and Napstablook did. So Alice wiped her tears away and put on the cape, feeling a lot warmer and even slightly trendier given the monsters style of dress. Her mind instantly felt a lot more clear, much like how it had been in the ruins.

"T-this is so kind of you to give me Sans. I must apologize that I haven't entirely given my best effort to know your brother but now I shall do so. Thank you." Alice curtsied gracefully to show her appreciation.

"well… no problem. you just needed to become ALL-LOOSE, ALICE." Sans made a rather questionable attempt to play on Alice's name.

"Perhaps it would've been better had you said, shall I get you a chalice Alice?" Alice suggested cheerfully.

"hehehehehe… and now it looks like I got some comedic competition. well enough dilly-dallying, you got some fun ahead of you. don't worry about it either, i got your backbone." Sans recovered with a skeleton pun and left with a wink.

Alice couldn't help but feel charmed by Sans. He seemed so approachable and personable in a way that was probably less dignified but more relaxed than Toriel. He also definitely cared about his brother which made Alice wonder if Toriel had any family. So without further ado, Alice continued into the woods, now much warmer with her cape. But it wasn't long when she stumbled upon a new creature. A strange but rather large bird with a snowflake imprint on it's face flutered forth and Alice learned it was called a Snowdrake. Alice also realized it was a teen comedian fighting to keep a captive audience.

"Ice puns are "snow" problem." It joked teasingly.

"Oh. Do you know of Sans?" Alice asked before she found herself dodging what appeared to be shards of ice.

Feeling slightly nervous now that she realized she was encountering lone and somewhat hostile monsters again, Alice did manage to avoid the attack, but only narrowly. Her question also seemed to make Snowdrake confused as it didn't seem to recognize another pun master. Alice wondered what would be the best way to appeal to this desperate, hard-working jokester and she got an idea.

"What is your "ice" age?" She asked, trying to sound a bit whimsical.

"I've heard that one." Snowdrake said bluntly.

A surge of ice shards seemed to indicate this was the incorrect choice but Alice was not going to give up.

"Can I hear another joke please?" Alice asked.

"Better not "snow" flake out!" Snowdrake claimed.

Alice couldn't keep herself from giggling quite a bit at this unbridled use of puns and it seemed to make Snowdrake quite happy.

"See!? Laughs! Dad was wrong!" Snowdrake exclaimed in a proud way and seemed to leave Alice be.

Continuing on, Alice noticed what appeared to be some kind of cardboard hut or stand with snow on the top much like with Sans. She saw there was some text on it as well and ever eager, Alice began to read. 'YOU OBSERVE THE WELL-CRAFTED SENTRY STATION. WHO COULD HAVE BUILT THIS, YOU PONDER… I BET IT WAS THAT VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN! NOTE: NOT YET A VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN.'

"Hmm… sounds like something Papyrus would've written." Alice concluded.

Carrying on into the next area, she noticed another sign and what appeared to be some sort of shrine with a bell, some sort of doggy figurehead, and a poster. There was definitely a Japanese element to it all which made Alice curious as to what culture these monsters had adapted. They seemed to be very diverse in their tastes which at this point was a good thing. As Alice neared the shrine though, something began to arise from within the shrine. It appeared to be a white dog wearing a black mask with eyes that darted left and right as though seeking something. Alice was startled and took a step back.

"Did something move? Was it my imagination? I can only see moving things. If something WAS moving… For example, a human… I'll make sure it NEVER moves again!" The dog declared and leapt out of the shrine.

Alice noticed the dog was dressed… very unusually. It was wearing a pink top with what appeared to be a face of a wolf or another dog on it and leopard print pants. Alice would've giggled but the two blades it was wielding put Alice very much on edge. Not to mention the cunning and intimidating tone the dog had used. She soon discovered this dog's name was Doggo and that he was easily excited by movement. Hence why he seemed to come out I suppose, Alice reasoned. One of Doggo's hobbies appeared to be squirrels but Alice didn't have a squirrel so she had to listen to Doggo say,

"Don't move an inch!"

"W-what do you- oh!" Alice gasped when what appeared to be a blade of blue matter passed harmlessly over her as she stood still.

Such an unusual attack made Alice a bit worried for she never had encountered something like that. If monsters down here could utilize different types of attacks, it would make it very hard for Alice to adapt and understand what was going on. It did however ignite a passion to find out what it was.

"Excuse me Doggo, but how were you able to make that strange blue sword? Is that some sort of secret ability?" Alice asked.

"I'm telling you not to move an inch!" Doggo shouted, completely ignoring Alice's question.

As another blue blade passed harmlessly over Alice, Alice frowned and walked over to Doggo.

"Well I want to move an inch and I also want you to answer my question!" Alice scolded Doggo and put her hands on his shoulders to drive the point home.

Put as soon as she put her hands on the bare shoulders of Doggo, Doggo reacted very animatedly. It began barking with a jubilant expression, moving it's head rabidly left and right.

"WHAT! I'VE BEEN PET! PET? POT? POT? POT? PAT? PAT? PAT? POT?" He cheerfully and rapidly exclaimed.

"Oh you like that… wait that sounds improper. I mean you don't mind petting?" Alice had to correct herself from sounding indecent and realized this was so far her best method of dealing with Doggo.

So with a gentle hand, Alice began to pet Doggo gently, realizing his mask was just markings on his face much like a raccoon and that his fur was very soft.

"WHERE'S THAT COMING FROM! PET? PAT? PET? POT? PET? PET? POT? PET?" Doggo only became louder and more rambunctious with the pets.

Alice was definitely enjoying herself as this reminded her of the times she had Dinah to pet. She felt some relief that Dinah wasn't here as Doggo would've likely upset her beloved cat. Still, she missed Dinah more than ever and really had wished the cat had come with her. As she continued to pet Doggo, he went on another tangent,

"THERE'S NO END TO IT! PET? POT? PAT? PAT? PET? PET? WELL, THIS IS THOROUGH! POT? PET? PAT? PAT? POT? POT? POT? POT?"

"D-don't say it like that… it makes me sound like an indecent person." Alice complained feeling slightly flushed as she had only been petting the same spot and nowhere else.

Fortunately though, it appeared that this was enough to pacify Doggo as he soon said in his original tone,

"OK. That's enough. S-S-S-Something pet me… Something that isn't m-m-moving… I'm gonna need some dog treats for this!"

Doggo then reentered his shrine and with a somewhat meek expression, slid down, and disappeared from sight. Of course should Alice have looked inside she probably would've found him again but she had no reason to. For fun though she did ring the bell twice as she was rather fond of chiming instruments. Doggo popped up again but didn't seem to see her.

"Hello? Is anybody there…? No?" He asked before sliding down again.

"I suppose Sans would be better suited to answering my question about the blue attacks then." Alice decided.

While that had been interesting, Alice knew she simply had to move on. Passing by a pile of what appeared to be dog treats used to smoke, which disgusted Alice, she found herself in the next area and encountered…

"Oh Sans! Hello again." Alice greeted him cheerfully.

"hey, here's something important to remember. my brother has a very special attack. if you see a blue attack, don't move and it won't hurt you." Sans basically answered the question that Doggo hadn't been able to answer.

"W-were you spying on us... ? H-how did you know I was intending to ask you that?" Alice asked astonished.

"a skeleton's intuition. do you think you can remember on your own or do you need a TIPia to help you?" Sans joked once more.

"Well blue is a very prominent color. I should know most of all as I am currently wearing it so I think I know to stop moving if something blue approaches." Alice insisted.

"good on you. don't even need to remind you. good luck." Sans finished the conversation.

Alice was still slightly curious how Sans knew exactly when to answer Alice's question but at this point paranoia seemed to be crippling and there was still more to see so she let it go. As she crossed by a layer of ice upon the snow, she took the top path to find…

"Ooh! A snowman!" Alice clasped her hands happily as she saw it.

She had always delighted in building snowmen on many a cold English winter and seeing one in person was very encouraging. She walked over to it to get a closer look at the craftsmanship when to her surprise it spoke to her,

"Hello. I am a snowman."

"...! That's very nice of you to introduce yourself to me. My name is Alice." Alice curtsied as she spoke slightly startled.

Even the snow here is sentient, Alice thought, definitely a mysterious world.

"Nice to meet you too Alice. As a snowman I cannot move. It has always been a dream of mine still to see the world…" The snowman said sadly.

"Well that's actually one of my dreams too. You see, I've fallen into this world and am hoping to see all the curious possibilities that lie here." Alice spoke sympathetically.

"It's always a prized feeling when you know you have seen all there is to see and there's so much fun in that journey as well. You seem to understand me so can you be so kind as to please, from the bottom of my heart… take a piece of me and bring it very far away," Snowman offered, clearly touched by Alice's words.

"W-won't that piece of you melt though…? I would hate to harm you by accident…"

"Don't worry, I'm cold enough to last through even the longest heatwave. Plus my will to see the world is stronger so it wouldn't hinder you at all." Snowman reassured a nervous Alice.

"If you put it like that it would be senseless to deny your honest request so of course." Alice agreed.

"Thank you… good luck!" Snowman advised.

Alice nervously took some snow from the Snowman and placed it into her apron pocket. It was very, VERY cold but the kindness of the Snowman and his dream made it worth carrying. Alice then returned to the ice blanket and took note of a sign she had missed. It read 'North: Ice South: Ice West: Ice East: Snowdin Town… and ice."

"These must be directions… not very specific on three of the directions though." Alice critiqued though was pleased to know what led path led to Snowdin town.

So she appropriately went down the Eastern path to find…

"YOU'RE SO LAZY! YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!"

"i think that's called… sleeping."

"... Wasn't Sans just at the last… well then again I did go down another path before heading here so…" Alice pondered to herself about San's quick movements.

Sans and Papyrus seemed to be quarreling like typical sibling again beyond what appeared to be exposed ground in the snow. Something was telling Alice that this encounter would be the first of the aforementioned puzzles both brothers had brought up. Alice did say she would be more forgiving of Papyrus so this would be his first chance to impress her.

"EXCUSES, EXCUSES! OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES!" Papyrus cried out upon seeing Alice.

"Alice… Alice is my name" Alice insisted not wanting to be referred to be something like 'human.'

"ALICE YOU SAY? VERY WELL. IN ORDER TO STOP THE ALICE… MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE… QUITE SHOCKING!" Papyrus pointed out.

"Shocking…? So it has something to do with electricity I presume?" Alice inquired.

"EXACTLY. FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE.. ELECTRICITY MAZE! WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE, THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP!" Papyrus pulled out what appeared to be a crystal ball as he explained this puzzle.

"W-what… that's not a riddle, it's a method of torture!" Alice exclaimed in a bit of a panic.

"who said anything about riddles?" Sans asked, winking at Alice.

"... Touche" Alice grumbled with a more aloof expression.

Naturally by 'puzzles' Alice would assume games of intellect or strategy while this was merely a game of chance and hoping they would not trigger a zap. Of course monsters would probably have different meanings for 'puzzles' altogether. So Alice felt a bit embarrassed that she had jumped to conclusions and gotten stupefied.

"NYEH HEH HEH! AND THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL HAVE ON THIS PUZZLE IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL! OK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW… IF YOU DARE." Papyrus laughed triumphantly.

"Well I suppose I don't have any other choice to make." Alice admitted defeat and stepped forward.

However at that point she heard a violent electrical crackle and when she looked, Papyrus was being zapped by electricity in a comedic pose. Alice instantly understood that Papyrus's puzzle had to have backfired on him which made her chuckle a bit. After the zapping concluded, Papyrus simply stood still with a bewildered expression and charred tone to his bones. He then proceeded to begin stomping angrily, most likely because of this unexpected backfire.

"SANS! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Papyrus demanded furiously.

"i think the human has to hold the orb." Sans casually clarified.

"OH, OK," Papyrus replied, almost instantly recovering from his temper.

Taking the orb, Papyrus began to approach Alice in a very complex and over exaggerated set of steps and that's when Alice noticed distinct black footsteps that began to appear behind Papyrus. That means he's taking the correct trail to get past this maze, Alice realized. She seemed genuinely surprised at how easily Papyrus exposed the answer to his own puzzle and seemed oblivious to this. Naturally clever, Alice said nothing and took the rather metallic orb from Papyrus when he handed it to her. Papyrus even headed back the same way he had came to her.

"OKAY, TRY NOW!" Papyrus directed.

Alice, holding the orb, proceeded to do just that. Simple small steps at a modest pace, precisely following the series of footprints. In no time at all she had successfully made it to the other side and completed the puzzle. She decided to boast a bit,

"That actually was indeed rather fun. I would've expected a tad bit more from the Great Papyrus nonetheless."

"INCREDIBLE! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL! YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY… TOO EASILY. AND THAT WAS JUST THE FIRST OF MANY FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! THE NEXT ONE WILL GET YOU BECAUSE IT WAS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER SANS! PREPARE TO BE CONFOUNDED ALICE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus retaliated with expected bravado.

He then made to walk backwards into the next area leaving Alice and Sans alone. Alice turned to Sans but Sans spoke first,

"hey, thanks… my brother seems like he's having fun."

"I can't imagine how seeing he so easily gave away the answer to his own riddle…" Alice said.

"yeah, but he's got a big heart so i think he's just trying to make it solvable. after all you are the first human he's seen so he's probably just getting to know you ."

"... Sans, may I ask you something. You say I'm the first human HE's seen, haven't there been other humans down here before?" Alice inquired curiously.

She wasn't sure why she had asked that seeing how Chara confirmed the presence of at least six humans before Alice. Perhaps it was to get more of a point of view from the residents of the underground and not to mention Sans did seem to have a lot of power behind him. Sans looked at Alice with a raised eyebrow.

"well… at least… there's been stories about other humans being down here before. they are what's needed to break the barrier after all. papyrus wasn't around that time to really test them. he was still dreaming of being a royal guard at that point and had no training so you are the first human he's gotten to interact with." He answered hesitantly.

"... So there really has been a lot going on down here for centuries it appears. Another thing I want to ask is why are the monsters so sure that SOULS are what will be needed to break the barrier? Couldn't there be some other way?" Alice asked.

Sans looked a bit pained, as though he had no idea how to answer that.

"i'm not the best person to ask that alice… not even close… but i do know that there really isn't any other way. that's why the monsters down here work themselves to the bone to get out of here." Sans offered a weak pun.

"Well… perhaps… I could try to find a way to break the barrier myself? I certainly won't buy there being only ONE solution that soon. I'm sure there's evidence to prove there's another solution that may work without needing to kill any humans." Alice spoke after being filled with a sudden compassion.

After all, if she wanted to get home, the barrier would have to be out of the way. So Alice felt that the best way to do this was to take down the barrier altogether and that way both she and the monsters could return home. Perhaps it had been the passion of Papyrus that had drove her to ask Sans these questions and Sans' vulnerability that made her sympathize and desire to help him. A better part of Alice was telling herself she was getting a bit carried away but Alice felt that she had the potential to do such. Toriel had said she was taught well and more intellectual than the other humans who had came down here after all. She also felt it would be another way to prove Chara and Flowey wrong and it'd help the monsters understand she meant no harm. Sans replied,

"kid… empty promises break hearts more than anything else down here."

What startled Alice was that Sans tone sounded completely in denial as though he was insulted she had even suggested that. But his eyes were full of hope and there was a strange blueish glow on the right pupil. Alice felt mystified as he was presenting himself in a contradictory fashion but it also made her feel good that someone was supporting her. After all, no one should have to be lost in order to make progress. Still, Alice decided that was enough serious talk and questioning for now and straightened her posture.

"E-er… yes… and I do suppose I don't entirely understand everything about this world yet but it would be something I'd try my hardest to achieve. Anyways, so your puzzle is next?" Alice asked.

Sans glow seemed to fade and he looked relieved. It was clear he didn't like getting serious too much of the time… or was it that he was scared of getting serious…?

"yep, prepared it tooth and nail. by the way, did you see that weird outfit he's wearing? we made that a few weeks ago for a costume party. he hasn't worn anything else since… keeps calling it his "battle body." man. isn't my brother cool?" Sans asked after going on a nostalgic explanation.

"I am beginning to warm up to him. Come to think of it, was costume did you wear to the party?" Alice asked.

"i was a comic."

"A comic Sans? Oh right, well you do perform jokes and puns all the time so I see that would be an accurate costume for you. Anyways, I better move along. Thank you for the conversation." Alice curtsied and departed after completely missing the joke.

"... oh yeah she's from the past huh? before they even came up with fonts…" Sans mumbled to himself as he watched Alice leave.

Alice found herself approaching what appeared to be small cliffs of a mountainous nature with another brown bridge to connect them. There was also something else that stood out very clearly. A sort of food cart with a yellow and red striped umbrella and a very unusual man leaning next to it barefoot. He was wearing a shirt and pants that matched the umbrella in colors and he looked glum. He himself had a red nose and appeared to be furry but there was no telling what kind of creature he was. Alice took note that he was offering food though and she knew the candy from earlier wouldn't keep her full for long so she approached him.

"Excuse me sir but-"

"I don't understand why these aren't selling… It's the perfect weather for something cold…" The monster seemed to be talking to himself and sounded very young and almost like a young teenager.

"Cold…?" Alice asked a bit confused.

"OH! A CUSTOMER! Hello! Would you like some Nice Cream? It's the frozen treat that warms your heart! Now just 15 G." The monster lit up in excitement upon seeing Alice and offered his products.

"Nice Cream? Oh… you mean ice cream! W-well… that really is a bit redundant to eat something cold in this snowy area but I could use it to hold onto so sure." Alice accepted.

"Here you go! Have a super-duper day!" The monster then proceeded to take out a perfectly wrapped bar of this Nice Cream from his cart and handed it to Alice.

"Thank you…" Alice curtsied politely as she took the bar and put in her apron.

It certainly should stay frozen for quite some time, Alice thought. As she crossed the bridge she soon took note of a snowball. Wondering if this had to do with a puzzle or something important, Alice took it and began to push it along. Moving left and downward and pushing it with as much control as she could, she soon spotted a big hole in the ground and pushed the snowball inside. A small yellow flag suddenly sprouted up from within the whole as she did so. There was an inscription on the flag so Alice began to read it. "YELLOW- Your sure-fire accuracy put an end to the mayhem of "Ball." She reached into the hole to find 3 G and gleefully she added them to her stash. Alice headed back as she did get a bit sidetracked and was astonished to find Sans already there once again. Was he just moving along while Alice was off doing something else or could he really teleport? Very curious, Alice thought as she desired to know the answer eventually.

"i've been thinking about selling treats too. want some fried snow? it's just 5G." Sans offered as he saw her.

"Err… no thank you. I don't think snow has any real nutritional value" Alice declined politely.

"well i didn't have any to begin with so… yeah. i was actually going to try to get you to pay 500 G for it too." Sans admitted cheekily.

"Oh Sans, it is ideal to always conserve money for when it matters most." Alice clarified confidently as she walked past him.

Unfortunately for Alice it turned out to be the wrong path so she began to wonder if Sans intentionally misled her as a joke. There were two stands much like the one she had encountered Doggo at with a sign in between them. 'Hers' and 'His' was what they said.

"Perhaps this is a couple or a brother and sister who are aligned with Doggo? Good thing they don't appear to be here." Alice spoke to herself as she peered at the sign.

The sign described different smell danger ratings that were rather absurd to Alice as the colors didn't even match with 'GREEN' being written in red. So heading back, past a grinning Sans, she returned to where she had put the snowball in the hole and moved forward. There was Sans and Papyrus once again standing rather far from her with a single sheet of paper in between them. Alice rolled her eyes lovingly upon seeing Sans so quickly next to Papyrus once more. He definitely teleports, she concluded.

"ALICE! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR… SANS! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE!" Papyrus asked apparently not sure of what the puzzle was himself.

"it's right there. on the ground. trust me. there's no way they can get past this one." Sans directed Papyrus.

With that Alice walked over and looked at the so-called puzzle. It was a 'Monsters Kidz Word Search'. A strange ice cube with a dog face called Ice-E was asking the reader to solve this puzzle. It looked very childish but Alice did often partake in crossword puzzles when she could so she was genuinely excited. Among the words that stood out was a nonsensical word called 'giasfclfebrehber'. But Alice realized she didn't have a writing utensil of the sort on her.

"Um... does either one of you have a pen to write with?" Alice asked.

"there's one at snowdin. you can do it there." Sans answered much to Papyrus's immediate stupefication.

"Ah, thank you." Alice said gratefully as she folded the puzzle and put it in her apron pocket.

As she walked over to them, Papyrus lashed out,

"SANS! THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

"whoops. i knew i should've used today's crossword instead." Sans admitted without a trace of guilt.

Alice couldn't hold back her laughter at the silly antics of Sans. She giggled and chuckled as Papyrus seemed more shocked than frustrated.

"WHAT!? CROSSWORD!? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT! IN MY OPINION… JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST." Papyrus said snootily.

"what? really, dude? that easy-peasy word scramble? that's for baby bones."

"Ahahahahahahaha…!" Alice was at this point cackling with laughter at their sibling quarrel and San's jokes.

"UN. BELIEVABLE. HUMAN! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE!" Papyrus pointed at Alice dramatically as he made this demand.

"Ehehe… well if I had to absolutely pick one… I find Jumble to be less intuitive and harder to get into than Crosswords." Alice answered after calming down.

"HA! HA! YES! HUMANS MUST BE VERY INTELLIGENT! IF THEY ALSO FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE SO DIFFICULT! NYEH! HEH! HEH HEH!" Papyrus seemed very happy that Alice had agreed with him and then left.

"thanks for saying "junior jumble" just to appease my brother. yesterday he got stumped trying to "solve" the horoscope." Sans confessed to Alice.

"He certainly makes me laugh a lot. You and him must be a famous pair in the underground." Alice said with a very natural smile.

"well let's just say we showed up one day and have been doing our own thing ever since. it's also really great to see you getting to know papyrus better. i told you he was cool."

"Yeah… he really is the Great Papyrus… and I really am having fun." And Alice meant it.

To Be Continued...